I woke up at night time. The whole meadow was lit by the moonlight. Apart from me, there was no one else around. Even my Totem had flown off somewhere.

“Well, unless some night time predator decides to eat me, nothing terrible will happen. I must remember that I am still a Newcomer. Despite my best efforts, I still have to look after myself even when I’m asleep, because I can’t really rely on my new friends! The first thing is to have a heart-to-heart talk with my Copper Winged friend as soon as I get a hold of him. The safety of my backside, among other things, is in his own selfish interests too. Plus, he is my pet. At the end of the day I need protection while I’m sleeping, and until then I will only spend my nights in the trees. During my walks though the forest I haven’t come across any similar meadows, not even any Fiddle mushrooms. Even a giraffe would have realized that this is an unusual place, but I'm not a giraffe,” I thought glumly. “Even now my abilities are much improved, so perhaps I'll find something that I didn’t notice before.”

I threw a dozen stones from my bag into the middle of the meadow, and I headed out to find something that would be of use. I discovered a lot of things, but, basically, nothing that would be of use to me. That’s just the way life went: not everything fell into your hands just like that.

Having already almost finished the circle, and on the edge of darkness, a name started flashing brightly over one of the bushes. I still had plenty of time upon my hands, and I was curious. I approached the bush closer and read its name: Forest Gooseberry.

“How about that! Could it be that there are real plants here as well as the invented ones?!”

Tall trees with large crowns were growing all around, and the moonlight no longer illuminated the bush. I picked off one of the berries and brought it close to my eyes. It did remind me of something I had seen in the past, only it looked much shinier and I couldn’t recognize the color, so I was a little bit suspicious.

“Okay, I found it, so I should try it ... It’s absolutely delicious!” “ I got carried away and ate a dozen more berries.

Forest gooseberry: A rare plant that can grow in any forest. Used in potions and cooking, and is edible raw. It is considered a delicacy all over this world. It restores 40-100 life points.

“I am definitely having these!” “ I completely stripped the poor bush of its fruits, and began a systematic search of the area for the same type of bush. Sadly, the bush was the only one around, but at least I got forty-three berries in my collection from this one.

“So, my Copper Winged friend doesn’t need to worry about where his next meal is coming from, because he has his chewy berries. My next step is to find more of these bushes: firstly, they are delicious, and secondly, it is possibly something that can be sold. Once I meet people I will need money, and with these fruits, I think, I will be able to earn some cash ...” Then I remembered about the falcon, and an idea came to my head for some reason, so I took a dozen cuttings from the bush, on the premise that if they turned out to be of no value, then I could just dump them. But what if it turned out that they were worth some coin?

Having finished wandering through the forest, I returned to the meadow, where I had left the stones that I had collected from the Sparkling River. The moon played across their surfaces even better than the river waters had. Their glow was soft, and smoothly changed every time the clouds floating in the sky altered the degree of light in the meadow.

Even without really understanding what I wanted to do and why I was doing it, I took out all the stones and began to lay them out like puzzles in the meadow. At first, I was just playing with the stones on an unconscious level, looking at them in the moonlight. Then I divided them into several groups of colors. I remembered where I picked up the Moon Flower, and took them to the same place. Then my perceptions suddenly changed. My hands started to move on their own accord, basing their actions on my intuition and instructions from the Moon Flower. I felt a flow of vitality, and my mind was no longer in control but merely watched what was going on around as an interested spectator.

“It should be like this, or maybe it should be like that?” All my thoughts were jumping around in my mind like animals in a zoo park. Everything, starting with my intuition, and even my newly found ingenuity, gathered together to work on this project. The tension grew, and I felt like we needed to complete this task as fast as possible.

I began to understand what was happening, but paradoxically, without my participation, a masterpiece was being created. Then somebody else joined our creative group, and for a moment it completely alienated me, and even prevented me from observation. This lasted a few seconds, after which I became an outside observer yet again. I felt that my life force was diminishing. Much more of this and I could die from exhaustion ...

And then it was over. There was a moment of silence, and then control of my body returned to me, and the next thing I saw was...

