The smell of manure wafted through the air. Inaudible murmurs and whispers sounded close by. The blanket Ashley covered herself with suddenly started to feel rougher and thinner, almost like it wasn’t her soft, warm blanket but a coarse dish towel. The mattress felt like it wasn’t there at all and sharp pieces of hard grass poked into her back.
“Ugh,” grumbled Ashley and she opened her eyes.
Instead of the white ceiling of her room, she was met with a wooden rooftop. She reflexively put her hand under her ‘pillow’ that was a batch of straws and felt around for her phone. That was when the drowsiness subsided enough for her to realize something was amiss.
Ashley closed her eyes and opened it again, rubbed them and tried it again.
“What the hell?” she mumbled and frantically looked around.
To her left and right, in two cells, there were horses. She lied in a cell of her own but its door was ajar and there was a canteen lying next to her. Underneath her, there was no mattress but a bedding of straws and the blanket she covered herself with was nothing but a smelly rag that couldn’t fully cover her body.
The clothes she wore were itchy, sewn from linen and her shoes were rough, almost impossible to feel with how callouses her feet were.
“Huh?” she exclaimed as her eyes widened, her knees shaking and arms trembling, “Where the hell am I?”
Frantically, she left the building filled to the brim with horses and found herself faced with a town. Its buildings were old-fashioned, built from wood, wattle and daub. Some were built from stones and bricks but they were the minority. Beyond it, there was a forest with massive trees that were thrice as tall as the few three-story buildings in the town, their leaves of an auburn color.
Everything was brightly colored as if everything was seen through the Vivid Filter of a camera, their contrasts apparent. Wisps of white light floated in the air, forming small masses every few meters. It was an oddly familiar sight —one that Ashley hoped was not what she expected.
“No, no, no, no. Not this place. Please not this place,” she mumbled and audibly gulped.
A bamboo scroll appeared in front of her eyes and it started to unfold from top to bottom. A black smudge formed on it and it twisted and turned until it formed words. One bamboo slip had one row of text, and this one had 5 of them.
You have been given the Quest: [Find a Way Home]
Objective: Find a way back to Earth.
Rewards:
- Ownership of Star: [Earth]
- Ownership of Star: [Moon]
“This UI. This format,” said Ashley and goosebumps rose on her back, “Why this game? Hell, a zombie game would’ve been better. Why did it have to be this one?”
Ashley gulped and pinched her cheek.
It hurt but there were no signs of waking up.
“Shit! Fuckity fucking fuck!” she screamed and stomped off to the back of the stable, her teeth clanging as she walked, “How the hell did I get here? No, no, no. What’s more important is how the fuck am I supposed to-”
She stopped as the realization dawned on her.
“Interstellar travel,” she said and rubbed her forehead, “Isn’t that… supposed to be an endgame thing? Am I supposed to grind to death?”
The bamboo scroll disappeared and another one replaced it.
Keyword [Interstellar Travel] has been mentioned.
You may traverse the Starry Sky once you reach the Divine Ascension Realm, which is the 7th Realm out of 9.
Estimated Time of Achievement: 11,656 Years
“That’s the endgame. I’m a casual! There’s no way in hell I can reach that level,” said Ashley and slapped her forehead. “Why am I even talking to a pop-up window? Ugh!”
The estimated time was too long. There were lore tidbits about how long each realm took to complete but she never bothered to memorize or even look at them. The fights were fun but the lore, not so much.
“Realms,” she said and the scroll was replaced by a new one again.
Keyword [Realms] has been mentioned.
1. Mana Condensation
2. Cycle Establishment
3. Aura Flow
4. Mana Transfiguration
5. Intent Realization
6. Astral Form
7. Divine Ascension
8. True Divinity
9. Stellar Mandate
The bot that displayed relevant information when a word was typed into the chat after a slash was present, but it was clear that it was voice-based rather than text-based. Without a keyboard, it was impossible to type and in turn, impossible to give the command.
“Realm, time,” she said.
Keywords [Realm] and [Time] have been mentioned. Did you mean [Realm Achievement Time]?
