Polaris Dark - Chapter III

"System, login."

Welcome back Izayoi Miyuki! Please standby as the system loads and connect your avatar

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Loading complete!, connection ready. Please enjoy your time in Ascendancy!

I reappear in the library, right in front of Theodore.

"Welcome back young lass."

I do a small bow and say thank you to him.

"Thank you Mr. Theodore."

"Well young lass," Theodore speaks out, "just a small hint; the alchemy section within the black-silver shelves is to the left side of the shelf. Ah, the black-silver section is on the third floor."

I thank him again before starting on this quest.

I open the quest window up from the system and review what I need to do before heading to black-silver section. After getting to that area, I shuffle around, checking the book titles and find three useful ones. I take out the three books and then head to a small table and chair on this floor.

I open the first book titled: "Rare and Magical Herbs" and start to read...

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Ten minutes into the book, I come across an interesting herb that catches my eye.

Deadzone Bluebell Rarity Rare Level Req. 1 A strange bluebell plant that grows on the decaying matter of plants and animals. It suppresses fungal growth and is planted in agricultural gardens and near trees for that reason. This flower requires very little maintenance but grows very slowly; releasing only three seeds per year. The reason for its dreary name is because of the abundance of these plants in a dangerous region called "Dead Zone". This region is full of dead and decaying material that spews toxic gases, making it uninhabitable to most living things. The flowers bloom there in abundance due to the material there, not affected by the toxic gases.

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Herb Information

Used as a material for external poultices

Primary Dosage: Stamina Reduction, Poison Damage, Health Reduction

Secondary Dosage: Painkiller, Attack Speed Boost, Critical Rate Increase

Tertiary Dosage: Fatal Resist, Curse Resist

Special Dosage[/color]: N/A

That painkiller effect on the secondary dosage is really useful, I wonder... ah, that's one of the ingredients that can be used for this quest.

*Ding!*

You have found one of the required material for the quest!

1/4 Materials have been identified

Materials Required:

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6 Deadzone Bluebell petals

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Alright, one down, let's find what the other three ingredients are for something against back pain. I continue reading the book, skimming through herbs that do not pique my interest or is not important for the quest. It takes another ten minutes or so for me to find another herb that can be used for the quest.

Frosty Star Flower Rarity Rare Level Req. 1 A plant that sprouts multiple star-shaped flowers that emit a cold, icy aura. The pollen of this flower also emits an chilling air that is refreshing and cool. This plant is only known to blossom in cold regions but are numerous in those areas. The flower petals are delicate in a physical manner but tough when faced with flames, making them fire resistant and impossible to burn at low temperatures. As an ice-attribute herb, it can definitely be used to produce ice resistance potions as well.

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Herb Information

A material that has multiple purposes

Primary Dosage: Chilling Effect, Ice Resistance III, Mana Restoration

Secondary Dosage: Numbing Effect

Tertiary Dosage: Magic Enhancement, Ice Attribute, Fire Resistance II

Special Dosage: N/A

*Ding!*

You have found one of the required material for the quest!

2/4 Materials have been identified

Materials Required:

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6 Deadzone Bluebell petals

3 Frosty Star Flowers

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There we go, that's the second material required. Flipping through the rest of the pages, I finally finish the book in another fifteen minutes. I then pick up and open the next book titled: "Magic-Laced Medicinal Ingredients". Skimming through the book, I find that it is filled with medicinal ingredients from many sources, from plants, animals, rocks and even monsters. Although the sources are diverse, it only contains a lot of the more mundane ingredients found from not as dangerous monsters.

This book has a lot of interesting materials written down in details , a few catches my eye include "Shimmering Glow Dust", "Cloudy Stone Fragments", and "Golden Pearl Powder". These three materials special material items can be used to make mana restoration items that have can have multiple beneficial effects. I also find one more ingredient to create something for Theodore to relieve his back pain.

*Ding!*

You have found one of the required material for the quest!

