Chapter One: Off to the Game World
Chapter One: Off to the Game World
Have you heard of a game called LJO—Law of Justice Online?
It was heralded as the first online RPG for full dive VR gaming consoles—every gamer’s dream, made a reality three years ago—made exclusively in Japan.
Oh, right. Full dive VR games, by the way, are games where your consciousness gets disconnected from the actual physical world and enters a virtual reality while your body sleeps.
In the beginning, LJO was known as a VRMMO-RPG, the same as other massively multiplayer online RPG games, but its classification has now been changed to VRWCO-RPG, which stands for VR World Connecting Online—continuously online virtual reality—RPG.
The official explanation for this change was that since LJO used full dive VR technology, a new interface, it differed significantly from traditional MMOs and couldn’t be classified alongside them; it was a completely new genre, according to the developers.
However, the real reason for this appeared to be that they were swiftly denied use of the term VRMMO, which was already trademarked in various countries.
Of course, the term VRMMO is already one in widespread generic use, so if the developers were to take the matter to court, they would probably be granted permission to use it without much of a fuss. There’s no telling how long that process would take, though, so evidently they decided that coining a new term would be a faster and cheaper alternative.
Well, as long as it’s fun, I don’t really care what they call it.
There were already several games revolving around magic or fantasy worlds on the market, but no other RPG featured world-building this intricate or on such a large scale.
When I first saw the trailer, I was moved by how realistic and natural it looked. I remember thinking, Wow, we’re really in the future now. Their tagline, “It’s like visiting another world,” probably wasn’t hyperbole—even if it did sound kind of cheesy.
Whenever new information about the game was released, it was always front-page news on online news sites; that’s just how much public interest this game had garnered.
It probably wasn’t an exaggeration to say that gamers all over the world were waiting with bated breath for its release. The first batch was only to be sold in Japan, and yet there were over twenty million applications for its initial shipment of fifty thousand. Never mind that its price and monthly fees were extremely expensive—more than double that of most other games.
The high pricing was apparently due to the comparatively few in-game purchase options, so most of the players simply accepted that this was something they would have to deal with.
Incidentally, the only items available for purchase were cosmetic—things related to enhancing your appearance or decorating the inside of your virtual home. The game supposedly made it impossible to obtain power-up items or exclusive equipment to boost your stats via real-world money. That is to say, the amount you spent wouldn’t directly affect your overall strength in the game, something that you could say is pretty rare for a current day game.
Obviously, I, Yuta Sasaki, had also entered the presale lottery. And as for the result of that...
“Hell yes!” I yelled, staring at my computer screen. My attention was focused on an email I’d received in my inbox.
Subject: To the Winners of Law of Justice Online
The email was a stilted, formal message that essentially said thank you for entering the lottery for Law of Justice Online’s first presale, you won, ain’t that great, blah blah blah. At the end it provided payment details for the software and a few cautionary notes, such as not to resell the game.
“All right! All right!”
This was totally unexpected. The odds had been less than one in four hundred, so though I’d sent in an application for the hell of it, I hadn’t really expected to win.
“Looks like it’s decided.”
What was, you might ask? That it was time for me to play like a true game junkie.
Junkie mode is a playstyle reserved for a select elite class. These players belong to a new human species who believe video game worlds are more important than reality. Abandon all hope, ye who wish initiation into this group. Dost thou vow to devote thyself wholly to gaming? Only those who can answer the gaming gods with a resounding yes are permitted to become game junkies.
To put it simply, game junkies are people who are so invested in gaming that it starts to have severe consequences in their actual lives. Players on the extreme end are said to live off potato chips, use a plastic bottle instead of going to the bathroom, and keep playing until they can’t stay awake anymore. Some people only get four hours of sleep across two days. I’m told that there are people who actually live this way full time—not that I intended to get to that level, obviously.
Full dive VR games were strictly regulated in that aspect lately, anyway. As a result, “playing like a junkie” only meant spending half the day gaming at most.
“Now then, the question is how many days I can take off...”
Today was July 15th. The game was set to officially launch on August 1st.
“Heh heh heh. A glorious boon still awaits me: summer vacation!”
The company I worked at offered a reasonably long summer break to its employees—fifteen days to be exact. If I took paid leave, I could have twenty-five days off in total. That’s a 25-combo streak!
“That loser boss of mine did the same thing last year, so he’s in no place to complain.”
The next day, I eagerly started putting my plan into motion. It was probably the first time since studying for my university entrance exams that I had worked so hard for something.
After a fierce showdown with my boss, I managed to secure my summer break and paid leave. I didn’t feel bad about it; a toxic workplace that can’t function without a single twenty-five-year-old rookie could burn in hell for all I cared!
All that was left then were the basic necessities. For clothes, I needed only the bare minimum. There was no need to dress up, since I had no plans of going out. I bought a bunch of underwear, plain white shirts, and shorts from the hundred-yen shop. I intended to live like some kind of rich celebrity, disposing of the clothes every day after wearing them only once.
Next up was food.
I typically cooked my own meals since I lived alone, but while I was in game junkie mode, I wanted to have food that was quick and easy to prepare. That’s where the game junkie’s savior, frozen meals, came in. Couldn’t forget instant foods either. I also bought a ton of prewashed rice. Thankfully, frozen meals nowadays are better for you than you’d think, since they tend to include plenty of vegetables, but I made sure to buy a number of supplements to make up for common nutrient deficiencies. The most important thing while gaming in junkie mode was your health. After all, if you got sick, you couldn’t play to your heart’s content, even if you had the time.
What else? A heap of instant beverages wouldn’t be a bad idea. Coffee, black tea, and green tea should do the trick.
I also intended to use paper plates when eating, so that I wouldn’t have to bother washing up afterward.
The last thing I had to take care of was my home.
I lived in a studio apartment close to the station. It was equipped with an air conditioner, so I wouldn’t have to worry about the summer heat. I also had a smart bath system, which filled up the tub automatically as long as I remembered to set the timer, so I could easily take a bath every day. The tub had a fresh glazing on it, which meant I didn’t have to clean it either. I could skip a meal or two, but as someone who loves taking baths, I couldn’t bear the thought of going without one.
As for cleaning my room... I’d just have to accept that it would be a bit untidy. I decided to set up a robotic vacuum cleaner and an air purifier just in case. I should probably take out the trash once a week, I figured. That was something I couldn’t very well avoid.
I ended up buying a state-of-the-art bed as well, which was, believe it or not, made especially for VR games. Besides having a reclining function, it prevented your muscles from atrophying by stimulating them with mild electrical pulses and vibrations. It even helped prevent bedsores by massaging your body; it was the perfect bed for lazy people.
Of course, it wouldn’t do to forget to extend my Wi-Fi range. I called the company and was told the upgrade would come in three days, so thankfully, I’d get that done in time.
I also let my family and friends know that I’d be away for a while. I recalled the last conversation I’d had, which was with my mother.
“Hello?”
“Hey, mom. It’s me.”
“My, look who decided to call us. Hi, Yuta.”
“Wait, shouldn’t you ask who this is first? What if I was someone trying to scam you?”
“Don’t worry, I know it’s you.”
“Jeez. See, you might think you’d recognize your son’s voice when you hear it, but things tend to sound a bit different over the phone. It’s dangerous to make a decision like that based on voice alone.”
“Recognize it when I hear it...? You really think I love you that much? Bold of you to assume.”
“Wha...?! Hey!”
“I knew it was you because of the caller ID, that’s all. I may have forgotten what you sound like, but I do remember your phone number.”
“I see.”
“So, why did you call? I’m busy too, you know.”
“Busy with what, if I may ask?”
“There’s a rerun of a show that I’ve been looking forward to catching. I have to make a snack to go with it before it starts. Today’s the day I’m going to beat the two-centimeter thickness mark for my fluffy pancakes.”
“I don’t give a damn about your pancakes!”
“And besides, I’ve got to take Fran on a walk.”
“Right. How is Fran?”
“Looking like a white mop as always. But aside from her walks she’s mostly been sleeping on the porch lately.”
“She is pretty old, after all.”
“There weren’t any problems at her last checkup, though. No need to worry.”
“Good to hear... Oh, so about why I called.”
“Finally.”
“I’ll be pretty busy with stuff over the next few weeks, so I won’t be coming home this summer.”
“Are you going on a trip?”
“Something like that.”
“I see. Okay.”
“Uh-huh. Say hi to dad for me.”
“Okey doke. Take care.”
Beep.
“Well that was damn short! She never changes. I guess the ‘trip’ part wasn’t exactly a lie, though. I mean, it is like vacationing in another world.”
Anyway, that took care of having to deal with people. Perfect! I could now hole up in my apartment for a whole month.
“Mwa ha ha! My man cave is complete!”
I can’t wait for the game to officially start!
Two weeks passed by. Time seemed to crawl until the game’s release.
Actually, the two weeks weren’t that long, but I just couldn’t wait. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d lost sleep fantasizing and getting worked up over something like this, but today was finally the day of the launch. I’d be able to dive into LJO in five minutes, to be exact.
My mind kept wandering to the game, which had resulted in several blunders at work the day before, but I didn’t care. I was going to begin a new life in a virtual reality. My boss wouldn’t get to tell me off until twenty-five days later, and he probably wouldn’t be angry by then. At least, I hoped he wouldn’t.
