Jin-woo spent the next twelve hours grinding in Crimson Wastes. He tested his new Berserker skills on desert raiders and scorpions. Frenzied Slash killed most enemies in two rotations. Blood Rage made his damage output extremely high but drained his health quickly.
At 7:45 PM game time, Jin-woo traveled back to Havencrest City. The journey took ninety minutes. He arrived at the warehouse district at 8:03 PM.
Vex was waiting in the same back alley as before. Jin-woo approached him.
"You're level 25 now?" Vex asked.
"Yes," Jin-woo said. "Berserker class."
"Good," Vex said. "Got a caravan job. Pays 15 gold."
"What's the job?" Jin-woo asked.
"Shadow Merchants are moving goods from Havencrest to Ironforge," Vex said. "Three-hour journey through dangerous territory. We need guards. You'll be one of five."
"What kind of danger?" Jin-woo asked.
"NPC bandits. Possibly hostile players. Rival merchants sometimes attack our caravans to steal goods," Vex said. "If the caravan reaches Ironforge with all wagons intact, you get paid. If wagons are destroyed or goods are stolen, you get nothing."
"15 gold for three hours," Jin-woo said.
"Correct," Vex said. "Meet the caravan at the north gate in twenty minutes. Don't be late."
Vex walked away. Jin-woo checked his inventory. He had 7 health potions and 4 defense buffs remaining from the Warlord fight. He bought 3 more health potions from the marketplace to have 10 total.
Jin-woo walked to the north gate of Havencrest. A caravan was assembled near the gate. Two large wagons were hitched to horses. Three NPC merchants wearing brown robes stood near the wagons. The wagons were covered with canvas and tied with ropes. Jin-woo could not see what was inside.
Four other player characters stood near the caravan. They were the other guards.
The first guard was named "IronShield." Level 28 Guardian warrior. He wore heavy plate armor and carried a large shield.
The second guard was "SwiftArrow." Level 27 Ranger. She wore leather armor and carried a longbow.
The third guard was "HolyLight." Level 26 Priest. He wore white robes and carried a staff with a glowing crystal.
The fourth guard was "FireStorm." Level 30 Mage. He wore dark blue robes and carried a wand.
Jin-woo was the fifth guard. Level 25 Berserker.
IronShield appeared to be the leader. He looked at Jin-woo.
"You're the new guy?" IronShield asked.
"Yes," Jin-woo said.
"Stay close to the wagons," IronShield said. "If bandits attack, kill them fast. If players attack, protect the wagons first, kill players second. Understood?"
"Understood," Jin-woo said.
One of the NPC merchants spoke. "We depart now. Ironforge is three hours north. Stay alert."
The caravan started moving. The two wagons rolled forward slowly. The horses pulled them at walking speed. The five guards walked alongside the wagons. IronShield and Jin-woo walked on the left side. SwiftArrow and FireStorm walked on the right side. HolyLight walked behind the second wagon.
The caravan left Havencrest through the north gate and entered the open road. The road went through grassland for the first hour. The area was peaceful. No monsters spawned near the main road.
Jin-woo walked in silence. The other guards did not talk much. SwiftArrow occasionally scouted ahead, running forward fifty meters and checking for threats before returning.
After one hour of travel, the road entered a forested area. Trees grew thick on both sides of the road. The visibility decreased. Jin-woo could only see about thirty meters ahead.
SwiftArrow was scouting ahead as usual. She suddenly stopped running. She crouched and looked at something in the trees.
She ran back to the caravan quickly. "Bandits ahead," she said. "At least fifteen. They're setting up an ambush."
IronShield raised his hand. The caravan stopped moving.
"Formation," IronShield said. "Protect the wagons."
The five guards formed a defensive line in front of the wagons. IronShield stood in the center with his shield raised. Jin-woo stood to his left. FireStorm stood to his right. SwiftArrow moved to higher ground on the left side. HolyLight stayed behind the line near the wagons.
Figures emerged from the trees. Bandits. They wore mismatched leather armor and carried various weapons - swords, axes, bows, daggers.
Jin-woo used Inspect on the closest bandit.
Forest Bandit
Level 28
HP: 1,200/1,200
All the bandits were level 28 or higher. Jin-woo counted fifteen total. Three had bows. The rest had melee weapons.
The bandit leader stepped forward. He was larger than the others. Level 30 with 1,500 HP. He carried a large two-handed axe.
"Leave the wagons and go," the bandit leader said. "We'll let you live."
"No," IronShield said.
The bandit leader laughed. "Then you die."
The bandits charged forward. The three archers stayed back and fired arrows. The twelve melee bandits ran toward the caravan.
