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Once he was ready, Harper used the early morning lull to sneak back into the Rogue Scout zone.
The Level Rankings hadn't opened yet, but he knew he wasn't the only one pushing hard. On his way out, he spotted several groups already farming the Bandits.
Not wanting to draw attention, Harper popped [Stealth] and ghosted past them, heading deeper into the forest.
Rogue Scouts were aggressive mobs. Without stealth, any player trying to reach Harper's grinding spot would have to fight through waves of enemies, probably requiring a full squad to clear the path.
So, he wasn't worried about being disturbed.
Arriving at his spot, he pulled out four shuriken and whipped them at the nearest scout.
Thwip!
-17 HP
-17 HP
-17 HP
-25 HP (Critical!)
All four hit. One caught the scout right in the temple.
In an instant, the mob lost a fifth of its health.
"Oh yeah. That's the stuff."
With [Intermediate Shuriken Mastery], his kill speed had doubled.
By the time the scout charged into melee range, it was already bristling with shuriken and near death. Harper stepped forward and finished it with a single kunai slash.
The second scout in the pair was still a few meters away. Harper backed out of its aggro range to reset, then rinsed and repeated.
Compared to yesterday, he wasn't just faster—he was also saving resources. He hadn't used a single Food Pill yet.
"If I hadn't met Naruto and leeched all that XP for my masteries," Harper thought shamelessly, "I would be two levels higher by now. But these skills are worth it. Tonight, I'm definitely giving Naruto some 'extra homework'."
He looked over at a group of three Rogue Scouts nearby.
He hesitated. Can I take three?
Temptation won. He charged in.
After a chaotic, sweaty fight where he nearly died, he managed to slash the last one down.
"Okay. Two is easy. Three is my limit."
He sat down and popped a [Red Food Pill] to recover.
By the time he was full HP, the pair of scouts had respawned. He killed them, and just as they died, the trio respawned.
"Perfect rotation."
He fell into a rhythm. Kill, loot, repeat.
Hours later, the system chime he was waiting for finally rang out.
Ding!
[System]: Killed Rogue Scout. Base XP: 300. Level Gap Bonus (+2): 20%. Total XP: 360.
Ding!
[System]: Congratulations! You have leveled up. Current Level: 5.
All Stats +1.
Suddenly, a massive announcement blasted across the entire server.
[System World Announcement]:
Congratulations to player [Harper the Great] for being the first to reach Level 5!
Reward: Hidden Leaf Reputation +100.
The Level Leaderboard is now open. Happy gaming!
The announcement hit the server like a meteor crashing into a lake.
Global chat exploded.
"Holy crap! Level 5? Already?"
"You gotta be kidding me. I'm barely Level 3 and I've been grinding non-stop!"
"Pfft. Probably some rich kid getting power-leveled by a full squad. He just takes the last hits."
"Exactly. If he soloed that, I'll eat shit on a livestream while doing a handstand."
"I'll provide the fresh supply!"
Regular players were a mix of jealous and awestruck.
But the big guilds and clans went into recruitment mode. Messages started flooding the chat offering insane benefits—some even offering real-world salaries of $50,000 a month to join their guild.
Harper read the offers and sighed. Even if he wanted the money, he couldn't exactly spend it. He was stuck here.
He checked his loot. The grind had dropped three new items.
[Rogue Scout's Leggings]
Requirement: Level 4
Type: Cloth Armor
Defense: 6
Stats: Constitution +1
[Rogue Scout's Kunai]
Requirement: Level 5
Type: Sword/Dagger
Attack: 4-8
Stats: Strength +1
And another copy of the [Rogue Scout's Vest] he already had.
"Finally! Pants!"
Harper equipped the gear. Now fully dressed in blue ninja garb, he actually looked like a part of the world. Standing among the Rogue Scouts, he blended in perfectly.
He opened his status panel.
Character: Harper the Great
Faction: Hidden Leaf Village
Level: 5 (1%)
HP: 190
Chakra: 160
Strength: 16 + 1 (Gear)
Agility: 16
Constitution: 16 + 3 (Gear)
Ninjutsu: 16
Defense: 14
Melee Damage: 38-42
Ranged Damage: 36-38
The most exciting part? He finally had Chakra.
He opened his skill menu. [Basic Sexy Jutsu] was now active. He grinned, imagining the look on Naruto's face tonight.
He spent some XP to activate [Clone Jutsu] and [Substitution Jutsu].
Now, he was officially a ninja.
Harper packed up his loot, humming a tune as he headed back toward the village.
But his return trip wasn't going to be smooth.
Just as he stepped out of the deep forest, three players blocked his path.