Basics - Playing The Game: Exploring & Fighting
Once you're done in town, you are free to start exploring the world. Use the compass images on the right status panel to move around. The game world is basically a huge map, divided into squares. Each quadrant is HERE spaces square. The first town is usually located at (0N,0E). Click the North button from the first town, and now you'll be at (1N,0E). Likewise, if you now click the West button, you'll be at (1N,1W). Monster levels increase with every 5 spaces you move outward from (0N,0E).
While you're exploring, you will occasionally run into monsters. As in pretty much any other RPG game, you and the monster take turns hitting each other in an attempt to reduce each other's hit points to zero. Once you run into a monster, the Exploring screen changes to the Fighting screen.
When a fight begins, you'll see the monster's name, level and hit points, and the game will ask you for your first command. You then get to pick whether you want to fight, use a spell, or run away. Note, though, that sometimes the monster has the chance to hit you first.
The Fight button is pretty straightforward: you attack the monster, and the amount of damage dealt is based on your attack power and the monster's armor. On top of that, there are two other things that can happen: an Excellent Hit, which doubles your total attack damage; and a monster dodge, which results in you doing no damage to the monster.
The Spell button allows you to pick an available spell and cast it. See the Spells list at the bottom of this page for more information about spells.
Finally, there is the Run button, which lets you run away from a fight if the monster is too powerful. Be warned, though: it is possible for the monster to block you from running and attack you. So if your hit points are low, you may fare better by staying around monsters that you know can't do much damage to you.
Once you've had your turn, the monster also gets his turn. It is also possible for you to dodge the monster's attack and take no damage.
The end result of a fight is either you or the monster being knocked down to zero hit points. If you win, the monster dies and will give you a certain amount of experience and gold. There is also a chance that the monster will drop an item, which you can put into one of the five inventory slots to give you extra points in your character profile. If you lose and die, half of your gold is taken away - however, you are given back a few hit points to help you make it back to town (for example, if you don't have enough gold to pay for an Inn, and need to kill a couple low-level monsters to get the money).
When the fight is over, you can continue exploring until you find another monster to beat into submission.