Drew couldn’t help but sigh. Maybe he should just not play Evolution Arts. Sure, it was fun, but if the whole world was looking for him, what would they do when they found him?
If he chose not to play the game, someone else could take his place and be [Sylph]. Already on the internet, a lot of imposters showed up claiming such a thing. A few of them even looked pretty credible.
He had asked his parents about buying a second copy of the game but was flatly turned down. Still, Drew thought, his character could be said to be one of the most unique in the game. It would be a shame not to see what he could do, even while cursed.
Torn between hiding from the world or trying to make do with the cards dealt to him, Drew eventually decided to log in. If it was really as bad as he feared, he could always quit the game later. For now, there will be a lot of starting players, who probably will not know [Sylph]. If he could slip into that crowd and disguise himself…
Laying down on the bed, Drew put on the VR head gear and started up Evolution Arts.
“Link Start!”
The world faded to darkness. Raine found herself in front of yet another fountain. Looking around, what she saw surprised her.
The city she found herself in was different from the two previous ones she had been to in the beta test. Larger than both the beginner city in the beta and the small area where the finale of the beta event took place, the new city was filled with vibrant life.
“How did I even end up in this city? Do I not get a choice on where to start playing from?”
Heedless of Raine’s questions, life in the city went on. No one even gave her a second glance. Several other players were logging in as well and she was just another one of them to the inhabitants of the city.
Yet, it was neither the new city, nor the lack of attention that anyone gave her that surprised her. What stunned her was the number of silver haired girls walking around.
They had hairstyles of all different sizes and styles. Unlike in the beta though, there was a lot more silver haired characters than usual. Raine was baffled until a nearby conversation about her shed light on the matter.
“Yet another Sylph wannabe joins the group. Well, this one is slightly better of a copycat than the rest of them. Her outfit matches well with the actual Sylph. Do you think maybe she is the actual Sylph?”
“Hahaha. I doubt it. She is just looking around dumbly. The real Sylph would be more noble and graceful. She is probably the third best copycat we have seen so far though.”
Their insulting words only brought a smile to Raine’s face. The situation might not be as bad as she initially thought. Her popularity had some benefits after all. If no one could tell the real thing apart from the fakes, then she could roam freely. But first, she would need another outfit. Wearing clothes identical to Sylph would give her away in a matter of time.
But the effect of storing time was too vital to throw away. Well, if Raine’s hopes were correct, that could be remedied by a quick visit to the nearby clock tower.
----------
Several hours later, an exhausted Raine finally reached the top clock tower. The third upgrade of the dungeon involved rising and falling platforms. Not only did this make it more challenging, her agility and arts had reset to their initial values so she had to level them once again.
Wearily, she made her way to the ledge of the clock tower and sat down. She took a moment to admire the view. North of the city gates was a small patch of grasslands that quickly turned into a dense forest. To the south stretched endless plains and to the west was either the lake or the ocean. Raine could not tell since the body of water stretched as far as the eye could see. Jagged mountains that cut through the sky lay to the east.
The sunset dyed the both the town and the sky in red. The day was coming to an end and night would soon take over. Glancing down at her attire, she briefly thought it would be a shame to part from it.
From both the video trailer and looking at it now, she thought the clothes were cute. If only she wasn’t the one wearing them. The frilly white blouse that, although fairly normal for girls, Raine found it showed off slightly too much skin. The black skirt and stockings that contrasted well with her pale skin. If Drew had a girlfriend, he would be happy if she wore such clothes.
Raine allowed herself such feelings. It would be the last time after all. She had received exactly what she wanted from her third run through the clock tower. Looking at the vibrant city spread out below her, she solemnly made a promise to herself.
“Never again will I wear a skirt!”
With one last glance, Raine walked away from the ledge of the clock tower back into the magic circle. She changed her equipment then logged out to eat dinner.
Roughly an hour later, Raine logged back on and spawned in at the fountain. She was curious why logging out in the secret room of the clock tower had her appear at the fountain, but she ignored it. She was clad entirely in newbie gear except for her black boots. Like the skirt and blouse she had picked up in the beta, they allowed her to store a quarter of a second.
That meant, with the full time stored, she could gain experience 25 times before the curse killed her. Or if she wore the entire set… No she just promised herself that would never happen.
She tried to avoid thinking how it would take roughly 6 hours in game for her with her low mana regeneration to fill the boots fully with time. Or about 17 minutes to regenerate enough mana to store a hundredth of a second.
