"Hey, Lily, can I talk to you about something?"
"Sure! You're worried about Phoebe while you're logged out, right? I get it; your current situation is so rare it's a bit tricky to manage. Let's head to my home for now, and I can set your restart point to my place. That way, Phoebe can come and go freely."
"Can't I have my own home too?"
"It's impossible for now; it's too expensive. For now, let's move to my home instead of talking here."
With that, I followed Lily to her place. She explained that by setting her home as our restart point, if anything happened—like collapsing from exhaustion—I would return there instead of somewhere in town. This feature was marked as a 'High Friend' exclusive, and Lily described a system in the game where there were different levels of friends. As a regular friend, I could use features like messaging and notifications, but as a High Friend, I could access more intimate functions like home sharing.
Since she was my sister, I readily accepted her High Friend request, but I decided to be more cautious moving forward.
"Oh, and speaking of which, please tell me how you ended up meeting Phoebe, since it might be helpful."
"Ah, okay..."
To be honest, it was a traumatic memory I would prefer to forget, but I thought it was better to share it with my sister. I recounted the experience of being bound by a giant spider, which took me away. When I finally broke free, I found Phoebe trapped in a cocoon. After that, a first quest appeared: I could either escape or save her. I chose to take on the challenge of rescuing Phoebe instead of just fleeing and accepted the quest.
After accepting the quest, I made good use of my shovel to rescue someone. During that time, a spider noticed me, and as I was escaping, I ended up at a hole where I met Lily. I mentioned that I ultimately fell to my death, which marked the end of the quest, and I received a title and some skills.
"My first quest... to pull off a numeric quest while at level 1... no wonder Phoebe became my companion..."
"Is the first quest really that impressive?"
Well, in terms of causing trauma, it certainly is...
"The first quest—or rather, quests with numbers—have extremely difficult activation conditions, making them exclusive to the person who triggers them. Because of this, the quest rewards are often one-of-a-kind, and many people are desperately searching for them. Sometimes they lead to sequels, like second or third quests, so if you're interested, you should continue them."
Hmm, now that you mention it, I'm curious... I have more reasons to pursue this...
By the way, it seems Lily has also experienced a numeric quest...
"Speaking of which, big brother, you leveled up when you completed that weapon, right? Even though you died right after, didn't you gain any special skills?"
"Want to check? Yeah, let's show each other."
"Sure, let's share, but be cautious when asking details about status with someone you're not close to. People's stats reveal a lot about them, and many dislike having such information exposed."
I nodded in understanding at Lily's words, curious about the strength of my younger sister, who is personally dedicated to her pursuits. Just how much has she trained?
**Lena**
**Level**: 4
**Gender**: Male
**Class**: Blacksmith
**Status**
HP: 40 | MP: 70
Strength: 5
Defense: 4
Dexterity: 10
Agility: 13
Intelligence: 22
Luck: 25
**Skill Levels**
Blacksmithing: 6
Cursed Blacksmithing: 1
Escaping Skills: 1
Throwing Skills: 1
Item Crafting: 2
Identification Eye: 1
Instant Death Resistance: 1
Resonance: 2
Devotion: 1
Indomitable: 1
Mining: 1
Fairy's Blessing
**Titles Acquired**: 1
**Lily**
**Level**: 38
**Gender**: Female
**Class**: Idol / Speed Fencer
**Status**
HP: 509 | MP: 353
Strength: 181
Defense: 0
Dexterity: 243
Agility: 256
Intelligence: 130
Luck: 67
**Skill Levels**
Swordsmanship: 8
Acceleration: 8
Evasion: 7
Three-Dimensional Maneuvering: 7
Weakness Detection: 5
Wind Magic: 3
Status Condition Resistance: 1
Support Magic: 4
Concealment and Disguise: 4
Crisis Detection: 3
Healing Magic: 3
Idol: 5
**Sealed Skills**: 16
**Titles Acquired**: 20
"Hey, could it be that the weapons I made are... weak? Lily's stats are all in the three digits..." Her statistics are exceptionally specialized, especially with a defense of 0; it's as if she's built on the premise of never getting hit. And an Idol level of 5? Is she perhaps hiding something with her Concealment and Disguise? No, there's no reason for Yuna to cover that up here...
"No, no, she's strong! The stats on her equipment are quite unique. What you just saw doesn't reflect everything. In this world, unnecessary skill levels can be sealed and converted into experience points... By the way, if you unseal the skills, you lose experience points, your level drops, and so do your stats..."
"Is that so? By the way, what about the idol?"
"Well, I was persuaded by an acquaintance... But let's not dwell on that! What's really interesting here is that my level jumped up by 3, the apprentice blacksmith from our class has become a blacksmith with a skill level of 6, and I've gained instant death resistance, fairy protection, and curse smithing!"
Lily hurriedly shifts the topic, and I find her enthusiasm intriguing!
"I can't go into detail about a game I've just started, but isn't Phoebe the one who knows about fairy protection?"
As I say this, I tap away on the system screen, researching curse smithing and fairy protection while confirming with Lily.
