Combat

Frigga was sitting in the town square, reading the next tutorial quest.

"Quest: Tutorial Part 3,

As an adventurer, it is imperative that you know how to hunt and gather materials. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the village womenfolk are in need of materials to cook for the men who are coming back from the fields. This is a fine opportunity to learn how to hunt and gather materials. Talk to Grandma Mary and tell her that you're willing to help.

Talk to Grandma Mary (0/1)

Gather 10 Horned Rabbit Breast Meat (0/10)

Gather 20 White Mushrooms (0/20)

Quest Rewards: 1 Portable Stove, 1 Skinning Knife, 400 EXP"

The next quest required some hunting and gathering. Before proceeding, Frigga opened her Character Page. She had already reached level 3, earning 3 available stat points. She had also gained new basic skills, displayed in the Skills tab of the character page.

"Throw, Beginner Mastery Level 1 (12/100)"

"Throws a projectile at a target."

"Bash, Beginner Mastery Level 1 (28/100)"

"Bashes a target with a blunt object."

"Pierce, Beginner Mastery Level 1 (10/100)"

"Pierces a target with a pointed object."

"Side Step, Beginner Mastery Level 1 (14/100)"

"Steps to the side, may be used to dodge."

She thought about the available stat points; typically your class and playing style would determine which stat to raise. In role-playing games, DPS, Tanks and Support builds have wildly different stat distributions. Considering that she hasn't yet acquired a class, she decided that it would be better to use them then. She closed the character page window before standing up and looking for the village womenfolk.

She found them easily, clustered around a mess of cauldrons and stovetops. A few were chopping vegetables, while some were tending to soup. Their warm and carefree chatter was punctuated by the sounds of kids yelling and playing. By the side, she saw a plump, kindly-looking lady talking to two boys, who Frigga recognized from the training grounds. Walking closer, she started hearing snippets of conversation.

"Oh dear! We need more! And the men will be back so soon!" The old woman was talking worriedly,

"Can you bring me some rabbit meat? And oh, we also need some thyme and mushrooms!"

"Oh, Frigga! Honey, what brings you here?" The old woman said, having noticed her approach.

"Um, Can I help gather the ingredients?" Frigga replied.

"Oh, surely! Tom! Phil! Let Frigga come along with you, this way we should be able to finish by the time the men come back!"

"Yes Granny!" The boys shouted.

The taller one, Tom, turned towards her. He smiled sheepishly, showing his buck teeth. The other one, Phil, was busy holding on to a small hound dog that was trying to chase some butterflies that had flown too close.

"Right, you look like you haven't done this before?" Tom cheerfully asked. Frigga nodded, to which he said,

"First we need to get you a good knife, then we'll need some supplies."

"Let's get to the store house! Uncle Neil always has some there – Ah! Quit it Cerby!" Phil then suggested eagerly, still wrestling with the dog leash.

--

Frigga was looking at the knife they got from the storehouse. Tom had given her a long, sharp knife, with a curved blade about half a foot long and a few inches wide. She held it in its grip, admiring the little nicks and scratches on the surface of the steel and the fraying edges of the worn-down leather covering the smooth wooden handle. The hound dog trotted up to her, before barking and sniffing her shoes. She felt its warm nose brush against her ankle.

"Them rabbits live a bit far from the village." Tom explained. They were walking along the fields. Occasionally they would see some men working on the crops. They were wearing loose long-sleeved shirts and pants, a hat, and a piece of cloth draped over their necks to protect against sunburn. In the distance, Frigga could see clusters of houses – other villages that also made their living by farming.

"The view is good right!" Phil said.

Frigga nodded; the view was spectacular. She walked slowly, admiring the landscape. The developers really pulled out all stops on this one, she thought. The warm summer breeze brushed against her face as the bright morning sunlight bounced off the golden wheat fields. She could see where the trees slowly start to invade the farmlands, turning it into woods and finally forests. She saw the silhouette of a mountain range, the icy peaks bursting through the cloud top. In the west, she spotted a shoreline near the horizon, and faintly, what looked like a big city.

"Look there's the city, my big sis lives there." He continued pointing to the south, grinning. "She sends me sweets every year from the city shops and they're so good!"

They continued walking until Frigga noticed that they had reached a part where the woodlands were encroaching on the fields. A few meters away were a couple of trees that seemed to mark the end of the farmlands. She could hear the chirping of insects and saw something fast dart out in the undergrowth. She gripped the handle of her sword, ready to draw it out. Phil and Tom stopped, pulling out the wooden clubs they obtained from the storehouse.

"There are lots of horned rabbits around here, they spread like flies and eat the crops so everyone hates 'em and likes eating them." Phil explained giggling.

"This 'ere's Cerberus, or Cerby for short, he likes to hunt rabbits. We just let him run loose and he finds them real quick!"

"We hit them in the head to knock them out, then we skin and cut out the breast meat so that Granny can cook 'em." Tom said before looking at her sword while raising his eyes.

