Viewing as Guest
Chapter Two: Venture into the Unknown
Author: AnmesicCat
Date Published: August 12th, 2013
— Would you like to create a new account?
“Yes.”
— Select the name of your avatar.
“Kimera.” An ancient race of researchers.
— Select your gender.
“Male.”
— Select your race.
“Human.”
— You may now alter your appearance.
“No thanks. Please leave it the way I am.”
— Select the place you want to start at.
“Umm...” ‘What was the name of the city that Gale told me about? Think... Think...’
— You have spent much time to decide on a place. You will now be sent to a random location.
“WHAT?!”
— Welcome to Royal Ro—
Before the NPC finished what she was saying, my character dissolved into holographic pixels and the next thing I knew, I landed on my bottom with throbbing pain.
I gathered myself together and took a look around.
The place was covered in thick purple fog, similar to what might have been miasma. There wasn’t a single soul in sight, but sounds of giggles and chatter could be heard.
“Who’s there?”
I took a step forward towards the purple fog, where the sound of voices originated.
*Ttiring!*
| You are the first player to discover Ghostly Labyrinth of Shadows.
Reward: 50 Fame For two weeks you will receive double the experience from monsters and quest rewards. |
A message window floated in front of my face and I immediately stopped my tracks.
“I sense trouble brewing...”
As a result of conflict in interests, I had no experience with games and situations like this. I took another step towards the fog, and saw what appeared to be a shadow of a person.
“Who’s there?!”
Beads of perspiration started to form around my forehead.
Since I was young, I’ve never been good with ghost stories or horror movies. I have always hated Halloween and repetitively wondered why people enjoyed celebrating it. I concluded it was probably for the free candies.
It was because I had this weakness, my brother constantly teased and mocked me.
This was always one of the reasons why I started taking interest in Korean Martial Arts. I learned basic archery, but my arrow was always hitting the target beside the one I aimed for.
I also tried practicing with the sword. But that didn’t turn out so well either. Everytime I tried to strike an imaginary straw doll, the sword would somehow always landed right beside my toes. I resigned to my fate of never being able to touch another sword, or lose a couple of toes.
My instructor once told me, “You have good intuition, but your body isn’t well develop. You lack muscles. You should work on your body first then learn the art.”
With those words, I took it upon myself to visit the dojang daily. And after a year and a half, my labour started to bear fruits.
I was able to swing the sword with ease, and it no longer landed near my toes. But I couldn’t say the same for my archery. Whenever I shot an arrow it still hit halfway between two targets. I guess you could call it an improvement...
I also took up taekwondo, and I was pretty good at it. I loved the way my white uniform swaying along with the wind with each successful kick.
In time, I became stronger and more mature. So when my brother invited me to watch the newest horror movie, I accepted without hesitation.
I’ll never forget that day... Echoes of “AHHH!”, “NO!”, “WHAT THE—!” could be heard inside the cinema... Of course, it was not me. *Whistles*. And I refuse describe my facial expressions then.
If you thought by being strong, you could get rid of your fear of horror movies, you are indubitably wrong. Please learn from my mistake and not humiliate yourself.
*Buzz* *Hiss* *Hush*
Hearing noises of whispers, I called out into the darkness once again.
"Who's there?"
To my frustration, no one answered. I prepared to turn around and head the other way but I felt someone grabbed my hand.
Thinking there was finally someone who could answer my question, I turned around to face the person, but found no one there.
“AHHHH!”
“It’s a person!”
“No way! A person?”
“How did he get here?”
“Who cares how he got here.”
“I’ve never seen a human before.”
“Who’s there?”
“He looks a little jumpy, don’t you think?”
*Giggles* *Giggles*
“Stop it you girls. I will talk to him.”
“Yes, Elder.”
The Elder approached Kimera and grabbed his hand right when he was about to leave.
“AHHHH!” Kimera screamed
“Do not be afraid, my child.”
“Wh-wh-who’s there?”
“I am the Elder of this village.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m sorry to say, you will not able to see me, or any other citizen of this village. We were forced to become wanderers of the night. Shadows. A legend proclaimed only ‘The Chosen One’ will be able to take the test. Since you are our first visitor, I will allow you to take the test without conditions.”
