Alisa slowly rose from her sleep and a sense of strangeness overcame her. Her bed felt somehow different. She opened her eyes and became dazed as she saw her surroundings. It wasn't her room! It wasn't her familiar pale-pink walls, decorated by the projections of illustrations of her favorite games and anime. Gone was her custom-crafted furniture, her iRing, and her personal AI.
What greeted her now was a room with dark-brown wooden walls and plain, light-brown furniture. Her eyes widened in disbelief and confusion. She hurriedly sprang from her bed, almost falling. "Mom? Dad?" she called anxiously but received no answer.
She ran to the door on her right but stopped right before it. It seemed sturdy enough to ward off petty thieves with little skill, but wouldn't be of much help against individuals with more experience. After a deep breath, she carefully opened it and took a look behind the door. All she saw was a dark narrow corridor with more doors on each side.
A feeling of dread crept upon her. She went back inside her room, closed the door and leaned against it. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, trying to calm down. After a while, Alisa opened her eyes again and took a better look around the room. She noticed a pouch and a purse on the table and made her way towards them.
As she opened the purse, it suddenly disappeared together with its contents and a message popped up right in front of her.
[You have received 12 gold, 50 silver, and 300 copper coins.]
She was stunned. Having played Virtual Reality Games all her life, she was all too familiar with this kind of scene. But it didn't make any sense! She didn't remember that she logged into any game. She just went to sleep and woke up here suddenly. Could this really be a game? Did someone maybe just play a tasteless prank on her?
She decided to see what would happen with the pouch next. Indeed, after opening the pouch, a message popped up again.
[Do you wish to expand your inventory?]
"Yes," she said. A sound similar to a bell's ring resounded in her mind.
[Inventory has been increased by 50 units.]
Next, she tried to look into her character profile and a new window appeared in front of her.
[Name: Alisa Adderley] [Title: None]
[Race: Half-Elf]
[Class: None] [Job: None]
[Level: 1] [EXP: 0%]
[HP: 100] [MP: 120]
[Strength: 10] [Stamina: 10] [Dexterity: 12]
[Intelligence: 12] [Wisdom: 12] [Haste: 10]
[Charisma: 12] [Luck: 12]
There were even more numbers describing her weapon damage, spell damage, attack speed, armor, and so on. All her attributes were listed one way or the other, although no further explanations on how they would affect her were provided.
"It's my real name," she mused. "But why am I a Half-Elf?"
It really was like a game world, and since that was the case, she should be able to leave it. She tried to open the menu, but nothing happened. There were no settings, no friends-list, or any options or functions a usual game would have, except for character-related stuff. No matter how much she searched for a way to log out, she couldn't find one.
"Nononono, this can't be happening! No...NO! Let me out of here! LET ME OUT!" she screamed internally. As she sank to the ground, tears started to cloud her vision.
She didn't know for how long she has been sitting on the ground, but her butt started to get sore, and her stomach screamed for food.
Sunshine gently fell on her through the window, slowly warming her up. She wiped her tears away and went to take a look outside.
It was still the middle of the day. All sorts of buildings, made of all kinds of materials with wooden signs hanging above their entrances, stood in rows.
People of all sizes and shapes were strolling and chatting on the paved streets. Some had animal ears and tails, others were small like children but otherwise build like bears, making it a very colorful and curious picture.
Alisa couldn't stand her stomach's rumbling protests anymore and decided to find something to eat.
She made her way out of the room and went down the stairs. Right next to the stairs stood a dresser with a mirror hanging above it.
Alisa looked in the mirror and saw her usual face looking back at her. But her hair was now silver instead of rose-gold reaching up to her naval, and her ears were slightly longer and pointy. She was glad to see her crystal-blue eyes remaining, as they reminded her of her mother.
She was wearing ash-brown leather boots, a pair of black trousers held up by a brown leather belt, a white shirt, and a black cloak reaching to her waist.
"Oh, you finally woke up!" she heard a female voice behind her and turned around. A slightly chubby, middle-aged woman faced her. "Do you want something to eat, dear? People your age need to eat more so you'll grow big and strong!"
Alisa nodded and followed her to a table still absent-minded. "What do you want to eat?" she asked with a gentle smile. "How about a good bowl of beef stew? It finished cooking just now and will surely cheer you up." She had already noticed Alisa's reddened eyes but decided not to pry into her affairs.
Alisa nodded again. "Some water, please," she said. The waitress took just a moment to bring her meal. The piping hot beef stew was served in a wooden bowl. Chunks of brown meat, carrots, onions, and potatoes floated inside a dark brown broth. "Enjoy your meal," she said.
