A late start tamers laid.., p.1
A Late-Start Tamer’s Laid-Back Life: Volume 3, page 1
Prologue
“Not much longer to go now.”
It had been one hour since the details of the event had been announced. The five of us, having taken care of all our chores, were now on the farm, awaiting the start of the event. I reread the invitation I had received, heart thumping with anticipation. I had assumed until now that the Martial Arts Tournament was the only event going on, but it seemed the devs had not forgotten about us crafter types.
“Many adventurers, mercenaries, and crafters gather in the Town of Beginnings during the Martial Arts Tournament. Because of that, the neighboring villages have fewer workers during this period, causing various jobs to stagnate. We kindly ask those of you who aren’t participating in the tournament to lend a helping hand to the Village of Alf.”
That probably meant there would be plenty of fetch quests available, right? Not that the details really mattered—I was simply happy that I could take part.
“Mm.”
“...”
My gnome, Olto, and my Tree Nymph, Sakura, paced back and forth restlessly beside me, hardly able to contain their excitement.
“Chirp chirp!”
“Growl growl!”
Bear Bear the Honey Bear and my Gray Squirrel, Rick, were warming up a few paces away. I could understand if they were bending, stretching, or doing neck rolls to warm up their muscles, but—as adorable as it was, was there any point in Rick doing a standing side split on top of Bear Bear’s head? I supposed they, too, were just as excited as the others.
“We’ve got enough items for the trip, and the farm’s all taken care of for now.”
According to the announcement, time would be sped up for all participants. Therefore, although the event would last for an entire week, only one day would have passed in-game upon our return. Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to worry about our farm falling into ruin while we were gone.
“Ten more seconds to go. Nine, eight, seven...”
“Mmm!”
“...!”
“Growl!”
“Chree!”
...Wait, was that on purpose, Rick?
“Two, one...”
“The event will be starting now. You will be transported to the event area shortly.”
As soon as the in-game announcement ended, the five of us were engulfed in white light, and the scenery before us shifted dramatically. Gone was the farm that we tended to with painstaking effort each day, replaced by rows of unfamiliar houses.
“Is this the village?”
It seemed like we had been transported to a public square in some village. Countless other players jostled around us, no doubt also here on the same mission. This had to be the Village of Alf. Now then, time to check on my companions.
“Everyone here? Roll call!”
“Mm!”
“...!”
“Chirp!”
“Growl!”
Olto went first, followed by the rest as four pairs of hands shot up into the air in order. Good, my monsters had all arrived in one piece... Uh-oh. Our little roll call seemed to have garnered quite a bit of attention. Guess I got carried away. I ushered everyone to the edge of the square, away from the stares—not that it made much of a difference; there weren’t that many Tamers to begin with.
Ding-dong.
Another notification: it was a new message from the devs.
“Thank you very much for your participation. Please refer to the following details regarding this event.”
The message contained numerous important details. To sum it up briefly:
Our group had been assigned to Server No. 29. Players would be awarded points during the event for completing various actions. At the end of the event, cumulative server points would be calculated, with each server in competition with the others. Players would also receive an individual ranking within their server. Basically, this event was both a collective effort and an individual competition. Talk about a nasty setup. You had to work together as a team in order to beat other servers, but you also had to work on racking up points individually. However, if you tried to sabotage your rivals’ efforts too much, you’d end up dragging the whole server down. You had to choose whether to prioritize playing to raise your individual rank or working together with other members to win as a whole. Each player was likely to have a different opinion on what strategy was best, which would no doubt be a point of conflict.
“Hmm, which route shall I go...?”
I decided to play it safe and work on cooperating with other players whenever possible to gain points. That seemed like the option most people would opt for, and I doubted I would make it into the top spots as a solo player anyway.
“Let’s see, what next?”
I looked up from my screen and cast a casual glance around my surroundings. Several players were leaving the square already. These were the proactive ones: the competitive ones, the independent ones, the highly inquisitive. One man, however, in direct contrast, stood bellowing in the middle of the square.
“Listen up, everyone!”
Was he trying to act as our leader? To be honest, I was hoping to avoid working in groups while I was gaming. While I didn’t mind giving others a hand, banding together under one person was another thing entirely. That being said, I was curious to hear what this self-proclaimed leader had to say. I stood outside the slowly growing circle, listening in. Many other players seemed to have the same idea—the crowd in front of the man was growing by the minute.
In the midst of the circle was a purple-haired human astride a butt-ugly horse. When I say ugly, I mean absolutely hideous. I was starting to warm to this handsome fella, who seemed in high spirits atop his steed. As if many of the others felt the same way, the crowd’s gazes appeared to be surprisingly forgiving—or at least, lukewarm.
“Greetings! I am Siegfried, the wandering knight!” the man exclaimed.
