Chapter 4 - Realization

Leonardo Novalion, the city square of Vera.

I stood in the middle of the city square, mesmerized by the hustle and bustle around me. People hurried back and forth, talking and laughing with their friends. In the distance, I could see the busy vendors offering their goods to the customers coming and going. Some children played by the edge of the lake, throwing stones and laughing happily.

Around me, the lively atmosphere felt so alive. The aroma of delicious food and the smoke of cooking vendors created an atmosphere so unique to this city. I felt the fresh air on my face, refreshing and calming.

Looking back, I saw a breathtaking view. A magnificent castle could be seen in the distance, built on a beautiful lake. Large trees grew around the lake's edge, providing coolness and shade in the midst of the scorching heat. People sat on benches, enjoying the peaceful and tranquil atmosphere.

Everyone around me seemed to be enjoying their time, but amidst the crowd, I stood still and looked confused as I was fascinated by what I saw.

More precisely, what my eyes saw.

There was a floating text above everyone's head, perhaps indicating their name. And at the top left of my vision, there were three bars, each colored green, blue, and red.

I felt my adrenaline rise when I realized that I had been thrown into a world that seemed too foreign to me.

I felt like I was in some kind of online game that I used to play with my siblings, but this was not just a game that could be played and turned off easily. It felt real, and I had to adapt to this world as quickly as possible.

However, there was a conflict that arose that made my heart heavy. I felt uncomfortable with the difference in reality in this world.

As a modern human being, I knew that things like swords, armor, and magical powers only existed in fiction stories. But in this world, they were all real.

I felt thrown into two opposing worlds. On the one hand, this world felt so real, and on the other hand, this world seemed like a video game.

This internal conflict made me confused and unsure of what to do. I felt tossed back and forth between the desire to explore this new world and the discomfort of its different rationale. I needed to make a decision and find a way to reconcile my internal conflict.

Trying to organize my thoughts, I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the pollution-free air and the aroma of various foods entering my nose. After doing it twice more, I walked towards the nearest vendor selling food.

Before examining my situation further, I decided to buy food first. Yup, as the saying goes, you can't think clearly on an empty stomach.

Various tempting food options were in front of me, ranging from tantalizing grilled meat to tempting snacks. I chose to try their signature dish made from flour and filled with various delicious fillings, goréngan.

After paying and getting my change, I returned to the square and sat on an empty bench facing the lake. I enjoyed my food while looking at the beautiful lake and the magnificent castle built on it.

"I guess I never had a chance to go there," I thought. To find my sibling, I couldn't sit still in one place, I had to explore various cities and even countries, but the most effective way was to get help from the authorities.

After finishing my meal, it's time to analyze my situation.

The first thing is language. Sunshine said that Unbound Boundary has a perfect automatic translator feature, which automatically translates the text I see and the sound I hear into English with high precision and perfect tone. Sunshine said this before:

"This is a feature that Unbound Boundary must have because our players come from all over the world!"

Thanks to that, I don't have to bother learning a new language.

The second thing is my senses. Although my sense of taste and touch works perfectly, my vision does not. Now I can see things directly with both of my eyes that I usually can't see.

"I think the floating text shows someone's name, and the 3 bars at the edge of my vision indicate my Hp, Mp, and Sp."

The third thing is common sense and my status in this world. On Earth, carrying weapons on the streets is highly prohibited and can cause panic and chaos in society. However, in this game world, carrying weapons is a common and normal thing. I also just realized when I bought food earlier that I don't know the exchange rate of this Gani coin, which I know is the only currency in this world.

As for my status, in short, Sunshine said that the players are humans sent by the gods from other worlds. They are people chosen by the saga and therefore have immortality. We players also have another name in this world, Master.

The fourth my plan-

"Greetings, young one. What is troubling you that you wear such a troubled expression?"

Someone suddenly greeted me. I turned my head to see who it was, but after looking left and right, I couldn't find anyone who had just greeted me.

"Look down," the voice said again.

There was an orange cat standing on its hind legs. It was wearing a typical cowboy outfit that exuded a strong impression.

The cowboy cat had a wide-brimmed cowboy hat that protected its ears from the sun, and a cowboy shirt with front buttons and long sleeves made of comfortable and lightweight material.

The cat also wore jeans that matched its top, as well as high-heeled riding boots.

The cowboy cat wore a belt with a buckle, a holster with a revolver, and a small bag. Its distinctive style was also complemented by its thick whiskers and well-groomed, shiny fur, as well as its sharp, attentive eyes.

"...Who are you?" I said.

"My name is The Wild Beast Nyancat, the amazing cowboy from the west," the cat then jumped towards the empty space on the bench where I was sitting. "It seems that you are a newbie, am I right?"

What a bombastic name, I thought.

I guess he was a player just like me, but what the heck, you're a talking cowboy cat!

That's right, Sunshine said you could create animal avatars, but I didn't expect someone to actually create an avatar like this.

"That's right, my name is Leonardo Novalion. As you know, I just entered this world."

"So why do you have that expression? Are you not used to MMO games like this?" the inquiring cat asked.

I don't know if I should tell my problems to someone, especially to a cat that I just met for the first time. But since he offered, I will say it.

"I have played games like this quite often. It's just that I'm a bit conflicted with this world,"

"Hmm, hmmm, I think I know your problem," said the cat while nodding. "I can suggest something to you, but it's not a guarantee it will work."

"First, you need to change your graphics to CG or anime, you can change it in the main menu."

I said the word "main menu" in my mind, and just as Sunshine explained, a game window appeared in front of me. The window was divided into two; on the right side was my name and a simple summary of my status, while on the left side were various command menus.

I looked at my status and saw that my level was currently 0. Jobs in the Unbound Boundary should have their own levels, and because I still didn't have a job, my level was stuck at 0.

"Graphics... here it is." I found what I was looking for in the menu and opened it. Then I chose CG graphics from the various options available.

"Oh, I understand what you mean by your advice," I said as I looked around me, which had changed from realistic to animated CG.

"You can change your common sense by changing your perspective," the cat said. "In other words, when we see something from a different perspective, we may have a different view and make different decisions, which can ultimately change our perspective on that matter."

In this case, "common sense" refers to the rational and logical way of thinking or judgment that we use to understand the world around us, perhaps.

In short, changing the graphics to CG would make me think that I was just playing a game, not living in a different world.

"A simple yet effective way," I said.

"Well, this way can only help you temporarily, at least until you can adapt to this world," the cat said, its eyes focused on the children playing by the lake.

That's right, I couldn't completely change my common sense just by changing how the world looked to me. After all, graphics weren't the only thing that looked very real in this world.

"Are they native inhabitants of this world?" I asked, realizing that they didn't have tattoos their left hand. "They are Isan," the cat said. "Non-player characters, NPCs, here Isan is a common term to refer to them."

According to Sunshine, NPCs have personalities and thinking abilities that are on the same level as humans.

"They have parents, history, personalities, Dream and their own desires. They are humans, at least they have the essence of being human." The tone of the cat, The Wild Best Nyancat, turned melancholic.

"Compared to us masters who appear from nowhere, live our lives as if we are playing a game, and can be resurrected after death." He said it as if he was amused.

"I wonder who is really more suitable to become an NPC in this world."

he ended his sentence with that.