[SP-F1] Thinking About The Future <<Earning a Living (Blacksmith)>>

[Tanoshi 0]

"2500 Col..."

Tanoshi counted the amount of Col he had under the oppressive heat of the AIncrad Sun. He was worried that he might run out of money soon. Even in this game, money talks. Without money, you wouldn't be able to afford good equipment and as a result, you will die easily if a battle was to happen. Not only that, money was also used for inn, housing and food. It didn't matter that this was a game, you would still have basic needs, if you didn't eat, your stomach would be rumbling non-stop and you wouldn't be in the right condition to fight.

He sighed after going through all the options available to gain money. Most of them were just too much for him, he didn't think that he was strong enough to take on any quests at the moment, even a boar was just too much for him. The money wasn't worth risking his life. He placed the brown pouch of coins back into his inventory and headed off for the marketplace trying to find something to save him from his starvation.

Spoiler

Stats
Level 1
HP: 20/20 | EN:2/2 | DMG: 4 | MIT: 0 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 0

Skills
*Weapon Skills
>>Novice Two-Handed Weapons (+3 base damage)

Sword Arts

Rank 1

[x2 AoE] Blast (2 Energy +2 per target hit) - A pair of horizontal sweeping strokes that hits multiple targets.

[x2] Straight (2 Energy) - Begins with the player bending their knees before thrusting forward with a singular powerful strike covering the gap between you and your opponent

.Equipments

Weapon(s): Rare T1 Two-Handed Straight Sword (+1 ACC, Bleed)
Armor(s): Vanity Leather Armor

Battle-ready Inventory

1) 3 Starter Healing Potions (heals 50 HP)
2)
3)
4)
5)

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Upon arrival of the market, his starvation was worsen by all the different scents of food, they smelled so realistic, some actually smelled better than the fancy food he had back in the real world. The scents took control of his body, soon, he suddenly found himself standing in front of a food stall selling soup belonged to an NPC. After a chain of interactions, he discovered the prices of the soup, which astonished him. If he was to buy any of the delicious bowl of soup, he would be broke. He bit his lips and darted off in bitterness, checking the other stalls and stores. 

Getting around in the floor 1 marketplace was genuinely complicate all because of the large number of players. Sometimes, Tashino would bump into someone, during times like these, the adolescent would just sneak away to avoid putting up a fight.

After a while, Tanoshi still couldn't find something to eat...

[Tanoshi 0]

Then, as he came to what he remembered was the end of the marketplace, he noticed something odd, he swore to god that there weren't this much stores before, but now, beyond his eyes, there were so many new stores, tailor shop, blacksmith's,... all kinds of things. Could it be a new update? Wait...do the game even has updates??? Anyways, I better check them out, might have something cool. Just as Tanoshi finished his thoughts, he walked towards the lines of new boutiques. Not only were the new shops surprised him, but also the retailers. They had no S NPC marks above their head, could it be that they were real players?! He never knew that players could open stores. Maybe he must achieve a skill or something before doing so...

Then, he encountered someone familiar....a blacksmith girl....
<<VANESSA>>

Vanessa was a bit taller and older than Tanoshi, she was the first girl that Tanoshi and Hiroto met in the game. When he first met her, she had long red hair that reached her middle-stomach. However, somehow, she had managed to turn it into an undercut, which seemed punky and cool, though, Tanoshi didn't really like it.

He remembered the first day in Aincrad, Vanessa was the one helping Hiroto and Tanoshi with understanding the mechanic of the game, she seemed to be pretty proficient in playing the game, she must had played something similar. Vanessa was also there when Hiroto died, none of them was able to save him. After that, they parted way. Seeing her again was a bit emotional for Tanoshi, as if meeting an old friend again. He took a deep breath and walked forward, decided to greet her.

[Tanoshi 0]

Just as Vanessa saw Tanoshi at her shop, Vanessa spoke up before he could while forming a bog, wide, welcoming smile: 

"Oi oi! It's Tanoshi isn't it? We haven't seen each other for like ages! Are you here today to get yourself some new equipments?

Tanoshi was surprised by the fact that she remembered who she was before he even reminded her anything, besides, they only hanged out for a day or so. He scratched the back of his head and grinned, replying:

"No actually, just here to see how well your business is, stopping by to say hello I mean."

Vanessa laughed at Tanoshi's statement. She took a look through his equipments and frowned:

"You are not going to last long with those, ya know? You strongly need new ones...!"

Tanoshi sighed at her stubbornness then decided to look around her shop, taking good observation of the equipments hanging all over the place. He believed that those were actually pretty quality, as good as the ones he saw in NPC's stores, or maybe better!