Still, in the beginner days, Raine had an advantage no other player had, a small side effect of the curse. Stuck as a level 1 novice, she had no reason to fear death. It was impossible for her to lose experience that she did not have and as part of the special treatment for beginners, the Novice class did not lose any items upon death.
Thus, although she could only safely kill an enemy every 15 minutes, there was nothing stopping her from killing a monster and activating the curse to regain full health and mana after respawning back in the city. The only downside would be running to the fields of monsters, but that was what the Running and Jumping arts could help with.
Of course, as time went on, this benefit would become less. Running from the city, killing two monsters, dying, and running back was less efficient than staying and sweeping through the enemies.
Raine still had her sword and bow from the beta test. Although she had yet to decide on a play style, she decided to hunt some monsters outside the city. On her way to the gates, she noticed the city seemed much more lively than when she first logged on even though it was in the middle of the night.
Regardless of the fact that the merchants had closed shop for the day and less villagers were out in the streets, the amount of players in the city had swelled in numbers. They all appeared to be fairly excited as many players were even sprinting through the streets. Strangely, most of them seemed to be heading in the same direction.
“Is there some event going on in the city?”
Whatever the case, Raine continued on her way to the north gates. Passing through the gates, the two guards gave her odd looks. Unconcerned, Raine continued on her way.
From the view on the clock tower, she knew that most players would be hunting in the plains to the south. The lake to the west was out of the question as it raised some concerns she would rather not think about at the moment. The mountains in the east were likely a high level area, thus Raine was left with the forest to the north.
Her hopes at some easy practice were quickly shattered. Even in the less populated area to the north of the city, beginners were still massacring helpless bunnies left and right. Watching the poor rabbit’s plight, she felt a twinge of pity. With no other option, she walked into the forest to find other prey.
The sun had long since set. Walking amidst the trees, Raine’s visibility was limited at best. Warily, she moved from tree to tree. Slowly, the plains disappeared from view and she was surrounded by nothing but trees. It wasn’t long before Raine felt like something was wrong.
“...Why haven’t I seen any monsters?”
The forest was usually teeming with life, yet she still had not found any monsters. With the amount of noise she had been making, surely she would have attracted at least a monster or two by now. Yet, her trek through the forest continued uninterrupted. Before she had noticed it, Raine’s pace slowed down as not enough moonlight streamed through the branches from above.
“...”
Each hesitant step crunched leaves, creating a sound that was too loud for Raine’s liking. Shadows covered the forest . Amidst the darkness, Raine’s vivid imagination envisioned monsters hiding behind each and every bush.
“Hoo hoo. Hoo hoo.”
An owl hooted. Gripping the sword tightly, Raine thought her foray into the forest sounded like a worse and worse idea with each passing second. Hesitantly, she continued on through the forest.
*Crack.* Raine froze as she stepped on a twig. The forest went silent. Even the eerie owl hoots disappeared. Alone in the quiet, Raine found herself wishing the dreaded hoots quickly returned. The lack of noise was unnerving and seemed to press down on her. The forest waited in anticipation. Not even the crickets dared to chirp.
Raine stood in tense silence in the now still forest. Seconds passed by that felt like hours. Slowly, the sounds of the forest resumed.
“Perhaps I should head back…”
Having had enough, Raine turned to go back to the city. It took her only a couple of steps to realize she was completely lost. All the trees surrounding her looked the same. She began to doubt herself as she continued walking through the forest. The trees she once walked through without care gained menacing tones as they towered over her and reached for her with their long limbs.
“That is silly, trees don’t move. They are just plants.” Raine told herself.
Though her logic was sound, she couldn’t shake her fear. All she was doing was walking through the forest… In the middle of the night… Alone...
The sound of the leaves swaying in the wind. The creaking and bending of branches. The crickets chirped. The owl hooted. The cicadas cried. The familiar sounds offered her no comfort. Almost blind in the dark and completely lost, Raine’s heart pounded loudly in her ears. Something rustled behind her.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
Her heart rate spiked. Gripping the sword so tightly the whites of her knuckles showed, Raine turned around with clattering knees. The bush nearby her rustled again. She placed the sword between her and the bush. The sword trembled as its owner slowly approached the bush.
The bush rustled once more. Raine’s heart pounded. Her hands shook. Fearfully, she poked the bush with her sword. A cute yelp called out and a small harmless ball of fur darted out of the bush and into the distance.
“...”
Raine stood alone next to the bush, sword still outstretched. Suddenly, she felt like she had been very foolish. She was terrified and it turned out to only be a small rabbit? The menacing trees and eerie sounds of the forest returned to normal.
