CHAPTER 4

My eyes are… closed? It seems so bright. Didn’t I die? Wait. Is this a dream? Was the basement a dream? I don’t know. I don’t even know anymore. What even is a dream? It is bright. Light? Sunlight?

Blue. Everything is blue. A small spot is white. Something is moving. Bird! It’s the sky! I can see the sky! I’m not in the basement! I’m outside! I’m free!

I can move now! I can see my hands! My back doesn’t want me to move. It prefers to be pulled by gravity. I don’t know how hard I push, but I can finally sit!

I see a cloud of green supported by a brown pillar. Wait. That’s a tree. I haven’t seen a tree for so long that I have a hard time recognizing it. I’ve never seen this tree before. Am I in a different country?

There are more trees. Is this a forest? What am I doing near forest like this? I never consumed any alcohol in my life, so that shouldn’t explain the missing memory.

What is this? There is a rock besides me. It doesn’t look like anything special. Luckily I didn’t hit my head with it. Wait... I heard something! It is soft and moving. Water.

A river!

I feel the grass in between my fingers as I crawl to the river. When was the last time I touch a grass? It feels like a gentler paper cuts on my skin. No wonder why I didn’t touch it that much.

I can see my face on the surface of water. It’s still as pretty as ever, but I could use a comb for my hair. Something is different with my hair. One part of the hair is longer than the rest. I never did this. I’m not exactly an expert in... hair. Plus, it’s red. Is this a hair extension? Is this...

OW!

Okay. That settles it. It’s not a hair extension. It’s my real hair. Since when did I style it?

And… what is that? On my neck. There is a line. Maybe there’s something on the water. If I touch my neck, there shouldn’t be—

There is a scar on my neck. I trace it with my fingers. It covers the middle section of the neck from the front to the back. No! No no no no!

That blade! He cut me with the Goldcalibur! If what he said is true, then I’m in a different world! What did he said back then? I think that he will come here too...

I need to get out of here! Anywhere is fine as long as I don’t meet him! If I recall, rivers will usually flow downstream. If I follow that, I should see a civilization. Maybe they can help me!

Wait… there is something floating in front of me.

DETAIL CHECK
Bread Village: 20 kilometers west

Is this… a virtual reality? It hurts when I pinch my cheek. Either this is a very realistic virtual reality or this world has different rules. Either way, this is a useful information. I should head to this… Bread Village and see if I can get some help. The locals might be able to help me.

Which way is west?

DETAIL CHECK
←

That’s the direction that the river is flowing to. That should give me a good indicator if I ever got lost. That is good and all, but would that bring me back home.

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

Okay…

How about a portal? Usually in fiction, a portal is an indication someone can go back home if they can find it… or go to somewhere worse.

DETAIL CHECK
A portal can be found in Bread Village.

Okay. Where would it take me?

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

If that’s the case, I can only find out if I go there. Bread Village it is then.

It feels nice to walk like this. I can’t remember the last time I did. I did walk in mom’s bakery but outside? Only when taking out the trash and going home. If we’re talking about a walk in a park, hmm, years ago? What’s the point of walking in a park anyway? I have a lot of my personal stuff to take care off. If someone took care of my chore then I can see myself walking on a park. I can’t just imagine how tired mom would be if I left her alone.

Now that I think about it, does the floating words know anything about me?

DETAIL CHECK
Name: Suzanna Suria

It got my name right. How about something else? Something… essential but I never knew.

DETAIL CHECK
Class: Sorcerer

Class? As in school? I haven’t been to school for years. I don’t even remember my high school.

DETAIL CHECK
Subclass: Dwarvel

Subclass? This is a game? It’s not a dream, not my home, not anywhere near my area… is this an alternate world?

DETAIL CHECK
World Number 39.

There’s even a number for this world! At least it’s not 34 or 69. I can’t imagine seeing myself in fan art like that. I don’t even look that good. Let’s go back to that… subclass. What is it?

DETAIL CHECK
Dwarvel. A player’s bloodline was conceived by 
condensing all dwarven knowledge into inheritable 
genetics.  It was known that a Dwarvel Sorcerer
 has a tendency to create or manipulate fire and metal.

Okay. That sounds like the lore of Dwarvel. How about the abilities?

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

What the flour?! You were supposed to be my guide, right? How can you fail something as simple as that? Shouldn’t that be simple? You’re telling me about myself after all! Are you secretly the final boss hiding information from me?

No answer. You’re worthless. Fine. I’ll figure this out on my own.

Based on what I know, dwarves in fantasy are usually very good at making weapons in a forge. Forging weapons is much more hardcore than baking a bread, but if I have stats… what is my stats?

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

This is starting to become an inside joke. Don’t come up again unless it’s an emergency, got it!

DETAIL CHECK
Order confirmed.

Anyway, if my stats can make it easier for me to forge a weapon, I should be able to make a sword easily. Since Sorcerer is usually a spellcaster, can I summon a forge?

No. It doesn’t seem to work that way. What if I am the forge?

WOW! The skin on my arms and legs just turned into metal! The metal doesn’t seem to be weak or brittle. Curiously, there is a flat space for each one of my forearms. If I were to guess, my first guess would be that I must forge on the flat spot. My hands were meant to be the hammer. Let’s give it a try.

Okay! The clang is loud! None of the metals break yet. So far so good. In fantasy, everyone must fight. Even the Clerics and Bards must fight in a scene or two. With how my arms and legs are, the best position for me would be melee. I must fight my enemies up close. I hope that the trees don’t mind.

Okay! One hit is enough to punch a whole through a tree as wide as my body. That means that I’m pseudo Fighter or Barbarian.

Wait. Forge! Can I heat it up?

Yes! I can absolutely heat up the metallic parts of my arms and legs. From the looks of it, they must deliver blunt and fire damage.

Hmm, shouldn’t a blacksmith have some sort of cup to carry molten metal?

No. That doesn’t seem to summon any cup. How about my hands? If I put my fingers together and intend to—

It works! Metal appears between my fingers to turn my hands into metallic bowls! Okay. Next. Usually, a blacksmith will have some sort mold to pour the molten metal, right? My hands are too small for them, how about my arms?

Ah! The flat parts of the arms can change its shape to be any mold! Due to its size, I can only use it to shape something on the size of a knife or smaller. That’s good to know. Next, can I summon metal to start blacksmithing?

No. That doesn’t work. I’ll need to find the raw metal first. That should be a good mini goal…

Wait. What’s my main objective? Floating words? A little help?

DETAIL CHECK
Check failed.

I should’ve expected that. Go back to sleep. Warn me of emergencies.

Usually in a game like this, there’s a tavern or guild where all the missions are posted. That sounds nice and all, but I want to go home. With all of this Dwarvel abilities, I can open a blacksmith at home. I’ll collect enough money from my bakery work, then I can open a blacksmith. Maybe I can do it next door! Now, how do I get back? The floating words are useless. I have to figure this out on my own.

My first option is to pick a party then get a mission that can bring me home. My second option is to…

No! No no no no!

I don’t want to be killed by that blade again! I don’t want to see him! I don’t want that Goldcalibur! Flour him! He should pay for what he did to me!

B-but there’s a possibility that I can go back home if I used that sword on me. If it can take me here, surely it can take me back home, right?

The sky turns black. It’s going to rain? I need to seek a shelter.

DETAIL CHECK
Adventurer from World Number 1 detected.
A Goldcalibur has entered World Number 39.

That… means it’s him! No! I don’t want to see him! I need to run away!