Chapter 13

    The First Time

    After Nyang got over his sulk (appeasing him wasn't difficult, just needed to give him another box of food), he led Pun towards the back of the village. Pun knew Nyang intended to take him outside the village, into the wilderness filled with dangers. Thus, Pun prepared his gun and slung the bullet (medicine bottle) holder, which could carry 15 bottles, around his waist while the Flawless rope was locked in its place. The olive green backpack was tightly strapped on, and they moved silently to avoid alerting any animals or entities ahead. Despite following behind, Pun keenly observed his surroundings, committing everything to memory. He tensed up when he saw Nyang lift his bow to his shoulder, prompting Pun to ready his .458 rifle in a similar manner. The dense forest path they traversed seemed well-trodden by large animals, making the ground flat and even. Then, as expected, Pun spotted a large deer, which Nyang pointed out for Pun to handle himself...Pun tensed, gathering courage for his first shot at his first prey. Aiming at the head to hit a vital nerve, he counted down...1...2...3

    "Bang!!~~"

    "Thud!!~~"

    The shot rang out like a decree, effective with a single hit. The beautiful deer collapsed instantly. Nyang rushed towards it immediately, and a strange event occurred in Pun's mind, hearing a voice saying:

    /Player Jompran has slain a Young Deer Level 25, earning 10,500 experience points and leveling up to 4./

    Hmm...so that deer was a monster? But he was only at level 4? Right, since arriving here, he hadn't actually hunted any monsters. But it seemed his skills were quite decent...

    "Hey!! Pun, your shooting skills are pretty solid, taking down this deer in one clean shot, hitting its vital brain stem. No wonder it didn't run away."

    Nyang seemed genuinely impressed with the accomplishment, acting as if he was the shooter. Pun was puzzled again when Nyang started butchering the deer.

    "Hmm...why is Nyang separating it? Why not take the whole thing back?" Pun asked, curious if the game and reality were this similar. It's quite convenient.

    "Leaving it would just make it disappear, right? You ask odd questions, as if you've never hunted these monsters before," Nyang said, continuing his butchering...Pun, wanting to learn, summoned his Damask steel knife.

    "Step back, Nyang," Pun instructed, asking Nyang to move away from the butchering spot. Despite Nyang's dissatisfaction, there was nothing he could do since the deer was Pun's kill. And Pun once again amazed Nyang by effortlessly slicing the deer in half with the dark, sharp knife, as if merely drawing the blade across.

    "Smooth, the cut is very smooth. That knife is really sharp. How did you do it, Pun?" It seemed miracles happened whenever this hunter took action. Was this really Pun's first time hunting? After packaging the deer meat simply for village friends and potential sale to local diners, Nyang wondered...where did Pun go?

    While Nyang dealt with the deer, Pun wandered around the forest's edge, finding various herbs potentially useful for medicine. Using a standard shovel (purchased from a general store), he dug up certain plants that required fresh stems, storing them carefully in a box. Some needed drying, others fermenting. Pun joyfully collected the plants, fulfilling one of his dreams.

    "Um...yeah..."

    Suddenly, a sweet, drifting melody caught Pun's keen ears. He ran towards the source, even knowing he was straying far from where Nyang stood. For some reason, he needed to know who was making that sound. After running past a teak tree, a hand suddenly grabbed Pun's arm tightly.

    "Whoa!!"

    "Hey!! Thump!!" Reacting to the sudden grab, Pun struck with his .458 rifle, fearing an attack. Turning to see who it was, he found no one other than...Nyang.

    "Ouch! Why did you hit Nyang like that?!" Nyang dramatized the scene with his over-the-top reaction.

    "Serves you right! If Nyang hadn't stopped me, I would have found out where that sound was coming from." Pun was slightly regretful but wasn't really mad at Nyang, more pitying him especially after seeing Nyang's puppy-eyed look as if he was being scolded.

    "But how did you end up here without me noticing at all?" Pun usually had keen senses, but it was strange that Nyang could grab his arm like that without him noticing.

    "You really didn't know Nyang was waiting here? Huh, that's strange... But why were you running this way? Nyang noticed you acting quite oddly." Nyang pondered deeply.

    "What's wrong with me, Nyang?" Pun felt he might know what it was about.

    "Let's head back to the village... It's already 4 in the afternoon, and it'll be night soon. The jungle gets dark faster..." Nyang seemed to have a foreboding feeling, just like Pun, but Pun felt something more compelling than fear. Having come this far, how could he back out now? It's better to push through.

    "Nyang, if you want to go back, go alone. I'll stay here overnight. Let them see... a student like me has a master (from the books). I can survive..."

    "Hey!! Pun, this isn't a joke! You've just arrived in this forest, haven't you..." Nyang's voice faded as he saw the determination in Pun's eyes.

    "Fine! Whatever it was, we'll face it tonight. But just to be safe, Nyang, find some wood to build a platform on the trees,” and with that, Nyang went to cut large logs to build a platform.

    “Got it. We should build the platform first,” Pun nodded, understanding the task, and summoned his Damask steel knife to cut down a suitably sized teak tree. Nyang’s astonished look made Pun shrug before searching his inventory for rope. He found several types, namely, 1. hemp rope, 2. Leather rope, 3. Sling rope, 4. Nilon rope, 5, Iron rope. Each was 100 rolls about 3 meters long. Pun let Nyang choose which rope to use for the platform. Nyang shook his head, and Pun gave him a challenging look. It was fortunate he had bought everything from the store. Next time he visited the city, he planned to buy out every shop...

