The ‘town’, it seemed, was actually little more than a village. Half a dozen villages were built next to a rather large stream, and surrounded by a thick forest on all sides. The population was equally as small from what Azalea could see, and they were all clad in simple clothing and moved about without hesitating as if they were focusing on their task and nothing else.

“I wonder how close we are to a major city,” she muttered. “Games like this put a city close to the start, right?”

“Most of the time,” Caius agreed. “But not always.”

“Maybe we’re gonna be able to build our own city,” Oscar put in. “I mean, the handbook did mention land ownership, so I think it’s possible.”

Riley’s face paled slightly at the thought of it. “Can you imagine trying to defend against raids with a plot that size? It’s not mentioned directly, but I’m pretty sure the difficulty goes up with the amount of land in a single property.”

“I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves,” Caius said, gesturing towards a villager who didn’t seem occupied with any tasks. “Let’s see if this guy can teach us anything.”

They strode over to the villager, who looked up as they approached and smiled. He was an older man, bald with a silver beard long enough to tuck into his belt. He wore a simple dark blue in an off-shoulder type. He almost looked like he’d been a monk once.

“Welcome to Silver Village, Adventurers,” he said, spreading his arms in a warm gesture of welcome. “May Marcine bless our meeting and your travels.”

“Marcine?” Azalea asked, tilting her head. “Who’s that?”

“Ah, young miss, they are nothing more nor less than the creator and protector of our world,” the villager explained. “It is through their grace that we live, and that the monsters do not destroy us.”

He gestured to a large statue that stood in the center of the village. At first, it looked like a man. But as they looked more closely, they realized it was actually some kind of robot-like figure. Its face was oddly shaped, and it had a smile that seemed more malicious than kind.

“Grace be to Marcine,” the old man said, making an odd gesture in the air before him. “I’m the chief of this village, by the way. My name is Sumbariki Tostoy, but everyone here calls me Old Man Sumba.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Caius replied. “We were hoping you could explain a few things for us. Of course, we’re willing to help out any way we can.”

“That’s very kind of you, young Adventurer. What would you like to know?”

Caius and the others shared a quick glance, silently agreeing on which questions were the most important. “How do we access our stats? Also, is there any other information you could give us that will help out? I’m not sure if you know, but we’re new to this world.”

Sumba smiled. “Oh, I’m well aware. Marcine informed us of this day many years ago. You are the first Wave, are you not?”

“Err, right, we are. Well, do you have any information?”

Azalea wasn’t sure if the NPC would share information about game systems. In most RPGs, didn’t things get boiled down to a thematic sort of in-game language? Surely this NPC wouldn’t mention things like status screens or levels.

“To access your status and see the progress of your skills, your easiest option is to meditate and access your screens. But the fastest and most reliable would probably be to get a Terra Coin.”

“What’s that?”

He produced a simple silvery coin from the inside of his robe and held it out for them to see. “It is a magical artifact imbued with Marcine’s power. It will tell you everything you need to know about yourself.”

“I see,” Oscar interrupted. “Does it work on others, or only yourself?”

“It can only read your stats to yourself,” Sumba answered. “It is a very useful tool. Essential for any Adventurer to have, I’d say.”

“Are they expensive?” Azalea asked. “How do we get one?”

“They are very easy to acquire. You only have to speak to a Priest of Marcine. Which I just so happen to be. And I shall give you all a coin, if you can prove your dedication.”

Ah. So he did offer a starter quest. Azalea could feel her pulse picking up now, excited at the prospect of finally starting the RPG experience. “What do you need?”

“Just a few hours north of here, there is an iron mine that was attacked by several monsters,” Sumba replied. “Most of the workers are safe, but we cannot continue mining the ore until the monsters are defeated. Clear out the mine, and we will reward you to the best of our ability.”

The excitement was plainly visible on Caius, Oscar, and Riley’s face. The idea of fighting some monsters to help out a village, the quintessential fantasy quest, was right up their alley. They all shared a grin, nodding enthusiastically, and Caius stuck out a hand. “Don’t you worry. We’ll get that mine cleared out quickly and make sure your people are safe to continue working.”

“I knew you were a good man to help,” Suma said with a twinkle in his eye. “Godspeed, Adventurer, and good fortune.”

“Getting to fight already? Now this is what I was looking forward to,” Oscar said. “Riley and I have a bet going. He thinks strength will be the first meta. I say it’s agility.”

“It’s gotta be Strength,” Caius said with a snort. “With how little magic we have access to at the start? It’s like Dark Souls.”

Azalea suppressed a shiver as she remembered that old game. She’d watched Caius play the original trilogy for nearly a month. At the time, he’d been going for the exclusive achievement of completing all three games back-to-back without dying. It was a notoriously hardcore game, the kind he loved. Azalea wasn’t much of a fan of those types of games. “God, I hope this game isn’t like Dark Souls.”

The others laughed at that, which only made her scowl. Riley grinned at her over his shoulder as they left the village. “What made you want to play this game, Azalea? You don’t seem like the competitive gamer type.”

