With the new body, Arthur was impressed.
He tried walking around and felt like there was no difficulty or difference for him other than the change in perspective.
'The synchronization stat really does make it a lot more convenient.' Arthur thought.
While the stat had brought him pain, it was now over and he could enjoy the benefits of it all.
~krrr~
The Dragon Horn Beetle Chittered, pulling Arthur's attention to itself.
"I still need to check your stats." Arthur hadn't forgotten that his pet had leveled up as well.
>Pet Status<
——
Name: Dragon Horn Beetle
Level: 9
Type: Insect/Draconid
***
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Stamina: 100%
Experience: 20%
***
<Physical Stats>
Strength: 12 -> 14
Toughness: 20 -> 24
Agility: 5 -> 6
Dexterity: 5 -> 6
Vitality: 15 -> 17
<Non-Physical Stats>
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtWisdom: 3 -> 4
Intelligence: 5 -> 6
Will: 8 -> 10
——
Unlike the players, pets didn't get free stat points for distribution. They would have their stat points automatically added to their stats and couldn't be directly influenced by the players during level up.
The only way to affect the stats of a pet was to either use items or certain equipment to do so. And even then the stat gain varied depending on the kind of pet.
The Dragon Horn Beetle was a Draconid and thus had a higher stat gain than other pets.
'Even compared to most high class pets, Brambles got a lot more stats… it gained 14 stat points in one go. If we compare it to a player, this is on the same level as a rare class.' Arthur thought.
Players in most rare classes would get four of their fixed stats to gain a point each, while 10 stat points would be given as free points. Brambles didn't get the 10 free stat points but got them as fixed points spread all over his stats.
Arthur did notice the focus on certain stats though.
The stat that had risen the most was toughness which had increased by 4 points. Then there was the Strength, vitality and Will stat all of which had risen by 2 points each.
The remaining stat had risen by 1 point each.
'The core stat for Brambles is toughness which along with strength and vitality makes him a perfect tank. The only strange part is the Will stat. Insect type beasts don't usually rise in that, or even if they do its just a single point.
Guess this is getting influenced due to it also being a Draconid.' Arthur thought to himself.
There were still mysteries related to the Dragomancer class that he would have to learn about as he progressed.
"Let's continue. We still got a bounty to finish!" Arthur said prompting the beetle to let out a cry.
~BZZZZT~
In the next second, the carapace of Brambles opened up as he extended his wings. The iridescent wings shimmered under the sunlight before they flapped at a rapid speed.
Dust was whipped up by the rapid speed of the wings before the Dragon Horn Beetle took flight!
"This'll speed our progress," Arthur said knowing that the beetle's walking speed on the ground wasn't exactly fast.
And since he also wanted Brambles to level up, it wouldn't make sense to unsummoned him.
Arthur had held back on summoning the beetle so far since he had a hunch that something might happen. And it really had happened.
'I knew the deities would take an interest, but to really do when a beast with a dragon's bloodline would become a pet…' Arthur thought about it.
In his past life, the Dragomancer class had appeared three years after the games launch thus the players had already known about the deities and they had already become patrons of many players.
But right now, it had been less than a week since the game's launch. The deities taking an interest this early on was still a possibility as Arthur had done something that normally should have taken a long time.
'Guess it was good to wait to summon the beetle. Even if Loki was attracted.' Arthur figured. "While it had a hunch that a deity related to animals or beasts would appear, Artemis was still unexpected. I would have expected some lower deity to appear first." He muttered while running alongside the flying beetle.
Their journey was still a few hours long and they had plenty of opportunities to hunt down mobs.
Arthur and Brambles encountered more of the Hook Beak Sprinter birds and killed them all. And unlike before, since their numbers were less, Arthur could avoid using Draconid's Breath.
After all, using the skill meant he wouldn't get any viable loot from the corpses. The skills was powerful but not without flaws.
All the beetle needed was its sharp horn that could tear through the Hook Beak Sprinter Birds with ease. The birds tried to overwhelm Brambles too, but his defenses were far too strong.
It turned out to be a futile effort as the birds were unable to deal any solid damage. Arthur took advantage of it and avoid the birds, letting the Dragon Horn Beetle draw their attention.
Brambles was a perfect tank and could quite literally trample the birds.
It resulted in fast kills for them, and their gains were also good.
>Player Arzhur has killed Hook Beak Sprinter birds x 8<
>Player Arzhur has obtained 25% Experience<
>Player Arzhur has obtained mid quality Hook Beak Sprinter Bird feathers x 20<
The experience that Arthur obtained put him around the halfway mark to the next level and he also obtained some feathers as loot that he could sell.
But the biggest gain was for Brambles for Arthur had let him kill most of the birds.
>Dragon Horn Beetle has killed Hook Beak Sprinter Birds x 10<
>Dragon Horn Beetle has obtained 120% experience!<
>Dragon Horn Beetle has leveled up!<
Due to the level difference, Brambles obtained more experience and reached level 10 quickly. The beast's stats rose in the same ratio as before and it reflected rather well as the beast was nimbler and faster.
Hours passed like this before Arthur and Brambles finally reached their destination.
>Player Arzhur has discovered the Ocher Plains!<
"Finally…" Arthur muttered as he took a long gaze at the area.
The Ocher plains were named quite literally after their appearance. The soil as well as the grass that grew there blended together in an ocher color.
The grass covered the entire plains, with only a few trees scattered here and there. Though a few streams were also present, along with a couple of lakes in the area.
This was necessary for the players to know, as they would have to replenish their store of water as well as rest. Not everyone could travel this far and not be tired.
One of the first things players needed to learn while exploring was to know how to locate a water source. Even if they had the necessary supplies to handle the journey, they should still consider the worst scenario and use it judiciously.
One could never imagine what could happen as Morpheus Online had random encounters and disasters that could push the players to the brink of death in just a few moments.
There were earthquakes, floods, cloudbursts, blizzards and wildfires that could catch players off guard. But these were just the natural disasters. There were also field bosses that could decimate the players or trap them in an area preventing them from escaping.
But that wasn't all, as knowing the topography of the area meant one could understand the mobs living there as well as understand their behavior. This allowed the players to exploit them to their advantage.
~NEIIGHHHHHH~
Not long after Arthur had reached the Ocher plains, he heard a sound cry.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"And there's our mark." Arthur spotted the Black stallion that was running across the plains.
Its footsteps could be felt even here, with each of them packed with power. All rocks that would come under it would be pulverized with ease and one could imagine what would happen if a player got under it.
Thankfully, the Rock Stomping Wild Stallion wasn't coming towards Arthur and was simply going its own way. But it didn't mean that Arthur couldn't still use his skill on it.
>Dragon's Insight has been successfully activated!<
~DING~
——
Target: Rock Stomping Wild Stallion
Rank: Rare
Level: 14
Type: Beast
Info: A wild horse that has grown stronger than its kind and is unruly. Its hooves are strong enough to crush rocks and it likes to run around all day, scaring away others.
It will try to race against all those that run alongside it.
***
HP: 100%
MP: 100%
Stamina: 100%
***
<Physical Stats>
Strength: 12
Toughness: 12
Agility: 23
Dexterity: 15
Vitality: 12
<Non-Physical Stats>
Wisdom:4
Intelligence: 4
Will: 2
——
Simply looking at the beast's stats, Arthur knew catching up with it would be impossible.
'The Rock Stomping Wild Stallion is ultimately a horse and will need to rest and drink water. It'll go to the water sources that are nearest.' Arthur still had a strategy for it though.