Mature Content Warning: There is not much to warn you about i this chapter except for cruelty to adorable animals and some mild adult language.

Author's Note:

Also, reasonably decent tables can take forever. :( lol

---

During that first moment of my new life I could only stare in slack jawed wonder. The world was so alive, electric in its vibrancy. The soft sound of music and insect life buzzing about was quite soothing. It was as though I had stepped out of reality and entered into a world rife with insanity. In all honesty, I knew nothing about this place, but I already loved it.

When a dream becomes reality, a nightmare might not be far from arising. Yet, if the dream is good enough, if it speaks to you clearly, does the terror of the night really hold that much power over you? Which to me was worse, the possibility of living in a dream turned nightmare, or returning to the pathetic existence I had once lived?

No matter what would come, I knew in that first moment that I had found a place for me, at last.

--

Chapter 2: Mid the Guardian

--

A soft breeze blew across the field, causing his hair to shift. A stray lock fell before his face. Scott immediately reached up and grasped it. He put his hands behind his head and checked the length. “Blue...? Long blue hair?”

“I see you have awakened, Childe.”

Scott turned toward the sound of the voice and saw an old woman holding a cane. She was absurdly short as well, but he was raised better than to pay close attention to such things. “Who are you?”

“Well, that’s a rude question. Are you not supposed to state your own name before asking the name of another?”

He blinked once, slowly, and then realized that she was waiting for an answer. “That depends on where you grow up, but fine. I’m Scott, who are you?”

“Ah, hello Scott. I am Mid, the guardian of the field of new beginnings.”

That had answered the question that he had asked, but not the question he had wanted to ask. Mid foresaw his query, however, and answered that question as well. “You have come to this world from another. There are many ways to enter, but they all lead here during your first visit.”

“Another world... what?”

“I see that you are confused. That is natural. Whatever method you used to arrive here should give you a clue as to the nature of where you are.”

“Method I used...? Wait, I was trying to register to play a game.” He looked at Mid with wide disbelieving eyes. Was she saying that he had traveled here through the game?

When he asked her about that she shrugged. “The entry point is different for everyone. Sometimes it is a door.

Sometimes it is a tunnel. There is always a moment where you can turn aside and not enter. If you are here, you chose to be here.”

“Can I go back?”

“That depends on the method you used to come here. If that method allowed for you to return, yes. Otherwise, no.”

“How would I even know?”

“Check your status.”

“My status? Right... like a game. How do I do that?”

Mid smiled beatifically then closed her eyes. A few seconds later a there was a burst of light and a thin blue screen appeared before her. “You check your status by either saying the words ‘Check Status’ or closing your eyes and thinking those words strongly. That allows you to check your status even when rendered mute through poison or magic. Though, if you are confused or berserk you may not be able to concentrate enough to use it that way.”

Scott felt a strange excitement course through his body. Was this really happening? “Ok. Check Status.”

A transparent window popped up in front of him. There were words and numbers on the screen that he assumed were part of his so-called status. The information certainly looked like something from a game!

Name: ScottClass: SorcererRace: HumanAge: 18Level: 1EXP: 0Next: 20Ability Points: 0Health: 10[10]Mana: 30[30]Attack: 2[14]Defense: 3[15]Strength: 3[3]Agility: 3[3]Accuracy: 3[3]Intellect: 7[7]Luck: 4 [4]

SkillsSorcery

The ability to utilize the magical powers of nature. Allows increased development of mana and Intellect.Unarmed Combat

The ability to fight using only your body. Can equip boot, knuckle, and eventually claw weapons. Allows for the development of improved Attack and Defense. Attack damage is increased by four times the strength when unarmed. Defense damage is increased by four times the agility when unarmed.Return Home: [Yes | No] {Locked}

“What in the world? Hey, it has a return home option, but it says that it is locked.”

“Ah, then you cannot return home at this time. That may change some time in the future since you have the option.”

Scott looked down at the old woman. “How would I unlock that?”

“I have no idea. That is a function unique to the individual. All I can say is that, since the option exists you can unlock it at some point if you find the method.”

“I see.”

“Wait, the screen says that I am eighteen.”

