Compared to the days in Zenith Online, the nights were surprisingly short. Kieran and the others trained for 8 hours inside the game before the rays of the brilliant morning sun reappeared.
Surprisingly, no monsters came near their position even with the clamor generated by their actions. Perhaps it was related to the area they chose, but it appeared whatever monsters inhabited this area had little to no interest in them. At least, not at this very moment.
Kieran stretched and groaned with a refreshing feeling. Meanwhile, the others groaned in exhaustion and looked at him as if he were a monster.
"You're evil!" Bastion complained. While Kieran gave them breaks during their training, it was only long enough to provide time for their Stamina to refill completely. They returned to training just seconds after that happened.
As a result, Bastion and the others were given no more than a 20-minute break before returning to honing their mechanics and increasing their awareness. Despite the difficulty and complaints everyone had, they couldn't denounce the results.
Bastion felt like he was on the edge of grasping the timing for redirection, while Nemean understood the principle of interchanging his offense with defense and vice versa.
Furthermore, he also picked up hints of the redirection principle Bastion trained since he could also utilize it. They were both shield-wielding classes, so the same principles should affect them.
Not long after the sun appeared, Head Merchant Penni groggily appeared from the main caravan's rear while covering his face. "Ugh, it's so bright! So so bright…."
It took a while for him to deal with the current sun, but he ultimately acclimated to morning brightness before turning toward Kieran's party. The fact they seemed so exuberant this early in the morning had taken him aback.
"D-did you all not sleep a wink?!" Head Merchant Penni exclaimed. He was flabbergasted by their current condition. If he were in that position, he would be a walking zombie.
"Nope," Kieran shook his head. "There was no reason to. Sleep, while sometimes a necessity, is a luxury we can't afford right now. My people still require some whipping into shape."
"Ah," Head Merchant Penni smiled wryly.
If they needed whipping into shape, he needed a full-blown beating. He was practically useless during every problematic situation. However, he was unlikely to go through any formal combat training because he lacked the protective instinct.
"Well, before we head out, I'd like to make some Invigoration Brew at least," Head Merchant Penni remarked.
The others looked at him strangely, as if they had no idea what he was talking about. Nemean was the first to voice his lack of knowledge.
"What exactly is that?"
"It's like the name says. It's a brew that invigorates the body and makes the consumer feel enlivened," Head Merchant Penni answered. His expression lit up as if he were speaking of his first love. It was clear he truly relished this drink.
"So… it's like coffee then?" Nemean said with a weird expression.
Head Merchant Penni's eyebrows furrowed when he heard this unfamiliar word. "Coffee? What is coffee?"
Kieran approached and whispered into Nemean's ear. "You know we aren't on Earth right now, yes? Some things may be different here. While they generate the same effect, they could have a completely different name."
"Ah!" Nemean gave a swift nod after coming to an understanding. He waved his hand and asked that Head Merchant Penni disregard his comment. Although Head Merchant Penni found it strange, he didn't press the matter.
Instead, he started a flame and prepared the invigoration brew mentioned earlier. As Nemean said, it was incredibly similar to coffee, except it had a high concentration of refined Mana tasked only with providing the utmost reinvigoration.
Once Head Merchant Penni finished preparing the brew, he turned toward Kieran and the rest. "Would you all like a cup?"
"We would all appreciate it," Kieran said respectfully.
He had heard rumors of this drink's effect, but the intensity of its results varied on the drink's quality. From Head Merchant Penni's meticulous preparation, Kieran could tell the drink would be of acceptable quality at least.
Everyone soon received a cup and sipped the contents because it was still scalding hot. A series of reactions occurred as Nemean was the first to have a hushed outburst.
"It is coffee! But… it tastes much better. Speaking of which, why does everything taste better?" Nemean tried to whisper as low as he could, but his excitement made it difficult to control his volume. The whisper sounded more like a strained yell because of this.
"Our world sucks," Bastion chimed in.
Earth cuisine lacked in every aspect compared to some of the simple dishes tasted here. Then again, none came from affluent families, so they weren't privy to the taste of Earth's high cuisine, only the cuisine readily available to the public.
"Somewhat," Kieran agreed. "But, we have yet to explore the epitome of the world." Kieran gave a mysterious smile because his goals for Zenith Online and Earth were enormous. His sights were set at the zenith.
