Polaris Dark - Chapter II

The kaleidoscope of colors blend together and forms the world in around me. I look around and find myself in my human form, black hair, no fox ears or tail. The world is just as realistic and detailed as the war-like landscape of the tutorial. I am currently at a teleporter with stained glass sculptures around, decorating the brick road. Many users, I assume, noticed me and were staring... not that I haven't been ogled at before. I quickly step away from the teleporter and hide away from the main street, down in a small alleyway. The beauty of the world here takes my breath away for a moment before I remember that I need to check on the things I've gained after completing the tutorial.

First, I'll have to check my status information... I call out:

"Status Check."

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Status Infomation Name: Yukiara Profession: N/A Level: 1 Sub Profession: N/A Race: Kitsune Gender: Female Equipped Title Virtuous Maiden Rank (Social Class) Pioneer Fame: 5 Infamy: 0 - Health: 100 / 100 Health Recovery: 0.1 / Sec Mana: 50 / 50 Mana Recovery: 0.05 / Sec Stamina: 100 / 100 Stamina Recovery: 0.1 / Sec - Strength: 2 Dexterity: 16 Vitality: 3 Agility: 12 Intelligence: 13 Wisdom: 16 Charisma: 60 Luck: 5 - Physical Attack: 2 Physical Defense: 1 Magical Attack: 5 Magical Defense: 7 Physical Modifiers Slash: 100% Pierce: 100% Crush: 100% Blast: 100% Elemental Modifiers Fire: 100% Water: 110% Wind: 100% Earth: 100% Ice: 110% Lightning: 100% Light: 90% Darkness: 90% Mind: 100% Void: 100%

So this is the race difference. It seems rather balanced in comparison to what I thought. It leans heavily towards speed and magic while power is much less than average. The Rank, or Social Class we players have that identify us as players and not NPCs is "Pioneer". Let me see what I have gotten from the tutorial.

"Check Titles, open in detailed mode."

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Titles Acquired

The Loremaster is someone who has completed multiple historical accounts and followed the course of history. He/She would collect and write down information and evidence of events that occurred and continue to do so while he/she is alive. The Loremaster has extensive knowledge dealing with the arts of history as well as techniques and other specialties of the ancient era.

Bonuses

- Intelligence increased by 10%

- Wisdom increased by 10%

- Base Fame is set to 5

--- ---

When Title is Equipped, increases Intelligence and Wisdom by an additional 10%

Not just accounting history in a single perspective, the Seeker of Truth wishes to discover the truth of how events came to occur. A war with one side victorious does not mean that the winning side is just. There are circumstances that may be hidden from view and the Seeker of Truth will not be deterred from finding the truth when he/she wants to know the truth.

Bonuses

- Passive Skill: Serene Mind - This skill allows you to stay clear headed at all times and not be confused or mislead by bad information or others who wish to lie to you.

- NPC Librarians, Researchers and Magicians will be respectful towards you as long as you are respectful towards them.

- Secrets and hidden messages in books and other written articles will sparkle in a small white light as a clue.

--- ---

When Title is Equipped, NPCs that are hiding the truth of something you wish to understand will grow nervous and may act out against you. You will also get bonus intimacy when you are interacting with NPC Librarians, Researchers and Magicians.

Even though most feminine and quiet woman can be without virtue. Where those women and girls fail to act in times of desperation, you will act according to your caring and kind nature. You will even sacrifice yourself for those you care about, those you love and those that are right. You are the pinnacle of the female gender and the rest of them will look at you in awe and aspire to become like you.

Bonuses

- Charisma is increased by 100%. If 100% is less than 50, then Charisma is increased by 50 instead.

- Passive Skill: Attraction Aura - This skill causes you to emit an aura of feminine charm that doubles your intimacy increase when interacting with NPCs (works both ways). This skill may also cause you to attract unwanted attention (beware of unsavory individuals).

--- ---

When Title is Equipped, All NPCs will be comfortable with you being around and will act friendly and respectful. NPC Clergy will gladly help you if you ask them for help (as long as it is not something that acts in opposition to your nature).

I'm surprised that these titles are ranked as Epic and Celestial tier yet they are probably the most useless for combat in the entire game. For interaction and NPC familiarity though these titles are probably among the best. Let's see... what else do I have?

"Inventory. Oh, also, minimize the set items to single item mode."

