As time ticked by, the next 24 hours passed just like that in the blink of an eye. Liam did not log out and continued slogging for the entire duration.
In about 48 hours, he managed to personally mine 100 stacks of 100 iron ores, making the total count a whopping 10000 iron ores!
However, because of this, he had fallen behind all the top players and more and more players were pouring into the game just because of the sheer mystery enshrouding it.
As Liam paid the guards the entrance fees and walked through the gates of the city, it was completely crowded with numerous Level 15 to Level 20 players.
These were still low as some of the names on the leaderboard had reached as high as Level 25. "I wonder if guilds are already up and running." Liam hummed and crossed the street stepping into one of the back alleys.
Since there were no quest givers here, there weren't too many players, but there were still many NPCs roaming around.
Liam knew that this would eventually change when the news about the black market spreads but before that he wanted to reap all the rewards.
He weaved through the crowd and went inside the bustling street with various vendors. Most of them had just a simple stall as if they were prepared to leave at any given moment.
Exotic meat hawkers, rare herb sellers, black witches selling potions, several unique sights filled this narrow alley.
Liam glanced at everything calmly before arriving in front of a specific old man. This person had his wares spread out on a blanket sprawled on the ground and yet several big shots stood in front of him.
"Ah! Young man! Good to see you again!" The training hall instructor who was also standing there, waved at Liam, surprising the few players loitering near them.
This was the first time they were seeing an NPC taking the initiative to talk to a player, and that too like they were addressing each other as if they were close friends.
"Greetings senior." Liam bowed and then took out the item from his inventory. The bear's head was still dripping blood as he handed it over to the startled man.
For a moment, the man stood speechless staring at the corpse of the beast that had ruined his future. He looked at the severed head and then at Liam in disbelief. "You! You killed him!"
Liam simply nodded his head, saying nothing. However, his mannerisms were extremely respectful.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, young man. I am forever indebted to you." The instructor wiped his tears away and then patted Liam with his face full of complicated emotions.
At the same time, Liam received a string of notifications as well.
[Ding. Quest 'Kill the bear King Barabara and bring its head to the training ground instructor' has been completed]
[Ding. 10000 Experience points have been rewarded]
[Ding. You have leveled up]
The reward for the unique quest was indeed generous. The experience points for the quest were almost comparable to the experience points he had gained after solo killing the field boss.
Leveling was not Liam's top priority but to reach certain parts of the continent and especially certain Kingdoms required a high enough level. So he was quite happily surprised.
But what he most looked forward to was the next part.
Liam waited patiently, giving the instructor a chance to absorb everything and for his emotions to settle down. After a few seconds of silence, the man sighed and once again began talking.
"If only I had had the strength to do this back then… alas... now… it's too late. It's too late for everything." The instructor repeatedly sighed.
Liam smiled inwardly as he could tell that this was his cue. "Is there anything I could do to help you, senior? Please tell me what happened. You can count on this younger brother."
His usual cold indifferent temperament had disappeared altogether, leaving behind only a look of warm concern on his face.
The instructor looked very touched and he patted Liam lovingly, shaking his head. "No, Liam. Please forget about this. I am only telling you to forget about this because I consider you to be my younger brother."
Liam gave a bitter smile and continued playing his role. "Brother, don't say that. Even if it costs me my life, I want to help you. Please let me share your burden."
The man let out a long sigh and then looked down at the ground, opening his mouth reluctantly. "I… I… alright. Since you are insisting. I will tell you this, but I suggest that you stay as far away from this as possible."
"This is extremely dangerous and beyond your capabilities. I know that you are a very capable young man so you shouldn't ruin your future by listening to this fool's words."
Liam attentively nodded, not taking his eyes away from the man.
"I actually... I haven't completely given up yet." The instructor clenched his fists.
"Because my foundation was irreparably crushed, I have been staying at the training hall all these years as a mere instructor."
"But I haven't given up yet."