"That's right! No one will mess with us once we reach that place," Bastion added in staunch support.
However, Altair absentmindedly stared into his dark drink, swirling it around in his hand. The dark tint seemed to reflect in his pupils as he muttered something to himself. "Fluid… and blended."
Unbeknownst to Kieran, the drink in Altair's grasp provided him inspiration that compounded onto the combat performed earlier. Kieran had set the foundation, which also inclined Altair to seek an answer to the path presented to him.
Altair only exited this trance when the drink cooled slightly and stopped emitting steam. Afterward, he sipped it with a pleased smile. He understood what he needed to work on now without Kieran mentioning it—the fluidity of his movements.
The bursts he unleashed were all too stiff and couldn't be utilized in other movements. However, attacking wasn't the only aspect of combat. Altair needed to cover every base before claiming his foundations were solid.
After drinking the cups of invigoration brew, everyone was given an astonishing alert.
〈System: The user's Stamina Regeneration Rate is increased by [300%]! The effect will diminish by 10% every hour after its consumption.〉
"Whoa! Did you see that? My regeneration rate increased by 250%, but it'll gradually decline," Nemean exclaimed.
"Huh? Mine said 240%," Bastion frowned after feeling something was wrong. He looked around for the other's value.
"That's odd; my alert said 220%," Altair scratched his head.
"I only received a 150% boost," Sera sheepishly added.
"Same; I received a 150% boost," Alice added.
Everyone then turned to Kieran, who remained silent all this time. He gave a bitter smile after feeling those inquisitive eyes on him. "300%..."
"God dammit! It's rigged!" Bastion had an outburst.
Nemean flipped over one of the stools because he couldn't understand how Kieran always emerged the lucky one. However, Kieran's following words raised a sound point.
"I don't think it's luck. This should be a drink that bases its effects on two things—our current Stamina and Constitution. You all are familiar with Constitution, right? You should have received a point or two after promoting."
"Yeah, I'm familiar, but I only have 1 point. How much Stamina do you have exactly?" Altair inquired.
"That sounds about right. As for my Stamina, I have over 1,800 at the moment," Kieran admitted.
This divulgence made everyone's jaw drop. Even Bastion, who relied upon Stamina and Defense, only had 1,500 Stamina currently. So, the fact Kieran beat him by over 300 points was insane.
Nevertheless, he understood that Kieran's class offered advantages he didn't have access to. If Bastion wanted to catch up to Kieran in terms of attributes, he'd have to partake in many complex efforts.
However, Bastion felt up to the challenge as he clenched his fists.
Altair similarly looked at Kieran as a rival and a goal. He vowed to stand on equal grounds with Kieran and bring an equal amount of fame to whatever guild Kieran established in the future.
However, accomplishing that last part meant he'd have to resolve his Wiyan issue.
Not long after this conversation, Head Merchant Penni and the other merchants finished preparations to resume travels. The horses were given some food before quickly traversing the nearby rocky terrain.
Unlike the day before, Kieran chose not to rush the journey. While their pace was still quick, he decided it would be acceptable to take a break if anyone asked for it. After all, he wanted to test out this regeneration buff in combat while also understanding the monsters here.
Since this territory rested between two kingdoms of low importance, the monster's level barriers were similar to those found in leveling zones around the Aeredale and Aubrililes Kingdoms. It wouldn't exceed a difficulty requiring the presence of Tier 2 classes.
A monster not exceeding the limit meant the strongest monster would only go up to Lv.50. But even that was rare because these areas seemed unimportant. Kieran estimated the highest level he'd find wouldn't exceed Lv.42.
While still twelve levels higher than the team's overall level, but that disparity could change quickly if Kieran slew enough monsters with his team.
Approximately one hour later, the team came across their first obstacle.
「 Lv.36 Stone Scorpion (Elite)
Rock Type, Insect Type
Health: 400,000/400,000 (100%) 」
A group of large scorpions, 2-meters in length with stone exteriors, scurried before them. Their tails secreted an alarming liquid that sizzled when touching the rocks below. This was likely a corrosive acid wielded as an attack.
However, despite their levels, Kieran and the rest remained calm while dismounting their horses.
Kieran gave a subtle nod as Bastion took the lead.
