Chapter 2
Episode 2
Narville!
The most vibrant city and cultural center in Fate World.
The place where X fell was the central square of Narville.
“It’s cheap! It’s cheap! “Take a look at the fresh fruit we just picked!”
“Oppa, let’s take a look around for a moment!”
Loud voices echoed through the square. There was a friendly atmosphere in the square. Merchant NPCs everywhere were friendly, and users also enjoyed the atmosphere of Narville to the fullest.
Except for X.
‘I’m behind!’
The users’ shiny iron equipment!
It looked so sturdy that it couldn’t be compared to X’s shabby basic cloth clothes. Some of them already belonged to guilds. The guild emblem on the shoulder was proof of that.
X smiled coldly.
‘Because the difference of one month cannot be ignored.’
Even if it’s just Lean Online, the entire continent will be shaken in a month. From the market price of minor miscellaneous items to the owner of the territory and the guild ranking.
Moreover, Fate is not an ordinary game.
It was only natural that the world’s first virtual reality game, Fate, would become the best game in history. Moreover, these days, we live in a world where games make money.
‘Just like those War Machine guys.’
Money and fame!
Thanks to this, all users who played games had no choice but to gather at Fate.
X had to fight for supremacy with those people alone.
And that too with a considerable handicap of one month.
X’s eyes narrowed.
‘You have to choose. Quest and level up.’
The gap that had already widened had to be quickly narrowed.
You always had to choose the best method.
What quests can Narville beginners complete?
X quickly recalled his memory.
‘Common sense education to obtain a training iron sword. Crafting training to obtain a wooden shield. And gathering training to obtain leather armor.’
There was no experience given as a reward.
However, these were quests that allowed you to obtain the basic equipment needed for the adventure. In addition, I was able to learn basic common sense about adventure. Most beginner adventurers performed those three quests.
However, I had no intention of doing that to X.
“I didn’t fry chicken while sweating profusely for no reason.”
Capital gives wings to character growth!
X manipulated the UI with confidence.
A system window appeared before his eyes.
Auction house!
The auction house operated and managed by Mage was linked to Fate in real time. Auction house transactions were possible both within and outside of Fate.
Depending on the free cash gold exchange system and the user’s personal settings, it was possible to purchase goods directly with cash without going through currency exchange.
“Let’s see, I see a good item…”
As I sorted the items in descending order of level, I saw items that caught my eye. X opened his eyes wide and compared the items. But the prices were unusual.
X twitched his eyebrows and snorted.
“I guess I did it, but it was still a prank.”
No matter how you look at it, all you see is ridiculous prices.
It’s been a month since it opened.
Thanks to this, the market was unstable and the prices of most items were highly inflated. The price of gold was also absurd.
“You can’t make someone else do something nice for you.”
X is not the type of person to do business at a loss.
If an NPC had sold the item, X would have willingly paid the price.
Because we’re a month behind.
In order to catch up with the gap, it is natural to endure some loss.
However, the sellers at the auction house were users.
To X, who was aiming for the top, all other users were just competitors.
Would you like your money to end up in the pockets of your future competitors? It was a one-month handicap, and it was something that could never happen in the X dictionary.
“I was thinking of taking it easy this time…”
X closed the auction house without any hesitation.
X soon sighed and his eyes sparkled.
“Does a journey of a thousand miles inevitably begin with one step?”
Lin Online.
Just like back then, there is no choice but to go from the bottom to the top.
I’ve already done it once, but I thought it would be easier the second time. After making a decision, X quickly walked away. Then I remembered the map of Narville that I had familiarized myself with beforehand.
‘The closest place to the central square was… a blacksmith shop where you could learn crafting skills, right?’
Essential quests spread throughout Narville.
X moved in a route that would shorten the time as much as possible.
*
The end of sweaty labor.
Tiroling!
《Basics of Gathering》
The Narville farm is always short of labor. Help Garil harvest the crops. Cleaning the harvested crops slightly increases your intimacy with Garil and other farmers on the farm.
Reward: Armor lined with thin leather
[You have succeeded in the quest!]
Finally, the last gathering quest has been completed!
Farmer Garil exclaimed in exclamation.
“You have very fast hands! Harvesting is basic and even cleaning is perfect. For a first time, your skills are very good. So, are you interested in working on our farm full-time? “My pay is well worth it!”
Tiroling!
《Garil’s Proposal》
Garil was attracted to how sincere and outstanding you were. If you work on his farm, you can earn 30 silver per day. Additional daily pay is given depending on task accomplishment.
Would you like to accept the offer?
Depending on your answer, intimacy may decrease.
X responded with a kind smile.
“Thank you for your kind words, Mr. Garil. I am also interested in growing crops, but now I want to travel around the world a little more.”
Fate, a virtual reality game no different from reality.
It is basic common sense that intimacy with NPCs is important. Once you build up intimacy, you never know when and in what way it will help you.
