It wasn’t hard to maneuver around the camp with the kid by her side. Shoaib, he said his name was−and the crown prince according to his uncle− was like an ace up one's sleeve card. Ayah still couldn’t wrap her head around that fact. The name seemed familiar, but she couldn’t point where she heard it before.

Her eyes roamed around the camp. The soldiers sent furtive glances their way, more curious than suspicious. The camp was huge. Atop the tents, dark blue flags swayed to the afternoon breeze. Ayah squinted her eyes to decipher the drawing in the middle of the banner.

A silver eagle in flight.

She frowned.

“What would you like to see?” Shoaib asked, an eager smile itched on his face. “Would you like to see the training grounds?”

Ayah hummed. While that would be interesting, she still had to finish her first quest. She glanced at the floating window, the decreasing countdown mocking her. She scowled. Is there no way to hide this thing?

“Is there someplace where I can find some wolfsbane?” she asked.

Shoaib blinked. “Sure. The left side of the encampment.”

The guards sent dubious looks Ayah’s way when Shoaib sent them away. Ayah rolled her eyes. These guys were giving her too much credit.

The field of flowers was a little away from camp. A serene expanse of vibrant purple dominated the landscape. The field stretched out like a royal carpet, with each bloom standing tall on leafy green stalks. The contrast of the dark green foliage against the soft purple petals created a picturesque scene. The air was filled with a subtle sweet fragrance, inviting yet deceptive, for wolfsbane was as deadly as it was beautiful.

Ayah, clad in leather gloves given by Shoaib, knelt down and gathered the first wolfsbane flower. She didn’t know where she would put it. Should she have gotten a basket?

As soon as the stem was cut, the flower vanished from her hand.

[You’ve collected Wolfsbane x 1]

Another window opened. The inventory. Many cases were empty except for two. One with the flower with the number 1 over it, and another with what looked like metal shards.

Well, that was convenient.

She clicked on the metal shards and its information popped up.

[Broken Sword Shards: The Night Bearer x 1]

Was that Shoaib’s sword? Was there any way to repair it?

At the corner of the info window, a dim option was barely visible. Craft. She clicked on it and a warning message popped up.

[Crafting Skill not yet available due to player’s low level.]

[To get access to locked skills the player is advised to level up.]

What level would she need to craft it? Five? Ten?

Ayah glanced at the empty cases. “Can I store anything I want in the inventory?” she asked, her mind wandering to the small damaged box back in the tent.

[Correct.]

“Even perishable items?”

[Correct.]

She blinked. “Wouldn’t they spoil?”

If that was the case, she was starting to think that maybe the system wasn’t that bad after all. Every cloud has a silver lining.

[Once the item is stored in the inventory, it would enter into Stasis Mode till its next usage by the player.]

Ayah grinned. “Sweet.”

She scratched her chin in thought. “But what if it was damaged? Can I restore it to its former state?”

[Restoring a damaged item is accessible when the player reaches a suitable level.]

Ayah huffed. “How do I level up then? Shouldn’t I be killing monsters instead of collecting flowers?”

The system lagged for a moment before it showed the ever decreasing countdown.

“Damn it,” Ayah cursed under her breath, and went back to her quest.

Once she had gathered more than ten wolfsbane, a ding sounded.

[Stamina : 14]

Ayah scowled. Did the number just decrease? All she did was pick up flowers. What the hell…

[Actions reduce stamina.]

[The stamina used depends on the action performed.]

[The Player should be mindful of Stamina’s usage.]

[As the stamina is depleted, the player would face physical restrictions ranging from slowed movement to immobility.]

“And you’re saying this now?”

[The system is here to help the player get to her full potential.]

Ayah huffed. “Can you stop calling me a player?”

[Player’s Level is too low to acquire a Title.]

If the system had a voice, it would surely be laughing at her. She narrowed her eyes at the window. “I swear…”

“Miss Ayah,” Shoaib called with a quivering voice next to her.

Ayah blinked at him. She had completely forgotten about his existence. She smiled sheepishly at him. His lack of acknowledgement for the window hovering in front of her meant she was the only one who could see it. She must have looked like a maniac debating with thin air.

“Yes?”

He hesitated, his mouth opening and closing. He swallowed thickly and glanced at her before his eyes darted away. “You have to be more mindful of your actions, miss Ayah. I know you’re not a bad person but…anyone faced with what you’re doing would recognize you as one of the accursed.”

Ayah choked. “The accursed?”

“You’re conversing with a demon, aren’t you?” He sent her a doubtful look.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“What? No! It’s the sy−”

Another loud ding sounded, cutting her off.

[Player mustn’t reveal the existence of the system.]

[Failure to comply would result in a penalty.]

Is this a joke? Ayah glared at the floating window.

