I paused, looking around the guild, still confused by what she had said.
“Change this world?” I echoed.
“It is said that high humans will return this world to a normal state. They will restore our world,” she explained.
“Normal?” I asked.
“Yes, normal. Due to the World Tree, our world has been divided into 100 parts, each separate and difficult to communicate with.”
“But how? How did this happen?”
“A year or so ago, a tree began to sprout and grow uncontrollably. It didn’t just grow; it destroyed and segmented the world. The guild is an entity that crosses the floors and clears the dungeons. Would you like to join the guild?”
In the game, we players cross each floor by defeating the boss or completing the objective, whether that’s raising money or completing a quest. However, the NPCs can’t do that. The dungeons are what connect each floor. Think of each floor as a leaf or segment of the tree; the dungeons connect each of the floors together like a petiole. However, each floor is in a random location on the tower, so if you enter a dungeon on floor one, the closest exit might be floor 60 or floor 3.
I looked around, observing the adventurers as they returned to their activities., and a couple of kids, no older than 13, entered the guild, one male, one female, both with striking platinum white hair and gold eyes.
“So what can I do? How do I join?” I said looking back at the attendant.
“I can send you an invite to the guild, and you can become a member,” she said.
“What are the perks? And would I not be able to make my own guild or join a different one?”
A smile formed on her face as she turned to me. “Lily, bring the mana crystal!” she called across the room.
Moments later, a guild attendant arrived, carrying a large blue crystal ball that radiated a mystical aura. The ball seemed to hum with mana.
“Place your hand on this ball, and we’ll get your stats and identification—all at no charge,” she instructed.
I complied, placing my hand on the cool surface of the blue crystal ball. Suddenly, it began to pull my hand towards itself with an intense pull.
After a few seconds, the ball glowed brightly with a white light before dimming and going still. The expression on her face shifted to one of shock, her complexion paling.
“What does that mean?” I asked, concerned by her reaction.
Before she could answer, the two kids from earlier were getting their mana rated in the same manner. The crystal ball glowed bright white, then cycled through yellow, orange, red, blue, indigo, violet, and finally settled on black.. The attendant assisting them appeared equally shocked, as if she had seen a ghost.
“You have almost no mana… an extremely small amount,” she finally said, pointing to the kids from before. “The brighter the color, the lower the mana. A normal reading would be blue.”
“Is that bad? What should I do?” I asked, feeling a mix of confusion and concern.
“For a High Human, I expected you to have more. If I were you, I’d stay away from magic classes,” she advised.
In the game, there were ways to increase mana, and many armor sets could reduce mana usage, so I wasn’t too worried about having low mana.
“I still don’t understand how much I have,” I admitted.
“How to explain this… think of it like money. You can only ever accumulate 100 silver,” she explained.
“Do I need to sign anything or choose a class?” I asked, ready to proceed.
“Yup, just keep your hand on the crystal ball,” she replied, her smile returning as she gestured towards the mystical device.
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What would you like your adventurer name to be?
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An adventurer name is essentially a gamer tag that will be permanently displayed above your head. If I didn’t have one, my name would be above my head.
During the beta, my name was Wan since it was going to be my first account, so that’s what I’ll choose now as well.
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Adventurer Wan, please choose your main class.
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There was a scroll wheel of every class you can imagine, ranging from cook to samurai to blacksmith. The system was controlled by thought, allowing me to think of any class, and it would appear before me.
In the game, each class had skills exclusive to that class. However, now there’s nothing stopping me from learning skills from other classes, except that equipping a skill specific to your class would make it perform slightly better. I assumed it was the same with armor. Keeping all this in mind, I decided to choose the Ninja class.
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Gained Passive Skill: Lurk
Gained Title: Newbie Ninja
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The Lurk skill allowed me to keep my name hidden, ensuring my anonymity. The clerk, a young woman with bright eyes and a friendly demeanor, took the crystal ball from me as I finished the registration process. “The guild is hosting a welcome event for the High Humans,” she informed me, her tone enthusiastic. “If you purchase any skill, you get the Mana Inspect skill for free.”
Intrigued, I asked, “Yeah, okay. What options do you have available for purchase?”
“It’s a bit random, but currently, we have three skills: Teleport Rune, Last Stand, and Side Slash,” she replied, glancing at a list.
“Can I buy more than one?” I inquired, hoping to maximize my benefits.
She nodded quickly. “Yes, but there’s a limit. You can buy a maximum of two, totaling two per week.”
