Would she actually wear the sexy dress? A mix of excitement and uncertainty stirred within me as I hesitated, then sent an email to our leader for fabric.
"Lena, thanks for your request email. I need fabric to make the coat and jacket, and my budget is 1.5 million yen, enough for a decent amount for both… but wouldn't you prefer something better? It might be a bit cruel of me to suggest this to you…
In the maze forest near Three Towns, there's an enemy called the Floret Caterpillar that drops flower thread. If we gather 20 of those, we can allocate the budget for better-quality materials, allowing us to make higher-quality fabric. I realize asking you, who dislikes bugs, to do this might seem cruel, but whether you accept this proposal or not, please reply via email with what you wish to do."
I received a quick response from the leader. As I read the suggestion to collect threads from the insects, I glanced up at the sky. By the way, I didn't ask for fabric to make a sexy dress… it felt too embarrassing to mention, and I wanted to focus on crafting practical gear first. Well, those trivial matters aside…
Insects… caterpillars, to be exact. Their green skin texture and the way they slither make my skin crawl. I want to avoid them, but if it means obtaining higher quality fabric, it's worth the discomfort.
I sent a message to the leader asking for more information since I'll be gathering flower threads. I specifically wanted to know how to get from Two Town to Maze Forest, what to watch out for there, and any details about the insects to prepare for potential shocks. A few minutes later, I received a reply.
"Follow the road from Two Town, and you'll come across Wind Valley. If you pass through, you'll reach Three Town. I've attached the map; make sure to check it if you get lost.
There's a boss in Wind Valley, but it's weak against fire, so keep that in mind. Maze Forest can be tricky, but if you get lost, just plow forward in one direction, and you'll eventually find your way out.
You won't encounter any bugs other than the caterpillars, but be cautious of rabbits—they can deliver a one-hit kill by biting at vital spots like the neck. If you're not strong enough yet, take your time leveling up. There's no rush on this end."
"The Wind Valley, huh… This is bad. At my level, I'm probably… no, I'm definitely below the recommended level."
"Are you okay?"
"...I'll manage somehow."
As I exchanged worried words with Phoebe, I checked my status. Thanks to crafting my sword and staff, I had leveled up from 11 to 12, but my max HP had dropped from 70 to 68. It must be a result of the increase in my blacksmithing skill...
Lily mentioned that the recommended level for Mt. Jiten, the barrier between One Town and Two Town, is 10. So, it wouldn't be surprising if the jump from Two Town to Three Town required a level of 20...
I didn't intend to neglect leveling up, but maybe I'm progressing faster than I thought... I've never taken on regular quests before. Thankfully, the leader told me to take my time and level up gradually, so I should be able to pick up a regular quest at the guild, right?
Where was the guild in Two Town again? As I checked the map, I heard the voices of other players.
"A raid boss has appeared near Two Town—a gigantic tank turtle! Everyone, let's go!"
Huh? A raid boss?
"What's a raid boss?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, a system screen appeared before me.
"Raid Boss: Large Turtle Earth Tank has appeared. Would you like to participate?
Number of Participants: 24/100"
The number of participants surged rapidly. Should I join? Oh, there are already 80 people... If we hit 100, it should be fine! With that thought, I clicked the join button.
In an instant, my vision went white, and just like that, I found myself in a grassy plain near the town, with Phoebe snug in my chest pocket. Thank goodness—she wasn't left behind.
"What is happening?!"
"Calm down, Phoebe… We've been transported to face the enemy; it's battle time."
I readied my shovel, Archie, and scanned for the raid boss.
The Large Turtle Earth Tank loomed ahead—its shell was battered, and its face bore the look of a creature on the brink of death. Meanwhile, other players unleashed a barrage of fireballs, ice shards, lightning, and spears of light.
"Um… it looks like the battle is almost over, doesn't it?"
"Huh? Hasn't it just begun?"
As Phoebe's confused voice trailed off, I strangely heard the sound of a level-up. Wait, could it be that the Large Turtle Earth Tank was already down? But I didn't do anything—will I still get experience points?
"Wow, it's been a while since I've had such a tasty raid. A boss with its strategies completely figured out is like a feast!"
"It's weak against multiple types of magic, so it's an easy target."
"And as a result, the raid occurrence rate has plummeted. But that's to be expected with experience points being so efficiently farmed."
I could hear the voices of other players. It seemed the boss had been thoroughly studied for its weaknesses, as it was defeated in no time. Lost for a target to strike out at Archie, I felt awkward for not contributing, when suddenly my vision turned white again. I found myself back at the spot where I had pressed the button to join the raid.
The system screen displayed a message: "You have defeated the Large Turtle Tank Earth!" and I received a Turtle Tank Shell as a drop item. Was this some sort of participation prize?
"Uh, what was that all about earlier?"
"... Just a complete wipe, yeah."
