Chapter 2: First Steps
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Here's Chapter 2. As stated in Chapter 1, the reason he seems so intent on the game as to spend large amounts of time in it is that he's stranded with no way home, and he's in a foreign country whose language he doesn't know. Only through the advanced translation software of Royal Road can he truly interact with others on a face-to-face basis without needing a translator following him around.
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Veritas wandered through the streets, looking for the so-called furnaces. There were maps in Royal Road, but they had to be purchased from other entities. Especially for unexplored areas, player-made maps were essential in properly traversing through or hunting in these areas.
The problem was, he had no idea about what the instructor's wife had meant by furnaces. It wasn't until another thirty minutes passed while he went around blindly did he realize he could and should ask other players for help. Feeling highly embarrassed by that oversight, he picked the nearest person who didn't wear the same seedy-looking newbie outfit as him.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can go to find the furnaces?"
"Oh! New to the game, are you?"
"Unfortunately," admitted Veritas.
The other person pointed to the northwest. "The hearths are over there, with the smoke and ash. You can't possibly miss it, the way it smells like ash and metal. It'll be the building with the big chimney sticking out of it, it sticks out like a sore thumb."
"Thanks!"
He soon found himself in front of a large, brick building exhuming copious amounts of black smog. He stepped in to find a medley of people gathered around the large furnace inside.
"What's going on?" he wondered aloud.
The nearest person turned to him. "You don't know what the furnaces are for? New to Rosenheim, are you?" He gestured at the group of people. "Without a furnace, you can't extract metals from raw ore or refine and purify metals for better quality. The larger the furnace, the better the results."
"Then, all these people are blacksmiths?"
"Yessir, the whole lot of them. It's a pretty lucrative business you know, if you'd only put in the effort."
"Speaking of blacksmiths, I'm looking for a blacksmith that drinks a lot. I heard I might be able to find him here."
At the mention of the drunkard, the blacksmith's expression turned dark.
"Is... there something I should know about that person?"
"What can I say? He's a first-rate failure of a blacksmith, who couldn't even forge a sword properly. The only things he's good at are gossiping and lying through his teeth. Yet, he's always drawn back to the Hearth and the Smithy. Though he is the worst blacksmith I've ever seen, I cannot deny his love and passion for our noble profession."
"I think I can sort of understand how that might feel, to constantly fail at something you want to do." He thought back to his days during the Academy. Being the class dunce, the reject, the last place, he'd nevertheless always gotten back up and kept trying. No matter what anyone said, he'd wanted to become a splendid shinobi. It was the same with Lee, who had been told that, without ninjutsu or genjutsu, it would be impossible to become a proper ninja. And yet, the two of them had succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Talent? Genius? Pfah! If you can be a genius of hard work, you'll be able to make up for those deficiencies!
"Well, if you want him, I can't help you. He might be in here, he might not, we generally lose track of time and presence while we focus on our work. Sorry that I can't help you much more than this."
"That's alright, just that was enough, thanks." Enough my butt, you wouldn't even tell me his name.
Veritas scanned the interior, but he couldn't find anyone that looked even remotely drunk. He might be able to catch a whiff of alcohol if he walked close enough, but that might bother the blacksmiths and put them in a bad mood. The last thing he wanted to do was get thrown out for obstructing their work and then resorting to finding a drunk in a haystack of other drunks.
Crud, how am I supposed to find out where he is? Think. Think! … I got it, I should provoke him. That saying about sticks and stones is complete bullshit, and I would know. Words can hurt like a knife wound.
"What the heck, I come here looking for some answers about old weapons, and I can't find anything about it. That stupid drunk must be a complete hack, what a waste of time to believe his lies!" Veritas said loudly, making sure to be heard by everyone in the building. "The other blacksmiths were right, what a useless, talentless gossiper!"
Although the blacksmiths were distracted temporarily by his outburst, the NPC blacksmiths returned to their work when they realized who he was talking about.
"That was no lie!"
Elated that his target turned out to be here, he stepped up to an overweight blacksmith sitting at a corner of the furnace by himself and out of earshot of typical noise.
"You're pretty gutsy, kid, to insult me so clearly and loudly."
"You're pretty gutsy yourself to tell such a tall tale."
"I didn't lie!" the blacksmith growled. "It's reliable information I plied from a Master Blacksmith from Thor Kingdom. My entire savings went into feeding that stubborn dwarf enough drink to finally put him under and get that gem of information from him! My entire savings! I thought I'd be able to sell that information and make a profit, but everyone just thinks I'm making it up." He put his hands on Veritas' shoulders. "You, kid. You came because you thought there might be some truth to the story, right? That's why you came looking for me."
