Let's Gather Materials for a Bow (1)

Shio, the friend Ruby brought along, was a girl I could only describe as energetic—or rather, as an underclassman from an athletic club. The way she spoke crisply and unconditionally recognized us as her seniors was exactly that. Personally, I wouldn't have minded if she were more casual.

"You may have heard from Ruby, but we're active as a party called 'Night Parade.' You're joining us too, Shio-kun?"

"Yes! I'd love to, Izaam-san!"

She bowed so quickly and forcefully that I could almost hear the sound. No, really, she didn't need to be that formal.

"I see. Understood."

With that, I went to submit a party application... Wait, was there a party-size limit? Karu was using one slot, so this wouldn't work as it stood. In that case, I might as well make use of the new function!

"Everyone, let's take this opportunity to form a clan."

"Oh, right! Shio-chan can't join while we're still a party, can she?"

"Exactly. What should we name the clan? I think we might as well use 'Night Parade' as is."

That would be the simplest option. Besides, for someone like me who was well aware of his lack of naming sense, coming up with names was nothing but an ordeal.

"Can I say something?"

Shio raised her hand energetically. Apparently, she had an opinion.

"Hm? What is it?"

"When I heard it from Ruby, I thought it'd look cooler if we gave it an English reading."

"Oh?"

So we'd write it in kanji but give it a foreign-language reading. FSW did the same with its Races and Jobs, so why not?

"And since we might get more friends like me in the future, how about 'Nightwalkers,' to give it a group feel and make us sound like powerful characters?"

'Nightwalkers'... Not bad. No, it actually felt right.

"I support Shio's suggestion. What does everyone think?"

"Sounds good to me!"

"Works for me. Sounds strong, too."

"It has a nice villainous ring to it."

Mm-hm, the others liked it too!

"Shii-chan is good at this sort of thing!"

"It's nothing special~"

Ruby praised her without reservation, while Shio looked a little embarrassed.

"All right, then. From today onward, we'll operate under the name 'Nightwalkers.' I'll create the clan... and send. Everyone, please respond to my invitations to join."

I confirmed that everyone had joined the clan I had quickly created from the menu screen. The clan 'Nightwalkers' would begin with these six members!

"As for our future plans, we members of the first wave have already decided what we'll be doing. Is there anything you want to do, Shio? We won't be going on expeditions, so we'll accompany you when we have time."

"Well, I just started, so I'll focus on leveling for now! When I logged in, an adult Birdian told me they'd teach me all sorts of things!"

Oh? So NPCs would instruct players of the same Race? How enviable!

"I see. Well, we'll be staying here for a while, so feel free to ask if there's anything you need or want to know. There are also Titles that are useful to obtain early on."

"Really? Then I'll be sure to ask whenever I run into trouble!"

With that, Shio bowed energetically. Honestly, she didn't need to be so formal...

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Now that I think of it, Shio's Race is Birdian Chick. In appearance, she was a Birdian only about the size of a human child, covered in fluffy gray down.

The difference between chicks and adults was partly their size, but most importantly, chicks couldn't fly. I don't know whether any birds can fly while they're still chicks, but it certainly felt realistic.

Despite being a Race whose greatest characteristic was the ability to fly, Birdian Chicks couldn't fly at the start. FSW apparently wasn't going to go easy on them. It reminded me of how Genzuro had started out as a caterpillar. Yes, indeed.

Apparently, Shio would join the NPC Birdian Chicks for training. After receiving something resembling a tutorial, she planned to go hunting with Ruby.

Well, given the enormous level gap, Ruby would mostly be watching. No matter how accustomed someone was to games, level-based systems made differences in playtime overwhelmingly important. There was no way Shio, who had been playing for less than an hour, could fight on equal terms with us, who could defeat Cyclopes single-handedly.

Apparently, her goal was her first evolution—and she even intended to achieve it as quickly as possible. I had no idea how difficult it would be to be the fastest, but I would cheer her on. So before she left, I told her the conditions for obtaining the Title 'Usurpation.' Ruby was with her, so they would manage somehow.

That aside, we would begin training to overcome our weaknesses. For that purpose, I had made the following using 【Talisman Arts】.

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Fireball Talisman Quality: Scrap Rarity: C (Common)

A talisman containing a Fireball.

Its quality is low, and its power is not high.

Water Ball Talisman Quality: Scrap Rarity: C (Common)

A talisman containing a Water Ball.

Its quality is low, and its power is not high.

――――――――――

For now, I prepared Fireball Talismans for Iris and Genzuro, who had 【Fire Attribute Weakness】, and Water Ball Talismans for Jigoro. I was deeply moved that my 【Talisman Arts】 level had finally increased while I was making them. The settings had prevented a notification from appearing, though.

All you needed to make a talisman was paper and a writing implement. As for how to make one, when I pictured a spell I could use, something resembling a faint preliminary sketch would appear on the paper. All I had to do was trace it. It was simple.

Incidentally, you couldn't imbue advanced spells without raising your 【Talisman Arts】 level. Specifically, unless 【Talisman Arts】 reached level 10, you couldn't make talismans for spells such as Flame Thrower, which you learned when 【Fire Magic】 reached level 10.

Because of that limitation, I could currently make talismans only for the lowest-tier spells. In addition, compound-element spells such as 【Lightning Magic】 couldn't be made until 【Talisman Arts】 reached level 10. So Ruby going out with Shio hadn't been a problem at all.

Even if Ruby had stayed behind, there wouldn't have been any talismans for her to use. I could continue using the spells whose casting I had personally adjusted, but I had talismans to make as well. For now, then, I decided to make raising 【Talisman Arts】 to level 10 my goal.

