Alright.
Better a short pain than a long one.
Since it had come to this, Dac felt there was nothing to regret. He quickly deleted the save file and started over.
This time, he still chose the Human Mage. With some experience under his belt, the initial process went more smoothly.
Before entering the tavern, Dac carefully chose a save point and recorded it, then began recruiting companions.
If one roll wasn't enough, he'd roll a second time. He was bound to get the best possible one.
Moreover, every time he refreshed the companions, Dac felt a special thrill.
It was like placing a bet in a casino; you never knew if the next draw would be big or small.
The companions in the tavern were also randomly generated.
Just reloading the save file brought different faces and attributes each time.
Dac felt he could spend a whole day just recruiting companions.
...
Soon, as the game progressed, Dac realized the second most important thing in this game, second only to the dice—
Gold coins.
Throughout "Eternal Ashes," gold coins were the sole currency and trading tool.
You could only get what you wanted by spending gold coins.
Firstly, the most obvious was recruiting companions in the tavern.
Each visit required a significant amount of gold, and the tavern even had different tiers.
Although it was the same tavern, you could choose to spend different amounts of gold, and the system would then generate random heroes of corresponding races with different levels and attributes based on the amount of gold you spent.
At least 1000 gold coins were needed to start.
Each recruitment would present 4 candidates for you to choose from.
Only after that came the roll.
The more gold coins spent, the more powerful the randomly generated hero, and the more rolls were needed.
This essentially told you—
If you don't have matching dice (strength) and enough (money), don't force yourself to reach for what you can't get.
Goodness.
Dac felt completely depressed.
However, for your first time playing the game, you would get one free recruitment opportunity.
Besides recruiting companions, gold coins could also be used to purchase and craft equipment, buy potions, and so on. Anything that could be traded in the game required gold coins.
Gold coins could be obtained by completing quests or defeating monsters.
However, the gold coin drops in "Eternal Ashes" were really stingy. The monsters he could currently defeat mostly dropped 3 or 5 gold coins.
F*ck!
Even the drops were random.
...
But actually, random drops were a major feature of the Diablo series. When he thought that this game came from Pokeni, he suddenly felt relieved.
Wasn't the Diablo series all about randomness?
The excitement of getting good drops and then identifying them to reveal great affixes was truly unparalleled.
Although "Eternal Ashes" was a turn-based combat game, it still retained this aspect.
Items dropped, if they reached a certain quality, needed to be identified before they could be used.
Of course, identification also cost money.
If you sold unneeded items and equipment to NPCs, you could also earn some money back.
...
This game was really too addictive.
He simply couldn't stop.
...
As the Kaka Clan questline deepened, Dac learned that this plant-based race had its own unique story.
The Kaka Clan's method of reproduction was very peculiar. The birth of all of them actually came from the four 'Shepherd Trees' within the Kaka Clan territory.
Each Shepherd Tree required a High Priest to guard it and continuously filter and purify impurities from within the Shepherd Tree with their abilities.
Otherwise, the Shepherd Tree could die due to the accumulation of harmful substances.
Every year, the Shepherd Trees would bear a large batch of fruits. As long as one ate the fruit, they would become pregnant and give birth to new Kaka Clan members.
The specific gender of the Kaka Clan member was actually determined by the fruit itself.
No one knew whether the next child would be male or female.
But regardless of gender, they all received the blessing of the Shepherd Trees, and they devoutly protected these four Shepherd Trees.
However, just over a hundred years ago, a schism occurred within the Kaka Clan, now divided into two factions: the Red Kaka Clan and the Green Kaka Clan.
The reason for the split was the invasion of humans and Ash Bringers… plus the inherent regional differences between the Red Kaka Clan and the Green Kaka Clan.
With limited resources, two of the Shepherd Trees were destroyed during the war.
And this time, just recently, the Green Kaka Clan's Shepherd Tree was also gradually withering.
To continue to multiply and live, they had to seize the other side's Shepherd Tree, otherwise they might face extinction.
Under such circumstances, a large-scale war broke out between the Red Kaka and Green Kaka.
And the small town male protagonist first entered belonged to the Red Kaka Clan.
