Chapter 1: An average day in Port Macquarie.

Looking back, yeah, I was a nerd since basically the moment I was born. Growing up with Dragon Ball and Saint Seya on public TV does that to a person. I was bound to eventually fall into the rabbit hole of anime and manga the moment I first watched Dragon ball. Needless to say, I was no stranger to the isekai genre.

So, the moment I saw myself as the character I had made in the game I was currently obsessed with, I instantly knew three things:

1: I have become an isekai protagonist.

2: I am royally fucked.

3: I want to go back home.

"Dontstopdontstopdontstop-FUCK!" I shouted, running as hard as possible. At this point adrenaline was probably the only reason I still had any feeling on my legs.

There were three of us. Me, the archer Thalia, and the monk Mallot (pronounced Malou as she pointed out many times). And behind us, a whole pack of fish-like humanoids with crude swords and lances. The violent bloodthirsty shrieks echoed across the maze of caves. Luckily(?) for us, they weren't that fast. Still, a horde like that doesn't need to be big to be fucking scary.

Usually, enemies like those were not that hard to deal with if you came with some poison, had some fire-imbued weapons and were generally prepared.

We were not prepared in the slightest.

"'Good feeling' my ass!" Roared the usually composed Monk at my left. The only one at the moment who didn't look like was about to collapse. Some sweat at most, which was still impressive. It just make me miss my old body more. That body could run.

"Why did it have to be fish people?!" Yelled the frantic voice of our archer. "Don't those things live way north?! And why are these gross monsters so quiet?!-WAH!"

A rusted lance hit a spot on the stone wall centimeters away from the girl's head. Making rain pebbles and stone shards on our faces.

"You're an archer! Throw something at them! Anything!" I shouted at our resident sniper. The light was near. Just some hundred or so meters away. My legs hurt from running so much. Didn't help that they were so short now.

"I'm a sniper, jackass! I shoot things! I don't throw things at things!" She stumbled with a bag she had on her hip before pulling out a green flask. "Wait! I still have some Alchemic Fire!"

"Just burn the bastards, then! I'll [Haste] us!" I grabbed and pushed the combat violin strapped to my back. On the corner of my vision I saw Thalia finally pulling a round green flask from the bag and throwing it at the horde. The explosion echoed painfully in my ears.

Comeoncomeoncomeon! Think! A song, any song! I glanced at the notes I had written on my inner wrist beforehand. The majority had been blurred with sweat and salt water, but some were still visible. Not the ideal situation or instrument or even Skill to play Cant Hold Us but fuck it! We are about to fucking die!

The notes exploded around me in the rhythm as I started playing. Glowing magic symbols sparkling and twirling in the air. A soft greenish glow covered us, along with the sensation of becoming lighter, faster, more agile. Behind us, the fish man screamed in pain as the song echoed through the cave, causing damage on all hostile beings.

I admit, I was damn lucky I had got that violin. It had an enchantment that made all spells deal bonus damage if I wanted to, even when I use it for purely support spells like [Haste]. Despite the low damage, it was very useful to stun or distract enemies.

Another bottled fireball flew above my head. I was only half paying attention to Thalia, mostly focusing on playing the instrument and not tripping on some rock or my own damn feet.

"Chasing dreams since I was fourteen. With the four-track, bussin'..." Twenty meters. The cacophony of roars and shrieks was getting lower and lower. Almost out. Just a little more! "Halfway cross that city with the backpack!"

A sword flew above my head. The smell of fresh salt water was getting closer and closer. The light was getting brighter and brighter Focus. Focus!

"CAN WE GO BACK? THIS IS THE MOMENT…"

The first one to burst out of the cave was Thalia Amaris: the archer. A young elf woman cladded mostly in red. Her white skin was tanned by the intense sun. Long brown hair flowing down her back like a cascade, with her pointy ears sticking out. Amber eyes like polished jewels. Aside from the bow and quiver, our brumpy scout was wearing knee-high brown boots, light-gray trousers with a brown belt under light leather leggings, white and red shirt and jacket under leather armor, red gloves and goggles wrapped over her eyes.