"You should be careful, that blade could mess up the meat, hit them with the flat bit, don't skewer them!" He said, handing Frigga a burlap sack.

"Put the rabbits you get in here."

"We should hurry, father and the others are gonna be back soon." He said. With that, Phil released Cerberus, who immediately dove into the grass.

The boys followed ahead clubs in hand, running towards where Cerberus had gone. As for Frigga, she drew her sword and followed them in.

Moments later, she heard dog barks and shouting.

"There! Over there!"

"Cerby got one!"

She saw the dog chase after a small brown thing. Immediately, she sprinted after it. The rabbit was quick but the boys methodically ran around its path, cornering it. Catching up, she hurriedly blocked the rabbit from behind, raised her sword and then took a wild swing!

The sword hit loose earth with a dull thud, vibrating slightly from the impact. Before she could recover, the rabbit agilely jumped away from the encirclement. Frigga felt something whizz by her face. It hit the rabbit's behind perfectly, catching it off guard. Tom dove out, club in hand and whacked it in the head. He then quickly threw it inside his own sack, tying the ends closed with twine. He gave Frigga a look,

"You hit too slow! They're fast, just hit them quicker" He said.

"Yeah! just go woosh! then if they still move, give 'em a big slam!" Phil also chimed in, gesturing wildly with his hands. He was holding a slingshot with his right hand. Cerberus also barked in agreement.

The next rabbit they found was even faster, it managed to shake off Cerberus and the boys, before diving into a hole on the ground. Tom walked up to the hole, which was about half a foot in diameter, gesturing for them to come closer.

"This rabbit hole, there shouldn't be any other exit. I'm going to stir it up, get ready" He said. He then took out a small bag from his pocket and grabbed a fistful of brown, flaky powder before throwing it into the burrow. A few seconds later, they heard a rustling sound. The rabbit rushed out after, it seemed that whatever Tom had thrown in irritated it greatly as it was in a frenzied state.

"Go!" he shouted.

Frigga was ready. Instead of a wide swing, she slashed nimbly at the rabbit, aided by the Movement Assist system. The rabbit tried to jump sideways but the tip of the blade nipped its legs. Hopping around painfully, Cerberus tackled it, biting it at the neck and wrestling for a few seconds before releasing the body. Frigga walked closer, then gingerly grabbed the rabbit by its right leg. It was bigger than a house bunny and weighed around five pounds. There was a small horn-like bump on its head, and its coarse brown fur was puffed up and covered by the powder Tom had thrown in.

"Good job Cerby!" Phil petted the dog who licked him in happiness. Phil then pointed at the rabbit,

"Look at its big teeth! It kinda looks like you!" He said to Tom, laughing.

Tom frowned, before pointing at the dead rabbit, gesturing at the flaky substance embedded in the fur.

"That's just ground nettleweed, the rabbits hate it." He explained.

With her putting the rabbit inside her sack, they resumed hunting. The remaining horned rabbits fell smoothly to the boy's experienced teamwork and methodical approach. First, Cerberus would chase after the rabbits, then she and the two boys would corner it. Finally, one of them would lunge at it and finish it off. Although some rabbits were able to escape, it didn't take too long to finish hunting the required amount.

Finally, they were chasing after the tenth rabbit. By this point, the boys were breathing heavily and Frigga's sweat was streaming down her neck as her body took in air in bursts. Even Cerberus seemed to be tired as it was running at a slower pace than before. She frowned, feeling the slight fatigue from running; as if it wasn't a virtual world and her body was her physical body.

Cornering the panicked rabbit, Frigga was about to give it the finishing blow when instead, it suddenly jumped up. The rabbit had latched unto her arm! It had sunk it's teeth through the cotton and into her skin. She panicked at the sudden pain and screamed, flailing her arm wildly. The force dislodged the rabbit, throwing it a good distance away, right in front of Tom and his waiting club. They easily dispatched the rabbit, before letting out a cheer. Tom went to check on her, but found out that there was only a small wound, the thick cotton taking most of the hit. He produced a bandage, which they used to cover the wound gently.

Frigga was rubbing her right arm while the two boys and one dog rested. In truth, for safety and ethical reasons, the pain that could be induced in Deep Dive was only about the level of a small ache. Even so, it still shocked her in the moment. She felt like the rabbit's teeth sunk into her flesh! Looking at her HP, she found out that it had been decreased by 15. She grimaced, in the future, she would probably get hit quite a lot, it shouldn't be more painful, right?

"Okay, now that we're done with the rabbits, we should start collecting the mushrooms." Tom said, getting up.

"The mushrooms grow on dead logs. Look, there's one over there." He pointed at a nearby tree stump.

Closer, they could see a bunch of mushrooms clustered around the sides of the stump. Tom cut through the stem of one, before tossing it inside another bag. Frigga gathered herself and stood up, walking over to cut through another mushroom, then tossing it inside her own bag. The mushrooms were easy to spot and their soft flesh cut away easily from the dead wood. They were about as big as a child's hand and had white caps, black gills and light brown stems. Frigga thought they resembled shiitake mushrooms in particular.

