WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: DereKimchi
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Protagonist Doesn't Want to Leave the First Floor ◈
Chapter 8
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“Wow, people really caught a ton of rabbits.”
Rabbit hides were piled up in stacks of hundreds.
And not just in one listing. There were several.
There was more than one seller, so there were probably several users at a hunting ground where rabbits spawned.
“I don't really need rabbit hide, and isn't the meat about the same as wolf meat?”
Equipment interested him more, but perhaps because everyone was still in the early stages, he couldn't find anything worth a second look.
Anyone with decent equipment would use it themselves instead of selling it, like the hooded vest and bracer he was wearing.
“So staying in one place and hunting really does increase the number of monsters that spawn.”
There were apparently exceptions, but aggressive monsters usually followed that rule. Some people had already confirmed it firsthand and nearly died.
Others used it to their advantage. If they stayed in one spot and hunted aggressive monsters they could handle easily, their numbers would gradually increase, improving efficiency.
‘That tip would be hard to use on wolves.’
Who knew?
If he became ridiculously strong one day, he might be able to deal with dozens of wolves at once.
For now, though, three or four was his limit.
Even then, if they charged him together, he had to roll away while accepting that one side would get scratched up.
Fortunately, they hadn't attacked all at once yet. Still, their behavior had definitely begun to change lately.
‘Especially the ones brought back by wolves that ran away. They were more vicious.’
He closed the community board.
He still had to choose one option from the Skill Selection window open to one side.
1. [Steel Skin]
2. [Enhanced Digestion]
3. [Slaughter Record: Bound]
4. [Endurance Enhancement]
5. [Refresh]
‘What's Refresh?’
He checked just in case. It really was an option to refresh the displayed skill list.
It didn't grant a skill, only replaced the list, but it could be useful in certain situations.
‘Not now.’
If he refreshed it, the new skills might not be green. Besides, the skills currently available all looked useful enough.
‘There are bound skills too.’
He already knew they existed from the board. Instead of taking up a slot, they were consumed immediately and applied permanently.
‘Not taking up a slot is nice, but...’
After checking what it was, it seemed to be the type of skill that grew stronger as he accumulated kills.
For every hundred monsters of the same species he hunted, he would gain an additional effect.
“I've already killed more than a hundred wolves.”
[Steel Skin] literally raised the body's external defense, while [Enhanced Digestion] let him digest what he ate a little faster.
‘My digestion is already fast. Faster would be nice, but using up a skill slot for it is questionable.’
If he had more slots, he might have chosen it, but not now. Steel Skin or Endurance Enhancement would be better.
Still, his eyes kept returning to the only bound skill on the list. According to other users' posts, bound skills did not appear often.
‘And if it gets stronger as I hunt more, that's even better.’
Seo Hajin selected it.
[Passive: Slaughter Record]
[For every 100 hunts of the same species, your Nemesis stage against that species increases.]
[When confronting the target species, grants a constant Intimidation effect that saps their fighting spirit. The effect strengthens as the stage rises.]
-Current Record-
Wolf: Nemesis Effect Stage 2 applied
1. Impact increased by 10%
2. Damage received reduced by 10%
Once he used the skill, it dissolved away, and his system really did change.
‘I’d killed more than two hundred.’
He hadn't counted.
Not every kill produced hide or meat, so it was difficult to judge based on loot.
He had vaguely assumed it was over a hundred, but he’d killed more than twice that many. Reading the Stage 2 effect, it seemed to mean he hit 10 percent harder and took 10 percent less damage.
‘Can it really adjust that artificially?’
It really was like a game world.
Shaking his head, he noticed that the sun had completely set while he was occupied. Moonlight filtered through the leaves.
‘Even if I can't hunt in one place, I should at least set up a shelter somewhere reasonably safe.’
Wouldn't it be fine to hunt far away from the shelter? Relying only on shallow sleep didn't seem good in the long run.
Some of the other Awakeners in the community had apparently made shelters of their own.
Someone had even built a small cabin already, probably using a skill.
‘I don't plan to live here forever, but I still want to sleep comfortably.’
He didn’t think returning home was impossible.
He didn't know how yet, but he would learn someday.
