Video games were a big part of my childhood. I’m sure a lot of people could relate to that, and there’s always that one game that was at the center of that memory. For me, it was a game called “Arcane Heroes”. It was an indie game that wasn’t very popular and deterred many people from playing it because of its extreme difficulty. It was so difficult that less than 300 people were consistent players.
What made it so difficult?
Well, the premise of the game was to build a team of four characters and defeat a variety of opponents like monsters and other players. It sounded simple, but to build a team of four characters, you needed to explore the world, find a character, and slowly build a relationship with them. The stronger the character, the harder it would be to recruit them.
Another aspect of the game that made it so hard was the fact that only one player could recruit a specific character into their team. That meant that the strong characters were quickly taken away by the veteran players, leaving only mediocre characters for new players to pick from.
That was the main reason why players rarely stayed. There was no point in playing a game where you just get crushed right from the beginning.
As for me? I loved it when the odds were stacked against me.
-------
I got up from my bed with a groan, immediately glaring at the harsh sunlight peeking through the curtains. "Another day, another hellish experience," I grumbled as I got up from the bed.
I didn't bother making breakfast since I could just pick up a sandwich along the way. Cooking when you're living alone is just more expensive, so why bother?
After a quick shower and getting dressed, I grabbed my bag and opened the door to leave. But instead of finding myself in the halls of my apartment building, I found myself in an open field in the middle of nowhere. I quickly turned back around, only to find a doorframe showing the same open field.
"What the hell am I looking at...?"
I was confused. I don't use drugs or drink alcohol, so I had no idea what was happening right now.
"Is this one of those "transferred to another world with overpowered abilities" situation?"
This could either be the start of the greatest adventure of my life or the end of it. Considering that I had practically no life to even begin with, no close friends, family, dreams, or anything else to keep me going. At least, this was something.
"Shouldn't this come with special privileges?" I muttered. "Like a status screen?"
The moment the word "status" came out of my mouth, a floating blue panel appeared in front of me.
[State your name]
"My name?" At that moment, I realized that I could remember my real name.
Does that even make any sense?
As I was wracking my head for my name, an old nickname I used to use in a game came into my head.
"Zed."
[Zed
Level 1
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength F-
Agility F-
Vitality F-
Dexterity F-
Sense F-
Magic F-
Charm F-
Luck F-]
"... That's just sad..."
------
For the next hour, I had been wandering around the open field, looking for anything that could give me a hint about what was going on. I had already accepted that I was sent to another world and had a very slim chance of returning to my world or even a desire to return.
But I at least needed to find out more about this world. It was already established that this world has magic and potentially monsters. Usually, worlds like these had a gimmick that people from other worlds could potentially exploit to get an edge. But to do that, I needed to learn more about this world.
As I was walking around, I saw someone pushing a cart. I immediately began running towards him. When I got closer, I found out it was an old man dressed in medieval commoner clothes.
"Excuse me!" I called out, and the old man stopped to look at me.
I stopped in front of him, panting after sprinting at full speed.
"I'm a traveler," I said. "Do you happen to know where this is?"
The elderly man looked me up and down for a moment before deciding to answer. "This is the open plains at the south of Union City. The city gates are just a short distance away that way," the old man answered and pointed in the direction he was originally going.
"Union City..." it sounded so familiar that I began thinking deeply.
When I went silent, the old man resumed his journey back to the city gates. A few seconds later, being in deep thought, it finally clicked where I remembered Union City. I only needed one more thing to confirm it.
"Which direction is the Ernion Kingdom?!"
The old man pointed to the west. "Several hundred miles that way!"
That just confirmed it.
"Well... shit."
------
Arcane Heroes is set in a continent called Trientalis. The continent was shaped like a seven-petalled flower with each petal containing a Kingdom and each piece of land being separated by a giant body of water. And like a seven-petalled flower, the seven Kingdoms surrounded one massive piece of land that acted as neutral territory for all seven Kingdoms. It was called the capital of the Trientalis continent, Union City.
It so happened that Union City was the starting for all new players of Arcane Heroes. New players would head to the beginner hunting zone or head to the adventurer's guild to earn some money. Once they earned enough money, they would establish their first base in Union City.
A base is required before players are allowed to recruit characters into their team. Throughout the game, players would upgrade, relocate, and even get additional bases depending on their play style. However, staying in Union City is very disadvantageous since most of the strongest characters can only be found in the seven Kingdoms.
