‘God, I hate fighting, blood doesn’t come out stain free,’ he thought, massaging his wrist where his staff had nearly gotten yanked out of his grip by a goblin’s desperate flailing. He flicked open his character sheet, watching the numbers pop up with a little thrill of satisfaction.
[Character Sheet – Ren Varrow| Level 3
Exp 306 / 400
Primary Attributes:
- Strength: 6
- Agility: 7
- Vitality: 9
- Intelligence: 12 (+2 from leveling)
- Wisdom: 11
- Perception: 8
Health: 100/100
Mana: 60/60
Skills:
- Basic Heal (Lv1) – Heals a single target for 10% HP over 5 seconds.
- Group Cure (Lv1) – Heals all nearby allies for 10% HP over 5 seconds.
Equipment:
- Worn Starter Robe (Durability 17/20)
- Wooden Cleric’s Staff (Durability 14/20)
- Beginner’s Pouch (Inventory Slots: 20/50)
Status Effects:
- “Wolfbane” Title (+10% damage vs wolves, increased aggro from wolf-types)
Inventory Highlights:
- 7 Shadowvine
- 5 Frostpetal
- 12 Horned Rabbit Horns
- 2 Gloomsprite Dust
- 1 Beginner’s Herbalist Gathering Kit
Ren smiled a little.
‘Not bad for a guy who spent most of the fights hiding behind a rock,’ he thought.
Meanwhile, the others were busy digging through the goblin corpses for loot.
Because goblins were humanoid mobs, they actually dropped useful stuff—unlike animals and monsters that just dropped ingredients.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Their haul from the goblin sappers wasn’t enormous, but it was juicy:
- Sturdy Leather Boots (Lv2 requirement) – +1 Agility, +5% movement speed.
- Skill Book: Minor Evasion – Grants a +3% dodge chance passively.
- Skill Book: Basic Weapon Maintenance – Reduces weapon durability loss over time.
Ren stood up and dusted himself off, calling everyone over.
“Alright, here’s how we’re doing it,” he said, projecting his voice. “We’re not just handing stuff out for free. Nor rolling for it.”
Everyone leaned in, curious.
“Anyone who gets an item,” Ren said, “pays the group the auction house appraised value for it.”
A few of the warriors grumbled, but Ren shrugged unapologetically.
“This way everyone gets something fair. No freebies. No drama later.”
They couldn’t really argue with that.
It was fair.
The thief practically drooled over the Sturdy Leather Boots, agreeing immediately to pay.
The ranger looked ecstatic about the Minor Evasion skill book and agreed too.
Ren mentally jotted it all down.
The boots had appraised at 15 silver.
The Minor Evasion book, 20 silver.
The Basic Weapon Maintenance, 12 silver.
They’d all pay their share into the growing group fund, which Ren would handle carefully, keeping notes on who owed what.
Kanuka, unfortunately, bought nothing again, but he accepted it with a dramatic sigh and a “slums life” shrug that made a couple of the others laugh.
‘At least they’re staying in good spirits,’ Ren thought, amused.
The thief immediately started strutting around in his new boots like he was invincible.
The ranger used the Minor Evasion book like it was a holy relic.
And the warrior who got Basic Weapon Maintenance looked about ready to weep with happiness.
Ren leaned back against his rock again, feeling more satisfied than he’d admit.
‘Happy teammates make happy meat shields,’ he thought.
And keeping them happy meant keeping them working—which was exactly what they needed for the second half of Widow Shelly’s quest.
Of course, the auction prices were based roughly on what they had remembered from the auction house, and they would go and double-check it later for appraisal. But everyone was in a good mood, and no one was going to fret over a couple of copper coins.
Nobody wanted to waste their limited playtime bickering about pocket change, especially not after the insane payday they had just scored with the Shadow Wolf Alpha. A few copper one way or another didn’t matter when most of them were sitting on more money than they had ever seen in any game, let alone at level three.
Ren noted it mentally anyway—because even if it didn’t matter now, it was important to build a reputation for fairness. Especially when the real grind of the Tower was still ahead.
‘Better they trust me now, while things are good,’ Ren thought, ‘because when it gets brutal later, they’ll remember I was the one who didn’t screw them.’
And besides, a couple of copper wasn’t going to stop them from charging ahead toward the second herb—and maybe even another bonus payday waiting beyond that.