Table of Contents

Color Gallery

Title Page

Copyrights and Credits

Table of Contents Page

Prologue

Chapter 1: The Character Creator

Chapter 2: My Catacomb Home

Chapter 3: Searching the Catacombs

Official BBS 1

Chapter 4: Evolution

Chapter 5: Evolution and Equipment

Official BBS 2

Chapter 6: Starting Town Monday-Friday

Chapter 7: Saturday Morning

Chapter 8: Saturday Afternoon

Official BBS 3

Chapter 9: Sunday Morning

Chapter 10: Sunday Afternoon

Chapter 11: Saturday Morning

Chapter 12: Saturday Afternoon

Chapter 13: The Defense of the Starting Town

Official BBS 4

Epilogue

Afterword

Newsletter

Prologue

 

DING-DONG! The doorbell lets out a familiar chime.

“Who is it?” I ask the usual question through the household intercom.

“Package delivery!”

I push the button to unlock the gate and clear the way for the young deliveryman, who carries a decently sized box to the front door. It’s addressed to…oh, to Tsukishiro Akina. It seems to be for my younger sister.

“Have a nice day!”

“Thanks. I’ll be off then.”

The deliveryman is quickly on his way. I make sure the gate and front door are both firmly locked before summoning my sister from the second floor. Glancing down as I carry the box into the living room, I see it was sent from Future Software. It says it’s the grand prize of a tournament. She must have won something—again. I, myself, dabble in games a bit, but my sister casts a wide net: She’s into a bit of everything, whether she’s online, offline, or playing some tabletop.

“Oh! It’s finally here?!”

“You got a pretty big one this time.”

There’s the pitter-patter of my sister’s feet as Akina races down the steps and majestically tears the tape from the cardboard box. The flaps open to reveal three smaller boxes tucked inside.

“Just what I was looking for! All right, Sis. This one’s for you.”

Chapter 1:
The Character Creator

 

LUNCH COMES A BIT EARLY the next day since service starts at noon and Akina doesn’t want to miss even a second of it.

“Oh, right. When you boot up the game, make sure you check the unwanted contact blocker in the options menu.”

“Unwanted contact blocker…?”

“It’s an anti-harassment feature. There are a few different presets, so make sure you have it turned on. It makes it so you don’t feel like you’ve been touched, and the other guy feels like he’s up against an invisible wall.”

“I see. It is full dive technology, after all. Guess there’s a lot to consider.”

“Yes, and someone like you absolutely needs it, Sis. Also, make sure you whitelist me!”

“Oh, there’s a whitelist?”

“There’s a setting that disables it against friends and exceptions. I’ll still receive a warning if I go too far, though.”

“Naturally.”

“By the way, you can change values by a maximum of five centimeters in the character creator. Also, everyone ends up looking a bit 2D in-game.”

“I see.”

“Oh! It’s starting!”

“Yeah!”

Akina pitter-patters her way up the steps, and I get ready to head to my room as well. Thankfully, I was able to register her as a friend in advance when I was checking through the official website.

I put on the headset, lie down on my bed in a comfortable position, and power up the game device.

Good morning. What would you like to do today?

I’d like to load FLFO.

Performing a pre-boot check. The device and user are confirmed to be in a safe position. Launching Free Life Fantasy Online.

The game starts up quite smoothly. Though the title screen is displayed, it’s overlayed by a quite conspicuous countdown. The numbers are gyrating…now they’re bouncing…oh, they’ve even begun to spin. You really don’t want me to read the title, do you Future Soft? Not like I don’t already know it…

When there are only ten seconds remaining, the numbers suddenly change into rapidly shifting psychedelic rainbows and start to jump around even faster. Perhaps because of the full dive immersion, the counter—or rather my perception of it—seems to speed up the as the countdown nears zero. Once it’s down to five seconds, the digits begin to swell until…

Bang!!

I’ll give it to Future Software; that one got me, even if I knew what to expect. Anyway, that far-too-attention-grabbing countdown is gone, so let’s begin!

Once I move on from the title screen, the scenery changes to a clearing in a deep green forest. It’s quite a wonderous, serene sight, what with all the sunlight filtering through the tree branches. Though it doesn’t really give off a sense of fantasy…

Welcome to the world of Free Life Fantasy Online! Now let’s make your character, which serves as your avatar in this world. Your premium character customizer will be used at this time.

The voice seems to come directly into my head. It’s writing information straight into my brain…! Guess that’s just how complex FDVR really is.

My avatar first displays as the basic data entered when I initialized the device on various slates of information floating in the air. I try fiddling with them, but honestly, I’m just making it worse. Looks like I’ll have to reset things. Actually, how about I just change the hairstyle and skin tone? Otherwise, I’m going to have a real monstrous creation on my hands. I feel pretty confident in my beautification skills—I take all my mom’s advice on caring for my body.

Pigtails are more geared toward younger children. Hmm, the ponytail doesn’t look so bad. In real life, my hair just about reaches my shoulders, so it’s interesting to see all the new things I can try. An afro is pushing it a little bit—it’s kind of amusing just how unsuitable and inappropriate it is for me. Same goes for the mohawk. How about I make the bangs blunt-cut and give myself a princess hairstyle. Ugh, no, that’s not to my tastes in the least.

In the end, it’s best to just keep it simple. Let’s keep what I have, just make it longer. It’s a pain to wash my hair once it grows longer than my shoulders, and it catches on all sorts of things, so I would never do this in real life—but maybe it’s different in-game. Let’s see it down my back…now down to my hips…next my knees…wow! I can grow it all the way to the ground…! I’m not going to trip on all this hair, am I?

It is possible to tie or cut your hair however you like in-game, but it is not currently possible to regrow it longer.

Oh, so I see. Then let’s go all out and have it down to my calves. I’m not doing much with the bangs, but I’ll make the sides a bit longer…aaaaand there! Let’s set the finish to “glossy” and the hair color to black. Oh, and the eyes to a bright purple. Mmm…outright purple is a little finicky. Should I make it reddish-purple, or bluish-purple…? Yeah, let’s put it more on the blue side of things.

That looks good. Let’s save and continue.

Please select your race. Please note that modifications will be applied to your current character model based on your chosen racial group.

Jeez…this game has a really wide selection of races.

 

HUMAN:

A very average race.

If you’re ever in doubt about what to choose, give humanity a go.

 

BEASTMAN:

Gains a different specialty depending on the species.

Wolf: Specializes in Strength

Rabbit: Specializes in Dexterity

Bear: Specializes in Endurance

Fox: Specializes in Intelligence

Cat: Specializes in Agility

 

DWARF:

A race known for their high Strength and Dexterity. However, their movement speed is quite slow.

Recommended for crafters.

 

ELF:

The glass cannons of FLFO, they have high Intelligence and Dexterity but can’t take a hit.

Recommended for ranged combat.

 

GIANT:

Creatures with high Strength and Endurance, though they’re very clumsy.

Use your size to your advantage.

 

MACHINA:

Known as “the armored ones” or “the automatons,” these creations boast high stats overall but are abysmal at casting and resisting magic.

 

Hmm, it’s exactly what I saw online. It doesn’t look like anything’s changed from the beta.

The beastman race can be widely customized, ranging from just ears and tails to full bipedal animals—much to the joy of the online furry community. However, it seems that every species, apart from foxes, have low intelligence in exchange for an enhanced sense of sight and smell.

Dwarves—perhaps due to their shorter legs and stature—are said to gain less speed than the other races for every point invested in agility. Whether this is due to physical differences or an actual adjusted formula, only the company knows for sure. The speed difference was first theorized when two freshly created characters held a race with their initial equipment and the same stat investment.

Elves are, as stated, glass cannons: They can’t take a hit to save their lives. Rumor has it that they gain fewer hit points per investment. In contrast, giants gain an enormous amount of HP. As you might expect, they have towering builds ranging between two to three meters tall. With humans, two meters is just about the upper limit. And while you can generally adjust within five centimeters of your actual height, each race has its own built-in scaling features.

According to an official statement, people who are actually over two meters tall in reality can still be over two meters in-game.

Machina start out with stats that are overwhelmingly higher than any of the other races, but their MP growth is downright unsalvageable. Apparently, it isn’t zero, but it might as well be considering how little they get. I guess they have high intelligence stats because they’re machines—but they don’t have the MP to make it useful. From what I could find, they operate on their own system of EP, or Energy Points.

In addition to all these options, the game also lets you select inhuman races, and there’s a wide pool to choose from.

You have selected an inhuman race. These races are geared toward those who reject sanity.

The inhuman races are grotesque life-forms called monsters. They generally have higher stats, though there’s a wide spectrum. However, as they lack human traits, they come with certain demerits. For example, if you decide to play as a slime, it’s apparently quite difficult just to learn to move properly.

But, on the other hand, the inhuman races grow faster than human classes and have their own unique evolution system to change race. With large enough changes, it is possible to get a complete skill rebuild in the process. However, a wide selection means a wide array of weaknesses as well.

It looks like the game designers took the stance of, “It’s not our problem if you can hardly move. You’re the one who chose to play as this race.” But who knows; what was once a completely useless skill could become something incredible. Safe to say that this is mainly a route for those with dreams and patience.

During the beta, the inhuman forums were filled with cries of agony. It got so bad it was almost like listening in on the screams of hell itself. As a result, they didn’t expect more than 10 percent of the player base to choose the inhuman races once official service began, and that was being generous.

User-controlled inhuman players have symbols over their heads so they can be told apart from game monsters by other players, and yet they were still relentlessly attacked and abused, with many players saying, “You’re just a monster, you know. This doesn’t count as a real player kill.”

But it is an online game after all, and management insisted, “Please rest easy! All inhuman players will still be able to access towns the same as any other player, as long as they choose a race capable of human speech.”

Naturally, the community retorted, “What was that last part?! That sounds pretty important!”

PvP is just an ordinary part of the game, of course. But the town residents—or rather, the NPCs—will treat inhuman players normally. It is still a game, and malicious player kills can be dealt with through user reports.

If you select an inhuman race, you may come across a map that is nearly impossible to clear due to your affinity. Those who want to avoid this are advised to choose a standard race.

I see, I see. Yet I still feel a bit drawn to the inhuman ones. What shall I do? A slime would be a test of patience until I’m able to evolve. A wolf…would a wolf be all right? A quadrupedal one, unlike the beastmen who stand upright. They’re apparently quite strong… Well, maybe a horse…or a snake…or even a spider…?

But none of those can talk—that means they can’t interact with NPCs. If you evolve into a centaur, an echidna, or an arachne, you gain a demi-human form so you can probably communicate. But even if you can level faster than normal races, how long will that take? That’s definitely a problem.

Oh, goblins and skeletons can apparently talk. But where are the skeletons’ vocal cords…? Okay, self, try not to think too hard about it. There are also mini golems, but I think they get bigger on evolution. Ugh, that sounds like it would be a real nuisance. A ghost—wait, how would I move?

Hmm, I’m going to have to make a choice eventually. But what? Eenie, meenie, zombie…ho!

You have selected zombie. As a member of the undead, there is a chance of you losing body parts. When this happens, you must use an in-game item to recover them.

This chance to lose limbs is one of the reasons undead is such an unpopular choice. If it’s the same as the beta, then you don’t lose limbs until level 10. Granted, zombies don’t feel pain, so it won’t hurt. Still, it’s quite inconvenient.

 

Name: —

Race: Zombie ♀

Attribute: Dark

Genus: Low Undead

Species: Zombie

 

RACE (MONSTER) SKILLS:

Physical Resistance Lv 1, Automatic HP Regen Lv 1, Low Undead, Decomposing Body

 

PHYSICAL RESISTANCE

Physical damage will be reduced based on skill level.

 

AUTOMATIC HP REGEN

HP will automatically recover based on skill level.

 

LOW UNDEAD

Receives continuous damage in sunlight. Damage is reduced in the shade.

Light and Holy Attribute Damage Received x4

Bonus to All Stats under Moonlight: Minor

Dark Attribute Enhancement: Minor

Dark Attribute Resistance: Minor

Increased Effectiveness of HP Regen Skills: Minor

Night Vision

Nullifies physical and mental status ailments. Does not require food or sleep.

 

DECOMPOSING BODY

Reduced feedback from the five senses. Constantly releases a musty, sludge-like stench that smells terrible—obviously. Those around you who smell the scent of your rotting flesh will vomit.

Fire Attribute Damage Received x2

 

I don’t have much to say about Physical Resistance and Automatic HP Regen. However, Low Undead looks quite strong. It nullifies status ailments that would be pointless against the dead. The problem is the continuous damage in sunlight, but perhaps I could offset that by increasing the skill level of my regeneration. The fact that it’s low means there’s probably a mid and high; I can’t wait to see what evolution will throw at me!

The problem here is definitely Decomposing Body, but this is a zombie, after all. It’s not a strange skill to have attached to that race. Decomposing Body has absolutely no benefits, but maybe it will go away if I evolve.

In Beta, the zombie race was so frustrating that people discarded their characters early on. They apparently broke when they found out that the next evolution stage was high zombie. As humanoids, they can talk, but they’d be beaten to a pulp by every beastman player they met due to that race’s enhanced sense of smell.

Horses, snakes, and other animal types can’t interact with the NPCs in town, but I hear they’re still pretty fun to play. Something about how nice it is as a horse player to race across the open plains with another player on their back. Plus, you can have your friends buy goods for you.

There’s also a cuckoo option—which is clearly just a chicken—and there’s a chance for it to evolve into a cockatrice. Well, that one was just everyone’s best guess since it was impossible to reach the required level in the beta. Still, that’d be something to look forward to.

Maybe I should just go with the unpopular zombie option. I could end up as a dragon zombie or even something like a bone dragon. Hmm, actually, a bone dragon would probably be down the skeleton race tree, not the zombie. Anyway, I like to solo and enjoy the experience on my own, so let’s just go with it. Worst case scenario, I can delete my character and start all over again. In that case, I’ll be locked out of FLFO for a few days as a penalty, but I don’t really mind.

Sorry, Akina, your sister is joining the ranks of the undead. If you still have the courage to hug me in-game, you’re welcome to do so. The zombie’s appearance modifiers are pretty gnarly. My hair’s going to be pretty sparse and my breasts are completely gone too. Putting the hair aside, it will be quite refreshing to play without breasts. They’ve been with me for quite some time now; I don’t mind giving them a break.

Please choose up to ten initial skills. If you skip this step, you can select them later in-game. As long as you have fewer than ten initial skills registered, you can learn eligible skills free of cost. Note that they will count as your initial skills.

Hmm, I think I’d like to pick them up as I play, but I guess starting with three can’t hurt. I’ll take Strength Boost, Endurance Boost, and Appraisal. You should never underestimate passive buffs, and Appraisal is essential for MMOs. The rest I’ll just have to figure out as I progress. I feel like I’ll hit a dead end if I don’t pick out the right skills for a zombie.

As you have selected fewer than ten skills, the “Initial Skills” category has been added to your skills window. Please note that any skills that do not fall under this category will still have their usual cost. Your monster race skills are not counted.

I see. So if I want a skill, I can get it for free as long as it counts as an initial skill. If it doesn’t, I’ll have to pay the cost like normal. I guess that’s to prevent players from taking high-level skills as their initials. Thankfully, all players share the same list of initial skills.

Please input your name.

Well, it’s a fantasy world, so maybe something European would be suitable? I do have another name from my father’s side of the family, but I shouldn’t be using my real name, should I?

But maybe it will work? FLFO is a Japanese game. No one would ever guess that it’s my actual name. That said, it’s a pretty common name; I’ll use it if it’s not already taken. Apparently, the beta testers get to keep their old names.

Checking name availability for “Anastasia.” Please wait.

The name entered is available.

Oh, it worked! Then let’s go with that. It’ll be quite refreshing to be called by my full name for once.

 

Are you satisfied with this appearance and skill set?

 

Name: Anastasia

Race: Zombie ♀ Lv 1

Attribute: Dark

Genus: Low Undead

Species: Zombie

 

SKILLS:

Strength Boost Lv 1, Endurance Boost Lv 1, Appraisal Lv 1

 

RACE (MONSTER) SKILLS:

Physical Resistance Lv 1, Automatic HP Regen Lv 1, Low Undead, Decomposing Body

 

My zombie self stands beside the status screen. Honestly, I’m not looking too good, but with the race modifiers, there’s really not much I can do. Eh, it should all work out eventually.

You have selected one beyond the realm of humanity. This allows you to select a starting zone suitable to your race. Where would you like to start?

 

THE STARTING TOWN

The normal starting point. Same as humans.

 

RACIAL STARTING POINT

A starting point more suited to your race. You will be dropped into a hunting ground.

You’re already crazy enough to experience the life of a monster, so this location is recommended for you.

 

Hmm, there would be pandemonium if a zombie started out in the middle of town—mainly because of my Decomposing Body and all the people who chose to start as beastmen. I don’t want to stand out at all, so I’ll go with my racial starting point. Also: I am definitely not crazy. I’m just curious, is all.

You have selected your racial starting point. This concludes character creation. Now connecting to the main server…

Ba-dump… Ba-dump…

In this world, your curiosity will unlock many doors. An unknown world, battles with unknown creatures, unknown skills, and a new life—let your desire to uncover the unknown guide you. And may your second life be a blessed one!

The changes come as soon as the system voice cuts off. A sprawling stone cityscape stretches out around me, while a warm wind strokes my skin…ah, not really. I hear nothing but the sluggish groans of my compatriots as they trudge about. My dark surroundings are blocked by dirt walls.

These are quite clearly the walls of a catacomb, thank you very much.

Chapter 2:
My Catacomb Home

 

AS YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED, I am stuck in a catacomb—and let me tell you, the visibility here is terrible. It’s a bit murky, and there are holes in my field of vision. A side effect of Decomposing Body, perhaps?

For now, let’s look at the menu. I get the feeling the unwanted contact blocker is pretty pointless in my zombified state, but I’ll see what’s on there anyway.

Mini-map on, of course. Overhead identifier? Yes, that should be on too. It looks like the unwanted contact blocker is on the bottom. Hmm, it’s recommended to apply it to your face, torso, and legs above the knee. Meaning the area from my shoulders to my hands, my knees to my feet, and the back of my head can still be touched. That sounds about right.

There are only two options: limited contact and a friend list.

Limited: Remove the effects of the contact blocker for selected users on the friend list

Friend List: Do not apply contact blocker to any users on this list

*Note: Even if the unwanted contact blocker is not active, the system may punish certain actions based on its own judgment.

 

Well then, the limited setting should be fine. I’ll select Akina while I’m here. Next!

 

GORE SETTINGS:

All Ages/G: Wounds will be covered by a mysterious light.

R-15: Serious wounds and cross-sections will have a mosaic filter placed over them.

R-18: Though models are slightly more cartoonish than reality, everything from blood to bones will be shown.

 

Oh, I see. It looks like you can select the color palette displayed for blood as well. That’s thoughtful—there are people out there who faint at the sight of blood, after all. I think should be fine with R-15. With the All Ages setting on, the zombies around me are so clouded in light I can hardly make out what they are anymore. Oh, and the blood can stay red: I’m already used to seeing it IRL.

 

Secondary Voice Toggle: On/Off.

* In the case of inhumans, their primary voice is monster sounds, and the secondary voice is the voice of the player.

 

That has to stay on. Otherwise, I can’t have a conversation with anyone. I make sure the “Lower primary voice when using secondary voice” option is checked.

 

Pain Transmission: 0 - 100 (Default value: 20)

*This is the level of pain you will feel when attacked.
The higher the number, the closer it will be to reality. Note: Users under 18 cannot set this value over 50.

 

Well, that default is just fine. I don’t feel particularly happy when I’m in pain; it’s not really what I’m looking to get out of a game. Anyway, that should be about it for the settings. Next, let’s check my inventory.

 

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] TATTERED RAGS

Rarity: None Quality: F Durability: —

The tattered remains of what used to be clothing. They’re quite dirty and belong in the trash.

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] TATTERED SHOES

Rarity: None Quality: F Durability: —

The tattered remains of what used to be shoes. They’re quite dirty and belong in the trash.

[RECOVERY] BEGINNER’S HP POTION

Rarity: None Quality: C

A magic medicine that restores 50HP.

Note: Cannot be used on the undead.

[RECOVERY] BEGINNER’S MP POTION

Rarity: None Quality: C

A magic medicine that restores 50MP.

Note: Cannot be used on the undead.

[RECOVERY] BEGINNER’S FIELD RATIONS

Rarity: None Quality: C

A compact field ration that relieves hunger by 10%.

 

The red phrase ‘Note: Cannot be used on the undead’ under those descriptions is quite a sad thing for me to read. I have my Regen skill, so I might be fine on HP, but I have zero MP. I’m pretty sure I don’t need food either. I can eat, but the undead have no hunger system, so it’s pointless to feed myself anyway.

As for that flickering envelope…Oh, that’s my bonus money and potions from the limited edition! I can’t use them, so I don’t see any reason to redeem it. Well, not now at least, especially since I found out you lose half of your money when you die.

All right, that should be everything, so let’s begin! First, I should explore my new home and fill out the map. That’s the first fundamental step of every RPG.

For starters…

 

ZOMBIE LV 6

A revived, rotting corpse. They flock around whomever they see.

 

Now that I get a better look at you guys…dang, you’re pretty strong. All of you are, actually. Even the lowest level enemy in my home seems to be five levels higher than me. The strongest is level 9! Why am I the only level 1 unit here…oh. It’s because I’m an undead newborn and because this is a game.

That aside, they’re not attacking me. I think I read something about inhuman players not aggro-ing members of the same race. It’s quite convenient, so I’ll use this chance to map out the place.

I squirm out of my cavity in the wall—it could practically be my bed—and immediately find it incredibly hard to move. Something feels off. It’s like my legs aren’t the same length, and neither are working properly. Yes, just like that feeling when you’re walking when one foot is numb but just short of tingly—but it’s like that on both feet. Honestly, I’m about to fall over.

Chapter 3:
Searching the Catacombs

 

“HOW ARE YOU holding up, Sis?” Akina suddenly asked over breakfast.

For a moment, I thought she was talking about my health, but then I realized Akina had to be talking about FLFO. Should I play dumb? No, that seems pretty pointless, all things considered.

“I’m holding up fairly well, for what it’s worth. Occasionally taking down an enemy or two while filling out the map.”

“So you’re mapping the place?”

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be coming back, so I’d better get it done with while I can.”

“And by the sound of things, evolving into a high zombie won’t make the job any easier, huh…”

“Mmm. Once I’m done eating, I plan on tackling the second level of the place.”

“Oh, so it’s not just one floor?”

“I saw a flight of stairs leading down into the depths. Based on what the enemies are like, I might have an easy time leveling up.”

“Right, those of the same race only go aggro if you attack first. Usually, undead-type monsters are troublesome because they swarm you with numbers…”

Generally speaking, I was taking them on one at a time, and I always got a preemptive strike. Hunting zombies is becoming incredibly easy. The undead are creepy, filthy, and putrid—not to mention their drops are pure trash. However, the experience points—or EXP—isn’t bad, so parties with area of effect, or AOE, capabilities sometimes go after them.

Indeed, the EXP was the only thing good about them. Those parties would mow them down with fire and light magic and thus fail to raise any of their other skill levels. As the drops were literal stinking garbage, there was absolutely no money to be found. Honestly, zombies were not in high demand.

“Seeing as I can’t move properly at the moment, they’re actually quite convenient to my progress.”

“I’d say that’s mainly because you always get the first strike.”

“For now, I’ll spend today…ah, rather, I’ll have to spend the next few days mapping.”

“Huh? Was the place always that big?”

“It’s decently big, but I’m slow, and I trip now and then. Let me tell you, it’s super hard to get around. I’m hoping I can finish today, but I might find a third floor after that. You never know.”

“Ah…”

“Now let’s do this.”

“Yeah!”

After washing the dishes, I head to my room and immediately log into FLFO.

 

Hello again, my dear, sweet catacombs! I crawl out and promptly start down the stairs—nearly tripping over myself from my own impatience.

Right into my first encounter with a high zombie.

 

HIGH ZOMBIE LV 15

A rotten, reanimated corpse. They flock around whoever they see.

 

Yeaaaaah, now I get it. Looks like the high zombies range from level 15 to level 19. Visually…well, I honestly can’t tell the difference between them and normal zombies. Did anything change at all? I guess they’re walking a bit better—but I could just be seeing things.

I’d better not pin any hopes on my future evolution.

After spending the entirety of my Sunday mapping out the second floor, I stumbled upon the stairs down to basement floor three. I didn’t even manage to completely map out floor two. That is all. I’m going to bed a bit upset.

Come to think of it, does the game not treat the catacombs as a dungeon, ancient ruins, or anything? The sheer emptiness of the halls is quite disheartening. Seeing as it’s the starting point for zombie players, there’s a high chance I won’t find anything at all. But now that I’ve gotten this far, I simply have to map the whole place out.

 

I’m back at it the next day as soon as I get home from school. At school, I chatted a bit about FLFO with two boys I’ve known from kindergarten, but it will be some time before I can meet them in-game. Once my mapping is done, I’ll prioritize leveling up and evolving. Akina’s waiting for me, and I’ll need to get rid of Decomposing Body before I do anything else.

Now, what are the enemies like on floor three…? I’m not done with floor two, but let’s check since I’m here anyway.

 

LIVING DEAD LV 27

An undead, living corpse. They flock around whoever they see.

 

They’re around level 27 to 29 down here. Perhaps I can hunt here for a while? They seem to go up around ten levels with each floor, which would usually be quite a jump. Even if raising levels doesn’t influence things as much as raising skills, ten levels is quite a difference. Some enemies also come with higher skill levels when their base level increases.

Another thing of note—it looks like the next evolution after high zombie is living dead. I’m assuming that evolution takes place around level 20. I haven’t focused on hunting just yet, so I’m not even level 10.

 

Name: Anastasia

Race: Zombie ♀ Lv 5

Attribute: Dark

Genus: Low Undead

Species: Zombie

Skill points: 4

 

SKILLS:

Fist Lv 4, Strength Boost Lv 3, Endurance Boost Lv 2, Appraisal Lv 1

 

RACE (MONSTER) SKILLS:

Physical Resistance Lv 1, Automatic HP Regen Lv 1, Low Undead, Decomposing Body

 

Yep, I’ve still got a looong way to go. Punching is the only thing I’ve done to raise my skill level. My enemies topple over on their own, so I just have to crawl on top of them and start smacking away. I haven’t had a proper battle yet.