It was something out of this world! Exactly in the same place that my Moon Flower came to me, a mosaic of stones had been erected depicting a Moon Flower when it first came into blossom. The image was almost perfect, but even my analyst's brain for some reason considered the project unfinished, and I knew that the world was waiting for my decision. I felt this with my whole being. Even without looking, I took seven leaves from my bag, that I had torn from my Totem’s tree, and put them here and there, making the mosaic more alive. No, something was still missing - my hand took something else out of my bag without a conscious thought, and my hand put it on one of the leaves. That's exactly the way it was at the time when I received the Moon Flower – there had been a dewdrop on one of the leaves.

The meadow shook to the sound of a hunting horn. The moon, as if just noticing what was happening in the meadow, lit it up even more vividly, while the shape that I had created started flashing in splendid colors. The seconds dragged on like minutes. The mosaic changed as if it had been given permission by the moon, and became a living stone flower, surrounded by sparkling stones. A Tear of the Forest stone was hanging from the flower like an earring.

And then the messages poured down:

You have created a small shrine. You have achieved the reputation of the “Creator of Small Shrines”. This achievement makes it possible for you to study the ability of the “Collector of Artifacts”. This achievement can be improved upon: create another 10 small shrines.

You have created a Perfect Shrine, which has been recognized and enhanced by the Moon. In the world, there are 3 true sources of power: the two luminaries are the Moon and the Sun, and what the light does not like is the Darkness. Only a perfect creation can be enhanced by true power. Such a creation is made from ideally suitable materials. It displays a moment from the past or the future of this world, and is created in a perfect place.

You have received the reputation of “Creator”. This reputation can be improved upon (unavailable).

+30% increase in the chance that a Grandmaster will agree to teach you.

The hidden “Uniqueness” ability has opened up to you: +1 (1).

Do you want to devote the temple to someone or leave it free?

“It was clear what I wanted. Why on earth would I leave it to somebody when I haven’t really even met anyone yet?”

In front of me was a list of options. A huge list of names that meant nothing to me, but fortunately enough, Trickster’s name was right at the top of the list, so naturally I chose him.

Your “Intellect” has increased: +3 (14).

The Moon Flower has passed into a new stage of development, and its mana consumption has increased to 20% (mana: 140 - 28 = 112).

Your “Handy man” ability has increased: +10 (13).

Your “Inventiveness” ability has increased: +5 (11).

“You've done really well!” Trickster appeared in the meadow, sitting on a stool. My patron admired the stone flower for a couple of moments. “Not how I imagined my first altar, but it's even better than I could have hoped for.”

Trickster admires your creation, and the way you have made such progress so quickly. He is sincerely grateful to you for dedicating this temple to him. Trickster’s attitude towards you has improved: +1 000. At the moment: it is Good: 1 150. Reaching the level of Respect requires 3 850 points.

“You really deserve a better reward, but unfortunately, I must obey the laws of this world. So, this is the most that I can give you in appreciation for what you have done,” Trickster said, sighing. “But I promise that I'll find another way to thank you for such a gift!”

Thanks to you, there was a small change in the world: the first divine spirit has appeared. You need to make another 48 small changes.

You have received the reputation of “Leader of the 2nd rank”. This reputation can be improved (unavailable). With the maximum improvement, you will receive the status of (unavailable).

You are the first Newcomer to receive the reputation of “Leader of the 2nd rank”. All bonuses and abilities received from God are increased: +15%.

Their duration is increased by 25%.

It seemed that Trickster had also read my messages:

“That was pretty good! Our first bonuses were very impressive, and well worth the effort. To be honest, I didn’t expect so much from you. You haven’t even left the kindergarten yet, but you have already made me a divine spirit!”

As we were speaking we had been alone in the meadow, but suddenly the entire meadow was filled with Alphiners, and my Totem started flying around the flower. At the same time my Totem, thinking he was unnoticed, squinted at Trickster, and Trickster pretended not to notice being stared at. Trickster grabbed hold of one of the Alphiners and scratched it behind its ears. The pack leader looked on disapprovingly, but he didn’t hurry to argue with the divine spirit that had landed in his meadow. What happened next was that four ancient Alphiners arrived in the meadow. They all had different colored coats, as if age had faded them. These were clearly the elders, and they seemed to have some decision to make.