But that was only true for normal players.
------
To get inside the city, I would need to pay an entrance fee at the gate, but since I was just magically transported to this world, I have no money. So the first thing I have to do is earn some.
The best way to earn money in the safest way inside the game was to gather herbs. Depending on the game's timeline, some uses of common herbs have not been discovered yet.
"This should work," I muttered as I used the papers in my bag to wrap the herbs I gathered. "Now, I need to find a way to sell these..."
A random guy dressed strangely and selling herbs outside the city gates is suspicious in any world. It won't be strange if I immediately get arrested by the guards, but that would also be another way to get inside the castle.
I sighed at the fact that I was considering getting arrested.
I decided that my best course of action was to either find someone outside the castle or ask the guards permission to temporarily enter the city to sell the herbs at the guild.
I began making my way to the city gate, and as I got closer, I noticed more people. Most of them were on carriages, following the dirt road. Near the city gate, several stalls were set up.
"Trades! Trades!" the shopkeepers were calling out.
This wasn't shown in the game, but it provided a good opportunity for me. I approached the stalls, looking for one that would recognize good quality herbs. I stopped in front of an alchemy stall since an alchemist should be able to tell the quality of the herbs.
The shopkeeper was a woman wearing a purple dress. On her stall were different kinds of potions and books. "Excuse me, can I sell this here?" I showed her a bundle of herbs to make healing potions wrapped with paperwork from my job.
The woman put on her glasses and examined the herbs. "These are surprisingly good in quality. It seems you harvested them with care," the woman mentioned. "But these are common, so I can't give you much."
I nodded. The entrance fee was only one silver coin, so I didn't need much. All the herbs I collected got me four silver coins, enough for the entrance and one night at an inn.
I got in line to enter the gate. The guard looked at my clothes strangely, but still accepted my money and let me through.
Finally, I was inside Union City, a city as big as a Kingdom. Hopefully, knowledge of the game will help me survive in this world.
The first thing on my list would be to register at the adventurer's guild so I can start earning some money. Additionally, the guild card would serve as my identification, and I no longer need to pay the entrance fee.
Locating the adventurer's guild in this giant city proved to be quite the challenge since it took me around two hours to find it. I had to sit down to catch my breath after walking around for so long. After a quick rest, I entered the guild and saw multiple long lines for the counters. But one counter had no people lining up.
This was a detail I recognized in the game. In the adventurer's guild, players could only consult with one specific receptionist unless they visited a different branch. The receptionist you register with will be in charge of managing your information, and the support you get from the guild is heavily affected by the rank of the receptionist. The support comes in the form of information, rental gear, and even potions. Because of this, players only registered with receptionists with high ranks, but the downside was that they needed to wait in a queue.
As for me? I didn't need those.
I approached the single counter that had no line. The receptionist was a short woman with messy green hair and green eyes. She had round glasses and freckles on her cheeks.
"Hello. I'd like to register," I gave her the best business smile I could do.
"Ah, y-yes," she panicked for a bit, nervously getting everything needed for me. "Uhm, I need to explain the re-"
"Receptionist rank system? I'm already aware," I smiled.
"O-oh, and you still want to register with me?" she asked.
"You'll rank up eventually, won't you?"
"Y-yes, thank you!" she bowed.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
------
With the possibility of me being her first adventurer, it was no wonder she was having some difficulties figuring stuff out. Registering as an adventurer was quite the process, even in the game. It was the part where you gave your player's name and other information. Considering the significant amount of paperwork, I had to go through, it seemed the process was even more tiring.
"T-this is the last part," she placed a device before me. "It shows your affinities."
I raised an eyebrow at the small metallic disc. "Really?" This wasn't in the game, so it got me curious.
I placed my hand over it and watched as a panel appeared. "Woah!" the receptionist exclaimed. "You have an affinity for everything!"
Of course, I would. The player characters could take any route or playstyle in the game, making them the perfect character to fill in any gaps in the party.
"You just need to sign this to make it official-" she was cut off by another receptionist pushing her aside.
"Register with me instead. I'm the highest-ranking receptionist here!" The other receptionists seemed to have the same idea as they tried recruiting me for themselves.
