Looking at who was attached to the hand holding my arm I was stunned to see a beautiful blond woman with blue eyes her hair flowing down to her lower back. "who are you?" I ask cautiously. She looks me over for a few seconds before letting go of my arm. "I am Eve the main AI that regulates this virtual world I monitor all systems and make sure that players such as yourself get the most out of your experience. I guess you can look at me as a sort of mother earth. I am here to explain to you how this world works before you make any decisions that may be harmful to your development."
After taking a few seconds to process what I've been told I nod "Ok what do I need to know before I do anything."
"Well first off as you know this world holds no limits on what you can do. Only that you have to work for everything you have. Like your parameters, all are set at 10 to start with like the average human and you get another 10 free points to add how you see fit. though be warned as this will be the only time you will have this option as there is no leveling system in place so the only way to increase stats further on will be training and hard work. like weight lifting to increase strength and running for stamina. so choose wisely on how you wish to apply these precious points as it can never be undone."
Ok, that's good to know I was about to pump nothing but strength and call it good but at the beginning that would be a waste. I'd rather increase a stat that takes time to develop. "What do the stats effect I would assume that there aren't hp bars or stamina bars?"
"I can't tell you much as most of it you are supposed to figure out on your own. What I can say is that all stats are closely related and affect each other heavily. That is all be sure to think it through. may your adventure be as endless as the world you are about to enter." With that, she slowly faded away until nothingness left and I was standing there alone.
Turning back to the panel and going over what she said in my head I try to think of what direction to head in. Strength is basic I would assume that affects lifting and striking power. Vitality is more complex most games it Affects hit points, I would assume in here it's directly related to life force and that affects a lot such as how fast you heal and how fast you recover stamina. Dexterity is maybe flexibility and precision with fighting and perhaps crafting. Agility is also self-explanatory it's reflexes and speed.
Thinking of over the hardest one to develop would be vitality as it would take a lot of time to see what is even required to increase it. The other stats are straight forward with training and such. So going with that line of thought I chose to put all 10 free points into vitality it's the one stat that will help me grow even faster. It will also increase my productivity at the beginning of the game as the amount of energy it will take to get started will be a lot and I don't want to be out of stamina to often.
After confirming my stay placement I felt a strange energy flow through me and my vision got sharper if only slightly. Odd I've always had a perfect vision I wonder what goes on with the body with the increase of vitality this will take a lot of research. Moving on from there I try to look for the panel to change appearances and can't seem to find one. Great so I'm stuck with my same appearance in real life, Whatever I'll just deal with it hopefully it won't be a problem.
Looking at the in-game clock in the top right of my field of vision I see I have about 10 minutes tell server is released so I decide to make a game plan. First off is I need to find an area with both water and thick trees for supplies as well as perhaps a cave for shelter. After that my next thing to do is make simple tools a shovel, ax, and a pickaxe. Perhaps a spear as well for hunting and fighting off other players. I know there is in-game currency but it uses real money for it and right now it has no use do to the empty world with no shops. I'm sure in the future we will find out more information on the uses.
'Ring'
Halting my thoughts I see that we have 10 seconds until the server launches. I prepare to fight off anyone that may spawn near me if attacked.
'3...2...1'
With a tug on my mind, I feel the world around me change as it blurs before finding myself in the middle of a forest with no one around. cautiously I scan the area making sure I'm alone before relaxing my guard slightly. looking up at the sky at the location of the sun I see it's morning so I start to head west. I want to find a river of some kind and most rivers flow north to south meaning heading east or west will have me run into a river much faster. Gathering sticks and plants along the way for future use. we start out with simple cloth clothes and no inventory space so I can't carry much with me but I can look for a long branch to perhaps fashion a makeshift spear out of. Nothing fancy but it will come in handy if I run into another player.
Looking around while walking for about 20 minutes I see the perfect branch it's straight and as longer then I am tall with a thickness of and an inch and a half. Basically a staff but once again better than nothing. Picking it up and twirling it a few times I nod my head satisfied. Most people have a decent grasp on weapon handling due to other be games that have warfare and that's all muscle memory. I personally am capable in most forms of close-quarters combat. satisfied with my new found beating stick I take off at a decent jog to continue on my journey.
I would assume it spread people of very far from each other if I haven't seen anyone yet. That's good news for me, which means I don't have to worry as much though I will still keep my guard up. after a good hour of jogging, I finally found a good-sized river about 100 feet wide, and from the look of it, it's very deep as well. Good food and water saved with this river alone. I am surprised at how stamina held up even after all that jogging through a forest no less I'm hardly sweating. I guess vitality also increases stamina by a large margin.
Heading downstream for a while in search of shelter and another hour of jogging I finally found what I'm looking for. In front of me was a waterfall Huge one no less easily 200 feet high. Looking for a way down safely I see that I may be able to scale the cliff wall down. I throw my stuff down to the bottom sticking it into the sand at the bottom and start my climb down. Lucky for me it's a pretty easy climb though slightly tiring on my strength and hard on my fingers.
Making it to the bottom and grabbing my staff I look around. at the bottom of the massive waterfall is an even larger lake stretching for miles clear water and not crazy deep about 20 feet deep from what I can tell. Since I can see the bottom of the lake I can see all the fish swimming around in large groups along with other life along the edges of the water including deer. this is the perfect location. Looking at the waterfall I see the water there is darker due to the sediments being churned by the falling water and the loud roar of the waterfall drowning out any other sound in the area a positive and negative depending on the situation.
Walking closer to the waterfall I notice a small opening to the right side that goes behind it. I really hope this is what I think it is. Squeezing my way through the small gap in the stones and making my way behind the waterfall I'm stunned at what I see. A massive cavern big enough to build a mansion in and have plenty of room to spare. Wet from the mist of the water an easy fix in do time. It's still an amazing find and the perfect place to build in with natural protection from storms and an easy place to defend if need be.
I believe I have found my home, next all I need to do is collect some recourses. Turning to leave the cavern I can't help but feel excited about the future and what it holds