Prologue (6)

When I opened my eyes again I found myself in the middle of yet another forest, but instead of a peaceful, serene, emerald green wonderland that exuded safety and comfort, I found myself inside a purple and red sea of leaves with a slight nip in the air as a breeze ruffled the branches.

I looked around myself instantly, my hand landing on the hilt of my Falchion as I surveyed the area, wondering where I was inside of the Yngave Forest.

There was a place I wanted to head to first, a small town that looked like it was the perfect size to start and would have the best deals for someone starting off like myself.

Opening the system menu, I glanced at the greyed out map and used the compass to orient myself, ignoring the small warning symbol that warned me I was in an area considered 'dangerous' for my level and instead focusing on the different tabs I had available to me.

Magic, Items, Profile, Map, and Quests.

Tapping the Magic tab, I began to walk to the north east, looking at the few spells that I had available to me already.

[Illusion : Alter the vision or hearing of a target in range]

[Mirage : Shroud yourself in a cloud of concealing mist]

[Fae Light : Dazzling burst of harsh natural light that blinds and reveals in equal measure]

[Fae Voice : Imbue your voice with the unique mana of a Fae]

[Sapling : Entangle your foes feet with a sudden growth of a sapling]

[Vine Whip : Summon a thick, sturdy vine to whip your opponents]

[Root Spiral : Will the roots beneath the earth to spiral up into your opponents]

[Wooden Armor : Don blocks of wood as armor, which get stronger the closer / deeper you are to / in nature]

Quite a few spells, with four of them being Nature Aligned spells and only two being unique to my Fae blood, but I was still only level 1.

As for [Illusion] and [Mirage], they were mainstays from the original game and most other games; one altered your targets senses only, while the other covered you in a magical mist that made it easier to hide from anyone or anything.

With no additional information about them - mana cost or spell type - it was up to me to figure out how to cast them - if they were cast and go or concentration spells - or how much mana they took to cast.

Additionally, even when I did cast them, I wouldn't see the efficiency meter that everything in this game had, which would cut down on casting time, power, and how much mana I actually needed for them.

The more accustomed I got to casting these spells - or using martial techniques with my sword - the more effective they would become, allowing something simple to become a powerful, dangerous thing.

Someone in Battle of Eden mastered the [Fireball] spell to such a degree that they could level a castle with just the simplest ranged Fire spell in the game, which at base barely did anything besides splashing flames on people.

It wasn't as explosive as some games made it, instead acting as an actual ball of fire that did what a ball of fire would actually do; envelope whatever it hit in fire that dissipated rather easily without any fuel to sustain it.

Anyways, magic aside, I had little else to see in any of the tabs; Profile showed my stats, level, and other information, Map was a map, Items only showed the three things I had on me right now, and Quests was empty.

No money, no other gear, the map was empty... yeah, I returned my attention to my surroundings instantly, enjoying the cool breeze against my face as I made my way towards the small town, which would be where I would search for any quests amongst the locals or any rumors that might be beneficial for the me here and now.

Though, I did open my messaging app and shot Lulu a quick text, knowing she wouldn't see it anytime soon but feeling like I needed to send it anyways.

[K : Lulu~! The game looks gorgeous already! When you start, pick a starting Region near Yngrave Forest or the Zargrina Dukedom; that's where I am currently. The trees are purple and red! How cool is that~!]

With that sent, I continued walking through the forest and constantly checked my map, making sure I was on track for the town and gauging how much distance I had between me and the town.

For a few minutes I ventured in complete silence, taking this time to practice my footwork as I walked quietly over the leaf and twig covered ground, minimizing the sound as much as I could as I waited for my first encounter; it was guaranteed to happen, so I remained prepared throughout the journey.

What I happened across for my first enemy made me sigh, the novelty and commonness of this low level enemy both as refreshing as ever and something that made me conflicted as it stumbled onto my path.

Reddish brown skin was covered in scars and bumps, while a long, crooked nose hooked down over its thin lips and sharp fangs, beady red eyes so common that I sighed again, though it was quickly covered up by a small smile as I unsheathed my Falchion, the familiar weight of a metal weapon not doing much to me as I stared at the Goblin variant.

Snarling at me, it grasped at its rusted steel dagger and glared at me, those beady eyes alternating between my weapon, my face, and my chest, its disgusting lust igniting like usual.

Tapping my finger against the hilt of my Falchion, I took a deep breath before stepping forwards, my free hand moving to the side and distracting the Goblin for a split second as I lunged forwards, my training from real life and from the hundreds upon thousands of hours of gameplay in Battle of Eden carrying me forwards as I slashed down towards its exposed torso.

A bloated stomach and wiry frame everywhere else, Goblins were hideous little monsters that were universally despised, and they were one of the few races able to be both monster and 'mortal', though few cared to make the dissertation between the two.

The one in front of me was undoubtedly a monster, its beady eyes and loincloth making that clear as crystal, while the horribly maintained weapon and surprised squeak as it barely dodged my strike made it even more apparent.

A thin gash appeared across its chest, blood seeping from the wound and dripping onto the ground below it, causing the Goblin to hiss before glaring at me, raising its dagger and trying to charge at me, though its movements - while quick - were clumsy.

With blood dripping from my Falchion, I jumped back and avoided a slash before lunging forwards with a stab, piercing the Goblin's leathery flesh easily and making it squeal as I twisted the blade around, widening the hole in its stomach and making the hideous little red monster waddle back as it looked down at its spilling intestines.

Yanking my blade back, I stepped back and put some distance between me and the Goblin, my nose already wrinkling at the scent of blood and other smells that poured from its wound, waiting for it to die.

Without much fanfare, the Goblin slumped to its knees and clutched at its stomach, only to fall to the side and stare unseeingly into the forest, dying out quickly.

I chopped my Falchion to the side and flicked off the blood, letting out a sigh as I got the familiar notification [Goblin (Level 10) : 8 Xp awarded]

[Level 1 : 8 / 10 Xp]

"Not too bad... should be level three at least by the time I get out of here then..."

My lack of reaction to the killing of another thing was thanks to a few things; experience in this 'killing' business, ability to separate the game from reality, and viewing the thing in front of me for what it was... a monster.

I had killed things before in so many other games, and while it was disconcerting at first to see, feel, hear, smell, and sometimes taste the thing that I killed right in front of me, I eventually grew accustomed to it and placed myself 'inside' the game.

This thing was a terrible monster that would kill, pillage, and rape whatever it could, and by killing it I was not only helping the world, but primarily myself as it turned into experience for me to get stronger.

In this world - Eden - these things were horrendous.

In my world, this thing was a bundle of code, and that was it.

Why should I care about code?

So... I became accustomed to killing, though I wouldn't be the only one to admit that killing NPC's or other players still felt... off.

I preferred keeping my battles against monsters, and a lot of people - 'good' and 'bad' - preferred that as well, though a few made the leap to being able to kill NPC's and players without worry...

I could do it, but I didn't like it.

For now though, I stared at the Goblin before looking around its corpse, sighing once more as I noticed a lack of loot... though that was to be expected.

I could skin it, but... again, everyone hates these things, and unless they killed it, few wanted to buy any parts of a Goblin.

So I set off again, taking in the sights of Yngrave Forest as I made my way to the town.