"That's right," lied Veritas, "I'm really interested in how legendary weapons are made. To be able to create a weapon of legend would mean being the greatest blacksmith in the world."
"Right? I tried to find out more, but the dwarf didn't know much else, other than that the rumor was true. He claimed that more information could be gotten at the innermost circles of Thor Kingdom."
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Quest Complete!
Legend of the Legendary Weapons
The rumor is true, and there exists a blacksmith capable of forging legendary weapons, but not much more is known.
Reward: Return to the instructor's wife to claim it.
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Veritas bade the blacksmith farewell and ran off quickly back to the Training Hall, until he realized he had no idea where he could find the instructor's wife. So he walked up to the instructor himself, who greeted him warmly.
"Welcome, young warrior! I hope your training has been going well?"
"Very well, sir, but I have a question I need to ask you."
He spread his arms wide in a gesture of friendliness. "Ask away."
"Do you know where I might find your wife? She asked me to run an errand for her, and I've just finished it..."
"Not a problem. We live on the other side of town in the residential district. It's the house with the green roof, it's the only one in the district. Say hello to her for me, would you?"
As he'd said, the house had been easy enough to recognize. Veritas knocked on the door and waited patiently. When the door opened he reported his success, but he did not get more money as he'd expected.
"Consider this a gift from me to you. This skill will help you a lot outside of combat."
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New Skill: You have learned Repair Skill
Repair Skill
You can restore the durability of your equipment, a necessary skill for all those who call themselves heroes. A necessary prerequisite for the Blacksmith Skill.
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At his disappointed expression, she continued, "Using this skill will help you save a lot of money by repairing your weapons and armor yourself. You'll also be able to repair whenever and wherever you want, without having to visit a Smithy. Trust me, you won't regret it."
He regretted it already. In Royal Road, the number of skills and stats a player could obtain were limited, and once gained, neither of them could be removed from their respective lists. What was more, combat classes tended to possess a greater amount of skills.
After waving goodbye, he trudged back to the Training Hall, cashing in his silver for one-hundred coppers and buying more rye bread on the way so that he wouldn't starve. Veritas sighed as he was again greeted by the view of rows and rows of training dummies. He was visibly disgusted at the idea of again returning to swinging that damn sword over and over. He recalled that even back in his youth, he'd never tried this hard even when trying to upstage Sasuke. Certainly, he'd tried hard, but the mind numbing difficulty of the Training Hall could be measured on a completely separate scale.
Weed-nim finished this, and so can I. I can do this! Just... just one more week. One... more... week...
For some strange reason, every time he said -san, it became a -nim in-game. Maybe it had something to do with being a Korean-originated game.
Oh well, it probably means the exact same thing anyway.
His only consolation was watching his stats grow ever higher as he swung. Every time a stat increased, he would remind himself of the advantages this would give him once he was finally freed from his cage to roam the lands.
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Agility rises by 1 point. (+1 AGI)
New stat: Fighting Spirit
Fighting Spirit
You can call on superhuman strength temporarily, or bring weaker monsters to their knees with the force of your eyes alone. You are prohibited from distributing stat points to this stat.
Agility rises by 1 point. (+1 AGI)
Strength rises by 1 point. (+1 STR)
New stat: Endurance
Endurance
You are likely to use less stamina in action. You are prohibited from distributing stat points to this stat.
Stamina rises by 1 point. (+1 STA)
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Hm, Fighting Spirit, huh... I read about that, it rises spontaneously depending on my actions, like if I fight monsters for a long time without resting, or fight a lot of monsters or ones that are stronger than me.
And, at long last, he was finally done. He knew instinctively that he had completed the Training Hall's training, a sort of buzzing of his skin. The instructor approached him not long afterward.
"Good job, Veritas-nim."
"Yes, yes it was."
"Ha! I can imagine. Very few have the patience and will to complete the Basic Training Program. Fewer still will have what it takes to finish the Beginner Training Program."
"There's... there's more of these?" Veritas looked utterly aghast at the prospect.
"Yes, though I do not know where they are located. What is known, however, is that those training programs cannot be accessed without first having completed the prerequisite programs." The instructor removed a sword from his belt and held it out. "Congratulations on completing the program, Veritas-nim. This sword is awarded to those who complete the Basic Training Program, a mark of their effort. Use it well."
"I will, thanks." Veritas took the sword and examined it, bringing up an item stat window.
