Tutorial quest

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[Tutorial quest: ]

: Subjugate 30 creatures higher level than you.

Reward: Tutorial exclusive reward box.

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"Looks like a subjugation quest."

Nestled within a peaceful-looking forest was situated a shallow water land, a lake where he had somehow landed for this tutorial quest.

"Haaaa…"

The water surrounding him was relatively clean, and the foliage of tall trees above him blocked significant light from the sun. 

One could see right to the bottom of these shallow waters, where smooth pebbles resembling jewels of this forest rested. 

Gentle ripples spread across the lake, shimmering in the sunlight and creating a soothing, rhythmic pattern.

"I don't want to kill."

The shoreline a distance away from him was soft, fine sand gently sloping into the water. 

Here and there, clusters of unique plants resembling water lilies floated gracefully on the surface, their green and blue blossoms adding vibrant splashes of color to this already green canvas. 

Tall reeds and cattails fringed the edges of these waters, swaying gently in the breeze and providing a home for a variety of wildlife.

"Well, it feels good here, at least," he admired the artistry of this wonderful scenery…

Dragonflies danced about, their iridescent wings catching and reflecting the fragmented light.

Frogs croaked softly from hidden spots among the reeds, while small birds dip down to the water's edge for a drink. 

"To think these simple creatures don't even have levels… this game sure is something, huh?"

Surrounding the lake were tall trees, their branches stretching out over the water to create shady, secluded spots. 

The dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves cast a gentle, shifting light on the water below. The air was filled with the soft rustling of leaves and the gentle hum of insects, creating a peaceful, natural symphony.

This shallow water lake seemed like a sanctuary of calm and beauty, a perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life. 

"Fascinating…"

As a person of art, nature was one of the most beloved things to him. And since he had not traveled much in his life, he never really had a chance to experience something like this.

He had still traveled all around his state for various jobs though, and as a business owner, he had to move around his areas of activity frequently.

He had experienced a lot of things and the VR technology had helped him see many things that he could not see in the original world.

"Alright then…"

Now that he was experiencing this 'second world' himself, he knew why people were so crazy about all this.

"This is much better than what I had hoped for." He moved his hands, his fingers, his limbs, and tried a backflip.

He could do it in the real world, so he thought he could do it in this place as well since the physical capabilities were replicated here, but… he forgot that he was standing on the slippery lake surface.

-Dhum!

-Splashhh–shurrrr!

He slipped, fell face flat on the water, and ended up wetting all the clothes he was wearing with the water that splashed all over him.

"Welp…"

Things were a little too realistic here.

"Looks like I'll have to light a fire first."

He was completely wet now, and in this humid place with such an environment, the chances of him dying just because he was wet were pretty high.

'Alex warned me about things like hypothermia, dehydration, and other nature-affected debuffs are a thing here.'

People actually died here just because they caught cold by wetting their clothes or due to infection from some insignificant wound.

"Where could I find the firewood now…"

The area around him was all part of the lake so he first got out of the lake and went back to the shore.

In front of him was a vast lake spreading deep into the forest, while behind him was a dangerous forest most probably saturated with strong creatures that could kill a (Level-0) like him in a matter of seconds.

He had no idea where he was, but one thing was clear.

"Subjugating 30 creatures…"

By the simple interpretation, the quest was asking him to kill thirty 'creatures' or the beings that the system recognized as creatures. Or, simply monsters or something that possessed levels.

"Oh, there's one over there."

He had reached the shore and was wringing his clothes when he suddenly spotted something moving a little distance away from him.

"Is that a jellyfish?"

On the other side from where he had wetted himself in the lake, there was a transparent blob visible on the surface. 

It resembled the head of a jellyfish… however, there was nothing inside of it.

The creature was far away so he first focused his eyes to get a better picture of the thing, when he suddenly noticed something glowing above the creature's head.

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[Slime]: (Level:3)

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"Oh damn. That's a slime?"

[Ding.]

[You have identified a creature for the first time. Rewarding Exp.]

[Ding!]

[Level up!]

[(Level-0) > (Level-1).]

"Hmm?"

In <NO >, one needed to focus on one thing constantly to trigger [Observation]. A passive feature that all sentient beings of this world including the players could trigger occasionally.

Anything that is closely 'observed' by the individual, after obtaining some basic information about it, can trigger a different feature called [Identification].

"Didn't she say I'll need to focus real hard to trigger [Identification]? This… was pretty easy though?" This situation confused him as well.

Just like most VR games, this game also had {Skills}. However, the skills were powerful abilities that were only granted to individuals who knowingly or unknowingly fulfilled certain set conditions.

"If this is so easy, perhaps…"

He tried focusing on the lotus-like green flowers that were growing a distance away from him.

He believed that if identifying a creature like this slime was so easy, he would be able to identify the other things around him as well and obtain {Appraisal}, the rare skill that one obtains after identifying 300 things.

From the looks of it, he was good with focusing and identification. 

Thus, He was focusing on the flower in an attempt to test his theory, when he suddenly had to stop as he noticed something peculiar beside the flower.

"Wait, is that thing coming here…?"

It seemed like the slime that was playing some distance away from him was now suddenly swimming towards him.

And that too, at a speed he was not expecting.

"Hey… hey! Wait! Damn it."

He wanted to run away from that place, but there was only the dangerous forest beside him. 

"Shit."

He was naked as well.

His clothes were now drying on the low tree branch.

He did not have any weapons, only a shield to defend himself against that creature. 

So, in the grave moment of tension, he first took out the shield from his inventory… and then prayed to the gods of this world for their protection against the creature rushing towards him.

He had worked on those tentacle animation stuff as well, so he already had a bad impression of slimes and slimy things… 

He was never looking forward to seeing one of them right when he started playing this gorgeous game.