Chapter 1
New Reality
/Location/
[Skill]
(System)
{Item}
Thoughts
Because all of a sudden, there I was. There had been no prior warning, and I had been nowhere near my computer.
I stopped two years back when I cleared everything.
There was no reason, no explanation for such an occurrence, never mind the fact I was playing in 1st person compared to the normal 3rd person. It was disconcerting to say the least.
Waking up on the cool green grass.
I could feel it, the grass, the wind, the ground.
It seemed real.
Looking around, I clench and unclench my fist.
Wondering out loud, "Where am I?"
It was the scent of fresh rain, a faint floral fragrance, the bright sunlight, as I walked up the stairs to higher ground, for a better view.
It was the sound of bird songs, the cheery chirping, the chameleons that crept across fallen pillars, the life like and realistic graphics, the sensation of touch.
But most of all, it was the vivid world I saw in front of me, and through my glasses, everything was so clear.
Gazing over the lake, the /Silverleaf Tree/ in the background, the scene took my breath away.
This was /Akihabara/, there was no doubt left.
Real or not, this was the world of Elder Tale.
No matter the panic and shock that others faced and expressed, there was no denying this.
I make my way through the town and chaos, seeing the NPCs being harassed, people breaking down.
Dissecting everything I could and extracting information, my thought processes were running, and then, I tripped. Literally.
Landing face first of the ground, I realise that my centre of gravity was off because of my height.
My character height was a good 5 cm taller than what I was in real life.
My ears pick up a soft sound, reminiscent of a user status screen opening.
I raise my hand up, hovering over the interface, not quite sure what to expect.
I open my inventory, exploring the various buttons. Without much trouble, I can navigate the menu.
(Denied)
"Ah. Should have guessed." I can't log out.
Pulling out the various screens, I push my skill tree aside, running through my stats, nothing is amiss.
I grin suddenly, having found my friend list.
So many user names are lit, were they all forced on?
A thought strikes me and my hand has already moved before my mind processed it.
I open voice chat via telepathy to Naotsugu, one of my closest companions, hoping he would pick up.
"Come on…come on... pick up…"
"Shiro! Shiro, that you?"
I run down from my perch, yelling at him as he waves.
He stands up, getting off the tree root he'd been sitting on, "Hey, Shiro."
Smiling almost fondly, I feel rather nostalgic, thinking back to when we had been together in a party. It has been over two years since I last saw him, since the time I quit playing Elder Tale. But now, we're both back in it, against our choice perhaps, but back in it nonetheless.
"Hey hey, Shiro? Shiro…?"
Naotsugu's voice breaks me out of my reverie.
I must have spaced out again.
"Ah, sorry, it's just… well you look the way I pictured you…"
A smirk crosses his face, clearly having formed a smug reply.
"Well, so do you. An intelligent, bespectacled man. With nasty beady eyes."
I feel slighted by his remark on my looks.
Staring at my reflection in the nearby river, I can't say much to refute him, "My race is supposed to be Half-Alv…"
Moving on a more serious topic, he probes for information. "So, I log in for the first time in two years, what the hell's going on? Tell me anything you know, Nasty Glasses Shiro!"
Looking over my shoulder, I answer.
"I don't know anything either…but…It appears we're in the world of Elder tale."
He blinks, and I continue.
"Wasn't today the day they planned to add the new expansion?"
He follows up, "Yeah, The Novasphere Pioneers."
That clears quite a few things, if the update had been executed at midnight, then it would have been the update that caused this.
"I can remember everything I was doing until around midnight, up until the second, so it must have been the new expansion pack. Next thing I knew, I was here."
It was the same for Naotsugu, it appeared, "Same here, lying in bed and outside was dark. Then the world suddenly lit up. Opening my eyes I was propped up against the /Silverleaf Tree/. This is definitely /Akihabara/. I've seen it hundreds of times in the game. But now, the sky seems to stretch on further. So much further. The /Crystal Spire/ used to be where the view tapered off…"
Following his line of sight, I could see other buildings, monuments, forests, towns beyond that, and bending down, I pick up some moss.
He watches as I squish it, and we can both hear the soft swish as the moss turns to mush.
"I guess this isn't a dream, after all."
Naotsugu takes a seat on a different tree root, sighing, "Then I guess we really are in the game, huh. I thought that only happened in fantasy novels. You don't suppose that like most, we'll be able to go home?
I want to give him hope, promise him something, but, "I really don't know. How did we get here in the first place?"
He has no answer, but I can give him a filler.
"I know… We may not be able to return quickly, but that just means, that we should be ready."
Naotsugu flashes me a grin, "Well, what should we do?"
It brings me back to the old days, as a Strategist, he, and everyone else waiting for my orders.
"Let's gather information, we have to know more about this world before me do anything."
Getting up from his seated position once more, he grins again. "That's true. Good to see you're as calm and analytical as ever. I'm the meathead, so I'm counting on you, Strategist!"
He begins walking as I mumble before following.
"Calm isn't the word I'd choose…"
"I know that this isn't what you expected, but welcome back to Elder Tale, Naotsugu."
"Yeah!"
As we walk into town, I scroll through my friend's list, searching for someone who would complement Naotsugu and my fighting style. Someone who could heal…someone who could attack.
He reads my mind, a perk of having worked so closely together.
"Magic or Healer class? Know any mages who can heal?"
I mull over this, running through the healers I knew who could fight.
He interrupts my train of thought, "What about Yume? Matagama no Yume?"
Scrolling to the base of my friends list, Yume's name was lit.
Naotsugu must have seen it as well.
"She's already level 93!"