HMJ - Chapter 36 (Patreon)

“Come on, Crow. You got this! Don’t be a dickless coward and pull that shit up,” a red-haired girl exclaimed from the side.

“Yeah, Ki-bou! What she said. Don’t be a little bitch," another golden-brown-haired girl shouted from beside her.

“Stop insulting me, Ygritte, Argo. It’s harder than it looks," a black-haired teen scoffed as he slowly reeled back on the fishing rod, taking deep breaths, his feet planted in the dirt so he didn't get yanked into the lake in front of him.

“Don’t be a wimp, Crow,” Ygritte scoffed.

A small crowd of onlookers had surrounded the three of them.

Some dude named 'Klein' and his friends, plus a few others, saw the group and decided to spectate.

“Yeah Crow! Come on, do it,” shouted Klein while laughing.

"Almost," Argo whispered as she peered into the dark waters, spying the object that had slipped through their fingers four times now. "Allllmooooost."

A chest was tugged from the water and came to rest on the dock, the two beta testers and the Wildling girl stood upon it, causing cheers to echo out from the spectators.

“Finally…” sighed Kirito before turning towards Ygritte and complaining, “Why are you calling me Crow?”

Ygritte just looked at him before she shrugged. “You look like one,” making the others laugh. Instead, she pointed at the chest and said, “Now, open it, Crow!”

“Yeah, Crow. I want to see what’s in there,” Argo chirped in excitement.

“Let’s see,” Kirito muttered, resigned to his fate.

At this moment, Kirito, Argo, and Ygritte were in the same party, getting a ton of experience points every time they caught something.

Although Ygritte still had problems grasping the concept of a game, the only thing she understood was that she was getting stronger while being here and choosing to follow Argo’s lead.

The spectators came in close, watching the black swordsman as he opened the chest.

Level up! Ping +500 Cor

“Finally! It seems like we got our first piece of equipment!” Argo exclaimed as she saw the item in the chest, “A belt?”

Pirate Belt:

The belt of a drunken pirate who hadn’t been careful enough. At least his crew had a good laugh. Just be careful while drunk.

Durability: 89/89

Attributes:

Defense +35

+5% Swimming Speed

Requirements:

STR: 12

VIT: 12

AGI: 11

DEX: 10

“Damn, I still need a level to equip it,” Kirito sighed.

"Well, at least we now know what equipment from around Floor 20 looks like. And we now know for certain that the equipment Harry currently has available should last us till Floor 30,” Argo muttered as she mused over the stats.

"Yes, with Lisbeth having easy access to so much ore, until at least steel, she will get a massive head start and save many lives,” Kirito agreed before he threw out his fishing pole again.

It only took about three minutes before the bobber dipped down into the water and the fishing rod began to get tugged downward.

Kirito pulled the rod back ever so slightly.

Fishing Proficiency Leveled Up

Ygritte watched the water closely as Kirito struggled with whatever was on the other end of the line. She suddenly realized what was about to happen: “It’s a monster!”

“SHIT!” Argo shouted as she used her steel knife to slash the line. She turned, rushing away as the line slipped into the water, Kirito and Ygritte following closely. But it was already too late. The Mob aggro had already been triggered.

Everyone nearby rapidly backed away from the pool of water as a large red snake crawled onto the bank. Its name was blaring red with a skull beside it.

Giant Crab, Level 29

“Level 29!?” one of the spectators from Klein’s Group shrieked as they dispersed in all directions.

“Something is wrong with it,” Ygritte said, her bow ready in her hands. She didn’t really get the concept of level difference, but as long as her arrows worked, she could kill it.

Kirito and Argo turned around, only to see that the gigantic red crab was slowly shambling towards Kirito, who had drawn the Aggro.

Really slow.

Argo stopped, her eyes glowing. “It has a debuff! We can kill it from a distance!” she announced in excitement. This could be just as good as Harry’s Instant Dungeons.

Giant Crab, Level 29

Weary: There is no worthy opponent present. Its movement speed is 95% slower, and all special abilities are disabled.

