《Arcadia》 Prologue The darkness of the forest provides protection for the sins of men. Deep amongst the trees, shadowed by the night, a group of three moved in pursuit of a single man. The lone man was clearly injured, yet he ran desperately for salvation but didn¡¯t cry out for help. He knew it would not come. The cold breeze of the night beckoned death ever closer, but it loomed over him since long before this chilly night. Even in his sleep he found no peace. Tired and exhausted, he shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t even think I¡¯ll die alone!¡± He huffed and struggled to take another breath before continuing, ¡°My class might not be suited for combat¡­ and I might be weak, but even so- one of you will join me in hell!¡± The men behind him were following in a ¡®V¡¯ formation. The leader of the group was dressed for murder. His black hair was tied up in a ponytail, he donned dark brown leather armor and two small daggers. Each blade had already been slathered with a dark red substance like blood and shimmered in the glow of the moonlight. His eyes pierced deep into the soul of the fleeing man, as if he could already see the man dying in front of him. On his face was a grim grin as he explained, ¡°It¡¯s just bad luck, you¡¯re fated to die here. We were planning to let you join the guild¡­ but I got a hidden class quest. It requires me to kill one of every basic class. You¡¯re the only one I know who chose such a useless class. So blame fate, not me. But I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t enjoy this.¡± To his right was a man equipped in thin chainmail with a lengthy sheath on his back, and inside rested a longsword. With an annoyed expression he spoke, ¡°We used to be friends so we won¡¯t torture you. Just turn around and die quickly.¡± The last man in the group was on the left. He did not open his mouth. Contrary to his murderous intention, the color of his short blonde hair was immaculate and bright. His face resembled a sewer rat, yet retained the innocence of a young child. The three continued to chase him into the depths of the forest until he slowed down. In front of him was a large body of water. The mere size of the pond overshadowed his chance for survival. He could not escape. He came to a halt along the edge of the water and mumbled to himself, ¡°Hah¡­ so death even mocks me here¡­?¡± He prepared himself to die but, he would fight to the end. The lone man seeked a chance at life. He was tired of death always taking from him, it was time for him to take from death. He opened his mouth for the last time, ¡°Create Unique Skill: Death¡¯s power to kill.¡± The voice of the system echoed in his mind, ¡°Generating Unique Skill based upon your specifications and cross referencing your current emotional state. Analysis complete. Skill ¡®Reaper¡¯s Domain¡¯ has been created.¡±
Reaper¡¯s Domain
Unique Skill
*** Knock. Knock. Knock. Luke rolled out of the bed and smacked his face on the floor. You would think his round belly would act as a cushion and protect him from such a thing. Still, he planted his face straight onto the floor. He reluctantly pulled himself up off the floor and headed for the door. A voice akin to pure sugar spoke through the door annoyed, ¡°Come to the front door this instant! I¡¯ve been trying to reach you all week!¡± The voice sounded familiar to Luke, but he couldn¡¯t quite make out who it was in his groggied state. As soon as he opened the door the scent of cherry blossom perfume traveled through the summer wind and wafted into his nose. He opened the door, but the smell alone gave away the secret of who it could be, ¡°Why are you here Ella?¡± She had long, silky-smooth black hair that swayed in the breeze. Her green eyes were as sturdy and pure as the finest jade and stared straight into his. She was wearing a black overcoat along with a light green scarf that had small, white printed sakura leaves. Underneath, she wore their school¡¯s uniform; a brown button up sweater with a green plaid skirt. Below that, she was wearing pure black thigh-highs that perfectly defined her tightly toned athletic legs.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. After the momentary impromptu staring contest she hissed, ¡°Why do you think I¡¯m here? You didn¡¯t even come to school for the last two weeks. You even missed graduation. The school asked me to deliver your diploma since I was the last one you talked to. Look I know you¡¯re grieving but you can¡¯t lock yourself away like this Luke¡­ It¡¯s not good for you. I don¡¯t think your dad would¡¯ve wanted you-¡± Luke interupted her, ¡°The fuck would you know bitch!?¡± Ella staggered backwards. She said, ¡°W-What? This is how you treat me? You think just because someone died you can be an asshole? Here take it so I can go!