Chapter 37

《Announcement》

《We will be adding a penalty for players exceeding level 30.》

《If you return to the temple upon death, in addition to your money being halved and all your stats being halved for two in-game hours, you will lose all items obtained outside the city.》

《However, players up to level 29 will remain as usual.》

I'm scared of losing items!!! Especially now!

Fortunately, I was safe this time; I woke up not in the temple. This announcement at this timing is too much for my heart. I wish they would stop.

I use 【Life Magic】 to heat water and wash my face and hands. They weren't dirty, but it's a matter of feeling. Later, I'll buy a bucket to store water. Finally, I splash cold water on my face to feel refreshed.

I check my titles.

I didn't check them earlier because my mind was in turmoil. I'm happy, but is this okay? Now I'm curious about how others are progressing.

【Tasha's Blessing】

Improved compatibility with wood attributes and intelligence correction upon leveling up. Other effects are unknown.

【Val's Favor】

Higher compatibility with wind attributes and speed correction upon leveling up. Since the effect of the blessing was to increase skill growth rate, this effect is likely to be higher.

【Tasha's Disciple】

Bonus to alchemy synthesis. It's a mystery what kind of bonus it is.

【Time of the Gods】

Increased chance of encountering the Feast of the Gods. Bring food! ...Since it's written, there's no choice. By the way, are these titles created by the game developers? I'm starting to suspect that the gods of this world are generating them.

I got 【Time Magic】 and 【Druid Magic】! I'm not sure if the method of obtaining them is the same as Crow's, but it's probably the same.

【Nine Lives】

Invalidates instant death attacks and events, and also invalidates attacks that exceed your maximum HP while your HP is not decreasing. I must have taken this to fight enemies that can kill me in one hit.

There are so many things to comment on.

The recipe for the teleportation stone is simple: infuse a neutral stone with the 'Teleport' magic.

Since Val is the domain, 'Teleport' is likely a wind or air magic spell. If it's air magic, it's probably difficult to make because you need to obtain air magic, but it seems like air magic.

So, I'm going to level up air magic.

I'm scared of dying, but I should be fine if I don't get too close to the upper part of this mountain range.

'Levitation.'

It was dispelled when I cast 'Shadow.'

'Levitation' is also dispelled when 'Shadow' is cast.

I drink a 'Mana Activation Potion' and repeatedly cast 'Levitation' and 'Shadow' on the spot. If this weren't VR, I could do it while watching TV, but this is a virtual world. It's really like training. Simple tasks can be quite tough.

《You have obtained the skill 【Layering】 by alternating between different spells 1000 times.》

'Levitation' and 'Shadow' can now be layered! ...However, casting another spell during the effect duration will prevent the spell from activating.

'Shadow' is dispelled when you use an attack skill, but the important 'Levitation' remains. I remember there was a dispel spell in the cleric's magic to cancel magical status changes...

I need to take the healing skill 【Healing】 and level it up to 10, then change my class... but that will take a lot of time!! Well, at least I can use magic while levitating, so that's good, right?

But I see. Clerics have enchantments to improve physical abilities and resistances, and Shirayuri's high enchantment level might have been raised this way.

I thought the cleric's magic was easier to level up than the mage's.

For now, I can shoot mistletoe with druid magic, but I'll put it on hold until I level up other magic... I can't level up all my skills!!

But I need to take 'Purify' as a precaution. I also want 'Dispel.' I'll go back to the city to take 【Healing】 and change my class.

On foot.

If I run, will I learn a running skill? I'll try it out.

So, I'm running.

If I consciously kick the ground, I can use 【Jump】 to cover a lot of distance. If I do this while 'Levitation' is active, it's incredibly fast and smooth. Is this the effect of 【Sky Flight】?

At first, I couldn't control it well and bumped into trees or almost face-planted into the ground, but once I got used to it, it was fun and refreshing. While moving, I keep 'Shadow' active, but from now on, I'll add 'Levitation' too.

I accidentally got the title 【Elegant One】.

The effect is to run faster. Also, while floating or levitating, I can glow at will, which is not very practical.

I chose a bluish color. When I run, my body is enveloped in a light that looks both blue and white, and it flows behind me like the light from a firefly, creating a beautiful scene. It's not practical, though.

I don't go on the road but through the forest.

Kicking tree trunks instead of the flat ground is more fun for three-dimensional movement.

On the way, my air magic reached level 10, and I learned 'Return.'

The effect is to return to the last city or structure you entered, or the last teleportation gate you touched.

