2 A New World

I could hear birds singing, leaves rustling, and distant foot steps from what I could only assume was an animal. I could feel the sun embracing me with it's warmth. I opened my eyes and saw green in every direction. Many trees tall and short stood all around me.

'The world was so beautiful before it was touch by the sun of man.'

When I looked down I noticed I was wearing a leather tunic and pants someone might have worn hundreds of years ago, I also seemed to be standing on metal pad which I assumed was the spawn point. I soon stepped away from the spawn point, and began to explore the forest. Each step I took, I could feel the dirt wrap around my toes as it would if it were just poured.

'I need to secure a food and water source before night comes.'

I decided to look for a water source first so that I had time to explore the game's interface.

'Open my skills menu?'

[Wind Research lvl X, Wind Teaching lvl X.]

'I guess if I think about the menu it will open the part I was thinking about. Open a map.'

A blue square popped up in front of me showing all of the area I have explored, leaving the rest blue. By the size of the area I explored it must have zoomed in automatically. The map also revealed that I was in a safe area.

'I should try to figure out how big the safe area is.'

I began to walk in the opposite direction of the spawn point to try and figure out the edge of the safe zone. Along the way I found a tall tree with apples scattered on almost every branch. I reached for the closest one, and when I bit into it the juices seemed to just spill out into my mouth as a normal apple would. Once I had finished my apple I grabbed another to figure out how the inventory works.

'Store this in my inventory.'

The new apple dispersed in to tiny blue cubes all going in different directions before fading away. I decided to collect a lot more apples encase I could not find food later. By the end I had stored about thirty or so apples.

'I wonder if there is stamina in this game?'

I began to sprint on the same path I was taking before. Not to long after I began to feel my heart pounding and my breath unsteady. Just before I stopped a new transparent blue square appeared in front of me.

[Your leg strength skill has reached level 1.]

Immediately after receiving this message I began to be able to run a tiny bit faster.

'Interesting, I wonder if there are any other skills I can get easily?'

I stopped my sprint and started to collect as many rocks as I could find, prioritizing ones the size of my palm. I stored each of them in my inventory while still maintaining a rough path away from the spawn point. I stored rock after rock until a translucent red box popped up in front of me.

[You have reached your inventory's weight limit of 100 pounds. (45 kilograms)]

'Open inventory.'

I reached into the inventory window, pulled out a rock and threw it. I repeated this about ten time before I got what I was waiting for. Another new box had appeared in front of me.

[Your throwing skill has reached level 1.]

I continued to walk though the forest, chucking rock after rock until I cleared my inventory of them. Right after throwing the last rock I received another message.

[You have left the safe zone.]

'Map.'

Based on the map and my travels I deduced that the safe zone ends about a mile (1.6 kilometers) out from the safe zone.

'I'm so thirsty.'

I began to run away from the safe zone, still in search for water. After about five minutes I heard a faint noise of water splashing on rocks.

'That must be a river.'

I ran as hard as I could, pounding my one foot after another against the ground. Soon enough I saw the river with it clear water, reflecting the sun in all it's beauty. Drinking from the river was a dear the same color as the tree trunks.

'I don't think I could kill the dear with what I have.'

I walked down a slight incline toward the river. At the river I got on my knees, cupped my hands, scooped some of the water, and began to drink.