Dawn

The Realisation

Namey: "Where the hell am I?!" My heart started racing as I found myself in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a beautiful mountain with arches and a forest. "I'm not on Earth anymore," I realized.

Namey: "I also noticed something strange—there was a health bar and energy bar, similar to a Heads-up Display (HUD). Am I in a game?"

Willby: "Yes, you are. I am your familiar and here to be your guide."

Namey: "Who are you?"

Willby: "Calm down. I am Willby, your familiar."

Namey: "Interesting, so this is an RPG, right?"

Willby: "Yes, it is."

Namey: "So, what is your name, Willby?"

Willby: "That's correct. I am Willby. And what might your name be?"

Namey: "My name is Ludwig, but within this game, I'll go by the alias Namey."

Willby: "Very well then, Namey. Do you know why you are here?"

Namey: "Because I wished for it?"

Willby: "That's correct. You catch on quick. Now let me explain the HUD and your class set."

Namey: "I'm eager to learn. Please go ahead."

Willby: "Hmm, that's strange. Your class type is unknown."

Namey: "So, I'm a special case?"

Willby: "It could be something else entirely."

Namey: "Is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

Willby: "I have yet to determine that."

Namey: "Is there some sort of civilization nearby?"

Willby: "Yes, the tutorial and introduction are finished. Let's head to the lowest-level adventurer city."

Namey: "Should we walk there?"

Willby: "No need. Watch this."

Willby used teleportation to transport me to a city called Haven. This city seemed to be filled with life and offered a variety of things to do. I could hear marketers screaming out advertisements about their goods, and in that moment, I realized just how much I was loving this game already, and I hadn't even started yet.

Namey: "So, first things first—"

Namey: "Adventure hall, right?"

Willby: "Uhh... Yeah."

Namey: "Alright! Let's go."

Willby: "Hmm, have you played this before? You seem to catch on rather quickly."

Namey: "Sort of... I wished for this, so of course, I'm supposed to know."

Willby: "You should refrain from speaking since it could draw unnecessary attention."

Namey: "Wait, are you saying these NPCs can't see you?"

Willby: "Uhh... yeah."

Namey: "All the better."

Namey stepped into the adventurer's guild only to see muscular and well-geared warriors, female mages, assassins, as well as male warriors and priests. A female secretary of the adventurers guild greeted Namey.

Namara: "Welcome newcomer, I'm Namara. How can I help you?" She said with a smile.

Namey: "Well, I'd like to register as an adventurer to start questing."

Namara: "Interesting... Well, currently we are almost full of adventurers and can possibly only house 5 more people."

Namey: "So, there is some sort of tournament going to happen?"

Namara: "Correct!"

Willby (telepathically): "Your intelligence is staggering."

Namey: "Very well then, sign me up. Also, what levels or capabilities do my competitors have, and what level would you suggest I need to be to win the tournament?"

Namara: "Let's see." *opens competitors' stats book. "Well, the highest currently is level 10, which accumulates to about 10,000 experience points. Most of the competition seems to be around levels 7-8, so if you want to win, you need to be at least level 9 to qualify for the guild, but ideally level 10. Depending on the lowest-quality class, it could be level 12."

Namey: "Thanks... so, where are some good Mobs (monster spawns) to start out with?"

Namara: "Well, I would suggest taking a look around the outskirts of town and start there."

Willby (telepathically): "You know you could have asked me all this, right?"

Namey: "Very well then, thank you." (whispers to Willby) "Yeah, but you don't even know what class I am."

Willby: "Fair enough, but I think I can take you to someone who does."

Namey: "Let's go."

Namara: "Good luck, potential adventurer!"

Namey: "Thanks!"

So, I found myself walking downtown to some strange building that Willby had guided me to.

Namey: "Is this the place?"

Willby: "Yes, it is."

Namey: "Looks abandoned and a bit scary."

Willby: "Trust me, it's fine."

Namey: "Alrighty then."

I entered the building and found myself looking at a lot of books. Willby was floating behind, searching for something or someone.

Namey: "Have you found what you are looking for?"

Willby: "Not yet."

Suddenly, a floating skull waved in front of my face, and I got jump-scared. I yelled, "Haah, crap! What is this thing?"

Willby: "There he is."