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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Runein (1)
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Before Ariant World launched, players harbored a subtle sense of anticipation.
"If it's a virtual reality game, there must be some hidden elements, right?"
Why, it was a staple trope in every game or fantasy novel out there.
A hidden class or weapon that only one person could obtain.
A special reward usable by just that single individual—how incredible would that be?
A month before Ariant World's release, an event amplified those quiet expectations among players.
"Ariant World contains special rewards that only one player can obtain."
It was the offhand comment from RO-ONE's CEO, Kang Yoo-hyun, about hidden elements.
Hidden classes, limited titles, special items, and more.
The hype around Ariant World's launch had boiled over partly because of it, so naturally, Cheisi was interested in those rewards too.
"This is really the first one...?"
But Cheisi had never even dreamed she would snag one of those hidden rewards.
She wanted it, sure, but she hadn't been confident she'd actually get it.
Yet it had happened.
⚙ TITLE ACQUIRED ⚙First Tutorial Clearer
Cheisi stared blankly at the title for a moment, then gradually grew excited. It was a reward only one person in the entire world could claim.
"Th-this means only I can get this one, right?"
💬 Chat— AnonymousSeems like it?— AnonymousFirst one ㄷㄷ— AnonymousCool
Cheisi immediately checked the title's details.
⚙ TITLE DETAILS ⚙First Tutorial Clearer You are the first player to clear the tutorial. Grade: Common Effect: None
"Eh..."
Cheisi, momentarily thrilled by the word "first," came back to reality upon seeing the details.
"...Nothing at all."
A title was just a title.
Equipping it didn't grant any special buffs or even raise stats.
Purely decorative.
💬 Chat— AnonymousNo stat bonus on this?— Anonymousㄲㅂ— AnonymousStill rare, at least.
"True enough."
Still, it was a title only one person could ever have. Satisfaction outweighed the disappointment.
｢Notification｣ Equip title? You can only equip one title.
With a swell of pride, Cheisi equipped the title and checked her name.
｢Cheisi, First Tutorial Clearer｣
"Ooooh..."
Knowing it was unique made it shine all the brighter.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇📺 Live Streaming in ProgressViewer Count: 20
The viewer count had ticked up a bit.
From ten to twenty. A whole ten new ones.
The "first ever" title seemed to have drawn them in.
...Or so she'd thought, but the impact felt minor. A unique reward should be buzzworthy, yet only ten more viewers suggested they were probably just random drop-ins.
Cheisi paused on that thought, then greeted the newcomers.
"Hello. Right now, I'm exploring the starting village."
A sea breeze tousled Cheisi's bright red hair.
After equipping the title and wandering the village a bit more, she found herself at the docks before she knew it.
The fishy tang tickled her nose.
"Smells delicious..."
Unthinkingly, Cheisi followed the scent deeper into the docks.
There was a large tub full of fresh fish. Cheisi crouched before it, mesmerized.
Flop, flop.
The fish danced lively in the tub.
Slurp—
Cheisi wiped the drool from her mouth with her sleeve as she watched.
💬 Chat— AnonymousThought it was something tasty lololol— AnonymousAre you actually a cat? lolololol— AnonymousJust smells fishy to me
"...Guilty as charged. Professional cat here."
She meant it literally, but none of the viewers bought it.
'Just the texture...'
As Cheisi reached tentatively for the tub, a sharp voice rang out from behind.
"Hey, you? What're you doing at my fish tub?"
Turning, she saw a young man glaring at her.
His clothes were damp, and he held a fishing rod still dripping water. He looked like the tub's owner.
｢Boatman Adin｣
The name hovering over his head marked him as an NPC.
Cheisi slyly hid her hand, which had been inching toward the fish.
"...J-just looking at the fish."
"Why?"
"It smells delicious..."
"...Fishy smell? Something wrong with your nose?"
Adin's gaze turned dubious as he eyed Cheisi.
💬 Chat— Anonymouslololololololol— AnonymousGuy's kinda harsh lololol— Anonymouslolololololololololol
Ignoring the laughter flooding chat, Cheisi apologized to Adin for peeking into his bait bucket.
"Sorry."
"Eh, no big deal. It's not like looking wears it out."
Adin shrugged.
"Anyway, you're not here for the boat, right?"
"Boat?"
"Yeah. That one."
Adin pointed to a small sloop moored at the dock.
'...A boat?'
To Cheisi, it didn't qualify. Its days as a vessel were long past.
The sloop was battered in spots, stained dark with age and damage.
It looked like it'd never return if taken out to sea—a wretched sight.
"...That's a boat?"
"Well, it needs repairs... But patch it up a bit, and it'll sail fine on its own."
Adin spoke with conviction, as if to say, "Trust me."
"So, here for a ride?"
"...Where to?"
"Dunno. The wind decides. But it won't shift for months, so we'll end up in the same spot."
Adin scanned Cheisi and clicked his tongue.
"Still, you look like a total greenhorn for seafaring..."
｢Notification｣ Level 5 or higher required to accept this quest.
'...Level 5?'
Cheisi was only level 1. A quest locked to level 5+?
"...I-I'll come back later."
"Sure, I'll be at the docks. And..."
Adin pulled a fish from the tub.
Cheisi blinked, wondering what he was up to, then reflexively took the fish he offered.
"You wanted it so bad, here's one. Grill it, eat it raw, whatever."
"Hweh...?"
Cheisi stared at the fish from Adin. It had thin, spiny blue fins.
Stared.