“I’ve already preregistered, and I’ve got all the deets. I’m ready to go anytime.”
I’d been hard at work gathering intel this past week. I’d read the official website through and through, browsed reports from the beta, and tried to get a better picture of the game overall. Beta testing, by the way, refers to a test run that’s conducted with a small group of participants before the official launch of a game to make sure there are no significant issues.
It’s not as if I wanted to be on the front lines creating walkthroughs or strategy guides or anything, but I had no intention of settling for less either. If I was going to play this game, I wanted to get a strong head start.
That being said, learning too much about the game beforehand would make the novelty wear off and sap the fun out of things. Finding that balance was pretty tricky, so I decided to gather information pertaining to only the following: officially released details; info related to the job class I wanted; stuff related to character building, such as the different types of races; and things to do with the overall setting. In contrast, I didn’t look too deeply into the job classes I didn’t want, or any hacks uncovered in the beta version. It was impossible to avoid that information entirely, though, so I wasn’t wholly unspoiled.
One of the most important details was how time passed within the game. Apparently, time in LJO passed four times faster than in the real world. I won’t go into specifics since it involves complicated technology (something to do with brain signals), but what mattered was that specific ratio. In short, even if I spent four days in the game, only one day would have passed in reality.
The game also limited how long you could stay logged in, and had a sleep requirement for your characters, but I’d work around that somehow. After all, I had no time restraints on my end.
Lastly, the most important thing to know was that LJO didn’t allow PKing. PK stands for Player Killing and refers to the act of killing another player to steal their possessions or money. Most games that emulate real-world scenarios tend to come with this option. LJO’s system, however, made it impossible for players to kill one another. Not only did it prohibit PKing, there was no mechanic for players to steal from others either. The game was set up in a way that significantly minimized disputes.
This was probably because LJO aimed to create an inclusive environment for all types of players, and they were adamant in their view that their fantasy world was a place for having fun. You could tell they were serious from how they advertised in TV commercials that there would be swift consequences for players who didn’t follow the rules. People’s opinions were split on this, and some complained online that the LJO team were being too soft or PC, but I supported the decision.
Like, I don’t get the point of PKing. As someone who usually plays solo, I was just glad that I wouldn’t have to be on the lookout for griefers out to get me. Why can’t we all just get along? was my philosophy.
In addition, as part of their efforts to include casual players, it was said that LJO would reduce fighting over resources to a bare minimum. They also asserted that they would adjust the frequency of item and monster spawns to prevent strong players from monopolizing hunting grounds, as well as to keep loot from being concentrated in any one area. It probably helped that the lack of in-game purchase options meant that there was no need for the devs to fuel players’ thirst for gambling.
Instead of in-game purchases, rumor had it that LJO was considering selling additional expansion packs for different species and items. I guessed that was how they planned to deal with the whales.
Beep beep!
“Whoops, looks like it’s time.”
The alarm that I’d set for thirty seconds before launch time had gone off. I turned off the alarm, put on the visor headset, and reclined on my bed.
“Five, four, three, two, one...and start!”
My vision went dark. The next minute, I found myself standing in a dimly lit area. It was a strange place surrounded by a pitch-black darkness that seemed to stretch on forever.
“Whoa, it’s exactly how they said it would be. A navigator’s supposed to give me a tour any time now...”
“Welcome to the world of Law of Justice Online.”
A fairy the size of my palm fluttered down out of nowhere. It was a cute little pixie, similar in design to Tinker Bell. This was likely the navigator, who was going to help me design my avatar.
“We will now begin building your character,” said the fairy.
Though it was cute in appearance, the way it talked was robotic, and it lacked any kind of expression. It probably wasn’t a very sophisticated AI.
I’d already entered my user information beforehand. I just had to select my username now, and I could get started on designing my avatar.
“Please enter your username.”
“Yuto, written in katakana.”
I’d used that name for my characters ever since I was a kid, so I stuck with my old standard.
“Next, we will create your avatar. Would you like to use automated assistance?”
“Yes, please.”
“Very well. We will now create your avatar based on your appearance.”
The avatar that appeared in front of me was a rather attractive and clean-cut male avatar. All I had to do was accept it, and this handsome fellow would act as my stand-in in the game.
Well, boys, we’d done it. LJO’s avatar creation engine, hailed by some as god-tier, had worked its magic. Since the avatar was modeled after me, his facial features bore a slight resemblance to mine—ignoring the fact that he had silver hair and was twice as good-looking as I actually was.
Since the navigator said that the automated avatars were based on our faces, I could justify my choice by saying, “Well, I guess I’m fine with an automatically created avatar. It’ll save me all the time I would spend on tweaking it.” Even if my avatar was more handsome than myself, if anyone asked, I could truthfully tell other players that this had been the “default.”
I mean, who wouldn’t want to play as a beautified version of themselves? That being said, you didn’t want to spend too much time making yourself look good, lest you attract comments like, “Well someone sure spent a lot of time in front of the mirror.” This auto-beautifying avatar creation engine easily solved that problem, though. What a godsend.
As for me, I obviously wasn’t going to change anything. I wanted to stick with this good-looking fella, thank you very much!
“Will you be making any in-game purchases?”
There were very few items you could actually pay for in this game. Other games often let you buy powerful weapons and armor or obtain new skills, but in LJO, you could only tweak your character’s appearance or change the interior of your home. In short, spending more didn’t equal higher stats.
However, there was one single area you could blow your money on, and that was during initial character creation.
At the start of LJO, you had stat points you could distribute to build your character. These points could be purchased with real money, and it cost three thousand yen per five points. Again, opinions were divided on this, but it seemed like a generous offer for people who had jobs and weren’t able to stay logged in for a long time, but didn’t want to fall far behind players who had time to figure out all the hacks.
“Definitely gotta buy the maximum number of credits.”
Then, you had office workers like me who clearly had no life, but that was what it was. I was ready to blow my money on this game. The most expensive bundle was one hundred points, which cost sixty thousand yen. This in-game purchase came with many pitfalls, however, so you could hardly call it generous.
The first downside was that there was a two-hour activation time limit for your purchase. This was supposedly so that the server didn’t get overwhelmed, but people theorized that it was to encourage players to spend more money. I’ll explain it in more detail later.
Once I had made my purchase, the next step was obtaining bonus points. These points were separate from the points I purchased and were randomly assigned to each character at the start. You could reroll as many times as you liked to get those points. Bonus point amounts ranged anywhere from thirty to one hundred, but as long as I got over sixty, I’d consider myself lucky.
The next screen was where I selected my job class. This was where the second trap awaited. There were over fifty basic job classes, and you were asked to take your pick from one of five randomly selected titles. That meant if you didn’t see the job class you wanted, you’d have to start over from the beginning. However...
If I wanted to redo my job class selection, I’d have to go back and obtain the random bonus points all over again. I’d need all the luck I could get if I were to be satisfied with both the number of bonus points and my job class. I had read up on the rare job classes beforehand and wanted one of those; two hours probably wouldn’t be enough.
However, after two hours, anything left undecided would be determined randomly, and you’d be logged in to the game with that character. This was announced at the start of the character-building process, and also stated in the terms of use.
You could build your character again from scratch, but to obtain bonus points from your in-game purchase, you’d have to pay again. Talk about a booby trap. Some players would definitely end up making several purchases in order to get a head start in the game. Damn those clever devs!
Because of that, I knew I had to compromise somewhere. I told myself that I’d be satisfied if I got more than 150 bonus points, including the ones from my in-game purchase.
There were two job classes that I was after, and those were Summoner and Monster Tamer. Both job classes were suited for solo players. To be honest, I disliked working in groups, so I intended on playing by myself. I didn’t want to have to be sensitive to other people’s needs while gaming.
Using magic, summoners had the ability to call forth summoned monsters that they could engage in battle. They essentially fought like the evokers in that famous video game series commonly abbreviated as FF. There were apparently two types of summoning: Instant Summon, which summoned a monster one time without using a party member slot, and Permanent Summon, which summoned a beast as a party member for a longer duration.
Tamers were like Mokémon trainers. They acquired monsters using a skill called Tame and were able to take up to five tamed monsters with them. Tamers couldn’t wield as many monsters as a summoner, but because you weren’t summoning them with magic, it didn’t cost you any MP. However, since tamed monsters got XP as well, those playing in teams tended to avoid Tamers, as it meant there was less XP to go around, leaving it mostly a solo class.
“All right. Let’s get started, shall we?”
Sixty-six bonus points on my first roll. Not bad.
“Please choose your job class.”
“Hmm... Guess I can’t expect to luck out on the first try.”
The options listed before me were Swordfighter, Soldier, Alchemist, Cleric, and Farmer.
“I’d like to start over,” I said.
“Please wait while we obtain bonus points.”
Fifty-three points, eh? I supposed it would do.
“Please choose your job class.”
This time my options were Woodcutter, Carpenter, Apothecary, Fisher, and Craftsperson. Those were all manufacturing jobs or pure jokes. Time for another redo.
I reselected my job class about fifteen times after that, but the job I wanted had yet to appear.
