Skill Selection

Ting.

The notification beep came back. The screens disappeared, replaced with a single screen.

[You must choose your skills before continuing the game.]

[Choose the skills now?]

[Y/N]

Ash didn't click Y or N. He didn't want to touch the screens in front of him carelessly.

He walked at a half-run to the nearest door. He tried to open it.

Clik! Clik! Clik!

The door wouldn't open. Ash started to panic. He was in a completely unfamiliar place and he couldn't get out.

Ting.

[You must choose your skills before continuing the game.]

[Choose the skills now?]

[Y/N]

The notification sounded again and the screen reappeared in front of him.

Ash became more and more panicked. He ran to the other door and tried to open it.

Clik! Clik! Clik! Clik!

It won't open.

This time he banged on the door with both hands.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Please open this door! Help! Is anyone outside?" Ash shouted. Sweat started pouring down his back.

Silence.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

"Help!" he shouted again.

There was still silence.

Ting.

[You must choose your skills before continuing the game.]

[Choose the skills now?]

[Y/N]

The notification and the screen reappeared.

Ash rested his forehead against the door, then sat with his back leaning against the wooden door.

With a tired expression, he stared blankly at the screen before him.

'Do I have to choose a skill first, then I can get out?' he thought in frustration.

He then pressed the screen that read Y.

Ting.

[You must choose the skills given below.]

[Skills:

⇒ Finder: 0

⇒ Hunter: 0

⇒ Robber: 0

⇒ Theft: 0]

'Ugh. What are Finder, Hunter, Robber, and Theft?" he thought. He tried pressing the one that said Finder.

[Finder: A player who only searches for items.]

[Advanced Skills: Sage Eye, Mind of the Dragon, Expert Tracker]

[Will you choose this skill?]

[Y/N]

'Hmm.'

Ash pressed the second skill, Hunter.

[Hunter: Players who obtain items from their original owners]

[Advanced Skills: Warrior, Adventurer, Assassin]

[Will you choose this skill?]

[Y/N]

'Wow!' Ash immediately pressed Y. He didn't intend to become Robber or Theft. And this Hunter's Advanced Skill caught his attention.

Ting.

[You chose the Hunter Skill.]

Ting.

[Player: Ashborn Locke]

[Player Number: #23875]

[Level: #1]

[Stats:

⇒ Strength: 5

⇒ Endurance: 5

⇒ Agility: 5

⇒ Intelligence: 5

⇒ Magic: 5]

[Extra Point: 0]

[Skills:

⇒ Hunter: Level: #0]

'Huh, okay. Level 0.'

Ting.

[You have to choose your weapon.]

'Ouch, this game is so complicated,' Ash grumbled as he waited for a screen showing his weapon choices.

But after a while, the screen he wanted did not appear.

Hesitantly, he tried to pick up one of the swords on the shelves of weapons in the room.

Ting.

[Will you choose a sword as your weapon?]

[You can change your weapon choice or add it later after you advance to level 1.]

[Y/N]

'Oh, crap. What a hassle.' he grumbled again. He pressed the letter Y on the screen again.

[You have chosen a sword as your weapon.]

[You can choose your sword skill now.]

[Sword Skill:

⇒ Ice Blade

⇒ Wind Blade

⇒ Thunder Strike

⇒ Shadow Dance

⇒ Moonlight Slash

⇒ Flame Blade

Ash tapped his forehead with his palm as he shook his head. 'What a troublesome game,' he thought.

After considering that this game was an object search game and that he was a hunter, he finally chose Shadow Dance.

[You chose Sword Skill Shadow Dance.]

[Sword Skill Shadow Dance: A sword skill that allows the player to move quickly and dodge enemy attacks.]

[You will obtain this skill within a few moments.]

[Countdown begins.]

[Three.]

[Two.]

[One.]

[Shadow Dance Sword Skill transfer begins.]

Ash felt his brain suddenly filled with information about the Sword Skill, how the player moves, how to swing the sword, and so on.

[Shadow Dance Sword Skill transfer completed.]

[Players can now use Shadow Dance Sword Skill.]

[Players can now exit the waiting room.]

Finally, he could leave the room, but there were a few things he wanted to try out first. He tried swinging his sword left and right.

'Hmm... Looks like this sword is too heavy.' he thought. He walked around the room and found the swords hanging with their sheaths on a shelf. He took one of the swords with the coolest engraving on its hilt.

Ting.

[You have found the Tenebris Sword.]

[Item Rank: Special.]

[Level: Up 0.1 Level]

There was nothing written forbidding him to change his sword. But when Ash read the last sentence, his eyes widened. Only 0.1 Level up. Damn game!

With a little bit of annoyance, he tried the sword and swung it left and right again.

'It fits,' he thought. He sheathed the sword and buckled the scabbard around her waist.

Carefully, he opened one of the doors of the room. He saw many trees and bushes. And it wasn't nighttime outside, but daytime. 

'Why isn't this the way home? Why the forest instead?" he thought. He worried his mother would wake up as usual and look for him.

So he walked carefully towards the trees. There was nothing. He went further into the forest.

Suddenly the bushes in front of him moved and a huge black boar appeared, running towards him.

Ash panicked and turned towards the castle. He ran as fast as he could. The boar chased after him too.

After reaching the door, Ash tried to open the door but it wouldn't open. Seeing that the boar was getting close to him, he ran in the other direction. The boar, unable to turn quickly, crashed into the door of the castle and made a very loud noise.

Bummmm!

Ash looked back and saw the boar lying on the ground. But to his even greater astonishment, the castle was gone. Where it had been standing, it had been replaced with a huge stone step.

'Where is the castle?' Ash stopped and looked left and right but didn't see the castle anywhere.

In his confusion, he realized that he was chased by a wild boar. He turned his head towards the boar and saw that it had woken up and started chasing him again.

Ash swallowed his saliva. He was going to gamble this time.

He took out his sword and pointed the tip at the boar. A strange feeling ran through him. His mind began to recall the skill he had received earlier, Shadow Dance. His body began to move on its own.

And when the boar was within two meters, his body lithely bounced upwards. He somersaulted in the air with his sword facing downwards, and his sword steadily pierced the boar's neck. With his weight, Ash stabbed deeper until the blade came out from the lower side of the neck.

The boar made a choking sound and fell to the ground.

But because the boar was running and Ash didn't want to let go of the sword, he was carried for a few meters, before the boar fell.

And didn't move again.