'Let first acquire a decent dagger just in case I have a chase to kill that alchemist,' Vlad thought as he exited the dungeon.
Vlad knew from stories what the alchemist was like when he was hiding in the village, and if those were to be believed, then he should be easy to kill, especially if one took him by surprise.
Vlad strode toward the crowd of players, who were resting or preparing to enter the dungeon. He wrote a sign offering to buy a dagger with game points before displaying the holograph above his head, and the players quickly noticed.
"Hello, friend," a voice called out. Vlad turned to see a player approaching, his attire making it obvious: an assassin.
Clad in a dark, fitted leather outfit with a hood partially concealing his face, he moved with a practiced ease. His steps barely made a sound, telling one that he was not a newbie.
"Niel, from the Outcasts faction," The assassin continued, his voice smooth yet measured.
With a flick of his wrist, he revealed a goblin-forged dagger with a clean, dark blade devoid of rust and a handle wrapped in leather.
"Rare drop from the dungeon." As he tossed the dagger at Vlad, he said, "A fine piece, the best one could get from the dungeon, and better than anything you will find in the village."
Before Vlad could respond, another player scoffed. "Hah, best you could find?" The voice belonged to a smug-looking player, his armor and gear far superior to those around him.
"The dungeon isn't the only place to get items," he added before pulling out a pristine white dagger. Its blade gleamed under the sun, the handle wrapped in snakeskin, starkly contrasting to the crude goblin weapon.
"My team got this from killing a Level 15 White Fang Viper," he boasted, flashing a knowing smirk.
The player who had first spoken remained silent, knowing the player belonged to the Sky Lion Guild. A group with the most resources and influence in the Grimroot village.
"The price is six hundred game points," the smug player continued. "Just over half of what you got as a freebie." His smirk widened slightly.
"Not bad, right?"
Vlad remained unreadable but could not help but sigh, knowing he might need to deal with some unwanted trouble.
He knew that he could receive some unwanted attention for using game points since, at this stage, the only way to get them was from Lucid. Everyone knew how many points he would have, and it was possible someone would try to take them with force.
The only way to get game points was to complete quests of certain grades, dungeons of a certain difficulty, and activities that met certain requirements.
But Vlad had no other choice, and it was not like he was afraid of dealing with a little guild.
"Does anyone else have something better to offer?" Vlad asked aloud, and the smug player's expression twitched.
"Hey," he snapped, stepping closer, his posture turning aggressive. "This is the best dagger you'll get, so let's make a deal."
Vlad held his ground, unfazed. "Sure," Vlad said, offering a calm smile as he took a measured step back. "Let me just make sure first."
"Forget about the dagger. Now you will hand over all one thousand points to me, so I won't have to spawn kill you," he said, with a twisted smile, as he pointed the dagger at him.
"I was hoping for something better, but I suppose your dagger will have to do," Vlad murmured.
The words had barely left his lips when the man's expression twisted, and without warning, he lunged, attempting to drive the dagger straight into Vlad's stomach.
Vlad caught his hand, turned it around, and drove the dagger up, piercing his neck in one swift motion.
The man stared in disbelief as blood painted his chest, his breaths turning into wet, choking gasps. His lips parted as if to speak, but only a gargling croak escaped, his body trembling as his health plummeted and strength left his body.
The surrounding players gasped in shock, struggling to believe the sight before them. Seeing one of their guild members get attacked, a few players rushed forward.
But seeing the cold eyes of Vlad as he pushed the player down, they all stopped, their eyes filling with fear as they watched their fellow guild member bleed to death, his life slipping away in mere moments.
"I just defended myself, and I will do the same against any of you," Vlad said, gaining everyone's attention.
"If you think your numbers will help," Vlad said, as he watched the players look at each other and with a short pause added.
"Think again"
"We are the sky lion, and we will not suffer humiliation," A voice rang, and the next thing everyone saw was a dark shadow, and a moment later, another body lifelessly fell next to Vlad.
A thin streak of blood seeped out of the thin cut at the forehead of the assassin, who had used his silent step trait to attack Vlad, only to suffer a quick death.
The players who had just broken free from their shook felt their world crashing as he watched another, one of their strongest, laying dead next to the unknown man.
"Everyone, stand down," a female magician commanded as she stepped forward, and with eyes locked with Vlad, she added. "This isn't over," she warned, knowing full well that any further conflict would only lead to more deaths on her side.
Vlad smiled at her as he went toward the mountain path, not worried about dealing with the sky lion guild because if his strength was not enough to gain their respect, then a little lie would be enough to deal with them.
Vlad quickly reached the village and made his way to the other end. His destination was a small, lone hut in the distance.
"What a shitty bastard," A young man walking toward Vlad said, frustration clear in his voice.
"I thought after offering him one hundred goblin eyes, he would offer me some special potion, but that bastard only has his high-price basic potions," He murmured under his breath.
"Hey, you are better off selling your goblin materials to the village alchemist," he said. Seeing Vlad ignore him, he said something quietly with an annoyed look before picking his pace.
The man Vlad was visiting was named Swail, a disabled alchemist living alone at the village's edge.
Swail only had health, mana, and stamina potions, which, while 50% better than regular potions one could get from the village alchemist, were also 100% higher priced, and the worst thing, Swail only took payment in goblin eyes.
However, Swail was not an alchemist who hated the goblin. He was a half-human/half-goblin who was hiding his identity, and he was also the perpetrator behind the unnatural growth of the Dark Troll King.
Swail had a staff that allowed him to empower and control goblins. It was an ancient artifact of the demon king. While broken and far from its peak, it was still immensely valuable and dangerous.
In his past life, the players failed to kill the troll king, and the Grimroot village was destroyed, and Swail was given dominion over the first number of his army.
In mere months, exactly eight months from now, Swail would amass an army of over two million, a massive force that would grow at an alarming speed, creating the first world event of Vlad's player life.
The event lasted for nearly a year, and it only ended when both Humans and Elves acted together to put an end to Swail's reign of terror.
Vlad did not know for certain if the alchemist hidden in this village was Swail and if killing him was even possible.
But he had to try since this event would become the stepping stone for the rise of a guild, which would eventually be responsible for a major bloody event in reality.
If he was successful, he could also obtain a valuable artifact and use this opportunity to obtain his first power-up, which otherwise would require him to go through quite a long and arduous process.
Vlad stopped before the modest wooden house and knocked on the wooden door.
After waiting in silence for a few seconds, he pushed the door open. What welcomed him was a dimly lit room that gradually became illuminated as sunlight streamed in.
"Welcome, Young man," A crisp voice rang, coming from the left side.
Vlad looked and found a breaded man seated in a high-backed chair. His legs were shriveled and thin, lifelessly resting to one side, clearly crippled.
The man smiled as he spoke once more, "How can this cripple man be of any help to you, young adventurer."
The voice was calm and compelling, carrying a weight that stirred an unexpected sense of guilt. Vlad stepped into the house, his eyes showing concern, and a look of pity hung on his face.
"I am here to buy some potions," Vlad said with a calm smile.
'Let's see how much help I need to kill him,' Vlad thought as he used his trait.