SEO Vol. 1 CH 1

Chapter 1 - Learning

Part 1 - The Library

Two sessions, that's how long it took to learn -Read- and -Write-. It was great that it went by quickly, but surprisingly the kids grew on me quite quickly. The caretaker said I could comeback anytime and help teach as my teaching methods seemed to reach the kids. After each session I went to the restaurant and worked, got to know the staff. I was actually paid 15 copper per shift, and Raul is now learning how do some prep work from the other staff members and dish washing has become a new quest for players. I tried it on the second day; it increased my [SPD] by 2 and got 5 copper as a reward. I guess it's more for people down on their luck. I did stop by the guild between work and class the first day and got in touch with John not much happened just asked what I was up to and I said just fooling around. The after work on the third day I got tired and found an inn so I could go log out, take a nap, and eat something. It cost me 2 copper, not bad, food would have been an extra 3 copper but I was entitled to a free meal at the restaurant now which I took full advantage of. So I'm now up 35 copper and also got an extra level in -Cooking-.

Once I logged back in I immediately sought out the library. It cost 2 copper to get in and another 2 to borrow books. I don't think I'll be borrowing anything, but I did decide to spend the 2 copper and take a look around. I set-up an alarm for when I should be heading to work just in case I lose track of time while reading. Upon entering I immediately ask a librarian for some books on mana and how to wield it. She led me to 4 books and was going to go get more advanced ones, but I declined and said I'll start with these thank you. She smiled politely and told me not to hesitate to ask if I needed anything else and went back to stocking shelves. Oh I've been looking forward to this! The thing that I love about fantasy MMOs is magic; it's the thing that really distinguishes it from the real world in my opinion. Which is why I mostly play magic classes, but how is wielding magic with your own body? I look at the books the librarian gave me. Mana and You: A Beginner's Guide to Understanding Mana, Absorbing and Expelling Mana, The Elements and Mana, and Magic 101: Manipulating Mana with Chants and Runes.

Well it looks like it's in the exact order I need. The first book explains that mana resides in everything, that it was the fundamental make-up of the world. In living beings it is the sheer force of will inside. That it can be felt for the first time either by someone helping pull it out for the individual, or by meditation and feeling the individual's will inside themselves. It can then be pulled out by concentrating that will outward to the body. As I read I get an update on that I had gained knowledge and a codex entry had been made on mana. The more I read the more the codex is updated. I wonder if -Fast Learner- would work if I just skimmed through so that I can try this out in an area where I wouldn't damage anything. I try with the next book, and bring up my codex as I flip through and find that it does and makes a great job summarizing things. It even has subcategories! So I flip through the other two, and return all the books back and look for more books to flip through. I end up flipping through basic chants, basic runes, healing magic, botany, medicinal plants, poisonous plants, curses and hexes, how to shorten or get rid of chants for spells, basics of crafting, enchanting, a monster encyclopedia, and tons of other subjects right up until it was time for work. All the accumulated information gave me an extra 6 points in [INT].

Part 2 - The Training Hall

Work at the restaurant in game was uneventful, afterwards I dashed into the guild hall so I could dash out and grab a quick bite to eat and keep playing. I checked the map to see if there was some place to figure out how to make use of the knowledge I had acquired. I didn't want to go to an open field outside of town, Yuki had told me of the open plains but it had monsters in it and I'd be wide open for attack. I was going to give up and just find a quiet place when I my eyes looked caught the words Training Hall.

The Training hall looked like a large rec center, on one part of the building a range was setup with targets for people wanting to practice ranged attacks. There were also 3 bigger ranges with dummies arranged in various spots behind obstacles. On another part many dummies and scarecrows were set in an open area. In a corner there were rooms of various size that one could not see into. There were also rings and open areas in which one could spar or try out various group tactics. As always it was a busy place. I took all of this in and was thoroughly impressed; it looked like even higher leveled users found a use for this place. I approach the counter, and a burly man looking like a body builder covered in scars was manning it.

"First time?" I nodded. "It's 5 copper for entry and you're free to use whatever you want except the closed off rooms. Private room starts at an extra 5 copper and you'll also need to rent any equipment you need to use. If you need a sparring partner of a similar level there's a signup sheet there, the staff will help find one for you for another 2 copper."

"Then I'll take the cheapest room please just the room." I take out 10 copper and put it on the counter.

"No targets or anything? Alright follow me."

He led me to one of the rooms that nobody could see in, the smallest one. Just as I had hoped, the room was sound proof and I couldn't hear any noise from outside. It was perfect place to try and reach for mana like the book said. I sit on the floor and meditate, feeling a bit silly. I did as the book instructed and looked inside myself. In my mind I saw a small bright amorphous light shining in the middle of darkness. I felt it; it was like standing in a hurricane or being in the vicinity of a tornado. It was just sheer force and I could only stand in awe of it. I tried to grab in inside my mind, instead it just slipped away and I felt blown back. I guess it's not something you force out by grasping it, the book said to pull it out into the body though. Hmmm... Maybe you don't actually grasp mana to wield it. I imagine the force flowing out into my body covering me. Slowly I see the light flowing outward and I feel my body overcome with tremendous energy, I start feeling a lot lighter than before. I hold the image of the light flowing at the a steady pace as I stand up. I try running and jumping around and feel that my physical abilities has increased slightly. I feel the light getting dimmer, so I imagine it folding back into itself.

