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I gritted my teeth as I watched my health tick to ten HP, a small ambient noise indicating I was almost dead. My fingernails dug into the dirt as the red bar inched toward a final destination.

I was going to surely die, and after this, there was no coming back. The once amazing game I loved, now the reason my body would turn cold and my legacy turned to nothing.

Thousand Worlds Online, was a game that ruled all games. A mmorpg that was wide spread since its release, and sold three million in ten hours. TWO was something quite special, in fact it was one of a kind. The only game on the market were giving up your life was the price.

Being an angst teen with the pressure of all my friends, I was one of the first to join. Then we were faced with the option of picking classes. There were one hundred and one to pick from, and unsure of what would be best, I scrolled to the bottom.

Class one hundred and one, The Sacred class which read:

The Sacred Class is one of a kind. It grants the player the ability to wield one of the great Hundred Spells later in game. There focus point is offensive magic and agility but lack little to no defense. This build can be hit or miss, but as the player moves up, so does his magic.

-Dev

Class Abilities-

/naturally gains mana over time

/spells increase in power the more they are used(by one attack point)

Class Handicaps

/Cannot be healed by party members

I read over the screen in my head as I finally died, the darkness taking over everything. I sighed, looks like I was done for.

TWO granted every player three lives before they actually died for good. That would make number two for me, a Govlin being my demise this time. I was safely farming Slimes just shy of the starting village, then of course a Raid had to happen. Raids allowed enemies to travel across safe barriers or level cap barriers for an hour, meaning they could reach every corner of the world. After the hour was up, all enemies inside would dissolve. I was busy listening to a <Flute Record> I picked up from a hidden chest. All it did was play a flute melody that only you could hear.

So when the Raid began and the horns were triggered warning all players, I was dancing along stabbing Slimes to death. I never even heard or got a notification, just great. It was because of my stupid class.

Every since the very first update, they removed The Sacred Class from the game, making it useless. Once the class was gone, so was the progression, and my title was stuck at:

Enji

Class: Unknown

Lvl 1

Beginner

for the rest of my pitiful life in TWO, I would be known as a beginner. I would never ever get to experience any of the 100,000 worlds awaiting me.

I spawned in a bed roll behind a merchant shop.

I would never get to experience what my friends were. Marlo, Garret, Warri, and Sasha all somewhere out there either dead or having a blast, something to far for me to grasp.

"Enji? What happened this time my boy?"

A muscular tan Half-Giant towered above me. He had flowing black hair, rough red skin, and red eyes pinged with curiosity. He had black dragon tattoos crawling down both of his arms, and a frail shirt which threatened to rip from his huge muscles. He was Takedo, a Red Empire Class who decided to help out beginners. He was a dangerous enemy, but embraced the gentle giant persona. He was most likely impossible to kill, but again what would I know.

When my class got removed, I never leveled up to even see other people's Titles. Nothing floated above his head except for a few fruit flies.

"Do I have to say, because honestly it's not worth the words." I grimaced and pushed myself to my feet, a single thought in my head.

One more death and I will never see the worlds apart from the starting one. Was I truly okay with that? I looked at my hands, they were human, I picked the race because they were best suited for magic. But somehow it felt like this body wasn't mine. My first body somewhere decomposing.

I bawled them into fist, getting use to a new body was always weird, even if they were identical.

"Can you spare me a dagger, I need to go get my loot bag?"

Takedo turned to his shop, a canopy of leaves threw shade on him, a few sunlight rays hitting him however. There was a small wooden table under it, a few blades and knick knacks scattered about, weird symbols on parchment.

I was sadly reminded, since Level two was when you were officially a player, I could not read the common language, I could only speak it. I could not get notifications either, I had to rely on sound for that.

My life was shitty, I suddenly came to the realization as I glanced down at my legs. I wore potato sack pants, the cloth humans spawned in when they die.

"Well since the Raid just ended I could give you a lower priced one. But..."

I glanced up at him while shuffling my feet over the smoothed out dirt under them.

"But?" I said with the same frown I had before.

"I think you are ready." Takedo reached under his kilt to grab something.

I laughed nervously, he also stored things in his kilt, it was always kind of nerve racking seeing him pull long swords from between his legs.

It was due to the <Pocket Portal> that players were given when they reached level two. A pocket dimension, inventory, that let them store up to one hundred items. As you progressed, you could carry more. For me however, I had to actually use a backpack.

I hid a tear as he pulled out a long roll of paper.

"Here Enji, this is a treasure map that will help you leave this world. I wanted to wait till you had one life left." Takedo held his hand out.

I scoffed, "Why when I had one life left?! Do you know if I die now, I'm dead for good right?!"

I wanted to laugh at what he said. I could have left this planet a year ago, but no, he was hiding something so amazing, or did he even have it?

"I found it a year ago when you first arrived."

I turned into a puddle, "You're an asshole Takedo."

The half-giant laughed, his voice shaking the pegs that held up his shop, scary.

"I just wanted you to take this seriously. This is coming from the bottom of my heart Enji,"

I countered, "Oh, I didn't know you had one of those."

He rolled his eyes, "I want you to experience everything this world has to offer. If I gave it to you before, you would not understand the value of an adventure. A true adventure is where you actually do not know if you will die or not, and that is what makes it great. Since you can't progress, this is the only way, an item that will grant you a chance. The <Leaf Stone>."

I blinked and watched a few knights stroll by, they chatted and laughed as they noticed me in spawn clothes. I looked back at Takedo, "I don't need a speech, I understand. The entire year I have been in this forest, I have watched so many people leave to another world. I have seen the joy on their faces as their friends go with them. Trust me, all I have ever wanted was to experience anything like it."

Takedo smiled, "That's the Enji I remember. The unspoken hero who always complains but is willing to act."

I also smiled. I missed that Enji too.

He pushed the scroll against my chest, a small click meaning he had dropped it from his inventory. I felt a single tear roll down my cheek, damn I couldn't hold it in.

An adventure? Was that something I would finally get to experience?

I watched as the warmth from the scroll made me grip it harder. Thank you Takedo.

"Takedo, you are-"

I noticed he was gone, a small gust of wind hitting my face. What?!

A small parchment was sitting idle on the floor. I watched it carefully, my body trembling. I noticed it was readable now.

I bent down and whisked it into my free hand.

----

Sorry it took this long, hope you don't hate me.

-DEV

----

My heart stopped. I could not be true, there was no way! DEV was the creator of TWO, the sole person who made this world possible. No team or company had a play in it, all of it made by this single person.

DEV was a man of mystery, and no one knew if he was actually in the game himself.

So why?

Why was he Takedo? Why did he go out of his way for me, a simple glitch in his game?

I turned then parchment over,

----

Also try to make some friends, playing TWO with some is way more fun. ;)

----

I laughed and slapped my knee. Even if my friends were long gone, maybe I could find new ones. I never blamed them, actually I was the one who forced them to remove me.

But maybe, just maybe, I could find them again.

I fisted the air with all my might.

Time for an Adventure!