The problem is that they also have Automatic HP Regen, so it takes quite a bit of time to defeat them. My Endurance Boost went up on its own. I guess I gain experience in it if I walk, fight, and move my body. Physical Resistance and Automatic HP Regen are defensive skills, so they’re not going up. They might both increase if I get hit, but I don’t think that’s going to happen with zombies. I’ll be better off training those skills elsewhere.

I’d probably die if I went at the living dead head-on. They clearly move a lot more nimbly than my other undead kin. Their description changed from rotting corpse to simply “corpse.” Although they’re still a bit stilted, they seem far better off than zombies and even high zombies. I’m dubious whether or not I can beat them with the same tactics, so I should be careful with them.

Now let’s go back and explore floor two! Not that there’s anything there…

 

Monday—no results. Exploration rate: The second floor remains incomplete.

Tuesday—I finished the second floor. Yay!

Wednesday—entering the third floor. Catacombs exploration rate: 20 percent.

Thursday—absolute tragedy. Tripped into a living dead and was smacked to death. Going to sleep angry.

Friday—no results. Catacombs exploration rate: 50 percent.

Saturday—it’s been a week since I started aaand…no results. Just a little more to fill out the map.

Aaand now for Sunday. Let’s hope I can finish today.

 

It looks like I’m 100 percent dead if I trip and fall into the living dead, so I need to lower my already slow pace to downright sluggish. There’s a penalty if you die, and I hardly have anything as it is. All I’m really doing is being more watchful when I walk, but because I can’t even move properly, it makes me needlessly anxious. Would it be a load off my mind if I evolved first and got better legs?

I’ve already gone beyond the point where I can level—and high zombies don’t look much better.

It will be summer vacation soon. During the exam period, I can be back home by noon, and I’m sure I’ll be better off if I get all the troublesome mapping out of the way first. Once I evolve and get rid of Decomposing Body, I’ll probably be able to go outside. And once I leave, there’s no telling when I’ll be back here.

Just a little more exploration and I should finish. Watch your step, watch your step…huh. Perhaps I’ve gotten better at walking as a zombie. And the last bit is…a dead end. This means…yes! I’ve fully mapped this place! There’s no fourth floor.

I check over the maps of floors one to three. There aren’t any strange cutoffs, so I think I’ve gone through everything and found absolutely nothing.

Hmm? Am I just imagining it? Err, wait a sec. Let’s open each map in a different window.

Size-wise, the first floor is the smallest, the second floor the largest, and floor three is somewhere in between. I don’t see anything wrong with the first floor, but there’s a rather curious area on floor two. As a catacomb, every square inch should be crammed with corridors. That’s generally how it is with the third floor. But there’s this peculiar blank space on the second floor map…perhaps I should check it out. There could be a hidden room!

I’ve walked along the adjoining wall and didn’t find anything. But now that I’m taking a better look at it, this area in particular is a bit luxurious. Perhaps it’s a place for the dead with a bit of money to spare?

On the first floor, this area is just a normal walkway. On the third, it’s off the map. I see, I see. Could there be an open atrium running from the third floor to the second? If the entrance is on the third floor, that means the only path it could join with would be here. I know I can’t find anything on the second floor, and if it’s an atrium, that means it will be a long way down. I can definitely see these decorations camouflaging something.

All right, I’ll give it a shot—and if this doesn’t work, I’ll focus on leveling.

Yes, this has to be the passageway. If I find something, that means it was worth it to fill out the map after all! I stick close to the wall, but it’s just a dead end. There doesn’t seem to be anything on the surface.

Now, checking both sides…

“Hmm…?”

I find a spot with a bit of give I can press. Putting a little strength behind it, I keep pressing until it feels like something falls into place. But where?

I nervously look around and notice that the dead-end wall has tilted a bit. My sense of hearing is essentially nonexistent, so there’s a good chance I simply didn’t hear it moving. The surrounding living dead are also pretty loud. In any case, I immediately head over and give the shifted wall a push—it seems like a hidden door. I keep pressing and pushing until the wall has done a complete 180 degree turn and has closed again as though it were once again a dead end—but with me on the other side.

Inside, the ceiling is incredibly high, and the room is quite vast. It looks like that space on the second floor really was an atrium.

Unlike outside, the ornamentation is beautiful…ah, scratch that, maybe not. Although the decorations are lavish, they haven’t been maintained. Long story short, they’re filthy. This is what I imagine a VIP’s grave would be like if it was abandoned without a care.

As I head from the entrance to the center, something long and thin suddenly lifts into the air in the distance. Is that a sword…? My moment of pondering is cut short as it suddenly zips through the air and pierces my chest.

By the time I realize it, I’m staring at a familiar ceiling in the real world. This is absurd—the undead should have instant death resistance. That means I must have died from the raw damage? Usually, I’d be locked out for a while before I could revive, but it looks like I can log in right away. Which means that was a scripted event? All right, let’s head back in.

I clamber my way back down to the third floor and stick to the wall until I find the button again. It should be right around here. Its location hasn’t changed…probably. I don’t really remember the first time, so I can’t say for sure. I enter through the revolving wall.

Now what? The sword doesn’t come at me until I move from the entrance, so is there anything noteworthy? There, at the back of the room—that looks like a door. That’s probably my destination. Now what to do about the sword? Seriously, like, what do I do?

Are there any hints…?

Hmm, nothing catches my eyes, although my terrible vision makes it difficult to search. But this is a grave, which probably means that thing in the center is a gravestone. I think that’s where the sword came from, meaning I can’t get any closer to it without being insta-killed. It’s impossible to dodge with a zombie’s body. It was slow when it started floating, but it was fast when it aimed at me.

With the next step, I’m pierced through again. I die, head to the hidden room, die again, and head back. This is how you brute force a game—or maybe how a zombie brute forces it. You know what? Let’s take a lunch break. Mulder, I’m too tired.

Mom’s not home today, so I guess I have to do the cooking. Would omurice be all right? Looks like we have eggs. As for meat, well, pork belly should do. I’ll just have to cut it a bit thin. Oh, we don’t have enough ketchup. Then let’s make it butter rice instead!

My sister comes down just as I’m almost finished cooking.

“Something smell’s good! What’s for lunch, Koto?”

“We’re having butter omurice!”

“Whoa, nice.”

“It’ll be out soon, just wait.”

“Okaaay.”

I transfer two servings of rice to the plates, then whisk together two portions of eggs, pour half into the pan, fry it, and put the finished omelet on one of the plates. Then I pour in the second half into the pan and finish up the second serving.

“All done, Akina.”

“Sweet! Ketchup—ah, we’re almost out.”

“That’s why it’s butter rice instead.”

The two of us chow down as we talk about the game.

“Right now, the hunting team’s doing their best against the boss to unlock the next town. But they’re low on healing items.”

“The game limits the distribution of goods, right?”

“That’s right. It’s a real hassle when consumables are out of stock.”

“You need Compounding to make potions, right?”

“Yeah, Compounding or Alchemy. But Alchemy only makes goods at a fixed level, and Compounding is pretty annoying.”

“What’s annoying about it? Low profits, or a lack of materials to use?”

“Both, I hear. Also, it takes a lot of time to make them. The skill level is too low for our current player base, so they can’t make anything decent either.”

“It sounds like you’re talking about a completely different game from what I’m playing.”

“Well, you chose to be a zombie. Ah, by the way, how are things going?”

“After filling out the map, I found a hidden room, but there was an instant-death trap gimmick. I’m brute forcing it to see if there’s any way to get through.”

“Oooooh, secret room!”

“Unlike the other places, it looks like it’s a grave for someone important. Pretty big and luxurious too. There seems to be a gravestone in the middle.”

“Hmm! What sort of trap is it?”

“The sort that attacks if I’m in range. I can see a door in the back, so I want to get through somehow. But I die instantly if the trap springs and the sword hits me.”

“Undead are immune to instant death, aren’t they? They should have quite a bit of stamina too, but you still die in one hit. Weird.”

“I’m going to challenge it again after this. I’ll try to find a way around.”

“Do your best to get there before someone else finds it!”

“I haven’t even seen anyone else yet…”

“Well, you’re a zombie! So, like, why are you even putting yourself through all this, Sis?”

“Ha ha ha, my instincts are telling me to do it.”

“Then go for it, I guess.”

Akina says she’ll do the dishes this time, so I head for the catacombs as soon as I’ve finished eating.

Now it’s time for rematch with the hidden room. I head left as soon as I’m through the entrance, sticking fast against the wall as I lurch forward. Before lunch, I figured out that the sword returns to its resting place if you leave the range before it stabs you. So I need to know its full range.

 

I inch forward: No reaction from the sword yet. Maybe this is the right answer. The moment the sword starts floating, I immediately stop and press myself back against the wall. I’m prepared to go bowlegged if I have to. As soon as I stop and move out of range, the sword goes back where it came from. Maybe I should be thankful that my chest rotted away. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stay completely out of range.

In fact, there’s a high chance this would have been impossible if I evolved and my breasts came back. With a flat chest and determination, I can do this!

Err, not exactly. I promptly find myself impaled again. Why?!

I was fine up to a certain point. Presumably, the safe zone somehow changed. Am I really supposed to solve this without any hints? Seriously?

Well, that’s not going to stop me.

Don’t think you can stop me forever, you potentially rare item you! Not that I even know if there’re any potential rare items to be found.

I set my pain transmission to zero. I’m working under the premise that I’m going to die again and again. Up to a certain point, I slink along the wall. Then I part from it, crouching down, holding out my hand as I observe the sword. If it starts floating, I quickly pull it back, then stick it out elsewhere. Repeat ad nauseum, et cetera, et cetera.

What about my legs? If I use my legs, I’ll trip. And then it’s over for me. I get stabbed.

Through endless repetition, I gradually grow closer and closer to the door. This is one of those games, the ones where you’re meant to die again and again. This isn’t the advertised genre for FLFO, but the catacombs don’t seem to offer any hints. I should be thankful the sword goes back at all when I back off. Now I don’t just up and die the moment it comes out.

I keep at it, taking breaks every few deaths. Learning from dying is, in essence, a test of patience. Now and then, my sister’s words come back to me. “Why are you even putting yourself through all this?” Must just be my overactive imagination.

It takes a few hours, but I’m finally in front of the door. I don’t make any unnecessary moves once I’m there, heading straight for my destination. The hinges swing open, and I practically collapse onto the ground beyond it.

I made it!

The room is a bit cramped due to the coffin at the very center. A brief glance around the room heralds nothing else of note. I try rummaging around and come up empty-handed. How tragic after all my deaths. In any case, I’m just grateful that the coffin didn’t burst open when I first got close.

In any case, this coffin must be what I’m after. The moment my hand brushes up against the lid as I attempt to open it, I’m suddenly stripped of my bodily autonomy. My hands move on their own and crack it open. The system is controlling me… Is this a scripted event?

I watch it transpire—as if I have any choice.

Beneath the slanted lid is a mummy of what was once presumably a woman. Rather, I know it was a woman, because that’s what my Appraisal skill is telling me. The Princess Mummy, to be more precise.

Under the system’s control, my hand heads straight to the mummy’s chest and rends its way straight through her rib cage with a terrible cracking sound. It firmly clutches something as it snakes its way out.

 

[EVENT] ROYAL FLESH

Rarity: EX

The divine flesh and blood of royalty.

A key item to unlock an extra race.

Official BBS 1

 

[Boss] Comprehensive Thread 7 [Too Strong]

1. Passing Conqueror

This thread is for organizing information about the bosses.

Put down any information you can.

Past threads: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

>> 980 Continue this discussion in the next thread

 

592. Passing Conqueror

We don’t have enough potions! Also, the bosses are friggin’ strong!

593. Passing Conqueror

>> 592 Way too strong. The VR still makes it pretty fun.

594. Passing Conqueror

>> 593 Yeah, it’s hella fun. But it takes a lot of nerve to engage those things at close quarters.

595. Passing Conqueror

>> 594 Hats off to those gutsy tanks, then.

596. Passing Conqueror

>> 595 Cheers!!!

597. Passing Conqueror

It’s terrifying to face a golem head-on…then a dragon to top it all off. Good luck, tanks.

598. Passing Conqueror

Good luck, tanks

599. Passing Conqueror

That aside, potions—rather, consumables in general—are a problem. We might have to head west.

600. Passing Conqueror

>> 599 Yeah, the shortage is getting pretty bad.

Anything but west though…

601. Passing Conqueror

>> 600 Bug-type monsters are just the worst in VR.

They’re a bit cartoonish but still just as disgusting! Ew ew ew!

602. Passing Conqueror

>> 601 and did you see the size of those things? I get goosebumps just thinking about it. I’d rather charge headlong at a boss!

603. Passing Conqueror

I don’t care where we go, I just want one of those bosses to go down.

604. Passing Conqueror

Yeah, we haven’t defeated any of them yet.

605. Passing Conqueror

If we don’t defeat that northern golem, we won’t be able to mine ore…

606. Passing Conqueror

We’re in the same boat here. From what I’ve gathered, it’s north for ore, east for agriculture, west for herbs, and south for the port.

607. Passing Conqueror

>> 606 Yep, so I guess north and west are the top priority if we want armor and consumables.

608. Passing Conqueror

To be perfectly honest, the western boss isn’t that strong, it’s just its appearance that’s unbearable. Seriously.

609. Passing Conqueror

I thought the plan was to defeat the golem with magic so we’d have the materials to make equipment to beat the others…

610. Passing Conqueror

Yeah, well, the golem’s too strong.

611. Passing Conqueror

Indeed, the golem is strong. It’s a boss, doing boss things like a boss does.

612. Passing Conqueror

I’m thinking of challenging the golem. Anything I should look out for?

613. Passing Conqueror

Have fun dodging its stomps

614. Passing Conqueror

>> 613 I know. Jumping as a party is fun.

615. Passing Conqueror

>> 614 It’s a mess when you mess up the timing, though.

616 Passing Conqueror

>> 613 The stomps are when it lifts its arms and slams the ground, right?

617. Passing Conqueror

>> 616 Yeah, that’s right. A shock wave spreads out from the impact point, so you have to jump over it. Especially look out for your back line. Based on their build, it could one-shot them.

618. Passing Conqueror

>> 617 Wait, that attack is that strong?

619. Passing Conqueror

>> 618 I’ve seen it first-hand. It’s probably because of how obviously telegraphed it is. You get sent flying even if you don’t die, so dodging is your only option.

620. Passing Conqueror

>> 619 The golem only stomps and spin punches. It’s got nothing special. The problem is that it speeds up in the second phase.

621. Passing Conqueror

>> 620 It starts feinting sometimes too. That’s pretty harsh on the front line. If it circles around to the back line, those spin punches can deal massive damage.

622. Passing Conqueror

>> 621 Got it, I’ll be careful! Wish me luck!

623. Passing Conqueror

>> 622 Godspeed.

 

[Environmental Destruction] Comprehensive Production Chat Thread 8 [Necessary Sacrifices]

1. Nameless Crafter

This is a thread to discuss production.

Please talk about production here. Also check the boards for each skill.

Past threads: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Smithing: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Carpentry: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Needlework: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

… etc.

>> 980 Continue this discussion in the next thread

 

345. Nameless Crafter

There are no materiaaaaaaals!!!!!!

346. Nameless Crafter

There really is nothing. Nothing new, at least…

347. Nameless Crafter

Do we just have to wait until they beat a boss?

348. Nameless Crafter

Right. I hope somewhere opens up soon.

349. Nameless Crafter

North is for smithing, east for farming, west for compounding, south for carpentry, right?

350. Nameless Crafter

>> 349 Yeah, you’ve got it right. We can probably unlock fishing if we head south too. Maybe even shipbuilding…?

351. Nameless Crafter

>> 350 Shipbuilding, eh… You think we could set up a fish hatchery?

352. Nameless Crafter

>> 350-351 Only if there are ships, and they let us head out to sea. Though with this game, you never know…

353. Nameless Crafter

>> 352 Can you even make a ship on your own…? It would also cost a pretty penny to repair and maintain it.

354. Nameless Crafter

Well, in the end, we just have to wait for someone to defeat a boss. Or else…

355. Nameless Crafter

Right, but when I popped in, they were complaining about not having enough potions.

356. Nameless Crafter

Compounding takes time. They don’t heal as much if you just throw them together. And the west just had to be full of BUGS.

357. Nameless Crafter

I wouldn’t go there if you forced me. Thankfully, you don’t have to head west if all you want is an HP potion.

358. Nameless Crafter

Won’t we have more trade if the port opens?

359. Nameless Crafter

I can definitely see that happening.

360. Nameless Crafter

Okay, so if compounding’s no good, how about using alchemy?

361. Nameless Crafter

Alchemy. Yeah, about that…

362. Nameless Crafter

It’s good for mass production, but it blows through all your mana just to make a few of them. Pretty harsh returns.

363. Nameless Crafter

How should I put it? It’s really magical how you can make them instantly, but you can’t really beat the specialists. Like, sure, you have the goods, but they’ve got no individuality.

364. Nameless Crafter

Honestly, it just feels lacking to anyone who loves crafting.

365. Nameless Crafter

It’s not like they have a high output anyway. I guess alchemy would be good for the diligent folks who can gather all sorts of materials on their own. The items they make are fixed quality, so it feels like a waste to invest in the materials.

366. Nameless Crafter

Yeah, I guess the benefit is that NPCs can buy them off of you so…profit?

367. Nameless Crafter

You might make a profit—maybe. It’s pretty hard to mass-produce C-grade potions through compounding, in any case.

368. Nameless Crafter

The quality starts low, but you expect it to rise if you raise your level…only to find out it stops at C…

369. Nameless Crafter

>> 368 Owwwww, my head…

370. Nameless Crafter

>> 368 Don’t say it. Just, shut up…

371. Nameless Crafter

>> 368 I think it’s good that you can select the quality of the items you want to make…but is there really any point in selecting anything under C?

372. Nameless Crafter

There are a few people I’d recommend alchemy to, like archers and farmers…

373. Nameless Crafter

Right, for arrows and fertilizer.

374. Nameless Crafter

>> 373 Right, right. It’s convenient when you can make those on your own. The manure aside, arrows cost wood, though…

375. Nameless Crafter

But alchemy itself just doesn’t feel good enough.

376. Nameless Crafter

>> 375 You can say that again.

Chapter 4:
Evolution

 

OH HO? I probably just found something pretty dang nice. Was it worth the effort? No, wait, what is my hand doing? Where are you taking that lump of flesh… I really don’t think that’s edible. I really, really don’t, but it’s not stopping. Ah, my sense of taste is completely dead. It doesn’t really taste like anything.

Before me, the Princess Mummy crumbles to dust.

 

Ingesting Royal Flesh has added new potential races for evolution.

 

Sounds lovely, but I can’t evolve yet. For now, I have no further business in this room, so I’ll just leave. The coffin’s empty. And it seems I regained control with that announcement.

After leaving the room, I wonder what to do about the sword. In my muddled field of view, the darn sword was there again, flying straight at me.

Oof… Back to my familiar ceiling. Yes, I’ve been impaled. It didn’t hurt, but it might as well have for all the grief it’s causing me. But it would have been quite a pain to skulk my way out of that room, and nigh impossible to defeat the living dead down there, so maybe it’s for the best. I’ll just hunt zombies around my respawn point.

The sword was merciless even after I ate the Royal Flesh. Maybe I should try heading to that room again after I’ve finalized my evolution. I’m still only level 6, but I’m more than strong enough to take on my brethren. Let’s just take out every last one of them! Sure, I got some stat penalties from dying so many times, but that hardly matters when you’re a zombie. I barely have stats to begin with.

My hunting method is quite simple. When a zombie walks toward me, I step to one side and concede the path. Then, as it passes, I swing my arm with all my might at the back of its head. The zombie smacks face-first into the ground, and while it’s down, I crawl over it and shower it with a barrage of punches. That’s all it takes to beat a zombie.

A hit to the back of the head, a punch to the face, and then just endless smacks until it’s dead. The zombie AI isn’t smart enough to do anything about it. Sure, they have Physical Resistance, but it’s not Physical Immunity—I just have to hit them faster than they can recover with Auto HP Regen.

I don’t have any MP, so I can’t use magic. Smacking them really is my only option. Incidentally, this method works on floor two’s high zombies as well—it just takes way too long. It should be quicker to work on clearing out the first floor until I get to level 10.

Now let’s get to the slaughter!

 

Your efforts have unlocked the Sneak Attack skill.

Your Race Level has increased!

You have reached Race Level 10. Racial Evolution is possible!

 

Killing zombies is honestly a lot of busywork, but it’s quite a bit easier on my mind; that sword was too stressful to deal with. I unlocked the Sneak Attack skill along the way, but I’m ignoring it for now.

I’ll evolve and have dinner. Hmm, if I want to evolve…ah! Must be that eye-catching pop-up over there. It keeps flashing in the corner of my eye.

 

PLEASE SELECT YOUR EVOLUTION

· High Zombie

· Corpse Princess (Ex Race)

 

I can roughly guess the nature of my evolution options from their names, but what exactly are extra races? Help me out here, UI…extra race—oh, it’s been added to the help menu.

 

*Extra races are special unlockable races or sudden mutations. These are otherwise known as “unique monsters.” There are various conditions required to unlock them, such as reaching specific stat levels or possessing certain skills. Some races require a key item, and in some cases, only one of this item exists on the server.

The first person to achieve a certain extra race will receive slightly different abilities. Additionally, there are races which only one person can obtain. Please note that there are certain races the dev team got a little carried away with. We hope they amuse you.

 

I see. The Princess Mummy did vaporize, so I might have gotten a drop that’s limited to only one player who got the key item. The title of “royalty” would certainly be pointless if there were royals all over the place. It’s also not strange for royalty to try to leave their blood behind.

Let’s just ignore the minor details for now.

This choice might as well not exist. Naturally, I’m going to choose the extra race—but I might as well look over both.

 

HIGH ZOMBIE

An evolved zombie. Though they boast increased strength and endurance, they are basically the same as their lesser zombie kin.

 

CORPSE PRINCESS

A zombie that evolved after devouring the flesh and blood of royalty. Though they are classified as high undead, they are currently nothing more than a decaying, rotting corpse.

 

A high zombie seems to be a straightforward stronger version of the basic zombie, as expected. The princess, meanwhile, is a high undead. And don’t think I didn’t notice that word “currently” at the end: Is that telling me to do my best and evolve further? Well then, there really isn’t much of a decision to be made here.

You have chosen the Extra Race “Corpse Princess.” You will be temporarily unable to act while the evolution is in progress. Would you like to begin evolving?

Ah, wait, let me go back to my bed. I lurch back to my respawn point and make the final selection.

Beginning the evolution of Low Undead Zombie to High Undead Corpse Princess.

My character closes its eyes without my input, and I’m wrapped in a deep, pitch-dark blackness. All I can see is the game’s UI. A text log floats across the screen.

Your body is being recreated with Royal Flesh.

Wait, I’m being remade? It’s not going to take over, is it? Is this really all right?

 

YOUR RACE SKILLS HAVE BEEN UPDATED…

Low Undead has changed to High Undead

 

ADDING NEW RACE SKILLS…

Acquired Physical Immunity

Acquired Dark Aura

Acquired Undying Royalty

 

Evolution…complete!

Due to your low Race Level, you are unable to exhibit your true strength. Restrictions have been placed on your character at this time.

Looks like the evolution is done. I have the same Decaying Body, so I’m still pretty dead. That aside, let’s review my new skills. Since I didn’t get a full character rebuild screen, I guess that means my stats didn’t change by that much. Those temporary restrictions probably have to do with me suddenly achieving high undead status—a balancing mechanic. There’s not much I can do about that. But let’s see what’s changed…

 

“Purification Resistance: Moderate” was added to my skills, and my other bonuses got changed from minor to major. It doesn’t look like there’s anything else. The restriction is probably nerfing my biggest bonuses, but it doesn’t show up on the screen, so I don’t know exactly how.

Purification resistance must be a resistance against a special anti-undead debuff that lowers all stats and my HP Regen rate. That’s pretty useful. Ah, and my other new skill is…

 

PHYSICAL IMMUNITY

Completely nullifies damage from all physical skills with a skill level less than or equal to half of the user’s skill level.

 

So if I raise my immunity to Lv 10, that means I won’t take damage from any physical skills Lv 5 or below. On the other hand, I’ll still take normal damage from anything above that, and that’s where my resistance comes in. It’s a skill that lets me completely ignore enemies below my class.

 

UNDYING ROYALTY

Boosts the abilities of undead in the party in accordance with skill level.

Reduces the damage received from undead enemies in accordance with skill level.

 

DARK AURA

Adds a chance to inflict poison, curse, or weaken on your enemies. The rate at which these ailments will be inflicted increases with skill level. The intensity of these status ailments will increase every 10 levels.

Current Intensity: 1 (Max 6)

 

Hmm. I don’t have much to say about Undying Royalty. It is what it is. As for Dark Aura, that’s probably the hazy black particle effect that’s been emanating from my body for a while now.

 

HELP MENU—STATUS AILMENTS

 

ABOUT STATUS AILMENTS

A Status Ailment is an abnormal state displayed on characters and enemies. They include a wide variety of effects. Some ailments cannot be cured with a recovery item, so please be careful what you’re inflicted with. Status ailments are generally classified as Physical, Mental, or Other.

 

ABOUT STATUS AILMENT INTENSITY

Ailments can have different levels of strength. The ailment’s intensity level will be displayed next to the ailment name. The highest intensity level is usually 5.

The intensity level may rise if the same ailment is inflicted on you in succession. For example, if an enemy repeatedly inflicts Poison (1) on you, it will cause the toxins to accumulate and eventually raise it to Poison (2).

Higher intensity levels have different effects depending on the ailment. For poison, poison damage will be increased. For stun, the probability of being stunned by attacks will rise.

Letting your ailments increase in intensity can be incredibly dangerous. For your sake, please cure them as soon as possible.

 

I see. This means that if I raise the level of Dark Aura, it will not only increase my proc—that is, my programmed random occurrence—rate, it will also let me inflict high-intensity ailments from the start. What’s more, it has an extraordinary cap of 6. It’s a zombie-tree race skill, so I guess enemies will start having it mid- to late-game. Yes, I can see it becoming quite a pain to deal with—though I’m immune to status ailments, so that part has little to do with me.

In any case, does this mean I can stack poison, curse, and weaken all at once? It doesn’t look like I can select which one I want. This is definitely going to be one wicked skill.

All right, I finished going over my stats, so it’s time to break for dinner.