Skill acquired

-Internal Mana Control-

lvl 1

Allows user to control mana inside their body

Skill acquired

-Physical Enchant- (Self)

lvl 1

Increases [STR], [END], [DEX], and [AGI] by using 10 mana per minute. Current boost 1 point

[MND] has increased by 1

Skill level up

-Fast Learner- has increased to level 3

Wow! This is great all that with just one action. I feel like there's more to -Physical Enchant- though, I know I can control the output of mana to control it and what if I concentrated it to one point? I sit back down and try again. I do the same thing feeling that the light inside got back to full strength. This time I concentrate and make the light flow as slowly as possible. I hold it and see that there is almost no drain from the light left inside me. I hold and see that the light was regenerating faster than the output it used. I feel no change in my body. Then I pull out even more mana and as I do my body starts feeling lighter and lighter. I then let go, but I feel that the light is still trickling out very slightly.

Skill updated

-Physical Enchant- (Self)

lvl 1

Active: Increases [STR], [END], [DEX], and [AGI] by using 10 mana per minute. Current boost 1 point. Boost can be increased by using more mana per minute.

Passive:  Increases [STR], [END], [DEX], and [AGI]. This has reduced mana regeneration by 1 mana per minute. Current boost 1%

Oh a passive! Not just some sort of mastery, but 1%? My stats aren't even in the double digits except for [INT], so the boost might as well be 0. Well it should prove useful in the long run, which means I need to get a stat to 100. The increased boost on the active though should prove useful in emergencies. Now to concentrate it on a body part, hmm how about the legs? I could easily test that here. I try the same thing, and this time concentrating the outflow of mana from inside me to my legs. It worked, and as I stand up I could feel my legs so much stronger than when I used -Physical Enchant-. I try it out by running and jumping around. I ran faster, and I jumped twice as high the feeling was amazing almost like flying. Speaking of flying I wonder if you could fly here. Flight, ah that would be wonderful.  Anyways try this out first, with so much height he felt it would be easy to try flipping around. In the real he never could with his bulky body, the best he could do were cartwheels, round-offs, and some rolls. Now he had [AGI] and awesome legs to try it out. I tried it, and couldn't quite get the landing right with my hands. So I tried again and this time as he flew into the air moved the mana to his arms. This time I got it right and it was hard not to fall down as my arms had increased sense of balance and strength. I pushed off and was back in the air, moved the mana to my legs and rotated around for fun and landed back on my feet. Ah so much freedom! It really was a thrill. I tried running up walls, getting four steps up and feeling like I was being pulled back down so I flipped off and landed back. WOW! That was amazing, I know it's impossible in the real life, but I hope one day I can at least do one or two steps up and flip just to see if it felt that good. Before I knew it the light died down, and I was out of mana.

Skill acquired

-Body Part Enhancement-

lvl 1

Boosts physical capabilities of enhanced body part. Consumes 5 mana per minute. Boost can be increased by using more mana per minute.

Skill level up

-Internal Mana Control- has increased to level 3

Skill level up

-Fast Learner- has increased to level 4

[AGI] has increased by 2

[DEX] has increased by 1

Level 1 and I have two stats that are in the double digits! Now I'm out of mana though, I did flip through something about mana absorption. I sit down and open up the codex and look through the mana page. I see an entry about absorbing mana from the surroundings. The practice can increase mana regeneration, increase spell and skill effects, and reduce internal mana consumption. According to the codex I just have to feel the mana and draw it into wherever I'm using mana or to regenerate mana into my own source. I close my eyes and try to feel for the mana, I am shocked that it is all around me. Such tremendous amounts, but not as concentrated as when I had it inside me. I focus on gathering it all and imagine putting it all back inside the place I found the light inside me. As I do I feel tremendous energy filling me, and the light starts sparking back to life, soon it is completely filled up. I then try pouring the mana back out onto my body for -Physical Enchant- and reduce the flow a bit. At the same time I pull mana in from all around and pour it on to the mana enshrouding my body. The mana inside diminishes slower, but the effects feel the same. I try to increase the influx of mana, but could not do more. I increase the output of my internal mana to the max and fill much more power than before come out. I cut it off and resume gathering mana back to full, and then open my eyes.

Skill acquired

-External Mana Control-

lvl 1

Allows the gathering of mana from surroundings. Current maximum rate 5 mana per minute.

-Physical Enchant- (self) has leveled to 2

Does this mean I can use -Body Part Enchantment- strictly through external mana? I try it, and find it to be true. I can enhance one part of my body just by gathering mana from my surroundings. I can then use my internal mana to boost another part of my body! My [MND] went up by 1 and -Body Part Enhancement- by 2 as I figure this out, I was going to practice some more, but I found that my alarm went off and it was time for work.

