Accustoming to the New World

My second day, at noon, I reached my first stop of the day. It isn't inside a forest nor outside in the plain of grass, but a small village with houses counted on both hands. They're not small though, big enough for a family of at least 6 people to live in. Surrounding the houses and farther away were patches of farmland that had many different types of plants growing.

'Eight houses… wonder if I can crash there for the night?'

I would just take their houses by force through a couple of Curses like Dull Mind or Shatter Will, but I'm feeling quite hopeful today.

'Nevertheless, it's not too bad to try.'

Try to see if there are any good people in this World.

'Let's knock on that one.'

I walk to the nearest one, on the edge of the houses and a little farther apart than the others. I gave the house's door a knock and waited for a response. Nothing came out, though. After a few more seconds, I gave the door another knock and this time continuously until I detected movement from inside.

'Soft steps…'

Then, opening the door was an old lady with a haggard, sleepless expression on her face.

"What do you want, it's already late and… you're not the usual kids?"

"No, I'm afraid I'm not. I'm a traveler from distant lands, here to seek refuge from the night. Would you mind if I-"

"Get out, not interested.''

She shuts the door on my face as I was still mid-sentence. I stood there in silence as the faint footsteps behind the closed door became more distant.

'She must be living alone…'

From the conversation clues and the fact that the house's interior showed little furniture fit for a family when I looked inside, it's safe to say she's a lonely old lady living by herself.

'...nah.'

I was thinking of using one of my Items, but I still don't know how she interacts with the others at this small gathering, much less at all.

'No, she said that I'm not the usual kids…'

Maybe she has small visitors that come often?

'I can't deal with kids, much less tolerate their insufferable existence.'

They're loud, unpredictable, chaotic and annoying like bugs crawling on one's skin. I spare the children from my slaughter, but sometimes enough is enough.

'But, this one's not an option it seems.'

I moved away from the house. About 10 steps away, I turn and approach the other houses. I knock on the second door, nearest to the last house I visited.

''Hello? Anyone home?"

This time, I decided to be vocal about my greeting and see if that'll make a difference. I have high Charm, so maybe it'll prove to be a beneficial factor. Though Charm only gives its best effects when the Face is shown.

"Huh? Who would it be this late at night?"

A muffled voice resounded from inside. It was of a woman. I was nervous as from my previous experiences, women out here in the middle of nowhere with low population tend to have-

"Who is it~?"

"..."

Lascivious figures, even if they don't mean to.

"Oh? You're not from around here?"

"Sorry, I, uh, am from a distant land. I'm traveling the world right now, and I'm looking for a place to stay the night. Mind if I take a rest in your house? If you have any spare space that is."

"Well, there's always room. But what's with your hood? If ya want to stay then I should at least see your face."

"Ah… it's kind of a personal problem. I'm not very fond of revealing my face, I hope you understand."

"Well, that's unfortunate. Though, you can head over to that house there."

She moves to the side and points to the house that's farther away, located between two houses.

"That's the nicest guy in this place, he'll give ya a room. Nighty night, stranger."

"Thank you, and you too."

She closes the door. I was left once again on the opposite side of the door, the outside. I let out a sigh, but I guess it's something to be expected since I'm covering my face.

'It's unfortunate that my face is revealed on day one.'

I could use a Spell to change my face, but my worries are on the God of Magic. If he's working with that Sky God, then I might as well have a target placed on my head from the get-go as soon as he sees through my Spell.

'I'm not a Mage Build, so I don't have the specialized Spells to negate discerning effects of high levels.'

I walk towards the house the woman pointed to. My mind plays back to the figure of the woman. She was very beautiful, with a high level of passive seduction that could make any mortal man fall to depravity. I might've been seduced by her if I wasn't part Undead.

'Seriously… is she a Goddess in disguise?'

But, probably it's just my Real Life instincts acting up. I've had many intercourse in-game back in WSO, it's a feature where you'll receive pleasure signals to your brain and make you feel pleasure. You can even… nevermind, I'm getting too much into the details.

Anyway, even though I have my beautiful wife, it's still in my instincts as something Living to procreate. To create and birth Life, even though it's against my nature as Death.

'This is why I hate being human.'

I have long considered those who chose Human as their starting Race as weak and narrow-minded. It's effectively a jack-of-all-trades deal with a normal growth rate. It's an extremely safe option for those who dislike using their brain, becoming creative and experimenting with what's given to them.

