I would have spent hours moving from classroom to classroom to learn everything available, but many of the other instructors couldn't teach me unless I had the necessary weapon equipped. Even so, I did manage to pick up stealth from the Assassin instructor, tracking from the Archery instructor, and first aid from the Clerics. As for the Mage instructors, they gave me a crash course on cultivation and taught me three spells—icespout, electric cloud, and earthspike.
Cultivation was strange and I didn't really understand how it worked. It was based on meditation, yet I couldn't seem to activate it. No matter how long I sat in a lotus position, nothing happened. Not that it mattered. For now, I was still able to use my spells. I just couldn't actively replenish my magic once I ran out. And without cultivation, I'd need to log out to 'sleep' to make it recover.
Since I only had one node available, I equipped electric cloud as my spell of choice and left the others on standby in the combat assistance program. The spell allowed me to electrify the water in my immediate vicinity at a very low magic cost. Anything that tried to get close when I had it active would be stunned. I judged it to be a satisfying method of overcoming my lack of armor and poor magic usage. While the other spells, icespout and earthspike, were decent flash spells, they couldn't penetrate armor like electric cloud might.
The last few classrooms in the Guidance Hall were managed by tradeskill instructors. Crafting in Aetherscape didn't follow the standard breakdown I expected. There was no blacksmithing and tailoring. Instead, the options were gathering, processing, manufacturing, and merchant. This allowed for more versatility in trades and less confusion over what area a recipe fell under. Gatherers collected raw materials, processors refined them, manufacturers crafted goods, and merchants sold them.
I happily learned all four trades and earned an inspection skill. In the process of learning how to use the various tradeskill systems, I also collected four starfish, ten shark teeth, an oystershell knife, and twenty ancient coins.
As I tested out my inspection skill, I discovered the starfish could be used as bandages, the shark's teeth were materials for spears, and the oystershell knife was a low-grade weapon.
I equipped the knife and went back to learn skills from the Assassin instructors. They were disgusted I didn't have a proper dagger, but they still taught me stab, parry, and gut. I was very excited when I saw the new skills in my combat assistance program, because unlocking the skills for a dagger also unlocked the spear versions.
I returned to the spear classroom and practiced all my spear skills until a notice appeared, warning me it was six in the morning and students should log out. It was a message only players under eighteen received, but I didn't mind. I took it to heart and logged out.
Although I hadn't slept and dreamed like I normally would have, I woke rested and refreshed without any of my usual grogginess. My parents noticed the difference and commented on it over breakfast.
I did my best to come up with an acceptable explanation. "I'm usually a light sleeper, but I didn't wake up even once last night because of the game."
"How was it?" my dad asked curiously. "Did you see your friend?"
"I'm still in the tutorial, so I didn't get a chance to contact him. He's already level ten. I need to level up first or I'll just drag him down."
My mother gave me an understanding smile and ruffled my hair like I was still twelve instead of seventeen. "Do your best."
I grumbled at her, finished my breakfast, then drove myself to school.
School came and went. I didn't change my routine and I didn't try to seek out Sheynan to tell him I'd started playing Aetherscape. Unlike what my parents thought, I wasn't really playing for the purpose of making a friend. I wanted to explore at my own pace and see if the game world was as immersive as the books had been.
So far, I wasn't impressed, but I knew I'd barely scratched the surface.
I spent the afternoon doing homework and exercising. I started rereading the Warrior's Stance while I ran on my dad's old treadmill in the garage. Knowing the book was based on a game changed a lot of my perspective on the content. What I'd originally taken as a growing-up montage transformed into an interesting interpretation of the game's combat assistance program.
After dinner and a shower, I laid down on my bed and logged in again. I respawned in the spear training room. There was a new set of players learning skills at the training dummies. I noticed one player was practicing with his anchors off. It was smart. Depending when and where I went into combat, there was no guarantee I'd have a solid foothold.
I found an empty practice dummy and followed the other player's example. With my feet off the ground, it became nearly impossible to put any strength into my attacks. My first few thrusts didn't register a single point of damage.
Trying again, I compensated for the lack of a foothold by focusing on the energy transfer from my abs and shoulders instead of my hips and legs. The result was a little better, but it still wasn't ideal. I opened the combat assistance program and triggered each of the skills in turn, learning how the system thought I should compensate for the lack of a stable footing.
The results were so-so. Even with the system's help, my damage output took a hit. I slowly realized I'd have to rely on momentum to increase my damage if I wanted to fight and swim at the same time.
Turning my anchors back on, I strolled out of the training hall and aimed for the exit. A shark-tooth Chondrik guarded the way out.
"Once you leave here, you cannot reenter. Are you sure you're ready to experience the world?"
"Whether I'm ready or not, I've learned all I can here. Unless you have something you can teach me?"
"Ha! In your dreams, spawnling. Be careful out there. The ocean is very big and you are very, very small."
As he moved aside to let me pass, I received a notification.
[Quest complete: Novice Tutorial
Reward: Cerulean Compass, Sage Journal, Cerulean Novice Necklace, Ancient Coin +200]
Several other holographic panels opened, giving me tutorials on how to use my questlog, friend's list, and the in-game map. The quests I'd received so far had been system generated. From now on, I'd have the option to accept or reject quests as I interacted with the world.
The friend's list was a virtual cell phone with text and video chat options. It was useless to me since I didn't have any friends.
The map was tied to the Cerulean Compass I'd received as a reward. I actually had to pull it out of my inventory and trigger it to see a 3D projection of my immediate area. It was more of a minimap than a real map. The only locations it showed was the edge of a small town at the end of the tunnel I was in. It was a straight shot, so I couldn't miss it.
Putting the compass away, I checked the Sage's Journal next. On the surface, it was a leatherbound scrapbook I could fill. However, each page had inventory spaces and came with a 'publish' option, so I assumed it was the equivalent of a player blog.
The last thing I checked was the necklace I'd received.
[Cerulean Novice Necklace
Movement speed +1]
There wasn't an explanation for why I received it, so I assumed it was some kind of token to prove I'd completed the training course. I equipped it, then closed out all the system panels and continued through the tunnel toward town.
The tunnel sloped downward at a steep angle. It was too steep to walk comfortably, so I turned off my anchors and practiced swimming.
As the darkness around me deepened, schools of radiant minnows swarmed out of small holes in the tunnel walls. The living lanterns darted back and forth, creating a field of shooting stars. They made me curious, so I tried to catch one, but they always remained an inch out of reach.
I wasn't the type to give up. Slowing to a stop, I calmed my breath and cupped my hands in front of me, becoming an unmoving statue while I waited for the minnows to be lured in.
It worked. Just like birds wouldn't react to a tranquil, motionless person, the minnows slowly closed the distance until I could feel their tiny mouths kissing my skin in search of food. I struggled not to laugh as one nipped at a sensitive spot on my neck, tickling me, and I resisted the urge to move once one swam over my palm. Any rushed movement would only generate a micro-current and scare the minnows away again.
I had to slowly move my cupped hands together like a clam closing.
[You have caught a Baby Star Minnow.]
I opened my hands again and the tiny fish was gone.