December 1st, 8:30 PM. (real time) 9:00 AM (in-game time)
After the meeting ends, it's time to start playing the game. The AI shows us a map of our respective home continents and asks us where we would like to be sent to. I chose to be sent to the Artisan Center. I think I'll investigate about this world and the various artisan jobs before choosing one.
Once again, a beam of light surrounds me and I am sent to the Artisan Center. Now THIS is the fantasy medieval-like village I'm used to hearing about. The time in the game and in real life are different, so in the game it looks to be about morning now.
On the Ereidien site, we were told that the real time to game time ratio is at 1:3, which would mean that one day in real life is three days in the game world. In the game world, one year is 363 days, so one year in the game is 4 months in real life. Using my amazing calculations, I have a 3 month start ahead of regular players. Gooey talking about how GMs will have no privileges is totally bull crap... not that I'm complaining.
On the other hand, this place is beautiful. As I walk around, there's bards singing happy melodies, artists painting the landscape, the wonderful smell of various dishes, and kids playing hopscotch. Everything I see is like a piece of art. I guess this isn't the Artisan Continent for nothing. As I take in the scenery around me, I check my stats and skills.
"Show Status"
Status WindowNameArikaClassN/ALevel1RaceFeline BeastmanHealth100Mana200Strength10Agility15Wisdom10Intelligence10Stamina50Vitality5Dexterity10Elemental AffinityWater: -50%
Fire: -10%
Earth: 10%
Wind: 10%
Geh, what's with my horrendous water affinity? On the other hand, it looks like my race gives me high agility , so maybe I should focus on raising that stat.
"Show Skills"
Skills:
*Job Skills
Job Skills are gained through your class.
*Gained Skills
Gained Skills are skills that anybody can earn through hard work or skill books.
*Racial Skills
Racial Skills are skills that you are born with.
*GM Skills
GM Skills are special skills that cannot be obtained in-game.
I shouldn't have any Job or Gained Skills considering I just started the game, but what are Racial Skills?
"Show Racial Skills"
Racial Skills
These skills are skills that you are born with.Cat HearingPassive Skill. As a cat, you have an excellent sense of hearing which serves as a great direction finder. Range of hearing goes up to 200 meters.Cat VisionPassive Skill. With your keen vision, you can see many details and in the dark. Range of vision goes up to 10 kilometers.BalancePassive Skill. As a cat, you have a great sense of balance and always land on your feet. When falling, damage is reduced down to 50%.Cat BodyPassive Skill. You are protected from the sun, cold, scratches, and can regulate your body temperature.ClawsActive Skill. You can call upon your claws to scratch your foes. Uses 1 mana per second.BiteActive Skill. You can bite your enemy to injure them. Uses 5 mana.MetamorphosisActive Skill. You can transform into a cat or a human. Uses 1 mana per second.
I just discovered a new-found respect for Racial Skills. This makes me question why people even bother being Human in games.
Now that the inspection is done, what do I do... I sit criss-cross apple sauce style on the ground and stroke my chin with one hand. If I want more information, the library is a must, right? If I want to know how this world works, it might be good idea to research the history of this world.
After a few minutes of equipping my thinking pose, an old man eventually walks up to me. He keeps his eyes closed as he walks and has a long, white beard.
"Excuse me, furry lady, but I couldn't help but see that you look a bit troubled. Is something the matter?"
Did he just call me a furry lady? It's okay, Ari, just let it slide...
"Actually, It's my first time here and I'm not quite sure what to do. You see, I came from... another world."
"What!? If I am not mistaken, you must be one of those Otherworlders that we have been told about. That's strange... we were told that you would come a little later."
Otherworlders? So that's what they refer to us by?
"You're not wrong in the fact that the Otherworlders will come a little later, it's just that my circumstances are a bit special."
"Hm... well, it's your first time here right? Every artisan knows that the beginning is always the hardest, so this kind old man is willing to help you out as long as it's within my capabilities. "
This guy is a life saver! Now I don't have to waste time asking around for directions.
"Then can you show me the way to the library? I want to investigate on my own first before exploring this world."
"Sure thing, darling. After you pass the tailor shop over there, you make a right turn and you'll see the Silverhall Library."
"Thank you, sir...... Oh, my name is Arika by the way. It was nice meeting you!"
"My name is Philip. If you need anymore help from me, just ask around for the shop named Herbs and Potions."
I give him a smile and wave to him good-bye, which he returns to me. What a kind old man.
I walk into the library and see the receptionist at the desk. But wow is this a big library. This place must have about 10,000 books or something. I go up to the receptionist for help.
"Excuse me mam, can you help me find some books?"
"Yes, of course. What in particular are you looking for?"
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"I'm looking for some basic books on stats and skills... and some information about the Artisan Continent, please."
