Chapter 20

For the past three days, my logins to [OSO] have only been for one hour starting at 10 PM.

There were things I had to do or places I had to go. Honestly, I can't afford to indulge in the game all the time.

Since I can't set aside a large block of time, I only manage to mix potions and deliver them to Magi's shop. I thought the number of deliveries was low, so I decided to buy another farm.

And since it would be troublesome to move if it was too far away, I asked for adjacent land—

"It will cost an additional 2000G, making the total 5000G if you want that."

I was frustrated when the NPC said this, but I reluctantly bought it.

My remaining money is now 30G. I'm broke again, and since I can't set aside a large block of time, I can't even properly prepare the fields, so it won't be a source of income.

In the end, I delivered a small number of potions to Magi's place. At night, even if I'm not logged in, the shopkeeper NPC buys them. Magi must have set it up, because they buy at Magi's price, not the NPC price.

The supply of potions has started smoothly, and with resellers lowering their prices, I can now buy a small amount of herb materials.

Still, I need money, but the appraisal of weapons, armor, and fossils is a long process.

There are also many other things to do, like smelting metal ingots, making accessories, cultivating antidote and paralysis herbs. I feel like I've spread myself too thin and can't manage it all. In the worst case, if I can't manage the fields, I might have to hire an NPC, but that's only if I have the money.

And today, I was standing in front of Takumi's house under the scorching sun.

"Hey, Takumi? Open up quickly. I'm going to burn to death from the heat."

"Come in, come in."

"Sorry for the intrusion. Here, Takumi. Ice cream."

"Thanks."

We sit facing each other, eating the ice cream I brought as a gift.

"How's your homework?"

"I copied it perfectly. Thanks."

"It's fine since it happens every year. So, what's the reason for today's visit?"

I'm here today because Takumi called me. When Takumi calls, it's usually about the game. Even if it's not, the second word is usually about the game.

"The service has been running for a week, and I've started to stabilize the supply of potions. I've already reached the second town."

"Wow."

"What's with that lack of enthusiasm?"

"It doesn't really matter to me. Did you call me just for this?"

"No, that's not it. Players who have reached the next town can now teleport between towns using portals. So, the next step is to advance west to reach the third town."

"Hmm."

"So, I want you to join our party for this mission."

"Why me? I'm a producer."

In response to my puzzled gaze, Takumi calmly answered.

"You have the skills for mixing and synthesis, so we can expect item-based recovery. Plus, we found out that enchantments are effective in the last battle. So, Minits will get the magic talent and switch to an offensive role, and we plan to keep the same members as before, so there's no worry about the secret being revealed."

"Still, I don't know."

"Is there a problem?"

"There are too many. Beginner equipment, lack of money, no potion materials, and the fields."

"Why are you spending money on fields?"

"Why are you so negative about fields?"

"Of course, if you know the beta version's history, no one would want to farm."

To summarize Takumi's explanation:

In the beta version, the southern region didn't exist, and the town was shaped like a fishcake. It was added in the last two weeks of the beta update. A few people tried it, but they couldn't get the seeds, so they didn't know what they were for.

"That's why no one has fields. Even if you get lucky and find seeds, the field has 20 squares, so you need 20 seeds to be efficient."

"Wow. Then, buy more and become a potion tycoon. Hahaha."

In the beta version, alchemy was unpopular, and when seeds were added, most people didn't try to convert herbs. Also, with the official launch, there's not much detailed information about fields. First of all, since Takumi, who is fighting on the front lines, says it, more than half of the players probably think 'fields are crap.'

"Let's put the field talk aside. There might be some field adjustments in future updates. So, will you help?"

"Hmm. Recently, I've only been producing, so I want to level up my bow. Also, I want the speed increase sense. The mineral items dropped by Sandmen and Golems are attractive."

"Got it. But is that all?"

"Well, I also want the drops from enemies. I don't know what will be useful for mixing, synthesis, and alchemy, and I want at least one of each plant item."

"You're always so detailed. Alright, I got it. So, the request is 50 potions and 25 pills, right?"

"Whaaat? That's impossible! I don't have enough gallstones from herbivores!"

"Don't worry, I'll bring the herbs and gallstones. Besides, most of the enemy drops are just inventory filler except for equipment."

"Alright, if that's the case. When?"

"Tomorrow and the day after. I'll let you know the time later. Tomorrow is Sandmen for a warm-up, and the day after is Golems. If it seems too difficult level-wise, I'll call in some reliable backup."

Hmm. Well, since Takumi is reliable, it should be fine. Plus, with the items, I can quickly produce using the <<Recipe>>. If I don't have enough, I can gather them in the western forest on the way.

"Understood. I'll go home and prepare today. I'll try making some accessories. Even if they offer paper-thin defense, they're better than nothing."

"Alright. Thanks."

Hmm. Going on a boss MOB mission with the party sounds a bit exciting.

First, smelting iron ore into ingots takes time, but using the <<Skill>> makes it faster, though the success rate is low. I'll try making accessories with the ingots I have now.

Revised—Complete