The beach's sand glimmered as white as snow, and the sun smiled at the world. The blue sky was painted by seagulls flying around.
Hunter could see a beautiful forest to the north and mountains to the south. Behind him, a large port with a fleet of ships lined up decorating a beautiful city.
The city's name was Granary, the starting point for all new players and the center of Frontier Online.
There were NPCs everywhere, going about their daily business. The NPCs looked real, and Hunter could even feel the wind on his face and the smell of the sea. Players often called those NPCs Indigenous, people of the origin.
Figures of people huddled in a group could be seen everywhere. Pioneers. That was how this world called the players. And from their lungs, scream or whisper, was squeezed out desperately.
"W-what happened?"
"What is this? Hey, someone tell me! What the heck happened to us?!"
"Where are we? Is this a dream? I think I'm dreaming. This can't be real, right? I must be asleep..."
"No way! This is real. Look, you can feel the wind, and you can touch things."
"Someone call the GM! Let them explain what happened!"
Hunter looked around at the chaos and felt a sense of unease. He couldn't believe that this was all part of the game. It felt too real. No, in the first place, how could he move his body? Frontier Online was, after all, just a PC MMORPG game. It wasn't real.
'This is weird,' he thought.
From what he remembered, he just played the game as usual when an emergency maintenance notification popped up. He was in the middle of walking on the beach, admiring the view, when a blinding light filled his vision, and everything went blank.
Then, he woke up here.
'It's not like this is VR either. And the pain...'
He pinched his arm, and it hurt. This was real. He was actually here.
Hunter sighed and tried to calm himself down.
'Panicking will only get me nowhere. I need to find out what's going on.'
He started walking past the panicked players, heading towards the port. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he had a feeling that he would find more answers there.
As he walked, he took note of his surroundings and himself.
'My body is different,' he thought. 'My arms and legs move the way I tell them to. But because this character is taller than my real body, it feels a bit off. And there's a strange feeling in my chest, like a dull ache.'
His body was clad in black leather armor, and he was carrying a staff with a glowing crystal attached to the end.
The town of Granary spread out before him. It was a bustling hub of activity, with NPCs selling goods and services, and players running around.
There were shops and taverns and inns, and even a temple for the gods. The architecture was a mix of futuristic and medieval, with a touch of fantasy. The buildings mainly used a combination of steel and glass, with decorative elements such as flags, lanterns, and sculptures.
But what caught his eye was the large number of people huddled around a statue in the center of the town. They were shouting loudly. Some shook the Indigenous' body, asking for explanation to the NPCs, and some cried or screamed in panic.
"What is going on here?"
"I don't know. I tried talking to the GM, but they haven't responded."
"Same here."
The number of players in Granary city alone was more than 10 thousand, according to Hunter's knowledge. He couldn't imagine the number of players in this whole world.
'Frontier Online is the biggest MMORPG with a world-wide server and has more than 10 million players. It has been around for ten years, and the company keeps adding new content and updates. But this is too much even for the developers.'
The only plausible explanation he could come up with was that the game developers were behind all this.
'But how and why?'
He didn't understand.
One thing he knew was that he was inside the game. And he could open his status board.
Hunter looked at the information displayed. He chose a simplified version and hid his equipment and bonus it provided.
Name: Hunter
Level: 80
Race: Human
Class: Summoner
Subclass: Alchemist
HP: 5120/5120
MP: 9100/9100
STR: 40
AGI: 50
INT: 160
His status wasn't any different from when it was still a game. But that wasn't important. The most important part of this status board was the fact he could see a friend list.
He checked his friend list, and there were a few white names, which meant the player was online.
'Good. At least, some of them are here. That's a relief.'
He also noticed that there were a few gray names, which meant the player was offline.
Looking at the friend list for a while, he suddenly had a thought.
'Can I use the call function?'
He clicked on one of the white names and selected the call button. A dialing tone sounded, and the person picked up.
"Hunter?! Is this Hunter?" The voice was familiar and a bit rushed, the other party clearly flustered.
"Schnee! Yes, it's me. I'm glad you're here. Are you okay?"
