Chapter 12: The underground lake
2186 Words
“So colorful and quite big for a starter town I should say. I ner expect to see this kind of town.”
Yuki looked around and raised a voice happily. Looking at Yuki to herself at the start of the game, she thought about it nostalgically.
They both used the name in real life in the game. So that they can avoid confusion in calling each other. Yuki also doesn’t have anything on her mind, to begin with.
Previously on the other game, Yuki played before. Yuki used a name like Snow because Yuki means snow when translated into English. But she decided to use her name instead for some kind of reason. Before when she is typing her name in character creation she hesitated in putting Snow as her name. That name did make some flashbacks from her past that she doesn’t want to remember.
Yuki and Kaede immediately registered as friends. And when they made a party. Yuki showed her personal status to Kaede.
Name: Sally
Level 1
HP: 32/32
MP: 25/25
STR: 10 (+11)
VIT: 0
AGI: 55 (+5)
DEX: 25
INT: 10
Equipements
Head: none
Body: starting armor
Right hand: Beginner sword
Left hand: none
Accessories: None
Skill: none
Seeing Yuki’s status Kaede looks at it weirdly. She started to think why Yuki scattered her status points like that.
“You’re raising too many statuses… That’s bad.”
“This is normal you know! Everyone is not dumb enough to pour all stats on one thing. In your case, it's quite a genius move I should say… Well, I didn’t rise my VIT for the meantime right now…”
“Why?”
“Dodging everything using my agility is my specialty. If don’t take damage then vitality isn’t needed right! I’m still not sure if I’m going to use magic… so MP and INT are okay if it's this low for now. STR is common because I need to deal damage to enemies.”
Kaede’s mind was burning and smoking. While Yuki is explaining her plan for her character. Kaede is making an expression “Wow, I don’t understand anything.”
After Yuki's explanation…
“You’re thinking a lot…”
Kaede is a very straightforward player. All she did is raised her STR and she don’ need to think of anything.
“In-game there are lots of things to be considered. Thought about a first-time player that won and battle event on the first try. Now that I think about it you got a prize, right? It’s equipment right?”
Yuki was curious because they were still the equipment that she had heard.
“That was a commemoration medal. I was expecting that it might be and equipment through…”
“Well, it’s not sure that it would still be like that the next event… Where are we going right now?”
When Kaede said that the destination was the underground lake. Yuki immediately nodded. Looks like she has an idea.
“If it's that, leave it to me! I have a great idea…”
Kaede listened to her honestly.
Yuki was running toward the underground lake. Even inside the game, Moving a lot will make the brain tired and the movement dulls, but this has individual differences with the players.
Depending on how well the brain works, differences between reaction and stamina will affect the player's skills.
The reason why Yuki can run this much was that she is used to gaming in Virtual reality. Meanwhile, Yuki was running, Behind her was Kaede. She was being carried by Yuki.
Kaede removed all her usual heavy equipment, so there might be more people who wouldn’t know it was Kaede.
STR stats are no relevant on equipping armors, but if it was carrying, STR is needed the more armor there is. That is the reason why Kaede remove her armor her equipment.
“Three kobold monster a head! Kaede!”
“Roger!”
Saying that Yuki put Kaede down and took a distance. using high-speed attack Yuki killed the kobold monsters in flash.
Kaede didn’t even notice the movement of Yuki. She claps her hand and said:
“Awesome.”
“Of course I am.”
Yuki who has high agility carries Kaede and runs to the underground lake, and if there is an enemy encounter. She puts down Kaede to fight them.
With that division of roles, they arrived at the underground lake one-fifth of the time it would take Kaede to go alone.
“It was very fast!”
Kaede said and opened her inventory and get herself equipped with her usual black armor and sword. Yuki was very proud that she is useful immediately.
“Hahahaha! Slow turtle Kaede… Kneel before me!”
“Hahahaha! Great Yuki! Yuki is the best!”
With the farce ended, the two started fishing. Yuki also bought her fishing rod, so they lined and waited together after hanging a thread toward the lake. And an hour later after they started fishing.
“I-It’s finally the third one!:
“Oh, it got hooked again!”
The fishing result was 3 for Kaede and 12 for Yuki.
“Thanks for bringing me to this lake. Just killing the fished fishes. I got my level went up.”
In fact, Yuki rosed to level 6.
In addition…
“I get fishing skill… My first skill was fishing skill. I’m quite disappointed but I can’t do anything about it. This game is unique because skill is not gained through leveling up. Skills are gain after fulfilling certain requirements to obtain them. I fish a lot that’s why I obtain this skill.”
“You leveled up… You should use your status points.”
“I will do that later after taking a few skills. FIghting style can be decided by skills. So I thought I should keep the status points. I can fight decently with base stats too.”
“You’re good… You advance player!”
