Are you a noob?

As she opened her eyes, the light stroke her. Michiko raised her hand and covered her face. She felt nice breeze and heard some voices. The music of birds and people talk.

She looked around and saw a small village. When she looked back she discovered she was standing next to some shrine. It wasn't big and magnificent, but still got the religious feeling.

As she familiarized with her surroundings, she discovered few people standing and talking, walking somewhere or leaving out from buildings. Each of them were humans.

As she payed more attention to them, she knew she was wrong. Some weren't human at all. The spiky ears were here and there.

A man's voice interrupted her thoughts.

- Hello there!

She looked to her right and saw some darkhaired guy in tunic. He seemed to be wizard or something.

- Hi? - she said in respond.

- Are you new in the game? - he asked with a stupid smile.

„Does he want's something?" she thought as she glared at him. As soon as she came in here, someone was talking to her without reason she could know. Was it simply friendly meeting or some kind of attempt?

- I just came here. - she said not wanting to be rude.

- As I thought! - he was shining like little chubby sun - I will show you around, let's team up!

She glared at him dumbfounded. „What the? Is he sick from loneliness or what?"

- I prefer to try myself..

- Just come with me, pretty miss!

He reached her hand. She tried to stop him in his attempts.

- Why ask me? - she shovedhis hand off - Wait.

- You need some help, right? - he stated the 'obvious' - I will help you lvl really fast, sweety.

As he came to speak more pinky words, she felt little disgust with one thought. He was hitting on her assuming she is weak little girl. She state her 'obvious' in return.

- Are you a paedophile?

In this instant.. he didn't fell aback. He didn't rose in surprise. He seemed to found some different reaction and was beginning to executing it. She felt, whatever it was, it was going to be some charming-delusional-sweet. As he was forming his words and reaching to her, her leg reached to him. What was sure - it was faster.

Guy curled up in pain. He was definitely shocked. Michiko was schocked, too, but from a different reason. She didn't came across such blunt actions and always easily hissed such guys off. They seemed to step back, but in game they probably feel more freedom.

She surprisingly discovered, she felt more freedom herself or rather it was her leg that discovered it.

As fast and unnoticed as she could, she run out of the village into the fields.

*

She stood in the centre of some meadow. There were buildings afar at one line of the horizon and trees from other side. She sweeped through her things or rather one thing as she took out a piece of cloth.

„So I am to survive on this?" she grinned upon the thought.

Michiko could have sworn she heard something. It had to be stirred grass. As she went into the direction of the sound, she keep shoving high weeds aside. She froze instantly upon the sight in front of her.

The bugs jaw flicked hastily. It certainly were looking right at her with it's big brown eyes. It was big, of cat's size.

„C-co..cockroach?" as she identified the thing with most resembling creature, the bug rushed towards her. Her face turned into disgust while she felt revulsion upon it's looks and movement. Michiko let squeak out from her mouth and ran from the bug.

As she tried hard to leave it behind, she did not menage to fly away much. She rushed through weeds into an open space and stood dumbfounded. Next to the big rock two big bugs were 'arguing'. Even worse, they stopped their talk and faced her.

Having nowhere to run, she throw the cloth on them covering both bugs. As the material started moving in her way, she screamed with frustration and jumped on it.

- You little.. disgusting.. stay.. in there!!

Then she heard a program voice:

'Attack successful! Wild Beetles –5 HP, -5HP, -5HP..'

And they stayed.. really obedient creatures. There were just numbers floating around. As it stopped moving, she heard again the program voice:

'Wild Beetles has died, acquired 40 EXP, short rope, small pouch!'

Before she even made any move the third one catch up with her. She faced it this time. She breathed hardly with anger and disgust.

- You.. WORM!!

As she shout, she kicked it right into the head. Then she kicked again.. and again as her anger floated out of her changing into the green gunge of the monster.

When she ended the bug's life she heard a program voice informing her of hint.

- Profile.

Right before her, in the air, a window pooped out from nowhere. She blinked.

In there she saw picture of her character. Below was her name and gender, next to it some numbers and letters. „I'm level 2 it seems." She read it with interest. „STR.. as strength is it then? Seems I got highest number there." As it was new to her, she tried to decipher this alien code. Probably with some good results.