'Aside from the first Gen, the later Gens should've at least picked up a thing or two from watching the previous plays.'

I ignore my mind ramblings as I've arrived at the door. I knock on it once, to see if there's a reaction.

''Coming!"

'Oh?'

A voice came from inside a couple of seconds after I knocked. Then, it swung open with the figure of a young man in his mid-twenties I believe. His lush green hair was the first thing I noticed, and his slightly more feminine face was also a trait I took notice of.

''Oh, someone from the outside? What brings you here?"

"Travel, I wish to stay at your house until first light, if that's possible?"

"You're very welcome! Of course, come in! I always welcome those who have no roof."

The young man was very welcoming towards me, even though he knows nothing of my origins. I was taken aback by his naivety, but didn't think much about it. Rather, I thought of this as a potential trap.

'I'll need to keep my guards up…'

I went inside as the young man kept the door open. He closes when I'm inside and the interior was very simple, plain even.

'Moss on the stone walls, a fireplace in the middle… and a bed frame with some type of straw as bedding.'

No, it's just an empty house. There's virtually no furniture, chairs, tables, nothing. It was just a house with a single bed inside.

'Simple…'

I look at the young man who's walking towards me.

''You can have the bed, I have spare straws as bedding for myself."

As he said that, I noticed a pile of straw in the corner.

''No, you don't need to sacrifice what little comfort you have. I can sleep on the floor."

"No no, that's quite rude of me to make you sleep on the floor."

"It is my decision, I hope you will consider it."

"...Alright then, but watch out for the rats. They scurry around my house a little too much this year, and I've been meaning to get rid of them."

"..."

I didn't say anything further, and just walked towards the pile of straws in the corner and took some out. I placed them on the ground, and they were much softer to touch than I thought.

''Good night, umm…''

"Oh, right, we didn't introduce each other."

"No, it's alright. Good night, young man."

''Well, then good night, sir."

He was polite. He even addresses me as sir as if I'm older than him. I nodded inwardly to his demeanor, and thought if this is indeed a trap then he'll at least have a swift death for being respectful.

'I'll make you my first Undead subordinate if you're good enough as an assassin.'

I sit down and put my staff to the side. The young man moved to the bed and sat down.

"I hope you have a good night's rest for your travels, sir."

"As for you too, young man."

I lay down and the straws were very soft on my side. I lay face-up and stare at the ceiling with a blank expression.

'...'

I close my eyes, experiencing for the first time what sleep is to a Human.

.........

A dream, a broken reality, a wish… that will never come to fruition even if I'm Death itself.

"Son~, breakfast's ready.''

I watched a lot of videos, documentaries, or better call it history videos (?) of the past. A planet where you don't need to constantly worry about deadlines, a planet where Real Life is as wonderful as inside the Games.

"Comiiinnngg."

I dreamt of those times, and what it could've been if I was born in that time.

"Man, another day…''

It has its ups and downs, but never too much to handle at once. It was the right balance of moments, it was the perfect wish for someone from the dark future such as I.

"Let's get up~.''

I get up and put on my school uniform. It consists of a black jacket with golden buttons, a white undershirt, and dark blue pants with a white line on both sides. It has no pockets except for inside the jacket and the jacket's small chest pocket.

"Hahhh, this uniform fits so well.''

I walked out of the room (zzzzz) and headed down stairs. I walk towards the main room, which serves as both a diner room, living room, and kitchen.

"Morning, son."

"..."

"Morning mom!"

Mothers back then were either cheerful or calm and collected, while fathers were talkative and social or the opposite. Father and Mother… I don't remember much about them, but I can recall some of my interactions with them.

'Father wasn't around often, and when he does he doesn't speak that much unless I interact with him first.'

'Mother was… always cheerful. She works long hours like father but whenever she's home, she's the light of the house.'

Mother was cooking something, while Father was at the table reading a newspaper in his work clothes. It was the usual sight of a family back in my country's old days. When the times were just simpler and relaxing.

'I…'

I look at this scenery, a dark shadow casting over my face. My Mother notices and her voice resounded.

"Son? Is there something wrong?"

"Ah, no. It's nothing, Mother."

"Well, sit down already. Standing there isn't gonna speed up time. I'm almost done with breakfast so hurry up."

I listened to my Mother and went to sit down at the table. When I did, my Father asked me without looking up from his newspaper.

"So, how's your morning today, son?"

"It's great Father, I get to spend time with you two, and it's all I could ever wish for."

"That's great, son. I'm glad to hear that."