[Tanoshi 0]

Then, as Tanoshi was checking up the last section of the store, a flash of thought ran through his mind. He was having this idea about the reason why players were able to set up stores like these and now, maybe he was about to get the answer to his question as his friend right there was a blacksmith herself. Tanoshi then joyfully jogged back to Vanessa, who was working on a sword by the anvil. Vanessa looked up noticed that Tanoshi was approaching her and asked:

"See? I have quality stuffs right? Found something you wanna buy huh?"

Tanoshi shook his head, feeling a bit bad that he didn't buy anything from Vanessa. He slightly scratched the back of his head and looked down.

"Not really...and yes! Your weapons and armors are in good quality! Though, I don't think I need them now. I have a question to ask you..."

"What is it?"

"How did you even become a blacksmith?! I am running out of money and I need to find ways of making money! Please tell me how to!"

She chuckled at what Tanoshi just said and then opened up the map in her menu.

"You are a true noob Tanuki. So here's the way, there is a quest called Earning a Living and it is broken down into many professions but if you wanna be a blacksmith, visit <<Cerdic Leighton>> here on the map..." She marked a point on the map.

Tashino observed it closely and soon, he figured out where it was so he rushed for the door, wanting to earn the job as soon as possible. However, he paused as he stood in front of the rusty door. The boy turned back and smiled, sending Vanessa a <<Friend Request>>

"Thank you!"

Vanessa smiled and accepted the request, looking as Tanoshi headed out of her shop, running toward the blacksmith's.

 

[Tanoshi 0]

Tanoshi ran pass the fountain located in the middle of the City, where he first met Violet, a fellow player, moving toward the remote section of the city, the place that Vanessa showed him a long time ago - where they both first met each other. Soon, he arrived at a small building located in the corner, he stood still and observed. This must be it! Tanoshi was certain because he heard the clang of metals touching, the working sounds, all of the sound a blacksmith would produce. He slowly approached the building, opening the old, rusty wooden door, which made a loud creak. However, the tanned skin man inside the building didn't seem to notice, maybe because he was too busy working or that he was an NPC.

The boy spoke up without any greetings, thinking that it wasn't necessary for an NPC, all he needed to do was to spoke the key words to trigger a dialog.

"I want to be a blacksmith." He said, thinking that was the key words.

"A blacksmith, eh? Well, you've come to the right place!" The man standing over an anvil and wielding an impressive smithing hammer greeted Tanoji with a hearty guffaw. "May not be the easiest or prettiest lifestyle, but the ole' anvil won't let you down when you need some sturdy weapons and armors." A few loud clangs ring out through the smithy as Cerdic drove the flat of his hammer into the red-hot metal of a straight-sword in progress, "Tell you what. Go scrounge up five pieces of ore and I'll show you how to use 'em along with a hammer of your own. There should be plenty in the caves past the southern forest--heck, you may even find some layin' around half-buried in the dirt! Just bring 'em here and we'll make you into a proper blacksmith." Cerdic nodded with another boisterous laugh.

Guess that was the dialog... he opened up the <<Quest Menu>> and checked the <<Objectives>>.

<<Find 5 T1 Materials>>

"Guess that's my plan then..."

Tanoshi then closed the window and headed out of the door, going towards the field.

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135525 ---- LD: 4 (No material found)

The boy ran through the fields filled with monsters, disrupting the silence of midday. Based on his map, the cave that he needed to find wasn't so far from where he was currently, which eased him because he was getting tired of dashing but if he stop, monsters might attack him. However, he remembered the NPC saying something about materials being stuck in the rocks, how would he be able to take them off the rubble?! He let out a deep sigh, bored by the fact that he must scavenge cluelessly for irons leaning by the ground. It could take him all day! After a while, he finally arrived at the cave. Tanoshi slowly walked inside the dark tunnel. The boy began his seach of iron. However, even after looking through the darkest corners, no irons were found, the God of Luck wasn't on Tanoshi's side that day. He calmed himself that he would be able to find some soon, that was just some beginner's failures.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135526 --- LD: 13 (No material found)

It was hard for Tanoshi to see in the dark, he bet that he might had missed a few materials on the ground by now. The deeper he walked into the cave, the harder it was to see and the chances for monsters to spawn are higher. He had never liked caves, they are wet, dark, dirty and dangerous, it could also be due to the fact that he was a "prince", always staying in his little mansion and rarely went outside. He sighed in boredom. The boy kneeled down, trying to shove the dirt with his hand, trying to see if there were iron ores buried deep down under the ground but all he got was a broken nail and dusts in his eyes. He angrily slammed his hand at the ground and cursed god for making him being unlucky, however, he couldn't give  up, he must go on and locate all 5 materials, he needed to survive....