The game offered high freedom; you could choose to help the Green faction or the Red faction.
Dac didn't have much to hesitate about. Since his first stop was the Red Kaka, he might as well help them.
Moreover, his newly recruited companion was also from the Red Kaka Clan.
...
Entering the Green Kaka Clan's territory, the difficulty of the enemies also increased by one level.
Especially since the Green Kaka, in order to win the war, even used power from the Abyssal Demons, transforming some of their tribal warriors into Ash Bringers.
When encountering Ash Bringers, the difficulty sharply increased.
Under these circumstances, Dac was wiped out 4 times in a row.
Once wiped out, they would return to the nearest resurrected city or resurrection point.
It was during the 5th team wipe that the second member of the party, besides the protagonist Dac, the Kaka Clan warrior [Rockwell], painfully left the party.
"What the f*ck?!"
Dac was completely stunned.
Companions recruited in "Eternal Ashes" could actually leave the party?!
Shock, anger, and various emotions surged into his brain.
Dac's mind buzzed.
He felt his hands and feet turn cold.
I'm f*cking...
This was a powerful warrior I painstakingly rolled for, how could he just be gone?!
Dac quickly loaded the save file.
After careful study, he discovered that recruited companions had a [Trust Value], initially 50 points.
If a companion died in battle, their Trust Value would drop. Once the Trust Value reached zero, that companion would leave the party.
This was actually a kind of [Companion Recycling Mechanism] in the game.
After all, companions themselves cost money to recruit.
I'm f*cking...
Dac covered his face, feeling the deep malice from the Pokeni development team.
...
Fortunately, he could load the save file, otherwise, the newly recruited companion would have been gone.
After learning this, Dac became even more cautious.
The first BOSS he fought was Donnell, the Green Kaka Clan general who had been corrupted after his soul was taken.
Donnell had green skin, large, expressive eyes, and a long skirt woven from leaves, looking particularly beautiful with her graceful curves.
But when it came to fighting, she was truly brutal.
He was wiped out countless times here, and reloaded countless times, before he finally cleared it.
...
Upon defeating the Green Kaka Clan leader, who was also their strongest warrior, Castley, the Kaka Clan's main story finally concluded.
Afterward, there was a well-made CG animation.
In the scene, the Green Kaka's Shepherd Tree was set ablaze, its already withered branches crackling as they burned, the massive trunk soaring into the sky like a small mountain.
Amidst the flames, this Shepherd Tree let out a violent wail.
Seeing the Green Kaka Clan's Shepherd Tree consumed by fire, Dac felt an inexplicable pang of sadness.
Especially when he thought that this defeated faction in the war would now face extinction, his heart clenched.
It was simply a mirror reflecting the real world of humans.
War itself possessed strong destructive and annihilative power.
However, if you didn't do this, it was possible that the Red Kaka Clan would face extinction.
When he thought that the Green Kaka's Shepherd Tree was already withering from the start, Dac's mood improved slightly.
War was truly too cruel.
...
After completing the Kaka Clan's main quest, the Red Kaka Clan leader gave Dac a second Soul Stone.
This Soul Stone could also increase 1 point.
At the same time, the Kaka Clan leader also upgraded his dice.
When he saw this 6-sided dice, Dac was so happy he almost cried!
"Jesus! A six-sided dice!"
Upon upgrading to a six-sided dice, the previously embedded Soul Stone was naturally returned to Dac's inventory.
This meant he now had two Soul Stones, which could increase his points by 2.
Was it better for a guaranteed minimum, or for increasing the maximum?
After some thought, Dac still decided to add all points to the highest side.
Thus, he obtained a dice with sides of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8.
Because he could use the SL (Save/Load) trick, it meant that when he recruited in the tavern, it would be based on the dice's maximum value.
Mhm.
I am truly too clever!
...
Since the party size limit was 4, after recruiting a fifth companion, Dac had no choice but to dismiss one companion to make room.
Checking the [Trust Value], Dac dismissed the best-looking Kaka Clan girl in the party.
"I'm sorry, Jessica, thank you for accompanying me all this way. I can only send you back to the tavern for now. If there's a chance in the future… goodbye."