“That’s because I’m not,” she replied emphatically. “But Caius and I have known each other for a few years. He plays the games I like with me, so I return the favor from time to time. He really wanted to give this game a try, so I joined as well.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find something in this game to enjoy as well,” he quipped. “The handbook made it seem like just about anything is possible, after all.”

“That’s true,” she agreed. “I’m looking forward to starting a farm. Maybe keeping some animals.”

As they passed through the gate of the village, a small window appeared in the corner of their vision, just large enough to be seen but not overly distract them.

 

[You have left a safe zone.]

 

Almost in sync, the other three paused, glancing warily around. They’re expecting to be attacked as soon as they step out of the village. She looked around too, almost unconsciously moving closer to Caius. If it was going to come to fighting, she knew he was much better than her, and could protect her. But after nearly a minute of careful watching, they couldn’t see any danger.

“Looks like we’re clear,” Riley said with a grin. “Let’s go slay us some monsters.”

The mine wasn’t hard to find. Located just a few dozen yards off the road from the village to the south, there was already some construction there to prove that people had recently worked here. Now, however, there was no sign of the previous inhabitants, only a small pack of small, green-skinned humanoid figures. Goblins.

“Perfect,” Caius said. “How do you guys wanna do this?”

“Oscar likes to do midrange,” Riley suggested. “So you and I could take the front, while Azalea covers us with magic.”

Caius appeared to consider the idea, then nodded his approval. Azalea hesitantly drew the wand from her belt. Caius, seeing her discomfort, smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. The two of us should be enough to hold them back. All you have to worry about is hitting any of them that look like they might break through.”

She nodded, swallowing nervously. Both he and Riley drew the short swords from their belts and stepped off the road. At once, the five goblins perked up, jumping to their feet and pulling out daggers and clubs, chattering angrily as they saw enemies. A shiver of fear ran down Azalea’s spine, but the others didn’t seem to be cowed. With shouts, Caius and Riley charged the goblins, Riley hot on their heels.

Riley reached them first, and slid to a stop, his arm raised. Instead of striking, he hesitated a second, then was forced to jump back with a curse as one of the goblins swiped at him with a nasty club. They only came up to the hip in size, but the monsters were vicious and bloodthirsty. To the right, Caius also paused instead of attacking, then stumbled back, narrowly avoiding a dagger slice.

“How the hell do we activate our skills?” Riley growled, taking another step back. The goblins were already starting to surround them. “None of the usual patterns are working.”

“Could it be tactile input?” Oscar asked, frowning. He stepped to Riley’s left where a goblin was starting to flank, and slashed with his knife. The goblin recoiled, a substantial wound in its shoulder. “Ha!”

“Damn,” Riley said, grinning as he stepped forward again, thrusting with his knife. “That’s not something you see every day.”

“Oh, that’s perfect!” Caius shouted. Azalea couldn’t see his face, but she just knew he’d be grinning from ear to ear. This was the perfect situation for him. “Let’s get it!”

Another goblin tried to swing a club at him, but he caught the creature’s wrist with one hand, pulling him forward even as he thrust his weapon into its chest. The goblin didn’t even have time to scream in pain. Caius threw the monster at his companions, knocking another one down. Riley pounced on the pair of them, but before he could strike, another hit him on the shoulder, knocking him away. Azalea fired a bolt of mana at that goblin but missed as it ducked under the spell. Damn! The spell had taken several seconds to charge and fire, and now she was a target.

Caius dashed back a few steps as the goblin made a beeline for Azalea, sticking a foot out and tripping the creature. It slammed into the earth with a grunt, and he stomped down, paralyzing it before turning to face another. A few feet ahead, Riley finally managed to strike his goblin again, bringing it down with one quick thrust. The last goblin, the one who’d been knocked over, chittered angrily, though they couldn’t understand its words. It took one look at its dead comrades, then turned and ran into the mine.

Caius was quick to finish the goblin he’d tripped, then wiped his short sword clean on a scrap piece of cloth before sheathing it. “Well, that was fun.”

Azalea dropped into a crouch, breathing shakily. “Easy for you to say. I’m never a fan of things like this.”

“You’re alright when you get warmed up,” he assured her. “You just have to get into the right mindset.”

“Speaking of,” Oscar interjected, rubbing his shoulder where the goblin club had hit it. He only grimaced slightly, so he probably just had a nasty bruise. “How the hell did you think of all those extra moves?”

Caius turned to him with confusion, so he clarified. “That throw and kick.”

“Oh. I’m not really sure how to explain that. It just felt natural. I used to do a lot of martial arts, and something told me they might come in handy.”

“Damn,” Riley said quietly, shaking his head in amazement. “Not only a hardcore gamer, but you also actually know how to fight?”

Caius shrugged diffidently. It was never his style to brag about things like this. “I can’t say for certainty that actual knowledge of fighting tactics will be the requirement, but it seems to help.”

There was a loud hissing noise from where the goblins lay, and they all turned to see the small monsters dissolving in greyish white smoke. All that was left behind were a few coins and their weapons.

“Oh goodie,” Riley said. “Loot. Let’s grab this up and go in. I’m sure that goblin will be back with friends before long.”