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID:#135528 --- LD: 12

Clearly, working in the dark was unnecessarily hard, why didn't he just work on the outter parts and the surrounding parts of the cave?! Tanoshi picked himself up from the ground and walked the opposite direction, heading to where the light had been. On his way, a rock made him trip and fall, which he turned back and cursed it. Then, Tanoshi began to walk around the cave, looking as carefully as he could, all he needed were 5 simple shards of iron and god couldn't provide him with it?! Jesus. He was irritated by the fact that his luck level could be 0 at the moment. He tried the same old trick again - digging the ground with his bare hand but nothing ever seemed to work. He also tried looking in bushes or near the lakes, but nothing was found so he go back to the cave, but this time, only scan the outter parts.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135529 --- LD: 8

His hope was once again extingushed by god himself, he slammed his hand into a tree and groaned. 

"AH! AH! AH!" 

The boy was truly impatient, he couldn't take it anymore so he flopped on the ground, texting <<VANESSA>> asking for tips on gathering materials. However, she didn't respond, which wasn't too surprising because she was busy, the girl had a business to run and he didn't want to bother her so he flopped back up and keep seaching hopelessly. If he could only find one of them, his flame of Hope would be fired up again, but so far, none had been found. A strategy is needed in times like these! The boy thought, though, he couldn't come up with any yet. Maybe I shouldn't have disrespect God earlier... he bent down and began to pray, hoping that god could forgive his sins. Then he set off, thinking that he had been forgave and trying to keep an optimistic mood.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135532 -- LD: 6 (no material found)

He went back to seaching for the materials, Tanoshi checked under rocks, in bushes and still, nothing was found. He sighed in sadness, but he still didn't want to give up. Tanoshi took his sword out of his inventory and began to slash it at the ground, using the sword as a shovel. He knew that doing this would harm the durability of his sword but who even cared? He could get himself a new one easily if he became a blacksmith. Tanoshi was fantasizing the dream of being a blacksmith while digging up the dirt ground. He imagined himself being a professional one, greeting hundreds of customers a day and have a successful business, he imagined crafting the best pieces of weapons ever, going as strong as killing a boss in one hit. The best part was he would be able to meet different types of people: men or women and maybe, he'd be able to find himself a lover? Who was he lying to, he wasn't interested in dating...

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135534 --- LD: 6 (no material found)

He sat by a tree thinking about the day that he got here, a lot of "what-if" scenarios appeared in his head. What if he didn't play the game? What if he and Hiroto never went hunting? He began to regret several of his decisions. Even if he justified them by saying that no-one could see the future, nothing would change, he made mistakes and now his friend was dead, he was stuck in a stupid game with a chance of never getting out of this. Anyways, back to the business. He went around to seach again, hoping that this time he could find something. He regretted not taking this quest earlier, maybe by now, all the ores had been taken by the other players, he was a late bird, all the worms were eaten. Still, there could be some left, he comforted himself.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135536 --- LD: 20 (One piece of material found)

Soon, something interesting happens. As Tanoshi went back to seach the cave-outter, he discovered something glittering in the night, it was shiny, shined like iron. Figuring that could be what he was looking for, the boy approached it and as soon as he touched it, a dialog window appeared:

<<1 T1 MATERIAL OBTAINED (1/5)>>

He widened his eyes and grinned, feeling that he had accomplished something really big. "One down, four to go!" He confidently said as he had began to make some progress, Tanoshi was determined that he would encounter more on his way so he continued his seach. However, his spirit had been boosted by the discovery of the item so he wasn't as hopeless as before. He enthusiastically jogged around the entrance of the cave, hoping that there'd be some drops there. Then, he moved on to the plains, the fields, anywhere he could think of.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135538 --- LD: 16 (one piece of material obtained)

Tanoshi was more willing to seach for the iron ores because he had found one, so there could be many many more. His energetic spirit was boosted by the soothing wind, it calmed him, making him feel uncomfortable. He should definitely go out more often. The boy then went back to the cave and seached the area where he found his first piece of material. He observed as good as his could, paying attention to all the little details, looking out for glitters. What if they lie under the ground? He thought, although he had tried to dig the ground up, it was worth taking another attempt so he kneeled down and gently grab the dirt and throw it away to avoid damaging his nails or hands. Then, after what seems like one or two minutes, he finally reached what he was looking for. He picked the shiny piece of iron up and observed it closely, right after that, it vanished, leaving a window announcing that he had obtained it. "Alright then, 3 more!"

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135539 --- LD: 8

This time wasn't as successful as the last two ones. During the third attempt, he thought he would obtain another material, which made it 3 consecutive materials obtained. However, he was a bit disappointed. After the second try, Tanoshi attempted to keep digging the local parts, however, nothing was found and he made himself dirty, which was a thing he didn't know exist it the game. He reminded that he needed to take a bath after this. Tanoshi yawned realizing it had already been midday, it was clear that he had spent hours in this easy beginner's quest and so far, only a disappointing amount of 2 material pieces were obtained. He gritted his teeth and kept looking, still not giving up. As he was digging, he imagined having Hiroto nearby, that would definitely feel less lonely, Tanoshi then communicated with himself: with an imaginative Hiroto. Some minutes in and he had felt that he was pretty messed up talking to himself, could this be a possible symptom for insanity?

