Chapter 8 - The Next Day, Alone
“What is this overwhelming sense of wrongness?”
—Day two of playing. My mother, in her infinite wrath, had forbidden me from pulling an all-nighter, so after an early night and an early morning, I returned to the virtual world at five a.m.
Unlike my first login, where I was tossed around at the game’s whim, there was no dramatic sequence of being thrown into the sky or sea this time. The [Arcadia] title logo faded to white, and my consciousness was once again transferred into my avatar in this world.
My current location was the fountain plaza where I’d logged out last night. It was five in the morning in the real world, but time flowed fifty percent faster here, meaning it was approaching eight a.m. The sun had already risen, and the plaza was bustling with activity.
So, why was I standing here alone, scowling and muttering to myself? To put it simply, I was struggling to hide my bewilderment at the difference in physical sensation between my real and virtual bodies. In my initial state, before allocating any stats, my avatar had felt merely “agile.” But after the boss battle, my level was now 17. This avatar, enhanced by 170 status points, had already far surpassed the specs of an ordinary human.
――――――――――――――――――
◇Status◇
Name: Haru
Lv: 17
STR (Strength): 15
AGI (Agility): 70
DEX (Dexterity): 70
VIT (Vitality): 5
MID (Mind): 5
LUC (Luck): 5
◇Skill◇
・All-Weapon Aptitude
《Quick Change》
《Weapon Darts》
・Accel Tempo
――――――――――――――――――
So that’s what my current status looked like. Even before the boss fight, I could move in ways that would surpass an Olympic athlete… Compared to this body, which had gained even more points since then, my physical specs in the real world were complete garbage.
Perhaps because of this huge gap in physical ability between the two worlds, a tremendous sense of wrongness washed over my entire body, even just standing still. I figured it would fade as I moved around a bit… I could only hope I’d get used to it eventually.
“…Well, what now?”
For the moment, I had no plan. Now that I was separated from Sora, who had surprisingly seemed to have done her research, I was forced to revert to my ‘foreigner lost in a foreign land’ routine.
If I was truly stuck, I could probably ask one of the veteran players walking around for a lecture… but, well, they were all decked out in glittering equipment. It was dazzling, or maybe intimidating?
“Umm… huh?”
My gear and general vibe screamed ‘newbie,’ so unlike yesterday, I stood out even without Sora by my side. Feeling embarrassed by the glances being thrown my way, I opened my inventory to at least look busy… only to find the equipment tab completely bare.
“…I forgot.”
The set of starter weapons that had been so helpful yesterday were, in fact, limited-time tutorial-only items. I’d completely forgotten that they had vanished the moment I cleared the mushroom forest.
My inventory’s materials tab was filled with a massive number of [Caps of the Mush] and an item called [Ancient Wood of the Mycelium], which was likely a boss drop—but none of this would be of any use for hunting mushrooms.
I’d been forced to hunt mushrooms endlessly yesterday, so the currency they dropped had accumulated into a decent sum. In that case, the place I should head to now was—
“Excuse me, do you know where the weapon shop is?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, yeah. The weapon shop?”
Hey, you, the kind-looking guy over there! Give me a lecture!!
◇◆◇◆◇
“Welcome.”
Guided by a kind veteran, I arrived at an NPC shop. As I excitedly pushed open the door, I was greeted by a female NPC shopkeeper. Receiving a gentle sense of healing from the beautiful woman’s soft smile, I gave a nod and approached the counter.
“How may I help you today?”
“I’m in need of some weapons.”
“All the equipment we carry here is entry-level gear for beginners, I’m afraid.”
“Oh, that’s no problem. I’m a beginner.”
When I said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world, the shopkeeper showed a look of surprise. “My.”
“Then, you are new to Istia? It has been more than half a year since we last had a new Traveler.”
“Oof…”
Istia, huh… I knew it was unpopular, but I didn't think it was that bad. I guess anyone who does their research before starting this game is smart enough to choose another faction… And what’s a Traveler? Is that what NPCs call players?
In any case, running a shop for beginners meant she was inevitably bored. Feeling a little warmed by her somewhat cheerful demeanor, I asked to see a catalog of her wares.
“This is a list of the items we carry.”
With a wave of her hand, a translucent, glowing system board stylishly materialized in the air. Wow, how game-like and cool.
“Hmm…”
Even for beginner gear, there seemed to be a slight hierarchy, from iron to alloys to forged steel. The weapon types included everything I had used from the beginner series, and there were even some oddities like a transforming scythe and a chain mace.
