Pick

ID: 105752
LD: 2+3=5 (No materials)

"Fighting is an art? Well, I suppose it is. However, I do not like it. Fighting is an art only for those who cannot settle things without the use of words and exchange. This world is governed by equal trades, by that I mean, one receives what he has given in order to obtain something with the value that is equivalent to the effort he or she puts in." Pick smiled, "Violence, including sword fighting, has been proven to not be an effective manner of settling conflicts as see in history through wars. Of course, this is a game, though. Allow us to focus on getting those materials so you can finish your quest and become an artisan." Pick said to the short blonde girl before looking around for more materials. Unfortunately, he was unable to find anything that would be useful to him.

Now, he had noticed that Dustin had seemed to give up on material gathering. He had probably already decided that his loss would be inevitable. "I highly doubt that the best fighter in the world would lose to a child with a stick, but I get what you are saying. Although I recommend that you do not kill Kayaba in real life. That would only get you arrested." Pick smiled, assuming the man was joking with such a serious comment.

@Artemis @Dustin

T1 Materials: 10

"Well, it shouldn't be that hard for us to spot a giant queen bee flying around. It's a field boss that we have to kill, and from what I remember, they were pretty easy to find, since they respawn in the same place. I have a pretty good idea of where it is," Pick explained, smiling at the blonde man - a fake smile of course, since he was not yet friends with the man, and from what Pick could tell, this man would just end up being competition to him. Naturally, Pick would dislike the man, not that he would show it, however, since his poker face is such a brilliant characteristic of his. Pick nodded, "I should be able to deal some damage with the weapon that I have. I hope that you can effectively prevent damage to the both of us, since we definitely won't have as much mitigation as you," Pick finished, directing his attention to the blonde woman who had called him dad. Pick had assumed that the mom was referring to Cosi (Big hehe...)

"Well as a parent," Pick coughed, making his voice deeper in order to sound more like a dad. "one has to worry constantly about their children, to make sure that they do not do anything stupid. Men are a mystery, huh? I think you are far too young to be saying that," Pick whistled, putting his hands into his dress pants pocket before following the blonde girl to the exit. Looking behind him, he signaled to Cosi with a small wave, "Well, come on. Allow us to get the show on the road."

@Cosi @Artemis

<<Ultimate Breaker>> Used

ID: 105429 BD: 4+4=8 (21 DMG)

Pick would use a sword art that he was familiar with since a long time ago back when he had yet to unlock the third rank of the weapon skill that would boost his ability to wield a weapon effectively. Pick smiled, finishing off the monster with the last bit of his energy before putting away all his weapons and stuff. Pick watched as his owl came down from the skies. It wasn't that capable of helping him with his fighting quite yet, because Pick had been too lazy to train it on a daily basis. Eventually, Pick would have to get that thing rolling, so it can help him with fighting, as it would definitely be an advantage to have in combat, since its speed is very effective in distracting opponents. Pick sighed, his hand holding the owl as it cuddled with him cheerfully. "Alright, Emerald. Let the night start."

Stats:

Pick: 220/280 | EN: 1/28 | DMG: 7 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | SA: 1 | REG: 2 [Savvy]

Wolf 1: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 2: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 3: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Venom Snapper: 0/150 | DMG: 35 | CRIT: 50
      MD 9-10: Poisons the target, dealing 10 unmitigatable damage at the start of their turn for 3 turns.

<<Crimson Blood>> Used

ID: 105379 BD: 7 MD: 6-3=3 (42 DMG) (0 DMG)

Pick smiled - he was pretty close to finishing off the monster and completing the quest afterwards. Just like he had anticipated, this quest was actually quite easy, and he would manage to complete it with ease. Pick brought his battle axe high above him before activating the sword art that he had yet to try. Crimson blood was the name of the sword art that he soon used to bring three sways  toward the venom snapper before it was sent further away from Pick. The attack was a good one, and Pick could only smile as the Venom Snapper came rushing towards him at the speed that it no longer had what it had a couple of minutes ago. Its legs seemed weakened, and if it was going to hit Pick, Pick would have definitely dodged the attack easily, just like he did, although he wasn't sure whether it was his own skill.

Stats:
Pick: 220/280 | EN: 3/28 | DMG: 7 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | SA: 1 | REG: 2 [Savvy]

Wolf 1: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 2: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 3: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Venom Snapper: 12/150 | DMG: 35 | CRIT: 50
      MD 9-10: Poisons the target, dealing 10 unmitigatable damage at the start of their turn for 3 turns.

