532 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Who's been to the second zone? I just made it there myself!
533 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Same here!
Just cleared that boss earlier
534 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
I managed it, too
535 Name: Anonymous Mage
Yep
Downed the thing
Woo
536 Name: Anonymous Archer
I made it through somehow
537 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Huh. We're all pretty good, then?
538 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
I thought Maple was gonna hit it up first thing, so I was grinding levels to keep up…
Now I'm a front-runner
539 Name: Anonymous Archer
I did the exact same thing
540 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Meanwhile, Maple…
Is still hanging out in the first zone
And from her entry on my friend list, she's formed a party
541 Name: Anonymous Archer
I think I saw 'em
542 Name: Anonymous Mage
Tell us more
543 Name: Anonymous Archer
Dunno her name, but she was in starter gear, clearly friendly, probably real-life buddies.
544 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
Weapon?
545 Name: Anonymous Archer
Dagger
546 Name: Anonymous Mage
Surprising
I'd have predicted a mage or an archer
547 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Same
548 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Not a bad idea if it's just the two of 'em.
But… she's Maple's friend, right?
She ain't no ordinary beginner.
I'm guessing she's more the Maple type.
549 Name: Anonymous Mage
Highly likely
550 Name: Anonymous Archer
Maple: Extreme builds are superstrong!
Friend: They are?! Then I'll do that!
^ This
551 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
A party of two Maples
We're all doomed
552 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
Calm down
She's a dagger user
553 Name: Anonymous Mage
Ohhhh
Yeah, in my mind I had her with a great shield, too
554 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
Dagger user = specializes in AGI?
555 Name: Anonymous Archer
Doesn't seem that good on paper
556 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
No defense, meaning death anytime she takes a hit
And does no damage
557 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
I'm sure she'll make a name for herself soon.
Maybe the next event?
558 Name: Anonymous Great Shielder
That's a month off. I'm hearing they'll speed time up so it isn't synced with the real
world.
So the event'll last two real hours, but because of the time dilation, you can't come in
late or leave early.
Last time was hype, so management wants to hold them more often
559 Name: Anonymous Mage
Wise decision
560 Name: Anonymous Spear Master
A month should get her ready
Figure out her play style
We'll know then
561 Name: Anonymous Greatsworder
This event needs to be tomorrow
I gotta see what this girl is like
Unaware that they were being talked about…
Maple and Sally were at the underground lake again, fishing and swimming. Well, Maple
sometimes went outside, lay down, and—for some reason—used Taunt to make
monsters attack her.
She'd been planning on grinding damage-reduction skills after getting a new shield
made, so right now she was actually trying to find undiscovered skills. It wasn't really
going well, but Maple was still having fun trying.
It had already been two weeks since Sally started playing.
They weren't necessarily always coordinating schedules and logging in together.
Sally simply played whenever she could find time, grabbing a wide range of easily
acquired skills (beyond just Swimming and Diving).
They were both prepping for the next event while spending a lot of time at the lake so
Sally could clear the dungeon she'd found down there.
"Gasp…! Haah… haah… how long was I under?" Sally said, surfacing.
"W-wow! That was forty minutes!" Maple said.
"With Swimming X and Diving X, that's my current max… twenty minutes each way, so
if I don't turn back in time, I'll drown."
"Want me to send you a friend message at the twenty-minute mark? You should hear
a ding when that happens, so you'll know."
"Great idea, Maple! Yeah, let's do that."
"Got it! Enjoy your dive!"
"Here goes nothing!"
Sally swam toward the bottom at incredible speed.
Deeper and deeper, through clear water and schools of white fish. She could soon see
waterweeds swaying and rocks studding the floor. Between two of these rocks was a
gap in the lake wall, and Sally slipped inside. The interior was lit by a bluish glow cast
by some aquatic plants.
Just as she'd suspected, the cave continued for quite a while, leading farther and
farther down. She swam on, fast as any fish.