Even without looking up, I can guess he had a small smile on his face.

'Yes… this is definitely something normal to that era.'

A boring peace, but one so incomparably better than a cutthroat wasteland where everyone dies in time.

'...'

I looked at the wall clock that's above the sofa to my right, and it was ten minutes away from 6:30 AM.

'...'

A silence permitted the air, and I looked at the now still view of my own Dream.

'This is…'

I stood up in one swift motion, the chair withered away into black ash as I did so. It was time to wake up.

'...'

Maybe in another time, I can indulge in this small Dream of mine.

'A happiness that's short lived, but that's what makes it the most memorable and worth chasing.'

I close my eyes, tuning my mind to wake itself up. I could hear a voice, and a sigh came out of my mouth.

'I hope my feeling isn't correct…'

I opened my eyes and the same roof was still there within view. Sunshine leaked into the house from the small cracks and holes on the wall above me. I waited for a moment, before a voice resounded.

''Another day…"

"..."

I sit up slowly. My eyes scanned the place and it is indeed still the house I was in last night.

"Oh, did my yawn wake you up? My apologies."

"It's fine, thank you. I'll be leaving now, since I am an uninvited guest."

"It's fine to stay, then can I help you with anything before you leave?"

"...Yes, to be honest it's my first time exploring outside. I was holed up in my… 'research' for so long that I'm practically a newborn in this world."

"Oh? Well, it's fine. I'm not so much of a mage, but I can guess that all that fancy firework stuff you can do isn't something you can do right at the start."

"Yes…"

"Then, is there anything you're wondering? Maybe a destination? I still have some usable knowledge, I think."

The young man scratches his head, unsure of himself. I'm wondering if I could take his words as factual knowledge and not outdated.

'Well, I'm grasping at any straws I have at the moment.'

"Is there a city nearby then? I would like to stroll there to take in the current day's view."

"Ahhh, unfortunately you came at a… very awkward time. You see, there hasn't been a city that isn't a military one in over half a century now, I think. Most of the things you'll find on your journey are villages, sometimes smaller or larger than ours."

"Is that so… why is that?"

"It's the law of the new King, from what I've heard. He declared that no cities will be built without proper clearance by him, and since it's been half a century now with no cities belonging to the people, it's unlikely he'll permit one to be built within his rule."

"A King that doesn't want to expand his people…"

I muttered quietly to myself, thinking of how stupid yet cautious the King is.

One, not letting Humanity expand to its content is a large drawback. Humanity has the highest growth and expansion rate of all the Races. Two, its benefit is that Order is kept relatively neutral and good. It's a good strategy since Humanity is also one of the hardest to manage with their high Corruption and their naturally deceptive personality with high affinity for Anarchy.

"Anyway, the only 'city' you can find is the capital. There's five of them, and the capital for the Fortress Kingdom Ran is the Steel Capital, Ornsten. This territory you're in is the Fitonia region, and there's not much to this region except for the Trade Village."

"Trade Village? Where is that place?"

"North, from here it'll be three days worth of carriage ride to get there. The Trade Village is where we gather our monthly harvest and exchange them for Coppers, the currency of today's time. But you probably already knew that, right?"

"Yes… of course."

"Well, with that currency we can trade with the merchants that come from Ornsten and other Kingdoms. It's how we got roofs over our heads right now as we speak."

"You don't know how to make… brick?"

On closer inspection, it isn't high quality Brown Bricks, but rather low quality Stone Bricks. It's made by mixing water and gravel in low heat. Magic is involved in the making process, but the Mana quality for the flame is rather unrefined and low.

"Nevermind, then that'll be where I'm heading for now. Thank you very much for letting me stay here."

"It's not a big deal, I should be the one to be thankful. It's not every day I can witness a Mage with my eyes."

I nodded at his comment, and headed out to continue my journey.

'Nothing of interest happened yet.'

I scan the place and indeed, the place is still the same village I have stumbled across the night before. The doors, however, were opened wide for me to peek inside.

'Kids…'

When I stared into the houses, out of curiosity mostly, I was stared back at by children playing with each other. Their little eyes were curious as they looked at me, but that curiosity soon turned into fright as their eyes widened. They began wailing and blood came out of their eyes and nose.

'Ah, right. Kids have a higher affinity to detecting me, higher than even some trained adults.'

They didn't cry though, as their minds are probably too scrambled to do so. I hurried my steps and went out of the village, heading towards my next destination up North.