*Ding!*

Spoiler: Information

Loremaster's Staff Type: Staff Set Synergy: No Quality: Artifact Level Req: 1 This is the staff that Loremasters are seen with. This staff is simply an ordinary wooden staff made with ascleia wood with an inlaid pink sapphire gem on top. The difference between other ordinary staves and this Loremaster's staff is that it is beautifully carved and stamped using a Loremaster's Brand. The branding stamp cannot be forged as it is an artifact that is one of its kind. The staff does give a small boost to magic attack as well as amplifying magical abilities by a small amount.

--- --- ---

Equipment Information

Physical Attack: 4-13

Magical Attack: 10-14

--- --- ---

Amplifies spell effect by 1% Durability Staff: 120 / 120

Explorer's Set Type: Set Equipment Set Synergy: Yes Quality: Common Level Req: 1 The Explorer's Set is given to those that have completed the tutorial. The clothing pieces are made of a durable leather material with cloth fringes for comfort when traveling. This set includes the hat, blouse, jacket, skirt, socks and boots. The explorer's hat is similar to the sailor's hat with a pink ribbon tied on the side. The hat is mostly light brown with three soft pink stripes around the hat. The blouse is light brown with soft pink decorative lines as well as a pink ribbon tied at the on the lower left side. The jacket is a dark brown with dark green stripes while the skirt is a forest green with a few crosshatching decorations of a light and darker green color. The socks are a soft brown color, reaching up to the mid calves. These socks are woolly and warm. The boots are a tough dark brown leather, decorated with soft brown stripes. These boots are of a standard size and are made for rougher terrains. The dagger is a fairly simple, an nine inch iron dagger in a light brown sheath.

--- --- ---

Equipment Information

Hat: Physical Defense +5

Blouse: Physical Defense +10

Jacket: Physical Defense +15

Skirt: Physical Defense +4

Socks: Physical Defense +3

Boots: Physical Defense +8

Dagger: Physical Attack: 8-12

--- --- ---

Set Bonus: When having the entire set equipped, maximum HP is increased by 50 while maximum Mana is increased by 25 Durability Hat: 40 / 40 Blouse: 60 / 60 Jacket: 80 / 80 Skirt: 60 / 60 Socks: 30 / 30 Boots: 80 / 80 Dagger: 50/ 50

Waterskin Type: Consumable Set Synergy: No Quality: Common Level Req: 1 A simple leather-lined waterskin bottle of water to quench your thirst with. You can also use this water for other purposes but it would be waste as this water is potable. Contains enough for ten drinks.

--- --- ---

Consumable Information

A single drink of water reduces thirst by 30% Durability Waterskin: 5 / 5 Water: 10 / 10

Rye Bread Loaf Type: Consumable Set Synergy: No Quality: Common Level Req: 1 A type of bread made with flour and rye. This is much denser than wheat flour bread and can taste very sharp and tangy but rather dry and not so flavorful. This bread is a staple for most commoners and can be made with cheap ingredients. At least it is nutritious and it will fill you up when you are hungry.

--- --- ---

Consumable Information

Each slice consumed recovers 10% Satiety

Each slice consumed increases Thirst by 5% Durability Consumable: 10 / 10 Slices: 10

Well, it looks like those items are not that overpowered at all. Even the artifact tier Loremaster's Staff is simply a slightly better-than-basic magic enhancing equipment that is more of an expensive art piece than an actual weapon. The inventory size (pocket dimension) for each character vary with profession, a player with no class can hold up to 25 items in his or her inventory (regular consumables and material items stacking up to 10) before running out of space.

I guess the spell to summon the Loremaster's Tome is simply a recording book for me to write history down in so I'll ignore that for now. I'll also deal with the special ability "Sacrifice" later on as well. Right now, I'll need to go see what I can do.

Without bothering to equip the items I have gotten from the tutorial, I see that I'm wearing the basic clothing, pants and shoes and so I start heading opposite of where all beginners go to first when they login: the Beginner's Adventure Center. This is a building that gives help to the beginners and also gives their first request, usually a material gathering request or a package delivery quest.

I considered heading over there before, but I think I can do something else instead. For the first month in game, you cannot exit the city you spawn in. This is to prevent the new players from being killed so quickly by the higher level monsters that appear on occasion near the main roads. With the titles granting me additional NPC interaction bonuses, I think it will be better to talk to the NPCs in the city. I should also stop calling the people here NPCs... I think that they are alive in their own way, not just some random bits of data when we, the "players" are also just "data" while in the game.

Thinking about my attire and how I should be dressed, I realize my starter clothes just won't help make a better impression on the people that live here. I go back to the inventory screen and equip the Explorer's outfit, including the dagger. I leave the staff out for now since it may attract a bit too much attention with the pink sapphire gem on top of it.