When she arrived at a branch, Sally stopped. She'd been assuming it would be a single
channel all the way through.
Grumbling about the lost time, she began exploring right and left, mentally mapping
the place.
A while later, she got a message from Maple. Twenty minutes down.
There were no monsters in this passage, so there were no unexpected delays; she
made it back to Maple safely.
"Haah… haah…"
Sally pulled herself up on land, trying to catch her breath.
"Well?"
"There's a lot of forks along the way. I'm gonna give it one more shot today. No idea
how deep it goes."
"Okay, I'll ping you again."
Sally dived back in. She knew her way through the first part of the maze now, so she
took the quickest path…
…and started marking off one dead end after another, moving deeper and deeper.
Just as she got another alert from Maple…
…Sally found her path blocked by a large white door.
She pumped her fist in victory and turned back. Sally wasn't about to blow her shot at
a unique series, so she intended to make sure she was thoroughly prepared.
"Boss room! Found it… haah… haah…"
She reached up from the water and gave Maple a high five. Now she just had to beat
the thing.
"I'm gonna rest a minute and then head in! No time like the present. You?"
"I think I'm gonna log out."
"Cool. Thanks for tagging along."
"No prob!"
Maple vanished in a cloud of light.
Sally took a moment to focus.
"What about my stats…?"
Sally
Lv12 HP 32/32 MP 25/25 +10
[STR 10 +11 ] [VIT 0]
[AGI 55 +5 ] [DEX 25]
[INT 10]
Equipment
Head [None] Body [None]
R. Hand [Starter Dagger] L. Hand [None]
Legs [None] Feet [Starter Magic Boots]
Accessories [None]
[None]
[None]
Skills
Slash, Double Slash, Gale Slash
Down Attack, Power Attack, Switch Attack
Fire Ball, Water Ball, Wind Cutter
Sand Cutter, Dark Ball
Refresh
Affliction II
Strength Boost (S), Combo Boost (S), Martial Arts I
MP Boost (S), MP Cost Down (S), MP Recovery Speed Boost (S), Poison Resist (S)
Gathering Speed Boost (S)
Dagger Mastery II, Magic Mastery II
Fire Magic I, Water Magic I, Wind Magic I
Earth Magic I, Dark Magic I, Light Magic I
Presence Block II, Presence Detect II, Sneaky Steps I, Leap I
Fishing, Swimming X, Diving X, Cooking I
"I've got thirty-five stat points, but I think I'll hold off on distributing them for now. I
wanna win by dodging."
She had a lot more skills than Maple did—she'd been sacrificing her sleep time to
unlock them all.
Her MP cost was reduced by 7 percent.
And the recovery speed increased by 5 percent. She also had a straight boost of +10 MP.
Her STR was increased by 5 percent.
During combos, she got a buff to STR that could go as high as 10 percent.
"Right! Let's do this!"
Her strategy set, Sally made her way back to the white doors.
The doors slowly swung open. The room inside was a giant sphere, half-filled with
water.
Having oxygen available was a pleasant surprise. This meant she didn't have to force
the battle to a quick conclusion.
"Gasp!… Okay… come at me!"
Sally's eyes had a glint of steel. As if to answer the call, the light coalesced, taking
shape—and a giant white fish appeared.
The massive fish shot forward, its enormous bulk hurtling toward her.
Sally read the attack perfectly, twisting her frame, narrowly avoiding it and slashing
its scales as it passed, her dagger glowing red.
"Slash!"
The poisonous purple hue beneath the red glow was proof Affliction II had kicked in.
Her strike applied a poison effect.
It didn't do that much, but the giant fish's HP was slowly drained away.
It swung around and came charging at her again.
Once more, Sally evaded the charge and hit it in passing.
"Wind Cutter!"
Red damage effects gleamed beneath the water. Sally's strongest spell had left shallow
cuts along the fish's scales.
The fish kept charging, but it was unable to harm her.
She had its health down to 80 percent now.
She focused, watching it carefully.
