Rise Online: Return of the Legendary Player

Because of all the hard times together, Klaus and Chun were much more emotional than usual. After they calmed down, Chun said she would call Michael to tell him the good news, and Kaizen returned to work more motivated than ever.

When he logged on to Rise Online, in his inventory, there were still 11,411 gold and 50 silver coins for him to use. Before, Klaus had been worried about how he would make enough money to buy or rent a store to set up his forge, but now that the budget problem was almost solved, he needed to find a good place with space and was well-located.

Before deciding where his store would be, Klaus decided it would be best to continue with his goal of reaching the Royal Capital, so he could learn more about the world, meet Jayaa, start looking for an Advanced Wizard for his first class quest, and also get more money by selling some drops to Klank.

He was very excited to explore new areas of RO after he visited the Howling Cliff. Visiting this place of dark ambiance and complex regional mechanics, as the patterns of the lightning drops showed, it was clear to him that some areas were not dangerous for no reason. All of them escaped the pattern of forests and woods. Come to think of it, this was in front of Klaus' and the other players' eyes all the time, like when he visited the Misty Woods, the Spider's Den, and the Goblin Valley, where each of them had its own particularity.

"I can't wait to explore the outskirts of the Royal City. I bet there are lots of strong players and monsters there!"

On the starter city map given to all beginners appearing in Holinda, several establishments were marked. Most of these points served to help players find places of interest to start learning a profession or to get their first quests. Among these locations was the town's only Cartographer's Shop, which was further south of the spawn square, so Kaizen immediately headed there.

Once on the way, some new women stopped Kaizen to ask for help with a few things. They seemed amazed at his armor and muscles, but Kaizen was not the type to help someone for free, nor did he have the time to help people who could not return the favor. That being the case, he was rude and ordered these rookies out of his way, scaring them off with his rudeness.

"Why are all these strong guys like this?"

"I just want someone to carry me!!!"

"Let's go further away from the starting area. Maybe we'll find someone to tell we're lost, and the first guys who blush at us will be the piggy bank we're looking for."

After Kaizen turned his back, they talked among themselves, which made his consciousness a little lighter.

When he arrived at the mapmaker's address marked on the map, he saw a small establishment with a modest, dusty storefront. Looking through the window, one could see many scrolls, pencils, and cartographic instruments, such as rulers for measuring radius, compasses, and some strange items. Although the front was not as impressive as the Adventurers' Association and the Auction House, it was not a place that looked abandoned, at least not for a long time.

As Kaizen opened the door to enter the establishment, the door creaked and jammed. He pushed a little, and then the door unlocked, only to have some dust from the termite-covered door frame fall on his black hair.

Taking a deep breath so as not to get angry, Kaizen brushed off the dust that fell on his head with his right hand and said aloud:

"Is there someone to attend to me here?"

The inside of the store was a slightly larger version of the storefront. There were shelves with some books, large rolls of yellowish and white parchment as well thin and thick, and some cartography tools.

A man with tanned skin and black braided hair appeared on the other side of the store counter. His face was full of bonhomie, and he approached the customer without making a fuss, contrary to the generic manner in which the various merchants in this city act.

This gentleman's footsteps made the wood of the floor creak, and so did the meek touch of his staff.

"Hello, I apologize for the slow service. Two weeks ago, I broke my foot while exploring a cave near the Calumnious Trenches, and I still haven't fully recovered. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"I want to buy a map of the Royal Capital."

"All right, I believe I already have some ready. This is the one I sell the most. Well, follow me, please."

As they approached the counter, which was not far from the entrance, Kaizen noticed a table filled with papers, jars of black ink, and brushes on the other side of the counter. It was impossible for him not to notice how beautiful and laborious this cartographer's work was because he drew not only the route to the desired location but also everything around, a true area map.

"I see that you look with appreciation at my maps, young man. Do you have any interest in becoming a cartographer?" The middle-aged man asked with a closed but friendly smile.

Kaizen was surprised to be caught snooping. "N-no, thank you. Nevertheless, I respect and think your work is very beautiful."

"Beautiful? Do you think so? That's nice to hear after so long..."

Taking advantage that the NPC was nearby, Kaizen decided to check not only this man's name but also his attributes out of curiosity.

[NPC: Galion Helegeiros

Level: 19 | Race: Human | Gender: Male

Profession: Cartographer

HP: 250 | MP: 30

Attack: 18 | Defense: 14 | Speed: 17

Strength: 19 | Wisdom: 30 | Endurance: 11

Skills: [Hidden Content]]

'Not only is it a pretty profession, but I bet it's hard, too.' Kaizen thought as he looked at Galion's stats.

It was normal to think that a cartographer was not very strong, but if you think about it carefully, the work that a professional in this labor needs to do is indeed hard and dangerous. Facing unexplored regions blindly is not easy at all, and Kaizen already understood this very well, even though it hadn't even been a week since he started playing Rise Online.

"There. Here's a map for the Royal City of Tretidian... Is it for the Royal City of Tretidian, or did I get too far ahead of myself?" asked Galion after placing the unopened parchment on the counter.

"You are right, don't worry. How much will the map cost?"

"Fifty silver coins is enough."

So Kaizen handed over fifty silver coins, which coincidentally were the only silver coins left with him.

Galion stretched out both hands together and bowed his head to take the money. "Thank you very much." He uttered softly.

"Before I go, can you point out the most dangerous places on the way to the capital? I want to know where the hunting grounds are. Could you say it for me? If that's possible." Kaizen asked.

"Oh, of course, I can do that. You want to avoid them, don't you...?"

"Yes, yes, of course. I will avoid them." replied Psyker, ironically.

...

Edited by: DrHitsuji

If you want to see original illustrations of Rise Online characters, consider helping me on pa treon: Pa /NandoFalske

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