Writer's Note: Here's the next chapter. I try to make it like a game and introduce components found in most games with my own take on progression and new ones. Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy.
Chapter 3: Training with Wood Elves
Four days had passed since Jin first arrived in Sea Wood City. He learned that, while the elves were superior to the human race, their reproduction rate was very small. Thus, their populations were also very minimal. Each child was treated like a treasure and a single king or queen ruled over nine cities and considered it a kingdom. Sea Wood City was actually the capital of the Grand Elder's kingdom. Elves did not care for land but the environment. Thus, the land was always plentiful of spirit energy.
Jin was given an entire house, the rare few wood mages in the city actually making him a tree house. Blacksmiths also came to make railings and stairs made with the white coral metal and Jin was given hundreds of clothes his size. He also learned that the elves were responsible for protecting the hundred mile diameter Sea Wood Forest. The elves would often hunt any other race that strayed into their forest. The main threat was the demons and orcs of the mountains to the north and west.
"Hello Jin!" Maybelle said as she and four other elven children entered his house, staring at him with wonder. "Are you cultivating?"
"No. I see you invited yourself in, and brought friends," Jin said as he saw one girl and three boys standing behind her.
"Yup. Are you going to train with the other adults again?" Maybelle asked.
"Yeah. I know how to hunt and use my longbow. I need to train with my dagger to integrate it with my martial arts," Jin nodded. "Aren't you five supposed to be studying?"
"We're all stronger than you," Maybelle smiled, Jin sighing as it was true. Even the weakest elf child was level 6, and it was Maybelle. Her four friends were either level 7 or 8. Even if his stats were high for his level, they could easily kill him. All the ones who hunted in the forest were level 30, at the least. He could not see anyone's level past level 32. He guessed that he could only see another person's level if the level difference was up to 30 above his own.
"Don't feel bad," the other elf girl said, patting his arm as she and the three boys felt it was okay to come closer. "You are strange. You have more than two affinities and you become strong really fast. We saw you when you first came with Maybelle. We were shocked to detect more element affinities and that you actually got stronger when you came down from the Grand Elder's palace."
"I can't identify one. Not even my parents can," one of the boys mumbled as he stared at Jin.
"Let's go to the training grounds," Jin said as he wore his Rank 1 Novice Sea Wood medium armor. He also got a Rank 1 Novice White Coral Hunting Bow. During the four days, he learned blacksmith, carpentry, leather work, rune enchanting, kicking, and the rare apothecary job skill. These were all jobs one could learn in the game and they also applied to the New Earth.
Current Jobs
Level 2: Carpentry: able to make Rank 1 and 2 items, armor, and weapons requiring wood.
Level 2: Blacksmith: able to make Rank 1 and 2 weapons. Also able to repair them.
Level 2 Leather Work: able to make Rank 1 and 2 medium armor. Also able to repair them.
Level 1 Rune Enchanting: able to enchant various items with Rank 1 runes.
Level 3 Kicking: able to use legs to perform a variety of lower body activities quicker and more proficiently.
Level 2 Apothecary: able to make Rank 2 potions and elixirs.
He learned carpentry in order to make a hunting bow of his own. He learned blacksmith to make arrowheads and various weapons. He could make also swords and throwing knives. He was a rogue class and he could not wear the heavy or light armor the elven hunters offered him, resulting in him wearing the Rank 1 Novice Sea Wood medium armor.
Rune enchanting was his biggest payoff. No doubt, it would give him an edge in the future over other players. Learning kicking was great as he could shoot his longbow at different angles or perform kicking techniques more quickly. Apothecary was one skill every player needed to have but should have been the hardest to achieve. Most of all, it really added on to the perks of the agility and speed stats.
He felt like a true hunter class player. All he needed was to see how others made traps so he could make some of his own. With apothecary, he could make his own potions and elixirs and sell them for high prices. How? It was because of the system announcement he saw just a day after he arrived.
