[SP-F1] «Earning a Living» �COMPLETE】

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

In a dark coat, a figure walks confidently through the streets of the Town of Beginnings. Negativity fills the air, sound of cries are heard throughout the streets. So many people had stayed behind, believing that this was the best way to live, waiting for someone to beat the game. R has taken notice that after a week with no one passing the first ten floors, no one will save them. Akihiko Kayaba has several plans for all of us.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

R has looked everywhere, he saw many players simply hanging out to kill some time. Some players were also too scared to leave the Town of Beginnings, so they took shelter in a cheap inn close by. Many players spend all they're funds, or col, on the inns to hide. R did his best to comfort everyone who had a break down. Some players couldn't handle the truth and took their own lives. There was nothing he could do to help them out.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

And yet, many players thought that Akihiko Kayaba was just lying and just leaped off from the first floor, with each passing day it would become more difficult to gain the basic necessities a beginner would need to survive. The scene was proving to be troubling indeed. Many players have told me that the first step to overcome this problem lies within the Profession Skills, creating items to sell to further enhance your Col supplies. But it was quite dangerous.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

"Profession?" R thought to himself. In order to smith, one would need the proper materials, materials that would either need to be purchased, traded, or harvested in the wilds. That means spending col that would otherwise be used to continue hide in the Town of Beginnings, or leaving the safe zone. It was a risky choice, but one that seemed to be necessary to free players from this game.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

Still, deciding whether or not to hide or leave, R could not help but choose to invest in smithing. If he were to ensure the survival of everyone around him also himself. Already decided on which profession to invest in, and he has already spend some time on deciding what to do. He had been tempted to take up a crafting profession anyways. Smithing is a great profession for any player that is. Crafting your own metal armor, and weapons to protect yourself from player killers, and enemy mobs.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

R's play style was different from other players, as he is a experience MMORPG player. Choosing the profession as a blacksmith was a good idea for him. With that thought in mind, he had decided that going into a party might be the best choice. Having easy access to armor and weapons would make the game easy to progress, not to mention the col. That would benefit R well, because the game goes around the Col currency.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

For a moment he imagined how great it would be to be packed with armor and weapons, yet he wasn't the type to use heavy armor, yet he was able to dismiss that thought and focused on the goal. Putting such thoughts into his mind, R took a step with his leather boots and followed the path into the heart of the Town of Beginnings. This was the central portion of the city, and a good place as any to start his search to figure what he would do for his profession.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

In order to get the profession, R would need to find a blacksmith, and officially accept the profession after a few text windows of information pertaining to what the skill would be used for. He was quite fortunate to find a blacksmith nearby, also he had a general idea of where he would find the blacksmith. Some players had difficulty finding their NPC, so he took his time to help the players find their NPC. He knew the general area of most of the NPC, so it wouldn't be a problem for him.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

Making his way back, he walk through the crowded area, R spotted his NPC and walk through the crowd. With so many players deciding to become a blacksmith as well, he had a good time asking for some help as well. Most players were walking aimlessly around the central plaza of the Town of Beginnings. They all looked like zombies who were looking for a place to stay, as there really were a few places to spend their time. It was congested, but ultimately manageable even if some players were annoyed.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

R finally stopped before the rather fat, bald looking NPC, a old male wearing a gray and red tunic and trousers. He paused in front of an NPC named «Axell» and suddenly it launched into a common dialogue of a quest, Greetings! It's always a pleasure to see customers! I know that you have been venturing deeper into the dungeons, and there is a story I was told that you may find worth the time to listen to... One of the men who returned from the dungeons told me about materials that he came across during his escape. If you're able to return with the materials, I'll make you a blacksmith! A window popped up before R's eyes with two symbols, one to accept, and the other to decline. He accepted the quest and continued on his journey.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

New information flooded the window, basic information on how an Blacksmith would take basic materials and create the basic leveled equipments. After grabbing the materials, R headed back towards the city to hear about low level players who ventured into the dungeon without gear, and blew up into million of polygons. In this world, HP falling to zero would equate a real death. R now knows that he must find a way to craft strong equipment to fight his way through this horrid game.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

R finally arrived back to his destination. He gave «Axell» the materials and paused for a moment. A window popped up, Quest Completed. «Axell» started describing the use of an anvil, and materials of all sorts. If he should every purchase and house or shop, he could get an anvil, and so on and so forth. It was quite unnecessary at this time and place, even in the Town of Beginnings, settlements were quite pricey. No matter, one day he'll buy a house with a less crowded area.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

A few minutes of information later, the info box before him reached its final screen, displaying the fateful message. followed by simple < O > < X > options. Having endured the entirety of this explanation simply to pick up the profession, R was quick to accept. "Congratulations, you are now an Blacksmith. Take these materials and create a long sword for me." Axell quickly replied.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

R nodded, his eyes fixed on «Axell» before him. Certainly realistic, but the facial software, specifically expressions, was sometimes a little strange. One might say it was to better capture the dramatic essence of the game, who knew. All he knew is that the smiling face seemed incorrect, imperceptibly off by a fraction, just enough to make him uncomfortable. His eyes flicked down to the semi-transparent window before him, where he continued.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

A notification of received items pinged on R's HUD, and quick check showed the addition of two basic materials to his inventory. No doubt this was intended as an introduction to the crafting system, a rather common occurrence in most MMO’s. «Axell» quickly gestured towards the nearby anvil. Atlas did not need to be told twice, and ran his way over to anvil. Most in the Town of Beginnings wouldn’t bother with something like smithing, not when they needed to save as much Col as possible to keep paying for food and lodging, so he did not have to wait.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

After a long process, R had created his first basic weapon, which he gave to «Axell» as the final step in the quest. He was not able to keep the long sword, as it was just a learning process. But that didn't mattered, he had memorize the recipe by heart, and the materials were common drops found in the grasslands. «Axell» gave him a few advice, pointing out that as he smelt more equipment, his skill would continue to rise. Given how poorly the advice would, he still knew that he could still smelt items and level his skill.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

No matter, he had taken the skill for practicality’s sake, but also enjoyment. If it meant spending a few hours a week grinding these simple steps for more equipment to use, or even sell, then so be it. It was all a part of the plan after all, the plan that would enable R, to survive this horrid game. So long as it was in service of that goal, he did not mind so minor an annoyance. He had his crafting skill, now all he needed to do was start gathering materials.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

The easiest course would have been to simply purchase the required ingredients from one of the many shops. But that would be a drain on his resources, one that could be potentially devastating later. It would be far more beneficial to farm the ingredients himself, benefiting from the experience points in the field at the same time, and saving his money to stretch as far as possible. He had a plan after all.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

Then, and only then, after replacing his basic gear with the next equivalent tier, they could venture into the dugeon. The dugeon would provide more respawning mobs to farm for experience points, as well as the chance for treasure chests. The key would be not rushing too fast, trying to ascend to the higher floors too quickly would only put him in greater danger as he will be forced into higher level areas before he were able to level, or keep his gear suitably maintained.

[Rin Mitsuki 0]

Yes, R certainly had a plan, this might have been a game that was a high tech battle for life and death, but it was still a game. He had played many MMORPG’s in his time. He had to believe that the approach that had allowed him to thrive in these games would carry over here, if not for his sake, then for the players who are terrified. Ah well, for the time being, there was no other option but to move forward, no matter the danger. Checking the Information Broker's guide, he was sure that in order to get his most basic of materials, he should focus his attention on farming the «Frenzy Boars» that could be found outside the Town of Beginnings.