Chapter 1

Preparation is necessary, isn't it?

When I peeked at the party recruitment board at the meeting place, I could only groan. My application had been rejected again. I couldn't get accepted into any parties that were recruiting members. I was also recruiting members, but there were no posts at all. It was doubtful whether anyone was even looking at them. It would have been kinder if they had given me a reason for the rejection.

The job I chose is a Summoner, a profession that can summon creatures. I am human, and I think my status is average, with slightly higher intelligence and mental strength. At first, I didn't understand why I was being avoided. I genuinely didn't understand.

Now, I'm checking the reasons why the conditions don't match in the Another Link: Saga Online beta test version. It was concluded that it was a clearly problematic job. The evaluations were things like 'baggage', 'hindrance', 'instant death job', and 'meaningless'.

Yesterday, I played solo for a few hours just to pass the time. I didn't have the opportunity to come across such information, and I didn't even think to gather it. It was truly a lack of preparation.

But, are there really players who chose this job? I messed up.

When I looked at a different communication board, my mood worsened even more. For example, it went like this:

Thread on Discussing Problematic Jobs ★2

1. Minakami

Not recommended for those who cannot tolerate thread derailments.

Posting large AA or long text is a nuisance to everyone, so it is prohibited.

Let's proceed with the thread calmly.

Past threads:

Thread on Discussing Problematic Jobs ★1

* Refer to the archive

---------------------------------- (Omitted) ----------------------------------

121. Conrad

Even the bow class, which was unfortunate in the beta, has been slightly strengthened.

A party with a mage and a bow user in the backline is quite good!

More importantly, I found a summoner on the job ranking. W

SUGEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Great job, summoner! W W W W W W W

122. Komuto

Don't say that, W

You're a valuable sample, W

But it's not the beta anymore, it's the full service, W

123. Moko

There's no way it's just one person, W

But in the summoner world, this person is the top, isn't he?

In a way, you guys are putting him on display, so be careful, W

I'm guilty too, though.

124. Akane

Masochistic tendencies?

Did you play a summoner-type job until the end of the beta?

125. Komuto

I checked.

At the time of the beta's end, there were 12 people. Among them, 2 were solo players.

Naturally, they weren't part of the strategy group but were playing for fun.

The remaining 10 were low-level and mostly abandoned, so they might have quit and created new accounts, W

126. Claus

In the beta, all high-level jobs were sealed.

Depending on the high-level job, it might not be a problem job.

But it seems that none of the high-level jobs will be confirmed for a while, W

In the usual party, it feels like a pseudo-alliance.

Even if it was a problem job in the beta, there were no adjustments from the developers.

But the bow is TUEEEEEE, I mean, it's convenient, W

127. Kuren

But I'm interested in walking with summoned monsters.

128. Zin

>>127

Top team, W

At first, they were all not very monster-like.

The desire to be surrounded by fluffy fur is stronger, W

But isn't it strange that no one has cleared the initial field yet?

Progress reports are welcome.

129. Kuhai

I tried creating a summoner character in the full service.

But I gave up.

There was no prior information that the bow class would be strengthened.

So, I recreated my character and am now a bow user in the warrior class, W

It's painful that summoned monsters count towards the party member limit of 6.

If it didn't count towards the limit, it would be too strong, of course.

The developers wouldn't allow that, W

It feels like a pseudo-alliance in the usual party.

Even if it was a problem job in the beta, there were no adjustments from the developers.

But the bow is TUEEEEEE, I mean, it's convenient, W

130. Sora

More importantly, my character creation resulted in a peasant family, and I'm teary-eyed.

131. Tsutsumi

>>130

I can't understand the people who say a merchant is a good hit.

It's a craftsman, isn't it, girl?

132. Crow

>>131

Dwarf, W

133. Kuro

>>129

I looked at the tutorial thread. Good post.

But there's no way someone would choose a summoner after reading what's written there.