¡± She thrusted her hand towards Luke with an envelope. It had the school insignia on the outside. A large box truck pulled up along the edge of the road. Two burly men got out of the vehicle and started to unload two giant rectangular shaped boxes of the exact same size. They brought them up to the front door, one by one. One of the burly men came up with an electronic tablet and interrupted, ¡°Sorry, sorry. We don¡¯t mean to interrupt, but we¡¯re in a hurry today or we would¡¯ve waited. Lots of people are waiting eagerly for their last minute deliveries. Can you please sign here that you received the package?¡± he handed Luke the tablet. He received the tablet and hurriedly signed his name as quickly as he could. He wanted to get this over with and go back inside. The light itself hurt him after being inside for days. The man said, ¡°Thanks! We appreciate it and have a good da-¡± ¡°How¡¯s he supposed to take those inside by himself?¡± Ella interrupted. The guy behind him chimed in, ¡°Sorry ma¡¯am but, our job is only to deliver to the house.¡± ¡°If you take them inside, I¡¯ll tip you a hundred,¡± Ella offered. Immediately Luke spoke up, ¡°I don¡¯t want your pity money, keep it for yourself.¡± ¡°It''s not pity money. I¡¯m paying you back for helping me two weeks ago, just accept it as payment. Anyway, how exactly are you going to take them inside?¡± questioned Ella. Luke succumbed to the realization that he wouldn¡¯t be able to carry them, ¡°Fine.¡± The two men worked together to take each box inside and put them on the floor in his room while he guided them. ¡°Thanks for the money miss!¡± The two guys hopped back into their truck and off they went. Luke and Ella were left alone by the door. He spoke up and apologized, ¡°Look, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to call you names. I got upset when you started talking about him like you actually knew him.¡± Ella stared out into the distance and muttered, ¡°Yes I know. However, I don¡¯t think your father would want you moping around for weeks on end just sleeping. Are you gonna waste your life away? Well, not that it has anything to me. Anyway I¡¯m gonna leave. Goodbye Luke.¡± She walked off into the distance and got back into her car. Luke watched as it drove away down the road. He went back inside his room and put the envelope from school on his desk. Then went to check out what the boxes contained. He looked at the package slips and realized the one had his father¡¯s name on it and the other was addressed to him. His box seemed to have something attached under it. He peeled the slip off and checked the back, it was an envelope. On the front was his name. Luke opened the envelope and inside was a plastic card in front. Underneath that was a handwritten letter he unfolded: ¡°Luke, I¡¯ll probably be working the day these are delivered, but I want you to open them, so you can dive in right away. You¡¯ve always worked hard and tried your best. When you came to me asking to use your college tuition money to buy a device to play a new game, I was shocked to say the least. I never expected that, but I understood that it must¡¯ve been something you really wanted. You never ask for much. I know you always liked games growing up and I realize I never took it as seriously as I should¡¯ve. Some people make a living playing games, so why couldn¡¯t you? But even so, I didn¡¯t want you to use your tuition on a game, so instead I¡¯ve decided to use a portion of my retirement money. I know this might be late but I¡¯d like to help you chase your dream. I¡¯ve never really understood games myself, but I watched the trailer for this (VRMMO?) Game after you asked me about it and I saw they mentioned fishing. I figured maybe you could teach me how to play and we could go fishing together sometimes? I was planning to go fishing more as I retired anyway and we haven¡¯t gone fishing in a long time- since you were a young boy. I was hoping we could do it together. What do you say son? - Love, dad.¡± Tears flowed down Luke¡¯s cheeks. His dad died two weeks ago in a car accident. He sat there and cried for an hour before he lost the ability to. Luke rubbed at his red eyes. He took the card out of the envelope and realized it was a registration card for the game. His brain went into overdriving processing this new information. Now, he knew why his dad was out driving that day. He must¡¯ve been on his way back from purchasing and registering them for the game. Luke stayed there on the floor for a long period of time. He clenched his fists, ¡°Thank-you dad.. I promise I¡¯ll go fishing with you.¡± Luke wiped away his crusty dried tears and unpacked the two boxes. Two brand new full-dive capsules for the new VRMMO game, Arcadia. He put them side by side in his room. Luke crawled inside the capsule. Laying inside the capsule was comfortable, it was the closest he felt to his father since he died. The capsule cradled him like the warm embrace of his dad and he slowly drifted off into a deep sleep. A screen from the system appeared in his view. Chapter 1 - Choice
Welcome to Arcadia!