After inspect myself, I walk out of the alleyway and a few users that notice me are stunned. I can probably make a good guess as to what they are thinking about right now... especially along the lines of "what kind of equipment is that"?

Ignore some of the lecherous stares as well as some who are just confused as to what equipment set I have on that looks pretty fashionable. I'm also sure that the people that saw me on the teleporter are all gone already so the ones here won't recognize my change of clothing. As I walk down the main path of the Glass Garden region of the city of Arvenus, I take notes in my head to remember where important buildings are and where I can find the church in this city.

The Glass Garden region is the artists area of Arvenus; most of the public buildings - three stories tall - here are part of the artisan guilds while the rest are two story homes for the artists that run this area. This region of the city is in the west side, quite close to the wall but one of the more extravagant places in the city.

Right now, I am at the commerce and market area of Arvenus, the central region, also known colloquially as "The Market". To my right, the right side of the street path are the buildings containing the general store, shops that sell swords and other bladed weapons, stores that sell ranged equipment, and a few other miscellaneous items stores. To the left are more stores selling different items as well as the blacksmith at the far left. The blacksmith is the place where you can get custom-forged equipment as well as have your current equipment repaired for a price.

There is also a jewelry store near the blacksmith that sells gems, rings and other sorts of luxury goods. Of course, there is also the apothecary that sells medicine and potions just to the edge of The Market, right beside the entrance of the foods and grocery. This area is filled with open stalls that sell a lot of different kinds of food, restaurants that cater meals as well as food stores that sell ingredients and raw food goods.

I walk to each of the stores in the market area, talking with the people that work there and introducing myself as a wandering historian that likes to hear about stories. Listening to some of the people's stories, I eventually find myself at the Magician's Guild in the eastern region, where the main guilds for warriors, mages, thieves, merchants and other profession guilds that are not related to the fine arts.

I head into the guild building and take a look around; the are not many people in the Magician's Guild at the moment. I think that most of the players are either hunting or questing at this time of day since the sun is still high in the sky, indicating that it is approximately noon in game. I find a rather non-descript elderly man sorting out books to my left and so I head over there and ask him if he needs help or not.

"Hello there, would you like some help?"

The old man turns to look at me with his storm grey eyes and a beard that every old sages would be proud of. He then replies in a deep and strong voice, slightly surprising me as his hunched-up appearance is completely opposite to his strong voice.

"Ah, thank you young lass, I was going to place these books back in alphabetical order on the shelves. People these days just don't remember to do so when reading from these shelves."

*Ding!*

Racial ability has been discovered: Common, Elven and Spirit Language Comprehension has been unlocked and mastered. Also, as a result of obtaining the title; , you have also unlocked the ancient language of Khahadrys (Intermediate). You are now fluent in writing, reading, listening and speaking the language you have mastered.

...Okay, I guess that solves the problem with reading. I then realize that I have not introduced myself to the man yet. I smile as I start speaking.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yukiara, I apologize for my forgetfulness."

The old man then gave a hearty laugh at this and introduces himself with a smile.

"Gha ha ha! It's been a while since I've seen such a well mannered young'un. No need to apologize. My name is Soren Makosigard, it is nice to meet you."

We both shake each others hands firmly - he arches an eyebrow at this - before I get to work helping him checking and rearranging the books to where they're supposed to belong. The books are all over the place and will definitely need to be shelved properly. Soren and I have a nice conversation while we are shelving the books in the proper places, from topics like food to bits and pieces of magic. Since the people here know that we, the players, are "pioneers" innately, Soren teaches me about how magic works in this world. He also seems to have a liking to taste new foods and I'm pretty sure he's a connoisseur of different foods as he is very eager to talk about different kinds of edible food. I tell him about the food I have tried from the "outer world" (as I call my own world).

After half an hour or so, I was about to replace the last book when the title of this one catches my eye. Taking a look at it more carefully, I find that this book is older and is dustier than the rest of the ones in the shelf. The title of this book translated to modern English is "Cynosure" and has a white star on its cover... remembering something from language arts classes, cynosure is means "something that strongly attracts by its brilliance" or "something serving for guidance or direction". Is this something related to the North Star?

Hm... I open the book up and read a few passages of it. It seems to be the history of magic and the Archmage Hilde Greybourg. Due to the title , I notice a sparkle of white on some of the pages in the book.

"I see this book has piqued your interest young lass."

Old man Soren smiles as he looks over to me and says this.

"Yes," I answer in a curious tone, "when translated to one of the languages we, the pioneers use, the title of this book is a term for something serving for guidance or direction. The meaning of this book... is it more than just a book on the Archmage Greybourg and his teachings of magic?"

