Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest Chapter 2 Horned Rabbit

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As I mentally requested a Status, it materialized before me, resembling a holographic window from those classic sci-fi films my husband adored and always made me watch. My husband used to love those and always made me watch them with him…

The Status screen itself appeared rather intricate, filled with numerous numbers and peculiar symbols. Why had modern games become so complex?

Examining this intricate display felt somewhat overwhelming, making me yearn for a more personalized guide to decipher the exact meaning of these figures. It made me wish that I had a more personalized guide that could help me out by explaining to me what these numbers were exactly.

Ding!

"Huh?"

Yet, precisely as I pondered the stats, small explanatory windows detailing each one materialized, just as I had hoped. Still, the sheer volume of text was daunting. Were all these details truly necessary to grasp such fundamental game mechanics?

"Isn't there a guide available? Hello? Gaia? Could you lend a hand?"

I scanned the surrounding forest, searching for any sign of another presence. I looked around the forest in search of anyone who could have been around.

But only profound silence answered my call.

Hmm… I recalled something about an Inventory, a place where Gaia had apparently left a gift for me.

Perhaps that would prove more useful?

Let’s see…

Inventory!

FLASH!

Before I could fully process it, a small window appeared.

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​ Player: Planta

Gold Coins: 0

Fame Points: 0

Added Friends: 0 / 100

NPC Allies: 0 / 100

Inventory: 1 / 100

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So, there was indeed another Status screen? Well, this one presented information that I could somewhat comprehend and wasn't nearly as dense. It indicated the presence of a currency within this game, didn't it? Was it gold coins, similar to those in medieval tales? That part made sense.

But what exactly were Fame Points, and the others? And why was there a limit on the number of friends I could make? That seemed a bit… Well, I doubted I'd ever accumulate a hundred friends anyway.

Let's investigate the Inventory first!

I clicked on the icon, and immediately, a box containing several square compartments appeared. The blue box indicated the presence of a small, red-colored gift nestled within.

I reached into the box and retrieved it.

Is this…?

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[Beginner's Gift Box]

Contains the most basic of things to start your journey in New Life Online. Enjoy the game.

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The gift felt surprisingly light in my hands. Accompanying it was a small note that offered little information about its contents. Nevertheless… I opened it with my hands, and with a burst of brilliant light, it dissolved.

POOF!

And what appeared before me were several items… As items materialized, a system notification flashed.

[You have opened the [Beginner's Gift Box]!]

[You acquired a bag with 1000 Gold Coins!]

[You acquired [Health Potion (Low-Grade)] x20!]

[You acquired [Mana Potion (Low-Grade)] x20!]

[You acquired [Helper Spirit]!]

Oh, my!

Scattered on the ground lay several distinct items.

I spotted some red and blue vials, which I deduced were potions. Alongside them was a bag containing 1000 gold coins! Wow, if only I could transfer this wealth to the real world, I'd be incredibly rich… But this was merely digital currency.

And then there was… this peculiar object.

What was it?

It was labeled 'Helper Spirit'.

To me, however, it resembled a small, luminous blue orb. I touched it, then carefully picked it up to examine it more closely. Peering into it intently, I saw it suddenly emit a radiant glow.

FLASH!

"Uwah!"

The sudden brilliance nearly sent me tumbling backward in surprise! The blue orb began to levitate, tiny azure wings unfurling around it. It started to flutter them with the speed of a hummingbird.

"W-What is this? Is it a pet?" I vocalized my astonishment.

"I am not your pet! Furthermore, I am incapable of combat, growth, or even experiencing hunger!"

The orb spoke! Its voice was that of a mischievous young boy.

"And what precisely are you?" I inquired.

"I am a Helper Spirit! Gaia dispatched me to assist you on your journey. Should you have any inquiries or find yourself uncertain of what to do, simply consult me," the small, floating sphere explained. The little floating bulb said.

"I don't need to sustain you, is that correct?" I asked.

"Correct! I subsist on the divine power bestowed by my goddess!" the little ball declared.

"I see… Well then, this presents a perfect opportunity! Could you possibly elucidate these 'stats' for me?" I requested.

"Stats? You are unfamiliar with the concept of stats?" the ball questioned.

"No…" I admitted.

"Seriously? What age are you? Forty?" the ball inquired cheekily.

"How dare you! I am merely 36! I am in the absolute prime of my youth!" I retorted indignantly.

"Y-You are rather… mature…" it stammered.

"I am not!" I insisted heatedly.