3/4 Materials have been identified

Materials Required:

1 Small Vial of Star Shell Powder

6 Deadzone Bluebell petals

3 Frosty Star Flowers

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This book only takes up fifteen in-game minutes since it is thinner than the previous one and so I continue on to the last book titled: "Magical Medicine Found in Forests". This one doesn't have anything to do with the quest I am on but did have some details on a rather interesting mushroom that has quite a slew of uses when combined with other ingredients. This Chromatic Mist Mushroom has the known effects of "Mana Recovery and Regeneration Improvement", "Health Recovery and Regeneration Improvement", "Stamina Recovery and Rejuvenation Improvement", "Physical Condition Improvement" and "Mental Condition Improvement".

The first three are pretty self-explanatory: it allows the item being crafted to have an improved rate of recovery and regeneration rate for a certain duration. Physical condition improvement means that status buffing items with effects on the physical body (such as strength, agility and vitality) will be enhanced. Mental condition improvement does the same with the mental attributes (such as wisdom, intelligence, and leadership).

I'll be keeping an eye out for this mushroom in forests whenever I have something to do in a forest. It seems this ingredient can grow in any forest but rarely appears and even when it does appear, it wilts and disappears rather quickly as well.

I close the book and bring along the three books I currently have out and walk about to the shelf I got them from. Replacing them in their respective spots on the shelf, I scan the shelf for anything that catches my eye and finally take out a book titled, "Aquatic Medicine and Obscure Ingredients". Maybe this book will have the final ingredient for the quest. I take another thirty minutes to finish skimming this book as well as finding the last required ingredient.

*Ding!*

You have found the fourth required material for the quest!

4/4 Materials have been identified ***Complete***

Materials Required:

1 Small Vial of Star Shell Powder

6 Deadzone Bluebell petals

3 Frosty Star Flowers

1 Wavy Black Kelp Frond You have found all the materials required to make a medicinal poultice for Theodore's back pain. Quest details have been updated. Quest: The Librarian's Problem II Difficulty: E-1 Tier: General The Apothecary

Now that you have identified four useful materials for creating a solution for the librarian's back pain, go to the apothecary and request the poultice to be made with the four ingredients. Remember to include the amount of ingredients for each of the four required materials.

Quest Objectives

- Go to the Apothecary and put in a request for Theodore

Quest Failure Conditions

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

Bonus Objectives

- N/A

Okay, let's go to the apothecary now since I just finished this quest... wait, why do I even need to do research if I am to head to the apothecary to put in the request? Does the apothecary practitioner not know how to deal with painkillers? I guess I'll find out when I get there.

I replace the book on to the shelf and head down the stairs, returning to the ground floor of the library. Theodore notices me and gives me a small smile.

"Done with the research?"

"Yes," I reply, "I will head to the apothecary to request a solution for your back pain."

"Ah, that will be the best. Thank you young lass, I shall be waiting for you."

With a small farewell, I head out of the library and walk to the central region of the city. The library is the closest to the castle walls, north of the central region where the marketplace is. It takes about twelve minutes to get to the main marketplace street and another two minutes to reach the apothecary. Along the way, there were some people that were looking my way, especially the male players. However, because of that, I gained a new stat just because there are a lot of people looking at me...

New Stat: Attractiveness

When others start noticing you in a good way for your looks, it is sure that people will find you attractive. Attractiveness or Attraction of a person causes others to desire or become interested in him/her. This type of attractiveness for people in general is physical attractiveness. This stat can affect NPC interactions either way and have implications on quest routes one can take. This stat does not change your avatar's appearance but instead changes how NPCs look at you. Attractiveness is purely a player-to-world stat and does not affect interactions with other players.

I guess this stat gives a bonus with interactions between myself and the world but does not include players. Checking the new stat, I find that it already having 20 points in it. I'll see what happens when I interact with the NPC in the apothecary.

