[PP-01] <<The Fourth Lesson, Is Actually Free>>

[Valentine 0]

The sun pleasantly shone upon Valentines feature's as he waited. Hael was not at the location like agreed upon. At this point Valentine was just becoming used to it. Walking the short distance to the quest location right by the lake. He went first as per usual and turned in the item received from Hannah. A withered old man NPC opened it to reveal a fishing rod.

"Hmm. Yes this is the package I needed. I have something to do but a need a strapping youngster to help me out. Would you mind accompanying and helping me out?"

Even if this was not a quest Val could never turn down an elderly person. "Yes. I will be more then willing to. Would you mind if I wait for a friend?"

The old man smiled at Val before replying. "That is fine. The both of you can help carry my boat out. It will make this trip a lot easier."

 

 

Spoiler

 

Name: Valentine

Level: 9

• HP: 180/180
• EN: 18/18

Stats:

• Damage: 8
• ACC:3
• EVV:2
• MIT:5

Equipped Gear:

• Weapon: <<Dastardly Poker>> ( +3 DMG/2HAS)
• Armor: <<Cloudskin>> ( +2 EV, +1 Regen/Light Armor)
• Trinket: <Eye of Horus>> ( +3 ACC/Pin)

Items on hand:

 

Skills:

• 2 Handed Assault Spear [Rank 2]
• Light Armor [Rank 1]

 

 

Edited October 15, 2020 by Valentine

[Hael 0]

As per usual, Hael was running late. Punctuality was not his strongest suit for one, as he was a bit of a scatterbrain. A typical day would have him set out early, only to be distracted by something. Today was such a case. A crowd of players in the Town of Beginnings crowded at a vending cart, perusing cheap culinary consumables. Mop of unruly brown locks peeked in between the circle, to find a large, scrumptious watermelon on display. The usual good was marked down by twenty-five percent. The eager penny pincher stepped into the ring and fired up a transaction. At the convenient click of a button, he shifted two large ones to his inventory. They doubled as energy buffs, if desired, a perfect battle aid.

A quick stop at Hannah's on the way, and he received the package to deliver to ol' Pete. Just as he withdrew it from the inventory, he noticed how much time had passed. Hael gasped. Just how? He'd only left the house a minute ago---

Nonetheless, he fired up a message to let Val know he'd be there shortly.

In due time, Hael carried the bulky package down to the fishing dock. A familiar head of silver turned his way and he waved. "Oops, sorry about that. Watermelon flash sale! I couldn't miss such a deal." He handed the package to the grey haired man next to him. "This'll be your parcel, sir."

[Valentine 0]

Valentine simply nodded his head in agreement. He did not mind Hael being late it was a feature that amused him when it came to the man. The fact that he went out of his way to make sure to pick up watermelon was a testament to his information skills. If Val knew about the sale he would have gone to it himself. No way would he ever allow himself to miss out on a sale. Buying the things he needed at a cheaper rates meant money save up for gear, better gear meant better time raiding and growing stronger.

"It is not a problem. Help me get this boat into the water when you can. We can head out and start knocking this quest out the way. Then you can take me to the sell. Watermelon is a good food. Unless it was a flash sale." As Val grew to closer to Hael he found it easier to converse. It could be the effects of the mystical thing called friendship.

[Hael 0]

Hael let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a relief that Val wasn't mad, but again, he seemed rather stoic most of the time. He'd come to find that his comrade's default face was a neutral one, neither this nor the other. "Yeah, for sure! I'll take you back there after this is over with." He flashed the man a smile. He noticed that as time passed, conversation had grown smoother. It was a nice change and Hael was glad that they'd been getting along. Carob eyes diverted towards the boat ahead, the old man grabbing the hull.

The brunette rolled up his sleeves. "Hollup a sec, I'll get it." Thin, frail arms grasped the side of the boat tightly. He spared a glance at the fisherman to see that he was lifting up the hull. The back needed a third set of arms to push the rowboat into the waves. Luckily, three people seemed more than efficient for the task.

