The sweet choir of nature blew around. I took a long hard gaze at the sky. The sun was flashing as strong as it could, but my eyes barely felt pain. A gentle blue patterned with white cotton candies covered this world I made.
I gave myself a pat in the back for my splendid creation. Of course, I don't deserve all the credit. Without those very talented humans, I wouldn't even been born. Really, they deserve all the praise and fame from the real world.
I walked through a stone path, a sign of civilization. At the end of the path was a gate guarded by two men in steel. They had stern eyes, watchful of their surroundings. Upon seeing me, their stature visibly relaxed and one of them wave their hands at me.
"Hey Grimm, nice to see that you haven't died yet," one of the guards said, with a nasty grin.
"I wouldn't die even if I wanted too."
"Bah, here he is with his usual nonsense. If you get too cocky, you might find yourself dead between the jaws of a Green Wolf or mauled to death by a Death Bear."
"I'd really like to see those creatures try."
I flashed him a smile, and his tone grew more annoyed. Hehehe
"Alright that's enough Grimm, " the other guard said
"You know that you don't need to go through here in order to enter the city," he continued
I smiled. I couldn't say that I wanted to fully experience how it is to be one of the people in this world. They wouldn't understand after all.
"Alright alright. I get the message. See you guys later."
"Bah, don't ever come back again."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll miss you too."
"You bas--"
The sound of a certain guard cussing was muffled by a gigantic beam shooting down from the sky. I know for certain that this wasn't the only place experiencing this phenomenon. The entire world fell silent, as even powerful figures tried to comprehend what was happening.
No one here knew that the world was about to undergo a drastic change.
300 years. I've spent 300 years wandering around this world, Elhoim. Preparing this world for the invasion of the most greedy, destructive and crazy species in the universe.
As the beam of light settled down, color returned to the town. I silently made my way to the training hall. I need to see it myself, these so-called 'Players.'
----------
Grimm Realism Online
At first everyone thought of it as a scam. It wasn't for no reason. How could today's technology be able to seamlessly replicate the real world?
So it was a real surprise that they actually did it. Those people from GRIMM made the impossible possible.
As much of a success I'm already am, I'm equally as bored. Don't get me wrong, I shat blood just to get where I am. My achievements matter to me a lot.
Just that, it gets boring.
The world's first ever complete virtual reality simulation got me curious. So I had my connections secure me a slot as one of the first batch of beta-testers.
30 days since the initial announcement, I'm lying down in a dimly lit room as I held an 'invitation letter'.
"Mhm, I expected a headgear or some microchip. A letter, those from GRIMM sure are cocky."
Or, their technology is just that good. I couldn't help but be skeptic. But this was the stimulus I was idling waiting for the past 30 days. If it turned into a scam, then that's that.
But, if it isn't....
"I really am bored, show me something fun."
I ripped the letter open. The space around me started to fold infinitely. As if I'm in the center of a blender, ripping everything around me in a speed faster than light. Surprisingly, I wasn't feeling a bit sick.
The scene settled into a wooden hall. Torches at the walls kept the place lighted. Furniture that dated back in the medieval age. So it is a medieval fantasy rpg.
In front of me is a lean man with black hair. He was as tall as me, and even people around my circle are jealous of my height. He had a gentle smile. It betrayed his eyes that were coldly looking at me.
I know this much having interacted with a lot of bigshots back in real life. And in conclusion, this guy, is dangerous.
"An NPC?"
I said
"Huh? Ah yes"
He looked surprised as my words broke his reverie.
"So uhmm, you must be a player."
Oh? I'm surprised. NPCs here are capable of recognizing us are players. Interesting.
"Yes, and you are supposed to be the NPC responsible for guiding me?"
"Ah, no. I just wanted to see what a player looks like you see."
What? What kind of NPC is this?
"You are awfully honest. What's your name?"
"Grimm"
The NPC -- no, Grimm smiled.
"Well, I'm Ennard. Nice to meet you."
I held out my hand out of instinct, and to my surprise he grab hold of my hand and did a firm shake.
Furthermore, from the way he shook my hand, he seems really weak. Could my intuition be wrong?
"Hmm, since the instructor isn't here yet, I could drill you the basics of this world."
"Mhm, much appreciated."
"In this world, there is no convenient tool that will detail your progress or your characteristics. I bet you were expecting a holographic panel when you first came here, but the details on those are usually very deceptive."
"So, how do we measure strength in this world?"
"Three things"
Grimm held out three fingers. He opened his right palm, and without warning a ball of fire appeared. My eyes went wide. I knew this was a virtual reality with a fantasy setting, but this is too good to be true.
Oblivious to my surprise, Grimm started to explain.
"Technique. The most common are the arcane arts and the battle skills."
Grimm took down one finger, and the flame ran amok. I felt my back sweat, yet he looked calm. The flames settled in the form of an axe, radiating a suppressive aura.
"Artifacts. These are objects that hold mysterious powers, and there are many of these scattered throughout Elhoim."
Finally, Grimm was done to one finger. I was expecting something grandiose or mysterious to occur. But all he did was point at me, leaving me confused.
"Talent. The inherent ability of the soul."