 

“It’s going to be a bit longer before I can go outside the catacombs,” I tell my sister before logging back in after dinner. I’m getting quite into it, although I still haven’t met a single person yet in what’s supposed to be an MMO. Like, one of those M’s should stand for multiplayer, right?

Now let’s get to leveling. My goal is to be free of Decaying Body seriously soon. After all, I do want to leave the catacombs one of these days. It’s been roughly a week since the game launched, and I’ve been living down there this whole time.

I promptly head to the second floor and start beating down a high zombie with the same strategy I used for the zombies, but…huh?!

This princess actually has a functioning body. My punches are stronger, and I’m quite a bit faster. Now let’s keep at it! Wait…on second thought, I should check back in on that sword. I’m fully evolved, after all.

If that sword was around to protect royalty, then how will it act once I’ve become royalty myself? Onward to the third floor!

I press the wall, reveal the passage, and head in. Here we go!

Oh…

Well, that was no good. Oof. There’s that familiar ceiling again. Guess I’m back to hunting high zombies. But what about the sword? I’ll think about it after Decaying Body goes away.

Come to think of it, now that I’m level 10, there’s a chance that I’ll spawn with missing parts. I can’t just die thoughtlessly anymore—not that I’m dying for the heck of it.

As a high zombie tries to pass by, I smack it in the back of the head. It face-plants straight into the ground, then I climb on top of it and begin hammering away at its brain. This has to be going against some principle of game design. I mean, these enemies are supposed to be between levels 15 and 19.

But if you had a way to defeat enemies nine levels above you, you’d abuse it, wouldn’t you?

Incidentally, not much has changed besides my damage output. Undying Royalty is pointless since I’m not in a party. Dark Aura does nothing against the undead. Granted, I’m defeating high zombies a lot quicker now, so I don’t have many complaints.

Smack, mount, punch: a loop of endless EXP grinding. Only my Fist skill rises in level. The fact that I’m not fighting any proper battles means that I’m not raising any of my other skills, unfortunately. Though my slight rise in Physical Resistance must have to do with being stabbed so many times.

Still, with such a good grinding spot, is it really just the visuals that make being a zombie so unpopular? In any case, from what I can see, the catacombs only house zombies, high zombies, and living dead—none of which are too appealing. That much was known from the beta tests. Then where is my race headed from here on out…?

I think about that as I punch down another high zombie. But bedtime comes before I can evolve. I go to the bathroom, stretch, lie back down, and go to sleep.

Chapter 5:
Evolution and Equipment

 

“HOW’S IT GOING, Sis?”

“I think I should be evolving soon.”

“Wow! What level are you?”

“I’m level 19.”

“Wh-wha?! Isn’t that a bit too fast? I guess that’s zombies for you. By the by, what’s the encounter table like?”

“The first floor has levels 6 to 9. The second has 15 to 19, and 27 to 29 on the third.”

“I didn’t know that enemies that level were available yet. You get bonus EXP for fighting enemies that are a higher level than yourself, so I think you got a good deal there…”

“Yeah, I can beat them without taking damage, after all.”

“Huh? Seriously?”

“Yep! I already got the pattern down.”

“Oh right, they don’t attack you unprovoked since you’re a zombie. If they’re not swarming you, they’re slow enough to take out one at a time. And if they’re higher level to boot…”

“I don’t know if I’ll evolve at 20, but I’m praying I can get rid of Decaying Body.”

“Come to think of it, you’ve been living in the catacombs for a whole week now.”

“Mmm, though I’d like to leave them. I’ve gotten quite sick of it, to be honest.”

“Just looking at your level, I bet you’re one of the top players!”

“Fist is the only skill I’ve raised. I don’t even know if a zombie can properly use any other skill.”

“Well, that’s one of the reasons they were so unpopular…”

“I’m pinning my hopes on level 20.”

Mom joined the conversation. “I’m glad you’re having fun, but aren’t your exams coming up?”

“Hmm, I’ll be fine probably…” Akina stammers evasively. It isn’t that she’s bad at studying, but I think she just has an instinctive negative reaction to the word “exam.”

“All right. And what about you, Kotone?”

“I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s good to know. Well, it’s not like I’m too worried. I mean, Akina’s always gaming, but she somehow has perfect attendance.”

“Akina focuses hard on all her lessons because she wants to game at home. She doesn’t want any studying to get in the way.”

“Whatever her motive is, I don’t have much to say as long as she’s taking things seriously.”

“Ugh, summer break can’t come soon enough…” Akina groans.

 

As soon as school is out, I immediately log in. I expect my next evolution to be around level 20, but there’s a high chance it won’t be that simple for extra races. Not that there’s any use worrying about it—I’ll find out as soon as I level up. I’ll be there soon, my dear high zombies.

It takes roughly an hour of wailing on them until…

 

Your Race Level has increased.

You have reached Race Level 20. Racial Evolution is possible!

 

That self-assertive blinking evolution icon reappears in the corner of my field of view.

 

PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR EVOLUTION:

· Immortal Princess

 

Oh ho, I’ve finally escaped from being a dead body?

 

IMMORTAL PRINCESS

The highest race among the undead. You will one day reign supreme over the undead masses…perhaps.

As royalty, this race excels in intelligence and spirit, with respectably high dexterity as well. It maintains the high endurance of an undead but is mired by incredibly low strength and agility.

 

Perhaps…? What’s that supposed to mean? Hmm, never mind. Ah, it doesn’t say anything about being dead or rotting, and it looks like my stats are going to jump up. This is promising. Let’s get straight back to my respawn point and evolve.

Here we go!

 

EVOLVING FROM CORPSE PRINCESS TO IMMORTAL PRINCESS…

 

YOUR RACE SKILLS HAVE BEEN UPDATED…

Decaying Body has been removed.

Magia Trace has been added to High Undead

 

THE FOLLOWING RACE SKILLS HAVE BEEN ACQUIRED:

Magical Resistance

Royal Privilege

 

Racial Evolution complete. Your evolution has drastically changed your stat allocation. It is possible to rebuild. Due to your low Race Level, you are unable to exhibit your full strength. Restrictions have been placed on your character at this time.

 

Finally, Decaying Body is gone, and I can rebuild! I also got Magical Resistance. That’s got to be the magic version of Physical Resistance.

 

MAGICAL RESISTANCE

Magical damage will be reduced based on the user’s skill level.

 

ROYAL PRIVILEGE

Raises all stats of party members when you are the leader. The increase depends on the user’s skill level and the party scope.

 

Is that something unique because I’m a princess now? I get the feeling Royal Privilege will be absolute trash if I don’t level it up, but unlike Undying Royalty, it probably won’t increase unless I’m in a party. Undying Royalty even rises when I’m beating up the undead—is it because I’m proving my strength to them or something?

I don’t really know what it means by the phrase “party scope,” but that can wait. Losing Decaying Body has cleared up my vision; or rather, it’s returned it to normal from the terrible state it’s been in so far. Before this change, it was like looking through dirty, cracked glass.

As for the Magia Trace that came with becoming high undead…

 

MAGIA TRACE

A magic “eye” that allows you to visualize magical energy. You can identify attributes by colored auras. These auras can appear lighter or darker depending on density.

 

I see—some sort of magic eye, huh. Now that I can get behind!

With my review over, I sit up, only to feel something off. The source of this unease—oh my! My hair and breasts are back in their proper places. Welcome home, old friends!

Yes, my body is essentially that of a normal human, if you exclude the dark haze that’s a by-product of Dark Aura. Mind you, Dark Aura is a passive skill that I can toggle on and off. Hmm, if I turn it off, won’t it be impossible to tell my true nature by sight alone? Either way, I’m happy I have a proper human body, but there is one thing I’m not happy about. I’m talking about the equipment I never even stopped to consider.

I mean, just look at my starting gear.

 

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] TATTERED RAGS

Rarity: None Quality: F Durability: —

The tattered remains of what used to be clothing. They’re quite dirty and belong in the trash.

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] TATTERED SHOES

Rarity: None Quality: F Durability: —

The tattered remains of what used to be shoes. They’re quite dirty and belong in the trash.

 

I feel downright shameless now that I have my bust back. Before, that had been the least of my worries, but this is definitely no good. It will be quite an issue if I head into town. I’m liable to be banned.

Judging by the equipment screen, it looks like I’ve become exactly the character I initially made in the character creator. My efforts weren’t a complete waste! However, the race modifiers have made my skin a bit paler than before. Maybe that’s because I’m undead? Although my skin is quite unhealthy looking, you thankfully can’t see the blood vessels. This is a game, after all.

When I look around, I see a faint black aura emanating from the zombies. Is that my Magia Trace in action? They are dark attribute, so black makes sense. It’s quite distinct from the haze of my Dark Aura, so I doubt I’ll mistake them. Seeing as they disappear when I toggle my skill off, there can be little doubt that my new magic vision is at work.

Now then, before I rebuild my character, let’s try that sword again. My build will change quite a bit based on whether I can get a sword or not.

As always, the zombies don’t attack me, so I head straight for the third level. A fully functioning body makes it much easier to walk instead of resorting to my previous shamble. I can properly see and hear, and it feels like I’m going at twice the speed I used to be capable of. The race description said I have low agility now—so just how bad are zombies?

I reach the dead end on the third floor and promptly enter the secret room.

So, what now? Oh, that dang sword is floating again. Guess my transformation was a no go—eh? Instead of stabbing me, this time the blade floats slowly toward me hilt first. Maybe my new evolution is the condition necessary to claim it? Without further hesitation, I grab hold of it. My body’s freedom isn’t taken away: Looks like it’s not like that scripted event from before. The sword quickly disappears, enveloped in glowing light.

Now that that hindrance is gone, I can go check out that gravestone, which has been bothering me. The stone is already well worn, and I can’t make out the inscription. If it’s in such a bad state despite being sealed underground, just how old is it…? I guess there’s also the chance that upper management designed it like this because it was too much of a pain to think up a proper backstory.

It’s also possible they just got carried away designing this race… Well, it doesn’t matter. If I can’t read it, then I’m not interested. Plus, there’s something more pertinent. A full set of equipment is now laying before me on the floor, as if offered up to me. I get the feeling this isn’t supposed to be for early game. Hmm…is that why there were no hints on how to find it? Maybe the hints are outside, even. In any case, let’s pick up these drops.

 

You have obtained extra equipment. Please choose the equipment you want to use.

They each have similar stats. However, some have different effects to match specific weapons.

 

Looks like I can choose between the following:

 

One-Handed Sword, Two-Handed Sword

One-Handed Spear, Two-Handed Spear

One-Handed Axe, Two-Handed Axe

One-Handed Hammer, Two-Handed Hammer

Tanto, Katana, Tachi

Dagger, Rapier

Short Bow, Long Bow

Wand, Staff

 

And so on and so forth. Jeez, there’s quite a selection here, isn’t there?

As for the armor…

 

Faded Dress of Protection

Faded Plate of Protection

 

Whew, there’s only two of them. Once you choose the chest piece, it will give you the rest of the set. Thankfully, they have a preview available for curious gamers like me. The plate armor is just as the name implies: a knight’s armor indeed! It’s a very solid set as well.

The dress is just like a dress you would find in anime. But the dress’s luster doesn’t look like any everyday fabric. It has a sort of gloss as if it was made of flowing metal. Also, it boldly exposes quite a bit of my chest. It’s shaped like a black tube top with a long, white tank over it. At the neckline is a fusion of a choker and capelet, with a flower-shaped fastener holding it together.

The long gloves are crafted from lace, ending at a ring meant to go around my middle finger. They only cover the back of my hands, but stretch from my wrist all the way up to my biceps. The boots go up to my knees. On my head is a headdress—well, maybe I should call it a tiara. On each side, it is decorated with the same flower motif as the collar. There’s a necklace hanging down onto my neckline and my chest. It’s just as extravagant as you might expect. Three bejeweled bangles adorn each of my arms.

Between the plate armor and the dress, I definitely want to go for the dress. Rather, I feel like the armor would be for someone masculine, meaning I’d be an immortal prince rather than a princess. Hmm, but would someone princely be able to select the dress too…? Ah, let’s put that aside for now.

I don’t object to any of it besides the chest area. But if I’m going for it, I might as well pick the cuter option. I’m worried about the weight of full plate armor, and having it completely covering my face is a bit much for my tastes.

It doesn’t look like I can open any other menus until I select my equipment. They’re not going to let me use Appraisal on them. I can’t see which is more powerful.

Now then, what should I do about the weapon? It looks like I can pick basically anything, and this will likely decide the weapon I’ll continue to use from here on out. Should I just pick whichever looks the best? I’ve never even held a weapon IRL before, so I’ll need some time to get used to it regardless of what I pick to use in-game.

I have low strength, so I’d usually avoid a close-range weapon, but these are all magic weapons. Their attack seems to depend on my intelligence stat too.

Hmm, okay. Let’s go with the rapier. It goes nicely with the dress!

You have selected the rapier and dress set. Are you satisfied with this selection?

Definitely satisfied.

You have obtained the extra equipment, rapier and dress set.

 

[EQUIPMENT-WEAPON] FADED RAPIER OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A magic weapon altered to fit the desires of its new master. The slender blade is double-edged with a sharp point. It is well suited for both slashes and stabs. Although it feels very light to its master, to anyone else, it is far heavier than it looks.

A weapon made to answer its master’s deepest desires, its abilities will change based on its master’s fighting style. Although it has faded, it is made from a mysterious metal and gives off a strange, mystical presence. This blade deals physical damage based on Strength and Spirit, and magic damage based on Intelligence. It additionally functions as a magic catalyst.

LIBERTÀ: Consumes an orb to add additional damage to the next attack.

SPIRAL MAGI-AMP LV 1: MP poured into the blade will generate a spiral around it, increasing damage.

[EQUIPMENT-WEAPON] FADED RING OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A magic ring transformed to fit its new master. It is made from a mysterious metal and gives off a strange aura. Gathers excess MP to generate orbs.

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED TIARA OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A magic tiara that accompanied the princess to the grave and beyond. It is made from a mysterious metal and has a mystical presence. Makes the wearer’s thoughts clearer.

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED DRESS OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Magic dress-armor that accompanied the princess in her final hour. It is made from a mysterious metal and has an unusual feeling around it. Heals the wearer’s fatigue.

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED GLOVES OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Magic long gloves that accompanied the princess into the great beyond. They are made from a mysterious metal and feel otherworldly. Allow the wearer to move their arms more nimbly.

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED BOOTS OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Magic plate boots that accompanied the princess to her final resting place. They are made from a mysterious metal and emit a distinctive aura. Support the wearer’s walking.

[EQUIPMENT-STORAGE] FADED POUCH OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A magic belt pouch that accompanied the princess to the end of her time. It comes as a set with the sword belt. It is made from a mysterious metal and casts a curious presence.

[EQUIPMENT-ACCESSORY] FADED NECKLACE OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A magic necklace that accompanied the princess to the afterlife. It is made from a mysterious metal and gemstone and gives off a strange presence. The wearer will tire more slowly.

[EQUIPMENT-ACCESSORY] FADED EARRINGS OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A pair of magic earrings that accompanied the princess beyond her last gasp. They are made from a mysterious metal and curious gemstones and give off a haunting presence. Increases the wearer’s concentration.

[EQUIPMENT-ACCESSORY] FADED BANGLES OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Magic bangles that accompanied the princess through her final moments. They are made from a mysterious metal and splendid gemstones and radiate a unique aura. Protects the wearer from ill intent.

[EQUIPMENT-APPEARANCE] FADED UNDERWEAR OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

A magic set of undergarments that kept the purity of the princess as she departed this realm.

 

Looks like it’s an entire faded-protection set. Nice! They even courteously added some royal underwear. No need to wait around, let’s just put it all on. It’s a pain to manually equip everything, so I’ll be using the game system. I can put up with second-hand equipment, but underwear…? Well, it’s a game, so I guess it’s okay.

Oh, that’s right. I should check just in case. Help menu…extra equipment…

 

ABOUT ITEM RARITY

Item rarity is displayed as follows:

Normal: NO

These items are common and can be found anywhere and everywhere.

Rare: RA

You’ll find them if you look for them carefully.

Epic: EP

You search and search and finally are rewarded by finding an ultra-rare object.

Legend: LE

Must be forged using base materials.

God: GO

These are divine artifacts made by a god. They are tied to their owner and cannot be stolen or broken. Although they can exhibit extraordinary abilities, they are incredibly rare.

Extra: EX

Ex-rank items range from joke items to scenario specific goods. They come in various forms. In some cases, the developers got carried away or wanted to have a bit of fun. The prizes from official events will also be labeled EX. Just like GO-ranked items, they cannot be stolen or broken.

Equipment performance can be ranked as follows:
Normal < Rare < Epic < Legend < Extra < God. However, due to the wide range of EX items, some may match GO items in performance, though you’ll have to find that out for yourself.

 

So how good is this equipment? I think my new gear falls under the category of something one of the developers got carried away with. That probably means that someone up top designed it to their personal tastes; after all, there was definitely a lot of time and patience invested in its appearance. My Appraisal skill is too low for me to see its detailed stats—I guess that’s one of the downsides of living in the catacombs. There’s nothing here to Appraise.

I’m worried about a potential nip slip, but they probably wouldn’t let that happen in a game. And honestly, I’m more concerned about flashing some whale tail. The outfit comes with those socks too—knee socks.

In any case, it looks strong, so I don’t want to take it off. It’s not like I have anything else to change into, anyway.

The dress is heavier than it looks. The description says it’s made of a mysterious metal, maybe some fantasy metal thread that can be spun into cloth. That would explain the curious luster it has. What type of armor skill would work with it, then…?

The Armor skill is apparently divided into three categories: Cloth, Light, and Heavy. Maybe I’ll find out if I raise my appraisal.

I wrap the belt, which matches the design of the dress, around my waist and position the pouch where it’ll be out of the way. The rapier hangs from a scabbard on the left, a little further forward than the pouch. With everything just so, I can hold a sword while rummaging through the pouch with my left hand.

There’s a knuckle guard on the rapier. It’s a one-handed sword cast in black and white to match my new clothes…which is what I’d like to say, but unfortunately, it’s faded, and the color is closer to ash.

It’s about time I respond to that assertive rebuild pop-up in the corner of my eye. Looks like the rules for a rebuild are…

 

1. Reselect your skills from the initial skill tab.

2. Once selected, you can reallocate your skills up to your total skill level before the rebuild begins.

3. After all selections are made, the rebuild will be complete.

Total pre-rebuild skill level: 57

 

All right, let’s do it! I already know what I’m going for. First, I’ll need Sword. It will branch off into Rapier. Next, Armor: I don’t know which type it is, but I should at least get the base skill for now. I can’t forget about snagging Appraisal and then Identify, which gives more detailed information about an enemy.

I want to touch on the production skills a bit. Hmm, I think I’ll take Alchemy and Cooking just for the stat modifiers. The first because it’s a fantasy world, the second because I do it in real life, even though I don’t have to eat in-game. Oh, but it would be a waste to use up my initial skill slots with production skills, wouldn’t it? You can unlock production skills just by obtaining the production starter kits, so I can get them later.

That leaves me with six slots to go…

Magic, magic—oh, I see some color on the MP gauge. Looks like I can use magic now! Sweet! It did say I had high spirit and intelligence. Dark Magic sounds like a good idea. Wait, I’d be better off getting Dark Magic as a monster skill. Then my other options are…hmm. Maybe I should take Light Magic? I can see a combination of light and dark being a powerful combo. It’s really going to let me choose it, even if light is my race’s weakness?

My agility is low, so it’ll be hard to dodge. Luckily, my equipment can’t break, so let’s take Defend and Parry.

Three skills left.

Should I use one slot on Detect, perhaps? It lets you see hidden things, and it will display a different color over an enemy’s weakness; that sounds like a good skill for a rapier fighter. And then there’s Perception. I want to avoid sneak attacks, and I don’t know how to unlock it otherwise. As for the last one…hmm, how about Footwork? That might not be bad to have to make up for my low agility.

The skill slots go down one by one. This is different from my skill points, right? Race skills included, my current skill levels add up to 57. That’s left me with 39 points to allocate excluding race skills, so let’s invest them into the ones I think will be difficult to raise. Thankfully, Identify has no skill level so I don’t have to think about it.

I remember reading on the forums that people were having trouble raising Appraisal, so let’s pour in a generous 19 points. That leaves 20 for me to work with. Four points into Perception, Detect, Physical Resistance, Physical Immunity, and Magical Resistance, leaving me with a grand total of zero left. I pick up Dark Magic from my race skill menu as soon as the rebuild is over.

Once that’s done, my final stat screen looks like this:

 

Name: Anastasia

Race: Immortal Princess ♀ Lv 1

Attribute: Dark

Genus: High Undead

Species: Royal Zombie

Skill Points: 22

 

SKILLS:

Sword Lv 1, Defend Lv 1, Parry Lv 1, Armor Lv 1, Light Magic Lv 1, Magic Assist Lv 1, Perception Lv 5, Detect Lv 5, Footwork Lv 1, Appraisal Lv 20, Identify

 

RACE (MONSTER) SKILLS:

Dark Magic Lv 1, Dark Aura Lv 1, Physical Resistance Lv 5, Physical Immunity Lv 5, Magical Resistance Lv 5, Automatic HP Regen Lv 1, Undying Royalty Lv 1, Royal Privilege Lv 1, High Undead

 

Yeah, that looks fine to me. Oh, and I got Magic Assist as soon as I learned magic. It seems you automatically get it as soon as you learn one magic skill. Seeing as I can now cast Firestarter and Drinking Water, it might be for convenience’s sake.

You have met the requirements. An art has been modified: Step

Step is an art associated with footwork. Oh, looks like it became Princess Step—not that I know the difference. The requirement was probably my race, though it feels like the dev team went out of their way to add “princess” to it. Step itself is a common skill that moves you forward a bit. There aren’t any invincibility frames in it though. My main goal with Footwork was the stat correction, so it doesn’t really matter.

More importantly, let’s see my equipment. Is Appraisal Lv 20 strong enough?

Oh. The description hasn’t changed at all.

 

[EQUIPMENT-WEAPON] FADED RAPIER OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

ATK: △ MATK: △

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Attack type: Stab, Slash

Affected by Skills: Rapier, Magic Assist

Appraisal Lv 20

When Magic Assist is active, you can amplify its attack by pouring in MP

Critical Rate Boost: Minor

Critical Damage Boost: Minor

Magic Attack Boost: Minor

Chant Speed Boost: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-WEAPON] FADED RING OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Appraisal Lv 20

When equipped to an additional accessory slot, the ring will enter a state of Meditation in its wearer’s place. The wearer will perpetually receive the benefits of Meditation without any penalties.

 

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED TIARA OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Affected by Skills: Light

Appraisal Lv 20

Chant Speed Boost: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED DRESS OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Affected by Skills: Light

Appraisal Lv 20

HP Recovery Rate Boost: Minor

MP Recovery Rate Boost: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED GLOVES OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Affected by Skills: Light

Appraisal Lv 20

Dexterity Boost: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-ARMOR] FADED BOOTS OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Affected by Skills: Light

Appraisal Lv 20

Grants Way of Walking: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-STORAGE] FADED POUCH OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Appraisal Lv 20

Storage Expansion: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-ACCESSORY] FADED NECKLACE OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Appraisal Lv 20

Stamina Boost: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-ACCESSORY] FADED EARRINGS OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Appraisal Lv 20

Intelligence Boost: Minor

 

[EQUIPMENT-ACCESSORY] FADED BANGLES OF PROTECTION

Rarity: EX Quality: S+ Durability: —

Appraisal Lv 10

DEF: △ MDEF: △

Appraisal Lv 20

Spirit Boost: Minor

 

SET EFFECTS:

1. Automatic HP Regen: Minor

2. Damage Reduction: Minor

3. Reaction Speed Enhancement: Minor

4. Strengthen Skill: Dark Aura

 

Looks like this set’s a lot stronger than I was expecting. Unfortunately, it just shows whether it increases or decreases a stat instead of any specific values. Anyway, seems that it’s classified as light armor, so now I know what direction to take that skill in. Incidentally, the underwear really is purely cosmetic. It provides no effects other than modesty.

I don’t know how long this set will be with me, but I really don’t want to pay for equipment upgrades, so I’ll have to use it as best I can. I’m also curious about the set effect Reaction Speed Enhancement: Minor. That sounds close to an agility boost.

 

REACTION SPEED ENHANCEMENT

Allows your body to react more quickly. While agility raises your overall speed, this raises reaction speed specifically. It will only take effect when dodging projectiles or defending against attacks. In exchange, it will grant a higher boost than agility in these circumstances.

 

Oh, that would certainly be a boon to royalty. As for the Way of Walking tied to the boots…

 

WAY OF WALKING

Poor footing does not impede your actions.

 

That’s also a treat! The set effects seem like they’re mostly defensive, with the Dark Aura enhancement as the only exception. Going through the bonus effects of each piece of equipment, it looks like they do nothing for my strength or agility. I’m already in a bad place there considering my race, so maybe it’s time to just give up on them. There’s no use in asking for what I can’t have. As for weapons, apparently the ring counts as one. It occupies the same slot as a shield.

It’s currently on my left hand, but while there’s a metal piece that reaches around my finger, there is no gemstone in its cavity. Instead, there’s a swirl of dark light about the size of a glass marble. This seems like the part it uses to generate “orbs” from my excess MP—meaning this black swirl is mana and it’s using any MP I recover beyond my limit.

Incidentally, it’s impossible to see without Magia Trace, which I consider more proof that my assumption is right. There’s a high chance it’s taken on the “Dark” magic allignment because of my attribute.

I can pass the ring’s orbs over to the weapon and consume them to boost the power of my next attack. So that must mean the weapon and the ring are a set.

If I concentrate on routing mana into the weapon itself, it looks like the blade is enveloped in a dim swirl of light. This must be Spiral Magi-Amp in action. Since it has a skill level, I can probably level it up and boost the conversion rate. This means that at first, it will only boost the damage by a small percentage. On the other hand, Libertà consumes orbs and has no skill level. It’s probably a trump card to use in a tight situation, while Spiral Magi-Amp should be used routinely so I can level it up—I should use it often, as long as my MP doesn’t run out.

Problem is, I’ll generate orbs slower if I use MP. It seems I can store a stack of orbs in my inventory, so I’ll have to stock up on them outside of battle. Looks like I can store some orbs in my sword as well.

Now then, I have some free space in my accessory slots, so let’s equip this ring.

 

As you have not learned Meditation, you cannot receive these effects.