Soren grinned in a way that befitted a rather mischievous yet wise look in his eyes.

"Finally," he says, "a pioneer that is interested in knowledge and mysteries, a young lass no less. Yes, this book is the original copy that Greybourg wrote during his later years while he is studying and teaching magic. Of course, being the curious researcher he is in the ancients and the origin of magic, he decided to try to uncover the secrets behind the truth of magic and how the ancient civilizations came to be and how they ended."

Soren paused for a moment to let me digest the information before continuing.

"Being near the age of final rest, Greybourg already knew that he would not be able to satisfy his interest in the ancient and so he wrote this book to record his findings so far and hoped that someone will be able to solve the mysteries he studied and researched for so long. However, no person would do so he wrote this book about the mysteries of magic he has solved and the research on ancient civilizations he has completed. There are hundreds of copies of this book in the world but none had the hidden messages he wrote in this one."

"So," I finally respond to this story and ask, "I guess I am the only one that noticed something about this book?"

Soren nods.

"Yes, this is actually the first time someone, in this case you, actually picked up this dusty old book and is interested. Seeing that you seem to be interested in this book, keep it with you. This bookshelf won't miss a book like that."

Surprised I did not want to take this book away but the old man persisted and I eventually accepted. Upon placing the book in my inventory, a window appeared.

*Ding!*

Lore Quest: Guidance from the Stars Difficulty: C-5x Tier: Book Book of the Archmage

Discovering a secret message in the original book that the Archmage Greybourg wrote in his later years, you decide to try to find his legacy and continue his work in your own way. When you have time, go to the Northern Yunifa Mountains and this book will guide you to the hidden caverns that house all the unfinished works of Greybourg. Who knows what sort of valuable information and items are stored there...

Quest Objectives

- Go to the Northern Yunifa Mountains

Quest Failure Conditions

- Unless you lose the book, there is no chance of failing.

Bonus Objectives

- N/A

This quest is has already been accepted from taking the book

Okay, a C ranked difficulty quest right off the bat. Not only that, this is virtually the same rank and type as one of the tutorial's quests, down to the little 'x' that marks it as a high C rank quest. I guess I won't be doing this one any time soon. I'll put this one off until I get strong enough to defeat the monsters and animals in the mountain range by myself. Checking the time in real life, I see that it has not been that long so I thank Soren for his time while he thanks me for helping out.

As I head out to open the door, said door suddenly swung open and knocked me off my feet, causing my body to fall backwards and land on the floor with a... huh? There's no "bam" sound of hitting the floor? I also didn't feel myself get hurt, as if something was cushioning my fall. Even though I am unhurt, that did surprise me as well as making me a little annoyed at the blatant ignorance and uncaring of others.

Entering the magician's guild was a rather portly, well-dressed man with two soldier-esque bodyguards at his side. The man looked down at me with contempt at first then seeing my face and body, he looked a bit thoughtful in an evil way before re-assuming his aloof, pompous manner. He then signals one of the bodyguards and the guy nods. The same bodyguard, he is closest to me actually had the indecency to kick my fallen body out of his path, causing me to hit one of the bookshelves and the newly shelved books topple over from the shelf and collapse on top of me.

I try my best to hold in the cry of pain but after the bookshelf and books double-whammy, it just overtook my concentration and I let out a painful yelp.

"Ow!"

You have lost 15 Health You have lost 10 Health

You have been dazed for 30 seconds You have lost 10 Health

Moaning, I notice Soren quickly rush over to me before getting the books off my body as well as pulling me up to a semi-sitting position against the bookshelf.

"Are you okay young lass? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"Other than the possibility of a head injury from the books" I speak softly, "I am fine Mr. Soren."

The elderly man let out a rather frustrated sigh that conceals hidden anger, I can feel pressure from this seemingly harmless elderly man that suggests otherwise.

"At least you are well enough to be concerned with your head. Rest here for now, I'll deal with this myself."

While Soren was attending to me, the well-dressed, bad-mannered man had apparently tried to blackmail the guild when one of the apprentices lent to that man had a spell misfire that burnt up two tables in his home. The problem here is that the the man was warned beforehand about apprentices but he ignored it as it was cheaper. Now he intends to get compensation for something he ignored as the receptionist is trying to explain and stop this man from cheating.

At the moment when the man threatened to send his men here and take things as collateral, Soren walks there over slowly to confront them. I am very concerned about this so I try to get myself to stand up but fail to as I am still dazed. However, it looks like my concern is unnecessary because every step Soren takes, the pressure that appeared a while back increases dramatically.

