The door closed behind me with a soft thud. Sunlight still poured down—mid-afternoon, plenty of time before nightfall. The Niakrandra wouldn't bloom until moonlight anyway. Might as well sit somewhere quiet and finally figure out what the hell these floating boxes actually *did*.
I scanned the street. A few paces down, tucked between a baker's shop and a narrow alley, was a low stone bench built into the base of a wide fountain. The fountain itself was modest: a carved basin with water trickling from the mouth of a weathered stone fish, moss softening the edges. A handful of people sat nearby—old men playing dice, a woman feeding crumbs to pigeons—but the bench was empty.
I dropped onto it, exhaled long and slow, and leaned back against the cool stone.
Alright… let's see.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Ace | LC: 0 | EXP: 40/100 | LVL 1
╠═══════════════════════╣
> HP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 66/100
> MP ▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱▱▱ 24/60
> STA ▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱▱▱ 37/80
╠═══════════════════════╣
> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [QUESTS]
╚═══════════════════════╝
Ace… it even knew my name.
The stats were straightforward. HP = health. MP = mana points? Did that mean I could actually cast spells? If so, this was kind of sick. STA = stamina, obvious enough. But there were more tabs. I focused on my name at the top left—it flashed, and a new panel slid into view.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Ace | EQUIPMENT
╠═══════════════════════╣
> Head : —
> Chest : Basic Tunic
> Legs : Plain Trousers
> Feet : Worn Shoes
> Hands : —
> Accessory: —
────────────────────────
> Armor Rating: 2
> Bonuses: None
╔═══════════════════════╗
> [ BACK ]
╚═══════════════════════╝
Armor rating of 2. Made sense—these clothes were basically rags. I tapped the Basic Tunic. Another window popped up.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Basic Tunic (Common)
╠═══════════════════════╣
> Type : Chest Armor
> Armor : +1
> Durability : 18 / 20
────────────────────────
> Upgrade Level
> □ □
────────────────────────
> Description:
> A simple cloth tunic.
> Offers minimal protection.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> [ UPGRADE ] [ UNEQUIP ] [ BACK ]
╚═══════════════════════╝
Upgrade? I tapped it out of curiosity.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Upgrade — Basic Tunic
╠═══════════════════════╣
> Current Armor : 1
> After Upgrade : 2
────────────────────────
> Required Materials:
> Common Upgrade Material 0 / 2
────────────────────────
> Upgrade Slots:
> ◻ ◻
────────────────────────
> Status: Insufficient Materials
╔═══════════════════════╗
> [ CONFIRM ] [ BACK ]
╚═══════════════════════╝
Of course. Zero materials. New world, zero everything. I was dirt-poor here.
Before I could dwell on it, a small notice window layered over the upgrade screen.
╔═══════════════════════╗
> Upgrade System Notice
╠═══════════════════════╣
> Items can be enhanced using
Upgrade Materials.
╠═══════════════════════╣
> Material Ranks:
> Common
> Uncommon
> Rare
> Epic
> Legendary
╠═══════════════════════╣
> [ CONFIRM ]
╚═══════════════════════╝
The ranks were color-coded: Common in plain white, Uncommon green, Rare blue, Epic purple, Legendary gold. Classic game progression. Thank god I'd grinded enough RPGs to recognize the system—otherwise I'd be completely lost.
"Oi, you." A gruff voice cut in from my left. "What are you doing here, waving your fingers around like that?"
I blinked. A city guard stood a few paces away—tall, broad-shouldered, clad in chainmail hauberk over a padded gambeson, the metal links glinting dully in the sun. A short red cloak was pinned at one shoulder with a bronze medallion stamped with the city's crest. His helmet was simple steel with a nasal guard, and a longspear rested casually in his right hand, butt planted on the cobblestones. A shortsword hung at his hip. His expression was bored suspicion, eyes narrowed under heavy brows.
They couldn't see the UIs. Good. But I must've looked like an idiot—or worse, like I was trying to cast some shady spell in public.
"I'm just…" I scratched the back of my head, forcing a sheepish grin. "Feeling a little dizzy, sir."
"Then head to a Kaelehome." He grunted and started to turn away.
But he stopped. Pivoted back. Squinted harder.
I froze, smile plastered on, heart picking up speed. I'd had run-ins with cops back home—nothing 'serious,' just enough to know the look they gave when they smelled trouble. This felt worse. No rights, no phone call, no lawyer. Just a spear and whatever passed for law here.
"Let me see your ears," he said. "Move your hair."
I hesitated, then swept my hair aside with shaky fingers.
He leaned in, inspected for a long second, then straightened. "Good. Not an elf. Move on, citizen."
"I… yes, sir."
He walked off without another word.
Fuck. Elves were that hated? Just showing rounded ears got you a pass? What the hell had happened between the races—some ancient war? Genocide? I needed answers. Culture, history, rules. A library, maybe. Or an academy. If this place had schools like Nwahi, it had to have books somewhere.
For now, though, enough system fiddling in public. I stood, dusted off my trousers, and opened the map UI. It flickered into view—clean lines, my white dot pulsing in the center. No labels yet. Just blank space waiting to be filled.
"Hmm," I muttered. "Guess I have to discover them myself."
To test it, I glanced left at the blacksmith shop I'd noticed earlier and started walking toward it—slow, casual steps.
After a dozen paces, the notification appeared.
╔═══════════════╗
Location Discovered!
Name: Blacksmith
╠═══════════════╣
District: Medra
╠═══════════════╣
Gained EXP: +10
╚═══════════════╝
Ten EXP just for walking into a shop's range. Nice. If the system had levels, and it had to, right?—exploring alone could grind me up safely. Way better than rushing into some haunted tower full of wraiths on day one.
"Okay… guess I'm exploring now, huh?"
I reopened the map. Medra district glowed faintly in outline—big, sprawling, packed with unmarked streets and buildings. Tons to uncover. But night was coming, and I had a flower to hunt.
I clapped my hands once, sharp, then exhaled.
"Alright, Ace," I muttered to myself. "Let's go."
ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