‘Should I try building a treehouse?’
No. That was too ambitious.
It would be enough to weave and tie some branches together in a suitable tree. The thick leaves would keep off the rain.
Hardly any of the last downpour had reached him, so he didn't really need a roof.
Still, he couldn't ignore predators like leopards.
Thinking about that, he would need solid walls and a roof. The problem was that making those materials probably wouldn't be easy.
‘It'd be easier to wall in and roof the rock ledge by the waterfall where I rested last time.’
It wasn't spacious, but there had been enough room for one person to lie down. He remembered sleeping fairly comfortably there, even if venomous insects had bitten him.
‘Taking everything into account, a tree like this still seems best.’
Once night passed and the sun rose, he decided to look around for a suitable tree.
If he found a tree with a hollow in its trunk high off the ground, like one carved out by a woodpecker, it would be very useful.
‘No. Wait.’
He checked the system community marketplace just in case, and his eyes widened.
“They have it?”
There was lumber.
From logs and dry firewood to pieces processed into various sizes for making things.
There were planks and wooden rods too.
As long as he spent points to buy them, he could make whatever he wanted.
‘Someone's even selling nails.’
That was thanks to skills too.
Just as he had Cooking, someone else possessed skills for processing wood, iron, leather, and more.
They had listed the things they made with those skills on the marketplace. There still weren't many transactions, but things were selling.
‘They even take custom orders.’
There were posts like that on the board.
They claimed they would make things however the buyer wanted.
Though they also said that if they made and listed an item only for the requester not to buy it, they would remember that name.
‘Looks like there isn't a contract function.’
Rather than paying a deposit or advance payment to commission an item, people made requests through posts or comments, then bought the listing once it went up.
“Figures, lots of people are making bows.”
Even people who didn't use bows seemed inclined to get at least one.
‘Hmm.’
A bow.
He had never fired one.
It would probably be useful, but it might also take up a slot and become dead weight.
‘A throwing axe appeals to me more than a bow.’
He looked for someone who made blunt weapons. There were no listings, but it looked like someone could make one if he commissioned it. There were already axes for sale, too.
[Crude Stone Axe] - 5 Points
[Crude Stone Axe] - 5 Points
.
.
.
[Ordinary Iron Axe] - 30 Points
‘That's a rip-off.’
He didn't know how they were made, but the system had said the appropriate value was three points for a stone axe and ten points for an iron axe.
It made sense to charge more when labor costs were included, but it still felt like a rip-off.
‘And they're small.’
Most of the axes on the marketplace were hand axes a typical adult could grip and swing one-handed.
They seemed meant more for cutting branches or slicing through tough chunks of meat than for use as weapons.
‘Maybe a club would be better than an axe.’
A mace, or perhaps a hammer, appealed to him.
Rather than cutting or chopping, crushing and smashing seemed more effective.
‘Those wolf bastards have ridiculously tough hides.’
The crocodiles he had seen by the water had tough-looking hides too. Bladed weapons probably wouldn't even leave scratches on creatures like that.
‘Should I commission one?’
He considered making it himself, but he had no suitable tools, and anything he made would clearly not last long.
Wouldn't a proper weapon crafted with a skill be better? He browsed commission posts and checked how satisfied others had been.
‘Ah.’
He learned something else.
Whether it was crafted equipment or a dropped item, any piece of equipment named by the system could be repaired if he had appropriate materials.
Even if its durability fell and part of it broke, he could repair it by consuming materials similar to what it had been made from.
“That makes it even better.”
Buying a hammer with iron in it right away would be expensive, and he would have to buy separate iron ore for repairs, draining his points over time.
A club made mainly of wood and stone, on the other hand, could be repaired with things he found around here.
‘You don't need a separate skill to repair things.’
Without a specialized skill, though, he would have to put it in his inventory and wait a certain amount of time for it to repair. It seemed he should commission several rather than just one.
That way, he could use a spare while another was being repaired.
He carefully wrote his commission post.
There was no whisper function, so the post would be visible directly on the public board.
‘I haven't even lurked for the mandatory three days, so I should be as polite as possible.’
