. . .
. . .
. . .
'…Uuugh. My Head… How much did I drink last night?'
'…Whatever. At least the Floor's Cold… And… made of Stone?'
. . .
'Wait.'
'Haven't I been Sober for 8 Years now?'
"RAIN!!"
My eyes shot open.
'…That's an unfamiliar ceiling.'
"ARLO!! OH MY GOD!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!"
'…And here I thought I was hearing things.'
Slowly sitting up, I clutch my head with one hand at the throbbing pain.
Looking around, there was nothing but Stone Walls…
And 4 Other People on the opposite side of the Room.
'…Who're they?'
"BLAKE!? BLAKE!! WAKE UP!!" The youngest looking one began shaking someone who was nearly twice his size.
'A Student? …2 Guys and 2 Girls… Counting me, 3 Guys, 2 Girls. …Wait, why would that matter?'
"Ugh, my head is killing- …ARLO!?" The Big Guy, Blake, suddenly shot up, and grabbed the Kid, Arlo, by the shoulders.
"BLAKE!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!" Arlo and Blake suddenly got into a big hug.
'…She's staring at me.'
The 4th person, who had oddly bright Orange Hair and Gray Eyes, was the only person who didn't say anything, and was instead looking directly at me with a confused expression.
'…Seriously, who are these guys?'
"...What's going on?" I barely managed to muster up the courage to ask.
Suddenly, the other 3 bolted towards the Wall…
And Weapons appeared out of Thin Air as they brandished them towards me.
"...Who are you?" Arlo asked.
"Uhm… Hello. I'm Sett, an Office Worker… or at least, I was? …Where are we, anyways?" I was still confused, and even more so with the sudden appearance of their weapons.
'Where did they even get those?'
Arlo had a Longsword, Blake had a Short Hammer, the first girl, Rain, had a Book, and the other girl… Well, she didn't seem hostile… yet.
"...A-Arlo…" Rain began eyeing her Book with a haunted expression.
Arlo and Blake immediately looked shocked as well when they looked at their Weapons, and the other Girl did too, taking out a Dagger.
'WHERE are they getting these!?'
"...This shouldn't be possible… Status." Arlo said.
Everybody repeated the same thing, and they looked as though they were looking at something that wasn't there.
'What are they looking at? …Status.'
Suddenly, despite all odds…
A Screen popped up in front of me, appearing out of thin air.
------------------------------------------------------------
[Level : 1] [EXP : 0/(NULL)] [Unique Skill : Exchange]
[Stats]
{Strength : 1} {Endurance : 1} {Agility : 1}
{Dexterity : 1} {Intelligence : 1} {Magic : 1}
[Skills]
{Soul Weapon : Gun}
[Elements]
{Space}
------------------------------------------------------------
'…A Game Screen?'
With all of the things that were happening, I knew one thing for sure…
'…YUP. I'm Dreaming.'
"Sooo… How do I get out of here?" I said out loud, looking around.
"This isn't a Dream."
I turned back around, and looked at the last Girl who said that to me.
"...Well, I guess that's what a piece of my Consciousness would say." I spoke out loud again.
Suddenly, in an instant…
The Girl disappeared from where she was standing, and was now standing directly in front of me.
'Hm? How did she-'
Before I could finish that thought…
She immediately gave me an Uppercut, knocking me back.
"ACK! HEY THAT- …That… Hurt?" I was… dumbfounded.
Reality suddenly dawned over me.
"'That open your eyes for you?" The Girl said.
Although I was shocked…
I was surprisingly calm.
"...W-Where-"
"Lorentike. A Different World than the one we came from." She quickly answered.
"...H-"
"We don't know either." She answered before I could even ask.
'Ugh. The Sass on this one…'
"Come on, stop bullying him. He wasn't here last time." Arlo said.
"...Hmph." She turned around, and sat back down on the floor near the others.
"...Thank you." I thanked him.
"I'm Arlo. The one you just spoke with is Etta. This Man is Blake, and the other Woman next to me is Rain." Arlo introduced them.
"So, what's your Unique Skill?" Blake suddenly asked.
"Hey! Don't go asking for Personal Info like that! You already know what happened the last time our Info was leaked!" Arlo shouted.
"...How could I forget?" Blake said, rubbing his side.