Even though the ill-mannered man had looked at Soren with disdain a moment back, now its the former's turn to be miffed and unnerved by the overwhelming presence from the latter.

All it took is the materialization of an old wooden staff and a loud slamming sound from the staff's base to the ground to cause the man and his bodyguards to scamper out of guild in a hurry. After that fiasco, Soren helped me up and reintroduced himself as the current guild master of the Magician's Guild and is the chief elder of the Magic Council. Looks like I've gotten myself a connection to someone important...

Soon after, I leave the guild building after talking to the receptionist. As I exit the building, I check my health and my inventory to see what the guild master had given me before he left on official business.

Health: 72/100 Item Acquired: Mana Prism Rarity Artifact Level Req. 1 A special crystalline prism that slowly collects and stores mana from its surroundings. When used, one can recover mana equal to the amount it has collected. It will continue to collect mana and store it until it is full or it breaks from durability loss. In a pinch, the user can use the mana collected in the prism and generate an explosive blast of mana at the enemy or object in the user's way. This use would damage the crystal substantially though so should only be used in an emergency.

--- --- ---

Artifact Information

Mana Storage Device: 42/1500

Mana Burst: 200% Magical Damage x Mana Used (Durability -100)

--- --- ---

Capable of storing and releasing mana Durability Crystal: 500 / 500

Another artifact tier item with a useful ability. Even though these items are very rare, they don't seem to be that powerful when compared to the rarity rank at all. That mana burst sure does a number on the durability of this crystal. Like the description says, I should only use that option as a last resort.

--- ---

--- ---

As I walk way, I decide to go to Emilia Forest to test my combat abilities. Emilia Forest is a beginner area to the southeast of the city; the creatures that live there are fairly weak but still formidable for beginners like myself. The forest itself is fenced off from the outer reaches so it is still a part of the city. This way, beginners will not die so quickly and will be able to train themselves and collect items to sell.

The forest consists of three areas and the beginner dungeon . The first section is dubbed the "Outer Region", where the creatures and animals are around level 1 to level 4. The second region is dubbed the "Middle Region", where the creatures and animals are approximately level 3-7. The third and final area is the "Inner Region", having level 7 to level 10 creatures and animals.

While passing through the regions, I attract quite a bit of attention, especially from the male players that I pass. I am glad that there is no one here that would act upon their other head than with the head that contains the brain. I reach the entrance to the forest in about twenty minutes and see quite a few beginners trying to find a party.

"Level 5 Mage here, need a party!"

"I'm a Level 4 Warrior, I need a party!"

"Requesting a party invite! I'm a Priestess at Level 5!"

I decided to sneak away quietly and enter the forest where there are no other players nearby so I can see how the animals and other creatures are and how powerful are they compared to a beginner at level 1 to level 10.

You are now entering the field dungeon: Emilia Forest

Alright, before I set out for my first dungeon dive... sort of, I check my status and equipment and find everything in perfect order. Okay then, time to go and see how I fare against some of the animals and other creatures here.

I walk into the forest, cautious while moving as quietly as possible. After a minute or so of trekking between trees, I spot my first target: Pale Shadow Bat...

Wait what?

How did I find a Magic Tier variant creature on my first try? The large bat is covered with a thin layer of white fur as well as beady red eyes, Without warning, the bat dropped from the roost in the tree and flew at me.

Panicking, I try to draw my dagger but it was too slow, the bat swipes at my head with its sharp, crescent claws. It is only my luck and natural reflexes brought in from outside the game that keeps me from losing my head with a sidestep. However, since I am still in a panic while avoiding the bat, I fall over from overcompensating my balance from my sidestep. Landing on the ground face first, I turn my head to the side so I won't break my nose. Before I can get up from the fall though, I feel a searing pain on my back as something slices through my clothing, and slashes my back, making me gasp in pain.

-23 Health

Ow! That really hurt! The pain ratio threshold of 25% of reality seems little, but when you think about this world, getting cut to pieces is far more common than accidentally hitting your elbow. I will have to get something to reduce or tolerate the pain, maybe a spell or skill will help.

Hissing from the pain, I get up just in time to pivot my left foot and avoid another swipe from the large bat. I need to get out of here before this stupid bat kills me. I quickly scamper away, and somehow end up gracefully on my face again. Well, this time it's my fault since I didn't realize there was a tree root right where I was standing when I started running. Again, I get lucky as falling down caused the bat swooping down at me to miss yet again.