Maybe 'Return' is enough instead of 'Teleport.' 'Teleportation Stone' is probably a higher-level version of 'Return Stone.' Besides, if I learned it myself, I don't need to make a return item through alchemy, right?

I was full of enthusiasm to make and use it before.

I arrived at the city of Saru, which is about a third of the way there. I used the newly learned 'Return' to return to the temple in Saru.

I buy the skill 【Healing】 at the temple. When I say 'buy,' it means I make an offering and listen to a beneficial sermon to make the 【Healing】 skill appear.

In principle, you can receive or buy initial skills at guilds and workshops. They are the base skills from which derived skills branch out. However, if you don't have the appropriate class for the skill, branching out takes a lot of time. ...I don't use 【Slash】 at all, so even though it's my appropriate class, the skill doesn't branch out.

While changing classes, I check the initial skills of other classes. If you choose a class but don't finalize it, you can look at the skill list without any problems.

I saw the skill 【Steal】 on the thief's skill list and predicted that enemies who can steal from players would appear, or there were pickpockets in the market stalls. Fortunately, I had 【Detect Presence】 active, so nothing was stolen, and 【Steal Prevention】 appeared on the list. I remembered this and took 【Steal Prevention】. I currently have two artifacts! It's a safety measure.

Speaking of safety measures, I want to get 【Trap Disarm】 since dungeons have appeared. Dungeons are all about traps, right? Hidden doors and such.

Fortunately, Saru is a city of forests and springs, with many hunters. Hunters probably have trap-related skills, even if they're different from dungeon traps.

So, I'm learning simple traps from a hunter. When I offered to pay in silver, he asked for sweets. Apparently, he loves sweets despite his bear-like appearance. ...He seems to be aware of his appearance and can't easily buy sweets.

I don't think he should worry about it, though.

He taught me a simple trap using rope and a few branches, utilizing a flexible tree or branch. This time, I didn't use bait, but if I attach a branch near where the bait is placed, the branches holding the rope will collapse, and the flexible branch will snap back forcefully. The recoil will tighten the looped rope.

The skills 【Trap】 and 【Trap Disarm】 and 【Rope】 appeared on my skill list.

What is 【Rope】? Is it like a cowboy's lasso? I thought, but I took 【Trap Disarm】 as planned.

...I realized that leveling up 【Steal Prevention】 would be tough, and I regretted it a bit, but there's nothing I can do.

I use 5 SP to learn it since it's neither a mage nor a warrior skill. 【Healing】 costs 4 SP to learn, which would normally cost 5. Hooray for 【Sage】!

Thanks to the training with 'Levitation' and 'Shadow,' other skills have also leveled up a bit. I wish I had learned them before training.

But then, I got a message.

Me: Hey, Petros, do you have the skill 【Steal】? If you do, I just got 【Steal Prevention】, so we can use each other's skills to level up, right?

Petros: Yeah, I have it. It's almost evening, so I'm heading back to the city. Let's meet at the restaurant around 4 PM in-game time and try it out. I want to level up my skills too, lol.

I thought he would take it, but he did.

Since there's still some time, I'll go sightseeing in the city of Saru. First, I'll report and deliver quests at the guild.

"By the way, there were a few particularly large trees in the forest. Is there something special about them?"

I asked while returning my guild card, curious about something.

"Oh, those trees are planted to help rebuild the city and provide aid to residents in case of natural disasters or monster attacks. There are signs posted at the city entrance and the guild, but please don't touch them. They are important and should not be cut down by mistake."

Oops, I didn't see them.

I looked around Fast carefully, but I missed them. I need to be more careful.

I feel like others are also missing them, like Leo, who loves cutting down trees in other games. I'll send him a warning email. I'll also send one to my other friends.

When I tried to post on the bulletin board with a rice ball, I was logged out.

After some hesitation, I posted it myself. I'm not sure if I posted in the right place, but someone commented that it was okay because someone wrote on the production and gathering boards.

The temple and guild in Saru are not as large as in Fast, just a bit bigger than regular shops. The guild also serves as an inn. It's usually a quiet city, but now it's lively with adventurers moving from Fast.

As a fellow player, I want to prevent any trouble.

Saru is known for woodworking.

From large furniture makers to carvers, many are also hunters and lumberjacks.

I bought the bucket I wanted and added a barrel.

Then, I went to see the furniture for sale.

Most stores display samples of furniture that have been ordered and are waiting to be picked up, so they mainly take orders based on customer preferences.

From heavy and practical guild counters to elegant cat-footed curves.

