"That should do it."
Despite gearing up for an interdimensional journey, Kevin kept his initial equipment surprisingly minimal.
A simple, reliable dagger and a set of light leather armor.
Coupled with basic survival essentials like a handful of torches, a waterskin, and some dried rations.
After all, this wasn't intended to be an extended dungeon crawl lasting several days.
Assuming no unforeseen calamities, a swift return to Orario was anticipated.
Besides, the world of Terraria itself was practically overflowing with readily available resources just waiting to be plundered.
Veins of various ores lay beneath the surface, treasure chests were secreted away in the earth, and a plethora of materials could be scavenged from the diverse creatures roaming the land.
"There's supposed to be a first-time entry reward. I wonder what goodies await."
A mixture of keen curiosity and burgeoning anticipation bubbled within Kevin as he mentally confirmed the information transfer.
The next instant, his physical form shimmered and vanished into thin air within the confines of his small room.
After a fleeting, disorienting swirl of bizarre lights and kaleidoscopic shadows danced before his eyes,
He found himself standing in the midst of a serene and undeniably picturesque wooded area.
The sky above was a flawless expanse of azure, adorned with fluffy white clouds drifting lazily across the vast expanse.
Beneath his worn leather boots, vibrant green grass carpeted the undulating terrain, and the cheerful melodies of unseen birds echoed through the tranquil air.
"Well, that's certainly a textbook Terraria spawn point."
Despite the seemingly idyllic surroundings, Kevin remained cautiously alert. His grip on his trusty dagger tightened as his gaze swept across the unfamiliar landscape.
"But where's the Guide? Or am I the sole inhabitant of this particular slice of the world?"
Just as the question fully formed in his mind, lines of crisp text began to materialize directly before his very eyes.
It was a direct message from the enigmatic system.
[Land Reclamation Rewards are being distributed]
[You have unlocked the "Inventory" ability!]
[You have unlocked the "Synthesis" ability!]
[You have unlocked the "Identification" ability!]
[You have unlocked the "Contract" ability!]
[You have obtained a Copper Dagger, a Copper Pickaxe, and a Copper Axe]
The rapid-fire succession of reward notifications left Kevin momentarily dazed.
However, his mind quickly caught up, processing the significance of each newfound ability and item.
The first three abilities were remarkably straightforward, mirroring the core mechanics that every Terraria player took for granted.
The "Inventory" ability granted Kevin immediate access to a
personal dimensional storage space, initially containing a generous 60 individual slots for stashing away various items and pieces of equipment.
Items of the same type could be neatly stacked together, with an impressive maximum stacking limit of 9999.
Crucially, this extradimensional inventory wasn't limited to items originating solely from the Terraria world.
On a whim, Kevin mentally attempted to deposit his own crudely crafted iron dagger into the newly unlocked inventory.
Success! The weapon vanished from his grasp and reappeared as a mental icon within the interface.
When the need arose, he could retrieve any stored item with a mere thought!
"Just the inventory ability alone is a game-changer!"
Kevin thought, a thrill of excitement coursing through him.
The sheer convenience of a personal inventory meant he could carry a substantial amount of vital materials and essential supplies without being physically weighed down.
This would prove invaluable during dungeon explorations, freeing up significant physical encumbrance.
In the world of Danmachi, similar forms of spatial storage items seemed to be exceptionally rare, if they even existed at all.
Even if such coveted items did exist, they were likely priced far beyond the reach of ordinary adventurers and their less affluent followers.
The second ability, "Synthesis," held even more profound implications!
The vast majority of items within the Terraria world could be broken down, combined, and meticulously crafted into entirely new and often significantly more useful creations.
Some crafting recipes necessitated the utilization of specific "workstations"—specialized crafting stations scattered throughout the world.
For example, smelting raw ore into usable metal ingots required access to a functioning furnace.
However, a multitude of basic yet essential items could be readily crafted by hand, without the need for any specialized equipment whatsoever.
These fundamental necessities included reliable torches to pierce the darkness, simple wooden platforms for basic construction, and comforting campfires to ward off the night and provide a source of warmth.
Even existing pieces of equipment could be disassembled and combined with other materials to create more advanced and powerful gear!
It was clear that the entire progression system of Terraria revolved around the fundamental "Synthesis" function.
As for the third unlocked ability, "Identification," it was a somewhat unexpected but undeniably potent tool.
It granted Kevin the immediate ability to discern the properties and origins of any item he encountered—regardless of which world it hailed from!