    The platform, about 10 meters off the ground, was swiftly completed. Initially, Pun thought of using a ready-made fire but decided to save it for when it was truly necessary since gathering firewood was easy enough... Tonight, they would celebrate with venison, choosing the deer's legs for the meal. After Pun finished selecting, Nyang smoked the rest of the deer to preserve the meat. The knife Pun used was undoubtedly his Damask steel blade, due to its sharpness. The seasonings were ready, and so was the pot. If not for the risk, Pun might have made spicy soup, but as dusk approached, they settled for seasoned venison legs with spicy sauce and canned rice... It was almost 6 PM, time to hurry and eat.

    ...

    Not only Pun's side was in a rush. The starting city was also tense, filled with a tense atmosphere.

    At the starting city:

    "We protest!! Are you sure someone actually received the symbol?!" a player in plain clothes shouted at GMs Reena and Thanwa.

    "Yeah! A reward of 1,000 coins? Must be a bluff!" The players started to accuse the GMs of lying.

    "We won't accept this! The GMs are lying about someone having it, aren't they, everyone?!"

    "Yay!~~"

    With only an hour left to the deadline, everyone's nerves were on edge.

    "Everyone, please! Listen to me first~~," Reena tried to explain, but the situation was deteriorating, with nobody willing to listen.

    "Dragon Guardian, silence!~~"

    "Red Wood, silence!~~"

    "Black Head, shut up!~~"

    "Sage Gangsters, anyone dare speaking!~~"

    The leaders of the major guilds ordered their members to quiet down, which gradually made the other players quiet as well. The leader of the Dragon Guardian guild stepped forward, clearing a path automatically as the other three guilds followed, seeing this.

    “GM Reena and GM Thanwa, may I ask you something?” First radiated an overwhelming aura of authority, causing those around to feel intimidated.

    GM Thanwa stepped forward, knowing his role, but before anything could happen, a black circular light suddenly appeared in the air, revealing the form of a man. He had bright blue hair tied back into a ponytail, with beautiful, vivid purple eyes like precious gems, and a white cloak that enhanced his divine appearance. Once his entire body became clearly visible, the voice of someone who recognized him rang out.

    “GM Ray!!”

    Indeed, the person standing there was GM Ray, the most powerful Game Master in the realm of Dream Come True. Typically, Ray would be stationed on the main continent, but due to a severe incident in the starter city, his presence was required. If left unattended, the situation could escalate, drawing attention not only from those within the starter city but also from across the world of Dream Reality and even the outside world. Given the event’s reward was the most valuable ever offered, it caught widespread attention.

    ...

    At the central control room of Dream Reality Game

    “Sigh, it turned out to be a bigger issue than we thought,” a voice from within a yellow cloak sighed in the room designated for employees handling game issues. This occasion, however, saw the arrival of three mysterious figures, the game's creators, dressed in distinctively colored cloaks of red, yellow, and green.

    “Exactly, Yellow. Despite our generosity in increasing the prize money and adding another legendary belt, it has led to protests against us. How foolish they are, not finding it first then blaming us, right, Green?” said the man in the red cloak.

    “You're overreacting, Red. We should focus on addressing the immediate problem. What do you think, Yellow?”

     “I suggest sending Ray to calm things down first. It seems the leader of the Guardian Dragon guild is there; they might be able to come to an understanding,” Yellow replied.

    “It won't just be a simple talk, I bet that guy will want us to disclose something for sure. What do you say, Red?” Green turned to Red.

    “Then, instruct Ray to reveal only some information, not everything. That should suffice for now. I need to go; I'm dead tired.”

    After the trio left the command base, a sense of relief washed over all the employees present. And soon after, Ray found himself in the starter city.

    ...

    "Hello, everyone!~ I invite Mr. Nakrob to step forward as a representative to pose a question. We may not answer fully, as we aim to avoid bias," GM Ray spoke calmly, having received instructions from the assistant creators of the game. With all four guild leaders standing before the stage, hesitation settled in, no one daring to step forward first, to avoid overstepping boundaries. The leader of the Dragon Guardian guild appeared ready to pose a question first but noticing the potential dissatisfaction from the leader of the Red Wood guild, gestured invitingly for them to proceed first. The Red Wood guild leader then confidently asked,

    "I, Mai Aek, leader of the Red Wood guild, wish to ask the GMs if someone truly has received the symbol?"

    "Indeed!"

    "Whoa...!" The question and answer made everyone wonder where that person could be.

    "Then, allow me to ask next. I am Mello, leader of the Sage Gangsters Guild. Where exactly is this person with the symbol hiding?"

    "We cannot disclose that," Ray responded firmly, suggesting that revealing such information would compromise the individual with the symbol. The crowd murmured in speculation once more.

    "Whoa...!" The players started discussing again.

    "I, Kim Song, leader of the Black Heck guild, have a question. The individual who obtained the symbol isn't in the city, correct?"

    "Yes!~" Ray smiled because this question did not reveal where the person with the symbol was.

    "Whoa...!" Each player and guild prepared to run outside the city, leaving only the Dragon Guardian Guild and the remaining three guilds. However, they hesitated when they saw that the warrior did not set out.

    "I am Nakrob, leader of the Dragon Guardian Guild. Has the person with the symbol set off on a journey towards the west?"

    "Yes...!" Ray looked at the person known to be number one with admiration.

    "Ding ding!!~" A message sound blinked as Ray read, furrowing his brows before smiling and announcing,

"Since the Dream Reality game sympathizes with all players!! The deadline has been extended to 00:00. If it exceeds this time, it means the event period is over. Our team will double the prize to avoid unfairly disadvantaging the person with the symbol!!!"