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“Hahaha.”
Raine laughed. She had made the entire situation worse than it actually seemed. Leaning against a tree, she closed her eyes. She was letting fear get the better of herself. Raine took a deep break to calm herself. Finally calm, Raine opened her eyes.
Inches from her face were two luminous gold eyes. Before she could even react, they disappeared.
“...!”
Raine’s scream got stuck in her throat. With ragged breathing, she desperately searched but found only darkness. No matter where she looked, she could not find the owner of the two gold eyes. Only the darkness and the sound of her ragged breathing filled the forest.
Unsteadily, she got to her feet. At first, each of her steps was hesitant. Her mind screamed at her body to run away yet she could only shakily take each step forward one at a time. A flash of gold at the edge of her vision spurred her trembling footsteps faster. Before she knew it, Raine was flat out sprinting through the forest.
Low hanging branches clawed at Raine’s face. Trees jumped at her. No matter how far she ran, her adversaries would always surround her. They clung at her clothes, trying to hold her back. There was no escape.
A root snuck up and struck her foot. Hitting the ground hard, Raine quickly pushed herself up and continued running, heedless of the dirt in her hair. Miraculously, she saw the number of trees thin.
Running through the gaps in the trees, she arrived at a clearing. She collapsed into a terrified heap in the middle of it. Although not out of the creepy forest, she was at least in an small open area.
Her heart pounded. Her breathing was ragged. Desperately, she looked at the edge of the clearing she came out of. Two golden eyes peered back at her. Raine fearfully dragged herself backwards. She had not escaped. She was still being watched. Raine turned to the other side of the clearing in hope.
“Arrooooooo!”
A wolf howl rang out in front of her.
“Arooooo!”
“Aroooo!”
“Aroooo!”
Several more howls echoed out throughout the forest. The worst part was that the howls were nearby. Several sharp eyes appeared in front of her.
“...Ahaha…”
With a single pair of golden eyes behind her and dozens of sharp eyes in front of her, Raine was surrounded. Hopelessness clawed at Raine. She was too weak. She could not fight off both the mysterious foe and a pack of wolves. Raine gave up and laid down on the ground, closing her eyes. She did not want to see what end was in store for her.
Badump. Badump. Badump. Badump.
Raine tried to calm her pounding heart. A death would send her back to the city where she would be safe.
Badump. Badump. Badump.
The wolves growled menacingly. She heard rustling in their direction. With a tinge of hope, she welcomed the death that was coming for.
Badump.... Badump.... Badump....
Her heartbeat slowed down. Minutes dragged by but nothing happened. Hesitantly, Raine opened her eyes.
“...?”
Raine looked around. The golden eyes still stared at her. Most of the wolf pack had disappeared with only one set of eyes remaining on her.
“...Why am I still alive? The wolves looked like they wanted to kill me. I was not even resisting.”
Raine sat dumbfounded. Idly, she stared at the golden eyes on the other side of the clearing. Even from this distance, they felt eerie. Yet, they did nothing but watch her.
“Can it be? That it is not hostile? No, no, no. That is ridiculous. That still wouldn’t explain why the wolves didn’t attack me even when I practically begged them to. Could there be something special in this clearing?”
Raine finally calmed down. For whatever reason, she was not being attacked. Looking around the clearing, it was a fairly normal clearing with only a small rock near the center. There wasn’t any visible thing that would ward off monsters that she could see.
Raine was still in a bad situation but for the moment, it was not terrible. Finally, she noticed a familiar blinking at the edge of her vision. Clicking on the notification, Raine was stunned.
Fear:
For facing an opponent 30 times your level, stats are reduced by 30%.
You have gained a new title: Sylph
This title can be used to take the place of your name. Adventurers have spread tale’s of your exploits around the world. Equipping this title results in increased affinity with spirits.
Even the system had named her Sylph? Walking around with this title was like painting a big target upon her back. Although… If it could take the place of her name, maybe she could create a separate identity?
Raine shook her head to clear her confusion. She was now Raine. She wanted nothing to do with Sylph. As far as she was concerned, Sylph was a npc the developers created to help people out.
Raine stood up and looked up at the moon, solidifying her resolve. She had nothing to do with Sylph. All the imposters could lay claim to that title. She would forever be known solely as Raine.
Raine shivered. Confused, she looked around her. The golden eyes still watched her and the last wolf had disappeared. Why did she shiver? Nothing had changed.
That is right. Nothing had changed. So, Raine asked herself, why does it feel so cold? As a cold breeze brushed against her skin, Raine’s face slowly paled.
