Let me introduce myself.

Hmm, on second thought, I should probably explain the situation. It is a bit odd, although it’s actually a pretty common one. Other than the fact it never happened before, so it is a bit strange.

It is a situation that you might have read in light novels, it was a pretty common topic when it happened to me. You probably know it, being transported into a video game.

I played a niche VR game called ‘Underworld of Armok’. It’s an RPG with no level cap and the ability to heavily multiclass. My character was a high level cleric of the sun god(Yes, I’m aware. Praise the sun \[T]/) and I spent a bit of time leading parties to their doom. There’s some backstory to it, but sadly I decided to leave my trolling ways. Instead of an evil hero of light, I was making a heroic necromancer.

Right after doing so, my newly created necromancer found himself on a grassy hill. This was a problem.

As the title Underworld of Armok, it wasn't a very cheery setting. Much like a certain game where you Praise the Sun, or the one where carp could murder hundreds. I was standing under a lively tree, and there wasn't a single skull or corpse in sight.

It really didn't seem like the game.

I didn't panic. How could I panic? I wanted something like this to happen to me for ages! When an idle dream comes true why would you reject it?

But I needed to make sure this was real. Otherwise how embarrassing would that be when I get back to reality? Testing time!

Easiest to test would be the log out button. Seeing as the console didn't appear before me, this was definitely a data point leaning towards a new reality. Of course it didn't prove anything, it could just be a bug.

Second test, I grabbed some grass and chewed it. It tasted like grass from a temperate zone. Considering the nuances of flavor, this also added a data point towards new reality. VR wasn't allowed to add flavor, except in the case of culinary simulations. It also was a huge drain on resources and graphics usually suffered and such sims took place in small settings. Technically speaking it was not impossible that flavor had been added, but it was incredibly unlikely.

Third test, I took of my ash gray started robe. I was neither pixelated nor the image of a Ken doll. My age was over 18, but this was still not typical for VRs outside of dating services and that...other genre of games. This also suggested I was no longer in Underworld.

I hesitated a bit before putting the itchy robe back on, but there was a road nearby. Imagine getting arrested for streaking and life in prison after transferring to a new world. It certainly wouldn't be cliche at the very least.

Fourth test...well, I’d done all the easy ones, but I still doubted this was reality more than I doubted the old one’s existence. So I decided to start a small fire, I've spent numerous hours staring into the flames in game, and they have certain patterns to them. Of course the graphics may have changed, but all things needed to be weighed together.

Ahh, but how was I to start a fire? A feeling of excitement started to boil up in me. I’d be testing my magic.

“!” I stepped forward and stretched my arm out. An odd...shape? appeared in my mind and I felt a small loss. I will be doing my best to describe these things, in the future I realized that much of magic is its own sense; you will have to make do with the inept metaphors.

The feeling was a curious one, one that begged further investigation. At the moment, there was something more overwhelming to me. Or perhaps I should say underwhelming?

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Perhaps the most pitiful spell to ever exist, a ping pong  sized lump of flame more or less plopped onto the ground. It sizzled a little, but the grass was simply too verdant and healthy. In the end, only a small black mark remained.

At first I was disappointed. But then I wasn't, because magic! But then I was, because Level 1. Then I reminded myself to get back on track, emotions could be felt later.

I needed some tinder to light, since that fire was just too pitiful. Luckily, at the bottom of the hill I stood on there was a road, and beyond the road was a sparse deciduous forest. Since the canopy was thin, plenty of light got through to dry the leaves and twigs I needed.

Prepared, I would focus on analyzing the mind shape thingy and how I felt drained afterwards. Setting up the tinder I cast again.

“!”

I didn't know why I stepped out and raised my palm as I did that time, only that it was a natural motion that accompanied the casting. As for the shape, I felt it was the spell. I couldn't recall what it looked/felt like, but in general it seemed pointy.

Please bear with me. I am retelling the tale as it happened. If I revealed all the things I know now, not only would it be less narratively satisfying, but you'd have to read a textbook that based itself on a sensation you can't experience. Not only would very few people enjoy such a thing, but I also don't wish to write it.

The latter is all the justification I need, so just accept the upcoming arcane explanation. Heh, I didn't even mean to do that.

As the pointy shape formed, I felt power flowing into it. This was definitely the same sort of drain I felt earlier. I came to understand that this was the sensation of using mana! It felt like pushing a liquid into the Spell Shape, but like the motions of my body it felt reflexive. It could probably be controlled consciously, but that would be like consciously breathing, awkward and taking a while to get back into the rhythm unless one got distracted.

Letting the small pile of detritus catch aflame, I looked inward, trying to feel out my mana reserves. Unfortunately this was not like some stories, where a helpful screen popped up saying ‘Mana: 70/100’, such a thing would be too convenient. Right then I was a chick learning to fly; something innate to my being that had yet to be understood.

After scrunching various muscles and making weird faces trying to get my new sense to move, I finally realized it. Like taking time to realize words are made of letters, I realized what to look for.

My mana sense was not accurate. I could tell that my mana was far from full, but I could only know it was at more than half, but less than 90%. Even though I could average those two to 70%, the longer I looked, the more wrong that felt. But was it lower? Higher? Definitely higher. Probably.

Using meta gaming, I recalled that I had 132 Mana. cost about 6. But casting two brought me far lower than that. There were only two reasons, either the magic changed, or I had.

Wanting to recover, I observed the flame as I waited. The flames crackled normally and danced without their usual fractal-like sequence.

Satisfied, I let the fire starve. I couldn't be sure this was reality, but from this point on, it was close enough for my purposes. Life is about experiences, good or bad, fictional or real.

Looking down off the hill from under the white oak, I sat in the shade, gazing down over the dirt road. Then, the sparse, but lush forest beyond.

It was a nice world.