RULES TO REMEMBER
Players are allowed to help others but cannot explicitly state their intentions or strategies. Unique abilities can only be used indirectly.
Players cannot share any information about their 'Player' identity or anything related to the separated world.
Players will receive tasks and quests one at a time, each with a time limit. Failing to complete these tasks will trigger punishment for the player.
IF ANY RULE ABOVE IS BROKEN, THE PLAYER WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES ALONG WITH SURROUNDING NPCs OR PLAYERS.
Saber's Early Life
Saber was born into a loving family. The day he arrived, his father beamed with pride.
"You see that?" he said, voice thick with emotion. "Our boy is finally crying tears in his eyes."
His mother, eyes shining with tears of her own, nodded. "Yeah. What should we name him?"
After a moment of contemplation, his father suggested, "What about the strongest sword? Saber?"
His mother smiled, her face softening. "That's a very brave name, honey!"
As Saber grew, moments of joy filled their home. One sunny afternoon in the park, his father called out, "Come on, son! Papa will catch you if you fall."
Back home, Saber's mother, busy in the kitchen, paused to address her son. "What's wrong, Saber? Want milk? Oh, you hungry boy," she cooed, filling his bottle.
Sometimes, Saber loved playing hide and seek. One day, as he hid behind the curtains, his father's voice echoed through the house, "Saber? Where are you? Are you hiding again?"
Even during quiet moments, the joy was palpable. Cradled on his mother's lap, she encouraged him softly, "Say 'Mumma'?"
"Paupau," Saber babbled, making his mother melt with affection.
"Awww!!! What a cutie!" she exclaimed, hugging him close.
His father, always playful, couldn't help but tease. "He said papa, so he loves his papa more!"
His mother shot back with a mock stern look, "You'll be sleeping in the hall tonight!"
"NOO!!!" his father protested, laughter filling their home.
They were living a happy and joyful life. Until…
One fateful day, the once peaceful and lively village was engulfed in chaos.
The villagers screamed in terror as a heavy march of 'Hollow Wards' descended upon them, burning everything in their path. The devastation was swift and merciless, leaving the village in ruins.
Amidst the smoldering remains, with dull eyes and a heavy heart, Saber A.K.A Arush stood alone once again, having lost everything dear to him.
PRESENT
LOCATION – RESUPP RIDGE
He opened his eyes.
What…was that? he thought. A dream?
Looking out, he saw a huge kingdom in the distance.
"Wow! What a large kingdom!" he exclaimed.
He walked slowly towards the kingdom, feeling the breeze filled with the scent of flowers.
What should I do? Since now I'm a free bird, I can do anything I want but... he pondered, his face troubled.
I thought I had overcome that dream. But it looks like I have a long way to go. Why does it feel like I always had something more? Even harder to understand, what is that 'more'? I'M CLUELESS!
As he walked, he reflected, I never had any free time and the time I had was always wasted on others, helping out. Now that I have infinite time, I cannot think of anything for myself. And it just keeps bugging me after the collapse of the village. Now that I'm all alone, what even should I do?
He swiped his finger in a gesture to check his balance.
"A 1000 silvers, ha, nice I guess," he muttered.
So the first thing I can do is earn money, but the question rises, how? I'll check the guild first I guess, for starters. Then I think I'll buy a house in a remote location since...
Feeling disappointed, Arush muttered to himself, "I'm an introvert. It has been a long time since I talked to someone without the polite mask since I talked to only elder people like him and my boss. It has been a long time since I talked to someone except my boss. And my interactions with girls are unmatched, so in short…"
He sighed deeply, "I'm screwed if I ever encounter a girl, but it's less likely to happen since nobody came near me within 50 cm."
As Arush walked towards the kingdom, he couldn't help but think about his parents. ''I wonder what they would do if they saw me like this, earning small bucks with huge workloads, he mused.''
Step by step, he approached the wall gate where guards were checking people one by one. A troubled look crossed his face, and his eye twitched.
