Sim was out of breath as he made it up the hill and finally arrived to the top. Stepping off of the path his footsteps echoed across the hill as he moved farther away from his previous location.
Glancing around he saw that the sky had grown dark and stars had appeared. As his feet landed softly on the grass he noticed that there was something he missed out on earlier.
"I will do this on my own! I don't need anyone!" Sim thought.
He saw a silhouette in the distance just standing there . He stopped walking and stared curiously
It seemed to be looking straight at him. The shape was definitely humanoid with long hair that flowed freely behind him. He stepped forward cautiously wondering why this was happening to him.The figure suddenly took a step forward.
Deep inside he was horrified by the creature who was clearly staring at him. His breathing quickened as he tried to look away from its stare.
"What are you waiting for?! Go on!! Do what you must!!" The creature's deep voice boomed
Sim jumped startled and began running as fast as his legs could carry him.
"Fuck! H-How am I supposed to fight that thing?!" Sim muttered.
"With your ability?" A small voice laughed.
"Huh?" He whispered.
Looking and and right he was confused where the voice came from. When he looked over and saw nothing but grass and shrubs he let out a sigh in relief. Turning back towards the monster who stood there calmly waiting for him.
"I don't think I'll be of much use here," He mused.
"You will be fine! You need to stop panicking!" The female voice giggled.
He gawked up in the tree at her. She had a large book in her arms that was covered in colorful drawings. Her eyes lit up upon seeing him. She leapt from the tree landing next to him as he continued staring up at her.
"You really didn't expect me to stay in the tree did you?" She asked.
"Well no…" He replied.
She had pink hair tucked under her large witches hat and she wore a white and gold dress. She looked beautiful, as he was seeing her for the first time. His heart started beating quickly when he realized what she meant.
"I was hoping you'd be different," He muttered.
Her eyes widened and then she burst out laughing loudly. He smiled awkwardly as her laugh sounded musical.
"Sorry, I can't help it, it just sounds hilarious how frightened you are," She explained.
"I am a writer…not a fighter!" Sim shouted.
"I am a writer too, but you have no time to mope or you die by the penman who sent us here!" She explained.
He blushed realizing this is the woman who sent him the note from the guild and who was responsible for his current predicament.
"Who are you?" Sim asked.
"My name is Ava…" She blushed.
"Why does that name sound familiar?" He asked.
"For now that isn't important so let's go," Ava smiled.
"Wait, what about my hand?" Sim questioned.
She observed his fingers before releasing them with a smile turn bright red. He could feel himself blush a bit as well as his stomach began to do flips. They both stayed like this for another minute before she cleared her throat awkwardly.
"Sim, do you remember your book at all other than you made a book?" She asked.
"Not really…that's why I am so confused…" Sim admitted.
"So you couldn't fully tell what elements of your story are yours or not?" She thought.
She gently placed her fingers on the cheeks of his face as she noticed the worry in his eyes and the slight trembling. He relaxed instantly at her touch and found himself leaning into her finger tips. She stroked his cheek lightly, smiling at his reaction. His eyes closed instinctively, causing her to chuckle. She pulled her fingers away and looked over at him, studying his face.
"I was making sure your soul hadn't gone NPC yet...silly I wasn't trying to get intimate," The pink haired girl laughed.
"Ahh…huh?" He blushed.
"I think I came before it was too late, but it's weird you stopped at level 9…at level 10 you will be guided by whatever your world has chosen for you and that is when the NPC syndrome gets you and that most likely happened to others around you too," Ava explained.
"NPC syndrome? How did you escape it?" Sim thought.
"Let me help you fight this guy first and then I will do it with you," Ava giggled.
"Right…" He whispered.
"Come on!" Ava scolded.
They walked back up to the figure waiting for them . Ava grabbed Sim's arm and pulled him up onto the path. Once the two of them were in front of the beast they were greeted by its head and arms. It turned his way, showing him its full attention and then spoke.
"You know, you humans are such strange creatures. You can't even begin to guess the meaning of what you say, and the things that go through your minds!" It complained.