While responding to Phoebe's question, who struggled to grasp the swift changes in the battle, I checked my stats and realized I had leveled up to 14. Did simply participating in that raid grant me two levels? Was I just that weak? Or had the enemies been strong but their weaknesses were too well-known among the others? Given the chatter from the other players, it seemed more likely to be the latter.
"So, what were you planning to do? I kind of blanked out when the raid boss showed up..."
"Weren't we heading to the Wind Valley?"
"Right... Sorry, I need to log out for a bit to gather information about Wind Valley from Lily's home. Can you wait for me there?"
"Got it! I'll wait patiently!"
With that, I returned to Lily's home and logged out. I wondered if there were any easy strategies for breaking through the Wind Valley, similar to how we defeated the raid boss earlier. Feeling curious, I sat down at the table where my computer was set up.
"Um... Fantasy Freedom... Wind Valley... guide... Enter."
I typed in the search terms and hit enter. I soon found a site dedicated to攻略情報 for Fantasy Freedom.
"Wind Valley, recommended level 20... I have the map info from the leader, so let's check enemy details... There are giant fish, lizards, mud hands, zombies... their weakness properties are scattered, so a mage skilled in diverse elemental attacks is essential. Also, the boss, the lich, is weak to lightning?"
As I read through the information, I remembered the leader said the boss was weak to fire. Which one is right? Or could it be that both elements are weaknesses? Anyway, with Phoebe's help, I could equip my shovel with different elements, so I might not need a mage after all.
"The lich's long-range magic is a threat, but it's weak in close combat. If we just close the distance and unleash melee attacks, it should go down easily. If we have various elemental attacks to clear the way, we might be able to take it on even at level 15...?"
Is the boss actually weak in close combat? I suppose that makes sense for a magic-oriented enemy. After all, the lich is basically a zombie magician, right?
If I can go in at level 15, maybe I should give it a try. If it's not a boss battle, I can always retreat if things get dangerous... With those thoughts in mind, I continue to browse for more information.
Besides updates about the Wind Valley, I find out that the town has opened up to One Street, Two Street, Three Street, and Four Street (all nicknames), and that the frontline team is currently exploring a dungeon leading to Five Street (a temporary name). I also learn that the maximum level has recently been raised to 45. While there seems to be more information to uncover, I remember being scolded by Yuna and Taylor for relying too much on online sources, so I decide to stop my research here.
I clicked on an ad claiming to optimize my computer for faster performance, but I really don't want to deal with viruses and having to buy a new one again... Even though I'm good with programming, when I showed my computer to Taylor for help, the mixture of her genuine anger and disbelief left a lasting, frightening impression.
Recalling the information I saw online, I log back into the world of Fantasy Freedom.
"Welcome back, Lena! Have you gathered any information?"
"Yeah, I should stock up on recovery items and head to the Wind Valley to check things out. If it looks bad, I'll retreat."
"Sounds good! Safety first! Let's buy plenty of healing potions… Ideally, it would be best if you didn't need to use them at all, though…"
With ample funds at my disposal, I stocked up on around ninety healing potions, enough that I shouldn't run out. Armed with this reassuring lifeline, I set off toward the Valley of Winds, feeling a flicker of confidence.
"This is the Valley of Winds…"
The howling wind echoed around me, buffeting my body. I couldn't help but wonder how difficult it would be for anyone wearing a skirt or heavy gear to move here.
"Lena, the wind is strong... I feel like anything from my chest pocket would get blown away," I said.
"Is that so? Hold on tight to your pocket! I wouldn't trust myself to catch anything that gets blown off," she replied.
I gripped my shovel and scanned the surroundings. According to the map, it seemed simple enough to follow the flowing river downstream as my guide. While taking detours might let us gather materials or dig up treasures, for now, we needed to stick to the river.
"Lena! Something's coming from the river!"
"Is that a fish? Phoebe, pray for lightning!"
"Lightning prayer!"
Thanks to Phoebe spotting the enemy first, I resonated with Archie to imbue us with lightning for battle.
"——!!!"
"Whoa, there are multiple foes!?"
As mysterious cries echoed, fish emerged from the water, but they weren't alone. Lizards and mud-covered hands burst from the ground, surrounding us.
The lizard's weakness is ice, and the muddy hand is vulnerable to fire. I have to defeat the fish first! Charging at the fish, Archie thrusts forward, piercing it deeply and unleashing a surge of lightning that blasts it away in an instant. He then slashes sideways at the muddy hand, but its sludgy form absorbs his striking power and lightning.
"Phoebe, we need fire!"
"Huh? Eek!?"
While calling to Phoebe to change the elemental affinity embedded in him, Archie is caught off guard and is sent flying by the lizard, crashing to the ground. Perhaps due to the impact or the disruption in concentration, the resonating lightning within Archie fades away.
"Ugh, Phoebe, use ice!"
"I—I understand!"
Exchanging words with Phoebe, Archie struggles to rise. Just then, the muddy hand stretches out towards him and strikes. He dodges and counters, "Freeze!" But the attack from Archie comes down without the ice attribute...