The system welcomed Luke to a new world. Surrounded by the endless sky in all directions with a thin layer of water underneath his feet, He felt the sudden wetness between his toes. The character creation menu popped up asking him to decide on his desired physical appearance. There seemed to be an endless amount of options, ranging from gender to eye color. He decided to start with the real life preset and go from there. Luke clicked the preset and it displayed a messy, brown haired young man. His own hazel eyes stared back at him creepily. He was clearly obese. Using the body fat slider Luke shaved off a hundred pounds in a second, after a decade of obesity he was finally skinny. It showed him what hard work looked like. For once in his life he was confident in his appearance and thought to himself, ¡°I look gooood.¡± He now finally understood why some people checked themselves out in a mirror. Not that he would begin to do it in real life. The only mirror he had was too small to fit him inside the reflection. After he messed around with a bunch of different options, he settled on his final appearance. He kept his hair and eyes the same, but decided to keep his virtual avatar a normal body weight with a semi-fit build. He also opted for the five foot nine inches height he had in real life. He doubled checked his choices and pressed confirm. A second later the screen changed and a virtual keyboard spawned. The screen asked him to decide on a given name for his character and a surname for his family. Underneath was a warning that stated, ¡°A family name is unchangeable and bound to all of your characters forever. A given name is the name of that specific character. Simply put, it is a first and last name.¡± Clearly this was different than most games- which only required a single username. This however came as no surprise to Luke. Since the release of the trailer experts had assumed there had been a reason for the unique naming system. After countless articles about it- the company, Vantasy, released a statement earlier last month that said, ¡°We chose this design to create a more intimate connection with the people and the choices you make in Arcadia. To achieve this we decided it was best to give realism to the characters you create, even their names.¡± This gave people plenty of time to prepare their new names. Many online forums and boards discussed this issue. The general consensus was to just use your real first name but, create a unique family name. This lessened the burden to create a unique two part name. It also gave the effect of better immersion which is what Vantasy was going for. Luke hesitated and he still hadn¡¯t decided completely on a name. Luke decided to think for awhile. He was unsure of what type or style of name to pick. Luke was just an average person, he realized that even if he spent hours thinking he would never be able to decide on a unique two part name. He pressed the first name section on the screen and typed in, ¡°Luke¡±. Finally he wanted something bright for the family name. Something to inspire him in the darkness of his life. He wanted to be reminded of the light and warm embrace of his father, after all he had been in the shadow of death for too long. After going back and forth between a couple of last names he settled on Luke Brimwater. The system accepted his input and displayed his new name, ¡°Luke Grimwater¡±. His blood pressure rose uncontrollably. His anger soared to the simulated sky over his head as he was reminded of the death and darkness that had surrounded him. Luke realized he must have pressed, ¡°G¡± instead of ¡°B¡± on the simulated keyboard. Was this the curse of his years of obesity and fat fingering in real life? Before he cursed a hundred times he spoke up and asked the system, ¡°I would like to change my family name.¡± A voice spoke back that was indiscernible from another human person, ¡°You cannot change your name here anymore.¡± Anger overwhelmed Luke and he cursed at the system a thousand times. At the end of cursing he thought he felt a stroke coming on, although that shouldn''t be possible here in a virtual world. He sat down and tried to calm his mind. Luke spoke to the screen, ¡°This is absurd. What kind of system doesn¡¯t let you fix a typo?¡± Talking to the screen was the same as talking to a brick. His brain eventually started to function normally. Something in the last message perked his basic level detective skills he acquired from watching too many crime shows. He asked the system to repeat the last message and confirmed it. The voice said, ¡°here¡±. That must mean there is another way to change your family name. With newfound hope he stood up and saw there was still a screen hovering in the air. Luke examined the screen and realized there was text on it. At the top it read, ¡°Unique Skills¡±. It continued underneath with an explanation about them, ¡°A Unique Skill is linked to your character permanently. It cannot be changed or deleted once given. Characters in your family can have different Unique skills, however you can only have one character at a time. Should a character be deleted, you will have the chance to pass down your unique skill to your descendants or create a new one. You can input any desire or wish as consideration when creating your skill. The actual skill will be created by the system and balanced accordingly. It will reference your requested desire and game parameters. Please press confirm after having thought of the basis for your skill.