The second was Mallot Ferret: the monk. A copper-skinned human girl bearer of very well defined muscles, short raven hair the length of her neck and eyes the color of dark wood. Her outfit was simpler in design than Thalias. Only a basic set of brown pants, black top and white shoes. As expected, no weapons on sight. Only a pair of brass knuckles and enough strength to suplex a bear.

And last but not least important: Myself, Carlos Eduardo Barbosa. Or Edward as most called me. A young, short black halfling in my early twenties. Short black hair slowly growing into more twirled locs, copper-brown eyes, and a shadow of a beard growing despite having shaved less than a goddamn week before. My armor was leather and mail over more casual clothes. White simple shirt, dark blue trousers and blask shoes under a light armor that covered chest, legs and almost doubled as gauntlet for my left arm.

"Tonight is the night, we'll fight 'til it's over. So we put our hands up!" I continued to sing as we ran, even when I couldn't hear the shrieks anymore, even with my lungs on fire and my heart threatening to burst through my chest. I continued to sing.

"THIS IS FAR TOO CHEERY FOR THIS SITUATION!" Exclaimed Thalia.

We all ran across the sand along the coast, past the few trees on the way up a near hill. Without any strength left on my legs, I collapse on the soft grass next to Thalia. Mallot stumbled to a small tree and let herself fall against the trunk. The cave entrance was on the edge of one end of the beach, under a small green mountain with some trees scattered near the base. We were on top of one of the 'levels' of hills of the mountain. At this point the Sahuagin had stopped their chase and remained in the cave.

Then, deafening silence. No one said a word, we were all too busy catching our breaths. It was only the wind, the waves at distance and Thalia on her fours, trying her best not to puke.

"We... need... a healer..." Mallot declared.

"Agree. I think I pulled something..." I joked. Partially. No, it wasn't a joke. I was pretty sure I had actually tore a muscle back there. Hard to tell with that migraine

"For... the party, Edward." The monk clarified between stern breaths. "A dedicated one."

"That too." I agreed rather reluctantly. Until now we had no need for a dedicated healer for our group. I had a pretty good skill kit between healing, buffing and attacking. But a bard with Cure Wounds was still nowhere near a Cleric with Healing Chant.

"Why did it had to be sea shit? I fucking hate sea shit." Grunted our always dependable sniper.

"Heh. The mighty Deadeye, Hunter of Knights. Afraid of some carps?" I teased her between laughs. It's not like she ever misses a chance to mess with me either.

The 'mighty' archer turned her pouty face to give me a death glare. "I'm a sniper, knee-height. I kill from afar. Try to shoot something while the thing jumps on your throat. If I had time and distance, those things would be our dinner." She smiled, like she could see the plate right in front of her. "Great. Now I'm hungry for grilled fish."

"You know, you love fish a bit too much for someone who hates the sea so much." I said, smiling, to the woman that eats fish all day if given the chance. I rolled on my back with the small amount of strength I had left. The infinite sky opened above with blue and some shades of orange from the descending sunset. If I focused hard enough, I actually could see little bars with Thalia's and Mallot's names on the left corner.

"It's a revenge dish now." Thalia all but growled the sentence. Which only made both me and Mallot laugh more.

"How are you two still alive?" Questioned a baffled monk. "I've been scouting these lands for six months. And that's the first time I've seen so many dangerous places."

"My luck is negative." I said, deadpan.

"Yeah, we know." Thalia mumbled just as inexpressive. I gave her a half-hearted kick to the side. Just strong enough to take a 'ugh' from her.

"And you shut up." I said.

"I can believe that. Easily." Said the dark-haired Monk, referring to my comment about luck, I imagine. "Somehow, you have the best and worst luck I've ever seen."

"Well, we finding those means someone else wont trip on those fuckers, at least." I grabbed my bag and took out a map and ink and quill from his inventory. It was a very rough estimate of the region, way different from the detailed map I used to have in-game. "Aquatic cave near the end of the beach…" I marked the spot with a small note.

It was the fourth monster spot we had found in two days. Whoever decided this was a good place for a settlement had really missed the mark.

"I think we explored enough for today. I'm pretty sure that's enough for the guard guys." I suggested as I stored the roll of paper back on my inventory. The sun was starting to set already. And in that continent, when the night comes, powerful monsters appear too. And oh boy, those things pack a punch. And spikes. And teeth. Many many many sharp teeth.