All the Alphiners parted, allowing the elders to pass to the shrine. The pack leader was already standing next to the flower and waited patiently for the sages to approach. As soon as they reached their destination and came up to the pack leader, a gloomy silence fell over the meadow. Nobody moved, and you could feel that all the animals were holding their breath. To my surprise, Trickster stood up and bowed to the elders, then silently sat down and started waiting in anticipation as well.

Consumed by the moment, I was watching what was happening before my eyes. The elders went around the flower, accompanied by the pack leader, and they were discussing something in their cat like language. Then returning to the place where they had started, they first looked at me, and then, without ceasing their conversation, they turned to Trickster. Then there was a five-minute conversation. It appeared that three of the four were inclined to one decision, and the other one wasn’t completely sure. The pack leader did not decide anything at all, but only answered questions. Naturally I couldn’t understand the discussion, but it seemed to me that the four sages were never going to come to an agreement.

I was sick of the absence of any progress, and I decided to admire the stars. I didn’t even know for how long I was staring at them, however, just like the last time, I watched the constellations and movements of the stars. I saw how the stars were born and died. Then my intuition demanded my attention, and all my visions disappeared.

Your “Star Reading” ability has increased: +5 (6).

The next thing I saw was the pack leader bowing to the sages. He proceeded to the Moon Flower shrine and put his paw on top of it. Then he mumbled something, and his meowing was echoed by every Alphiner, from the smallest ones to the largest ones.

The council of the sages of the pack of the Alphiners of the Enchanted Forest has made a decision to become messengers of the divine spirit and assign it the reputation of guardian of the lunar meadow.

“Even in my wildest dreams I couldn’t imagine that you would find me some messengers for at least another six months, and even then, I thought that you would need all of my support. But now here we are!” Trickster told me.

Trickster is completely delighted with the work you have done. Trickster’s attitude to you has improved: +1 000. At the moment: Good - 2 150. Reaching Respect requires - 2 850 points.

Thanks to you, there was a small change in the world: the first divine messenger has appeared. You need to achieve another 47 small changes.

You have obtained the reputation of “Divine Coordinator”. You have completed the first part of a hidden quest: “God’s Entourage”. This reputation can be improved upon.

“What do I have to do with all of this?” There was no limit to my surprise.

“Oh, believe me you do,” Trickster smirked. “You became a friend of the pack, created a stone flower and managed to create something perfect. That was enough to convince three of the sages to allow me to become the keeper of the meadow, which was beyond my wildest dreams. But the fourth one produced some reasonable arguments and didn’t agree with the rest of them, so I had pretty much lost all hope and became reconciled to the fact that I would never have a shrine to my name. Next thing the bored pack leader looked at what you were doing. It turns out that Alphiners respect anybody that can read the stars. So, when they found out that you could also read them, it was decided that your patron should be given even better respect, and they unanimously decided to become messengers and give me the reputation of a keeper. So, my dear friend, you're either just incredibly lucky or a total genius.”

“Hello, my little genius!” The High Fairy Tsi appeared in the meadow. “How could you possibly create such a number of problems in such a short time and completely destroy the balance in the world?! You're just a walking tornado of chaos!”

“What have I done? I haven’t even found a pet yet.”

“Life would have been easier for you if you had a dozen pets,” Tsi sighed.

It was clear that Trickster was enjoying himself, and he had a wide smile on his face.

“Let's see what you've messed up in less than a week. Thanks to you, despite your lack of knowledge, a Moon Flower has appeared in this world, and soon there will be another two, that this world is unprepared for. Then you created a unique creature right in the middle of our forest, but this is nothing but a trifle. The Mangul Ruby Wild Boar negotiated an excellent deal to leave the Enchanted Forest. Also, you managed to pass through the cave of the Fire Termites, and managed to collect the Ruby Grain from there, which was almost impossible to accomplish. From what I could see, there was no access between the forest and the cave, but the Mangul didn’t care about such intricacies, because he belongs to one of the species of Ruby Entities.”

You have received hidden knowledge: in the world, there are special “Ruby Entities”.