SwiftArrow fired her bow. Her arrow hit one of the bandit archers. 143 damage. The archer's health dropped to 1,057.
FireStorm cast a spell. A fireball flew through the air and exploded in the middle of the charging bandits. The explosion hit four bandits. Each took around 200 damage.
The bandits reached the defensive line. Three bandits attacked IronShield. He blocked all three attacks with his shield. His shield glowed blue. He used a skill called "Shield Bash" and knocked back one bandit.
Two bandits attacked Jin-woo. The first bandit swung a sword. Jin-woo parried with his Berserker's Cleaver. The second bandit swung an axe. The axe hit Jin-woo's shoulder. 67 damage. His health dropped to 343.
Jin-woo activated Blood Rage. Red energy surrounded his body. His attack damage increased by 35% for 20 seconds. His health began draining at 3% per second.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. His cleaver struck three times in rapid succession. All three hits landed on the first bandit.
First slash: 147 damage.
Second slash: 151 damage.
Third slash: 149 damage.
Total: 447 damage.
The bandit's health dropped from 1,200 to 753. Jin-woo followed up with Power Strike. The charged attack dealt 267 damage boosted by Blood Rage. The bandit's health dropped to 486.
The second bandit attacked Jin-woo with his axe. Jin-woo blocked the attack. The bandit's axe hit his cleaver. 52 damage after the partial block.
Jin-woo used Whirlwind Strike. The spinning attack hit both bandits in range. The first bandit took 298 damage and died. The second bandit took 298 damage and his health dropped to 902.
Jin-woo gained experience from the kill. One bandit down. Fourteen remaining.
Blood Rage was draining Jin-woo's health. His HP dropped to 277 after seven seconds of drain.
Three more bandits moved toward Jin-woo. They tried to surround him. Jin-woo backed up toward the wagon to prevent them from getting behind him.
The first bandit stabbed with a dagger. Jin-woo dodged left. The second bandit swung a club. Jin-woo blocked with his cleaver. The third bandit threw a knife. The knife hit Jin-woo's leg. 43 damage.
Jin-woo's health was at 234. Blood Rage was still active for eight more seconds.
Jin-woo used normal attacks on the closest bandit. 94 damage boosted by Blood Rage. 97 damage. 92 damage. The bandit's health dropped to 615.
Power Strike came off cooldown. Jin-woo used it. 264 damage. The bandit's health dropped to 351.
The bandit attacked back. His dagger stabbed Jin-woo's side. 58 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 176.
Frenzied Slash came off cooldown. Jin-woo used it. Three rapid slashes. 145 damage. 149 damage. 147 damage. The bandit died.
Two bandits down. Thirteen remaining.
Blood Rage ended. Jin-woo's health stopped draining. He had 176 HP remaining out of 410.
Jin-woo drank a health potion. His health restored to 326.
The remaining two bandits attacking Jin-woo were joined by a third. All three attacked together. Jin-woo could not block all the attacks.
An arrow flew past Jin-woo and hit one of the bandits. 138 damage. SwiftArrow was providing ranged support.
A beam of golden light hit Jin-woo. His health increased by 80. HolyLight was healing him from behind.
Jin-woo continued fighting. He used his rotation. Normal attacks. Power Strike. Whirlwind Strike. Frenzied Slash when it cooled down.
After two more minutes of fighting, Jin-woo had killed two more bandits. Four total. The other guards had killed the rest.
IronShield had killed three bandits and was still at full health. His shield absorbed most damage.
SwiftArrow had killed four bandits with her arrows. She was at 80% health.
FireStorm had killed three bandits with area spells. He was at 60% health and low on mana.
HolyLight had killed one bandit with holy magic while healing the team. He was at 90% health but low on mana.
The bandit leader was still alive. He was fighting IronShield in single combat. The bandit leader's health was at 900 out of 1,500.
Jin-woo joined the fight against the bandit leader. He attacked from the side while IronShield held aggro from the front.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. Three hits. 148 damage. 151 damage. 146 damage. The bandit leader's health dropped to 555.
The bandit leader spun and swung his axe at Jin-woo. The axe hit Jin-woo's chest. 89 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 317.
IronShield used a skill called "Taunt." The bandit leader was forced to turn back toward IronShield.
Jin-woo used Power Strike from behind. 201 damage. The bandit leader's health dropped to 354.
FireStorm cast a fireball. The spell hit the bandit leader for 187 damage. The bandit leader's health dropped to 167.
SwiftArrow fired an arrow. Critical hit. 176 damage. The bandit leader's health dropped to zero. He fell to the ground dead.
