(TN: I had a problem with the san, chan stuff from a while ago, as this is a fantasy game world. So when speaking to residents, there shouldn’t be any san, kun, or stuff like that. So what I’m going to do is whenever there is talk between players, I would use san, kun, chan, and such things. When the talk is with NPCs or goddesses, I wouldn’t use them; I would instead opt for Lady, Sir, or Mr. accordingly.)
Ruby’s friend, Shio, whom she had brought along, was quite energetic, to say the least—a girl who could only be described as sporty or perhaps ….an athletic junior. Her brisk way of speaking and her unwavering respect for us, as if we were her superiors, confirmed this impression. Personally, I would have preferred a more relaxed attitude.
“Perhaps you’ve heard from Ruby, but we operate as the ‘night parade’ party. Shio, you’re joining us too?”
“Yes! I’d like to do that~~ssu, Isam-san!”
She bowed energetically, to the point that the sound of it could be heard. Well, there was no need to be so formal.
“I see, I understand.”
With that I was about to request to add her to the party… but wait, wasn’t there a limit on the number of members I could add? Karl had already used one slot, so this wouldn’t work as it stood. In that case, I should use the new feature right away!
“Everyone, let’s take this opportunity to start a guild of our own.”
“Oh, right! If we stay as a party, Shio-chan won’t be able to join.”
“That’s exactly it. As for the guild’s name, what do you think? Personally, I think we should just use ‘Night Parade’ as it is.”
That seemed like the simpler option, and considering my lack of naming sense, naming things was nothing short of torture for me.
“Um, can I suggest something~ssu?”
Shio raised her hand enthusiastically; It seemed like she had an idea.
“Hmm? What is it?” I asked.
“Well, when I heard of Ruby’s game name, I thought it might sound cooler if we made the name in English~ssu.”
“Oh, really?”
So, while it would be written in kanji, the pronunciation would incorporate English elements. Just like the FSW races and jobs. That sounded interesting.
“Also, since we might have more members like me in the future~ssu, how about we go for ‘Night Walkers’ to give it a group-like and strong character vibe~ssu? What do you think~ssu?” (TN: Night Walkers is written in english)
“Night Walkers”… Not bad. In fact, it felt quite fitting.
“I support Shio’s idea, but what do the rest of you think?”
“That sounds good!”
“Yeah, it sounds strong.”
“The villain-ish vibe is pretty cool!”
With unanimous approval, it seemed like ‘Night Walkers’ had become our guild’s official name.
Hmm, it seemed to be well-received by the others as well!
“Shio-chan, you’re really good at this!”
“That’s not true~ssu”
Shio seemed a bit shy as Ruby praised her.
“Alright, from today onwards, let’s operate under the name ‘Night Walkers’. I’ll create the guild… and send invitations. Everyone, please accept my invitation.”
I checked as everyone joined the guild I quickly created from the menu. The guild, ‘Night Walkers’, had its starting point with these six members!
“Now, as for our future plans, we have already settled on what we’re going to do. Shio, do you have any specific goals or activities in mind? We won’t be going on adventures for now, so you can join in whenever you have free time.”
“Well~, I’ve just started, so for now, I’ll focus on leveling up~~ssu! When I logged in, I was told that an adult Birdian would provide me with some training~~ssu!”
Oh? If you’re of the same race as the NPC, they provide you with guidance. I’m envious!
“Is that so? Well, we’ll be here for a while, so if you ever need help or have questions, feel free to ask. There are also some titles and achievements that can be handy to earn sooner rather than later.”
“Really? In that case, I won’t hesitate to ask when I’m in a bind~~ssu!”
Shio replied enthusiastically; after saying that, she bowed her head energetically. There was no need for her to be so formal about it…
◆◇◆◇◆◇
It was late to mention this, but Shio’s race, the “Birdian Chick” was quite the sight to behold. They were little bird-like creatures, about the size of human children, wrapped in fluffy gray feathers.
The key difference between them and adult Birdians was not only their smaller size but, most notably, their inability to fly. I couldn’t say for sure whether there were any real-world bird species that could fly in their chick state, but it was a possibility.
It was ironic that a race known for its ability to soar through the skies couldn’t initially do so in the game. It reminded me of when Genjuro started as a lowly caterpillar.
