True form. In the game, when you acquired the skill, a customization window popped up, allowing you to choose between various types of a beast person, having shiny hair, wings, tails, different colored eyes, and so on.

Other than changing your appearance, it also modified and improved certain skills, whilst making others a bit worse. Also something you could pick and choose. Once done, you could transform back and forth with a press of a button.

At first, I had thought true form was a pretty fitting name for such a skill. You customized your character at the start, and then later on again with the true form when you had a better idea on who your character was supposed to be. But then, the devs had added the option to freely change your true form’s appearance and abilities to appease the players who were stuck with a true form they had chosen on a whim. Calling it true form now was just a bad joke. Not to mention the devs had added a way to change your appearance through UI later on as well.

Anyway, that aside, the problem for me was that, as I’d already confirmed, there was no UI in real life. So what would happen if I were to learn the true form skill? Would it give me something at random? Would I somehow be able to choose using my mind? Or maybe I wouldn’t be able to learn it at all. No way to tell.

Nevertheless, I wanted to try. Something about having a transformation skill tickled my fancy.

I walked up to the hut, nervously stood around for a moment, and then finally knocked on the door.

A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing a woman in robes. She had blue eyes and blond hair, and you could barely make out the pointed ears under her hood. In the game, she was simply named ‘Old woman’ despite still looking to be in her thirties or so.

“Hmm? A visitor? Hello there, I’m impressed you managed to find this place.”

The same exact line she said in the game.

“Hello, um… I was just following these bushes, they were pointing at your home.”

Something like that… I couldn’t remember the exact wording the player characters used.

The woman frowned, stopping for a second.

“You… are not like the others, are you?”

Oh… shit.

“I, um… no?” I blurted out.

“I see… Well, let’s talk inside then, shall we?” She fully opened the door and motioned with her arm for me to enter.

Although a bit concerned, I nodded and entered.

Her abode was a humble one. A small living room with a table and two chairs, a door leading to the kitchen, one going to the cellar… And no bathroom, now that I thought about it.

We got seated at the two chairs, and she started speaking, “Now, child… I don’t want to pry, but you clearly aren’t one of them. And you don’t seem to be one of us either.” Who are you? her eyes were clearly asking.

“Them? Us?” I responded with a question.

“Them, the adventurers, and us, the natives.”

Oh. The players and the NPCs.

I sat there for a minute, contemplating how to answer, before deciding to be honest.

“I’m… kind of like them. I’m from another world. But I came here through other means than they did.”

“Oh…? Another world you say?” Her eyes sparkled in curiosity.

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How was I going to explain this was a game world to an NPC?

“It’s like… The adventurers are actually just dolls controlled by people from another world. Anyone in that world can create their own, and explore this world with them. But I came here through a portal.”

“Intriguing… I have always thought some of the adventurers felt… off. Like soulless dolls. Seems like I was right then.”

Soulless dolls… Yeah, that’s what I’d called my own avatar in its non-VR state.

“That’s quite the revelation, I must say.” The old woman chuckled.

What an odd reaction… I would probably have an existential crisis if I were in her place.

“You don’t find it… scary? Disturbing?” I asked before I could stop myself.

“Not really. There are many strange things in this world. And I already had an inkling of what was going on. People from other worlds using this one as some sort of… vacation spot sure is odd. But I am certain the gods punish any and all misbehaving otherworlders, so there is nothing to worry about.”

… Gods punishing otherworlders, or in other words, mods banning players. I did recall harassing players and NPCs alike was a bannable offense. So the devs really knew these were real people and not just code in a game then?

But then, why enslave them and force them to pretend to be NPCs…?

“The truly strange one is you, though. You mentioned getting into this world via a portal, didn’t you?”

I momentarily froze. I shouldn’t have babbled about the portal.

“I… Uh, yes.”

“Is it possible to go back?”

…

“Yes.”

“I see… Don’t worry, I’m not planning on invading your world or anything. I just find it all interesting.” She gave me a warm smile.

I relaxed a bit.

“Do you think I could visit your world sometime?”

I tensed up again.

Part of me felt like that would be a terrible idea. Sure, since I could come here, I didn’t see a reason why she couldn’t come to Earth. But what would even happen? An NPC going missing was sure to attract the devs’ attention. And I still didn’t know what their deal was.

“It’s alright… I didn’t actually expect it.” She pulled me out of my musing with a disappointed smile.

“No! I… um, I would love to show you around my world. It’s just that… Uh… I want to make sure it’s safe first.”

“Of course, I understand.” A wry smile.

Dammit, now she thought I was just coming up with excuses.

“It’s… the gods. The gods of this world live in mine. I don’t know what they might do if you leave.”

“Oh?” Her eyes widened. “The gods live in your world? I see… Stepping into the realm of gods might anger them in that case… Oh, does that mean you are a god too?”

“Err, no… I’m just a kid.” I scratched the back of my head… even though I was still wearing a hood.

The woman laughed out loud. “No need to be humble. A simple kid wouldn’t be able to travel between worlds, after all.”

Damn, this was getting awkward…

“Well, that was very interesting. I don’t have much to give in return to a divine being such as yourself. I suspect the True form skill I can teach won’t do much for you.”

I breathed out a mental sigh of relief that that conversation was over. But at the same time, now she was saying she wouldn’t teach me the skill?! I wasn’t a divine being or whatever!

“No, no… It’s fine. I would love to learn that skill… if you would be so kind as to teach me.”

“Of course. After all, that skill is the only reason why someone would even come to visit this old woman, isn’t it?” she asked with a cheeky grin.

Ahh… Yeah, that was the only reason why players came here, wasn’t it?… Dammit, now I felt like an ass. Only coming here to gain something myself.

“Come now,” she said whilst rising out of her chair. “It’s both simple and complex, but I’m sure a divine being such as yourself should have no problem using this skill.”

Please stop calling me divine…

I pushed the chair back, placed my staff on the table, and stood opposite of her. I still remembered how this little cutscene played out in the game, after all.

“Good, now lower your hood and we can start,” she said while pulling her own hood down, revealing her pointy ears and a beautiful face.

I did as she asked and waited for the next step. “Now then… Focus on your core. Call out to your inner self, let her free,” she said as we closed our eyes, bumped our foreheads, and she put her hands on my head.

Wait, let her free?

The world spun around me. I could feel something inside me crack open like an egg. The energy swirled out of it, filling my entire body.

I couldn’t hear it, but I could feel the vibrations from my pounding heart, and my quick breaths shaking me. It was as if the outside world didn’t exist.

The energy successfully reached all crevices of my body, before it all flashed, altering my very being.

A moment of this strange sensation later, I finally opened my eyes to see the woman looking at me with wide eyes.

“Uh…” I let out my voice, which sounded a lot softer than I was used to.

I took a step back, still dizzy from the whole ordeal. As I put a hand on my head to massage the headache away, I noticed something fluffy on top of it. A huge… ear. A fox ear.

“Oooh…” yet again, that soft voice left my lips. “Wait, what is…” I looked down and noticed my chest bulged up.

Wait.

I grabbed one of my long fox ears and brought it down before my eyes. It was blue. A very familiar shade of blue.

This was my foxgirl avatar?!