Schnee was Hunter's old friend. They often formed a party together in the past, and he was relieved to know she was here too.
"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm good. Weirded out but okay." He answered, glancing around the bustling town. "What are you doing now?"
"I'm at the Granary city's temple. Trying to figure out what's going on. There's a group of players here and-"
"Wait, you're at Granary?" Hunter cut in.
"Yes. What's wrong?"
"I'm here too. Can you meet me somewhere?"
"Sure. Let's meet in front of the statue in the center."
"Bad idea." He said, "It's a bit chaotic here. There's a large crowd, and we won't be able to talk properly. Why don't we go to a quieter place? How about the rocky area north to the city? It's usually empty."
"That's a good idea. See you there."
The call ended, and Hunter began to walk towards the rocky area.
'At least, I have someone I know. And we can exchange information or work together until we find a solution. Schnee is someone I can trust. We've known each other for a long time. She's a great strategist and knows a lot about the game.'
Hunter was glad to have someone he could rely on.
When he arrived at the rocky area, he saw a beautiful girl sitting atop the rock. The girl looked like a warrior goddess from afar, with her fiery red hair and fierce expression.
As she moved, her dark armor shifted over her curves, and the long spear in her hand seemed almost ominous in its power. Her eyes, one hidden by her bang, glowed with determination, and her lips were curled into a sultry smile that blossomed when she heard Hunter's voice.
"Schnee!"
"You're here."
They hugged each other.
"It's good to see you. I'm glad you're safe."
"Same here." She grinned. "So, what do we do now?"
"Well, the first thing we should do is to gather more information. And maybe, we can find a way out of this."
"But we have no clue where we are, how we got here, and what happened. It's like we're stuck in a dream, and we can't wake up."
Hunter nodded. "I know. It's frustrating. But we have to stay calm and keep trying."
Schnee sighed and stared at the sky.
"What if we can't find a way out? What if we're stuck here forever?" She said, her tone full of melancholy. However, her lips curled up, almost as if she hoped that it would happen.
"If that's the case, we'll just have to live here. Build a new life." He chuckled, "We'll probably need to level up and improve our skills. You know? With the new update and expansion pack that allow us to reach level 100 now."
Schnee laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She then looked at him seriously. "But you're not thinking of staying here, are you? In this world."
"Well, I'm not sure yet."
They talked for a while longer, planning and discussing the situation. They agreed that the current situation was unreasonable. However, because they were pretty much stuck here, they were left without choice but to adjust and survive.
"The most important thing is how to fight." Schnee said. "Unlike before, we have to fight using our own body. We can't just click a mouse and activate a skill. It's going to be a challenge."
"Yeah." Hunter nodded, "And what happens if we die? Do we get revived somewhere? Or do we just disappear forever? It's hard to say, and I don't want to risk it."
"True." Schnee said. "That's why we have to be careful and build up our skills. We also have to be ahead of everyone else, learning how to fight is one of them. It's not just about levels and stats anymore. It's about being a master of our own bodies and weapons."
Hunter thought about that.
"We'll also need to explore and gather information. If what I read two days ago about the expansion pack is correct, then there are changes with some dungeons and monsters."
"Yes, that's true." Schnee said.
"Let's see. The new expansion pack is called "The Lost City." It's said that there's a city that was abandoned by the gods, and it's filled with new monsters and treasure. Getting there is risky, as it's at the end of the map. It's not even accessible until you reach level 95."
"Wow. That sounds interesting."
"Yeah, it's supposed to be a new adventure. And I've heard that there are new bosses, too. We have to be ready for anything."
Hunter looked up at the sky. "But first, we have to find a way out of this. Let's see what else we can find."
"True." She nodded. "We'll figure it out. Together."
They both smiled and started walking. Their fists bumped into each other.
"I am counting on you, partner."
"Me too."
Hunter didn't know what to make of this situation. But with his friend by his side, he felt more confident.
'I hope we can find a way back to our world. But if not, at least, I have Schnee. She's the one who can make me feel hopeful, even in a situation like this.'