Whoa! That’s some confidence! So this was the famous knight role-player. It did fit the game’s setting, though, and he had his role down pat. Normally, I would’ve cringed at such an embarrassing display of confidence, but in Siegfried’s case, I surprisingly found myself admiring him. He never broke character for even a moment, his efforts so concerted that even his mannerisms seemed fully natural. He blended so seamlessly into the world one could have mistaken him for an NPC. His performance was so impressive I almost didn’t mind his horse’s looks. Judging from how no one seemed rattled by this scene, I guessed that Sigfried’s reputation preceded him; he definitely made a powerful first impression. Where had I heard his name, though? It sounded awfully familiar...
“Those who haven’t met me before may know me by the name of the Purple-Haired Adventurer.”
That’s it! He was the third unique titleholder, besides Akari and me! I remembered her mentioning that he role-played as a knight! The name Purple-Haired Adventurer suited him well; true to his name, he had wavy purple hair and a handsome, princely look about him. I gazed at him, impressed as Siegfried continued his impassioned speech, which turned out to be far more reasonable than I had expected. Since he himself was more interested in winning the server battle than aiming for the top as a solo player, he urged those of us who shared his opinion to actively cooperate with one another and those who didn’t to refrain from sabotaging others and to share information wherever possible. That was the gist of his request.
Although some players scoffed and left the square the minute he suggested sharing information with each other, a large number of players remained, clearly intent on cooperating with him. I was one of those who stayed behind. Siegfried had won me over, enough that I now planned to share whatever useful information I found without keeping it to myself. Because he took his role-playing seriously, his words seemed genuine and free from sarcasm. I even felt envious of him; he seemed to be enjoying this game more than anybody else. He wasn’t criticizing anyone for playing solo either, and people were free to refuse cooperation if they weren’t interested. As assertive as he was, he hadn’t forgotten to show consideration for others who felt differently.
Siegfried’s words had apparently resonated with a renowned crafter and the leader of a famous party, and the three of them got together and began discussing their plans from here on out. I neither had the courage nor the motivation to join the discussion and share my opinion, so I decided to go solo, merely cooperating with others when the opportunity arose.
“Time to make a move, guys.”
Though we would be spending an entire week in this village, that only amounted to six hours in real life. Consequently, logging out wouldn’t be necessary during the event. Actually, it would be terrible if we had to log out, for although we would be able to do so in the event of an emergency, we wouldn’t be able to rejoin the event if we did. That being said, it wasn’t possible to be on the move the whole time. During the event, players were required to lie down on a mattress or sleeping bag and get at least six hours of sleep a day.
“Gotta sort out our sleeping situation first.”
“Mm-mm!”
Olto, who seemed more hyper than usual, began leading the way. Rick rode on my shoulder while Bear Bear held my right hand and Sakura held my left. It sure was nice to walk hand in hand with everyone.
Chapter One: Let the Event Begin!
A thought occurred to me as we were searching for an inn: would we be able to stay there? As Olto and Sakura were humanoid monsters, I doubted they would pose any
“Mm-mm?”
As I was turning the problem over in my mind, Olto suddenly left the main street and wandered off into a side alley.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going, buddy?!”
“Mm-mm-mm!”
“After Olto, everyone!”
“Chirp chirp!”
“Growl growl!”
“...!”
The rest of us quickly chased Olto, who ran a few paces in front of us.
“Olto!”
“Mm-mm!”
After a few minutes of the chase, Olto came to a sudden halt.
“Finally... Was wondering when you’d stop...”
“Mm.”
Olto had come to a standstill in front of a wooden wall. The wall was slightly lower than my height, but for Olto, it had to be quite daunting. Unfazed, he kicked himself off the ground and latched his fingers onto the top of the wall, trying to pull himself over it. Something on the other side appeared to be calling to him. I lifted him up by his armpits, peering over the wall at the same time.
“A farm, eh?”
“Mm!”
A vegetable garden lay on the other side of the wall. Only Olto could have spotted a farm from this distance. I guessed spotted wasn’t the right word; sensed was more like it. Honestly, it was more of a superpower at this point—something only a gnome was capable of. A lanky old man was watering the vegetables on his own, walking unsteadily as he tried to balance the two buckets dangling from both sides of the pole he carried across his shoulders. Careful, old man! Oh no, he fell! There goes all that water he fetched. Seeing his struggles, I couldn’t help but call out to him.
“Hey! You okay there?” I yelled. I couldn’t just leave him like that, could I?
“Hello, are you a traveler? Not to worry. Just had a little tumble, that’s all,” the old man replied as he stood up. He didn’t sound very convincing, however, especially as his legs were trembling. Clearly, I had to step in.
“Would you like us to help you?”
“Oh no, I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you, my dear boy,” the old man turned down my offer apologetically. I wasn’t willing to back down, though, not after what I’d just witnessed. I decided to be a little more forward.
“It’s no trouble at all. We’re used to farming anyway.”