“You have thirty minutes left.”
Yikes. Things were looking bad. Should I aim for fewer bonus points? But to settle for less after coming this far... I decided to keep at it until the last fifteen minutes.
Finally, the moment I’d been waiting for arrived.
At sixteen minutes left on the clock, I managed to roll eighty-six bonus points. Not only that, but the job classes listed on the screen were Archer, Lancer, Mage, Farmer, and Tamer.
“At last, the moment I’ve been waiting for!”
I immediately selected Tamer.
I’d already done my calculations beforehand when I checked the list of initial bonuses on the official website, so I was well prepared. I’d also obtained well over 150 points, which I had considered the minimum amount I needed, giving me quite a bit of leeway.
“Please allocate your bonus stat points.”
First, I used ten points to change my race from human, the default setting, to a halfling. This was something I had decided while scouring the internet for information prior to the game. While halflings had less strength and endurance, their dexterity and intelligence were higher, and you got bonus points when you used and nurtured nature skills and command abilities. You could say they were perfect for rearguard tamers. The only caveat was that it apparently changed your appearance a bit, but how so?
“Hmm... Didn’t think I’d be this short.”
My POV lowered instantly. I’m shy of 170 centimeters to begin with, but right now, my avatar was about 150 centimeters, or possibly even shorter than that.
“Looking kind of young there too. Still handsome, though, so I guess I don’t mind.”
Compared to the race-specific advantages I’d get, becoming shorter was a minor trade-off.
“Next, I’ll need to upgrade my starting gear.”
I used twenty points to equip myself with the Beast Tamer Bangle, a Tamer-specific accessory that boosted your monster-taming skills and command abilities. Its defense was only 1, but oh well. According to the players who had selected tamers in the beta test, Monster Taming skills were harder to strengthen than other skills, so items that boosted them were reported to be highly useful, which was why I’d been determined to obtain this one.
“Since I have enough points, might as well upgrade my armor too.”
I next used ten points to upgrade my robe to a silver one and an additional five points to change my staff to an ebony one. I figured this armor was pretty good for starting out.
“Can’t forget to strengthen my skills either.”
I needed to strengthen the most crucial skill for tamers, my Monster Taming ability. It took four points to increase my skill one level. I decided to use sixteen points to level up to level 5, which was the highest I could go with my bonus points. An advanced taming skill meant that my tamed monsters would get bonus points for their abilities, and it would also affect the outcome of my taming actions. It was the most essential ability a tamer could have.
“All right. I think that’s about it for myself.”
I could finally move on to the most vital stage, strengthening my first monster. Jobs like Tamers, Summoners, and Necromancers that involved commanding magical entities were assigned one randomly selected monster to use at the outset, which you could then strengthen by using bonus points.
I first used twenty points to select Advanced Tame, a skill that changed the pool from which your first monster was selected. Usually, you would get one monster from the starting zone, but your monster would be selected from the Zone Two pool if you acquired Advanced Tame. In addition, your monster would gain an extra baseline level. This meant that you could obtain a strong monster from the very start.
Next, I used a further twenty-five points to acquire the skill Special Tame. This was a bonus that ensured the monster you obtained at the start would be a unique specimen. Unique specimens came with a preset name and had improved abilities and skills. Their appearance and skills also varied slightly from default specimens, and the odds of getting one were normally extremely rare. Getting one of those at the start of the game was pretty dope. This skill also had the stacked effect of boosting your monster’s baseline level by one.
“Heh heh, don’t think I’m done yet.”
I then used another twenty points to select Extra Skill. This meant my first beast would acquire a special skill by default. Unlike ordinary level-up bonuses, special skills could typically only be learned by completing special quests. Although you weren’t able to choose the type of skill, having a skill that you wouldn’t be able to acquire under normal circumstances from the beginning was bound to give me an edge. This bonus also increased your skill’s base level by one, by the way.
After that, I used fifteen points to obtain Blood Skill.
Tamers had a system where you could breed monsters to create new beasts with the traits of their parents. This offspring would inherit both of its parents’ abilities and skills. Blood Skill, however, gave your monster a skill that could typically only be obtained by breeding right from the outset. This was also randomly chosen, but whatever.
The final thing I upgraded was my monster’s gear, which supposedly changed depending on what monster you got. Monsters that didn’t have any initial equipment were given special gear, while monsters that were already equipped had their gear strengthened. Obviously, I used another fifteen points—the maximum allowed—for this as well.
“Let’s see, that leaves me with thirty points...” I opted to use fifteen of these to increase my starting money from 500 G to 3,000 G.
I wanted to acquire more skills too. You could obtain up to eight skills at the start of the game. At the moment, I only had five skills: Monster Taming, Command, Advanced Taming, Wand Magic, and Cooking, so I chose to obtain the skills Gather, Concoct, and Alchemy in addition. My plan was to make effective use of the items I gathered by concocting potions. Each skill cost five points to acquire.
I was interested in magic as well, but one of the forums mentioned it was better to choose what magic to learn based on what was best suited for your first monster, so I decided to save that for another time.
Incidentally, the Appraisal skill, which was considered a must-have in this type of game, was given to every player unconditionally as a basic attribute, so there was no need to spend points to learn that.
“All right, I’ve used up all my points.”
Perfect. I’d even managed to increase my starting money.
Heh heh heh. Time to kick ass!
“Would you like to begin the tutorial?”
The game walked me through a tutorial after that, which turned out to be incredibly easy. All it did was lightly touch upon how to use arts and skills, plus how to craft things. It didn’t even offer any special items for completing it.
Well, now that I’d figured out the basic moves, at least I probably wouldn’t have a hard time in LJO.
“This is the end of the guided tutorial.”
“Finally!”
“Welcome to the world of LJO, a world unlike any other. We hope you enjoy your stay.”
There was a buzzing, staticky noise as the navigator vanished, and before I knew it, my body was engulfed in a soft light. Taken aback, I reflexively closed my eyes. Then, I heard the hustle and bustle of people chatting and walking about fill the air, as though I were in town. But it wasn’t just the sound. I felt a breeze caressing my skin and even caught a faint whiff of dirt.
“This must be...”
I slowly opened my eyes to find myself standing in an open space paved with red bricks, which was clearly meant to resemble a European town—not that I’d ever been to Europe, but you know what I mean.
A giant clock tower, probably at least twenty meters tall, stood in the middle of the square. This clock tower had an exterior of the same stylish red brick and apparently told the time in the game. The large clock face contained two smaller dials within, which indicated the month and day. According to the clock, it was 3:23 p.m. on January 1st.
“So it’s been three and a half hours since the game started...”
Fair enough—I had spent quite a bit of time building my character and walking through the tutorial.
As I stood there looking up at the clock, I could see new players logging in all over the square. It was a curious sight; a pillar of light would arise out of nowhere, and a person would emerge in its place as it faded. I had probably appeared in this square the same way a few minutes before.
By the way, the residents of this world referred to players, who were supposedly adventurers who had traveled to LJO by means of teleportation, as otherworldly travelers.
“Huh. I’m guessing you’re my monster?” I said, looking down.
“Mm?” the short figure, who had been standing by my side ever since I logged in, uttered curiously. No doubt it was my first monster.
At first glance, it looked like a dwarf, the kind you read about in fairy tales. It was short—about seventy centimeters in height—had green hair, and wore a rather baggy brown outfit and a green scarf around its neck. It also sported a stylish pair of pointed-toe boots. It had a cute, babyish face, and vaguely resembled a human child, about three heads tall in proportion. As for its gender, I couldn’t tell. Because of its height, the standard-size hoe on its back looked unusually big.
“Hmm, I don’t remember there being any monsters like this. At least, I don’t think I came across any humanoid monsters during my research...”
“Mm?”
“Hang on, I should check my player stats first. Gimme a second, okay?”
“Mmm!”
Although it looked human, it seemed like it couldn’t talk.
“If I remember correctly, I just need to concentrate on it... Whoa!”
All I had to do was think the words “open stats,” and they appeared inside my head. I could evidently open and close windows just by thinking, and even select and zoom as well. Wouldn’t expect anything less from the latest and greatest in VR gaming.
Name: Yuto / Race: Halfling / Base Level: Lv. 1
Job: Tamer / Job Level: Lv. 1
HP: 12/12 / MP: 19/19
Strength: 2 / Endurance: 2 / Agility: 4
Dexterity: 6 / Intelligence: 6 / Sanity: 4
Skills: Gather: Lv. 1 / Command: Lv.1 / Monster Taming: Lv. 5 / Concoct: Lv. 1
Wand Magic: Lv. 1 / Advanced Taming: Lv. 1 / Cooking: Lv. 1
Alchemy: Lv. 1
Equipment: Ebony Staff, Silver Robe, Beast Tamer Bangle
Items: Food Rations x 15, Low-Grade Potion x 1, Simple Concoction Kit x 1, Simple Cooking Kit x 1, Simple Alchemy Kit x 1, Honey Dumplings x 5
Money: 3,000 G / Hunger Status: 100% Full
Guild Membership: Adventurers’ Guild, Magical Beasts Guild
Tamed Monsters (1 / 3): Gnome
Unsurprisingly, the first thing I noticed was the information about my monster.