Thalia agreed with a muffled "Thank you" and a thumbs up.

We slowly took a trail down the hill towards Port Macquarie. It was not that far from where we were, maybe a quarter from an hour away following the sand along the forest. As the three of us crossed the beach, the wind started to pick up sand and leaves. If this was the actual game it would be some next gen stuff. Well, in a way I *am* in the actual game...

Legends of The Forbidden Lands. An RPG game I had been waiting for the longest time to be released. Kind of a mix between city builder, dungeon grinder and Monster Hunter set in literal Australia, although a fantastic version. I had broken my vow of being a cheap bastard and bought the game instead of waiting for the cracked version, that's how hyped I was despite the red flags. Well, because of that and because of the accident.

I actually had a pretty solid theory of what and why: I died. It was not that surprising, I got caught in a pretty bad car accident a month before arriving in Port Macquarie, and on top of that ended up getting a bad infection in the hospital. Some kind of freak bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Last I remember was finally downloading LoTFL and playing for a few hours before... well, dying, apparently.

Somehow, I had incarnated in the character I had made as a test. A halfling Bard named after himself. When I woke up, I was in a wagon traveling to Port Macquarie with only the starter equipment, those two girls and totally lost on what the hell was going on.

At first I had gone along with it, still convinced I was having some kind of hype-induced fever dream, going each day as if that was still a game. Learning how the world and the magic system worked, traveling to other villages around, blending with the locals, I even got an Adventuring license and went on a few quests. This world was a bit different from the mage. I think. It's been so long and I played so little it was had to judge.

Two weeks and many struggles to survive later, I started to get anxious about waking up. Nearly a month later, reality was clear to me: I was stuck inside a video game. Like some kind of bootleg SAO without the rigged VR part. The world worked in a kind of D&D logic. There's dungeons, monsters, magic items. Guilds, all that.

Why was I reincarnated in LoTFL especifically? I have no fucking idea. Never saw any angel, reaper on anything resembling a god or goddess between fainting in the hospital bed and waking up on that wagon. Just sleeping and waking up like that.

"You'd think reincarnating in a video game would be a breese." I couldn't help but chuckle at my own thoughts. A dry, salty laugh. I am no bounty hunter. Not even a classic hunter, like, animals and shit. I am a programming student from Brasil. I was really trying my best here, that was no lie. But anyone would be stressed and having those migraines after a literal reality shift like that. My chest was still hurting, arching like I had inhaled hot sand. Pretty sure that was a pre-warning of heart attacks. Maybe.

In stories like that, it usually ends when the main character beats the final boss and either goes back or chooses to remain in that world. That was my best bet at the moment, and currently my long-term objective: Finishing the main story and beating the game.

That is, when I figure out how to start the main quest.

"Edward?" Thalia's voice, along the violent crack of a thunder snatched me back to reality. The sky had suddenly closed in a sea of dark clouds. A light rain had started falling along the increasing winds.

"Well, fuck me." I muttered. "Hey Mallot. You were with the scouts around here before. Know if there's any shelter nearby?"

"There's one a few minutes into the forest." She waved for the two of us to follow her. Already on her way inside the woods. "It's a cave people sometimes use for camping. It may have some monsters nearby though."

"It may?!" Thalia squealed. "May as in what odds exactly?"

The martial artist said nothing for a few seconds. Another thunder ripped the sky apart. Now the rain was really pouring down. So hard that it was getting hard to hear what Mallot was talking. Even with the trees blocking most of the raindrops, there was no hope of reaching the cave less than soaked.

"Most likely?" She said. I somehow heard thalia squirm a little and murmur a skill for better hearing. "For what I know it's been some time someone went there. It's been busy for everyone." Mallot was now raising her voice to be heard over the wind.

"Y-eahShit!" I only saw the low branch when it was almost on my face. I ducked under it, but by the loud "FUCK!" Thalia made, she didn't. How the fuck got so dark so fast? "It figures out!"

