I had no idea where I was.
When I looked around, my stiff neck hurt, probably from lying on the grass for so long.
"Wait—pain...?"
I remembered that I had specifically lowered the pain setting to 0%.
I shouldn't be feeling any pain.
"Is this a bug?"
Also, why did everything feel so detailed?
I could smell the grass, feel the warmth of the sun and the sensation of the breeze.
None of this should be possible inside a VR game, since its sense replication is heavily limited.
I know VR is pretty advanced, but anyone who has played the game knows it's a virtual space because of that alien feeling, like the character you're controlling isn't really you.
But now I felt no such thing.
Everything was real.
The texture of the dirt, the sharp feeling of the grass, and also...
I touched my face.
It was smooth and soft.
The game shouldn't have any of these senses yet.
It's too advanced.
It might replicate reality a bit, but this was too real.
Did Hero's Fate update overnight?
"Ugh... My head..."
I felt like I had forgotten something, but I couldn't recall it.
It was vague.
"...NPC?"
That's right.
I remembered the NPC who teleported me here.
She was a bit creepy, especially with that smile.
"I should log out for now..."
Feeling tired, I decided to log out.
I waved my hand in the air.
"Huh...?"
No matter how I waved, nothing happened.
No menu appeared.
"Status window."
Again, no response.
Did the game bug out?
No way, am I stuck inside the game now?
I tried every way I could think of to log out, but nothing worked.
I unconsciously touched my throat and felt a familiar sensation.
It was the AI voice changer mod I had applied.
It seemed to be still working.
"Testing..."
A magnetic voice rang out.
This time, I felt it in my body too.
This VR game was too advanced...
"Ahem."
I adjusted my voice back to normal and checked what else was gone.
The status window, inventory, and menu were all missing.
Everything else seemed to work.
"Skill set."
[Skills:
Random Skills (Lv. Max)
Magical Aura (Lv. Max)
Sacrificial Skills (Locked)]
A familiar panel appeared in front of me.
I swiped my hand to the right, and a new panel appeared.
[Equipment]
[Headgear: Broken White Horn of an Ancient Dragon (+0 luck)
Torso: Broken Lucky Fabric (+0 luck)
Leggings: Broken Lucky Fabric (+0 luck)
Accessories:
Broken Ring of Luck (+0 luck)
Broken Ring of Fortune (×1 luck)]
"Great... Just great. Everything is broken."
Basically, with my equipment broken, [Random Skills] was almost worthless.
Out of thousands upon thousands of skills, only a few are actually useful.
Without a luck boost, I'd most likely pull weak skills, or skills that destroy me along with everything else.
"...Well, since I'm here, I might as well explore."
I patted my clothes to remove some dirt and began walking.
I felt slightly heavy, but I kept going across this endless green field.
I saw some monsters far away, mostly goblins and slimes between levels 5 and 15.
With my current stats at level 1, I'd probably die if I fought them.
Unless I got lucky and [Random Skills] pulled something awesome.
But that probably wouldn't happen.
After hours of walking, I was getting tired.
It was an experience I had never felt inside a game.
Exhaustion.
It almost seemed like I was in another world...
"No no no no... Haha, that can't be true..."
I shook my head in denial.
As I walked, I heard a rustle behind me.
I looked back.
Something was hiding in the tall patches of grass.
"Great..."
If it was a monster, I'd probably die.
If it was an NPC, it might save me.
Let's just hope I'm lucky.
I straightened my back, readied my arm to fire [Random Skills] if necessary, and silently increased the intensity of [Magical Aura].
Then I stared at the patch of grass.
I changed my voice a little with the voice changer, but I hesitated for a moment.
Since I'm here, I'll roleplay.
Remember, I am the great white dragon.
Remember.
"I know you're there."
A magnetic voice rang out, vibrating the air.
The one hiding in the tall grass twitched and froze.
After a moment, someone came out of the grass.
My eyes widened slightly when I saw who it was.
[Lv. 214]
A level 214 dwarf.
A male dwarf.
What a surprise.
Finding a dwarf alone is rare, and a level 214 one is even rarer.
Most never reach level 100, since they're a race that was never meant to fight.
He walked toward me, trembling, his head down, unable to look at me.
"State your name."
He trembled greatly.
***
I'm Johnole, and I was exploring the great green field full of monsters.
There was a rumor that a hidden, legendary existence lived in this area.
A dragon.
Dragons were said to have gone extinct a few thousand years ago, and could only be called a myth.
People said dragons weren't real, but recent rumors claimed someone had seen one living here.
It was an easily dismissed rumor, so even the empire never bothered to check whether it was true.
Well, whether dragons exist or not, it wasn't going to stop me from collecting materials for my blacksmithing.
They say dwarves are only meant for blacksmithing.
Like hell I'm gonna rot inside that forge forever.
I ain't gonna wait for some adventurer to take my request, only to bring me low-level material that couldn't even make a broken dagger.
If I want materials, I'll get them myself.
I'm a dwarf, so what?
I can hammer monsters away.
That's why I carried everything I owned in my bag, including the pouch of coins I had saved up for buying rare ore.
A blacksmith never knows when a bargain shows up.
"Huh! This is a rocky worm!"
I checked inside a patch of grass and saw a moving worm covered in rocks.
Sometimes they even have rare gems inside them.
If not, the rocks covering them can be made into an accessory or weapon, but they're rare to find in the wild.
Lucky me!
"Hehe..."
I wiped away my dripping saliva and silently put the rocky worm in my bag.
As I was about to stand up, I suddenly felt an extreme pressure, like my very soul was being squeezed.
I tried regulating my mana, but it only made things worse.
My back was sweating as my heartbeat accelerated.
I felt as if someone was watching me, and I trembled uncontrollably.
My instincts were telling me to run, but because of fear, I couldn't move, let alone run.
Someone... No...
Something indescribably strong was nearby, emitting this kind of pressure.
It was most likely a monster.
Whoever it is, I mustn't get discovered, or I'll be killed!
"I know you're there."
A cold, magnetic male voice shook my soul.
My heart tightened.
I'm discovered!
But he can talk, which means I can negotiate...!
Maybe I can survive!
Led by instinct, I slowly stood up, using the last bit of my strength.
I was trembling, and I couldn't even see the one giving off this monstrous pressure.
Walking in front of him felt like stepping closer to my death.
The pressure grew stronger as I felt him stare at me.
"State your name..."
Hearing the voice up close almost made me pass out.
My soul was trembling before him, and I knew one slip would get me killed instantly.
"M-my name is Johnole, O great existence."
I knelt in front of him sincerely.
I still couldn't stop my heart from pounding.
Despite my trembling fingertips, I forced them still.
Since he can talk, it means he has some sort of intelligence.
And who doesn't like praise?
Start with praise to gain his favor.
I felt like my plan was genius.
"...Don't kneel, and look at me in the eyes."
Oh no!
My back broke out in sweat, and my pupils trembled uncontrollably.
My breathing quickened as realization hit me..
He thinks I'm too unworthy to kneel before him!
I mean, who wouldn't be disgusted if a goblin suddenly knelt in front of them?
This must have disrespected him!
And what did he mean by looking at his eyes?
Will he consume my soul because of it...!?
God, if you exist, please help me…