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135540 --- LD: 20 (One piece of material obtained)

Just then, he heard Hiroto telling him to keep trying, encouraging him to keep seaching which boosted the boy's spirit. Tanoshi decided to walk out of the cave to take a short rest. However, he soon stepped on something: a shard of iron. Firstly, his instinctual was to scream in pain, it annoyed him that even though this was a game, injury was real. Right after that, he looked down to check the culprit and when he found out it was a material piece, it eased his pain, as if it had ceased the pain from existence. He held it in his hand and the item disappeared, causing the window announcing that he had obtained the item appear. Tanoshi smiled as he only needed a few more and he would be done with everything here, he could go back to the blacksmith's and begin the real crafting. He could definitely hear Hiroto cheering up for him.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135541 --- LD: 17 (obtained material)

Tanoshi was now truly believed that he had gone mad. While he was lying under a tree, the "imaginative" Hiroto came to him with a smile, a weird one. Tanoshi couldn't believe that his imagination had flew through the roof, this imagination figure looked so real that he couldn't believe it, but now, he just couldn't make the guy disappear, he wasn't real, he was all in Tanoshi's mind, he try to convinced himself but nothing changed. Hiroto spoke up after a while of uncomfortably staring Tanoshi:

"I know where a material could possibly locate...."

Tanoshi narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to the right, that was something he would wanna hear from someone right now, but not an imaginative dead guy. He frowned a bit and questioned Hiroto back:

"You do...?

Hiroto nodded and walked away, thinking that it was worth a try, Tanoshi followed the "ghost" into the cave again. After a while, Tanoshi found himself in the cave again. He saw an iron piece lying under Hiroto's leg. He picked it up and the usual notification appeared.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135542 --- LD: 3

He only needed one piece of material left and he was done with this objectives of the quest. During his process achieving the final piece of iron, he was a bit hasty and rushed. He didn't check as carefully as last time and he believed that he could had missed a few ones already, however, he was too excited that he just couldn't help it... The boy decided to flop down on the ground and take a rest, looking at the clouds passing by.

"Does this remind you of anything Hiroto?"

He asked his imaginary friend, still looking at the "sheeps" on the sky, this felt just like back in when they first met, when Hiroto and him would frequently lie near the lake to look at the passing clouds, it felt as if those days have disappeared forever... 

"Yeah...kinda remember it, not sure though."

"You never seem to remember anything, don't you?"

The imaginary Hiroto stuck out his tongue and scratched his head.

Edited February 6, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135558 --- LD: 12

He went back to his seach after a while, this time he spent more concentration on the job. Sometimes, he would turn to look at Hiroto and asked him if he saw anything which every time, Hiroto shook his head. Tanoshi sighed, hoping that there could be someone nearby that could possibly save his helpless self, it was only one piece of iron left and he still  couldn't find it?! How pathetic he was! The boy told himself as a mean to encourage himself, but that just got him more pessimistic. He let out a long sigh and scattered through the bushes, sometimes, the branches would irritate him, but he just ignore them and try to find the iron ore. Then, he looked at the lake, could he really swim in this game? He asked himself, considering whether he should dive down or not. In the end, he chose not to risk his live. 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Tanoshi

[Tanoshi 0]

Roll ID: #135559 --- LD: 7

He decided to spend a moment taking a rest. He flopped onto the ground, enjoying the realistic chirping of the birds, the loud sound of the flowing river. Sometimes, a toad would join this beautiful symphony... As the calm breeze of Mother Wind blew through him, his eyes got heavier and heavier.... Eventually, he fell asleep on the beautiful green grass. Who could possibly not fall asleep in this beautiful and calming place?

He dreamt about the good old days, the days that Hiroto and him could spend hours at the arcade, the karaoke, sometimes, there would be other people keeping them company, his bodyguards for instance.

Tanoshi felt as if someone was shaking him hard, disturbing his sleep but he just waved the person away...

He suddenly woke up after a nightmare, seeing Vanessa sitting besides him.

"Finally awake eh? Had to close my store because I was worrying about you..."

"You don't have to do it...I've almost finished."

"You could have died if I didn't find you, there could be PKers lurking around, waiting to kill you in your most vulnerable state?"

Right...Tanoshi completely forgot about it, he was totally charmed by the scenery that he forgot killing was a thing. He silently looked around, believing that he had slept for an hour or two, the sun was still up. He picked himself up and walked away, telling Vanessa to wait for him, Tanoshi set off to find more iron ores....

Edited February 6, 2020 by Tanoshi