Choo choo!
Boarding the train, Max arrived at Stronghold Mercenary's base in just a few seconds. This game's skip feature that activated whenever one boarded the train to the next destination was truly a lifesaver to cut time.
Without it, a lot of time would be wasted just sitting inside the boring metal carriage.
Stepping outside the train, Max was greeted by a base on the side of the cliff. It was made in a way so the monster couldn't reach it... At least Small-Class and Medium-Class.
Buildings hung over the edge of the cliff, and the entrance was right in front of him. The train didn't even enter and had a separate station outside the tall stone fence.
"It's massive," Max exclaimed as he looked at the main base beyond the fence.
A massive structure stood in the middle, piercing the sky. There were some balconies connected to the main building, with people merrily sitting and laughing. Among those people, at the topmost balcony, Max could see someone with a question mark above his head.
"That must be Hunter. Let's visit him and make progress on this quest."
Max entered the base. The people guarding the gate didn't ask him for identification or anything. Rather, he was greeted and allowed to enter.
Finding the entrance to the base was also easy. Who would miss such large doors in the middle of the small residences?
And when he entered, he noticed something.
"There is no elevator..." He muttered as he faced the long stairs in front of him.
On the sides, beautiful NPCs were taking care of many mercenaries who drank beers and ales. There was no elevator in sight. The only trace of technology he could see was the steam heaters and a box that looked like a refrigerator.
"Are the devs serious?"
— The hell... has started.
— Welcome to the first step of trials.
— Hahaha, you shall taste hard work!
— Not even you can escape this.
— Caesar said great minds come with great bodies. So he made these stairs so the mercenaries could train their body.
"Nah. This is bullshit." Max shrugged his shoulders. He could feel his motivation slightly dismissed. "Is there no other way to reach the top?"
Looking around, there didn't seem to be any way aside through the stairs from inside. It was just one big stair that connected all floors together. No holes could be seen from the inside, unlike on the outside.
At that moment, he had an idea. Climbing those stairs would take a long time because it was one step at a time. So... Why didn't he just skip all the steps and just jump around like a monkey? He was a traceur, for god's sake.
'Isn't that the perfect strategy to reach the top faster? I mean, Hunter, the NPC, can be seen from outside. There is no rule that I need to use those stairs to meet him.'
Without hesitation, Max exited the main base. He turned around and looked at the building once again, this time carefully while holding his chin.
'Only a bit is left. I can do it.'
On the highest balcony, Hunter was looking down at what he did with hawk-like eyes. Before long, he reached it and nested on the railing beside Hunter.
Max looked at the guy with blue hair and jumped down the railing.
"Jamal told me to find you. He said you can tell me more about Tromax."
"You are so rude for a newbie," Hunter commented with a smirk, causing Max to blink in surprise.
'Did I make a mistake?' He thought. He never expected such a response from the NPC.
"My apologies." He immediately said, bowing his head slightly. "I was a bit... Well... The adrenaline is still affecting me."
"Hahaha, no need to apologize, pal." The NPC laughed, "Rather, that was a good show. If it's you, then I believe that you would have no problem finding Tromax or escaping from it if you encounter it directly."
After saying that, Hunter pulled a thick parchment. He handed it to Max, which he received with a gaze full of curiosity.
Once the parchment was in his hand, he heard a notification.
[Ding! Mission completed!]
[A new mission is generated.]
[Find Tromax in Misty Forest.]
[You have received a clue about Tromax's appearance and whereabouts. Find Tromax and report it to Stronghold Mercenary. Be careful. This Small-Class monster is aggressive and fast.]
"Thank you," Max said to Hunter and climbed the railing.
Now that he got a clue, the rest would be easy! He climbed down the building with enthusiasm. It was time to hunt a monster!
— Uh oh...
— Did he not know about it? Why did he climb down?
— Shh! No backseat, guys... Let him do what he does
— Yeah, no backseat. Pfft! This is so funny.
— No one tells him anything. Let Breeze figure it out himself.
Meanwhile, the viewers were once again confused.
***
Author Note:
I managed to write 200 chapters! 100 days without missing a single day of upload. This is such an achievement! And I want to say thank you for all your support! Thank you!