''Is this supposed to be a joke?'' he thought, staring at the guards. Their bodies were shining and packed with muscles. ''THEY ARE PRACTICALLY NAKED, ONLY THAT UNDERWEAR IS SAVING THEIR EXCALIBURS FROM BEING REVEALED. WHAT IS THE POINT OF EVEN WEARING THAT! I PRACTICALLY KNOW THE SIZES JUST BY ACCIDENTALLY GLARING AT IT!''
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Huh?" he muttered, bewildered by the sight.
Each step brought him closer to the wall gate, where guards were checking people one by one. As he approached, a troubling scene unfolded before him.
One of the guards confronted a traveller. "You don't have the permit?" the guard demanded.
"No sir," the traveller replied.
Without warning, the guard grabbed the traveller and slammed him to the ground. "Then go back where you came from! Commoner!" he barked.
Saber's eyes widened in shock. The traveller pleaded, "Please sir, I have to sell the supplies for my family."
"I don't care about your family," the guard retorted.
"Please...I'm begging you," the traveller continued to plead.
Is that really alright to treat him like that? He's just a poor salesperson, Saber thought. But again, he'll turn me into a football if I stand up for him. He shivered in fear.
Suddenly, a hand touched him. "AAAAA!!!" he screamed. The person who touched him also screamed, "AAAAA!!!" and fell.
Saber turned around to see. IT'S A GIRL!!! MY ONE OF THE WORST IMPOSSIBLE ENCOUNTERS! he thought in panic.
"Why did you scream?" she asked. They looked at each other, both staring in confusion.
"Mind helping me get up, or are you going to keep staring at me in disgust?" she said, irritation clear in her voice.
"Ah, sorry," Saber mumbled, offering his hand. She took it, glaring at him as she got up. She then noticed the reason for his fear.
"Oh! I get it now. You're scared of that guard, aren't you?" she observed.
"Yeah, of course I'm scared just by looking at him and not to mention his Excalibur," Saber admitted.
She looked puzzled. "Excalibur?"
"Nothing, nothing, really nothing," Saber stammered, trying to cover his slip.
She gave him a once-over, her eyes scanning from top to bottom. He doesn't look like a thief or someone suspicious, that's for sure, she thought.
"Hey," she called out, catching his attention.
He turned to face her.
"You can come with me if you want?" she offered.
Saber was shocked. Is she serious? She is really inviting me to tag along with her! he thought, trying to remain calm. CALM DOWN! AND ANALYZE, SABER. She MUST have an intent; otherwise, she would never have asked me.
She would've just passed a comment and moved on, but I think I release some kind of prey aura that only attracts predators to me.
What is he thinking so deeply about? It's just an entry offer, she thought, watching him.
I'll just say 'thank you' to her, and after that, we part our ways. Yes, that's the plan, Saber decided.
"So, I'll be going, I guess..." she said, starting to leave.
"Alright, I accept your offer," Saber quickly responded.
"Then hurry up," she urged.
She went that far already? he wondered, rushing to catch up.
She flashed her ID, and the guard welcomed her with a smile. Is he really the same person who was hitting that poor old guy? Saber thought, bewildered.
They crossed through the gate, bathed in the white light shining at the end. The place was surrounded by shops and a bustling crowd, with a fortress visible in the distance.
"Woaaaaaaaaaaw!!!!!! What is that? And that? And that? That?" Saber exclaimed, his excitement palpable.
She giggled, thinking, He's just like a little kid, getting excited over smaller things.
This is just like the dream that I imagined myself in the RPG!!! Saber thought, thrilled.
"Come on, let's go," she said, nudging him.
"Yeeei," he responded, turning his head left and right in excitement while she side-eyed him.
"So, where are you from? You definitely do not live here, do you?" she asked, curious.
Oh, Crap! Think of something, reply normally, Saber panicked.
"Ah, I came here from a small village in the southland of Aura," he said, trying to sound natural.
"South? Which way is that?" she asked, perplexed.
Screw me! he thought.
"From that side," he pointed to the right.
"Oh! The right side, I think I had visited that side. That side is the land of bones, right?" she said.
"I see," she continued.
"Ye-Yeah," Saber responded, thinking, How the hell am I supposed to know?
"The creatures are pretty scary there in small villages, even for an experienced adventurer like me. They jump out of nowhere," she explained.
''Adventurer? Wait, the dungeon raiding team?'' Saber thought, his mind racing.
