This town felt more realistic than it should be even if it is virtual reality it is still a game at the end of the day so for it to feel so real would easily make one forget that's it a actually a game especially when you're avatar looks exactly like your real body and the fact that your real body is connected to virtual reality makes the experience in this game all to really. Compared to older games this game has come a long way in terms of graphics improvements which older games can't hold a candle to and the fact it feels like I'm walking down a pathway of the real world just shows how far technology has come compared to the older days. I guess Lisa said is actually true that female NPCs can be knocked up side I can't remember any game's starting area that had this many NPCs before but then they can just be normal NPCs that the developers put here and some child from a player that decided to knock a NPC up though it could also be the case I don't know all I do know there are a lot more NPCs in this town compared to older games that is for sure.
"That's enough wasting time sightseeing" I muttered "I've got a game to play"
By checking my mini map can see there are two current side quests I can do plus the bulletin board that I've heard has more side quests but I've also heard that from time to time it wouldn't have single quest that's just how the bulletin board works the quests just appear random on the board at random times of the day. The closest one to me is just up the street outside a build that appears to be a potion store which could only mean that this quest is either a delivery quest or a herb collection quest either way it has something to do with potions cause it wouldn't just happen to be outside a potion store like this.
"I'll probably get some potions as a reward" I laughed "that would definitely be ironic"
"O' great adventurer won't you hear a old lady out" spoke a elderly as I neared the potion store she instantly ran up to me "in her time of need"
(Quest: Save the potion store owner's herb garden.
Objective: Defeat the monster that ravages the herb garden.
Reward: two hp potions, two mp potions and forty Moc.)
Now that surprised me I had expected a display screen to appear up like that I had wondered how quests worked in this game given that it's virtual reality compared to older games of the same genre now I know. Honestly I don't mind if quests appear like that at least I won't forget I put it up compared to older games when you picked up you usually forget about it but if they appear like this I highly doubt I'll forget I picked the quest up.
"Sure" I answered "won't seem to be your problem ma'am?"
"O' great adventurer in the forest that lies west of our small town is where I used to gather the herbs to make my potions I'm the owner of this here potion store" said the elderly woman "lately the place that grows the herbs I use for my potions have become home to to a beast it ravages that area destroying the so little herbs that were there"
"…." I remained I silent as I listened to the elderly woman "….."
"Unfortunately our small town doesn't have any guards to protect our town let alone deal with the beast which is why I'm asking you" said the elderly woman "won't you please help me by getting rid of the beast"
The typical quest I'd expect for the very first side quest of the game in the starting area not too challenging nor too easy especially for this game that's a virtual reality game I haven't even tried the combat of this game yet but what I do know from what a friend had told me is that the combat in this game is more realistic than any other game out there it's the type of combat you get to see in real life and not in a video game. It does actually make me worry as I'm not actually physically strong in the real world nor do I actually get into fights I can only hope there is some assist that helps me until I get use to the combat at least.
"Very well ma'am" I said "I shall deal with this beast"
"O' great adventurer thank you for accepting this elderly woman's request" thanked the elderly woman "I shall have a reward waiting for you upon your return"
"…seriously? The way that elderly women was speaking to me if it was as if I was some sort of heroic being" I muttered as I began heading towards the towns entrance "or is that how they programmed her? The NPCs were supposed to be like really people than your typical NPCs"
From what my friends told me the NPCs were suppose to be more human like than your typical NPCs the interaction you have with them is what you expect from a friend at school or your neighbour I didn't believe them at first but when I met Lisa I was convinced they were right but the way that elderly spoke to me as if I was above her is really concerning I don't want all NPCs to treat me like some sort of heroic being. I want to enjoy the game to its fullest and not having to worry if a NPC is going to treat me like some superior being to them which I'm not especially in this game they are the NPCs that give the quests, information and even sells items to you while I'm the player we shouldn't be anything but equals in this game.
"I'm supposed to turn once I'm outside the town" I muttered "or at least that's the directions the elderly woman gave me"
The moment that I left the town I followed the directions that the elderly woman gave to get to the forest it wasn't that hard to find given that you could see the forest even from the town but locating the area where the herbs were growing and where the beast was is another story given how big the forest is I could easily get lost in there without any indications where the area is unfortunately the game doesn't have a quest tracker like in the older games so you've got to find the place on your own. It took me some time since the directions I was given stated I had to walk a great distance before the area of the beast came into view and believe me she wasn't kidding it felt like I had been walking for a eternity one thing I forgot to mention was the fact that the forest encased to entire town the only way in and out was through that entrance other than that there's no way in or out of the town.