'Curse Smithing
A technique that sacrifices life to imbue weapons with souls. The speed at which HP decreases during work and the HP loss upon completion both increase, but the performance of the final product improves. As skill level rises, maximum HP decreases, but when the skill is sealed, the reduced maximum HP is restored.
Fairy Protection
A blessing from fairies, its effects depend on the fairy.'
…Wait, my maximum HP is already reduced by the title, and now it drops further with curse smithing? This seems pretty dangerous!
I guess I'll have to ask Phoebe about fairy protection after all.
"Phoebe, do you know what effects fairy protection has?"
"Huh!? My blessing increases growth power!"
Caught off guard by my question, Phoebe, who had been zoning out during our talk about stats and skills, responds with surprise… so cute.
"Does the power of growth increase? Does the adjustment at level-up become stronger? If so, that's an incredibly broken skill... Big brother, I recommend you keep Phoebe a secret while you level up for a while. If the rumors get out... no, it's certain that someone with bad intentions would take notice. To protect Phoebe, you need to become strong."
Lily whispered the latter part about hiding Phoebe so only he could hear. The thought of attracting the attention of someone malicious sent a chill down his spine. He needed to be cautious, and a clear objective formed in his mind: fight, craft powerful equipment, and grow stronger to protect Phoebe.
"By the way, can't we check Phoebe's status?"
"That's impossible. NPC statuses aren't visible. Plus, Phoebe seems to be different from both tamed monsters and summoned beasts, so you can't check her HP either.
Summoned beasts are allies called from another world, while tamed monsters are those raised from creatures found in this world. Each requires specific skills, so it doesn't apply to you and Phoebe, who lack those skills."
Summoned beasts? Tamed monsters? He was lost in thought when Lily continued, "By the way, what do you call the relationship between me and Lena?"
"Partner, huh? That sounds good," Lily said, considering Phoebe's question. What was she about to say?
"Well, let's spend the rest of the day exploring the town. We should get to know this place—we'll be based here, after all. With how trouble-magnet your cute girl body is right now, we need to be prepared," she added, looking at me. But it's not like I was any different—Lily, with her striking blonde hair and voluptuous figure, would certainly attract attention too. I wondered if she could easily fend off any advances given her strength…
"I get it. Please show me around. I need to find some armor," I replied.
"Are you not going to make any?"
"I've never crafted anything before... even if I wanted to, I think it would take a while. If possible, I want to switch out of this gym outfit quickly. It feels so out of place and embarrassing in a fantasy world... by the way, don't you have any hand-me-downs, Lily?"
With Phoebe being targeted, I wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible. Surely Lily had some spare gear.
"I don't have anything stronger than that gym outfit! What you have is already better than what NPCs sell in this town. So, do your best with that for now. Besides, once you can craft your own gear, you'll have complete freedom over the design. I could even make clothes for Phoebe!"
Why did Lily emphasize those last words so that only I would hear her? It was true that Phoebe only had the one outfit she was wearing. If possible, I wanted to make her something new. I glanced at Phoebe, her light blue eyes meeting mine just as her lips parted...
"Um, if you're making armor... I would really appreciate it if you could add a chest pocket for me... Oh, and I think Lena would look great in a tuxedo or a frilly dress!"
"Right, got it... I'll make sure to add the chest pocket... as for the design, we'll decide that during the crafting process..."
Even as she expressed confusion at the mention of a frilly dress, Lily couldn't help but grin.
"Now, let's not chatter too much and head to the city."
"If we're going to the city, could you please stop smiling like that first?"
Joking as siblings do, they set off to the bustling streets. This game must be quite popular given the crowd.
"Anyway, this building is where you can take regular quests, known as the Guild. It's a good idea to pick up monster hunting requests while gathering materials for crafting gear. By the way, keep an eye out—sometimes there are people who, overestimating their own abilities, try to bully beginners for their loot."
"Wait, with my appearance like this, isn't that dangerous?"
Though he was a guy inside, he looked like a frail girl in gym clothes. He felt like an easy target.
"Well, if a stranger tries to hug you in the city, you'll be able to hit a report button, and an NPC police officer will come to your aid. You should be fine from being attacked... Outside, just stay away from the PvP zones, and you shouldn't have any issues. If someone does start trouble, they usually face severe penalties that make most towns uninhabitable for them…"
"Welcome to the shop area. Besides NPC stores, players are also selling items here, but watch out for price gouging. I suggest you avoid buying anything until you get familiar with it," Lily said briskly, leading me through the town. I glanced at some items for sale and was taken aback—some low-quality gear was priced exorbitantly. I wasn't sure about the currency's value yet, but I instinctively sensed the rip-offs.
"Now, over here, you've been before. This is the plaza near the entrance where you first landed. It's a great spot for gathering information, so if you're looking for tips or news, this is the place to come. You can also teleport back to my safe zone via that round magic circle at the entrance. Just remember to use it before logging out; otherwise, Phoebe is likely to get abducted by bad guys."
"Got it, I'll be careful."
"And don't take that narrow path over there. It leads to a back alley you absolutely should not enter. There are a lot of unsavory characters hanging around, and you never know what could happen, so seriously, be cautious."