<<Antidote Used>>

ID: 105378 MD: 7-3=4 (0 DMG)

Pick pulled out the item from his inventory... the one that the merchant had given him before he left the quest giver's location. Pick sighed, he didn't he would actually have to use this. Pulling the wooden block which acted as a cap, he began to chug the whole thing down, until there were practically zero liquid left in that bottle. He had taken damage because he took damage from the poison at the beginning of the turn, and there was nothing that could be done about that. He can only continue as if nothing happened, and keep on attacking the mob that had survived twice of his attacks. A few more, and the mob should be completely down. It seemed that he had recovered a few energy points to use this attack, as well. Indeed, now he can't use an AoE, but he would use an attack that dealt damage.

Stats:
Pick: 220/280 | EN: 8/28 | DMG: 7 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | SA: 1 | REG: 2 [Savvy]

Wolf 1: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 2: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 3: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Venom Snapper: 54/150 | DMG: 35 | CRIT: 50
     MD 9-10: Poisons the target, dealing 10 unmitigatable damage at the start of their turn for 3 turns.

<<Trample Act>> Used

ID: 105376 BD: 8 MD: 5 (42 DMG)
ID: 105377 BD: 3+4=7 MD: 10 (42 DMG) (50 DMG)

Pick would once again activated the same sword art, expecting to finish off at least one of the remaining mobs. Of course, he was confident, but he might have been overconfident this time. Pick sighed, preparing to strike with his golden axe, and landing a powerful AoE attack on the same two mobs that had survived the last one. They continued to live, at least, one of them who had managed to take the hit full on and then strike right back. Pick knew that it was already too late to dodge the attack, and he cursed when he realized that the had been inflicted a status infliction, and been dealt more damage than he could deal. This was actually the first time something like this happened, and Pick would have to get used to taking damage, because quests would get harder and harder progressively as time continues on and on.

Stats:
Pick: 230/280 | EN: 7/28 | DMG: 7 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | SA: 1 | REG: 2

Wolf 1: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 2: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 3: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Venom Snapper: 54/150 | DMG: 35 | CRIT: 50
     MD 9-10: Poisons the target, dealing 10 unmitigatable damage at the start of their turn for 3 turns.

<<Trample Act>> Used

ID: 105372 BD: 10 MD: 8-3=5 (54 DMG)
ID: 105373 BD: 06 MD: 9 (42 DMG)
ID: 105374 BD: 01 MD: 7-3=4 (0 DMG)
ID: 105375 BD: 10 MD: 4 (54 DMG)

As soon as Pick reached the scene of the crime, he readied his axe in order to release a powerful sword art that is better than all the previous sword arts that he has ever used. This one was different, and it was very powerful, but took a lot of energy to use. However, it was an AoE, so it was actually very useful in the end for him, because he is able to knock out two mobs - two wolves with one attack. This would make the quest progression go on a lot faster than it would have if he did not have the powerful sword art. He watched as the other two, a big venom snapper, and a small wolf attacked him despite Pick surprising them. Not to Pick's surprise, their attack was absolutely useless, and Pick was able to dodge them easily without any trouble. Pick smiled, preparing once again.

Stats:
Pick: 280/280 | EN: 16/28 | DMG: 7 | EVA: 3 | ACC: 3 | SA: 1 | REG: 2 [Savvy]

Wolf 1: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 2: 0/40 | DMG: 25
Wolf 3: 40/40 | DMG: 25
Venom Snapper: 96/150 | DMG: 35 | CRIT: 50
     MD 9-10: Poisons the target, dealing 10 unmitigatable damage at the start of their turn for 3 turns.

After that, the quest giver provided Pick with the coordinates for these so-called beasts before handing him an antidote, or that was what Pick thought it was. Pick probably won't even need it, but it was not something that Pick would mind having to be completely honest. Pick smiled, accepting the item before walking out. The NPC remained silent - he had nothing else to say, because Pick had already accepted the quest. This was easy, the quest should be easy, and this was the first quest that he would have to fight more than one enemy in. This was different, and Pick was excited because all the other quests that he had been involved in was in floor bosses, and easy ones too at that. Pick smirked under the mask as he realized that he was closing in on the location of the area that the quest should take place in.

+1 Antidote

"You come for the bill I posted? I am Gatsly. I work as a merchant, making just enough to support me and my family, but lately all of my supply caravans have been destroyed or chased away by a ferocious beast." He looks down at the floor, "I don't have much, but if you could slay the beast, I would pay you." Pick smiled, he hadn't seen the bill that the man posted, but this Gatsly man seemed like he was in need of help, just the type of NPC that Pick loved to meet on the lower floors, as they secured him easy skill points to invest in his weapon skill. Of course, the man could not tell who was under the mask, not that it would matter as he was just an NPC. Pick nodded, without saying anything before clicking on the accept button that was on the pop-up screen.