The ambush was over. All fifteen bandits were dead. The caravan was intact. None of the guards had died.
IronShield looted the bandit leader's body. He found 2 gold and some vendor trash. The loot was split among the five guards. Jin-woo received 40 silver as his share.
HolyLight cast healing spells on everyone. Jin-woo's health restored to full.
"Good work," IronShield said. "Let's keep moving."
The caravan resumed traveling. The road continued north through the forest.
Two hours into the journey, the caravan was traveling through rocky terrain. Large boulders sat on both sides of the road. The sun was setting in the game world. The sky turned orange and red.
SwiftArrow was scouting ahead. She returned quickly with urgent information.
"Players ahead," SwiftArrow said. "Six of them. Level 27 to 32. They're blocking the road."
IronShield looked ahead. Jin-woo could see six player characters standing in the middle of the road fifty meters away. They were not moving. They were waiting.
"Hostile?" IronShield asked.
"Probably," SwiftArrow said. "They're positioned in ambush formation."
The caravan continued moving forward. As they got closer, Jin-woo could read the names of the six players.
The leader was "RedKnight." Level 32 Berserker. He wore red plate armor and carried a massive two-handed sword.
The others were: "ShadowBlade" (Level 29 Rogue), "IceMage" (Level 28 Mage), "SteelWall" (Level 30 Guardian), "DarkPriest" (Level 27 Priest), and "HunterX" (Level 31 Ranger).
Jin-woo recognized one name. HunterX. That was the ranger who had attacked him in Scorched Valley during the message delivery quest weeks ago.
RedKnight stepped forward. "Shadow Merchant caravan. We're here for the goods. Surrender the wagons and you can leave alive."
"No," IronShield said.
"Then you die and we take the wagons anyway," RedKnight said.
A PvP warning appeared for all ten players. 5 seconds until combat.
The five guards formed their defensive line. IronShield in front. Jin-woo and FireStorm on his sides. SwiftArrow on high ground. HolyLight in the back.
The six enemy players charged. The countdown ended. Combat began.
SteelWall charged directly at IronShield. Both guardians clashed shields. They engaged in single combat, blocking the road.
ShadowBlade used stealth and disappeared. Jin-woo lost sight of him.
IceMage cast a frost spell. A wave of ice spread across the ground toward the caravan. FireStorm countered with a fire spell. The two spells collided and canceled each other out.
HunterX fired arrows at SwiftArrow. The two rangers engaged in a ranged duel.
DarkPriest stayed in the back, preparing to heal his allies.
RedKnight ran directly toward Jin-woo. His massive sword was drawn. Red energy surrounded his body. He was also using Blood Rage.
RedKnight swung his sword. Jin-woo blocked with his cleaver. The impact was massive. Jin-woo's character was knocked back two meters. 97 damage. The defense was only partial.
Jin-woo's health dropped to 313. RedKnight was level 32. The seven-level difference gave him significant stat advantages.
Jin-woo activated Blood Rage. His attack increased by 35%. His health began draining.
RedKnight used a skill called "Crushing Blow." His sword glowed red. He swung downward with both hands.
Jin-woo rolled to the side. The sword hit the ground where Jin-woo had been standing. The impact created a small crater.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. Three rapid strikes hit RedKnight. 121 damage. 118 damage. 123 damage. Total: 362 damage.
RedKnight's health bar barely moved. It dropped from 950 to 588. He had much more HP than Jin-woo.
RedKnight used another skill. "Execution Slash." His sword moved incredibly fast. The blade hit Jin-woo's chest before he could dodge.
Critical Hit! 287 damage!
Jin-woo's health dropped to 26. He was in critical health range. His screen flashed red.
Jin-woo drank a health potion while backing away. His health restored to 176. Blood Rage was still draining his health. 164. 152. 140.
RedKnight charged forward. Jin-woo could not win this fight. The level difference was too large. RedKnight's stats were too high.
Jin-woo retreated behind one of the wagons. He used the wagon as cover. RedKnight chased him around the wagon.
"You can't run forever!" RedKnight shouted.
ShadowBlade appeared behind HolyLight. The rogue had used stealth to get past the front line. He stabbed HolyLight in the back. 134 damage.
HolyLight turned and cast a holy spell. Golden light hit ShadowBlade for 98 damage. But ShadowBlade stabbed again. 127 damage. HolyLight's health dropped to critical levels.
FireStorm saw HolyLight in danger. He cast a fireball at ShadowBlade. The explosion hit the rogue for 203 damage. ShadowBlade retreated into stealth again.
Jin-woo was still running from RedKnight. His Blood Rage ended. His health stopped draining. He was at 116 HP.
