Free Web NovelChapter 9: The Game Begins
---Chapter 9--
Title >> The Game Begins
[NPC Interaction Initialized]
A woman stood behind the desk in the small village hall, with bright orange hair tied up in buns and skin that glistened as though she never skipped a day of her skincare routine.
Grace guessed she was maybe in her early twenties. The woman wore a leather apron over a simple checkered green dress, staring at Grace with eyes of the same color.
Unlike the other background NPCs wandering through the village, her gaze followed Grace naturally, as though she were addressing a real person rather than a player moving through a scripted scene.
Above the young woman was a red cursor and a name.
[Nuella]
"So you chose this request?" Nuella asked as she tapped the flyer in Grace’s hand with her index finger.
The flyer read...
[Quest: Marsh Rat Extermination]
[Difficulty: F]
[Recommended Level: 1]
The woman tilted her head slightly, her green eyes studying Grace with mild curiosity before speaking again.
"Interesting."
"You know most travelers usually prefer tasks with higher rewards."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Would you like me to recommend something better?"
A moment after her question, the HUD grew dim right before her eyes, then the world seemed to come to an abrupt pause.
After that, a set of prompts materialized in front of Grace.
[Dialogue Choice Prompted]
[Yes] - I wouldn’t mind that. Thank you.
[No] - I prefer what I have now. It’s my choice.
Grace straightened at the sight of the prompts. Chuckling softly, she blinked twice as if to confirm what she was seeing.
It really was exactly like a game. Even with the incredibly realistic features, dialogue choices were still part of the process.
Trying not to overthink it, Grace simply tapped [No].
"I prefer what I have now. It’s my choice."
The brief pause ended as Nuella’s expression changed, looking mildly surprised now. But she nodded all the same.
"A cautious traveler," she continued. "Those usually live longer."
Pulling out a simple glowing tube, she stamped the parchment.
[Quest Accepted]
[Marsh Rat Extermination]
[Objective: Eliminate 5 Marsh Rats.]
"Good luck then."
Grace smiled, folding the parchment slowly before turning away.
"Thank you..."
Merely ten steps away from the desk, a new set of notifications flashed across Grace’s vision.
[You have accepted your first mission]
[Launch gift has been received]
[Items Received]
• Beginner Priest Robe
• Wooden Magic Staff
• Healing Herb ×3
The starter equipment arrived in a small wooden crate. As Grace tapped it, the items appeared, hovering in midair.
[Equip]
[Yes / No]
Grace didn’t waste a moment and simply equipped the items.
Simple white robes manifested over her body, giving off a cozy sensation even as the smooth wooden staff materialized in her hand a second later.
Tightening her grip on the staff, she felt a strange hum travel through it as warmth spread across her right hand through the wood.
This was the first time she’d felt anything like this. The feeling of being capable of more than what met the eye.
***
It was barely twenty minutes after she left the town hall when Grace witnessed the fifth Marsh Rat dissolving into a flutter of red motes.
The brown-furred creatures had been quickly dispatched by Grace using the wooden staff as a weapon.
[Ding!]
[Marsh Rat Defeated]
[Quest Completed]
[Experience Gained]
[Level Up!]
[Level: 2]
[Rewards Received]
[Copper Coins ×10]
[Common Healing Herb ×2]
[Attribute Points to Share: 3]
She smiled as the system notifications appeared, looking down at her long, slender legs and hands with eyes that still carried disbelief.
For the first time in years, she felt the joy of truly achieving something for herself.
It was merely a level-up, but it was hers. That was what mattered. It belonged to her, and now she wasn’t just watching from behind Xavier anymore.
She was also playing.
"This is good," she said as she placed the wooden staff on her back, eyes squinting as she lifted her face toward the distant horizon. Toward where she knew the real adventures waited. Toward wherever her brother was.
The moment of introspection was shattered by a devastating thunderclap.
Bwooooooom.
A deep, crashing sound rolled through the world of Arillion, causing everyone, including Grace, to freeze in awe.