💬 Chat— AnonymousDude lost it??— AnonymousShe's acting weird lolol— AnonymousWipe your drool— AnonymousBusted lololol
Even Cheisi couldn't explain why the fish made her mouth water so much. She just felt it was instinct.
After handing over the fish, Adin gripped his rod and settled back in.
"Alright, see ya. I wanna focus on fishing."
"Yeeesss... Th-thank youuu..."
Parting from Adin, Cheisi never took her eyes off the fish the whole way off the docks.
The moment she was clear, she shoved her nose right up to it and inhaled deeply.
The fishy aroma ignited her appetite like wildfire.
They said Ariant World perfectly simulated all senses. Taste had to be included.
"Ahem."
Cheisi cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Let's see what fish tastes like in a VR game."
💬 Chat— AnonymousHer voice is 100% bliss lolol— AnonymousThis feels like a cat playing the game fr?
Cheisi took a big bite.
"Ack..."
Her teeth bounced off. The fish was rock-hard.
Stunned, she despaired at the message before her eyes.
｢Notification｣ Level 5 or higher required to consume.
"...Level 5?"
Cheisi hurriedly checked the fish's info.
📋 ITEM INFOThin Finned Hansu A common fish caught at Runein Village docks. Consuming it slightly boosts Defense. Grade: Common Type: Ingredient Restriction: Level 5+ only Unprepared Satiety +5 | Defense +5 for 10 min
The info window was brutally harsh, enough to bring tears.
Cheisi despaired.
"Hweeeeng... So unfair..."
A level restriction on eating fish?
Unfair didn't even cover it.
💬 Chat— Anonymouslolololololol— Anonymouslololololololol— AnonymousClipped that.
"This isn't right..."
Viewers might be laughing, but Cheisi crumpled again at the cruel reality of uneatable fish.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"I need to hit level 5. Level... level 5."
Reaching level 5 became Cheisi's top priority.
💬 Chat— AnonymousShe's totally lost it?? You okay?
"Y-yeah, I'm fine... Let's hurry and hit level 5... The quest needs it too..."
— AnonymousDoesn't look fine at all— AnonymousOne fish broke the streamer...
Cheisi tenderly stowed the fish in her inventory, then opened her status screen.
⚔ STATUS ⚔CheisiTitle: First Tutorial Clearer⚡ Level: 1✨ Job: Adventurer💪 Fame: 0❤️ HP: 65💙 MP: 30⚔ Attack: 13🛡️ Defense: 10
Her pitiful level 1 stared back accusingly.
"Gotta hit level 5."
💬 Chat— AnonymousThat's a long way off.— AnonymousWhen tho
"Yeah..."
Cheisi pondered.
"How do I even level up? No info anywhere..."
💬 Chat— AnonymousYou're the only player in starter village, no info to go around ;;— AnonymousHunt?— AnonymousMonster hunting probs levels ya up?
An idea popped up in chat.
Of course—in RPGs, hunting monsters was the standard way to level.
"Alright, let's try hunting then."
Plus, while wandering, she'd spotted something slimy and blob-like bouncing around outside the village.
"There were slime-looking things outside the village, so I'll go catch one."
Cheisi decided to head out and hunt it.
But first, a priority.
"Before that, let's get my weapon repaired."
Cheisi had been carrying the dagger from the ruins, crudely tied to her waist with string.
It had been a sorry "Abandoned Dagger" to start, but after her wild swings against the Broken Knight, the blade was worn to nothing—not even generously callable a dagger anymore.
💬 Chat— AnonymousFr that's bad— AnonymousThat's no dagger— AnonymousMy kitchen knife's sharper
Viewers didn't sugarcoat their take on the dagger's state.
And its durability? A measly 2.
Repair or replace—something had to be done.
"I know I saw a smithy while poking around town..."
In RPGs, the blacksmith was the hub for repairs and upgrades.
She headed that way—or tried to.
"...Where was it again?"
Forgotten. The location.
💬 Chat— AnonymousBro— AnonymousStraight ahead then right.
"Right?"
— AnonymousYeah
Cheisi's eyes lit up.
As a former Abyss viewer, she'd seen this before.
The big data of helpful chat guiding lost streamers.
Following chat's directions, she found the smithy.
"Ooh..."
Incredible convenience. Cheisi marveled again as she pushed open the smithy's door.
"Excuse me..."
Sparks flew from the red-hot forge. A man wielding a hammer by the furnace turned at her voice.
"Hm? An adventurer?"
"...Yes."
Cheisi nodded.
"Adventurer, you say?"
"Y-yes."
The man set down his hammer and stood.
Cheisi was petite, like a young girl—even with cat ears, not tall.
But the standing man was a towering giant, dwarfing her.
"...An adventurer?! For real?!"
"Eek?!"
Cheisi jumped in shock.
The hulking man charged like a fierce barbarian.
Instinctively curling her tail and flattening her ears, frozen Cheisi watched him grab and shake her hand excitedly.
"What a treat! Haven't seen an adventurer in ages!"
"Y-yeahh..."
Cheisi nearly bit her tongue replying.
Who wouldn't flinch at a massive, burly, bald giant lunging right away?
💬 Chat— Anonymouslolololololol— AnonymousPops out of nowhere.— AnonymousCat ears folding up when scared is adorable af.
Cheisi glanced at the name above his head.
｢Blacksmith Dante｣
"So, what brings you here?"
"I-I'd like to get my weapon repaired, please."
At her words, Dante eyed her with keen interest.