The audacity! I refused to engage further with this entity if it insisted on calling me old. What were the game developers thinking, creating such an irritating AI? How rude! I am not going to talk with this thing if it's going to tell me I am old. What were the game developers thinking by making such an annoying A.I.?

"Wait! Alright, my apologies. I did not intend to cause offense…" the spirit sighed, relenting. "I did not mean to offend you…" sighed the spirit.

"Truly?" I asked, hope flickering.

"Yes, it is simply surprising. Regardless, allow me to provide a concise explanation," it conceded. "Anyways, let me give you a brief explanation."

The Spirit began to circle around me, causing my Status Window to re-emerge. It then proceeded to indicate each stat using its wing. The Spirit floated around me as my Status Window emerged once more and he began to point each stat on it with its wing.

"HP stands for Health Points. It's essentially your current life force; reaching zero means death, requiring a respawn."

"Eh? That's terrible… I had no idea I could actually die here…"

"MP are Mana Points, representing the pool of Mana you possess. Mana is vital for activating Skills and Magic; without it, Active Skills and Spells cannot be cast. Depleting your MP will leave you mentally exhausted, so always try to conserve some."

"Mana…"

"STR signifies physical strength. It determines the damage dealt by physical attacks – punches, kicks, sword swings, and other weapon-based strikes. It also aids in carrying capacity and similar physical tasks."

"I see… I must be very weak, then?"

"VIT represents vitality. It provides a slight increase to HP and enhances physical stamina. Higher Vitality means reduced fatigue and a larger satiation meter."

"I can eat in this game?" I inquired.

"Indeed, you can eat. Now, DEX is Dexterity, which governs the precision of hand movements and the delicacy required when handling tools."

"AGI influences your maximum speed, evasion capabilities, and critical hit chance. It's particularly beneficial for thieves and assassins."

"INT affects your brain's capacity for storing information. Furthermore, a higher INT amplifies the strength of your magical attacks."

"WIS denotes Wisdom. Increased Wisdom reflects accumulated knowledge, leading to greater intelligence and experience. It also offers a reduction in magic damage taken."

"And finally, LUC is Luck! Simply put, Luck influences outcomes determined by percentages, such as evasion, critical hits, and even the chance of receiving random loot drops," the spirit explained.

Once the spirit concluded its explanations, I grasped the concepts somewhat, but I truly couldn't fathom why they had to complicate things so much…

"Seriously, couldn't they have made it more straightforward? There are far too many stats to keep track of…" I sighed.

"Well, as a newbie, you can simply disregard them for now. Store those items in your inventory if you wish to prevent them from being stolen," the spirit advised.

"S-Steal? People can steal items here?" I asked, surprised.

"Yes, they can. There are even Player Killers who can take your items if they defeat you! Naturally, this option can be disabled. From your fearful expression, I can already tell you're not cut out for combat," the spirit sighed.

"I'm truly grateful! My sole reason for joining was to locate my daughter within the game and connect with her through this shared experience. I want to rekindle our bond by playing her favorite game," I revealed.

"Oh, so that's the reason? I suppose that explains why an older lady like yourself would play this game…" the spirit remarked.

"S-Stop calling me old, will you?!" I retorted indignantly.

"S-Sorry! Please don't report me; the developers might delete me…" the spirit pleaded.

"Sigh… But don't act so arrogant then!" I demanded.

This spirit's audacity was quite astonishing; no one had ever dared to call me old before. In reality, I possessed a remarkably youthful appearance; numerous young men had flirted with me during my time working at the supermarket and cafeteria, so I certainly still had my charm!

Sigh.

Now, I needed to focus and figure out my next steps.

I found myself in a forest with no other players in sight to offer guidance, compelling me to seek assistance from this impudent entity.

The system had mentioned something about proceeding to the Tree of Beginnings, so that's where I should head.

Wait? A large red arrow now hovered above me, in addition to the two bars displaying "HP" and "MP"…

Should I proceed towards that location?

"What is this arrow?" I inquired.

"Oh? That? It's an Indication Arrow. It will guide you to the location where you can accept a quest. Remember, you can only accept one quest at a time. You must either complete it or cancel it before acquiring another," the spirit explained.

"Hmm, okay… I suppose I'll go search for that tree, then!" I declared.

"The tree? Ah, yes, that's the quest for the Dryad Race… So you are a Dryad? You bear a strong resemblance to an Elf at first glance…" the spirit commented.

"They look nearly identical, don't they?" I asked.

"They do… the developers really should strive for a bit more originality," the spirit mused.