"It'll only be like this for 4 Days, so we can't waste any time. Let's get to Hunting before Night comes." Arlo said, brandishing his Sword again.
"Nothin' but Wolves and Kobolds, remember? We'd barely get to Level 3 by Day 3." Blake said.
"Better than nothing. Now, let's go." Arlo ordered.
Blake sighed, but everybody followed behind anyway.
'…D-Do I follow-'
Answering my Question, Etta grabbed me by the Collar and began dragging me along.
Although it was very hidden, there was an Exit to the Cave we were in.
And as we left the Cave…
A Vast Forest laid Right before my Eyes.
'…Wow.'
It stretched for Miles upon Miles, with roughly 2 Rivers viewable in the distance.
Countless Mountains laid in the distance, indicating the Border around the Forest.
"This is… AmazING-"
Before I could take the view in completely, Etta continued dragging me along.
"Ack! Can you at least warn me!? This is seriously starting to hurt!" I pleaded.
But, she didn't respond. Instead, she kept moving forward, and kept dragging me close behind her by the NECK.
'This Girl! Seriously!'
Immediately, they all stopped.
"Alright. This should be deep enough. Everyone ready." Arlo said.
Just like before, everyone took out Weapons from Thin Air.
"...Well?" Etta looked at me.
"Uhh… How do I do that?" I was still confused.
"Tch. Useless…" Etta smeared.
"Just think of the Name of your Skill, and it should activate. You did look at your Status, right?" Arlo explained.
'Just think of the name? …Soul Weapon : Gun.'
Just like he said, a Pistol-Like Weapon appeared in my right hand.
'…That's so cool.'
"A Gun, huh? More Ranged Damage Dealers will be a big help." Arlo said.
In that instance, the surroundings began to rustle…
…A Lot.
'What is that!?'
Staring into the dark depths of the Forest…
A pair of Red Eyes stared back at me.
Reflexively acting on Instinct, I shot into the Forest with an oddly quiet *Bang*.
"Are you insane!?" Etta suddenly shouted.
"Scatter!"
On Arlo's command…
Everyone began running in different directions.
"Huh? What about me- ACK!"
Etta, instead of running on her own, grabbed me by the Collar again, and began dragging me along quickly through the Forest.
"You Idiot! Are you trying to get us Killed!?" She shouted.
"S-Sorry! It was a Reflex! I was in the Army for a few years!" I shouted back.
Suddenly leaping into the Air, she somehow dragged me up with her, and we were now sitting on a Branch atop a Tree.
Despite not being the one who was running, I was out of breath, and she seemed perfectly fine.
"Tch. Wolves give 3 EXP and Kobolds give 4. We all need 100 EXP to level up, so obviously we were waiting to see who the Enemy was FIRST." She explained quickly, smacking me on the back of my head.
"I-I said I was sorry… I still don't know what's going on. I don't even know what a Kobold is." I said.
"Well, thanks to you, it'll take us ages to regroup."
----------------------------------------
[Killed a Kobold]
{+4 EXP}
----------------------------------------
"Ah. I killed it." I blurted.
"Shh!"
We both sat in silence…
And although I couldn't hear much, I could faintly make out the noise of something moving along the bushes.
"//It's a Wolf. No matter what, DO NOT ATTACK IT. Got that!?//" Etta whispered.
"//Y-Yeah… I'll be more careful.//" I whispered back.
We waited in silence as the Wolf slowly moved under us, and into the Distance.
"...It's gone." I said.
"Good. Let's move."
She suddenly jumped off the Branch, nearly causing me to fall.
While her landing was perfect, mine was… I'd rather not talk about it.
"...Kobolds to the Right. Wolves behind. Choose." She said.
"H-Huh?" I was confused.
"Who are we hunting first? WOLVES? Or KOBOLDS?" She emphasized.
"...K-Kobolds give the most EXP, right?" I said nervously.
"Good Answer. But, highest won't always mean Easiest. In this case, Kobolds are easier than Wolves, so we shouldn't have a Problem. At least, I won't." She said.
"You are strangely hostile-"
Before I could finish my sentence, she grabbed me by the Collar once again, and we began zooming through the Forest once more.
'...Is it strange to be used to this already?'
. . .
. . .
. . .
We were hiding in the Bushes nearby.
A Group of 3 Kobolds were gathered around a Dead Deer, eating away at its flesh.