"So how do we use these talismans?"

"Apparently, you just throw them at the target."

Talismans made with 【Talisman Arts】 counted as used the moment you threw them. In other words, throwing one was enough to activate the magic imbued within it.

"I see. Then I'll try one right away! Here I go, Gramps!"

Jigoro threw a talisman at Genzuro. The thrown talisman transformed into a small Fireball and struck Genzuro.

"Whew~! This is more useful than I expected!"

"Hmm, I knew it, but the power is far too low..."

For Jigoro, who rarely used magic, it must have felt both novel and convenient, making it fun. I, however, was dissatisfied. Since my 【Talisman Arts】 level was low, the power was quite limited.

Damn, this was frustrating! I wanted to raise the level quickly and make the talismans powerful enough to deal proper damage.

"Hmmph, it's just right if it's that weak."

"Your health has gone down a fair amount. But it's nothing a potion can't fix."

I was dissatisfied, but from the perspective of the person who took the hit, the power seemed to be just right. Yes, yes! This should let us overcome our weaknesses!

"I have no intention of holing up here forever to work on overcoming our weaknesses, but let's make sure to do it diligently whenever we find the time."

"Steady training is important, after all."

Jigoro said that while nodding emphatically. He disliked repetitive tasks, but if they were a means of growing stronger, he became enthusiastic. What a childlike fellow!

"Then I'll keep making talismans. What are the three of you going to do?"

"I want to complete some quests from the Birdians before I train to overcome my weakness."

"I'll keep throwing talismans back and forth with Gramps."

"Shall we, then?"

Good. It was a good thing that everyone had something to do. It was unusual for us not to go adventuring on a weekend, but there was nothing wrong with having a weekend like this. It wasn't as though I couldn't relax unless I was on the front lines.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

――――――――――

Your 【Talisman Arts】 level has increased.

――――――――――

"Phew, finally level 10..."

After that, I spent an entire day in-game making talismans nonstop, with breaks in between, until my 【Talisman Arts】 level reached the target of 10. I was able to maintain my concentration thanks to Karu, my mental stabilizer. Thank you so much. Ruby could now train to overcome her weakness, too.

I had also succeeded in raising the talismans' quality from 'Scrap' to 'Inferior.' Jigoro and Genzuro complained—quite extravagantly—that the increased power made their health drop much faster, though.

"I'm back!"

"I'm back too!"

Oh? It seemed Ruby and Shio had returned.

"Welcome back. How was the training?"

"Yes! It was really easy to understand!"

"Oh? That's good to hear."

Apparently, the tutorial had been easy to understand. That meant she could now at least fight.

"She was landing hit after hit on the targets! As expected of someone from a VRS background!"

"But the instructor said my bow was far too poor..."

"I see..."

Shio used a bow, but according to the forums, bows in FSW were 'popular, but difficult to handle.' They had earned that reputation because, without practice, even hitting a target was nearly impossible.

The reason was how bows were used. When you equipped a bow, nocked an arrow, and took aim, a circle appeared in your field of vision. Apparently, that circle served as your reticle. Arrows you fired would land somewhere inside it, but at first the circle was enormous, making it almost impossible to hit a distant target.

Furthermore, while moving, the aiming circle became about 1.5 times wider than it was while standing still. Apparently, even a highly experienced player would have trouble hitting anything while running and shooting.

The only ways to narrow the circle were to use a high-quality bow, use high-quality arrows, or raise your 【Archery】 level. In other words, it required steady training.

And all Shio had was the initial piece of equipment, the 'Beginner's Bow.' It was the worst possible equipment. To Birdians, who used bows as naturally as breathing, it was apparently a weapon on the level of garbage. Her instructor had told her to obtain a new bow immediately.

"So they told you to pay for a new one?"

"Not exactly. Since I'm apparently pretty good, the instructor told me to gather my own materials and have one of the city's craftsmen make it for me."

"I think it's an event."

Oh? It was presumably an event triggered when someone achieved a certain level of performance during training while still using their initial equipment.

"So what materials do we need?"

"They'll give us some scrap from the host tree for the bow itself, but apparently we also need materials for the string and grip, plus an item for decoration."

"They said we can get them from the right monsters in a forest about ten minutes north of the city!"

So there was a place where we could obtain the necessary items. And it wasn't far away. We could go there, keep at it until the items dropped, return, and have the bow made—all within the day.

"Oh, Izaam, are you free right now? Then come with me! Jigoro and Gramps are... right?"

I understood what Ruby meant. That was the place where the instructor had recommended that still-inexperienced Shio gather materials. In that case, I doubted any strong enemies would appear there. Wasn't it probably much the same as the areas adjoining Fars? I couldn't imagine those two battle junkies wanting to go somewhere like that.

My own work had reached a stopping point, so I had no objection to going. It would be a change of pace. However, while I was away, the stock of talismans I had given the two of them—who were still training to overcome their weaknesses—would run out.

"All right. I'll come with you. But go tell Iris about it first. She might want to come along, too."

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

Following my instructions, the two of them hurried out. In the meantime, I would resume making talismans before they returned. This time, however, I would make Thunder Arrow Talismans in addition to the Fireball and Water Ball Talismans I had been making. They would be for Ruby's training.

The increased 【Talisman Arts】 level made the spells too powerful unless I used 【Spell Adjustment】, which was troublesome, but the Skill experience made it worthwhile. I might as well make talismans for all the spells I could currently produce. While we were out, I would have Jigoro and the others get a feel for using them.

There was plenty to do, but first I would help Shio make her bow. I was already looking forward to seeing what kind of thing we could create!