This time, I roll myself on my back, ignoring the stinging pain on my back as it comes into contact with the grassy ground. The bat tries to slash me with the claws but while lying on the ground, I have the advantage as I can parry its attacks with the dagger and counter attack while making myself as small of a target as possible. On the first hit, I dealt to the bat, its health bar and level shows up.

You have dealt 5 damage to Pale Shadow Bat Level 2! Pale Shadow Bat Health: 145/150

Although lying down is much different than standing up in fencing, I can still predict the bat's movements as it is very linear and has no variation to it's swiping attack.

Spoiler :

3 Damage dealt to Pale Shadow Bat

6 Damage dealt to Pale Shadow Bat

5 Damage dealt to Pale Shadow Bat

8 Damage dealt to Pale Shadow Bat

4 Damage dealt to Pale Shadow Bat

... ... ...

... ...

...

After a two dozen or so passes, the bat falls to the ground from the multiple injuries it sustained from my parry and counters with my dagger. The bat screeches in pain as it thrashes around, trying to get upright. I use this opportunity to get back to my feet and attack the downed bat. The angry bat tries scratch at me but I deftly avoid the blows and stab the bat several times. After the seventh stab, the bat finally dies and lays still. After a moment, the corpse turns into inky black shadows and melt into the ground, disappearing for good.

*Ding!*

You have unexpectedly killed a Magic Tier creature with level higher than you as your first kill in the game!

Fame is increased by 5

Luck is increased by 5

Title Acquired:

Experience gained from this kill x3

Hm... what's this new title...?

New Title:

You should be proud of this achievement: not many novice players are able to get this title right from the very start. By striking down a creature with a Tier higher than before even reaching level 3, you have been given this title so that others will know of your heroic accomplishment even before you even experienced any kind of adventure.

Bonuses (When Equipped)

- Strength +2

- Vitality +3

This title is very outstanding for beginner players like myself as it improves the character's strength and vitality when equipped. The five extra points are enough to increase the player's starting abilities by around 10% before including equipment. However, although my strength and vitality are sorely lacking, my focus is not on these two stats so swapping titles is pretty much useless right now.

You have leveled up!

Health is increased by 10

Mana is increased by 15

Strength is increased by 1

Dexterity is increased by 2

Agility is increased by 2

Intelligence is increased by 1

Wisdom is increased by 2

You have 5 bonus stat points to spend.

That was exhilarating... totally unlike me at all. Being in danger with my own life on the line actually made me feel excited. Of course, even though I treat this game world as another world, I cannot actually die for real and I am free to do as I wish without my strict traditional family controlling my actions. I shake my head, no, even though combat here makes me feel alive, it cannot be the first solution to any situation unless I am attacked like this or it is a required for a quest. I'll act as myself and not "change" to another character like I wanted to try.

Too bad the bat did not drop any items or money, but I'll have to make do with the fact I leveled up already with a single kill.

I should follow this race's stat build since having a higher reflex (dexterity) can come in handy, however, I'll also need the additional speed that agility provides so allot all five bonus points to agility, bringing it up to 17. After confirming the stat increase, I can feel a minute change to my body. It's not much, but It feels slightly lighter than before. I'm not sure what profession I want to take at the moment so I'll just continue on.

Looking around for any other enemies before sitting down, my back is still stinging from the slash the bat inflicted. Just like in reality, the injuries don't just heal after a battle. We heal at the same rate a normal person does if you are a human. As a Kitsune, I do not know how fast my injuries will heal. Though the pain from the injury will fade away fairly quickly after combat so you can continue fighting without any hindrances just like a regular video game. Of course, you can only be injured to a certain point before you get hit with an injury debuff.

I carefully touch my back with my hand, wincing with the stinging pain before taking a look at my hand. Realistic it is; there's a smear of blood on my hand now. I take out the waterskin and two slices of rye bread to replenish my satiety and reduce my thirst. Taking one of the bread slices, I gingerly bite into the bread and the somewhat tasteless but tangy flavor engulfs my taste buds, causing me to grimace.

I quickly finish the two slices of bread so that I can get the weird taste out of my mouth with the water. Sighing, I get up and check my health.

Health: 93/110

Looks like it is good enough for now. I'll try to find and fight a few more animals or creatures here... and hopefully none of them are going to be as difficult as that magic tier bat that shredded my backside. I get back up, wincing a little and put away the waterskin. I continue my trek through the outer section of this forest.