"//…Shoot first. I'll go in afterwards.//" Etta said.
"//O-Okay.//"
Holding my Gun up…
I hit one of the Kobolds directly in the back of the head.
In that instance, Etta charged in…
And immediately beheaded the other 2 Kobolds in a singular rotation.
"W-Woah… Hm?"
The Kobold I hit…
Wasn't dead.
They were disabled, but it would take a little longer for them to die like that.
'…I guess I'll finish the job.'
Walking over to the Kobold…
I shoot it once more in the back of the Head.
----------------------------------------
[Killed a Kobold]
{+4 EXP}
----------------------------------------
"...I noticed this before, but-"
"You're strangely calm? Yeah, that'll only last you a Week. Exactly 7 Days from now, you'll probably have a Mental Break Down from the accumulated Pressure." She said.
"...Harsh. Status."
------------------------------------------------------------
[Level : 1] [EXP : 8/(NULL)] [Unique Skill : Exchange]
[Stats]
{Strength : 1} {Endurance : 1} {Agility : 1}
{Dexterity : 1} {Intelligence : 1} {Magic : 1}
[Skills]
{Soul Weapon : Gun}
[Elements]
{Space}
------------------------------------------------------------
"...Null?"
"Null? What do you mean by that?" Etta asked.
"My EXP… It says I have 8 out of "Null"."
"...The hell are you getting at?" She seemed confused.
"I'm serious. What does yours say?"
"8 out of 100. But that's not important… Why does yours say "Null"? It's the first time I've heard of this… I'm gonna have to ask the others." Etta said.
"Hmm… Maybe… We don't? At least, until we find out what "Null" even means." I suggested.
"And that's why we'll be asking the others. If anything, Arlo probably knows a lot more than I do."
Despite her confidence in those words, I caught a small glimpse of sadness on her face for a moment before it returned to her normal poker face.
"...Let's move. We'll find the others before Nightfall." Etta said.
"...Right. Let's go."
I expected her to grab me, but instead she started running into the Forest, and I clumsily followed behind, hitting almost every small Branch or Twig in the process.
Etta, on the other hand, was perfectly avoiding the Twigs and Branches, and didn't even make a sound as she ran along the ground.
'How does she move like that?'
Although the events were moving rather quickly for my liking…
This weird "Calm" Effect made everything feel normal, as if it was just OKAY for me to be in this strange world filled with Kobolds and the like…
. . .
. . .
. . .
----------------------------------------
[Killed a Kobold]
{+4 EXP}
----------------------------------------
"Alright. I leveled up." Etta said.
We've been hunting for a few Hours that felt like Days...
"What about you?" She looked at me.
"Ah, right. Status."
------------------------------------------------------------
[Level : 1] [EXP : 96/(NULL)] [Unique Skill : Exchange]
[Stats]
{Strength : 1} {Endurance : 1} {Agility : 1}
{Dexterity : 1} {Intelligence : 1} {Magic : 1}
[Skills]{Soul Weapon : Gun}
[Elements]
{Space}
------------------------------------------------------------
"96… But, will I really Level Up? It still doesn't show a Number Requirement." I said, worried.
"We'll find out soon. You take this one."
Etta suddenly leapt into the Tree above, and a Rustle sounded from behind me.
I quickly whipped around, and pointed my Gun in the direction of the noise.
…And out came a Kobold from the Bushes.
"...Blue Fur?"
This Kobold was different from the others.
The other Kobolds had Reddish Brown Fur and Black Eyes.
This Kobold, on the other hand, had Dark Blue Fur and Gray Eyes.
"Ohh, it's a Blue Kobold. It's tougher than normal Kobolds, but they're worth Twice the EXP." Etta said from above.
8 EXP… Alright. No time to Chicken Out.
Pointing my Gun at the Kobold…
The Kobold moved out of my Line of Fire.
'It has better Intelligence than normal Kobolds.'
Quickly moving my hand, I shot at the Kobold.
But, they blocked it with a sort of Curved Blade seemingly made from Bones.
The spot where I shot didn't seem to do any damage whatsoever to the Blade.
"It's a Marrow Blade. From the Size of it, it's made from the Bone of a Black Wolf." Etta explained.
'Thanks, but NOT helpful.'
Shooting over and over again, the Kobold kept blocking or dodging my rounds One after the Other.