“So that’s what you are, eh...”
“Mm?”
My eyes met with the short figure by my side who was looking up at me. It seemed like this little fella was known as a Gnome.
I thought I’d absorbed most of the information from the beta reports related to initial monsters that the beta Tamer players had compiled, but I didn’t recall anything about gnomes on there. They might have been a new breed that was added to the finalized version of the game.
“Whoops, I should be focusing on my stats right now.”
My strength and endurance were pretty low, but my dexterity and intelligence were high, which reflected the characteristics of the halfling race accurately. I was also properly equipped with the initial gear I’d chosen. The next thing that caught my attention was, of course, my items. Among my possessions were several simple kits for crafting things. It looked like we were given items necessary to use our primary skills in our starting equipment. Although their functions were limited to the bare minimum, they were valuable sources of income at the game’s early stages. They were a true godsend.
Either way, just seeing this screen made me realize that I had indeed logged in to the game.
“Man, I really am playing LJO! This is freaking awesome!”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my rush of exhilaration.
“Breathe in, breathe out...”
As I inhaled, the smell of grass and dirt gently tickled the insides of my nostrils.
“Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about!”
I could barely contain my excitement at the game’s realism. This was nothing like the other full dive VR games I had played before. They weren’t lying when they said it would be like visiting another world.
“All right! I’m gonna check out your stats next, okay?” I said to the gnome.
“Mm!”
Name: Olto / Race: Gnome / Base Level: Lv. 5
Master: Yuto
HP: 22/22 / MP: 26/26
Strength: 7 / Endurance: 5 / Agility: 5
Dexterity: 9 / Intelligence: 11 / Sanity: 9
Skills: Arboriculture, Propagation, Luck, Heavy Bo Staff Skills, Earth Magic, Farming, Digging, Night Vision, Forced Cultivation EX
Equipment: Earth Spirit’s Hoe, Earth Spirit’s Scarf, Earth Spirit’s Garments
So his name was Olto—a preset name, just like the guide had mentioned. That meant he was a unique specimen. He appeared to have received his initial bonuses, so his base level started out at level 5. He also possessed earth magic.
With these stats, we probably wouldn’t have to worry about being wiped out in the nearby starting areas. I was a bit concerned about his weapon being a hoe, but during the Warring States period in Japan, farmers successfully made weapons of those, so surely it would be sufficient in battle.
“Hmm... A gnome, eh?”
Because I had absolutely no other information to go on, I had no idea how he would grow from here.
“Oh well. That just means I have more to look forward to.”
“Mm?” Olto inquired, looking up at me like a small child.
“You’re with me now, Olto.”
“Mm!”
Olto straightened his fingers and raised his right hand in salute in response. Damn, that was adorable. I’d really hit the jackpot.
Now that I’d checked Olto’s and my stats, what would I do next?
As I looked around the square, I noticed all sorts of players. There were already a few that stood out.
“Is that a horse?”
A player with a knightlike appearance sitting astride a white horse was the center of attention. However, no one was exclaiming, “That’s so cool!” or “Wow, a horse!” All I heard was people saying stuff like, “Oh, a horse,” and “Is that a horse or donkey?” I could kind of understand why, though.
The white horse that the knight with purple hair was riding was only slightly bigger than a pony, and on top of that, it had a butt-ugly face. It was presumably a horse, but...I suppose the player’s initial bonuses hadn’t blessed him with a more handsome steed like a thoroughbred.
Another person who caught my eye was a stunning pink-haired girl. She was yelling from a stall in the corner of the square.
“Step right up to Mirei’s Apothecary! We guarantee the best deals around here!”
Her marker indicated she was a player. Wow, so she’d already opened her own shop. That was impressive. However, judging from the way she was shouting herself hoarse, business wasn’t booming.
While I was slightly intrigued, I didn’t feel the need to check out the place right away. I could buy stuff that I needed later on.
“Hmm. Guess I’ll head to the Adventurers’ Guild!”
Visiting the Adventurers’ Guild is one of the first things to cross off your list when playing an RPG. I needed to go check out the available quests. I selected “Map” from my status window, which showed that I was currently in the South District’s Town of Beginnings. The Adventurers’ Guild was apparently located in Central Square.
The Town of Beginnings, which was the starting point in the game, was divided into five districts: North, South, East, West, and Central Square. The North, South, and West districts were almost identical to one another and were said to contain all the same NPC-run shops. The Central Square housed the essential facilities and guilds, and was where most people gathered.
The East District differed a bit from other districts, however, in that it featured an enormous lake and forest in the center. The giant tree by the lakeside, which towered over two hundred meters tall, had become particularly famous before the game officially launched via player screenshots. Gazing up at the tree, which could be seen from the square, probably gave many players the sense that they had truly logged in to the game.
I, too, was filled with a sense of wonder upon seeing that tree, which was larger than anything I’d ever seen in real life. Specialized guilds such as the Aquatics Guild and Forest Guild were also said to be situated near the lake.
“Since I can see the giant tree over there, that way must be east, which means I should head this way.”
As I walked along the road, I could feel the ground beneath my feet, and I was once more impressed by how realistic everything was, down to the tiniest detail. The townscape before me reminded me of highlight reels I’ve seen of sightseeing spots in Scandinavia, and the beautiful and antiquated view roused a strange nostalgia within me.
“Now then, I wonder which way the Adventurers’ Guild is?”
It was easy enough to follow the map to the Adventurers’ Guild. It was a building of impressive architecture, built in the style of a European castle and at least the size of a small school building.
Players were initially registered to the Adventurers’ Guild and the guild related to their starting job class. In my case, that would be the Adventurers’ Guild and the Magical Beasts Guild, which covered all jobs dealing with monsters such as Tamers and Summoners. Incidentally, players could supposedly join up to four guilds.
While there were no downsides to belonging to more guilds, canceling a guild membership cost 500 G, multiplied by your base level, so it was best to be choosy about your enrollment in the early stages of the game.
“This place is friggin’ huge!” I exclaimed as I stepped inside the Adventurers’ Guild.
The building’s interior was immense—it would easily have been able to house over a thousand players at any given time. Despite some incongruously fancy decor—it featured chandeliers and ornate carpets—the hall was arranged like a municipal office, with rows upon rows of counters, each with a young receptionist sitting behind them.
“That must be the notice board.”
To the side of the counters was a huge bulletin board with numerous notes posted onto it. Each of those notes was a request from someone.
People who took their role-playing seriously could physically tear one of the notes off of the board to obtain the request information. If you were like me, however, and didn’t care for that type of stuff, you could simply look at the notice board from afar while checking the list of quests from your status menu.
“Hmm, looks like we’ve got a quest for collecting medicinal herbs. Nice. That’s, like, RPG 101.”
Gathering Quest
Description: Gather five medicinal herbs.
Reward: 50 G
Deadline: None
I immediately selected that quest from the list and clicked ‘Start’, which automatically accepted the quest—pretty handy. As someone equipped with the Gather skill, collecting herbs should be like taking candy from a baby. Though I’d yet to test my Appraisal skill, as long as there was a plant within my field of vision, a marker would appear above it to indicate its location regardless.
“Let’s get going then, shall we? Sounds like the Northern Plains would be the place to go.”
While you could choose any of the directions heading out from town as your initial area to explore, the plains in the north and the forest in the south were supposed to be slightly more challenging. The grasslands in the east and the woods in the west had lower-level enemies and were easier to clear, but the north and south areas were richer in items, and the enemies yielded more experience points. The beta test players had consequently headed immediately in one of those latter two directions and beat all of the stages there, before heading onto the next town. I had half a mind to try that myself.
“All right, this is where our adventure truly begins. Let’s go, Olto.”
“Mm-mmm!”
As I began walking, Olto toddled after me. He really was adorable. I couldn’t wait to make my way through this game with him right by my side.
Olto and I proceeded along a spacious boulevard, built wide enough to prevent congestion from the tens of thousands of players traveling in and out of the town all day. As we continued to walk, an enormous city gate loomed ahead of us. There was apparently no pass required to enter or exit the gate, which made sense; at the end of the day, this was just a game.
“The Northern Plains are right outside that gate. You ready for this?”
“Mm-mmm!”
Olto raised his hoe and struck a valiant pose. That was the kind of attitude I liked to see.
The Northern Plains, which sprawled beyond the gate, were a sight to behold. The clear blue skies stretched high above us, and grass covered the ground like a soft green carpet. I’d seen a view similar to this on a trip to Hokkaido, but this was far more stunning. I suppose it was the artificial nature of the environment that made such impeccable beauty possible.
Still, for a virtual world, it was overwhelmingly realistic. Each blade of grass stood out clearly, and you could even catch a whiff of earth in the air. I felt the dirt and grass underfoot with each step, as if I were walking along an actual riverbank.
The first thing I did was walk around and look for some herbs. It took little effort; I found a green marker floating above the grass almost immediately.
“Well, that was quick.”
I assessed the plant, which was, sure enough, a medicinal herb. Although it only had a one-star rating—the lowest on a scale of one to ten in terms of quality—I’d successfully picked my first plant.
