Chapter 89: Grinding

Another half hour quietly ticked by.

Yone finally completed the compilation of the super-luxury edition of the Golden Card City Guidebook. With everything meticulously arranged, he promptly sent it off, not just to Life, but also to Silent Wall and the rest of his core team.

Given Swift Slash’s terrifying speed when it came to power-leveling, Yone estimated that their entire group would hit Level 10 in no time. In fact, they would likely surpass Life’s team before the day was out.

That made it even more important for them to have a solid understanding of Golden Card City before setting foot inside. Otherwise, once they crossed the threshold, they’d just wander around aimlessly, wasting valuable time and opportunities.

By equipping them with the most detailed guide available, Yone ensured that his team wouldn’t just catch up, they’d also leap ahead of anyone else.

Soon after, Yone left the city and went to the gate as he saw a black man looking at him fiercely from a distance, knowing who exactly that person was, he placed a wide smile on his mouth and got closer for a handshake.

“Brother Isma, you arrived so soon, haha, let’s get you to level 10 now.”

Isma was about to lose it, but when he recalled the promise Yone made, he calmed down and chose to go with it all the way,’ I have already come here, I’ll trust him till the end. Plus, it’s not like he is ever known to lie to me.”

He scratched his head awkwardly and shook Yone’s hand back.

“Brother, let us go and get me to level 10 as fast as possible, I need to pay those fuckers back when I’m stronger and show them whose boss!” Isma was angry as he recalled the guilds after him, and his eyes turned bloody red from fury.

Sigh…

Yone could only sigh seeing this scene,’ His temper is as bad as ever, he didn’t change in the slightest when I regressed it seems, unlike certain people who did,’ He recalled Serina whose personality seemed to shift and shook his head in helplessness.

Life had spoken to him a bit more earlier after she reached back at him for a few quick minutes and even told him that the one responsible for the Iron Fang hunt on him was Serina, and her father had massive shares in the guild that they had to obey him.

Yone didn’t outright believe it, but he knew Life, and after the evidence she gave him of the messages sent to Dreven, her father and the ex-guild-leader of Iron Fang, Yone could only accept it and feel that a lot was happening under his eyes.

He had always thought that only small details would change, but Anonymous and HealtheWorld having a big brother who was the literal guide leader of White Wings, which wasn’t that insanely strong in his past life, and now Serina’s personality shift…

Yone felt that trouble is brewing more than he had initially expected.

He had thought that he minimized getting into trouble as much as possible and made as close to zero enemies, yet here he was getting chased by a billionaire.

Yone for instance didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’Seems like there is no way escaping trouble anyway, plus the problems will only increase a hundredfold after I create my guild and people start getting inside of the city, so it doesn’t really matter,’ Brushing away those thoughts to the back of his mind, Yone checked the quests for the ingredients once again and hit the road towards Lake Forest jungle.

While moving, Yone opened his quest log and toggled a few objectives to his HUD.” “Gather 20 Flameleaf — Reward: 20 copper.” “Hunt Wild Boars and retrieve 10 Boar Livers, Reward: 35 copper.” “Escort request: Merchant to Darkmoon Woods. Danger level: Medium. Reward: 1 silver + miscellaneous items.”

“You up for some side-by-side grinding, friend?” Yone asked with amusement.

“Only if we hit something worth XP on the way. I’m halfway through level 10, well more than half.” Isma replied with a chuckle.

“Then let’s go hunting, just follow me.”

The duo moved eastward, navigating between the lush forest edge and a gently sloping plain dotted with wildflowers. Around them, the signs of the early game rush were obvious around the city: looted wolf corpses, players with overloaded bags limping back to town, and the occasional skirmish over monster spawns.

They veered off the main path toward a less populated stretch of forest, marked by fallen logs and fungal growth at the tree roots. The air grew damper, the scent of moss and soil thick in their nostrils.

“This area’s crawling with Burrowfangs and low-tier beetles,” Yone said. “Stick close.”

A low hiss echoed from under a rock pile ahead.

“Speak of the devil,” Ismail said, unsheathing his staff.

A Fire Beetle emerged, its shell pulsing with a dull red glow. It clicked menacingly and charged.

Yone flicked his wrist, calling forth a potion bottle, not to drink it obviously, but to throw it at them.

It shimmered with light-green swirls inside.

[Weak Corrosive Vial] – Common Alchemist Throw Item – 1s cooldown.

The vial shattered against the beetle’s face with a splash. Steam erupted as the acid clung to its carapace, softening it.

“Now!” Yone shouted.

