Flynn tore through the forest like a living shadow, weaving between trees in a blur of motion. A few sharp turns and sudden leaps were all it took to disengage from combat, and the moment he had space, he activated Stealth, his figure dissolving into nothing as if swallowed by the woods themselves.
Hidden among the trees, he watched Sun-King's group retreat in disarray, their formation loose and hurried. He tapped into the party channel and spoke calmly, as though the chaos moments earlier had never happened. "They're pulling back, there's no point in coming up here. You won't catch them."
The players who had been charging up Wolf Mount froze mid-step.
"What the hell?" someone shouted. "It's over already?"
"Not quite," Flynn replied. "I killed four of them. If you're interested, you can camp their corpses." A moment later, he sent out the coordinates.
'He killed four of them?'
The party channel exploded with noise, a wave of shocked exclamations crashing over one another. After a while, a wary voice cut through the clamor. "You're not messing with us, right? Didn't you say there were more than a dozen of them? How did you kill four? Were the rest just standing around like idiots?"
The speaker was a heavyset player, not from Starter Zone #4069, but from the same region as the Asian group. As soon as his words left his mouth, a figure shimmered into existence directly in front of him. Flynn's form resolved from thin air, close enough to touch.
The man yelped and scrambled backward, panic taking over. He tripped over his own feet and landed flat on his back with a thud.
"What the hell, how did he do that?"
It wasn't just him. Shouts rang out as more players realized what they had just witnessed. Most of them had clearly seen Flynn appear out of nowhere, the blood-red name Night-Stalker glowing ominously above his head.
"It's Stealth!" someone finally yelled. "The level twelve Rogue skill!"
"Level twelve?" another voice echoed in disbelief. "Is that even possible right now?"
"And look at his name," someone else added. "It's practically dripping red. He must've killed a ton of people."
Let-There-Be-Light frowned and exchanged a look with Hair-Stays-Perfect and the others. Without a word, they shifted positions, subtly forming a loose circle around Flynn. Leaning closer, Let-There-Be-Light lowered his voice. "Night-Stalker, what's your PvP value at? Is it over ten?"
"PvP points?" Flynn paused, then opened his character panel and glanced over it. After a second, he shook his head. "Nope. Nine."
"That's good," Let-There-Be-Light said, visibly relaxing.
In this game, malicious PvP only became fully dangerous once you crossed a specific threshold. Each player kill granted one PvP point. At first, dying only meant losing ten percent of your experience, whether it was to monsters or other players. But once your PvP value reached ten, everything changed. The system branded you a villain. From that point on, death meant dropped equipment as well.
Since Flynn was still sitting at nine points, there was no risk of his gear spilling onto the ground if someone decided to test their luck. Let-There-Be-Light turned to the surrounding players and raised his voice. "We don't know where those guys ran off to, and we're not chasing them across the continent. Anyone who wants to camp the bodies can stay. We're heading back."
The players from Starter Zone #4069 quickly echoed the decision. None of them had the patience for a prolonged hunt. They had come for excitement, maybe a fight, not a drawn-out grudge. With the adrenaline fading, leveling suddenly felt far more important again.
Not everyone was thrilled. Hair-Stays-Perfect clearly wanted to stay behind and camp the corpses, but with Let-There-Be-Light, Sky-Slasher, and the rest already leaving, he could only grumble and follow.
At Let-There-Be-Light's urging, Flynn slipped back into Stealth. His presence vanished completely, and as the group made their way down from Wolf Mount, their numbers slowly dwindled until only the original seven remained.
Once they reached the Starter Zone, Let-There-Be-Light finally spoke again. "Alright, Night-Stalker. You can come out. It should be safe now."
"Got it. And thanks for the warning earlier," Flynn said, reappearing with a casual smile.
Back on Wolf Mount, Let-There-Be-Light had noticed several players eyeing Flynn with barely concealed hostility. Knowing the PvP rules as well as he did, he was almost certain they were debating whether to kill Flynn and see if he dropped anything. No one knew his exact PvP value, but a name that red made people assume the worst.
That was why he had immediately told Flynn to use Stealth. On the way back, the group had taken the time to fully explain the PvP system to him. Beyond gear drops, having ten or more PvP points temporarily wrecked your standing with NPCs. Shopkeepers would jack up their prices and lowball you when buying items. At fifty points, you were effectively an outlaw. Towns would bar you entry, NPCs would refuse to deal with you, and guards would attack on sight.
PvP points weren't permanent, at least. One point naturally decayed every hour. You could also take on bounty quests in towns, and completing them would reduce your PvP value, with higher-bounty targets clearing more points.
Flynn had accumulated nine PvP points in only a few hours. As his friends saw it, explaining the rules clearly wasn't optional. No matter how strong you were, you didn't fight the system and win. Getting wrecked because you didn't understand the mechanics was the dumbest way to lose everything.
Back in the Starter Zone, the Teleportation Gate now hummed with activity. Players who had reached level ten were beginning to leave for the city of Moster. Let-There-Be-Light's group decided it was time for them to go as well.
When they asked Flynn what he planned to do, he scratched his head, looking oddly hesitant. "A friend dragged me into the game. He wants me to level some professions and support him. So I think I'll stay here for a bit."
'Support?'