[Valentine 0]

The boat was able to get into the lake. Val was nervous because he never took up the swimming skill. He could do the basic swimming but the game decreased his energy faster. The sooner they could finish and get out of the water the better.

An old hand like Pete could sense the subtleness of deep waves. He could sense the trepidation underneath Val's face with ease. "The boat is sturdy and cannot be done in easily. We only need to catch one specific fish. You guys can keep anything else you find." It was all Valentine needed to hear to get his will blazing. He refused to be done in by a fish or miss out on getting extra stuff. "One of you can try your hand at handling the line. If you get a bite wheel it in. If it is the finish I need be sure to catch it."

Valentine cast the line with the ability of a seasoned fishermen. It was exactly two minutes, four second, and 52 milliseconds before a bite. Valentine wheeled it in to reveal a large swordfish.

ID: 172928    CD: 7 (fish on line)

Edited October 16, 2020 by Valentine

[Hael 0]

"Yessir!" Hael nodded. On second thought, he looked down at his long trousers. The waves lapped up at the bottom of his soles. He was, unfortunately enough, going to have wet socks. He rolled up his pant legs as well and began to push the boat into the waves with all his strength. After a momentary struggle, the canoe was suspended above the water. He hopped on top, wobbling over the shaky flooring. He fell back on his rear, palms gripping both sides of the boat.

Val assumed fisherman duty, seizing the pole for himself. "Ooh," Hael commented, "Y'know how to fish a big one?" An question that was rhetorical once the man plucked the massive sword fish out of the water. The boy gulped. "W-Woah, you aren't here to play." He intercepted the swordfish with a glowing punch, sending it flying back into the water lest it tip the entire boat over.

Spoiler

 

ID: 172931 [ BD: 10 / HIT ] | 5+2=7*4=28 DMG

Party:

Hael | HP:180/180 | EN:14/18 | DMG:5 | MIT:9
Valentine | HP: 180/180 | EN: 18/18 | DMG: 8 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 5

Enemy:
<< Sword Fish >> | HP: 7/35 | DMG: 50  (5) | NO +CRIT BD

 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Hael

[Valentine 0]

The swordfish was a willy creature on the hook. Even after it was punched within an inch of its life it did not stop moving. Val thought since it was a quest specific creature it should not shatter when the HP hit zero, if the HP actually hit zero. The best way to deal with his curiosity was to test his theory. Val tipped his spear over and held it between his legs, he whipped the fishing pole so the fish would fly towards the boat. As it got close Val used the propped spear to impale the fish.

The HP dropped to zero but the fish remained. It was no longer trying to attack as Val slid it off to regain his spear. "Will it be alright if we hang out here? We finished this quest a lot more quickly then I thought we would. The time block for my day has this portion set to the side."

 

Spoiler

 

ID: 172939 [ BD: 4+3= 7 / HIT ] | 8 DMG

Party:

Hael | HP:180/180 | EN:14/18 | DMG:5 | MIT:9
Valentine | HP: 180/180 | EN: 17/18 | DMG: 8 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 2 | MIT: 5

Enemy:
<< Sword Fish >> | HP: 0/35 | DMG: 50  (5) | NO +CRIT BD

 

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Valentine

[Hael 0]

As soon as the fish spawned, it had met its swift demise. Hael whistled at the sheer expertise displayed. Oddly enough, the fish didn't crystalize as most mobs did when killed. Much like the typical fish, it assumed its natural state as a corpse. In fact, it had turned into an inanimate immortal object. Hael thought it odd as they both threw the swordfish overboard. The boy dusted his hands. "Well, that was both exciting AND underwhelming." He plopped down on the rowboat and crossed his legs. "Was hoping it would put up a fight." They were still a way from shore out in the middle of the greater lake. "So, teach me how to fish like that sometime! That was so epic."