Therefore, X declined as politely as possible.
Garil licked his lips.
“I guess so, right? You are an adventurer with a bright future ahead of you. It’s a pity, but I can’t help it. Still, it was a pleasure working with you. “Please accept this as my small courtesy.”
In addition to the basic compensation, Garil presented several loaves of rye bread. Thanks to the polite response, it seems that the level of intimacy has not been reduced. X nodded and smiled to himself.
‘If something goes, something comes.’
Of course, this only applies to NPCs.
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
After leaving the farm, X immediately put on leather armor.
The defense was poor, but it was better than nothing.
With the sword he obtained through the errand quest at his waist, X headed straight to the eastern gate of Narville. The voices of the gathered users were heard.
“We are looking for a beginner adventurer to join our party of four!”
“People who have difficulty catching monsters on their own are also welcome.”
A friendly atmosphere.
The novice adventurers were each raising their voices and recruiting party members. Monsters appear in earnest in the fields outside the village.
‘Yes, it can be burdensome alone.’
Monsters of virtual reality.
From here, you will face realistic monsters. In fact, it was common for even powerful users to become paralyzed in front of monsters. Therefore, from the beginning, there were few users who ventured into the field alone.
However, there was no way X, a human being, would join the party.
‘It means that monopolizing experience points and monopolizing items is a bonus.’
X leisurely escaped from the chattering users.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at the monsters in the distance on the grassland.
“According to the information, it won’t be that easy, right?”
Narville Grassland where low-level monsters appear.
As per the information I had gathered in advance, I saw a lot of rabbits and squirrels. But their movements were no joke. Boom! A sword that cannot be reached no matter how much you swing it.
In the end, one of the parties that went into battle let out a sigh.
“Give me a little hit, I’m really going to turn around!”
“Damn it, I haven’t caught a single fish since a while ago.”
X lightly relaxed his shoulders.
“It’s natural that it doesn’t fit.”
How to play games well?
Basically, you need to get used to the operation method.
Beyond manipulation, you must be able to treat the character like your own body. Which hunting ground to choose and which monster to catch are the next matters to consider. Even if you swing it blindly, the sword will not reach you.
“It’s a method of controlling virtual reality games.”
visor! With a smile on his face, X pulled out the sword from his waist.
“You can just move it until you get used to it!”
Even though Fate’s technology was close to perfection, there was a subtle difference from reality. It took an average of a week for the average user to adapt to Fate without feeling uncomfortable.
But there was no way X could just wait a week. Because adding an extra week to the one-month gap was not suited to X’s personality.
Swish!
The sword of X cuts straight through the air.
X concentrated his mind and swung his sword at a steady speed. I kept swinging. I just swung fearfully. One hour, two hours… As time passed, the sun set and night came, X’s arms did not stop moving.
Drops of sweat pouring out from the continuous hard work!
X’s body was drenched, as if it had been rained on.
The users lit up the darkness with torches and looked at X and whispered.
“You crazy, you’re still doing that. “How long has it been, man?”
“Are you sure you’re human? “Maybe it’s a macro?”
“Hey, is there a macro in Fate? But that’s really….”
X’s persistence is astounding.
Little disturbances surrounding him.
Hana X did not miss the notification that appeared before his eyes.
[Strength increases by 1 point!]
[Strength increases by 1 point!]
[‘Patience’ has been created through excellent concentration and effort!]
‘Okay, this kind of hard work is welcome!’
The notifications that popped up one by one every few hours took all the fatigue away. Of course, X is still human, so he had to rest when he needed to rest.
[Saturation is below 10 percent.]
Saturation system.
In Fate, the closer a character’s saturation level gets to 0%, the slower their movements become. Status also decreased overall. Additionally, if saturation was at 0% and the character did not eat food for a certain period of time, the character could die.
“As expected, if you live politely, you will never starve.”
X munched on the rye bread Garil had given him.
As I became full, my strength returned.
Without hesitation, X picked up the sword again and swung it.
Eat, swing, swing, eat.
The morning dawned like that.
Tiroling!
It’s always a pleasure to hear.
X checked the notification.
[You have acquired the passive skill ‘Accurate Swing’!]
I thought it would increase the stats, but to even acquire the skill.
It was an unexpected result.
‘It sure feels different when you swing it?’
Moreover, the slight discomfort I felt had long since disappeared.
With my current sense, it seemed like there was no way I would miss out.
Only then did X, satisfied, put down his sword.
The users who were watching X shook their heads.
“Looks like it’s finally over.”
“It’s been like that since yesterday morning. How long has it been like that?”
“I don’t know what you’re doing, but it’s really poisonous.”
Poisoning.
As if responding to those words, X stared at the grassland without rest.
Immediately, attractive prey caught my eye.
“I guess I’m slowly getting used to it. Let’s start in earnest.”
Burning eyes.
There wasn’t even a trace of fatigue on X’s face.
Munchkin that I eat all by myself