During my time in the forest, I pass over several cute White Rabbits without bothering them, kill four Foul Minks and two Muddled Rats. The Foul Minks are larger than normal minks that are fairly slow but has a nasty bite. One nearly bit my hand off when I was not paying attention. The Muddled Rats are... well, muddled. The rats are slow, clumsy and they look like they are drunk. That's just how they are; their attacks are easy to avoid and they are easily defeated with one or two slashes.

I pick up the drops and bury the corpses of the six kills. I also give a small prayer for their passing.

Right now, I am starting to head back to the city, content with my current self and capabilities. Taking a look at my experience bar, I find myself about half way to the next level.

I check the system calendar and time: December 14th... 1:00PM. So about an hour and a half has passed in real life. With no classes and nothing to do tomorrow, I think I can play a little more before I get ready to go and meet up my with parents. I have to go with my parents to a formal dinner with their business partners tonight and I cannot be late. It starts at 7:30PM though so I have time. I set the system alarm to 2:30PM to remind me to stop playing...

...as I close the system window, I hear a yell and a scream just head of me. I have a tendency to want to help others in need in reality, so I quickly dash towards the noise. Upon arriving, I see five wolves attacking four people, with three of them being male and the last one being female.

The one in front of the rest of the party is a male with short, dark-brown hair and brownish-tawny eyes. Wearing some sort of rugged leather armor and pants, the boy in the front wields a bronze or copper sword and has a small metal-lined wooden kite shield. He is doing fairly well at fending off the five wolves but looks very desperate.

The second person is holding a bow and shooting at the wolves whenever one of the mutts try to flank the first guy. The archer here has a head of dull red and eyes of a rather deep, forest green. He's wearing a forest green and tan clothing and a hat that makes him look more like a forest ranger than an archer from an army.

The third guy here is probably a healer, wearing tan and white priest clothing as well as wielding the standard priest staff the player gets from changing class to priest/priestess. This guy is kneeling beside the fallen fourth person, a girl clothed in the basic mage equipment; grayish-blue robes along with a wooden wand. The priest is currently healing her, using sustained spell that generates a yellowish aura around his hands.

The girl has mid-length brown hair that reaches just above her shoulders and ruby red eyes, clearly customized from character creation. She has several lacerations and slashes on her body that looks quite painful. She's groaning softly in pain at the moment but she'll probably be fine as I can see the injuries closing slowly from the healing. That reminds me, my back can use some healing later on so it won't annoy me anymore.

Seeing that the wolves did not notice me yet, I slowly creep up to the furthest one, holding my dagger in a reverse grip. The two boys holding off wolves noticed me and changed their tactics a little to keep the wolves from noticing me. I calm myself down and slow my breathing, slowly, slowly, slowly...

... I lunge when I am within three meters of the target wolf. The wolf is startled by the rushing wind from my sudden movement and turns towards me but is too late: my dagger is vicious snake fang, buried right in the neck of the wolf. The mutt didn't even have a chance to whimper as I deal a huge amount of damage to it.

Fatal Hit! You have struck the Brown Wolf in a very vulnerable area!

The wolf fell over, whimpering a little and then fall dead. Animals and common creatures are easily killed if you can hit them in the correct spot so it is very realistic in this way. However, when you reach Magic Tier and above, the creatures are more RPG-like and will only take critical damage and will continue trying to bash your head in, if not rip you to pieces.

The other four wolves notice that something is wrong and turn to look at me, and that is mistake number one. The sword wielding boy immediately takes this opening and slashes at the closest wolf's head, dealing a fatal hit and taking out that wolf. The three remaining wolves look uncertain now that two of their pack members are taken down in mere seconds, one after another. That's mistake number two. At this moment, the archer here fires three arrows in succession, one arrow hitting the target wolf's mid section while the other two hits the neck, stunning the wolf for a moment. One second later, a bronze gleam cut off that wolf's head.

That was the last straw and the last two wolves scampered away with their tails tucked under them. And that's going to be mistake number three, you are out! One of the wolves scampering away did not notice that the girl on the floor readied a spell to intercept its path and is turned into burnt wolf steak before getting its head lopped off by the sword wielder. The last wolf is able to get away without being hurt and I ignore it as it is not attacking us anymore.

The sword wielding boy sighs and then thanks me in an alto-tenor voice.

*Phew, that was a close one, thank you very much for helping us out."

The rest of the team follows suit and thanks me as well.

"No, it's okay," I reply, "I cannot just leave someone who needs up alone."