You have obtained the reputation of “The Discoverer of the World”. This reputation can be improved upon. You can find the information you require by discovering another 25 pieces of hidden knowledge. +5% chance of receiving a hidden quest.

“Well ...” The High Fairy sighed. “I spilled some beans, but nothing special to write home about.”

Trickster was trying hard not to laugh out loud.

“Don’t you dare say a bloody word!” the High Fairy admonished him. “You're in no position to ruin relations with me.”

To my surprise, Trickster took the Fairy’s comments very seriously, and I even thought that he turned pale for a second.

“What do we have next? Ah, yes, the less significant actions of yours. Okay, you saved the last of the Copper Winged birds, but we would have saved them all anyway without your assistance. According to the laws of this world, we are forbidden to interrupt your learning process, no matter what adventure you undertake on our territory. We will discuss this later, of course, but it is unlikely that anything will change. Usually ninety percent of the learning process occurs within the meadow area and under vigilance of one of the younger fairies. However, the Copper Winged bird decided to change all of the rules of the game and even became your Totem. And if that wasn’t enough, this spoilt little brat gave you the Tear of the Forest stone practically for nothing. So, let’s get to the grand finale - it really was outstanding. Who on earth thought that you would be capable of this? A simply perfect creation! It wasn’t merely a creation, but it was actually a shrine! Everything would have been fine if you had dedicated it to someone from the Forest or to one of the Celestial Fairies, but instead you chose to dedicate it to your patron! I understand that it was a logical decision for you to make. Let me explain, we are going to have to hold discussions in an emergency meeting of the Diadem of the Council of the Celestial Fairies, which has never been convened in living memory ... This time the Diadem will include all the High Fairies and the highest elders, including the King and Queen.”

You have obtained a hidden knowledge of the composition of the Diadem of the Fairies. There are 24 items of hidden knowledge’s left to you to improve your reputation of “Discoverer of the World”.

The High Fairy sighed and dismissed the interruption.

“As a result of your actions, our laws have changed. It has been decided that when creating a shrine or another holy place in the land of the fairies, only the name of one of the twelve High Fairies can be chosen.”

“Can I ask a question?” I interrupted the stream of comments coming from the High Fairy.

“Yes, of course,” the Fairy sighed.

“Did I ask to choose the name of my own patron? As far as I can understand, the creators of the game would be less than happy with the performance of the High Fairies!”

Tsi’s face turned pale, like chalk, and even her wings became discolored.

“Sit here, and don’t even dare to move!” After shouting this, the fairy disappeared.

You have received the hidden legendary reputation of “Seeker of the Truth”. You managed to see what the entire counsel of the Diadem of the High Council of Fairies didn’t manage to see. To see what is hidden from the attentions of the elite in this world is a talent. But this talent is nothing without training. Improved (unavailable), bonuses (unavailable), and the ability to learn (unavailable).

The Fairy returned close to dawn. The color of her wings was back to normal, and she was quite calm.

“Forgive me for making you wait,” she began and turned to me. “Dee, I must thank you on behalf of Diadem of Fairies. You cannot even imagine what you have done for us! Sadly, but with all of our gratitude, I must tell you your time of training with us is now at an end.”

“But the nine days haven’t finished yet!” I was surprised.

“Yes, I know, but the situation is that the rest of the elite council thinks that you already have a huge advantage over all the other Newcomers who came in, and at such a speed you could become unbeatable in nine days. You have done nothing to be blamed for; on the contrary, the fault is ours. You will have to leave the Enchanted Forest and go out into the world ahead of time. But we feel guilty. Therefore, I am authorized to give you some gifts …” Three spheres appeared before the High Fairy. The first sphere vanished before my eyes and was replaced by a thick old folio. The fairy continued, “This is a fairy tutorial and it is given during training to every young fairy. We couldn’t teach you basic knowledge, and it's our implicit duty to give it to you. The world will not forgive us, if you do not receive this knowledge from us.”

The book landed in my hands, and disappeared into thin air.

“Now the book will be with you for all time. Whenever you want to read it, just think about it, and it will appear in your hands.”

I thought about the book, and it really did appear in my hands.

“When you finish reading, just make a mental note and it will disappear.”

I did so, and the book was gone in an instant.