"I wanna chill on here a bit longer. Shore's a ways ahead." He skimmed his fingertips through the water, feeling the warm waves glide amongst him. Aincrad never failed to show beauty in the midst of this horror.

Spoiler

ID: 172999 | LD: 5 [ NO MATS ]

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Hael

[Valentine 0]

A hint of rose color painted his face as he thought about it. He probably did not know how to fish better than the NPC it was what he was made for. Val looked at the older gentleman then spoke. "I honestly believe I got lucky. The system makes certain things easier for some people. I doubt if I tried fishing again I would be successful." 

Valentine cast the line a second time and just reeled it in all crazy like. When he pulled it out of the water an aqua blue crystal was on the end of the line. Valentine felt more embarrassed as it did not go how he planned, he put the crystal away before speaking. "On second thought it could probably be the fishing line itself. That or some form of extreme beginners lucks. You should try it out." Valentine tried to give the rod to Hael. The old man did not say he could not nor did he try to stop them.

 

Spoiler

ID# 173002         LD: 15 (+1 T1 Mat)

 

Edited October 16, 2020 by Valentine

[Hael 0]

Hael shrugged. "Hey, I don't know the first thing about fishin'. Like how to hold one and all that jazz." He leaned back on the rowboat, head propped against his chin. Other hand reached over to skim the water. It was a beautiful day out on the lake, the boat rocking steady with the movement of the waves. He hummed a catchy tune as he listened to the ol' man sit passive between them. He didn't expect the man to say anything as he wasn't an artificial intelligence, a mere dummy to orchestrate quest details. There was a little something scripted in him, however.

Hael stared dumbfounded at the rod placed within his arms. "No, really I-" his words were cut off by the jovial old soul moving over on the rowboat. He grabbed the rod to demonstrate how to fish and the brunet analyzed. "Oh, so y'do that and..." He had a sudden epiphany. "This is cake. C'mon, give it." He flipped his bangs to the side and cast the line, tentative. Much to his joy, it was a successful hook of something! Something like... algae. Hael scrunched his nose. "Well it's somethin', eh?" A deflated sigh escaped him.

Spoiler

ID: 173081 / LD: 20 / 1 T1 MAT

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Hael

[Valentine 0]

"You two kids remind me of when I was young. I did nothing but fish all day. If I did not fish on my boat I would fish up the ladies on land. Fishing is a joy but we cannot stay out here for too long. The poor fish may go bad and I will not be able to cook it well." The old man chimed in as Val wasted some time. Valentine was smart enough to understand a warning from the system when he heard one. The fact that they were using a quest item for personal means would never be allowed. The system only allowed it for a moment since they beat the boss very quickly.

Val did not say anything as he plucked a flower off the surface of the water. It was a pretty thing and Valentine admired the crystal like structure. When he plucked it the system recognized it as a crystal flower. A material that could be used to record songs.

 

Spoiler

ID# 173224           LD: 19     (1 T1 Material)

 

Edited October 17, 2020 by Valentine

[Hael 0]

Hael whistled. "Wow gramps, you must've been a real Chad! Teach me your ways." He moved onto his belly, fingertips skimming the surface of the water. The view among the tranquil lake alluded to some vision of paradise, waters impeccably crystalline. He could see down to the sand from up here. He mouthed a look of astonishment. "Hey Val?" Hael hummed. "I'm gettin' bored. Can we do somethin' elseee?" The brawl with the fish had only wrapped up a mere minute ago, albeit the boy was ever impatient. He was one to be up on his feet on the regular. Productivity was not his strongest suit. His stomach experienced an uncomfortable squeezing sensation. "Uuh," Hael patted his stomach. "I'm hungry." His mind then traveled to the watermelon sale. Hopefully some units were still in stock. "Oh yeah! We can hit the bazaar and grab some more of those melons on sale."

