Seeking Answers

Not wanting to dwell on what he couldn't control, Ethan returned to accessing his status panel.

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𝕊𝕋𝔸𝕋𝕌𝕊

ℙ𝕝𝕒𝕪𝕖𝕣 ℕ𝕒𝕞𝕖: ❦Aurora❦

𝕃𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕝: ❦1❦

ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤: ❦Mage❦

𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖: ❦4❦/❦100❦

𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕓𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕤:

❦ 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙: ❦13❦

❦ 𝔸𝕘𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: ❦14❦

❦ 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖: ❦17❦

❦ ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: ❦11❦

𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕓𝕦𝕥𝕖 𝕍𝕒𝕝𝕦𝕖: 𝕊𝕥𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕘𝕥𝕙: 1.3, 𝔸𝕘𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕪: 1.4, 𝕀𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕖𝕟𝕔𝕖: 1.7, ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 1.1

𝔸𝕥𝕥𝕣𝕚𝕓𝕦𝕥𝕖 ℙ𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕤: ❦0❦

♚ ℂ𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕤: ❦0❦

✧ 𝔸𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕧𝕖 ℚ𝕦𝕖𝕤𝕥𝕤:

❧ [Survive the tutorial grounds]

✦ 𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪:

❧ [Level 1 Low Common Grade Staff]

❧ [Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Health Potion x1]

❧ [Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Mana Potion x1]

✦ 𝕊𝕜𝕚𝕝𝕝𝕤:

❧ [Analyse]

❧ [Loot]

❧ [Level 0 Mana Ball]

❧ [Level 0 Mana Missiles]

❧ [Level 4 Soaring Dragon Art from the School of the Soaring Dragon {Novice Proficiency}]

✦ 𝔸𝕓𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕖𝕤:

✧ 𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕 𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕦𝕤:

❦ 𝔽𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕝𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕃𝕚𝕤𝕥: ❦Friend List❦

✧ 𝕄𝕒𝕡:

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𝕊𝕪𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕞 ℕ𝕠𝕥𝕚𝕗𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟:

❦ [You have slain a {Normal Grade}Level 1 Forest Wolf]

❦ [4 Exp Gained]

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When Ethan glanced at the panel's content initially, he thought it resembled the interface in the Eternia forum. However, unfamiliar terms started appearing after the quest tab, terms that were never mentioned in the game forum.

The unfamiliar terms didn't refer to the grades as common and uncommon grades were mentioned, indicating that this world followed similar rules to Eternia. In the Eternia game forum, there were five grades: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, and Legendary. But when did levels become part of the grading system? Ethan was unfamiliar with this concept.

He was accustomed to levels but not item levels. The games he had played in the past seven years didn't use this system, so he wasn't sure if his level 1 common grade items in the inventory held any value.

His inventory currently held three items: a magic staff and health and mana potions. The staff was a basic weapon for mages, common knowledge even for gaming novices. The health and mana potions were consumable items used for recovery. Ethan remembered the woman he had saved using a health potion to survive.

Recalling the potion bottle that had injured him, Ethan wondered about its level. If he knew its level, he could estimate the value of the items in his inventory. Ethan mumbled, "A potion that could recover body parts should be very valuable," and returned his attention to the status panel.

Since this world seemed to follow familiar game world rules, Ethan realised that the items in his inventory were part of the newbie package given to players at the start of a game. The fact that he had an item for his class confirmed this. What he was uncertain about was whether the items given to other players potentially in this "tutorial ground" were randomised. Were their items all level 1 common grade, or did the item grades vary? Perhaps someone out there had a level 2 item if such a level existed.

This was another question Ethan planned to ask the woman he had saved when she awakened. But before checking other aspects of the panel, Ethan wanted to confirm if he could access his inventory. When the woman brought out the health potion, she mouthed the words "Inventory open," prompting Ethan to do the same. While doing so, he tried to determine if it was necessary to vocalise the words or if he could access his inventory internally.

In other VR games, the system connecting their senses to the game didn't have access to their inner thoughts. Thus, whenever they needed something from the game system, they had to articulate it. However, in this world, it seemed that the system could access their inner thoughts. When Ethan wanted to see his status panel, he never had to voice it out.

As Ethan focused his thoughts on accessing his inventory, he mentally called out, "Inventory open." Instantly, the content on the status panel shifted, displaying what appeared to be his inventory page.

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𝕀𝕟𝕧𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕠𝕣𝕪:

❧ [Level 1 Low Common Grade Staff]

❧ [Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Health Potion x1]

❧ [Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Mana Potion x1]

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"Seems like I was right and didn't need to vocalise my commands," Ethan muttered with a smile as he gazed at his inventory page.

Something strange about his inventory was that it didn't seem to have a limit. Perhaps there was a storage cap, but the items in his inventory weren't enough to reach it. Only time could tell, as long as he stayed alive, of course.

Curiosity piqued, Ethan decided to explore further by examining the properties and potential effects of the items. He selected the Level 1 Low Common Grade Staff from his inventory, causing a detailed description to appear.

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[Level 1 Low Common Grade Staff]

A basic staff commonly used by novice mages. It provides a small boost to magical power and allows for the casting of spells.

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The description indicated that the Level 1 Low Common Grade Staff was a beginner's weapon, providing a modest increase in magical power and enabling the casting of basic spells. While it wasn't an extraordinary item, it served as a reliable tool for someone at Ethan's level.

Next, Ethan directed his attention to the Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Health Potion. By selecting it in his inventory, a similar description appeared.

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[Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Health Potion]

A potion capable of restoring a moderate amount of health when consumed. It is a low uncommon grade, indicating slightly better potency than common-grade health potions.

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According to the description, the Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Health Potion possessed restorative properties, capable of moderately replenishing health when consumed. Its uncommon grade classification suggested that it had slightly better potency compared to common-grade health potions, at least following normal game logic.

Lastly, Ethan examined the Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Mana Potion.

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[Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Mana Potion]

A potion that restores a moderate amount of mana when consumed. It is a low uncommon grade, indicating slightly better potency than common-grade mana potions.

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Similar to the health potion, the Level 1 Low Uncommon Grade Mana Potion possessed restorative properties, specifically targeting mana. Its uncommon grade classification denoted slightly better potency compared to common-grade mana potions.

Satisfied with the information he gathered, Ethan closed the inventory page, bringing his attention back to the status panel. He still had many unanswered questions about this new world and the game-like system it seemed to operate on. However, he resolved to find answers and navigate through this unfamiliar terrain, making the most of the tools and resources at his disposal.

Just as he was about to continue checking his status page, he heard a groan beside him. When he turned his head to see the source, he noticed that the woman he had saved was slowly moving her body.

"Seems like the potion's recovery effect was more potent than I thought," Ethan thought as he dismissed his status page.

Finally, it was time to see if he could get some answers from this human or whatever she was.