"Really?" I ask my NPG. Although I find it a bit weird, Serena hasn't been talking till now. "Hey, this is this first time you've said anything since I left the forest. What's up with that?"

There's nothing to be alarmed about. I've been doing research. Finding ways to improve your stats and make your survival rate high is also part of my job as a guide.

"Okay. If you say so." I roll over to my side. The pillow depresses so I tilt my head to the left a bit, it gives me a better view of the outside. "Kyle said he sent me a companion request earlier, can you show me?"

Serena displays a list of a person's stats. I assume they belong to Kyle.

Health: full.
Level: 15.
Experience points: 68.
Manpower: hundred.
Survival rate: fifty.
Status: Knight.
Inventory: pocket crystals, 300 rubies, armour, sword and two energy potions, one healing potion.
Food: sandwich, pie, smoked chicken, nectar.
Quests: none.
Status in the system: Registered.

I accept the request then I start to connect the dots. Why is he a registered? How did he level up so fast? Why does he have so much stuff in his inventory? His experience points are high too. Actually I'm unable to connect any dots because I have so much questions but no one to answer them.

Is there something bothering you?

Right, there is Serena. "How did he level up so fast?"

Like I said, adding more things in your inventory makes you level up faster. Your companion has a lot of things in his inventory, I cannot think of another way, besides Knights have more privileges of gaining more experience points.

That makes a lot of sense. Fuck. Why did I have to go and choose common man? Technically, all this is my fault. But I blame it on my ignorance, I wouldn't have chosen to be a common man if this is the price I had to pay. But better a common man than one of those corrupt Knights, right?

I suppose there are other ways of gaining more experience points. Like going on quests.

"Quests?"

Yes. Quests are short missions where you have to do certain things and in exchange you get experience points and money for even bigger quests.

Bingo! Why haven't I heard of this up until now? "Where can I find these quests you speak of?"

You have to reach a certain level to choose a quest. Once you pass level 5 you can participate in quests.

"But I'm not at that level yet." I scratch my head, I've been doing a lot more thinking than usual since I landed in this game. "Is there some way to level up without quests?"

I can't think of one.

Great! I hate this world. I wish I could go back and reverse my choice. Maybe Sword-drawer would have been easier... it doesn't sound easy but it could be.

Although... there are certain quests that could be taken by people with lower levels. They are mostly quests that bandits take up.

"Isn't it dangerous? I mean if bandits take them, aren't they like illegal or something?"

They could be. But they aren't illegal. Most times, these quests come from the higher-ups. The King or his advisors.

Well I know not to trust that King. Anyone who watches his people get stepped all over by Knights is no King, what he is, is nothing but chunks of meat sitting on a throne. "Where do I sign up for it?"

The village square.

"Okay, thanks." The only question I have is the one that glows in the back of my mind in bright neon red... how do I pass the quest? I'm not qualified for the average mission. But I have to take up quests for bandits now? Is it the knife in my inventory I'll scratch the enemy's eye out with? Or the broken pocket watch to reverse time? I'm way in over my head if I think I can pass any quest all by myself.

All this thinking is making me hungry. I shut my eyes and tune out my inner voice that scowls and tells me to keep overthinking. Too bad I can't tune out Serena, she's awfully loud this night.

How has been your adventure for the past 20 cycles without a NPG to guide you?

"Serena,"

Yes.

"Thank you for providing me the information I needed, so shut up and go to sleep."

Huh... okay.

°°°°

I wake up to the sound of birds chirping, water running, footsteps drawling and muffled voices. It gives me deja vu from the day I got kidnapped except now I wish I went back to sleep that day. Maybe then I wouldn't be stuck in this game suffering the worst fate ever.

I get up from the bed. I remember sleeping off last night after shutting Serena up but my head feels a little fuzzy. I guess in this world hygiene doesn't matter because there isn't a space for brushing in my screen. So everyone must have morning breath around here, boy that must smell like a disaster. I run a bath for myself, at least that exists in this world. I can't imagine looking like a chipmunk after sleeping everyday.

I can't deny that the graphics in this world is so authentic and aesthetic... it almost looks real. Like the real world would look a bit original than this. My premise is quite questionable but it feels so... real. Even the relief that washes up on me when the water caresses my injury is genuine. This game must be connected with our senses in the real world otherwise I can't explain what this feeling is.

I wear the pair of clothes Peyton gave me yesterday then head downstairs. She is already up and taking orders. This job of hers looks tedious, but she is doing it so passionately that I can't fault her. "Look who's up already. How was your first night in the virtual world?"

"I've seen better nights." I say then I turn to look at her. "You... how long have you been in this game?"

"A week now." She replies, but it's so casual. I find it odd and besides how does she know it was my first night? "You got separated from us and you were put in some special room. I don't know what they were doing but you spent quite some time in there. The day we were wired in the game, we couldn't find you anywhere. Kyle was worried sick but I kept reassuring him nothing was wrong with you. And you running into the motel last night proved me right."