Shio was planning to undergo training alongside the NPC Birdian Chicks. After receiving what amounted to a tutorial from them, she intended to join Ruby in hunting.
Well, considering the significant level gap, Shio would essentially be a spectator. No matter how familiar she was with the game, the disparity in playtime would make it impossible for them to be on the same level. Shio, who had been playing for less than an hour, couldn’t possibly compete on an equal footing with us, who could take down a Cyclops solo.
Her goal for now was to achieve her first evolution, and she aimed to do it as quickly as possible. I’m not sure just how fast she’ll be able to achieve her first evolution, but we were there to support her. So, before setting off, I explained the conditions to obtain the “Underdog” title. With Ruby by her side, I was confident that she would make it happen.
That being said, we decided to start our training to overcome everyone’s weaknesses. For this purpose, I had created something using my [Talismanry], and here it is:
――――――――――
Fireball Talisman – Quality: Scrap, Rarity: C (Common)
A talisman infused with the power of a fireball.
The quality is low, and its firepower isn’t particularly high.
Waterball Talisman – Quality: Scrap, Rarity: C (Common)
A talisman infused with the power of a waterball.
The quality is low, and its firepower isn’t particularly high.
――――――――――
First and foremost, I prepared Fireball talismans for Iris and Genjuro, both of whom had the [Fire Weakness], and a Waterball talisman for Jigoro. It was a relief to see my [Talismanry] level finally increase while creating these talismans, even though there were no notifications due to the system settings I had chosen.
Making these talismans was a simple task, requiring nothing more than paper and writing tools. To create them, I just had to think of the magic I could use, and a faint outline would appear on the paper, like a rough draft, which I would then trace. It was quite straightforward.
By the way, I couldn’t infuse advanced spells into talismans without raising my [Talismanry] level. Specifically, until [Talismanry] reached level 10, I wouldn’t be able to create talismans for spells like Flame Throw, or other [Flame Magic] spells that reached level 10 as well.
Due to this limitation, I could currently only create talismans for the lowest-level spells. Additionally, complex attribute spells like [Lightning Magic] couldn’t be made into talismans until [Talismanry] reached level 10. So Ruby going out with Shio was not a problem at all.
After all, there were no talismans left. I could continue using the spells I had personally adjusted, but I had my own work of creating talismans to do. So, for now, I decided to make it my goal to raise [Talismanry] to level 10.
“So, how do you use these talismans?” Jigoro asked.
“It seems you just need to throw them at the target,” I replied.
Talismans created with [Talismanry] were activated the moment you threw them, allowing you to unleash the magic they contained.
“I see. Then let’s give it a try right away! Here we go, old man!”
With those words, Jigoro aimed and threw the talisman toward Genjuro. The thrown talisman transformed into a small fireball and hit Genjuro.
“Whoa~! It’s more convenient than I expected!” Jigoro exclaimed.
“Yeah, though I knew it, the power is too low…”
For Jigoro, who rarely used magic, it must have felt both convenient and exciting. However, I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied. It was mainly because my [Talismanry] level was low, resulting in significantly reduced power.
I gritted my teeth in frustration. I wanted to level up quickly and achieve sufficient firepower.
“Hmm, this level of power is just right,” Genjuro remarked.
“It has taken a bit of your health, though. But it’s at a level where a potion can quickly heal it.”
While I found it unsatisfactory, it seemed just right to the person who initially took the hit. Well, well! With this level of power, they should be able to overcome their weaknesses!
“I don’t plan on locking myself away and solely focusing on overcoming my weakness, but I’ll make an effort to do it regularly when I find the time,” Jigoro stated.
“Consistent training is important.”
“That’s right, that’s right.” Jigoro nodded approvingly as he spoke. He might not like simple tasks, but if it meant getting stronger, he was all for it. He really was like a child!
“Alright then, I’ll keep making talismans steadily. What about you three?” I asked.
“I want to complete some Birdian quests before I dive into weakness training,” Iris said.
“I’ll have a talisman-throwing competition with the old man here,” Jigoro added.
“Sounds like a plan,” Genjuro agreed.
Great, everyone had their own tasks to focus on. It was unusual not to go on an adventure during the weekend, but it was fine to have weeks like this. It’s not like I couldn’t relax without being on the front lines.