Spoiler

ID: 173961 | LD: 13 [ NONE ]

 

Edited October 20, 2020 by Hael

[Valentine 0]

The old man gave Hael a soft smile. This was the type of lad he did not mind teaching. After they got back on land the old man turned to them "The two of you should come by after you go to the market to finish your quest. By then I will have a good reward for the both of you."

Val eyes narrowed at the Grandpa like NPC. He already knew what the reward for the quest was. The reward was food this was among the highest completed quests. The information for it was everywhere. The system hurried them up because more people were coming to complete it as well. The quest reward was food here in SAO as long as the cooking skill was high enough and full course meal could be made in two minutes. Let alone the reward the old man was going to give. Val shook his head and could not help but wonder. Is he giving us a rare S class snack?

Besides the narrowing of his eyes his face revealed no other emotion. He nodded at Hael as if to confirm their departure. He really wanted to complete this quest, as well as get the melons.

[Valentine 0]

Val pulled the boats up to the dock and let the old man off. “I am actually going to stay and look around for a bit. If I can stock up on some more materials for my shop that would be great. You can head back with the old guy. I will send you a message later if you finish before I do.” Valentine spoke to Hael as he set off.

He believed that the lake had decent things to find. The monster already being dead made it somewhat safe. He believed his spear would be able to handle it if anything else. He could only blame himself if he managed to die on the first floor of all places. He stopped to look at a shiny stone that caught his eye. Since it was not a recording crystal he placed it back down. Moving further out to look for the loot.

 

Spoiler

 

ID# 185667           LD: 1     (Nothing Found)

Total: 2 T1 Mats

 

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by Valentine

[Valentine 0]

Valentine felt a type of serenity envelop him as he looked about the lake. Looking for crystals was a type of grunt work that had the ability to calm oneself. Kind of like cleaning or doing the dishes. No one ever wanted to do it but sometimes it was just calming.

Valentine picked up a stone to put it back down. “I actually had some fun fishing. I wonder if I should ever pick it up.” It was a thought he had to himself as he kept looking back at the lake. As far as he was aware fishing was a skill that some people only bothered to pick up as a pastime. The people that did it the most, mainly the elderly, were able to make some easy Col off of it.  Val did not believe he would make a big name out of it. To feel serenity and make a bit of extra income would not be too bad. It was not like he could fight all the time.

 

Spoiler

 

ID	Battle	Craft	Loot	MOB	Character	Link	Purpose	Time
186430	3	2	6	5	Valentine	http://www.cydel.net/images/saorpg/diceroll/Msg_hover2.png	Searching for materials	2021-03-25 15:18:22

LD: 6    (Nothing Found)

Total: 2 T1 Mats

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Valentine

[Valentine 0]

Valentine poked a squishy thing with his spear tip, his eyes caught sight of something shiny. It was a stone that if he was correct it would be a crystal. When it was examined in his palm his hunch was correct. It was a performing crystal that would be perfect to record on. He put it away as a part of the treasure he found on the lake. The quest was not even completed and he was coming up with a bit of a bonus.

Valentine wanted to unequip his pants and wade in the shallow end of the water. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that someone could have easily been watching him. Valentine was not sure how it would work, but he was semi sure that he would be counted as a yellow player for flashing people. He doubted the people could see anything, it was just the gesture alone that could be counted as obscene.
 

 

Spoiler

 

ID	Battle	Craft	Loot	MOB	Character	Link	Purpose	Time
186431	5	5	16	1	Valentine	http://www.cydel.net/images/saorpg/diceroll/Msg_hover2.png	Searching for materials	2021-03-25 15:58:30

LD: 16    (1 Mat Found)

Total: 3 T1 Mats

 

 

Edited March 25, 2021 by Valentine

[Valentine 0]

Looking around Val was starting to get bored. He was wondering if he should finish up the quest and call it a day or look around for more stuff. The lake reminded him of when he first became a performer. He was in a similar situation of searching for recording crystals to use. He did it for most of the day before feeling satisfied. Life was so much easier back then compared to what he has to put up with at the moment.