But I had already made my choice. I grabbed the paperwork from the original receptionist I approached and signed it. "My name is Zed," I handed her the paper. "I look forward to working with you."
"I l-look forward to working with you too," she hugged the paper. "My name is Elise."
With our new partnership established, I should now focus on getting stronger. Another thing to focus on is mentally establishing that I am not inside a game and that this is reality. Making a mistake could lead to my death or someone else's. I should also be open to other variables. I can't just rely on what I know from the game.
"Here's your adventurer card," Elise gave me the card with a big smile.
The card was identical to the profile menu in Arcane Heroes. It had my character name, level, and other potential information.
"Thank you," I hid the card in my pocket. "Are there any missions for mud slimes?"
Elise looked confused for a moment. "Mud slimes?" She scratched her head. "Do you mean the commissions to clean the trenches?"
I nodded. "Exactly."
The people around us gave me strange looks, even the receptionists trying to recruit me earlier.
"Are you sure?" Elise asked in concern.
I couldn't blame them. This mission was in the game as well and was quite well-known. It didn't pay much, but it became famous for an entirely different reason.
"I'm sure."
It was the perfect XP grinder.
------
Four hours. That's how long it took me to accept this world. I'm no expert, but I doubt that should be normal. I guess it helped that I didn't like living in my original world to begin with.
Back there, I had no real goal or purpose. Here, pretty much the same, but I have an edge since I know some secret stuff that could benefit me. No future information though since the setting of the game doesn't change. No future wars, no new kings, or other world-changing events.
"This must be the trenches," I muttered.
Looking down the trench, I could barely make out the small blobs crawling through mud. I wasted no time and jumped down the trench, squishing a few slimes under my shoes.
A bluish mist began rising from under my shoes, gathering a few inches away from my chest. This was called Arcane Essences, and this was probably the most vital material in this world. It could be used as currency, upgrade stats, and much more.
The way to obtain Arcane Essences is by killing monsters. That's why I chose this mission. Mud slimes don't fight back since they're not living creatures, so they're a good source of Arcane Essence.
"Time to get to work," I grinned as I began stomping over the blobs of dirt, all the Arcane Essences following me.
------
"Eek!" Elise exclaimed in surprise when she saw me.
I was covered head to toe with mud, so I was prohibited from entering the adventurer's guild. Thankfully, since I'm the only adventurer under Elise, she had no trouble leaving her post to get me a change of clothing.
"I thought the guild would have been closed by now," I mentioned.
"The guild is open from eight in the morning to eight in the evening," Elise stated. "You can go wash up in the back," she led me around the building where a well was.
"Thanks," I grabbed a bucket and poured it over myself to get most of the mud off my shirt before taking it off. "By the way, what time is it?"
"Six in the evening," Elise answered.
"How long was I gone?"
"You registered at the guild just before noon, then around six hours."
My eyes widened. I arrived at this world around eight in the morning since I was leaving for work. "It has been a long day."
"How did the commission go?" Elise asked as she handed me the clothes.
"I probably cleared a third of the trench," I answered.
"Keep it up, and you might level up soon."
"Yeah."
Leveling up is a big deal in this world. Unlike average games, where leveling up is just a minor feature to get stronger, in Arcane Heroes, increasing your level by just one grants a significant boost in power. Additionally, the number of skills your character can have would be the same as your level.
"I'll be heading back inside for now," Elise bowed before heading back inside the guild.
I just nodded and watched as she walked away. I leaned against the wall and opened my status window.
[Zed
Level 1
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength F-
Agility F-
Vitality F-
Dexterity F-
Sense F-
Magic F-
Charm F-
Luck F-
Adaptability F-]
"Hmm?" I raised an eyebrow at the sight of a new stat at the very bottom.
In Arcane Heroes, there are three types of player stats. Variable stats like strength, agility, vitality, dexterity, sense, and magic. Although there is a limit, those stats can be increased just by playing the game. Essence stats like charm and luck can only be upgraded by leveling up or using Arcane Essences to upgrade them. Lastly, unique stats like adaptability. These types of stats can only be upgraded under certain conditions.
"Anyways... use all Essences to upgrade luck."
The Arcane Essences I gathered earlier seemed to reappear from my chest before enveloping my whole body.