¡± This was the greatest selling point of Arcadia. A unique skill, personally crafted for you based upon your request. The advertisements boasted about unlimited possibilities however, it also stated Unique Skills could be similar to others. They explained that while it was possible the way users used the skill would differ as well as their class choices and personal progression. It certainly was a unique idea. Luke wasn¡¯t sure what to do. He didn¡¯t want to be too hasty and pick a skill that ended up to be trash later on. If he put it off too long there was also the possibility that it was being wasted and was merely a handicap holding him back from the advantage of others. Regardless Luke decided to put off registering a unique skill right now. He had already wasted a lot of time controlling his emotions and thoughts while creating his character. He pressed the cancel button that said register later. The screen immediately disappeared into thin air. The next menu to pop up was the map. Although it was mostly blacked out by fog. There were a couple locations in the viewable area that seemed to be many tiny remote villages on the edge of the world. Above the map at the top of the window was the text, ¡°Please select your starting location. More will become available for future players through in game player progression.¡± Marked on the map over a single village read the name, ¡°Town of Littlegrove¡±. Luke thought that even the name looked beginner. With no more time to waste he clicked on the marked village. The screen disappeared and his vision started to go black as his consciousness drifted away. A blue screen flickered into existence illuminating the darkness inside his mind, ¡°You feel a force pulling you into this world.¡± Slowly his eyes twitched. Luke opened his eyes and realized he was standing in front of a man. Luke looked around. The building seemed to be a church but looked more like a run down shack. Where stained glass would normally preside in a church, there were just cutouts in the wood. There were also no windows in place. The openings let the gentle breeze drift in through the holes all around. The fellow looked old and ancient, worn down by life itself. He donned the robe of a seemingly normal priest. Upon his head sat the most basic looking mitre. It was dingy tinted color of white. His face was wrinkled, his nose crooked. Luke almost mistook him for an undead type. Ironically his hair was a brighter white than his clothing. On either side of him stood another person. They were dressed in clothes that could only be for a nun. Contrary to the black and white of normal nun clothing people thought of, the ones they wore were completely white. As white as dingy white could be. Luke continued to check them out and hoped underneath were the bodies of beautiful girls. Upon close examination of their faces however he was disgusted with himself. Luke stuffled the urge to puke. They were old ladies. Their faces were partly covered by white veils yet they smelled of death.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The priest coughed, ¡°Ahem.¡± This wasn¡¯t the first time he saw this look of disgust. By now, he had welcomed many people into this world already. The first time the priest saw it happen he was upset but didn¡¯t say anything. He didn¡¯t want to offend them. They couldn¡¯t afford to. As he interacted with more and more of the summoned, he seemed to think they all looked that way due to the shock. He cracked a sad smile and trudged up great enthusiasm, ¡°Welcome to our world high-born hero! I am priest Allard Evencrest from the order of Lightspire. On behalf of my country, Gluylia, I would like to thank you for receiving our call. We are honored and blessed that you would descend from your world to our lowly plane. The forces of evil that lurk along the border suddenly started attacking us from all directions months ago. We don¡¯t know why they started, but they have been moving further into human territory. Villages have been destroyed, countless lives lost. Safe spaces are far and wide apart. We must mount a defense or soon we will be overrun by them. In our time of need we used the ancient magic of summoning. When other villages hear of the success they will do the same. You stepped out through a portal and answered our call so please help us.¡± A quest window appeared before Luke that displayed what the priest spoke.
Defend Humanity!
