A bright light blinded me, forcing me to shut my eyes. I could still feel my eyes stinging with pain, but I bore with it. Slowly, the light turned dimmer, until it became comfortable.

  I tentatively opened my eyes, letting the sight flood into me.

  “Th..This is a game?”

  I was standing atop a set of marble white stairs, my view extending over the sight below. A huge town spread out around me, with houses and shops and what not. I could hear the voices from below quite clearly, almost as if it were real. I looked behind me, to see a lot of people standing there, wearing grey tunics, looking around in wonder. Behind them, loomed a huge cathedral, with four snow white spires, and a multi colored glass near the top. The entrance of the cathedral was huge, with white doors that looked like freshly fallen snow.

  I looked down at myself, seeing the same grey tunic that the others wore. I was amazed at the quality. I could see each thread wound around the other, each frayed end, and even the spots of dust on my clothes. I took a step forward, hesitant, and stumbled. It felt weird. This body was different from the one I had in real life, and it feels alien to me.

  My arms were white, with faint markings over them. I could see them only upon close inspection, as they were almost obscure on my pearly white skin. I touched my body, and an unnatural feeling spread through me, the smoothness of my skin astounding me.

  I stepped forward, stumbling again, but kept moving. One step on the first step, and moved down the stairs, away from the cathedral. A cascade of people were leaving already, heading towards the buildings. As soon as I stepped down the last step, a semi transparent blue window hovered before me.

  I uncertainly touched the screen, and it disappeared. Woah, that’s cool.

  ‘Status’

  As I thought that, another screen opened up before me.

  [/b]

  Hou~ Level 1 huh. Nothing special in my stats too. Hm? Intelligence and Wisdom are lower than strength and Agility. Is it because of the race? At the top of the window, an miniature figure of me stood, wearing the same clothes as I was. A small chest like button was next to it. When I touched it, another window, called inventory came up. It had nothing in it except 10 loaves of bread, a can of water and 1 silver. The necessities? I closed the inventory by swiping it away, and kept checking the other features. My equipment was a grey tunic, grey pants, and a knife.

  I checked the knife, excited. As I clicked on it, a knife materialized in my hand, forming from small blue crystals.

  I tried swinging it, amazed at how real it felt. I could feel the rugged handle of the knife, the feeling of the blade cutting through the air. It was not as heavy as I expected. Must be the strength stat. I checked the knife, and another window opened up before me.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Hm.. A common knife huh. What if it breaks? Maybe I’d have to fight barehanded then?

  I kept swinging the knife, trying to get a feel on how to use it. Absent mindedly, my eyes wandered over the market like setup before me. Many users, just like me, were slowly discovering the functions of Tharos Online. That said, this game is amazing. Even now, I can feel a gentle wind brush my hair. I wonder if I have any skills?

  ‘Skills’ As I thought that, another window opened up. The introduction didn’t mention it, but there’s a mention of it in the Help section, I think.

  Sharp Eyes huh. How do I use it? Do I just think it?

  I tried thinking the command, but nothing worked. It can’t be, right?

  “Sharp Eyes!”

  As soon as the words left my mouth, my sight expanded and contracted. It got dyed by a reddish tinge, and my eyesight without a doubt, sharpened. I could count how many threads were frayed on that user’s tunic, or the picture that was drawn on the wall of a house, a few meters away.

  I could feel a slight drop in my energy, so I closed my eyes. The drop stopped, and when I opened my eyes, my eyesight had returned to normal. If it were a normal RPG game, this wouldn’t have been impressive, but in this world, the sensation itself was exhilarating.

  Now, what do I do? Kill monsters, I guess? I placed the knife into my inventory, and began walking into the town. Yup. Exploration first.

  Sevillia town. It was quite far off from the capital of Sevia kingdom, but it was a nice place nevertheless. There was no major race discrimination, and people lived happily here.

  People were all around in the crowded streets, and I could identify that some of them were users. Their equipment itself was a statement, and this one guy had such a cool looking sword, I was practically one step away from drooling over it.

  The town felt like… well a town. There were people happily chatting and laughing, merchants selling their merchandise, and I even saw a quarrel. It seemed so lifelike, that I would’ve believed this was real if it were not for the game elements. The town was full of medieval Europe kind of buildings,

  I wandered to the edge of town, where a huge grassy plain spread out before me. Numerous users were running around, chasing after small green balls of some kind.

  “Sharp eyes!”

  I used my skill, and the sight became clear. The balls, were small creatures, with cactus like spikes on them. They were covered with dark and light green spikes, and bounced around the field.

  Monsters!

  The users chased them around, trying to stab them. Occasionally, they would jump and tackle the users, burying their spikes into their skins. I could see some of the green balls turning into ash here and there. People hunted in groups, while some hunted alone too. Suddenly, someone called out to me.

  “Oi, kid. You an other worlder too?”

  I turn around, to see an old man, with cropped red hair. He was short and overweight, with bright blue eyes. I continue to stare at him, unsure on how to respond.

  “Hm? I guess you might be nervous eh? Nice to meet ya, I’m Eadbor. What might your name be?”

  “Wo-Nexus”

  “So~ Nexus, you an other worlder?”

  “Other worlder?”

  I answer his question with a question, puzzled. An other worlder?

  “You came from the cathedral right?”

  Eadbor asks me, pointing with his thumb towards the white cathedral. Huh, I could see it even from here. It was really tall huh. I nodded, showing my affirmation.

  “Hrm.. But you look sorta different kid, with that color of yours.. You human?”

  Huh. Would this be related to something like affinity levels? If I wasn’t human, he would hate me?

  “I’m human”

  I decided to lie, just in case. Eadbor nodded, and looked thoughtful. Then, he began speaking.

  “Oi kid. I need you to do me a favor. Can you deliver this to old lady Jennings? She lives near the eastern watchtower. You’ll know when you see her”

  *Ding*

  Huh. I got a quest.