Exiting the town’s north gate, I was in a vast grassland.
There were many players engaged in battle scattered across the grassland.
As expected, the area near the gate was crowded. With so many people around, fighting was hard, so I headed east from the gate.
There were some blue, round ball-like monsters and small rabbits along the way, but they didn’t actively attack, so I avoided them and kept moving.
After reaching a point where the gate was no longer visible, there were hardly any other players nearby. This spot should be safe. I quickly searched for monsters and found a blue, round ball-like creature—probably a Petit Slime.
Pulling the wooden sword from my waist, I approached quietly. A pop-up appeared before my eyes.
[First monster encounter detected. Would you like to start the combat tutorial?]
Battle Tutorial! Thank goodness.
Selecting “Yes” made a pink spherical orb appear before my eyes—Nine.
“Long time no see, Plana-sama!”
“Nine?! Could it be… you’re handling the tutorial too?”
“Yes! I’ll guide you through the tutorial thoroughly! Please take care of me.”
I never expected to meet Nine again after the game started. I thought she was just an AI for the settings screen.
“Since this is a combat tutorial, I’ll explain based on the weapons and skills Plana-sama has acquired. During the tutorial, rest assured that neither of our HP will decrease until the final stage.”
“Got it. Let’s do this.”
“Thank you. First, let’s begin with weapon attacks. Since you have a sword, Plana-sama, please try swinging it directly at the enemy.”
The first step is just attacking. The sword I’d been holding swung down toward the trembling enemy. Whether it was the motion assist or not, it landed a direct hit right in the center, denting the Slime body with a satisfying thud.
“Well done! Weapons can be used for direct attacks by swinging or thrusting them like that. The degree of motion assistance can be adjusted in the menu, so please change it if it feels awkward.”
“It’s fine for now.”
“Understood. Next, defense with the shield. Try holding your shield up in time with the opponent’s attack.”
The petit slime bounced and leaped toward me. Timing it right, I block with my left shield! The enemy, blocked by the shield, plops onto the ground.
Now I noticed, even without using [Appraisal], the enemy monster’s name is displayed. But it doesn’t show their remaining HP or anything like that. I really need to level up my [Appraisal] skill quickly!
“Success on the first try? Indeed, Plana-sama is amazing!”
Nine flies around me, showering me with praise. Well, I’m used to this kind of action. I wish Nine wouldn’t praise me so much. It’s embarrassing.
“Next, we’ll begin the skill tutorial. Have you reviewed the details for each skill?”
“I’ve only checked [Appraisal] so far…”
That reminds me that I planned to check my other skills while fighting. Oh no, I feel a bit guilty.
“Now, tap the skill on the status screen to check its details. We’ve stopped the enemy monster’s attacks, so you can take your time checking without rushing!”
Can you really stop attacks? That’s amazing, Nine.
Feeling reassured, I checked the descriptions on the status screen for [Swordsmanship], [Body Enhancement], [Farseeing], and [Water Magic].
[Swordsmanship] Skill LV 1
A skill for wielding swords. Allows you to learn sword-related Arts and increases attack power when a sword is equipped.
Learned Arts
・Swordsmanship Knowledge P
・Slash MP5
[Body Enhancement] Skill LV 1
A skill that draws out the latent power within the body. A well-trained physique alone can unleash tremendous strength.
Learned Arts
・Mixxx Up MP5
※Enhancement target not selected
[Farseeing] Skill LV 1
Vision enhancement skill. The range you can see expands according to the skill level.
Learned Arts
・Farseeing P
[Water Magic] Skill LV 1
This skill uses one’s own magical power as fuel to manipulate water mana. Water flows through the earth, the sky, and all living things. Those who master water may even be able to influence the great ocean itself.
Learned Arts
・Water Ball MP3
Huh?! Wait??
The slightly pretentious descriptions here and there are fine, but what’s with the ones with a “P” next to the arts? And what’s this “※Enhancement target not selected” under [Body Enhancement]??
“Um, Nine. I have a quick question—what are those things with a ‘P’ written next to the arts?”
“That one is a passive art! It’s an art that constantly activates its effect without consuming MP.”
Ah, the P in passive. I see.
“Thanks. Also, under the [Body Enhancement] arts, there’s one that says ‘Enhancement target not selected’. What’s that about?”
“For that one, please try tapping the art again. If there are descriptions for each art and selectable targets, you can choose them.”
“Tap it again? I’ll give it a try.”
I could tap on arts, too? Guess I’ve been missing a lot. Better double-check the menu screen later.
For now, let’s tap this [Mixxx Up] thing.
・Mixxx Up MP5
For a limited time, it increases one physical ability. The increased value depends on the skill level. ※No target selected. Please choose from the list below. (Unselected targets can be chosen in the next arts.)
Enhancement Target
・Strength
・Stamina
・Intelligence
・Spirit
・Agility
・Dexterity
・Luck
Huh, luck is included too? Then, since unselected skills carry over to the next session, does that mean if my skill level goes up, I can learn similar arts again?
What should I do here? Should I start with Strength? They say muscle solves everything!