...
Next, Dac, with his newly recruited 8-point powerful Kaka Clan warrior, headed to Fry Island.
The Fry Islanders lived on an island called Fry in the southeast direction of the Western Continent.
This island was hidden by magical power, so it was considered nonexistent by the outside world, merely circulating as a fairy tale.
The Fry Islanders were closely related to humans by blood. Over a thousand years ago, due to an unknown disaster, some humans migrated here, settled down, and gradually adapted to the island's peculiar environment. The bloodline of the Fry Islanders also changed due to the unique environment.
Their stature, influenced by the island's dwarfing effect, gradually became smaller, with heights between 1.5 and 1.6 meters, and their appearance was similar to humans.
Although their bodies were small, their spirits were as unyielding as steel. Just like their ancestors, who bravely crossed oceans to settle here despite dangers, they possessed a certain resistance to mental influences.
They were very optimistic. The difficulties of island life did not hinder their optimistic living. They liked to smile at each other and shake hands when they met.
At the same time, due to the island's unique nature, the island they lived on was enveloped by a strange magical field. This caused other types of magic to be completely ineffective here, and under the influence of this strange magical field, the local people would enter an abnormally excited state during combat. In this state, they would completely disregard others' words but would move in response to inspiring sounds like horn blasts and drumbeats.
They primarily worshipped a sea god named "Long" and established their Pantheon based on this. Each tribe would have its unique beliefs, but they all unanimously worshipped the sea god.
Upon death, Fry Islanders firmly believed their souls would travel to the deep sea to become sea spirits, accompanying the deity. For this, when important figures died, they would hold grand celebrations after death to bless their journey to the undersea temple. At the same time, they would also cremate the remains of deceased relatives, scattering some into the sea, and grinding the rest with various herbs into a powder, which they would evenly apply to their bodies. They believed this would allow them to gain the power of their deceased relatives.
They had their own unique language, the Fry Islander language. To outsiders, this language seemed like mere gibberish, but if one listened closely, they could discern some patterns.
Due to their primitive society and limited resources, the Fry Islanders did not develop any monetary system, usually relying on bartering. However, when trading, a respected elder would typically make the judgment. When conflicts arose, an elders' council would be convened, where ten respected elders, priests, and leaders of the tribe would jointly make a ruling.
...
Upon completing the Fry Islander main quest, allowing this mysterious island to return to peace, Dac once again obtained a Soul Stone.
And this time, the leader of the Fry Islanders, also named Lauda, upgraded his dice to two 4-sided dice.
This meant that Dac could now roll two dice simultaneously, and the sum of the points was also higher.
Dac was so happy he literally jumped out of his chair.
He quickly added all 3 Soul Stones to the highest point value.
This meant that the maximum point he could now roll became 11 points.
Sorry, that's just how gamblers are.
Of course, it wasn't without side effects; the downside was that in battle, if his luck was bad, the lower limit was truly very low.
This could cause him to reload the save file many times in a single battle.
It was often at these times that Dac would think tearfully—
Forget it, to get better companions, who needs a guaranteed minimum!
...
Overall, the game's worldview was vast, and different races also had their unique stories, social structures, and beliefs.
In this game, Dac deeply felt a magnificent fantasy world that seemed to exist in reality.
NPCs also had their own loves, hates, and stories.
And these stories intertwined, forming a vibrant picture.
At this point, Dac had completely refreshed his understanding of this game.
During the protagonist's journey, he not only recovered Soul Stones but also linked different races by completing their respective quests.
As the plot continued to advance.
The dominant human faction and the other races gradually put aside their hatred and dispatched the strongest warriors from their respective races to accompany the protagonist to the Abyss (NPCs don't join the party; it's just for show, part of the plot).
...
By the time he reached this point, Dac had spent almost a week, with over 40 hours of in-game time.
He played almost every day after work, for about 6 or 7 hours.
...
"Eternal Ashes" was truly fascinating, especially its randomness and grand worldview, which kept Dac thoroughly entertained.
If he wasn't busy pushing the main story, he felt he could play this game for a year.
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