Inside the apothecary is a large counter top for operating the business. To the walls of this building are shelves lined with potions and other medical items. Across from the counter top are three workers, each with a small line of customers waiting in line. There are both players and NPCs in the line unlike other games where only players will buy things, making Ascendancy much more realistic than most VRMMORPGs out there so far. It may not be the best, but it is the most realistic in terms of "living" in another world.

I wait patiently in the line to the left, where a dark blond haired young man is working as consultant and clerk. The consultant here is around ten centimeters taller than me and has rather round and gentle brown eyes. While waiting for the three people ahead of me to get what they want and then leave, I check my inventory to see how much money I have on me right now... ah, it's the basic starting amount of fifty copper pieces. With twenty, one can buy themselves a small meal of two pieces of rye bread and a barley soup with a glass of water.

Taking note of the items in the store, it is finally my turn and I walk up to the counter and the worker here addresses me in a pleasant way.

"Hello there miss, what do you require today?"

"Hello, I need a custom ordered painkiller medicine for Theodore."

Nodding, the clerk here rings a small bell under the table and then takes out a small card. He writes down something on the card before looking back at me and replying.

"Please wait moment miss...?"

"Yukiara."

"Ah, thank you, please wait a moment Miss Yukiara, I have called the senior consultant to assist in the custom order. She'll be here as soon as possible. Please step aside for the next customer, thank you very much."

I nod to him before giving him a thanks before stepping away from the line to wait for the senior consultant. Not long later, about five seconds or so, the backroom door opens, revealing a woman dressed in the same robes as the clerks at the front counter: beige robes with white lining. The woman's robes has a large green circle on the back and two green bars around the cuffs on the sleeve though, while the clerks are only plain white.

The woman first goes to the clerk and takes the card from him, looking over it before going over to the side of the counter, closest to where I am waiting. opens the small door to the counter to the side and walks towards me with a smile, her long, wavy dull red hair giving her a rather lively look.

"So you're the young miss that requires a custom order. My name is Shara Winfield, senior consultant and the one in charge of the custom orders, pleased to meet you!"

Her twinkling light green eyes make her look happy-go-lucky and energetic even though her presence gives off a rather mature, elegant aura from her rather voluptuous figure. A lot of the players in the apothecary are staring at her beauty and allure but it seems she doesn't really care about them at all.

I bow a little in respect and reply.

"My name is Yukiara, it is nice to meet you Miss Winfield."

"Ara~," Shara says with a hint of amusement, "such a polite young girl. I would rather you call me Shara, won't you do so for me?"

"If that is fine with you, then I shall Miss Shara. Please call me Yukiara, or Yuki for short if you'd like."

"Thank you for understanding~ Well then Miss Yuki, let's go to the backroom to discuss what you need, shall we?"

I nod and Shara leads me behind the counter and to the backroom before closing the door behind us. The backroom looks like a living room with a coffee table in the middle with sofas around it. Shara takes a seat and asks me to sit as well, which I do so.

"So," Shara begins, "what kind of custom order do you require?"

"I have a list of four different ingredients that are required for a painkiller poultice for Theodore the librarian."

"Interesting... we do not normally make medicine of that sort normally, so this is definitely a custom order. Alright, as long as you can tell me the amount and the ingredients required, I should be able to make it."

I repeat the ingredients required as Shara takes out a small piece of paper and writes them down. When I am done reciting the ingredients and she is done writing them down, Shara stops for a moment before speaking.

"Hm... we have all four ingredients here... that's good. I can make it for you."

"Ah," I suddenly remember something, "how much does it cost?"

"Don't worry about that Miss Yukiara, this is an order from Mr. Cosenko so it will be charged to his account."

"Okay then, I think that's all."

"Okay, this should be fairly quick to make, so please wait here. I'll be back in about ten or so minutes with the order."

Shara has one of the workers make some tea for me while she goes to make the poultice for Theodore. Sipping on the tea, the taste of it is rather unique; something like the bergamot flavoring of earl grey tea with a hint of rose and lavender.

Due to the consumption of the tea, your Health and Mana regeneration rate has increased by 10% until you log out.