You have been summoned to Arcadia and requested by priest Allard Evencrest to help defend humanity in anyway you can! Acceptance: 100 copper coins Clear: Changes based upon merit Failure: No penalty
ACCEPT DECLINE
The current reward for accepting listed 100 copper coins. It was a quest with possible future rewards that depended on the level of help provided. This must be the starter reward and quest for new players. There was no requirement to help them even if you accepted and took the money. Luke thought back to what the priest had said. Something from the first sentence he spoke bugged him. Luke asked, ¡°What is this ¡®high-born¡¯ you speak of?¡± Allard was lost at first but regained his wit quickly. Speaking up he said, ¡°Allow me to explain. Highborn is a status that is only given to those who had been summoned here from their own worlds. The legend goes, in exchange for them coming to our world the gods have gifted them with many abilities we could never hope to learn. Highborns are even blessed by the goddess of life, Hyarel and given the ability to resurrect. They are also able to learn our skills. As you can see, that would mean they are much ¡®higher¡¯ than us. True noble heroes! As such we refer to them and you, as highborn. You have the power¡­ so please help us, highborn hero!¡± The quest would remain listed as long as you accepted. Luke decided to decline the quest. Allard¡¯s face looked like he had seen a ghost, there was no reason to decline. He asked one more time as the quest popped up again, ¡°Would you please help us!?¡± Luke responded nonchalantly as he declined once again, ¡°No. Now stop begging, don¡¯t you have any shame?¡± He did not want to be bound by this quest. He didn¡¯t want to help them. In this world Luke wanted to live for himself, not others. This was his decision. However, he would have helped them if it had been two young, cute girls asking instead. Real life had been cruel to his interaction with females. At least in Arcadia he had a chance. The NPCs didn¡¯t know his true form. Luke ignored the continued request from the old priest and walked out of the doorway. Yes, there was no door. Luke exited the church, if it could even be called that and was blessed by the vision of a beautiful sunny sky. A couple of clouds drifted by but it was a perfect day out. In front of him was hills and flatland as far as the eye could see. He turned around and saw the church rested on a flattened hill itself. He wanted to leave before he got roped back into accepting this quest. He didn¡¯t want a big questline adventure. Luke wanted to roam free as can be. He followed the dirt path from the front of the church out into the hilly countryside. He wondered why the system didn¡¯t actually spawn him into town but thought perhaps there was a reason this church was so far out of the way. Not long after he could see a fork in the road. There was one post with only two signs on it. One pointed somewhat to the west and had a small picture of a town carved in it, along with the name ¡°Town of Littlegrove¡± crudely cut into it. The other pointed north and had a picture of what looked like slimes marking it. Luke figured this was far enough away to avoid unwanted priests. He opened his game menu and selected his character sheet.
Luke Grimwater Level: 1
High-born Human
Hitpoints: 100 Mana: 100 Stamina: 100
  • Character Statistics
  • Strength: 10
  • Dexterity: 10
  • Constitution: 10
  • Intelligence: 10
  • Wisdom: 10
  • Charisma: 10
A human summoned from Earth.
Basic. That was what Luke thought when he saw the screen. He couldn¡¯t expect anything more from the starting stats. They were the definition of basic. He figured he would die in a couple of hits if he went to fight slimes without a weapon. Not that Luke even wanted to kill slimes. He didn¡¯t. Luke wanted to pass his time as peacefully as he could. Other users came and went beside him. It wasn¡¯t as packed as Luke had thought but, then again he wasted a lot of time in the creation menu. Luke started to think about classes. He was interested in the class choices. The trailers never showed how they would select classes or anything like that. Luke looked around in all the menus he could find. He still couldn¡¯t figure out how to select a class. Then it hit him, he didn''t check his inventory for starting equipment. Finally he opened his inventory and checked to see what the game had given him to start with. There was only one item inside.
Magic Crystal
Magic item
Physical Damage: 1
Soulbound Untradable
  • Active Skills
  • Transformation: This item can transform into any basic weapon or tool. Consumes 10 mana per transformation. Duration is continued until mana ceases to flow through it. 60 second cooldown between transformations.
Weight: 0.1 lbs Requires the user to be classless.
A crystal imbued with magical properties by the goddess of magic, Cythera. Present this item to a person you wish to take as a master. It is proof that you have decided to learn their skills.