I learned this earlier, but it seems like this Gun holds Infinite Ammunition. When I told Etta, she seemed surprised at the ability to create Something out of Nothing. But, we later figured out that the Bullets actually dissolved after hitting something, considering the Kobolds never had any Bullets in their Body after I shot them.
"Magic Bullets," Etta told me. It was hard to believe, but considering my current situation…
'Kugh. That Blade's a Problem. How do I kill this guy?'
While I was thinking to myself, Etta gave out a deep sigh.
"Too slow. We'll be here 'till Midnight if we go at this pace."
In an instant…
Etta leapt off the Branch, and cut clean through the Marrow Blade. She leapt back into the Trees a moment after.
"That should quicken things. Now hurry. You have 3 Minutes." She said.
'…Thanks?'
Eyeing their Cut Blade, the Blue Kobold looked confused.
Taking advantage of the Confusion…
I shot the Kobold directly in the Forehead, not piercing or killing it, but knocking it out.
'…That works.'
"Hurry up." Etta rushed.
Walking over to the Unconscious Kobold, I shot it in the Forehead again.
It didn't pierce, but it still seemed to be doing damage.
With a few more shots…
The Kobold was killed.
----------------------------------------
[Killed a Blue Kobold]
{+8 EXP}
{Drop : {Fang} Skill Crystal}
----------------------------------------
'Drop?'
Suddenly, the Body of the Blue Kobold began to dissolve into Gray Dust, later dissolving even further into nothing.
And in place of it was a Small, Light Gray Crystal the size of a Pill.
"Holy Crap. A Drop on your first Hunt with the Blue Kobold?" Etta jumped down, looking surprised.
"What's a Skill Crystal?"
"They're Crystals that grant Skills when consumed. It's yours, so quickly eat it." Etta said.
'…Eat this?'
Although I was reluctant…
I forced it into my mouth.
To my surprise, it immediately dissolved in my mouth, and a chime sounded in my head.
----------------------------------------
[Acquired Skill]
{Fang} {F-Rank} {Active}
(Creates a Sharp Curved Edge at the end of a Blade)
[Usage Requirements :]
(Sharp Weapon)
----------------------------------------
"{Fang}... But, I don't use Sharp Weapons." I said.
"Although your Main Weapon is a Gun, that doesn't mean you can't use Other Weapons. You can try using a Sword or Dagger when we go to Town in 10 Days." She said.
"...How do you know all of this? You all sound like you've already been through this before…"
". . ." She kept silent.
"...Alright, whatever. Status."
------------------------------------------------------------
[Level : 1] [EXP : 104/(NULL)] [Unique Skill : Exchange]
[Stats]
{Strength : 1} {Endurance : 1} {Agility : 1}
{Dexterity : 1} {Intelligence : 1} {Magic : 1}
[Skills]
{Soul Weapon : Gun} {F - Fang)
[Elements]
{Space}
------------------------------------------------------------
"...I didn't level up." I was disappointed.
"...I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you're Cursed?"
"C-Cursed!? That can happen!?"
Without responding, she just shrugged.
"On a different note, let's get going. The Cave is not far from here."
. . .
. . .
. . .
She said that, but…
We ran for what felt like Miles before we actually reached the Cave. The Sun was almost completely down after we arrived.
'…We went quite far out without before I realized.'
"You're back. How's the Newbie?" Blake said from the Entrance.
"He's… a Newbie alright." Etta said, sitting down near the Fire they started.
"Welcome back. Any Progress?" Arlo asked.
"I Leveled up. As for Him…" Etta looked at me. "...He didn't get enough EXP yet, so he's still Level 1."
'…Huh?'
To my surprise…
Etta didn't say anything about my situation.
"Oh, he did get a Skill Crystal on his first attempt against a Blue Kobold." Etta added.
"What!? He got {Fang} already!?" Blake shouted.
"That's amazing. Too bad his Soul Weapon is a Pistol. His Attack Power would've gone up if he had a Sword or Dagger." Rain said.
As I sat down, Arlo passed me a Stick that seemed to have some Meat on it.
"Congrats on the Skill. It's not easy coming across one of those." He said.
"T-Thanks." I was still a little nervous.
Afterwards, I watched in silence as everyone chatted and talked amongst themselves as we ate.
'…I guess… This isn't too bad.'
After we ate…
We went to sleep, and rested until the next day.