[Belt of Grace] (Legendary)
A belt crafted by a forgotten artisan, imbued with the subtle magic of fortune. Those who wear it find that luck favors them in unexpected ways.
Durability: 200/200
Effect: Increases Luck by a certain margin.
…
Yamamoto stared at the description, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Luck was an invisible stat. In the game, it had been one of the most coveted and rarest bonuses you could get. It affected everything—critical hit rates, rare drop chances, the quality of quest rewards, even which random events you encountered.
Not to mention, items that boosted luck were incredibly rare, only a handful.
Though the belt was only legendary-grade, its actual value was easily mythic-tier. Players had traded entire sets of legendary equipment for a single high-tier luck boasting item. It was that good.
Yamamoto didn't hesitate. He equipped the belt immediately, fastening it around his waist beneath his shirt where it wouldn't be visible.
The leather was surprisingly comfortable, conforming to his body as if it had been made for him.
Though he felt nothing, no surge of power, no obvious change, he was sure it was in effect… at least he believed it was., but then again, that was how Luck worked. You'd never know it was helping you until you looked back and realized how many things had gone your way.
With the belt secured, Yamamoto turned his attention to his stat points.
21 points to distribute.
As every gamer knew, this was a critical decision. Every point mattered, especially at low levels.
The conventional wisdom for swordsmen was simple, and that was to stack strength for damage, add some agility for speed, ignore everything else until higher levels of at least above level 15.
Well… as every big player are divided into two types. Those that play conventional, and those who treat the game like a sandbox, Yamamoto was the later, and more importantly, he'd just realized how fragile life was in this world.
He needed survivability above all else.
He didn't hesitate and added 3 points into Endurance. That would give him 150 more HP, bringing him to a total of 350. A comfortable buffer for these early stages.
4 points into Intelligence. He needed the MP pool, especially if he wanted to use skills regularly. That gave him 200 more MP, for a total of 350.
4 points into Vitality. HP and MP regeneration was crucial. He couldn't rely on potions alone—they were expensive, and he'd run out eventually.
That left 10 points.
Normally, he'd dump everything into agility. Speed was life in his combat philosophy—strike first, strike fast, give the enemy no chance to react, and let your high grade weapon cover for lack in strength… very sound strategy.
But… he didn't have that kind of weapon yet. Unless he wanted to be a strong escape artist, he needed to reconsider.
5 points went into strength, and 5 points into agility.
The moment he confirmed the allocation, Yamamoto felt the changes ripple through his body. It was like the level-up sensation but magnified—his muscles suddenly felt denser and stronger.
'Oh wow, such power… have I perhaps, become a horse???' He thought to himself, feeling a subtle calm strength… 'no, more like, a powerful viper? A lurking tiger...'
He stood up and swung his arm experimentally.
What he noticed immediately was that he was faster, definitely faster, then he quickly looked for something to lift. The poor little table was victim instead of his bed. When he gripped the edge of the table and lifted, it came up easily, far easier than he had imagined. Then again, even he from earth could lift that table, though not with much ease.
His final stats were:
Strength: 10
Agility: 12
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 5
Vitality: 5
…
Satisfied, Yamamoto dismissed his status window and lay back on the bed.
…
When the first gray light of dawn finally crept through his window, he prepared himself. There were no belongings to gather, so he picked himself, checked out of the Copper Mug without incident, and made his way to the town's transportation hub.
It was the same basic setup: a wagon heading to Salt Fish Town, leaving within the hour.
"Fifty copper," the merchant said. Then, noticing Yamamoto's height, added: "You're a tall one. Might have to charge extra for the space you'll take up."
Yamamoto just handed over the coins without argument. There was no need to drag attention to himself in anyway and from anyone… or so he thought.
The wagon had to pass through a checkpoint on the way out where guards were inspecting everyone leaving, looking for anything suspicious related to the mayor's son's murder.
Yamamoto's heart hammered as they approached, but he kept his expression neutral. He'd already moved his Novice Sword into his inventory, leaving him completely unarmed by appearance. Just another traveler in shabby clothes.
The guard who checked the wagon was thorough but ultimately found nothing. His eyes lingered on Yamamoto's height—in a world where most people averaged around 5'10ft, someone who was 6'7ft definitely stood out.
"Tall bastard, aren't you?" the guard muttered. "You see anything unusual last night? Anyone suspicious?"
"I was asleep," Yamamoto said, which was technically almost true.
The guard grunted and waved them through.
The journey back to Salt Fish Town would take two days. Yamamoto spent most of it pretending to sleep, his mind racing with plans. The other passengers—a family of three and an elderly merchant—left him alone, perhaps sensing he wasn't in a mood for conversation. The kid with the family tried to play around, but Yamamoto was cold towards the kid. Forget another world and the murder from the previous night, he didn't like kids that were all over the place even back on earth, whenever he would see one.
When they finally rolled a days journey to Salt Fish Town, Yamamoto felt a strange sense of relief. He could say for sure now that he had escaped. Then again, he had felt a rather strange but great sense of relief since. The system was certainly responsible.
Taking care to mark the places, he asked the driver to let him off, way before Salt Fish Town. Everyone was confused, but he insisted.
"You sure?" the driver asked, frowning. "Forest ain't safe, especially with night coming. Wolves, goblins, worse things."
The other man shook his head, easing Yamamoto as he explained that monsters weren't frequent around these forests, "though, he is right about the wild beasts." he explained.
"Thank you. I'll be fine," Yamamoto said, dropping down from the wagon.
"Your funeral," the driver muttered, and continued toward town.
Yamamoto stood at the forest's edge, looking into the shadowed trees. He didn't really need their concerns, after all, he knew the surroundings, perhaps even better than the locals. Nevertheless, he was grateful for their concern, it felt oddly, comforting.
The dangers in this beginner area was around level 0-5 monsters. Wolves, hogs, goblins, giant rats, the occasional bear. Just like the man said, goblins were rare, but the others were very much present. There were other animals for sure, but as far as danger, those were the main ones.
Being level 4, he wasn't afraid to venture into the territory, and more importantly, he had a very good reason to risk it.
Hidden in this forest, if he remembered correctly, was something valuable, something that would set him even further ahead.