Part 3 - Practical Training

I found out I could put mana into my knife while I was working. Doing this it became super easy to cut, almost a little too easy if I put too much pressure I could cut the cutting board. It gave me -Item Enchant- which consumed 5 mana per minute and a level of -Fast Learner-. It increased [ATK] and [DEF] of the item. After experimenting around I just used -Physical Enchant- with -External Mana Control-, letting my mana drain to almost nothing before turning it off. I'd keep using -External Mana Control- and regen my mana and redoing the process while working. It gave me 2 levels of -Physical Enchant- 3 levels of -External Mana Control- and 1 level of -Internal Mana Control-. After work I decide to see how I'm progressing.

"Status"

Basic	Equips	Offense	Defense	Special
Title:
Guild:
Class: Novice
HP 100/100
MP 140/140
[STR 05]
[END 05]
[INT 11]
[MND 07]
[DEX 10]
[AGI 07]

Basic	Equips	Offense	Defense	Special
Cook's Jacket +3 DEF +5% Fire Resistance +2% Cold Resistance
Cook's Pants +2 DEF  +5% Fire Resistance
Cook's Iron-toed Shoes +1 ATK +1 DEF +1 BAL

Basic	Equips	Offense	Defense	Special
[ATK 10]+1=11
[M. ATK 22]

Basic	Equips	Offense	Defense	Special
[DEF 10]+5=15
[M. DEF 22]
[Blind Resist +5%]
[Poison Resist +1%]
[Fire Resistance] +10%
[Cold Resistance] +2%

Basic	Equips	Offense	Defense	Special
[SPD +5]
[BAL]+1=+1

I feel like a super novice at level 1, but I'm worried I haven't gotten a weapon yet. Usually by now I'd get a weapon. Where are my stats for -Fast Learner-? Is it hidden? Does that mean there are hidden stats in the game? How strong are the beginner monsters? Should I test my skills in practical combat now, or should I try and procure a weapon first? I have 51 copper, but do I really want to use it on a beginner weapon? Let's go with how I usually play first and see how well that works. That means I wouldn't buy equips, but only rely on loot and crafting until I get to the highest level, unless this game has growth items. Enough thinking, best way to go about things is to do a practical test.

When Yuki said it the plains were a bit north outside of town, she meant it. The north gate out of town was right before a river, and once you crossed it there it was an open field with a forest right at the end of the horizon. There was plenty of vegetation around, and some animals munching on them. Perfect, I even spot a rabbit nearby, which should be a pretty easy target right? I use -Body Part Enchantment- with external mana on my legs and try to close the distance. I was just about to hit it, when it just zoomed off. Huh? It was several feet away already. This thing is fast! Maybe this unassuming rabbit is actually level 2 or something? I wonder? My [DEX] is high, so I should have some pretty good aim for a low level right? I grab a nearby rock and use -Item Enchant- using mana from around me, while using -Body Part Enhancement- on my right arm only. I concentrate and double the mana output onto my arm while aiming, this should be enough right? I wait until it starts eating again, and as it does I throw the rock. At the last moment, the rabbit moved out of the way. It gets mad and ran at me at a high speed, jumps up at me and kicks me in the stomach. Ouch! It hurts badly, I run away back to the bridge; I find that it didn't follow me. Good, I concentrate a little and think of my HP, it looks like it's at 50/100, half my health in one hit! WHAT?! At least -Body Part Enchantment- leveled up, so it wasn't a complete loss.

I start replenishing mana with -External Mana Control- as I think of what to do next. If I use -Physical Enchant- it'll decrease the damage a bit right? That still doesn't solve my problem of trying to hit the thing. What if I use a boulder and throw it at it? No, it's still too quick. I need a different target as I don't have the speed to take on that crazy rabbit. Do I go for a larger target? If I do that means it'll be much stronger if we go with the usual MMO logic of rabbits being one of the weaker targets to hunt. Well let's see if there is anything else that I can try fighting. I don't see anything except for the rabbit; maybe if I concentrate my mana on my eyesight will improve.

Skill Acquired

-Analyze-

lvl 1

Able to see stats, mana flow, and other miscellaneous information about a target. Consumes 20 mana per minute

Well that would have been handy before I engaged the rabbit, let's see... Rabbit lvl 4 HP ???/???. What, how is that an easy target? Ah got to look for others, maybe there might be something easier, besides I've got time I don't know how to recover HP faster as of yet. I scan the field and I kept finding new targets, but what I saw befuddled me. Wolf lvl ??? HP ???/???, Goblin lvl ??? HP ???/???,  Raccoon lvl 4 HP ???/???, Fawn lvl ??? HP ???/???, ??? lvl ??? HP ???/???.... What kind of starting area is this? Do I need to level up in town before I can fight? I should get some better equips at the very least if I'm going to go hunting, at least a weapon... I'll call it a day for now and head to the inn and log out. This is just insane I guess I'll check online later to see if there are any tips or anything.