“You'll like the second gift,” the Fairy smiled.

The second sphere wafted away, and a tiny sky-blue velvet purse appeared in its place. The Fairy waved her wand and the purse appeared in my hands, and then it flared up and disappeared before my eyes.

You have received a Celestial Purse. This item has replaced your carry bag. It has an infinite capacity, and once an item is placed in the purse, Its weight will be absolutely nil. The first 3 compartments are invisible to anyone except you. The contents of the next seven compartments are only visible to the Gods and Higher Beings. It is impossible for the contents of the first ten compartments to be lost or stolen.

“What a fantastic gift!” I immediately put the ruby grain into the first compartment.

“You can reorganize your stuff later, but now it’s time to give you the third gift. I could say that you would have reached this achievement without our help, but we decided to speed up the process, because it is hard to survive in this world without magic.”

The last sphere dissolved into thin air. A fifty-centimeter diameter ball of ocher suddenly appeared in my hands. The impression that I got was that the ball was a living entity, but as soon as I took a closer look at it, it seemed as if it had penetrated through my hands, as if it was aware of my intense gaze. My hands were illuminated for a second and then went back to a normal color.

You have received the passive ability of “Unity with Nature”. Now you have a deeper understanding of plants and animals.

You have received the “Wild Magic” ability: 1% (beginner level). You can study and use wild magic. A beginner can only use this magic in the wilderness.

“So, this talent uses the nature around you to enhance your spells. Dee, you will gradually understand everything, but there is something else to consider. A wild magician can create spells as and when he needs to, using the ingredients surrounding him. Shall I show you how this is done? You still have some Fiddle mushrooms, correct?”

“Yes, I do, but how did you know that?” I was surprised.

“Before you entered the cave, we were watching over you in case you needed our help.”

“I see,” I muttered. I felt a little insulted that I hadn’t a clue that I was being followed. I seriously needed to improve my level of “Attentiveness”.

“Anyway, take four of your mushrooms,” the High Fairy continued with her instructions. “Now place them in all four corners of the world, but they must be at least one hundred meters away from you.”

I spread the mushrooms out as I had been told.

“Now stand in the middle of them all and close your eyes. Try to locate the mushrooms using your mind.”

“That’s easy enough for you to say, but how in the hell am I supposed to locate something using only my mind”! I thought to myself.

I had no idea how long I had been attempting to do this, but at some point I mentally connected with the mushroom in the most southern position.

This gave me confidence that my goal was achievable.

After that I began to systematically look for the mushroom in the north, and after some time I found it as well. Then things went more smoothly, and I quickly found the two remaining mushrooms.

“That was outstanding,” the High Fairy said. It appeared to me that she knew exactly where I should have been searching, and most importantly, when and where I found it. “Now find inside yourself a source of mana and draw four threads from it, one for each mushroom.”

This task took me much longer to complete. That wasn’t strictly accurate. I found the source quickly, but connecting each thread to the fungus was one hell of a job! No quicker did I connect a thread to one mushroom, but the other threads snapped away, so I just had to keep going. I had no idea how long this took me, and certainly I didn’t understand how Trickster and the Fairy didn’t kill me for my slowness.

“Excellent,” the fairy said, as if nothing had happened. “And now connect all the mushrooms with a line of magic in a circle.”

Oddly enough, I was able to do it quickly and without any difficulty.

“Fantastic!” The Fairy was overjoyed. “Now the next thing that you need to do is to energize all the lines until you feel that they have enough power.”

I slowly began to pour in my energy. Nothing terrible happened, but I was running out of patience, so I simply poured out all the energy available to me in one shot.

The Moon Flower jerked in offence, but it quickly calmed down.

Congratulations. You have created an “Audible Protection” spell. This will cost you 110 mana. It will work for 8 hours. Any creature that crosses the magic line between the mushrooms will be stunned for 30 seconds. All creatures at a distance of 10 meters from the audible protection spell guard will be stunned for 15 seconds. The spell can be made more powerful.

“You shouldn’t have poured all of your mana out,” the Fairy sighed. “It turned out to be a very powerful spell, but I suggest that it would have been better to start with something that didn’t cost you so much, and to develop and modify it later on.”