As a quick test, he focused his mental energy on the roughly forged iron dagger he had painstakingly crafted back in the familiar heat of Hephaestus' workshop in Orario.
Almost instantaneously, detailed identification information materialized directly within his field of vision.
[Rough Iron Dagger (Gray): Damage 7]
"Ahahaha…"
Seeing this rather blunt and somewhat unflattering assessment of his handiwork, Kevin scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment.
Within the established rarity classification system of Terraria,
Gray represented the absolute bottom of the barrel, even below the humble "white" that denoted "ordinary."
Generally, only the most rudimentary low-level weapons possessing negative attributes
Or the truly worthless bits of junk dredged up while fishing would ever be classified as gray quality.
There was simply no way around it—despite his dedicated years of learning the art of forging under the esteemed tutelage of Hephaestus herself,
He was still firmly entrenched in the entry-level stages of the craft, with a long and arduous journey stretching before him before he could even begin to consider himself a true "master."
To be able to utilize raw, unrefined ore to create a barely functional low-level weapon entirely from scratch,
For a novice blacksmith in a new world, this was arguably a respectable level of initial proficiency.
"However, with the 'Synthesis' ability at my disposal, I can potentially bypass some of the initial grind and craft far more advanced equipment without solely relying on my still-developing traditional forging skills…"
"Maybe, just maybe, I can effectively balance the roles of both 'Adventurer' and 'Blacksmith' simultaneously in this strange new world!"
Within the fundamental mechanics of Terraria, the process of creating weapons and protective gear was remarkably streamlined and efficient.
As long as one possessed the requisite materials in sufficient quantities, they could synthesize the corresponding items with a guaranteed 100% success rate.
There were no frustrating crafting failures or inferior results to contend with.
The only inherent limitation was that all synthesized equipment possessed fixed stat values.
Even with the acquisition of more advanced raw materials, there was no inherent way to produce similar equipment with significantly enhanced performance through basic synthesis alone.
The potential synergy between the inherent efficiency of "Synthesis" and his developing traditional forging techniques sparked a flicker of intriguing possibilities in his mind.
Thinking along those lines, Kevin gave his head a slight shake, consciously pushing those more complex considerations to the back of his mind for the time being.
At his current level of understanding of this new system, such intricate combinations were likely far too premature to dwell upon.
The final unlocked ability, "Contract," held a particularly intriguing and somewhat unexpected implication.
After carefully absorbing the system's detailed description of the "Contract" ability,
Kevin couldn't help but wear an expression of genuine surprise.
It now dawned on him why he hadn't immediately encountered the first friendly NPC typically found near the spawn point in the Terraria world—the ever-helpful Guide.
It turned out that there were no naturally occurring, friendly NPCs within this particular instance of the world at all!
Only through the deliberate utilization of "Contracts" could willing followers be recruited from other interconnected worlds.
Only then could the original, familiar NPC functions of the Terraria game be replicated.
"Other worlds…"
Kevin mused thoughtfully. Aside from the Terraria world he now stood in,
Only the Danmachi world, his point of origin, could currently fulfill the requirements for establishing these "Contracts."
He had absolutely no idea when he might gain the ability to traverse to a second, entirely new and unexplored world.
It seemed as though the ever-present system had somehow anticipated Kevin's internal inquiry.
Almost immediately, supplementary information materialized before his eyes.
[Defeat the "Slime King" Boss to unlock a new world for traversal]
King Slime, a relatively simple and gelatinous monster boss typically encountered in the very early stages of the Terraria game.
Even with the added difficulty introduced by the Calamity mod, it was still generally considered the absolute easiest boss to defeat in the entire sprawling game, without a shadow of a doubt.
"So, simply defeating King Slime is the key?"
A spark of newfound determination ignited within Kevin's mind.
If this were merely the Terraria game, King Slime would essentially be a walking, bouncing treasure bag, offering a decent assortment of valuable early-game resources upon its squishy demise.
Defeating this particular Boss in the game posed virtually no significant pressure or challenge.
However, this was not just a game, this was a tangible and potentially perilous journey into the real world of Terraria.
The originally designed "welfare Boss" might very well prove to be considerably more formidable and dangerous in this tangible and unpredictable reality.
After a brief but focused moment of strategic consideration, Kevin quickly formulated his initial, rudimentary action plan for survival and exploration.
"Alright, first things first... I need to get a feel for the combat rhythm of this blocky world."
"And while I'm at it... it definitely wouldn't hurt to try and stumble upon a conveniently placed treasure chest and snag some readily available starting resources."