"I think I see the area up ahead" I muttered "my mini map isn't picking up any enemies yet"
Before entering the area I made sure to check my mini map to make sure I was in the right place but as I just said I saw no red icons on my mini map which usually were indications of enemies that's how it was in older games at least since I didn't see anything on the mini map I peeked around the corner to check the area out I was hidden by a tree at least. I believed I was lied to as I was only told that there were only one beast to deal with that had taken over this area not four this makes this quest a bit more difficult than I expected for a first side quest since the beast is a dire wolf which usually are spotted in the later part of the first area or in the second area of older games they are usually on the higher level than your typical monsters like goblins.
"The question is how I'm going to deal them?" I muttered "three of them are around my level while the bigger is at least two levels higher"
In older games I wouldn't of really minded fight this many Dire wolves but now that's a different story given how I'm not use to the combat of this game plus my real body is connected to the game co any damage my avatar receives is applied to my actual body and just as Lisa mentioned if my hp reaches zero I won't just die in the game but real life this game is a real life and death game unfortunately I don't have any health potions as of right now. If these Dire wolves were in the real world no doubt people would panic seeing how you can not compare the to dogs or even your regular wolf these wolves are bigger in size even from this distance I can tell the are half my size coming up to my waist, the legs on these wolves have muscles that bulging out I wouldn't be able to fit both of my hands around even one of its legs, two of the wolves have black fur while the other two have grey fur all four Dire wolves have cold piercing golden eyes.
"Just seeing them here in the game is scary enough for me" I muttered "if I had to see them in real life I'd be terrified to leave my home"
I know I can't beat them all together but I should be able to deal them if I use the forest to my advantage to keep myself hidden while I take them out it's a cowardly plan but it's the only plan I can come up with given my nonexistent resources and limited mana plus with my passive ability of mana recovery every couple of minutes I should be okay unless something unexpected happens. I scanned the area for the nearest Dire Wolf that wasn't anywhere near the others fortunately for me I found one it was just on the west side of the area which would only take me a couple of minutes to get to once I had made the I stretched out my hand with the staff to cast my only spell a basic lightning element magic to attack this dire wolf.
"Lightning Bolt" I cast "…please don't be immune"
It's common knowledge for gamers that's played older games of the similar genre that monsters can elemental types as well I remember fighting a Earth type dire wolf back in older game it sure as hell gave me such trouble especially when it was a earth element as all my lighting based spells were useless against it there was no way of defeating it alone my only chance was with a party that's how annoying element type monsters are. The moment I casted the spell it took some of my mp not a lot but a good amount of mp fortunately for me the dire wolf appears to be a neutral type which means any element will work against it which I'm glad about.
"Now this fight should be fair" I muttered "in terms that I can actually do some damage to it"
My spell done some damage to the dire wolf chopping away some hp it had originally fifty hp while I've got forty hp but now the dire wolf's hp is down to forty eight hp luckily the dire wolf hasn't spotted me nor do I think it's sensed me I might actually be out of its range to be detected cause I'm sure in older games it would of instantly noticed me if my attack landed. I'm nervously tried my luck as I attacked the dire wolf again it's hp chipped away down to thirty four the dire wolf was looking around for its attacker but fortunately for me it can't see me nor sense me as I'm outside its range of being detected this makes defeating this dire wolf easy as I have no fear of being attacked by it or at least for now.
"I know now that I can attack freely" I muttered "without being detected by this dire wolf"
Right now my mp is around thirty it had started at forty my spell only use five mp per use so I don't have anything to worry about in that regard a couple more hits and this dire wolf should be down for the count but as for the other dire wolves they don't appear to have noticed my presence or anything at the moment which is a good thing cause I wouldn't be able to win against all of them. I continued my attacks on the dire wolf at my own leisure as it couldn't detect me so I had nothing to worry and my no reserves were okay I attacked it five more times before it's hp were reduced to zero that took care of only one of the four dire wolves.
"That was the easiest fight I've ever had" I muttered "but then again I was attacking in a place where it couldn't detect me"
"That was the easiest fight I've ever had" I muttered "but then again I was attacking in a place where it couldn't detect me"
(Shadow Attacker:
When the player attacks from the shadow and has this title equipped it will do 5% more damage than usual.
