Jack of All Trades (Rare)
Mr. Kevin has shown himself willing to guide you and show you a path that might suit you. Even though he appreciates your initiative, he worries you lack the resolve needed to walk this path to the end. It’s up to you to prove him wrong.
Visit Mr. Kevin {completed}
Learn [Pottery] {completed}
Learn [Bushcraft] {completed}
Reach novice potter, lvl. 10 {ongoing}
Reach novice bushcrafter, lvl. 10 {ongoing}
“Level 10?” Jack clicked his tongue. That meant he had to max out both minors. He wasn’t even sure if either of them would be useful in the long run, and now he had to reach level 10.
“Yawn. I guess I’ll go back to my nap. Cheerio,” Mr. Kevin said.
“What? You’re going to sleep?” Jack asked, surprised.
“I’ve worked plenty in life to earn that right. Have you?”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Jack demanded from the door, but Mr. Kevin didn't respond
After kicking a few rocks around, Jack was left contemplating what he would do. He opened a web browser and typed a query. “How long does it take to reach level 10 novice in a minor?
Several answers appeared with varying estimates. One guide claimed to offer a short track for blacksmiths to level up the first tier in just a few hours, and more conservative posts spoke of how it could take several days. One thing was for sure, though… it would take time.
Jack ran the numbers. He had one month to pay the first rent and one week until he had to pay 50 credits to the helmet rental company. Time wasn’t on his side.
He took a heavy sigh. He had already made an investment, and VRX technology allowed him to use his sleeping time. He had to give it at least a shot. His cousin had seemed genuinely impressed with the grade of his quest. Maybe he could just do a week of work in the game, complete the quest, and get enough money to pay his father.
Jack yawned... The sheer amount of work ahead weighed on him as he considered how long it would take to finish this quest.
I might as well make myself comfortable in the game. I'll be spending several hours here, Jack thought while he opened the menu. It was time to explore the menu options more thoroughly. When Jack first opened the menu, he saw many options but ignored them at the time, hurrying to learn his two minors. Now, with some time on his hands, he explored the different functionalities of the game.
* Inventory
* Skills
* Attributes
* Quests
* Map
* Friends
Under the skill menu, he could find all the skills he had picked up from Jenny and Saul. They were neatly organized under a tab for each of his professions.
“Attributes,” he called, wanting to see what information it gave access to. It turned out to be some general information on his character.
Name: JackofDiamonds
Level: 1
Major: [Bushcraft]
Minor: [Pottery]
Hit points: 100/100
Stamina points: 43/100
Strength: 5
Constitution: 5
Agility: 5
Intellect: 5
Luck: 5
His level was 1. No surprise there. He could also see his two minors. He studied his hit and stamina points. When he first started playing, he noticed the two colorful bars at the top left corner of his vision. This wasn’t his first time playing a video game. The red was obviously for his hit points, and the yellow was for his stamina or energy. What he hadn’t noticed was how low his stamina bar had gotten. What was up with that? Did he use up stamina as he walked around?
He sprinted as fast as he could, testing this out, and saw his stamina decrease by four points. He tried standing still, and sure enough, after a minute, the stamina bar decreased by one more point. He scratched his head, confused. What did this mean? Sprinting accelerated stamina expenditure, but it looked like the yellow bar would go down even if he stood still.
He then looked at the different stats: strength, constitution, agility, intellect, and luck. The first four were fairly basic, but not every RPG had the luck stat. He wondered what that did in this game.
Stolen story; please report.
He circled back to the main menu and explored the other options. ‘Quests’ contained a list of all ongoing and completed quests; ‘Map’ had a world map marking every place he’d been to, and ‘Friends’ was a list only containing his cousin’s player ID. Jack felt kind of stupid for only finding all of this now.
Thinking about how he would have to spend several days to get [Bushcraft] and [Pottery] to level ten, Jack grunted and dragged himself back toward where he had first started the game. He had to figure out what each stat did and what the deal with his stamina bar was. It seemed he had no choice but to complete the tutorial. His cousin's talk about it made it sound as if it shouldn’t be overlooked.
After going uphill, downhill, and then uphill again, past many bunnies and players in gray, he spotted the old tutor. Asking Ezekiel for this basic information was probably easier than asking passersby or browsing the internet. Jack hadn't expected to have to travel back here, and something on Tutor Ezekiel's creased forehead told Jack that he wasn't expecting to see him either.
“Hello, adventurer. So you came to visit this old man?”
“I figured that there were some things I didn't learn from you that I really should.”
“Very good. What would you like to learn?” Ezekiel asked, smiling. The list of options appeared before Roth.
The world within the wall
The world outside the wall
Fighting
Crafting & gathering {Complete}
Dungeoneering
Attributes
“Why don't you tell me about the world within the wall?”
“Oh yes, the wall. It's a wonder of human engineering. The way that everyone came together, putting differences aside to create a haven, this beautiful refuge that shielded us from the outside. Oh yes, what a wall. That over there is the outer wall,” Ezekiel said, pointing to the farthest wall, “Beyond that, it's the great wilderness with its many dangers. And that,” he said, gesturing in the opposite direction, “is the inner wall.”
“Wait. There are two walls?”