The elderly woman smiled that frequent smile of hers then shook her staff dismissively. “New comers are always returned to a youthful appearance and status, regardless of how old they were before. Of course, if you were younger than your current age you would have your original age here.”

Scott nodded. That made sense from a gameplay stand-point. He could not believe this was a real place, but if it did work like a game then at least it put everyone on a level starting field.

“What do I do now?”

The wizened old woman tapped her staff on the ground. “Your level and abilities are everything in this world. At your current level, you will die frequently. You may want to increase your level as quickly as possible.”

“Die frequently? So, death is not permanent?”

She smirked at him. “Ah, death is certainly permanent for most people. However, the gods decree that death can be overruled via certain magics. There are rules for such powers, and generally only priests can develop the higher-tier resurrection abilities. You, as a Champion of Origin, are granted the power of salvation by the gods. You cannot die, permanently. However, there are things that may make you wish that you had died.”

“Such as?”

“Living torture, soul enslavement, banishment to the abyss, and imprisonment inside a techno-magical device as a power source are all common occurrences for the unwary. You might also be eaten alive then revive in the same location due to an error in judgment, thus potentially you will be eaten alive continually for all eternity.”

Mid took a breath and continued. “The list of possible bad endings to your existence is quite exhaustive. There may come a time that you ardently pray for death, but the gods will not hear such a plea. Tread carefully.”

Scott felt an involuntary shudder run down his spine. There were worse things than death, it seemed. Most people would only die once and whatever came after, if anything, would come. He would be not be allowed that release even if he begged for it.

“I think that I don’t want to deal with any of that. I should get stronger as soon as possible.”

“That desire is normal. This field is a place of tranquility and contentment. There are no deadly enemies here, so attempting to practice your sorcery or combat skills would be pointless without help. If you insist on training your fighting abilities here, I can be your opponent. However, I won’t go easy on you. Since death is not permanent for you, I will not hesitate to kill you in a single blow before you even manage to cast a spell.”

Scott decided that fighting Mid did not seem like a good idea. “I don’t even know how to use my abilities.”

Mid chuckled softly then shook her head. “Of course you do. You just don’t realize it. For now, simply check your spell list.

Your talents provide basic elemental damage spells. Find a spell and use it in the same manner that you summon your skill list or status. As a sorcerer you will not need to chant, though your magic will cost more mana.”

Scott followed her instructions and was not surprised when his curious, “Check Spells.” summoned a window screen. He looked through his skill list.

~*~

Spells[First] Flash [LV. 0]- [Force: 1] Mana 8 [0/25]

Elemental lightning spell. There is a 5% chance of blinding your opponent. You have a 25% chance to paralyze an opponent who is weak to lightning.[First] Freeze [LV. 0] - [Force 1] Mana 8 [0/25]

Elemental Ice spell. There is a 5% chance of slowing your opponent. You have a 25% chance to inflict the freeze status on opponents weak to ice and water.[First] Burn [LV.0] - [Force 1] Mana 8 [0/25]

Elemental Fire Spell. There is a 5% chance of stunning your opponent. You have a 25% chance to inflict the burn status on your opponent if they are weak to fire.

“The little blurbs seem useful enough, but what does the word first mean?”

“First? Are you referring to the term next to the spell name?” asked Mid.

“Yes.”

She nodded. “That refers to the spell-circle of the spell. Your level as a sorcerer will determine what spells you can develop naturally, that includes what circles you have access to throughout your career.”

“I see. What about the other number force and level?”

Mid pointed at him. “All spells and abilities have the capacity to grow stronger through use to some degree. When you first learn them you do not have much skill at using it, after all. You must use the skill until the experience counter at the end reaches the minimum requirement. After doing so, the spell or ability level will increase. That will strengthen your ability.”

“Neat! How high do the levels go?”

“You can reinforce your abilities four times. Once you have strengthened it four times you will have mastered that ability. It cannot grow stronger through use, but you might be able to develop an advanced form of that ability through your tree of skills.”

“Tree of skills?” Scott felt like all he had in life were questions. There was so much to learn!