System AnnouncementForums and Auctions Unlocked
Two players have reached Middle Spirit Knight and became the first two to reach level 11. As such, the forums and auctions are now available. Forum chats are not restricted, but only the currency of New Earth could be used as the main medium of exchange. Trading and exchanging items is allowed, but one of the players must be level 11. The Item Shop, Weapon Shop, Accessory Shop, Pet Shop, Class Skill Shop, and Armor Shop will be open upon 7,000 players of the 10,019 beta players reaching level 11. Remember, the world ends if the 10,030 are dead. They will not age upon reaching the prime of their race. Offspring of beta players does not increase the beta player count.
Current non-beta players level 11 and up: 0
Current beta players level 11 and up: 2
Total players level 11 and up: 2
Beta players dead: 11
Current beta players alive: 10,019
"Let's go! Let's go!" Maybelle said as she interrupted Jin's thoughts and dragged him out of the house by the hand. They walked by several houses before arriving in a clearing by the top of the waterfall. An elf was waiting for him, two short swords in his hands.
"Hello Jin. Back to train again?" the elf laughed.
"Hello Lajakel," Jin bowed his head as he set aside his quiver and hunting bow in his Black Heart Ring, drawing his Rank 1 Novice White Corral Dagger. He could not use his Royal Adamant Dagger as it was a legend rank dagger and best kept a secret.
Combat Skill Level
Skills in the game also have levels of mastery. The higher the combat mastery level, the more damage is done with the weapon and the more natural it feels when using it. Upon reaching level 50, combat mastery evolves and you gain a new skill.
Dagger Novice: Level 4.
Basic Archery: Level 12.
Magic Lore: Level 1.
Sword Novice: Level 7
"Remember Jin," Lajakel grinned as he paced around him. "Throwing knives require strong wrist strength. Let your arm flow naturally and flick with the wrist right as you throw it. Take advantage of the size of the dagger. It does not increase your range, but it does not affect your agility."
"Noted," Jin said and threw two knives from his Black Heart Ring before swinging with his dagger. Lajakel laughed and easily deflected the daggers with a flick of his wrist, blocking the dagger slash of Jin. He was inwardly shocked. Such a wood elf was so fast! Lajakel was level 37 but Jin had incredible speed. He could not see levels, as he was not from the Real Earth, but he could sense someone's power. Jin should not be able to be so fast.
Jin learned kendo, karate, tae kwon do, and learned Shaolin kung fu as he copied moves of Shaolin monks he saw in YouTube. He had his Rank 1 Novice White Coral Sword on his left hip and a torch in his Black Heart Ring. He knew how to use a sword, training under his father since he was five. He first trained under Lajakel with a torch than a dagger. He wanted to learn how to fight with a dagger in the event someone got too close while he was shooting. With the dagger at his right hip, it would be faster to block a sudden strike with it upside down than to draw his sword.
"You're fast, but you lack power," Lajakel said as he easily blocked another dagger slash while leaning to the right to avoid a back kick. "Your legs strike faster than your dagger. Daggers must be quick. Put your power into your hips!"
Jin did an upward slash with his dagger but howled in pain as Lajakel deflected it, grabbing his arm and spinning him sideways as he flung his arm and kicked his leg to increase the power of the spin. Jin landed hard on the ground and looked up to see two short swords' tips a few inches from both his eyes.
"Against a beast, your tactics work. Against an elf, not so much. You could give some of the weaker orcs a scare with your speed and your body's defenses," Lajakel grinned, helping Jin to his feet.
"How is beating me up training? Aren't I supposed to learn forms and stances?" Jin asked.
"That trash? Please. In real battle, you only need to learn how to survive. You can't stay still, unless you specialize in heavy armor and a great warrior of physical prowess to endure hits. Your fighting style is not similar at all. First and foremost: you are a hunter. Your true terror is your hunting bow, resorting to your dagger in close range. It is best not to fight head on and wait for the enemy, if you have a choice. Mobility is the key to your victory and daggers do not affect your ability," Lajakel said as Jin returned his dagger to the sheath on his right hip. "I suppose you are going hunting again?"
