After lunch, I logged into Aton right away. The excitement from the first day of service hadn’t subsided yet, and I made my way through the bustling town.
Since it was already my second time, I reached the Adventurer’s Guild without getting lost and accepted the skill training quest. During lunch, I decided to take the [Gathering] skill. Since there are delivery quests and stuff, it’d be good to have it.
By the way, I also checked the in-game bulletin board during lunch, and some people had already died and respawned. Maybe, like me, their weapons swung and missed, hitting nearby enemies and activating them.
Portable rations do drain your hydration. I’m glad I got that information at the tool shop. The river water smelling fishy was new to me—it’s not just about whether you can drink it or not. They really went all out.
Since the game has extended in-game time, the in-game bulletin board can only be viewed outside the game. Because of the time difference, the number of comments skyrocketed after a single update, making it a bit hard to read. That could be because it’s the first day of service. Hopefully, it’ll settle down a bit tomorrow and beyond…
While I was thinking that, someone who was a staff member came from behind the reception desk and guided me to the guild’s training hall. There will be nearly an hour of training. I’d better not fall asleep.
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Let me get straight to the point. It was absolutely amazing! There was not a moment to spare! It wasn’t just lectures—there were hands-on sessions too, and we even got new info that wasn’t covered in the tutorial!
Plants and flowers picked as-is can only be used as materials, but if you dig them up with a shovel, you can plant them directly in fields or use the [Seed Generation] Arts to turn them into seeds.
In addition, many things that can be gathered in the field are difficult to distinguish between edible and poisonous (especially mushrooms), so no matter how delicious they look, you should never eat anything that hasn’t been properly identified. They showed me two mushrooms that looked like shiitake, and one was poisonous—you couldn’t tell at all just by looking.
We also learned about picking grass and berries—tips for picking them cleanly—and that there’s something called ‘Harvesting Shears’. The shears make it easier to get good quality items. (Unfortunately, it wasn’t sold in this town.)
No, you should take the tutorial even if you have the skill. It’s packed with info and fun, and you get the skill. It’s killing three birds with one stone, right???
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After the training session, I returned to the field to test my newly acquired skills. The sun was already setting, and the gatekeeper warned me to be careful. Even though it’s daytime in real life, it’s evening in-game. I’d better get back before it gets dark. (Since I was heading to the field, I re-took the “Grassland Monster Extermination” quest.)
Here’s the description for the [Gathering] skill.
[Gathering] Skill LV 1
This skill applies a bonus when gathering materials at gathering spots. Skill is power. The bonus amount depends on the skill level.
Learned Arts
・Increased Material Quality During Gathering Passive
With that in mind, I headed out into the field, hoping the herbs would at least be in “Normal” condition. Glancing at the battles happening here and there, I made my way to the gathering spot. Carefully following the tips I’d been taught, I gently plucked one.
My heart pounding, I checked the condition of the herb I’d just picked… “Normal.”
“Yeah!!”
I couldn’t help but pump my fist. “I’ll keep on gathering like this!” I thought, fired up. The next result? “Slightly Bad.” Hmm, the road to gathering is still long. I’ll have to keep on going steadily.
I got so caught up in gathering that it got dark around me. This is bad—strong enemies appearing at night is a classic RPG trope. I need to find a safety zone!
A safety zone is a secure area on the field where monsters won’t attack you. In this game, when you die and respawn, you can designate either the last portal you visited or a safety zone as your respawn point.
If you need to restock items, you can revive at a portal. You can revive in a safety zone to preserve as much distance traveled as possible. It’s a very convenient feature.
Scanning the area, I spotted a slightly brighter, open spot that seemed promising and rushed over, but I was a step too late. Unlike non-aggressive monsters like Petit Slimes or Petit Rabbits, this active monster suddenly lunged at me!
“Gaugau!”
“Ow!”
A dog with dark fur blending into the night lunged from the side. Its name was Night Dog. I got caught off guard because the safety zone was right before me. I never thought I’d get hit first.
“This time, I’m coming at you!”
[Mainpower Up] boosts my strength, letting me land attacks. The enemy moves fast, but I’m an agile race too! I’ll catch up!
