Chapter 5

"Collecting materials for a mid-level potion? No way, a place swarming with orcs isn't somewhere a new adventurer can go alone."

When I asked the receptionist at the Adventurer's Guild, Carlo, I received the above response.

...Well, that's a no-go.

There are several restrictions when accepting quests.

One of them is level.

You cannot accept a quest if your level is below a certain threshold.

This quest is likely one of those.

Even though I leveled up again after fighting the Killer Bee, I'm still only level 6.

There will be many quests I can't accept.

It might also be a quest recommended for party play.

Party...

In these MMORPGs, players often form groups to play together rather than playing solo. This is called a party.

The advantage of a party is that you can get support from allies, allowing you to fight stronger and more numerous monsters for longer periods.

The disadvantage is that the experience points from monsters are divided among the party members.

At the beginning, when levels are low, it's more efficient to play solo for experience points, and with fewer skills, it's hard to support party members, so solo play is often preferred. However, as levels rise and you need to fight stronger monsters, party play becomes more efficient.

Playing with companions is more enjoyable than playing alone for long periods—many people form parties for the sake of conversation.

This is based on my experience with past MMORPGs, so I'm not sure if it's the same in Another World.

However, I will eventually need to join a party.

Thinking about this, I regret not meeting anyone at the beginning.

If I had met someone then, I might have formed a party and avoided my current dilemma.

Actually, I have a bit of a memory from a previous MMORPG regarding parties.

That game had a party matching function, where you could register and display information like your level and class to other players looking for party members.

As a beginner who didn't know much about MMORPGs, I registered for party matching.

However, no one invited me, no matter how long I waited.

The only name left on the party matching screen was mine, while other players who registered later were quickly invited to parties, resulting in a rather miserable day.

Still, I didn't give up and continued to register for party matching, and finally, on the fifth day, I was invited to a party.

I eagerly replied to the person who invited me—this was a text-based game.

But it turned out they were looking for a healer and had mistakenly invited me, who was listed below another player on the party matching screen.

"Sorry, I invited the wrong person"—those words broke my spirit, and I logged out.

Later, I found out that the class I chose had moderate single-target damage but many skills that were ineffective against monsters and more suited for PvP, making it a difficult class to invite to parties, often referred to as a "landmine class."

So this time, I tried to invite others to my party, but I was often avoided and rejected, and ended up forming parties with other players of the same class, joking about being "leftovers" and developing a strange sense of camaraderie.

That was fun, but I don't want to go through that again this time.

The Mage class has high damage output, so it shouldn't be as bad.

For now, I need to focus on leveling up and becoming eligible for quests.

I'll think about parties later.

Maybe I should ask Carlo if there are any other quests available.

But before that, a bearded man approached me.

Huh? What's this about?

"Hey, if you're going to accept a quest, why don't you join our party?"

...P-Pardon?

What did he just say?

"Actually, we're short on people for this quest. We're recruiting anyone suitable. Want to join?"

Wait, am I being invited to a party?

For real?

"…Why me?"

I couldn't help but ask.

After all, there are about a dozen tough-looking men in the guild, some with shaved heads and deep scars, who seem more suited for the job.

Whether they are players or not is unknown, but it's unlikely there are no players among them. If it's just for numbers, they would do just fine.

In games, appearance doesn't necessarily correlate with strength.

Even a small, child-like girl can wield a massive weapon and wreak havoc, but it doesn't seem like there's much benefit in inviting a low-level player like me.

"You're a new adventurer, right? We have two other newbies. We're taking this quest to train them, but with two newbies and one overseer, it's a bit tough. I thought it would be better to have another newbie in the party."

...I see. That makes sense.

When party members defeat monsters, experience points are distributed among the members. However, if the level difference within the party exceeds 10, no experience points are awarded.

For example, a level 15 character and a level 5 character can form a party and gain experience points, but a level 4 character cannot, no matter how many monsters they defeat.

This is to prevent power-leveling, where a high-level player helps a low-level player level up quickly, which is generally discouraged.

There are several reasons for this.

One is that low-level players may become overly dependent on others and fail to learn the necessary skills, leading to poor gameplay and making them unpopular with other players.

There are also issues with monopolizing hunting grounds for quick leveling, which can lead to conflicts and negative publicity.

Some forms of assistance, like casting strong support spells or lending powerful weapons, are also considered power-leveling, but there are also genuine efforts to help beginners, making the line blurry.

Personally, I think it's more enjoyable to play without excessive assistance.

In any case, this is likely why he approached me.

...What a stroke of luck!

Could this be the start of a new friendship and future party invitations?

I try hard to suppress the grin on my face.

Not yet, I need to find out more about the quest and the party members.

If the quest and party composition are not suitable, I could end up being a burden.

This is my first party quest, and I want it to succeed!

Also, if I show too much excitement, I might come across as a lonely player with no friends.

I need to keep a cool head!

"Before that, I'd like to know what quest we're taking and who the party members are."

I respond carefully, trying not to show any excitement.

The bearded man nods in understanding.

"Alright, come with me. I'll introduce you to the others. Oh, and I'm Havoc. Nice to meet you."

Havoc leads me to a table where three people are sitting.

They are likely the party members.

"These are the members who will be joining us on the quest."

One of the men has brown hair and blue eyes, a long sword at his waist, and a metal chest plate over his shirt.

He looks well-built and smiles at me, a friendly and athletic type.

One of the two women is a calm, purple-haired, short-haired woman in her twenties, wearing a thick blue and white outfit—likely a robe.

The last member is an elf with long blonde hair and red eyes, a stern expression, a leather chest plate, and a quiver on her back, with a bow nearby, indicating she is an archer.

"I'm Chaos. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Liam. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Emilia."

"...Cornelia."

After I greet them, the athletic type, the calm sister, and the elf girl introduce themselves.

Based on their appearances, they are likely a Warrior, a Healer, and an Archer.

In a party, the Warrior acts as a tank to draw monster attacks, the Healer provides healing and support, and the Archer deals ranged damage and assists with crowd control.

The party composition is not bad. With me, a Mage, added, we should have a decent fighting force.

A party can have up to six members, but four is fine.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, let's talk about the quest. According to a traveler's report, a group of kobolds has been spotted to the southwest. Our goal is to eliminate them. The reward will be divided among the party members. Is that okay?"

That sounds fair. I nod in agreement.

"Alright, let's go when you're ready. It's not far, and we should be able to return the same day. Emilia will be the party leader. Follow her instructions."

"Nice to meet you, Chaos."

Emilia bows gracefully.

A window pops up.

"Emilia has invited you to join the party. Do you accept?"

...Of course, I accept!

I confirm my participation, and I join the party.