*Ttiring*
| You have received a new quest:
Visions of Virtue. Find an orange coloured opaque fruit, which glows in the dark. It is visible even within the thickest fog under the darkness of the night sky. When you find it, you must cook it to your liking. Only then will the quest be completed. If failed, it will be considered as a death and you will be unable to login for 24 hours. Time Limit: 7 Days (238 Hours.) You cannot refuse. |
- You have accepted the quest. |
“...” ‘Great. My first quest and it was forced upon me...’
“Good luck, Traveller.”
The warmth of the Elder’s hand disappeared.
| - You have received a map. - You have received a Fruit Knife. |
I looked down and on the palm of my hand; I found a small piece of aged wrinkled paper and a small Fruit Knife.
However, the paper was so old, it was almost illegible. It didn’t help much because I didn’t know where I was, nor could I see anyone to ask for direction.
I was alone.
Nevertheless, miracles work in wondrous ways. I managed to recall something Gale had told me.
‘Those fruits must be grown somewhere in town, or not too far away the village borders.’
I then began my search from what little clues and hints I had.
“But how am I supposed to find something orange within this thick purple fog?”
After circling the town once, twice, thrice, …
“This quest is impossible!”
I was in the brink of giving up when I suddenly saw a bright orange glow in the corner of my eyes.
As I walked closer and closer towards the light, it grew brighter and brighter.
‘That must be the fruit!’
I picked it up and stared at it in awe.
‘How am I supposed to cook this?’
As a healthy male member of society, I trained more than an average male, hung out with my best friend, and ate out with him a number of times in a week. Our family is pretty well off so it wasn’t a craft I needed to learn. So whether be in game or in real life, my cooking proficiency is zero.
The only thing I can cook without triggering the fire alarm was bacon and eggs.
I should also mention, I can barbecue meat pretty well. The skill came in handy during my several camping trips with a few of my friends.
“The quest did say to cook it to my preference and I prefer oranges the way they were.”
I peeled of the skin of the orange and tossed a small piece in my mouth.
‘Mmm. This taste exactly like an orange. Maybe I didn’t have to cook it after all.’
However, the moment I swallowed the fruit...
| - You have eaten a mysterious fruit raw. - Because it was not properly cooked, you will not receive any positive effects. - You will be paralysed for 10 seconds. |
“...”
I guess there was a reason why I was asked to cook it...
‘Can you even cook an orange?’
I surveyed the area for materials and ingredients which could be used to make something that might taste like a dish.
I found twigs, dry wooden planks, and different types of wood which could be used as firewood. I also found some metal scraps, which I used to make three small pots, five small bottles, a spoon, fork, and a knife. I discovered a row of coconut trees beside a large ocean home to various sea creatures.
After gathering all the materials in one place, I climbed the coconut tree to get some fruits. Thanks to my love for climbing trees, rocks, and anything you can think of climbing, I did not experience any difficulty with obtaining coconuts.
‘I hear you can make oil out of coconuts.’
When my feet touched the ground, a system message appeared.
- Your Strength has increased by 1. |
“Hmm. I didn’t know you could increase your stats this way... Royal Road seemed to be more realistic than I thought it would be. It doesn’t feel like I’m in a game.”
‘Now to make coconut oil...’
Although I’ve seen it in Discovery Channel a couple of times, it was years ago.
I used my Fruit Knife and started peeling off the coconut’s husks. I was a painful and problematic process but it needed to be done. Then I sliced the dehusked coconut into half, poured the juice into a small bottle, and used the knife to scrape off the coconut meat and placed it on top of a coconut leaf.
‘I need boiling water...’
I used the small pot and gathered water from the ocean and proceeded to make a fire with a wooden plank and twigs. Thanks to my countless camping trips, making a fire was fairly easy feat.
I built a stand on each side of the fire, and placed a long branch on top of it. And in between the branch, was the pot swinging from its handle.
While waiting for the water to boil, I minced the coconut meat and used my washed beginner’s shirt as a filter to squeeze out the juices from the coconut and placed it in another small bottle. When the water was done boiling, I added water little by little and repeated the process.