[Zed
Level 1
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength F-
Agility F-
Vitality F-
Dexterity F-
Sense F-
Magic F-
Charm F+
Luck F-
Adaptability F-]
"I'll still get my ass handed to me, but this should be enough for the day."
------
For the first time in a long while, I think I had too much sleep. The moment I had gotten a room at the inn, I fell asleep on the bed. I didn't even have the opportunity to eat dinner. Thinking about it, I also didn't have lunch yesterday or even breakfast.
I had not eaten the whole day.
"Damn..."
I left my room to head to the inn's lobby. I took a seat on one of the chairs at the counter. "What can I get you today, young man?" The woman at the counter asked.
"What do you have?"
"Well, if you're feeling hungry. Porridge and some bread should fit you. If you want something light, the soup would be enough."
"I'll have the soup for now."
The woman nodded before walking away. "Are you new in this part of town, kid?" A man on the other side of the counter asked.
"What gave me away?" I replied.
"You look like some noble's brat."
I chuckled at the man's bluntness. He had a point. From a commoner's perspective, I would look like a well-kept son of a noble.
"Well, I ain't one, but I'll take it as a compliment."
After having my breakfast, I headed back to the trenches. I returned to the dirty clothes I wore yesterday before jumping back down. I plan on finishing this job today so that I can get started on other jobs that earn more money and try to make a name for myself.
For hours, I did nothing but clear out the mud slimes and flatten the dirt ground. When the remains of the slimes were mixed with the dirt and hardened, a solid cement-like effect was created. I hadn't planned this, nor do I think the guild did. But it already happened, and now the trenches are a bit sturdier.
It was already turning dark when I finished, but I was satisfied with the results.
[Dexterity has improved]
[Strength has improved]
[Vitality has improved]
I also got more than double the Arcane Essences I got yesterday. "Use all the Essences to upgrade luck."
[Zed
Level 1
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength F
Agility F-
Vitality F
Dexterity F
Sense F-
Magic F-
Charm F+
Luck E
Adaptability F-]
In the game, this much progress would have only taken a few minutes. I can't believe it took me two days of working my ass off.
"Hey, mister."
I looked up to see a woman wearing a jester outfit. It was a black and red skin-tight bodysuit that hugged her curves, showing how gifted she was. Her blonde hair was peeking out of her jester hat, matching her yellowish eyes.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"Just finished cleaning."
"The whole trench?"
"Yes."
"Do you have some king cleaning job?"
"No."
I climbed out of the trench and began making my way towards a lake Elise mentioned was near the trenches. The jester also began following me.
"Are you one of those weirdos from Earth?"
I stopped in my tracks. "What?"
"The guards arrested a guy breaking some pots. He kept calling people NPCs."
"Where is he now?"
"Prison," the woman shrugged.
I pinched my forehead in frustration. "Figures."
"So... are you from Earth?"
"Unfortunately," I replied as I found the lake and began washing off the dirt.
"What's it like there?"
"The same, just with no magic."
"Do you also have one of those things called phones?"
I stopped washing myself for a moment to think about the fact I didn't have my phone on me. "I think I left it back home..."
"That's too bad."
I turned to her. "Who are you?"
She posed. "My name is Star," as she introduced herself, sparkles appeared around her.
"... okay."
"What about you?"
"Zed."
She gave me a flat look, but I hardly cared. I wasn't fond of this interaction, so I didn't have the energy to spare.
Once I was done rinsing off, I changed back into the clothes Elise provided me and headed to the guild. Star was still following for some reason, but I didn't pay it any mind.
When I arrived at the guild, it was the same sight as yesterday. A long line for the other receptionists, while Elise didn't have a single person.
"This is starting to look sad," I commented as I approached her.
Elise just chuckled. "Are you finished with the commission?"
"Yes."
"One of the employees will go check it and you will receive your payment after," Elise stated. "Anything else I can do for you today?"
"Are there any delivery missions?"
Elise shook her head. "Delivery missions usually come from the merchants directly."
"Herb gathering?"
Elise shook her head again. "Those kinds of commissions are quite rare."
"Things are a lot different here..."
At this point, the safest missions I could do would be hunting down weak monsters.
I sighed. "I'll need to fight monsters eventually..."
"You can join me on my mission," Star suddenly spoke up. "I need to clear out some big rats from a field."
