In Kingdom Forge, the loot from a monster's corpse would persist for a maximum of half an hour if not collected. If there was excellent-grade loot, the corpse would last for an hour, and for superb or higher-grade loot, it would remain for four hours.
Monsters in the starting zone wouldn't drop excellent-grade equipment. Aside from specific boss monsters, all loot would be, at most, common grade.
So, while the derelict cart area seemed to have an abundance of corpses, they were merely Frenzied Wolf Cubs that had died within the last half-hour.
Even now, every five seconds, a Frenzied Wolf Cub corpse would vanish.
"Lucky break!" Ryan muttered, pulling a small pouch from a Frenzied Wolf Cub's corpse.
Red Pouch
Quality: Common
Function: 6 slots
When a character first appeared in this world, the system would grant them a 16-slot satchel, plus six empty backpack slots. Each backpack slot could equip a backpack, and the Red Pouch Ryan had found was the lowest-grade backpack available.
"Better than nothing, I suppose. Six slots is just too few."
Ryan equipped the small pouch, expanding his inventory to 22 slots. At this moment, he deeply missed his Level 90 Paladin account, where every backpack slot was filled with a colossal 36-slot bag.
The shimmering glow of over 200 corpses made Ryan sigh. Future expansions would introduce a feature to loot items within a certain radius, which only made him more frustrated by the current situation.
"Another backpack!" Ryan hadn't looted many Frenzied Wolf Cub corpses before he found another small black pouch, identical to the red one, also with six slots.
Equipping it, Ryan's mood significantly improved.
In the later stages of the game, there was a legend: if a character didn't find a small pouch before progressing from the starting zone, it meant their luck was terrible, and they should just abandon the account.
Conversely, a character who could fill all six small backpack slots was considered incredibly lucky and would often be the guild's designated boss looter. While many scoffed at this, more ordinary players eagerly pursued it, constantly creating new characters to try and find more small pouches in the starting zone.
As Ryan continued to stoop and loot monster corpses, he didn't notice a pair of adventurers, a man and a woman, watching his busy figure from a distance.
"Brother, is that guy the expert? All those corpses around him... they look like Level 3 monsters, don't they?" A female Priest player pointed towards Ryan, speaking with awe to the male Paladin beside her.
"Must be. No one can solo Level 3 monsters yet. Everyone relies on teamwork and kiting tactics to take them down." The male Paladin also stared in astonishment as Ryan continuously looted the monster corpses, his voice trembling slightly at the sight of the pile of bodies.
"He has a weapon! I saw it!" The Priest player exclaimed excitedly, seeing the longsword on Ryan's back. "That must be the novice longsword! Hey, quickly go ask him where the skill trainer said to find the longsword!"
The male Paladin nodded and quickly walked towards Ryan.
Ryan had already looted more than half the corpses. During this time, he'd found three more small pouches, filling five of his six empty backpack slots, which put him in a very good mood. He wondered if, by the time he finished looting all the corpses, he'd be able to equip all his backpack slots.
"Looks like this character has amazing luck. Maybe in the future, I can find some rare pets to sell to collectors. That could be a path to riches, too."
Ryan selectively discarded some junk items that took up space and didn't sell for much, then finally noticed the approaching man and woman.
'Someone's already Level 3 and here for a quest?' Ryan mused. Then, seeing that they weren't carrying weapons, he immediately realized they were on the new player skill quest, searching for their trainer's weapon.
"Hello, my nickname is 'Sky Dragon Ascendant.' Is that a novice weapon you're holding? Could you tell me where to find the Paladin trainer's longsword?" As soon as they met, the male Paladin rattled off a long speech, leaving Ryan momentarily stunned.
To be honest, Ryan didn't really want to tell them. This initial quest could delay most players, allowing him to gain a significant lead, so he frowned slightly.
The game cleverly displayed Ryan's frown, which made Sky Dragon Ascendant feel a bit awkward, as it was only natural. In a game, who wouldn't want to get ahead?
"Five hundred dollars, tell me where the longsword is!" The female Priest, seeing Ryan's expression, pouted and spoke with an air of authority.
Sky Dragon Ascendant quickly looked at the Paladin before him. Though he was a little displeased with his sister's impulsive offer, he still hoped it might sway the other player.
Hearing the female Priest's offer, Ryan, who had initially intended to ignore them, hesitated. Five hundred dollars. While it wasn't a fortune to him, it could certainly help him out of a tight spot. Just a few days ago, Ryan had spent nearly half of his family's living expenses on the cheapest virtual setup and instant noodles, making their already struggling household even more precarious.
With this 500 dollars, he could immediately buy some better food for his two younger sisters. Seeing the two little girls eating only a bit of pickled vegetables with their porridge these past few days had torn at Ryan's heart.
"Hold on a moment. Let me finish looting these corpses," Ryan said with a sigh, looking at the female Priest. There was a saying that a hero's spirit might be grand, but even a hero could be brought low by a lack of coin. He wasn't in a position to refuse this deal.
Five hundred dollars for the location of a Paladin weapon quest. In truth, Ryan was making a huge profit, as it would only take a few hours to find it otherwise.
Seeing that the expert before them was considering the offer, the female Priest lifted her chin towards Sky Dragon Ascendant, showing off her foresight.
"Five hundred dollars is too much, isn't it? While it's not much to us, we shouldn't be taken for fools."
Sky Dragon Ascendant messaged his sister privately, pointing out that she was being overly generous.
"Don't say that, Brother. Five hundred dollars isn't just for the weapon's location. It's also to get acquainted with him. Who knows, we might need his help in the future. Look at all these corpses; I don't believe an ordinary expert could achieve this so easily."
The female Priest huffed, watching Ryan loot the corpses.
"Five hundred dollars for the Paladin weapon information, and I'll even throw in a little extra gift," Ryan said, walking slowly towards the siblings after finishing his looting.