Other than Minerva, there were two other NPCs in the Water Temple. Same as the dreadful tutorial woman, both NPCs were mysterious women in robes and hoods. Erika picked the woman in white robes as her first target.

Unlike the other pale-skinned witches in the temple, the woman in white had chocolate skin. Her clothes resembled a “priestess” much more than a “witch”, if only thanks to their bright color.

【Lakya】

A name tag popped up over the white priestess’s head, after Erika examined the NPC from head to toe. Lakya silently stood inside a hall with a big pool in the center. The water glittered beautifully, and the ambient water sounds in the background music mixed well with the peaceful pool.

There were a few small creatures swimming inside the pool, which stole Mina’s attention.

“Hehe, I wonder if I can cook them~”

All Mina saw inside the pool was a swimming meal. Her deep hunger wasn’t subsided by a single cup of noodles.

“My, Mini is so gluttonous~”

Erika smiled as she imagined herself feeding the little Mina, just as she did with the starving kittens by her house.

Vivi didn’t feel comfortable in the pool hall for some reason. She stayed at the corner of the room and quietly followed Erika.

“Hello.”

Erika greeted Lakya with a friendly smile.

“...”

All she received in response was short and indifferent glance.

“May I ask you about the door leading to the basement?”

“... Minerva. Ask her.”

Lakya spoke in a monotone voice. Erika wasn’t entertained by the answer. If she could help it, Erika would rather never again speak with dreadful dragon summoner.

“Then, may I ask whether you offer any services?”

“... pool.”

A single word was delivered... and nothing else.

“You mean this pool? What about it?”

“... pay, then use it.”

“I see...”

Erika threw another glance at the pool. The shining water practically shouted “magic pool!!!”, and the creatures that swam inside were also peculiar. However, the purpose and functions of the pool eluded Erika.

“May I ask what the pool can be used for?”

“... swimming practice. Easier than in real water.”

“Huh...”

Erika titled her head in wonder. She assumed that the pool existed in order to help players get used to swimming inside their VR avatar. Erika knew how to swim in real life, but there was no guarantee she’d do so fluently with her child avatar.

“Oh! OOOH!!!”

“What’s wrong, Mini?”

“Now I get this shit! This is where ya can learn how to swim!”

Mina sounded very impressed by this reveal.

“I tried diving into a lake before, but shit sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner! And don’t think I can’t swim!”

“Did you drown to death?”

“Yep, got royally screwed. So, I figured falling into water was instant K.O.”

“My, that sounds painful. Maybe there’s a Swimming parameter in this game and you first need to level it up. Let’s see...”

Erika opened the menu and tried out different tabs. She considered herself experienced with the menu layouts in RPGs, however...

Where are my stats? And skills? All I find is the window with my equipped runes...

The only numeric parameter Erika found, was the level of her [Communication] rune. A tooltip revealed that runes could reach up to level 6. They granted the player new benefits whenever they leveled up.

Currently, her [Communication] rune was at level 1.

【Lv.1】【You can communicate with most intelligent species. The smoothness of the interaction will increase as the rune levels up.】

Erika’s avatar didn’t have its own “level”, but it was reassuring that at least SOMETHING in the game gauged her progress with a number.

MMORPGs were infamous for cluttering PC screens with windows over windows over windows, going in great detail about the avatar’s parameters and skills. However, GoVe didn’t reveal such information to the players.

The data itself undoubtedly existed, since even a VR game was ultimately just another video game. But, none of the information was directly available to the player. Even if there was a Swimming parameter, Erika couldn’t check its value.

“This is... odd. How am I supposed to measure my progress without looking at my stats?”

“Huuuh? Why the heck do ya need some dumb stats? You can just feel how you get stronger!”

Erika frowned at Mina’s mentality. Such was the deep gap between an RPG gamer who progressed through numbers, and a Fighter gamer who progress through technical skill.

Erika decided to ask Lakya about it.

“A friend of mine drowned when she tried to swim in a lake. Is that normal?”

“... yes. God Vessels can’t swim... at first.”

“If we practice in this pool, then we learn to swim everywhere else?”

“... yes. ”

With that, Erika was convinced that a hidden Swimming parameter existed in the game. In her experience, swimming was often a useful skill to own in RPGs. It allowed the player to use shortcuts and to reach isolated areas.

“Can I swim in the pool for free?”

“... no. Pay [Water] pieces.”

“Hm? [Water] pieces?”

Erika tiled her head. Lakya opened her palm and showed how [Water] pieces looked. They were blue little stones, like scraps from the [Water] rune in Erika’s inventory. Erika opened the Dimension Vessel and took out the [Water] rune.

“Will this do?”

“... no. Runes are not... acceptable.”

“My, but doesn’t this rune look exactly the same as these pieces? It’s just a little bigger.”

“... no. Runes are not... acceptable.”

Lakya repeated the same mechanical response. Erka couldn’t tell whether it was the result of an uncreative AI or Lakya’s poor communication skills.

“Then, where can I find these[Water] pieces?”

“... fight. Water creatures... drop [Water] pieces.”

“How much do you charge?”

“... 50 pieces. For one hour.”

“What happens if I to accidentally fall into the pool and start swimming in it?”

Erika made a foxy smile.

“... sleep with the fishes, I guess?”

Lakya’s expression didn’t twitch in the slightest, which made her words all the more eerie.

I-I think she’s serious...

A shiver ran through Erika’s arms as she remembered the huge black dragon. Maybe Lakya also had such a friendly monster at her disposal.

“Then... do you have any quests for me?”

“... no. If you open the path of water... maybe.”

“The path of water?”

“... [Water] rune. Infuse it.”

“I see. I’ll return later then”

Erika nodded and left the hall. According to Mina, it was only possible to infuse a new rune in the city. Erika already had the rune itself, so she’d definitely revisit this hall after reaching the city.