Norsege Isles was the epitome of natural beauty. Filled with towering trees that seemed to be a close relative to pine and fir. Lush undergrowth filled with flowers, plants, and bugs. Ambrose had already spotted what looked to be some sort of antlered deer not a few minutes after leaving the town. One of the more excited members tried to chase it down but its long legs bounced away in a matter of seconds.

“Ding,” the soft noise of Ambrose’s radar picking up on a harvestable plant rang out in his mind. The [Herbology] skill providing more than just information and the means to gather herbs. It had also given a third-dimensional sense and radar to Ambrose for locating herbs. He got a general direction of where it would be, just a few feet to his right underneath some brush.

“[Inspect],” the skill activated at just the mention of its name as a description appeared in Ambrose’s vision.

[Hidden Ale Root

Rarity: (Common)

Effects: Induce minor dizziness and alcohol state when brewed and consumed

Description: Fat root that is commonly found underneath other plants. Prefers darkness and damp soil for growth]

The herbology book given by the herb lady had greatly boosted the information given by identification. Ambrose’s own [Herbology (Novice I)] had proved useful and he could already feel himself retaining more knowledge about herbs.

Ambrose reached down towards the root and began to carefully extract it. Gaining a new item from his herb gathering for his effort. Putting the herb in his inventory alongside the others, Ambrose returned to the trail that was being created by the group.

Ambrose was in the middle of the train, guards had been placed at the front, end, and center of the group with hopes that they would be able to protect anyone that didn’t have a main combat skill.

“Another herb for the collection? What does this one do?” Jerald and Ambrose had become fast friends and had bantered on the way to the hidden valley.

“Apparently it's some sort of root to make beer. I don’t have a brewing skill so I'll probably find someone who does,” Ambrose responded to the surprised warrior.

“Beer! Hell, I'll find the brewer myself!” The berserker said joyfully as his mind filled with images of beer better than what could be brewed with questionable mushrooms found in the Underground.

Ambrose was reminded once again of how strange Eden was. He was used to never seeing sunlight or having a breath of fresh air so the sudden transition was a constant reminder to Ambrose. He took a deep breath of air, savoring the sweet taste before focusing back on the trail.

Making sure to harvest every plant on the journey was quickly increasing the related skills and he couldn’t wait to try out his alchemy set and his hand at potion-making. It also made him realize that his skill set wasn’t a very quick profession.

It would take months before his first batch of crops would sprout and it was completely up to luck on what beasts he would be able to find and tame. The only thing that showed any sort of short-term gain was the alchemy skills and perhaps his archery which could be combined with his Wilderness Survival skill.

Ambrose kept his bow in hand, eager to take any shots at small rodents that clung to the trees. He had tried his luck at shooting some of the birds that watched the group from the branches but after losing an arrow and missing every shot he decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. He hadn’t even gained practical experience in the skill.

The group walked for most of the day. Ambrose on a constant repeat of using [Inspect], gathering herbs, and taking potshots at random creatures. Just as the crew was about to settle down for the night, Ambrose got his lucky break.

“Twang!” The bow’s string vibrated in the air as the metal broadhead sunk into the flesh of the fleeing squirrel. Inspecting the creature revealed it for what it truly was.

[Treeswinger Squirrel

Temperament: Passive

Description: A larger version of the southern small squirrel. Commonly found in the large trees of the north and uses its body weight to crush and eat tiny birds, insects, and nuts]

Ambrose retrieved his arrow and the corpse of the rodent which was about the size of a housecat. He was glad that he wouldn’t have to dig into his field rations and using his meager knowledge of butchering the squirrel was soon nothing more than strips of meat and a ruined fur skin.

[Treeswinger Squirrel Meat

Effect: Possible chance of disease

Duration: 1-7 Days

Rarity: (Inferior)

Description: A clumsily butchered slice of flesh harvested from a slain Trueswinger Squirrel. Eating it raw will open up the possibility of disease, so cook it for better effects.]

[Treeswinger Squirrel Fur

Rarity: (Inferior)

Description: Strips of Treeswinger Squirrel that would be better used for scraps than anything else.]

It hurt his ego a bit to receive confirmation that his work had been shoddy but his sorrow was swept away when he detected another herb that could be gathered. Ambrose felt more and more like the player that focused more on collecting every resource than completing the actual quest. Jerald, Ambrose’s only friend so far, was kind enough to stay close to the amateur farmer to keep him safe.