IronShield finished his fight with SteelWall. IronShield's superior skills gave him the advantage. SteelWall's health dropped to zero. He died and respawned elsewhere.
IronShield saw RedKnight chasing Jin-woo. He used "Intercept," a charge skill. IronShield rushed toward RedKnight and bashed him with his shield. RedKnight was stunned for 2 seconds.
"Focus on the others!" IronShield shouted to Jin-woo. "I'll handle RedKnight!"
Jin-woo drank another health potion. His health restored to 266.
Jin-woo looked at the battlefield. SteelWall was dead. IronShield was fighting RedKnight. FireStorm was dueling IceMage. SwiftArrow was dueling HunterX. HolyLight was hiding behind a wagon, healing teammates. ShadowBlade was in stealth somewhere. DarkPriest was healing his allies from the back.
Jin-woo needed to kill DarkPriest. If the enemy priest kept healing, this fight would last too long.
Jin-woo ran toward DarkPriest. The priest saw him coming and started backing away. DarkPriest cast a fear spell. Dark energy flew toward Jin-woo.
Jin-woo rolled to the side. The fear spell missed. Jin-woo closed the distance.
DarkPriest was level 27. Only two levels higher than Jin-woo. This was winnable.
Jin-woo used Frenzied Slash. Three hits. 156 damage. 153 damage. 159 damage. DarkPriest's health dropped from 420 to 0 in one combo.
The priest died. His body disappeared. He respawned elsewhere.
ShadowBlade appeared behind Jin-woo. The rogue had been waiting in stealth. His dagger stabbed Jin-woo's back. 89 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 177.
Jin-woo spun around. He used Whirlwind Strike. The attack hit ShadowBlade for 283 damage. ShadowBlade's health dropped to 197.
ShadowBlade tried to use stealth again. Jin-woo used Power Strike before the stealth activated. 234 damage. ShadowBlade's health dropped to zero. He died.
Three enemies dead. Three remaining. RedKnight, IceMage, and HunterX.
IronShield was fighting RedKnight and holding his ground. FireStorm had killed IceMage with a critical fireball. SwiftArrow and HunterX were still fighting. Both were at low health.
HunterX fired an arrow at SwiftArrow. Critical hit. SwiftArrow's health dropped to zero. She died.
HunterX turned his bow toward the wagons. He was going to shoot the horses pulling the wagons. If the horses died, the wagons would stop and the quest would fail.
Jin-woo ran toward HunterX. HunterX saw him and switched targets. He fired an arrow at Jin-woo. The arrow hit Jin-woo's shoulder. 67 damage. Jin-woo's health dropped to 110.
Jin-woo closed the distance. He used Frenzied Slash. All three hits landed. 148 damage. 151 damage. 154 damage. HunterX's health dropped to 89.
HunterX tried to back away and fire another arrow. FireStorm cast a spell. A fire bolt hit HunterX for 112 damage. HunterX died.
Four enemies dead. Only RedKnight remained.
RedKnight was fighting IronShield but losing. IronShield's defense was too high. RedKnight's health was at 234. IronShield's health was at 580.
Jin-woo and FireStorm joined the fight. All three attacked RedKnight together.
RedKnight used Blood Rage and fought desperately. He killed FireStorm with a critical Execution Slash. But IronShield and Jin-woo continued attacking.
Jin-woo used Power Strike. 198 damage. RedKnight's health dropped to 36.
IronShield used Shield Bash. 47 damage. RedKnight's health dropped to zero. He died.
The battle was over. The enemy group had been defeated. Three of the five caravan guards were still alive: IronShield, Jin-woo, and HolyLight. SwiftArrow and FireStorm had died and respawned elsewhere.
The wagons were intact. The horses were alive. The quest could continue.
HolyLight healed IronShield and Jin-woo to full health. Both guards drank mana potions to restore their resources.
"Let's move before they come back," IronShield said.
The caravan resumed traveling. Only three guards remained but the journey was almost over. Ironforge was thirty minutes away.
The final thirty minutes were peaceful. No more ambushes. No more attacks.
The caravan reached Ironforge at 11:47 PM game time. The wagons were delivered to a Shadow Merchant warehouse. The NPC merchant paid the guards.
Jin-woo received 15 gold. The quest was complete.
IronShield and HolyLight logged out immediately after receiving payment. Jin-woo was alone in Ironforge.
He opened his currency exchange and converted 15 gold to USD. His bank account increased by $1,500.
Jin-woo sat on a bench in Ironforge and looked at his account balance on his phone. $2,013.
"$1,500 for three hours," Jin-woo said to himself. "This is the money I need."