And so, I began to follow the red arrow, which pointed me towards the location of the tree that would grant me a quest. I walked barefoot through the enchanting forest, yet my feet felt no discomfort, even when treading on sharp stones.

Perhaps my entire being was sturdier in this new form? I pondered, intrigued.

Numerous beautiful blossoms and beneficial herbs, alongside a variety of vibrantly colored fungi, were scattered along my path. Each one I observed displayed its information sequentially, igniting a strong desire to gather them all… yet, I managed to restrain myself and continued my trek forward.

"So, what is your daughter's player name? Perhaps I can locate her within the player database," the spirit proposed.

"Y-You can actually do that?" I inquired.

"Any player can search for another if they know their name; I'm performing the search for you right now if you could just provide her name," the spirit explained.

"I see… Actually, I don't have any clue what her gamer tag was…" I lamented with a sigh.

"Sigh… You truly are a handful," the spirit remarked.

Though the spirit was somewhat irksome, it was undeniably pleasant to have someone to converse with in this desolate expanse.

However, as I drew nearer to the grand tree, the surrounding bushes began to rustle in an unusual manner. Before I could even react, a small creature burst forth from the foliage and materialized directly in front of me!

"Chuu!"

It bore a remarkable resemblance to a miniature… rabbit!

It was a small, brown rabbit, distinguished by a petite horn protruding from the apex of its head.

"Oh! T-That's a monster! Exercise caution! Eliminate it! It's merely a Level 1 Horned Rabbit, nothing too formidable; a simple punch should suffice…" the spirit instructed.

"A monster? Ah… But it looks so incredibly endearing!" I exclaimed.

"Endearing?!”

I made an attempt to approach the little rabbit, which regarded me with a sharp, intense gaze.

"Chuuu!"

In a sudden, irate lunge, it sprang towards me. Its intention was to impale my hand with its tiny horn!

"Uwaah!"

I swiftly recoiled, observing the provoked creature.

"See? What did I tell you? Grab your weapon and- Hold on, Dryads aren't equipped with weapons?!" the spirit questioned, realizing my lack of weaponry.

"Haha…" I responded with a chuckle.

"T-Then utilize Green Magic and reshape your body!" it urged.

"Reshape it?" I echoed, seeking clarification.

"Well, Dryads possess the inherent ability to alter their physical forms, much like… imagine manifesting a large, sharp thorn right in your hand," the spirit elaborated.

"That's…"

I gazed at my hand, picturing precisely that transformation.

CRACK!

Abruptly, before my very eyes, my hand contorted into a sharp thorn, albeit at the cost of 10 MP!

Uwah, this felt incredibly unsettling!

"Many Dryad players never discover this particular ability, you know? This is precisely why they frequently abandon the Race and delete their characters to start anew with a different one later on…" the spirit confided.

"This is rather unnerving, wouldn't you agree?" I sighed.

"Come now, don't be a coward and vanquish that rabbit!" the spirit prodded.

"You are quite the tormentor… it merely seems frightened of me…" I murmured.

"CHUUU!"

However, my assumption was swiftly proven incorrect. The rabbit launched itself at me once more, its horn narrowly missing my chest!

"Uwah! No!"

A desperate cry escaped me as my heart pounded wildly. In a reflexive action, I struck the rabbit with my thorn-shaped hand, impaling it instantly.

CLASH!

[You dealt 20 Damage! Critical Hit!]

[The Rabbit has died!]

"Chuu…"

"Ah! I actually did it?!"

"Indeed, you did!"

POOF!

The rabbit lay deceased, yet not a single drop of blood appeared. Instead, it dissolved into shimmering particles of light, leaving behind some items on the ground.

[You defeated a Horned Rabbit: Lv1, you gained 50 EXP]

[Race & Job Class EXP: 50 / 1000]

Furthermore, it appears I've acquired some… Exupé?

"Excellent! You've earned some experience points," the spirit declared, zipping towards the fallen items and causing them to vanish into its form.

[You acquired [Horned Rabbit Meat] x1, [Horned Rabbit Fur] x1, and [Rabbit Horn] x1]

[You acquired 5 Gold Coins]

I even gained some gold? So, merely by dispatching a small creature, I'm rewarded with gold and valuable items… This realization is somewhat disheartening.

Upon inspecting my Inventory, the rabbit appeared to be already prepared for cooking. Did the game handle the butchering for me? That's quite convenient, though…

Perhaps I could try cooking the meat?

Ah, no! My primary focus must remain on locating the quest-granting tree!

But then, a faint whisper reached my ears.

"My child… Draw nearer…"

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