“Hmm...”
“If anything, my companions love farming.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Though still apologetic, the old man seemed relieved as he bowed his head.
“In that case, I suppose I’ll take you up on your offer.”
“Leave it to us. Let’s go, Sakura and Olto.”
“Mm-mm!”
“...♪”
The whole objective of this event was to help the villagers, so I wasn’t wrong in assisting him, was I? It didn’t seem like I’d triggered a quest, though, so I likely wouldn’t get any points or rewards, but... Oh well, at the very least, I could ask him some questions later. You could never have too much information about the village. For now, I turned to the old man for instructions.
“Which areas should we water?”
“From here to there.”
Seriously? That was a lot of land to cover; it was equivalent to roughly four squares on my farm. I didn’t see any wells nearby either.
“Where do you fetch your water from?”
“There’s a farm pond a little ways from here.”
What have I gotten myself into? I was already regretting my decision to help the old man. I had gone into this thinking things would be similar to our farm, but it hadn’t occurred to me that not every farm would have a well beside it.
“This way,” the old man beckoned to us.
“Mm-mm.”
“...”
We followed the old man’s lead as he trudged to the farm pond. For a man of his age, his gait was surprisingly steady. Farming might be too labor-intensive for him, but he didn’t seem to have any problems with day-to-day activities.
“I usually leave the farming to my son, but since he left for the Town of Beginnings to watch the Martial Arts Tournament, I’ve no choice but to look after it while he’s gone.”
Ah. So this was what they meant by the village having fewer workers during this period.
“Sounds rough.”
“Well, he did say I had only to water the vegetables, so it’s not that hard. I should probably do some weeding as well, but that’s a little too much for an old geezer like me.”
The farm pond the old man led us to was much larger than I thought. It was about twenty-five meters across and was surrounded by overgrown, probably insect-infested grass. It looked like the kind of pond you often see in the countryside. We submerged our buckets in the pond, filling them up with water.
“This is pretty heavy...” I groaned as I tried to balance the pole across my shoulders, wobbling a bit as I did so. To be honest, I wasn’t much better than the old man. Was I actually that scrawny? Unable to stand seeing me struggle, Olto thumped his chest and gazed up into my eyes as if to say, Leave it to me!
“Mm-mm!”
“I’ll leave it to you, then.”
Very well. If you insist, buddy. To an outsider, I probably looked like some cruel adult forcing a child to do hard labor. I had to hand it to Olto, though. The minute he took the pole from me, he dashed back to the farm without so much as wobbling, becoming a mere speck within seconds. He really was full of energy, if I did say so myself.
“Can you two manage too?”
“...!”
“Growl growl!”
Sakura and Bear Bear seemed to have no problems either. Like Olto, they thumped their chests and nodded confidently in reply.
“Is that the only pole you have, sir?”
“Reckon I have a few more in the barn if you look for them.”
“Mind if we borrow them? We should be able to get the job done faster that way.”
“Of course, of course.”
After waiting for Olto to return, we headed to the old man’s house to borrow a few more buckets and poles. The house was a short walk from the farm and of a rather impressive size, with a plain exterior that made good use of the wood’s natural grain. There was a certain warmth to its unpretentious appearance.
“I used to live with my two sons and their wives, but my eldest is currently in the Town of Beginnings, and my youngest has moved out,” the old man explained. He was also a widower, and I could see a portrait of his deceased wife inside one of the rooms. I prayed to the portrait, offering my respects. Even though this was just a game, it was only polite to show common courtesy. Olto and the others also followed my lead and began praying. At first, I wondered whether they actually got the symbolism, but from the solemn looks on their faces, they seemed to understand perfectly.
“Thank you.”
“Sorry, perhaps we should’ve asked you first.”
“Not at all. I’m sure my wife is happy too. Come along, the barn’s this way.”
The door at the edge of the kitchen led to the barn. Amongst the farming tools were various piles of knickknacks. We rummaged through the piles, pushing aside various tools as we did so, and managed to find two balancing poles. There were plenty of buckets too. This would likely make our work more efficient.
“How about you, Bear Bear and Sakura?”
Sakura possessed Arboriculture, while Bear Bear only had Cultivation and Beekeeping skills. Despite their beaming confidence, I had my reservations. What if you needed Farming skills to carry stuff on your shoulders? However, my worries turned out to be unwarranted. Both Bear Bear and Sakura had no problem balancing the poles on their shoulders. I decided to fill one wooden bucket myself and carry some water to the farm. Together, we made several trips between the farm and the pond and watered the vegetables. The whole process was incredibly labor-intensive. I now felt immensely grateful for the well on our farm.
“We’re done.”
After about an hour’s work, we finished watering the crops and weeding the farm. If the old man had attempted all of that on his own, it might have taken him the entire day.
“Thanks, son. You’ve been a great help.”
