I traversed the desolate plains. Slimes, horses, and cows were the only signs of life. I passed dozens of cities, but I barely glanced at most of them. They were either too small or only had a handful of NPCs. Many didn't even have walls.
It was strange. I hadn't seen any wolves yet. They normally appeared around now. Even though they were weak monsters, they were one of the most common enemies on the first floor and a good source of wolf pelts.
There were a few other people crossing the endless plains alongside me.
One of them immediately caught my attention.
A girl walked with a simple blue cloth wrapped over her eyes, completely covering them. Her pastel violet hair was tied back over the cloth, and it looked soaked from rain.
She wore simple blue clothing beneath light leather armor with dark boots and a practical belt. A sword hung at her side.
She was crying.
Tears soaked the cloth over her eyes, almost making her eyes visible beneath it. She stumbled with every step as if she couldn't see where she was going.
The other person was a girl with black hair and black eyes like mine. She wore nothing more than the standard starting equipment.
"Hey!" I called. "Are you..."
The black haired girl jumped. For a brief moment I caught sight of the dagger she quickly hid behind her back.
I wasn't sure who she was.
She looked nothing like my sister.
Still, a part of me hoped she was.
I ran toward her. The closer I got, the more nervous she became.
Finally, I saw her face clearly.
Her eyes.
They weren't my sister's.
She was missing the dual colored eyes that made Yuki so easy to recognize.
"Oh..." I said quietly. "I'm sorry."
"Who are you?" the girl asked.
"My name is Wan. You are..."
"My name is..." She hesitated. "Chiyo."
I pointed toward the crying girl.
"Are you two traveling together?"
"I have no idea who she is," Chiyo replied. "I came out here because I needed to complete a quest before I can join my guild."
Her guild...
I walked toward the blind girl.
Without warning, an enormous blast of wind exploded outward.
The shockwave slammed into both of us and threw us across the ground.
I hit the dirt hard.
Pain shot through my body as I struggled back to my feet.
I looked over at Chiyo.
She stared toward the nearest city.
My heart sank.
The city was burning.
Flames climbed into the sky as buildings collapsed one after another.
Tears filled Chiyo's eyes.
She dropped to her knees.
Then she tried to run.
I grabbed her arm.
"What are you doing?" I yelled.
She fought against me, but her body refused to move.
She remained frozen.
"Whatever's in that city is already gone!" I shouted. "We need to leave!"
Another violent gust blasted across the plains, throwing us backward again.
A magical catastrophe...
What's happening in that city?
The blind girl continued crying.
I sighed.
"If you want to go back," I yelled to Chiyo, "then go. But don't blame me when you die."
I ran toward the blind girl.
When I looked back, Chiyo was gone.
I couldn't tell whether she had escaped, used illusion magic, or if she had been pulled away somehow.
The wind tore the cloth from the blind girl's face.
Her eyes matched her pastel violet hair.
They were beautiful.
But they were dull.
Completely lifeless.
"Is it alright if I touch you?" I asked.
"Who's there?" she cried.
"Who's there? Who's there?"
She repeated it over and over.
I sighed.
"My name is Wataru."
"Wataru Tanto."
"Wataru..." she whispered.
"That woman..." she sobbed. "She was trying to kill me."
Only then did I notice the blood.
Her face was covered in it.
How hadn't I seen it before?
Had the other girl been using some kind of illusion?
I tore off part of my leather sleeve and gently wiped the blood from her face.
"What's your name?" I asked.
"My name is Tara."
She sat quietly while I cleaned the blood away. I could tell she wanted to cry harder, but she held it back.
"Tara," I said. "In this world, it's better to have a fake name people know you by. You already know my real name, but everyone at the Adventurer's Guild calls me Wan."
"Wan..." she repeated softly.
"Thank you for saving me."
As I continued wiping away the blood, I finally saw her injuries clearly.
Blood flowed from her back.
One of her ears had been partially sliced off.
A long cut stretched from the damaged ear toward her left eye.
Another slash ran from the top of her head down across her left cheek, forming a large scar that crossed the first.
I wanted to ask what had happened.
Who attacked her.
Why.
But I already knew she wouldn't answer.
"I'm going to pick you up now. Is that alright?"
She nodded.
I carefully lifted her onto my back.
"Let's get as far away from her as possible."
I began running.
Behind us, the burning city disappeared into the distance.
We passed several villages that met my requirements.
Stone walls.
Guards.
A lord's manor.
Somewhere Tara would be safe.
"Tara," I asked while running, "have you thought of an adventurer name yet?"
There was no answer.
She had fallen asleep on my back.
I smiled.
It reminded me of a memory with my sister.
...
Back on Earth.
Yuki had hurt herself during practice and called me after school.
"Hey, Wataru," she complained. "Why do you stay home all day?"
"You're good at everything. Games. Sports. Pretty much anything you try. Yet you skip school and play games all day. You would've had so many friends."
"Would you believe me if I said I did it to protect you?"
"Of course not," Yuki laughed.
I crouched down.
She climbed onto my back.
"Let's go home."
"Fine," she huffed. "But if you tell Mom and Dad about this, I'll kill you."
"Sure."
I always wished I had told my sister the real reason I stayed home.
Even now, I wonder if it was a selfish decision.
Maybe I simply didn't have the determination to become anything else.
Whether it was games or studying, things always came naturally to me.