I placed the bottle in a safe spot and left it alone for twenty-four hours. After twenty-four hours, I scooped out the curd with a spoon and discarded it. The pure virgin coconut oil is left in the bottle.
During my pursuit of the fruit, I collected several different kinds of herbs and vegetables such as shallot, pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, and olives.
‘Since there’s an ocean, should I try my luck with capturing a fish? Ah... I should stop thinking about it and just do it.’
I dove into the cold ocean waters and saw fishes leaving the area.
‘AH! Nooo! Come back!’
‘This time, let’s try approaching them slowly...’
‘One... Two... Three!’
The moment I finished counting to the, I used my hands to try and capture the fish, however, I wasn’t fast enough.
‘Let’s try this again.’
I took out my Fruit Knife and began counting to three.
‘One... Two... Three!’
Although I wasn’t quick enough, I was able to capture a fish thanks to my Fruit Knife. And at that very moment, a various system window appeared before my eyes.
| - You have caught a 98 cm Arctic Char. |
| - Your Agility has increased by 3. - Your Luck has increased by 5. |
| - You have learned a new skill: Dagger Mastery [1] — 15%
Increases Attack Power with a Dagger by 10%. |
| - Because of your excellent fishery, you can now convert your profession to a Fishmonger.
Would you like to change your Profession? |
‘Wow. You can also obtain profession this way. But I think it’s a little early for me to choose my class. Gale also said something about visiting an Intelligence Guild and they will give me a profession suitable for me.’
“No. I would not like to change my profession.”
| - You have declined to change your profession to a Fishmonger.
Would you like to learn the art of Fishing? |
‘Learning how to fish doesn’t seem to be a bad idea.’
“Yes. I would love to.”
| You have learned a new skill: Fishing (Beginner) [1] — 20% |
“This will help me not starve to death.”
Minutes earlier, I finally finished cooking the dish. I filleted the fish, and used the coconut oil to fry it. I added some herbs and spices, orange zest, and a little bit of coconut juice.
*Ttiring!*
| - You have made Stir Fried Arctic Char with Beurre Blanc Sauce. |
| - You have learned a new skill: Dexterity (Beginner) [1] — 20% - You can now learn the art of Cooking. Would you like to learn how to cook? |
Without any hesitation, I said “Yes.”
| - You have learn the art of Cooking (Beginner) [1] — 10%
Although the dish is lacking various ingredients, it was well made. - You have acquired a recipe: Stir Fried Arctic Char with Beurre Blanc Sauce. - You can improve the dish by experimenting with various ingredients and can eventually claim as your original dish. |
“Well, this is the moment of truth.”
I scooped up a spoon full of fish fillet, the orange fruit, and its zest. The moment I took a bite and swallowed the food, a system message appeared.
*Ttiring!*
| - You have eaten Stir Fried Arctic Char with Mystical Fruit of the Golden Tree |
| - Your Agility has permanently increased by 5. - Health and Mana has increased by 10%. - You have gained a new stat: Insight. - You have gained a new stat: Illusionary Vision. |
| Insight: Allows your to see further distances under the naked eye. |
| Illusionary Vision: Allows you to see the residents of Ghostly Labyrinth of Shadows. |
| - All stat will receive a permanent increase of 3. - Because you have created a dish with Mystical Fruit as an ingredient, you have received an additional 10% increase in your Cooking Skill. |
| For one day: - Health and Mana regeneration has increased by 25%. - Luck has increased by 10. - All stat has increased by 5. - In the darkness, your skills will deal two times more damage. |
| Quest Complete: Visions of Virtue.
Thanks to the Mystical Fruit, you have gained a new stat: Illusionary Vision. You can now see the people of Ghostly Labyrinth of Shadows. Rewards: Please see the village Elder before the 7 days is up. If failed to do so, you will be banished from the village. Time Remaining: 8 hours. |
“Wow. That’s a lot of stat increase. Hmm... I should practice cooking my own meals instead of eating out all the time.”
Swept by the feeling of accomplishment and astonishment, I packed my things and headed for the village.