The main plot of LoTFL could be resumed as 'What if we mixed Breath of the Wild and Monster Hunter? And also set it into an alternate version of Australia?' along with, well, average japan-levels of fanservice. Travel to a newly discovered continent full of mysteries and strange creatures. Defeat an ancient evil ressurging. Kill the monsters ravaging the lands. Seven different regions to explore and lose yourself into before the main bad guy shows up. Mix that with some... curious romance mechanics and you have a very 'eccentric' game with a strange idea that may as well work.

Or a game that secretly started as an eroge and the developers just went fucking balistic to the point it was more profitable to take out most of the porn and market as a big-scale indie. This is not a joke. I made a pool with some friends for if and when a dev would let it slip.

Inside the game, however, the picture was way different. It had been maybe three years and a half since Britain had established a colony of its own. Monsters storming settler villages and tearing people apart. Famine and illnesses rampaging poorer settlements. Gangs of bandits terrorizing the general public. Most of the population outside the bigger settlements had been either chased to safer regions or mauled to death. Even places like Port Macquarie, a settlement guarded by some of the royal british army itself, was considered a dangerous zone.

We eventually reached a literal wall in the form of the lateral side of the mountain. Mallot quickly dashed left, with Thalia and I on toe. Rain pouring down heavily on our backs. I felt Thalia's hand reaching for my own. Maybe making sure I wouldn't be left behind. I held it firmly. Even with my dark vision, it was hard to see. The only lights were the lightnings crossing the sky.

"A little slower, please? You two giraffes walk too fast." I said as loud as I could without shouting.

"Put your legs in it, Pint-Size." Thalia answered. But they still slowered to keep up with me.

Now not only were we drenched, the ground was muddy and slippery. Our steps sounded like explosions hitting the mud. Soon we reached a tall barrier of rocks. The side of some part of the mountains near.

"We're near. Slow down and heads up." Warned the monk as she darted to the left.

I was already doing my best to be as quiet as possible, but whatever. Good thing no one in the group uses heavy armor. I was just hoping that nothing there had any enhanced senses or tripped into one of us in that darkness.

I suddenly felt something grabbing me by the back of my shirt, and also Mallot by the sound of things. "I heard something. Voices. And they don't sound that friendly."

"Can you tell what and how many?" I asked. If there was one lesson I learned during that month, it was to trust in Thalia's ears. She either has a crazy passive skill combo or just the ears of God. Her detection skills may be lacking, at best, but her raw hearing saved us more times than I could count.

"I think humanoids. At least three." She wiped some water from her eyes. Her situation didn't change much. Still drenched.

Mallot gestured to us to stay still and went first. very slowly on the tip of her feet. The mountain wall ended in a rather abrupt rocky slope.

"There's light on the cave. I can see three guys inside. Look like bandits. No indication of a fourth." She muttered.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I had learned that the best logic to use in this world was game logic. If it doesn't make sense in a game designer perspective, then it isn't likely to happen or to be.

"Hum... I can hear them. they're talking about a cabin nearby, planning to rob it." Thalia said.

"Mr. Dawell..." Mallot said. By her nervous reaction, she probably knew who it was. "Bastards. Going after an old man."

"There's more." Thalia stayed quiet for almost a minute hearing. "They're scouts. From a bigger camp."

"Think we can take them without killing?" I asked Thalia. No matter if it was a fantasy world, inside a game or whatever. I will at least try to talk to racional enemies before resorting to violence. They're still human. Or elfs, or orcs... still people after all. It didn't mean they'd get out scot-free. Planning a robbery, likely without intent of leaving witnesses, of an old man on top of it all, was way above my mercy threshold.

The archer peeked over the stone border. I followed right behind, and could partially see an open area, with a large cave a few meters across them. The ground was battered dirt from constant movement, now too muddy to walk undetected. Some tree stumps and even one or two tables left near the entrance, around a hole. Probably a campfire point. To our right side was a rocky steep with a small trail leading to some observatory points above. The left was the treeline to darkness.

Inside the cave, three humans, I presumed, were sitting on logs around a lit campfire. Some bags were scattered around. The cave made a turn a few meters inside. If I was to guess, a fourth bandit would be hiding there.

"I don't know. Even if we go for a full-on assault, they'll notice us right away. Too windy to kill them stealthy either." Despite her grimm words, she opened her bag and equipped her bow and quiver. "[True Sight]."