"Yes. It will help me become a faster, stronger hunter," Jin nodded as his quiver and hunting bow was retrieved from his storage ring.
"Good. I can believe you now when you said you learned how to use a bow when you were five or seven. Your talent for the boy surpasses your talent for the sword. Perhaps you trained with the bow first. You do not need to master the dagger. You already have the bow and sword. This is why you do not need to learn a stance. The dagger is to protect your life, not to fight to take life," Lajakel said.
"I understand. It would be best to just focus on those two. Magic comes naturally to me and I only ever need to use the dagger in case of an ambush or a rush attack," Jin nodded, bowing his head for the advice."
"Good. I'm glad you understand this. Learning more means to master less of them all. The more you learn, the better. However, the more you focus on, the less you master. Take the two boys with you. The other boy and the two girls are behind in their studies," Lajakel said, two boys cheering while three looked down the ground with sadness.
"How come Jahalas and Rokua get to go?" Maybelle pouted as Jin heard a familiar ping.
*Ping*
Dagger Novice is now level 5
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
*Ping*
Jin is now level 3
Jin quickly added 1 spirit, 1 agility, and 1 speed stat. Lajakel and the elves stared at him in shock. He now seemed as strong as the elven children. Of course, his stats surpassed theirs but they did not feel it. Only Lajakel knew how strong Jin truly was. They noticed a lot of mana appear in Jin, caused by an increase in spirit.
"He got stronger again," Jahalas gasped.
"I suppose you are strong enough to learn wind combat magic. You need an offensive magic and lack a medium range capability. Hunting bows have a balanced range, from short to long, but is best used for long range fighting. This is a book to learn <
"Hmph. He learns magic now, but he can't possibly use it so...." Maybelle said and gasped, eyes widening as the book disappeared and saw several green runes enter Jin's mind.
Jin learned Green Wind Shredder
Jin's body began to change, the dantian disappearing from his body. Jin was alarmed at first until he could see a special space within his mind. All the spirit energy in his body came from his brain, the organ which housed the special space and converted spirit energy into mana and stamina based on his spirit and stamina stats. The green runes formed a unique, green rune circle inside his mind to represent <
Next to it was a blue rune circles which represented his <
Jin is now level 4
Jin did not notice their shock as he was elated. The skill book disappeared just as it would in the game. He did not have to spend time reading and practicing what was in the book. He instantly learned it! He added 2 strength and 1 speed. At the next level, he would add 1 toughness and no longer use the Special Option.
"How did you do that?" Jahalas asked.
"Hmm. It would be good to have a dagger which can become a spear. Maybe making a slightly long dagger with a long handle that can extend itself? Would be a good twist," Jin pondered aloud, ignoring Jahalas.
"You'll need to find crystals suitable to make such a rune," Lajakel said, used to Jin's surprises. "Good luck hunting. I'll be watching you guys, only intervening if your life is in danger. Can't let anything happen to you guys."
"Right," Jin said, knowing the elven children were cherished like one-of-a-kind treasures and expected someone to watch over them as soon as Lajakel told him two of the boys would follow him.
"Yay! Hunting!" Rokua cried. "I'm going to get my gear from home."
"I..." Jahalas began but gave up. "Wait for me! I need to get my gear too!"
"What are you three standing here for? Want to go hunting next time? Catch up in your studies!" Lajakel said to Maybelle and the others. "Look at Jin. He is barely here for a week and already surpassed you and even learned the <
"He doesn't know healing magic," Maybelle pouted as she pointed at Jin.
"I know <
"WHAT!" all four elves cried, the shock too great.
"You really healed yourself," Lajakel said with awe as he saw the bruise heal. "An elf that knows <
"What about Jahalas and Rokua?" Jin said as Lajakel sheathed his two short swords and took out his longbow.
