Chapter 8

"Still, it's amazing you managed to escape from the Thunder Bear, huh?"

"I barely dodged the first attack by a hair. After that, I ran with all my might, but I fell into the river."

"You dodged? Dodging a Thunder Bear's attack at level 4... That must mean you have a skill setup that heavily emphasizes AGI, or..."

"Hey, Allen."

Galgado, who was adding firewood to the campfire, frowned and glared at Allen.

"Sorry, sorry. I shouldn't pry into someone's skills, even if they're not a real-life acquaintance. Well, I guess it means your original physical abilities are pretty high, right?"

"Are real physical abilities reflected in the game?"

That's news to me. So, people who are fast in real life are also fast in the game, and strong people are also strong in the game?

"Physical abilities, more like reflexes and technical skills. For example, a player who has never held a bow before and an archery medalist are definitely different. The latter has the technical experience. As skills grow, the difference diminishes, though."

So, there's a game adjustment, right? I remember Ren and Wendy saying something similar about the Cooking skill.

"That's why I thought your ability to dodge might be due to your innate reflexes."

"Hmm..."

Is that so? I was good at sports, but in the island, physical activity was a form of play. Plus, I was trained by my uncle.

But when I drowned, I couldn't swim well, even though I was confident in my swimming. Maybe it's because I don't have the Swimming skill?

While drying my clothes, I learned a lot from the three of them about convenient facilities and usable skills in the game. Advice from veterans is really helpful.

"By the way, how will you get back to Flyheight, Shiro? Can you return with the 'Wings of Sere'? Or do you have to respawn?"

"Definitely not the latter... I'll go to the portal area at the forest entrance and teleport to town normally."

"Will you be sent somewhere else again?"

"It should be fine this time. I've removed the 'Wings of Sere' from my slot."

This should prevent random jumps. I should be able to choose my teleport destination normally.

"Then, I'll take you to the forest entrance."

"Is that okay?"

"It's not that far, and if you get attacked by monsters on the way, you'll respawn this time. Jessica, Galgado, I'll be right back."

We said goodbye to the two by the campfire and started walking along the river. It was a dark night, but the lantern Allen held illuminated the surroundings.

I think the lantern's light should be limited, but maybe this is a game feature?

"Sorry for all the trouble..."

"Don't worry about it. We have our own calculations, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Your skill. It's rare to have a teleportation skill that can take you to over-leveled areas. You might have some rare materials to share, right?"

Allen laughed.

He's pretty straightforward, this guy. But for some reason, I don't feel uncomfortable. He's much better than someone who tries to trick and use you. It's easier to deal with him when he's upfront.

As we both chuckled, the grass in front of us rustled.

We stopped and focused on the front, and the bear that had chased me slowly appeared, growling and ready to attack.

"Sorry, can you hold this for me?"

Allen handed me the lantern, drew his longsword, and faced the bear.

"Roooooar!"

The bear stood up, emitting lightning from its body. Allen, however, remained calm, holding his sword in one hand.

In the next moment, the bear's right arm, which looked like a log, was suddenly flying through the air. Allen had cut it off with a lightning-fast sword strike.

Then, with the same sword, he sliced the crouching Thunder Bear in half from the top of its head.

The Thunder Bear split into two and disappeared into particles of light.

"Wow..."

I was genuinely surprised by Allen's strength. He defeated it alone and so easily. What level is he? Or maybe levels don't matter in this game.

Did he use some skill? I'm curious about what skills he has, but I didn't talk much about my own, so it's hard to ask. Allen might have some rare skills too.

"Hmm. 'Thunder Bear's Fang.' I would have preferred the fur, though."

Allen checked the dropped items on the window, took the lantern from me, and started walking again.

After a while, we saw a glowing magic circle in the darkness. It was the portal area.

I said goodbye to Allen and selected "Flyheight: The Starting Town" on the window.

In the next instant, I was teleported to the portal area of Flyheight.

People were continuously appearing and disappearing from the portal area.

I stepped into the portal area again and opened the window. Two destinations were displayed: "North Forest" and "Crane Forest."

You can teleport to places you've been to from the portal area.

Using the "Wings of Sere" plus the random jump from the portal area, you can go to unknown areas... It might be convenient if it weren't completely random.

For me, it means I can go to high-level areas with strong monsters and lots of experience. If I can defeat them, I can level up quickly... But realistically, it's almost impossible.

First, it's hard to defeat them, and as I heard from Demo-chan, you don't get much experience from defeating enemies that are too strong for your level.

It's to prevent weaker players from leveling up too quickly with the help of stronger players. Makes sense, right? You have to get stronger on your own.

Honestly, I wouldn't feel good about getting strong with someone else's help.

Besides, in this game, getting a higher level doesn't necessarily mean you get stronger. It's just a rough guide.

In the end, the "Wings of Sere" might not be a very useful skill...

"Hey, how was the new weapon? Did your hunting go well?"

Someone called out to me as I sighed.

Taurus, who had set up a stall near the portal area, called out to me. He must have moved from his earlier spot. Makes sense, it's busier here at night.

Oh, right, I bought a new weapon but haven't tried it yet...

"There was a bit of trouble. I didn't hunt anything."

"Ah, that's too bad."

"But I did gather quite a bit of herbs. Can you buy them from me?"

"Well, if you didn't hunt anything, there's no choice. Sure, I'll buy them at the regular price."