“Ah, yes. The essence of your power. When you reach level two you will be able to access your tree of skills. Every skill that you have developed will have options that you can further upgrade. Sorcery, for instance, will allow you to increase your Mana or Intellect, and you can learn new spells or advance mastered spells.”

Scott’s eyes brightened. He understood that! The information on the site had been a bit lackluster, really. Basically, he could learn new abilities when he leveled up. “How do you gain ability points?”

“You fight, Childe. You fight and win. You can also gain them through completing personal requests or undergoing great personal growth. Winning battles is the simplest method, however.”

“How hard is it to get an ability point?”

Mid chuckled at his eagerness to learn. “They are not that difficult to earn, though they are time consuming to acquire in great number. You will need them in great number to develop your abilities properly.”

He rubbed his chin. It seemed like this world was completely devoted to fighting. That would take time to get used to since even in the military actual combat did not occur daily. He had only been in a handful of fire fights, though he had dealt with the occasional roadside bomb and lived in fear of snipers during visits to the dining facility when deployed.

“Why not try out your spells, Childe?”

Scott looked at Mid then asked, “How?”

“Simply will them into existence. Think strongly of an image of what you want the spell to do. Then call out the spell’s name.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes, you are a sorcerer. You do not need to chant or implore a god to aid you. Your power is innate. It takes more mana than a mage or priest for you to perform a spell, but you only need to be focused and ready.”

Scott nodded. He might as well give it a try, right? He turned away from the diminutive woman then raised his hand. He thought of the flash spell. It was an electrical attack. He envisioned a bolt of lightning striking the field in the distance. “Flash!”

He felt a surging sensation within his body just before a bright flash of light flared from his hand. It was no lightning bolt, but it was still impressive at this point. “Whoa!”

“Yes, whoa indeed. That was the first circle lightning spell, Flash. It discharges a week electrical surge and gives off a bright flash of light. You need to be close to your opponent to use it, as the actual attack requires you to touch your opponent to inflict damage. Try your other spells.”

Scott was eager to see what would happen, now! He envisioned a ball of fire forming in his hands and immediately cried out, “Burn!”

A tiny dart of flame erupted from his palm. After it traveled around twenty feet, the tiny spark rapidly expanded into a small, but fiery, explosion. His eyes widened then he started to positively shiver with excitement. That had been so cool!

“The burn spell is useful for attacking at a distance. It is fairly easy to target slow moving enemies. It will detonate on impact, however. You can use it at range or up close, though I caution you to be wary of the back-blast if you cast it at point-blank range.”

“Really? Good to know.” Scott nodded his head then took a deep breath. He had started to feel strangely tired despite his excitement. Was the drain on his mana somehow causing him to become tired?

He chose to persevere, however. He had one more spell to consider. Scott focused on the image of an iceberg floating at seas then raised his hand once more. “Freeze!”

A bright blue sphere of roiling light formed in front of his palm then a cone of energy shot outward about five feet, some might have called it a bit over a meter. The flowers in front of him were coated in frost after the spell ended.

Mid hopped forward then stretched her staff outward. A green beam of light shot out of the tip of her walking stick. The frozen flowers immediately thawed and seemed no worse for the experience.

“The freeze spell is an area effect spell. It moves in a cone and you can try to freeze several opponents at once.”

Scott had figured that much out on his own, but he did not want to say anything. The older woman was being quite helpful. “That’s all I can do for right now. I don’t have enough mana for another spell.”

“Ah, the curse of the young. I bet you feel quite tired too, don’t you?”

He nodded. “I feel like I just finished a hard run to be honest.”

Mid smiled. “Mana is a specialized form of energy exerted by your mind, body, and spirit. When you use your mana, you are forced to compensate. You’ll feel tired and sluggish until your energy recharges.”

“I see. How long does that usually take?” He had a horrible suspicion.

“Normally you will need to either drink a mana potion, or sleep for a few hours. A good night’s sleep is usually what it takes when your mana is emptied completely.”

Damn this old school system! It really was like those older games where you used up all your magic and had to sleep in an inn or a tent to replenish your life and mana. “So, my mana won’t just replenish if I sit around long enough?”