Most players wouldn't see the difference, but to Sally's eyes, this charge was totally
different. It was subtly—but noticeably—slower.
The giant fish stopped mid-charge, swinging its tail—a wide-ranging attack aimed
forward.
But even this failed to reach Sally.
She'd been using the boss's HP bar as a rough guide to when it would change up its
attack pattern.
Correctly estimating the range of its attack from its size, she'd moved one step outside,
waiting for the tail to swing past. Then she used a skill to slice the tail.
"Double Slash!"
Sally had kept her combo going without taking damage, so she was now at the
maximum damage boost.
Two red effects slashed the fish's tail, gouging just a bit deeper than before.
And as they did, Affliction II injected a paralytic, slowing the boss's movements.
"Power Attack!"
Her dagger buried itself in the sluggish fish's side—to the hilt. Sally quickly yanked it
out, moving backward. The boss's HP dropped below 50 percent.
Time for a new attack phase.
White magic circles appeared on both sides of the fish, spewing bubbles.
"Water Ball!"
Sally's spell hit the bubbles, and there was a thunderous explosion. Sally was certain
she could not afford to touch those bubbles directly.
She fled the fish, sending spells ahead of her to clear the bubbles and open a path.
The fish's attack pattern had switched to pursuit, chasing after her. Sally was well
aware of this.
And she knew just what to do.
She spun round, detonating the bubbles with a water spell. A momentary gap opened
up, and she corkscrewed herself through it.
"Power Attack!"
A red effect traced a single line down the fish's back.
A deep gouge from head to tail that knocked its HP all the way to just above 20 percent.
And as she reached the tail, Sally turned once more and took several swipes at the fins.
It turned to follow her again, but the bubbles couldn't keep up—and for a moment, the
bubble barrier thinned.
Sally seized her chance.
"Wind Cutter!"
Her wind blades shot between the bubbles, cutting deep. Its HP was now below 20
percent, and the bar turned red.
As it did, the magic circles flanking the fish vanished, and the room filled with water.
The walls above, below, and on all sides were now covered in magic circles, all of them
generating bubbles.
The giant fish's maw opened wide. A magic circle appeared inside, glowing with a
powerful light, far brighter than the bubble generators.
Years of gaming had honed Sally's instincts, and she moved on reflex alone.
A moment later, a high-velocity water beam ripped through the space she'd just vacated.
Sally gulped. It would take a lot of luck to dodge that twice.
And the bubbles were closing in.
This was bad—so bad, she was losing her cool.
Panic made it hard to think straight.
Moments like this required a calm mind.
Sally told herself this. Focusing, trying to settle herself down.
It was as if time had stopped.
The bubbles, the beam, even the giant fish's movements.
Sally took note of them, every last one, like they were in slow motion.
She knew exactly where she was safe and where she would be in danger.
Every twitch of her foe, every glance—they were all cues that told her where the beam
would go next.
The current position of the bubbles told her where they'd mess her up, so she swam
ahead, making escape routes. Building on past experiences, aggressively increasing
her odds of survival.
It was downright prophetic.
There were hacks less powerful than her raw gaming ability.
"Wind Cutter," she said softly.
The spell slipped through the gaps in the bubbly curtain, gouging the fish.
And at last…
…the boss's HP bar was empty.
All the water in the room drained away, and a giant treasure chest appeared in the
center.
Sally flopped down on her back, too tired to celebrate.
"Argh… concentrating like that really takes it out of you…"
Alerts for new skills and levels played, but she stayed put, figuring she could check
them later.
She'd been hoping to avoid needing to concentrate that much, but between the wall of
exploding bubbles and the laser cannon, it hadn't left her much choice.
After a long rest, Sally recovered enough to scope out the chest.
"Open sesame!" she yelled, flinging it open with both hands.
Inside was a scarf, blue as the sea but white at the ends, like bubbles.
A knee-length blue coat and an outfit to match.
