Chereads / Beyond the Blue: Rafting Through a World Adrift / Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Aqualize

Chapter 2 - Chapter 2: Aqualize

He decided to go with the most important tab and opened the Rules interface.

Rules, vital but overwhelming, streamed across the translucent display. He focused on the essentials, absorbing the basics of raft life and the parameters of his existence in Aqualize.

[Welcome to Aqualize Rule book]

{Rules change, so when an update to the rules is made player will be notified on their watch}

1. Each player is provided with a beginner's raft (10x10) size & 100m thick.

2. A rookie pack is sent to each player's inventory.

3. Each player is given a beginner's hook.

3b. The hook energy point is refilled every day.

4. A 7-day protection is in effect before the next update.

4b. Protection only applies on the raft or merchant boat.

5. The merchant comes once every 3-14 days based on the relationship with the association.

5b. A special merchant comes randomly but only once per month, so be sure not to miss him.

6. Develop your raft and lifestyle to increase property points (PP).

7. Develop defence and attack to increase safety protection points (SPP)

8. Do not leave the raft without anchoring it as it can float away as it is constantly moving.

9. 20 inventory spaces are provided at the start with each space taking 50 similar items each.

9b. Inventory spaces can be bought from the merchant or gained during special events

10. Regular maintenance of the raft is necessary if you don't want the raft to give in from beneath you.

11. Batch channel is open & 20 messages can be sent per day.

11b. More chances can be bought from the store.

11c. Personal messages are unlimited but you must add the person as a friend first.

12. All players are randomly assigned 2 skills. One dynamic and One Static graded from SS-F (SS, S, A, B, C, D, E, & F)

13. Static skills cannot be upgraded but dynamic skills can be upgraded.

After reading through the rule he decided to check the watch

{Downloading ... 18%}

He went on with the interface in front of him and selected the Player info tab next.

[Player Info]

Player Name: Amun Zarin (013/457)

Age: 17

Player Level: 1

Raft level: 1

Raft live: 97% (27.7 days) 

PP: 0.5

SPP: 2.4

Player Strength: 2.1

Skills:

Static skill: Double Trouble

Dynamic Skills: Lucky Star

[Double Trouble]

Grade: S (Static skill)

Support 

Description: The cost of everything is doubled but the reward is tripled. It is a double-edged skill.

{NB: when fighting monsters skill of monster x 2, energy used by the hook is doubled, skill does not affect workshop or passive lifestyle only affects activities deemed as active and skill is also passive and can not be turned off.}

[Lucky Star]

Grade: C (Dynamic skill)

Support 

Description: Increased luck in daily life.

{NB: Skill is both passive and active. The passive effect boosts lucky encounters by 150%. Active skill: Can change the outcome of an event cooldown: 12 hours}

He opened the workshop next. There were countless things in the workshop like a Short sword, dagger, bow, clothes, shoes, stone pot, fishing rod, fishing next, drum, etc. but they were all greyed out indicating he did not have enough material for any of them.

After scrolling through the workshop for a while, he decided to make a fishing net(Rope x8, wood x10, Seaweed x15), a drum (wood x12, binding x6), a bow(rope x3, wood x6) and some arrows (wood x2) next as they were important for the long run he moved to the Market tab.

[Market]

{Shop}

{Exchange}

{Auction}

The Shop tab was similar to the workshop there were rows of items up for purchase but you need ZW coins to buy anything and he currently had 0.

The lowest-priced items in the store were wood and seaweed cost 1 ZW for 5 pieces each. A message token costs 1 ZW per message, while things like bread and water cost 5 ZW and 9 ZW coins respectively and better food seemed to cost more the cheapest of which was fish which cost 6 ZW coins. I guess cause of all the fish surrounding me.

In the exchange tab, players put items up for sale or exchange them for whatever they need.

In the auction tab, players could put unique items up for auction.

Next, he opened the chat tab which was instantly folded with messages.

[Chat]

[Batch 13 Channel (2500)] - 1476 messages

[Personal Messages] - currently unavailable wait till watch synchronization is completed.

He opened the batch channel and scrolled through the messages

{Batch 13} - 2500 {Message token 20}

512: What the hell? I can't swim what if I fall in?

543: Where are we?

720: 512 That is your rotten luck.

1432: I got 2 F rank skills

45: I got another hook, now I can twice the resources

720: haahaa 1432 maybe you should just follow 512 into the water what rotten luck i have 2 B rank skills

23: I got a tent from my rookie pack

95: I got a pot

1432: I got a gun but no bullet

Messages kept popping up and everyone was seemingly okay with using up their 20 daily messages in the first hour of the day. 

Amun kept on reading observing what everyone was saying and gathering information from the group like resources gotten from the rookie pack and skills gotten.

There were some consistencies in the rookie pack. like everyone seemed to receive 1 food pack, 2 loaves of bread, and 2 bottles of water (1.5L) but the last 2 resources seem to be random and vary from things like fishing rods, arrows, pots, guns, or even more foodstuff.

After scrolling and reading for a while he decided to go ahead and open his inventory to see what he would receive. Hopefully, he will receive something useful.

Amun was pleased with the chat feature, a lifeline connecting him to his fellow players and the sense of knowing he wasn't alone in this predicament he found himself in. The banter and exchanges revealed snippets of camaraderie and rivalry, offering glimpses into the diverse personalities populating Aqualize.

With a sense of anticipation, he opened the inventory and saw a gridlike arrangement like the one in video games only 20. the boxes were empty except for 3.

[Beginners Hook (F)] -

{A beginner's hook used to obtain resources from the sea.}

[Energy - 30/30]

[Durability 200/200]

[Wooden Sword (F)]

{A almost useless sword to be honest rank F is too good for it}

[Durability - 10/10]

[Rookie Pack]

{Due to recent events of players un-aliving in the beginning without ever being productive, a new policy has been added. A pack of basic necessities is randomly generated to help the players survive through the first 2 days.}

[Rookie pack] - opened

[Received foodpack (vegetables & steak) x 3, water(1.5l) x3, bread x6, blanket x 3, WS coins x 75.]

He was shocked to see that he received more than everyone else until he remembered his skill Double Trouble.

'I guess it affects this also, that is great' he thought

As the download was completed and synchronization concluded, he checked his watch

On the main menu of the watch was basic information about himself like his name, level and his raft level. He scrolled up and was met with a menu indicating.

Time: 11:23

Player info

Player Rank - 459

Messages - 0

Friends - 0

After checking everything, he opened his inventory, and took the beginner hook out, he felt a surge of determination. With the vast ocean stretching before him, he readied himself to embark on an adventure unlike any other.