Coward:
When the player has this equipped it will do less damage both with physical attacks and magic but on the plus side the player won't be detected.)
The very moment that the dire wolf's body disappeared it left some items behind drop items as they are actually called just your typical stuff nothing to get excited about,Moc which stands for Monsters Online currency it was a lot, dire wolf's fur which probably can be used for something or I can just sell it later and dire wolf's claw it's probably a crafting item in the older games crafting items were usually found from drop items. It was just plain stuff your typical drop items you'd expect from the first area monsters nothing special from them but I did gain some experience not enough to level up I did earn some titles which I had heard about from my friends you earn them from doing various acts unfortunately I don't like the titles I was given except for shadow attacker it sounds pretty useful at least.
"Shadow attacker is definitely getting equipped" I muttered as I opened my status screen to equip my new title "the other one won't ever get used"
I checked where the other dire wolf's were and fortunately they weren't any the wiser about their comrade that just got slain that's to be expected as they hadn't noticed my presence either I checked where the nearest dire wolf was which was actually back to the entrance of this area as the other two were further east I made my way back there and just like I did with the first dire wolf I attacked. The moment my attack landed it chipped away sixteen of its hp which was at least double the damage of my original damage output before I even equipped shadow attacker it's one hell of a title to of earned now this will allow me to defeat these dire wolf's a lot easier than before if I'm doing double the damage than before.
"Time to defeat me some bad wolves" I muttered as I readied myself for another attack "you're escaping your punishment"
I rinsed and repeated my actions against the previous dire wolf as this dire wolf wasn't aware of my presence either it knew someone was about and someone was attacking it but it couldn't see or detect this person meaning me as I was outside of its detect range which I was happy to do safer the better if you ask me especially if you can actually die in the real world if you die in the game and I'm for one aren't about to die yet. Attack after attack I defeat this dire wolf then moved onto my next dire wolf and repeated the same actions until its hp reached zero them I moved onto the final dire wolf and like its comrades it also was defeated all of them drop the same stuff so its not interesting to talk about but what is interesting to talk about is that I e levelled up twice in fact during my battle against these four dire wolves.
"This was a good learning experience" I muttered as I entered the clearing of the area "save areas are my best friend in this game"
(Level up 1-3)
It appears that the level up in this game is the same as older games you see the notification but doesn't exactly go into the level up menu unless you open you status menu yourself to begin the level up procedure which is straight forward it's just adding my just now earned status points to the right field I want them to be. I also earned myself a talent point as it was called in older games but in this game it's called a status coin if it's anything like talent points then I won't receive one after every level only one every so often that's how it worked in the older games I'm not too sure how these coins are actually earned in this game if I continue playing I'm sure I'll find out.I used my status coin by purchasing a new spell as I was in desperate need of another spell given that I've got to wait ten seconds for lightning bolt to cool down so having another spell ready to use is very handy that is for sure I'm not certain if this is the only way one gains new spells or if they unlock as you reach higher levels.
Zippy-zap-zap-zippy:
This spell does double the damage if your enemy is a higher level, it does triple the damage if your enemy is an opposite element it has 10% chance to paralyse your enemies.
"Holly cow! This was worth using that coin" I muttered in amazement "and my stats are looking okay for this level"
————————————————————
Name: Ryder Stone
Age:18
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: Mage
Spells:
Lightning bolt!
Zippy-zap-zap-zippy
Special abilities:
Titles:
Shadower attacker
Coward
Health points: 2+2
Mana points: 2+2
Stamina: 0
Magic: 2
Strength: 0
Defence: 2
Agility: 0
Charisma: 2
Cunning: 0
————————————————————
"This quest appears to be done" I muttered "as I've defeated all the dire wolves"
"Grrr" growled a huge wolf "your the one that killed my offsprings?"
This thing in front one me was one huge dire wolf I've never see a wolf this big before it was a lot large than the other four as it was as big as me in height wolves aren't this big not in real life cause I'd be terrified knowing something this big existed in the world, it looked a lot muscular than the others it's paw was big and I mean it was bigger than my actual foot it could easily break a few of my mines bones, it had black and grey fur and its eyes were a deep dark crimson that made it look like some sort of demon this was no lowly dire wolf that is for sure this had to be a unique monster cause I don't think extra monsters are capable of talking like this.
