Chapter Two: A Church in the Woods and a Reclusive Old Man

It was the first month of the cold season. The third snowfall of the year had started the night before. I awoke in the morning and went to sweep off the front walk way, just like every other day. The church was quiet. I never got any visitors up here deep in the woods however, that’s how I preferred it. The local village referred to me as the grouchy priest, not that I can blame them.

Not bothering to comb my beard I bundled myself in a nice warm cloak. Walking through the silent sanctuary I paused just short of the door. Turning around I walked back to the broom closet and grabbed my old trusty companion. Making my way back to the large double doors I slowly pulled them open. Basking in the rising winter sun I took a deep breath. Yet imagine my surprise when I discovered a small babe. He was bundled in tattered cloth and covered by a thin layer of fresh snow, lying silently before the door. In a panic, I tossed my broom to the side and scooped the infant into my arms. Rushing back into the church I prayed that he was alright. In my haste to remove the damp and freezing rags, I nearly dropped the poor boy when I saw that he was a dragonling.

A Dragonling! I couldn’t remember the last time one of their race had appeared in the forgotten lands. To my amazement, despite how I found him in the snow a few moments prior, the child’s body was healthy and warm. Tiny jet-black horns poked through his pale silver hair and dull gray scales dotted his knees, elbows, and cheeks like freckles. The only concerning thing of note was the vacant look in his stormy gray eyes. Glancing at his back where his Mark of Awakening should be I drew a deep breath. Pulling him to my chest I could feel the need to protect growing. In all my 500 years, I’ve never before felt such a way.

Thinking back on it now, that day was the beginning of it all.

-Excerpt from ‘The Diary of a Forgotten Old Elf’

It’d been about three months since Larson had awoken to an amazing new world. After the flash of light in the void, he’d opened his eyes to an early morning snow filled sky. He was stuck in a daze as a variety of sensations overwhelmed his senses. He could actually feel it! The sting of the melting snow as it seeped through the cloth and touch his skin. But even greater was the fact that he could feel his hands and feet. He could even move them! Tears welled up in his eyes as he spent about ten minutes just wiggling in joy.

When the ecstasy of being able to move started to fade he realized that something wasn’t right. Tugging his hands out from the cloth that confined them he was speechless. They were so tiny! Too tiny. He knew that he’d chose the ‘Natural Born’ option earlier… but wasn’t this a bit much? The small fingers before him looked like something of an infant.

You can’t be serious… He thought to himself. How did this damn system expect him to play a game in the body of a newborn?! He thought that he’d start the game as a kid, not a baby! Eager to find some sort of expiation he tried to open some type of game menu. Answering his thoughts, a semi transparent box entered his vision.

Character Information:

Name: Larson Reed

Titles: The First Born

Race: Dragonling

Main Job: None

Secondary Job: None

Level: 1

Experience: 0/10

HP: 100/100

MP: 200/200

STR: 20 (+10)

INT: 50 (+10)

DEX: 30 (+10)

WIS: 50 (+10)

CON: 20 (+10)

CHA: 30 (+10)

LUC: 100 (+10)

Status: Healthy

Element Affinity: Light, Dark, unknown

Bounty: 0 Gold

Special Traits:

Growth Spurt: As a natural born, to allow for a fun adventuring experience, the growth rate has been raised to 4 times the natural rate until age six.

Child of an Archmagus: As the child of an Archmagus you are blessed with a natural talent for magic. As such learning spells are easier.

Child of an Assassin: It’s rare for the keepers of the shadows to have children. As such, for you, to of been born is a blessing. With practice, you may inherit your parent’s skills.

Blood of the Dragons: Born with the blood of the dragons running through your veins, your body is naturally healthy and strong.

Title Bonuses:

The First Born: Rewarded to the first person to choose the Natural Born option.

• Bonus 50% to all Experience

•All stats receive +10

‘Holy shit!’ Were the only words that currently came to mind. Rubbing his eyes, he did a double take. ‘What kind of overpowered nonsense is this?’ After rereading over all the bonuses, he was still having a hard time wrapping his head around it. Figuring the normal base stats were probably around 10, his stats were ridiculous. ‘Also, what the hell was up with that luck stat!? Is this a joke? Pity from the system due to my real-life situation?’ Sighing he turned his attention away from the status box and watched the snow fall.

Awhile later an old man had appeared in his vision before whisking him into the church. It didn’t take long before he was cleaned up and wrapped up in a cozy and warm blanket. After being taken in by the old grandpa it wasn’t long till he started growing like a weed. The Growth Spurt trait wasn’t a joke. Only a day later and he was already starting to wobble around. The next he was already able to walk. Fast forward and three months later he already looked like a five-year-old kid.

