Second World Online

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: PREPARATION BEHIND THE NEW ARMOR

The touch of a somewhat strong gust of wind slowly disturbed my deep sleep. When I opened my eyes, the heavy drowsiness had completely vanished, replaced by a much fresher awareness. However, one thing immediately caught my attention: the scenery around me had changed. I was no longer by the koi fish pond under the direct scorching sun.

I turned my head around. I was still sitting in the wheelchair, but my position was now inside a wooden gazebo with a shingle roof located in a shadier corner of the garden. The air outside had already become quite hot, and the sun standing directly overhead indicated that it was around 11 AM.

Apparently, while I had dozed off under the morning sunlight earlier, the ever-vigilant Mira had slowly pushed my wheelchair to this shadier spot so my skin wouldn’t burn from the midday heat.

Step... Step...

The sound of steady footsteps approached the gazebo. Right on time as usual, Mira appeared from the garden path carrying a silver tray containing lunch and my regular medication.

"Young Master, you’re awake?" Mira greeted me with her characteristic gentle smile, placing the tray on the round wooden table inside the gazebo. "It’s time for lunch and your next dose of medicine."

I gave a small nod and moved my wheelchair closer to the table. However, the moment the food bowl cover was lifted, my eyes sparkled slightly. Unlike the bland porridge that had tortured my tongue this morning, today’s lunch menu looked a bit more luxurious. On top of the smooth white wheat porridge, there were several thinly sliced ham pieces with a very tempting savory aroma.

This ham was one of my favorite foods that was rarely allowed on the menu due to strict medical supervision. Seeing the slices of meat, my previously dead appetite suddenly revived. I picked up the silver spoon and began eating with gusto. The savory flavor of the ham blended perfectly, making this lunch ritual far more enjoyable until I managed to empty the bowl without leaving a single bit.

After swallowing the entire series of pills to suppress my illness complications with a glass of warm water, I looked at Mira, who was tidying up the eating utensils.

"Mira, I want to return to my room. I want to go back into the game," I said in a voice filled with impatience.

Mira looked at me for a few seconds, seeing the spark of energy in my eyes, then smiled faintly. "Understood, Young Master. Let me help you back in."

The process of moving from the wheelchair into the medical game capsule went very quickly and efficiently thanks to Mira’s help. The moment the thick glass cover of the capsule closed completely and the verbal command "Link In" left my lips, my soul was once again pulled across the boundary of reality, piercing into the utopia of Second World Online.

Ding!

My consciousness fully awakened on the soft wooden bed inside the NPC inn room in StoneBrook that I had rented this morning before logging out. I immediately sat up in my albino Elf body, feeling the digital sensory power flowing sharply through every fingertip once again.

Without wasting time, the first thing I did was flick my hand in the air, calling up the virtual status screen to check my basic growth capital once more.

========== STATUS ==========

Name : Syl

Gender : Female

Race : Elf

Trait : Albinism

Level : 7

EXP : 100 / 800

Health : 60 / 60

MP : 180 / 180

Stamina : 100 / 100

========== ATTRIBUTES ==========

STR : 2

INT : 24

DEX : 23 (+10)

AGI : 3

VIT : 2

Attribute Points : 6

========== SKILLS ==========

Slow Walking Lv20

Stamina Regeneration Lv10

Bow Mastery Lv20

Power Shot Lv10

Wind Element Lv5

Wind Arrow Lv5

Water Element Lv2

Water Ball Lv2

Carpenter Lv1

Skill Points : 60

========== EQUIPMENT ==========

Standard Hunting Wooden Bow, Glade Walker’s Bracer (Epic)

"Hmm... I have 6 (AP) saved," I monologued while tapping my chin with my pale fingertips, thinking hard about where these points should be allocated.

I began analyzing every available option tactically. Putting points into (STR) or (AGI) would be a completely wasted move. The penalty effect from my racial trait [Albinism] would cut the conversion value of those points in half a huge loss for character development.

What about putting them into (VIT)? Considering my avatar’s inherently fragile defense, adding VIT points at the early levels felt like a waste that wouldn’t provide an immediate impact on my long-range combat style.

"Whatever, split them evenly between INT and DEX again," I muttered, making the final decision.

Quickly, I put 3 points into (INT) to strengthen my elemental wind magic capacity, and the remaining 3 points into (DEX) to increase my bow accuracy and draw speed.

After the attribute allocation was complete, I opened the dimensional storage and took out the new armor set I had ordered from Kitsuna this morning. I removed the plain brown woven beginner clothes clinging to my body and put on the new wild boar leather armor set.

Once all the pieces were properly equipped, I walked over to a large mirror mounted on the corner wall of the inn room to see my new appearance. A satisfied smile formed on my face as I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

Kitsuna’s design was truly excellent. This leather armor was crafted with tightly closed cuts and thick padding in vital areas, giving a tough protective impression, yet its shape didn’t look stiff or too basic at all. The stitching lines followed the curves of my female avatar’s body very proportionally, maintaining the elegant aesthetics of an archer without sacrificing physical mobility.