The others also stopped, looking back. They had already put considerable distance between them and the crab.

An Anti-Trolling Measure... As long as they kept their distance, it wasn’t a threat to the new players.

Sure, it would kill anyone getting too close with one hit. But they had throwing knives and, most importantly, bows and arrows, a set of weapons that they weren’t supposed to have in this game.

And yet, the system generated skills for it.

“Let’s form parties! 5 with me, and another 5 with Ygritte. Use the throwing knives to deal some damage,” Argo said. If they did it right, they would get so much Exp from it. “The others get some more throwing knives.”

“They don’t know where Lisbeth is. She is the only one who can make them,” Kirito pointed out.

Argo’s eyes widened, and then a bike appeared. “I will go to her and get as many as she has and ask her to make more. Fishing is at a higher level. We can cheese these things to get a ton of experience.”

Bike:

An almost otherworldly creation, the peak of technological advancement in America, combined into one simple-to-use device.

Durability: 349/367

Movement Speed: +300%

Stamina used while running: -25%

———

The door to the store opened with a loud bang as it crashed against the wall.

“Oy, Harry!” Argo shouted as she rushed into the store, a bit out of breath, even though she was an Avatar. Her bike stood right outside in the alley, hidden behind the boxes.

Strangely, she didn’t get the usual reply or greeting. She didn’t get anything because Harry wasn’t there.

Behind the counter stood someone unfamiliar, and there was no sign of Harry at all.

It was a fairly tall and beautiful pale-skinned woman with wavy lower-back black hair that had short bangs parting at the center of her face while curving to the left and partially hiding her left eye. She had narrow mauve eyes and a very curvy and sexy figure.

Right above her large breast was a tattoo: a dragon devouring its own tail with a six-pointed star in its center.

She was also wearing a very sexy form-fitting dress that showed off her large assets, and she had a pair of elegant gloves.

Argo looked at the woman with suspicion for a moment, a frown on her face. “Who are you? Where is Harry?”

“You may call me Lust,” the woman replied with a husky and teasing voice, a small grin forming on her red lips. “Harry is out on some business. And who are you, little girl?”

“Who are you calling a little girl, you dumb cow?” Argo replied in anger, “I am Argo. I was looking for Harry. Are you his bimbo or something? You look that part!”

“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice? I am Harry’s number two. I take care of business and his territory while he is away. Sorry for you, but he enjoys a real woman, not some long-haired flat-chested tomboy,” Lust replied with a teasing, but predatory, grin.

A tick mark formed on Argo’s head. “I knew he was a pervert!” she muttered, but suddenly the side door behind her opened.

“Oh, Argo, you are here! I thought I heard your voice,” a girl’s voice was heard as the door to the forge opened. Lisbeth had entered the store before she turned towards Lust. "Lust, can you get me some more copper and tin? I used up my current stores.”

“Sure can. Take care of the little girl for me!” the big-breasted woman said as she left the store.

As the door closed, Lisbeth turned back towards Argo and said, “Sorry about her. She is actually quite nice once she respects you. But she enjoys teasing other people far too much.”

“It’s fine. So where is Harry? What is he up to?”

Lisbeth sighed. “He is on some kind of expedition. The only thing I know is that he took some of Ygritte’s people and asked them to guide him into the northern part of the continent they are living on. It’s supposed to be a magical and dangerous place,” she explained.

“I see. How long will he be away?” Argo asked further. She remembered him talking about his current world; it sounded like he went beyond that tall wall he had mentioned.

“A few weeks or something. He has his dragon with him. She was almost tall enough for him to ride on. The way back may be faster,” Lisbeth replied before taking a closer look at Argo. “So what brings you here today? Why the rush?”

“Shit! Right, I forgot. I need more throwing knives! We found an easy way to cheese some high-level mobs through fishing,” Argo requested quickly, remembering that she was in a hurry. “We need as many as you have, so others besides Ygritte and me can collect some Exp.”

“Right, I made quite a few of them recently. I leveled my skills up and have bronze ones now. Take them; you can repay me later,” Lisbeth nodded as she sent Argo a trade request.