As I turned off the old TV, I felt my vision abruptly disappear and a set of mixed colors appear before me just as suddenly. I saw each color separately, but they were all in one line, like an internet cable. Looking ahead, I saw that this small line formed something like a bridge, with a regular door at the end. Walking along the cable, or rather the bridge or road, I opened the door.
And just as I was thinking about how the game would start, I felt myself falling. My wildly beating heart and my sense of self-preservation were in hysterics as I fell at a crazy speed. The world I thought I would meet on the other side of the door was very, very small from my current position. I saw this world falling from space like a cosmonaut.
It looked like our planet, just as blue and just as distant from me at the moment as it is for the astronauts orbiting the planet. I could have enjoyed the view of the planet from space, but for my current situation, which gave me no peace. "You have to calm down," my mind screamed. "Remember, this is just a game."
I had to remember that I couldn't die in the real world from falling here. And just as I had calmed down a little, the speed at which I was flying increased. All I saw before I found myself standing on the ground was the earth just a few centimeters from my face.
"Welcome stranger, my name is Kamis," said the voice of a guy who was about five feet tall. You couldn't tell his age from his appearance, but his voice sounded like he was 40. "I am the elder of the village. I see you don't have suitable equipment. I suggest you buy some at 'Maurice's' shop. Don't believe the name, it's run by Karhein. His father's name was Maurice, but he left the business a long time ago. If you tell them you're with me, they'll give you a discount. If you don't have any skills, you can go to the training area. That's where instructor Cornelius works. She's the strongest fighter in our village, as well as a magic instructor named Castor. He's the only mage here, aside from the priest Calister. Now that I've told you everything, welcome to the village of Ka-mi-lya-rys," Kamis said, pointing to the gate.
Maybe I'm missing something, but it seems to me that I was told this is a machine made for military training, and at the entrance I was greeted by a polymorphic cat who introduced himself as the village elder. Don't tell me that the military have become peaceful now. I can already imagine girl-cats. Well, at least it's not war, if I met war I would be scared shitless, seriously. Although I expected a more serious atmosphere, like in the "Elder Scrolls" game series.
"Thank you for your advice, I will definitely use it. So, which way should I go to get to the training ground?" I asked him, to which I received an unexpected question. "Traveler, I completely forgot that you need to introduce yourself before entering the village. After all, lawlessness is rampant now more than ever."
"Ah, yes, of course," I said, thinking about whether to come up with a name or use my real one. Well, it looks like this game series will be a solo one, so I don't have to worry too much about my name. "My name is Aaron. I hope I can now enter your village," I said with a smile.
"Yes, of course. Please come in. To get to the training ground, you need to turn right after the 'Green Valley' store and go straight until you see a big sign with crossed sword and staff," he said, gesturing in that direction. It's still amazing. He even shows emotions on his face, although it's hard to say whether he's smart or not. But I'm already looking forward to meeting other game characters.
Walking straight down the path, I eventually stumbled upon a rather large building. At least twice the size of the other houses. Unlike the other houses, it had more than four smokestacks on the roof. And even from the street, I could smell the greenery and flowers. I can't be called a botanist, as I was never interested in it, but I'm sure I can smell dozens, if not hundreds of plants. And then it hit me, I can smell. I didn't realize this machine was so magnificent. If I can smell, then...food, if there's food here, I'll be able to smell it too, right? Although who am I talking to. With an incredible desire to enter and explore the store, I walked past it.
Oh, just the building. As I was engrossed in examining this object, I noticed three large boilers there, and it was from there that this delightful smell came. Three girls with huge shovels for their height stood near each boiler. I don't even know what this device is called. But the fact remains that they did not even reach half a meter in height, but they were very energetic. Each of the three was dressed in a green robe that looked more like a medical coat. There was also a girl in a dark green robe sitting nearby, reading something aloud, and the three girls nodded to her in turn. I'll have to go talk to them, I thought as I walked on.
Oh, I got too distracted. Passing by about 30 houses, I found the signboard with the sword and staff. Looking at the sword, I noticed a small gray smoke, and around the staff, there was already a violet smoke. It looked very cool. Perhaps this is what they call an aura in books. Walking under the sign, I met an impressive-looking girl. She was very tall for this village's polymorph, over 170 centimeters in height. By her appearance, she looked more like a lioness than a cat like other villagers. Even the village elder was one and a half meters tall. She had scabbards hanging on her thigh, similar to a sword, which was depicted on the signboard. Her ears and hair were yellow-brown in color. The armor, like the sword, was silver.
A man of advanced age stood on her left. Unlike the villagers, he was human. He looked about 70 years old, with a well-groomed white beard. Standing next to each other, they looked like a grandfather and granddaughter. He was wearing a blue robe, holding a staff, which was also depicted on the signboard. He was about 180 centimeters tall, with a soft expression on his face, looking like a joyful grandpa taking a walk with his granddaughter. Seeing me, he spoke up. It sounded like a very friendly address.
