Jin-woo logged in at 7:28 AM the next morning. He was standing in Rotwood village at the spawn point.
He walked through the village. Near the center, he saw a small wooden building he had not noticed before. A sign above the door said "Skill Vendor."
Jin-woo entered the building. Inside was a single room with shelves along the walls. Books sat on the shelves. Each book glowed with a faint colored light.
An NPC stood behind a counter. The NPC was an old man with a long gray beard. His name tag said "Skill Master Aldric."
"Welcome, warrior," the NPC said. "I sell skill books for your class."
Jin-woo approached the counter. Three books sat on display.
The first book glowed with red light. Its cover said "Whirlwind Strike." A price tag showed 15 gold.
The second book glowed with blue light. Its cover said "Defensive Stance." The price was 10 gold.
The third book glowed with orange light. Its cover said "Battle Rage." The price was 20 gold.
Jin-woo examined each book. When he touched them, descriptions appeared.
Whirlwind Strike: Spin attack that hits all enemies within 3 meters. Deals weapon damage to each target. Cooldown: 20 seconds.
Defensive Stance: Reduce damage taken by 30% for 10 seconds. Cannot attack while active. Cooldown: 60 seconds.
Battle Rage: Increase attack speed by 40% for 15 seconds. Cooldown: 90 seconds.
Jin-woo checked his gold. He had 3 gold 20 silver total. He could only afford one skill book, and only if it cost less than his current gold.
He logged out and opened the ERO forums on his cheap laptop. He searched for "warrior skill books level 15."
Multiple forum posts appeared. Jin-woo read through them for twenty minutes.
Most posts said the same thing. Whirlwind Strike was the best choice for solo grinding. It let warriors fight multiple enemies at once. This increased experience and gold per hour significantly.
Defensive Stance was good for tanking in groups. Battle Rage was good for PvP and boss fights.
Jin-woo was grinding solo. He needed to make money. Whirlwind Strike would help him fight more enemies at the same time.
But the skill cost 15 gold. Jin-woo only had 3 gold 20 silver. He would need to save 11 gold 80 silver more.
Jin-woo did the math. If he earned 50 silver per day from grinding treants, he would need 24 days to save enough gold. That was too slow. His payday loan payment was due in 17 days.
Jin-woo checked his bank account on his phone. He had $121.88. He needed to keep some money for food and bills. But if he converted $118 back to ERO currency, he would have enough gold to buy the skill book.
Jin-woo thought for five minutes. The skill book would make him grind faster. Faster grinding meant more gold per day. More gold per day meant he could pay back the loan faster.
He converted $118 USD to 118 silver through the currency exchange. His ERO gold increased to 15 gold 8 silver. His bank account dropped to $3.88.
Jin-woo logged back into the game. He walked to the skill vendor building and entered. He approached the counter where Skill Master Aldric stood.
"I want to buy Whirlwind Strike," Jin-woo said.
The NPC smiled. "A fine choice for a warrior."
A purchase window appeared. Jin-woo confirmed the transaction. 15 gold disappeared from his inventory. The book called "Whirlwind Strike" appeared in his bag.
Jin-woo opened his inventory and clicked on the book. A notification appeared.
Learn skill: Whirlwind Strike?
Jin-woo clicked Yes. The book disappeared in red light. The light flowed into Jin-woo's character. A new ability appeared in his skill bar.
Jin-woo read the skill description again. Spin attack. Hits all enemies within 3 meters. 20-second cooldown.
He left the building and walked into Rotwood Forest. He went to the area where the treants spawned in groups. He found a spot where three treants stood close together.
Jin-woo approached the first treant. He struck it with his sword. 41 damage. The treant activated. Its eyes glowed green.
The other two treants were only two meters away. They also activated. All three treants turned toward Jin-woo.
Jin-woo backed up. The three treants followed him. They moved slowly. Jin-woo led them into a tight group.
When all three treants were close together, Jin-woo activated Whirlwind Strike. His character spun in a full circle. His sword swept through the air in a wide arc. Red light trailed behind the blade.
The sword hit all three treants. Each treant took damage. The first treant took 198 damage. The second took 203 damage. The third took 195 damage.
All three health bars dropped by about 25% at the same time.
"This speeds things up," Jin-woo said.
The first treant swung its branch arm at Jin-woo. Jin-woo dodged to the left. The second treant also swung. Jin-woo backed up. Both attacks missed.
Jin-woo focused on the first treant. He struck it four times. 39 damage. 42 damage. 41 damage. 38 damage. He used Power Strike when the cooldown finished. 127 damage.
The first treant's health dropped to 193 HP. The other two treants were attacking but Jin-woo kept moving. He dodged their slow swings.
Whirlwind Strike came off cooldown. Jin-woo activated it again. All three treants took around 200 damage each. The first treant died immediately. The second treant's health dropped to 405 HP. The third treant's health dropped to 397 HP.
Jin-woo gained 94 experience. He looted the first treant without stopping movement. 3 corrupted wood. 9 copper.
Now only two treants remained. Jin-woo focused on the second one. He struck it with normal attacks. 40 damage. 43 damage. 41 damage. Power Strike. 129 damage.
The second treant's health dropped to 192 HP. Jin-woo used Whirlwind Strike. Both remaining treants took 201 damage each. The second treant died. The third treant's health dropped to 195 HP.
Jin-woo gained 97 experience. He looted 2 corrupted wood and 8 copper.
One treant remained at 195 HP. Jin-woo struck it four times. 42 damage. 39 damage. 44 damage. 70 damage. The treant died.
Jin-woo gained 96 experience. He looted 4 corrupted wood and 7 copper.
The fight against three treants had taken seven minutes. Before buying Whirlwind Strike, three treants would have taken fifteen minutes because he would have needed to fight each one separately.
Jin-woo killed the same group of three treants five more times over the next hour. Each fight took between six and eight minutes depending on critical hits and dodge timing. His experience bar filled steadily.
By 9:45 AM, Jin-woo had killed 18 treants in groups of three. He had collected 54 corrupted wood. His grinding efficiency had increased by approximately 40% compared to fighting treants one at a time.
Jin-woo continued grinding. The fights became smoother as he practiced. He learned the best positioning to keep all three treants grouped together. He learned when to use Whirlwind Strike for maximum effect. He learned how to move between attacks to avoid taking damage from multiple treants at once.
The skill book had been expensive. Jin-woo had spent most of his savings to buy it. His bank account was almost empty again. But the improvement in grinding speed was real. More experience per hour. More gold per hour. The investment would pay back over time.
Jin-woo fought treants until his inventory was full. Then he would return to the village, sell the corrupted wood, and go back to grinding. The cycle repeated through the rest of the day.