 

Oh…well…huh. Looks like I learn that when I hit Magic Assist level 15. It boosts my MP recovery rate, but you can’t move while using it unless you have a magic catalyst. If I can use it without any of the penalties applied, that may mean I can move around normally. It takes up my left hand and an accessory slot, but gaining that skill sure seems worth it.

Now let’s put this catacombs life behind us and make our way to the surface. I’ll head out before I contact Akina. It’s not like I know where the catacombs even are, so maybe I’ll be able to orient myself.

Official BBS 2

 

[Beginner?] Comprehensive Thread 5 [Expert?]

1. Passing Adventurer

This thread is for all your general questions!

Ask anything you want. It’s up to fate whether you receive an answer or not.

For questions about skills, head here: http://＊＊＊＊＊

Past threads: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

>> 980 Congratulations, you are the chosen one. I grant you the right to post in the following thread.

 

295. Passing Adventurer

How do time and weather work in this game?

296. Passing Adventurer

>> 295 One real world day is four in-game days. The weather is randomized.

297. Passing Adventurer

>> 296 So that’s six real hours a day then? And they keep their stores open all night too, unlike IRL.

298. Passing Adventurer

>> 297 Right, whether to make stuff realistic or game-like was decided by whether management thought it was interesting or not. It would be a problem if the shops were all closed when some of the working adult players can only play at night, so they leaned toward making it game-like in that regard.

 

But to make it a little more realistic, the NPCs you see do change based on the time slot. As for weather, we’ve confirmed clear skies, cloudy, rain, gales, heavy rain, and thunderstorms. And thunderstorms can start without warning. Oh, and regardless of the time of day, a crimson moon can take up the sky, changing AI patterns and causing enemies to spawn en masse. Be careful about that.

299. Passing Adventurer

>> 298 Got it. Thanks!

300. Passing Adventurer

>> 299 Incidentally, the day is split between dawn, daytime, dusk, and night.

Here’s a breakdown:

Dawn 0:00-0:30, Day 0:30-3:00, Dusk 3:00-3:30, Night 3:30-6:00.

 

Dawn 6:00-6:30, Day 6:30-9:00, Dusk 9:00-9:30, Night 9:30-12:00.

 

Dawn 12:00-12:30, Day 12:30-15:00, Dusk 15:00-15:30, Night 15:30-18:00.

 

Dawn 18:00-18:30, Day 18:30-21:00, Dusk 21:00-21:30, Night 21:30-24:00.

 

We don’t know if there’s an in-game calendar system yet. Well, a week IRL would be a month in-game, so there probably will be. They do classify days as fire, water, wind, and earth, all based on the four elements.

301. Passing Adventurer

>> 300 So a real day is an in-game week (4 days). That’s good to know!

302. Passing Adventurer

>> 301 Yeah! Go out and get ’em!

303. Passing Adventurer

I saw a player with text over their head saying they were a farmer. What’s up with that?

304. Passing Adventurer

>> 303 Did you see who it was? That’s a title. If you start tilling a field, you get the farmer title.

305. Passing Adventurer

>> 304 So it’s like an occupation?

306. Passing Adventurer

>> 305 No, it’s mostly cosmetic. The title does come with some effects, but nothing big. The farmer title lowers the chance of bugs eating the harvest and raises growth speed and yield quality. You still get the title effects even if you don’t display it. If you do display it, anyone can see it. It’s like you’re advertising how you’ve decided to play the game, or it’s just bragging rights.

307. Passing Adventurer

>> 306 I see. So can you go after the ones you want?

308. Passing Adventurer

>> 307 There are lots of ways to get a title. Some of them you can aim for. Others come with learning certain skills—most of the production ones are like that. Some come after fulfilling various conditions, so do your best. I believe there was a title thread. You might want to check it out. You’ll probably get one if you beat one of the bosses for the first time.

309. Passing Adventurer

>> 309 Thanks for the info. I’m def not doing that.

426. Passing Adventurer

I cut my hair and now I want it back. What do I do?

427. Passing Adventurer

>> 426 Sell your soul to Future Software. Cha-ching!

428. Passing Adventurer

>> 427 Seriously…

429. Passing Adventurer

>> 428 Yah, seriously. You have to go buy one of the normal or premium creator tickets. By the by, even if you created your character in the premium creator, you can use a normal ticket if you just want to grow your hair out. You’re fine as long as you don’t change your premium parts.

430. Passing Adventurer

>> 429 I see. So it’s not going to empty my wallet.

431. Passing Adventurer

>> 430 Well, once we find the ingredients in-game, we might be able to make a hair-growth formula. But for now, microtransactions are the only option. There’s no telling how effective a hair-growth formula would be, anyway, so the cash shop’s the only way you can reliably get the exact length you want.

432. Passing Adventurer

>> 431 Got it. Off to sell my soul to a corporation then.

433. Passing Adventurer

>> 432 Hey, they warned you at the start. You can cut your hair, but you can’t grow it out. They said you can’t normally grow it out, though—maybe that’s them hinting that there’s another way. But that’s a long way in the future!

Chapter 6:
Starting Town Monday-Friday

 

IT’S THE SUN! It’s just around dawn, by the look of things. I’ve been in the catacombs the entire in-game day. Since IRL working adults can only play the game at night, to ensure they don’t miss out on anything, one day in real time is equal to four days in FLFO. A day passes every six hours, and as it’s a little after 6:00 p.m. IRL, that means it’s daybreak. Those working adults will see another sunrise at midnight.

I step out and look at the mini-map. There’s a straight line drawn on it. When I pull up the area map, I see it’s guiding me toward the nearest town. How delightful. I’m not going to suddenly find myself lost.

The map lists it as the starting town, so I’m sure that’s where all the fine humans started their journeys. There’s a fair distance between the catacombs and the town to go, but I don’t have much of a choice if I want to be anywhere but here.

Looking at my clothing once more in the sunlight, the color is a bit dubious. The base color scheme is black with white accents, but as the name of the equipment implied, it’s all faded. Every item is much closer to gray than black and white. In the sun it’s honestly a bit pitiful to look at…

And, like, I get what they were going for with this outfit, but it’s quite a different experience when I’m the one who has to wear it. Maybe instead of shameless, let’s just say my outfit is sexy and call it a day—at least for my sake.

Though FLFO is a game, it might be a bit pleasant to dress like this and play pretend. After all, it’s not like I’ll ever wear this outfit in real life. The problem is that I feel something might, well…slip out even when I’m just standing around. And honestly, I get even more anxious when I move around. Since it’s a game, I think it will be a fine, but that knowledge does little to quell my anxiety. Perhaps management, or rather, whoever designed this dress, neve expected someone to wear it in this size…

My thoughts are interrupted as I unexpectedly collapse to the floor. A window appears asking whether I’d like to wait to revive or return to my registered respawn point.

I didn’t even fight anyone… I guess for now, let’s return to my unfortunate home away from home. A familiar ceiling—I’m back, my dear catacombs. Did you miss me?

Crud, what was that? I’m not missing any pieces—I’m as safe as one can be. Checking the logs, it looks like my Auto HP Regen went up a few levels. But why…?

Ah! Oh dear—what an embarrassment! How careless of me! I must have passed on from the perpetual damage I receive while in sunlight. I kept taking damage, so I had to keep recovering perpetually. I totally forgot that I can’t walk around in the daytime until my HP Regen exceeds the damage I take. But if I look at this from an optimistic perspective, I’ll raise my regen skill just by enjoying a nice stroll. Perhaps I should have raised it a bit more before the rebuild for the bonus skill points.

The biggest factor this time is likely the fact that I kept the pain setting turned off. I’m still undead, so the pain I feel might be a bit different from that of humans. And with no pain at all, there’s no way to tell I’m taking damage. Let’s set that back to the default, then.

Huh? Looks like there are more options. What’s this supposed to mean?

 

MOVEMENT ASSIST: ROYALTY

· On

· Off

*You will carry yourself like a regal prince or an elegant princess. Alterations will be made to your standing posture and walking form. There are special motions associated with certain arts as well. Corrections may be significant. Please exercise caution.

 

Hmm, that sounds interesting. I assume it came from my race having the word “princess” in it, though someone really got carried away here. It seems amusing, so let’s set it to “on” for fun.

The moment the option flips on, I can feel my posture subtly shifting. It’s mostly the placement of my feet: My right foot pulls back a bit behind my left. My back is stretched straight and erect, my chest sticks out, and I stand a bit more proudly. Although the game might’ve taken my original posture into account, as it doesn’t feel like that much of a difference.

Still, it’s quite a powerful assist. If I want to use it, it’ll take some getting used to; it’s not the sort of setting to switch on suddenly. I assume it’s there for people who want to roleplay.

Let’s keep using it. My posture does need some work, and with this dress on, it probably looks better than slouching.

Even so, is there no option for notifications? It’s hard to tell when my skill levels go up, and even if I unlock a skill, the message just sneaks its way into the battle log. It’s quite easy to miss…

Hmmm? Oh, there it is! Looks like I can set it individually for each skill, and I can set how many levels it has to increase before I’m notified. I can even choose the notification sound. Neat!

You generally get a new art every five levels. Let’s turn off notifications for the ones without arts and set the arts ones to notify me every five levels. As for the sound, let’s choose something that won’t get drowned out.

While I’m at it, I check over the other notification settings and close the menu. Evolution and level up notifications are already set, so they should be fine as is.

Come to think of it, this latest evolution set me back to level 1. I’ll need to hunt some zombies and raise my level if I ever hope to find a party. How does this game handle party level differences, anyway? Ah, that can wait. Let’s try to get back on track! Level 1 is a bit sad to look at, and hunting will help me test my equipment. Let’s go!

 

ZOMBIE LV 8

A rotting, revived corpse. They flock around whoever they see.

Attribute: Dark

Weakness: Light, Holy, Fire

Resists: Dark, Physical

Genus: Undead

Species: Zombie

Status: Normal

 

Looks like Identify added a boatload of new information. Is Detect working properly? I don’t see anything that looks like a weak spot on this zombie. Is my level too low to perceive anything? Or do the undead just not have weak points?

For now, let’s just try hacking away at things with my new blade. En garde—take this!

Chapter 7:
Saturday Morning

 

WHEN I LOG IN the next day, I find myself in the same town square where I’d logged out. I immediately head for the union.

I told the receptionist the skills I wanted, and she let me know where to go. The place I’m destined for isn’t far; in fact, it’s just the lot next door. It’s designed like a courtyard with several stands scattered around. The dubious dark red stains marring each stand is, well, yes…you get it. It’s that sort of place.

I see a well-built man standing around, so I decide to approach him. “Pardon me. Do you have a moment?”

“Hmm? Yeah, what do you need?”

“I want to learn Discern and Dismantle?”

“You, little missy? I don’t mind teaching you those skills, but…”

“I may look like this, but please know that I’m an outsider. You don’t need to worry about my standing or anything.”

“Oh, that’s right. I thought you were from some well-to-do place. Now you won’t mind me being harsh with you, will you?”

“My name is Anastasia. Please do what you must.”

“I’m Craig. Nice to meet you, little missy.”

From there, Craig proceeded to teach me Discern and Dismantle though he kept calling me “little missy” to the end. Thankfully, I wasn’t too bothered by it.

 

Your efforts have unlocked the Discern skill!

Your efforts have unlocked the Dismantle skill!

 

“Should I get a dismantling knife from the blacksmith?”

“Sounds like a solid plan, though you can find them at the general store too. But there’s a shortage on goods now, so you might be out of luck.”

“Are you talking about the influx of outsiders? I only just arrived here yesterday. Is it serious?”

“…Little missy, does that mean you’re not exactly human?”

“Yes, it took a while to reach town.”

“You look human enough to me. Anyway, yeah, it’s pretty serious, though…sigh. I tell you, when our little monster missy here’s so well behaved, the world really must be upside down. Then again, I guess you’re a human in the world you come from.”

As far as the resident NPCs were concerned, we players were visitors from another world—otherwise known as Outsiders. A revelation from the gods of this world ensured that every NPC knew about the outsiders. At least, that was what was written on the official site.

“I like the polite ones, like you. They’re not a problem. But the badly behaved ones tend to stand out. The goddess said I have to treat them nicely. My apologies to her, but I’m starting to consider banning them from my shop.”

“I see. You were doing just fine without us not too long ago. So you can still do business fine without us as well.”

“Right. All the shops here in town, we’ve been operating for a while now.”

“So you don’t need the new business. But you’re not going to ban all outsiders, right? I doubt those rabblerousers will listen to what you have to say, in any case.”

“Hmm…”

“Oh, will there be any problem with refusing customers?”

“The shop’s door is a magic item. You’re forced out the moment you’re banned, and you can’t go back in. It’s all good, little missy.”

“That’s convenient. Then they’re getting their just deserts. I say follow your gut. Plenty of people are banned from shops in our world too.”

This game is an RPG, for what it’s worth. It feels natural to converse with the residents, and even more natural to treat them like they’re people. According to the official announcements, the NPCs run on a high-level AI, and you can interact with them without feeling any dissonance. They live as residents of the world, and it is recommended to treat them as such.

Additionally, FLFO is a roleplaying game. You should do your part and play the role. If you decide to be violent, you should accept the consequences of your actions. The NPCs are simply acting out their own character settings. Anyone who knows about or has played a TTRPG before wouldn’t feel anything strange about the NPCs taking action based on what happens to them.

“I know the goddess told me, but if they keep causing trouble, what else can I do? My hands are tied.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about the gods of this world. Is there anywhere I can learn? I’d prefer a library, if there’s one in town.”

“If you want to learn about the goddesses, we have a huge church.”

“I am a member of the undead. Can I go inside a church?”

“I see. You’d better not, then. In fact, you should stay off their property altogether.”

“Will I be targeted?”

“Probably not, but the problem is the church itself. You’ll be purified if you get too close.”

“So the problem isn’t with the sisters but with the location itself.”

“In a nutshell. They won’t attack you just because you’re an undead. Not you, at least. They might purify the poorly behaved undead though.”

“Well, that’s more than deserved.”

“So that means you need the library for sure. It’s the largeish building in the western residential district. A bit off the main road—”

 

Your mini-map has been updated.

 

Oh, interesting. It’s showing me the route to the library. It would be hard to lose my way like this.

“Thank you. I’ll check it out later.”

“You do that. If you’re choosing a god to study, I’d recommend Stellura.”

“Stellura? The one from the statue in the square?”

“That’s right. Stellura governs light and dark, life and death, as well as time, space, and even fate. She’s the right pick for an undead to follow. Go have a read-through and see what you think.”

If she governs life and death, wouldn’t she hate the undead that defy both? Maybe I’m looking at it the wrong way. I’m quite curious, so let’s go and read some stories about the gods. Perhaps I should call it this world’s lore.

I can understand time, space, and fate as part of Stellura’s lore. That’s why she’s used for teleportation portals, and why her symbol is the gate and key, I assume.

“Come to think of it, and backtracking a bit…are cooking tools also in short supply? I’d like tools for Cooking and Alchemy.”

“Cooking supplies, eh? You should be able to get those just fine. From the union, go down the main road, and down—”

 

Your mini-map has been updated.

 

“It’s a general store run by a nice old lady. The townsfolk drop by a lot.”

“Are you sure you should be telling me?”

“Don’t tell anyone else. Once you’re in, pass my name to the old lady. You need to be approved to enter, but once you get the go-ahead, she’ll help you out.”

“Thank you so much. Potions are pointless to me, so I won’t be visiting the store too frequently. Also, you can only get in if someone tells you about it, hmm? Is it a secret?”

“Something like that. They’re using a special door over there.”

So it’s more like a trigger: The entrance is flagged when another resident tells you about it. I’d imagine there are other secret shops like this all over the server. But talking to NPCs is quite fundamental to an RPG, so it’s not that much of a secret. Anyway, I just need some cooking and alchemy supplies and a dismantling knife, so I’m happy to have the information.

Ah, it looks like someone else has arrived, so I’ll be taking my leave.

“I’ll be off then. Thank you for everything.”

“Take care, little missy!”

Before I’m too far from the union, I’ll take a quest to hunt some wolves and rabbits nearby. Then I’ll head to the forest via the east gate this time. The east is home to animal-type monsters with high endurance, but there aren’t too many of them, and the forests are easy to navigate.

Apparently, you can run into brown boars, brown deer, and brown bears. I’ll take a quest for them too. All right, now on to shopping!

According to the map marker, the shop is over in this direction. It looks like there’s lots of random stuff inside, so this must be the place. I step right in and see a granny sitting at the counter.

“Oh, a new face.”

“I heard about this place from Mr. Craig at the union.”

“I see. So, what can I do for you?”

“I’m looking for cooking and alchemy equipment, as well as a dismantling knife.”

“Cooking, alchemy, and the knife. They’re 3,000 each.”

So 9,000 total… Oof, that’s cutting it close. I lost all my starting money from the penalty for dying to that sword over and over again, but I still have that bonus I have yet to claim. The bonus gives me 10,000, so I just barely have enough money.

Let me tell you, I may be dressed like a noble lady, but I’m as broke as a commoner. Anyway, I purchase all three.

 

[TOOL] BEGINNER’S COOKING SET

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A set containing all the tools a novice cook might need to get started on their culinary adventures.

 

[TOOL] BEGINNER’S ALCHEMY SET

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A set containing all the tools a novice alchemist might need to get started with synthesizing.

 

[TOOL] DISMANTLING KNIFE

Rarity: NO Quality: C Durability: 100

A basic knife used for dismantling.

Drop increase: Minor

 

A copper pickaxe costs 600 gold; looks like for now, I’ll have to pass. Let’s come back once I have a bit of wiggle room in the budget.

I tell the granny—er, the shopkeeper—I’ll be back. Now, before I head off hunting, let’s get some skills.

Thanks to my evolution and rebuild, I have 34 skill points to allocate. It shouldn’t be an issue.

Using 12 points, I learn Cooking, Alchemy, Discern, and Dismantle. That leaves me with a generous 22.

Oh dear, I don’t have a sheath for the dismantling knife. A normal leather one wouldn’t go with my dress, anyway. I guess I’ll have to keep it in my pouch. It’s like a shortcut to my inventory anyway—plus, it doesn’t clash.

Now, off we go. Eastern forest ho! The library can wait for another time.

I proceed straight down the eastern road and step out into the plains beyond the gate. Let’s kill us some rabbits and wolves on the way to the forest. Also, I’d like to test a skill I haven’t used before. Hmm, the only one that fits the bill is Dark Magic. All right, I’ll focus on using that skill today.

I one-shot a rabbit with Dark Ball and stab the dismantling knife into it. Rinse, wash, and repeat! It’s busywork, to be honest, but that was what I was expecting. I’ll just keep at it for a bit.

 

Dark Magic has reached Level 5.

Acquired Dark Magic spell: Dark Heal

 

Oh, that was fast. It looks like the elementary magic trees have the same general skills at the same levels: Basically, they all get healing at Level 5, then arrow at level 10. The early players found that out during the beta. But even if they’re learned at the same levels, there are some differences apparently; just like with Automatic HP Regen, I think I’m receiving a bonus to my Dark Magic learning speed. The all-important difference between attributes is still being researched, though. Well, as long as my levels keep going up, I’m not complaining.

I continue on my way through the forest, defeating rabbits with my rapier and dark magic. Soon, wolves join the mix, but they’re also down in one hit thanks to my handy-dandy skill. My highest stat is intelligence, and High Undead gives a bonus to dark magic, so enemies from the starting zone are nothing to me. Not to mention they’re all two-to-six levels below me. So easy fights are to be expected.

The rabbits don’t attack; they run away if you get too close, but there are a few brave ones that rise to the challenge. It’s a pain to chase the running ones—or rather, my low agility means I’m forced to abandon them. My real aim is in the forest, in any case.

The wolf AI is far better structured than the rabbit AI. The wolves leap and try to push you down; they’ll aim for your ankles, they’ll cling to you, and they’ll circle around you while growling.

The rabbits just try to headbutt you—when they even attack at all.

However, a wolf on the offensive is easily finished with one thrust of my rapier. I take my knife from my pouch and touch it to the beast, converting it into light and droppable items.

Darn, just one wolf meat. The skill level’s pretty low.

Based on what was learned in the beta, drops do change a bit depending on how you take down the enemy. I can understand they were going for realism, but that also restricts your battle style. It’s a mixed bag, though I think it’s ultimately an interesting idea. You wouldn’t want battle to become too monotonous.

Any enemy that comes at me, I deal with at close range. The ones slightly farther away, I dispatch with magic. I begin to alternate magic skills so I can level my skills equally.

In this game, techniques use the same MP that magic does. Although there’s no bar to display it, there’s also apparently a stamina system. Fighting, running, and moving around for too long will properly tire you out. However, the undead know no fatigue. It’s quite nice, excluding the whole “sun burning my skin” thing. It took two weeks to reach this point, but now? I can take it easy now.

 

Sword has reached Level 10. You have earned 1 Skill Point.

Acquired Sword Art: Distance Sword

 

Hmm…? Distance Sword is a ranged attack where you fire a slash at the enemy. Nice and simple!

The wolves drop meat, pelts, and claws. The rabbits drop just meat. I only have plans for the meat, in any case, so the rest is bonus. The pelts and claws will be sold straight to the union; I only have 1,000 gold, after all. It’s a sad fact of life, but I’ll get a bit more when I report back on my hunting quests.

Luckily, my race doesn’t need food, so I don’t need to listen to my stomach. My equipment has no endurance, so I don’t have to maintain it either, and I can sell all materials besides what I need for cooking and alchemy. Even potions are useless to the undead.

Saving money should be easy for me.

Now then, with one backward glance at the other players camping out and fighting in the plains, I arrive at the eastern forest. I’ll start hunting and gathering right away.

There are more herbs here than I expected. They’re more like weeds than helpful plants, if I’m being honest.

 

[MATERIAL] MEDICINAL HERB

Rarity: NO Quality: E–

A magic herb with healing properties. They grow all over the place.

 

Erk, the quality is E-minus. Was I wrong to dismantle it with my knife? Or is the incredibly low grade because I don’t have Gather yet? Maybe it’s both. Well, let’s just hope I get some better quality herbs eventually.

 

[INGREDIENT] ZOOMISHROOM

Rarity: NO Quality: E–

A mushroom that makes you energetic if you eat it. Often given to people with colds.

 

[MATERIAL] SHADISHROOM

Rarity: NO Quality: E–

A poisonous mushroom that will temporarily paralyze whoever ingests it.

 

Yes, it’s a forest, all right. I came to hunt, but instead I’m foraging the local flora; I just get the urge to pick up everything I see. Strangely, I’m not seeing any enemies. I’m able to wander around with the dismantling knife in hand, no problem.

 

Your efforts have unlocked the Gather skill!

 

Let’s get it right away. My skill points go down from 23 to an even 20. When I pick up the nearest herb, its quality is listed as E: an upgrade from just moments ago. The market standard is C, so it’s still rather dubious, but I’m sure the quality will go up with practice. It’s only been two weeks so far. There’s no need to rush things.

I came to the eastern forest because the drops here go for a lot, but maybe I should have headed South. There’s no way I can grow my combat skills without any enemies to test them against. Perhaps it would have been faster to go after the swarms of goblins. Oh, finally, here’s one!

 

BROWN BOAR LV 16

Be careful; these vicious beasts charge as soon as they see an enemy. Their materials fetch a pretty penny—for those who can defeat them.

Attribute: —

Weakness: —

Resists: —

Genus: Animal

Species: Boar

Status: Normal

 

Oh my, what a big piggy you are!

Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen a boar before, but I imagine they have to be smaller than this IRL. It comes up to my chest; that’s waaay too big for reality.

Well, I’m still going to fight it, especially since it took so long to find. According to Detect, its bottom and legs are its weak point. As it’s a living thing, the neck and chest probably are too, but I can’t see them from this position. I should be fine if I think of it as a wolf.

I tuck my knife away and blast a Light Arrow at its behind, not forgetting to turn Dark Aura on. Arrow spells fly faster than Ball spells and they can pierce, but they do less damage on impact. Arrows are more effective when targeting a weak point, though. I think it might have to do with collision detection.

If I hit the boar’s weak point, the strength of the impact won’t really matter. I got Detect for a reason; I should use it and aim well. I fire the Light Arrow straight from the tip of my sword. My sure strike drops the boar’s HP by 60 percent.

“Pigyuaaaaa!!!” It cries out as it looks towards me with bloodshot eyes. No, I won’t let you join my party. No way, no how, big piggy!

After stepping out of the way of its charge, I stick my blade out with the honed edge facing the beast. As it passes, I feel like I’m almost dragged along with it, but I manage to defeat it as expected. All that’s left is to stab it with the dismantling knife.

 

[INGREDIENT] BROWN BOAR MEAT

Rarity: NO Quality: C

The meat of a brown boar. It has a somewhat peculiar taste and should be processed before cooking.

 

[MATERIAL] BROWN BOAR HIDE

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A brown boar’s hide. Although it has solid defense and durability, it is a little heavy.

 

Oh, I got two drops! Things are looking up for me…wait. No, I got three. Two pieces of boar meat came out. Still, am I really that weak? I guess it’s normal for a young woman to lose in a strength contest with a charging boar…and my race lacks physical strength too. I’ll need to use my head next time.

One more thing: This body’s sense of balance is bad. The system’s movement assist corrects my posture, but that’s all it does—corrects, not enhances. I think I actually move better in real life.

Which means I’ll have to start stretching here too. And I don’t want to do my stretches in the town square, so I’ll need a room at the inn. Ooh, that’s smart! I can limber up in my rented room every night before I log out. I’ll be doing it again after logging out, but I don’t mind the repetition.

The official site said that strength training IRL does have some effect, so maybe core training helps in-game too. At least, that’s what I’d like to believe. Time flows a lot faster here, so it should bear fruit in no time.

For the time being, I’ll hunt only as much as my quests demand. I’ll need a few more enemies for that, so let’s try elsewhere. The boar was at Level 16. It honestly had quite a bit of endurance; I’d put it around the same as a high zombie. It had the same level too, come to think of it. Both undead and animals have high stamina. However, the HP regen makes the undead much more of a hassle to deal with.

 

BROWN DEER LV 15

The larger their antlers, the stronger they are. Said splendid antlers fetch a nice price on the market.

Attribute: —

Weakness: —

Resists: —

Genus: Animal

Species: Deer

Status: Normal

 

A large deer with large antlers…yeah, that’s what it is. Its face is at about the same level as mine. I’ll use the same tactic as with the brown boar. An attack with Dark Ball sends its HP bar into the red. As it charges at me with its antlers, I dodge and end it with another attack.

