Axel woke up bright and early, not by choice, but from the rays of sun blasting onto his face. A consequence of forgetting to draw the curtains last night. On the bright side, he did not have to worry about oversleeping and missing the checkout time.

A quick shower and change of clothes later, Axel was out of the inn and back onto the streets. His head in the clouds as he attempted to organize his thoughts.

Despite how lost he was in this new world, and the overwhelming amount of questions that swirled through his head, threatening to nauseate him, there was one thing Axel was certain of: Lunetta would not still be in Pavhorn. She would have been long gone by now. The best chance of finding her would be to explore the lands and pick up whatever crumb of a trail she might have left behind. But, like what the knights said, only the strong survive, and to get stronger he had to fight monsters. For now, he had to get a class, which should hopefully give him the [Skills] needed to survive.

Following the multitude of signposts planted throughout the city, Axel headed towards the exit of the Pavhorn, The city was bustling, what with the constant influx of newcomers, all of whom were lured by the promises of becoming the new king, if they could take our the blasted barrier trapping them all. Eight years strong, and it still showed no signs of fading. It did not take long to reach the end of the main road, and Axel could finally get a closer look at the massive arch that acted as the entrance and exit to the city.

Even from afar, what immediately drew his attention was the vast swirling mass of azure energy at the center of the arch—a portal of massive proportions. The arch was simple in design, with two massive pillars supporting its structure that met at a curve at the top, constructed out of some sort of gray stone that he was unable to identify.

Two streams of people flowed into and out of the city. On the right were those returning after what Axel could only assume was a tiresome hunt in the wild. Their clothes, some sort of fur or leather armor, were dirtied by a thin layer of grime, and many bore varying degrees of injuries. Weariness emanated out of their bodies as they trudged their way back into the safety of the city's walls.

On the opposite side, the leftmost part of the archway teemed with excited and nervous people heading out of the city. Axel watched as both crowds streamed through the shimmering blue light of the portal.

The two groups moved along their respective paths seamlessly, one coming in and the other going out. Those who came from beyond the portal seemed to be weighed down by their spoils of victory, whether it be from coins or injuries they earned, while those departing were filled with nervous anticipation.

Two halberd-wielding knights stood at either side of the arch. They were clad in polished plate armor which shone brightly, despite the dim lighting of the cloudy morning. If it weren't for a cough by one of the knights, Axel would have assumed they were life-like statues—so still and unmoving in their vigilant stances.

Yet, it seemed like there was a clear path around the sides of the giant portal. There were not any visible obstructions, and the forest beyond was clear as day. Despite this, no one made any effort to just walk around it to access the outside.

The most logical conclusion Axel could come up with was that there was some kind of law, that you were not allowed to cross through it unless it was done via portal. Either that or Axel was simply bored and coming up with the most ridiculous reasons as the queue made its way toward the edge of the portal.

The giant gate grew only more intimidating with each step forward until eventually, he found himself directly before the massive gateway. The imposing structure loomed over him.

Axel took a deep breath, then stepped right through the gate. He expected a seamless transition from the safety of the city to the dangers of the forests beyond its borders. Instead, he was greeted with a sudden jolt to the face as an invisible force barred his passage through the portal's threshold.

[Insufficient Rank]

Required Rank: Recruit

Current Rank: Novice

"What the," Axel muttered out, his face still stinging from the impact.

"Quit holding the line! Move along!" Someone behind him yelled.

"Come here, kid," one of the guards called out, beckoning him closer.

Axel, complying with the command, gently rubbed his face as he moved toward the guard. "Your rank isn't high enough, go back to the training grounds and rank up first, then you can exit the city. And before you ask why, I don't know why. It's just the way the system works," the knight said in a monotone voice.

Axel just nodded his head in understanding and quietly shuffled away from the entrance. Face red from the impact and embarrassment.

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Would have been nice to know about the rank requirement, he thought. Does this mean I have to give them all the stuff I collect again?

Axel had no choice but to head towards the training grounds, walking past the myriad of buildings and streets filled with people from all walks of life. Buildings all owned by the kingdom, filled with shops that too belonged to the kingdom. Shops that served to accommodate the needs of the newcomers, helping to integrate the flood of immigrants into this new world they found themselves stuck in.

