Chapter 3: Ogwinn

Michael's eyes fluttered open, and a familiar sight greeted him. He stood beside a weathered stone well, its surface slick with moss. A warm breeze carried the scent of fresh bread, iron, and tilled earth. His heart pounded in his chest as he took in the surroundings—

Ogwinn. His home village.

He spun around in disbelief. "I'm back!" he gasped, his voice filled with both shock and wonder.

Excitement surged through him as his gaze darted from one familiar sight to another. Just a few steps away, Grandpa Will, the village blacksmith, was hammering away at glowing steel, his broad back glistening with sweat. Aunt Mariel, the grocer, stood by her stall, cheerfully chatting with customers. Children laughed and darted through the streets, their tiny feet kicking up dust.

Then, his eyes locked onto the Chief's house—his father's house.

A powerful wave of emotions crashed over him. He was home.

But no—this wasn't right. This was impossible.

Michael's breath caught in his throat as dread crept into his veins like ice. His mind rebelled against the scene before him. This village—

This village was the first to be destroyed.

He remembered it vividly. The flames, the screams, the thick stench of blood and burning flesh. He had arrived too late that day, forced to witness the carnage—the streets littered with the dismembered bodies of people he loved, their lifeless eyes staring up at the uncaring sky. The demons had feasted upon them, their grotesque forms painted with crimson, their guttural laughter echoing through the ruins.

His hands trembled as he clutched his head, gripping his hair in confusion. "How?" he whispered.

Had he traveled back in time? Was this an illusion? Or was this something else entirely?

The memories of his past clashed violently with the present reality before him, and for the first time since his rebirth, a terrible fear settled in his chest.

"What is happening to me?"

In his moment of reverie, an individual approached him.

"You okay, bud?"

Michael snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. A thin young man stood before him, his expression a mix of concern and awkwardness.

"I'm Vince—oops, sorry, not supposed to use my real name here. Stupid!" The young man smacked his forehead lightly. "You can call me ArchVincent."

Michael's bloodshot eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"

Vince raised his hands in a placating gesture. "Just wanna help you out, man. Figured since we both just started playing, us newbies might as well stick together."

Newbies? Michael thought. That was another term he needed to get accustomed to. This world had its own language, its own rules. If he was going to survive, he had to learn them fast.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to refocus. "Apologies," he said, standing up. "I just got emotional. Nice to meet you, Vince. I'm Michael."

Vince grinned. "Nice to meet you too, Michael! So, I just logged in and created this character. I'm aiming to be a hunter or an archer—whatever works. This game doesn't have fixed job classes, so we're supposed to choose our own adventures and paths. Pretty cool, huh?"

Michael nodded, absorbing the information. "And where are we going?"

Vince smirked. "To the Chief's house, of course! Gotta get our first quest. That's how it works, right? Every RPG starts with a fetch quest or something."

Michael hesitated for a moment, then fell in step beside Vince. The Chief's house loomed in the distance, its structure unmistakable.

He had walked this path a hundred times before.

But this time, everything was different.

—

Michael followed Vince as they approached the smiling, potbellied man standing in front of the Chief's house. The sight of him made Michael's breath hitch.

Father… he whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible. The man looked at him and smiled. A friendly look but an empty look. A look without recognition.

Vince glanced at him, puzzled, but chose not to comment. Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke up. "Hello, Chief! We're new here. Any available quests for us to do?"

The man chuckled heartily. "Welcome, adventurers! My name is Lucius, and I'm the chief of this humble village. How about you start by familiarizing yourselves with combat? Head to the training field and choose a weapon."

A sudden chime echoed in Michael's ears.

DING!

A notification appeared before his eyes in glowing golden letters.

New Quest Received!

Objective:

Go to the training field and familiarize yourself with combat.

Choose a weapon and return to the Chief.

Reward:

50 EXP

1 Beginner Weapon

Michael's eyes widened. "What is this?" he muttered, utterly bewildered.

"Status," Vince said casually.

Michael turned to him. "What is 'Status'?"

Before Vince could answer, a transparent board materialized in Michael's vision, hovering just before him. It displayed a table filled with strange numerical values.

Name: NANA (Level 0)

Profession: None

Vocation: None

Strength: 10

Agility: 10

Endurance: 10

Magic: 15

Charm: 10

Luck: 20

Skills: None

EXP: 0/100

Available Stat Points: 0

Available Skill Points: 0

Michael felt his heartbeat quicken. Numbers. Attributes. A system that quantified his very existence. His hands clenched into fists.

"What in the fiery abyss is this?!" he growled, his mind reeling from the impossibility of it all.

Vince, looked over his shoulders. "What the hell??" He shouted.

Michael startled, his status board instantly closed.

"How come you have so much stats? Are you a beta tester man? Or is this a new account?" Vince asked while narrowing his eyes.

"I don't even know what this is. It is my first time here. I just got here remember?" Michael replied casually.

"Whatever man, we each have our secrets. Anyway, see you later. I just created this character and will continue to play tonight. I gotta go to work. Lemme add you as a friend." Vince said.

DING!

Friend request received.

ArchVincent wants to add you as a friend.

Accept?

Michael nodded his head and willed the thing to accept the request.

ArchVincent added as a friend.

"Ok see you later." Vince waved at Michael.

"Wait. How do I leave?" Michael asked.

"Just will your system in your head and state disconnect. Anyway, I really gotta to go, I'll be late for work." Vince hurriedly said then disappeared into particles.

"What the.." Michael whispered.

Let me try it as well. Michael willed the system to appear. Then he uttered "Disconnect."

Darkness enveloped his vision.