 

[MATERIAL] BROWN DEER ANTLER

Rarity: NO Quality: C

The antler of a brown deer. Sharp and light. Easy to process.

 

Only one antler. Tragic—I’d much prefer a pair.

Are there any other boars around? I want to try something out. The mini-map doesn’t give me any info on my enemies’ locations, and Perception doesn’t seem to be reacting. I proceed a bit further, and eventually, my Perception picks up a boar. I get right to experimenting.

Just as before, I lure it in with Dark Ball. Yes, I’m doing a bit too much damage for just luring a monster my way, but let’s not worry about that. I just need it to keep coming towards me.

This time, I concentrate on the Parry skill and have the sword blade slide as it passes. A single red line—an aftereffect—remains on the boar’s flank as it falls to the ground.

The knife goes in and the materials come out; this time, I get two chunks of meat. Maybe it’s because the Boar itself is so darn massive. Anyway, my experiment was a success. I lost out when I tried to put up a physical resistance. Why do that when I can just switch to Parry and use my dexterity stat instead?

Up until this point, I’ve been switching between Defend and Parry, but thinking about it now, Parry is a lot easier to use. My strength is low and my dexterity is high, so it really should be my focus.

But Defend is still an option, so I should keep leveling it so I have it when I need it. I’ll keep using Defend on weaker enemies, but if my foe’s too difficult, I’ll use Parry instead to balance things out.

I already hunted enough rabbits and wolves to complete my quest. All that’s left is deer, boars, and bears, who all live in these woods. My only real concern is whether I’ll stain my skirt hem while I’m picking herbs.

Can you actually believe that they implemented staining in this game? Not that I have much to worry about with the Laundry spell, but still! That said, Laundry is a convenient magic skill that cleanses not just my clothes but my body too. I’d love to have it IRL.

 

Magic Assist has reached Level 15.

Acquired Magic Assist abilities: Meditation, Magia Trace

Dark Aura has reached Level 5.

 

It’s not just my magic. Even my rapier attacks raise Magic Assist, so the skill level’s going up quite a bit. Close-range attacks also raise Dark Aura. It’s delightful!

Now then, I’m hearing an unfamiliar whirring sound effect. What could it be…?

Oh, that must be the sound indicating that Meditation is active. I don’t feel anything restricting my movements, though. Let’s see…Meditation raises your MP recovery rate. You’re also unable to move while it’s active. Meanwhile, Magia Trace is a duplicate of my race skill—the one that lets me see magic energy. It’s useless to me.

You know, come to think of it, I still haven’t seen a bear. Should I head further into the forest?

 

You have entered a safe zone.

 

Oh…? The map color changed.

 

ABOUT SAFE ZONES

Safe zones are areas in the wilderness that act the same as towns. Monsters do not appear, and your automatic recovery rate rises just as it would in town. You can safely log out in these areas.

 

Well, that’s pretty much what I thought a safe zone would be. It’s noon, in any case, so let’s log out and eat lunch.

Chapter 8:
Saturday Afternoon

 

“YOU HAVE ANY afternoon plans, Sis?”

“For now, I want to do some union quests and work on raising my level.”

“Right, you were in the catacombs for a while.”

“Yeah, my skills got pretty unbalanced fighting zombies.”

“What are you focusing on?”

“Ah, combat skills in general.”

“You use a one-handed sword, right?”

“It’s a rapier. Also, I use Light Magic and Dark Magic.”

“Oh, so that was a rapier. And you got Light Magic too?”

“I thought I couldn’t use it, but there it was on the initial skill list.”

“Yeah, that one’s a mystery, ain’t it?”

For some reason, demon players can’t take Light Magic, but undead players can. However, as the undead have low intelligence, they’re not the best spellcasters. zombies don’t even have any MP to use! Though apparently Ghosts are the best for a magic build.

That said, undead players can pick up Dark Magic as one of their race skills. Though there are other magic skills on the initial skill list, if you try to unlock them normally, they usually cost a lot of points. It’s not just Light—the other four elements are quite costly. Why is the system like this? That’s another mystery.

Demons have Dark attributes right from the start. That’s one of their initial race skills, and as a result, they fundamentally cannot learn light. They can pick up the other four attributes for the average value of three points though.

This mystery seems like it has something to do with the gods—perhaps Stellura, who governs light and dark. I’ll need to do a bit more reading into the matter.

“If demons exist, then angels should exist too. Some of the fanbase is getting excited about that.”

“Oh, Angels, right? Would their final form be Seraph or something?”

“I’d expect so. You could fit all the nine tiers in with an evolution every ten levels.”

“The problem is that no one knows how to become an Angel.”

“True, true.”

“Plus, they’re the mortal enemy of zombies like me…”

“In essence, yeah. Come to think of it, you need to be careful around Light Magic, okay?”

“I know. It’s got a 4× damage multiplier.”

“No, I mean when you use it too.”

“Huh?”

“There’s a spell called Light Burst that targets a circle with you at the center. Apparently, when an undead uses it, they get hit too. So watch out…”

“Seriously…?” I’m not confident I can withstand my own firepower. My equipment may have high magic defense, but against a 4× multiplier, my garb is hopeless. Apparently, these self-targeting hazards are a weakness specifically for inhuman players who started off with elemental attributes. The human races don’t have to worry about them.

“Where are you hunting?”

“The eastern forest.”

“Wait, you’re soloing, right?”

“Of course I am. I got to town just yesterday, and I have no friends.”

“How’s all that going?”

“Not very well. There just aren’t enough enemies for me. My quest is done as soon as I defeat a bear, and I think I’ll head south after that.”

“So you’re not having any problems beating them?”

“They’re like high zombies, just a bit more agile. To be honest, the living dead put up more of a fight.”

“I’m surprised you managed to defeat any living dead.”

“I cast Light Ball at the end of my weapon and stab from behind. Works without fail!”

“Ah, the 4× multiplier boost with the sneak attack bonus on top of it.”

That was an example of a tactic that was too successful. The only skills that level up when I use that method are Sword and Light Magic. More importantly, I spent so long in the catacombs I’d like to avoid them for a while. That place is only good for EXP. There’s no fun to be had.

Oh, that’s right, there is one important thing I should tell my sister.

“By the way, someone from the union told me there are some bad-mannered folks roaming around.”

“Hmm? Well, yeah, I guess so…”

“We talked about having them banned.”

“From the shops?”

“Yeah, from the shops. Apparently, the store doors are magic items. A ban means you can’t enter and you’ll be forcefully kicked out if you’re inside when the ban comes down.”

“I never thought you could get banned from an NPC’s shop…”

“It’s their fault for believing this game is the same as all the others. We can hold a normal conversation with these NPCs, and the official site said to treat them like humans.”

“I see…”

“Incidentally, I recommended the banning. The shops were running in town before we even came. There shouldn’t be an issue if they ban the newcomers.”

“You have a point there. I guess they deserve it too if they’re acting up. I just worry that they might ban outsiders as a whole. Maybe we should hold a survey on the forums.”

“Delinquents get kicked out of stores in our world all the time. What’s the problem?”

“Touché. I guess I’ll just spread the message to my friends…”

At this point, I’m more worried that the shopkeepers will finally lose their patience with us players and ban everyone regardless of behavior. We need to remove the troublesome players before it gets to that point. With that matter off the table, we clean our plates and head off to game. I log in at the safe zone in the eastern forest.

Akina told me that the spawn rate increases further in, so I might want to hunker down and grind here in the woods depending on how many enemies there are. It there aren’t enough for me, I’ll try going south. But the materials from the east fetch the most money, and this is the highest level zone around the starting town. If possible, I want to hunt here.

 

You have fulfilled the conditions to unlock the title: Mild Princess

You have fulfilled the conditions to unlock the title: Elegant Princess

Title: Elegant Princess has fused with an existing title.

 

Oh? A new title. Sweet! Do tell, system!

 

MILD PRINCESS

A title given to a quiet, mild-mannered princess. Improves others’ impression of you.

 

ELEGANT PRINCESS

A title given to an elegant, graceful princess. Improves the impression that royalty and nobility have of you but will reflexively put commoners on guard.

 

PRINCESS OF PEACE AND ELEGANCE

A title given to a majestic and refined princess. Improves others’ impression of you and makes them less wary in your presence.

 

I see, so it’s the sort of effect that makes it easier to build relationships with NPCs. The condition for Mild Princess is apparently “Do not make any sound over a certain decibel level for a span of three days.” Meanwhile, Elegant Princess requires “Maintain good posture and don’t run for three days.” I guess I followed both, now that I think about it. With the titles fused, it looks like their effects have increased.

Three days would be my total IRL login time; if it were game days, I would have probably earned all this faster. That means I have around 72 hours of playtime. Hmm, that’s quite a bit. Granted, it’s not affecting my normal everyday life, so I’m sure it’s fine.

Putting the three days aside, isn’t it quite harsh to ask someone not to run? Then again, I was unable to run while I was a zombie, and after that, I didn’t want my dress flapping all over the place—but I was in a very unusual situation.

Well, let’s just move on.

I head further into the forest, probing for enemies with Perception while gathering every material I see along the way.

 

BROWN BEAR LV 17 — ACTIVE

Shows no mercy to those that enter its territory. Playing dead will just get you eaten, so don’t even try it.

Attribute: —

Weakness: —

Resists: —

Genus: Animal

Species: Bear

Status: Normal

 

There he is. Finally…we meet face-to-face. So, playing dead gets you eaten: Guess this beary good guy will eat fresh meat if it drops right onto his dinner plate. According to Akina, bears only appear further into the forest. His weak points are naturally his neck and chest, as well as the limbs, just like boars and deer.

Let’s ready magic as per usual. I want to raise my dark magic skills, so I’ll go with Dark Ball.

“Grrrraaaah!” Once the magic collides with the creature, the bear gracefully stands on its hind legs and roars at me. He’s not at all like that cartoon bear with the picnic basket; this monster has the impact of a real-life bear.

After charging at me on all fours, the bear takes a swipe at me with his right arm. I have no choice but to take the attack head-on. The creature hits, and I’m knocked back with a terribly loud thud. I haven’t had my guard breached since I fought the living dead. This bear’s Strength stat must be rather high.

As I slide along the dirt, I avoid its follow-up claw attack and end it with a rapier slash to the throat.

 

Defend has reached Level 10. You have earned 1 Skill Point.

Acquired Defend Art: Defend Sense

Parry has reached Level 10. You have earned 1 Skill Point.

Acquired Parry Art: Parry Sense

 

I stab the dismantling knife in and check the drops.

 

[INGREDIENT] BROWN BEAR MEAT

Rarity: NO Quality: C

The meat of a brown bear. It’s actually quite a succulent feast. Most often eaten in hot pot dishes.

 

A bear hot pot? The thought never occurred to me. Also, this time, I got three chunks of meat. Are drops fixed for each enemy, or does it depend on their size…? Well, guess I’ll know if I defeat enough of them.

Still, that was some offensive power behind its lunges. It managed to take out just shy of 10 percent of my HP—thankfully, I recover it quickly. Would it perhaps be easier if instead of baiting these monsters, I just started off with close combat? I could fire off my magic from point blank too.

Now, to check out my new arts. They’re both passives that make it easier to block or parry. Since they’re passive skills, I don’t really have to worry about them. But I made quite a jarring sound when I defended myself. I’m glad I got my new titles before that.

Just how much sound is the limit, I wonder? Over these two weeks, I’ve only spoken with a few NPCs and through whisper chat with Akina. I didn’t talk to anyone else. As for combat. I just slashed at zombies with a sword. I was fairly quiet—then again, I had no one to talk to.

As for the princess part, that’s probably just because of my race. No further comments necessary.

Oh my, Perception is reacting. Let’s continue the hunt.

 

Your Race Level has increased!

Dark Magic has reached Level 10. You have earned 1 Skill Point.

Acquired Dark Magic spell: Dark Arrow

 

All right, that’s three bears down! Let’s head back to report my results. After some trial and error, I’ve concluded that the meat drops are related to enemy size. The rabbits and wolves only gave one each, after all.

There are certainly more adventurers further in. Maybe they can take their time and head back later, but…right now, my sluggish movement speed is causing me a lot of trouble. Let’s just go back for now.

I turned off the notification for skills without arts, but they seem to be rising steadily. I’m thinking it’s about time for me to dive into production skills.

 

Finally back in town. My movement really is my bottleneck—I’m just so darn slow. Maybe I should consider buying one of those carriages? Or maybe just the horse itself. Hmm, is there a riding skill? There’s got to be one. Akina told me all about horse players, after all.

But it’s going to be impossible to obtain a horse this early in the game. I only have 1,000 gold. I’m guessing they cost a bit of money to maintain too. Yes, I highly doubt my issues are going to be resolved immediately.

Let’s just head right on in—

Bwah, wait, what?! There it is, in the “flesh”…a race just as unpopular as zombies! It’s a sexy radish!!

The radish creature is in the center of a circle of rabbits, and they’re all gnawing on it—how pitiful, this thing might have it even harsher than zombies! At least, its mortal enemies are much worse to deal with than mine. I think, in terms of appearance—and in regard to my mental health as a gamer—I had it harsher at first.

Members of the Sexy Radish race look like Japanese Daikon: the kind of big, white radish where the tip splits into two leg-like protrusions. They’ve also got leaves on their heads.

Wow, it…really is just a moving daikon. How surreal. Though…I have to admit, I don’t hate that sort of thing. I was actually considering picking being one of those over being a zombie. Oh, those vines…! I think that must be their race skill, Plant Magic. Green vines wrap around the rabbit gnawing on it, and the radish begins kicking it with its short legs.

On a side note, the rabbit AI seems to work differently against their vegetable foes. They’re not headbutting like they did me; they’re all full-on gnawing at the radish. None of them are running away either. Well, it’s a daikon, after all—it must be like eating a tasty carrot. The HP and MP lost from the biting and the Plant Magic is restored through their race skill Photosynthesis, which allows them to recover as long as they bask in sunlight. It’s like the opposite of me who absolutely wilts in the sun.

It doesn’t look like I’ll have to step in, so let’s go do my own business. Whoever it is, they went out of their way to choose an inhuman race. I’m sure they look forward to these scenarios.

There aren’t many of us inhuman players around. I’m sure we’ll have a chance to speak eventually.

 

All right, now that I’m in town, there are loads of things I have to do. During combat, it’s begun to occur to me that my long hair is a bit of a hindrance. There don’t seem to be scrunchies in FLFO, so I’ll tie my long locks back with a ribbon. Do they sell ribbons at the general store?

Also, I’ll have to report to the union and process my drops… Ugh, this is an issue. I don’t know the actual price of these items, and in MMOs, you generally get more by selling to players. The problem is I have no one to sell to. Maybe I should open up a stall. I can certainly see myself running a stall and delving into production, but I can’t do that when I don’t know the market value of things. For the time being, let’s just buy a ribbon. I doubt a ribbon will go for more than 1,000…hopefully.

I head towards granny’s shop.

“Hello!”

“Oh, it’s you again.”

“Mmm. Do you have anything I can tie my hair back with?”

“Hmm, you’ll need either a ribbon or a hairpin.”

“I’d prefer a ribbon please.”

“That’ll be 50. You can choose the color.”

“Two navy blue ones, please.”

“You got it. That’ll be 100, then.”

I leave the shop and return to the main road. My next destination is the union, and by the time the building is in sight, I catch sight of a familiar individual emerging from the entrance. Oh, she’s doing a double take.

A silver-haired girl with leather armor and a halberd—my younger sister, Akina.

“Sis!”

Wow, she’s fast! That’s genuine Agility for you. I catch her as she rushes straight at me. As per usual, she immediately embraces me and promptly buries her face right in my cleavage.

“Ha ha ha! I can’t get enough of this!”

“Don’t talk while you’re down there…”

Official BBS 3

 

[Bugs] Chatting Thread 10 [Not for me]

1. Resting Adventurer

This thread is for general chatting. Please write whatever you want, but keep the rules in mind, or you’ll have management breathing down your neck. Seriously. The entire thread might be deleted. Please cut me some slack.

Past threads: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

>> 980 Open a new thread, please

 

125. Resting Adventurer

It’s been two weeks now. How’s everyone spending their time?

126. Resting Adventurer

>> 125 Who’s asking? You with the feds? Say hello to the FBI narc.

127. Resting Adventurer

>> 126 Give this man his ham.

128. Resting Adventurer

>> 127 Never!

129. Resting Adventurer

>> 125 I’m fluffing up big time. You got a problem with that?

130. Resting Adventurer

>> 129 We could do with more fluff in this game. We’ve only got rabbits and wolves, right?

131. Resting Adventurer

>> 130 Right. And deer, boars, and bears if you can handle them…

132. Resting Adventurer

>> 131 I want a bear!

133. Resting Adventurer

>> 132 They made them too realistic. They’re not cute…

134. Resting Adventurer

>> 133 Isn’t that cool, though?!

135. Resting Adventurer

Hey! Heeey! I really! Really…wanna…touch…those supple bobbies…

136. Resting Adventurer

>> 135 What?

137. Resting Adventurer

>> 135 What???

138. Resting Adventurer

>> 135 What??????

139. Resting Adventurer

>> 135 Hey, is this guy all right?

140. Resting Adventurer

>> 139 Clearly not

141. Resting Adventurer

>> 140 No reply. Was he banned?

142. Resting Adventurer

>> 141 Sorry, sorry. My head’s clear now.

143. Resting Adventurer

>> 142 Tell me more!

144. Resting Adventurer

>> 143 So I saw this girl in a dress, and she had some serious dobonhonkeros. I’m talking massive dohoonkabhankoloos. Serious big ol’ tonhongerekoogers!!!

145. Resting Adventurer

>> 144 You serious? Was she an NPC? Wait, they’re called residents in this game. Was she a resident?

146. Resting Adventurer

>> 145 Nah, on closer inspection, she turned out to be a player. Gray dress and one-handed sword.

147. Resting Adventurer

>> 146 For real! So what about her face game? Hawt or not?

148. Resting Adventurer

>> 148 Supper hottie with a body. Real warm and cozy type. Gave off that neat and tidy, elegant sort of feeling.

149. Resting Adventurer

>> 148 O’rly

150. Resting Adventurer

>> 148 O’rly

151. Resting Adventurer

>> 148 O’rly

152. Resting Adventurer

>> 149-151 Are you trying to get banned for spamming?

153. Resting Adventurer

>> 148 She’s at old man Ertz’s place. She’s a dangerous one, in a few different ways…whew, a sight for sore eyes.

154. Resting Adventurer

>> 153 Welcome, you’ve reached enlightenment!

155. Resting Adventurer

>> 153 Another sage on our hands.

156. Resting Adventurer

>> 153 Old man Ertz—oh, there?! Pray for me!

157. Resting Adventurer

>> 156 You’re not getting one up on me! I’m going too!

158. Resting Adventurer

>> 157 Tsk, tsk…each and every single one of you… Fine, if you insist!

159. Resting Adventurer

>> 156-158 You’re acting like you’re headed off to war, but you’re just going to peep at a girl.

160. Resting Adventurer

This is why some men are…

161. Resting Adventurer

>> 160 At least you didn’t say all men…

162. Resting Adventurer

>> 161 I getcha

163. Resting Adventurer

There can’t be too many girls like her out there. I probably saw her. I immediately thought, if I had a girl like that as my big sister…not that I know anything about her personality.

164. Resting Adventurer

Grrrrr, what’s with that chest?! Can’t she spare a little for the rest of us… The world is soooooo unfair…

165. Resting Adventurer

Who does she think she is, going around like that…!

166. Resting Adventurer

>> 164-165 Stay off that topic! It won’t make anyone happy!

167. Resting Adventurer

She’s the girl one-shotting rabbits and wolves, right? I get it…

168. Resting Adventurer

>> 167 She’s really one-shotting them? Doesn’t she use a one-handed sword?

169. Resting Adventurer

>> 168 Looks like it, but she can use magic too. She headed off to the eastern forest, so that’s probably her hunting ground.

170. Resting Adventurer

That girl player in the gray dress! I thought she was a resident…

171. Resting Adventurer

>> 170 You must have your markers turned off!

172. Resting Adventurer

>> 171 It’s called immersion! Deal with it!

 

[Another Good Day] Production: Cooking Thread 10 [With Good Food]

1. Nameless Cook

This thread is for Cooking! Talk about the Cooking skill here, and keep the other conversations elsewhere.

Past threads: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

General Production Thread: http://＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

Caution! Boiling Knowledge and Stewing Knowledge both exist. They’re different arts! Also, no food terrorism!

>> 980 See you all in the next thread!

2. Nameless Cook

Congrats for the new thread.

3. Nameless Cook

Hiya.

4. Nameless Cook

Hi. Only three posts so far…

5. Nameless Cook

Don’t say it…

6. Nameless Cook

I’m just saying. Why is it so unpopular?

7. Nameless Cook

Why cook in-game when you already do it in real life? That’s what people said to me…

8. Nameless Cook

Oh, I see…

9. Nameless Cook

So they won’t do it unless they like cooking to begin with…

10. Nameless Cook

Field rations are dirt cheap, anyway…

11. Nameless Cook

I can’t accept how unappetizing they are, though.

12. Nameless Cook

Wouldn’t they have a better time if they made themselves some jerky or something?

13. Nameless Cook

Smoked foods, eh? I understand the sentiment, but that’s not the issue, is it?

14. Nameless Cook

The problem is that no one sells meat. I know, I know.

15. Nameless Cook

Cooking doesn’t currently offer any buffs. It just reduces hunger. You can do that with rations, so hardly anyone has the cooking skill. And since no one buys cooked meat, they sell it to the union for reliable profits instead. You need to go hunting yourself if you want any.

16. Nameless Cook

Even though the food’s delicious and a slight difference in preparation does change the flavor. It makes me wonder just how much data they put into it.

17. Nameless Cook

Seriously. After one bite, I could never go back to rations…

18. Nameless Cook

The good thing about rations is that they don’t take any time to eat.

19. Nameless Cook

I’m starting to think it’s just that nobody knows the taste of a dish cooked by a halfway decent chef.

20. Nameless Cook

Well, it’s only been two weeks since the game began and it’s the first FDVRMMO, so everyone’s absorbed in combat. And in that case, a field ration is the best way to relieve hunger…

21. Nameless Cook

I just want to lower my hunger bar. I don’t want to waste time eating. But if I do eat, I’d prefer something tasty…I expect that’s how it’ll go.

22. Nameless Cook

We can’t do anything about the first part, but maybe we can help with the second? The third are the people who already buy from the stalls.

23. Nameless Cook

We’ll need food you can pretty much eat in one bite, then. We don’t have to do anything special about the third group

24. Nameless Cook

Can’t we just make jerky or smoked meat, then? There might be Smoking Knowledge, right?

25. Nameless Cook

There might be. All we know for now is that Grilling Knowledge and Cooking Wisdom kick in at Level 1, Boiling Knowledge at Level 5, Stewing Knowledge at Level 10, and Steaming Knowledge at Level 15.

26. Nameless Cook

At 20, we’ll probably get a shared production class skill.

27. Nameless Cook

Right, and the real climb starts at level 15. We’ll probably need to head to the eastern forest for ingredients. My levels aren’t rising anymore with just rabbit and wolf.

28. Nameless Cook

Even if it’s just different animal meat, you think a chef can afford ingredients from the eastern forest? It’s a steep price jump.

29. Nameless Cook

Yeah, just look at the union’s pricing. The union pays the minimum price for materials, and even they were buying them for over 1k.

30. Nameless Cook

But that doesn’t make me a good hunter.

31. Nameless Cook

Combat? I’m a chef.

32. Nameless Cook

Err, hi, I picked up cooking. But what’s food terrorism?

33. Nameless Cook

Welcome, comrade! Food terrorism is…well, it’s…

34. Nameless Cook

Let’s start with the basics.

1. If you fail a dish, it explodes. We don’t know why.

2. You will get a burn status ailment if you stick your hand into the heat source. It is quite hot.

35. Nameless Cook

Cook nonstop as soon as you get Boiling Knowledge. Just try to keep a soup going with herbs and spices. You can handle the rest.

36. Nameless Cook

They explode…? Do you lose the ingredients?

37. Nameless Cook

Yes, and the players around you get caught in the blast. That’s food terrorism.

38. Nameless Cook

Honestly, I laughed the first time I heard about it. That mistake is what taught me the difference between Stewing Knowledge and Boiling Knowledge. You can’t add anything except salt for Boiling Knowledge.

39. Nameless Cook

By the way, failure here means doing something you’re not allowed to. If you burn a steak, that’s a failure by my books, but it just adds an “overcooked,” “burnt,” or “charcoal” indicator to the food, and it won’t explode.

40. Nameless Cook

You can also get “undercooked” if you don’t grill it long enough. When you fail like that, you still get EXP, though less than what you’d usually get. Also, there’s no explosion.

41. Nameless Cook

I see, thank you.

42. Nameless Cook

Don’t worry about it. Let’s enjoy the chef life, eh…?

Chapter 9:
Sunday Morning

 

I LOG IN AT THE SAFE AREA in the eastern forest. Hmm, it looks like Mr. Ertz isn’t online at this time of day. Granted, it’s not even six in the morning, so that’s completely understandable. Actually, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around, so I’ll stretch while I think about what to do today.

I have nine boar hides; that’s more money than I’ve ever had before. I also have quite a bit of meat, so maybe I should try using my Cooking skill. That means I’ll need to return to town to buy vegetables and spices. Yeah, I’ll spend today on production. Let’s get started!

 

COOKING

Grilling Knowledge, Cooking Wisdom

Knowledge: You are capable of applying this method to your cooking.

Wisdom: During manual cooking, the system will assist you by showing lines to trace over. Increases the drop rate of ingredients.

 

Hmm. I see. Based on this phrasing, it seems that I can only grill at the moment; or rather, I can apply grilling knowledge to my skill set. Does that mean I can’t do it at all otherwise?

So you can’t even grill meat without the Cooking skill? It looks like there’s a deep divide between those who want to cook in any capacity and those who won’t bother. It’s not something you can pick up on a whim. I know that rations are cheap, so cooking isn’t really necessary, but they apparently taste terrible.

All right, I can leave my stretching at that. Let’s hunt and gather on the way to town.

The clock strikes six on my way back and the scene changes to morning. In short, I start to burn. I want to raise my regen, so I welcome it. I can feel my skills growing and leveling up, which is good, because my level’s far too low for this point in the game. I hear that the players who joined early are already at Level 30, so I’m only around halfway there.

Stat bonuses from skills are more significant than raising your base level, so there’s not much point in grinding at the catacombs. Although the inhumans have it a bit easier thanks to their evolution.

