Preparations and Money Management
Fasteia, the starting town of Shangri-La Frontier. New players arrive here, and those defeated by monsters in the beginner area respawn as if waking from a dream.
"Made it to Fasteia… Whew, I'm beat…"
After nearly an hour and a half, Pepper, still wired from the goblin fight, exhales deeply and slumps to the ground.
Fasteia feels like a wooden village—most buildings crafted from timber, streets paved with cut stone, bustling with players and NPCs.
"Starting town's packed, huh. First, I'll set my respawn point."
In Shanfro, staying at an inn sets your respawn point for post-death restarts. Planning to use Fasteia as a base, Pepper sets their sights on gearing up and setting goals.
"Hello!"
"Welcome! Need a room?"
The inn's NPC clerk greets naturally, impressing Pepper. They get to business.
"Any rooms open?"
"Hold on… Rooms 101 to 107 are free. Which one?"
"101, please."
"That'll be 100 mani."
Mani, Shanfro's currency, is earned by selling monster materials or specific items. Rare minerals and items are versatile, so Pepper notes to balance selling versus crafting.
"There we go… Respawn point set!"
Spending 100 mani leaves Pepper with 2900. They strategize their budget.
"First, health and status recovery items, plus a dagger since I've only got the goblin handaxe and self-defense knife. Assuming a dagger costs 500 mani, and factoring in inn recovery, I need at least 100 mani left… Alright, time to gather info!"
Leaving the inn, Pepper explores Fasteia, gathering intel. Key discoveries:
Skills can be fused at a "Skill Gardener" facility in towns, creating stronger abilities. Only "naturally acquired" skills with sufficient mastery can combine, and some evolve through use, varying by player style.
Each level-up grants 5 stat points to boost attributes.
Weapons have durability, wearing out with use but repairable at weapon shops. Some blacksmiths with "Forging Magic" can enhance weapons using materials, treating them like children they "raise" rather than just strengthen.
"Skill growth, fusion, nurturing weapons… So much to learn. Got an iron dagger, antidote, paralysis cure, stamina food, and a pickaxe for mining. Time to farm mani and XP at Fasteia Mines!"
With info and gear sorted, Pepper targets the nearby Fasteia Mines, a beginner-friendly spot for earning money and experience.
"But other players will probably be there, competing for resources…"
Anticipating rivalry, Pepper hurries to the mines.
"Well… yeah. Knew it'd be like this."
Twenty minutes later, Pepper sighs at Fasteia Mines. The old-school excavation site, reinforced with wooden beams, is crowded. Players swing pickaxes at walls, cheer or groan over drops, and battle buzzing bats or jiggling slimes.
"Gotta head deeper."
Dodging swinging pickaxes, Pepper navigates the mines. They fend off a slime with the goblin handaxe, gaining a level, and tangle with a Maze Bat. Finally, they spot a promising ore vein.
"Let's do this!"
Pulling out the pickaxe, Pepper starts mining. But—
"One swing eats way too much stamina!"
After thirty minutes, the pickaxe's stamina drain reveals inefficient time use.
"Maybe the pickaxe is heavy, or my Strength and Stamina are too low. Or I'm using it wrong… With 20 Strength, it's still this bad?"
To test, Pepper stores the pickaxe, opens the status screen, and allocates their 10 points—5 to Stamina, 5 to Strength. Swinging again, they manage two hits before resting, a clear improvement.
"Yup, heavy weapons burn stamina fast. So heavy-weapon skills need cooldown and stamina management. This game's deep."
Noting stat allocation and weapon-stamina balance, Pepper keeps mining. Ten minutes in, an idea strikes.
Wait… this could work.
Pepper recalls their Explorer's Child perk: boosted item drops in revisited areas.
Two hours in, though. Time for a break.
Pausing the game, Pepper organizes mined items and sprints back to Fasteia, eager to test their new strategy.
An idea sparks joy—trial and error is the heart of gaming.