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Hard Iron Sword
Durability: 54/54
Damage: 10-14
Awarded to those who complete the Basic Training Program. This widely-used long sword is better than basic type weapons that are available in a blacksmith's workshop.
Restrictions:
Strength: 40
Stamina: 35
Attributes:
Strength +10
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The damage seems kind of low, doesn't it? Not that I have any other weapon to reference it with, but it seems low.
"By the way..." The instructor coughed, "Have you chosen a class yet, Veritas-nim?"
"No I haven't. Why?"
"You trained with the same kind of fervor and dedication as Weed-nim, who trained beside you for the majority of your time here. I can see that you have a warrior's qualification. Normally, one must pass a test at the Warrior Guild to become a Warrior, but with my recommendation you can bypass the test. So, are you interested in becoming a Warrior?"
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Becoming a Warrior
The instructor believes you have what it takes to become a splendid Warrior. Go to the Warrior Guild and become a Warrior.
Quest Difficulty: E
Rewards: Warrior class.
Quest Restriction: Must have completed the Basic Training Program.
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Veritas scratched his neck as he considered the offer. If I become a Warrior, I'll probably be able to fight well. On the other hand, I won't be able to use magic, or ninjutsu. Then again, I read that I have the freedom to change classes again when the opportunity shows up. But then, classes affect stat growth...
"I'd like to become a Warrior, instructor."
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You Have Accepted The Quest.
You have received Instructor's Recommendation.
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"Splendid! I'll be looking forward to hearing of your exploits someday, Veritas-nim. Good luck on your journey."
Veritas left the Training Hall and did not look back. Glad to be out and itching to fight, he headed to the Warrior Guild – the conspicuous building in the center plaza with a huge axe-shaped sign on the front – as quickly as possible. As he walked up the stairs, he noted how packed the building was compared to some of the others. In particular, the crafting guilds looked a lot emptier from the outside. Why was that? He nudged the nearest person, who thankfully was more than willing to offer advice.
"Why do the crafting guilds look so empty?"
"Oh, that. The craftsman classes have the weakest combat ability. They don't get any bonus stats like combat classes do. Also, their class skills are very difficult and time consuming to raise. People simply don't have the patience to stick with a craftsman class, and being weaker doesn't help at all."
"Ohh. Thanks."
"Not a problem."
As crowded as it was outside, the inside of the Warrior Guild was even more packed with newbies changing classes and returning quests, and experienced players exchanging information and taking hunting requests from the Quest Board. Hunting requests are repeatable quests that offer lower rewards than normal quests in exchange.
Scanning the crowd, he picked out the grizzliest looking swordsman and decided he must be the trainer.
"Hello, I'd like to become a Warrior."
The swordsman grunted. "You have to prove that you have what it takes to become a Warrior."
"I have proof." Veritas handed over the recommendation.
"This... looks in order. Completing the Basic Training Program is impressive. Very well, I'll let you become a Warrior."
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Class Change!
You can convert to the class Warrior. If you accept it, you can gain the ability to wield an assortment of weapons and armors unique to the class tree.
Do you want to convert to Warrior?
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"Yes."
~ttiring~
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Quest Complete!
Becoming a Warrior.
You have given the instructor's recommendation to bypass the testing period of trainee Warriors.
You have become a Warrior.
Strength rises by 10 points. (+10 STR)
Stamina rises by 10 points. (+10 STA)
New Stat: Fortitude
Fortitude
You take less damage from enemy attacks. Slightly increases hit points.
New Skill: You have learned Mighty Blow
Mighty Blow
By tensing the body at the moment before swinging, a more powerful attack can be used to deal 130% damage.
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"Awesome."
He'd changed classes, gained some stats and skills, and his four weeks of confinement were up. Now, sporting a decent weapon and new class, he could finally do what he'd been wanting to do ever since he booted the game up.
Finally, he'd be able to fight. Naturally, the very next thing he did was leave Serabourg from the closest exit.
Veritas breathed in deeply, smiling. Before him lay a vast field full of monsters and other players. Well, to call them monsters was exaggerating. Rabbits, raccoons, and foxes. Tiny animals that couldn't possibly ever be larger than knee height. Riding on a new-experience high and emboldened by the weak appearance of the monsters, he strutted confidently towards the nearest monsters.
When he got close, a rabbit leapt towards him. His eyes tracked the target in midair and his hands brought the sword to bear, his slash intercepting the rabbit perfectly. His attack nearly cut it in two, and it couldn't do much more than flail around from its wounds before Veritas brought the sword down to finish the job.
