Chapter 103 - A Little Ingenuity, Changing Perspectives
"Alright, that's done."
"How long will it take to catch something?"
"Hmm, in real life, it would be a day later, but since this is IRO, maybe I should just come check after I log in tonight."
"I see."
After making a basket trap using split [Hermit Bamboo] and vines, my [Trap Crafting] skill increased to 6. Well, it's a trap... but they're in the same category.
I immediately set it up. Inside the basket, I threw in some leftover lizard meat again.
"Still got time, right?"
"Yes. There's still about 30 minutes."
"Okay, then I'll make some arrows before I forget."
I returned to the plaza, grabbing [Parpigeon] feathers, [Hermit Bamboo], and some [Woodcraft] tools, then headed back.
I split the bamboo lengthwise, smoothed the surface with a [Small Knife]... then I silently worked, relying on my [Woodcraft] and [Bow] skill assists.
"Finished, I guess?"
[Wooden Arrow]
An arrow made from [Hermit Bamboo]. Attack power +5.
[Woodcraft]: Repairable.
Um, so it's the sum of the short bow's attack power and the arrow's attack power, right?
If so, that makes it +20 attack power, the same level as a one-handed axe. Yeah, and it's from long range, so it must be strong.
"It's properly made."
"As expected, with a [Woodcraft] skill level of 5, you can make something decent."
"Aren't you going to put an arrowhead on it?"
Oh, right. The wooden arrows the [Goblin Archer] used were just sharpened at the tip, so I instinctively made them that way.
"Hmm, for now, these can just be for practice. I could make iron arrowheads, but I'd probably lose them while I'm bad at archery."
"Shou-kun, since you have the [Stonemasonry] skill, wouldn't stone arrowheads be fine?"
"Ah, that's right. Stone would work, and maybe even bone."
Did they use stone arrowheads and bone arrowheads in the Stone Age?
"You've found a use for bones!"
"I thought about making broth, but I'll try using the [Ranziboa]'s bones for this too."
I briefly wondered if it would turn out pork-bone-like if I made broth with those, but then the [Greydeer] I caught today would probably be better for that.
I immediately tried making an arrowhead from a [Ranziboa] bone. When I let the skill assist handle it, it felt like [Bow] and [Crafting Skill] were both at work...
"How about this?"
[Bone Arrowhead Wooden Arrow]
A wooden arrow made from [Hermit Bamboo] with a bone arrowhead. Attack power +10.
[Woodcraft]: Repairable. [Crafting Skill]: Repairable (Arrowhead).
"Whoa, the attack power doubled!"
"You did it!"
Now it surpasses the one-handed axe, so I really need to use it actively. Though my axe skill level hasn't really gone up either...
"I think I'll practice a bit."
I stood up and looked for something to use as a target... I thought about aiming for that tree, but,
"My [Bow] skill is so bad, if I miss and lose it right away, I'd get depressed..."
"How about making a target out of a dirt wall?"
"That's it!"
I immediately built a dirt wall the same size as myself on the west side of the plaza, in front of the cliff.
Yeah. The MP consumption is low for this. It's definitely about a quarter of a stone wall.
"For now, I'll start from about 10 meters."
It would be embarrassing if I missed from here, but I don't think that'll happen.
I notched an arrow and pulled the string taut. It's a short bow, so I can't pull it back much, but it should be fine.
As I took aim, I felt my body being subtly adjusted by skill assist...
Whoosh!
The arrow, flying at considerable speed, pierced the target about 10cm from where I aimed.
"Whoa, this is scary."
"That's amazing. It's completely different from when the goblin shot before."
"Back then, the bow was half-broken and the arrows were battered, so that must have been it."
[Lupi] easily dodged them, but even a [Bicobit] probably couldn't be defeated with those.
With this bow now, I feel like I could handle something up to a [Greydeer]. [Ranziboa] might be a bit too much? That guy was tenacious...
"Alright. I'll make a few more and then call it a day."
"Yes!"
*
I kept crafting and test-firing until time ran out after the third shot.
When I returned to the club room, [Bell-san] seemed to still be checking comments and hadn't gone into IRO yet.
"[Yata-sensei] isn't coming today, is he?"
"Today is Wednesday, so it's a staff meeting day."
"It's probably around the time when all the career surveys are in. I think it'll drag on today."
[Bell-san] said, leaning deeply into her gaming chair.
"Speaking of which, I heard you defeated an [Area Boss]?"
"Yes, and right after that, that 'nation-founding declaration' came out, so everyone's attention went to that."
[World Announcement]s certainly have an impact...
However, not all IRO players are interested in heavy, nation-related stories, and [Anheim Territory], where [Bell-san] is, is mostly unrelated.
Apparently, the [Area Boss] isn't a malicious "first come, first served" type of event; you just encounter it if you wander around the areas where it appears, so parties confident in their skills are starting to gather.
"After you defeated it, did a message like '[○○ Area Occupied]' appear?"
"No, that didn't appear. I think, probably, Shou-kun's island is special."
Well, that makes sense.
It's the same game, but it seems like it's set up exclusively for one person.
"Will Bell-san and [Seth]-chan be able to fight the boss again?"
"I wonder? Honestly, the drops were a bit underwhelming. But the experience points were high, so my character level and [Elemental Magic] skill level went up."
Naturally, defeating stronger enemies yields more experience points.
And also naturally, once your level goes up and you catch up to or surpass the enemy's level, the experience points decrease.
"IRO doesn't really feel like a game you grind in, does it?"
"That's right. I feel like fighting various enemies gives you better experience than just repeating the same ones."
Fighting the same enemy repeatedly just becomes a pattern.
In offline solo RPGs, endlessly defeating efficient monsters for leveling up feels like a tradition now.
"Shou-kun making all sorts of things, could that actually be why his level is rising fast?"
"Ah, that might be it. As [Jinbee]-san said, beginners apparently improve faster by making various things rather than continuously making the same shape."
Oh, if the master says so, it must be true.
"And... this is just a rumor, but there's a player from 'Gales' who's been holed up in the [Capital Wolkel] continuously producing since the limited open beta started, and their skill level is apparently stuck at 7."
"Seriously...?"
"Does that mean there's something that won't go up even if you keep doing it?"
"Probably."
[Bell-san] herself apparently reached [Elemental Magic] level 8 in her battle with the [Area Boss] [Uruk].
However, it's not so much thanks to that battle, but rather that it was influenced by the [Basic Magicology] skill she acquired the day before.
I certainly feel that there's quite a strong correlation between skills...