The regular price Taurus mentioned is probably the price you get from selling to a material shop. I might get a bit more if I sell to someone with the Alchemy skill, but it's too much trouble to look for them. I'll sell them here.

I want to try Alchemy, so I'll sell half of the herbs. Oh, and I'll sell half of the Spirit Herbs too.

"Can you buy these for me?"

"Sure, 42 herbs and 21 Spirit Herbs..."

Taurus stopped as he looked at the items on the trading window. What's wrong?

"...Where did you get these? Did you gather Spirit Herbs in the 'North Forest'?"

"Uh, well... I got them from someone I met. They gave them to me as a welcome gift for starting the game."

"Hmm... That's quite generous. Spirit Herbs are used to make 'High Potions.' You can't find them around here; you have to go to the next town. The person you met must be at least level 15."

"R-Really? They did seem strong."

"Well, in this game, a higher level doesn't always mean stronger, but..."

Uh-oh. Taurus is looking at me suspiciously. I can't tell him about the "Wings of Sere"...

"Alright, I won't pry. If you get more Spirit Herbs, I'd be happy to buy them. The total is 4200G."

"4200G!? Why so much!?"

"Herbs are 30G each, so 1260G, and Spirit Herbs are 140G each, so 2940G, totaling 4200G. I'm buying the Spirit Herbs at a slightly higher price, but it's not a loss for the shop."

Wow, Spirit Herbs are more than four times the price of regular herbs?

I still have half left in my inventory. I can't add more now, though.

But this could be profitable... I can use the "Wings of Sere."

Of course, I have no complaints about the price, and the transaction is completed. I made a good profit...

Taurus smiled at me, who was feeling quite pleased.

"Well, now that you have a good amount of money, I recommend this armor! It's light, durable, and cheap. How about one?"

Taurus, encouraged by my unexpected profit, started displaying new items on his stall. He's a shrewd businessman! I thought I could buy armor with this!

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【Kilua Fabric Outfit (Top and Bottom)】 F-Rank

DEF (Defense) +2

Durability 7/7

■ Made from Kilua fabric.

Light and durable.

□ Equipment Item / Clothing

□ No multiple effects

Quality: S (Standard Quality)

─────────────────

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【Leather Chestplate】 F-Rank

DEF (Defense) +15

Durability 15/15

■ Chestplate made from tanned leather.

□ Equipment Item / Armor

□ No multiple effects

Quality: S (Standard Quality)

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【Wind Sprint Boots】 F-Rank

DEF (Defense) +2

AGI (Agility) +5

Durability 10/10

■ Boots imbued with a bit of wind power.

□ Equipment Item / Shoes

□ No multiple effects

Quality: S (Standard Quality)

─────────────────

Hmm, I do want them. I've been wanting to upgrade from the "Cheap Outfit (Top and Bottom)" and "Cheap Shoes."

"…How much for all of them?"

"The 'Kilua Fabric Outfit' is 800G, the 'Leather Chestplate' is 1800G, and the 'Wind Sprint Boots' are 1400G, totaling 4000G."

Gah, that's almost all my money!

But they are useful, so I'll buy them all. I'll buy them eventually anyway.

"Thank you very much."

"Merchants are scary..."

I only have 200G left... My feeling of being rich was short-lived...

I equipped the items. The 'Kilua Fabric Outfit' with the 'Leather Chestplate' on top, and the 'Wind Sprint Boots' on my feet. Not bad.

Clothing and armor can be equipped together. There are some special items that can't be stacked, though.

"…By the way, are you from Kansai, Taurus?"

I asked about something that had been bothering me. I thought asking about real-life things might be against the rules, but his subtle Kansai accent caught my attention.

"Uh? I've never been to Kansai."

"Really? But your words..."

"Merchants speak Kansai dialect. It's a staple character in manga and anime. It's a clear 'Roleplay.'"

I can understand that, but wouldn't people from Kansai be offended? But it's a game, so maybe that's part of the fun?

Here, you can be a different version of yourself. If someone likes a certain way of speaking, it's fine. It's more nonsensical to criticize it.

Maybe I should try some 'Roleplay' too... But not doing it is also a choice.

Oh, it's already past 11 PM in real life. I should go to bed.

I said goodbye to Taurus and headed to the inn. You can log out anywhere, but staying at an inn for a few hours gives you a temporary boost to your stats when you log back in. The boost varies depending on the inn's rank.

I decided to stay at the cheapest inn and paid 180G for the room. I only have 20G left...

I lay down on the bed in the inn's private room and logged out, feeling a bit melancholic.

And so, my first day in 'DWO' came to an end.

■Real Name: Inaba Shirousagi

■Player Name: Shiro Level 4

【Demon Race】

■Titles

【Young Adventurer】

■Equipment

• Weapons

Kukri Knives ×2 ATK +20

• Armor

Kilua Fabric Outfit (Top and Bottom) DEF +2

Leather Chestplate DEF +15

Wind Sprint Boots DEF +2 AGI +5

• Accessories

Rabbit's Foot LUK +1

■Active Skills (7/7)

【Adaptability】【Dagger Proficiency】

【Agility UP (Small)】

【Counterattack】【Stealth】

【Kick】【Appraisal】

■Reserved Skills (2/10)

【Alchemy】【Wings of Sere】

This concludes the consecutive scheduled posts. The next chapter will be posted in the evening.

【DWO Brief Explanation】

■Currency

The currency is G. Shiny gold coins.