Mid chuckled at Scott. “In time, certainly. If you are awake, but resting, you might be able to regenerate one point of mana per hour at your level.”

Scott frowned. That seemed like a major problem. He did not know how long he would be in this weird place, but if he could only use three spells per day for the moment, he would be in serious trouble. He had no idea how his supposed martial arts skills would stack up in a world like this.

The wizened elder saw his expression then smirked. “Would you like for me to teach you a basic method of recovering mana quickly?”

“Yes, by all means!”

Mid raised her staff. Dark red energy currents rose up from the ground and concentrated to a single point in front of her staff.

Let life’s troubles become nothing

But ephemeral memories.

Sleep!

A wave of energy washed over Scott and his body grew incredibly heavy. He tried to resist the sense of weakness that washed over him, but he collapsed to the ground anyway. His consciousness slipped away and he knew nothing for a time.

When he awoke once more Mid was sitting down. She had her eyes closed and a gentle smile on her lips. Before he could ask her why she had done what she did, the tiny old woman opened her eyes and said, “Sleeping is the best way to restore your mana. You can meditate in order to regenerate your mana, but it still only regenerates several times faster than simply sitting down.”

Scott had not expected to be rendered unconscious as a training method. “I see... so mana won’t regenerate otherwise?”

“Well, you can eat certain herbs, eat a meal, or drink potions. The only method that doesn’t require an outside source is simple rest. There are abilities that improve regeneration rates, however. If you learn the advanced meditation ability you can regenerate at a much faster rate. Sleeping is still best once you manage to gain a large mana pool, however. ”

“Is it the same for my hit points?”

“It is, unless you develop heightened regeneration ability.”

“You can’t quickly regenerate without healing magic, potions, food, or sleep. Definitely old school.”

Mid looked at hum curiously for a moment. “Well, some races have natural regeneration. Trolls do, so do various slimes and lizard folk.”

“Racial traits...?”

“Yes, every race has specific traits. Trolls can become nearly impossible to kill unless you use fire or extremely potent acid, for instance.”

“What about humans?”

“Ah, a curious race. You receive an experience bonus when fighting enemies above your level and enjoy average stat growth in all stats.”

“That’s good, I suppose. It would have been nice to be given an option to change my race before playing.”

The woman looked at him strangely once more then chuckled. “Playing? What a strange statement. Well, if you don’t like being human there are ways to become something else.”

“Oh?”

“Certainly! You can be killed and resurrected as one of the undead prior to reviving. You can be turned into a vampire or a werewolf. Someone might transform you into something else, such as a hamster. There is also the reincarnation option if you desire.”

Scott did not care much for most of those so-called options. “Reincarnation?”

“Yes, it requires several thousand ability points, and you must be at least level one hundred. After those restrictions are met, you can ask any high priest about the trial of rebirth. If you pass the trial, you can restart your life at level one as a member of a new race, or even the same race with improved stats.”

“Ah, so that is definitely out for the moment.” It was nice to have the option, though. He wondered how many people simply reincarnated to increase their stats.

“True, most people only reincarnate if they get old and want to reset the clock on their life. It’s a hard thing to give up one hundred levels otherwise.”

Scott found that to be curious. “What happens when you get old? Can you die of old age?”

“Ah, yes. That is one of the few means of dying permanently, even for you. Every race has a maximum lifespan. If you don’t reach level one hundred and reincarnate before you reach that limit, you die. You’ll spend time in the underworld then reincarnate as an infant of a random race, the same as most worlds.”

“Is it difficult to reach level one hundred?”

“Oh, my. Yes, childe. There is no actual level limit in this world, but you’ll have to press into dangerous areas and survive countless battles to reach that level. Gaining a level is a time consuming thing once you grow beyond the opponents that you might face near town.”

“Oh, I see. So, only people who actively pursue a life of battle and struggle will be able to reach that sort of level?”

“Absolutely! If you live for the thrill of battle, and spend every available moment challenging monsters that are strong enough to slay you outright, you can reach level one hundred in a year or two. The average adventurer might make it to level twenty or thirty in the same amount of time.”

