A Second Chance

A youth got up from a bed, scared. Ramza did not know what happened. A moment later he was drinking nonstop, in grief due to his brother's death, but now, everything seemed different.

He picked up his phone, as he did every time after getting up. To his surprise, the days didn't seem to match. For a moment he wondered if he had drunk too much and was now delusional, but he checked countless times, and it was indeed different. The date was familiar to him, and he quickly understood why. It was the same day that Fantasy had launched.

Ramza quickly searched on the internet and found that the game would launch in about thirty minutes.

"Did I reincarnate?" the only explanation that came to Ramza's mind was that he had accidentally died after drinking too much, and was now back in the past. The thought of it made Ramza's body shake. He now had the chance to save his brother's life, and he wouldn't waste that for sure.

The game helmet that was used to enter Fantasy was already laying down in his bed. He had bought it beforehand, along with the game. Everyone was hyped with the game's release, and he was the same.

Thirty minutes for the game launch was more than enough for him to get a quick snack. He lived alone in a tiny apartment near his college, so his snack was going to be something affordable. Ramza fried two eggs and made himself a sandwich.

Ramza ate and took a quick shower before laying on his bed, preparing himself to enter the game. He grabbed his dark game helmet, putting it on his head.

A message appeared in front of his eyes, and he was waiting for the clock to hit 6 pm.

10...

9...

8...

When the settled time came, his mind was transported. The first thing he saw was a beautiful girl. She was the AI that would explain the basics of the game to all new players.

Ramza didn't want that. He had a lot of knowledge about the game, and the only thing he needed the most was time.

"Warrior, Mage, Rogue or Cleric. These are the primary combat classes, but I don't know if I want that."

There were some other classes in Fantasy, and those were the Life Skill Classes. These classes focused more on the aspect of certain skills, like enchanting, alchemy, and so on. Ramza's goal was now to earn a tremendous wealth, as he needed it for his brother's treatment.

He decided to choose the Merchant class. It was a class that focused more on selling items and managing stores.

"It's not a problem at all. I know how to get a hidden class at the beginning of the game. So my combat skills will be even higher than those who picked up combat classes," Ramza smiled as he entered the game.

He couldn't change his nickname as it was linked to one IRL ID. But he did change his face and hair slightly so that he wasn't recognizable outside Fantasy. Soon, the beginner's town of White Branch was bestowed in front of his eyes. Players filled every street, as everyone around the globe was eager to play the game.

It didn't matter where they lived in real life, they could all play together. The game had a unique language system, and everyone could understand each other easily. It was something extraordinary.

Everyone looked clueless. They were focused more on the game's graphics and gameplay, as it was something new to them. Ramza had already experienced that, so he was more focused on how to level up and earn money.

[Ramza] [Merchant]

[Level: 1(0/100)]

[Health: 100/100]

[Mana: 50/50]

[Stats:]

[Strength: 2]

[Agility: 3]

[Endurance: 2]

[Charm: 8]

[Free points: 0]

"These basics stats are rather low. But I have a unique stat, charm. This thing will help me a lot," Ramza thought after analyzing his stats.

Charm was a special stat that the Merchant class had. It improved interactions between the player and the NPCs. This meant that Ramza would have an easier time trying to get quests, selling items for better prices, and so on. It was something that could open a lot of doors for him.

This stat would also benefit the hidden class he intended to get, so everything looked good for Ramza.

Ramza started to wonder exactly what he should do. He knew that every player would rush into the fields to fight against the monsters. It wasn't a wrong approach, but the place was crowded with players. There was no way Ramza would be able to compete against them, not without his combat class.

The beginner's town had some quests, most of them were hidden, or needed the player to act in certain ways. Players when first playing Fantasy thought that the NPCs would act the same as the old games. One could just talk to them and get the quest. But it wasn't like that. NPCs had their lives, their goals. You needed to understand what they wanted so that you would get the quest, along with the rewards.

Ramza was thinking of getting a quest directly from the mayor of the town. He knew that one needed a bit of reputation before attempting to do that, but he was counting with his charm attribute to skip that part and try to get a quest.

With that thought in mind, he ran across the streets, going directly towards the main building of the town; where the mayor lived.

"Woah! This game looks incredible," a girl said to her friend, and their eyes shone brightly after looking around. Ramza didn't mind that. He was used to people admiring the game. It was the first day they were playing it. It would stop, eventually.

An armored guard stood in front of a gate, protecting the mayor's house. Ramza approached the place, and players around him already started to mock.

"Look, another player is trying to talk to the mayor. He must have read in the forums that the mayor had unique quests. How dumb," the players around the house were talking to each other, making fun of Ramza.

It was no secret that the mayor had unique quests. Fantasy also had beta testers, just like most games, and some information was up to the public. They didn't know precisely how to enter the mayor's house, but they knew that they couldn't do that being at level 1.

"Stop right there, adventurer. What business do you have with the mayor?" the guard asked Ramza as soon as he was close to the gate.

"I would like to talk with him about some business regarding the mines," Ramza answered, smiling. He had some information about the quests, so he knew exactly what they wanted to hear.

"You do?" the guard analyzed the situation, and Ramza's charm took effect, convincing the guard to let him in.

"All right, you can come in. But don't make a fuss," the guard opened the gate, and Ramza walked in.

The players around the house were astonished, and Ramza caused an uproar in the game forum...