Bonus Story:
[Why Hello There] I Want to Interview Famous Players! [Famous People]
OKAY, LET’S GET STARTED!1
“Hey there, everyone! It’s me, Yura! Come and join me for another interview stream!”
Last time, I interviewed Mr. Cecil, Mr. Mohawk, and the young ladies. I wonder who I’ll run into today?
Oh, I spotted a first-waver!
“Mr. Penguin Mercenary!”
“Hm? Oh, you’re Ms. Yura, aren’t you? Need something?”
“I’m interviewing famous players. May I have some of your time?”
“I don’t mind, but are you sure I’ll be interesting enough?”
“Of course!”
He’s a famous first-waver, that’s for sure. His appearance really stands out too. He dresses in a cartoonish baby Emperor Penguin costume, and his voice is so nice and deep. Mr. Penguin Mercenary also role-plays as a mercenary and fights with a two-handed sword.
“Do you dress like that because you like penguins?”
“Yep. I thought about being a grown penguin, but I decided on the chick costume instead.”
“Chicks are so adorable. Does that costume work like full-body armor?
“Uh-huh. The mouth moves when I open and close my helmet.”
He’s right! The penguin’s mouth is flapping open and closed.
So, that’s full-body armor, huh? Full-body armor has all kinds of special varieties, so you don’t really see costumes like these during normal play.
“I thought he’d sound more high-energy character when he speaks. Maybe with a ‘dood’ or two thrown in.”
“I’m a regular human in this suit, so I’m not gonna blow up either.”
“But that might not have been the case if you were a machinery race,” I argue.
“Sure, but mercenaries can’t go around self-detonating. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“I guess not.”
Mercenaries are hired to bring their firepower to different parties. Their play style involves going hunting to reap rewards.
Actually, can you even play as a self-detonating character in this game, considering how revivals work? I don’t know if self-detonation exists here in the first place…
“Why did you decide on a two-handed sword?” I ask him.
“It felt the best after I tested all the weapons.”
“I see! Now, you play as a mercenary, but that doesn’t guarantee a constant stream of work, does it?”
“Nope. When I have no work, I join temporary parties.”
He explains how he makes plans through whisper messages or emails, and when his schedule’s free, he looks at the list of parties recruiting members, then picks whichever one suits him. It’s actually not that different from how normal players enjoy the game.
Anyone recruiting a mercenary for a hunting job probably wants to go all-out, and from what I understand, those big hunting days are usually planned for weekends or holidays.
No one could play as a mercenary unless they’re confident in their own strength. Not only do they get income from the actual hunting, but they receive a retainer fee from the party, so they’ve gotta work hard to live up to those expectations.
“Well, there aren’t boss hunts or raids in this game yet, after all. My job doesn’t come with a lot of pressure,” he explains.
“Your job’s gonna really pick up once we get to that point!”
“Yep!”
I wonder what boss battles in this game will turn into? I’ve heard the new players still have to defeat the same bosses in the north, south, east, and west of the map.
“Normally, you’d go for dungeon bosses, but their levels are just too high,” Mr. Penguin Mercenary tells me.
“Right, even the enemies on the way to the bosses are so difficult.”
“The defensive wars in Starting Town are more like parties than boss battles. I wish they’d give us something a little more substantial.”
Singular parties taking on boss battles and multiple parties forming raids—as common as these are in video games, neither of them exist yet in this game.
“Okay, I’m gonna go get to hunting.”
“Right, thank you so much for your time!”
Now, who can I find next?
Oh, there’s someone I don’t see too often!
“Ms. Clementiaaa!”
“Oh? Howdy!”
“I’m doing casual interviews with people right now.”
“So you’re just chatting?”
“Uh-huh!”
I’ve scored an interview with one of the top plant race players!
“I don’t see you in Starting Town very often, Ms. Clementia.”
“I’ve been in the elf kingdom a lot recently. The water quality is great, so there’s a lot of plants.”
“That’s the Enchanted Tiaren Kingdom, right?”
“I like that strange creature she rides around on.”
“It’s great, right? Even though it really slows me down.”
It moves like a baby seal, so it would probably be faster for Ms. Clementia to walk on her own legs.
“Being on it reduces stomp attacks by 80 percent. I’m also unaffected by terrain like wetlands and swamps.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad, considering you can’t jump to avoid attacks in exchange.”
“But caves are the worst for me. I hope that’s not the case when I hit level 60 and get my next evolution.”
“Yeah, 20 percent of the normal piercing attack strength sucks against those earth golemen.”
“I just avoid caves that might have fire golemen in the first place!” says Ms. Clementia.
“Those elements you’re weak against can take you out easily, right? How are you in water, Ms. Clementia?”
“I can dive, but my friend here floats. It uses its tentacles to breaststroke.”
“Wow, how cute!”
“Isn’t it the best little mascot?”
An adorable mascot that can lift your spirits during battle is the way to go!
“Do you do anything other than fight in this game?”
“I check up on fields owned by both residents and players. Oh, I also sell decorative plants on the market.”
“Decorative plants? Like, in their own pots?”
“Uh-huh! I include all the information I get from Plant Knowledge and Appraisal, as well as where they can be harvested.”
“I see. I bet you have a lot of regular customers.”
“Probably. All my stuff sells right away! I wonder if I should build up stock and open a street booth.”
“I’ve got a cactus I bought on a whim once, but that’s about all I can handle.”
“I haven’t seen cacti in this game yet. Only things that look kinda like jewel orchids.”
“Wow, jewel orchids? I had no idea.”
“You see, they grow well in humid environments...”
Oh, look at the time. I got carried away chitchatting.
I end the stream and start up a new one. This time, I’ll stream Ms. Clementia and me going hunting together!