A small knife, a cloth shirt, a few fruits, a waterskin, and gloves. This is a 'Starter Pack'? Isn't this too rudimentary? A scam even? Maybe Ian didn't have enough resources to give out so he had no choice but to lower the quality, but this might start an outrage on its own. Oh well, what can you do? This is what I got.
[Lime's Goblin Knife
Attack: 3
A simple knife made to replicate those wielded by goblins. It is mass-produced by hand, however, is sharper than those used by goblins. Through the blacksmith's hard work, she was able to perfect the simple knife, capable of cutting through the flesh of the wielder's enemy. Simple it may be, you don't want to be on the other side of this knife.
Made by Lime]
[Cloth Shirt
Defense: 2
Cold-Resistance +0.5%
A simple woven shirt made out of thin fibers. It is hand-woven, with the love and passion of the seamstress overflowing during the creation. It does not provide a lot of defense but is warm, and will surely help against the cold.
Made by Rei]
[Woven Gloves
Defense: 1
A simple woven pair of gloves made out of thin fibers. It is hand-woven, with the love and passion of the seamstress overflowing during the creation. It does not provide a lot of defense but will protect our hands to the best of their abilities.
Made by Rei]
I knew when the previous batch of players started, they didn't have a lot going for them but could it be they had it worse? Attack 3. Defense 2 and 1. Pathetic as it is, it is still something, so I quickly put on the cloth shirt and gloves. Tying the cloth bag around my thigh, I grip the knife tightly. Just think it is a kitchen knife.
Same thing right? Uh… Where to first? Lime did say the quests are a bit of a bait, but I still want to check them out.
Making up my mind, I start to head over to the 'Quest Board'. However, it was only now that I really felt the overcrowdedness of this place. Players were constantly appearing at that building where I came from, with Evan and Noah now nearby explaining probably the same thing over and over again, but this time with a couple of Wardens beside them.
Players were frantic, moving back and forth, some rushing to the blacksmith to join the line, others just talking casually with one another. It's similar to a business district in any major city, where you have people rushing to work, people hanging with their friends and some just minding their own business. Everbloom feels and looks just like real-life, with the only difference being the atmosphere and environment.
"Extraordinary, isn't it?"
Looking beside me, I see a young man with dark blue hair. Similar in height with a cheerful grin, he glances at me before placing his hand forward.
"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice you standing there admiring the world before us. My name is Pluto, or at least that's the name I chose while playing this game. A pleasure to meet you miss?" - Pluto
"Phoneix. Nice to meet you too, Pluto. And yes, it is quite extraordinary. Compared to real life there is a sense of tranquility, even in this chaotic mess of players." - Alice
"Right?! I always found that when people start a new game, there is always just a chaotic mess at the starting village. People running everywhere, trying to rush ahead of the person standing next to them but the part that interests me the most is those who stand and watch. Much like yourself, Phoenix. Dare I ask, what seems to be your plan? And is there a way for me to join you?" - Pluto
"Plan? I don't have one just yet. Maybe looking at the 'Quest Board' will help me. As for your second question. I don't mind some company for now." - Alice
"Excellent. Follow me, I'll guide you through the sea of players." - Pluto
An interesting guy seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Speaking both formally, and informally at times, he gives off the air of a rich kid that had just found something new to play with. Then again, this game is new and there are infinite ways to play it. Following Pluto, we manage to squeeze our way to the 'Quest Board'.
There were a total of 10 different potential quests that can be acquired, each with several large stacks of… Is this…? Paper? Reaching out, I touch a yellowish coarse material. It is paper, but not like the paper used in the real world… But it is paper.
"Unbelievable… Paper? In this time period? In a fantasy world?! Even though it is brittle and can be easily torn apart, this is still paper! Can it fold…? YES! It can! Amazing. And here I thought it was going to be sticks, stones, swords, and magic. An amazing invention. Is this how people felt when they first discovered paper?" - Pluto
"Enough of that. Let's see which quest we should pick up." - Phoenix
"Right! Right! Sorry about that. Got carrrrrried away." - Pluto
Shaking my head slightly, I look again at the 'Quest Board'. On it is the same type of paper that was neatly stacked and contained in tall wooden boxes. Each quest had a name, description, and reward written in charcoal. While it seems paper has been produced, ink was still on the chopping block.
[Goblin Knives - It seems like Blacksmith Lime needs more materials to work with. Give Master Blacksmith Lime 5 goblin knives, to aid in her crafting. Reward: 10 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[Goblin Hunting - There is trouble with goblins around Everbloom. Stressed and worried about the situation, Noah wishes that these pesky goblins would just disappear. Give Noah 10 goblin ears, to show that you have helped in the extermination of wild goblins. Reward: 15 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[Forager - Even though our Chef has a lot of food, she is always in constant need of more, especially with the growing population. Give Chef Maria 10 pieces of food, to support her restaurant as well as her passion for making food. (Fruits/Vegetables/Herbs/Meats are accepted). Reward: 5 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones]
[Medicinal Help - Potion making is hard and there never are enough herbs to use to make them. Help Apprentice Mae with acquiring 30 Cooling Purslane. Reward 10 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[More Medicinal Help - Potion making is hard and there never are enough herbs to use to make them. NEEDING even more help, Apprentice Mae requires you to obtain 30 Paveso. Reward 10 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[Woodcutting - The village of Everbloom is still in its early stages. More room is needed with the increasing population. Head of the current construction team, Gibing is in need of wood. Provide help by cutting out 25 logs of wood for Gibing. Reward: 5 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones]
[Pesky Monsters - Jackalopes are constantly being an annoyance to Chief Warden Robin, always chewing on the wooden structures. Assist in the extermination of Jackalopes by providing Robin with proof of your help. Give Chief Warden Robin 10 Jackalope Horns. Reward: 15 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[Enemy Pack - In the depths of the forest surrounding Everbloom, there seem to be packs of wolves threatening the residents of HavenFall. Protect them by defeating the wolves. Contribute to the protection of HavenFall by presenting Noah with 5 wolf fangs. Reward: 25 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[Transporting Goods To HavenFall - While Everbloom needs resources, so does HavenFall, our capital. Help Ken by taking 15 pieces of already chopped wood to HavenFall and delivering it to Oscar. Reward: 25 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones.]
[Transporting Goods To Krepost - Likewise, Krepost also requires resources. Aid Kaede by taking 10 Clay Bricks to Yor. Reward: 25 Small Low-Quality Mana Stones. ]
"Well, Phoenix… What do you want to do?" - Pluto
"We can do almost all of them, except for Woodcutting and the transporting quests. Might as well take all the other quests and see what we can do." - Alice
"Alright! Let me get one for each of us… Okay! Where do we start?" - Pluto
"Umm… I remember when we passed by the map there are two technical pathways we can take. We can take the predetermined path to HavenFall and Krepost, or we can venture the other direction into the forest. I'm sure people are going to slowly follow the path so the best bet to complete the quests while also finding more monsters is to go into the area away from the paths." - Alice
"I see. Less player traffic, more monster traffic. Let's go, Phoenix, I'll lead the way once more." - Pluto
"Do you even know where you are going?" - Alice
"Of course not, but a little adventure can't hurt!" - Pluto
Letting out a small sigh, I look at Pluto's optimistic face and couldn't help but wonder… I'm playing with a child that changed his height, aren't I? Shrugging my shoulders, I reluctantly nod my head, giving Pluto the sign to lead the way. With his bag in his left hand and his knife in the right, he leads the way into the forest. Our first adventure in Settlement.
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