In Dire Straits

Chester peered at his reflection through his hands, frustration etched on his face. "Man, to think the game would be so racist as to put me in another Asian body. It's properly built too. I'd have to be a gym rat to have a body like this in real life. Did it just assume all Asians look like this as adults?" The breeze gently tousled his long black hair, which was loosely tied at the end.

He sighed and shifted his attention to the task at hand. "Hmm, it's been three hours and no bite. I don't feel safe enough to openly loot people's houses. Maybe a small shop will let me work for food. A quest would be nice. They probably haven't patched the NPCs."

After exploring the entire village and gathering some fruits, Chester returned to the location of the altar. The village seemed eerily quiet as dusk settled in, not even the chirping of bugs could be heard. "Whatever, I'll keep trying to fish tomorrow. If anything, I can just gather more fruits. If I still don't see anyone, I'll ransack the houses and cook the animals."

A week passed, and Chester had thoroughly searched every house in the village. "I managed to find enough food for the next couple of weeks, but soon I'll have to figure out a different approach. Couldn't even find maps in this tiny village." He pondered his options. "I guess I could harvest some of the house gardens and tend to their ducks."

"After trying every skill path that I can remember, they all seem to trigger, but the effect is negligible. I chose Bard as my reclass, but I ended up mixing in the theoretical path of classless experience and stat growth instead of following the Bard's guideline. I see how that could mess up the system, but to just send me to the middle of nowhere... Is this how they deal with hackers? Just send them here instead of the gulag."

Anxiety began to creep into Chester's thoughts. "If I'm stuck here without the system's help, do I still level up? Am I stuck with this defective class? What if I encounter hackers with broken skills? If you deviate from the awakening guideline, you'll die every time until you reclass. Is this altar what constitutes a temple here? Respawn... Is there a respawn for us?"

Feeling a sense of urgency, Chester rushed towards one of the houses where he remembered seeing a displayed sword. He caught sight of a boat slowly approaching the village. "Is this a timed event? Screw it, I'll risk it in the mountains." He quickly grabbed the sword and headed towards the space near the altar, where he had stored the dried food he had gathered. "I shouldn't risk it by bringing the ducks. I'll keep watch from a distance on the first day, in case I encounter any nearby monsters."

As the boat drew nearer, Chester noticed around 25 people on its deck. "So, around 20-ish. Maybe the high-level ones are inside, so maybe 30-ish. They seem to be NPCs, but there's a possibility of them being changed into a Chinatown-friendly avatar." Suddenly, he felt someone on the boat staring at him, even from far away he could tell he was being stared at, an uncomfortable gaze that was forcefully prying into his very being.

By the time the first person stepped onto the pier, Chester was already deep into the mountain path, carrying only a small knapsack on his back, a short sword, and enough food for two days. He ran frantically, hoping to escape from whatever it was that had fixated its gaze upon him.cold shudder ran down his spine, and between ragged breaths, he took a step back.

By the time the first person stepped onto the pier, Chester was already deep into the mountain path, carrying only a small knapsack on his back, a short sword, and enough food for two days. He ran frantically, hoping to escape from whatever it was that had fixated its gaze upon him.