The First Step: From NPC to Player

[MC's POV]

The next morning, I woke up to a sharp notification sound ringing in my ears.

[Ding!] [Daily Quest: Gather Herbs and Craft 3 Potions] [Reward: 50 EXP, Minor Agility Boost (24 hours)]

I groaned, rubbing my temples. Right, the system. This was my life now.

Pushing myself out of bed, I stretched, feeling the soreness in my limbs from yesterday's dungeon run. The lingering sensation of adrenaline, the scent of blood, the rush of barely scraping by—it all felt so real.

No, it was real.

I let out a slow breath and moved to the desk where my alchemy tools were set up. I had gathered some basic ingredients last evening—wormroot, azure petals, and glimmer moss. With practiced movements, I ground the herbs into a fine paste, pouring them into small vials of diluted mana water.

[Crafting: Low-Grade Healing Potion (Success!)] [+Potion Crafting EXP]

Three potions later, my daily quest was complete. I chugged down some water, satisfied. The small stat boost would help today.

I had a plan.

[Skill Upgrading]

After selling two of my potions at the market, I wandered towards the outskirts of the village, where an old, forgotten grave lay beneath a withering oak tree. The dirt was undisturbed—no one visited this place.

But I knew better.

Kneeling down, I pulled out a small bottle of fine red wine I had purchased earlier. The story in the game mentioned a forgotten mage—a man who was once a prodigy but had died in obscurity. His only regret? Never had his last drink on the best day of his life.

I uncorked the bottle, pouring the deep red liquid onto the grave, whispering, "For your final toast, old man."

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, the air shifted. The wind howled, swirling around me like an unseen force had awakened. A chilling voice, filled with sorrow and mirth, echoed in my ears.

[You remember me… how amusing.]

The system's notification popped up.

[The Forgotten Mage's Soul has been Freed.] [You have gained his blessing.]

[Ding!] [You have acquired: Basic Elemental Magic (Lv.1)] [You have acquired: Basic Healing Magic (Lv.2)]

My breath hitched as golden light shimmered around me before vanishing. My fingertips tingled, a soft warmth settling in my chest.

It worked.

A smirk tugged at my lips. I knew all the hidden event triggers, and I'd just unlocked magic without the need for formal training.

[First Signs of Affection Meter]

Feeling giddy from my newfound power, I spent the next few days honing my skills. Fire, water, wind, earth, lightning—I could only manage weak elemental spells for now, but with practice, they'd improve.

And then something strange happened.

As I handed a healing potion to an injured villager, a soft chime rang in my ears.

[Ding!] [New Skill Acquired: Affection Meter]

I blinked as a faint golden heart icon appeared above the villager's head, sitting at a neutral '0.'

What...?

I glanced around and realized nearly every villager had a small number next to them. Some in the negatives, some barely above zero.

It took me a second to understand.

This was the affection system from the game.

I could now see how much people liked or disliked me.

A slow grin spread across my lips.

Useful and very useful.

Collapsing onto my bed that night, exhaustion seeped into my bones. But I was alive.

More importantly, I wasn't an NPC waiting to be killed off.

I was a player now.

And I would rewrite this story.

But as I stared at the ceiling, a nagging thought crept in.

The Holy Kingdom.

It existed in the game, but only as a distant entity—never seen, never explored. Yet, this world felt too real, too vast. If things were already diverging, what else had been hidden?

For the first time, I felt something deeper than fear.

Uncertainty.