Yet look where it got me.
I wonder...
How is my sister doing?
Eventually I spotted a large fortified city.
The Twenty Third.
The 23rd was situated near a river and had a reputation for being nearly deserted due to frequent monster attacks originating from the lake. During the game, the few residents who remained had somber dialogue options, often speaking of their families being killed by monsters that emerged from the lake.
Upon entering the city gate, we were greeted by an unexpected sight. The once desolate town had transformed into a vibrant hub of activity. Banners in a spectrum of colors decorated the streets, and NPCs were gathered, sharing drinks and celebrating with a sense of camaraderie and joy. The lively atmosphere was a striking contrast to the bustling but orderly environment of 63rd.
Adding to the festive mood, many NPCs were adorned with red and white masks, each featuring unique patterns. The masks lent a mystical and somewhat eerie charm to the celebrations.
Curious about the sudden change in the city's atmosphere, I approached one of the nearby NPCs.
"I need your help," I said, carefully lowering Tara from my back. "Can someone take care of her?"
A small group of NPCs quickly rushed over. They gently carried Tara toward a nearby inn while she continued sleeping peacefully.
I handed one of them a few gold coins.
"Use this to cover her expenses," I said. "Thank you."
The NPC nodded gratefully before disappearing inside the inn with Tara.
After making sure she was safe, I began walking through the city.
The streets were packed with people celebrating. Merchants laughed with customers, children ran through the roads waving colorful banners, and music echoed between the buildings.
I stopped beside an NPC who was joining the festivities.
"What's going on?" I asked.
"A few days ago our city was bought by a guild," the NPC replied eagerly, pride clear in their voice.
I was surprised. Why would anyone purchase a city like this, especially given the ongoing costs and the city's history of destruction during the game? It was a place players typically avoided.
"What guild bought this city?" I asked, trying to understand their decision.
"The guild is called... G2," the NPC replied after a brief pause.
I was puzzled. I hadn't heard of a guild named G2 during the game. Trust me, I would know. Their choice to buy this city was intriguing. Either they were people from Earth who had no idea what was going on, but if that were the case, how did they get the money to buy a city? I mulled over their decision for a moment, and the NPC must have noticed my curiosity.
"Why don't you enjoy the festivities?" they suggested, handing me a white mask with a red mark across the center.
I took the mask, appreciating its design, and I tied it to my belt. The festive atmosphere of the city seemed to envelop me as I joined in the celebrations.
I put on the mask, noting that it had no special effects or debuffs, and began to explore the city. The 23rd was primarily a storage hub, featuring several large warehouses designed to house items and armor. With the recent purchase of the city, the new owners had the power to regulate who could enter and exit.
As I wandered through the town, the cheerful NPCs and festive atmosphere were a stark contrast to the somber mood of the game. However, it was clear that this city was not without its issues. I decided to stay until nightfall to investigate the warehouses more thoroughly. As I walked through the city, I encountered several NPCs carrying boxes. It was clear that the guild who had purchased the city had displaced the existing NPCs.
"This place was always busy, with shipments and trades. Now it's just empty warehouses and storage units."
"I know," replied the second worker, shaking their head. "We used to manage all the trades and supplies here. Now we're just being pushed out because some High Humans want to turn this city into their personal storage facility."
"This city was never perfect," the first worker continued, "but it had its role. Now that the guild's bought it for storage, we're left without any purpose."
"And the worst part is that we have to find new jobs elsewhere," the second worker added. "Who knows how long it will take to find work there or if we'll even get any."
These high humans, one said, "They've only been here for two days and are already messing everything up."
There weren't many soldiers, I thought, and the ones that were here seemed to be sorting through the rest. I came to the conclusion that I had arrived at an opportune moment. With the girls most likely being tired from the day's activities, I could discover what this mysterious guild was sorting out.
Determined to uncover more about what the guild was storing, I decided to stay in the city overnight. Given its relatively small size, if G2 had been a larger guild, they might have had the resources to acquire a more substantial location quickly.
To ensure I could escape quickly if needed, I thought, I should be able to do this now. Let's see if I can add an effect.
"Enchant_Kunai(Effect: Anchor)," I whispered, enchanting both of the kunai.
I watched as the NPCs continued their work, unpacking boxes, while I tested my kunai.
I threw one of the kunai high into the air.
"Teleport_to_Anchor," I said softly.
After a few seconds, I teleported, and the kunai was back in my hand as I got an aerial view.
"Teleport_to_Anchor," I said again.
This time, I teleported back to the one on the ground and placed a spar outside the city.
The Anchor effect teleports me to the farthest one in range. At higher ranks, I can make it so that I teleport to a specific one at a specific time or duration, but for now, this was enough.
I walked back into the city, noticing the acreage throwing papers into the air. At first, I thought it was part of a celebration. But then, I saw an emblem on the side of the carriage. A detailed compass with a prominent east point. Each point ended with a diamond, all colorless except for the one pointing east, which glowed with a golden hue.
"Guild [Crusaders] has successfully cleared Floor 1," the paper read.
"High humans, use the Floor_ command followed by the number 2 to go to the capital, Asenada." the paper continued.
I wondered why we couldn't just teleport all the way to the end. If it's just a magic command, maybe it's simplified and has conditions.
Either way, in under three days, humanity had managed to clear Floor 1.