Alisa took a spoonful of the stew and blew on it a couple of times to cool it down before eating it. Her eyes widened in surprise. "Delicious!" she exclaimed. It truly tasted better than she expected from this kind of place. "I am glad you like it," said the waitress kindly and went to attend other guests.
Feeling better after her lunch, Alisa thought about her predicament again. How could she have ended up in this kind of situation?
"Have I died and reincarnated in this world? I remember watching anime and reading novels with this kinda plot before, but how could I have kept my real name and face? Is it perhaps just a coincidence? Am I really already dead…" she thought. "Maybe some evil organization kidnapped me in my sleep and performed some weird experiments on me…" she sighed. "All of this doesn't make any sense…"
Alisa leaned back and looked around the tavern. Most of the guests seemed to be human, with some folk that looked like dwarves and elves among them. Their attire reminded her of adventurers she saw in anime before. They were happily chatting, drinking, and playing cards while the waitress ran busily from table to kitchen and kitchen to table.
"Hello, Miss…?" Alisa called for the waitress. "River, that's what everyone's calls me here," said River as she walked over.
"River, do you know the name of this world?" asked Alisa. River looked at her strangely. "The name of this world?"
"Ah, w–well, you know, some folks have different names for this world—and all sorts of things really," Alisa hurriedly said.
"Oh, that's what you mean," River said. "Well, I only know of one name and that's Astera."
"Astera…?" repeated Alisa somewhat absent-minded.
"Yes, everyone would tell you the same here. Is that all, dear?"
"Ah, yes. E–eh, how much for the meal?"
"40 copper coins."
Alisa paid for her meal but remained sitting, thinking about River's words. Astera was the name her father chose for the world in the game he was developing. He was constantly telling her about his work, and Alisa even provided him with some ideas and designs. The game was supposed to be called World of Magecraft, and this world's setting seemed about the same as in her father's vision. It was supposed to be a world filled with magic, swords, all kinds of abilities, and hundreds of ways to play the game.
It was an ambitious project, and she dreamed about playing it, just not this way. The game wasn't even finished, so how could she have ended up here? "Well, no point getting obsessed with something that I cannot solve right now," she thought and pepped herself up. "If I want to survive in this world, I need to grow stronger first! But which class should I choose? A Warrior? A Priest? A Rogue?" She opened her skill and spellbook.
[Loved by Mana]
[Description: As an Elf, you are constantly surrounded by mana.]
[Passive: Wisdom increased by 2.]
[Active: Increases mana regeneration by 30% for 15 seconds.]
[Magic Affinity]
[Description: You are born to learn magic.]
[Passive: Intelligence increased by 2. You can master your spells faster.]
[Beauty rules the world]
[Description: You are born with natural beauty and perfect skin. People just can't keep their eyes off you.]
[Passive: Charisma increased by 2.]
[Act with Grace]
[Description: As an Elf, you are blessed with a natural nimbleness, so you can act as graceful as you look.]
[Passive: Dexterity increased by 2.]
[Active: Increases movement speed by 20% for 20 seconds.]
[Nothing special]
[Description: Humans are so common, even the gods took pity and blessed them with greater luck.]
[Passive: Luck increased by 2. Increased talent points gain by 1 every 10 levels.]
[Active: Increases chance of item drops by 10% for 1 hour.]
[Analysis: Rank 1 - Level 1]
[Description: Find out every detail about any item or living being. Needs a higher level for obtaining more information.]
"I think magic would suit me best: raining down devastating spells at my foes from a safe distance, and just teleport away if the situation gets out of hand. Not to mention that elves have a strong affinity with magic," she convinced herself.
At this moment, she remembered that she hasn't checked the contents of the pouch she found. She opened her inventory but only found a letter inside. The letter was still sealed, and it was addressed to Aldrich of the Arcane Arts University. She thought for a moment about opening the letter but decided against it for now.
"River, do you know where I can learn some magic around here?" asked Alisa. Before River could even answer, one of the guests opened his mouth. He was wearing a gray robe and had a wooden staff by his side. "Little lady, as I see it, if you want to learn magic, you have 2 ways: find a master to teach you or join a school specializing in magic," he said. "Schools for magic can only be found in the capitals of the various kingdoms, but you are in luck, as there is an old wizard in this town who is willing to teach his magic for a coin or two. For one beer, I'll even tell you where to find him. Deal?"
Alisa looked at River and she simply shrugged. Not willing to waste any more time, she decided to buy him his beer and got the wizard's location in return.
[Quest: Find the old wizard]
[Description: An old wizard is somewhere in this town. Find him to learn more about magic.]
[Reward: Wizard Class. + 300 EXP.]
She bade her farewells and strode outside full of anticipation for what the future holds for her.