"…" I remained silent as I didn't what nor did I know how it appeared behind me like that "…."
(Extra Monster: Dire wolf champion lv 6)
"…I'm in for a tough fight" I muttered as I readied myself for the fight "let's hope I can withstand its attacks"
Without hesitation the dire wolf champion charged straight at me with speed one can only imagine I'd never expected to see a wolf move that fact even if it's a video game luckily enough had already planned to dodge to the left which helped me escape its attack's otherwise my hp might of hit zero instantly not wasting any openings I attacked with my basic spell but I was shocked by how much hp it chipped away. Four hp is that it? I shouldn't complain it is a extra monster they are supposed to be stronger than your normal breed of monsters and weaker than unique monsters so it's to be expected thankfully it's not immune to lightning or that would be something to complain about that's for sure. It originally started with a hundred and sixty hp which isn't fair it's going to take a while to chip away its hp with my basic magic I don't know how much my other spell will do but for now I'm hoping for a status effect otherwise I doubt I'm going to be able to land attacks very often with how fast it is.
"Lightning eh?" Asked the dire wolf champion "what annoying little thing you are can't you just let me average my children?"
"Not a chance" I answered "I was ordered to deal with them as they were destroying the herbs in this place"
Not liking my answer it continued its attacks but each time I used a tree for cover while launching attacks of my own against this dire wolf my hp was running low so I used my new spell against him and luckily for me it hit plus I got the status effect on him giving me a few moments not only to catch my breath but also for my mp to slightly recover as I can't really do anything against him right now. As if the status effect wasn't the only good thing that's happened during this fight I also got the repeated effect that got apply when my new spell landed that keeps the status effect in place for a few minutes at best so I had more time to recover than normal of course the dire wolf champion was happy about it.
"…alright I've managed to recover my mp" I muttered just as the status effect wore off "using my new spell until my mp is nearly gone is my best bet for now at least"
I managed to chip some of its huge hp down a bit at least it originally had a hundred and sixty hp when this battle started but right now it's down to around a hundred hp I know my basic spell does do that much given that this dire wolf seems to have reduced ability but it still managed to chip its hp down while my new spell does eight hp of damage against normal monsters it would do sixteen hp of damage plus the status effect is a nice bonus which helped me just now. The dire wolf champion was furious as it relentlessly attacked me without giving me room to attach I kept using the trees for defence sure enough they took most of the damage of the attack but it still got hit by the recoil of the destroyed trees with each recoil of a destroyed tree my hp chipped away I started with around sixty hp but right now I'm down to only forty hp I'm managing to hang on this long against this dire wolf champion.
"This is tougher than I could of imagined" I panted "I'm going to need a upgrade or assistance from some if I'm going to beat this guy"
(Survivor:
If the player has this title equipped the player will gain the ho auto regeneration to full hp but it can only be used against enemies that are a higher level than the player and can only be once per battle.
Static attacker:
If the player has this equipped the player's lightning spell will gain an extra 5% chance of a status effect being inflicted and 10 % more damage to enemies.)
"Perfect timing" I muttered as I dodged another attack "I definitely needed something to give me a extra boost against this guy"
"It's a tough decision which one to equip" I muttered "this game only allows you to equip one title only as a way to prevent from being overpowered too early in the game"
(Conditions have been met: Voltage!
This ability allows the player to unleash enormous amounts of uncontrolled voltages of lightning attacking everything in the area be it friend, foe or even neutral everything within be attacked it will deal huge amounts of damage and can only be used once per day.)
"Holly cow!" I muttered "this should turn the tables on this fight"
I didn't waste any time at all I needed all the advantages I can get in this fight cause I'm not beating this thing as the way the fight's going I equipped the static attacker title with this my lightning base spells will do more damage than usual and with a extra 5% of a status effect being inflicted is a bonus that any mage would equip if it meant it gave them a advantage against a tough enemy like this dire wolf. I then used the Voltage ability and the very most I did I was in utter shock not only did it completely destroy the area but it instantly reduced the dire wolf's hp to zero I had thought it would do some damage but nothing on this scale my new title must of give voltage a extra boost in power to instantly defeat the dire wolf.
"I better consider myself lucky" I muttered as I sat on the ground "I wouldn't of survived that fight normally"
(Level up: 3-7)
———————————————————
Name: Ryder Stone
Age:18
Race: Human
Gender: Male
Class: Mage
Spells:
Lightning bolt!