Oh? Unexpectedly, this tea has a special stat buff for the entirety of a single login. Maybe I'll go fight some more after completing this quest. It takes me around ten minutes to finish the tea and just when I did, Shara comes out of another room from the door to another area with a package.

"Alright, well I'm done with making the order. Here you go Miss Yuki."

Shara hands me the package as I get up, taking it gratefully.

"Thank you Miss Shara. Also, the tea was the most splendid; it is really good."

"Ah, I see you like tea as well. Hm... come visit me when you have time, we can converse while having that tea."

"Won't that cut into your work schedule?"

"Of course not! I do not have a set schedule. I can research to my own pace with a minimum requirement of making a hundred basic health potions and basic mana potions every week. I can make 20 of each potion in five hours a day so with seven days a week, I have a lot of extra time."

"Oh, if that is the case, I would gladly visit you since it won't bother your work."

With that, I place the package in the inventory. Shara seems not to mind it disappearing on the spot; indicating that pioneers are not "rare" or "just arrived". We shake hands and then Shara leads me to another door, separate from the room she came out of and the one to the main reception area.

"Head out from the backdoor, it will be less crowded and easier to get to the library as the path from the backdoor is closer to the castle."

I give a thanks again and bow slightly while Shara smiles. I walk out of the doorway and start heading towards the library.

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Back at the library, I see Theodore still at the front desk with barely anyone in the building, again. The only people in here are the workers and Theodore. Looks like no one wants to come here to read as always.

"Young lass," Theodore notices me and calls out to me, "You're back."

I bow slightly to him.

"Yes Mr. Theodore, I have brought back something for your back pain."

"Ah, finally! Now I won't have to endure that annoying pain while I read and analyze works! Thank you for helping me out young lass."

I hand over the parcel contain the poultice and he puts it in a drawer on the desk.

*Ding!*

Quest: The Librarian's Problem Difficulty: E-4 Tier: General Quest Complete!

Quest Objectives

- Create a solution for the librarian's back pain

Quest Rewards

- Black-Silver Library Pass

- ???

Okay, that's done. So I get to keep the Black-Silver library pass as well as get something that is unknown to me...

"Let me ask you a question young lass," Theodore starts, "what kind of career are you hoping to get? Please give me some general characteristics of what you are looking for."

Hm... career, I think Theodore means what profession I wish to change to. I had thought about it in the beginning but I found most of the regular classes to have strengths and weaknesses that don't really suit my liking.

The warrior is too focused on physical aspects while archers are downright weak in close combat.

Mages, even though they seem to be very powerful in the later stages, they can get taken down by Archers and Rogues without even knowing it. Being a nearly pure support class doesn't appeal to me either.

A priest's advancements are mainly support, with only the cross-class advancements that lead to stronger magic or becoming a "holy" defender like a paladin.

The bard... though not as bad as other games from the looks of things, it is not too useful as being the jack-of-all-trades with support music magic just seems a little useless.

"Well..." I start to say, "I want something that capitalizes on efficiency when fighting one-on-one and has support capabilities... although the archer class appeals a little to me, it just doesn't seem to have the on-one-one capability."

The librarian closes his grey eyes for a moment, thinking about what I just said before smiling a little.

"I think there is a profession that you will rather like... but it has a rather difficult trial. I wonder if you would be able to pass it... No, if it's you, you'll definitely be able to pass it!"

I just stand there, a little confused while Theodore mumbles to himself.

"Alright," the librarian starts talking to me, "young lass, I think there is the perfect profession for what you have told me. This, however will be rather difficult as it is rather obscure and does not follow a set path. I cannot tell you then name of the profession until you choose to accept it, do you wish to, young lass?"

*Ding!*

Quest: Fate of the Ameryst Princess Difficulty: E-9 Tier: Chain Hidden Profession Trials: Start

The Librarian Theodore has given some information about a hidden profession that has never been discovered. If you wish to proceed, please accept this quest and challenge the three trials that will indicate if you are suitable for becoming the successor to the profession of immense finesse. There are a total of three trials, each one testing a characteristic of yourself. With this, prepare for both ranged and close-combat. Hopefully you'll find that using a bow is one of your strong points...

