Off on an Adventure

Psychologist Abraham Maslow divided human needs into five stages. A year before his death, he added a base layer to make it six, and after his passing, his disciples revised it further into a final eight.

But the exact number of pyramid steps didn't matter. Cutting to the chase, this pyramid of desires could be broadly split into deficiency needs and growth needs.

Starting from the most basic biological urges any creature would have—hunger, sleep, sex—and working up through safety, belonging, and esteem in the 'deficiency needs' pyramid.

Once those stages were filled, humans would finally reach the 'growth needs': realizing the self and ultimately transcending it.

In other words, with my deficiency needs fulfilled, I could finally say I'd reached the solid footing for true growth.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Grrraaah."

Veronica, who used to wake me every morning, had returned to where she belonged.

So this would be my new standard wake-up time from now on. But there was no real problem with sleeping in a bit.

After all, I'd been living at a frantic pace. Everyone needs a little leisure now and then.

With a generous heart, I slipped out from under the covers. In the makeshift shelf I'd built by stacking item boxes next to the thatched hut, the preserved jars were neatly arrayed.

Today, purple flavor sounds good.

Whirrr.Pop.

I dragged a jar over to the spot where Veronica and I usually ate.

...

Pop. Nom nom.

Perched on a rock, I savored the sweet bliss of the idle life filling my mouth.

'This is the life.'

Here in the Fairy Realm, I had enough preserved jars stacked up to lounge around for decades.

Not only that, but there were no worries of attacks from wolves or green goblins. Essentials like drinking water and clothing were decently stocked too.

So holing up in the Fairy Realm and living a debauched existence wasn't out of the question.

'Not that I plan to.'

Unlike lazy, dim-witted mortals, I was an intellectual of this era, always cultivating myself and pursuing progress.

Yesterday's all-day rolling around without a thought had been rest enough. Today, it was time to get back to self-improvement with renewed vigor.

Munching lightly on brunch, I scanned my status with my eyes.

Nom nom. Nom nom. "Hmm..."

Two days ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ago, I'd roamed with Veronica, diligently hunting green goblins. And at the end, whatever-that-was golem too.

Thanks to that, my level had skyrocketed from 1 straight to 13. But...

'No evolution...?'

Unlike Fairy or plain Fairy stages, Fairy(Green) didn't seem capped at level 10.

'Come to think of it, the wolves and green goblins were all over level 10 too.'

I dimly recalled their status windows from memory.

Every monster or beast I'd seen had casually exceeded level 10 as if it were nothing. And the wolves' superior breed, the Gray Dire Wolf, was a whopping 41? 42? Something around there.

It seemed that with each evolution, not only did leveling slow down, but the racial level cap rose higher too.

'...Figures from a no-name mass-produced game.'

I mean, I'd taken down a level 148 golem, for crying out loud. Shouldn't that qualify me for third evolution by rights?

I clicked my tongue at the incomprehensible, unreasonable EXP table structure.

To keep users from quitting, you'd think they'd hand out levels generously and trigger evolutions. But this game couldn't even manage that basic courtesy.

'Knew it from those insane evolution paths shoved in our faces.'

It was disappointing not to evolve after such a grueling battle, but disappointment wouldn't change a thing.

I quickly shook off the regret. Aside from the level ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠gains, the traits and skills showed no real changes.

At the end of the skills section.

I took in the Dimension Corridor entry again, which had leveled up alongside my Fairy(Green) evolution.

No major changes. Just the max number of savable respawn zones increased by one.

But that one extra held immense value.

.

....

The morning before last.

"Y-You promised we'd go together when leaving!"

"Ah, sorry. Forgot."

Before setting out in earnest from the rift with Veronica to hunt elves, I'd run one experiment.

I hadn't been sure if I could demolish and rebuild rifts before, so I couldn't risk it recklessly. But with the max increased, it was different.

Worst case, just make a new rift.

'Delete.'

