Shatei Kyokufuri Yumi-Ojisan - Chapter 2
Data.2 Old bowman, psyched
And so I used the capsule VR machine to dive into the world of Next Stage Online.
The first thing that appeared before my eyes was outer space, only it was blue.
Occasionally, stars would drift like rows of 0s and 1s.
Huh, it really did have the feeling of being in cyberspace.
‘Welcome to the world of Next Stage Online. First, please decide on a name. You will not be able to change your name once it is decided.’
I see. There was the initial setup.
This was something that hadn’t changed from older games.
For some reason, I had thought the game would start immediately.
A name…alright.
Since my name was Nagai Kyuji, why not ‘Kyu-jii’?
Because the ‘jii’ looked like ‘oldman’?
No, I was overthinking it.
I wasn’t young, but I wasn’t that old either.
I was young at heart. The details didn’t matter.
“I’ll be ‘Kyuji.’
‘Certainly, Kyuji. Next, you must choose the appearance of your character. You will later be able to use facilities within the game to alter your appearance. At a price, of course.’
So, it wasn’t permanent.
However, these superficial changes that had no effect on your success in the game were always the ones to cost money.
Regardless, I would create a character that I would want to use for a long time.
Man or woman…
Better go with a man.
Now, I was confident in being able to create a cute girl, but being her was another thing.
Besides, I had once heard that doing such a thing could start to affect your personality in the real world.
It was not the kind of thing one should plunge into without some thought.
Instead, I would create an older, rugged type of man.
Hmm. They had a lot of options.
It would be easiest to autocreate, and then use that as a base and make changes from there.
Thankfully, they even had ‘rugged’ as one of the options in autocreate.
And so I touched it.
Hmm. What appeared was quite promising.
A sleek, muscular physique, with dull, brown hair.
But he had a shaved jaw, which gave him a refreshing look.
It wasn’t bad at all, but I made a few adjustments.
His eyes should be less severe and his jaw less wide.
Yes, now it was closer to Japanese tastes.
Nothing flashy, but that was they key to having a character that you wouldn’t get bored of.
“I’m done.”
‘Very well. You will now be sent to the world of Nextaria.’
“Huh? Already? I thought this game had a job system and…”
‘You will learn about that when you arrive.’
If that’s what the guide said, I just had to follow.
Well, this time, my adventure was beginning.
??????
The darkness faded away, and I could see again.
Apparently, I was in a city park.
There were several other players here on the grass, swinging their weapons.
Were they rookies like me?
After all, this game hadn’t been out for a full month yet.
So there were likely a lot of new players.
‘This is the park. While you are in the city, you can use your weapons and skills to your heart’s content. Your attacks will not hit other players. However, as they will be seen, you should avoid using anything you wish to keep secret.’
I see. So it was a place to test newly bought weapons and skills.
On closer inspection, not all of them had starter equipment like me. Some had impressive looking swords or were flaunting glittery magic.
Nice. I had heard that looking at other players’s equipment was great fun in online games.
It made me want to get something good soon, and attract envious glares.
‘Now, please choose one of these three starter jobs. Your job will affect your status, equippable items and the skills you can learn.’
A blue, semi-transparent window had popped up in front of me.
The words ‘Warrior,’ ‘Mage,’ and ‘Archer’ were displayed.
‘You will be able to freely change your job during the first three days. So please look for the job that suits you best. Furthermore, during this trial period, your starter equipment will auto-repair whenever it is broken. There is also no penalty for dying. You will be able to fight without worry of defeat.’
They were very thorough in how much they worried about beginners.
I guess it was because people quit over the smallest things.
‘That is the end of this introduction. From here, you can freely enjoy Next Stage Online. If you have any questions, please use the help feature.’
It was a good balance between being concerned, but not having a long tutorial.
Many free to play social games had long tutorials that would result in people uninstalling them. But this game had a monthly fee.
“So, where should I start?”
It didn’t feel unnatural to talk.
The way my throat vibrated and the movement of my tongue felt normal.
“I guess I should choose a job first.”
That being said, I already knew.
I would try ‘Warrior’!
With ‘One-handed sword’ and ‘Shield’!
The standard rpg stuff.
I would stand in the lead and protect the others while cutting my way through monsters.
Yes. I would look so cool.
“Now, let’s see what my stats look like.”
? Status
Name: Kyuji
Job: Warrior
Lv: 1/20
HP: 80/80
MP: 20/20
Attack: 22
Defense: 16
Magic Attack: 2
Magic Defense: 2
Speed: 8
Spirit: 0
Skill: None
Huh. It was very clear what I was and wasn’t good at. That was great.
Those who were middling at everything were always the weakest.
I had everything a Warrior would need to be in the advance guard.
However, I didn’t know what ‘Spirit’ was.
And so I looked it up.
‘The ‘Spirit’ status is exclusive to the Warrior job. When your HP drops below a certain point, you receive an attack and defense boost. This boost is determined by your Spirit level and HP.’
That sounded pretty good.
The stalwart Warrior who stubbornly fights until the end. That was my idea of a Warrior.
As it was exclusive, that meant Mages and Archers had their own status as well.
I should find out what those are too…
“Um, excuse me.”
“Uh, are you talking to me?”
“Yes!”
It was a group of three girls who were also wearing beginner armor.
Their characters were all very pretty, and I was taken aback.
“What do you want?”
“Um, you’re a beginner too…right?”
“Yes. I was just checking my status.”
“I knew it! In that case, why don’t you form a party with us? We want to go out and fight. And we thought that we might as well do it as a party of four.”
“I don’t mind. But why did you choose me?”
“You looked really cool and strong!”
Heh. So they knew…
Apparently, my capabilities were not something I could hide.
Well, I might just show them.
The true power of a former game developer…