At the entrance to the training ground, which was the same hall where Axel and the others had reluctantly surrendered their hard-earned items, was another group streaming out of the building from a door that said "Exit Only". Screams of frustration filled the air as some vented their anger at the unfairness of the situation, while others could be seen with a crestfallen expression.

Axel entered the building through a separate door, passing by knights who were standing guard, poised to receive any more loot from those who had returned to the training ground. The sight of portals lined up around the perimeter of the wooden palisades continued to leave Axel in awe.

Today, he pondered which portal to venture through. Encountering a different monster today would likely be more beneficial for him than facing those he had vanquished yesterday. He walked around, taking a look at each portal one by one, deciding on which would be more suited for him, or at least one that sounded interesting enough.

At last, his gaze settled on a sign that read "Purrjectile Feline." The name alone piqued his curiosity. It intrigued him enough to want to encounter the monster, and hopefully, it would not be that difficult. Before stepping through the portal, he paused to check his [Status] screen, eager to gauge his progress toward the next rank.

[Novice - 87.5%]

Now he knew how close he was to ranking up, but it would have been nicer if the system had given a bit more information instead of using percentages. Math was never really Axel’s strong suit.

Without another delay, Axel stepped through the portal and made a beeline towards the central crystal. He barely registered the knight giving instructions to a cluster of new arrivals as he scurried by.

Armed with his [Wooden Training Sword] and [Trusty Iron Sword], bolstered by yesterday’s experience, Axel was confident he could hold his own against any random felines, claws, and all.

[World Browser]

Current World:

Main World (Crowded)

Filtering by user's default selection (Least crowded)

Sub-World Options:

Sub-World 02 (Sparse)

Sub-World 13 (Sparse)

Sub-World 07 (Lightly Crowded)

Sub-World 08 (Lightly Crowded)

Sub-World 09 (Lightly Crowded)

Axel selected Sub-World 02, not wanting to deal with anyone, the monsters were enough of a headache on their own. Now, his focus shifted to the hunt for the elusive Purrjectile Feline. While he knew that it was some sort of object-throwing cat, the specifics intrigued him. Axel could not imagine the cats being able to throw weapons such as axes or spears. Perhaps it was something far simpler? Could it be rocks, or maybe even a stick like what Axel did against the Duo Hounds?

A shiver ran down Axel’s spine, prompting him to turn around. There, he found himself under the watchful gaze of a cat, its vertical slits sent a ripple of unease pulsating through him. Their eyes met, locked in a staring contest. Axel could feel a lump in his throat as he pondered the true dynamics of their encounter. Was he the hunter or was he the hunted?

The creature resembled a domestic cat with a striking coat of jet-black fur that gleamed in the light, but it was much larger than one, standing at around waist height.

Axel tensed his muscles, prepared for whatever the feline would throw at him. In turn, the cat let out a low, drawn-out growl that echoed through the forest. Before Axel could fully process the warning, a sudden motion caught his attention — a projectile hurtling toward him.

Caught off guard, Axel could not react in time, and the unknown projectile struck him squarely in the face. The force of the impact sent him staggering backward, and a sharp wave of pain radiated from his forehead. For the second time that day, his face throbbed with stinging agony.

As Axel rubbed his forehead, his gaze fell to the ground along with the projectile that had landed with a wet squelch. What Axel saw made his stomach churn and send another shiver down his spine. It was a hairball. The bundle of fur was still moist with saliva, leaving a small puddle on the grass. Another shiver coarse through him as the full weight of the realization settled in. The disgusting clump of fur had smacked in square in the face

Out of the corner of his eye, Axel managed to spot another hairball barreling at him. Reacting swiftly, he ducked out of its path, just narrowly avoiding the projectile. Although he managed to dodge the hairball, he could not evade the splashes of saliva that peppered his face.

Gross. Yuck. Ew, was all he could think.

Despite his disgust, Axel knew now was no time to dwell on it. Instead, he had to remain focused on the feline before him. Its slender, well-muscled physique gleamed with a glossy sheen. Charging straight towards the monster, Axel evaded the barrage of hairballs spat up his way, closing the distance between them. With a swift upward swing of his sword, he cleaved through the creature's torso, A second downward blow aimed at the creature's head finished it off.

[Purrjectile Feline was slain. Gained 5 points]

One down, many more to go, thought Axel as he picked up his latest spoils. A gold coin and a whisker.