Ismail lunged, his staff aimed straight at the now-weakened segment as he muttered a few words. A fireball the size of a fist shot towards it, and then a burst of red numbers was displayed above the beetle’s face.

“Again!” Yone called, tossing a second vial with a quick flick.

By the third strike, the beetle shrieked and curled up, collapsing in a spray of loot particles. Among them: Flameleaf x1

.

“One down, twenty to go,” Yone said, picking it up.

“Feels good to be back,” Ismail said, grinning.

They moved deeper, encountering more of the same beetles along with clusters of Groundroot Mushrooms that grew in shadowed patches along mossy boulders.

An hour passed in rhythm, Yone scouting, Ismail drawing aggro, and both of them finishing monsters with clean, coordinated attacks. They settled near a small stream under a crooked willow tree to rest.

Ismail slumped back on a rock, checking his interface. “Finally. Level 10.”

The screen shimmered briefly around him, the faint outline of a new stamina gauge appearing beneath his HP and MP bars, which were always there, but this time it was as clear as day, and he could observe more openly.

“Welcome to the club,” Yone said. “Now you at least get to know the exact stamina you have and can expand.”

“I’ve got half a mind to log off and nap IRL.” Ismail groaned, pulling out a ration from his inventory. “So this stamina system… You’re sure it’s permanent?”

“Permanent unless someone figures out how to game it. So far, all I’ve found are slow-regen effects, food bonuses, and rest zones. That, and alchemy.” Yone pulled out a few herbs and a portable kit. “Speaking of which…”

He placed the mushrooms and Flameleaf into his mixing tray. After adjusting the flame and rotating a few dials, he added a measure of Sunfire Blossom, a radiant yellow flower with curling petals that shimmered in the sunlight.

[System Message: Attempting potion synthesis – Weak Stamina Recovery Elixir]

The concoction simmered. A tiny spark popped from the edge of the flask, but the contents held.

[Success! Item Created: Weak Stamina Recovery Elixir x1]

“Finally. A solution, even if temporary,” Yone said, holding the small red-orange vial up to the light.

“What’s it do?” Ismail asked between bites of jerky.

“Restores about 10% stamina instantly. Not great for battle, but it keeps the grind going.”

“Make me some.”

“You’ll have to help collect more. I need Sunfire Blossoms, and they only grow under heavy sunlight, usually near clearings or shallow hillsides.”

“Then let’s hit one before sunset.”

By late afternoon, the pair reached a sun-soaked ridge. Dozens of yellow flowers waved lazily in the breeze, watched over by a group of Level 11 Wind Serpents coiled around flat stones.

“Let me guess. Guard monsters,” Ismail muttered.

“Correct. You take the left. I’ll keep the right distracted and throw vials.”

The serpents were fast, darting like arrows and lunging with venom-laced fangs. But with precise teamwork and Yone’s corrosive bombs stripping their defenses, the pair cleared them with effort.

They harvested eight Sunfire Blossoms from the field.

“That should give me enough to try making a stronger version,” Yone said. “Let’s get back to the stream and test it.”

Ismail chuckled. “You’re turning into a real potion nerd.”

“And proud of it.”

Back at their resting spot, Yone mixed the ingredients again, this time using a new catalyst dropped from a rare monster earlier, a faintly glowing Moss Pearl.

[Attempting potion synthesis – Enhanced Stamina Recovery Elixir]

The concoction bubbled violently as a thin wisp of steam rose, and then it cooled down really quickly in the next moment.

[Success! Item Created: Enhanced Stamina Recovery Elixir x1]

Yone grinned. “Bingo.”

Ismail leaned in as he observed everything from next to him.

“Try it.”

Yone drank it without hesitation, casting a side eye to Isma for saying the obvious.

The warmth surged through him immediately, the fatigue lines on his interface fading by a good 30%.

The stamina gauge jumped up significantly.

“This changes a lot of things,” Yone muttered.

He glanced at his quest log. Only a few ingredients remained, and tomorrow was the Auction House preview event. If he could craft a full stack of these and get them listed, he’d have the market cornered for stamina-based recovery.

“I’ll need more resin and Blossoms tomorrow,” he said aloud. “But for now, let’s get you into Golden Card City.”

Ismail stretched. “Finally. I’m sick of being locked out anyway.”

He then looked at Yone with a smirk and continued,” Imagine being behind you hehe, do you remember how I always left you behind on End World? That will soon happen again, don’t worry.”

Yone ignored him, hearing his words but inwardly muttering.

’That is true, but this time around I’m a regessor good friend, beating me is out of the question.’ He laughed crazily in his heart and started walking towards the city.

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