NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 4 – Raha Forest (1)
Haruka Sumeragi’s POV
The bustle from just a moment ago vanished, and has been replaced by the chirping of birds. A gentle breeze tickles my nose with the earthy smell of damp soil.
Raha Village is a very small settlement full of nature, with lush green forests all around it.
Amazing… It looks just like a village in the real world.
The vividness of everything, not only here but also in the previous area, surprises me with how much it feels like reality.
This remote village has been built in a clearing in the middle of the forest. It’s surrounded by a fence, inside of which there are wooden houses, while outside stretch fields of vegetables.
There are no players in sight, only NPC villagers in plain clothing working in the fields, and chatting with each other. The atmosphere is very peaceful. If something like the resurrection of the Demon Lord were to happen, this is the type of village that would get destroyed first.
I shake my head to stop this useless train of thought.
Ermm, first I need to prepare my items, right? I definitely need to buy some healing ones.
I want to take the opportunity to stroll around for a bit as I look for a store where I could buy items, but this village is so small that I find it in a blink of an eye.
“Welcome!” the middle-aged shopkeeper greets me brightly after I enter.
This is the only store in the whole village, so it offers a wide range of goods, be it weapons or armour.
This is my first time seeing most of these things, so I slowly look at what’s displayed on the shelves one by one. Fortunately, the owner notices my struggle and approaches me to kindly explain everything.
Hmm… I kind of want this and also that, but for now I decide to only buy healing potions. Maybe I could buy the other items next time.
I have the money that every player starts the game with, but obviously I don’t want to spend it all at once. That’s why I only grab a few of the cheapest healing items and after carrying them to the counter, I ask to pay.
“Miss, it’s the first time you go into the forest, right? Take this as well, it’s on the house – for good luck!” the shopkeeper says as he takes out 3 healing potions (low-grade) from under the counter.
“T-thank you!” I reply, bowing my head in gratitude.
The shopkeeper and all the other villagers here are so nice; they tell me that I’m cute and wish me good luck on my adventures. I know that these NPCs, even though they sound sincere, are just being polite. But I’m a simple person, and they improve my mood nonetheless, so I go on my way to Raha Forest in high spirits.
As it’s not very far from the village, I arrive after about ten minutes. The road I took was also surrounded by trees, because, well, everywhere around here is essentially a forest, but Raha Forest grows even thicker, so I recognize it immediately.
Well, the text box with the name of the area also helps, I guess.
I enter the forest casually, but soon find myself captivated by its magical scenery, and stop in my tracks.
…So beautiful.
The sunlight filtering through the trees, the tiny particles reflecting the light – it all looks so beautiful to me, having only ever lived in the city.
Hm? What’s that?
Even though I’ve barely passed the entrance, I already notice some plants growing in the depths of the forest, each marked with an exclamation mark over them. I go to take a closer look, and pull one out.
Oh! It’s a herb!
When I look at the plant in my hand, the label “herb” appears.
Having found this standard item of all RPGs, I suddenly become excited, and start to pick all the herbs I can find in the vicinity.
Here! And there! I’ve found them, so of course I have to take them!
As I collect the herbs, I toss them into a gap in space called the inventory.
Phew… I guess this is it for now.
After picking all the herbs within sight, I scan the surroundings for other interesting things, only to notice something squirming in the distance, slowly approaching. I squint my eyes to get a better look.
That is… Hmm… Ah? A big caterpillar monster? Its rank is… E-. Then I should be able to defeat it. Ugh, but I hate bugs…
＊【Monster rank】＊
Monsters are divided into ranks based on their strength. The order from the strongest goes: SS, S, A, B, C, D, E. To each letter there is a ‘+’ or ‘-’ added, to categorise them more accurately.
SS unknown
S expert players in a large group
A expert players in a small group
B expert players solo
C intermediate players solo
D beginners solo
E absolute beginners solo
+ can defeat it with difficulty
– can defeat it
The above guideline is a rough estimate intended for cases of fighting an individual monster, so when facing multiple enemies that cooperate, it’s better to assume that they are stronger than their rank suggests.
Moreover, the rank’s visibility will be restricted if the player’s level isn’t high enough to fight it. In such cases monsters are labelled as “Rank ???”, which means that defeating them at the current level would be challenging.
I get goosebumps looking at this caterpillar the size of a human baby crawling my way.
I really wanna run away, but…
I take out a wooden staff from my inventory and hold it in front of me.
How to use magic in this game, including the spells you’ve learnt, their effects, and even how many more times you can cast them – it is all stored in the player’s mind.
“Here we go! ‘Magic Orb’!”
A magic circle forms at the tip of the staff, condensing into a colourless orb of magic roughly the size of a volleyball, before launching forward. It hits the caterpillar and sends it flying with a loud ‘bam!’.
But, one shot isn’t enough to take it down, huh.
The caterpillar bounces two or three times, then rolls on the ground from the impact, but it quickly gets back up, and starts walking towards me again.
In that case, once again!
I point the staff at the caterpillar and cast the spell again. After being struck the second time, the caterpillar collapses, turns into black mist, and disappears, leaving behind a transparent gem rolling on the ground.
I go to where the caterpillar has fallen, and pick up the gem, which the system describes as “Magic stone of void [tiny]”.
Ooh! So this is a magic stone. Shiny.
The small, coin-sized magic stone shines like a jewel, when I hold it out towards the sun.
Come to think of it, what are these things used for? …Well, no harm in collecting them, I guess.
After looking at the stone for a while, I put it into my inventory to continue exploring.
Hmm, paying attention to my mana regeneration rate, I notice that in 10 minutes I restore enough mana for 1 Magic Orb.
I want to gather herbs some more, but I need to keep my remaining mana in the back of my head just in case.
Oh! More herbs, sweet!
Feeling euphoric whenever I find another herb, I venture deeper and deeper into the woods.
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