Mid took a breath then released it before continuing. “A normal person who wants to live an average life might never even make it to level two. Of course, you are a Champion of Origin, so you might be able to do it even faster depending on your nature.”

“Alright, that makes sense. So, what do I do now?”

“Anything that you want. Pick a direction and travel young sorcerer.”

Scott looked around and was not certain what to do. He was in a new world, or a game very much like a real world it was impossible to tell at the moment. Either way, it was a new place and he had no idea where to start his life. “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, I do have a few small tasks that you might perform if you want a little pocket money.”

“Oh, like what?” Pocket money sounded like a good idea. He didn’t even know what kind of currency this world used.

The tiny old woman clucked her tongue once then bit her lower lip. “Let’s try something simple. I need a certain type of wildflower to make medicinal tinctures. If you can bring me some I’ll pay you one Fayth for one hundred petals.”

A new message screen popped up:

Quest!

Gather Red Violet petals for Mid the Sage

Difficulty: Easy

Pay Rate: 1 Fayth for one hundred petals

Time Limit: Six Hours

Success: Bring Mid at least one hundred petals.

Failure: Run out of time or insult Mid

Scott looked down at a red flower then asked, “Is that a red violet?”

“Ah, yes. The only red flowers in this field are red violets.”

Scott grinned. It would not be so hard to find plenty of petals then, though he did wonder at how a red flower could be called a violet. That made him think about how silly it would be to look for a green pink flamingo.

He leaned down and plucked a flower from the ground. Bright yellow words appeared above the flower and it disappeared.

Red violet petal +5

“Where did the flower go?”

“Check your inventory, childe.”

Scott grinned at Mid then said, “Check Inventory.” Another screen popped up.

This time he saw a traditional looking inventory screen. There was a flower icon in the top-left inventory slot and the number five below it. He also saw that he had zero Fayth, currently. That was expected, but depressing.

He left the screen open and picked another flower. The number rose to ten. He repeated the process several more times and the number of flowers quickly rose to one hundred. However, once he reached ninety-nine red violets the left over petal appeared in another slot. Due to the easy access to red violets he was able to gather up the necessary petals in a little over ten minutes.

When he returned to Mid, he received a quick tutorial on how to take items out of his inventory. He simply had to click on the slot, or he could link all related items together and trade them in bulk. If he had the trading skill he could trade in bulk from multiple slots of the same item, but he did not. He had to transfer them all ninety-nine at a time. Mid did not mind and even granted him the same quest several more times.

“You’re fairly reliable when it comes to easy jobs, but would you like to do something slightly more difficult?”

“Sure, if it pays slightly more.”

Mid chuckled at his mercenary nature. “I like that attitude. Tell you what. Bring me one thousand red violet stems and I’ll pay you the same thing I paid for petals.”

“How is that paying me more? It sounds like the same amount.”

She hopped back and pointed her staff at him. “Ha, good response. Fine, I’ll pay you the same amount and teach you something useful.”

“What would that be?”

“I’m not saying unless you agree.”

“Fine, but if it’s not useful I’ll think less of you.”

Mid smiled then waved him off. “Trust me, you’ll like it. Probably.”

“Probably?”

“You won’t know till you do it.”

“Alright, I’ll do it. Money is still money, anyway.”

“That’s the spirit!”

Scott quickly set about gather up red violet steps. His first few times were mistakes and he gathered petals instead.

However, he tried pulling the flower up from near the ground and he ended up receiving petals and a stem. It took a bit longer for him to gather the stems, and he ended up having to drop the petals from his inventory when Mid declared that she had enough of those for now.

Roughly an hour passed before he had enough stems. He took them back to the old sage and passed them along. He noted that the money entered his account automatically. He now had sixteen Fayth.

“Good job! It’s nice to see such a hardworking youngster. Are you ready to learn something useful?”

“Oh yes.” Scott was more than interested in learning anything right now.

Mid chuckled at him then called up her inventory screen. A small ring appeared in her hand. “This is a Survival Lore ring. It’s a ring with a lore crystal as the gem stone. A lore crystal is an item that will allow you to learn new skills.”

She presented the ring to Scott and he accepted it gladly. “Thank you.”