“How much are Last Stand and Teleport Rune?” I asked, preparing myself for the cost.
“Six gold,” she responded, her voice steady.
“Wow, that’s expensive,” I remarked, feeling the weight of the decision. After a moment’s consideration, I decided, “But I’ll take them.”
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Would you like to learn Mana Teleport Rune?
Would you like to learn Last Stand?
Would you like to learn Mana Inspect?
========================================================================
She handed me the skill books, and as I absorbed the knowledge within, the books vanished into thin air. Though they were costly, these skills—especially Last Stand—proved invaluable. Last Stand grants me a 10% chance to survive with 10% HP if I would otherwise die, a potential lifesaver.
Mana Teleport Rune allows me to place runes that I can teleport back to within a certain range. Finally, Inspect enables me to see the levels of enemies and NPCs alike, giving me crucial information to assess threats and allies.
========================================================================
Adventurer : Wan
Class: Ninja
Title: Newbie Ninja
Level: 0
Strength: 2
Speed: 2
Health: 100
Perception: 2
Mastery: 0
Luck: 2
Skills (Max 5):
Last Stand (Passive)
Lurk (Passive)
Mana Inspect (Passive)
Mana Teleport Rune LV 1
Universal Language LV MAX
========================================================================
After checking my stats and leaving the guild hall, I noticed the sky had a light orange glow; the sun was setting, and it was best if I found an inn to sleep in.
While I was walking there, many more players joined the city. Unlike the NPCs, who mostly had common hair colors like blondes, black, brunettes, and whites, the players had colors that could be found on Earth, like reds, blues, and purples. They also had a variety of different styles. Not many had adventurer names yet like I did, so their full names were showing.
After walking down the highway again, I went to an inn that I had seen before, an inn called Lunarlight with a butterfly emblem on the logo, and I entered.
The inn had a welcoming ambiance that immediately put me at ease. The first floor featured a spacious dining area filled with sturdy wooden tables and chairs, each piece of furniture polished to a warm sheen. Soft, golden lighting cast a cozy glow over the room, highlighting the rich, earthy tones of the wooden walls and floor. The air was filled with the delicious aroma of freshly cooked meals, and the dining area buzzed with activity as Players and NPCs mingled, chatting animatedly while enjoying their food.
The second floor housed the guest rooms, each lining both sides of a narrow hallway. The rooms promised a peaceful retreat, their doors framed by intricate carvings that added a touch of rustic charm.
I saw a girl adorned with a gold butterfly headpiece. It was the same girl from before, sporting the same gear as mine. She was standing at the counter, ordering food. She glanced in my direction and smiled warmly. I returned the smile, feeling a sense of camaraderie.
“Can I order number 23?” she asked the waitress, her voice clear and confident.
The waitress nodded, jotting down her order with practiced efficiency.
As I waited, an older woman wearing a well-worn apron approached me. Her eyes were kind but tired. “What can I get for you?” she inquired.
“Can I have a room?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
“Sure, there’s a free room—room number 23,” she replied, handing me a set of keys. “It’ll be 8 silver a week,” she added, her tone business-like.
She then asked if I wanted any food delivered to my room, an offer I politely declined. I preferred to eat in the common area where I could observe and absorb the atmosphere.
The room assigned to me was modest, featuring a single bed, a desk, and a solitary lamp. It also had a small bathroom with a toilet and a shower. The sheets on the bed were a light white color. Simple but comfortable.
“This day has been hectic,” I mused, sinking into the soft bed, letting the weariness wash over me as I closed my eyes.
Reflecting on the day, I pondered what I know so far. This world seems to be a blend of the game and our reality. Three possibilities came to mind:
First, we might be trapped in the game. However, this doesn’t seem likely because, if that were the case, everything would be exactly as it was before. Yet, there are numerous differences I’ve noticed. The lore is similar, but the NPCs feel like real people. They don’t seem to have a limited set of dialogue; each one feels unique.
The second possibility is that this is a separate world the game was based on. This seems plausible, but it doesn’t explain how we ended up here.
My hypothesis is that the game and this world merged, creating a hybrid of both. Elements from the game and the real world bled together. This explains why each NPC is unique—they are actual people, not just quest-givers like in the game. This would also account for the green pixelated light I saw before I died. It seems this world is an awful amalgamation of both the game and Earth, like mixing ketchup and mustard.
Authors Notes:
Hey, I know this one is late. I was sick all week, but I promise to release two chapters next week to make up for it.
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