Luke immediately wanted to use the attached skill and test it. He resisted the temptation. Instead he decided to examine the item. The crystal looked as if it had just come out of the ground. It had jagged edges but seemed refined in a weird way. It reflected light itself. Magic was something all gamers wished to feel. He grasped the crystal in his hand desperately. It braced against his sweaty palms. Nervously, he tried to imagine his blood flowing out from his hand and into the crystal. The system guided and registered his intention. A stream of blue particles enveloped the crystal turning it into the object of his desire, a dagger. Luke was blown away. Magic sure was cool. After fiddling with the dagger for sixty seconds, he tried to transform the crystal into something else. It would not transform into a gun but whenever he tried to, it transformed into a bow that could shoot out mana arrows. Not quite the same but it was good to know. It was finally time to test the crystal to see if it could transform into the item he required for his desired class. Light glittered all around the crystal as it slowly morphed into a basic tool. The shape and form of the object reminded him of his dad. Luke was lost in his emotions for a long time. He felt like it was finally time to mourn his father. Chapter 2 - Old Man The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
HP: 90/100
Shofuto¡¯s Dinner!
Restrictions: Can only equip a fishing pole for the duration of this quest. Clear: Failure:
ACCEPT DECLINE
It hit Luke like a brick. He didn¡¯t know where boars even were! He tried asking Shofuto but all he said was, ¡°How should I know! I¡¯ve never left this beach! Figure it out yourself if you dare to be my disciple.¡± Luke had no clue where to go from here. Chapter 3 - The Hunt With no knowledge of where to hunt boars, Luke decided to head towards town. Up the white sandy beach and through the cove¡¯s rock formation, along the lonely dirt path until the signless branching road, back down the main path and he arrived at the fork in the road with the town¡¯s signpost. During the journey, he thought, ¡°Shofuto sent me to get his dinner..? Guess it¡¯s no different from me using him for a class. Even still it rubs me the wrong way, not even giving Following the signpost, he walked on the path towards the town of Littlegrove. The road was completely covered in dirt and marked with deep lines from the wear of carriages. Luke estimated the width to be eight feet, enough for two carriages to traverse. Lush green grass grew on both sides of the street, up to his knees. The odd tree loomed above the grassline every so often, yet the warmth of the sun overhead radiated through his body. He continued forward, sweat began to form on his forehead. He had been walking for a long time. Luke¡¯s feet felt heavy. On the horizon was a fence, spanned a good distance, yet was only made of wood. It looked old and rickety- as if an invasion of termites would knock it down. Along the road was a gate through the fence. A man was standing in front of the gate and blocked the path forward. Luke thought, ¡°That must be a guard. Maybe he will know?¡± He continued to walk onward Luke stared down the longsword. The blade matched his clothes, old and the edge of the sword was chipped many times. The right side of the hilt was completely missing. He stood firmly in front of the guard while he responded, ¡°I am Luke Silts, highborn hero. You¡¯re The man sheathed his blade before he answered, ¡°Guard Theodore Edgewood, protector of Littlegrove. A little warning for a highborn, Shofuto is lost amongst the waves of the sea. Be careful. I have never seen him leave the beach, some folk think he is mental. As for the boar, Quickly, he took off his shirt and used it as a makeshift net to capture the tiny creature. Luke held it with one hand while he grabbed the glowing hook from the line connected to the fishing pole. He thought about tying the tail around the hook, but some mice can shed their tails in an attempt to escape. Pressed onward through the grass, careful not to make noise, he didn¡¯t want to scare away his prey. Luke caught sight of the first boar in a wide open clearing, through the center ran a small stream. The boar seemed to be drinking and unaware of Luke¡¯s presence, even with his lack of a stealth It turned around suspiciously and eyed up the tiny mouse on the ground. The boar¡¯s eyes took a sheen of ruthlessness as it gazed at it¡¯s meal, but little did he know, soon it ¡°Reeeeee.¡± The mouse made one last screech You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Acceptance: Abandonment: Decline:
DECLINE
Luke didn¡¯t want to ¡°Yes? But why?¡± replied Theodore as he stared curiously. ¡°Mhm that''s true.¡± Luke replied as he brought the skewered meat straight to his nose. The scent of burnt oak logs mixed with the smell of luscious fleshy meat. The juices sizzled straight up his nostrils. The texture looked perfect, the interlacing of the fatty tissue resembled that of Waygu beef, it looked like top quality meat even though it was just wild game. He brought it to his mouth and decided to place his tongue gently onto the meat to tease his taste buds. The flavor that lingered was divine.
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