Once I arrive in town, I first head to the union to report my quests. I take the same ones again before leaving.

There aren’t many people around at this time of day, though that makes it easier to move about. Let’s head to the south district to buy everything I need for cooking.

There are quite a few spice shops around here. It seems they have slightly different selections, but all I can do right now is grill. The problem is that I don’t really know what to limit myself to.

You fry hash browns at the end, but you’ll need to microwave, steam, or boil the potatoes before that. Even if I had Frying Knowledge, would my recipe fail if I didn’t know boiling or steaming? I suspect that it would result in charred failure.

Can I consider roasting food in foil to be the same as grilling? Is pan-frying grilling…?

You know what, let’s just actually grill some meat for now.

I buy salt and pepper. Salt is 50 gold a bag and pepper is 100. That’s pretty spicy and pricey. I buy thirty of each, putting my expenses at 4500. It hurts, but each bag can cook ten dishes, so I’ll be able to make three hundred meals total.

I should buy some cabbage and onion too. Both of their descriptions say they’re cabbage-like or onion-like vegetables, not the real thing. It’s 10 per, so I buy ten of each. I don’t plan on using them yet, but that should be sufficient stock.

Now I’ll log out, eat breakfast, and deal with everything else.

 

I log in again at 10:00 a.m. It’s nighttime in-game. Oh, I see Mr. Ertz is here too. Let’s go redeem my hides.

“Good day, Mr. Ertz.”

“Oh, if it isn’t the princess?”

“I bought hides for you.”

“You have my attention.”

10 boar hides go for 20,000. Delightful.

“Come to think of it, did you see that notice on the website?”

“The official website? I haven’t checked today…”

“They’re going to hold the first official event.”

“Oh really? I believe you can check that in-game too, right?”

“Sure can.”

They’re going to be holding a martial arts competition as the first event. It will be a while before it happens—they’re going to host it during the fourth week of service. That’s right around the same time summer vacation begins.

“Are you going, Princess?”

“No, I’m not interested in fighting other players.”

“I see. Well, it’s up to you.”

I’ll just ignore the event. No change to my schedule. I’ll focus on production today.

Which means I’ll need the Beginner’s Cooking Set. I produce it from my pouch; it’s a transparent, square box containing a miniature model of a kitchen. I see a preview when I point it at the ground, so I’m probably choosing where to deploy it.

I concentrate on opening it up. And then, just like in the miniature, there’s a small table, a cutting board, a knife, a frying pan, and a large charcoal brazier in front of me. The box is gone.

“Are you cooking?”

“I have spare meat, so I’m going to try to raise my skill level.”

“You’ll need a carpenter for the cutting board, but I could make the knife and pan.”

“Oh, I see. What happens to the kit if I use different tools?”

“You can still store them in the kit. You can replace any of the tools inside as long as they’re the same type.”

That’s quite convenient. I can put all my externally procured cooking tools inside, and they’ll be automatically deployed if I register them as my starting configuration.

Apparently, it’s like this for all production kits, not just cooking. However, there is a limit. You can only store one of each type of tool. When it comes to cooking, you use quite a wide array of things, so it’s not really an issue. For instance, you can have a small, medium, and large pot. There are also slots for several different types of pans and knives. However, you can’t have a fully stocked kitchen like you would at home. After all, the production kits are meant to be portable.

You can still carry utensils if you don’t store them in the kit, but each will take up its own inventory slot.

 

A customer came, so Ertz put his explanation on hold, and I got to work.

There are three types of production method. Manual, where it’s exactly how you would do it in real life. Semi-automatic, where the system helps out. And finally, automatic, where the product is instantly generated. The automatic version is treated as an art, and I can’t use it unless I raise my cooking level.

Say, for instance, you’re cutting meat. With the manual method, you have to make each individual cut. With semi-automatic, you can make one cut, and the rest is processed on its own. With automatic, you can register an entire procedure, and it will immediately be replicated.

However, the method determines the quality. Manual has no quality limit. Semi-automatic caps at A, while automatic can only go as high as B. Manual also give more Skill EXP.

So, of course, I choose to go with manual. My goal is to raise my skills, after all. Now then, for the meat. Considering difficulty, I should probably start with a rabbit; boar and bear meat can wait. I’m assuming I’ll need around the same skill level in cooking as the monster’s level when I fought it.

I promptly take out a chunk of rabbit meat, which materializes on the cutting board. I can’t help but stare as I take in the sight.

“What’s wrong?”

“Did this much meat really come from a rabbit?”

“Yeah, I see what you mean. Don’t read too deeply into it. Every meat drop produces a 1kg block. I heard something about the drop amount being dependent on the size of the monster.”

“Oh, I know that. The eastern enemies dropped two to four each.”

“Do you have Dismantle, Princess?”

“I do.”

“Then that’s from the increased drop rate.”

“It’s quite nice to have more drops.”

“What are you making?”

“I’ll go for a simple salt-and-pepper steak. The usual.”

Now to slice and dice!

“It’s hard to cut with this knife”

“Well, it’s for beginners—wait! That sword ain’t no knife!”

“I think it’s got a better cutting edge!”

“That’s not the issue!”

“It shouldn’t matter as long as it cuts.”

Eventually, I’ll get cutting knives that increase the quality of the food, but the base one does not. It shouldn’t matter what kind of blade I use to slice meat. I can use Laundry to clean it afterward.

“And wait, aren’t you cutting it a bit thick?”

“You think so? This is what we usually eat.”

“I got a vague sense from your little sister, but…you’re pretty bougie, huh?”

“Well, our parents are.”

I take out salt and pepper and use Firestarter to ignite the coal in the brazier. Then I place the frying pan over it and let it heat up.

“Do I need to buy coal?”

“No, you shouldn’t have to.”

“How do I put the fire out?”

“Just close it.”

“I see. I’ll go for a medium. Come to think of it, does bacteria exist in FLFO?”

“There’s a food poisoning status ailment, but I think you’ll know when it happens. It should tell you, since you have Cooking Wisdom and Appraisal.”

“That’s a relief. I’d hate to hurt another player.”

Once the pan is hot, I salt and pepper the meat before tossing it in. A fine smell and a tempting sound fill the air. Once some time has passed, I raise the pan off the flames, lowering the heat, and then fry it some more before flipping it and returning it to the flames. Soon, I lift it again, letting it cook a while some distance from the fire.

“Ah, there’s no lid. But I want to let it cool…”

There wasn’t much I could do, so I kept it over the heat a little longer than I would have liked.

“This should do it.”

 

[COOKING] LUXURIOUS RABBIT STEAK

Rarity: NO Quality: C+

A 4 cm cut of rabbit meat with salt and pepper, cooked medium. Cooked carefully and evenly.

Satiety +30

Chef: Anastasia

 

“That looks delicious. The quality’s nice too.”

“I don’t know. C+ looks a bit dicey to me.”

“What’s your Cooking skill level?”

“It just went up, but it was 1 when I cooked it.”

“Then you’re doing good. Production still depends on skill level and stats, though method and the quality of your tools will influence it too.”

“So you’re saying that’s high quality for the Beginner’s Cooking Kit?”

“The first product of any crafter is usually E- at most. With cooking, an experienced chef in real life might come out with a D. You’re doing way too good if your first product is C+.”

“It might be my dexterity bonuses. Oh, I didn’t buy any tableware…”

“You can store tableware in the kit. It seems like they mainly use wood in this world.”

“But they have glass here, don’t they?”

“Yeah, they do. I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I’ll look into it when I get the chance. Though it doesn’t seem that important. Now, about the tableware. What do I do with this steak?”

It doesn’t seem quite right to eat off the pan…

“Yoo-hoo, old man!”

“Hmm? Oh, Primura! You came at just the right time!”

“What’s up?”

“You can make tableware, can’t you?”

“Sure, I can…”

“I’ll give you some steak if you give me some plates, yeah?”

A rabbit-eared woman is looking at me, so I lure her in with a nice, juicy fresh steak. Her hair is pink and her eyes are light blue. She wears a somewhat stylish one-piece dress. In terms of this world, she looks something like the daughter of a somewhat affluent merchant and a little bit younger than my IRL sister.

“Oh, steak! I’ll have it ready right away. Ah, do you need forks?”

“I’d like spoons and forks. I don’t think a wood knife would work out, so it might have to be metal.”

“I can make them, but I only have bronze. No silver or steel, stainless or otherwise. I don’t even have iron.”

“That’s troublesome. Should I cut it with the kitchen knife then?”

“For now, let me get you some plates.”

She produced a plank of wood and then, in a flash, she was suddenly holding ten sparkling plates. So that’s how the automatic art Reproduce works. It looks convenient.

Chapter 10:
Sunday Afternoon

 

I LOG IN AGAIN. It seems to be around noon in-game.

“Welcome back.”

“Good day. Is Mr. Ertz out for lunch?”

“He is.”

“Then I’ll go do some shopping. I’m thinking of making a soup.”

“Should I make some bowls for you, then?”

“Ah, that would be a huge help.”

“On it.”

When I log in, Ms. Primura is still in her stall. After putting in a request for bowls, I head off to find more vegetables. A soup would be rather dreary with only the onions and cabbage I have on hand. If I want to make a boar stew, I’ll need some lard or miso, which I definitely don’t have. Oh my, this is troublesome.

Instead of wandering the outdoor market, perhaps I should try one of the stores.

“Welcome.”

There’s a young woman at the counter. Compared to the messy jumbles at the stalls, the store keeps everything in neat and tidy rows. It feels like the stalls display their harvest as is, while a more professional store puts a bit of work into presentation. As a Japanese person, the upscale store is more familiar to me.

Though, honestly, I’m not actually seeing a difference in price.

There’s one thing that does interest me, though. It looks like they sell spices here besides black pepper. The pepper was already far more expensive than vegetables, but as it turns out, it’s one of the cheaper spices overall.

“Bay leaf, pure oil, virgin oil…”

 

[INGREDIENT] BAY LEAF

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A spice mainly used to remove the gamey smell of meat. Can be used up to 10 times.

 

[INGREDIENT] PURE OIL

Rarity: NO Quality: C

Refined olive oil for general use.

Can be used 50 times.

 

[INGREDIENT] VIRGIN OIL

Rarity: RA Quality: C

Top class olive oil. Outsiders refer to it as extra virgin olive oil.

Can be used 50 times.

 

It’s 50 gold for a bag of bay leaves, 250 for a bottle of pure oil, and 3,000 for a bottle of virgin oil. Yeah, that’s pretty expensive. I get the feeling bay trees and olive trees grow in the same region. Does that mean there’s a climate like that somewhere in this world?

“Are you shopping for spices?”

“Do these two come from the same place?”

“Funny you should mention that. They’re both specialty products from Inbamunt to the south.”

“Inbamunt… Oh, you mean the port?”

“Yes. If you want to buy them, now’s your chance.”

“Do you mean they’re going out of stock?”

“A coatl made a home for itself near the road, and it’s stalled business quite badly.”

“Oh right, the trade routes have been destroyed.”

“I wouldn’t say they’re completely gone, but we’re low on stock, and prices went up considering the fees needed to hire guards.”

This must have to do with those bosses. There’s a golem to the north, a bear to the east, a bee to the west, and a coatl to the south. They’re starting to have an effect on trade.

That aside…

“What spices would you recommend for a boar meat soup?”

“Oh, you’ll want bay leaves for that. First, toss the meat and leaves into the water, then skim off the scum that floats to the surface, and then add the vegetables. You usually use one leaf for every two servings.”

“I see. Then I’ll need the bay leaves.”

 

[INGREDIENT] BLELT

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A spice to sprinkle over food. Made from roasted black elt. Can be used up to 10 times.

 

[INGREDIENT] WHELT

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A spice to sprinkle over food. Made from roasted white elt. Can be used up to 10 times.

 

[INGREDIENT] ELTAL

Rarity: NO Quality: C

Scentless elt oil for general use. Outsiders call it salad oil. Can be used up to 50 times.

 

[INGREDIENT] ELTANA

Rarity: NO Quality: C

Scented elt oil for general use. Can be used up to 50 times.

 

So these are essentially black and white sesame products? The eltana seems to be the sesame oil I’m used to, while the eltal is sesame-based salad oil.

“I’ll take ten bags of bay leaves, and five each of the blelt and whelt. Also, one bottle of pure oil, one bottle of eltana, and two eltal.”

“Coming right up!”

I wouldn’t say the virgin oil is completely out of budget, but it’s too soon to use it with my current cooking skill level. I’m still raising it.

Other than that, I’ll buy onions, cabbage, carrots, may queen (potato), and garlic. Twenty of each type… Why do only the potatoes have a special name? Does it have something to do with the setting? The players are just going to call them potatoes anyway.

“Come again!”

I leave the shop and return to Primura’s stall.

“Oh, you’re back? She left the bowls with me.”

“Hello, Mr. Ertz. Did Ms. Primura log off for lunch?”

“We’re watching the stalls on rotation.”

“You can do that?”

“I wouldn’t recommend it, but we trust each other enough.”

“I see.”

I wonder if he knows about the trade difficulties. That’s quite important.

“The lady at the shop told me that trade is stagnating. There are shortages and rising prices.”

“Is that for real?”

“I specifically asked about southern specialties, and she said it was because of the coatl near the road.”

“You can’t mean it’s going to happen in all four directions, do you?”

“Well, the coatl would have to be the southern boss, so it’s possible.”

“The bosses are definitely in the way. There’s a high chance shelves will run dry. Two weeks, huh…”

To the outsiders it had been two weeks. In-game, it had been far longer.

“It takes some courage to make the trip knowing you might be attacked. If guard fees go up, it will be transferred straight to the prices.”

“Well, they got me. We might want to try opening up the west first, then. We’re already in a bad situation with potions, and we’ll be stuck in a corner if western trade dies down. The east is the source of field rations, right?”

“In any case, it’ll be an issue if circulation stagnates. If the residents are in trouble, we’re in trouble too.”

“But I’m a crafter. If the boss is the problem, there’s not much I can do about it. There’s a chance it’s that sort of event…”

“Oh, an event where defeating the boss will resolve the issue, but if you don’t defeat it, the game will go forward with the ‘trade routes cut off’ event?”

“It’s an online game. It won’t be strange if its events proceed in real time. When the residents are this real, the game moves forward in a way that makes sense for them. Perhaps.”

“We don’t know when it’s going to happen then. We might already be in the middle of the event.”

“We might.”

There was no announcement. What if there’s no associated quest to begin with? Or maybe this event affects the residents before the quest activates for players. The later sounds interesting. That would mean we can prepare ourselves if we interact with the residents beforehand. Good communication will give us a head start.

But there’s no precedent—this is all just speculation.

“Anyway, I’m going to keep cooking today—huh? Don’t tell me I don’t have a pot?”

“The Beginner’s Cooking Set doesn’t come with a pot.”

“How could this be…!”

“You’re not a beginner anymore, so just go buy the normal set. It costs around 7,000 gold.”

“That’s quite expensive.”

“The beginner set is just to try it out. The normal one contains far more tools, so it’s worth the investment. Crafters generally buy the normal one straight away.”

Incidentally, each new set is an expansion on the previous one. The normal cooking set doesn’t contain the contents of the beginner’s set. You need to buy all of them and combine them. You can use them separately without merging them, but they’re treated as separate items, so they each take up an inventory slot. I honestly don’t see any reason not to put them together.

“Well, you wouldn’t want to pay so much just to get duplicates of stuff you already have. That’s why it’s set up like that. It’s easy to merge them, so I think it’s a good system.”

“Cooking aside, does that mean that a blacksmith uses the same furnace from the start?”

“Well, the better sets add enhancement parts to improve its performance.”

“Oh, so it also updates existing items.”

“Yep, update and expansion. You might get a lid for that pan of yours. I haven’t touched cooking so I can’t say for sure, but I think I’ve seen somebody using one.”

“Oh my, then I’ll buy the new set right away. I still have my hide money.”

“Go get ’em.”

I head north towards granny’s general store.

“Do you have a cooking set?”

“So you’re finally getting serious?”

“Yes. The beginner one is a bit lacking.”

“That one’s for complete amateurs. What about your alchemy?”

“I haven’t started on that yet.”

“I see. That’ll be 7,000.”

 

[TOOL] COOKING SET

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A portable set containing all the tools a budding cook might need.

 

I pay the money, take the set, and leave.

Now then, let’s get back to Mr. Ertz. Ms. Primura is back by the time I get there.

To merge my kits, I just have to drag and drop. Let’s do it right away. Now, deploy it!

 

I’m met with something like a system kitchen…

“Isn’t this too much of an upgrade?”

“I agree, but you need all this to really cook. And take a closer look.”

“Oh, it’s just for show…”

“Right! There’s no faucet, or gas stove, or induction plate. You just upgraded that brazier from that initial set a bit.”

“So I’m still stuck using coal…but isn’t not having water a huge oversight for a kitchen?”

“Don’t you have magic, Princess? The Drinking Water spell’s your faucet and tap water all in one!”

“Oh, I see.”

Though there’s no faucet, there’s still a drain. Rather, the water just seems to disappear if it reaches the hole. How game-like.

As for cooking utensils, I now have a frying pan with a lid, a small pot that feeds one, a medium pot that feeds six, and a lid for each. Finally, what’s this pipe for?

“Oh, I see, this is for smoking food. That pretty much confirms that I will unlock Smoking Knowledge eventually.”

“Hmm, so you can make smoked meat?”

“Yes, and I also have some bamboo baskets for steaming.”

“It changed a lot, right?”

“Yes, and that mysterious frying pan I was using changed too. Now, the pan is iron and the pots are copper. I know my way around tools like this, but I’m not so sure beginners would be able to use them.”

“You noticed that, huh?”

“Yes, they’re both top-class cooking tools, but there’s a bit of a trick to using them. They’re not like the modern ones with non-stick coating. I still don’t know how much of those details this game has reproduced, though…”

“The time it takes to craft is cut down a lot, but the process itself is usually reproduced quite faithfully.”

Which means I should give it a shot. I’ll try the eltal oil.

First, I rinse out both the frying pan and the medium pot. After filling the pot with water, I place it over the stove. It holds food for six, so as instructed, I throw in three bay leaves. Once the water boils, I add in chopped meat, then skim the scum off along with the leaves. Next, in go the chopped vegetables, and finally, I adjust the flavor…

The vegetable scraps generated in the process are going to be stir-fried in the iron pan. I bring the soup to a simmer and leave it at that.

It’s a bit sad that salt is my only real seasoning. I adjust the taste as best I can, and it’s done.

 

Cooking has reached Level 15.

Acquired Cooking Art: Steaming Knowledge

 

The pot displays the dish as ×6. Every time I stick a ladle in and transfer it to a bowl, the number goes down by 1. Then, I’m back to making soup. In general, production is the repetition of the same task over and over. Mass production through diligence.

 

[COOKING] LOADED BROWN BOAR SOUP

Rarity: NO Quality: C+

A simple salt soup. The boar meat was processed carefully, so it has no off smell and is easy to eat.

Satiety +25

Utensils: Bowl, Spoon

Chef: Anastasia

Utensil Maker: Primura

 

After eating and taking a bath, there’s nothing left to do but sleep. I log in one last time that night. Mr. Ertz and Ms. Primura are still running their stands.

“Don’t production skills rise a bit fast?”

“Only at first.”

“Yep, only at first.”

“What about compared to other skills?”

“They’re generally easier to raise.”

“Right, rather, if it wasn’t like that, we’d be way too limited. You need to hammer the skill out at the start to increase your repertoire. And once you’re high enough, you’re finally at the starting line. That’s where the game really starts for the crafters.”

“Yep, yep. The first stage in this game is to get used to the skills. The second is trial and error, using everything at your disposal to express your creativity.”

“I see…”

“Most of this leveling is to make sure you get the method down and learn the trick to it. If you really wanted to, you could reach that second stage in two or three days. Oh, but only if you have someone to supply materials, of course.”

“I already reached Cooking Level 15 today. That definitely sounds possible.”

“Wow, that’s fast! Your cooking should branch out into a secondary skill soon! Enjoy it while it lasts, because from then on, it will be like most other online games, and you won’t be leveling up as fast!”

It’s certainly hard to raise production skills in most online games. They usually demand thousand or tens of thousands of repetitions. Well, I guess management wouldn’t want you to get to the top too quickly.

As we talk, Mr. Honehone—commonly known as Mr. Skelly—comes over. Well, he’s a skeleton, after all. A party request comes from him and I accept.

“Princess! I finally found it!”

“Oh, you did?”

“I did! I found something crazy!”

“It was pretty crazy for me too. What was it?”

“The Necronomicon.”

“Is your sanity intact?”

“Oh, so you’ve heard of it?”

“I’ve flipped through a rule book Rina bought before.”

“Oh right, Akirina.”

For me, it was royal flesh—a beating heart. For the skeleton, it’s the Necronomicon. He only learned about it yesterday afternoon, so he must have skipped sleep to look for it.

“It was way too cryptic, and that trial was downright cruel.”

“Mine was a death game without any hints whatsoever.”

“For me, it was a huge, super-convoluted puzzle. But I’m looking forward to what I’ll become. I mean, if you give an intelligence test to a skeleton, it’s got to mean you’ll become a Lich, right?”

“You’ll have to level a bit more.”

“It’s probably a long way away. But hey, I can keep my current build. I get the feeling I wouldn’t have been able to make it there before evolution.”

“So even your current race was one of the conditions. I guess that makes sense…”

“Yeah, there’s a high chance taking the Mage evolution was one of the conditions. My magic elements and skill composition might have affected it too.”

“That’s possible, though I get the feeling there are special evolutions without key items that depend entirely on build out there.”

“That makes sense for a unique monster. It could even come from your fighting style rather than your skills.”

“That’s an interesting idea.”

“You wouldn’t get an inhuman population if you didn’t throw in a few surprises. You think there will be a few more now?”

“Well, one can dream, right?”

“Right. Oh yeah, is Alf here yet?”

“I haven’t heard anything from Mr. Alfred yet.”

“I see. Well, this should be enough for today!”

After complaining that he has work tomorrow, Mr. Honehone says he’s going to eat dinner and logs out; he must be sleep-deprived. I get back to cooking once he’s gone. I’d like to raise my Cooking until I get a secondary skill; I can do my trial and error once I do. After Cooking, I’d like to try my hand at Alchemy.

When it’s time to sleep, I put the set away and receive my food sales from Ms. Primura. It is an enormous 45,000 gold. Business sure is booming.

I book a room at the inn, stretch, and log out. Then I stretch in real life and go to bed.

Good night.

Chapter 11:
Saturday Morning

 

ON SCHOOL DAYS, I don’t have much home time for anything besides eating and bathing. When I can log in, I make round trips between the union and the eastern forest while replenishing the supplies I’d used up en masse on Sunday. The game has days when some goods are simply out of stock at the shops, so it takes several days to replenish my vegetable and spice supply. I have thirty bags of salt, twelve bags of bay leaves, and one hundred onions, cabbages, carrots, and may queens.

I check the shops whenever I return from a hunt. But now that I have a day off, I’d like to take it easy and focus on production.

This Saturday marks the third week of service. The event will take place next Saturday. Not that it really matters to me, but my sister is very excited.

The problem is that more people are grinding the strong monsters in the eastern forest in preparation for the event. But I still rarely run into them, so it’s not that much of a problem.

The north and south are still the main hunting grounds, and many players are focusing on those bosses. The north has the mine, and the players are starved for metal equipment. The south is full of strong wood, so those who use bows and staves are after it. Although the west has many medicinal herbs that would usually make it a top priority, the enemies there are bug type. Their appearance is an issue, and they come in swarms. You need AoE spells if you want to deal with them.

Finally, the east is home to rare ingredients, so only the few chefs—including me—are in any rush to open it.

I heard something concerning from my sister. Apparently, the number of enemies in the south suddenly dropped. The hordes of goblins are nowhere to be seen. The union’s already been notified, but perhaps it’s some sort of event.

It’s a game, so it would be quite troublesome if enemies just disappeared without it being a sign of an event. So far, no one knows what’s going on.

That might be why people are coming to the east. The enemies here may be strong, but that’s better than having no one to fight.

On Wednesday, Mr. Alfred the living armor found his extra race. It is, more precisely, a rare race route than anyone can go down as long as they fulfill the conditions. Since Mr. Alfred was the first one to figure it out, his is treated as an extra race and it functions a bit differently from how it would for other people, apparently. He can’t evolve yet, so he doesn’t know the specifics.

His discovery is recorded on the log. Seeing that as getting the go-ahead from corporate, we leak some info on extra races on the inhuman forum. Mr. Alfred and Mr. Honehone are already famous, so they use their real player names. However, they described their source of information as “from the princess.”

And then, management suddenly starts deleting replies—apparently because those users started using the term “princess play,” which was deemed inappropriate. Malicious use of the term is picked up by scanning brainwaves. So management decides to intervene, and the thread was nearly deleted. It looks like the moderation team is pretty harsh. The fact that I’m roleplaying a princess has nothing to do with princess play. They are completely different things.

We release a screenshot of our logs, and since the other two haven’t reached their special races yet, a screenshot of my race. We also publish a picture of the help menu entries about extra races and extra equipment.

The effects of my equipment we naturally keep secret. I’m not telling anyone about them.

Now then, as for the results of my weekday training…

 

Name: Anastasia

Race: Immortal Princess ♀ Lv 14

Attribute: Dark

Genus: High Undead

Species: Royal Zombie

Skill Points: 48

 

SKILLS:

Sword Lv 23, Defend Lv 20, Parry Lv 20, Armor Lv 20, Light Magic Lv 20, Magic Assist Lv 26, Perception Lv 21, Detect Lv 20, Footwork Lv 24, Cooking Lv 18, Alchemy Lv 1, Gather Lv 17, Discern Lv 16, Dismantle Lv 13, Appraisal Lv 22, Identify

 

RACE (MONSTER) SKILLS:

Dark Magic Lv 20, Dark Aura Lv 16, Physical Resistance Lv 18, Physical Immunity Lv 15, Magical Resistance Lv 5, Automatic HP Regen Lv 24, Undying Royalty Lv 4, Royal Privilege Lv 1, High Undead

 

TITLE: PRINCESS OF PEACE AND ELEGANCE

A title given to a majestic and refined princess. Improves others’ impression of you and makes them less wary in your presence.

 

That’s what my stat page looks like now. My Skill Points are piling up, but I’m sure they’ll start to run low as I raise my skills. I’ve decided to keep saving them up.

