Grassy Meadows: Starting Zone

"You have been teleported to the main city," a robotic voice resounded, instantly capturing his attention. He quickly scanned his surroundings, prepared for any unexpected surprises. His mouth fell open in shock at the awe-inspiring sight before him.

Spanning in every direction was a majestic city, its stone buildings bearing a strikingly similar resemblance to one another, with only minor differences. Each of these towering structures consisted of four grand floors, making them quite large. They were further enhanced by the presence of a beautifully crafted wooden door at the entrance.

The city was surrounded by massive walls constructed from formidable stones that exuded a sense of history and resilience. Strangely, these walls showed no signs of age; they retained a flawless color with no hint of moss, weeds or cracks on their surface, making Lucius think this was a brand new medieval city.

Flowing through the heart of the city, a narrow river exudes a timeless charm. The water flowed gracefully, tracing its course, and in doing so, it reflected the exquisite beauty of the vintage stone buildings that adorned its banks.

Complicated designs, arched doorways, and ancient carvings, depicting scenes from legends and folklore, now coexist harmoniously with the serene presence of the river, resulting in a superbly gorgeous scene.

The scenery's glistening surface reflected the sunlight, enhancing its enchanting allure.

As Lucius surveyed his surroundings, he noticed a sense of panic reflected on the faces of the people around him, mirroring his own.

Bloodstains painted their clothes, emphasizing the gravity of the situation they were all in. They all wore the same clothes—a uniform of black pants and white t-shirts.

Among them, both males and females wielded different weapons, with the most common being swords, followed closely by sword and shield combinations.

As Lucius was still bleeding, he looked down at the drops falling on the city's streets, which, surprisingly, remained pristine, the blood dissipating upon contact with the ground, revealing the presence of a mysterious and powerful magical cleaning system.

Lucius's attention was drawn to an individual in the crowd, an European man in his late 20s. He had striking yellow hair and blue eyes, and he wore a worried expression due to the unknown situation they found themselves in.

Despite the visible anxiety on his features, the man gritted his teeth and approached Lucius with determination; he wanted to ask questions.

He couldn't help but notice a small wound on the man's arm that was still bleeding and getting cleaned by the magic system. 'He also fought a similar enemy; did everyone fight a goblin?' Lucius thought inside as the man arrived in front of him.

Standing at a height of 1.9 meters, Lucius towered slightly above him, giving him a sense of confidence, but he still grabbed his sword with a strong grip.

"Friend, what is going on?" The man attempted to touch his shoulder, only to be repelled back by an invisible barrier. His hand bounced back with a harmless power, making him look at it weirdly.

Both of them were baffled by the extraordinary circumstances they found themselves in, starting from the transport to the goblin, and now this mysterious magical barrier raised even more questions.

Starting with the bizarre transportation, encountering the goblin, ending up in a medieval city, and now facing this magical barrier, the situation was becoming increasingly confusing. Each new element made common sense look like it was thrown out the window.

Suddenly, a system panel materialized before Lucius, displaying a message: ["Do you wish to disable the personal safety bubble? You can reactivate it whenever you want.]" The options ["Yes"] and ["No"] blinked on the panel.

"What's your name?" Lucius asked with curiosity, looking at the person in front of him. His gaze shifted back to the captivating bubble enveloping him, as if weighing a significant decision, while giving the man a thorough and assessing look.

"I'm Kevin," the person replied, their attention fully captivated by the marvelous design of the protective mechanism.

''I'm Lucius'', he said, scratching his head in contemplation and gripping his sword. He made a decision and clicked "Yes" on the system panel. The protective bubble dissipated, leaving Lucius momentarily vulnerable.

"Hey, try grabbing my shoulder now," Lucius asked, standing still and preparing for physical contact, giving a wary look.

Kevin saw the bubble vanish and lifted his arm slolwy towards the body, finding no resistance, before placing his hand on the shoulder.

The connection was established, and Lucius could feel Kevin's touch. A sense of realization washed over him. Quickly, he reactivated the protection mechanism, causing the hand to bounce off, reaffirming the barrier's presence.

"I see," Lucius muttered, a thoughtful expression on his face. He began to understand the purpose and power of the personal safety bubble, which allowed him to control who could touch him and attack him as he desired.

"They sure are idiots," Kevin muttered, shifting the conversation's focus as he observed the individuals in the group wielding magic staffs and holy wards.

''What do you mean?'' Lucius frowned slightly, but before he could say anything, Kevin swiftly interrupted him.

"They could have just taken a sword and shield. Why did they risk taking a magic staff and holy ward when we can change the weapons later on?" Kevin pondered aloud, scratching his head in confusion.

He turned to Lucius, seeking a reply. "I think we can change the weapons later on, right?" he muttered, uncertain of his own answer.

Lucius thought about Kevin's question, considering the circumstances in which they found themselves in the trial, and that goblin was rushing to them with a maniacal, crazy look. Having a Magic staff or Holy ward and not knowing any magic seemed stupid indeed.