Hair-Stays-Perfect and the others stared at him like he'd just told a bad joke. Who was this mysterious friend who could turn someone like Flynn into a support player? In any serious guild, Flynn would have been a core combat member without question.
"Professions, huh?" Let-There-Be-Light said, nodding thoughtfully. He glanced at Amy and smiled. "Amy's planning to level hers too. Why don't you two do it together? You can train professions in the city, but it'll be crowded. Mines will also be packed. Staying here isn't a bad idea."
A shadow crossed Amy's face. She shot Let-There-Be-Light a glare and opened her mouth to refuse, but a private message popped up before she could speak.
"C'mon, sis. Help your big bro out. This guy's an expert. Building a good relationship with him will help us a lot later."
After reading it, her expression darkened further, but the refusal never came.
Flynn noticed everything. He spun his dagger lazily between his fingers, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face. "Sure. I'm a total newbie anyway. I'll probably need to ask Miss Amy for advice on a lot of things."
For some reason, Amy didn't feel irritated at all. Instead, she remembered his casual, infuriating gesture back at the foot of Wolf Mount, and heat rose to her cheeks. "I wouldn't call it advice," she said, forcing her tone steady. "We can just… discuss things. And honestly, your mechanics are incredible. I was thinking of staying to learn from you too, if that's okay."
"Well then, we're off," Let-There-Be-Light said. "Keep in touch by mail."
The Starter Zone was a special region. Once players left it, private messaging no longer worked across zones. Mail was the only way to stay in contact.
Let-There-Be-Light, Hair-Stays-Perfect, and the others departed one by one. Sky-Slasher lingered for a moment, clearly conflicted, before finally turning toward the Teleportation Gate. Just before leaving, he looked back at Flynn. "I'll be waiting for you in Moster. We'll settle the score then."
Flynn blinked, completely baffled. Settle the score? When had he ever offended that guy?
When he brought it up to Amy, she seemed to understand immediately. "Sky-Slasher's a famous pro player. Your performance completely overshadowed him. He's not happy about that."
"Oh?" Flynn raised an eyebrow. "So you think my mechanics are amazing too?"
"Don't get cocky," Amy shot back. "You've got a long way to go. I've seen plenty of people better than you." She paused, then abruptly changed the subject. "So, what professions are you picking?"
In Age of Conquest, each player could choose one combat class and two life skills, known as professions. The combat class was the core of a character, while professions supported it. Most players prioritized combat, though a small number focused almost entirely on life skills.
The profession list was extensive: Blacksmith, Leatherworker, Tailor, Alchemist, Jeweler, Enchanter, Engineer, Artisan, Fisher, Cook, and more. Each had its own mechanics and appeal, and since you could only learn two, the decision wasn't an easy one.
Flynn understood the basics, but this was his first VR game, and a lot of the finer details were still blurry. Taking advantage of the moment, he asked, "Do you have any suggestions?"
Amy glanced at him sideways, a sly smile forming on her face. "What, expert? Don't tell me you don't even know what the professions do."
"Of course I know a little."
"Hmph. Doubtful. For a violent guy like you, I think Engineering suits you. Bomb specialization."
"Engineering?" Flynn searched his memory. Engineering was a strange profession, focused on explosives, mechanical devices, and even primitive firearms.
In a sword-and-magic world, it wasn't popular. Still, in the lore, engineers had played a critical role in helping humanity secure Aenoth, the relatively safe zone where civilization had taken root.
The catch was that most engineered items could only be used by the engineer who made them. It was powerful, but largely self-contained.
The bombs were tempting, but Flynn remembered Chad's "support" mission and shook his head. "Engineering won't help my friend."
"What class is he?"
"Paladin. He's probably going Jewelcrafting and Enchanting."
"Then take Blacksmithing," Amy said immediately. "You mine ore, forge gear, and sometimes find gems while mining. You give the gems to your friend. You forge equipment, give it to him to dismantle, and he gets magic crystals for Enchanting. And the ore you mine also helps level Engineering. See? Perfect synergy."
She rattled it all off without stopping. Flynn's head spun. It sounded logical, but something about her enthusiasm made him uneasy.
"Trust me, Violent Flynn," she said firmly. "Blacksmithing and Engineering are perfect for you."
"…Alright," he said weakly. "I'll go find the trainers. What about you?"
"Alchemy and Leatherworking."
"Alchemy sounds pretty useful."
"It's okay," she said dismissively. "Not as good as Engineering. Blacksmithing and Engineering are the best."
"Okay, okay!"
Still dazed, Flynn was half-dragged through the village by a secretly amused Amy. Two gold coins later, he had officially become a Blacksmith and an Engineer, receiving two new quests: gather ore and create blasting powder.
With that done, the usually cool and reserved Amy finally smiled, her bright eyes curving into soft crescents. Even Flynn, who prided himself on his composure, was momentarily caught off guard.
He would never know that for the simple act of squeezing her hand earlier, this woman had just played him completely. Blacksmithing and Engineering were indeed a clever combination, but only early on. Low-level ores were cheap, and advancing those professions later required absurd amounts of resources, impossible without the backing of a major organization.
Likewise, Amy could never have imagined that her harmless prank would one day give birth to Flynn's future title in Age of Conquest: the Bomb Fiend, whose devastating explosives would become the nightmare of countless players.