As she sat at last on the rock, resting from the previous 'fights', she looked around to know where she was. She got up and walked looking for any road without success. What she found was low slope of ground. When she come near it she regretted her curiosity. Below was some big movement of brown things. She didn't need any closer look to knew what it was. Just not so long ago she disposed of three like them.

Disgust covered her face. Right now she was irritated not frightened. She hated bugs. The bug she hated the most was nothing else than a cockroach. In other words.. it was time for disinfestation.

She grinned while putting a rock into the cloth and tying it with the rope.

*

The running bug stopped rapidly when his head splashed into green debris under the hit.

'Mejiro Accuracy +1'

She looked around on the cleared field. Her hands were covered in green gunge. Her body was full of scratches and bites, and it hurt a lot. She put last items into her bag. She felt heavy.

She didn't know how much time have passed, since she lost herself in fight. It was definitely time to visit town. She couldn't only hit monster, could she?

The map, called, pooped out and Michiko looked at it closely. She got a hold of it now. After deciding upon the road she should take, she left the place.

The village she chose was the same she was born in. Michiko looked around to decide what to do next. As she saw few people walking out of one building, she went inside. There was a pair buying something called 'healing potion' from a guy behind a counter. "Healing? Sounds useful.." she thought.

She approached him and ask about shop.

- Yes. I buy items and sell them. Do you want to sell something or buy? - he responded.

It was definitely place she was looking for. It was definitely a client he wasn't looking for.

Through the village run screams. It come from the shop.

- HOW MUCH??! - a female voice reached people ears. - YOU LITTLE CHEAPY..

They decided to ignore it.

*

'Mejiro' got 6 level, she read in the profile. Some numbers changed, too. She felt like she fought a lot and achieved a lot, but she knew it was only her imagination that spoke such things. She decided she must hunt some more, and she went in new direction looking for strange things.

As she looked, she found. A bunch of creepy spiders lurking in the woods. This time she was better prepared. She got a pair of gloves from hard leather and some kind of small mace. The most important thing, she got lots of potions. Lot of lots healing potions.

She took out a rope and bind a mace to her hand. „It is always better to be prepared.." she looked at the spiders. „Now, should I hit their head or legs?"

It was a long 'day' in the game. Spiders bit hard, too. Right now she wasn't in hurry. Still, it was a pain, but how refreshing!

- Die! Ugly!

'Mejiro Physics +1'

*

She went into the kitchen where her cousin was eating already. He greeted her with simple bow of his head, she did the same. Michiko opened refrigerator and took out boxed milk. She opened it and took big draught.

- So? How was it? - he asked her after he swallowed the bite he took.

- What was how? - she glared at him without understanding.

- The Second Life! - he frowned - You have played it last night, haven't you?

The light came into her maze.

- Ah! That game. It was more difficult than I thought.

- Was it? What profession are you?

- Profession? - she asked - I don't have one I think..

Liwei looked at her surprised.

- You don't have one? What level are you?

- I'm 15 level - she answered.

- You mean a 5 level, right? - he corrected her.

- Nope, - Michiko denied - as I said, 15 level.

He looked at her dumbfounded. Was it amusing or rather pitiful? Liwei asked his cousin with resignation.

- Are you a noob?

Author notes:

As I keep reading again and again what I wrote, I find myself in never ending circle of mistakes. While for now I keep them under constant surveillance and correction I think one day I will come to just ignore them.. hopefully until then my English-writing skills will keep on increasing.

For now, shall I announce the title of next chapter? Naah.. You might keep imagining things if I tell beforehand anything. That is if You find it interesting enough :)

Well then, here goes a supplement for this chapter:

1. I decided it's normal to be born in different region even in the same territory. This is especially true if we assume each race got it's own home-town. That's why the place is different and got other mobs on it than we know from manga.

2. I rarely use Michiko's character name because she herself isn't used to it yet. It will change in later chapters.

3. As you remember - you can take a quest for proffesion in SL on lvl 10.

4. noob - a negative name for player who can't play properly or don't want to (it is not equivalent to newbie)