“You’re talking to it now, aren’t you?” Shoaib fidgeted on his feet. “The people don’t look kindly on the accursed. They’re seen as the source of the scourge plaguing our world. So it would be best to hide it,” he said. “Of course, I’m not saying you’re a bad person. I know better. You risked your life to save me and I’m not someone who would let a life debt unpaid. I’ll protect you with my life.” he announced, thumping his fisted hand over his chest.

You gotta be kidding me…

Ayah slumped to the ground. Her hand closed over the flower she was about to collect, crushing the stem.

[Item damaged. Unable to collect Wolfsbane x 1]

She hurled the flower away. If she could, the system would suffer the same fate as that poor unsuspecting flower. If only…

[Stamina : 13]

“Oh, come on!”

Shoaib was looking at her like she was going to bring an ax down on his neck. She sighed.

“So this place is called Morr?” she asked.

“Well, we are on the Morr continent.” He sat a few feet apart. “We are currently on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Temsia.” he frowned, his lips pursed. He gave her a weird look, like she was some hellish homework assigned to him on the eve of a holiday. “You’re not from here, aren’t you?” he asked.

Ayah looked at him, debating whether to tell him the truth. “You can say that.”

He nodded, expression serious, like he was entrusted with the most sensitive secret. “I’ll tell no one. You have my word.”

Ayah paused, piecing his earlier words. “Wait, you said kingdom of Temsia?”

He nodded.

“Is there another kingdom by the name of Nur?”

He nodded, a scowl tracing over his face at the mention of the name before his expression smoothed out.

Ayah stilled. She had a bad feeling about this. It couldn’t be…could it?

“Is your…uncle called Harith?”

Please say no. Please say no.

“Yes.”

Ayah groaned. How could this be? Why was this happening to her? Did she somehow stumble into Loaye’s novel world? His panic and haste to cross the portal flashed through her mind.

She glanced at Shoaib’s quizzical look. Of all the people to stumble upon, it had to be the kingdom of Temsia. The kingdom that was plotting for a war against the kingdom of Nur where Loaye’s protagonist ruled. Harith, Shoaib’s uncle, was known as the Lord of shadows, a ruthless man that killed anyone who annoyed him. The evilest man alive. He was often referred to as the Dark Lord's heir.

Bubbles of laughter erupted from her chest. Shoaib stared at her like she had grown another head.

She was doomed.

A ding sounded.

[Congratulations! You’ve completed the Quest: Gather Wolfsbane x 30]

“What now? Do you have another quest for me?”

[The system applauds the player's enthusiasm and will issue new Quests as soon as they are available.]

“Now, that’s just lazy work,” Ayah complained. “Where I came from, you would have been fired. What am I going to do with wolfsbane anyway.”

[Wolfsbane ]

[Type: Ingredients.]

[Difficulty: Common. ]

[Usage: used to ward off monsters of medium and lower levels. ]

Ayah hummed. It could be useful.

“So when can I craft it?”

[Player level is too low to unlock the Crafting Skill.]

Ayah sighed. There was no way around it. It was like a dog chasing its own tail.

She followed Shoaib to the training grounds. The clanging of steel against steel filled the air as swords clashed against each other. Harith, the Dark Lord’s heir and Shoaib’s uncle, was there instructing his warriors and overseeing their training with a scowl on his face. Ayah couldn’t help the feeling of pity as he barked a couple instructions at a group of young looking stragglers.

“We have one of the finest armies on the continent,” Shoaib bragged, swelling with pride. “Our warriors must be able to protect themselves even without the use of their powers.” His face scrunched up in frustration. “Especially with the Concord of Sovereigns a few weeks away.”

Ayah perked up. The Concord of Sovereigns was being held the upcoming weeks? Her luck was finally looking up!

The Concord of Sovereigns was an annual ceremony held in the Nur kingdom to celebrate the end of the seven kingdoms war. Though one would argue it was an annual meeting for the seven rulers to scheme and conspire against each other. It was also where, in Loaye’s novel, fights would break out between attending monarchs and wars were teetering on the edge of eruption.

“We’ll be resuming our travel as soon as the scouting party returns.” He flashed a beaming smile at Ayah. “Would you like to attend the ceremony? If you wish for it, I can include you as a special guest of my kingdom.”

Well, wasn’t that too convenient to be true? Since she knew she had stumbled into the weird world, she had intended to head to the Nur kingdom. Surely someone from there would be more amenable to helping her. She could even find Loaye. Didn’t he write poetics about its current ruler?

Shoaib’s invite came like a beam of light amongst the sea of doubt that had now become her life. It wasn’t like she knew her way around this place. She could have spent years just to get to the Nur kingdom. And as they said, the more the merrier!