* * *
-You're seriously going with these specs? For real?
ㄴYeah. That's right.
-Then the hammerhead alone will probably weigh close to 20 kilograms.
ㄴI don't think it'll reach 20. More like the mid-teens. But wouldn't the wood need to be just as sturdy to handle this?
-I'm a blacksmith, so I don't know. Can someone with a woodworking skill make this?
ㄴI can make the shape, but it might break after a few swings.
The post itself wasn't the problem.
Maybe the commission details were.
The shape and size he had written down led several users into something like a discussion.
Length: approximately 1.3 to 1.5 meters.
A somewhat primitive war hammer, made by boring a hole through a stone roughly the size of a human head and fitting a sturdy wooden shaft through it.
The hammerhead should be as oval as possible.
The rock should not crack, and the wood should not break on impact. Desired durability: it should withstand at least ten strong blows without breaking.
That was the rough summary.
The users discussed whether it was possible and, if so, how it could be done.
-Just compress the wood. Then it probably won't break as easily even if you hit things like crazy.
ㄴCompressed wood gets heavier.
ㄴThat's the trade-off.
-Why mess around with stone? Use iron with a lighter head instead.
ㄴIs iron easy to get?
ㄴThe marketplace is full of it.
ㄴAnd earning points is easy?
ㄴAh.
The comment debate continued for nearly an hour.
Around then, someone said they could make it to the proposed specifications.
-The materials aren't particularly expensive, so I don't think I need an advance payment. Using my skill costs stamina, though, so I'd appreciate a little payment for my work. You can see my name, right?
The name was Here Comes the Hammer.
Like his Juggernaut, it was an avatar name.
Had they planned to play a hammer character from the beginning?
-How should I pay you for the work?
ㄴJust buy a few items I've listed on the marketplace. The prices are reasonable too.
ㄴAh.
He learned that people paid for labor or advances that way as well.
Sometimes they listed low-value items at higher prices. That served as a kind of deposit.
Of course, that kind of arrangement could lead to take-the-money-and-run scams, but there weren't enough users in the community yet for it to be a major issue.
‘I was planning to buy a few anyway.’
Seo Hajin looked through the items registered under Here Comes the Hammer.
There were several stone axes like the ones he had seen earlier. Since he had been considering throwing weapons, they looked quite useful.
‘It won't be too costly if I lose them.’
Five stone axes.
After buying them from the marketplace, one stone axe filled a slot in his inventory, with a 5 beside it.
‘They're in one slot now, but they won't stack in the same slot once their durability drops.’
He had already confirmed that after damaging one of his hides last time. Nodding, he took out a stone axe and held it in his hand.
The materials were primitive, but perhaps because it had been processed with a skill, the workmanship was quite good.
It was a little small for his hand, but that made it better suited for throwing.
-It'll take around 30 minutes.
ㄴYou're starting right away without sleeping?
ㄴOnce I've accepted a commission, sleep takes second place.
Thirty minutes.
That was how long it would take to make one of the three stone hammers he had commissioned.
They would make one first as a sample. If he bought it and was satisfied, they would make the remaining two.
The price was set at eight points for now.
The materials were common, but they said they had to add labor costs for small tasks like compressing the wood and shaping the stone.
‘They have both Woodworking and Stoneworking skills.’
They said it would be difficult to attempt otherwise. The stone needed a hole bored through it to fit the wood, and the wood itself needed processing.
Of course, there was another method. Instead of boring a hole through the stone, a notch could be cut into the wood, the stone fitted into it, then bound with vines or animal sinew.
Still, everyone said that method would not last long.
‘I can't wait.’
His current weapons weren't bad.
They were enough to deal with wolves.
Yet he couldn't shake the feeling that they were consumables. He wanted at least one sturdy main weapon.
Thirty minutes passed slowly.
He spent the time chewing and swallowing meat, scanning the dark forest around him from high above, and reading posts on the board.
A low growl carried from far away.
It was too far away to be dangerous, but it still bothered him because it was the sound of a tiger.
‘Turning back really was the right call.’
He had risen to the point where he could overwhelm most wolves, but he reminded himself once more that he had not conquered this forest.
Footnotes:
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