novelraw Chapter 33 – Step out of your comfort zone
Chapter 33 – Step out of your comfort zone
With the system's help, building the Starter Village became a less daunting task.
Like assembling building blocks, players on Sakura Island quickly completed their residences in the first Starter Village.
Many imaginative players had already started constructing walls and arrow towers at designated locations based on the terrain.
After all, the system hinted that the sturdier the Starter Village, the better, as something unexpected might happen in seven days.
"Higashizaki-kun, thank you so much. If it were just me, I wouldn't have been able to build the arrow tower so quickly."
"You're welcome, Murata-kun. This game is truly incredible."
"Indeed, now I believe there's a deity above us. Long live the Emperor!"
...
As players discussed and explored in groups, Harutamoto-no was quietly doing his own thing in a corner at the edge of the Starter Village.
【Congratulations on building an arrow tower by yourself, gaining 1000 Invasion Points】
【Congratulations on building a section of wall (10m) by yourself, gaining 500 Invasion Points】
【Wood Resources and Stone Resources have been depleted】
Harutamoto-no wiped his sweat and let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his body was digitized; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to complete so much work with his bulky frame.
"With the house construction, I now have 2500 Invasion Points. Let's see what I can buy with them..."
With that thought, Harutamoto-no opened the Invasion Points store, which was divided into 10 levels, with only the first 10 levels currently open, categorized into Equipment, Enhancement, and Daily Necessities.
He first opened the Equipment section, which contained only five items:
Militia Standard Armor Selection Box (Common) (500 Invasion Points)
Militia Standard Weapon Selection Box (Common) (500 Invasion Points)
Staff (Common) (500 Invasion Points) (Mage required)
Robe (Common) (500 Invasion Points) (Mage required)
Cleric's Mace (Common) (500 Invasion Points) (Cleric required)
The first two seemed to be for physical classes, with no restrictions, usable even without a class change.
The last three, without a class change, would render the staff just a stick, the robe merely a cloth garment, and the Cleric's Mace just a hammer, with no real use.
But Harutamoto-no wasn't concerned about that; he was interested in the fact that this world had magic.
This meant he had the chance to become one of those exalted mages from novels, casting Fireburst Spells with his left hand and Lightning Storms with his right!
How could Harutamoto-no not be tempted?
With excitement, he opened the Enhancement section of the store, and indeed, the class changes for Warrior, Mage, and Cleric were there.
Each class used different powers: Battle Aura, Magic, and Divine Power, forming their own skill systems.
Class change required reaching level 5 and spending 1000 Invasion Points.
Level 5?
After building his house and arrow tower, he had already reached level 5.
Without hesitation, Harutamoto-no changed his class to Mage and exchanged for a staff.
His status panel changed:
【Name: Harutamoto-no】
【Level: 5】
【Class: Mage Apprentice (Tier 1) (0-10)】
【Health: 500】
【Magic: 200 (Spirit x20)】
【Strength: 5】
【Constitution: 5 Armor: 50】
【Spirit: 10 Attack: 150 (Spirit x15)】
【Skills: Fireball Spell, Light Spell, Appraisal Spell】
Clearly, with each level up, a mage's strength and constitution increased by one point, while spirit increased by two.
He checked the class description and found that with each advancement, a mage's attribute points per level would gradually increase, fitting the fantasy world setting where the strong get stronger.
After some research, he also exchanged for a Militia Standard Leather Armor to wear.
His strength attribute only allowed him to wear leather armor; wearing a robe would only add a Cleanse Spell, which had poor defensive effects.
Finally, Harutamoto-no exchanged for a piece of bread and a clay pot of water from the Daily Necessities store, ate and drank his fill, and began his adventure in the otherworld.
"I will become the strongest mage! Then find a succubus wife, an elf wife, and maybe even the princess of the human kingdom... hehehe."
Harutamoto-no murmured happily, with such wonderful thoughts, he stepped out of the Starter Village into the safe zone.
The temporary safe zone of the Starter Village was a plain, occasionally dotted with shrubs and woodlands, with a vast terrain.
It could easily accommodate over five thousand players exploring without running into each other.
There were also many creatures in the safe zone, but they seemed to be ordinary beasts, which didn't interest Harutamoto-no much. His magic was limited, and his skills should be reserved for critical moments.
After wandering around, he finally arrived near a small hill before dusk.
The hill was nestled between woodlands, with a half-human-height cave on its side. Harutamoto-no tried casting an Appraisal Spell:
【Black Bear's Cave, due to some unknown reason, the black bear will return in seven days】
The Appraisal Spell, capable of identifying everything, was truly powerful.
Harutamoto-no couldn't help but praise his good fortune.
The black bear's absence for seven days was likely due to the temporary safe zone. If the black bear were here now, it would probably be an elite monster in this area.
Such elite monster caves usually contained treasure chests.
With this expectation, Harutamoto-no cautiously approached the cave, casting a Light Spell as he went.
It wasn't that he was overly cautious; he just didn't want to encounter any poisonous snakes inside.
As a top player, he couldn't afford to fail in such a trivial situation.
Under the bright glow of the Light Spell, everything inside the cave was revealed.
It was a cave with a five-meter diameter, with an unpleasant smell. The damp, moss-covered ground was littered with animal bones.
Clearly, leftovers from the black bear. Looking further inside, a black metal treasure chest sat neatly on a half-human-height rock platform.
【Black Iron Grade Chest】
"Fantastic!"
Harutamoto-no excitedly clenched his fist and hurried to the Black Iron Grade Chest. The slippery moss on the ground almost made him fall.
【You don't have a key for the Black Iron Grade Chest. Would you like to spend 200 Invasion Points to exchange for one?】
"A key? So hardcore??"
Harutamoto-no slapped his forehead in frustration, but upon reflection, it made sense.
Normally, he should have defeated the black bear to get the chest, and the black bear would likely drop the key.
"Exchange it."
Harutamoto-no, though reluctant, couldn't just leave the Black Iron Chest behind. He had tried, but the chest couldn't be put into his backpack.
Spending 200 Invasion Points, Harutamoto-no obtained a simple, ancient-looking black iron key.
Excitedly, he inserted the key into the lock, turned it gently, and with a creak, the chest emitted a burst of white light, and the reward shot out, hitting him in the face.
【Tier 1 Ice Mage Skill Book: Ice Spike Spell】
"Amazing! A skill book scroll right off the bat?!"
Harutamoto-no's chubby hand trembled slightly as he held the scroll.
He wanted to take a screenshot of the skill book and show it off in the channel, maybe sell it for some Invasion Points, but then he remembered the game didn't prohibit player killing.
Feeling a chill in his heart, he immediately tore open the Ice Spike Spell and learned it.
Looking at the Ice Spike Spell now solidified in his skill bar, Harutamoto-no calmed his breathing:
"The world is on the brink of destruction, so forget about making money. Only by becoming stronger can I live well and more excitingly."
"Don't be that cowardly fool anymore, Harutamoto-no!"
With that thought, Harutamoto-no left the Black Bear Cave.
Not far ahead of him was the boundary of the Starter Village's safe zone.
He hesitated for a moment, but with a belief in becoming stronger, he resolutely stepped out.