Chapter 81: Artisan Quest (1)

Once in the capital, Jake decided not to go straight to the tavern.

He went past the training grounds to see how others did.

He hadn't seen much of others' archery, so it'd be difficult to catch any of their progress, but he was interested if they were still diligently practicing their skills.

The group of archers lacked two players, but the rest remained. There was also a chance that the missing players didn't have time to play the game and were busy with other responsibilities.

Jake didn't pay much attention to it.

'Still bullied...' Jake inwardly sighed.

A few mages were throwing nasty remarks at the archers who could only practice in turns against one effigy. There wasn't anything new or creative in their insults, so Jake couldn't learn anything new from them.

Those men were as pitiful as they were before.

Welshy, who laughed the most at Jake at the time, was also here.

'Does he have nothing to do? His level didn't go up at all.' Jake thought. Welshy was a player who exposed his level and nickname, probably to get others to his side to bully archers.

That was when a development Jake hadn't expected occurred.

A woman in her early twenties barged onto the training grounds. She stood out from other players because of the fantasy tattoos of dragons, snakes, and wolves on her right arm and leg.

She revealed them to the world by cutting her long pants's right sleeve. Her shirt was also forcefully cut to display her abs and arms.

It could be said that she wore some kind of sports bra instead of a shirt.

Her attire was quite peculiar, and so was her appearance.

For some reason, archers paled, and Welshy and his group of bullies had swallowed their insults. They couldn't believe that the white-haired woman had come back so fast! She also brought her gang!

Jake was compelled to agree. "I see no fun in that... like, there's nothing to gain except the infamy."

The player sighed, "Some like to be notorious. Nothing can be done about it. If things go well, the guards will soon catch her and throw her into prison. She'll be sentenced for two weeks up to a month. If not, she will bother everyone again."

"I mean, her infamy is nothing compared to those high-level criminals that have... let's say their fun. She's basically a nobody that can be one-shot by any high level... I'm intrigued by the prison system, though," Jake said.

"It's simple. Once in prison, players can only log in and talk with others. It's impossible to use any mana or even the system, and upon killing oneself, a player respawns in his cell anyway."

"Oh, thanks. I see how it works now," Jake nodded.

Back on the training grounds, Welshy's mana ran out. He didn't use any of his consumables because it was pointless, and he just received what was due.

El Boss Queen caught him and punched him straight in the face.

When he fell onto his back, she saddled him and pummeled his face with her bare fists. She must have used some skill to strengthen herself, or perhaps she had these high stats.

Welshy's teeth zoomed past her grinning face. His blood also found its way up to her face, splashing on her cheeks.

The mage's screams were as pitiful as his swollen and bruised face.

Jake, however, didn't feel a hint of sympathy toward him.

That said, Jake curved his lips up when El Boss Queen stood up and craned her head to the archers.

She said, "Come and shoot your arrows at me... or I will beat you and steal your only effigy. How many times will you make me tell you that I love catching your arrows barehanded and crunching them in my palm? Much better than this lame magic that vanishes upon contact with me!"

Meanwhile, Jake whispered to himself, "I hope you will be around here when I return."

He turned around and headed to Sushi God.

Jake planned to get sushi for Aaron, the old artisan. It should help with negotiations!