I rose two levels to level 14. At Sword level 20, I got Attack Stance. At Defend level 20, I got Guard Stance. You can freely change between different stances you have unlocked. Attack stance lowers my defense to raise my attack, while Guard Stance does the opposite. You can’t use them at the same time. Meanwhile, the Parry stance I got from level 20 Parry raises my parry success rate but lowers my defense.

At level 15 Light Magic and Dark Magic, I got Enchant and Lance for both elements. Enchant is a buff, and the stat increases depend on the elemental attribute. Light increases Spirit while Dark increases Intelligence.

When Magic Assist hit 20, I got Lock and Unlock. At 25, I got Telekinesis and Delay Cast. As the name suggests, Lock and Unlock allow you to lock and unlock things with magic. Telekinesis is a magic that lets you move things without touching them. It costs mana to use, and the mana cost is higher the heavier the target is. Delay Cast is a passive that gives you a longer grace period between when an incantation is finished and when the spell is actually cast.

Those are my only skills that have arts.

The attacks from rabbits and wolves have finally entered the range of my Physical Immunity. I’m actually surprised it took this long.

And now, it’s finally my long-awaited day off. Saturday.

Should I do some more cooking? I have 100 of each vegetable, so I should be able to make 600 servings of soup…though that might be too much if it doesn’t sell well. I can either put up a stall or do consignment.

You need to register with the trade union to erect a stall. With consignment, I won’t have to register, but I will have to pay a higher commission. If I do consignment after registering, I can edit the settings in detail, and I can put a cap on daily purchases. To summarize, if I don’t register, I’ll just be setting an item and price without any more freedom.

The trade union is a gathering of merchants, and it has its own ranking system just like the adventurers’ union. The higher the rank, the more prestigious the merchant, and you do receive preferential treatment in some ways. You can set up shop in better locations, they’ll introduce you to skilled workers if you need them, and they’ll help you out when you’re in trouble.

Your rank rises through contributions: To be blunt, it’s based on the amount of money you have stored at the union. The important part—as far as players are concerned—is that they don’t care how you make your money as long as you pay it—it doesn’t even have to be your money.

When you set up a stall, you generally have to manage it yourself. If it’s a permanent shop, you can hire residents as employees. As for consignment, the people of the union will take care of everything for you, so you can just leave it to them.

Consignment is best for people who focus on combat. They can just drop off their materials whenever they come to restock on consumables, then head off again. They’ll often just sell to their preferred crafters instead, assuming they have any.

Most crafters manage a stall while doing their crafting on-site. Not everyone’s rich enough to buy a store. Stalls and consignment both have their pros and cons, and preference varies from person to person, so I can’t say which is better. I’m a crafter myself, so I think I’ll just set up a stall near Mr. Ertz. Consignment is more for people who don’t have the time.

In any case, it all starts with registration.

The union building is down the southern road in the designated business district. It is a large building with a wagon and scales on its sign. I wait a while for my turn before handing my adventurer card to the receptionist. The unions share the same card; I just get another stamp on it. And that’s registration complete.

I get permission to open my shop and buy a stall starter set.

 

[TOOL] SIMPLE STALL SET

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A simple set to establish a stall. It can be purchased from the trade union.

 

[TOOL] STALL SET

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A set to establish a stall. It can be purchased from the trade union.

 

There are two sets available, but I can only purchase the simple one—the purchase condition of the other seems to be tied to my number of sales and total profit. The more money your stall makes, the better stall you can get.

I get the simple one for 5,000 gold.

I also leave a few rabbit kebabs and 1 cm cuts of steak for consignment. The 1 cm ones aren’t my main product. I sell them for 400 gold, and the skewers go for 200 gold. I have thirty-five skewers, so subtracting commission from the 7,000, that puts me at 6,650 gold. With twenty 1 cm steaks…8,000 turns into 7,600. Although that’s only if everything sells.

Oh, I’ll leave 50,000 with them.

Leaving money with the union ensures you don’t lose it when you die. On death, you lose half of the money you have on hand as a penalty, so it’s really quite important. I deposit it into the union bank.

Now then, my main wares at the stall will be 4 cm steaks and soup. Let’s raise that Cooking skill.

When I check the usual spot, I see that Mr. Ertz and Ms. Primura already have their stalls set up.

“Good morning.”

“Howdy.”

“Morning.”

I cheerfully deploy my Simple Stall Set beside Primura. All that comes out is a carpet and a small box.

“Oh, you got a stall?”

“It’s pretty barren at the start.”

Is that really all I get? It really is barren, especially when I’m next to two of the fancier pushcarts.

“Well, you’ll be at this level soon enough.”

“It’s just one upgrade from where you’re at.”

“Oh, so that’s why the next level’s so expensive.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy to suddenly ask for 20,000, right?”

“You should have that much if you fulfill the conditions to unlock it.”

Yes, you definitely should have 20,000 if you meet the sales quota. All it really does is increase the number of goods you can display at once, so the appearance isn’t that important.

Now then, I can cook my steaks like I did last time, but what shall I do for the soup? The steak’s satiety is five points higher, but the soup requires far more ingredients. Unfortunately, my material investment doesn’t matter to the customer, so I might have to increase the steak’s price.

The problem is, while the steak is more profitable, the soup’s better for raising my skill level. I also don’t have to worry about it as much.

Let’s go with steak for 600 and soup for 500.

The biggest cost is the meat. The steak uses rabbit while the soup uses boar. Obviously different dishes require different meat, but I’m not sure how to feel about this. There’s such a difference in raw material costs, yet in the finished products it’s the other way around…

“Of course the price will be different before and after you do work on it. That’s common sense. I understand how you feel, but just give it up.”

“It’s the curse of all crafters.”

“You’re lucky you can even sell the item you need to craft to raise your skill level.”

“Yep, yep. It’s terrible when you need to craft it but there’s absolutely no demand.”

“That’s one of the good parts about this game. They don’t designate what you have to make to raise your skill level. You just need to be mindful of the materials you use.”

That’s pretty common for crafters, at least in MMOs. They have to make items that have no market demand to raise their skill levels. Worst case, the materials needed are also needed for other, better items that have a demand.

“But on the other hand, you have to keep testing to see which materials are compatible with one another…”

“True. I have to keep messing with alloy concentrations. As for Cooking, does the method affect experience?”

“From personal experience, I’d say yes. Stewing gives you more than frying. Steaming probably gives more than that.”

“That limits your options.”

“The time it takes to stew something is far shorter than you would need to in real life, so it’s easy. It’s the measures you have to take that are unique to this world that can get a bit annoying. You have to gather information from the residents. You can’t get info if you’re not friendly with them…”

“So you need the wisdom of housewives!”

That’s how it is with the brown boar soup.

Today, I’m considering changing from boar to bear meat, since the bears were higher level. Unlike the boar meat, the bear meat description doesn’t say anything about a necessary process, but there are apparently a set of steps I should go through… I asked the nice lady when I stopped to refill my supplies.

I had to buy things I wasn’t even planning on getting to loosen her lips, but that was a necessary expense. What a shrewd merchant! But I’m going to be putting the new item to use right away, so it’s fine.

 

[INGREDIENT] COOKING WINE

Rarity: NO Quality: C

Common wine used for cooking. Can be used 50 times.

 

Now let’s make it!

I fill the six-person pot with water and add bay leaves and cooking wine. Then, I throw in the bear meat chopped into bite-size pieces, ignite the flame, and stir slowly. “A lot of scum will come out before it starts to boil, so make sure you get all of it,” she told me. But I didn’t expect this much.

“Hey, she’s cackling while stirring that pot…! ”

“Is she a witch…?!”

Chapter 12:
Saturday Afternoon

 

I HAVE LUNCH with my mother and sister, then take a short break before logging in for the afternoon. It’s afternoon in-game as well.

When I’m back, a man I don’t know has set up shop where I had my stall. He seems to be doing Needleworking, making clothes and such. He and Salute are the only ones around.

“Ah, welcome back. You can set up next to me.”

What a kind offer, Ms. Salute. I’ll take you up on that.

“I don’t think we’ve met before. I’m Dentelle, and I’m raising Needleworking. Nice to meet you, Princess.”

“Nice to meet you two. My name’s Anastasia, by the way. Though at this point, I guess you can call me ‘Princess’ if you want to.”

“Nicknames often stick better than your actual name. It’s nothing new.”

“I got a nickname in grade school, and then they never said my real name again.”

“I knew a few guys like that. Sometimes their nicknames didn’t even contain a single letter of their real names. Tragic.”

“Right, right.”

Ms. Salute and Mr. Dentelle seem to be working adults. They know how to talk with voices full of nostalgia, and they say it all in past tense.

“That’s a nice dress you’ve got there, by the way, though the coloration makes me a bit sad.”

“I agree with you there. According to the item names, this is the ‘faded’ series. I might be able to restore them to their full color someday.”

“I see.”

By the way, Mr. Dentelle and Ms. Salute are both at the top of their fields, as one might expect after they set up shop next to Mr. Ertz and Ms. Primura. When I say top, I don’t mean they’re the very best around—I mean they’re part of the top group. There’s no way of really knowing who stands at the summit in an MMO. They’re undoubtedly famous, though, and they make good stuff.

I set up my stall and start cooking beside Ms. Salute. It isn’t long before Mr. Ertz comes back, then Ms. Primura, then Mr. Alf and Mr. Skelly. Even my sister comes in good time. She’s not alone; she brought her own party along for the ride.

In this game, a party should consist of 6 people max, but, she seems to have twice that number.

“Hey, Sis! Old man! Fix me up!”

“Yeah, give me a sec.”

Rina charges at Mr. Ertz, who’s on the opposite side from me. Meanwhile, I’m approached by two familiar faces.

“Stasha, right?”

“Yes, and I take it you’re Tomo and Sugu.”

“Yep. We can finally register as friends.”

“Hey-hey.”

They’re Tomohiro and Suguru in real life, Friend 1 and Friend 2. I’ve known them both since kindergarten. Although I heard that their character names are Tomo and Sugu, this is my first time actually meeting them in-game.

Tomo is a human with black hair and green eyes. His weapon is a book, which would make him primarily a magic attacker. He’s wearing a flowing robe. Sugu, meanwhile, is a red-eyed, red-haired giant. He’s somewhere around two and a half meters tall and seems to be all brute strength—at least that’s what his appearance suggests. His weapon is a two-handed hammer and his equipment is leather light armor.

As it turns out, the crowd is so large because Rina and Tomo’s parties came together. Each member heads for their preferred crafter.

“I’m surprised you can manage a stall surrounded by all these members, Sis…”

“Really? I’m friends with those four. Though I just met Mr. Dentelle and Ms. Salute today.”

“This is just a guess,” Ms. Salute chimed in, “but the princess’s Cooking skill might actually be around top level. What are you at right now?”

“My Cooking level is twenty-three.”

“Oh, I knew it. On the forums, there were loads of people complaining about how they were stuck around level 15 because they couldn’t get any meat from the east.”

Primura joined the conversation as well. “The chef population is already pretty low. I’d like a few more of them.”

“I see. Sis can hunt solo in the eastern forest, so she def has the materials.”

“Her cooking is delicious too.”

“I eat it in real life, so I already know how well she cooks. That’s quite a nice price. Which soup do you recommend?”

“Bear.”

“Yep, bear.”

“Gotta be bear.”

“Bear all the way.”

“The bear is the tastiest one. If you want to fill up, I’d recommend the steak. And for the best price, the boar soup.”

“So everyone’s recommending it, huh? Then I’ll take a bear soup and steak.”

The food in this world is just generally good. I doubt it would turn out like this if I made bear hot pot in real life. It really was worth it to pick up Cooking. My main problem is the fact that we’re still in the early game, and I don’t have much choice of ingredients.

The whole group sells their materials and has their equipment repaired. It seems they’re going to spend the day hunting. It’s vacation, so I’m sure they’ll give it their all. And I’m going to give my all to cooking.

Evolving my skills in a single day might be a bit much to ask for. My growth rate has begun to slow down since I don’t have any higher-level ingredients.

“Oh, there she is. I got the steak from that girl.”

“I see. She’s cooking in a dress like that. It’s kinda of surreal seeing a proper princess playing at chef.”

Oh, there’s that elf with the instrument who bought enough steak for his party. There are music skills, so I’m assuming that’s actually his weapon. Music skills can cast buffs over a wide area, but your movements are heavily restricted while performing. It’s quite a finicky skill set. The instrument he’s using is a mandolin, by the way.

“Hey there, Cecil.”

“Long time no see, Akirina. You’re as peppy as ever.”

There’s a human male beside the elf who seems to know Rina. Ah, that elf must be Mr. Norbert’s party member—the leader, most likely. Rina immediately begins trying to hard sell my food to him, but it looks like he came to buy some from the start.

“Can you do some repairs for me, Ertz?”

“Yeah, give me a minute.”

“I’ll be counting on you, Primura.”

“You got it.”

The maintenance requests come in one after the other. Everyone seems to have the same thing in mind. Granted, it’s a holiday, after all.

“Hey, Tomo, is your party in the top too?”

“For what it’s worth.”

“I’d say we’re around mid.”

“Rina’s somewhere up there.”

“Hmm, those two over there… You know, the fox and rabbit beastmen. Those are Rina’s IRL friends, aren’t they?”

“They are. I’m surprised you can tell, though.”

“Ah, they used to come over a lot. I hadn’t seen them for a while, but it looks like they still get along.”

“Well, they’ve been doing nothing but playing this game for a while now.”

“I see. That explains it.”

Rina comes up to me with Mr. Norbert and…Cecil, was it? Norbert goes straight up to Tomo and Sugu.

“Hey, Tomosugu.”

“At least split them up!”

“It does feel like a single name,” Mr. Norbert chuckles. They certainly do seem like they should be one name if you put them together. Tomosugu.

“Let me introduce you, Sis. This is the first-place prize winner of that tournament I entered.”

“Hello, I’m Cecil. Umm, Anastasia, was it?”

“Yes, it’s Anastasia. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise. You see Norbert messing around there? I’m the leader of his party.”

Mr. Cecil uses twin swords. He must be quite skillful—if I had to guess, he looks like he specializes in PvP, but those blades can’t be easy to handle. You might end up forgetting to move one of your arms if you’re not careful.

“If you’re talking about difficulty, your rapier is classified as one of the harder weapons, Sis…”

“Oh, that’s a rapier? I got a vague idea from the handle, but…”

“I got it to match the dress.”

“I see. A slender sword is a good match for a dress.”

It’s not bad to have a chat while I cook, especially when everyone’s a paying customer. After a few more pleasantries, and after registering me as a friend, Mr. Cecil heads over to Mr. Ertz.

 

Cooking has reached Level 25.

Acquired Cooking Art: Smoking Knowledge

 

“Oh, I need to boil the smell out of the boar and bear, so that won’t work out… I should try rabbit or wolf meat. If I go for something simple, I can use what I have on hand… The problem is…”

The seasoning, and the time it will take to dry. Humidity control is learned at Alchemy Level 5. Should I try leveling it up a bit?

Looking at the recipes, it seems I can make an HP Potion with distilled water, two medicinal herbs, and a zoomishroom. However, I don’t have any distilled water. Suddenly, I look to the side and notice Ms. Salute is selling her own handcrafted distilled water. The compounding set seems to include a still. If I can use it with the heat from my brazier, she might lend it to me.

“How many do you need?”

“I want to raise my Alchemy skill to level 5, so I’d like around twenty please.”

“You can buy distilled water at a normal shop, but all right. In terms of price, I can lend you the still to make 120 distilled waters—in exchange for one steak.”

“Are you sure? It’s a deal!”

“You know how to use it, don’t you?”

“I do, so I’ll be all right.”

I place the still over the charcoal brazier and pour in Drinking Water. Then, I just have to wait. Once I pour the finished product into an empty potion vial, I have a completed distilled water. I repeat this a few times before handing the still back to Ms. Salute with all the vials I made beyond 120.

Next, I deploy my Beginner’s Alchemy Set. There’s a large cloth with a magic symbol on it. I need to place materials on top and Synthesize.

There’s a poof, and I’m left with trash.

“HP potions are a high-level recipe, you know?”

“They are?”

“Those ones you receive in the tutorial are for beginners. They recover 50 HP. The unbranded ones heal 150. They’re a bit much for a beginner…”

Making the weaker version just means diluting a normal potion. Although I can make them with Synthesis, the ingredients are an HP Potion and distilled water. That’s too much money for leveling, even if HP Potions weren’t out of stock.

Apparently, it’s recommended that I start with synthesizing fertilizer or wooden arrows. I don’t have any weed, dirt, branches, or feathers. But even failures give HP, so I’ll keep trying to make HP potions since I have way too many of those materials.

Oh, but before I get into Alchemy, I should do some seasoning. I don’t know how long I need to marinate the meat for smoking to work. First. I’ll prepare some empty jars I brought alongside the cooking wine. They also had sugar for sale, and it was expensive…but I still bought it.

 

[TOOL] EMPTY JAR

Rarity: NO Quality: C

A relatively large empty jar you can use to preserve goods.

It’s difficult to craft ones of this size, so it’s relatively expensive.

 

I fill it with water, then add salt and sugar and let them dissolve. Next, I’ll have to shave the wolf meat into thin slices, but that’s too difficult with this knife. I’ll rely on the splendid cutting edge of my rapier.

“Can we talk about how my sister is using a sword to slice meat, though…?”

“You get used to her behavior.”

I’ll just ignore Rina and Mr. Ertz for the time being.

While I’m at it, I slice up the onions and garlic too. Then, I place the sliced meat, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper into the jar. I’ll wait for the flavors to seep in.

Now on to mass producing alchemic trash. When I create my twentieth piece of garbage…

 

Alchemy has reached Level 5.

Acquired Alchemy Spell: Humidity Control

 

I got what I was hoping for. The rest will have to wait until the meat is done.

In real life, it’s Saturday afternoon. It’s also afternoon in-game, and there are quite a few people in the starting town. This naturally brings a lot of noise with it—yet through it all, a manly cry shakes the air.

“What was that?”

“Is something about to happen?”

The roar pierces the air again. I can tell it’s coming from the south. And this time, it’s followed by a hoot. The players—me included—look up.

“An owl…?”

“I think so, but it’s too far to make out.”

That lasted only an instant. A ball of light comes falling toward us. As it plummets, the ball morphs into a massive owl whose wings block out the heavens, swooping through the space overhead before returning to the sky once more.

The trail of light it leaves behind gradually begins to take shape.

“Are there enemies coming?”

“Well, it’s a bird, and an owl no less. It could be a divine messenger.”

“Yeah, I can see that happening.”

The light shifts, and a message crosses the log.

 

A world quest has been generated.

Location: Starting Town

All outsiders in the corresponding area will automatically take part.

 

“What?!” A voice cries out from somewhere in town. The residents react to the sound with shock—it seems like only the players can see that overhead message. Those blinking letters display a special phrase: World Quest.

At the same time, the help menu is updated. But the log continues to flow, leaving me no time to read the menu.

 

Confirming the scale of the quest…complete. Set to W. Quest

Calculating the necessary roles and the required outsiders for W. Quest…

Supreme Commander…assigned. Commanding Officers…assigned. Sending request to each player.

 

Now is it just me, or is there a window asking me if I want to be the supreme commander of the world quest…? I’ve never even fought in a party before.

“Wow, they want me to be a commanding officer…!”

“You’re an officer, Cecil?”

“Yeah, I can accept that.”

Looking at the sky, it seems they’re waiting for responses. I don’t think things will progress until I press something. You don’t get a chance like this very often, so let’s do it.

 

Confirmed the participation of all requested members.

The remaining party leaders will be set as squad leaders. They will be spread among the commanding officers.

For all outsiders who are not in a party, please check the help menu.

 

“Aaah! My field of view!”

Yeah, I have to agree with whoever said that. This is sensory overload. I’ll need to fiddle with the settings to make things a bit more manageable on my end. I just need to see the information of my own party members and the commanding officers, I don’t need the squad leaders—there are way too many of them.

“Whoa, Sis. There’s a crown over your head! Ah, does that mean you’re the supreme commander?!”

“Yeah, there was a window telling me to make a choice.”

“Ooh, then it’s true?! Congrats!”

“It probably has to do with my race or my skills. You’d definitely need some command skills in this position.”

“That makes sense, if you have command skills at hand.”

“One of my race skills is a high-level command skill, so I think that’s why I was chosen…”

“I see. For now, let’s head for those markers on the map.”

“You’re right. Timewise, we only have half an hour to prepare.”

 

WORLD QUEST: THE DEFENSE OF THE STARTING TOWN

Location: The Starting Town

Scale: W. Quest

Victory Condition: Repel or exterminate the goblin forces led by the goblin general

Failure Condition: The goblins enter the town

Starts in…

 

The details of the quest are displayed in the sky, and the clock ticks down.

“Let’s party up, Princess.”

“Can the supreme commander join a party…? Well, we’ll find out if we try it.”

I send an invite to Mr. Alfred and Mr. Honehone. There doesn’t seem to be any issue. Now, they’ll receive the benefits of Undying Royalty and Royal Privilege.

I should pack the cooking set away and head for the southern plain. Everyone seems to be headed in that direction, so I can just go with the flow.

“The scale says W. Quest, but according to the help menu, that means ‘War Quest.’ It doesn’t necessarily mean it encompasses the whole world.”

“So the ‘W’ stands for ‘war.’”

Mr. Alf is reading the help menu.

“But this is pretty sudden…”

“Did we hunt too many goblins? It does say the boss is a goblin general.”

“The problem is we don’t know how strong the general is.”

“A W. Quest is essentially a raid, right?”

“No, according to the help menu, it’s one level above a raid. It’s quite literally a war.”

“There’ll be thousands of goblins, then? Tens of thousands?”

Mr. Alf fields questions from Mr. Cecil and Mr. Skelly. It looks like this is going to be quite large-scale. Honestly, I never expected something so big so soon. We haven’t even had a raid yet.

According to Mr. Alf, a World Quest is what would be a main story quest in any other MMO: a quest that influences the world. If the goblins make it into the starting town, it will undoubtedly have some influence on the events to come. Perhaps we’d shift to a city liberation mission after that.

World quests happen at seemingly random times, and it’s up to luck whether you get to take part in one or not. Though luckily they seem to occur quite frequently.

“So, we’re up against a field boss.”

“Yeah, a boss attacking a town with an army of mobs. Pretty harsh.”

“If it were a dragon rather than a goblin, I don’t see how we would block its breath.”

“The breath would be the end of us, so we’d have to lure it to face away from anything important.”

Listening to Mr. Cecil and Mr. Alf whispering along the way, I arrive at the plains to find a massive gathering of outsiders.

“Looks like everyone’s here.”

“Well, it’s a holiday and peak login time.”

“Oh, there’s a crimson moon in the sky…”

“That there is. Do you think that caused it?”

“Maybe…”

The crimson moon is, well…it’s a crimson moon. It’s pretty conspicuous even in daylight. Apparently, it changes the enemies in the field.

“Now what do we do, commander?”

“No matter what we do, I don’t see how we unify this many people…”

“Right…”

There’s over ten thousand of us. And with this number of players, we’ll most likely be up against tens of thousands of goblins—otherwise it would be over in an instant, and that wouldn’t be any fun.

As I’m checking through the event UI, three players with silver crown icons over their heads approach me. Seeing as Mr. Cecil has one too, these must be the commanding officers.

“Hello! Are you that rumored princess?”

“We have the supreme commander and the officers together. But getting the squad leaders involved…that would be like herding cats.”

“Good day. My name is Anastasia.”

“Whoa… You’re even more princessey than I was expecting…”

“There is a royal assist being automatically applied to my motions.”

“Oh, I see. I’m Kotatsu!”

“I’m Lucebarm.”

“And I’m Musasabi.”

Ms. Kotatsu is a cat beastman, though her only modifications are a pair of ears and a tail. Her hair is brown and her eyes are gold, and she wears hot pants that boldly expose her pale legs. Mr. Lucebarm, meanwhile, is a talking bipedal bear. He’s cartoonified in a cool way. Beastmen can select how beastly they want to be; they’re a race with quite a bit of freedom in their appearance. He looks like a polar bear with red eyes.

Finally, Mr. Musasabi is a ninja who’s clearly not hiding it. A ninja. More precisely, he’s a human male in shinobi gear. Black hair and black eyes. His clothes cover most of his features.

“Yep, it looks like you were right about the command skills, Princess.”

“I see. So you need to be a high level and have a command skill to be chosen.”

“As far as I can tell. Now then, we don’t have much time, so we need to make some crucial decisions.”

“We can’t manage these numbers,” the three commanding officers say all at once. We’re in agreement on that one.

“Yep, I know. So what do we do, commander?”

“I doubt we’ll have any flying enemies this early in the game. We have no way of coping with goblin riders on flying mounts. So why don’t we divide people based on their weapon?”

“That seems like the only option…I guess.”

“Yes, simple is best. We’ll put the tanks at the front, the archers in the middle, and the magicians in the back.”

“I agree that there probably won’t be flying enemies, but I’d be a failure of a commander if I didn’t at least account for the possibility.”

Apparently, once the quest was generated, the participants were all able to select a role based on their skill set. The icon for the role they selected is displayed beside their names so you can tell at a glance.

And it seems that my supreme commander UI shows the number of people in each role. Yes, there are close to twenty thousand participants. That’s almost all of the first batch of players.

“Mr. Musasabi, can I leave the air to you—if any flying enemies appear? Your division seems to just barely have the most ranged attackers.”

“As you wish, Princess!”

“Well, someone’s motivated. Anyway, with this many players, some of them are definitely going to go off on their own. What do we do when that happens?”

The answer to Mr. Lucebarm’s question is really quite simple. “There’s nothing we can do about it. Just treat them like they don’t exist. It’s pointless to worry about them, and it’s just a game. Stuff happens.”

“Yes, that sounds like a plan. Do you play a lot of online games, Princess?”

“Here and there, though usually 2d games. My sister’s more of a gamer than me.”

“Interesting!”

“Right.”

“Wait, are you Rina’s sister?”

“I am.”

“Oh, you’re putting that prize to good use then.”

We decide on a plan that isn’t really a plan at all… Honestly, we have no information about the enemy, and we’re out in an open plain, so our only option is a head-on collision. In fact, we don’t even have a grasp on our own forces.

“A War Quest? I like the sound of that. That’s like a festival to us.”

“A festival it is.”

“Please relay the plan to the squads.”

“Understood.”

They all seem quite into it. After the messages are sent out, we check the event UI. We need a better grasp on what we can do and what we can’t.