◆◇◆◇◆◇
――――――――――
The level of [Talismanry] skill has increased.
――――――――――
“Phew, I’m finally at level 10…”
From that point on, I took breaks intermittently and spent an entire day in the game crafting talismans relentlessly until my goal of reaching level 10 in [Talismanry] was achieved. I was able to maintain my concentration throughout the task thanks to a mood stabilizer called Karl. Truly, thank you. With this, Ruby could also train to overcome her weakness.
Moreover, I had successfully elevated the quality of the talismans from ‘scrap’ to ‘inferior’. The increased power had caused Jigoro and Genjuro to complain about their rapidly depleting health.
“I’m back!”
“We’ve returned~~ssu!”
Oh? It seems Ruby and Shio have returned.
“Welcome back. How was your training?”
“It was great! Really easy to understand~~ssu!”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
The tutorial seemed to be quite easy. It seems she has reached the bare minimum level for combat now.
“You were really landing your shots pretty accurately! Just as expected from a pro in VRS games (Virtual Reality Shooter)!”
“But the instructor told me my archery skills were terrible~~ssu…”
“I see…”
Shio was the one using the bow, but according to the forum discussions, the bow was considered a ‘popular but tricky weapon’ in FSW. Such a reputation stemmed from the fact that without practice, hitting anything with it was nearly impossible.
The issue lay in how the bow was used. When you equipped the bow and aimed it, a circle appeared in your field of vision. This circle served as your aiming reticle. The arrows you shot would land inside this circle. Initially, this circle was quite large, making it almost impossible to hit distant targets.
Furthermore, when you moved while aiming, the reticle would expand to about 1.5 times its size compared to when you stood still. Shooting on the move, even for seasoned players, seemed to be quite difficult.
To narrow down the circle, there were only a few options: either using a high-quality bow, using high-quality arrows or leveling up in [Bow Mastery]. It required consistent training.
The only equipment Shio possessed was the starting gear, the “Beginner’s Bow.” It was the bare minimum of equipment available. This seemed like a scrap-level weapon to the Birdians, who were accustomed to using bows, and the instructor had apparently advised her to acquire a new one as soon as possible.
“So, they want you to buy a new one with gold?”
“It’s not like that. The instructor suggested that since she’s quite skilled, she should gather materials herself and have a local craftsman in the town make one for her,” Ruby explained.
“Probably some kind of event~~ssu.”
I see. So, it was likely an event that occurred for those who achieved a certain level of results during training with the starting equipment.
“What kind of materials do you need then?” I asked.
“The main body of the bow requires wood from the outskirts of the town, but the difficult part lies in acquiring the string, grip, and some decorative items,” Ruby said.
“I heard there are just the right kinds of enemies in the forest about ten minutes north of town who drop those materials~~ssu!”
Was there a place where the necessary items dropped? Moreover, it wasn’t too far away. If we hurried there, collected the drops, and then returned, we might be able to finish everything today.
“Ah, Isam, are you free right now? If so, why don’t you come along? What about Jigoro and Grandpa…Eh?”
I understood what Ruby was getting at. It was a place the instructor had recommended for Shio to gather materials, which probably meant it wasn’t a location with tough enemies. It was likely an area not too different from Firth City. I couldn’t imagine those two battle maniacs wanting to go to such a place, though.
My work had also reached a temporary stopping point, and I didn’t mind going. It would be a nice change of pace. However, I realized that the stock of talismans I had given to those two for their ongoing weakness-overcoming training would run out while I was away.
“Got it. Let’s go together. Just inform Iris about it; she might want to join too,” I said.
“Gotcha!”
“Understood~~ssu!”
Following my instructions, the two of them hurriedly left. Now, I should resume crafting talismans until they returned. However, I wouldn’t just stick to the fireball and waterball talismans I’d been making so far; I would also craft thunder arrow talismans for Ruby’s training.
Thanks to my increased [Talismanry] level, it could be tricky to manage the power without using “spell adjustment”, but in terms of skill experience points, it was quite rewarding, so I didn’t mind. I was also going to make a variety of spell talismans that I could currently create. While we were out, I’d have Jigoro and Genjuro test them out and provide feedback.
There was plenty to do, but for now, I should assist Shio with crafting her bow. I was looking forward to seeing what kind of weapon she could create!
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