After the blinding brilliance faded, Elizabeth blinked a few times. This helped her eyes get used to the dimness. As her vision settled, she began to look around her. The subtleties of her surroundings were revealed.
Elizabeth found herself standing in a completely empty room.
Everything felt seamless... the walls, the floor, the ceiling. It was a vast white expanse, a canvas that stretched endlessly in every direction.
In the center of the room, a woman with an otherworldly beauty stood, appearing to be in her early thirties.
Her long silver hair flowed like silk to the floor. It stood out sharply against the white background. She wore a flowing white gown that reached the floor.
Her silver-gray eyes locked onto Elizabeth's light green gaze, calm and steady. A faint, gentle smile played on the woman's lips, welcoming her.
"Welcome, I am your guide, A.I.; Light828." Light828 bowed its head with grace. "Would you like to create your character now?" it asked.
Elizabeth studies the figure before her as she takes a cautious step toward it. The A.I. moved and looked exactly like a human. If it hadn't introduced itself as an A.I., she would have thought that it was a real human in front of her.
"How?" Elizabeth asked.
"Please think of a name for your character," Light828 responded; it remained patient.
Too lazy to give it much thought, Elizabeth simply said, "Elizabeth."
"Very well," Light828 nodded. "Elizabeth will now be set as your permanent character name."
Elizabeth tilted her head slightly. "Then what?"
"Would you like to alter your appearance? You can only change it up to ten percent of your original look." It offered,
Elizabeth shook her head. "No thanks..." Customizing a character's appearance always took forever in any game. For Elizabeth, default is always faster, easier, and less annoying.
She just wanted to get on with it.
"Now please choose a starting weapon among these three randomly selected starter weapons." With a wave of her hand in the air, Light828 made a white slab of stone on the floor rise in front of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth instinctively stepped back, startled by the sudden movement.
Clap! Clap! Clap!
With three loud claps, Light 828 magically created three types of weapons on the slab.
On the left, a thick, leather-bound tome, its pages yellowed with age and wisdom. To the right lay a simple wooden bow, with a smooth curve; Elizabeth could tell that it was well crafted. And in the middle lay a massive wooden hammer; if she held it upright, its height would almost match hers. Its head was enormous... easily twice the size of her own.
"Just these three?" Elizabeth asked, her brows raised in curiosity.
"Yes," Light828 replied with a calm demeanor. "From the vast armory of Beyond Reality, I have randomly selected three weapons for you to choose from. For your journey to begin, like everyone else. However, you are free to change weapons at any time, as you wish, once you are in the world Beyond Reality.
She opened her palm toward the weapons in an inviting gesture. "So please feel free to choose any one of these, as these weapons only serve as your starter. "
"I see... then, I'll choose the hammer." Elizabeth did not hesitate before making her decision.
"..."
Light828 stared at her, those composed silver-gray eyes widening in unmistakable surprise. For the first time, Elizabeth saw the A.I. in genuine bewilderment.
Elizabeth tilted her head. "Is there anything wrong?" she asked, fearing that she might have broken the A.I..
Light828 shook its head and offered a soft smile. "I am just surprised at how quickly you make decisions."
Wow... I surprised an A.I.?
Elizabeth was even more amazed. Is the thing in front of her really an A.I.? It talked and moved like a human. It even reacted with surprise, like a human would.
"May I ask why you chose the hammer as your starter weapon?" Light828 asked, its silver-gray eyes narrowing in curiosity.
It can even ask questions!!!
That wasn't a programmed response... it felt like genuine curiosity.
"Why do you ask?" Elizabeth replied with caution. She hadn't cared much about this game at first, but this was beginning to pique her interest.
"I am your personal guide," Light828 explained with patient sincerity. "Asking questions is a basic necessity. It aids me in better serving and guiding you on your journey Beyond Reality."
"Is that so?" Elizabeth eyed it with doubt, feeling unconvinced.
Light828 seemed to sense the wariness radiating from her. "Yes, each of these weapons has a unique property of its own. I deemed it foolish... to choose a weapon without knowing the difference between each weapon." Her silver-gray eyes held Elizabeth's gaze with unwavering honesty, neither defensive nor aggressive.
"I'm not a fool; I just didn't care," Elizabeth said bluntly. "The tome and the bow looked boring to use. The tome is probably used for magic, which means I'd be stuck in the back firing spells over and over again. Which sounds boring as hell. Same with the bow... But the hammer? It looked intimidating to swing around. If I am going to play this game, I might as well use something interesting like that hammer."
Light828 nodded a few times, as if genuinely understanding her reasoning. "I see. Your logic is quite sound."
"Very well then, here is your starter weapon." Light828 grabbed the wooden hammer in the middle with ease. She extended it toward Elizabeth without effort.
"Very well, then. Here is your starter weapon."