The supreme commander’s voice will reach all the commanding officers. The commanding officers’ voices will reach all the squad leaders beneath them, and they can converse with the supreme commander as well. The squad leaders have their normal party chat, and they can contact their commanding officers.

So, in short…the commanding officers are middle management. It looks like they can designate a few assistants as well, since it would be hard to manage so many people alone without support. They can divide up their units however they want to.

The system allows officers to speak with each other regardless of distance. It’s a W. Quest-limited officer chat. We can switch between chat logs through thought control, which is quite helpful. It would be a lot more annoying if this weren’t VR.

The officers relay the plans, and everyone shambles to their positions. It might have gone faster if I had given the orders. The commanding officers were all clumped together, so it would have reached the squad leaders at the same time regardless.

Let’s have my party members Mr. Alf and Mr. Skelly go out front.

“Come to think of it, what do we do about the broadcast? I guess it’s every man for himself.”

“Broadcast?”

“This game has livestream and record functions.”

“I remember something like that in the settings, but I didn’t quite get it, so I ignored it.”

“You might want to record the battle, at least.”

“Well, there’s some time until it starts. I can set that up right now.”

“There aren’t too many settings you have to work with. Do you want me to teach you?”

“Please do.”

Ms. Kotatsu shows me around the record settings: the resolution, encoder, rate limit, bitrate, format and such. Let’s have a large third-person perspective with a first-person perspective in the corner—the default livestream template. Yes, that looks about right. You’d feel sick if it was all first person, and it wouldn’t feel real in just third person. When it’s third person view, it apparently shows my line of sight and what I’m able to see. That’s amazing.

Also, it only displays my base UI, like my HP, MP, and mini-map. Otherwise, it could reveal my build.

I can also set it to broadcast live, but I’d need to link it to a site that I don’t have an account on.

“I already see a few streamers. See that fairy holding a camera behind that player? Green means streaming, red means recording. The residents can’t see them, by the way.”

“I see, so that’s what that is.”

I can see a mass of light in a barely humanoid form hovering in the direction Mr. Lucebarm indicates. It’s following a player.

Fairies are a selectable race of inhumans, so there must be some distinction between camera fairies and player fairies.

“Well, it’s basically a festival. Maybe I should stream too.”

“You have an account, Mr. Cecil?”

“All the commanding officers do.”

“I see.”

So everyone’s a streamer these days. A green fairy pops into being behind Mr. Cecil and readies its camera. The others are already streaming. Won’t they just be competing for views if they all stream from the same spot? But I guess different perspectives can be interesting, and you can apparently have multiple streams open at the same time.

“Akirina has an account too, but she just uploads videos occasionally. She doesn’t stream.”

“I see. So it’s not just livestreaming.”

“That’s always an option. Ah, it’s about time…”

Roars erupt from the trees at regular intervals. They seem to grow louder every time I hear them. They must be getting closer.

When there’s a minute left on the countdown, the goblins finally appear. This is my first time actually seeing goblins. They have a rather orthodox appearance for the genre, I’d say. Around child size, with green skin. You know what I mean.

Here and there, I spot a few special ones that tower over their brethren. The goblins come armed with stone spears, axes, bows, and staves…

“Report! We’re dealing with goblins and hobgoblins, my liege!”

“Are you supposed to be a knight or a ninja?”

“Ha ha ha, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Hobgoblins are another staple, and they’re a level 10 evolution. A general would be around level 30. I expect this general we’re after is level 40 at most.”

“I doubt hobgoblins evolve straight into goblin generals. There should be an evolution or two in between.”

“So by that estimate, at worst it’s probably twice the level of our top players.”

The countdown reaches zero. The sky displays a single word: “Ready?”

“Are you seeing anything, leader?”

“I am.”

“Is there a key word to kick things off?”

“Maybe the supreme commander needs to give the signal. We’re supposed to be like an army, after all.”

The lines are written on the window in front of me; it seems I need to say them for the quest to start. The countdown’s already over, and the event might start automatically if I don’t do anything—but there’s no need to feel embarrassed. I’m just roleplaying in a game.

“Ahem. All right, let’s go.”

I form a somewhat proper voice, reading my lines with clarity and dignity. “O gathered outsiders, it is time to wage war! We shall not let a single enemy pass us by. The Goddess of War, Sigrdrifa, shines her magnificent light down upon us! All troops! Forward, march!”

Once I say the last word, every participating player is enveloped in a red light, which is then absorbed into their bodies.

 

Anastasia’s Royal Privilege is in effect. All stats are raised for the duration of this quest.

World Quest: Defense of the Starting Town, Commence!

 

The battle cries of players overlap with the roars of the forest, and the air quivers beneath it all. In unison, the goblins and hobgoblins charge toward us. On the order of the officers, the long-range and mid-range divisions begin their attack. The magic and arrows rain down on our enemies.

But the goblins have archers and magicians of their own. They mount their counterattack. Though a goblin is not much of a threat one on one, at war, things are different.

“They’ve never moved like that before.”

“Oh, really?”

“They shouldn’t be that smart.”

“They’ve taken a formation not unlike ours.”

I see. Their commander must play a large part in all this. The vanguards make it through the storm, and our front lines collide.

This is where it begins.

Chapter 13:
The Defense of the Starting Town

 

AS WE WATCH the backs of players fighting goblins, an armed group approaches from town. They’re led by a well-built man.

“Oswell, branch chief of the Adventurers’ Union, at your service. Who’s in charge here?”

“I am the supreme commander here, so I am in charge. My name is Anastasia.”

“I see. We want to join in.”

“No, we were told to protect the town and its residents. Please leave this to us.”

“Did the gods tell you that?”

“Yes. We are unable to die, so we’ll take the first hit. If we are ultimately annihilated, I’ll be leaving the town in your hands.”

This is a World Quest, which means it can cause lingering effects on the world, and if the residents die during it, I presume they’re dead for good. Therefore, we should be the ones kicking this off. But these are expert fighters who are hoping to protect their homeland. There’s a high chance they have friends and family here. They won’t listen if I tell them to hide in town.

Instead, I’ve asked them to become the last line of defense if we fall.

The branch chief will make the right decision. He has to. I know my methods are a bit unfair.

“Understood. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You heard her, men! Set up a defensive line at the south gate! March!”

“Hup!”

I watch the resident adventurers leave to form a line in front of the city before returning my attention to the front line. Now all’s well as long as no enemies get through.

“So what was your real intention just then?”

“Well, first off, they might be adventurers, but they’re still residents. We’ll definitely get a lower score if they die. I’d like to eliminate them from the equation.”

“Sounds about right.”

It’s just a game to us. We can gleefully charge straight at an enemy. But to the residents, we’re a bunch of crazies who charge to our deaths with a smile. Although the grace of the gods (according to the setting) prevents us from dying, we still feel pain. They are, quite honestly, weirded out by us.

But no need to worry, my dear resident adventurers. Throw away those guilty consciences. You’re actually making me feel bad for messing with your heads. Seriously.

“All right, is everyone ready? We’ll transition from Maestro to War Song.”

A short distance from where the supreme commander and the commanding officers are gathered are a group of players led by Norbert, most of them with an instrument in hand: the so-called music brigade. When players with the Spell Song or Magic Recital skills get together and play, it creates a synergistic effect.

The musicians play a majestic BGM as warriors fight on the front lines…and at regular intervals a wave of light spreads from the band, and every player it touches received a special effect: a damage boost.

“Next up is Oratorio!”

This song makes players regain HP and MP faster. The effects are amazing, but the music brigade is quite limited. It just happens to be incredibly useful this time around.

“I’d love to enjoy a cup of tea to this tune.”

“Y’know, they’re in full-blown combat over there—though I understand if you’re bored.”

“It really is dull this far from the front lines.”

“There’ll definitely be a penalty if the commanders are taken out…”

“My command skill’s been stuck at Level 1 all this time, but now it’s suddenly skyrocketing, which is delightful. But I’m bored nonetheless.”

“Oh, you’re right. It’s going up.”

While the commanders are lazing around, the goblins’ numbers are shrinking quickly. Though they’re more competent than normal goblins, they’re still goblins. They’re acting smarter, but they still have the same base stats.

That said, a few players have died and come back. The revival point is right behind us.

“Fae Army assemble!”

“On it!”

Slightly behind and above us, the fae army gathers. Fae is a general term for the faerie species, so this is a group of faerie players. The one in the front is a green faerie.

“Hmm? That sounds like Fairellen.”

“It does. What are they trying to do?”

Using the magic element that they have the highest skill level in, the fae are able to change their form. They’re a peculiar race. Fairellen is a wind faerie, and one of the best around. Her race and nature means she’s best at wind magic. The others turn shades of red and blue, and some flicker too.

“It’s a full-out assault! Let’s sweep ’em!”

“Hyah!”

Hmm? Did I just hear something quite troubling? I must have imagined it. The fairies fly off toward the goblins and blast the ground beneath them with massive bursts of magic. The goblins on the ground dissipate into polygons.

“Oh, that’s quite effective.”

“They’re strong when they have control of the air.”

Now the demon race people are joining in too. This is terrible.

The goblins don’t just sit around waiting to be slaughtered. They fire back with their bows and magic—yet this means they can’t engage with their melee weapons. But if they concentrate too hard on the enemies right in front of them, the magic will rain down on their unprotected heads.

“How pitiful. Let’s go again.”

“Quite pitiful indeed.”

“They are the enemy. There is no need for mercy! Do what they hate most. That’s the most effective way!”

“You’re not wrong…”

I give minor orders here and there as the lines defend against the goblin assault. In time, the goblins grow sparse. There used to be so many you couldn’t even see the ground. It’s sunset, meaning it’s around 3:00 p.m. in the real world. This started around one, so it’s been roughly two hours of battle.

“We’ve thinned them out a lot.”

“Seriously…!”

“It’s not going to just end like this, is it?”

“If it does, we’ve done nothing but give orders…”

Suddenly, a roar rings through the forest, and a three-meter-tall goblin-like something in armor bursts out of the tree line, flanked by its followers. These followers aren’t hobgoblins; they’re the same size as regular goblins, but their postures and faces are a bit different. They’re more imposing.

“Ah, that’s clearly the boss. Thank you very much.”

“You just had to say it…”

“It’s a goblin general with goblin elites, apparently.”

“I see, so those are elites—or wait, there are too many of them, so they can’t be elites. I’m guessing they’re the level 20 evolution. Which means the general is level 30?”

“It would be quite a bother if it were anything higher than that.”

“This might still end by our strength in numbers. It might end without anything noteworthy happening.”

“That would be a good thing from the town’s perspective. It’s anticlimactic for us, though…”

Direct attacks on the boss are blocked by a membrane of light. The priests following the general are brandishing their staves.

“So how’s the boss?”

“The boss and its followers seem like they’re invulnerable for now.”

“Not good.”

Invulnerable…meaning they take no damage. It’s pointless to try anything; we haven’t reached the point where we can beat them yet. It would be like attacking a hero during a transformation sequence—it simply won’t work, and you won’t get your mana back either. It’s a waste.

The boss’s HP bar hasn’t appeared yet, so rather than the priests blocking all attacks…this is just scripted. We need to fulfill some condition. They even went as far as giving us a scripted sequence to explain this invulnerability! The developers put a lot into it. It’s like they’re telling us not to waste our breath.

As the officers stare sadly at the front lines, something rises into the air from behind the general.

“Hey…”

“Plan B, right?”

“Let’s do it.”

The goblins fly at high speeds, riding on round objects. I get the feeling that these are the real goblin elites. I was right to consider countermeasures against air attacks.

Mr. Musasabi gives orders to his own unit and begins the anti-air measures. A portion of the spells and arrows are redirected toward the air. I see a green flash flying, then suddenly, there’s an explosion that knocks the goblins off balance.

“You’re already using AoE spells? If it’s green, that means it’s wind, right?”

“Oh, you’ve got it wrong. That one was an arrow. It’s the Arrow Flak art that you get at level 30. It’s a valuable anti-projectile measure.”

“I see.”

On top of this, Ms. Fairellen’s fairies and the demon team have begun midair combat. They’re competing for air supremacy with the goblins.

“Knock down any fool who dares enter our realm!”

“Hya ha!”

Our realm…? And what’s “hya ha!” supposed to mean?

“They’re going to get through. They fly faster than expected, and there are too many of them.”

“We can’t let them into town—wait, aren’t they headed straight at us?”

“Elite thieves on ride bugs, huh?”

“So they’re trying to take out our leaders from above. They’re underestimating what we can do.”

“I guess game-wise it wouldn’t be fun if they headed straight for town. Not this early into the game, at least. But this is a good change for us.”

“All right! Come to Papa!”

“We need to protect the princess and the musicians.”

No one panics; they all seem raring to go. I’d say I’m one of them, though. It’s a festival, so it’s a bit sad to just watch it from afar. Should I start killing?

I draw my rapier and begin chanting Dark Lance.

“How many got through?”

“Let’s see…twelve of them. Most were taken out.”

“Hmm. It’ll be a pain if they come down and scatter…”

When the ride bugs die, the thieves are sent falling right into the midst of the players. After the dust settles, they’re swarmed and beaten down.

“Here they come.”

“I’ll take the first shot.”

I’m going to misfire if I don’t hurry up. I draw the attention of our attackers as best I can before firing off Dark Lance. I don’t want them scattering to avoid it.

As elites…and as thieves, they react quickly. However, the ride bugs are a different story. The Dark Lance swallows a ride bug whole, sending its thief rider to the earth, kicking and screaming.

“Is this supposed to be a skit?”

“Uha ha ha ha! It’s a comedy!”

The flailing thief falls straight toward us. There, it bursts as it takes a punch from our local bear. A critical hit to the neck.

“Oh, they’re getting off their bugs!”

There are six level 26 thieves, and five level 27 ones. The ride bugs are all level 8.

The thieves dismount their bugs and pull their daggers for close combat. The bugs, meanwhile, fly around and try to ram us.

“These flyers are annoying!”

“Ah, for crying out loud. My sword just slips off them! It’s their bloody resistance…”

“They’re weak to blunt attacks. The thieves are pretty strong too.”

Mr. Cecil’s twin swords and Mr. Musasabi’s shortsword are a bad match for the bugs. They resist slashes and have a weakness to blunt damage. Me? My sword relies on magic, so I can cut cleanly through them even if the blade slides off their shells.

Official BBS 4

 

[Goblin] Starting Town World Quest [Army]

1. Management

This is a thread about the world quest occurring in the starting town. Please use it to talk about the event.

 

860. Defending Adventurer

I can’t seeeeee!

861. Defending Adventurer

Waaaaaaaah!!

862. Defending Adventurer

My eyes! My eyes!

863. Defending Adventurer

I understand how you feel, but calm down. I can’t see either.

864. Defending Adventurer

I know all the famous beta players, but who’s the supreme commander?

865. Defending Adventurer

Who knows?

866. Defending Adventurer

I saw her. She has a crown mark over her head. The supreme commander princess.

867. Defending Adventurer

>> 866 Princess? There’s a princess in town?

868. Defending Adventurer

>> 867 No, she’s just called that. She’s an inhuman, a princess of the undead. The inhuman forums had a field day when the info was released.

869. Defending Adventurer

Management shut it down.

870. Defending Adventurer

What happened in that thread that they’d do that?!

871. Defending Adventurer

>> 870 I caught the thread too early to see it, but it got deleted as soon as they started discussing princess play. They went wild in there.

872. Defending Adventurer

>> 871 If you overdo it, they force-teleport you to the punishment room. Now they flagged brainwaves of the term “Princess Play.” You’re fine if you write it with pure intentions.

999. Defending Adventurer

Where’s the new thread?

1000. Defending Adventurer

Will management post the next thread too?

1001. Defending Adventurer

It’s getting full in here.

1002. Defending Adventurer

Huh?

1003. Management

What gave you the impression that 1000 messages is the limit?

1004. Defending Adventurer

Lol

1005. Defending Adventurer

What’s that supposed to mean?

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

2320. Defending Adventurer

Here it comes!

2321. Defending Adventurer

3!

2322. Defending Adventurer

2!

2323. Defending Adventurer

1!

2324. Defending Adventurer

1!

2325. Defending Adventurer

Sta… Huh?

2326. Defending Adventurer

It stopped at “Ready!” Seriously?

2327. Defending Adventurer

Oooooh!

2328. Defending Adventurer

So the supreme commander has to give a speech!

2329. Defending Adventurer

Royal Privilege? Is that a race skill?

2330. Defending Adventurer

Must be a command skill. I don’t know how good it is.

2331. Defending Adventurer

She’s a princess. It makes sense that she has a command skill.

2438. Defending Adventurer

Ha ha! Goblins are no match for me!

2439. Defending Adventurer

I feel invincible!

2440. Defending Adventurer

Time to earn some coin… Are we even getting paid for this?

2441. Defending Adventurer

Well, we’re getting skill levels.

2442. Defending Adventurer

You guys sure are spending a lot of time relaxing in the middle of battle.

2443. Defending Adventurer

So are you.

2444. Defending Adventurer

I’m just lurking.

2445. Defending Adventurer

What a coincidence! So am I.

2446. Defending Adventurer

I know, right?

2447. Defending Adventurer

It’s not like you have to type. You can post while fighting once you get used to it.

2448. Defending Adventurer

Thought input FTW!

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

2812. Defending Adventurer

How are there so many?!

2813. Defending Adventurer

The orders from our commanders are actually pretty useful.

2814. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, better to have them than not. I can’t tell what’s going on with the whole army.

2815. Defending Adventurer

Hey, hey, we’re in trouble now! Help!

2816. Defending Adventurer

How am I supposed to help if you’re posting anonymously?!

2817. Defending Adventurer

New order from Princess.

2818. Defending Adventurer

Something popped up in my head…

2819. Defending Adventurer

I never noticed until she brought it up.

2820. Defending Adventurer

I’m not a party leader, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.

2821. Defending Adventurer

Oh right, this channel’s only for leaders.

2822. Defending Adventurer

Thanks, Princess! I almost let them through.

2823. Defending Adventurer

You’ll get beheaded if you take that attitude with a princess.

2824. Defending Adventurer

My liege is hard at work!

2825. Defending Adventurer

I’m going to die here.

2826. Defending Adventurer

Keep at it, soldier.

2827. Defending Adventurer

Stop it! Each one’s weak, but there are way too many of them!

2828. Defending Adventurer

Well, they’re goblins.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

3253. Defending Adventurer

The big one is out!

3254. Defending Adventurer

The general!

3255. Defending Adventurer

With his whole entourage!

3256. Defending Adventurer

We got an anti-air order!

3257. Defending Adventurer

Musasabi’s unit, get off the forum and go deal with it! Cause I can’t.

3258. Defending Adventurer

What a coincidence, I can’t either.

3259. Defending Adventurer

The sky? Yeah, not for me.

3260. Defending Adventurer

It’s those things. Ride bugs.

3261. Defending Adventurer

Ridable insects. The name says it all.

3262. Defending Adventurer

They’ve got elite thieves riding them.

3263. Defending Adventurer

Oh, that effect’s Aero Flak!

3264. Defending Adventurer

The one you get at bow level 30. You need a secondary skill.

3265. Defending Adventurer

That dropped a good chunk of them.

3266. Defending Adventurer

Around half of them got through, though. Isn’t this quest over if they get into town?

3267. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, well…looks like they’re flying straight at the supreme commander.

3268. Defending Adventurer

Is management being merciful?

3269. Management

Who can say?

3270. Defending Adventurer

Lul

3271. Defending Adventurer

Who can say?

3272. Defending Adventurer

Well, not many people have anti-air skills yet. They need to have a little mercy.

3272. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, it would be harsh if they just sent them straight to town at our current level.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

3531. Commanding Officer

News flash. The princess is strong.

3532. Defending Adventurer

So you’re one of them! What’s with the name, are you bragging or something?

3533. Defending Adventurer

Huh? Oh yeah. Well, good luck, my liege.

3534. Defending Adventurer

We know who you are.

3535. Musasabi

You’ve got me!

3536. Defending Adventurer

Shut up, ninja.

3537. Defending Adventurer

Shouldn’t you go help her?

3538. Musasabi

No, I don’t have to. The princess is being targeted, but she’s not in harm’s way.

3538. Cecil

We’re good over here, keep your eyes on the front line.

3539. Defending Adventurer

Roger that.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

4111. Defending Adventurer

Whoa, the boss is moving!

4112. Defending Adventurer

Hya ha! Let’s blow him to the stone age!

4113. Defending Adventurer

Hya ha!

4114. Defending Adventurer

I died. Can you tell me what just happened?

4115. Defending Adventurer

New info from the commander. The goblin mages are using Explosion. She wants us to take care of them.

4116. Defending Adventurer

I see. AoE spells.

4117. Defending Adventurer

The ones you learn when you get a secondary magic skill.

4118. Defending Adventurer

If you can choose a point to blow up, can you target yourself?

4119. Defending Adventurer

The activation condition is a point “around you.”

4120. Defending Adventurer

Let’s get rid of them from a distance.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

4320. Defending Adventurer

Bloody priests…

4321. Defending Adventurer

This is why priests are…

4322. Defending Adventurer

Don’t we know to always take the healer out first? We learned that back in grade school!

4323. Defending Adventurer

Of course. But they’re pretty much done for already.

4324. Defending Adventurer

Good.

4325. Defending Adventurer

The mages are gone the moment the priests are gone.

4326. Defending Adventurer

Explosion is pretty scary to deal with.

4327. Defending Adventurer

What about the boss?

4328. Defending Adventurer

The boss? He’s on a rampage. Ha ha ha, I’m in danger.

4329. Defending Adventurer

He’s dancing at the center of our army.

4330. Defending Adventurer

Oh, that’s… It looks like fun!

4331. Defending Adventurer

Heh heh… That’s how it’s gotta be! Leave it to me!

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

5279. Defending Adventurer

Takashiiii! Get a grip!

5280. Defending Adventurer

Who’s Takashi?

5281. Defending Adventurer

Noooo! Mother!

5282. Defending Adventurer

Takashiiii!

5283. Defending Adventurer

Hey! Don’t just leave me hanging!

5284. Defending Adventurer

I didn’t think anyone would actually join in on that at a time like this.

5285. Defending Adventurer

Mama mia…

5286. Defending Adventurer

…Did he die? Takashi?

5287. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, he respawned.

5288. Defending Adventurer

Hey!

5289. Defending Adventurer

Keep its attention!

5290. Defending Adventurer

He’s merciless lol.

5291. Defending Adventurer

My God…how many attack patterns does it have?

5292. Defending Adventurer

We don’t have any revival items yet…

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

6953. Defending Adventurer

Isn’t the general acting strange?

6954. Defending Adventurer

You think so?

6955. Defending Adventurer

Where is he looking?

6956. Defending Adventurer

Huh? Well…yeah, where’s he looking?

6957. Kotatsu

He’s giving us the stink eye.

6958. Defending Adventurer

For real?

6959. Kotatsu

To be more precise, he’s staring daggers at our commander.

6960. Defending Adventurer

The princess is pretty cute. I understand how he feels.

6961. Defending Adventurer

He definitely doesn’t get it.

6962. Defending Adventurer

Her sister is cuter. She’s more on the beautiful side. Ok?

6963. Defending Adventurer

I didn’t ask…but I getcha.

6964. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, well, I don’t think that’s what’s going on here…The general’s eyes are running red.

6965. Defending Adventurer

So he’s that head over heels, eh?

6966. Defending Adventurer

Why do you have to take it in that direction?

6967. Defending Adventurer

He’s a goblin, but he might be an orc at heart.

6968. Defending Adventurer

What’s he talking about?

6969. Defending Adventurer

I’m trying to say…he wants to…

6970. Defending Adventurer

Let’s just calm down, everyone. Don’t finish that thought.

6971. Defending Adventurer

You’re all taking it easy, huh?

6972. Defending Adventurer

Well, we’re in no state to attack him.

6973. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, can’t get close.

6974. Defending Adventurer

We got our orders.

6975. Defending Adventurer

Hmm. Not like I can get a hit in anyway.

6976. Defending Adventurer

Yep.

6977. Defending Adventurer

As you wish, officer! Get in line!

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

7253. Defending Adventurer

……

7254. Defending Adventurer

……

7255. Defending Adventurer

…The princess was super cool back there. What was that?

7256. Defending Adventurer

Yeah, what was that?

7257. Defending Adventurer

My officer!

7258. Defending Adventurer

No! Sir!

7259. Defending Adventurer

My commanding officer just got thrown aside! Whoa, the supreme commander’s incredible…

7260. Defending Adventurer

That serious expression is so lovely!

7261. Defending Adventurer

What’s with these guys?

7262. Defending Adventurer

That swaying chest is wonderful! I can’t get enough!

7263. Defending Adventurer

I’m sorry.

7264. Defending Adventurer

At least someone’s a decent person.

7265. Defending Adventurer

I am, huh? I can almost see it… So close…

7265. Defending Adventurer

He’s hopeless too!

7266. Defending Adventurer

Those hemispheres that bounce with every move! That flowing hair! Marvelous!

7267. Lucebarm

Quit looking at the princess and start attacking!

7268. Defending Adventurer

Twenty more minutes please.

7269. Lucebarm

That long?!

7270. Defending Adventurer

All right, then thirty!

7271. Lucebarm

Don’t make it even longer!

7272. Defending Adventurer

I love how bear bro actually humors him with a reply.

7273. Lucebarm

Shut up and hurry!

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

7353. Defending Adventurer

Commander! Your arm!

7354. Defending Adventurer

That’s a small price to pay. An arm for victory.

7355. Defending Adventurer

Huh? Isn’t she…

7356. Defending Adventurer

You’re imagining things. Keep it to yourself.

7357. Defending Adventurer

Oh right, the princess is a zombie.

7358. Defending Adventurer

Isn’t that only supposed to happen when you’re incapacitated?

7359. Defending Adventurer

Those shield bearers covering for the princess as soon as she loses an arm…what passion!

3760. Defending Adventurer

If she hadn’t lost an arm, the boss would’ve one-shot her. That saved her.

7361. Defending Adventurer

Death is a small price to pay.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

7741. Defending Adventurer

We won!

7742. Defending Adventurer

Wooooo…oh?

7743. Defending Adventurer

Looks like she’s got to say another speech.

7744. Defending Adventurer

Wooooo!

7745. Defending Adventurer

Yeah! Wonderful, Princess!

7746. Musasabi

Good work, everyone!

7747. Defending Adventurer

My skills went through the roof.

7748. Defending Adventurer

That was a good battle, but it will only get harder from here.

7749. Defending Adventurer

This is probably the easiest one.

7750. Defending Adventurer

Right. Good work.