He got the skill.. and it didn't even require any SP to learn. A bloodline skill.
Kai remembered Deimos having an overpowered ability that let her conjure a dark sword—unbreakable and ever-growing—to the point that she even used it as a shield. Hopefully, she wouldn't get something like that this time.
What was his like? Kai did a touch and hold on the icon displaying a sword surrounded by orange flames.
[Infernal Scion:The Blood of the 'Inferole - The Ever Burning' runs true in your veins. Flames that empower you—one use converts all mana into flames. The more mana burns, the greater the effect.]
"Oh.. A power boost type, huh.. I do need more power behind my arrows.."
Does it mean Inferole was the father or the Exodian ancestor of his?
Kai wanted to activate it and see the effects, but he would have to wait until he was out of town. Players weren't allowed to randomly attack people in town; the guards had warned him upon entry.
He had things to do today. First, he went to the market to check out what was being sold and at what price. Dungeon items were the most common, followed by modified Exodian tech fused with wood and steel.
Kai managed to get a good price for his monster loot, so he sold the common ones he had in excess. However, he kept a few:
–
Enchanted Tendon (Uncommon) – Picked from other players.
Moon-Touched Horn (Rare) – Picked from other players - most likely Deimos, could be from that ghostly deer.
Venomous Stinger (Uncommon) – Dropped by Toxic Swarmers, oversized, aggressive wasps.
Phantom Dust (Uncommon) – Dropped by Shade Lurkers, creatures that fade into dense vegetation and attack sneakily.
Wraithbloom Titan Core (Rare) - The white core of the Wraithbloom Titan.
–
When he asked around in NPC shops, they offered decent prices, all in gold. But Kai didn't need more money. These materials could be useful for crafting or might fetch a much higher price once the online store opened.
The store was set to launch at the end of the week. The option was visible in the interface but greyed out, displaying a timer counting down seven days. To most, this wouldn't mean much, but once it went live and players realized they could sell game items for real money, Nyxfall would explode in popularity. It was already trending for its lifelike gameplay and highly intelligent NPCs.
Selling all the common items earned Kai 42 Gold, some 8–9 Gold purely from the silver coins he had looted off players in his beginner village. He bought a basic-looking armor set, it was from the lowest level dungeon—since he had been practically roaming around in villager clothes. It granted +2 to health and had a small, unnamed movement speed boost.
Kai also bought a small one-handed sword, just in case, before heading toward a structure resembling an academy or a training range with a stable nearby.
A few fine-looking horses roamed within the enclosure. However, Kai first wanted to see if any instructors there offered good skills.
He quickly spotted some hard-faced veterans, but they only had basic skills—ones he had already seen circulating on the forums. Nothing new or useful.
Finally, Kai walked up to a man who was feeding the horses.
"Hello there! Are you the owner of this place?"
The man gave him a brief glance before turning back to his work. "Yes, I am the owner, traveler."
"Will you sell me one of your horses?" Kai asked.
The man scoffed, shaking his head. "What do you even know about horses, kid? Money aside, I can't just hand these magnificent beasts over to someone who doesn't even know the difference between a broodmare and a colt."
"I want a companion for my long journey," Kai replied. "I don't mind spending a few days learning how to care for the beast."
The stable master finally put down the hay and turned fully to face him, hands tucked into his pockets.
"Well.. if you're willing to prove you can learn and properly care for them.. then I might sell you one."
[Mission: Show Me You Care
Difficulty: F
Objective: Learn horse riding and the basics of horse ownership.
Reward: Skill – Earthstrider.]
Kai grinned as the mission prompt popped up. Many players had attempted to buy horses from Nexus Kin village stables, but none had succeeded. Most just threw money at the problem. When the stable owners refused, they tried proving their knowledge of riding, even offering more gold—but it never worked.
The only known exception was encountering a greedy NPC who didn't care about the horses.. but no one had found such a character yet—or at least, it wasn't public knowledge.
Kai had seen many players in the forums chasing after wild creatures, trying to ride or tame them, only to fail. He knew the truth—one needed a riding skill to mount a horse. That's how it had worked in the previous Nyxfall.
In the last timeline players had discovered this through trial and error—but Kai could simply upload a recording of this interaction. Once people saw the correct method, it would save them days of wasted effort.
Of course, the other species in Nyxfall who couldn't see his videos would have to figure it out in their own way.. but for humans? Kai could be their guiding light through these tedious early-game hurdles.
At the same time, this would boost his following. More Nyxfall players meant a larger audience, which meant greater influence in the game's future meta.
For two in-game days, Kai endured the stable master's grueling training. The man was fat, rude, and relentless, turning it into an obstacle course where he had to repeat tasks endlessly until they were perfect.
But Kai wasn't a beginner—he had been proficient in horse riding in the past Nyxfall.
For a complete beginner this would be hell.
The reward was worth it though. The skill level was no joke—it had to be this hard. Earthstrider allowed riding any land-based creature, even monsters, so it couldn't be something players earned easily.
The real problem was the instructor himself.
The guy never stopped cursing and insulting Kai.
There were many moments Kai wanted to snap his neck, but he held back, gritted his teeth, and pushed through.
In the end, he mastered it in just one and a half game days.
[Rank F Mission: Show Me You Care - Completed.]
[Received Reward: Skill – Earthstrider.]
[Skill Available: Earthstrider.] [Learn (1 SP)]