Her right eye glowed softly. Thin lines of red light drawing a stylized target icon: Three circles cut by four lines in each cardinal point. The mark of an Adventurer.

"We have the advantage of the surprise. If we get there without being noticed, maybe we can take them out without much trouble." Mallot said.

"I think I have an idea. See that flat ledge above?" I pointed out. "I'll try to sneak up there and cast [Sleep] on them."

"You have [Sleep]? Perfect." Said Mallot. "But you will be an easy target while casting. If they manage to get out and see you before sleeping, you could very well take an arrow to the neck."

"I'll cover you." Thalia pulled out another green flask from her bag. "If things go south, I still have some."

"I… don't think it'll be necessary." I said. I was not in the mood to create and violate the Geneva Conventions over some bandits. "If it works, whistle before coming so I can stop the spell."

I crouched and went as quickly as I could in that situation. The rain had subsided a little, but the ground was still a muddy trap. The trail was like, ten steps away at most. But I still kept an eye on the cave the entire time. The wet gravel on the trail was an enemy on its own. I almost slipped on the first step. And on most of the way up the like five meters.

Fortunately the way past that was mostly flat rock. I could sneak the rest of the way.

Good thing no one in this world speaks portuguese. I tuned my violin, more of a habit than anything. Instruments actually tune by itself as a bard plays. It took some time to get used to it, but it was certainly convenient.

I felt the Hero Mark glowing warm on my right hand. I took a deep breath, going over the process again in my head. Summoning the power of that magic system to carry my song.

"Brilha, brilha, estrelinha. Quero ver você brilhar. Lá no alto, lá no céu. Num desenho de cordel..." I started. An old lullaby mom used to sing to me when I was little. It was kind of strange to play it on a violin, and in the dark rain like that. But hey, not the strangest thing I had done here.

Despite the rain, despite how tired I was, in that moment I felt... peace. Like I was years back home, back in Brasil, listening to random musics on my headphones, playing games on my PC, waiting for mom to call everyone for dinner. Back when I was just a kid and life was simple and the worst I had to worry about was school and finding game cracking sites with as few viruses as possible. Back to my family, my parents and my sister... and how much I missed them...

The sound of Thalia whistling pulled me out of that nostalgic trip. I instantly stopped playing and waited for the girls to approach.

A few seconds later, my two companions stepped out of the shadows. I put the instrument away and jumped to the ground below. The three bandits were sleeping like baby goblins after a feast.

Without wasting time, Thalia took out a bunch of rope from her bag. Less than a minute later we had three tied up bandits. And they were still sleeping.

"Talk about pulling a Sleeping Jack. You're good." Muttered the dark-haired girl to me. Then, she placed her right hand on her chest. "[Dry]!" A small, but very hot tornado involved the girl. It only took a few seconds before she was fully dry, head to toes.

Me and Thalia did the same. And I once again thanked however crazy wizard who had come with the Hero Marks and designed the magic system in this world for including those utility spells. It was like a cantrip in D&D. Free minor wonders that could be cast at will, without any level in magic.

"What can I say except: Debuffs for the win." I said. I ran my hand through my hair for emphasis, only to find it full of leaves and twigs. "When the hell..."

"You also have some things on the back of your neck." Mallot warned me. She reached past my head to get the little twig out of some locs on my neck. "I think you'll need a comb to untangle all that."

"Shit…" While the two of us talked, I saw Thalia in the corner of my vision, going through the bandits bags. It was an unspoken thing among Adventurers: Once you took care of the threat, loot everything you want before the guards or the contractors arrive. Was it kind of crappy? Yes. But hey, game logic. That was sometimes our best source of income and gear.

"They've got some money, rations, a few potions, a Sun Orb..." She mumbled as she reached for a bigger bag made of fancy-leather. "Another bag of coins... Some good items..." Her eyes caught the tip of something on the floor, against a wall. "What's... OH!"

The shout grabbed my and now Mallot's attention. She was triumphantly holding a long black bow. It had a pretty basic design except for the grip. It had kind of a handle behind a black metallic plate in a kind of double-diamond design. The plate was more round, except for the arrow sockets that were sharper. For more stability I guess.

