During the beta, sleep was a crucial mechanic that many players exploited. One of the primary reasons for this was that sleeping for more than four hours of game time—or real-world time—would restore a player’s health to 100% and remove most status ailments. This led to players carrying tents and beds in their inventories, allowing them to sleep even in dungeons. This mechanic became widely used as a survival strategy.
Upon waking up yesterday, I felt rejuvenated, as if I had experienced the best sleep of my life. My muscles felt relaxed, my mind was clear, and my energy levels were at an all-time high. It was as if all the fatigues from the previous day had melted away.
Getting out of bed, I felt a rush of thoughts and questions swirling in my head. Who is the game master? Why did this happen? How did this happen? What should I do next? We are going to be here for the foreseeable future, and although we made significant progress during the beta test, navigating a real, three-dimensional body is far more challenging than controlling a 2D pixelated avatar.
During the four-year beta test, players managed to conquer the tower. So, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility for us to achieve the same feat here. However, it will likely take us significantly longer, and my notes on the various floors are not 100% complete. This leads to another set of questions: Do we age here? If so, when do we stop aging, and how does that relate to the tower’s mechanics?
As I sat at the end of my bed, contemplating these questions and the enormity of the task ahead, I decided to set them aside for now. I got up, made my bed, and took a shower. Afterward, I waited for my hair to dry. With nothing to comb it with, I ran my fingers through my hair.
The inn had not yet opened to the public by the time I left my room. However, there was one person there—the girl from before. She had pale white skin and long, straight brunette hair that seemed to be wet. As soon as she saw me, it seemed like she wanted to talk to me but stopped herself. Her lavender eyes glanced quickly in my direction before she focused back on what she was eating.
I looked at her for a while, noticing that her name was hidden before I decided that I had more important things to do, so I smiled at her as I left Lunarlight Inn, my thoughts still racing with unanswered questions and uncertainties about our current situation. She most likely wanted to thank me, but how do you say, “Thanks for saving my life” or “Thanks for sacrificing yourself”? That would be hard to bring up out of the blue.
The sky was a deep, crimson hue, painting the horizon with vibrant shades of red and orange as the sun began its ascent. The air was cool and fresh, filled with the melodious chirping of birds greeting the dawn. Gentle rays of sunlight started to pierce through the scattered clouds, casting a warm, golden glow over the landscape, signaling the start of a new day.
“System, what time is it?” I thought.
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It is 6:15 A.M
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I was surprised by this; I didn’t expect the system to handle such menial tasks. Applying skill points and equipping gear, sure, but telling the time was shocking. Time is one of those necessities that you often forget about.
As I walked through the town there was a modest, unassuming place, tucked away at the end of the highway. Even at this early hour, the other NPCs’ shops overshadowed his, their vibrant displays and bustling activity making his almost invisible. Above his head hovered the name “Gear Collector,” a title that hinted at a wealth of knowledge and rare items.
As I approached, he looked up, his eyes tired but sharp. “What have you lost?” he asked, his voice raspy and worn from countless interactions.
“My home,” I replied, feeling a pang of sorrow as I said it.
“And what do you need from me?” he inquired, leaning forward with a curiosity.
“Whatever you can offer,” I said, still puzzled by the exchange and wondering where it would lead.
He studied me for a moment before asking, “Do you know what kind of armor can be found on this desolate floor?”
Of course, I did, I thought, but I decided to play along. “No,” I replied.
“There are three types of armor that can be crafted on this floor,” he explained, his voice slowing as if he were reciting a well-worn script. “Core armor decreases mana usage and is the easiest to make. Leather armor increases health, providing sturdiness in battle. And finally, Fur armor increases attack speed, though it is the hardest to obtain..”
I pondered his words before asking, “What will I get in return?”
He paused, then spoke with a hint of mystery, “A map to… what you have lost.
What is the most important item in an RPG? Some may say health potions, others may say skills. But in my opinion, the most important item is gear. You can have really high-level skills, but without the right gear to increase stats, those skills will be useless. So now, I needed to get two sets of core armor. In the game, core armor required 15 slime cores. You would then bring them to a blacksmith who would use their metals to make the armor for a small fee, usually less than 500 silver.
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Will you accept the Gear Collector’s quest?
“I’ll get that for you right away,” I smiled at him.
“Come back at exactly this time any day, and I will give you your reward,” he said, shaking before handing me a small dagger that he said I could keep.
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Old Collector’s Dagger
Uncommon Item
This item can absorb and repel mana.
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The ambiance of the city this early in the morning was peaceful. Many players and NPCs were still asleep, and those who were awake had already left for quests. If I hadn’t seen the hustle and bustle the other day, I would have assumed the city was abandoned.
Since the main gate was closed, I left through a side door that was open. I didn’t plan on returning soon, and by the time I came back, the main gate would be open.
Slimes are a peaceful infestation. No one knows where they come from or how they get here, but that doesn’t matter much to most because they provide an infinitely renewable resource for NPCs and players alike. The guild usually buys slime drops for reasons only a select few truly know. As I looked across the plains, a nearby slime approached me. It was gray.
A slime’s color is determined by one of two factors: either it absorbed a skill from someone, or it was born with this skill. Slimes of this nature are usually the color of the magic they possess, such as white for ice or yellow for lightning. Those that absorb their skills are typically gray because they often take on melee skills.
The slime crawled towards me at a snail’s pace before finally reaching me and stopping at my feet.
“Aww,” I thought. “It’s just a cute little blob.”