It's mediocre in combat, exploration, and production.

134. Cocoa

Should we watch with a warm eye? >>all

135. Sora

Then, let's be FA.

---------------------------------- (Continued) ----------------------------------

I see.

A problem job, huh.

I didn't play the beta version, and I created my character without any prior knowledge, just wandering around the town.

My first character creation resulted in a summoner family.

Since there was a summoner job in the job selection, I chose it.

It seemed rare.

...

But, how does it feel to be called that?

It's not a good feeling to be mocked.

...sniff...

When I left the meeting place in the starting town of Remuto, I peeked into the Adventurer's Guild.

All the miscellaneous tasks that are common to the races and jobs that players can choose can be completed here.

The meeting place is specialized for party formation and information gathering.

I sold the horns and skins of the Horn Rabbits I caught yesterday at the counter.

I lost myself in thought while watching the NPC staff's businesslike movements.

What should I do?

Well, I'm just playing the game to pass the time, and I can switch to a mindset where I'm not affected by other players.

It's a disadvantage not to have someone to consult with.

"Excuse me, I'm a summoner and a beginner adventurer, and I need some advice..."

I asked the NPC staff, thinking it couldn't hurt.

The tutorial only explains things, and it's not very helpful in this case.

What I want is advice tailored to my play style.

"Beginner adventurer, huh? It might take some time, but there are people who can give you advice."

Oh.

That's very kind.

Why didn't I ask before?

The NPC staff is writing something on a piece of cloth.

When I received the memo, it seemed to be a map of the area outside the starting town of Remuto.

Hey.

"...Outside the town?"

"Yeah. Other jobs might have connections within the castle, but the summoner's connection is only there."

Is this discrimination, too?

The eyes of the other players behind me were painful.

In a double sense.

I felt like I was being told to move quickly.

"Don't lose the memo!"

When the NPC staff said that, I bowed and quickly left.

I had nowhere to go.

Before leaving the town, I peeked into the training ground.

There were too many people here.

If you can gain a certain amount of experience through training, it's natural that it's popular.

It seemed to be a place to pass the time until the party members were gathered, and there was a lot of turnover.

Still, there was a long line waiting for a turn.

I had to leave here, too.

I'll go out of town quickly.

In the center of the town, there were several stalls lined up like market stalls.

There were also a considerable number of players.

The green inverted triangle mark that indicates a player was floating above their heads.

It was a somewhat strange scene.

I'm sure many more players were continuing to hunt outside the town.

There were no stalls for producer players yet.

Perhaps they hadn't accumulated enough funds yet?

Therefore, at this point, I had to rely on NPCs for meals and items.

I bought five potions and two portable meals at one of the stalls.

A potion costs 30 dines.

A portable meal costs 60 dines.

Yesterday's earnings were 400 dines, and the inn cost 100 dines, so I had almost nothing left.

When I checked the item descriptions with [Appraisal], they were like this:

[Recovery Item] Potion: HP +8% recovery, Quality C, Rarity 1, Weight 1

A common potion. It slightly recovers HP.

It leaves a slight bitterness on the tongue when drunk.

* Cannot be used consecutively. Cooldown is approximately 10 minutes.

[Food Item] Portable Meal: Fullness +30%, Quality C, Rarity 2, Weight 1

A dry but light food that satisfies fullness to a certain extent.

Convenient to carry. If you don't drink water at the same time, the effect is halved, so be careful.

* Can be used consecutively. But be careful not to overeat!

The only other items I had were a canteen and a rucksack I bought yesterday.

If I don't earn enough today, I'll have trouble staying at the inn.

It seems that potions cannot be used consecutively.

Since there is a cooldown, I have to be careful not to take too much risk.

The cooldown seems to be not fixed, either.

Without potions, I don't have the confidence to reach the place I was given in the memo alone.

Without portable meals, there's a risk of becoming hungry on a long journey.

I need to build up enough skill to traverse the initial grassland, but I want advice, even from an NPC.