Like taking candy from a baby.
Noticing that the rabbit had dropped an item, he stooped to pick it up, gaining a rabbit pelt. Given his amazing poverty, Veritas decided that from then on he should strive to pick up everything he could grab his hands on. Money-pinching during his youth in Konoha had taught him the hard way the value of money. And Jiraiya and Tsunade's blatant spending of his money had taught him never to trust others with his money.
Of course, this wasn't to say that he wouldn't spend money if he needed to, or simply felt like it. After all, he'd been famous – or infamous - as a big spender at Ichiraku Ramen.
Using his superior senses and reflexes, Veritas carved a swathe through the field, cutting down raccoons and rabbits left and right. Not long afterward, a clear ttiring sound interrupted his killing spree.
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You have leveled up!
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With his first level up came the ability to distribute bonus stat points. He promptly dumped them all into Agility.
But, lo and behold, being distracted by the notice, he didn't notice the fox until it was within attack range. Thankfully, his ninja-honed senses caught the whiff of danger and he jumped away from the fox's attack. Veritas performed a backhanded swing and struck the fox's midsection, but it shrugged off the attack and pushed away his guard with a surprisingly powerful swipe of its paws.
It broke my guard?! Shit-
When he saw the fox shift its weight to jump, Veritas brought his sword back and tensed his muscles. He calculated the fox's trajectory as it left the ground and brought the sword to bear.
Mighty Bl-
A sudden impact interrupted the skill use and, furthermore, knocked him into the incoming strike. A dull pain shook his body as he looked around to find himself surrounded by an assortment of monsters. He'd made one of the biggest mistakes a shinobi could ever make. He had failed to see underneath the underneath and had let his target cloud his judgment. He'd been too focused on the fox to notice that their fight had drawn the aggro of many other monsters.
Foxes were relatively weak monsters, but to a fresh out of the city player like him, they were deadly enough.
Even as he began sustaining a relentless stream of attacks from the huge mob surrounding him, the only reason he hadn't died yet was due to his training at the Training Hall, giving him bonus points to Health. Their eyes glinted maliciously as they drew in from all directions. Veritas dodged and weaved to the best of his abilities, but the difference between his skill and his character's stats soon began to take its toll, as his health ticked down bit by bit. He was only delaying the inevitable.
Then, his health finally dropped to zero and his vision began fading to black. His only consolation was in seeing an arrow sing through the air and drop the fox that had just finished him off.
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You have died.
Died from loss of health.
Cannot log in for 24 hours.
Skills and levels will decrease as a result of player's death.
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"Shit!"
Naruto, now officially registered as Uzuki Naoto, fumed. He'd made the most basic mistake that Genin are taught not to make. And now, he wouldn't be able to play for twenty-four hours, or four in-game days. Without any knowledge of the country's language, this was the only way available to him to make money. He didn't even have any of the technical skills required to perform blue-collar jobs.
"This sucks... Might as well do something in the meanwhile."
As he dressed to go out, he couldn't help but to marvel at the time distortion within Royal Road again. To be able to live another life at one-fourth of real speed was amazing. What it also meant was that people could play the game for a significant amount of time and still have enough time to go to school and work because of the difference in passing time. While he'd spent an entire month in Royal Road, only a week had passed in reality.
It was still dark, but the sun could be seen rising slowly over the eastern horizon. Running in the brisk dawn weather was refreshing and it almost reminded him of mornings in Konoha. He breathed in deeply, savoring the fresh – relatively speaking - air. Although pollution was rather high in the high density of urban Seoul, the air was freshest at the time when the least vehicles were going about.
Naruto ran for twenty kilometers, working up a light sweat. Shinobi were expected to run vast distances at speeds matching those of galloping horses or highway-bound vehicles, so something of this caliber was simple. Unfortunately, he could not run at speed without risking being seen by others.
My body seems a bit heavier... I should work out more or something, find somewhere to keep my skills and physique honed. I'd rather not turn into someone like Chouji if I somehow manage to get back home.
The sun lit up the surroundings as dawn became morning and the citizens of Seoul began to wake up and go about their duties. Business began opening and the first cars and taxis appeared on the street. Naruto found it somewhat soothing to watch the metropolis wake up. He'd enjoyed doing the same in Konoha, sitting on top of his father's statue and watching the village. Speaking of Konoha, if Kakashi ever saw the glaring mistakes he'd made so recently in Royal Road, he probably would have been severely berated and told that that was why he had yet to make Chuunin, despite having the raw strength of a Kage.