"No, too dangerous. We don't know what's in there. You and I will suffice. Maybelle, tell them they cannot come and for you five to report the news to the Grand Elder," Lajakel ordered.
"Okay," Maybelle said, knowing this was a serious situation.
"Is it just us?" Jin asked.
"Don't worry, I am plenty strong. The others are either hunting or patrolling. We'll pass by some teens who should be slightly stronger than you. The area to the south has many deer and wolves. You got a storage ring with a bunch of potions, right? Use them if you get injured," Lajakel said and proceeded to give the three elf children instructions while Jin had an idea of his own.
He opened the system option and opened a thread on the forums under the auction category. It advertised three different items. He pulled out three small bottles, each of them containing a different colored liquid. They contained red, blue, and green liquid inside. He had to make an alias and chose Demise King. The potions vanished as Jin posted the forum. Since 7,000 beta players had to reach level 11 before the Item Shop could open, he decided to set a high price to leech as many coins as he could.
Selling Minor Health PotionSeller: Demise King
Selling one Rank 1 healing potion which restores 7 vitality or 70 health points upon use. Minimum cost: 2 gold.
[tableSelling Minor Mana PotionSeller: Demise King
Selling one Rank 1 mana potion which restores 4 vitality or 40 mana points upon use. Minimum cost: 1 gold.[/table]
[tr]
Selling Minor Stamina PotionSeller: Demise King
Selling one Rank 1 stamina potion which restores 4 stamina or 40 stamina points upon use. Minimum cost: 1 gold.
"Oh, I just know the forums are going to go all crazy when I open the threads later," Jin grinned, rubbing his hands together. He did have 7 gold and 85 silver from picking the second background story option, but he really envied whoever had picked a similar first option. Each of the 10,030 beta players were sure to have benefits, one way or another.
"You ready to go?" Lajakel asked, frowning as he saw the look of glee on Jin's face.
"Ah, yeah. I'm good to go," Jin nodded, eager to go to the ruins. His egg still did not hatch and he kept it in his Black Heart Ring. He learned the egg would not hatch while in the ring, and kept it in there because he wanted to somehow mutate it into a stronger breed. He hoped to find rare treasures in the ruin and also evolve the egg. Going dungeon exploring was every boy's dream. This was even real life, much better than virtual reality. In the three threads he unlocked, he didn't realize how right he was.
*Under the forum thread of Demise King*
Wrecked 142: What the fuck? Someone's selling potions? Must be fake.
Paolo Rocks: It can't be. The system does not accept fake items with advertisements. He even went so far as to indicate it was a Rank 1 potion! It is the real deal!
Why so Mad?: Hot damn! How did he learn apothecary? It says we can't learn them. He's a Beta!
Varsity Sucks: I am definitely buying that health potion! I don't even have 7 vitality. Do you guys realize how big an issue this is?
Home Boy: I'm a Beta and the system says that only Beta Players who know healing magic can learn apothecary. I'm getting that health potion.
Wrecked 142: Get the fuck out Home Boy. I'm getting that potion.
Paolo Rocks: I'm a summoner so I definitely need them mana potions. All skills only cost 1 stamina or 1 spirit so far. That means we're learning all the weak skills right now, save for any legendary or unique skills.
Home Boy: You're a Beta too?
Paolo Rocks: Of course Home Boy. How else do I know so much? I'm one of the two Beta Players who reached level 11. I chose the second option for my background story to get a cultivation manual.
Home Boy: I chose the first option.....I should have known it was a trap. All I saw was the mithril coin and that it equaled 1,000 gold.
Why so Mad?: Cultivation? Options? Whatever. I just want to survive people. Demise King is sure to make more potions. As a warrior, I need haste potions. He definitely has to make those. I can't even raise my speed or toughness.
Home Boy: Really? Ah, the Special Option must be a Beta only feature. Good to be a Beta.
Paolo Rocks: That's for damn sure. Otherwise, my name would not be Paolo Rocks. Best dark elf in the world. HAHAHAHA.