Val realized his spear skills improved by bounds. He could only wonder if in the future he would become the greatest Spear Master. He could not imagine himself with his spear in hand. The life as a spearman was the fun part of joining the front lines. Not being able to find anything at this point. Val decided it was time that he slowly made his way back to the old fisherman's place.
 

 

Spoiler

 

 

ID	Battle	Craft	Loot	MOB	Character	Link	Purpose	Time
186432	7	12	4	1	Valentine	http://www.cydel.net/images/saorpg/diceroll/Msg_hover2.png	Searching for materials	2021-03-25 16:28:52

 

LD: 4    ( Nothing Found)

Total: 3 T1 Mats

 

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Valentine

[Valentine 0]

Valentine could not help but think the current lake side was one of the worse for farming. He believed that if he was on the other side he may have found a lot more recording crystals already. He could only blame his unlucky fate for not being able to gather more materials at the moment. Valentine calmed down more when he understood that he would have found a lot more of the crystals if he made an expedition of it.

As Valentine got closer to his destination he could not help but wonder what the man could have concocted. As far as he could think of he figured a fish sandwich would be ideal. A dish easy to pack and travels well. Val could not help but allow his mind to wander. Does SAO have a good condiment selection? The food he normally ate was pretty simple. It would be weird to eat a fish sandwich without hot sauce.
 

 

Spoiler

 

 

ID	Battle	Craft	Loot	MOB	Character	Link	Purpose	Time
186465	3	12	9	7	Valentine	http://www.cydel.net/images/saorpg/diceroll/Msg_hover2.png	Searching for materials	2021-03-25 20:22:41

LD: 9    ( Nothing Found)

Total: 3 T1 Mats

 

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Valentine

[Valentine 0]

Valentine picked up a stone that caught his eye as he walked. It was a nice angular stone that he believed to be perfect for skipping. Valentine sent it across the lake listening to the little splishing sounds it made as it skipped along. Valentine picked up another in passing before putting it away. The stone was an ugly recording crystal that could still work. He may have overlooked it if he did not pick it up by luck.

He made his way back into the fisherman's shack. “I made it. I hope the snack is as good as it smells.” The place had a delicious smell that permeated the air. Compared to the usual scent that reminded him of a bad gynecologist office.

“I finished making it a bit of time ago. Your friend already collected his and scampered off. You can come get yours as well.” Valentine smiled as he gingerly accepted the fish stew.
 

Spoiler

 

 

ID	Battle	Craft	Loot	MOB	Character	Link	Purpose	Time
186494	10	6	15	10	Valentine	http://www.cydel.net/images/saorpg/diceroll/Msg_hover2.png	Searching for materials	2021-03-25 21:00:40

 

LD: 15    (1 Mat Found)

Total: 4 T1 Mats

 

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Valentine

[Valentine 0]

Valentine put the food away happy to have it. “Thank you. This may actually be the best part of the quest chain. I have not had ample opportunity to taste great food. This will be a good boon.” For once the NPC smiled back at him. Charming old people must work on the same principle as outside the game. Complimenting an older person's cooking was always one way. The elderly did enjoy seeing the young eat their food with gusto.

“The secret is in the fish fry. If you ever find yourself becoming a fisherman I will be happy to sell you some at a premium price. Now get out of here so I can nap.” Valentine noticed his level rose as he completed the quest. He exited the building happy as a clam. The chain was finally complete and it was time for him to rest for a bit. He could always come back out to quest later.

 

Rewards:

Valentine- 4 SP (2 quest, 1 page, 1 bonus), - 1 Fish with +1 Vitality snack (+2 Energy Regenerated in Combat for one Thread), +400 Col , +4 T1 Mats

Edited March 26, 2021 by Valentine