“Yes. A safeguard in case the outer wall ever falls.”
“How would such a big wall fall?”
Ezekiel’s expression turned grim. “Considering the might of the beasts outside the wall… It’s only a matter of time, fledgling.”
Jack thought of the game’s advertisement. Was Ezekiel talking about dinosaurs?
“Anyway, inside the inner wall is the capital, the last great human city: Eternia. Oh, what a city it is. Its jade towers and beautiful gardens. You’ll love it there, adventurer.”
“There’s just one city?”
“Only one great city. There are also the ten gate towns.”
“Can you tell me about those?”
“Regardless of how big the world within the wall is, it’s still not enough to provide enough food and resources. Eternia is a giant city. Not even the relics from the dungeons in the Between Ring suffice to fill its treasuries and pantries. That’s why the ten gate towns were built. It’s from there we send expeditions to harvest resources from the outside. But that’s dangerous work. Very few make it back from a trip outside the outer wall… What would you like to hear about next?”
The more the man spoke, the more questions Jack had. Jack decided to go through all of the options available in order. He chose the next one.
“Tell me about the world outside the wall.”
“I can only tell you what I heard from travelers and adventurers. I’ve never seen it myself. I’ve lived my whole life in the Between Ring. The wilderness is boundless, and so are its dangers. After the skies turned dark, the snow turned to ash, and the great lizards appeared, the world outside became too dangerous for humans. The beasts are far too much for common men to handle.”
Hearing about the ‘great lizards,’ Jack couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. Dinosaurs? It sounded incredible. As a kid, he had always been fascinated by them.
Ezekiel continued. “Few possess the courage to brave these dangers and win back the land mankind has lost. I would only recommend you join the expeditions if you feel confident enough in your abilities. You shouldn’t even consider it until you’ve chosen your path.”
This talk about choosing his path must mean that he should only venture outside after he chose a class. “Tell me about fighting.”
“I’ll do better! I think I might as well show it to you. Here, I have a sword and a staff. They're both just toys, really. But they can give you a hint of what I'm talking about. Which one do you prefer?”
“I want the staff,” Jack answered promptly.
“Very well.”
Tutor Ezekiel has given you [Wooden Staff].
Wooden Staff (Common)
Item description: A toy that will hardly harm anyone.
Durability: 5
Attack: 3
Block: 1
Jack reached into his inventory and grabbed the wooden staff. It was as long as a broom.
“Why don't you try hitting the tree a couple of times? See how it feels.”
Jack accepted the suggestion and joined a few other beginners in attacking the tree. He lifted the staff and struck the trunk with all his strength. The hit landed with a satisfying snap. He hit the tree one more time and then turned the staff over in his hands. Was this it? Did he just have to swing the staff in the game blindly, and he was ready to fight?
“Only twice? Hit it more.”
Jack hit it one more time. “Good enough?”
“Keep hitting it!” Ezekiel urged.
“Okay, fine.” Jack half-heartedly struck the tree a few more times.
“That’s better! I wanted you to tire yourself a little so I could teach you another important lesson. See how your stamina has depleted? Whatever you do in this world eats away at your stamina. The best way to recover is to stop for a snack. Here.”
You’ve received 10x[Ezekiel's Apples].
Ezekiel's Apples (Common)
Item description: A tasty, juicy fruit that will refresh and satiate you. It stays fresh no matter what.
Item effects:
+10 stamina per minute. Last five minutes.
So that’s what was going on. This was one of those games where one has to eat to recover energy.
“Some food also has medicinal properties and can help you speed your recovery if you become injured. Got it?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“There’s much more to be said about fighting. A big part of it is staying alive. You’ll now learn how to dodge. No matter how good your armor or how sturdy your shield is, nothing is more effective than avoiding a blow. There. See those bunnies?”
Jack nodded.
“Go there and strike a rabbit just once. They’ll try to attack you once you do. Don’t worry. They hardly do any damage. When they try to lunge toward you, dodge their strike. Come back once you succeed.”
Jack climbed down the hill and headed toward one of the little bunnies hopping around. It was white and fluffy and looked harmless. Jack felt bad about hitting one with a full swing of the staff, so he just kind of poked it. That was enough for the rabbit to become enraged and try to attack him.
The first time the rabbit jumped, Jack was caught off-guard, and the rabbit bit his arm.
-2
It hardly dealt any damage. After attacking, the rabbit stood still for a moment. Typical of low-level mobs. They leave plenty of openings. Instead of attacking, Jack paid close attention to the rabbit’s moves. Once the rabbit lunged toward him again, he sidestepped. It was a clumsy motion, but he managed to avoid the strike entirely.
Satisfied with having fulfilled his mission, Jack ran uphill. The rabbit chased after him for a few moments but soon gave up and returned to its original location.
“Good job, adventurer!” praised Ezekiel. “On your second try. Not bad!”
“Thanks.”
“Dodging is one of the most important skills you can learn. Sometimes, attacks are unavoidable. In those cases, you can block the attack. Go back to the bunny, and this time, when it lunges at you, try to put the staff between you and the rabbit's attack. See what happens.”
Jack ran back to the foot of the hill and poked the very same rabbit again. This time, Jack was able to predict the rabbit's attack on the first try.