Quest Objectives

- Complete the three trials presented to you

Quest Failure Conditions

- You die during a trial

- You fail one of the trials

Bonus Objectives

- Impress the trial examiners

Wow, this is pretty cool. Although I do not know what kind of profession I'll get from this, but it sounds like something to do with the hunter, which is one of the advancement choices of the archer profession tree with both ranged and melee options. As an Archer, you have to reach Level 100 before taking the test to see if you can advance to the next profession. When you pass, you can choose one of four routes: Marksmen, Magic Archer, Hunter or Scout. When you advance, you will be reset to Level 1 but will retain all stat and skills so it is like the player is at Level 101 instead of just beginning.

Spoiler: Information The Marksmen focuses on medium to long range combat and is essentially an improved version of the basic archer, increasing the effective range and the power of the arrows that are fired. It also gains a few support skills to help the player maintain distance from the enemy, act as fire support for a party and reduce aggro from attacking the target(s). The Marksmen can advance to Sharpshooter at level 100 to further improve on the archer's abilities to cover in mid and long range combat.

Magic Archers do not improve much on the archery skills but grants the ability to attack with arrows that are imbued with magic, dealing both physical and magic damage while adding elemental effects to the attacks. Some skills of the magic archer deal abnormal status effects to the enemy with the elements used, like for fire and for ice arrows. Magic Archers can advance to Mystic Archer at level 100, improving their magic enchantments on arrow skills as well as increasing the variety of elements they can use.

The Hunter is savvy in hit-and-runs and guerrilla warfare, bringing down pain and suppressing enemy advance with traps and ambushes. Along with being capable at silent, ranged attacks, the hunter is also capable with melee assaults, making them much more versatile with the combat abilities of the rogue and archer, balancing the two profession's capabilities. At level 100, the Hunter can advance to Trapping Ranger, which increases their use of traps and introduces poisons to the mix as well as increasing the player's ambush capabilities.

Finally, the Scout is the best at long-range combat and support, taking down enemy after enemy with precision and powerful attacks. Unlike the other three paths, the scout focuses solely on taking down targets without being spotted or while being covered by allies. Using debilitating shots and powerful, piercing arrows, the sniper plays to its role perfectly as fire-support archer or a ranged assassin. The Scout can advance to Sniper at level 100, increasing its offensive ranged abilities even more and adding several support skills to avoid enemies.

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So the very first profession I get is something like a variant of the Hunter path of the Archer's profession tree; I think this will be a good first profession to try out.

"Yes," I respond after thinking for a while, "I accept."

*Ding!*

You have accepted this quest. Be aware that you will be taking the examination through using a preset character attuned to the basic abilities of the profession you are completing a trial for. It does not matter what your current character is, it will not be used in the trials to make it fair. The trial situation is randomized based on a set of scenarios along with your current character's achievements.

"Okay then," Theodore holds up a small silver pendant with an embedded emerald gem, "please hold on to this for the duration of the trials."

I take the pendant from him and was about to wait for further instructions when the pendant started glowing a soft greenish light. I start feeling drowsy and sway, eventually fall over from the induced sleepiness. Before I hit the ground though, Theodore had already gotten out of his seat and caught my helpless body. Before my eyes closed and my hearing turned to the void, I can hear his final words:

"Good luck with the trials young lass, hopefully you will be successful."

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I wake up to find myself on a soft, silken bed, underneath the pure white covers. Looking at myself, I see that my body has shifted from my own avatar to another character again. This time it seems my body has changed to whomever this character is supposed to be instead of throwing my normal form into the situation. Checking my body, I'm wearing a rather revealing white negligee that reaches above my snow-white thighs.