However… in my case, it wasn't a matter of “needing to choose.” Considering my performance in yesterday's battle, my general build was already more or less decided—
“I’ll take everything from the iron series.”
With the lowest-ranked iron weapons, I could just about afford every weapon type listed in the catalog. I did a quick calculation and announced my decision.
“Pardon?”
The shopkeeper replied with a smile, though her voice held a different tone.
It wasn't that she was trying to be intimidating. She was simply confused by what I’d just said. I was aware that my order was a little… unusual, so I had an explanation ready.
“It’s, uh, because I switch between a lot of different weapons when I fight. It’s not a build that specializes in any one thing, you know?”
“I, I see…”
To my surprise, she didn't seem convinced—or rather, what was this? She looked a bit troubled.
“Um… is something wrong?”
Did I miscalculate? Am I short on funds? No, I haven’t even told her how much I have… Hmm?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the shopkeeper, with a hesitant look as if wondering whether she should say anything, timidly pointed to a spot on the floating catalog.
It was in a corner of the page showing the basic details of each weapon, a place where a small but definite “number” was written—
“…Huh?”
Wait, was there a number there? I don’t think the beginner series had anything like that listed. That’s why I overlooked it… wait… —Item Weight?
“…………Ah.”
It seemed the shopkeeper noticed that I’d noticed.
—Ah, yeah, that makes sense. A kind-hearted person like her… she must have hesitated to point out a customer’s ignorance.
Trying to hide the faint heat rising in my face, I quietly opened my own status screen. There, I found an entry for “Max Carry Capacity,” and compared it to the item weights of the weapons the shopkeeper had shown me.
Ah, I see… So even though it’s a game-like extradimensional storage, the restrictions are actually pretty strict…
“Well… for a beginner’s capacity, when you factor in armor, consumables, and loot from hunting…”
…It's okay. It’s okay now, Miss Shopkeeper. You don’t have to look so apologetic anymore.
As I smiled with a look of complete understanding, she smiled back apologetically and—
“A large weapon and a smaller one for a sub, or perhaps two medium-sized swords like straight swords, would be the limit…”
And so ended my dream of a walking armory (Quick Change build).
◇◆◇◆◇
—Alright, what’s the plan now?
I couldn’t stay dejected forever. After an endless exchange of apologetic bows with the shopkeeper, I purchased an iron straight sword and a great axe. Having armed myself, I left the NPC shop and immediately headed for the lowest recommended level beginner area, the [Plains of the Horizon].
…On a side note, was that lady really an NPC? Her emotional expressions and word choices seemed so human—no, let's put that aside for now.
As expected of a beginner area in the deserted Istia, there wasn't another player in sight across the vast plains. The area's enemy, the [Fool Boar], was everywhere, but these boars didn't seem to be aggressive. As long as I didn’t attack them, they wouldn’t come after me.
The first problem that arose was my avatar’s future development plan. I hadn't given it a second thought yesterday, but it seemed the beginner series I’d used to exhaustion in the mushroom forest was a special set that didn't burden a player’s inventory.
That’s why I had been able to carry so many different types. In reality, equipment naturally has weight. Daggers are light, while large weapons like greatswords and great axes are ridiculously heavy.
I did ask the shopkeeper if there was any way to increase my max carry capacity, but as far as she knew, leveling up was the only way—in other words, no immediate solution. Case closed.
I had this theory that Quick Change was a broken skill, but I never expected a pitfall like this… That said, being able to switch and throw weapons still feels pretty broken, but a technical style of switching between various weapons is probably not realistic.
“The basic idea will be high-speed combat with a fast weapon, switching to a large weapon for the decisive blow…”
For the time being, I plan to go with an agility-focused light warrior, but it seems I’m not opposed to a big, one-hit-kill style either. For a while, my style will likely be using a straight sword as my main, then switching to a great axe for a finishing move.
A combat style where I rapidly switch between various weapons depending on the situation, like yesterday, is impossible for the foreseeable future… but for now, I guess I can stick with my current stat allocation.
I won't be holding onto the large weapon constantly, so there's no need to reconsider how I'm allocating points to STR—or so I thought.
“Time to start the hunt.”
By the way, because I forced both the straight sword and the great axe into my inventory, my carry capacity is completely maxed out. I can’t carry potions, and I can’t even properly pick up loot. And so begins my strange, self-imposed challenge run.