・Mainpower Up MP5
For a limited time, increase your own muscle strength. The increased value depends on the skill level.
That’s good enough!!
“Nine, sorry to keep you waiting. Settings complete.”
“Good job! Now, let’s resume the skill tutorial. First, try using the [Slash] skill from the [Swordsmanship] skill tree. Arts activation is primarily voice-activated, so swing your sword toward your opponent and say [Slash].”
Voice activation? A bit embarrassing, but oh well…
“[Slash]!”
When the sword swung down, it glowed blue as it struck.
This time, instead of just denting slightly like before, it dented and bounced back with a plop.
“[Slash] not only increases attack power but also causes some knockback! Also, some arts have a recast time. [Slash] has a recast time too, so you may see a pop-up at the edge of your vision. Is that right?”
Recast time, huh? Yeah, there is a semi-transparent pop-up at the edge of my vision. It shows the art name and a blue gauge below it. Does that mean I can’t use it until this gauge fills up?
“Yeah, I see it. Does that mean I can’t reuse it until this gauge fills up?”
“Yes, that’s correct! Also, non-passive arts generally consume MP. During combat, simplified stats will appear in your field of view, so please check those. The position of the simplified stats and recast time pop-ups can be changed from the menu.”
Since the start of combat, I’ve only seen HP and MP gauges in the top-right corner—so this is the simplified stats display. Oh, my MP’s dropped a bit.
“This concludes the skill tutorial. Do you have any further questions?”
“I’m not equipped with a staff or anything right now, but can I still use magic?”
“Yes. Magic is usable. While weapon-based arts require the corresponding weapon to be equipped, magic itself interacts with the mana permeating the world, so its activation doesn’t depend on equipment.”
Mana, huh. It was also mentioned in the [Water Magic] description—it seems important to the world’s lore. I was wondering if I could find more information somewhere.
“Got it, thanks. I’m good now.”
“Understood. We will now conclude the skill tutorial and proceed to the item tutorial. Please accept the tutorial MP potions being distributed.”
Nine sent two tutorial MP potions, which I accepted.
“First, try using it from the menu. From the Item section in the menu, please use the tutorial MP potion you just received on yourself. You can use it by either drinking it or focusing your intent.”
Following the instructions, I select the item from the menu, and a potion appears in my hand. Focusing my intent to use the potion on myself causes my body to glow faintly, and my MP gauge recovers. It seems I used it successfully.
“Looks like it’s working fine. If the item is for someone else, you can use it by throwing it to them. Next, let’s cover using shortcuts. Select the item from the menu again, then tap the shortcut command at the top.”
Huh, this? Tap.
Oh, a shortcut list(?) appeared. Four slots registered.
“You should see the shortcut list displayed. You can register up to four in the beginning. First, try registering the tutorial MP potion.”
I registered the potion as instructed, then closed the menu.
Oh, an ‘S’ icon appeared in my field of view.
“You should see the shortcut icon now. Tap it and try using the tutorial MP potion you just registered.”
When I used the tutorial MP potion from the shortcut, my body glowed faintly again. The shortcut seems to work fine, too.
“Looks like that’s working too! The shortcuts can be used in the field, but please note they won’t work in town. Also, you can change the position of the shortcut icons from the menu!”
Shortcuts are field-only, huh. Wonder if there’s a way to increase this list size?
“Alright, back to the combat tutorial. Finally, try defeating the monster freely using your weapon or skills. Be careful from this point on, as both sides will start losing HP.”
“Got it!”
Finally, a proper battle. The Petit Slime opponent even seems somewhat motivated.
First, I held my shield and baited an attack. It bounced at me, so I timed my block perfectly, as in the tutorial. Seeing its guard drop, I unleashed [Slash]!
Damage effects flashed, and the Petit Slime was knocked back. It looked pitiful, but I steeled my heart and followed up with a normal attack.
Maybe because it was the first enemy, the follow-up attack seemed to bring its HP to zero. It vanished with an effect.
Piroro~n♪
Oh, my first level up! Plus, I got a drop. This game automatically puts drops into your item box, right? So easy, so easy.
“First victory and first level up! Congratulations. Items obtained for the first time are generally unidentified. Have them appraised at the Adventurer’s Guild or use the [Basic Item Appraisal] art from the [Appraisal] skill.”
Right. First-seen items become unidentified. So, I selected the dropped item from the menu… This one, maybe? [????? Mucus]. Huh, mucus.
“Um… [Basic Item Appraisal]!”
MP was consumed, and the item name changed.
[Slime Mucus]?
“Good work. That concludes the combat tutorial. Do you have any questions?”
“Nope, I’m good. Thanks for the tutorial, Nine.”
“No problem. I look forward to seeing your future activities, Plana-sama. Well then, until we meet again, I’ll take my leave!”
With a popping sound, Nine vanished. I’ll probably meet her again somewhere.
Now that the tutorial’s over, let’s try a bit more combat. Next up is Petit Rabbit.
When I drank and used potions, HP-restoring ones tasted like green apples, while MP-restoring ones tasted like non-carbonated ramune.