''You mean I can ACTUALLY raid? You mean I can ACTUALLY raid in reality like I did in MMORPG? I have always dreamt of raiding a dungeon and collecting those cool armors, but I couldn't since that was fictional for my parents! BUT! Here I have no limit and can go all out in the caves! And now that I have this lean body, I can run more comfortably. This HAS to be the BEST start of my LIFE!!!''
"And he was covered in—" she started, her eyes widening as she noticed his excited expression.
''I guess he really likes the adventurer jobs, huh?'' she thought.
"Have you ever been in an adventuring group?" she asked.
"NO!" Saber replied enthusiastically.
''That's why'', she realized.
"So... Want to join?" she asked.
"CAN I!" Saber responded eagerly.
"SLOW DOWN!" she exclaimed.
"OK!" Saber replied, trying to calm down.
"GO AWAY!" she suddenly shouted.
A man approached, his footsteps TAP TAP on the ground. Both looked at him.
"What is all the screaming about? Take your couple goals at home, will you?" the man said, raising an eyebrow.
"Chloe? Are you on a date? But I thought you were all alone," the man continued, confusion on his face.
"THIS IS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!" Chloe protested, both of them starting to argue.
Saber looked at the man again. The man looks handsome, he thought, staring. The man was bald, and his head shone brightly.
"So shiny," Saber murmured, unable to take his eyes off.
"STOP!" Chloe whispered urgently. She leaned in close to Saber's ear, speaking softly while he nodded up and down.
"Don't talk about his hairless, shining, and sparkling head, not at least in front of him. If he hears it, then he goes into depression," she explained.
"You know, once he proposed to a girl and—" she began
The man, clearly annoyed, playfully hit the girl.
"BOOM! BANG!" echoed the sound effects, adding a bit of dramatic flair to his actions.
"At least learn to properly whisper! I clearly heard everything you said!" the man exclaimed.
Chloe turned to Saber, "Oh! By the way, he wants to join our party and he's ... What was your name again?"
Both the man and Saber responded in unison, "You're asking that right now?"
"Sorry, I forgot haha..." Chloe said, looking at them but realizing they had already gone ahead.
"WAIT! Why did you guys leave me behind, you meanies?" she shouted, running to catch up.
The man turned to Saber, "By the way, I am Marco. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"And I am Chloe," she added.
"And I'm Saber," he introduced himself.
Marco raised an eyebrow, "Well that's an unusual name for people in this land."
Chloe chimed in, "Yeah, he is from the land of Bones, right?"
"Yeah, it is," she confirmed.
"You said he wants to join the party, right?" Marco asked.
Both Chloe and Saber responded, "Yeah."
Marco thought for a moment, "So we might as well discuss with the rest of the members first, right?"
''Now that you mentioned it'', Saber thought. The screen showed a task. ''I did get a task with similar requirements.''
TASK
Meet up with the members and join Chloe's adventure party
"So where are we heading?" Saber asked, curiosity in his voice.
"To the Adventure Guild," Marco replied. "That's where you will meet up with the rest of the members from today onwards if you are accepted."
"Oooo," Saber murmured, his eyes widening with excitement.
''It looks like the 'system' is here trying to support me by giving me these small tasks, he thought. That's nice since I literally have no knowledge whatsoever regarding talks with other people. And the group work I only did was labor and lived in a crappy hut. Now screw that fatso. I'm just a free bird wandering around with 1000 silvers, Hehe…''
They reached the Adventure Guild, and Saber stared at the Adventure Guild poster, awe in his eyes.
"Come on, Saber," Chloe urged, snapping him out of his reverie.
Saber hurriedly ran and entered the building. As he stepped inside, his eyes widened in disbelief. "WOOAAAAA!" he exclaimed, taking in the grandeur of the place.
Passing by, Marco chuckled. "This is just the starting, kid," he said.
Chloe tapped Saber's shoulder, bending down slightly to meet his gaze. "You ready, big fellow?" she asked with a smile.
"Hell yeah, I am!" Saber responded, excitement evident in his voice.
"Good!" Chloe replied, pleased with his enthusiasm.
Marco smirked, "Come on, you two," he said, leading the way.