Now it was time to complete the pending matter: breaking through the skill level limit (Skill Break). I sat cross-legged on the wooden floor, closed my eyes, and focused all my mental concentration on the skill table flashing with golden key markers.

First, I selected the [Slow Walking] skill that had been capped at level 20. This break process required 10 Skill Points (SP).

Clang!

The sound of breaking chains echoed in my mind. A system notification immediately appeared with magnificent golden text:

[System: You have successfully performed a Skill Break on ’Slow Walking’]

[System: You have automatically gained the new skill: ’Stealth’ (Lv1) without needing to choose.]

I opened my eyes with a surprised sparkle. Gaining a derivative skill like [Stealth] directly without going through option selection was an incredibly huge stroke of luck for an Archer like me who was as fragile as glass. Without hesitation, I immediately allocated 3 additional SP to activate and take the [Stealth] skill into my active slot.

Next, I moved on to the [Stamina Regeneration] skill capped at level 10. The passive skill break process cost 5 SP. Unlike before, after the golden chain broke, no new skill was unlocked. However, the system gave a very significant passive effect increase to my stamina recovery percentage per second.

My third target was my core attack skill: [Bow Mastery] at level 20. I sacrificed 10 SP to break its proficiency limit. Once its status opened, a new option window appeared, presenting several advanced skill choices such as Rapid Shot, Multi-Arrow, and other techniques.

I narrowed my eyes while looking at the list of options. "Most of these choices are rapid-fire attack types... not suitable for my combat style."

I was the type of player who preferred a single massive explosive attack from a blind spot capable of ending battles in an instant. Fortunately, at the very bottom row, my eyes caught a very rare passive buff skill: [Vital Shot].

The [Vital Shot] skill had a passive effect that would massively increase the damage multiplier if my arrow successfully triggered a Critical Hit precisely on the enemy’s fatal weak point. This was the perfect complement to my elemental arrow technique. I immediately spent 3 SP to acquire that skill.

Finally, I performed a Skill Break on the active skill [Power Shot] at level 10 for 5 SP. Just like with stamina regeneration, no new skill appeared, but the thrust power and base damage percentage of Power Shot received a fairly large modification increase.

I let out a long breath, leaning against the room wall while looking at my remaining skill point savings, now down to 24 SP from the original 60 SP. I furrowed my brows, realizing a new reality.

"Skill Point usage at higher levels is starting to feel really expensive," I thought to myself, realizing I would need to manage these points more wisely in the future.

Before stepping out, I checked my new accumulated stats after accounting for the attribute increases embedded in the wild boar leather armor set made by Kitsuna. The Top piece gave +3 INT, the Bottom gave +3 INT, the Gloves gave +3 DEX, and the Shoes contributed +3 DEX.

With the combination of my own attribute point allocation and the new armor effects, my raw stats had now skyrocketed.

After all preparations felt complete and perfect, I stepped out of the inn, walked through the bustling streets of StoneBrook, and once again passed through the eastern city gate. My main goal this time remained the same: the Eastern Forest.

My hunting style this afternoon could be called a slow hunting process. Because my skills now focused on massive single-hit damage through the combination of Wind Arrow, Power Shot, and the Vital Shot passive, every time I released an arrow, my stamina bar would be drained in a fairly large amount. I was forced to stand still or hide for several seconds after attacking to refill my stamina bar to full thanks to the newly enhanced Stamina Regeneration effect.

Although my movement tempo felt slow, the effectiveness of my hunting was at an insanely high level. Every arrow I fired from behind the grass shadows always triggered a One Shot Kill, slaying every wolf or wild boar with a single shot without needing a second attack. The accumulation of experience points and proficiency rose very steadily.

A full hour passed in that calm hunting rhythm. Feeling that my character’s body was starting to accumulate a bit of mental fatigue, I decided to rest for a moment. I jumped lightly, climbed the trunk of a fairly large old tree at the edge of the forest, and then lay down on one of its leafy branches to enjoy the gentle breeze while observing the area below.

Sreeek... Sreeek...

Suddenly, a very loud and noisy rustling sound of leaves echoed from the dense underbrush right below the tree I was leaning on. A fairly massive ground vibration spread up to the branch, causing several green leaves to fall.

I immediately sat up straight, my blood-red eyes narrowing sharply toward the source of the sound.

From behind the thick bushes of the Eastern Forest, an extraordinarily massive monster stepped out with terrifying claw swings. Its thick black fur gleamed wildly under the afternoon light, and a thick red intimidation aura emanated from its entire body. Above its large head, a blood-red ID name with a skull crown symbol floated very clearly:

[Area Boss: Grizzly King - Level 20]

The damn giant bear that had slapped me to death yesterday afternoon had now appeared again, right beneath where I was perched.