It's a feast for the eyes. Once you want furniture, you start wanting a house to put it in!! I ended up buying a table and chairs!!

I stopped looking at dangerous furniture and went to a marquetry workshop.

They use different colored wood pieces to create patterns, enlarging them and shaping them into coasters, boxes, and sometimes larger furniture like tables. It's a workshop that makes marquetry boards.

They let me make a coaster with a pattern I created using pre-cut wood pieces in the shape of diamonds and squares, about three centimeters long. It's a paid service, but I think it will give me a skill and job, so it's worth it.

I can predict that it will be put on hold due to lack of time for leveling up, but being able to do it is a world of difference from not being able to do it at all! I think. There's the SP wall, but I'll add it to the list.

I made a simple checkerboard pattern with dark chocolate-colored and white wood pieces. I cut it into six pieces, rounded the corners, and polished it. It turned out like a cookie coaster.

Why didn't I make a barrel?!

If I was going to learn it, I should have made something I wanted to make, like a barrel, assuming it would be a 'special production' in the future!! I messed up!!

I think I learned 【Woodworking】, but I don't have time to fight, so I'll go to the meeting place.

We met at the restaurant and are now in a production facility room. We managed to level up our skills, but we became quite suspicious, so we moved to a private room.

Skills are restricted in stages from outside to the city and then inside buildings, but in inns, 'Light' works, but 'Steal' doesn't. They must be concerned about security, I guess.

【Steal】 and 【Steal Prevention】 make us look quite suspicious as we face each other, with Petros touching me a lot and me occasionally preventing it. It would be natural to prevent stealing during combat when passing by each other.

We avoided becoming suspicious thanks to Petros' information that we can pay to use the same room in a production facility. However, I feel like two men in a not-so-big private room are suspicious. Besides, our durability is low, so we're in our initial outfits. I guess it's okay as long as no one sees us...

By the way, I've stored all my items in storage and am holding 99 herbs. After stealing 99 items, I'll get them back from Petros and continue. It seems that the player who succeeds in the action gets more experience points.

“Petros, your eyes are special.”

“Yeah, I found a guide online and made them myself.”

Petros' eyes are hard to describe, but they give a mechanical impression. They are light blue.

“Are you at maximum height again?”

“No, I made it a bit shorter than maximum. Isn’t Shin the tallest?”

“I thought it was a difference in animal ears.”

We observe each other's characters up close since we're facing each other.

“Both 【Steal】 and 【Steal Prevention】 are affected by dexterity and agility in addition to skill level, and the success rate of 【Steal】 is set lower, according to the bulletin board, but isn’t 【Detect Presence】 also a factor?”

“That’s obvious. If the success rate of stealing was high from the start, non-thief players would be left with nothing! Also, I’m scared to read the bulletin board because of the spoilers, but you read it well.”

“Well, if the success rate was high, I could steal from anyone without 【Steal Prevention】. Anyway, it seems the success rate is a bit higher against non-humanoids, so maybe we can steal from monsters.”

We talk while using our skills on each other—well, 【Steal Prevention】 is passive and activates automatically when someone tries to use 【Steal】 on me.

I know 【Detect Presence】 is involved because both our 【Detect Presence】 levels went up by one in addition to 【Steal】 and 【Steal Prevention】.

“Ah, there’s now a selection when using 【Steal】. You can choose between items and silver.”

“Nice.”

I’m using light while taking advantage of the fact that 【Steal Prevention】 is passive. Light can be turned off at will, so I can cast it repeatedly.

“Does the success rate of 【Steal】 increase when I cast a skill?”

“Yeah, I think so. In real combat, it’s probably better to cast a skill or when the target is taking an action.”

“With 【Steal Prevention】, the defense rate seems to increase if you actually notice and can predict the opponent’s movements. Sometimes you can’t defend even if you see it.”

“Why don’t you try defending manually?”

“I can’t stop Petros’ speed even if I notice it.”

Don’t underestimate the slowness of the initial mage outfit!

We chatted idly and continued until midnight, and Petros’ 【Steal】 reached level 20.

We agreed to take a break and check the results in the field, then logged out to have a snack in the real world before logging back in.

“Even though I hardly succeeded, the success rate against lower-level opponents is now one in three.”

Currently, I’m casting overall shadow and healing while Petros tries to steal from goblins.

We need to cast shadow on ourselves when there are two people because attacks might come, so it’s good to have area spells. Either way, 'Shadow' is dispelled by using 'Steal' and 'Healing.'