What the hell, huh? What the actual fuck?
Just a few seconds back, Alex Bright was in a cafe, trying to fill awkward silence between him and the girl he invited on a date. She was the cutest out of everyone he tried his luck with so far. It doesn't matter anymore, though.
There couldn't be any reasonable explanation as to why I'm suddenly in this strange place with two moons in the sky. So, how about the unreasonable one, instead? I guess losing my V-card would be a disastrous event for humanity, so God decided to intervene and save the Earth by sending me somewhere far. Though, wouldn't killing me in a silly incident should be more cost-effective in this case? God moves in a mysterious way, indeed.
He scratched his head, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
He stood on the shore of the lake size of a soccer field, some kind of exotic forest encircling it. He didn't recognize any trees, some of them hundreds of meters tall, with orange hexagonal leaves.
The sky was bright, but he couldn't see the sun: only two moons, one pinky, one yellow.
The air was warm, light breeze rather pleasant. The buzzing of insects was unexpectedly melodic. Everything was calm, but Alex's heart raced. The reality, or, rather, the unreality of the situation started to grow on him.
So, what should I do now? What next?
He tried to calm himself down by taking a deep breath. And then another one. He approached the lake's surface and checked out his reflection. Nothing changed. His face was the same. Not too handsome, but fine. His edgy, stylish haircut was neat. Light blue jeans pants were perfectly fit - not too loose, not too tight. White t-shirt with the phrase "Words on a Shirt" printed on it - very original, indeed. His almost new dark blue jeans jacket very comfortable. The bright red Abibas sneakers didn't match well with the rest of his attire, but Alex just loved them and didn't have anything better to wear.
Yeah, I look nice. Those girls are stupid.
With his parents gone, leaving behind some property and massive debt, he didn't have much time to spend with friends or girls his age while in his late teens. Being a virgin at twenty one bothered him more than he wanted to admit, so when he did get some free time and some money, he tried to find a girlfriend. Apparently, without much success.
While contemplating his romantic life, Alex felt that something is wrong. He felt a gaze on him. Someone, or, rather, something, watched him. And it was close. A shiver ran down his spine as he slowly turned his head to the side. There it was... a toad.
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It is just a toad. Yes, it is a big one, but still harmless... probably.
The toad sat a few meters from him, silently watching. It was about half a meter in height, similar to a mid-sized dog. It wasn't green, but blue with some shades of pink.
Its color is not too bright, so it shouldn't be poisonous, Alex assumed.
"Hey, can you talk? I would really appreciate it if you can transform into a cute princess."
As expected, the toad didn't answer.
Now that I think about it... what is this number floating above its head?
Indeed, a few centimeters above toad's head was a green number 2.
Is it a level like in RPG-game? No way.
Before he can ponder the meaning behind this number, the toad acted.
Suddenly, Alex felt a strong impact on his chest. He didn't see how it happened. It was as if someone hit him with a small hammer. When he tried to restore his balance, he felt another impact, this time on his left leg. Now, his eyes were able to catch a barely visible motion. Tongue. Toad attacked him with its tongue.
Holy fuck, did it got offended by my little joke? Or it just considers me easy prey? Fuck, it hurts.
The most obvious choice would be to run. This thing attacked him faster than his eye could see, and those attacks were strong enough. Alex was surprised that the impact wasn't as strong as it supposed to be, considering the tongue's speed.
Did my clothes block the force behind the attack? No way. Anyway, I should run... No, no. It is just a toad. Yes, it hits hard and fast. But it is still just a toad! I should try to get it to taste the power of humans.
Maybe because Alex was too confused by his completely unexpected circumstances, but instead of making a rational choice, he chose to be reckless. And so, he charged at the toad.
He raised his hands to block his face, and it was the right thing to do and, probably, saved his life. His left hand stung. Probably because he shortened the distance between them, but the pain from being hit was more than before.
Apparently, the frog either underestimated him or just wasn't sentient enough to think at all, as it didn't try to jump away from Alex when he neared it. And then, he kicked with as much strength as he could muster. He kicked his foe as if kicking a football.
Alex felt more resistance than he expected judging by the toad's size and approximate weight. He didn't pay attention to it when he was the one attacked, but now he could see clearly that the place of their contact has had some kind of white sparks at the moment of collision.
What there those sparks?
He watched the toad lying on its back about five meters from him.
It seems all this time I played soccer in grade and middle school wasn't for naught, after all.
The animal twitched a little but didn't seem to be able to stand.
Should I finish it off? Well, even if it attacked me first, but I probably would feel bad if I will actually kill it. After all, throughout my whole life, I, at most, only killed some insects.
His hesitation didn't matter, though...
Congratulations! You defeated Bluewater Toad (Common), Level 2.
Beginner Tip: As a Player, you have 35 seconds to absorb Mana from its corpse. Just touch it and think about absorption. Good luck!
...because, as suddenly appeared holographic message said, the toad didn't survive the kick.