“If you equip that ring while fighting monsters it will absorb all of the earned experience. When enough experience has been absorbed, the ring will grant you the Survival Skill. Once you have that skill you can choose survival abilities from your tree of skills.”

Scott looked at the ring. This was a lore crystal, the skill customization item that the game information had mentioned? He had thought that it would take quite a while to get one.

“When you first learn the skill, you’ll be granted one new ability automatically. That ability is known as Forage. You’ll be able to detect things such as hidden items, edible plants, and other things. The information you can acquire through foraging is rather basic, but you can at least tell the difference between food and poison.”

Scott smiled brightly at the older woman. “Thank you! That does sound useful!”

Mid Chuckled. “It’s one of the most basic abilities, and one that many new arrivals do not learn until after they have died a few times. You took the time to humor me with my simple requests, and seem quite bright.”

Scott looked down at the ring then smiled. “This thing works automatically while I am wearing it?”

“Yes. If you remove it from your finger, you will acquire experience normally. Once you fill the Lore Crystal with experience, it will grant you the skill embedded within it, and it will fall apart. Only the first person who starts to learn the skill while using the crystal can equip it. You won’t be able to wear the crystal otherwise.”

“So, if I find a crystal in a chest or someone drops one after we fight, I can’t use it?”

“Yes and no. If it’s something you acquire after defeating an opponent or you find it in a chest in a dungeon you can probably wear it. If you pick someone’s pocket or rob their house, it probably will be keyed to them and you can’t use it.”

“Why won’t loot drops or crystals found in dungeons be keyed to someone?”

“Loot drops? What a strange term...”

“Ah, things an opponent drops when I beat them.”

“Ah, yes. If the crystal goes for a few years without being charged with experience it may become inert. If that happens, someone else can use it. Also, if you kill the one keyed to the crystal, you can bond with it.”

Scott was both thrilled and disturbed by that last fact. “Do people go around murdering each other for rare crystals?”

Mid laughed loudly. “Yes, they certainly do! Childe, if you find a rare and powerful crystal do yourself a favor. Tell no one. Learn its secret as soon as possible or you’ll find a knife in your back. Worse, if they know that you are a Champion of Origin and they don’t get the crystal on the first try, they may camp out where you are likely to revive and repeatedly murder you until the item drops.”

“That sounds like a living hell. What happens to me when I die, anyway? I want to avoid it if possible, but I do want to know.”

“When you die, you lose a level, half your Fayth, and suffer a temporary status reduction. That is no great loss early on. However, once it takes you weeks to gain a level, losing dozens of them while being repeatedly murdered and robbed can be quite a terrible thing. Worse, if you die more than once in twenty-four hours the status loss for the previous death becomes permanent.”

Scott decided to take that message to heart. He had no idea how long he would live in this world, or what this new life would include. He was incredibly excited, but he knew that he had to be careful. He would try to avoid telling people about his status as a man from another world, if he could help it.

Mid and the Noob sorcerer continued to discuss many things for a while. Eventually he had learned everything that she was willing to share and it was time to go. She did grant Scott one parting it of advice. “Everything in this world wants to grow stronger. Even the smallest of creatures will murder you if given the opportunity. Remember that.”

Scott nodded to her. He would have to consider everything to be a deadly menace for a while. He headed off into the great unknown, his heart full of concern but also hope for the future. What adventures would his new life bring him?

Once he reached the edge of the flower field a new message screen popped up.

You are now leaving The Field of New Beginnings. Beyond this point lies the real world. Many adventures await you, young Champion.

You have awakened new powers!

Auto-Resurrection has awakened! - If you die, the gods will automatically resurrect you at your chosen place of salvation, the place where you have chosen to be ‘saved.’ A cost will be paid, however.

World Travel has awakened! - Once you enter a new location of significance it will be added to your world map. You can directly travel to that location once more if you are above ground and outside. Please note that time will pass when you use this method.

“Neat, I can fast travel... sort of. Hmm, but what’s this about auto-resurrection awakening now?” Scott thought for a moment about Mid’s earlier warning about fighting him with all her might and skill. Would he have actually revived if she had killed him? He did not want to think about it. He truly did not.

