The next day at 10:00 AM
The moment had finally arrived.
Yes, the official launch of Atlantia Online!
Since today is a holiday, I have everything ready for gaming. I immediately put on my VR gear and logged into the game world!
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My consciousness surfaced, and I again found myself in that pure white world. After a moment, a pink sphere appeared. It was Nine.
“Hello, Plana-sama! Thank you for logging in so promptly.”
“Hello, Nine. I couldn’t wait any longer!”
“Hehehe. I’m delighted you’re looking forward to it! Now, you’re about to embark on your journey into the world of Atlantia Online. Are there any changes you’d like to make to your pre-registered avatar settings or initial skills?”
“No, I’m good.”
“Understood! Next, to prevent congestion, this game uses separate channels for connections. Is there anyone you’d like to play with on the same channel?”
Huh, you can adjust the channel settings beforehand? I haven’t made any plans with anyone for this game, so I wonder if it’ll be okay.
“No, I’m not.”
“No channel specified. Thank you for confirming! Finally, here’s the pre-login explanation. To ensure a comfortable gaming experience, PK (Player Killing) is prohibited in this game. Also, please refrain from actions or comments that may cause discomfort to others. If you encounter a player engaging in such behavior, please report them via the menu.”
The official site mentioned no PK. Personally, I’m not a fan of PK either, so that’s a relief.
“Additionally, if you wish to review detailed information about controls and features after starting the game, please check the Help menu. Now then, may fortune smile upon your journey, Plana-sama!”
Receiving Nine’s encouragement, the surroundings burst into a dazzling light. Instinctively closing my eyes, I found myself summoned into the town when I opened them again.
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First Town Portal Square
……Buzz buzz.
“Whoa. So this is the world of Aton (short for Atlantia Online)!”
Amidst the Western-style townscape, I was standing in a wide-open square. Many other players around me had logged into the game just like me.
Behind me, a large blue crystal sphere stood in the center of the square. Each time it glowed faintly, more players appeared. That crystal sphere was one of those portals said to exist in every town.
I want to check my status and items, but remaining in the square like this would be in the way. I should head somewhere else.
Leaving the square, I found a bench a short walk away. Sitting down gratefully, I decided to take my time checking my status and such.
I hadn’t noticed it before because it was inconspicuous, but I was surprised to find the tail there. When I tried to sit down, it automatically moved to a comfortable position. That’s amazing….
When I opened the status screen, it displayed my name, gender, race level, various stats (HP, MP, Strength, Stamina, Intelligence, Willpower, Agility, Dexterity, Luck), and my equipped skills.
Huh? If I have the Appraisal skill, shouldn’t I be able to see attribute resistances and other relevant information? Why can’t I see them?? Time to check the Help!
Opening the Help menu revealed an entry titled “First Things to Do on Your Adventure!” at the top. I decided to check this out first.
“Check your status.”
“Check your initial skills.”
“Check your initial items.”
“Use the Beginner Weapon/Armor Ticket.”
“Equip your weapons and armor.”
“Explore the town.”
“Register at the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Leave the town and try fighting monsters.”
……That’s a lot. Since I want to check the effect of [Appraisal], let’s look at the Help for “Check your initial skills.”
Huh? Tapping each skill in the skill slot lets you check learned arts and details? Got it. Then I’ll return to the status screen and tap [Appraisal] in the set skill slot.
[Appraisal] Skill LV 1
This skill allows you to reference information about items, monsters, and yourself from the World Knowledge. The amount of information you can access depends on your skill level.
Learned Arts
・Basic Item Appraisal MP1
Whoa?? The explanation about world knowledge sounds impressive. But now I get why I can’t see detailed stats. It’s purely because my skill level isn’t high enough.
Currently, I’m only able to perform [Basic Item Appraisal]. Huh? Does that mean I still can’t appraise enemy monsters either??
Wow, this is going to be tough.
I’ll check out the other skills while using them in battle. Next up are the initial items. According to the official site, they distribute initial items that don’t need appraisal as a starting support.
・Beginner Low-Grade HP Potion ×3
・Beginner Low-Grade MP Potion ×3
・Portable Rations ×5
・Beginner Weapon Ticket ×1
・Beginner Armor Ticket ×1
There’s actually quite a lot here. When I tapped this one, it allowed me to choose whether to use it or view the description, so I checked it first.
The Beginner Potion series is a low-grade potion usable up to Race Level 5. The portable rations weren’t tasty, but they were food that filled your stomach somewhat. Come to think of it, this game also has a hunger gauge. I can see it from the status screen… or can’t I?! Huh?? Help, help!
Um, “Regarding the gauges for various bad statuses like hunger. When the gauge drops below half, a caution pop-up appears in front of you. And when the gauge falls to the danger zone where the bad status actually manifests, a warning pop-up appears. To check each gauge, use the [Self Status Detailed Appraisal] art from the [Appraisal] skill.”??
We need [Appraisal] here too. Even without [Appraisal], warnings and alerts pop up, so if you’re not too concerned about it, it shouldn’t be a problem? And I accidentally got spoiled on the Arts.
Finally, the beginner weapon and armor tickets. Huh? This ticket provides one free beginner weapon or armor usable up to race level 5. Beginner weapons and armor have infinite durability, which should help players get accustomed to the controls.
Durability matters, too, huh. I’ll stick with these beginner weapons and armor up to level 5, but after that, I’ll need to start assembling gear while considering both stats and durability.
First, let’s use the ticket. The weapon is one from the wooden weapon series. The attack power is almost the same. I have the [Swordsmanship] skill, so I’ll take the ‘Beginner’s Wooden Sword’.
Next, the armor ticket. From the leather armor series, it’s either a chest plate, belt, or small shield. The chest plate and small shield give Defense +2, while the belt gives Defense +1 and Agility +1. Since Agility is already high due to my race trait, I’ll go with the ‘Beginner’s Small Shield’. Sword and shield feel like a rookie warrior setup!
After getting weapons and armor, don’t forget to equip them! Refer to the Help while opening the equipment section in the menu….
So, my current equipment status is:
Head:
Body:
Inner: Cloth Shirt
Arms:
Waist:
Legs: Cloth Pants
Shoes: Leather Shoes
Right Hand:
Left Hand:
Accessory 1:
Accessory 2:
Innerwear and shoes are treated as separate equipment from the torso and legs, huh? That’s detailed. I’ll equip the beginner set I just got in the right and left hand slots. Oh, a small round leather shield appeared in my left hand, and a simple wooden sword at my waist! Good, good!
Alright, that’s enough checking for now. Let’s explore the town and find the Adventurers’ Guild!
As I tried to stand up from the bench, a pop-up appeared in front of me.
‘There is a player nearby recording gameplay. Grant recording permission? (Off by default)’
Ah—so there’s a streamer nearby. This game has extended perceived time, which means you can’t stream live, but you can record while playing and stream it later. If you don’t grant recording permission, it won’t show up automatically, so I’ll say “No.”
When I looked around, I saw a round camera-like thing hovering near a female player avatar walking from the square area. The player was talking to it as she walked. That must be the streamer.
If I moved now, they might call out to me, so I opened my status screen again and waited for them to pass by. Even though I hadn’t been permitted to be filmed and wouldn’t appear on stream, my character was still visible in-game, so better safe than sorry.
Once the player passes, it’s finally time to set off. Exploring the town is just so exciting! What kind of shops will there be? What kind of people will I meet? With those thoughts, I stepped into the town.