Dashing into the woods that surrounded the church, he darted through the trees like a monkey. Ever since he could run he’s been doing all he could to explore the area around the church. Much to Gramps Hasson’s vexation. The first month was basically a daily game of capture the brat for the poor old man. By the second month, he finally decided to allowed Larson to explore around the edge of the forest. But only if he could learn a protection spell.

He figured that he’d be able to use this as a way to keep the kid still. Sadly, the old elf had underestimated the little dragon child. Almost as soon as the boy was shown the incantation for the light spell [Protection] he learned it. On the bright side, the old guy did get a bit of a break, as the kid decided that the church’s library was more interesting than the woods outside. Yet as the third month rolled around, the little punk had already read all the books in the library and back to the forest, he went.

“Larson! Boy, if you don’t get back in here and finish your breakfast!” An exasperated voice echoed throughout the little church as a silver blur dashed out towards the slowly melting snow. Thinking of the half finished bowl of porridge he’d left on the table Larson shook his head. A childish laugh was the only reply as he vanished into the woods. Pausing beside an old oak tree, he arranged the thoughts in his head.

Since he arrived in the game he’d been thrown one surprise after another. For one, he was caught off guard by just how alive the old elf named Hasson was. It made him question if he was a GM in disguise. But seeing the way Hasson treated him like a child made him rethink that opinion. A GM would know about the Natural Birth option right? Or is he just a really really intense Roleplayer? While reading some books in the library, Larson asked Hasson if he was an odd child, just to see how the old man would reply. The result? The old guy hugged him and laughed saying that all dragonlings were weirdos. Something in the back of his mind had him worrying that revealing his “gamer” status would have negative effects on the game. Deciding not to test it, he chose to just act like an actual kid. What was a game without a bit of pretending after all?

Another thing that intrigued him was the log out function. Whenever he laid down to sleep, as soon as he closed his eyes a menu would appear. It offered the chance to log out or enter sleep mode. Knowing that there was no difference from sleeping in reality and simply sleeping in the game, he always went with the sleep mode. Three months in and he still hadn’t officially logged out. He had to admit, this game was like nothing he’d ever played before. It was more like something one would read about in a fantasy novel. Not that he was complaining.

As he was marveling over the depth of the game for the thousandth time, a rustling came from the bushes next to him. Thanks to the practice he’s been doing the last few days he easily entered a battle-ready stance. Poised to strike he stared at the moving shrubbery. Sluggishly a light pink blob rolled out.

Pink Slime

Level: 4

HP: 50/50

MP: 100/100

Thanks to the Passive skill[Appraisal] he got while reading books in the library, an info box appeared in his head as he stared at the blob. This wasn’t the first time he’d come across a slime. Though seeing a pink one was a first. So far he’d only seen blue and green ones. According to [Appraisal], the pink one was a bit on the tougher side. At least from a slime standpoint.

Filtering through the list of spells he’s learned he formed a finger gun with his right hand. Pointing it towards the slime he smirked. “[Void Shot]” A surprisingly deep voice left his lips as he channeled the spell. He could feel the flow of mana in his body move towards his finger. After a short build up a black ray of light shot from the tip of his finger. The slime didn’t even try to dodge as the black beam pierced straight into it, slamming right against its core. With a rather nasty sounding gurgle, the slime started to dissolve. One-shot, one kill. Blowing off the tip of his finger like a wannabe cowboy, he smiled triumphantly. Picking up the small crystal that dropped as the slime vanished, Larson darted off further into the wood to find his next victim.

Character Information:

Name: Larson Reed

Titles: The First Born, Avid Reader

Race: Dragonling

Main Job: Apprentice Mage

Secondary Job: None

Level: 5

Experience: 10/50

HP: 500/500

MP: 380/400

STR: 70 (+10)

INT: 100 (+10)

DEX: 80 (+10)

WIS: 100 (+10)

CON: 70 (+10)

CHA: 80 (+10)

LUC: 105 (+10)

Status: Healthy

Element Affinity: Light, Dark, unknown

Bounty: 0 Gold

Spells:

Light Spells:

[Protection]

[Holy Shot]

[Basic Heal]

Dark Spells:

[Void Shot]

Skills:

[Appraisal] (passive)

[Light Steps] (passive)

[Fast Casting] (passive)

Special Traits:

Growth Spurt: As a natural born, to allow for a fun adventuring experience, the growth rate has been raised to 4 times the natural rate until age six.

Child of an Archmagus: As the child of an Archmagus you are blessed with a natural talent for magic. As such learning spells are easier.

Child of an Assassin: It’s rare for the keepers of the shadows to have children. As such, for you, to of been born is a blessing. With practice, you may inherit your parent’s skills.

Blood of the Dragons: Born with the blood of the dragons running through your veins, your body is naturally healthy and strong.

Title Bonuses:

The First Born: Rewarded to the first person to choose the Natural Born option.

•Bonus 50% to all Experience

•All stats receive +10

Avid Reader: Gained by reading more than a hundred books in a short period of time.

•Improves memory