Once Elizabeth's fingers closed around the hammer, something magical happened once more. Glowing game-like text materialized in front of her field of vision. Hovering with translucent blue letters that seemed to be there yet not there. It was like the interface elements she'd seen countless times in movies and games.
[Beginner's Great Hammer]
Attack Power: 10
Rank: G
Weapon Skill: [Great Hammer's Weapon Proficiency (1)]
Stats Requirement: Strength 5, Stamina 5
"Each starter weapon has one base skill provided to the player," Light828 explained. "Except for support weapons, which offer two. It is to reward players who sacrifice having no attack powers in the beginning." Light828 took the great hammer from Elizabeth and handed her the thick book. "Although this tome does look like a weapon for a mage. It was designed for a healer," Light828 said as new text popped up in Elizabeth's sight.
[Beginner's Holy Tome]
Attack Power: 1
Rank: F
Weapon Skill: [Holy Tome's Weapon Proficiency (1)], [Small Heal (1)]
Stats Requirement: Magic 5
"Like the great hammer, this wooden bow also has weapon proficiency as its base weapon skill." Light828 continued, its hand settled softly atop the wooden bow. "I suggest that you also look into it before making your final decision. So... will you still choose the great hammer as your starter weapon, Miss Elizabeth?" it asked.
It can even argue and make suggestions???
Elizabeth blinked, surprised. Was it programmed to say that? Or was it… learning?
"Yup, sure enough these two seem boring to use," she said, casually placing the Holy Tome back onto the slab. And picking up the hammer again, its familiar weight settling comfortably in her grip. "I'll stick with this."
"One last thing," Light828 added. "If you focus your mind on the skill's name in your vision, the skill's detailed description will appear."
"Let's move on. I don't care about any of that," Elizabeth replied dismissively, though not unkindly. If there's something she can't understand later, she'll just ask Rianne. After all, Rianne spent an entire week researching this game.
Honestly, if there were a skip button in this virtual reality game, Elizabeth would have mashed it.
"As you wish," Light828 replied with a nod. "If you ever have any questions in the future, simply call out my name, and I'll be at your service in a flash. That is, after all, my primary function as your personal guide in the world Beyond Reality."
"Now then, please choose the starter village. There are thousands of villages available. So if you have a preferred village in mind, please say so. Or, if you prefer, the system can select one at random for you."
Right... this is the part Rianne warned me about.
Elizabeth recalled their conversation in the car on the way to her house.
Rianne had been very specific... She must choose Mad Forest Village once this option appeared.
Apparently, everyone in class had selected it too... though she doubted they would encounter any of them, since most of the players had already moved to towns. Being close to their classmate's town will be easier if they want to meet up later.
A playful thought flashed Elizabeth's mind... to pick a different village just to mess with Rianne. But she shut it down in an instant.
Not worth the hours of scolding I'd get. The trouble isn't even worth the prank.
"I'll choose Mad Forest Village."
"Very well," Light828 nodded, accepting her decision.
"I'll choose Mad Forest Village."
"Very well," Light828 nodded.
Suddenly, bold text materialized before Elizabeth's eyes:
[Character Creation Complete]
"You may now enter the world Beyond Reality." With a wave of Light828's hand, the seamless white floor behind her began to shift and rise. It summoned an elegant doorway, polished like marble.
"That's it?" Elizabeth asked, genuine concern creeping into her voice.
"Is there no tutorial on how to use this weapon or anything?" She lifted the hammer with uncertainty.
She had never held a hammer before, let alone swung one.
They're really going to just toss me into the game with this? No training? No warm-up?
Sure, I had picked the hammer because it looked interesting, but that didn't mean I know how to use it!!!
Elizabeth is screaming inside.
And it wasn't like she is genius when it comes to gaming... she was one of the worst at games among her friends. There was no way she'd magically know how to handle any of those weapons—hammer, tome, or bow—just by being handed one!!
"Do not worry," Light 82 uttered, its voice calm and soothing. "There is no tutorial that can prepare you for what you'll encounter in the world Beyond Reality. But a basic knowledge of your weapon and how to wield it will be engraved in your mind once you enter this door.
"You will not be a master with those knowledge... but you will be able to use it. Mastery, however... that is something only you can achieve."
Her silver-gray eyes met Elizabeth's with gentle encouragement. "Now, if you're ready, please step forward."
Elizabeth took a deep breath; her grip tightened around the hammer. Slowly, she moved forward.
Light828 gently opened the door. Inside was a swirling cosmos of stars and light. "Please..." it said, gesturing inside.
Just as Elizabeth was about to step through, she paused and turned her head slightly. "Can I call you Lumière?"
Light828 tilted its head. "I'm sorry?"
"Calling you Light828 every time is a bit… clinical. Lumière is easier," Elizabeth replied, a hint of a smirk tugging at her lips.
There was a moment of silence. Then she smiled... softly, almost warmly. "As you wish."
Elizabeth entered Beyond Reality.