Name: Medicinal Herb
Rarity: 1 / Quality: 1★
Effect: Recovers 5 HP. (10-minute cooldown)
“Heh heh, this is a breeze. Why don’t we slay a few monsters while we’re at this?”
I walked around to see if there were any more herbs in the area. The Northern Plains were teeming with other players. There were a few parties nearby already engaged in battles with monsters. The first area in the game was supposed to be pretty spacious in order to accommodate the hordes of new players, but it was still densely packed. There was nothing to fret about, though. Each player had their own designated nodes to gather items from, so if other people collected stuff from the same area, it didn’t mean there would be any less for me.
As I expected, however, there were few gathering nodes near the town. I gave the area a thorough once-over, but I couldn’t see any other gathering spots nearby.
“I guess we should go deeper in.”
I decided to head to the edge of the map, where there were likely to be fewer players. As it stood, there were far too many people walking around where I was for it to feel like a proper adventure.
“Mm, this feels nice.”
“Mmm♪,” Olto hummed. It sort of felt like we were going out for a picnic.
As Olto and I searched for our next plant, a monster suddenly emerged from out of a grassy thicket.
“Aha! About time!”
I took a good look at the creature that had appeared before us. It was, well, a dog—a large, brown-furred canine. It was definitely something feral, though, and was snarling viciously—you could hardly call it cute.
“This must be a Wild Dog.”
The appropriately named Wild Dog was considered the most powerful opponent at the early stages of the game. The recommended level to engage them at was level 3 and above for solo warrior-type classes, and level 6 and above for solo crafter types. There was only one of it, though, versus two of us. Furthermore, Olto was a level 5 unique specimen. There was no way we’d lose.
“Okay. Olto, time to show us what you’ve got! Go get ’em, tiger!” I commanded.
“Mm-mm! Mm!”
Olto yelled enthusiastically in response. That was the spirit.
Now then, how would Olto go about attacking this beast? I was pretty confident he would use earth magic, but...would he instead go the simple route and throw pebbles? Sprout thorns beneath the enemy’s feet? He might even take the creature by surprise by opening a pit trap.
All right, time to see what earth magic can really do!
“Mm-mmm!”
Olto, however, completely shattered my expectations.
“Mm-mm-mm-mm!”
He charged at the Wild Dog and began throwing punches.
Whoosh!
“And he missed?!”
Olto’s fists whiffed the air as the Wild Dog casually sidestepped his blows.
Wait. What happened to his earth magic?
“Mm!”
“Again?! Come on, dude, use your magic!”
“Mm-mm...” Olto grumbled.
“Huh? Why are you shaking your head?”
Before I knew it, the Wild Dog was standing right in front of me.
“What the?! No, wai—”
“Grr!”
“Aaaah!”
It bit me! The dog sunk its sharp teeth straight into my leg. I felt a forceful impact, but the pain was fairly mild. Phew. Thank goodness this was just a game.
Wait, no, I had way more pressing things to be worrying about right now!
The bite had taken about twenty percent of my health meter. It was likely my Silver Robe that had protected me from taking any more damage despite my low stats. Even my legs, which weren’t covered by my robe, were somehow protected, thanks to the game mechanics.
“Olto, hit this thing with some magic already! Ugh, get away from me, damn it!”
I swung my staff at it, but I wasn’t strong enough. Even though I was sure I’d gotten a clean hit, more than ninety percent of the Wild Dog’s HP still remained.
“Mm-mmm!”
Olto still seemed to be sticking to hand-to-hand combat.
“Could you maybe use that big-ass hoe you’ve got on your back?!”
“Mm...”
Olto shook his head vigorously. It looked like that wasn’t an option. Were hoes not made for battle? Were they exclusively for farming purposes?
“Use magic then!”
“Mm!”
That, too, garnered a head shake from Olto. It seemed like nothing was going to convince him to use his magic.
“Damn it!”
I frantically flailed my staff over and over again, but it hardly did any damage. As if just to prove how futile my actions were, the Wild Dog countered my attack with a bite. That alone reduced my HP to half. I was doomed if I kept this up.
“I-I’ve got it!”
If I remembered correctly, Wild Dogs were one of the monsters that could be tamed! Yup, it looked like I was able to select it. It’d be a reliable ally if I could get it under control!
“Tame!”
“Grrr!” the beast growled.
“Gah! Knew that wouldn’t work!”
The stronger an enemy monster was, the lower the probability of successfully taming it, though as their HP fell, that probability rose. However, my chances of successfully taming a Wild Dog that was stronger than me and had a nearly full health meter were slim to none.
“Let’s get out of here, Olto!”
“Mm!”
Defeated, we ran away from the Wild Dog with our tails between our legs. As we ran, I opened my status window, selected the single low-grade potion I had in my inventory, and drank it.
“Phew!”
Once the potion was consumed, the bottle disintegrated into particles of light and disappeared. With this, my health meter was fully restored. Now I could endure a few more blows.
“O-Okay. Let’s head back to tow—Yikes!”
“Grr!”
Another Wild Dog jumped out from the bushes in front of us. Apparently, moving enough of a distance across the battlefield could trigger another spawn of the same type of monster.
“N-No way!”
“Grrr!”
“Eek!”
I yelped as the Wild Dog mowed me down. Crap, I needed to get away from this thing! I tried to shove the creature off me and get to my feet, but to no avail. Damn it, there wasn’t enough strength in these arms!
“Grrr!” The dog snapped and growled at me.
“Jeez! Lay off already!”
Just then, the Wild Dog from before caught up to us, and it sank its teeth right into my neck.
“Ouch...! Wait, it doesn’t hurt? Tingles a bit. Damn it, though, devs, do you realize how many kids this would traumatize?!”
Being bitten by two large beasts was honestly a terrifying ordeal. Even the insides of their mouths were replicated to the last detail; it was almost enough to start fostering a genuine hatred of dogs in me.
“Mmm!”
“Grr!”
“Mm-mm!”
Oh no! Olto was trying his best to pull the creatures off me, but they sent him flying. With no one left standing in their way, the Wild Dogs chomped at my neck again.
“Yeesh! Your breath stinks!”
With that, several seconds later, my HP plummeted to zero.
My vision went dark instantly, and I felt a floating sensation, like I was riding an elevator. The next thing I knew, I was back in the familiar square with the giant clock tower, the one I’d first arrived in upon logging in to the game.
“...Shit, looks like I respawned.”
It seemed like others could tell I had died from the way I reappeared. Some were even visibly laughing at me.
All of that left me drained... I needed a break.
“I think I’ll log out for now,” I sighed.
In the Town of Beginnings, you could log out of the game simply by sitting on a bench. Unless you set them on your home screen or something, your tamed monsters apparently disappeared along with you.
“Well, catch you later then.” I bid farewell to Olto.
“Mm!”
I plonked myself down on a bench a little ways from the square, and willed myself to log out.
“...This sucks!” I exclaimed, removing my VR visor and getting up from my bed. The clock showed that only about an hour had passed since I logged in. “At least there’s no death penalty yet.”
In LJO, you could respawn up to three times without any death penalties, which was a great bailout for beginners. From the fourth time onwards, though, you’d lose ten to thirty percent of your in-game currency upon starting over, and one to three items from your inventory. Your stats would also be halved, though they would gradually recover over time, reaching full again once half a day had passed within LJO.
Still, I never dreamed that I would end up losing one of my lives this early in the game.
Where did I go wrong? It was probably because I didn’t bother to confirm Olto’s combat strength, which was apparently lower than I’d thought. I’d just seen his high base level and long list of skills and gotten cocky.
“I need more information,” I said to myself as I started up my computer, munching on the sandwich I’d made earlier that morning. I clicked on one of the LJO-related websites I’d saved to my favorites, which contained all sorts of information about tamed monsters. It was written by Amimin, a player who had been one of the top Tamers during the beta-testing phase.
“Hmm, don’t see anything about gnomes on here.”
The page I was currently viewing listed the monsters you could obtain at the start of the game, which were ranked in order based on Amimin’s analysis of their abilities. However, I couldn’t find gnomes anywhere on that list.
“Let’s see... Ah, here it is.”
I found what I was looking for on the page regarding monsters you could obtain from Zone Three. Since I had chosen to acquire Advanced Tame as one of my initial bonuses, my first creature should have been selected from the pool of monsters from Zone Two; Zone Three wasn’t supposed to be included. As I continued to peruse the page, however, I learned that gnomes had only been exclusive to Zone Three during the beta test, which meant that the developers must have changed it so that they’d also appear in Zone Two with the official launch. That would explain how I’d obtained Olto as my first monster.
The description for gnomes was brief. They were described simply as a monster specialized in making things. A closer look at the fine details told me that gnomes were ill-equipped for battle too. Most of the skills that they’d learn from leveling had to do with mining or farming. The Heavy Bo Staff Skills they started with could only be activated when using pickaxes, shovels, or some hoes, and they weren’t capable of learning any earth magic that was geared towards combat. On the other hand, the page did state that they were highly skilled as farmers, and that their horticulturist abilities were comparable to mid-ranking crafting classes.
“Damn it, I didn’t ask for a garden gnome...!”
The website also recommended players “get one after the midway point in the game, along with a plot of land.”
“But Amimin, I got one on my first try...”