And two daggers, of a blue as dark as the depths of the ocean, beyond light's reach.
Scabbards for the daggers and a blue belt.
Sally went through each piece, scoping them out.
Surface Scarf
[AGI +10] [MP +10] [Indestructible]
Skill: Mirage
Oceanic Coat
[AGI +30] [MP +15] [Indestructible]
Skill: Oceanic
Oceanic Clothes
[AGI +20] [MP +10] [Indestructible]
Deep Sea Dagger
[STR +20] [DEX +10] [Indestructible]
Seabed Dagger
[INT +20] [DEX +10] [Indestructible]
"Huh… are these generated based on my skill spread? Heh-heh. Definitely my style.
More pieces than Maple's gear, but these don't have any skill slots or the Destructive
Growth trait."
She equipped all her new gear and did a little spin out of sheer happiness. The belt
seemed to count as part of the shorts and didn't take up an equipment slot.
Like Maple, Sally was now wearing a unique series outfit that provided major stat
boosts—but, unlike Maple's, to a number of different stats.
She left the cave, deciding she and Maple could figure out the next skills they were
going after tomorrow. She was too tired to do it now.
The next day…
"Wow! You look so good!"
"I know, right? I didn't get any footwear, so I bought some black boots—but everything
matches!"
Together, they went through her new skills.
First, the skills her new gear provided.
After that, the skills she'd acquired during the fight—one of which Maple already knew.
Mirage
On activation, creates a discrepancy between target's location and opponent's visual
feedback.
Affects everyone but user.
Use limit is ten times per day.
Effect lasts five seconds.
Effect lost if the false image created by Mirage is attacked.
Oceanic
Emits a horizonal circle of water centered on user that reduces monster/player AGI
by 20% on contact. Cannot be used in the air.
Fixed radius of ten yards.
Only the user is immune.
Use limit is three times per day. Effect lasts ten seconds.
Jack of All Trades
−30% damage dealt. −10% MP cost.
[AGI +10] [DEX +10]
Condition
Ten weapon/attack skills acquired.
Ten magic/MP skills acquired.
Ten other skills acquired.
Ten or more of these skills are at the lowest level.
Defeat a monster with these conditions met.
And the last skill was Giant Killing.
"Ohhh… interesting, interesting. If I'd picked up Jack of All Trades before that fight, I
would have been screwed."
She thought about it awhile.
"I don't really need Giant Killing…"
"Huh? Why not?"
"I mean, it's real good for you, Maple. But since I'm not putting all my points into one
thing, having my AGI go up and down would mess with my senses."
Having her stats change without her realizing it could disrupt the timing of her
dodges, so it was a poor fit for Sally's play style.
"I see…"
"Guess I should scrap it…"
"What's that?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
They blinked at each other.
"I had no idea you could scrap skills!"
"I'm… surprised that's even possible! But if you do scrap a skill, the only way to get it
back is if you go to a specific location and pay five hundred thousand G, so only do it if
you really don't want the skill."
And with that, Sally scrapped Giant Killing.
She was now level 15.
She had forty stat points saved up but still wasn't spending any.
"That should do it! Oh, right, Maple, what's up with your gear?"
"Well, for now I'm just having her make the great shield. That's the most important
piece. I can get a matching short sword and armor later."
Iz was already working on the shield.
"Cool! We've got that event coming up… Can't hurt to gather a few more skills."
"Then… you wanna head to the second zone? Oh, but is that best? I mean, they
probably have unique series there, too. Would you rather solo the zone dungeon?"
Since the condition for reaching the second zone required you to clear a dungeon,
doing that solo would likely net them some really good gear.
"Hmm… I don't think so. I like this gear."
"If you're fine, I'm fine. Let's run this dungeon together!"
"Great! Let's head on over!"
They made their way to the zone entrance dungeon, using the same traversal technique
they'd used to get to the underground lake.
"This is so faaast!"
"Hang on tight!"
Their next destination was in the north.
At this speed, it would not take long to get there.