SLASH
Unexpectedly, the slime slashed at me, causing a sharp pain. I jumped back, not anticipating the small blob’s attack. The slime inched towards me again, trying to repeat its assault.
I prepared to attack the slime but felt a liquid sensation trickle down my face. The slime had cut me right under my eyes and above my nose. As I wiped it away, I noticed a red, pixelated liquid that seemed to mimic blood. I decided to call this “Red.”
When the slime got within range, I slashed down at it, creating a white arc with mana. However, the slime kept advancing, so I attacked again, this time without infusing the weapon with mana. This was more successful, and I killed the slime by piercing its core.
After a few seconds, the slime began to disintegrate, transforming into a cascade of green and red pixels that faded away.
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Skill Unlocked: Mana Arc
Items Obtained: 1 Pierced Slime Core and 3 Slime Skins
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Since core armor is made from slime cores, it’s better to leave them unharmed. I needed to find a way to kill the slimes without piercing their cores. I used one of the slime skins to wipe my hands of the Red.
More slimes began to approach me, this time in multiple colors: one white, one yellow, and one red.
The slimes launched at me. The red slime shot a fireball that I barely managed to evade. As I landed, the white slime’s icy blast encasing my feet, freezing me in place, while the yellow slime started to glow ominously, indicating it was charging a powerful spell.
I swiftly activated Mana Arc, slashing at the yellow slime and disrupting its spell, which gave me enough time to break free from the ice. I then targeted the red slime, deflecting its fireball with my dagger and ensuring I avoided the core as I slashed it. I repeated this pattern with the remaining slimes, dodging their attacks with precision and narrowly escaping the battle unscathed.
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Items Obtained: 3 Slime Cores and 8 Slime Skins
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“I don’t need to see that every time I obtain an item,” I thought. “Can you turn off that notification system?”
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Yes. Item Obtained notification: Null
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After the encounter with those three slimes, I decided it would be best to start searching for slimes instead of waiting for them to come to me. After killing seven more slimes, making sure to avoid their cores, I finally leveled up.
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You has leveled up to Level 1
You gained 1 skill point
You gained 5 inventory slots
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I tried to apply the skill point to mastery, but it said that I couldn’t, so I applied it to perception. I also noticed that I was at lower health, but now that I knew how to deal with the slimes, it wasn’t going to be a problem.
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Level: 1
Health: 56
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Perception: 3
Luck: 2
Mastery: 0
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For the rest of the day, I hunted slimes. I hunted them in groups, hunted them alone, and killed any I could find, which wasn’t too hard since I had this dagger. I killed 20 more slimes, leaving me with just enough slime cores for two sets of armor. When I killed the last of the 20 slimes, I also leveled up to level 2, gaining 5 more inventory slots and applying the stat point to luck.
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You have reached the max level for this floor. Any extra XP will be applied when you leave this floor.
Level: 2
Health: 41
Strength: 3
Speed: 3
Perception: 3
Luck: 3
Mastery: 0
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This is a countermeasure to ensure that players on the tutorial floors (i.e., the first 10 floors) don’t get killed instantly in PvP by players who are max level. When you come from a higher level, like level 14, and go to a tutorial floor, your level will become that floor’s max level, which is the floor’s number, except for floor 1, which is 2 since floor 2 is a safe floor. In the game, this wasn’t a problem. However, since it’s real, facing bosses with restrictions will be significantly harder.
After leveling up and allocating my skill points, I made my way back to 63rd to find the blacksmith I had noticed on my first day. The blacksmith’s shop was nestled between bustling market stalls, and its exterior was adorned with various metalworks. Inside, the air was thick with the scent of burning cinder and smelted metal.
The blacksmith himself was a towering figure with a muscular build, a thick black beard, and piercing eyes that seemed to scan every detail. His presence was commanding, and the rhythmic clanging of hammers on anvils from the back room could be heard. Five skilled artisans were hard at work, shaping and crafting metal into various items.
“What do you need?” His voice rasped like sandpaper, gruff and unwelcoming.
“Can I have two sets of core armor made? I’ve got the slime cores right here.”
He eyed me with a weary look, as if my request was the most mundane thing he had heard all day.
“That’ll be 500 silver per set, so a total of 1 gold,” he replied, his tone flat.
I was prepared to cover the cost. I could easily hunt more slimes tomorrow and sell their drops to the guild to recoup my expenses. The price was steep, but I knew it was because he was using high-quality materials like iron and leather in the crafting process.
“And what class should these armors be for?” he asked, his attention still half on the forge.
“One for the ninja class and one standard set,” I answered, hoping the customization would be straightforward.
The blacksmith gave a brief nod after I handed over the gold, instructing me to come back the next day to pick up the finished armor.
In the beta, sets of armor would automatically adjust to fit the player wearing them, and I hoped it would be the same here. If not, I wouldn’t mind buying another set of armor and selling the one that doesn’t fit at the auction. Asking what class the armor should be for tells the blacksmith what it should look like, whether it’s designed for stealth or built for a tank.
When I finally arrived at the inn after a day of hunting slimes, it was bustling with activity however the girl wasn’t there . Although I enjoyed the lively atmosphere and dining with others, I decided to have some food sent up to my room.
I ordered a hearty beef stew, rich with tender chunks of meat and a medley of vegetables, accompanied by a warm loaf of crusty bread. The meal was delicious. When I was done, I returned the empty bowl and fell asleep, satisfied with how the day went.
Authors note:
I realized that the skill points were incorrect, but I am too lazy to go back and fix it in the previous chapters. It’s been corrected in this chapter .
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