My face heats up when I realize I had been wearing that leaf dress for exactly 24 hours. Ha, whatever, it still earned me experience points. "Where's Kyle? I need to talk to you both about something important."

Peyton puts the glass cup she has been wiping for the past two cycles down. "He should be here soon." She says, then goes back to cleaning the cup.

I forgot accepting a companion request makes you see their location. I open up a map that shows me Kyle's location, he's 10 cycles away. I close the map then see an option to send a companion request. I send to Peyton which she smiles at me and accepts immediately. Serena displays her stats.

Health: full.
Level: 8.
Experience points: 50.
Manpower: hundred.
Survival rate: fifty.
Status: Bartender.
Inventory: pocket ball, 500 rubies, apron, keys and three healing potions.
Food: sandwich, dough, steak, apple pie, smoked chicken, beer, alcohol, nectar.
Quests: none.
Status in the system: Registered.

She doesn't have as much experience points as Kyle but she sure has more money (rubies) and things in her inventory than him. Again with the registered thing... if Kyle and Peyton can see my stats too and find my status odd, they are not asking. Or maybe they just decided to ignore it till when curiosity takes over them.

I don't know why I have the feeling even though the quest I get might be shady, they'll still do it with me. They are crazy if they think I'm endangering their lives for my own incompetency. Friends or not, I'm not going to be using anyone as a ladder to get what I want.

Kyle enters, his metal armour making the worst clanking noise ever. Finally he sits down adjacent me and Peyton beside him. "I'm going on a quest." I announce, expecting them to ask what a quest is, but when they don't, I keep talking. "I need to level up. Both of you have seen how poor my stats are. I need to get stronger, more experience points."

"Okay where are you going?" Peyton asks.

"To the village square. I'm going to get a low profile quest, the type bandits take so I won't advise you two to endanger your life for something like that. Take quests that don't involve you risking your life aimlessly."

"Well we're coming with. You've never been one to hide your feelings." He nods at my clenched fists. "If you need our help, you don't need to ask. You know we'd help you in a heartbeat."

"You're a Knight. Shouldn't you be protecting the people or something?"

"We never really do much back in the castle. Thanks to the huge bunch of useless soldiers there standby, if anything happens it'll be under control. I bet they wouldn't notice one Knight disappearing."

I never knew Kyle was a smooth talker but I know my friends would help me out no matter what. I decide to accept their help, like I could do much without it. "Thanks," I stand up.

"First we'll need gears and equipments." Kyle stands too.

"I know a place." Peyton stands, looking excited. Finally we're doing something together as a team again. "Our budget will be 100 rubies, I can only spare that much. Let's stack up as much food and potions we can in here, then go to the market for gears."

I nod. Peyton hands I and Kyle some food and potions which we stuff into our inventories. I think we have enough to survive for some days. She flips the open sign of the motel so it says closed now. They set outside and I follow their lead since it appears they know the ropes around here better than I do. We get to the village market and Peyton is negotiating with sword traders. Kyle is packing a bunch of gears up to Peyton, I think he's checking their durability.

I feel, I think the word is... useless. While I'm standing here, my friends are busy preparing for a mission I won't be of much use anyways. Stupid Carmine, stupid. Only now do I notice the glares I'm getting from villagers. The looks of scorn of their faces. The dejection, the rejection. I can see it all on their faces. I wonder why they all look at me like that... because I'm the irregular? I guess I'm right, I soon hear snarls of villagers as they mumble the word "irregular".

Kyle and Peyton are back holding the equipments they bought from the traders. I equip myself and add some things to my inventory. My stats look less scantier now,

Health: full.
Level: 1.
Experience points: five.
Manpower: zero.
Survival rate: zero.
Status: common man.
Inventory: broken pocket watch, 50 rubies, knife, sword, shield, campfire, bow and arrow, three healing potions and two energy potions.
Food: sandwich, dough, steak, apple pie, smoked chicken, beer, alcohol, nectar, water.
Quests: none.
Status in the system: Unregistered.

I guess sleeping automatically restores your full health. "I think we have all we need."

"Man! I sure spent a lot." Peyton exclaims loudly, looking at her inventory painstakingly. I feel bad, she had to spend on me too.

"Don't worry. We'll get it all back when we pass this quest." I reassure her. Now I have even more reasons to not fail this quest. We make it to the village square in 15 cycles. We walk around and decide to split up to find more quests but there happens to be just one and it is too crowded to see what it is. Finally people clear up, but not completely.

I squeeze myself into the crowd and call my friends, we all make it to the front and soon we're looking at the huge drawing in shock:

Wanted! Wanted!
All levels.
Quest: Capture the hooded vigilante dead or alive.
Bounty: 100 exp points, 1000 rubies, ten reverse potions.

The man in black hood with serene grey eyes who saved me is now staring at me. He is a village fugitive? "Black hood?"