First steps.

Anna shielded her face from the intense sunlight, so unfamiliar to her. It took her quite a while until she adjusted to the brightness and gathered the courage to sit up. 

Tears welled in her eyes when she tried to understand the surrounding beauty. This wet, earthy smell of rain and wet moss, accompanied by the unfamiliar view left her in awe.

Slowly, she rose to her feet, feeling the fragile leaves beneath her as her memories filled her mind. She logged in the server and then - this happened. It spat her out in a sparse forest, naked and confused.

Anna bent down and tried to grasp anything within her reach to feel the soft grass and moss. Is this how it feels? Slipping through her slender fingers, leaving a trail of dew behind. 

Unaware of her location, she decided to take a look around and as soon as she did, goosebumps pricked her skin as a cold, autumn breeze leaned on her bare back.

With a deep breath, Anna gathered a bit of courage and took a hesitant step forward, determined to enjoy the experience regardless of this misunderstanding. All of the people who were able to afford to join the servers allegedly woke up completely clothed.

It left a bitter trail of injustice in her mind, but just after a few steps, her eyes stopped at the neatly folded clothes laid on the colorful leaves. This must be it! But is it really hers to take? She almost walked right past it, but her curiousness and the fact she was still naked forced her to act. Her face lit up with a smile as she examined the items, their soft fabric and little accessories. 

Taking only a moment to think it through, Anna got quickly dressed, leaving the high boots behind, as she desperately wanted to feel the soft grass beneath her feet. The top, though, was a bit loose so she tucked it neatly behind the wide skirt with huge pockets. It wasn't considered safe to wear a skirt in reality, her nervousness was hard to hide. Whatever... There is no one here, anyway. It should be alright. 

A golden needle sowed with rubies glistened in the grass and grabbed her attention. With no idea of what the jewelry was originally designed for, she decided to use it as a hairpin, to keep her dark, long hair out of her face. 

When she was done, a mellow voice suddenly penetrated her mind and left her all startled. The view of a forest was covered by a see-through plate with some information, which disappeared at the same time with the voice reading through them.

Explore by your liking. During the next four hours, you will be provided with useful tips and guided around the prologue map. The first two hours will serve to identify your class.

Anna almost forgot that she was in a simulation. What was that about? Class? She didn't recall anything like this when she studied the instructions to prepare herself for this moment.

But she was too consumed by the beauty of this world and decided not to waste any more time.

"Looking around might be the best plan for now," she whispered as she spotted a tiny flower between tangled grass and picked it up.

Its bright color captivated her. A soft grin appeared on her lips as she tried to put it inside her pocket.

For the first time, she was able to see so much vegetation aside from walls of algae or moss, kept all around higher streets and buildings with access to actual daylight in her world. This was a breathtaking sight, a severe contrast to the concrete jungle and man-made environment she had grown accustomed to.

The spark in her eyes and the small, involuntary smiles that tugged at the corners of her mouth gave her away. It was apparent that she couldn't contain her excitement, no matter how hard she tried.

Anna carefully walked through the forest, with a growing amount of flowers, mushrooms, and herbs in her pockets. The sheer abundance of nature made her heart flutter with joy. 

And the taste of the tiny berries and other fruit she found left her amazed. It was so different from the tasteless protein mash she ate every single day.

With sour blackberries in her palm, Anna slowly continued through the unfamiliar forest, eating one berry after another, enjoying the peaceful moment.

The sun was already low, creating long shadows and beautiful colors in front of her, when another warning disturbed her.

Attention. Your class will be revealed now. Recalculation... 6% 37% 100%

Your class is now HERBALIST, alongside 1% of players on this server.

You mastered new skills:

GATHERING / HERBARIUM / PROPAGATE / PROCESSING

The remaining two hours will be used to further specify your profession.

Anna froze up. The realization hit her like a train. She forgot to check the destination selection, as she hurried the process, eager to finally log in. This was the default, original server, the very first they launched, not Promised Land IV she wanted to join. 

The only thing she was about to recall about this world was the unfamous fact that no rules were enforced here. Many protests for banning this server were held in the past years, activists pressuring governments, policymakers, and even companies about the non existing human rights in this world.

Anna imagined it to be a burning pit of raging monsters covered in human organs, but the beautiful nature forced her to reconsider leaving so early and ended up staying in the forest, trying to calm her raging mind with the greenery.