Of course, Pick had no idea what the quest was, since he hadn't heard of any rumors regarding this quest. To his deduction, this quest was probably an easy one, but not a popular one, since it was on the second floor. Pick could care less, though, since he could get some additional skill points by completing this quest, and maybe even some Col as a reward as well... that would definitely be a great addition to his arsenal. Pick sighed - one of these days, he would have to increase his light armor skill, to get some protection even though he has evasion, but that day would have to come later. For now, he wanted to get as much damage as humanly possible, and that means no doing stuff like putting his skill points into his armor - that would literally just be stupid, in his opinion. Pick sighed, preparing to listen.

It was then that Pick saw someone different from the other people that he has seen around here. He had a huge, brown beard, and a big build in general - his head, of course, was remarkably big even for the body that it was resting on. He was in the corner of the pub that he had walked in - it was rather empty, and he was in his costume, so it was much easier for him to do things without having to attract too much attention. Pick had a suspicion that the man was an NPC, because he was not eating anything, and the NPC waiter seemed not to do anything despite the man's presence. Pick shrugged, walking up to the man and before he could even speak under that mask, the NPC began to speak first. It was this moment that he knew that a quest was about to start.

Objectives:

• Accept the quest
• Defeat three wolves [HP: 40 - DMG: 25]
• Defeat the Venom Snapper [HP: 150 - DMG: 35 - Crit: 50 - MD: 9-10 results in poison damage that deals 10 damage for three turns]
• Bring last-hit item back

Pick had to do a quest today. It had been a while since he last completed one, and he realized that he was definitely beginning to slack off on the quest grind, and grinding levels to become stronger. Pick was slacking, but even when he slacks, he will restrain himself and prevent himself from slacking off too much, so that he can once again get on the level grind, obtaining more skill points   in order to invest more and more into his weapon skill, allowing him to farm for Col and materials with ease. That would be what Pick wanted, as it would make the game extremely easy for him as he proceeds through the ranks. Pick sighed, he would have to get a new costume soon - this one was a copy off of something popular, but he wanted something that was original - this way, it would be more scary on him.

Pick ignored the comments that the other two players were making. Being on the first floor, these players were definitely not strong, no matter how much they claimed to be. If Pick wanted to fight, he could definitely take at least one of them on, easily, not that fighting was particularly his style, though. Pick smirked, knowing that he had managed to outsmart the two players immediately when the man came forwards. He was rather big in size, which meant Pick should easily be faster than him with his light armor and the speed that came with his small size. As soon as the man had been provoked to take one step forwards, the man managed to distance himself from the girl... just that tiny amount of space would be enough for Pick to squeeze through and attack the man's weak point - his affection for this blonde, little girl whose mouth was too annoying for her own good.

Just like that, he managed to get there, squeezing behind the big individual before looking down at the little girl. "Can you please shut up? Strong players don't talk like a mosquito, you are rather annoying, but it seems that the man behind me wants to protect you. Don't try anything silly... you don't know my strength." Pick exclaimed, addressing both of the players. It was as if they were talking to imitate high-leveled players, but it's not quite working, as the way they talk doesn't fit the first floor. "Now, I'll be going up to the higher floors. Silly boy, you are not a monster. Actually, you are far from it," Pick chuckled, leaving immediately. He thought he had seen potential in the red-eyed man, but he was not a villain. He had previously said that all "he can do is aim for the bad guy". If he wanted to be a good guy, so be it... he can waste the rest of his time in this game protecting a young female while Pick moves on and progresses until he rules the world. He has no use for someone who thinks he is powerful enough to protect someone else without dragging himself down. "Silly boy. We'll probably never meet again after this." He told himself, looking at the moonlight as he distanced himself.

@Prometheus @Artemis

(As far as Pick can tell, Prometheus is not a villain. Prometheus is protecting a little girl, and he also does not have the intelligence that Pick would make an exception for. Unfortunately, Pick does not see a point in him, and will not be attempting to recruit him to his organization.

"Thief will have to do, I suppose. Although if you are going to be addressing me as that, I highly recommend that you do not do that openly in public. If you cannot, just don't address me at all... I will know when you are talking to me without you addressing me." Pick concluded. With someone calling him thief, it would not be good because it can reveal what his intentions are - something that he did not want to be released too soon and too easily.