"We make soup from these mushrooms, they taste like chicken." Phil was also gathering the mushrooms, while Cerberus amused himself by chasing grashoppers.

After an hour of hunting and gathering, they finally collected all the missing ingredients Grandma Mary had asked. Seeing the sun peak in the sky, they collected their tools, before walking back down to the village.

--

After walking back to the village, they returned to Grandma Mary, carrying their loot.

"Grandma! We got the things you asked!" The boys shouted, running.

"Oh! You're just in time!" Grandma Mary said with a wide smile.

Tom and Phil took out the rabbits from their sacks, then laid them out on the table. Together with Grandma Mary, they expertly dressed the rabbits. First, they used their skinning knives to cut through the skin, removing the pelt like a piece of cloth. This exposed the meat inside the rabbit. Then, they cut through the abdomen, removing the gut and internal organs. They set aside the liver and the heart, while cleaning the body and washing away the blood using the water from the stream.

Frigga tried to mimic what they were doing. She laid out one rabbit on the table and held her knife. Yet, she suddenly felt queasy. As a modern person, she had never butchered a live animal before. All the meat she cooked had been prepared and packaged; she only had to buy them. As she touched the still-warm skin of the rabbit and felt the flesh underneath, she hesitated on cutting it open.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, swallowing her saliva. Then, opening her eyes, she brought the knife closer, preparing to cut the skin. Just as the knife made contact with the fur, the game system suddenly popped out!

"Would you like to automatically skin item? Y/N"

"You will receive the following:

Rabbit's Pelt

Rabbit's Meat"

Reading the notification, Frigga instantly felt thankful to the developers who managed to anticipate the sensibilities of a modern person. She hurriedly nodded at the window.

A faint glow spread out from the rabbit as white specks of light rushed out of it. Obscured from view, the rabbit transformed into a piece of rabbit pelt, and portions of rabbit meat. The blood and gut was nowhere to be found.

Breathing out a sigh, she turned to the others. Grandma Mary and the boys had already finished skinning the rest of the rabbits and were using wooden skewers to hang them to roast on a fire pit. The enticing aroma of the spices and the meat slowly cooking drifted out into the wind. Frigga heard her stomach rumble in anticipation. Even though she knew it wasn't physically real, all the running she had done earlier made her really hungry.

Grandma Mary took the rabbit meat she had 'skinned' before showing her how to skewer the meat and ensuring that it was rubbed full of spices, then placing it on top of the fire pit to cook. Because she was used to living alone, Frigga easily handled the cooking portion, carefully rubbing every corner with the spices and ensuring that the rabbit skewers were evenly cooked. At the end she made sure to take out the pieces just at the right time to ensure that they were tender yet not overcooked.

"You are quite good at this dear", Grandma Mary complimented her,

"Thank you." Frigga smiled, she reminded her of her own grandmother.

"Here, as thanks for your help." Grandma Mary pointed at a portable stove. It was a crude metal construct, with four legs and a compartment that held the fuel. There was a grate at the top where the pan would sit on.

"The boys told me you wanted to become an adventurer." She continued, the wrinkles on her eyes deepening as she smiled. "I hope you take care of yourself well." Finally the system notice appeared.

"Quest: Tutorial Part 3 Complete!"

"Rewards Received: 1 Portable Stove, 1 Skinning Knife, 400 EXP"

"Level up! You are now Level 4!"

"Stat points received!"

"Quest Received!"

"Quest: Tutorial Part 4"

A small commotion broke out as the men had returned for lunch. The women busily prepared the dishes while the boys met up with their friends who had worked on the farm. After a short while, everyone received their meals, and people settled down to eat.

--

Frigga read out the next tutorial quest while eating the roasted rabbit steaks. She had never tasted rabbit meat before, but they were delicious. As she bit into the meat, the flavorful juices gushed out, messily dripping over her mouth. The perfect, smoky char on the outside of the steak contrasted wonderfully with the tenderly cooked insides. Together with the sides of half-cooked vegetables and mushroom soup, it was a very satisfying meal. Feeling full, she drank a cup of water before stretching out her tired limbs. The system popped out,

"You have consumed 'Roasted Rabbit Steak' dish!"

"Your health and mana will regenerate slowly, fatigue will decrease slowly!"

She saw the villagers happily eating. Under the shade, the men were resting from the morning's work, while the women were laughing and gossiping. The boys were seated on one side, joined with their friends. Cerberus by the side, Phil feeding him a rabbit skewer. When they saw her looking, they happily waved at her. Smiling, she waved back, thinking how nice the villagers looked.

Turning her attention back to the quest screen, she learned that the next quest was about gathering basic knowledge. An explanation of the settings, she thought. Looking at the details, there was a certain Scholar Klein in the village that served as the wise guy. She dusted off the dirt from her clothes, before following the quest markers.

--