“Now that you have been introduced to the basic mechanics of the game, you are now free to speak to the other teachers in the school, and they will teach you. You will also be able to seek help from more people in town. That said, there are many ways to learn skills and abilities in this game. The next thing that I will teach you is how to gain, level, and keep track of your skills.”

Guin had a vague idea of how the skills worked — she also knew that there were thousands of people complaining about how difficult the skill system was to use. The game had already gone through several patches to try and make it more user-friendly, but ultimately, the design was simply too complicated.

“In the game, skills cover everything from mundane tasks to magic and combat. TheirWorld includes thousands of skills and subskills, and unlike many games, TheirWorld has no limits on the number of skills you can learn — though there is a deterioration system. Skills have their own levels and experience bars. For every in-game day — eight hours in the real world — where you do not use the skill, you lose one point of experience in that skill, to a maximum of four points for every day that passes in the real world. This occurs even if you do not log in. Simply put, if you do not use a skill, you lose a skill.

“In the tutorial, you can earn skill experience, though not level experience and the deterioration system is turned off. Once a skill reaches zero experience points, you lose that skill and must build it again from square one.” Grimhai’s explanation made logical sense, and losing four points per day wasn’t a big deal to her. The teacher pulled out a large book. “If you gain one experience point in a skill, you receive that skill officially. You can gain and nurture skills in a variety of ways.

“First, perhaps most obvious and most effective is by reading.” He tapped his finger heavily on the book. Guin perked up and looked at the massive leather-bound tome of maybe a thousand pages. The words ‘Geographical Cryptozoology 3’ was scrawled on the cover in gold lettering. “Let’s use this as an example.” He pushed the book over to her. “This book describes creatures that you may encounter in specific locations. Certainly, it is not a complete collection — it is obviously part of a set. Should you read all ten books in the set, you would be, at the least, a master of the topic. We shall start you on this skill progression by getting to know what you might encounter in this area.

“This book covers the whole of our continent, Adoriakana. In it, find ‘White Fox Forest.’”

A smile twitched on Guin’s lips as she took the heavy book off the desk and began to look through it. The pages were covered with hand-drawn pictures and handwritten words. She kind of wanted to keep it.

She found ‘White Fox Forest’ in the glossary and flipped to the proper page. In her peripheral vision, she saw Grimhai nodding in approval. There was a picture of a forest with a three-tailed white fox in the foreground. Guin was certain that if she could see herself, her eyes would be sparkling.

In her head, she began to read.

White Fox Forest

Considered to be one of the most mysterious and magical forests on Adoriakana, White Fox Forest is said to be home to the Yipva of the Dusk (p. 304), The Grand Bikrin (p. 310), and the Dragon King of the Mist Moon (p. 313). Stories of these powerful entities and their effects on both the forest and those who try to pass through it have appeared in the legends and lore of all the clans. Though originally the land was originally held by the Noble Clan, in keeping with the will of the crown, Emperor Helion Tevithith II turned it over to the Mist Clan in Sharudo 23 (Common Year 1545 A.E.(Arcane Era)), after the occasional stories of attacks and hauntings escalated to an epidemic of nightmares, plagues, and missing children. The Mist Clan, with their ability to speak with spirits and walk within the Veil, managed to calm the energy of the forest. Since then, the stories have ceased.

Curious, she turned to page 304. Knowing that Yipva and Bikrin were valkyrian names for fox demons and unicorns helped her understand what she had read, but the names that they listed were very specific.

Yipva of the Dusk — “Amikavi”

Said to be the mother of all the Veil Foxes (p. 355) in the White Fox Forest, the powerful, nine-tailed Amikavi, Yipva of the Dusk, is also said to be the reason for the forest’s name. One of the six great Yipva of Uldarin, Amikavi is also called ‘The Storm Fox,’ ‘The Kitsune of the Gale,’ and ‘Thunder Tail.’

Various legends and folklore surround Amikavi and her rule over the White Fox Forest, but the last recorded sighting of the nine-tails was in Cardin 49 (Common Year 4 P.E. (Primitive Era)). There have been sightings of those who are presumed to be her tailed children, however, the three-tailed Amisuri, the four-tailed Takiravi, the six-tailed Liomiori, and the eight-tailed Bitaki, though these reports are few and far between.

One reason it is said that Amikavi is no longer seen in the forest is that she is following the Hie, the great Eastern King of the Veil, as his guardian. This honor is a matter of pride by those who live in and around the forest, including the Village of Hamorin, the Village of Bade, and the Village of Task.

The book also listed a few actual fables of which Amikavi was a part, but Grimhai cleared his throat, drawing her attention away from the book. On her wrist, however, two screens popped up:

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Congratulations! You have discovered a skill!

[History and Lore]:Rank - Beginner

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Congratulations! You have discovered a skill!

[Cryptozoology]Rank - Beginner

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“So many skills...” Guin muttered out loud. Where is one even supposed to begin?

“...Indeed,” Grimhai said and took the book from her hands. Attempting to protest, Guin opened her mouth, but Grimhai spoke over her. “Many skills. And while some skills will have a direct effect on you as a person and as a character, most skills will only have passive effects on gameplay.” He shut the book and put it back on his desk. Guin pouted.

“For example,” the teacher went on, though at this point she was pining for the book and only half paying attention. “Knowing [Cryptozoology] gives you a bonus when fighting creatures. This skill is also one that you can improve by fighting monsters and increasing your knowledge of creatures in an area. [Cryptozoology] also gives you access to the [Bestiary], which can be accessed through the [Cryptozoology] skill screen, or by summoning it directly.

“[History and Lore] works similarly, giving you access to the [History of Uldarin] and [Lore of Uldarin] screens. The [History and Lore] skill also gives you a bonus when dealing with knowledgeable NPCs. If you can learn and recall relevant information and use it in negotiations, you can gain extra quests, bonuses, or quest information.”

“Where would I have access to such books?” she asked, still eyeing where the Cryptozoology book had been put away.

“The world is full of books,” He mused. When she looked up, she saw him leaning back in his chair, a grin on his face. Feeling her cheeks flush, Guin recoiled back into her chair, shoved her hands under her legs, and dropped her gaze to the floor like a child.

“Though, there are other ways to gain skills,” he went on, leaning forward onto his desk again. “Another way to learn is simply to listen. For example, I shall give you some information:

“If you leave Bade taking the road to the east, you shall find yourself in the sacred city of Miala’De Rii, City of the Dead. If you take the road to the northeast, you will find yourself deep in the White Fox Forest, and if you go far enough in the same direction, you will find yourself in the Silver Teeth — the Mist Moon Mountains. To the West, you will find the grand city of Xenthus, City of Owls. To the south, after crossing the Tagett River, you shall enter the Noble Clan’s Territory, and if you travel for two days, you shall find yourself in Cryvaria, the Imperial city. In Bade, there are no roads that lead directly north.”

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Congratulations! You have discovered a skill!

[Geography]Rank - Beginner

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Guin flicked the window away. Interesting, Guin thought. So what he is saying is that I can basically learn by eavesdropping.

“The [Geography] skill has many different applications. Most skills in this game have sub-skills that can also be learned. For instance, if you go and learn from Scribe Marlon how to make maps, you can learn a sub-skill. Why don’t you go and ask him to teach you?” Grimhai smiled warmly.

Getting antsy anyway, she got up and went over to where the scribe was looking over the shoulders of his students.