This piece is a bit translucent but it doesn't reveal the parts that matter. This causes me to blush as I have never dressed in anything so... risque before. I slowly climb out of the bed and brush past the very soft white, lacy curtains of the canopy bed, As I take a look around, I note elegant and soft colors of the room. It definitely looks like a rich aristocrat's room, if not nobility.

I walk over to the standing mirror to take a look at what I look like in this new place. Standing in front of the mirror, I can see that I look very different from my original avatar. My new face is slender and sharp, making me look more refined and authoritative. My eyes are a glistening emerald green while my hair is a light, pale golden blonde. This character's is very long and soft, reaching down under my waist line, flowing downward in a smooth wave.

I think this character is around 173cm (5'8"), taller than the average human woman... ah, wait a moment, taking a look at the lithe body, I think I've been turned into an Elf.

"Open Status"

Spoiler: Information

Status Infomation Name: Celeste Fa Mercurius Profession: Ameryst Princess Level: 45 Sub Profession: N/A Race: High Elf Gender: Female Equipped Title Princess of the Wind Rank (Social Class) Princess Fame: 35,000 Infamy: 0 - Health: 875 / 875 Health Recovery: 0.88 / Sec Mana: 1300 / 1300 Mana Recovery: 3.0 / Sec Stamina: 100 / 100 Stamina Recovery: 0.1 / Sec - Strength: 36 Dexterity: 65 Vitality: 29 Agility: 68 Intelligence: 63 Wisdom: 62 Charisma: 150 Luck: 25 - Physical Attack: 7 Physical Defense: 2 Magical Attack: 15 Magical Defense: 10 Physical Modifiers Slash: 100% Pierce: 100% Crush: 100% Blast: 100% Elemental Modifiers Fire: 130% Water: 60% Wind: 60% Earth: 60% Ice: 90% Lightning: 90% Light: 60% Darkness: 200% Mind: 100% Void: 150%

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So this is the character I've taken over for the trials. So I've experienced being a low-ranking soldier and now I'll be doing the trials as a princess, it seems this game is more interesting than ever.

*Ding!*

Quest: Fate of the Ameryst Princess Difficulty: E-9 Tier: Chain Hidden Profession Trials: Part A

Head to the private archery range to complete your morning practice. The Archer is a dexterous profession without requiring much strength or agility. However, when dealing with enemies solo, one must not neglect movement and awareness so that they will not get struck down by an enemy approaching them secretly. Complete your morning practice to continue the trial.

Quest Objectives

- Complete the objectives of this trial presented to you:

> Head to the Archery Range

> Shoot ten arrows at a practice target (0/10)

> Get at least eight of the arrows within the inner ring (0/8)

> Shoot ten arrows at a practice target

Quest Failure Conditions

- You miss the target completely (0/2)

Bonus Objectives

- ???

*Ding!*

Navigation has been enabled for the trial. Please follow the cyan arrow to head towards your current objective.

A cyan-colored arrow appears on the ground, pointing in the direction I need to go to to take the trial. Taking a look at my body again, I think I'll need to go get something to wear outside of the room. I check the inventory and find a set of clothing. The set includes the , , and . I quickly equip all of them and look in the mirror again and surprise myself to how beautiful this character is.

The dress is a pure white, reaching down to the feet in smooth waves. The thread lining are golden and silver, making the dress look even more luxurious than it already is. The sleeves are crisp and clean, easy to move in and delicately made so as to not restrict the freedom of the arms. The circlet is a simple silver or platinum piece that fits comfortably on my head but otherwise not much to say about the design here. The sandals have multiple straps that reach up to the lower portion of my shin, all light-brown in color with a silver buckle to secure them on my feet. The is actually a mantle-like silken white cloak that covers my shoulders and back like a very soft cloak or cape, translucent white in color and adds more style to the already luxurious design.

I guess I'll head over to the archery range now since I'm done looking at myself in this character's body. After I exit the room, I follow the arrow to reach the range. Along the way, a few patrolling elven soldiers in silver armor greet me respectfully as I reciprocate. Not five minutes later I finally arrive and find a stand and rack holding the bows and the quivers of arrows. I walk up to the stand and rack and examine the each bow and quiver and find no difference in them so I pick one of each up and head to the marked area.

