Defense specialization and first interaction.
Entered the rankings, laughed oddly.
Adjusted gold from one thousand to three thousand.
"Still came back today…?"
This is the third day in a row logged in. Started with the excuse of accompanying Risa, but became thoroughly immersed.
The satisfaction of acquiring a new skill, the satisfaction of increasing defense—both became addictive. Unable to help but power on the device hard.
As for Risa herself, she said her parents told her to study, so she couldn’t play.
"Fufufu… I’ll enjoy it all by myself."
With that, Maple prepared to step forward again—but glanced around and suddenly remembered something.
"I… still have my starting equipment!"
A shield with no decoration at all, a feeble short blade.
Around her, a few players looked like veterans, wearing well-decorated, impressive gear.
After scanning the area for a moment, Maple spots a man farther off, equipped with a fine large shield.
Maple approaches him quickly, her steps hesitant.
"Um... where did you get that nice large shield?"
"Huh? Eh? Oh, me?"
The man seems startled by the sudden address.
"Yes! That shield is really impressive!"
"Ah, ah. Well... it's custom-made. You pay a craftsman to make it."
"Mmm... I see..."
"Right. I'll introduce you. We're both bearing the same shield, after all."
"Y-Yes! Please do!"
"Then come with me."
The possibility of fraud exists, certainly. But Maple's mind is already fixed on the shield. She does not consider such things at all.
Maple was fortunate that this man was truly just a kind stranger.
After all.
"Seriously... I didn’t expect to be spoken to... I’ll write about this on the bulletin board later."
Indeed, this man was an anonymous great shield user from a certain bulletin board.
After walking for a while, they enter a shop.
Inside, a woman works alone behind the counter.
"Ah, welcome, Crom. What is it? It’s too early for shield maintenance, isn’t it?"
"Ah, I found a new recruit with a great shield... acted on impulse and brought her along."
From behind Crom, Maple appears.
"Ah, such a cute one... Crom, you brought this girl along on impulse? Should I report you?"
The shopkeeper lifts a blue panel into the air.
"Hold on—wait a moment! That’s just wordplay, you know!"
"Fufu... I know. Just a joke, just a joke."
“Haa… that’s bad for the heart, stop it.”
Crom exhales, relief in his breath.
“You shouldn’t follow suspicious people so easily, you know?”
“Aa… I understand.”
“I’m not suspicious, am I!?”
“Fufu… well, let’s leave it at that. So, what’s the real reason?”
“This girl wants a fine large shield. I thought I’d let her see the face behind the name.”
“Ah… I see. My name is Iz. As you can see, I’m a craftsman. I specialize in forging. I can also mix materials, if needed.”
“Wow… that’s impressive! Um, I’m Maple!”
It was their first exchange in the game. Tense, but Maple managed to speak her name without faltering.
“Maple-chan. Why did you choose a large shield?”
“Um… well, I don’t like pain, so I wanted to boost my defense.”
“Hmm… I see, I see. Then VIT-specialized gear would be best… but… you don’t have the funds, do you?”
Maple checks her budget. She has bought nothing yet, so her gold remains at the initial 3,000G.
“S-so… will three thousand gold be enough?”
Maple asks, half in hope, half in resignation.
“Fufu… no, that won’t do. You’ll need at least a million gold.”
The sum is staggering to Maple.
“Ugh… I’ll have to put off fancy gear for now.”
“There are other options, you know. You could enter dungeons. They’re full of treasure. You could earn gold while exploring. Might be worth a try? Though I can’t promise you’ll find a powerful great shield.”
She then registers Crom and Iz as friends, so she can contact them anytime.
Bowing slightly to the kind pair, she exits the shop.
Maple set her immediate goals as saving money and heading toward the dungeon.
"Nice gear would be lovely!"
241 Name: Nameless Great Shield User
Met the girl with the great shield, or rather, added her as a friend. w
242 Name: Nameless Spear User
Huh?
243 Name: Nameless Bow User
How?
244 Name: Nameless Great Shield User
When I logged in, she was looking around frantically. I thought our eyes met for a second, then she ran over and started talking to me. w
245 Name: Nameless Great Sword User
The shield girl’s social skills are off the charts, man.
246 Name: Nameless Mage User
>244
And then what?
247 Name: Nameless Great Shield User
She said my shield looked nice.
I told her I’d introduce her to someone in the crafting guild, so come along. She followed behind.
She’s so slow with AGI that keeping up was tough. I had to stop several times to wait for her.
248 Name: Nameless Spearman
>247
What's your AGI?
249 Name: Nameless Greatshield User
Wait a moment—let me gather this.
Here we go.
Name is Maple.
Does not belong to a party.
Chose the greatshield because she dislikes pain from attacks and wished to increase her defense.
Very straightforward, lively young girl.
Overall assessment
Extremely good child.
Ah, look after her.
Also, I’d like to exchange information about Maple with you all, so I’ll be sharing my details.
For now, I go by the name Crom.
AGI is twenty.
Add me as a friend—those who can come tomorrow, please meet me near the fountain in the plaza around eight o’clock.
250 Name: Nameless Spearman
Thanks for the info—wait, are you Crom?!
You’re a top-tier player, aren’t you?!
251 Name: Nameless Magician
Too famous—I’m terrified, lol.
252 Name: Nameless Archer
Alright, I can make it at that time w
Wait, if I’m left behind at AGI 20, Maple-chan might actually be maxed out in VIT
253 Name: Nameless Greatsword User
So we’ll keep watching over Maple-chan warmly from now on, right?
254 Name: Nameless Spearman
Affirmative—
255 Name: Nameless Archer
Affirmative—
256 Name: Nameless Magician
Affirmative—
257 Name: Nameless Shield User
Affirmative—
Of course, Maple would have no way of knowing about this bulletin board.