"Give me a few minutes and I'll bring your books to that table over there." She points to the table and urges me to sit down. As I sit in the seat, I watch her walk around the library and find the requested books. It took her less than a minute to search for 3 books in this huge ass library. Does she have a photographic memory or something?
"Here you go mam."
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
Books, huh? When was the last time I read one? I start with the book about stats titled "Introduction to Stats" and put the other books aside. The book seems to be about 250 pages. Here goes...
1:00 PM (game time)
After about 4 hours, I finally finished the book. It took me a minute to read each page. Who knew reading a book in one full sitting could be so tiring?
For finishing the book, "Introduction to Stats", +1 INT has been added to your stats.
Oh? This was explained in the book. While the main ways to gain stats are through levels and items, you can also raise your stats through hard work. It also mentioned that it would be wise to raise your base stats at a low level. When you're a high level, base stats become more and more important as it gets harder to level up. Also, raising your base stats at a high level seems to be more difficult compared to raising them at a low level.
It sounds like a sure-fire way to get stronger, but it took me 4 hours to gain one stat. It's understandable that people would choose to level normally instead, which is funner and faster than using a time-consuming method to raise your stats one at a time. I'm not in a rush, nor do I have any kind of ambition to be the strongest in Ereidien, so it should be okay if I just take it slow.
Everything else in the book had information that wouldn't be hard to guess by yourself.
Strength is how strong you are. The more strength you have the more weight you will be able to carry. Warrior-type classes need more strength to be able to carry their weapons and use it easily.
Agility is how fast you are. It's a must have for stealth-types and the more agility you have, the more ground you can cover faster.
Wisdom is the ability to make good judgements and is gained from personal experience. Intelligence is... well, intelligence. For every Wisdom and Intelligence stat, you gain 10 points in Mana.
Vitality represents your energy. For every Vitality stat, you get 10 points in Stamina. When your Stamina runs out, you faint, so it'd be a good idea not to get it anywhere below 10. You lose Stamina by doing anything that takes physical or mental energy. You can regain it by lounging around, but the fastest way is by resting or eating. Now that I think about it, I only had 5 points in the Vitality stat. Lazy cats...
Dexterity is how well you can perform with your hands. Hehehe... I guess that means that craftsman and bowmen do it better... Okay, okay, sorry for the bad joke. Dexterity can help with controlling your aim which is why bowmen need high dexterity to shoot. Is that why Elves are make bowmen and craftsman at the same time?
Health represents your life force. When you run out of health, you die. It's as simple as that.
Mana is your magical power. Running out of mana isn't as bad as losing your Stamina or Health, but it still would be good to stay in the safe zone. When you run out of mana, it seems you get the similar feeling to when you run out of Stamina, but you don't necessarily faint.
Out of curiosity, I take a quick peep at my stats one more time to see if anythings changed.
"Show Status"
Status WindowNameArikaClassN/ALevel1RaceFeline BeastmanHealth100Mana210Strength10Agility15Wisdom10Intelligence11Stamina15Vitality5Dexterity10Elemental AffinityWater: -50%
Fire: -10%
Earth: 10%
Wind: 10%
What!?! My Stamina is only at 15 now? So even simple things such as reading can deplete your stamina. Of course, I presume that it's at a much slower rate compared to something like running. Actually, this explains why I'm so fatigued right now.
Although it's barely evening in the game, it's getting late in real time so I chose to rent the books and find an inn to sleep in.
"Excuse me, I'd like to rent these books."
"Okay. May I see your library card?"
"Library card?"
"To rent books, you need a library card. Do you want to sign up for one?"
"Yes, please."
"Alright, that'll be 10 copper then."
Now that I think about it, I never bothered to look in my inventory. I look in my bag to find 10 loaves of bread, a canteen filled with water, and 100 copper.
I take 10 copper out of my inventory and give it to the receptionist. After confirming it, she takes out a blank library card and a needle.
"After putting your blood on the library card, the card will register your information automatically. It will tell us how many books you have rented and any overdue books. After renting a book, you have a week to return it. There is also a timer on the card to warn you when your book is due. Any overdue book is 1 copper a day each, so be careful not to lose track of your time! Oh, and this card can be used at all the Silverhall Libraries in the Artisan Continent. There's at least one Silverhall Library in each town."
Is it really necessary to make a library card this high-tech? Oh, I guess this would be considered normal over here. This is too much information in one day....
"Th-thank you..."
"No problem. Come back soon!"
I leave the library to find a cheap inn to stay at a rate of 10 copper a night and log out.
I would love to keep playing, but I can't afford to sacrifice my sleep and school life for the game. I take a quick shower, brush my teeth, and go to bed.
Good night.
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