After the world percentage reached full, a sudden force pulled me forward.
The sensation was overwhelming, like being sucked through a wind tunnel. Lines of data flashed across my vision too fast to read, symbols and numbers blurring together.
Then… everything went white.
When my vision finally cleared, I was standing on solid ground in a bustling city.
I froze.
This place was completely unfamiliar.
The clatter of carriages and wagons mixed with the chatter of countless people filling the streets. Stalls lined the roads, displaying all sorts of goods, colors, and trinkets.
It felt incredible, like I had stepped straight into a fantasy game world.
Out of nowhere, a glowing screen shimmered into existence before my eyes, just like the system interfaces I had seen in countless games.
[WORLD TRANSFER COMPLETE!]
[System Notice!]
(Current Location: Capital City of Eleanor Kingdom)
A player status screen appeared, just like in a game.
Malachi Elden [Lvl. 1]
HP: 500/500
EXP: 0/100
I stared at the screen in amazement. My character's name was displayed there, along with my level.
"No Mana? Hmm… maybe this game uses energy."
Determined to explore the game world, I excitedly walked down the street, passing many people. My scythe weapon rested on my back.
Suddenly, a notification appeared again.
[System Update!]
New Features Unlocked!
[Weapon] – Manage your weapon.
[Skills] – Access and manage your abilities.
[Inventory] – Store and organize collected items.
[Stats] – Track your attributes and growth.
[Accessories] – Equip and enhance your arsenal.
[Map] – Navigate the world and locate objectives.
[Friends & Party] – Form groups and fight cooperatively.
[Mailbox] – Send and receive notices, rewards, or messages.
[Global Chat] – Communicate with all players in real time.
[Achievements] – Earn titles by reaching milestones.
I took a deep breath and tried to focus, carefully reading each description. Skills, Inventory, Stats, Weapons, Map, Friends—it was like someone had dropped a full MMORPG menu right in front of me.
I scrolled through the update. The glowing screen seemed endless, filled with rows of text.
And that wasn't even the worst part. New icons had appeared on the right side of my Player Status window.
When I finally reached the end, my friends' faces flashed in my mind.
"Where are they?" I glanced back at the screen, tapping on the map icon and searching for all the possible places I might visit first.
Another thought crossed my mind.
"I'm not good at combat or fighting… could I be good in this game world?" Confusion flickered across my face as I stared at the screen.
Curiosity got the better of me. I decided to test it out.
I attempted a backflip, twisting my body midair. I landed perfectly on my feet and did not stumble. I didn't know anything about combat skills, yet now… it was as if my body just knew what to do.
"Okay… focus," I breathed as I walked again.
I walked down the busy street, weaving through merchants, NPCs, and townsfolk. The chatter of people, the display of tools, and laughter filled the air. After a long walk, a massive building loomed ahead.
A grand sign above its wide double doors read: "Adventurers Guild."
"Wow…" My eyes widened. "It's bigger than I imagined."
"Oii, Gideon!" a familiar voice called out.
"Gideon!" Someone barreled through the crowd. I looked closely; I didn't recognize the figure at first, but he was screaming my name.
"Dude!" He hugged me as soon as he reached me.
Sebastian Harton [Lvl. 1]
HP: 500/500
EXP: 0/100
I looked at his status display.
I laughed, pushing him back just enough to breathe. "Who are you?"
"You don't recognize me really? I'm Kevin, you idiot!" he said.
"What the heck… look at you! You look like a shaman!" I replied as I stared at him from head to toe, noticing a talisman.
"Simply because I chose Shaman as my class," he replied.
"Of course! Hahaha, I totally forgot." I laughed.
"You know the thrill, right? In every game, to level fast, you need to keep grinding and slaying monsters." He gestured toward the guild.
"I hope we find Olivia inside," I muttered.
We exchanged a glance, both of us excited.
Pushing open the guild doors, we stepped inside. The hall was alive. Players filled the wide room, shouting, laughing, comparing gear, and forming parties.
At the long counter, women in uniform handed out quests, checked papers, and stamped approvals. A line of players waited, boots clattering on the floor.
I noticed a wooden staircase leading to the second floor, where massive boards displayed quests. Players climbed the stairs, whispering and pointing at quests.