The melee weapons were easier to use, and the bow depended on the user's experience. In that moment, he doubted he could even hit the goblin with it, and he would have to use it as a bat.

"Yes, it does make sense," Lucius replied, nodding thoughtfully. "Given the nature of our situation, it would be wiser to choose weapons that offer more versatility and immediate combat effectiveness. We can always adapt and acquire new weapons along the way if needed."

Lucian and Kevin shared a mutual understanding, realizing the importance of practicality and adaptability in their current predicament.

Looking around, Lucius cautiously approached an empty building and found a door. As he neared it, a system prompt suddenly materialized before him.

['Ding']

[Are you certain you want to stay here? Each person is allowed one room.]

After a brief moment of thought, Lucius nodded in agreement, clearly signaling his final decision. Another prompt materialized, offering him the opportunity to select his preferred room. After careful consideration, he ultimately settled on a choice situated on the third floor, more precisely in room 3A.

Lucius received a key that appeared in his hand, and the system prompt quickly displayed its name as [Key 56, 3A]. Bringing the object nearer to his face, he carefully examined its silver color and plain design.

In order to observe its functionality and conduct a trial, he entered the house and attempted to open a door at random, but his efforts proved fruitless. Realizing that it didn't work, Lucius made his way to the third floor, where his room awaited.

Approaching the first door on the third floor, he observed the letter "3A" marked above it. 

Inserting the key into the lock, he turned it, and with a satisfying click, the door swung open, granting him access to his designated room. The interior of the room was modest yet comfortable, designed to meet the basic needs of its new owners.

A comfortable bed with fresh sheets; a sturdy desk with a chair, perfect for work, study, or simply taking a moment to think; and an empty bookshelf against one wall awaited books and personal items to fill it up.

The room had a simple light on the ceiling, controlled by a switch on the wall, giving Lucius the ability to brighten the room as needed. But it was the window that caught his attention.

Placed to overlook the city below, the window provided a view of the busy streets filled with injured people and the grand buildings around them.

Stepping further into the room, Lucius discovered a small yet functional bathroom tucked away in one corner. The bathroom featured a clean porcelain sink with a mirrored cabinet above it, providing storage space for toiletries. Next to the sink was a toilet, complete with a flush mechanism.

On the opposite wall, there was a shower stall with a glass door. It had a modern design and featured a detachable showerhead for added convenience.

Lucius made his way to the door and descended to the ground floor, where Kevin was already waiting.

"Did you get a room?" Kevin inquired.

"Yeah, I've got room 3A," Lucius confirmed with a nod.

"Okay, I'll get 3B, be right back," Kevin responded, heading towards the same building to secure the room next to him, which made Lucius lightly puzzled by the decision but didn't mind the idea of having a neighbor nearby. 

From what he saw, Kevin seemed like a normal guy, If he was someone crazy, It didn't matter; the system protected him here, and in this place where he hadn't found anyone he knew yet, it was not bad to stick together for a bit.

Waiting on the street for Kevin he looked around trying to find people he knew; sadly, the city was so big that he could not see the other side of it. The streets were getting more and more full as more people teleported in.

Glancing at the system panel, he noticed a countdown timer ticking away with one minute left, signaling the imminent arrival of an important event [60, 59, 58..33...]

Sensing the urgency, he kept his eyes open, looking around, and Kevin joined him, also aware of the timer's significance.

As the countdown timer neared its end, the robotic voice resonated throughout the city, delivering an announcement of paramount significance.

"Welcome to Grassy Meadows," the voice solemnly declared.

"Anyone who has not been teleported here by now has failed and is dead." The voice paused for a moment.

"Within these protective walls, you will find safety. However, once you step beyond its boundaries, you will face various dangers, encountering beasts and monsters ranging from Level 1 to Level 10."

The robotic voice continued, revealing some new accessible options that had become available in the system. "Two new options have been unlocked:

[Message: You can now send messages to anyone in the city if they have added you as a contact.]

[Inventory: You can store items; the size depends on your level.]

Lucius's curiosity was piqued by this feature. The ability to communicate with others in such a vast and potentially dangerous world would be incredibly valuable.

Additionally, the mention of an inventory fascinated Lucius. The size of his inventory was said to depend on his level, which indicated that as he progressed and grew stronger, he would be able to carry and store more items.

This meant that he could gather resources, collect valuable loot, and potentially acquire essential tools and equipment to aid him on his journey.

As the robotic voice ended without offering more details, he observed that everyone in the vicinity appeared bewildered. He turned to glance at Kevin, who was standing beside him.

After some thought, he decided to test the message system and spoke slowly, "Let's begin by adding each other as contacts."

Kevin nodded in agreement, and Lucius sent him a friend request, which Kevin accepted, adding him to his friend list. He then sent him a test message, and Kevin raised an eyebrow at how the system worked; it was like a messaging app from Earth.