“Well, what is done is done, and I can’t change history. So, can I...”

I was interrupted by a new message:

A beginner wild magician can independently develop only 3 spells. You have created an “Audible Protection” spell. Once reaching a reputation of “Capable”, you will be able to create two more spells.

“Tsi!” I cried out. “Why didn’t you tell me that I could only create a limited number of spells? Why would I waste my time on this spell? I can sleep in the trees for the time being.”

“I'm sorry.” The High Fairy was embarrassed, “I wasn’t thinking. It just seemed like a good idea for you to use the materials that you already have with you. If I understand correctly, you need an attacking and a protective spell. Am I right?”

“Yes, that’s true,” I agreed with her and had already calmed down.

“Do you prefer close protection or protection from distant threats?”

“Is it possible to do both?” I asked, thinking to myself, why not get as much as I could out of this conversation, so I smiled at the Fairy.

“You are a total rascal, aren’t you?” The fairy sighed. “Okay, let me see what I can do.”

She walked over and put her hands on my forehead. A vision arose before me: I was holding a bunch of branches in my hands and pouring energy into them in a particular way. The pattern that connected the branches was very intricate, but I still knew exactly why each part of the pattern was needed, and how to create and activate it. As soon as I had finished what I was doing, I found myself surrounded by a small swirling typhoon of branches. I felt that I could manipulate this typhoon up until within a meter around me, and control its intensity. Then the vision was gone.

You've learned the “Wild Protection” spell. The cost to you is 50 mana and 3 mana for every second that you use it. It will absorb 50% of potential damage, until it reaches a level of 500 points of damage. It prevents an opponent from making a good target of you. It is possible to improve this ability.

This was an excellent spell, but a little too expensive for my life force at the moment. However, it could come in handy as a last resort. At that point I just needed to always have stocks of branches at hand, so it was a good thing that the size of the compartments of my new carry bag were limitless.

“As I promised, I will teach you how to fight an opponent, but it will be my choice this time!”

The Fairy laid her hands on my forehead again. I had another vision. This time I had a heap of leaves in my hands. I threw them up in the air, and as they flew I connected them with a thread of magic, weaving an intricate pattern. My body became filled with power, and a deluge of sharp leaves descended upon my invisible opponent.

You have learned the “Falling Leaves” spell. Cost: 30 mana. It inflicts damage on the area that it falls upon, and each leaf that strikes inflicts 10-90 points of damage. Different leaves have different damaging effects. The spell can be improved.

“These are all the gifts I have to offer. You have already received more than you deserve. Say good-bye to each other, you have ten minutes.” She turned to Trickster: “You and I will talk later.”

Then the High Fairy melted into the air again.

“Listen to me carefully!” The newly created divine spirit rattled out. “I will stay here for a while, but unfortunately, I can’t offer you any more assistance. Sadly enough, I won’t be able to give you any support, and this is very bad, because you are already so well known that you are going to be hunted down. Try not to make yourself obvious. You are now alone in this world and you are the number one target for the hunters. Try to become as strong as possible. The most important thing that you can do is to develop the abilities and skills that you already have. I can see that you already have a great selection of those under your belt.... Oh yeah! Change your name. Dee is now a household name. Also, be sure to find yourself a pet, because your Totem isn’t fit for the job.”

“I wanted an Alphiner!” I was indignant. “And I really was trying to adopt one.”

“I know.” A mischievous smile appeared on Trickster's face. “Sadly, I can’t allow you to have a messenger as a pet, so you need to look for something else. I'm sure you'll find something even better, and with your ability to get where you are not supposed to be, plus your good luck, you are a worthy son of fortune, so I have no doubt that you will get by just fine.”

Your time has expired.

“See you again soon, Dee.”

The Fairy waved her hand, and I found myself in a forest that I had never seen before. It was certainly not an enchanted forest. Pines of brown, green, and red and many more different flowers grew all around me, but only the pines stood out. My Copper Winged friend landed next to me.

“Well, at least you are still with me,” I smiled.

The Copper Winged bird rubbed his head against my trouser leg in a gesture of support that I had now gotten used to.

“Okay. Let's get moving.”