It was a mission I was familiar with. The big rats she was referring to were called "Savage rats". They're weak, but they're always in large groups. If a field owner has commissioned to get read of them, that means there are a lot of them and a nest might even be involved.
"Alright, let's do it."
-------
In the game, players only encountered these rats during explorations since missions related to them weren't very beneficial. Additionally, even if no players did the mission, nothing would change. But the circumstances were different here. If nobody did the mission, the rats would multiply until they became threats.
"Have you done this mission before?" I asked Star, who was suspiciously too interested in me.
"No. This is the first time a commission like this even appeared in the guild."
"The farmer must have been able to manage it at first, but not anymore," I mentioned as we arrived at the location mission.
It was a large open field, around the size of a football field. Ruined crops were scattered everywhere, and there were a lot of holes in the ground.
"Are you two adventurers?" A woman wearing rugged clothes approached them.
"Yes, ma'am," I bowed. "Were you the one that posted a commission?"
She nodded. "I was, but I think it's already too late..." she glanced at the destroyed field.
Before Star could say something, I stepped forward. "Not exactly. From what I can see, what they destroyed was just the leftover crops you were late to harvest."
"Yes. How did you know?"
"Well, savage rats are carnivorous so they wouldn't have eaten your crops. There are too few destroyed crops to be considered a full harvest's worth."
"Wow... you're smart," Star commented.
"I'm more surprised you're alright, ma'am," I turned to the woman. "Have they not tried to attack you?"
She shook her head. "Maybe because I don't go out at night when they arrive."
"Wise decision," I turned to the direction where the tracks lead. "We'll deal with them before things get worse," I stated. "After that, maybe we could discuss a way to deal with your losses."
"Thank you."
As we were walking away, Star stared with a confused look. "Are you a noble?"
"No."
"You talk like one."
"So, I've been told."
I sighed. The reason I talk like this is because I'm mimicking the dialog and replies in the game. I wasn't a very social person, so human interactions were quite a challenge for me. To survive in a world where building relationships and bonds is a literal mechanic, I would need to talk to people. My answer to that problem is to talk like my in-game character.
"How do you plan on dealing with the rats?"
"Killing them all at once," I replied.
"How?"
I pointed at the tracks. "They're all going the same way, which means there is a nest," I explained to Star. "They're nocturnal, so they would all be sleeping in the nest."
As I was explaining, we found a hole in the ground. It was deep enough that we couldn't see the bottom and big enough to fit two people going in at the same time.
"We can't fight all of them," Star said.
"That's obvious," I replied. Before Star could ask me more questions, I held a hand to stop her. "Do you know the distinct features of a savage rat?"
"Bad eyesight and a good sense of smell," Star answered.
"Correct, they're also savage, hence the name," I pulled out a couple of herbs from my pocket. "Do you know what this is?"
"Salivi? Isn't that herb used to make food taste better?"
"Yes. Adventurers use this to make eating their rations a little more tolerable by making them smell delicious," I crumpled a bunch of them in my hands. "Can you use fire magic?"
"Only to make small sparks."
"That's enough," I held out the herbs, and Star ignited them.
We placed a cover over the hole as we dropped the herbs into the hole. I also used a big leaf to fan the smoke to keep as much of it traveling inside.
A few minutes later, Star got impatient. "Would this work?"
Her question was answered when screeching and thrashing was heard from inside the hole. A short while longer, Arcane Essences began gathering towards them.
"It worked!" Star exclaimed.
"It's not perfect, and I probably skipped a few steps. But we got the job done."
"Are they all going to die in there?"
I shook my head. "Some will survive, but we're not done yet."
"What else do we have to do?" Star asked as the sounds of carnage got louder.
I grinned. "I'll tell you later."
------
"Human's from another world?" A male elf with long blonde hair raised an eyebrow at the report of his subordinate.
"That's correct, sir. They have appeared in several places in Union City."
Lefin, the representative of the elven kingdom, Ygdrassil in Union City. Each of the seven kingdoms had their representative staying in Union City, and he was certain all of them didn't know how to react to this situation.
"We are still gathering information, but we are certain they came from another world, sir."
"How many are you observing?" Lefin asked.
"Twelve, sir."
"How certain are you they are all from other worlds?"
"They wore unusual articles of clothing and acted strangely."
"Continue to observe them then," Lefin replied. "Report immediately if they threaten the balance between the seven kingdoms."
"As you command."