“Well, it’s true that I played a lot of games.”
After saying that, they continued fishing for another hour. Kaede’s fishing result hadn’t changed. But Yuki who gained the skill of “Fishing” her fishing result goes up to 25 fish.
“How am I? Is it enough?”
“Just one more hour… Is it okay?”
“It’s okay, but I wanted to test something else… Instead of fishing, can I go hunt by diving?”
“It’s okay, but can a player do something like that?!”
“I think, it’s possible… I mean, it is Kaede who was testing ridiculous things up until now you know? I think that if it’s with my agility. I could probably kill at least one fish in a school? Since I’m good at swimming.”
After saying that, Yuki jumped to the underground lake. Yuki dove deep into the lake. She swam around the underground lake returned after an hour. She was breathing heavily, but you wouldn’t think that she was sprinting earlier with her stamina that was left.
Yuki immediately acquires dow skills “Swimming level 1 and diving level 1” Her swimming skill became a lot easier. Getting up from the lake she then opened her inventory and give Kaede the materials she’s searching for.
“80 pure white scales?! C-Can I have this?”
“I don’t need it too… In exchange, you should just help me the next time.”
“Then, with that! I promised… I’ll help you out.”
Kaede thankfully placed the 80 pieces of scales in her inventory. And there, Yuki started talking with a serious face.
“Kaede… If I was correct, wasn't dungeon found right now only two?”
“I think you're right?”
“At the bottom of the underground lake, there was a small side hole.”
“That is!”
Yuki who couldn’t hide her excitement nodded.
“It might be a dungeon entrance… But…”
“I can’t go right.”
With Kaede's status, she wouldn’t be able to dive decently. If she drowns, it’s her first death in this game.
“That’s why I’m thinking of capturing it carefully. I might also get unique series just like Kaede. That’s why…”
Kaede understood what Yuki was trying to say, she said, interrupting her.
“I’ll help you come to the underground lake! I can return the debt instantly!”
“I thought that you would tell that! As expected of Kaede!”
“It’s not that much!”
So to increase the level of winning and diving skills. Yuki once started swimming.
Kaede and Yuki were spending their time fishing and swimming at the underground lake. Even that is said. Kaede sometimes goes outside and lays around, and does a strange movement of using “Provole skill” and be attacked by monsters.
She was thinking of damage multiplier skills after her new sword is made so she was looking for a new skill.
…
The time was moving fast and it’s been two weeks since Yuki started.
It’s not like the two are always logging in at the same time. Yuki also plays at different times and gains a lot of skills that very easy to take other than Swimming and diving.
While the two of them are steadily readying up for the event, they are staying in the underground lake that night have a dungeon in the bottom of it.
“How long did I dove?”
Yuki rose from the water surface and asked Kaede the time.
“It’s amazing 40 minutes!”
“Having swimming level 10 and diving level 10 means... This is my current limitation. So if I don’t reach one way within 20 minutes. I’ll drown.”
Kaede then got a wonderful idea.
“How about I’ll send you a message using the friend chat after 20 had passed? The notification sound echoes inside the player's head so I think you’ll notice it.”
“Great idea, Kaede! Then… can I count you on it?”
“Leave it to me! Enjoy diving!”
“I’ll be going!”
Yuki dove in the water with amazing speed and entered the side hole. As expected that hole leads through its back. The hole stretched deeper and deeper. Yuki was swimming like a mermaid.
But seeing that the road is branching, Risa stopped her movements. It was because she was thinking that it was a one-way path to its deepest part.
Yuki was thinking it was going to be hard, but going left and right, she was mapping on her head.
After moving forward for a while, the notice from Kaede reached her head.
Because monsters didn’t appear on the way, without irregularities, she was able to go back to where Kaede was.
“How was it?”
“There were a lot of branching paths… So I’ll end it for today after the last one. Since I don’t know how deep it was.”
“Then, I’ll help you again okay.”
Yuki once again went to the bottom. Last time, she was able to go the maze up to the middle, so she was moved there in the fastest way.
One more time, she checks every possible and went deeper and deeper. And just like that, at the same time, the notification from Kaede came. Yuki saw a large pure white door ahead of the passage.
She was overjoyed seeing the door and then returned to the surface back om Kaede. Yuki needed to be fully prepared so that she wouldn’t let away the unique series.
“The boss room I found it!”
As soon as she emerges, she said that and did a high-touch with Kaede. The only thing left is whether she could win safely.
”I will charge to the boss room after taking a small break! Since I had found it. What will Kaede do?”
"I think, I should log out soon for today"
"I see…I’m sorry for making you go with me"
"I don’t mind at all! Do your best and win"
"Un!"
After saying that, Kaede was enveloped with light, logged out, and disappeared. The silence made Yuki’s concentration higher.
- Writer