A faint purple-colored aura covered the weapon. Indicating both that it was enchanted and was at least an Epic-Class.

"Mine! This one 's mine! Mine mine mine." She announced. More barked at us.

Mallot answered with an unbothered shrug, but I could tell she was not satisfied with that. That looked like a fairly expensive bow, no doubts.

"First saw, first get." The dark-haired monk repeated the famous rule. It was an informal but heavily enforced rule between Adventurers: Money, supplies, jewels and the likes are shared between the party, but for rarer items it was first to see, first to get.

"You're the archer. Go nuts." I said. I'd rather not argue with a friend. Especially for an item I have no use for.

In the end, that little adventure paid around 200 florins for each of us. Some potions of health, mana and status effects. The epic-class bow for Thalia. Two steel swords for both me and Mallot. I got a Sun Stone, a golfball-size yellow stone that produced light. An epic-class pair of metal bracelets that enhanced strength. Mallot took those obviously.

After dividing the loot, we took the bandits' spots on the logs around the fire. Leaving the three sleeping bandits stacked in a corner. Faces to the wall.

"I wonder what they have..." Thalia eyed the three sleeping beauties left sitting against the walls.

"We're not shaking up prisoners for loot." I said. There were limits. Thin, but still present.

"Meh..." The Archer went back to inspect her new bow. I also turned to a more important task: fishing the remaining leaves from my hair. Or at least as many as the situation allowed. "At least we can give them to the Guard and collect a reward." She mentioned some moments after.

I just nodded along. LoTFL had that thing of capturing criminals alive and turning them to the Guard for rewards. Well, in the game it was more of an extra challenge for money and items. Here, it was more of a side branch of Adventuring. I even know a guy back in Macquarie that made a living from just capturing bandits. Captured criminals either become servants or do public work depending on crimes.

"Probably. I'm counting at least 900 florins. That's like… three months of rent for each." I guessed.

"Hell yeah. We're finally getting lucky." Thalia smiled. A genuine smile of someone who could finally, at least for a moment, just relax and forget about life and its problems.

It was... nice. Warm and cozy. Eating and resting around a campfire after a quest, like many nights before, after missions or just backpacking around the continent. I could just pretend we were just a normal group of friends camping in the woods, instead of mercenaries for hire in a fantasy world.

I mean. This place has its perks, not gonna lie. It was just as much of the fantastic adventurers I used to watch and read about. It wasn't perfect, or the classic power fantasy, but I… I like it.

Fuck it. I may as well take my time before returning to Earth. A year, maybe two. I wanted to take a vacation anyway.

I raised my hand, more out of habit than necessity, to bring up my status screen. The screen itself resembled a 5e sheet, but way more simplified. Name, gender, race, age, class and titles on the upper part. Ability scores, proficiencies and skills on the lower part. This system doesn't have inventory, crafting or other functions besides showing your status. It's more to show what you have than what you can do.

What I have are some decent stats, at least by D&D standards. All stats on either 11 or 12. Except for my 16 in Dexterity and 15 in Charisma. As for Active Skills, I didn't have many offensive ones, more of a utility side. Mage Hand, Vicious Mockery, Cure Wounds, and others. A cool thing this system does that D&D don't, however, is leveling up skills a la Skyrim.

"Nice. My [Haste] leveled up." I commented out loud.

"Atta boy. One more reason to celebrate." Thalia playfully slapped my back and offered me a bottle of ale. I didn't question where it had come from, it could be from either her supplies or the bandits.

I was about to start drinking when I noticed something moving on the corner of my vision. One of the bandits was slowly but surely wiggling against the wall. We all stopped talking and stared at the now awake man as he tried and failed to sit up. Visibly panicking.

"Good fucking afternoon, my good sir." I shouted at the bandit, which startled him back to the floor. I admit, I am kind of a bastard.

The man froze for a moment, then carefully turned his body to see the three of us.

The girls reached for their weapons. I, in turn, did a theater of resting my chin on my knuckle. With the most welcoming smile I could ever do.

"Look, I don't want trouble, and neither do you, I assume. So how about we do this the nice way, huh?"