The grassland’s carefree motions slowed to a halt as the grass stopped swaying. Birds ceased singing, and even the wind itself seemed to grow silent.
The world held its breath for those never-ending seconds.
Then the sky cracked. Golden lines spread across the heavens like fractures across a frozen lake.
A scream escaped from someone nearby as Grace looked upward, doing her best to ignore the growing wails.
Suddenly, one of the cracks in the sky burst open as the cutscene began.
Hovering in the sky like an omen of despair, a gigantic circular interface unfolded and spread across the ocean-blue canvas.
At the epicenter of the interface, a few numbers came to life and a countdown appeared.
[06:23:59:59]
Gulp!
Grace swallowed even as her eyes widened with curiosity.
She’d seen this before in Xavier’s previous playthroughs. It was the beginning of an event, but something felt different this time.
It wasn’t long before her suspicions were justified by a soft, calm, and teasing voice. One that resonated as though it stood beside every player in existence.
"Congratulations, players... You have been chosen!"
The voice remained steady, spreading across every spot, every server, every kingdom, every space.
There was no nook or cranny within Arillion left untouched.
"Chosen for a fate greater than yourselves. Destined for a prize beyond your wildest desires. You have been selected. The blessed few amongst your race."
The entire area became completely still, every gaze seemingly shifting toward the sky as the cracks widened by the second.
"You, the chosen, stand upon sacred ground. You stand at the threshold of all possibilities."
Players began gathering together instinctively, forming small groups. Some were excited while others watched nervously.
Among the groups, a young man finally laughed, speaking in a cracked voice.
"This has to be the coolest event ever!"
"I know, right?" another voice chimed in.
"The developers are doing some insane stuff."
The group laughed together, relieving some of the tension that had begun swallowing the area.
But the pressure came crashing back again like an ocean wave against the shore.
"Do believe that you are not trapped. Instead, you have been granted a gift. An opportunity to become humanity’s champion."
Suddenly, the sky completely split open. Each of the cracks fell like shards of glass, revealing complete darkness on the other side.
But the darkness didn’t last...
Instead, it was replaced by a massive radiant throne with a golden structure that bloomed like a flower in summer.
It looked and felt so distant and untouchable, yet it seemed that if Grace reached hard enough, she could almost touch it.
But the throne stood unoccupied in that radiant, brimming space.
Seemingly waiting...
"One of you shall conquer all of Arillion and triumph above all others. One of you shall ascend. One of you shall obtain a single wish."
The voice that flowed like milk through her mind suddenly paused.
Grace turned to see how the faces that had been excited earlier had transformed into something she couldn’t even describe.
"Whatever you wish. Whatever you desire. Any ambition. Any regret. Anything at all... shall become reality."
The final words caused the endless reaches of space where the throne hovered to quake like a giant heartbeat.
And in that moment, Grace witnessed countless expressions.
Greed. Fear. Hope. Confusion. Belief. Surprise.
All of it appeared at once as the atmosphere grew heavier.
But then...
The voice became softer, almost like an excited whisper.
"Failure, on the other hand..."
The heavens quaked again as the falling shards began returning and the massive throne receded into the darkness.
"...will cost you everything."
***
The entire starting zone became ghostly quiet and remained that way for about a minute.
Every eye was fixed on a single interface.
A single reminder that would follow them continuously from this moment onward.
[06:23:58:12]
A reminder that they had only this much time left to do as the ethereal voice had directed.
Fight. Grow. Conquer. Survive. Prove themselves worthy.
Grace remained rooted in place, her black eyes calm unlike the majority of the people around her.
A large number had already fallen into panic, confusion, and despair.
"This is scripted, right?!"
"Tell me this is scripted!" a middle-aged man yelled, even as a young girl curled into herself and burst into tears.
Another player laughed nervously, his eyes red with anguish. Several people frantically opened their menus.
Looking for an exit, something, anything.
But Grace only took a shallow breath as the final words of the voice still echoed inside her mind.
"The game... has officially begun."
--End of Chapter--