“... Why can I feel a breeze on my stomach? The beginner outfit should easily cover it.”
The cold breeze reached not only her stomach but all over her body as well. Raine shivered again, her former fears forgotten. No longer was she worried about the golden eyes that observed her. She had much more pressing concerns.
Raine hesitated. Her instincts told her that looking down could prove disastrous. She did not want to know. All it would take was a simple glance down to confirm her suspicions. Yet, her gaze remained fixed on the moon in the sky.
Raine opened her inventory. Her hand became impatient as it looked searched through her items. As she reached the end of the list, her hand froze.
“...None.”
She went back to the top again, and searched her inventory once again. Yet, she reached the same conclusion. No matter how many times she tried, the result remained the same.
“None. I have no others.”
This time, her shiver had nothing to do with the cold. She remembered the situation in town. As much as she tried to deny it, the population in the town suddenly increased. Also, all the adventurer’s seemed to be heading towards the same direction in town.
Both of these happened only after Raine had logged out. The direction these players were heading? It was directly towards the clock tower. Most likely, she was seen when she made her resolve. She had underestimated her popularity. Someone had been keeping a watch on the clock tower. Probably, they were still waiting for her to come out. If she had not been teleported to the fountain upon leaving the clock tower…
Raine shuddered at the thought. While walking through the forest, Raine had been terrified. She had given up and wanted something to kill her so she could respawn in the city. Yet, now she couldn’t afford to die.
Raine made a promise with herself today, one that she planned to keep for the rest of her days. Yet, not even a day had passed and she already thought about breaking it. After all, breaking the promise would be better than the alternative.
Raine shivered again. She couldn’t put it off any longer. She would catch a cold, if such a thing was possible in the game. Resignedly, she glanced down as she assessed the damage.
“...!”
The ragged clothing barely covered the important places and little of anything else. Creamy white skin peaked out from the many holes in the clothing. Her fragile body trembled in the cold. Only her black boots remained untouched.
“... If I died right now and respawned in the city with my current clothing…”
Raine could not even complete the thought. Her only alternative was almost as bad. The results would be just as disastrous or perhaps, even worse. Regardless, she could no longer afford to die.
Raine opened her inventory again. Her hand hovered over two items. Slowly, it started trembling. Could she really do this?
As she hesitated, a devil appeared in her mind, perched on her left shoulder. It whispered to her.
“It is fine. Go ahead and do it. It will only be uncomfortable in the beginning. Once you get used to it…”
Raine broke out into a cold sweat.
“I do not want to get used to it!” Furiously, she retorted.
An angel appeared on her right shoulder. Hopefully, Raine turned and looked towards the angel for a solution. With a saintly smile, the angel spoke.
“Go ahead and don those holy clothes. A skirt contains the hopes and dreams of young men and women. It is truly a fitting piece of clothing to guard the divine artifact that all younglings chase after.”
“You too!?” Raine cried out in protest at the angel’s betrayal. Yet, she could think of no alternative.
Raine gave up. When even an angel was agreeing with a devil, she knew there really was only one option. The trembling hand reached out and equipped the two items. With a flash of light, Raine was now wearing the white blouse and black skirt along with her black boots.
She collapsed to the ground as a great sense of loss welled up within her. She swore to never wear a skirt again. That vow did not even last a day. But she had no choice, her only other option was to wear rags that could hardly qualify itself as clothing. Running madly through the forest at night did a number on the beginner outfit. It did not have much durability to begin with.
With a sigh, Raine cleared her thoughts. She looked around herself. The golden eyes had vanished at some point in time, leaving her alone in the small clearing.
Raine was tired. She had madly run through the forest in the middle of the night after all. The fact that the angel and a demon appeared on her shoulders spoke volumes about how tired she was.
“World domination! It is not just a dream! With your good looks and the mystery surrounding you, men and women will gladly fall under your command!”
“That is right! Don the holy garb and spread hope and peace. Your smile will save the desolate and your beauty will end all wars.”
Remarkably, they were in agreement. Raine walked to the edge of the clearing and sat down against a tree. For whatever reason, both the wolf pack and the mysterious monster refused to enter this clearing. Hence, Raine considered it to be something like a safe zone. Exhaustion dragged at her and her eyes started closing of their own accord. Regardless of whether she was right or not, she needed sleep.
Hesitantly, Raine equipped the Sylph title and placed it as her name. She couldn’t afford for the two identities to be connected after all. Listening to the angel and devil with their weirdly in sync plans, Raine wondered if she was actually a narcissist before sleep finally claimed her.