The Hunter's Guide to Monsters

[You've activated the Underdog Might Badge, gaining +5 STR, +2 VIT, +15 RP in Marfall Continent!]

[You have achieved 50 points of Vitality!]

[Due to achieving 50 points of Vitality, your HP regeneration has been increased by 10% per minute!]

[You've activated the Goliath's Bane Badge, gaining +10 STR, +5 VIT, +2 DEX, +25 RP in Marfall Continent!]

[You've activated the Rival to Heracles Badge, gaining +10 STR, +10 VIT, +5 DEX, +2 MND, +50 RP in Marfall Continent!]

[As the first to attain and activate the Rival to Heracles badge, you've gained 500 drax, 10,000 XP, and 100 World RP!]

[You have gained four (4) levels to achieve Lvl 19!]

[You have achieved 75 points of Strength!]

[Due to achieving 75 points of Strength, player carry weight limit has been increased by 100kg!]

[You've activated the Monster Slayer Badge, gaining +1 MND and the ability to cause Fear in lower level monsters!]

[You've activated the Easy Prey Badge, gaining +5 Stealth!]

[You've activated the Sham Swordfighter Badge, gaining +10 Stealth!]

[You've activated the Wolf in Sheepskin Badge, gaining +10 Stealth, +10 Mental Clarity!]

[You have accumulated 50% Stealth chance, creating the skill 'Stealth' to be added to your main class skills.]

Krow stared at the Wolf in Sheepskin badge, the last badge he activated.

Battle-related badges have to be activated?

Why?

Subclass badges automatically activated.

Not to mention, his Bronze Soldier badge the last time around was a battle badge, wasn't it?

That one didn't need activation.

He huffed.

What, was it a feature that was removed in a future update?

What was the use of needing activation?

He didn't come across this in the forums. From what Marai said, it wasn't recent?

Krow flicked the badge back into his collection.

He'd like to research it further, but not today.

The realworld date was November 29.

Krow might not have achieved Lvl 20 before December, but even if he wasn't satisfied, he could call himself content with this.

Achieving Lvl 20 in a month wasn't slow. It was above average, in fact.

But it was far below elite speed. A diligent and talented player could achieve Lvl 20 in two weeks, and then approach Lvl 30 at the end of the month. Top rankers might even achieve Lvl 30 in the first month.

What Marai said about striving to gain at least 10 levels a month after that?

It wasn't insignificant effort.

The questlines grew ever more complex at higher levels. 

Krow's Rare equipment would slowly become less of a cheat after Lvl 30. By Lvl 40, it would be the same as Uncommon-grade armor to a Lvl 15 – useful but not particularly notable, plus also needing a lot of repairs.

Krow walked out of his room in an elated and contemplative mood.

He blinked, looked around.

It was too quiet.

The usual group wasn't in the entry hall of the First Tower.

He wasn't late, or early. Where was his usual hunting group and his apprentices?

"Krow, over here!" Sarnaan called from the doorway to one of the meeting rooms.

Did something happen?

In the room, everyone was huddled over a wooden chest.

"What's happening?"

"You ordered rank pins?" Sarnaan smiled at him as if he was hopeless. "This isn't a city, you know. Or even a large town."

Krow laughed. "But they look good, right?"

They also allowed him and Amaleo to put in some security measures for the workshop.

"Apprentice Krow. This is yours."

He caught the pin Amaleo tossed at him. It was small and circular, the size of his thumbnail.

He didn't have to see it to know: the design etched on the metal was a leafy branch and a silver arrow.

He and Amaleo came up with it, after all.

He only had a moment to notice the pin was framed in silver when the notification appeared.

[Congratulations! Your Forester subclass has been promoted to Third Wright!]

[For advancing to Wright Rank within one day of apprenticeship, you've gained the Treewalker Badge!]

[You've learned the Wright skill 'Survivalist' under the Forester Subclass!]

[You've learned the Wright skill 'Woodland Enforcer' under the Forester Subclass!]

[You've learned the Wright skill 'Sylvan Soothsayer' under the Forester Subclass!]

Huh.

He beamed at Amaleo.

He'd heard of the skill Survivalist, but not the other two.

The last time, the Wright skill he had certified in Zushkenar was 'Forager', which was all the basic apprentice Forester skills (hunt, trap, stalk, harvest) tested in a single long examination.

From what he learned though, 'Survivalist' was the skill certified in Foresters that joined the armies as scouts. It was Forager with maybe a soldier skill or two added in. Or maybe Forager with emphasis on hunt, trap, and stalk.

He had to check what 'Woodland Enforcer' and 'Sylvan Soothsayer' did later.

But.

Three skills!

He was now a Forester Wright!

It was an excellent harvest.

He pulled out a knife, nicked his thumb and pressed it onto the pin.

[Cerkanst Forester Lodge Wright-rank Membership Pin has been Bloodbound to Ilas Krow!]

It took gold to get the pins created and enchanted to be able to take a bloodbinding, but it would be worth it for being able to activate the security enchants on the tower.

"You went beyond what I expected," Amaleo murmured to him. "You've earned this."

He placed a small box in Krow's hand and went to distribute the other pins.

The only problem was...

Krow didn't have an accessory slot for a pin.

Tsk. 

Kind of shortsighted of you, Norge!

He strung his wright pin on a leather cord taken from the First Tower's storage, and used it as a pendant.

Returning to the celebrating room, he saw Talebrech and Atimur watching. He took out the box Amaleo gave him, sidled up to his apprentices.

"Talebrech, it's been a full ten days since you became my apprentice, hasn't it?"

"Master Krow?"

He plucked a silver wright pin from the box. "You've earned this."

The design of the butcher pin was two crossed cleavers.

Talebrech stared at the silver-framed pin in his hand, frozen.

[You've raised one (1) Apprentice Butcher to Wright-rank! 1/10]

According to his apprentice's stats, Talebrech had gained two basic skills and a major skill at apprentice level.

Skinner, Field Dressing, and Knife Handling, respectively.

Krow didn't even have the Field Dressing skill, which meant Talebrech gained it spontaneously.

He'd really earned that silver pin.

Krow let him process.

"Atimur."

The boy straightened. "You've been my apprentice for three days. But I can tell, you'll be an excellent butcher."

"Yes, Master Krow." He received the copper-framed apprentice pin with a smile that couldn't quit. "Thank you very much."

"Thank you, Master Krow." Talebrech finally came out of his stupor.

The two boys grinned at each other, ran to their new friends to show off too.

There were other pins too, differentiating Administration, Production, and temporary or probationary workers.

The tower workshop would be where the children slept, so Amaleo had been stringent with security, the pins limiting access to various rooms.

Krow had supported it, because he knew the feeling of needing safety.

He pocketed the box.

How had Gysavur managed to have the pins made so fast?

Krow expected to go to Rakaens again to have them made. A bloodbinding enchant added to an item wasn't something amateurs could do.

He looked around.

Sarnaan was cooing over the excited children. Gysavur and Amaleo were smiling in one corner.

The children were enthusiastically conversing, no barriers between them.

Eh, if there was an enchanter in Cerkanst, that was a mystery for later. He leaned back and watched as casks of cider were wheeled in by people from the tavern.

Kalorke laughed proudly when his son showed him the silver pin that said the fourteen year old was now a full-fledged butcher.

"Call everyone!" He cried to the servers that had accompanied him. "Bring out the wine!"

His words were greeted with cheers.

Krow felt his lips curling into a smile.

This was the time.

Even if the quest hadn't finished yet...

It really felt that the workshop started here.