Those few words bring about a sense of urgency. Instinct takes over and shifts his focus toward his survival. He regains his composure and his resolvedness mirrors in his eyes.
"Grimmy…" he utters with determination. "How do I strengthen myself?"
{Calculating…}
[You gain experience by completing quests. The difficulty of the quest raises your stats accordingly']
"I see". The youth nods and continues his query. "Is there a quest I can do?"
['You can toggle the Quest (?) marking on the map by tapping it, for all available quests in the vicinity']
"The map you say…" Nox utters in a low voice, almost whispering, before calling out. "System Map"
The familiar see-through screen appears. Nox looks around and on the top left; he notices the (?) marking in a grey coloring and a darker background of the same hue. Following the instructions, the young man taps the marking to turn the toggle on.
The marking changes to a green color. Not even a couple of seconds pass when a few dozen quests sharing the same marking and color appear.
The sheer number, of course, has him gasping, but what draws his curiosity more are the crystals with different colors forming them.
Similar to Geo-Markers, these crystals look like they of the same material. The young man utters after pondering for a few minutes, pointing at the translucent screen. "Hey, Grimmy. What are these?"
['Difficulty markers. Starting from green, an easy quest, moving to orange with higher difficulty, up to red, which is the hardest']
What surprises him, is even though there are many quests, there aren't any near him. His frustration is visible through his expression. His eyebrow is twitching, and his mouth has a slight distortion. With a pouting tone, he utters. "The map is foggy. Even if I climb that hill, I can't see that far"
['Exploration is a part of your journey. With each area you unlock, you receive a bonus. You can clear the Abandoned Village exploration when the black spots disappear']
The young man squints his eyes and indeed notices a few spots inside the houses he didn't enter.
['Once you clear those, you will receive a bonus']
The young man's growling stomach interrupts their conversation.
In front of him appears a flashing sign with red letters in bold, reading, [Warning!!!], He opens the status page, and his hunger is near zero.
['Keep your vitality up. That, with your health levels, have a link with one another. If it drops to zero, you will die.']
The young man heeds Grimmy's warnings and ponders. "I wonder if those streams have any fish"
{Loading…}
['If you tap the Overview option on the map, it will show a fish icon in the area']
Nox calls out the map once more with gleaming eyes and taps the Overview.
The map zooms out, which shows the entire land. The white fog covers the whole thing, besides one little green line, barely visible.
With his index finger, the young man follows his path towards the blue lines of the stream. He notices a fish symbol on one of them. In a soft tone, he whispers. "This is convenient"
His purple eyes are burning with conviction when they fall on a green crystal quest, right next to the streams.
Wasting no more time, he departs after making a mental note of the black spots in the houses. He plans to return and get the bonus. Determination draws itself on his face as he looks in the direction of the village one more time before walking away.
Unlike before, the bright rays don't incinerate everything. Instead, the mild cool breeze of the afternoon blows, refreshing his skin.
The vibrant chirping is like music to his ears. This time, he enjoys this walk, dawdling around, taking it all in.
It's almost dusk when he arrives at the streams and calls out his map. The fish icon is a little further towards the north, next to a foggy part of the screen.
Since he only has his eyes to rely on, he keeps his guard up and takes cautious steps while looking around for any lurking enemies.
In his mind, the menacing idea of about thirty people, stronger than he is, will soon come after him, keeps popping up, making him even more nervous as he moves forward.
Sometimes his steps feel heavier and his knees weaker, but he knows deep in his heart that it's something he needs to go through if wants to go home.
He's just starting in this unfamiliar world, whereas the others have a few years of experience before him.
Grimmy interrupts his thinking. ['This spot has plenty of fish. Suitable for a beginner']
The young man halts and looks around, taking in a deep breath, as if he's trying to suck in all the oxygen.
He doesn't have a fishing pole or a net, therefore; his only option is to jump in because his survival depends on this meal.
The cool fresh water washes away his fatigue.
He stands in the running water as fish tickle his feet. As quickly as he can, he puts his hands in, trying to catch one. The first attempt fails.
He tries again, and this time, he gets a hold of one. As he pulls it out, the fish flaps around, soaking him before it swims away.
"Third time's the charm"
He waits with determination and patience. His eyes follow the fish and with all his might, he puts his hands in. He grabs it and violently pulls it out, throwing it ashore.
{Initializing…}
[Adding Life Points and Exp]
[Fishing: Level 0]
[Adding 10 Exp]
{Loading…}
[Success]
A puzzling expression draws itself on the young man's face. "Life Points?"
['Daily runs such as fishing or menial work award you with Life Points. The higher the level of each action, the easier it gets']
The young man nods and continues with his fishing.
A few hours pass and the youth with brown hair sits cross-legged in front of a fire he built. The setting sun paints the sky with a palette of its choosing.
Nox has three fish cooking leaning over the fire, while he patiently waits with a smile. His puffing chest signifies his satisfaction for a job well done.
The sense of achievement weighs in his heart, filling it with bliss. He reaches Level 1 in fishing and receives a good amount of Exp. Building a fire only adds to his Life Points, but it's still better than nothing.
He's about to take the first bite when a tear droplet containing his emotions from the last few days runs down his cheek. This is the first meal he has in a while. The idea of catching fish and preparing it by himself also affects his temperament.
The young man breathes in and bites.
The crunchy exterior and juicy flesh collide in his mouth. Streams of tears flush out of his eyes, drenching his face as he continues to gulp down the catch of the day.
He finishes his dinner, and with a full stomach, he lies down, staring at the night sky. Stars douse him with their silver light like a cloud of sparkling pixie dust.
The next morning finds the young man lying in the grass by the banks of the knee-deep river. The sun shyly shares its rays with the world as it tries to shine through the forming clouds.
Groggy as he is, he pushes himself up into a seating position. He appeases his thirst and washes his face. The coldness invigorates and wakes him up.
"System Map"
He taps the (?) marking to reveal the quests available.
Not too far from his current position, there's one with a green crystal next to it. He walks towards it, always with his guard up and eyes rolling in all directions.
He adjusts his position every once in a while with the help of his map.
A familiar female voice interrupts his concentration. ['Good morning, Nox. You can pin the quest and let it guide you']
His face brightens. "Such a thing is possible? Let's see"
Nox taps on the quest, and the map vanishes. In front of him, like with the Geo-Markers, the crystallized green (?) mark shows the direction. He walks towards it at a steady pace until he stands on top of it. He looks around but can't see anything.
In front of him expands a rather arid surface with minimal green. Besides weeds that grow between the cracks of a few scattered rocks, the land is a contrast to the rest of the prairie.
A few seconds pass when a blue transparent screen appears before him.
[/Quest\]
Time limit: 1 hour
Find the source of this valley's drought?!
Rewards: 50 EXP
Do you accept?
Yes| |No|
[/Quest\]
Nox taps |Yes|, and the screen turns green before closing.
(59:57)
A timer in the upper left corner of his sight counts down.
The river banks are further back before the aridity starts. He starts from there and paces along with the stream, searching for clues.
(36:19)
Unable to find something, he moves further in and examines the area.
With both hands on his waistline and frustration overwhelming him, he stops and stands still for a while. He blurts out in vexation. "It's too large an area to search like this and time is running out..."
(14:59)
His thoughts run astray when his attention shifts towards a sudden cry.
"Help!"