"I am still gathering members for this organization, and did not particularly have a plan for tonight. At the moment, everyone that I associate myself with must remain on the low-key, and must not reveal anything about this organization. Everything needs to be hidden from the public, especially the front lines. We will be gathering members who have villain-like intentions just like us, and that's it. For now, since you'll need to get equipment from the safe zone, you need to make sure that you don't kill anyone until you are at least level fifteen." Pick instructed. For someone to become an orange player at a low-level would put that person in a bad position where they would be questioned by players as to why they have an orange marker. Stronger players who have an orange marker seemed to not be questioned, whether it be that people are too afraid, or people just assume that they obtained the marker as a result of self-defense.

"I suppose. We can get some combat practice in... maybe see what type of weapon you use." 

@Slayer

Before the girl could speak, a huge fist slammed right into the desk. "She doesn't speak. If you want to talk, you're going to have to do it with me," Pick heard, looking up to see an extremely buff man with dark blue hair staring down at him. His other hand was making the shape of a fist, as if he was prepared to attack him at any moment. Pick sighed, sitting back to show that he wasn't even intimidated.

"Why jump to violence? We can sort something out, you know. It seems that we might have some similiarities, if you know what I mean. After all, I think I'm not that far from yourselves." Pick smirked, "you guys aren't good guys either, right?" Pick asked, switching from his gaze from the buff man to the girl on the right.

"Clever," Pick was surprised to hear the girl speak, "that's right..."

(To be continued...)

Thread Complete:

+400 Col
+6 T1 Materials
+3 SP
+<<Snowfrost>> [Half damage from burn damage]

Pick went into the closest bar, also known as the most famous bar on the fourth floor, because not only was there cold drinks such as beer and wine, there were warm drinks fitting for the fourth floor's coldness as well. Pick smiled, changing everything fully back to his original costume as well before going into the bar and looking around. It was there... it was there that he noticed a strange girl in a cloak. Finding her interesting, Pick sat down and tried to peek under the cloak only to be unable to see what was beneath it. He began to speak,

"Early morning, huh? Not many players become active during the mornings. What might you be doing out here by yourself so early in the morning?" Pick asked, smiling and fixing his blonde hair from the previous night's adventures. He was tired, but not tired enough to pass up an opportunity.

ID: 105240 LD: 2

Before Pick would enter the safe zone, however, Pick would check around to see if there were any materials near the entrance to the main floor. He felt quite cold at this point, and it had begun snowing since it was during the day. To be completely honest, this floor was actually much more comfortable than the first floor for Pick. Here, it was chilly, and people tended to do less during snowy days, because it's cold. Everything seemed so at peace - just perfect for Pick to do something to ruin the peace that this place seemed to pull off. Pick sighed, realizing that he was not going to be able to obtain a material because he had none of the equipment that he needed to successfully do material gathering. Pick smirked, taking off the mask before entering the safe zone. At this point, only a few night wanderers were active.

T1 Materials: 6

ID: 105238 LD: 9

Pick carried on, but finally, the time was right for Pick to get the owl and allow him to rest. Emerald slept mostly during the day unless Pick fed it some coffee, but coffee wasn't that good for you in real life, so Pick would be cautious and be aware when he needs the owl during the morning. Besides, just having him was enough to get him the damage boost that it provided. That was actually enough - everything else the owl does was what Pick trained it to do - to fight along side him and to communicate with him with the situation requires it. Pick sighed, petting the owl as it closed its eyes after flying onto his hand. The first floor was filled with his friends, and the fourth floor, actually, had some acquaintances as well. Now, he shall go and negotiate with these players, and hopefully, they'll be of use.

T1 Materials: 6

ID: 105237 LD: 18 CD: 9 (3 Materials)

Pick smiled, under his mask with a smirk and a chuckle. It had been a while since he killed the Avalanche, and the night was approaching the day. Pick had spent quite a while with Emerald now, so he had managed to develop quite a bond already with the familiar. Pick smirked, adjusting his mask so that it wouldn't fall off as the owl went into the sky and cycled twice before coming down forcefully and stopping without slowing down. it was an impressive move, and a great juke that would surprise the enemy that Pick was fighting in order for Pick to follow up immediate with a battle axe sword art. The battle axe was a heavy weapon, so Pick needed to have something distract the enemy in order for him to get a clean strike off without him having to learn how to wield the weapon faster than usual.

T1 Materials: 6

ID: 105230 LD: 6

The owl nodded, as if it actually understood what Pick was getting at. The owl had gotten used to Pick looking like this with the mask on, which was a positive since that would mean Pick would have the ability to use the owl without the owl being confused. Pick will have to start getting used to calling his owl Emerald later on, though, but only during a certain time. If he was heard calling the owl the same name both as his secret identity and as his real identity, there's only one way that that would go - he would get exposed, of course. Pick smirked, watching as the owl seemed to dance in joy during the night. He was active, and deadly as well, and can definitely be a scare to random passing players. It was perfect - Emerald... no, he was perfect. Pick looked around, checking for materials only to not see any.