It's like the chicken or the egg, I can't decide.

Still, this game is hard to judge whether it's kind or unkind.

I'm the type of person who doesn't want to look at insurance policies.

I also think that gathering too much information in advance just eats up time and is not very meaningful.

I thought that VRMMOs were all similar, which might have been a mistake.

The only virtual game I have experience with is a shooting game.

I think it's probably rare for a summoner to be in the family during character creation.

The status wasn't that bad.

That's why I chose the summoner job.

But it turned out to be a problem when forming a party.

I sigh at my bad luck.

Anyway.

I'll leave the town and head for the place in the memo, combining hunting in the nearby area.

I've been wandering around the town's surroundings for a day and a bit since I started the game.

I hold the only weapon I have, the Beginner's Rod, in my right hand.

It's the initial equipment for a summoner.

I check the status I didn't look at yesterday.

[Weapon Item: Staff] Beginner's Rod: AP +0, M·AP +0, Damage 2, Durability ∞

A weapon that can be used for both physical attacks and magic casting, but its power is minimal.

Equipment to get used to handling a rod.

Hmm.

It seems that the rod not only has a physical attack but also a magic bonus.

Even for a beginner, both physical and magical attacks have no modifiers. No modifiers.

I know how it feels to use it for physical attacks from yesterday.

It's just a simple strike.

Then, I use a summoner-specific skill.

The design is kind, as you can just select from the spell list and your avatar will cast the spell automatically.

"Summon Monster!"

When the incantation is finished, a list of summonable monsters appears in a separate virtual window.

The list has only one line.

I select the top line.

<Summon Wolf Level 1, individual name Voluf?>

Naturally, I select <Yes>, and a magic circle appears on the ground in front of me.

A faint shadow appears in the center and gradually becomes more distinct.

It's the brown-furred wolf I summoned yesterday.

I named it "Voluf" from the German reading of "Wolf," which is a bit simplistic.

A green inverted triangle mark, like that of a player, floats above the wolf's head.

When I check with the initial skill [Identification], I can see that the name is indeed Voluf.

It's the same individual I summoned yesterday.

It playfully nuzzles my feet, so I scratch the back of its neck.

It's a bit rough, so it's not as fluffy as I'd like.

But it seems to be enjoying it, so that's fine.

I feel something vital being drained from within me when I summon the wolf.

I can see that my MP has decreased by about 30% in the status display.

Well, I can't help it.

I know that it will recover naturally, even if only slightly, as long as I act normally.

Mana potions, which restore MP, are sold in town, but they are still too expensive for me.

"Let's do our best today, too."

I call out to my partner and head towards the western grassland field.

According to the memo, the person who can give advice lives further beyond the western plain I walked around yesterday.

The target building is a hut by a pond in the forest.

It's quite a distance, but there's no choice.

I have to accept it as an investment and risk to get guidance.

Consulting with other players or reading all the bulletin boards doesn't suit my nature.

When I go outside the town, I can see other parties moving along the road from a distance.

I'm a bit envious.

But I don't feel good about being toyed with by players who see summoners as a joke.

It's a matter of fate, I guess.

Voluf is looking at me with yellow eyes.

I feel somewhat comforted.

Right, partner.

I have you as my partner.

I try running through the grassland together.

Voluf follows me, wagging its tail.

If I just look at this, it's like a dog and its owner.

By the way.

I check the skills that were automatically set.

When I think "skill list," a separate window appears.

It shows Staff Lv1, Summoning Magic Lv1, Wind Magic Lv1, Alchemy Lv1, Coordination Lv1, Appraisal Lv1, and Identification Lv1.

Despite wandering around the town for a day, none of the skills have leveled up.

There are also reserve items listed below, but nothing is displayed there.

At the very bottom, it says "Bonus Points Remaining 19."

I don't know if that's a lot or a little.

When I focus on the set skill items, they start to blink.

When I think