Zippy-zap-zap-zippy
Special abilities:
Voltage
Titles:
Shadower attacker
Coward
Survivor
Static attacker
Health points: 4 + 2
Mana points: 4
Stamina: 0
Magic: 2 +2
Strength: 0
Defence: 2 +2
Agility: 0
Charisma: 2 + 2
Cunning: 0
———————————————————
"Looking better" I muttered "I'm only level 7 so it's to be expected to be like this"
The moment the dire wolf champion's body disappeared it left behind some items given that this was a extra monster there was no way it was going to leave behind just normal and low level items that normal monsters drop dire wolf champion's fur, dire wolf champion's fang, a lot of Moc a total of two hundred, four hp potions, four mp potions and finally the item that caught my eye a golden item it was a golden ticket. I don't believe my luck today I don't only unlocked some very unique titles that gave me a advantage, purchased a new spell that gave a status effect that was stronger than my basic spell, learned the ability voltage, encountered and defeated a extra monster and now obtained a golden ticket a rare item that's a hot topic right now.
"You're kidding me right?" I asked expecting no answer "isn't the chance of obtaining this supposed to be 00.1%?"
"I wonder what effects it will have?" I muttered with excitement "there are limitless tickets with limitless abilities and effects that can be applied to my real body"
The golden tickets are rare enough already with a low drop rate but obtains a ticket with a ability or effect you actually like is even rarer as the golden tickets don't drop often and as mentioned already can only be obtained from extra monsters that appear randomly throughout the world of monsters online. From what my friends told me there are unlimited amount of golden tickets but the only problem is obtaining one which is ridiculously hard given the low drop rate the abilities and effects are numerous no one knows the actual number of the effects there is.
"…Odd. There's nothing on it" I muttered as I picked up the golden ticket "no writing nor symbol it's completely blank"
I haven't see a golden ticket in person before nor online before as I mentioned before I haven't done no research on this game or anything as I wanted to avoid spoilers as there is no doubt tons of spoilers online which is why I avoided researching anything about the game I really hate being spoiled about things in the game. If this is the actual design of the ticket the developers really failed on this one cause have nothing written on it will make players think that it's fake as there's no writing nor symbol to confirm it's actually the real deal nor is there any description meaning the effect you'll gain will be complete surprise to the player when they receive the effects as the ticket is completely blank.
"Here goes nothing" I muttered as I used the golden ticket "there's no way can just sit here without thinking what its effect is"
The moment I used the golden ticket I was enveloped in a golden light that blinded me the golden light enveloped me for what felt like a eternity but in fact it was mere moments when the light finally disappeared I felt no different nor did I notice anything abnormal did the golden ticket not work? Just as I thought that received a notification screen appeared right in front of my eyes something I hadn't expecting it congratulating me for the use of the golden ticket which was odd to say the least plus the effect of the golden ticket will take some time to be applied
"Looks like I've got to wait" I muttered "…great. I hate waiting"
"Since I've got to wait" I muttered "I might as well turn this quest in"
I began making my way back to the town but it's going to take me awhile as I've got some distance to walk before I'm out of the this forest unfortunately I haven't unlocked a fast travel option yet which will be annoying if I've got to walk to and from places a lot a fast travel option was very handy in older games. The moment I returned to the town I immediately headed towards the elderly that was still located outside the potion shop I'm surprised she had moved to a different location by now in older games there were NPCs that changed locations at different times but I guess that isn't a thing for this game.
"I've slain that beast for you" I spoke as I got close to the elderly woman "it wasn't just one beast it was four of them but I've managed to deal with them"
"O' great adventurer I truly thank you for your assistance" spoke the elderly woman "as promised this is your reward"
The reward was as I expect it would be some Moc not much, hp potions, mp potions and a discount coupon for any potion shop within the game that will give you a 5% discount which is small but is still good enough for a first side quest of the game. Once I've walked away from the elderly woman I decided to log out for today as that first side quest had drained me quite a bit as it wasn't what I had originally expected when I accepted the side quest I know there are other side quests but I'm totally drained from that quest I thought the word log out and just like that my vision returned to my room I removed the visor placing it on the nightstand next to my bed before sitting up on my bed I then removed the VR connectors placing them next to the visor I locked at my clock and saw it was getting on for 8pm I decided to get ready for bed once ready I simply jumped in it doesn't take me long to drift off to sleep.