Chapter 2: Survival Crafting, and the Sword of the Land!
Just as I thought.
Just as I'd predicted, I just need to accumulate EXP and level up to raise my stats.
Most importantly, as far as I can tell, there's no cap on my stats!
In other words...
If you give me enough time, I can become a true Humanoid Pokémon, just like that 'Super-Human' from Pallet Town who can shatter Mewtwo's shield with one punch!
So this is the 'purity' of humanity!
"And this is just the RPG module."
"The other modules haven't been activated yet. I probably need to meet some prerequisites, just like how I had to get into a fight to activate the RPG one."
"GAL and Survival Crafting are easy enough to understand, but FPS... Don't tell me I'm going to have to use a gun?"
Asher stared at the blue sky, lost in thought.
To be honest, he didn't really have any grand goals at this stage.
Whether it was adventuring and exploring or becoming the Pokémon Master, neither was on his list.
If he had to name one...
The original owner of this body did want to open a swordsmanship dojo in town to pass on the cross-guard sword style, or at least ensure it didn't die out with him.
Since that was the case, Asher felt he had an obligation to help him achieve this goal. Besides, it sounded like an interesting project in its own right.
While being a Pokémon Master sounded fun, now that he had a chance to focus on his own power, Asher wanted to prioritize improving himself.
Opening a dojo wasn't a bad idea. He could even make some money on the side.
"But, if I'm going to open a dojo, I'll definitely need to buy equipment and renovate the place properly. That's the only way to attract people."
"As for equipment... I definitely don't have enough money on hand right now. That deadbeat dad of mine ran off and didn't leave me much. So, the renovations... I'll just have to do them myself."
Asher climbed up from the ground and clenched his fists.
It's just grinding a game, right?
With his thousands of hours of Minecraft experience, grinding out a decent-looking dojo would be a piece of cake!
Asher held out his fist, a smile spreading across his face.
"Farfetch'd! Let's go! We're going to chop some trees and build the best dojo ever!"
"Kabu? Kabu!"
Farfetch'd nodded seriously, bumping its wing against Asher's fist, raring to go.
It didn't totally understand, but this was the Trainer it acknowledged. Whatever he wanted to do, it would support him!
Because that's what it means to be a partner!
...
Asher swapped his sword for an axe and walked up to a tree on the outskirts of town, rubbing his hands together.
Just as he expected, the next second, text appeared before his eyes.
[Resource collection detected. Survival Crafting Module activated successfully!]
[Loading...!]
[Crafting Level: 1]
[Collection Level: 1]
[Collection Tool: Iron Axe (Efficiency +30%)]
[Note: Chop more trees at dawn, cook more food at dusk, and even when you're busy, always drink a cup of Soothing Tea. —A certain Survival Master]
"..."
Asher felt a few dark lines appear on his forehead.
Don't think I haven't played Don't Starve!
It seemed this Survival Crafting module was a mix of a lot of elements. Well, time to try it out.
Asher gripped the iron axe, his arms tensing as he put his whole body into the swing, and struck the tree without hesitation.
Clang!
The iron axe collided with the tree trunk. But strangely, not a single mark was left on the trunk, as if the sharp axe head had been completely nullified.
The nearby Farfetch'd froze, its eyes darting back and forth, squinting at Asher.
Was his Trainer holding back?
It didn't look like it!
Why would he hold back against a tree?
Asher himself was also stunned for a moment, then looked thoughtful.
This unscientific scene immediately made him think of logging in a video game.
"Thwack! Thwack! Thwack—!"
The iron axe slammed into the tree trunk. After he swung it a dozen more times, the entire tree suddenly deconstructed!
It burst into a pile of logs in mid-air, scattering on the ground, leaving only a stump behind.
"I knew it... It really is the Don't Starve method!"
Asher's mouth twitched. If anyone else had seen that, they would have thought they were dreaming. After all, it wasn't the least bit scientific.
But this was the power of his game module.
Then again, since it's already like this, it feels like something's missing without building a crafting station...
His Farfetch'd was completely dumbfounded.
Was its Trainer really human? What just happened?
That didn't look like something a person could do!
Can humans do that?!
Noticing his partner's shocked gaze, Asher laughed and explained, "It's a psychic power I just awakened. What do you think? Pretty cool, right?"
A psychic.
That was the first explanation Asher thought of.
In the Pokémon world, there was indeed a subset of people who possessed powers beyond the norm, like the Aura Guardians or those with the Viridian Mind.
But the most common of all was psychic power.
Most psychics possessed the ability of telekinesis. The stronger ones were even more terrifying.
For example, Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader. As a psychic, she also had precognitive dreams, the ability to read minds, and could create an air-wall that covered the entire city. She was, without a doubt, extremely powerful.
Using "psychic power" to explain his game module abilities was the most fitting cover.
"Kabu—!"
Farfetch'd's eyes went wide in a moment of realization, and then it began waving its leek excitedly, its face full of joy.
Its Trainer had become even stronger! That meant it couldn't just stay in one place either!
It had to train even harder!
...
An hour later.
The ground was littered with many more scattered logs.
Following Asher's instructions, Farfetch'd gathered all the logs and piled them up to be used for construction later.
Thwack—!
Just as Asher swung his axe and turned another tree into a pile of logs...
A new line of text suddenly appeared.
[Collection Level: 1 → 2]
[New Function Unlocked: Resource Inventory]
[Resource Inventory: A personal backpack that can store collected resources and items. Provides 20 item slots. Identical items can be stacked.]
[—Small items stack up to 99, medium items to 40, and large items to 20!]
[—Cannot store living things, unless they are already dead. Food stored in this space will rot normally. Please pay attention to freshness!]
[Note: It won't kill you even if it's not fresh. Feel free to eat it right before it spoils! —A certain Quartermaster Survival Master]
"This is...!"
Asher was stunned for a second, then his face lit up with uncontrollable joy.
This was one of the most important functions in any game!
The inventory system!
With this backpack, he would never have to lug around a bunch of bags when he went out.
Of course, even with the stack limits, it was already much better than he's expected!
"Compared to Don't Starve, the stack size is more than doubled. It's not as strict, which is a good thing."
"Food isn't a problem; I can find Berries everywhere around here."
"The only remaining problem is how to get people's attention for this dojo."
Asher began to plan.
The most obvious method was to use the internet to spread the word and advertise the dojo.
But to really grab people's attention, he couldn't just rely on standard, boring swordsmanship lessons.
He needed a gimmick and some 'hardcore' content!
The cross-guard sword wasn't a particularly flashy sword style. It also had high requirements for physical fitness.
It wasn't like a longsword, where you could look cool just by striking a pose.
Longsword mains are so cringe.jpg
That being the case, the best method was to attract people with combat videos.
Even if most people only came to spectate, he could probably make a decent amount from admission fees alone. That would give him the money to buy proper equipment.
"Later, I can record a video of me sparring with Farfetch'd and post it online."
Asher quickly hatched a plan.
These days, the easiest way to attract young people was with battles. A battle between a human and a Pokémon would definitely pull in a lot of traffic.
And while the cross-guard sword didn't look that cool normally, its heroic appearance in combat would probably capture the hearts of a few edgy teens.
From there, he could make it big, make it strong, and create something glorious!
But first...
He had to pick a good name for the dojo.
Asher pondered for a moment before finally making a decision.
"Let's call it... [The Sword of the Land]!"