"...I'm in a game world? It doesn't make any sense. None at all," Vox muttered, sinking to the ground a safe distance away from the weary Dwarf.
He tried to piece together the logic. "If I'm in a game, then how did I get here? What game is this? Why don't I remember anything except my name and what I'm supposed to look like? Something is seriously wrong."
He stood up, pacing. "I have no memory of who I was before this. And this isn't some simple RPG. From what that looping Dwarf said, there are whole realms out there... and a Dark Lord fated to kill everyone. If only I could ask someone for help..."
He glanced back at the weary NPC. Vox knew one thing for sure: asking an NPC for deep answers was like trying to argue with a wall.
He gripped the rusty pickaxe. "...So, the only thing I've figured out right now is that, this world runs on 'Crystal Shards'?. It's so annoying. I just wish there was a way to open a menu. An inventory, maybe?"
The moment the thought fully formed, The translucent box appeared in front of his eyes, and Vox couldn't help but grin.
"Sweet. Okay, let's see what I've got."
[MAGIC INVENTORY]
[LVL 0: 0/30 XP]
[SLOT EMPTY]
[SLOT EMPTY]
[SLOT EMPTY]
[SLOT EMPTY]
His smile vanished instantly. "Level zero? I'm at the absolute bottom of the food chain. 0 out of 30 XP to level up... I need to find a way to grind."
His eyes scanned the edges of the box until he spotted a small (X) at the top left. He tapped it, and the screen shifted to a Main Menu with several tabs: Profile, Inventory, Quests, and Achievements.
He sat back down with his legs crossed, dropping the rusty axe beside him. "Let's see Quests."
[QUESTS: MT. EVERNIGHT]
To level up, the player must complete these requirements:
Kill 20 Nightbats (+5 XP)
Collect 10 Gloom-Mushrooms (+5 XP)
Help a Resident Character (+20 XP)
[DEFEATING A BOSS WOULD SUBSEQUENTLY INCREASE PLAYER'S XP]
Vox blinked. "A Boss? There's a Boss in these caves? Wait, what am I talking about? It's a GAME WORLD! Of course there would always be a boss."
He closed the tab and opened his Profile.
[PROFILE]
[Name: Vox
Progress: 1%
Crystal Shards: 0
Health: 30/30 HP]
Vox snapped his fingers. "At least I'm at one percent. I'm getting somewhere. 30 HP... that seems pretty high for a level zero. I might actually be able to take a hit."
He stood up, feeling a surge of confidence. "Let's check Achievements—"
The screen buzzed as he pressed the tab. A red warning box popped up:
[ERROR: Achievements cannot be accessed until the Player reaches LEVEL 1]
"Fine, keep your secrets," Vox huffed. He looked at the Mount Evernight quests. He knew he needed to clear them to progress, but he still didn't know the scale of this world. What was the max level? 100? 1,000?
Just as he was about to close the menu, he saw it at the bottom: World Map.
His eyes widened. "Yes! This is it! Show me the way out!"
He tapped the icon with shaking fingers, when suddenly, his smile died a sudden death.
[NOTICE: To access World Map, the player must first purchase 'Map Data' from any local shop.]
Vox stared at the notification, then slowly turned his head toward the rusty store he had just left.
The realization hit him like a physical blow.
"Are you kidding me?!" He yelled at the empty tunnel. "Everything is a grind! OH, COME ON!!"