After setting up the camp and starting the fire, Ambrose was sitting alongside a few other members of the group sharing stories.

“We had Berry here about nine years ago and immediately regretted bringing such a wonderful being into our dying world. So when the game was announced we saw it as a chance at giving her the life she deserved.” The clean-shaven bald man said as the small girl slept soundly in her mother’s arms. The parents had decided that settling on a frontier town where the troubles of a populated city wouldn’t reach them would be the best choice to raise their daughter. Although that brought a question from the back of Ambrose’s head forward.

“Does she still grow?” He tilted his head as he asked the couple.

“Yes, since she wasn’t over the age of sixteen we were allowed to be there as she created her character. It provides buffs such as Family which gives us a general feel for each other's location and wellbeing. She’ll also keep growing until she reaches eighteen which is the lowest age that you can make your character.” A few people had kept their age the same across the worlds but the majority wanted to regain their youthful enthusiasm once again.

“It's so strange, the world is meant to be as realistic as possible but it's hard to forget that it's just a game. It's like Earth just without as much hassle,” one of the men who had favored heavily in construction joked which alighted a few pieces of laughter.

“Yeah, it almost seems too good to be true.”

Ambrose awoke the next morning with a sudden urge to relieve his bowels. Grabbing a shovel from his inventory he hit the woods, finishing his business in record time. Thankfully the game had included some toiletries in the basic supplies.

Ambrose returned back to the camp after collecting a few more herbs along the way. One was a paralytic poison which Ambrose thought might be useful when he needed to subdue creatures.

“Ahoy there Ambrose, I see that you’ve already gotten up. Care to join me for a bit of field ration stew?” A man who had introduced himself as Ragnir had focused heavily around the [Cooking] skill. Adding supporting skills like [Butchering], [Skinning], [Brewing], and the like. The man’s cooking skill was already at [Cooking (Novice IV)] after he had spent some time at the Floating Otter Inn learning from the innkeeper.

“I’d love some,” Ambrose replied, grateful for a bit of breakfast before another long day of traveling.

The stew was composed of bits of jerky, potatoes, and some sort of hard beans which had softened after being cooked over the campfire.

[Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! + 15% Health Regeneration, + 15% Stamina Regeneration.]

[You have eaten something with the Well Cooked attribute! + 5% Health Regeneration, + 5% Stamina Regeneration]

The breakfast slid down Ambrose’s throat and into his gullet with a warm cozy feeling. The status buffs were a nice addition and he made sure to thank Ragnir for the food.

“It's not a problem. Hopefully, when I open up a tavern of my own I'll have my cooking high enough that my food will give more than just the Well Cooked buff!” Ragnir explained that once his Cooking skill had reached novice rank each meal that he cooked had the chance to gain the Well Cooked attribute. As his skill progressed through the ranks, it would get more buffs.

The camp slowly roused to life with an estimated time that they would reach their destination within a few hours. Ambrose quickly gathered his belongings and before long the frontier settlers were once again cutting through untamed lands of the wilderness. The plants were grown and tempered with the harshest of northern winters, making their fibers incredibly tough.

With the multitude of identifiable herbs his [Herbology] skill soon reached (Novice II). Nothing else happened but a little bit more description was presented when identifying herbs. Mainly when inspecting the herb, it presented a more numerical representation.

[Clover Mushroom

Rarity: (Common)

Effects: +5% awareness when consumed, +20% hallucination debuff when consumed

Description: Green mushroom with three offshoots that form what commonly is referred to as a clover]

Ambrose had found a few of the mushrooms, keeping the effects to himself. As much as he wanted to be honest and truthful with his fellow settlers, he had too much bad experience with people doing anything to get any sort of drug-induced state.

The mushroom went in his herb bag along with the others, it had been something that had been included within the pages of the herbology book given by the store owner. It provided a minor effect that kept the herbs from deteriorating while inside.

Pulling his hand back from the bag around his waist, Ambrose gripped his bow with his right hand. His quiver slung across his bag, directly beside his backpack.

Ambrose was excited, plans for his new home and land rampaged through his mind like a sewer rat in a new tunnel. He imagined a chicken coop that would give him fresh eggs for breakfast. Although there probably weren’t chickens in the Norsege Isles, that wouldn’t stop Ambrose from finding the closest thing to them.