Shoaib’s smile dimmed at the edges. “Ah, right. You must have earlier arrangements. If where you intend to go is on our way, we can escort you there.”

Ayah shook her head. “No no. I would like to attend the Concord of Sovereigns.”

“Perfect! I’ll notify the royal advisor. He’ll arrange for things to go smoothly.”

Ayah fought the giddy smile off her face. It wasn’t everyday that a person attended one of the most anticipated events in one of the most popular novels in the last decade. A novel enthusiast’s ultimate fantasy realized.

She glanced at the swords neatly arranged inside the wooden rack. First things first. Now she had to learn how to protect herself.

“Am I allowed to use one of these swords?” Ayah asked.

“Of course.” Shoaib nodded. At her hesitation, he added, “do you…know how to use one?”

“No.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you.” He puffed his chest in pride, took one of the swords and swung it down, a whoosh of air wafted from its path. “It’s quite easy once you get over the basics.”

Yeah. no. Ayah doubted she could ever do that.

Once Ayah touched the sword, a ding sounded.

[A new item detected. Dull Sword x 1]

[Would you like to collect it?]

“Yes,” Ayah said in a hushed voice. But as soon as the word left her mouth, the sword vanished and materialized again in her grasp.

Shoaib gasped. “Ayah,” he warned in a hushed tone.

Ayah looked around but no one was looking at them. She held the sword up and brought it down just like Shoaib did.

[New skill acquired: Slash lv.1 ]

[Leveling up the Skill would grant greater damage.]

Ayah beamed at the announcement.

About time.

[Stamina: 12 ]

“What?” she shrieked. “What kind of nonsense is this? How am I supposed to get stronger if you keep chipping away at my stamina like you’re chipping at ice!”

The system remained silent, not acknowledging her tantrum.

“What kind of opponent do you plan to defeat with such mediocre swordsmanship?”

Ayah glanced at the Dark Lord's heir as he looked down at her, scrutinizing. She gulped. When did he get here?

“The kind that don’t mind their own business.”

He huffed, an amused smile itched at the corner of his lips. He took out his sword and the whole area fell into hushed silence. They all put their swords down and watched her impending doom.

“Spar with me,” he demanded.

Ayah shuffled on her feet, a shaky laugh escaping her lips. “Who would dare? …Your highness,” she added as an afterthought.

She didn’t know why he was so fixated on her. Yes, she was a stranger. And yes, he had driven his point home; she wouldn’t dare to hurt Shoaib. Heck, she didn’t even want to hurt him. The poor kid was too sweet to be saddled with someone as evil as Harith. It made her, an orphan, even luckier than him.

If only he could forget about her existence. She would make sure to never cross his path again.

“What are you hiding?” Harith narrowed his eyes at her.

“Nothing, your highness. I’m just unfit to stand against someone of your caliber.”

He snorted. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

Ayah scrunched her nose in disdain. The only place she wanted to go was somewhere far away from here.

“Uncle!”

“Rest assured. I won’t use my full powers.”

He brought his sword down and Ayah had enough sense of mind to hold her sword up to parry his attack. Her arms strained under his strength.

[Stamina: 9 ]

Ayah startled. 3 whole points gone with a single strike? That was absurd!

He brought his sword up and down again. While Ayah’s body trembled and shook under the attack, not a single strand of his dark hair fell out of place.

[Stamina: 6 ]

Another unsuccessful parry followed by another ding.

[Stamina: 3 ]

[Warning: if the Stamina points drop to 0, the player will lose all function over her body and would enter into Stasis Mode.]

It wasn’t my fault! Ayah wanted to scream. She didn’t even want to be in the same area as him, let alone cross swords with him.

Harith frowned. “You’re even worse than a toddler.”

He swung his sword and Ayah threw herself to the side. She was slow, too slow, which was why instead of quickly standing up, lifting the sword and readying herself for another strike, her body lagged.

He did a diagonal strike. Ayah struggled to lift the sword. She felt as if her body was submerged in cement. Just when she thought the sword was going to cut her head off, it stopped a hairbreadth away from her neck.

[Stamina: 0]

[Player Stamina depleted. Entering Stasis Mode in 5… ]

Her arms fell to her side and the sword cluttered to the ground.

[ …4 ]

She could feel her breath slowing down.

[ …3 ]

Someone was talking but Ayah couldn’t decipher the words. It seemed like they were speaking from somewhere further and further away.

[ …2 ]

Dark spots invaded her vision, only Harith’s face was visible. He narrowed his eyes a little, his lips opened as if to form words.

[ …1 ]

“Screw you, asshole,” she said with what remained of her fading strength.

The look of surprise on Harith’s face was almost worth it. Ayah could feel the corner of her mouth rise just a little. Then darkness swallowed her up.