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After a fierce battle, I somehow managed to win and dashed into the safety zone. It was a completely different challenge than the two I fought during the day… But it was worth it—my race level went up, and my [Farseeing] and [Body Enhancement] skills also increased.
[Farseeing] didn’t have any new Arts, but [Body Enhancement] had another [Mixxx Up] appear, so this time I chose “Stamina”. I debated going with “Luck”, but decided to play it safe for now.
Man, I’m totally wiped out after just one battle. Nighttime fields are still too much for me. Taking a break for now, I pulled out my water bottle and opened the in-game bulletin board.
Besides the general board, a few new threads have popped up. Thanks to the night monsters, most threads were in utter chaos, but one thread stood out with a laid-back vibe.
It piqued my interest, so I decided to check it out.
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[Chill] Walking Thread 1 [Let’s Walk]
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30 Relaxed Walker
The sky is so beautiful!
[Photo of a starry sky]
31 Relaxed Walker
Whoa! This is super pretty. Since there aren’t any obstacles in the background, could this be Portal Square?
32 Relaxed Walker
Portal Square is overflowing with respawning players right now, so probably not?
33 Relaxed Walker
During the day, there were hardly any, but come nightfall, they suddenly multiplied like crazy, like those respawning from the dead.
I was resting on a bench in Portal Square, but everyone just revived from the portal and immediately started yelling or getting frustrated—just watching them was hilarious lol
34 Relaxed Walker
The nighttime town has its own charm, doesn’t it? Spotted a nice cafe-like place while strolling! But it’s closed now since it’s night…
[Photo of a stylish cafe entrance with a “Closed” sign hanging]
35 Relaxed Walker
A super cute shot of Slime and Bunny-chan taken during the day! Aren’t they adorable?!
[Photo of Petit Rabbit sleeping soundly with a Petit Slime as a pillow (the fur near the slime body is slightly blurred)]
36 Relaxed Walker
#30: I took that starry sky shot in the field’s safety zone! It’s by the gate, along the river! I dashed over before it got dark, but shouldn’t I be able to portal back from here?
37 Relaxed Walker
Is it recommended to walk along the main road? The gatekeeper said enemies get stronger if you stray from the road.
38 Relaxed Walker
>>34
The cafe has a nice vibe! Where was it located?
>>35
Cute, but isn’t Bunny-chan’s face looking like it’s about to get eaten by a Slime??
39 Relaxed Walker
What’s the field like right now? Some streamer player who seems to have died and respawned says they got killed by a canine creature emerging from the darkness, but are there actually any canine creatures?
40 Relaxed Walker
>>36
According to the help guide, the safe zone can be set as a respawn point, but you can’t warp. You’ll probably have to walk back to town or die and respawn~. Hang in there!
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The starry sky—indeed, from here you can see a vast, unobstructed expanse of stars. The light at my feet was faint, even the moss glowed softly so I could see the stars clearly and in great number.
I let the starry sky soothe me for a while, but then I realized I couldn’t carelessly step outside the safety zone either.
…Since I’ve got time, I’ll snap a photo of the starry sky and post it on that thread from earlier.
I activated the screenshot function from the menu to take a photo when a Night Dog appeared from the nearby grass. But it didn’t attack since I was in the safety zone.
Was this my chance to snap a shot??
Quietly lying flat on the ground, I positioned myself so the Night Dog, moon, and starry sky would look just right… Click.
I feel a sense of accomplishment at getting a nice angle shot, so I post it to the thread.
48 Relaxed Walker
Woof woof
[Photo showing Night Dog looking cool against the background of the moon and starry sky, taken from a low angle looking up]
Yeah, this is good! I’ll read other threads for a bit longer, then log out and kill some time.
The Night Dog is a tough enemy in the early game, but monster repellent potions work incredibly well. Dogs have a keen sense of smell.
The main character could have safely returned to town with the ‘Low-Grade Monster Repellent Potion’ they bought at the tool shop, but they’ve forgotten about that potion.
They also forgot to appraise the Night Dog’s drop item. They must have been exhausted from battle. Please get some rest.