"Oh, it's been a long time since we had any newcomers. My name is Castor, I am the only wizard and also the magic instructor in this village. And my colleague, Cornelia, is the strongest fighter and also an instructor in this arena," the wizard spoke kindly to me. "So, do you want to learn magic or martial discipline? There is also the option to learn both, but only at a basic level. In that case, later on, you can choose which one suits you better. Some people have a talent for magic, while others have a talent for martial honor. Only a few can achieve a legendary level, and if you believe the legends, there have been cases of the appearance of mythical figures. They could no longer be called legends because everyone knew about them. But, unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, nothing is heard about people of mythical level," he said with some sadness.
"I didn't even know it was possible to learn two professions. If it is possible, I would like to learn both from you.
As Mr. Castor mentioned, you cannot obtain two professions. We teach the fundamentals of magic and warrior skills. If you are fortunate, you may become a magic warrior, but your magic will primarily enhance your attacking and defensive abilities. I can demonstrate this visually, as I am a magical swordsman. As you can see, I can only utilize lower-level magic, along with reinforcement and damage-increasing magic. Mr. Castor, on the other hand, can use higher-level magic and may soon rise to the rank of a magic master. He has mastery over the highest level of elemental magic, allowing him to create a shield from his primary element to protect himself. When it comes to defending a magic user at Mr. Castor's level, they use a shield of their element and have control over another type of reinforcement magic that amplifies their attack power based on their intelligence level. For every 1000 intelligence points, they receive an additional 5% increase, up to 50%. In contrast, magical warriors' reinforcement magic provides a 50 to 70% increase and never changes.
My colleague has the highest increase rate at 70%. As for me, I only have a 20% increase rate. Currently, my intelligence is 2860 points. Maybe when I create a new mana circle, my intelligence will increase to 3000 points, and then the reinforcement magic will give me a 25% increase. However, for now, if you do not choose a profession, you will only have access to a 5% increase.
"When can I start learning from you? If possible, I would like to begin today," I said. However, I remembered what Professor Ho had said. I did not know how the game would respond if I disconnected in the middle of the conversation. "Menu," I whispered, but nothing appeared. As soon as I began to feel anxious, a notification appeared.
"To exit the Babylon system, you need to think about leaving, and the system will start automatic preparation for your exit. We suggest that you return to your home, or if you do not have one, rent a room at the inn. Since non-playable characters are controlled by artificial intelligence, their time does not freeze but continues. Before disconnecting, we suggest that you attempt to finish your conversation with NPCs. Otherwise, you may lose their favor, resulting in a reduction in dialogue options, rewards, and possibly even higher trade prices.
It turns out that right now I need to finish the first dialogue with them and agree on studying, and then hide in a secluded place and exit the system. It would be best to go to a tavern. I need to check how many coins I have in my basic belongings and distribute them correctly. And then I remembered that I had talked to Miss Cornelia.
"You can start training right now, but first, you need to find yourself a place to stay. We only have one tavern in the village, but there are also several vacant houses. My advice to you is to take a room in the tavern, as they serve breakfast and dinner there. At least you won't have to worry about finding food. Since you have chosen to learn from both of us, you need to decide who you will start your lessons with. I suggest that you learn the martial discipline in the morning and then study magic after lunch. That way, it will be easier for you to handle the training."
"Listen to her advice. She knows how to raise warriors properly. As for magic, any time is good, as long as you have a desire to learn. So we'll be waiting for you early in the morning. She comes to this square at dawn, so you can come earlier. As they say, the earlier you start, the earlier you finish."
"Thank you for your guidance. I will come tomorrow, and for now, as you suggested, I will rent a room in the tavern. See you tomorrow, mentors." - I said with a smile, getting ready to leave, when suddenly I remembered that I didn't know where the tavern was. With a grimace of embarrassment, I turned back to them and asked, "Which way is the tavern?"
"You need to turn right after the sign. When you reach the fourth street, turn right. You will walk past around 10 houses and see the tavern. It's the last building on the street. If you mention my name, they will treat you to the tavern's signature dish," said the mage Castor to me.
"Thank you for your help. See you tomorrow," I waved to them before running out onto the street. Finding the tavern was not difficult, just as Mr. Castor had said.
Approaching the tavern, I asked myself, "Do I even have any money?" Immediately, I heard a notification voice.
"You have starting capital in your inventory. Your interface was disabled for a more immersive experience. You can activate it at any time by thinking about it. To open your inventory, visualize it," Babylon said to me.
As soon as I thought of the inventory from the game, a projection of it appeared in front of my eyes. Inside was a small bag. When I thought about it, I saw the information: "A bag of coins. Contains 40 gold coins, 70 silver coins, and 100 copper coins. To pick up an item, visualize it in your hand." I grabbed the bag and entered the tavern, asked for a room, and quickly went up to it, thinking about how to exit the game.