~*~

The road was a place for journeys. Scott had left the wild flower field roughly an hour ago and the trip had been quite uneventful. The jaunty background music was quite invigorating for the newly youthened man. The fact that he was alone in an alien reality worried him greatly, but he was interested in what he would find in this strange and interesting place.

At the moment he was following the road, as Mid had instructed. As long as he took the road, he would not run into as many monsters during the day. Bandits were a possibility, but monsters tended to avoid the public highways near towns due to constant militia patrols. They did attack on occasion, but not as frequently as they would if you wandered off the road.

The world was vibrant and alive with sound and color. Everywhere he looked there was something interesting to see. There were colors that he could not properly describe, and small insects that looked like nothing he had ever seen before.

Scott sighed softly. It was a wonderful day. He did not know if he could ever go home, but at the moment he did not even know if he wanted to go back anyway. He had little to look forward to back in his old life. He would be a fool not to explore this world. Who wouldn’t want to see what there was to find in a place like this?

Suddenly a rustling in the brush on the side of the road caught his attention. A dialog box popped up.

A wild baby rabbit appears!

“What...?” He stared at the little white bunny that hopped out of the underbrush. It was about the size of a cantaloupe, a tiny little thing.

“Well, hello little guy. Are you lost?” Scott had never seen such a cute rabbit. The thing practically sparkled with the pure power of adorableness.

The rabbit twitched its cute little bunny nose then stood up on its hind legs. Scott smiled down at it. The darling thing was so cute. Part of him wanted to reach out to try and pet it. He remembered Mid’s warning, and the fact that she had claimed that everything wanted to be stronger. Yet, it was such a cute little bunny. It wasn’t a monster, it was just a baby.

It stopped being cute the moment it launched itself toward him. The rabbit did a quick spin maneuver and kicked Scott square in the jaw. He fell back, shocked by the power and swiftness of the attack. He could not see it, but a red number appeared in the air, signifying that he had taken health damage.

The little white rabbit danced from side to side for a moment, one adorable ear flopped over in the process. Scott tried to right himself, but his attacker leapt into the air then did a somersault before crashing down atop him. Despite its tiny size, the creature drove the wind from his lungs. A red number one appeared above the man as he took another point of damage.

Out of instinct more than skill Scott slammed his hands together and gripped the fuzzy little fiend tightly. It squirmed and kicked with all its adorable might, but it had no chance without its agile movements to back it up.

Scott got back to his feet while holding the rabbit, then took it by the ears and slammed it on the ground as hard as he could. He kept doing that till the adorable thing cried out in agony and went still.

The bloody, mangled, corpse of the wee rabbit dissolved into motes of light not long after. Several items appeared out of thin air and the background music changed to a victorious orchestra style fanfare.

*Doo da-da doo da-doooo!

VICTORY!!

You have slain a wild baby rabbit!

+ 1 EXP

+ 1 Fayth

+ 1 Ability Point

Item(s) acquired:

Bloody Rabbit pelt (Poor Condition)

Scott panted and wheezed. That rabbit had nearly killed him! He only had ten health points and such a tiny little thing had taken two of those points without any effort. His jaw was sore, and his chest felt like he had been hit with a hammer. “Note to self: If it’s adorable, it dies first.”

He staggered forward, and decided to hope for the best. If he saw another rabbit pop out it would be getting frozen the minute he saw it. He still had a long walk till he reached Victory Station, the nearest town.

Two more hours, and another rabbit battle, had passed before Scott dragged his aching body up to the entrance to Victory Station. The second rabbit had been an adult and managed to sneak in a much stronger kick before he was forced to unleash his freeze spell. That one had been worth three experience but the Fayth and development points were the same. He’d received rabbit whiskers as a reward.

“By the heavenly maidens, what happened to you lad?” asked a man in leather armor.

Scott looked at him and wondered if he was one of the city militia that Mid had mentioned. He decided to be honest. “I thought that I was hunting rabbits, but they hunted me as well.”

The man laughed loudly then nodded. “I see, lad. That does happen. I take it you are a new comer to these lands?”

He saw no reason to deny it. He was incredibly weak after all. “Yes, I am a traveler who somehow wound up in this area.