Man, I’d screwed up big-time! I’d been banking on having my monster fight my battles for me, so I hadn’t bothered to acquire any combat skills of my own. My character was a flimsy, paper-thin weakling.
“Should I start over...?”
I spent a while contemplating remaking my character. I still had funds from my winter bonus, so I didn’t mind spending money on the game again. If anything, that would be the smartest choice. My character was a complete joke at the moment.
“But...”
Something about the idea didn’t sit well with me. Money wasn’t the issue here; it was that redoing my character build felt like admitting defeat. Was I really going to discard the avatar which I’d spent so much time building, just like that?
Besides, even though we’d just met, Olto would disappear too. An image of the cute little gnome saying “Mm!” and waving at me flashed through my head.
“That’s right, I’d have to say goodbye to him.”
That thought helped me make up my mind more quickly than I expected.
“I’m going to stick with this character.”
To hell with getting a head start and being in the lead. I would survive and enjoy the world of LJO with the character I built: Yuto the Tamer, and his trusty companion, Olto!
“All right! Let’s do this!”
Now that that was decided, I needed to figure out how to make use of my gnome’s characteristics.
Amimin’s website praised gnomes for their horticultural skills. Indeed, Olto’s skills had mostly to do with farming, such as Digging, Farming, Propagation, Arboriculture, and Forced Cultivation EX. When I compared Olto’s stats to that of a regular gnome, it became abundantly clear how high his aptitude for farming was.
Regular gnomes only possessed the following skills to start: Heavy Bo Staff Skills, Earth Magic, Night Vision, Digging, Farming, and Propagation. Arboriculture was a special skill that Olto had acquired due to being a unique specimen. Forced Cultivation EX was probably something he had obtained from the Extra Skill bonus I selected when building my character, and Luck was presumably a bonus from Blood Skill. In addition, it said that regular gnomes had brown hair; Olto’s green hair was proof that he was a unique specimen.
Learning from my earlier mistakes, I took the time to double-check Olto’s skills.
Heavy Bo Staff Skills: A technique that involves swinging around heavy staffs. For gnomes, this skill is only applicable to construction and farming tools.
Earth Magic: Magic that draws power from the earth. Gnomes only learn spells related to farming, and are incapable of learning combat magic.
The preceding monster encounters had given me a bit more insight into these, although I should have read up on them sooner.
Night Vision: The ability to see in the dark as though in daylight.
Digging: A skill used for mining or digging in the ground.
These two were exactly as I’d expected. They were skills that came in handy during mining in caves, and were telling of gnomes’ aptitudes.
Farming: Grants bonuses to all farming activities. A skill required for agriculture. Each bonus is relatively small, given that this is an all-encompassing skill.
Propagation: A skill that reverts plants to seed form in order to increase that plant’s numbers. The yield and the extent to which the quality will deteriorate are subject to your propagation level.
Arboriculture: A skill required for cultivating trees. It is also possible to grow saplings from nuts with this skill in exchange for a downgrade in quality. The growth rate and the extent to which the quality will deteriorate are subject to your arboriculture level.
Forced Cultivation EX: Speeds up plants’ growth rates significantly and slightly improves their quality. Only applies to plants that you are cultivating yourself.
Luck: Boosts your luck in all sorts of situations.
The explanation for Luck was rather vague, but the site predicted that it would increase your odds of obtaining rare items or enemy drops, as well as your chances of success when crafting things.
Right, these were all skills specializing in agriculture. If I wanted to make effective use of them, it was probably best to grow crops. The one silver lining was that I’d acquired the skills Concoct and Alchemy. If I used Olto’s abilities to cultivate medicinal herbs and concocted potions to sell I could probably make a bit of money.
“I can do delivery-type quests to gain the experience points I need to level, and make money crafting things.”
It would be smart to double-check the information regarding Tamers too. One of the signature features of Tamers was obviously their ability to tame—a skill that made it possible for them to command and control magical beasts. To be fair, the Tame skill could be used by other job classes as well, and was obtainable by allocating the bonus points acquired through leveling up. However, the unique part about Tamers was that they had a skill specific to them called Monster Taming, which improved your success rate, boosted your tamed monsters’ stats, and helped you obtain additional monster slots.
While the skill Command, which other professions could also learn, had the same effects, the effects of Monster Taming and Command stacked with each other. This meant that if you learned both skills, it would create a synergistic effect that would significantly increase your success rate at taming, along with your monsters’ abilities.
The downside of being a Tamer was that since your monsters also took a share of all gained experience points, you’d end up receiving less individual XP overall, so it was no surprise that people playing in parties tended to steer clear of Tamers. It was a job best suited for solo players. To make up for that, Tamers supposedly required less XP to level up than other jobs, though since the class’s base stats were already low, even leveling up did not provide a great increase in strength. It was a weak class despite being geared towards solo players—no wonder it was unpopular.
Things might be different if you possessed outstanding playing skills, but...I wasn’t a pro martial artist in real life, nor did I have any unique abilities that sped up my brain’s processing speed. I was nothing but an out-of-shape office worker.
I recalled the Wild Dogs’ movements.
“Nope, I cannot fight those guys!”
Pulling off a close-quarters battle with my low Tamer stats would be incredibly unlikely.
My path suddenly felt fraught with danger. Was this a lost cause? No, what was I saying? I told myself that I’d stick to being a Tamer, remember?!
When in doubt...
“Okay, coffee time. Gonna need a breather before I head back in there.”
After two hours had passed within the game, I logged in once more, waking up on the same bench I had used to log out.
“And here’s Olto... Good.”
“Mm...”
“What’s up, buddy?”
“Mm-mm...”
Olto kept on bowing his head as if in apology.
“Are you apologizing for our previous battle?”
“Mm.”
Olto lowered his head further in reply.
“That was my fault. I should’ve assessed your strengths and weaknesses properly before rushing into battle.”
“Mm-mm-mm.”
“You don’t have to apologize anymore.”
I was the one at fault here, yet Olto continued to shake his head to and fro as if to say he was to blame.
At this rate, this would turn into a never-ending apology battle.
“In that case, what do you say we let bygones be bygones?”
“Mmm?”
“Capisce?”
“Mm!”
Olto nodded his head deeply to show he understood, and patted me on the knee. I suppose he was trying to cheer me up.
“Thanks. Now then...nothing amiss with my stats so far. Oh wait, it looks like I’m getting a bit hungry.”
If your hunger status reached zero, your stats dropped, and you ended up taking damage over time, so it was important to stay full by eating food in the game.
“I think my initial items included some food rations.”
The ration that I picked out from my inventory resembled a basic energy bar.
“Looks tasty enough,” I said, taking a bite out of it.
“Blegh!”
From the ration’s appearance, I had expected a sweet flavor, but it was absolutely tasteless.
“This texture... It’s like eating chalk.”
On top of that, my hunger status had only recovered twenty percent. Shit. My heart sank at the thought of having to eat any more of this stuff.
“I need to get my hands on other types of food, fast.”
Like, ASAP. Tamers did have Cooking skills for preparing food for their monsters, so in theory I could make better-tasting food as long as I had the right ingredients.
“Oh, that reminds me, you should eat too. Here, take this.”
“Mm!”
I presented Olto with some honey dumplings. These were included in Tamers’ starter packs and were meant for monsters. Although Tamed monsters didn’t require sleep, they had to eat once a day to prevent their stats from dropping. That was definitely something not to overlook.
“M’kay, shall we get going? You might not be able to fight, but there are still plenty of other things you’re good at, after all.”
“Mm?”
According to the research I did on farmlands while I was offline earlier, there was an agricultural district on the outskirts of the South District of the Town of Beginnings. On the map, it looked like a large empty tract.
“Wow, there’s nothing but fields for miles and miles.”
“Mmm!”
Upon arriving, we were met with an expanse of farmland. Few players had bought land at this stage of the game, though, so it was still mostly acre after acre of bare and untilled brown soil. If I bought a plot of land here, I could actually start cultivating plants. The Farming skill would be sufficient to achieve something the level of at least a humble vegetable garden.
So obviously, I was here to buy some land.
“That must be the Farming Guild.”
A building that was fairly large, though not so large as the Adventurers’ Guild, stood in the middle of the farmland. In contrast to the Adventurers’ Guild’s stone castle facade, this was a plain wooden building.
The sign at the entrance stated that this was indeed the Farming Guild. It seemed like we were at the right place.
“Never thought I’d visit the Farming Guild before the Magical Beasts Guild.”
As I entered the building, I was greeted with a layout similar to that of the Adventurers’ Guild. Unlike the other guildhall, however, the interior was furnished with the same wooden material as the outside, and gave off a much more laid-back impression. While it was lacking in glitz and glamour, there was something about it that put you at ease.
“Excuse me. I’d like to buy some land,” I said to the old NPC guy sitting behind the counter.
“Well well, how nice of you to come. I see you’re not a member of our guild, though, young fella. Ya can’t buy land unless you join, understood?”
Right, that probably went without saying. I would most likely be frequenting the guild from now on, so it was best to become a member.
“Okay, sign me up.”
“You got it. Place your status window right here, my boy.”
“Yes sir.”
