At eighteen years old, Cairo had left his tribe of Catkins to wander the world and gain experience.
With this goal in mind, he had chosen the Floating Islands of Thaloria as his base. Why? Because all roads lead from Thaloria.
(E/N: All roads lead to Rome pun. I'm just not sure if it's gonna fly. No pun intended.)
The Town of Thaloria had airships that could travel anywhere within the continent for a price. It also had teleportation gates connected to the nearest towns and cities, allowing easy travel.
While it couldn't be said to be the center of the world, it was one of the primary transport hubs in the Southern Region of the Kingdom of Avalon.
Cairo went into an inn, wanting to buy himself a drink. But as a broke young man, he could only order the cheapest mead in the Tavern, drinking it sparingly as he wanted to savor it while it lasted.
Halfway through his drink, a waitress placed a silver jug beside him.
At first, the Catkin Swordsman only shot it a short glance. There was no one beside him, but he simply thought it was meant for someone yet to come.
Imagine his confusion when the waitress lightly tapped his shoulder and told him that this drink was for him. The swordsman shook his head.
"I didn't order this," Cairo said.
"You're right." Dora—she was the waitress who gave him the jug of wine—nodded. "That gentleman over there has already paid for this drink. He said this is a gift to you."
She pointed to Alex, who gave a casual wave to the Catkin Swordsman.
Cairo frowned and approached the young man's table, bringing with him the jug of wine.
"I don't recall seeing you here before," Cairo said before sitting down on the extra chair set at the table. "I'm certain we are not even acquainted, so why did you gift me wine?"
The luminous white wine, known as Stardancer's Delight, left a silver afterglow on the lips.
It was the signature drink of the Cat Tails Inn and had cost Alex three silver coins, bringing his remaining funds down to just twelve.
However, he had gritted his teeth and bought the wine, buying himself the opportunity to talk to the famous NPC bound to become the strongest Catkin Swordsman in the Kingdom of Avalon.
"When you first entered the tavern, your presence simply mesmerized me," Alex answered. "When you moved, I sensed that you were containing your strength, and the way you carried yourself… I just knew you were an expert."
"To be honest," he continued, "I even thought I was looking at the current Heaven's Sword. So… I figured a harmless little trick might be my best shot at becoming your acquaintance."
The words "Heaven's Sword" were effective enough on Cairo, who immediately had a good impression of Alex. After all, to be called a Heaven's Sword was the highest praise a Catkin Swordsman could have.
Every Catkin who wielded the blade aspired to earn this title, and Cairo was no different. He was one of the many experts striving to prove their best to be worthy of it.
"I am no Heaven's Sword," Cairo replied, forcing himself to stay composed and not break into a wide smile. "But I hope to become one someday."
Alex smiled. "Then I hope your dream will soon come true."
Raising his water-filled wooden mug, he proposed a toast, which the Catkin reluctantly accepted.
"Cheers to meeting a new friend," Alex said. "And cheers to the future Heaven's Sword."
The Catkin clinked mugs with Alex and drank the wine that made him sigh in satisfaction.
"Stardancer's Delight truly lives up to its reputation as the Cat Tail's Inn signature wine," Cairo commented before shifting his gaze to the young man who was treating him to such a fine drink. "I believe I still don't know your name, human."
"My name is Alex," Alex replied. "Alex Stratos. And this is my friend, Dim Dim."
"Dim Dim~" The Dim Sum God waved at Cairo, making the latter smile faintly
"What an unusual creature," Cairo stated. "Where did you get this pet?"
"Dim Dim is not my pet," Alex corrected. "He's my travel companion."
"Ahem!" Dim Dim raised its head, as if to prove Alex's words to Cairo.
"Funny little thing." Cairo was amused by Dim Dim's act. He decided to let the little guy be, and once again shifted his attention to Alex. "My name is Cairo, and I'm a wandering swordsman. Thank you for the gift, but it's time for me to go. If Fate wills it, our path will cross again."
"May fortune favor you in your journey," Alex replied.
"Dim Dim~" The Dim Sum God also waved at the Catkin, telling him to take care of himself.
Cairo smiled faintly and took the wine jug before leaving the tavern.
When everything was over, Alex sighed. Sure enough, talking to Cairo was nerve-wracking. His heart had been a mess the entire time.
He felt a little guilty for deliberately approaching the Catkin Swordsman to be his friend just so he could ask him for a favor in the future.
However, in the end, he didn't push forward with this plan and simply decided to become Cairo's acquaintance for the time being.
Suddenly, he heard a notification sound inside his head, making him blink in surprise.
A blue window screen then appeared in front of him. Alex read it out of curiosity.
*****
< Cairo >
"I do not seek strength for power. I seek it to carve my name among the stars."
— You have made a good first impression of Cairo.
— Cairo will now be added in your relationship tab.
— Cairo will now recognize you as an acquaintance.
— Favorability increased to half a star.
Overall Favorability: Half a star.
Relationship Status: Acquaintance
*****
< Hidden Mission Completed! >
Mission Name: First Acquaintance
"Not all who cross our path are meant to stay, but each leaves a mark on our journey."
[Rewards]
+1 to Luck
+10 Arcana Points
*****
The unexpected reward caught Alex completely by surprise.
The Luck Stat was grayed out, which meant that stat points couldn't be allocated to it. Of course, it could be increased in other ways—through items, equipment, artifacts, buffs, and missions.
In any case, getting a +1 to his Luck and 10 Arcana Points in exchange for spending three silver coins was worth it.
'Half a star,' Alex thought. 'Six stars is the highest level of favorability in the game. Raising the favorability of Heroes and Heroines to two stars meant being friends with them.
'At three stars, they will treat you as good friends. Four stars, best friends. Five stars… At that point, you can even have them as a lover. Six stars, you can ask them for marriage. By then, they are guaranteed to agree to your proposal.'
For players who had a five-star favorability with a same sex character, two options would be given to them whether they were straight or bent.
Option 1 was to make them a sworn sister or brother. This relationship was more like that between family members who would help each other no matter what.
Option 2 was to make them your lover, which would ultimately lead to marriage if the favorability rating was raised to six stars.
Endless Leveling Online was a game that gave you endless possibilities. You could form bonds with anyone and anything.
You could form bonds with monsters, spirits, and even the undead!
Simply put, you could form bonds with anything that caught your fancy.
Heck, you could even form a bond with a tree or a stone if you were persistent enough!
Alex smiled lightly after checking his stats before heaving a sigh.
'I need to focus on gaining funds soon,' Alex thought. 'Otherwise, I will be forced to sleep on the outskirts of town using only a bedroll as my bed.'
The game was truly different from reality. He had made his character sleep uncomfortably multiple times, but since it was he who had to do everything in person now, he'd rather sleep on a comfortable bed with a proper roof above his head.
With renewed determination in his heart, Alex decided to consistently train so that he would become strong enough to fight a goblin one-on-one without relying on throwing rocks at its head.
Yes.
He planned to fight them in close combat with a sword.
That way, he would overcome his fear of getting attacked by enemies, just like how he had gotten used to tanking hits from the strongest Bosses of the game who gave out great rewards the moment they were defeated in battle.