"Come on, let's check upstairs." We walked toward the stairs.
The second floor was bustling. Right in front of us, a huge board was covered in quests. Some had neat little pins with simple notes; others had bright red markers, warning of danger or high-level challenges.
Most quests were beyond our level, but one stood out. It wasn't too simple, not too deadly, just enough challenge.
I pointed at the note. "Hey, this one looks perfect." Kevin leaned closer, staring at the details.
Quest: Goblin Raid
» Objective: Slay 25 goblins of any kind
Reward: 10,000 Gold Coins
Difficulty: Moderate
Recommended Level: 1–10
Companions: 3–5
Kevin's eyes went wide. "That's a huge reward for our level!"
I scratched my head and grinned. "Could get messy, but we can handle it." My heart raced. This was exactly the kind of challenge we needed.
"Alright then." I straightened my shoulders. "Let's take this quest and show those goblins who's the boss."
"But we need one more companion." Kevin raised a finger, scanning the crowd.
That's when I spotted a lady with a harp, studying the quest board carefully.
"Excuse me," I said, stepping closer, giving her a polite nod. "It seems like you're looking for a quest too. Would you like to join us?"
She glanced at us. "Yes, of course." She smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
After that, we exchanged a narrowing-eyed glance.
"Gideon?" the lady said with confusion.
"Olivia?" We both said at the same time.
"Oh my gosh, it's you!" Olivia slammed into me, hugging me tightly.
"Well, what a coincidence," Kevin said in the back.
"Kevin, is that you also?" Olivia asked. "I didn't recognize either of you."
I glanced at her status display.
Emilia Givian [Lvl. 1]
HP: 500/500
EXP: 0/100
"We are looking for a quest too," Kevin said.
"Here." I handed her the note.
"A Goblin Raid… not bad. Okay, I'm in." She gave me the note back with a determined nod.
"I think we should not call each other by our real names. Instead, we call each other by our character names. Agreed?" Olivia suggested.
Kevin and I looked at each other and nodded.
The three of us moved toward the counter.
"Excuse me, we'll take this quest," I handed our quest note to the NPC in charge.
"Goblin Raid? Nice choice!" she smiled, scanning our papers.
"A party of three, ready to get the job done."
With a loud thunk, the stamps confirmed our quest.
We stepped outside, and glowing screens appeared in front of each of us, hovering in mid-air.
Numbers and words shimmered across them, displaying every detail of our quest.
[!] Party Quest [!]
Goblin Raid
» Slay 25 Goblins of any kind
Progress: 0/25
EXP: 200
Gold: 10,000
Location: Grassy Plains / Dark Woods
Difficulty: Moderate
Recommended Level: 1–10
Party Size: 3–5
We paused, reading carefully.
Kevin scratched his head and laughed. "Well, this is it. Let's go!"
I nodded, excitement surging through me. Our first real party quest was the perfect chance to test our skills and earn gold and experience.
"Before we head out, let's know our passive skills," I said, glancing at both of them.
Emilia tilted her head thoughtfully, then smiled. "Good idea. Knowing each other's strengths will make us a real team."
She placed a hand on her chest, her voice steady. "My passive is called Aerial Sonata. Swirling musical notes orbit around me. Whenever I enter combat, the notes lift me into the air, granting flight and allowing me to glide gracefully above the ground.
"While airborne, I gain high evasion, making enemy attacks miss more often, and a golden shield forms around me that absorbs 200 damage. It lasts for the entire battle unless broken. If the shield breaks, I can no longer fly or glide."
Sebastian grinned. "So your shield literally protects you the whole battle. Amazing. You are unstoppable with that passive."
I nodded, feeling reassured that she could protect herself.
"Me next!" Sebastian said, grinning proudly.
"My passive is called Karmic Retribution, he said confidently. "Whenever an enemy hits me, they receive Karmic Retribution stacks, up to four per enemy. The heavier the hit they deal, the stronger the resulting karma backlash becomes, ranging from crowd control to various debuffs. It only triggers once per enemy."
I chuckled. "Not bad."
"Finally, mine," I held up my hand. "My passive is called Phase Drift. Some attacks and magic that hit me don't fully take effect and just pass through me. It doesn't happen all the time, only at random moments. It works best against weapon attacks, letting them slip through without harming me."