Let's take a short break, he decided, and sat down at the nearest bench. Haaa... Where can I possibly find a good place to train in a city like this?
Unable to find a satisfactory answer after thirty minutes, he filed the question away for a later date and stood back up. Time to go back home, and maybe hit the market on the way. The farmer's markets located on the fringes of Seoul had the best deals and one was within walking distance of his apartment.
Well... I guess I can practice my chakra control while I wait for my twenty-four hour lockout to end, I guess.
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"Log in."
The blackness around him brightened and took shape. Once again, Veritas appeared in the main square of Serabourg. He looked down at himself to find himself wearing tattered clothes. Not only that, he was again level 1. He'd done some searching on Japanese Royal Road sites. Skill progress lost on death could not be recovered except through application. Durability of clothing lowered upon receiving damage and death, while durability of weapons lowered upon attacking and blocking. Furthermore, when a player dies, a number of items would drop from his body. Unfortunately, one of these items was his sword.
So, he was weaponless and essentially armor-less. He didn't even have a hammer to appropriate repairs for armor and weapons, much less the Tailoring skill required to repair his newbie clothing.
When Veritas appeared back at the field where he'd died, in the futile hope that someone hadn't already picked up his stuff or that they hadn't despawned, he was soon approached by two others, one boy, one girl. Almost as if they'd been waiting for him.
"Hey, you're the one that died here four days ago, right?" He was of a fair appearance and the friendly smile on his face seemed to belong there. His dark brown hair was a bit long, reaching down to his jaws and parted down the middle, and similarly colored eyes shone brightly with vigor.
"That's right."
The boy, who had a bow slung on his back, held out a familiar sword. "You're brand new to the game, right? I figured I should be a good citizen and hold onto this for you. We tried to save you at that time, but we couldn't make it in time before you died."
Veritas' eyes lit up and he donned an expression of utmost gratitude. "You're a lifesaver, friend!"
"How did you get your hands on such a weapon, anyway?"
"What do you mean?"
The girl spoke this time, "The beginners' wooden weapons have average attack stats of between 2 to 4. I've heard that most people don't even get iron weapons until a few dozen levels. Between wooden and iron weapons are copper and bronze weapons."
The girl was on the pretty side, with sleek black hair tied into a ponytail and chocolate-colored eyes backing up a soft face. She, too, had a friendly smile on her face and also exuded an aura of easygoingness.
"Oh, well, I got it by completing the Basic Training Program."
"The what?" both asked.
"I swung at a dummy at the Training Hall for the four weeks I couldn't leave the capital."
The boy laughed, at a loss for words. "Wow. Just, wow. That's amazing, although in my opinion, for swinging for four weeks, I'd say even an iron sword isn't worth the trouble."
"You might be right," admitted Veritas. "I thought I was going to die of boredom and frustration several times."
"Oh, by the way, I guess we forgot to introduce ourselves. I'm Gunter and she's Kirhi."
"Nice to meet you..."
"Veritas, and the pleasure is mine."
Kirhi smiled mischievously. "Just so you know, the only reason we didn't just take the sword for ourselves is because we can't use it."
"That's... good to know..."
"Gunter's an Archer and I'm a Mage. What about you?"
"Warrior."
"That's perfect!" Gunter extended a hand. "We're both ranged classes and not having a tank was really wrecking the efficiency of our hunting. Would you like to join our party?"
"Well... Wouldn't I hold you down, being level 1 and all?"
"Well, we are level 10, but you should be able to make up the difference with that sword and our ranged support. From what we saw four days ago, you're quite agile, so I have no doubt you'll be fine with us here."
"Okay then, I accept, Gunter-nim."
"Nim? You don't need to be so respectful."
"No, I insist. I'm really thankful, you see."
"I see, then alright. Then, I'll send you the invite."
~ttiring~
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Gunter has invited you to the party.
Would you like to join?
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"Yes."
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You have joined the party.
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"Great, then we can get started immediately. I can't ask you to tank, given the state of your armor, so can you grab the attention of a group of monsters and hold them off while we prepare our area attacks? I'll give you the signal to run when we're about to fire."
"I can do that, sure. Besides, I've got a bone to pick with these guys."
Kirhi brandished her wand while Gunter nocked an arrow.
"Ready whenever you are, Veritas-ssi."
"I've been ready since the moment I died. I'm going to teach them what hell is like, personally." Veritas drew his iron sword and bared his teeth, his eyes wild and alight with the desire for vengeance. "Here. I. GO!"
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Ssi – San equivalent
Nim – Dono/Sama equivalent