Sim shook as Ava calmed him down with an embrace. He knew he couldn't afford to let a single fear consume him. Even though his body trembled due to fear, he remained calm and focused. He needed to fight against it if he wanted to complete his quest.
Touching the grass, Sim could connect to the earth pump through his veins . It was like electricity coursing through him. Every cell of his body hummed with energy. He felt as if he were floating above his body as the world passed below him. He could see everything, including the ground and the trees.
"So you work without your own world's runes I see," She hummed.
A white owl landed on Ava's shoulder. The owl nodded affirmatively. The animal was dressed in a black cloak with silver trimmings and had three golden stripes sewn onto the front.
[Rising Sun Quest: Black Creature | HP??? MP???]
The black creature of a man slammed his fist into the ground angrily as the first attack . The creature continued to slam his fist into the dirt while he cursed the land that rejected him.
"It's hard to believe that a species of people that never leaves their homes could be so powerful," she whispered.
"Targeted Ensnaring Rot!" the Creature muttered.
[MP -??. Remaining MP ????.]
A black wave of rot spread throughout the area surrounding the two humans. They shielded themselves from the rot, but the effect soon dissipated as their bodies were left unscathed.
"Fuck that was close!" Sim shouted.
"What the hell kinda quest did you take?!" Ava asked.
"I literally closed my eyes and picked randomly!" He yelled.
They dodged a few more attacks but nothing else really happened. The creature got angry and punched the ground once again. This time he raised his fist as if to bring it down again. The sky seemed to darken as rain clouds gathered overhead. There were flashes of lightning along with a loud thud that echoed throughout the forest.
The raindrops fell heavily, pelting the ground. Sim held his breath as the creature glared at the rain before turning towards them, its expression darkening further. Sim watched wide eyed as the creature reached its hands together, forming two balls of pure darkness. He glanced over to Ava who looked completely bewildered.
"It looks like it was built to be easy based on how slow it's reacting," Ava chuckled.
Ava clung tightly to her large book before opening it and pointing to the cover.
"Do you see this? This book contains information about every living thing and also a spell or two to aid you against simple monsters. Now I suggest that you follow me, the rain should dry our clothes a little faster if we walk quick enough." She explained.
"Cosmic Decay!" She chanted.
[MP -1500 MP Remaining 28500.]
The heavens descended as falling stars from above fell and formed into spheres which then formed into large fireballs that landed on the creature. The being roared in agony. Sim could see that its skin was being consumed by flames from within. It was burning to ash. Afterward the spheres began to disappear into thin air. Sim looked at Ava with great surprise as they both stared transfixed as the orb vanished. The orb itself was glowing a bright light yellow.
[Ava Marie 30 EXP 2222/30000.]
[Sim Owens, Congratulations [Level 10].]
[EXP 100 934/1000]
"I didn't even attempt to fight…" Sim whispered.
"I didn't know how powerful my spells were here in this world," Ava squeaked, mortified.
Ava became angry as she took him by the arm and marched him out of the clearing.
"I am actually pissed at you right now!" Ava shouted.
"What happened?" He asked.
"You picked a random ass quest and expected to be able to beat it didn't you?!" She yelled.
He was too embarrassed to say anything as she became red in anger.
"You could have died! Risking your life in a world you don't even remember and thinking like this has to stop right fucking now!" Ava demanded.
"Why are you so offended when this isn't your book!" Sim questioned curiously.
"Because this is the thirteenth book…Sim…if you and I die here then the GM taking over will gain his wish on behalf of our deaths!" Ava scolded.
"Thirteenth book?" Sim muttered.
"It's a ritual of losing body and soul, but to become something inhuman during the course of each death he gains the MC's abilities! It was the eighth book…" She explained.
Standing there speechless he could tell she was being sincere and that he shouldn't be angry at her because of this. But the fact that she was telling him all of these things caused his heart to hurt.
"Being reckless is what he wants…I am sorry I yelled, but I want us to make it out of this alive!" Ava stated.
"What do we do now?" Sim pondered.
"Let's do your main quest," She smiled.