Standing at the marked area, I look forward with the quiver at the left side of my waist. The bow, quiver and arrows are very finely crafted, painted a pure white color on the main body of both the arrows and the bow. The bow and quiver has silver reinforcement layers on the edges to help protect and increase its durability. This is a western style, symmetrical bow made for actual battle; the reinforced plating and grip is testament to the durability and reliability of this weapon.

Speaking of archery and bows, I have placed second in the Japanese National Kyudo competition for both close range (28 meters) and long distance (90 meters), losing out only to my school's Archery Society team captain; Yukimura Azumi. Unlike other school archery clubs in Japan, our academy's Archery Society has both the traditional Japanese Kyudo Yumi (asymmetrical Japanese Bow) and western style archery bows as well. We use and practice with both of them so that we can truly be aspiring sports archers in the world.

Before aiming at the practice board, I take a closer look at the bow in my hand and give the bow a couple of practice pulls to test the draw weight and the tension. I close my eyes while drawing the bow, getting a good feel of the weight as well as identifying kind of bow it is. From the feel of the weight and the pull, this is probably a composite bow with the outer layer made of wood. I do not know what the inner layers nor the core is made of but it is strong enough to to be used in combat.

The target is approximately 50 meters away... compared to the long distance competitions, this is much closer so it will not hinder my accuracy. Looking back at the greenish-white target with rings painted on it, I take an arrow from the quiver and notch it, readying to fire. I bring up the bow and aim towards the target, finding that the inner ring is about half the size of the target itself. There's a dot at the center, marking the bulls-eye point.

Deciding the challenge myself a bit, I aim off center and release the arrow. The first arrow flies towards its destination and within a moment, the arrow strikes the place where the inner and outer circles are divided. Taking a look at the objectives, I note the number changed. This counts as a hit so I think I'll continue to do this. The second, third and fourth arrow hit the target in a similar fashion, making a square design using the arrows.

As I pull on the fifth arrow, I notice something strange motion from off to the side, a hidden shadow that seems to be watching me. Unlike other people who misses external factors when concentrating, I actually become extremely sensitive to my surroundings when I concentrate entirely on a certain point or aspect. Because everything else fades to become vague and immaterial-like, any motion that is out of the ordinary is attracted by my sight.

Without warning, I turn towards the area I saw the movement in and fire an arrow in a moment's notice, not even waiting for if the arrow hits or misses, I notch another one immediately and shoot again, angling slightly to the right, anticipating the shadow-like figure's motion. Surprised, the figure dodges to the left... to his/her left, and ends up getting hit by the second arrow, making him - the voice is definitely male - utter a groan in agony. I follow up with two more arrows, one slightly left and right of the figure's current position. The arrows strike the sides of the figure and pin him to the ground.

*Ding!*

Quest Objectives

- Complete the objectives of this trial presented to you:

> Head to the Archery Range

> Shoot ten arrows at a practice target (4/10)

> Get at least eight of the arrows within the inner ring (4/8)

> Shoot ten arrows at a practice target

Quest Failure Conditions

- You miss the target completely (0/2)

- ???

Bonus Objectives

- ???

It seems the patrolling guards spotted the intruder when he was struck by my arrow and are now rushing to the figure. One of four guards head to where I am instead of apprehending the intruder.

"My lady, are you alright?"

I nod to him and point at the figure being dragged to us by the three other guards.

"That intruder over there," I say with a melodic voice that surprises myself, "I think he's going through a really bad day."

The guard is about my height, wearing full silver plated armor and a helmet. He snickers a little at my small joke and responds.

"I don't think that a bad day is a strong enough term for being nailed down by the princess like a hunter stalking its prey... hehe..."