T1 Materials: 3

ID: 105227 LD: 5

Pick concluded that the owl would have to recognize him through scent, and that was easy - he would just have to spend some time with him. Pick took out his golden battle axe, before signaling to the owl to come near him. It was then that he began his lecture to teach the owl how things would work.

"Hey, owl, remember to never come out during the day unless I instructed to," Pick referred to Emerald as owl when situations got serious. It was only when Pick addressed Emerald as "owl" when Pick meant business. "This way, my identity won't get exposed. I'll be getting a better battle axe soon, one that would fit this personality, you see, but this golden axe will be what I rock during the morning. During the morning, do not come and fight with me if you see this golden axe, got it?" Pick instructed.

T1 Materials: 3

ID: 105226 LD: 7 (No Materials)

Pick continued to look around in case he happened to stumble across some materials that he can personally use. He doubted it, though, since these materials were actually quite rare, and without any sort of boosts to help him out, it would be very difficult for Pick to get any of this material gathering done. Still, the main reason that he was still out here during the night was to spend time with his familiar and develop a bond and trust, and even some form of communication so that the two can fully cooperate with each other. Pick smirked under the mask - the owl must learn how to realize that he is who he is without seeing his actual face. During the night, the owl's vision was amazing, able to see enemies and targets with ease, but during the day, it was not as awake, so its abilities would be toned down.

T1 Materials: 3

Pick had heard that his weapon was finally complete. With this, he would be complete with his build for now, at least, the night build. Just like he wanted, Dustin had left the weapon outside and Pick had been keeping an eye out for anyone near by that might take it. As soon as Dustin walked back into the shop, Pick jumped down with his mask and wig, and everything, before smiling and putting the battle axe into his inventory. Dustin didn't state a price, so Pick left another note saying that he didn't know the price, and instead just simply paid 20 materials. Pick could have honestly just taken the item and left, but he was a gentleman, and he didn't want to do something this bad to Dustin anyways. Besides, Pick had so many materials that he didn't know what to do with all of them, so he might as well give them away.

-20 T1 Materials
+1 Dread (+3 ACC)

"Picking the wrong target would be suicide if the target is wrong, of course. That's an obvious fact. However, if the organization is filled with the talent and brains that I imagined it to have, making a wrong move would require every individual that fits among that group to make a heavy mistake. With a system of checks and balances, a wrong move would not be made if every move was checked by other members of the organization, hence, our actions would be to the best interest of the group. Also, like I said, most people have a weak point that can be targeted to weaken their will. If one manages to attack through that point, that person will join us even if they don't want to. It's simple - blackmail. Also, this world runs on a system of gains. People do things that would bring profit to them, and if we can offer them this profit... something that benefits them, they will join us," Pick said, his words beginning to mumble under his mask. Lifting it up a bit, so that only his mouth would show, he took a small sip of the wine that he had ordered before placing the mask back where it was originally supposed to be. Clearing his throat, Pick continued, moving on to the second part - the communication that was required for any organization to succeed.

"Well, we can have say, weekly meetings in places such as this, but more private. If we can find a base and make sure that it is unknown to other players, then our issues would be solved. Eventually, we can purchase a house for the organization, and no longer would we have to face this issue of communication again. For now though, I suppose we can just do something like that... meeting occasionally in a set location. Although insecure, our organization is far from being well-known, so it shouldn't be that much of a problem."

@Mars

ID: 105225 LD: 15+3=18 CD: 11 (4 Materials)

"Well, if you observe this game with a certain amount of detail, then you realize that this game is practically the same as the real world. In order to get better, you keep doing the same things over and over again, until you rank up or level up... You keep on fighting boars, and then stronger boars, until you reach the cap... just like the real world. Sometimes, the real world has even more diversity, if you think about it, since you can do a job differently depending on the job, but in this game, fighting is the same... always."  Pick smiled, looking over at Dustin with a grin as the girl asked if he was just going to take what Pick had said. 

"If you are well aware that I'm a better material gatherer than you, you should've never initiated the challenge," Pick said, still wondering why the man had decided to simply throw away the money to buy for all three of the players. Pick was by far a better material gatherer, just with the addition of one skill, and the inclusion of his luck into that factor as well, so it was ridiculous for Dustin, who was a pure damage dealer to challenge him in this aspect. "In fact, here's some that I'm about to grab right now," Pick finished, standing on his tip toes as he reached high onto the apples that were hanging off of a taller tree.

@Dustin @Artemis

T1 Materials: 10