Ambrose also wanted to find a method of fast transportation, some sort of mount that could cross the rocky terrain and valleys would be preferable. Ambrose cracked open the bestiary to start looking for animals to watch out for. A few goat-like creatures immediately caught his attention, but the warning that the creatures were at a minimum of level 20 put his taming dreams to the side. Ambrose would just have to stick to catching whatever he came across.

The few hours passed easily as the settling party soon reached the shore to the ocean, if they followed the beach line then it wouldn’t be long until they found the hidden valley that Tina had seen on her character creation section.

Ambrose idly skipped rocks across the flowing waves as the group took a short stop to rest and discuss various topics. Ambrose gravitated to Jerald’s side since he was the only person Ambrose had really talked to.

“Tina and a few other halflings went up ahead to scout out the valley and make sure there’s nothing up there waiting to kill us, it would be terrible to lose all our items after hiking all this way,” the same man that had spoken up yesterday at the inn about settling next to the ocean announced to the group. Ambrose overheard from various conversations that the man’s name was Jorn. The taller-than-average man had messy blonde hair that gently waved in the ocean breeze.

The saltwater ocean provided a small concern to Ambrose, as his farming skill and a few quick searches on humanity’s online library, which was connected to Eden via a small hub, informed him that saltwater made farming and irrigation impossible. The talk of a lake or pond which was connected to a stream of some sort informed Ambrose that he would be able to make an irrigation ditch or canal at some point. Which would take off the time heavy task of watering his crops, especially with his two magical spells.

After around thirty minutes the scouts returned bearing good news.

“The valley is clear of any hostile monsters, there were a few [Bulky Seals] on the beach but after we showed up they cleared out quickly. It's also full of trees so it’ll be hard to develop any farmland, but the area is strangely flat. I believe that a glacier came through and carved the land down thousands of years ago which is why it is that way now.” Tina informed the group and then Ambrose and the rest decided to make the journey to see for themselves.

Ambrose laid down to rest that night, happy with the day's progress. Once the group decided that the valley was for them, people had been given tasks and gotten to work. Those with a farming skill set like Ambrose had been asked to go find a section of land of around five acres near the lake for their personal use.

Ambrose ended up choosing an area near the back of the valley, where the natural mountain barrier started to circle back around towards the ocean. The rest of the few farmers had chosen a closer area to the budding settlement, but Ambrose desired to have his silence and his space. The fewer people around him meant more land for himself, and the less likely chance of someone getting too nosey.

On the downside, it also meant that those with the skills meant to protect the settlement would hardly ever go towards the back of the valley where Ambrose resided, but hopefully, he would have tamed a few creatures for protection by then.

The area around Ambrose was relatively flat, besides a few dips into the ground which could be mended easily. The best part of the land was the lake access and surprisingly a natural fruit tree.

[Grapemelon

Effects: Reduces hunger and reduces thirst

Rarity: (Common)

Description: tree fruit in the shape of what is commonly referred to as a grape but the size of a small melon. Purple soft skin hides the fleshly red interior which both are safe for consumption]

It wasn’t anything game-changing but after Ambrose munched on a few of the fist-sized fruits, he was glad to have something to change the diet in the upcoming months.

Since the tree was in Ambrose’s “claim”, the area in which he owned by game terms, it belonged to him solely. That wasn’t to say that someone couldn’t come up and take a grapemelon. Eden functioned just like real life, laws were enforced not by the game, but by the people who made them. If Ambrose wanted to maintain a safe lifestyle then he would need some way to defend himself.

But Ambrose didn’t worry too much about attacks from others so soon after the game began. The settlers seemed nice enough and everyone would be busy constructing more permanent housing and collecting resources. Something that Ambrose would be doing a lot of the following morning.

Ambrose planned to start cutting down the trees to clear the land for tilling and seeding, also using the thick tree trunks to begin the construction of his log cabin.

[Norsege Isles Heavy Pine Tree

Rarity: (Common)

Description: Heavy tree that maintains its thistles year-round, its wood is used in almost every building on the Norsege Isles and is often exported for its strong durability. Perfect for making houses and tools]

Ambrose would use the metal hatchet he had been given to start logging the area around his land, leaving a few trees for where he planned to build his house.

Said house was going to be near the valley wall, its rocky mountain would provide some semblance of protection from the elements and would leave more room for land to farm.

For the night, Ambrose had set up his tent and sleeping bag and had eaten some trail rations to satisfy his hunger.

As Ambrose rested in the tent, he was exhausted from the long day and a half of trekking through the untamed Norsege wilderness, but he was eager to start the next day.