Acanthus 0 Posted June 18 #1 Share Posted June 18 (edited) “I had a dream the other night.” “You still dream in here? I thought the Nerve Gear didn’t let it happen.” “No, I—wait, you aren’t dreaming in here?” “Nah, I sleep like a baby.” “...Must be nice.” “Yea. One nice thing, I guess. What’s your dream, anyhow?” “I dreamed that I woke up. Same as every day. Rolled over in bed, listened to the birds for a little bit, and checked my inventory. It felt real. Like, I really thought I was awake.” “Doesn’t sound all that interesting.” “You didn’t let me finish, dangit.” “Fine, whatever. Keep rambling, then.” “So I was checking my inventory. Except I pressed the wrong button, and I ended up in settings. And there it was.” “‘It?’ Make some sense.” “The logout button. It was back.” “What happened when you pressed it?” “I didn’t. At first.” “Whaddya mean? Two years in, and you’re not itching to go home like the rest of us?” “That’s just the thing though. Two years. I’ve lived in Tolbana longer than my last apartment in Kyoto.” “So you like it here, then?” “I didn’t say that. It just felt like… Like a big deal. Leaving somewhere that’s been home for two years. Maybe not home, but…” “I get it. But you did press it, right.” “Yea. Yea, I did.” “You gonna make me ask these questions like it’s an interrogation or what? What happened when you pressed it?” “...Nothing.” “Then why on earth are you bothering me about your all of this—” “—No, not ‘nothing,’ as in, ‘everything stayed the same.’ I was nothing. Everything stopped. I pressed the button, and boom—it was all blackness.” “So you pressed the button and went back to sleep. Big deal.” “No, listen to me! I wasn’t asleep! I know when I’m asleep because I don’t know what’s going on. But when everything went dark, I knew—I knew there was nothing. I had logged out, and I was gone for good. There was nothing on the other side.” “Huh. Weird dream.” “...I knew I should have talked to someone else about it.” ----- Some notes on this grinding thread: I am simplifying the math for my own sanity. I will list BD values for the rolls although results it won't matter. Because I'll be spawning in monsters with no evasion, ACC 5 and AA will always hit. In the dice roller, I will be noting rolls as AoE1/Looting [Monster Name] [Number]-[Number]. I don't think it matters which roll lines up with which mob because they all have the same loot values, and all will die to one hit. In case it matters, low Roll ID matches low numbers to low numbers. For example, if Roll IDs 100000—100003 are notated as "AOE1 Boars 1-4." Roll ID 100000 matches with AOE1 Boar 1; Roll ID 100001 with Boar 2, and so on. (Also with these stats I literally can only roll Shards/Scales. Here's to breaking the system with Raidou's blessing lets goooooooooo) Acanthus | Lvl 75 (34/41) | HP: 880/880 | EN: 120/120 | DMG: 30 | ACC:4 | AA | LD:12 (+12) | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 (+6) Spoiler Equipment and Consumables Spoiler All enhancements reflected in the stat block unless otherwise specified. Weapon. botan. AA | ACC 3 Trinket. worthless promise Prosp. III | Quality I Trinket. empty avarice | LD III | Quality I Consumables Potion of vicious Dragoon-Fang | DMG III | 221226 Skewer Roll | Protein II Filled! Gelato | LD 3 Mousse | Prosp. III Abilities (Skills, Shifts, Masteries, Add-ons, and Mods) Spoiler Combat Mastery and Shift Combat Mastery: Damage R3 (13 SP) AoE Shift (10 SP) Skills Energist (8 EN) Searching R4 + 1 (Skylight: Searching) (22 SP) Straight Sword R5 (30 SP) Addon: Ferocity (4 SP) Addon: Precision (2 SP) Addon: Stamina (4 SP) Extra Skills Inactive Extra Skills Addons Ferocity Precision Stamina Mods 93 SP Spent before specializations. Specializations Discerning x6 (60 SP) Keen Sight x6 (30 SP) Biting (20 SP) 203 SP total. Battle Ready Inventory (7 Slots) Dimensional Backpack + Item Stash Spoiler [Empty] [Empty] [Empty] [Empty] [Empty] [Empty] [Empty] Housing Spoiler House Name: Villa of Coruscating Flowers (The Villa) Location: Floor 24 - Paradise Islands Description: See above Plot Size: Estate - PK Accessible Rooms: Listed below. All rooms are assigned to Acanthus. Master Bedroom Well Rested | -1 energy cost for the first three expenditures of each combat. Greenhouse Green Thumb | +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts. Extended Workshop: Recording Studio (25,000 col) Hard Working | +2 Crafting EXP per crafting attempt and +1 crafting attempt per day. Mega Slime Farm Advanced Training | +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post. Living Room: Relaxed | Increases out of combat HP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts. Attic (Bedroom) Skylight (Searching) | +1 Expertise to declared utility skill (Searching). Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase. Basement: Multipurpose | Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll. Storage Closet: (10,000 col) Item Stash | +1 Battle Ready Inventory Slot Master Bathroom: (25,000 col) Squeaky Clean | The first time you would suffer DoT damage in a thread, reduce damage taken from DoT each turn by 25% (rounded down) Basic Kitchen (15,000 col) Filling | Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30. Crafting and Gathering Spoiler Performer | Rank 5 Apollo’s Metronome | Crafting Tool | Meticulous: +1 CD when crafting in one’s workshop. Forager | Rank 5 Demeter's Cornucopia | Gathering Tool | Bountiful: +1 CD to gathering attempts. Edited June 18 by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #2 Share Posted June 23 (edited) The girl landed softly in a field of poppies. It was not a place she recognized. It was not Aincrad. Certainly, it was a land Aincrad would have created. The vermillion petals of the flowers formed an ocean so great the girl became momentarily afraid. In her awe, she wondered if escape was an option from the field, a beautiful prison without a single wall. When her fear and wonder subsided, she plotted how to leave. Unable to determine a plan, she decided to simply walk. As she walked, her path diverged from itself in a peculiar manner. The girl’s vision split in two: when she looked right, she saw herself walking north, with the wind at her back. Looking left, she watched herself climbing the rolling hills to the west, chasing the sun as it dipped lower into the sky. A memory snapped into focus. Splitscreen. It’s like I’m watching a splitscreen videogame. The girl had confused herself. She did not particularly care for videogames, and knew very little about them. So why would the word “splitscreen” mean anything to her? I played them with Koji, growing up. Mario Kart and Kirby were my favorites. They weren’t his favorites, but he wanted to play with me, so he would tolerate the “kid games,” as he liked to call them. I always thought it was funny to hear him say that when I was his older sister. Without rising from her dream, Acanthus awoke. The dream continued with an edge of clarity she had not previously possessed, and she slowly acclimated to watching different versions of herself journey across the field of flowers. Their divergent paths had ended at a single commonality, kilometers apart. In front of each girl stood a wooden door. Without hesitation, each determined hand grasped the door. And they—Acanthus—entered a dream within a dream. Spoiler Recovery. +4 EN. Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 1–4(-20 EN) 245251 | BD 9 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245252 | BD 1 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245253 | BD 3 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245254 | BD 8 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 100/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 1–4 ID: 245258 | LD: 20+24=44 | CD:12+8=20 | Col:5850, Mats:0, [245258a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245258b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245257 | LD: 10+24=34 | CD:12+8=20 | Col:5850, Mats:0, [245257a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245257b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245256 | LD: 19+24=43 | CD:3+8=11 | Col:4050, Mats:4, [245256a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245256b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245255 | LD: 8+24=32 | CD:4+8=12 | Col:5850, Mats:0, [245255a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245255b] Random Dungeon Map Edited June 23 by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #3 Share Posted June 23 (edited) Acanthus was greeted by a dark, pitiful dungeon. The dim light kept her from seeing, but not smelling the damp, molding stones that disappeared into the darkness. A chorus of cackles grew in the distance. Goblins waddled into view, bearing wicked blades and grinning madly. With a single thought, Acanthus summoned her equipment and began to fight. Acanthus woke refreshed from the night spent at NIGHT’s estate. She woke early, hoping to get a head start on the day. No time to waste if I want to get home soon. Today’s tasks would be a quiet sort of busy work. Nothing exciting or hair-raising: just a lot of foraging and contemplation. The system clock read 5:00. The sky was still dark, and the Town of Beginnings was still quiet. Acanthus looked out of a window as she prepared her meals for the day. She kept the food light and tasteless to minimize any potential issues with her taste buds. It just needed to get her through the day, and nothing more. Spoiler Recovery. +4 EN. Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 5–8 (-20 EN) 245259 | BD 5 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245260 | BD 7 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245261 | BD 4 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245262 | BD 4 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 84/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 5–8 ID: 245266 | LD: 4+24=28 | CD:1+8=9 | Col:4950, Mats:2, [245266a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245266b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245265 | LD: 1+24=25 | CD:6+8=14 | Col:4950, Mats:2, [245265a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245265b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245264 | LD: 15+24=39 | CD:1+8=9 | Col:4050, Mats:4, [245264a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245264b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245263 | LD: 1+24=25 | CD:1+8=9 | Col:4050, Mats:4, [245263a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245263b] Random Dungeon Map Edited June 23 by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #4 Share Posted June 23 (edited) Acanthus struggled as the tone of her visions broke stride from each other. She had no memory of either part of her dream. She had spent time at NIGHT’s estate, but had she ever gone foraging while living there? Not that she could recall. The dungeon was even more confusing. It appeared to be the Black Iron Dungeon from the first floor. But Acanthus had only heard descriptions. She had never set foot inside. Why are you so worried? It’s all just a dream, one of those rare lucid dreams that give you the freedom to act. She slashed through another round of goblins while she packed her lunch for a day of foraging. Her head ached as she sorted the thoughts back into their respective places. The two visions clashed with each other and demanded to be joined. It took all her strength to keep focus on each half of the whole. Spoiler Recovery. +4 EN. Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 9–12(-20 EN) 245267 | BD 5 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245268 | BD 4 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245269 | BD 9 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. 245270 | BD 9 + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 68/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 9–12 ID: 245274 | LD: 7+24=31 | CD:12+8=20 | Col:4950, Mats:2, [245274a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245274b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245273 | LD: 19+24=43 | CD:10+8=18 | Col:4950, Mats:2, [245273a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245273b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245272 | LD: 3+24=27 | CD:6+8=14 | Col:4950, Mats:2, [245272a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245272b] Random Dungeon Map ID: 245271 | LD: 5+24=29 | CD:11+8=19 | Col:4050, Mats:4, [245271a] Gleaming Scale (1) or Demonic Shard (1), [245271b] Random Dungeon Map Edited June 23 by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #5 Share Posted June 23 (edited) Deeper into the dungeon she went, through rusted doors and traps and monsters. At this level, it was nothing but goblins. They did not look powerful, but they had the health and damage of a top-level monster. She cut through another mob with ease. They die all the same. Leaving a thank you note and goodbye on the kitchen table, Acanthus left the house and strolled to the western city gate. By the time she made it outside the town, it was 6:00. The sun was not yet visible, but a dull light grew over the fields. With her low-light vision, it might as well have been noon. Not wanting to waste any time, she immediately worked on some gathering nodes just outside the town. The leaves and branches yielded immediate materials for her. A little low-leveled for her needs, personally, but they would do. Spoiler Recovery. +4 EN. Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 13–16(-20 EN) ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 52/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 13–16 ROLLID Edited 3 hours ago by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #6 Share Posted June 23 (edited) As goblin after goblin died, Acanthus noticed two strange things, one right after the other. The first thing she noticed was that these goblins refused to drop anything except shards and scales. She had gone on looting warpaths before, and each time she had received a mix of items, materials, and col. But these creatures burst with piles of shards. It would be nice if this weren’t a dream. I’d never have to worry about grinding ever again. The second thing she noticed was the violence. Her dream had removed the censorship Aincrad used to protect its inhabitants. Here, there were no cartoonish digital spatters of blood. The goblins screamed violent, gut-wrenching screams as she mauled them with practiced efficiency. It was a dream. Why should she care? She walked over to some other nodes nearby and pulled similar bounty from their branches. Looking up, she noticed about four or five other players at work. They appeared to work at varying speeds; many appeared to be struggling with even the low level gathering, while others moved quickly from branch to rock to node. Spoiler Recovery. +4 EN. Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 17–20(-20 EN) ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 36/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 17–20 ROLLID Edited 3 hours ago by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #7 Share Posted June 23 (edited) Another pack of goblins torn apart in seconds. Blood caked on the walls, drying instantly as though Acanthus observed it over the course of years. But her blade stayed bright and clean, urging her forward in a voice similar to NIGHT’s. “Sate yourself,” the voice told her. “There will always be more.” Part of her couldn’t help but feel a little sympathetic towards the low-level foragers. Were she not on a tight schedule, she might have dropped by to help them out. But there was no time for that—she had fields to scour, and only a few days to do it. After a week, Acanthus had promised to return the greenhouse facilities back to NIGHT, the rightful owner. She was saving up for a house, and hoped that soon she would have an estate of her own. But in the meantime, she was forced to rely on the kindness of other players. Spoiler Recovery. +4 EN. Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 21–24(-20 EN) ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Mind Goblins 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 20/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 21–24 ROLLID Edited 3 hours ago by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted June 23 Author #8 Share Posted June 23 (edited) Acanthus left the beginning meadows and walked slowly across the plains of floor one. She had planned out her time on the floor, but not her route. Surveying the field, she came across some wild oats. She went ahead and dug them up with calculated efficiency. The old Acanthus might have stopped to take note of their nature, how they grew, and how that might have impacted the area around them. But it was a futile endeavor of someone determined to treat a video game like real life. Materials were materials, at the end of the day. She wiped the sweat from her forehead. Digging up the oats was more difficult than she anticipated. As her hand came down to her side, she looked up and noticed the flying islands of floor one. They were a fixture of the skyline, but when she thought about it, she had never visited one herself. They were always too far away from quests. Spoiler Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 25–28(-20 EN) ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 20/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 25–28 ROLLID Edited 3 hours ago by Acanthus Link to post Share on other sites
Acanthus 0 Posted 3 hours ago Author #9 Share Posted 3 hours ago No quests this time. Just slaughter. Beautiful, fruitful slaughter. Four more goblins lay before her, freshly harvested. “Today is as good a day as any,” she said out loud. Changing her direction, she began to move in the direction of the nearest floating island. It appeared a good distance away, maybe two or three kilometers. There would be plenty of foraging opportunities along the way. Deciding to take a break from the flora of floor 1, she changed tactics. Equipping her mattock, she stopped and worked on some of the rocks along the way. It didn’t seem realistic for such rich nodes to run along almost every surface of the floor. But I suppose it’s equally ridiculous to ask players to commence full-mining operations just to earn their materials. Although the game strove for realism sometimes, she was surprised there wasn’t at least one brave entrepreneur that had attempted to dig down into a floor to seek richer nodes. She made a mental note to ask around about any occurrences. Spoiler Post Action: AOE I -> Mind Goblins 25–28(-20 EN) ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. ROLLID | BD Num + 5 | Hit! 30 * 15 = 450 damage. Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Rodent of Large Proportions 0/450 DMG 200 Acanthus | HP: 880/880 | EN: 20/120 | DMG: 28 | MIT:40 | ACC:4 | AA | BH:48 | LD:12 | PROSP:6 | QTY: 2 Looting Mind Goblins 25–28 ROLLID Link to post Share on other sites
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