To deepen my understanding of the skill, I unhesitatingly tried deleting the existing rift.

'What's U+2F6B, you glitchy mess...'

In the process, I spotted another flaw in the junk status window. But anyway, I learned that at least one rift linking the Fairy Realm to the outside had to remain.

So while scouting the forest, I'd made a new rift at a good spot. Then last night, after bidding Veronica a beautiful farewell, I tried deleting the original first respawn zone again.

And then.

Sure enough, along with another broken status alert, the respawn zone was cleanly recovered.

....

.

Further investigation revealed that a deleted respawn zone became reusable after about a day.

Install A rift, move to install B. Return to A's spot, recover A, then from B move and install C, and so on.

No more being tethered to the forest for a wild life.

In other words, if Dimension Corridor lv.1 was a house built in the woods, the newly evolved Dimension Corridor lv.2 was a camper van that could roam anywhere.

'Perfect timing—I even have a place in mind.'

My gaze drifted briefly to the items I'd gathered before last.

Pop. Nom.

I shoveled another bite of brunch into my mouth.

Shhhk! "Ahem."

I soon spread out the map borrowed from the Elf Village among the scattered items on the ground.

'My current spot should be around here...'

According to the map, heading west from my new rift led to the Elf Village.

If the overheard meeting talk was accurate, past the village lay the green goblins' lair.

'Eh, why bother?'

I had no grudge against green goblins, and I had zero desire to revisit the Elf Village after my hard-boiled escape.

Yeah, leave western pioneering to the elves. I cleanly scratched west off the list.

Next, south seemed to hold the clearing where I'd first opened my eyes. That place had...

'That ridiculously huge sunflower field.'

I recalled the spectacular sea of sunflowers stretching to the horizon.

At first, I'd thought it some natural wonder. Sadly, it turned out to be an artificial farm cultivated by elves.

The map from the Elf Village even marked a vast area labeled Sunflower Field.

'...Just how much did they plant?'

The farm zone sprawled endlessly—endlessly enough that the map couldn't even contain it all and cut it off.

Heading south meant weeks, maybe months, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of nothing but sunflowers.

The farm itself was meticulously managed by elves, so no real threats. Plus, I could scavenge sunflower seeds midway for food.

Peaceful. Safe.

'Boring as hell.'

If not for the stocked preserved jars in the Fairy Realm, I'd have considered it. But with ample food secured, a sunflower slog offered zero appeal.

Then north.

The northern terrain was mostly unmapped. And at the fog's center, Tarka Kingdom was inscribed.

Seemed like Veronica's human kingdom lay that way, but...

'Human settlements are still too risky.'

As I'd learned from Bern craving fresh elf slaves.

Humans in this world filled the 'root of all evil' role from typical stories, happily enslaving other races.

The moment I showed up in a human village, it'd be capture, taxidermy, or life trapped in a jar forever.

So by process of elimination...

'East it is.'

The direction of the rising sun. Also where I'd first decided to explore.

'...A castle? Or ruins?'

A castle icon smack in the forest's heart, circled in red. And above it, the words Recently Generated.

'Definitely something there.'

Yeah, a highly enticing option.

Nom.

I polished off the last of brunch and stood.

Munch munch. "Phew."

I washed my hands and mouth in the stream. Then I grabbed one of the forks Veronica had obsessively lined up next to the jars.

"Let's go."

I threw myself into the newly made rift.

* * *

Emerging from the rift, a familiar landscape greeted me.

Aside from the golem's charred ashes and the bloodstains scattered everywhere now cleaned up spotless, the barn looked much as I'd last seen it.

Whirrr.

I flew into the sky, slipped safely out the window, and scouted my direction ahead.

"Probably... this way?"

Racking my brain for the path I'd taken with Veronica and Saria.

Whiiiir.

.

.

Not long after starting my new journey.

"Grrrrr..."

"Grrr—yelp!"

"Ah."

I ran into some very familiar faces.