I opened my status window, and Gramps started pressing some buttons behind the counter. As soon as he was done, I heard a ping, and the Farming Guild was added to my list of guild memberships.
“That’s it for registration. The quest notice board is that way, and reception is over there.”
That didn’t take very long. Oh well, I was inside a game, so it’s not like I was expecting to fill out any forms.
“Um, I’d like to buy some land now, if you don’t mind.”
“What grade do you want?”
“Grade?”
“Yep. The soil quality and facilities change depending on which grade ya choose.”
The old man brought out a map and explained in more detail. Since there weren’t that many agriculture-focused players yet, I would likely be able to buy any plot of land that I wanted. He also told me that he could upgrade my field for a fee. That was good to know. I needed to consider my options carefully.
The cheapest plots started at 2,000 G per acre. Depending on the upgrade, prices went up to 3,000, 6,000, and 10,000 G, although 10,000 G was out of the question. The most expensive upgrade apparently came with a small barn-like shed, but it was way over my budget.
The cheapest plot of land was a regular field with no extra bells and whistles. The soil was poor in condition though, which slowed down the growth rate of crops and decreased their quality. As I was considering taking up farming seriously, this would prove impractical.
“I can’t afford 6,000 G either...which leaves me with the 3,000 G option.”
Still, I was floored by the difference. The field that cost 6,000 G was far superior, which was fair given that it cost twice as much, and the soil was supposed to be excellent, which improved the crop yield greatly. In addition, the old man said he would drill a well in it for first-time customers, which I found appealing.
“The 6,000 G option is definitely way better, but...”
I only had 3,000 G on me at the moment. Guess the 3,000 G grade was my only choice...
“No, hold up.”
Was I going to settle for less after making it this far? Hadn’t I made my decision to live as a farmer-type Tamer, and if so, shouldn’t I buy the 6,000 G plot of land, even if it was slightly out of my reach?
“I’m short 3,000 G.”
That was quite a sum of money, but it wasn’t as if I lacked the means to raise it. It was just a matter of selling what I didn’t need to get more cash.
“Do you mind waiting a bit?”
“Sure thing,” the old fellow replied. “But remember, these are first come, first served. The good stuff might be gone before ya know it.”
“I’ll hurry back as soon as I can. By the way, do you know where the nearest item shop is? Or it can be a weapon shop—either one is fine.”
“Well, there’s a general store just north of this street. They mostly deal with farming tools, but I’m pretty sure they’ve got some medicine and weapons as well.”
“Thanks so much!”
I thanked the old man and took off running. Olto kept up with me on his short legs without any problem. If anything, he seemed faster than me—proof that his agility level was higher than mine.
There was indeed a store where Gramps said it would be. It had a distinctive appearance, resembling a good old-fashioned penny candy store at first glance. I rushed inside. The interior turned out to be pretty cramped. There were very few items on display, and only a single counter.
“Welcome,” said the old lady working at the counter.
“Excuse me, I’d like to sell some items,” I said.
“Of course. What would you like to sell?”
Let’s see, which of my items were sellable...?
“How about this?” I asked, placing my ebony staff on the counter.
“A moment please.”
I’d obtained the staff with my initial bonus points. While it lacked special powers, it helped boost my magical abilities. Still, it didn’t change the fact that I was a loser, so I was better off selling it for some extra cash to fund my farm.
“I can buy this for 1,050 G, if you like.”
Hmm, I still had a long way to go to reach my goal. With that in mind, the next thing to sell would be...
“You are about to remove your body armor,” the game warned. “Would you like to proceed?”
“Do it.”
The next item I handed over was my silver robe, likewise obtained with my initial bonus points.
Even without my gear, my avatar was fully clothed in a beige-colored outfit. It was a sleeveless tunic consisting solely of a single piece of cloth, with an opening for the head. It resembled the clothes ancient folks wore in history textbook illustrations.
“So I’m not naked underneath. Thank goodness.”
I suppose it was to be expected, since this game was meant to be family friendly, though it should go without saying that the clothes had zero defense.
“I can buy this for 2,180 G.”
That came to a total of 3,230 G. I had met my goal! That was a relief; I didn’t want to resort to selling my Beast Tamer Bangle, which enhanced Olto’s abilities.
“I’ll sell them both!”
“Very well.”
As the storekeeper put away my items, I heard a ka-ching. I checked my status window to find that my in-game currency had increased to 6,230 G.
“All right! I can buy a farm now! Let’s go, Olto!”
“Mm-mm!”
I started sprinting again with Olto in tow, rushing back to the Farming Guild posthaste.
“Excuse me! I’d like to buy some land!”
“Okey-dokey. So, which plot will it be?”
“I’d like somewhere that’s close to the square, and easily accessible from both the Adventurers’ Guild and Farming Guild.”
“Gotcha. I’d recommend this spot then.”
The old guy pointed out his recommendation on the map. It certainly did look like the ideal location.
“Okay, I’ll take it. And I’d like the 6,000 G grade, please.”
“You got it! You’re sure this is what ya want, yeah?”
My status window launched automatically, and a mini pop-up asked me to confirm my selection one last time. I heard another ka-ching as I sounded out the word ‘yes’ in my head, which left me with 230 G. It appeared that the transaction was complete.
“Here, I’ve circled the place for ya on the map.”
I see. So it wasn’t like he was going to show me the way there personally. Oh well, as long as I followed the map I figured I wouldn’t get lost, so no biggie.
“Um, do you know where I can get seeds for my farm?”
“You can get them right here.”
“Mind if I see what you’ve got?”
As the words left my mouth, it dawned on me that I might not have enough money. Luckily, the two types of seeds the old man showed me only cost 100 G per packet.
“These are seeds for edible grass and seeds for salve-making plants. That’s 200 G for both of them.”
I bought two packets, each containing five seeds, for 100 G a piece. The seeds would grow into edible grass, which was the main ingredient for food rations, and herbs for making medicine. Medicine was a rung below potions and were only used in the early levels. While they were only half as effective as low-grade potions, they supposedly came in handy for beginners.
“That leaves me with 30 G. I might as well buy something and use it up.”
If I could actually afford anything, that is. That was when I noticed the fertilizer.
“What’s this?”
“You can get bonus points for cultivating plants if ya sprinkle this in the fields. The effect lasts for five days.”
“Is that so? I’ll take it then.”
“Right-o, that’ll be 30 G per acre. There ya go.”
I’d managed to use up all of my money. I was now utterly penniless, and it was only my first day. What was I thinking...?
Nah, that just made things all the more exciting!
“Let’s head over to our farm, shall we?”
“Mm-mm!”
The plot of land really was right beside the guild, and it took less than five minutes to get there. Although it was still only one little patch, it was without a shadow of a doubt ours to call home.
“I’m counting on you, Olto.”
“Mm!”
Olto thumped his chest in reply. This time his gesture was unmistakable. He seemed to be saying, Leave it to me!
In this game, you could grow up to a maximum of twenty crops per acre in your field, though some crops required two or more slots to grow. Perhaps it was more accurate to say you had twenty available slots per acre.
At the moment, I had ten seeds in total: five edible grass seeds and five salve-making plant seeds. That was only enough to fill up half of my allotted land.
“I know. Maybe we can plant this?”
I picked out the medicinal herb from my inventory, the sole trophy from my earlier encounter with death. It would probably be pretty convenient if I could grow them on my farm.
Olto took the plant from my hand, then closed his eyes and began humming.
“Mm-mm-mm... Mmm-mm-mmm...”
Okay, so what now?
Several seconds later, there was a small poof, and the plant Olto had been holding disappeared; it had literally gone up in a puff of smoke. In its place, two black seeds now sat atop Olto’s small palms.
According to my assessment, the seeds were in fact medicinal herb seeds.
“Wow! So that’s the Propagation skill, huh?!”
Plants reverting right into seeds—a fascinating sight that could only be enjoyed within the realm of the game.
“Mm, mm-mm...”
Olto continued to mutter as though reciting an incantation, and the dirt near our feet rose—earth magic? Olto then proceeded to plow the soil with his hoe.
“Are you making mounds?”
“Mm!”
Olto used his finger to poke holes in the mounds he had just built and carefully sowed the seeds he had just propagated. After that, he covered them with soil and patted the earth gently, then drew some water from the well and sprayed them.
There was nothing magical about this at all. It was just regular farming.
I was a bit worried about how things were going, but I told myself to have faith in Olto’s farming skills. Just then...
“What the—?!” I yelped.
“Mm?”
“Sorry, didn’t mean to surprise you. But seriously, they’re sprouting already?”
“Mmm.” Olto puffed out his chest with pride.
I patted Olto on the head, but my eyes were glued to the ground. Almost instantly after Olto sowed them, the seeds had sprouted, much to my amazement. No seed could ever grow that fast. In fact, the farmers’ bulletin board I’d just seen said that it’d take at least twenty-four hours for seeds to sprout after being planted. But this had happened instantaneously. How could it be?
“Did you do this?”
“Mmm.”
Olto stood there proudly. So it was his doing. Either his farming skills were super advanced, or his Forced Cultivation EX ability was more potent than I’d expected. Or, he’d done something using his earth magic.