After a introducing ourselves, the mage girl with the IGN of Sue_Fina12, persuades me to go with them for now back to the city. As the five of us walk back together, we talk to each other about how we feel about the game and what we want to do in game. I catch the sword wielding boy, kingTayu_IV, and the archer, RaizerXL, staring at my body several times during the walk back to the city. This is not missed by the only other female in the group and the two gets their heads whacked by her fist. The priest player's IGN is MaguscovO and he's the only one that did not stare at me at all. Either he's good at acting like a true priest or he actually has such a good personality.

We arrive at the fence separating the forest and the main part of the city and add each other on the friends list before going our separate ways. There's still thirty or so minutes till the alarm at 2:30PM so I have approximately two hours in game. I think I'll head to the library to see if I can get a head start on learning about this world.

--- ---

--- ---

Ten minutes later, I arrive at the library entrance. As I enter the building, I find that there is no one in the library except the assistants and librarian. It looks like everyone is too busy fighting or doing quests to even try to do some reading. Maybe they're tired of reading textbooks from school or something, but reading books about how another world works, to me, is something else entirely.

I walk up to the librarian sitting behind a desk, his glasses glinting from the reflected light of oil lamps in this building. The librarian has a head of thick grey hair that flows off his head in curled tousles. Storm grey, piercing eyes not unlike the guild master Soren's own eyes, stare into a book the librarian is currently reading. Where Soren's eyes held wisdom, gentleness and warmth, the librarian's eyes held mystery, depth and coolness.

The librarian notices me and he widens his eyes a little.

"Miss Yukiara, I see you've decided to visit my humble library."

My own eyes widen at his low tenor voice speaking out my name.

"Hello, it is a pleasure to meet you," I bow slightly in respect to the librarian, "please, can you tell me how you know my name?"

The grey-haired man smiles slightly and then answers my question with a statement posed as a question before commenting on how he actually knew.

"I may like to read a lot, but that does not mean I cannot have eyes and ears everywhere and anywhere, can I? Gossip is everywhere my dear and when something unusual occurs, it tends to spread out further and faster than the norm. I heard about a young female pioneer making her way around the city conversing with us citizens of the city without just asking for requests and rewards, it tends to spread just as fast as unusual information."

We converse for a short while as I learn about this peculiar librarian. The librarian's name is Theodore Alseic Cosenko, he is originally a noble from an empire from another continent but arrived here to learn and study other kingdom and empire's perspectives in history and information. His family all went their separate ways, doing what they want to do in life without much obstruction from money or political influence.

It turns out that Theodore disliked living so lavishly and ignorant and spend most of his money to get here before finding a nice job, a nice wife and even have three children. They currently live happily together, with himself working as the librarian of this city while his wife stays at home, content with raising their children. With his vast knowledge, Theodore teaches his wife and children about the world when he finishes his work.

Money is not a problem for him as the leader of this kingdom himself, King Avanhir Brismeargo, funds the library and pays Theodore himself to run the library as the King loves knowledge and learns as much as he can as well.

"So," Theodore says after the brief but enjoyable conversation, "out of all the pioneers that have arrived, only you have come to learn more about this world. Normally I would charge ten silvers to issue a library pass for those who have do not have one. However, I think that not only will you be able to use the knowledge in here, you will also be able to figure out some of the riddles in the higher tier books as well."

The librarian takes out a black metal card-like object inscribed with some sort of silver plating and engraved letters>

"I will give you the Black-Silver pass for free as long as you help me with a request of mine. It will require some knowledge in this library so this pass will give you access to the required books."

*Ding!*

Quest: The Librarian's Problem Difficulty: E-4 Tier: General Back Pains are really a Nuisance

The Librarian of Arvenus suffers from irritating back pains due to this age and his constant hunching over to read books. Using some of the general alchemy books found in the Black-Silver Tier section of the library, make something that can help ease the librarian's aching back so that he can read and learn in peace.

Quest Objectives

- Create a solution for the librarian's back pain

Quest Failure Conditions

- Unless you chose to quit, there is no chance at failing

Bonus Objectives

- N/A

"I will gladly help you with this request Mr. Theodore."

You have accepted the quest

I check the system time and find that it is 2:26PM, 4 minutes away from the alarm. I may as well quit and prepare for the formal dinner now. I hurriedly tell Theodore that I need to go for now and ask him to keep the black-silver pass for me.

"No need, I know that you will fulfill my request without running away. Just don't leave for too long; you have no idea how irritating this back pain is and how much it disturbs my reading."

He answers simply and place the library pass in my hands anyways. I thank him for his trust and then open up the system menu. Saying goodbye to the librarian, I click on Log-Out and then confirm the log-out sequence when it prompts me to.

{{Non-Proof Read Version}}