Chapter 1 - 3: Rayfield City

10:06 AM. iNCITE Guild Hall, Avalon(?)

"Ugh..."

Tsukasa tossed the blanket off the bed, depriving himself of warmth. This trick usually got him up before but due to his Resistance stat, the change in temperature didn't affect him. He groaned again, then rolled off the bed sleepily, tossing the fallen blanket back on the mattress as he did so. Uncertain, Tsukasa tapped [Ring of Greater Sustenance] hoping it would wake him up upon use. However, it simply cleaned and nourished his body so it did nothing to alleviate his sleepiness. 

Tsukasa just decided to use a spell, [Create Water]. The cool liquid splashed on his face before he realized what he was doing, and as a result, he was fully awakened.

"[Absorb]" He chanted, and the excess water slid to his body and infused his exposed skin. Tsukasa wasn't sure why he just said the spell's name out loud - it was probably a habit left behind by his time in raids, where communication was essential. Tsukasa hated it when some player cast AoE, high damage spells without chanting their names - many other players got hit, and sometimes they ended up as meatshields for the boss. On that thought, he decided to don his armor.

"[Equip - Speed IV]." His silver and black armor materialized from his inventory in an instant, saving him the time of sifting through his inventory, which was quite large. Since Avalon had no inventory restrictions, Tsukasa kept all the loot and drops he ever acquired - even the lowest tier ones, which earned him the nickname 'collector' from his guildmates. In addition to his regular gear, the [Tarnkappe] lay idle on his shoulder, having appeared with the rest of his gear. Tsukasa put it on before chanting the incantation for [World Teleport]. 

After experiencing the familiar teleportation symptom, he suddenly appeared where he had previously left off. Thankfully there appeared to be no enemies, and since if one was invisible, they could see other invisible entities using the same or lower tier cloaking spells, Tsukasa decided to remove the [Tarnkappe] and stow it in another dimension. This cloak had the highest tier invisibility to compensate for the extreme mana depletion, so Tsukasa was confident in his security. However, he remained vigilant - who knew what kind of magic this strange new world had?

Tsukasa decided to equip a weapon for the sense of security, if not the actual protection. He was also hesitant to bring out powerful weapons, so he simply said "[Equip - Speed I]", and the Tier 2 [Cold Steel] slowly formed in his hand. This was the only one he had, but it was very strong for a weapon of the second tier - an extremely rare drop from enemies near the spawn point. The familiar hand and a half sword had been his favorite weapon for his first 14 levels. Along with having DPS similar to a Tier 4-5 weapon, it had the bonus of reducing the opponent's dexterity on every hit, and since it was only Tier 2 he could repair it for barely a hundred gold. Strapping the sword to his back, he marched onwards into the wilderness. 

In about 5 hours of this world's time, a village appeared on the horizon. The sun had begun to set, and despite Tsukasa's newfound physical endurance, he was mentally exhausted. He thanked the god/gods of this dimension and increased his pace. He swapped out his Divine class armor for a simple [Light Armor] which was just dyed black leather and metal reinforcements of questionable quality. Within a few minutes, he came across a tall stone palisade, whose rather large oaken gate was, unfortunately, closed. Tsukasa was about to knock on it when a voice from above called out. 

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"Halt! State your purpose on coming to Rayfield" A guard's helmeted head popped up at the top of the wall. From this distance, Tsukasa could make out a strung bow slung on his back and a spearhead beside him - whose shaft was presumably held by the man. "A failure to comply will result in y-"

"[Chrono Accel  - Rank III]!" The speed of the world seemed greatly reduced, but in reality, his 'personal time' had been accelerated. This was a peculiar spell, as it periodically consumed HP rather than the caster's MP - and was modified by one's innate Physical Defense stat. This gave Tsukasa plenty of time to analyze the situation. While [He could have used the Tier 10 spell [Time Stop], Tsukasa did this because the Chrono Accel spells only affected the user - similar to a buff, and couldn't be prevented by the common Tier 7 [Time Shield] which canceled [Time Stop] and [Time Freeze] (a 6th Tier replacement)'s effects. 

"[Instant Appraise Item]" Tsukasa muttered. From what he could see, the guard's equipment was from the 'Starter Item' and 1st Tier. Satisfied, he released [Chrono Accel - Rank III]. It was fortunate that the guard spoke English - as far as Tsukasa knew, his ring might still be malfunctioning. He had left it in his room for safekeeping - the door was nothing compared to the front gate, but it would still hold out for a while unless the person trying to breach it was around level 70 or higher.

"-our entry being barred until further inspection!" The watchman finished his sentence as if nothing had happened and was oblivious to the magical shenanigans that had just occurred. More or less confident that the guard posed no real threat alone, Tsukasa stopped preparing the withdrawal of his [Smoke Bomb] from the dimensional pocket. 

"I am but a simple traveler. Unfortunately, I got a bit lost. Where exactly are we?" Tsukasa said in a bashful voice. The guard's expression softened up a bit but remained attentive.

"A simple traveler? What's with your sword and armor?"

"Well, it's rather dangerous to be traveling in the wilderness by yourself, so I had to take precautions." The watchman seemed to buy his story, nodding in assent. "Do you know where we are?" The guard shot him an odd glance but replied nonetheless. 

"Rayfield City, in the kingdom of Luminaris. A border settlement that was recently founded - you may not know it." 

"I don't, but thanks anyway," he replied.

"Alright then - do you have the entry fee? I'll let you in in a second." Oh crap, Tsukasa thought in panic. He seriously doubted Avalon currency would work here. He needed to come up with an excuse - and fast. 

"Uh, well I'm a trader of sorts and have a few magic items I'm looking to sell for a low price. Someone took my wallet in the last village I passed, so I don't have any cash. Is there a place where I could trade these items?" Tsukasa said nervously. Thankfully, this appeared to be normal. 

"Sure, there's a government Trade-In shop. Take a left near the fountain and it'll be on your right. Come here before midnight tomorrow with a silver mark and two copper." The guard replied calmly as if this happened every day. "I'll be back - just gonna open the gate."

"Thanks," Said Tsukasa. As soon as the sentinel left, he sighed in relief. He had plenty of mid to low tier items, so he could probably make a decent amount of money.

Moments later, the wooden gate started to rise, along with an iron portcullis that lay behind it. The guard stood on the other side, spear in hand. Tsukasa walked passed him, waving, then looked around. He glimpsed the watchman climbing a set of stairs back to the top of the wall and in a few seconds, the gate began to fall. Tsukasa left the entrance, walking forwards on the cobbled road. Eventually, he came across a marble fountain. It appeared simple but flowed smoothly and the splashes from the water didn't exit the smooth bowl. There were several copper coins laying at the bottom of the fountain. Tsukasa was tempted to reach in and grab a few but resisted the urge - that might have been illegal or at least indecent in Rayfield. The last thing he wanted was trouble.