The armored man looked Scott up and down then said, “You’ll want to get some proper equipment. What class are you, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“A sorcerer.”

“Sorcerer is it! That’s wonderful news, lad!” The man’s eyes widened with excitement.

“Why is that? I’m not much of one yet, anyway.”

“No, no. Any mage or sorcerer is practically a godsend at the moment. That is, if you are looking for paying work?”

Scott was definitely interested in paying work! At the moment he was more interested in sitting down, and possibly crying a little. However, money would be nice. “I’m not that skilled, but if I can find some paying work that would be nice.”

“Good! Follow me and I’ll take you to the town bulletin board. There are several small tasks that are best suited for someone with elemental magic related abilities.”

Scott followed the enthusiastic, possible, guardsman to a wooden poster board in front of a large fountain. It was covered in dozens of different sheets of paper, each of which seemed to contain one task or another.

“This is the town notice board. If you see a job offer on the board that seems to be within your capabilities, feel free to accept it.”

Scott looked at the board for a moment then noticed that there were several job notices seeking someone who could use elemental attack magic. “Slime core hunting?”

“Ah, yes! The bread and butter of a young mage or sorcerer! Slime monsters in this area are only about as tough as those rabbits you were hunting. However, they are largely resistant to normal weapons. They need to be attacked with elemental magic.”

“Oh! I see, and there aren’t enough mages in the area?”

“Well, there are a few, but not enough. The alchemists who use the slime cores to make potions are often forced to gather the ingredients themselves. Many would rather pay a young magic wielder to go collect them on their behalf.”

Scott looked at the various slime hunter jobs and noticed that they all paid around four Fayth per core. At his current level, if he could one-shot a slime he would be able to take down three per trip. “How dangerous are the slimes around here?”

The man rubbed his chin. “Most of the slimes around here are low-level because of overhunting. They have no special abilities outside of their weapon resistance. They probably hit about as hard as one of the bigger wild rabbits in the woods.”

Scott bit his lip. A stronger slime monster could possibly one-shot him as well, then. The second rabbit that he had fought would have killed him if he had taken another hit since its first kick took out three of his health points.

He had gained two experience points from performing the quests for Mid, combined with the rabbits he had earned six total experience points. He needed fourteen more to reach a new level. He would want to be at least level three before considering moving on to those slimes.

“Slime hunting sounds like a good idea, but I really need to gain a level or two first.”

The leather-clad man nodded. “True, if rabbits give you trouble then slimes can be tricky. Try doing small jobs around town like delivering packages. Those sorts of jobs are on the board too, and they don’t require you to run around and fight.”

“Is there an inn in this town? Some sort of hotel, perhaps?”

“An inn? Certainly, there are several places for adventurers to stay during their travels. The best is the Prancing Bunny. The cheapest is Neerdles.”

“Define cheap, if you would?” Scott had practically no money to speak of.

“Hmm, Neerdles is about thirty Fayth a night. The Prancing Bunny would charge you that much just to walk in the door and sit down for a few minutes.”

Scott groaned. “Great, I’ll be sleeping in the woods if I don’t get to work.”

The man smirked at him. “Life is hard, yet the day is young. A few of those package delivery requests could earn you enough to find a room at Neerdles.”

“Thank you. Hopefully I’ll be able to find something a bit more long-term soon. I am not exactly swimming in money.” said Scott with a laugh.

“Someone might hire you to work at their store, but that isn’t a guarantee. Most people like to hire locals instead of random adventurers.”

“That makes sense, actually. I’ll just have to work hard and see what I can do.”

The guard smiled at the young adventurer, nostalgia arising within him. He could remember his early days of fighting rabbits and dreaming of fighting wolves. Of course, he had been six years old at the time. What grown man had trouble fighting rabbits? ”You do that, lad. The people here are friendly if you aren’t the lazy sort.”

“I’ll keep that in mind!” Scott and the guard talked for a few more minutes then they went their separate ways. Scott went on to locate a few package delivery jobs to learn about the town and to gain easy experience. The guard chose to stop socializing with random travelers, and went back to the gate that he should have been guarding.

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