I just shake my head with a small smile. Let's see who we have here. After a small interrogation round with myself, the captain of the patrol as well as newly arrived elven soldiers, the intruder finally broke down and told us everything he knew. His name is Laenir from the human alliance. He had a high-risk high-reward contract to kidnap the Princess of Ameryst - For this trial, I am currently her - for the King of the Krisengarde Kingdom. Apparently, the King is an unscrupulous, fat slob of a human that forces beautiful girls into his harem and had set his sights on the high elf princess.

If playing through the tutorial gave me any hints, I'd say that this trial is also based on historical events. Whether or not this plays out in the same way as the tutorial, I will just follow what I want to do in here and try to complete the trials the best I can.

In the end, Laenir was locked into a windowless room as a "forced" guest. It was rather luxurious guestroom, but I told the guards not to throw him to the dungeons. Talking with the patrol captain, it seems the security in this area is very strict; getting through most of the patrol unnoticed is really an amazing feat. If the "prisoner" agrees, I will employ him as a counter-intelligence personnel under my own orders instead.

After that is sorted out, a few of the guards escort the "prisoner" to the guestroom while the rest of the guards check the surrounding area for any more intruders or out-of-place objects. A window appears soon after the guards start working.

*Ding!*

Quest Complete: Fate of the Ameryst Princess Difficulty: E-9 Tier: Chain Hidden Profession Trials: Part A

You have successfully completed Part A.

Quest Objectives

- Complete the objectives of this trial presented to you:

> Head to the Archery Range

> Shoot ten arrows at a practice target (4/10)

> Get at least eight of the arrows within the inner ring (4/8)

> Shoot ten arrows at a practice target

Quest Failure Conditions

- You miss the target completely (0/2)

Bonus Objectives

- Notice the intruder

- Take down the intruder

- Take down the intruder without killing him

Hm... I guess the first trial is complete then. When the rest of the guards leave the area after checking the area, a second window pops up but this time... it is preceded by a siren warning sound, startling and alerting me to a potential danger.

*Warning Siren*

Warning! Please prepare for the second trial. This trial requires the player to deal with high-level psychological and mental stress due to the high-intensity combat and maturity level it pertains to. Due to the fact your maturity content is enabled, the full scene will be shown and will further increase the difficulty.

When did I turn the mature content on? Or rather, how did it turn on when I'm not of age yet? Although I do not get all squeamish about mature subjects, like what had happened during the tutorial, I'm pretty sure this is violating the law right now... well, whatever. I don't really mind ever since Arisa accidentally opened up a website with actual porn on it while the three of us - Arisa, Kouta and myself - where trying to find something fun to look at. Kouta was laughing out loud when she did that while I had a giggle. Arisa's face turned so red I swear she became a tomato.

After all the laughing and giggling, Arisa and Kouta actually watched the videos while I simply followed their lead. Although the two of them did not actually try anything together, they were a bit aroused from watching. I, on the other hand, had a problem with it. You see, my mother and I are descendants of an old aristocratic family in Japan that practiced inbreeding several hundred years ago to keep the line "pure" and "untainted".

For some reason, non of the children after those several generations had any mental defects but rather resulted in a relatively normal genetic coding with a certain mutation: yes, it some how shut off the nerves and the sense of sexual pleasure from both mind and body. We can feel pleasure from other sources, but nothing sexual in nature. This "defect" affected random generations and it seems my mother and I were hit by back-to-back mutations without skipping a generation.

Not that it affected us much, but it is probably one "good" thing in life we probably lose forever... not that we would even know how it feels.

In this case, I think the game has made exceptions for me. Since the virtual capsule does both a mental map and a physical scan of one's body to check for abnormalities in the psyche or to compensate for those with disabilities, I think it detected my nonchalant attitude towards 18+ material and enabled it so that I can experience the full version of the game without any problems.

Sighing, I wonder what kind of trouble I am going to get into for this...

Second trial will start in ten seconds. Please get ready.

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START

I close my eyes tightly as the surroundings flash to a bright white.

{{Non-Proof Read Version}}