Ren flicked his fingers, and his status sheet materialized with a soft chime, pulsing faintly like it had something important to say.
He already knew what it was.
Completing Widow Shelley’s hidden quest hadn’t just been creepy—it had been lucrative. The EXP drop had been massive, pushing him clean over the line into Level 4 and handing him another precious attribute point, which he’d immediately funneled into Intelligence without a second thought.
He grinned, practically smug.
[Character Sheet – Level 4]
Class: Cleric
Level: 4
Experience: 0/800
Primary Attributes
Strength: 6
Agility: 7
Vitality: 9
Intelligence: 13 (+1 from level-up)
Wisdom: 11
Perception: 8
Mana Pool
60 Mana
Skills
– Basic Heal (Level 1) – Heals 10% HP over 5 seconds, single target. Cost: 5 Mana
– Group Cure (Level 1) – Heals party for 10% HP over 8 seconds. Cost: 15 Mana
Equipped Items
– Starter Robes (Durability: 25/25)
– Novice Cleric’s Staff (Durability: 18/20)
Inventory
– Basic Gatherer’s Kit (Partially Filled)
– Warehouse Access Key (Personal)
– 9 Gold, 97 Silver, and 40 Copper, (including Kanuka’s share.)
Passive Effects
– Wolfbane (Title) – +10% damage to wolf monsters, +20% wolf aggro
– Alchemical Insight – +5% potion crafting success (Reward from Widow Shelley)
He gave a satisfied nod.
‘Thirteen Intelligence,’ he thought, staring at the number like it owed him money. ‘And only four levels in. That’s gonna snowball fast.’
His mana pool actually looked respectable now—enough for a Group Cure and a Basic Heal without faceplanting into cooldown purgatory.
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The Wolfbane title still made wolves chase him like he owed them rent, but the bonus damage was worth it. And Alchemical Insight? That one was sneakily powerful. Hidden passives were rare this early. Ren knew players who would’ve killed for that five percent boost later in the game, let alone now.
He also wasn’t just some broke healer anymore. He was building a real foundation.
Sure, he was still hiding behind the tanks. Still squishy. Still deeply allergic to getting stabbed.
But now?
Now he wasn’t just surviving.
He was scaling.
Ren met back up with the Scrap Rats at the inn, where everyone was lounging around, sharing food, drinks, and exaggerated war stories about the day’s events.
Without much fanfare, Ren passed out a basic healing potion to each of them.
The team lit up.
They had been promised a potion as a reward way back when they started the quest chain, and while basic potions weren’t fancy, they weren’t cheap either.
[Basic Healing Potion]
- Heals 20% of HP over 10 seconds.
- Cost: 30 copper at NPC general stores.
For newbies living copper-to-copper, getting a 30-copper potion for free was a huge deal.
Sure, it wasn’t going to save you if you were being gnawed on by a horde of shadow wolves, but if you used it smartly, it could absolutely save your life in a tight fight.
They all thanked Ren, genuinely.
Even Mira, who gave him a wry look but accepted hers with a smile.
By now, the fourth shift was almost over.
Hunting the Bitterspore Mushrooms had taken longer than expected—those slow but tanky Cyclopiles and all the careful gathering had chewed up time—and it was finally time for Ren and Davon to log off and rest.
Before logging out, Ren stood up, gathering everyone’s attention.
“I’ll be back in a couple minutes,” he said. “But remember—the real bonus reward is coming in about four hours.”
The team collectively groaned.
Especially Mira, who had clearly been stewing on this mysterious cash-requiring ‘bonus’ for a while.
“At this point, it sounds like some made-up scheme,” Mira grumbled, crossing her arms.
Ren just grinned.
He gave them a lazy wave, and then he and Davon logged off.
?
Shift 5 started the same way shifts always did in their crammed dorm room: with the frantic, sweaty helmet shuffle.
Ren didn’t hand over his helmet—he was still leading the charge.
Only Davon, having finished his stint, wiped down his helmet with a grimace and passed it off.
The helmet went to the next guy in line: Folo.
Folo was a wiry kid with a busted nose, sharp eyes, and a reputation for fixing anything with wire and a little theft. In real life, he hustled side jobs at the slum markets. He had picked Thief as his main class—no surprise there—and Locksmith for his secondary profession.
“Figures,” Ren said, smirking. “You’d pick the shadiest job possible.”
Folo just grinned proudly. “Gotta play to my strengths, boss.”
In Towerbound, a Locksmith is a non-combat secondary crafting profession focused on making locks, keys, safes, and security devices for players, guild halls, wagons, and housing.
Ren and Folo logged in.
Ren looked around at the group of still-online Scrap Rats, their little misfit army.
They were tired, sweaty, and a little beaten up—
But they were alive.
And ready to go..
“Alright,” Ren said, clapping his hands once, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Listen up. We’ve done good. Real good. We’ve cleared a hidden quest, outfoxed Prosperous Guild, and stacked more silver than half the randoms combined.”
Torrin cracked his knuckles.
Mira yawned but grinned.
Halt checked his bowstring casually.
“And now,” Ren said, voice dropping to a dramatic whisper, “the first real cog in making a ton of credits is coming up fast.”
That woke everyone up.
“I can’t guarantee how much we’ll make yet,” Ren added honestly. “It’s Towerbound. Shit happens. But the opportunity’s real. And if we do it right?”
He stopped. And smiled a huge wolfish smile.
***
Ren set introduced Folo to the Scrap Rats with a quick wave and a grin.
“Alright, this is Folo,” Ren said. “He’s new. Be nice. He’s also gonna be running a locksmith secondary, so… don’t bully him too hard.”
The Scrap Rats laughed a little, giving Folo a few playful welcomes.
Mira even clapped him on the back.
“First crafter we’ve got who’s not gonna be mixing weird potions or stitching socks,” she teased.
Ren grinned, but then grew a little more serious.
“Okay, listen up. I’ve got to be busy for a couple hours working on the back end of our secret bonus plan,” he said, lowering his voice like it was a state secret. “So just keep Folo in your random hunting groups, let him get a feel for things, maybe kill a few rabbits or goblins, nothing crazy.”
“Got it, boss,” said Torrin, giving a mock salute.
“Don’t forget about the next stage,” Ren reminded them. “Four hours. Big event. Big money chance. Don’t go wasting your silver.”
Mira, still slightly suspicious about the whole secret event thing, narrowed her eyes, but didn’t argue.
Everyone else was too busy daydreaming about credits to worry about it.
Ren patted Folo once on the shoulder, then peeled off from the group.
His next stop?
The Auction House.
He had one goal in mind: gather all the ingredients he needed for crafting Improved Healing Potions—the ones that gave instant 20% health instead of the basic slow regen versions.