Whatever the case, it seemed like farming would go swimmingly as long as I had Olto. Knowing that we could get a process that normally took twenty-four hours done in seconds was giving me much more hope.
“Hell yeah, I’m getting stoked!”
I needed to plant more crops immediately. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any more money.
“Should I go and collect some more?”
Wait a minute. It was then that I realized something.
I still had two unpenalized chances left to respawn. I could just gather as many plants as possible. Even if I did die, my items weren’t going anywhere. Even better, it was a fast track back to town! I could death-warp two more times without incurring any penalties. The fear of being bitten to death by Wild Dogs still lingered, but I was determined to accomplish my goal.
Before I attempted something so outrageous, however, I had to gather information. I decided to ask the old man at the Farming Guild what kinds of plants I could grow on the farm for starters.
“You can grow anything you like, depending on the level of your Farming skill!”
With Olto’s ability, we would likely be able to cultivate most plants found around here. That settled things. Time to go on a whirlwind grass-picking, respawning tour.
“Olto, I’m leaving you in charge of this patch. I’m going to collect some plants.”
“Mm-mm!”
[Gather ’Round Tamers] LJO Tamer Megathread
Share the deets on new tamed monsters, show off your companions, etc.—this thread is for everyone!
Bad-mouthing other Tamers is not permitted.
Avoid double-posting.
Be mindful of what you post.
29: Amelia
Name one monster better than my cutie Bun Bun!
I feel like I could get lost in that fluff for hours...
I know for sure that everyone’s staring at me when I’m playing with Bun Bun in the field in the square...
30: Ivan
Easy. My buddy Snake’s scales are the smoothest thing you’ll ever touch.
Doesn’t seem to make me very popular with the ladies, though...
31: Ursula
Not surprising. Some people don’t like snakes very much.
32: Ivan
I figured as much. But no matter. That just means I get Snake’s scales all to myself!
33: Amelia
I don’t mind snakes, I’m just way more into fluffy animals.
34: KingOysterMushroom
>32
Lonely much? lolol
35: Ursula
>32
I’m sure your day will come XDDD
I gotta say, though, your username sounds like you’d be a great undercover agent lol.
36: Ivan
Thanks. Snake and I are gonna tough it out in this big wild world together. But maybe I’ll add something furry to my entourage next.
I gotta level up my skills first, though. I tamed a Rock Ant at the start of the game and I’m already out of slots!
37: Amelia
You didn’t use your initial bonus points to level up your Monster Taming skill?
38: Ursula
It’s possible that they didn’t have enough bonus points if they used them up on something like crafting.
39: Ivan
>37
I didn’t, because I decided to mess around with Swordplay and Magic and Crafting... Anyway, I’m a student so I’m F2P (;_;)
In-game purchase bonuses? Never heard of em!
40: KingOysterMushroom
I don’t think it’s a bad idea to acquire a Magic skill. After all, the usual setup for Tamers is to have their monsters in front while they bring up the rear.
I also think acquiring Crafting is a smart move since it gives you a little extra XP, plus it’ll help you earn money.
Depending on which race you belong to and how you allocated your stats, Swordplay might be useful as well.
The issue is that you’ll probably end up half-assing everything you do until you get all your levels up to par.
41: Eulenspiegel
Guys!!! I saw a monster I’ve never encountered before in the Town of Beginnings! Wonder what it is...
42: Amelia
Oh?
43: Ursula
Details, please.
44: Eulenspiegel
I was strolling through the Town of Beginnings just now, and I spotted a beautiful boy plowing the fields!
45: Ivan
A boy...? Like, a child?! That’s weird, man. Or was it like a cross-dresser or something?
46: Ursula
You should know that the no-harassment rule applies to NPCs too, Eulenspiegel. Though admittedly there’s probably some things people will let slide depending on your own gender, lol.
47: Eulenspiegel
Okay hang on, listen!
This wasn’t just some random little boy! He was tiny, and dressed like a fairy-tale dwarf.
48: KingOysterMushroom
I mean, this is a fantasy setting, so that’s not that weird. Do you have any screenshots?
49: Eulenspiegel
I don’t. I tried to get a sneaky snap, but it seemed like the farm was set as the player’s home, so the shutter was disabled. I couldn’t use my Appraisal skill on it either. The marker was blue, though.
50: Amelia
Jeez. You make it sound like you were trying to do something criminal.
But if the marker was blue, then that means it was either a player or a tamed monster.
Was there anything like a dwarf on the initial monster list? I don’t remember seeing anything like that on Amimin’s page. The closest humanoid monster is a goblin lmao
They’re not exactly beautiful, though. Unless that’s your kink or something I guess...?
51: Eulenspiegel
STOP PUTTING WORDS IN MY MOUTH. It WAS a dwarf! NOT a goblin!
52: Amelia
Guess it’s a mystery, then.
I looked up which monsters you could get with Advanced Tame before the game started, but I don’t recall seeing humanoid types there.
53: Eulenspiegel
It could just be a rare Zone Two monster? That no one discovered it during the beta phase.
54: KingOysterMushroom
I doubt it. There was a globally viewable map during the beta test, that let players see how much of the area had already been explored, and I’m pretty sure the area map, items, and monster data for Zone Two were all fully unlocked.
55: Ursula
Who knows, it might not be a tamed monster though. IIRC, Summoners have the ability to set a summoned monster on their home screen.
56: Ivan
That’s plausible. Apparently, there’s only a fifty percent overlap between the types of monsters Summoners and Tamers can handle. If it’s not something we’re familiar with, then there’s a good chance it belongs to a Summoner.
57: Eulenspiegel
That could be the case.
58: Amelia
Or, it could be a new monster that was released with the official launch.
59: KingOysterMushroom
Obviously, we can’t discount the possibility. It’s also plausible that it’s an Elementalist’s spirit.
60: Eulenspiegel
That’s a whole lotta possibilities. I think I’ll look into it.
61: Amelia
Good luck!
62: Ivan
>60
Looking forward to your report. Not that I intend on helping though haha.
63: Ursula
>60
Do give us an update. And I won’t be helping either XD
64: KingOysterMushroom
Let us know when you find out what that creature is. You’re on your own, by the way lmao
65: Eulenspiegel
Y’all could at least give me a hand!
[Farming Rocks!] A Farming Thread for Farmers by Farmers
This is a thread where people who own farms in LJO can exchange information.
From topics concerning large-scale farms to small home gardens, all questions are welcome here.
Please make it clear if your post contains unverified information.
While we’re grateful for actual farming tips, we’re not sure how practical they’ll be in the game.
20: Tagosack
>17
It’ll probably be a while before we can recreate mana apples in the official version of the game. Even during the beta test, they were only cultivated by chance by a player who had Selective Breeding EX.
They also mentioned that this special version of Selective Breeding was a skill they had just happened to obtain through one of those random skill boxes, the ones they grant top-ranking players in events.
21: Charm
Selective Breeding “EX?” So they can’t be cultivated with regular Selective Breeding?
22: Tsugarun
EX skills are in a totally different league from normal skills. A lot of players tried to replicate the process, but regular Selective Breeding didn’t produce any results. You most likely need the EX version to create mana apples.
23: Terrill
Are EX skills not obtainable through regular means then?
24: Charm
I was wondering about that myself. I’d love to get my hands on them, too! I wonder if there’s a Farming EX or Propagation EX skill?
25: Thomas
It’s not impossible, but it’s extremely difficult.
You can’t learn EX skills simply by spending bonus points. They only appear on the list of obtainable skills if you pull some sort of trigger via an event or the right skill combination, and even then, they cost an insane amount of points.
26: Terrill
How much? Regular skills cost about four to ten points, right?
27: Tsugarun
So, I actually did have an EX skill pop up on my list during the beta test. I never found out what triggered it, though.
The skill was Arboriculture EX, which cost sixty bonus points to learn. Obviously, I couldn’t afford it.
28: Terrill
Huh? 60?? What kinda bullshit is that?
29: Charm
You get two bonus points each time you level up, so...I guess the earliest you can learn an EX skill is at level 31?
30: Tagosack
Theoretically, yes, but it’ll take you longer than that in practice.
It’s not like you can just forget all your other skills, plus you need bonus points for stat allocation.
Also, the main way crafter-type players gain XP is by crafting stuff and fulfilling quests, so naturally they take longer to level up compared to players who are geared towards combat.
31: Charm
I guess EX skills are out of my reach...
32: Thomas
It’s a shame since they’re highly potent.
Selective Breeding: Allows players to create new crop varieties by combining crops with other materials.
Selective Breeding EX: Allows players to create new crop varieties by combining several kinds of materials and items with crops. Significantly increases the chances of success and the probability of mutation.
Just look at the difference.
33: Terrill
They feel like completely different skills at that point.
34: Tsugarun
That’s why acquiring EX skills is practically impossible, at least at the beginning anyway. It might be possible to learn one randomly when you build your character, though.
35: Tagosack
Even that is probably a one-in-a-million chance.
36: Tsugarun
But it’s not totally impossible, right?
37: Tagosack
Farming-related skills aren’t the only skills out there. Even if you did obtain an EX skill by some miracle through your initial bonus, chances that it’ll be related to farming are pretty low. If there really was such a lucky bastard out there, though, I’d love to be their friend.