"You could try mercenary work."

Gael stared at Pierre with an unsatisfied look on his face. The latter had recommended adventuring as a side hustle in order for him to earn more money. 

"No, Pierre, the whole point of me wanting money is for me to be able to make my weapons. I can't fight, not with how weak I am."

"You're planning on learning the Invoker's Language from Sera, aren't you? Even if you choose a branch that isn't suited for fighting, you can still think of ways to assist your party members without having to participate in the combat directly."

"That's nice and all, but how am I going to find party members, much less a party willing to take me in, in Goldenleaf of all places? The town's basically dead thanks to the Autumn Festival, which, if I remember correctly, will last for four more days."

Seriously, a week-long festival? Who decided it was a good idea to hold it for that long?

"There's one well-known party made up of newbie adventurers," Pierre remarked as he wiped down a glass. "They're called the Evergreen Protectors, and they're made up of a dwarf, a half-orc, and an elf."

A dwarf, a half-orc, and an elf. Hold on, that sounds familiar. Wasn't the group I snuck by during my first day made up of exactly those three races?

"If memory serves me right, they're currently on an expedition towards the nearby Shiapi Mountains. Something about unearthing a sacred relic for Sera."

Of course, Sera's involved in it. I guess I've got to talk to her again. Here's hoping I can convince her to let me party up with those three.

***

"So? Have you decided on the branches of magic you are going to be learning?"

"I have," Gael replied. "Actually, I've decided that I want to learn three, not two."

"And you're aware that it'll be vastly more difficult to remember the phrases and incantations the more you choose to learn, yeah?"

"That's right. My choices are Conjuration, Animation, and Benefaction."

I personally think it fits the whole artificer thing I've got going. Conjuration allows me to move objects–meaning I could essentially have a pocket dimension that stores my mechanical servants. Animation could be used to further bolster my servants' decision-making skills, and give them enough will to be able to act for themselves, while still remaining subservient. Finally, Benediction will allow me to hopefully inscribe blessings and enchantments onto my artifacts, or just buff myself and my servants. 

It seemed like a perfectly fine playstyle. While not being optimized for PvP, that was never the goal. Wizards and other spellcasters could easily nuke his entire army in seconds, but it wasn't like that would happen all the time. 

"You've decided, then. In that case, which branch do you want to learn first? With my knowledge, I should be able to teach you second-level spells at most for each branch."

"I'll go for Benefaction. I think having some blessings wouldn't hurt. Would make playing easier."

"Fair point. We'll get started tomorrow, so come after your shift ends. Lessons will be a few hours long, so make sure you drill into your head everything I will teach you. Now then, was there anything else you needed?"

"Yeah, actually. I've heard from Pierre that you sent out a party of adventurers to head to the Shiapi Mountains to look for some sort of artifact."

"I did, yes. What about them?"

"I wanted to ask for your permission to join them as a party member. I'm looking to earn some more money, and Pierre told me mercenary work is a good way to get started."

"Newbie, you ain't the least bit ready to undertake the type of missions those guys go on." 

Could've sworn they were newbie adventurers too. How hard could it be?

"Your face tells me you still take this world lightly. I'm sure you've already tried it. Defeating mobs by yourself."

Gael nodded. He could still vividly recall how he had humiliated himself during his first encounter with the slimes. 

"Despite how you might think it, Outworlders are on the lower half of the power level in Antoria. Unlike in other games–they don't hold authority over the NPC's that reside here."

"In fact, it's already difficult to consider Antorians NPC's, especially with how lifelike they act. While most games have them follow pre-planned paths throughout their days, with the exception of in-game events, Antoria Online does not."

"The programming is so intricate, unlike anything the gaming world has ever seen. It's to the point that researchers constantly question the legitimacy of this "game." They think it is more a portal to a different world."

"This doesn't explain your earlier statement," Gael interjected. "From what I've seen, players often are the most powerful–much more than the NPC's."

"Right, back to that. The simple answer to that is something you already know very well. Look around you, newbie. What do you think separates the Antorians from the Outworlders?"

"...Inveridium."

Sera donned a smile. "That's right. Compared to the big boys of this world who can fully control mana using their Cores, we Outworlders can only mimic a fraction of their power with our poorly constructed version of their magic system."

"That's precisely why most players choose to implant Cores inside their bodies. But as you might imagine, the process isn't all that simple."

Gael thought back to his original encounter with the slimes. His pitiful attack, which could've been attributed to his weak physique, now could also have been affected by something out of his control.

"Does this mean monsters have Cores too?"

"Everything does. Well, everything that isn't flora. This is precisely why we Outworlders flock to each other instinctually. We might not have the same firepower the Antorians do, but we do have numbers."

"Despite boasting power that can level mountains and destroy cities, the people who hold this are only at the very top of their echelons. Those people have much more important matters to attend to, and as such they leave the grunt work to us Outworlders–said work often is to explore uncharted regions of Antoria or undertake mercenary missions."

I'm guessing the top dogs of this world could only be well-renowned mages, warriors, and other influential Antorians. Still, I wonder what made Hylos think making the players weaker than the NPCs was a good idea. Well, not that I'm particularly opposed to it.

"So what's the point of telling me all this? Are you trying to deter me from joining your little crew on their missions?"

"Oh, none of the sort," Sera replied, waving her hand. "If you want to, join them. I'm just saying this as an older player to a newbie. Don't underestimate this game, you'll regret it."

Okay…? The way she says it makes it sound like this is more than a game. Still, it wouldn't hurt to pay heed to her advice. I still haven't established if there's an increasing penalty for dying repeatedly. 

"By the way, I noticed we Outworlders can respawn, like any other game. But does continuously dying grant a penalty?"

Sera shrugged. "I don't know."

Wha..? What does she mean, she doesn't know? Surely she's died at least a dozen times already. 

"I've never died more than once. Even then, that was a long time ago, back when I still worked as an adventurer. Since then, I've kept myself safe and worked here."

"Doesn't your gameplay get boring? You don't feel like going out every once in a while and PvP'ing?"

"I still do, you idiot. Almost every player does. Ssogdasyl, the capital of Frieren, the continent we're on, holds tournaments. I go there often to let loose."

Ssogdasyl… sounds interesting. I'm still not sure if I want to relocate to somewhere bigger later on, but it'll serve me well to keep in mind.

"Now, is that all? If it is, get your ass out of here. I've already wasted enough time talking to you for today. Remember, come to my office tomorrow once you've finished your shift. I'll allow you to take the morning-afternoon shift."