1
Mana Condensation
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
1 Year
2
Cycle Establishment
5 Years
3
Aura Flow
50 Years
4
Mana Transfiguration
100 Years
5
Intent Realization
500 Years
6
Astral Form
1,000 Years
7
Divine Ascenscion
10,000 Years
8
True Divinity
100,000 Years
9
Stellar Mandate
1,000,000 Years
“Fuck my life,” she said and her shoulders slumped, “I give up. There’s no way in hell I can do that. Even if my lifespan increases, there’s no way I’m training for ten thousand years straight.”
She took a seat on the ground away from the sight of people, leaning on the wall of the stable. She hugged her knees and placed her forehead on her knees, a frown on her face.
Keyword [Fuck My Life] has been mentioned. Did you mean [Delete Character]?
The character will undergo termination and be inflicted with pain for a thousand years before their soul returns to the Cycle of Reincarnation. Note that this action will be irreversible. Would you like to proceed with Action: [Delete Character]?
“That was a threat, wasn’t it?” she hissed.
Starting Timer
10 seconds until termination…
The seconds started to tick down and before it even reached 8, Ashley shouted “Cancel! Stop, no, no. Cancel action!”
Action: [Delete Character] has been canceled.
“Well, it could’ve been worse. At least it’s not a horror game,” said Ashley as she breathed out. She lightly slapped her cheeks, “The good things. Let’s think about them, then. I won’t be stuck in an office job, for one. No more assignments and I can just kill my problems. Yep. Sounds kinda decent if you put it like that.”
She took a deep breath hopped to her feet, then said, “Status Screen.”
Character Information
Name
Ashley Thatcher
Race
Human
Bloodline
Blessing of the Fraxinus
Realm
Mana Condensation
Stage
1st Layer
Mana
20/20 (0.3 Per Minute)
Stat Information
Strength
1
Agility
1
Spirit
1
Perception
1
Durability
1
Endurance
1
Stamina
2
Vitality
3
“Low,” she mumbled, “That’s too low. Aren’t the minimum for stats something like 10?”
Ashley rubbed her eyes through closed eyelids and put a small smile on her face. She slowly shook her head and sighed just as slowly.
“Well, fuck it. I’ll just have to absorb some Mana, won’t I?” she said and put her game face on, which was a small grin. Brimming with confidence, she walked up to one of the swirling masses of Mana wisps and put her hand in it, “Absorb!”
Nothing happened.
“Absorb?” she said, slightly quieter. She inwardly turned to the bot and spoke, “Absorb Mana.”
It didn’t answer.
“Are you kidding me? I’m supposed to… manually do that?” said Ashley as her expression sunk, the grin replaced by a massive frown. Her bright eyes lost their light and she pulled her hand back. With furrowed brows, she stared at the Mana and poked it, only to feel nothing.
She forced herself to recall what the flavor text of the Technique said but it was impossible. It was an obscure text she never bothered to read. Its effects and cooldown were more important, meaning she focused on them instead.
“Absorption Method,” said Ashley.
Keyword [Absorption Method] has been mentioned. Did you mean [Cultivation Method]?
Cultivation Methods are techniques through which the Mana is gathered and used to develop the Core and Body. They are granted through Bloodline Blessings or learned from Jade Scrolls.
“Blessing? Aren’t all the paths supposed to have the same Cultivation Technique?” she mumbled and summoned her Status Screen again. She narrowed her eyes and recited the name, “Blessing of the Fraxinus? That’s weird. I’ve never seen that before.”
She closed her eyes and tested out a theory. Without opening her mouth, she thought of her Technique List and much to her joy, the bamboo scroll that depicted the list of her Techniques appeared.
Technique List
№
Name
Type
Level
1
Great Ash Art
Cultivation Method
Initial Knowledge
“Must be one of those obscure high-level Cultivation Methods that didn’t make it into the meta,” said Ashley and thought the name of the technique out loud, however that was possible.
The bamboo slip didn’t disappear this time but its text turned into a black smudge and it lengthened to form the contents of the next window.
Great Ash Art
Type: Cultivation Method
Description: Grow a single root to absorb Mana and form the Mana Spring that nourishes the Great Ash Tree. Create the Three Mortal Worlds among the branches and summon the God Eagle to perch on the crown. Only then can the Great Ash Tree reach maturity.
Ashley stood there staring at the window for several minutes.
“It sounds like a load of bull," she whispered.