NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: Between Memories and Reality
I woke up in a sea of confused voices, surrounded by people who were just as lost as I was. The only memory that still echoed in my mind was the image of a city-sized meteor crashing down on Earth.
When I looked down at my clothes, a flash of familiarity enveloped me, as if I were wearing something I had once worn in a distant dream. The atmosphere around me was vibrant, with vivid colors and the sounds of conversation that seemed to echo throughout the place. Looking around, I realized that I was in a city that was strangely familiar to me.
I decided to take a long walk through the city, trying to understand if I had really died and if this was, in fact, the afterlife. What caught my attention was that, as I walked, I began to recognize the city.
It was like a scene taken from a game I had loved as a child: Ragnarok Online. The people around me murmured questions that reflected my own astonishment. "What are all these people?", "Where did they suddenly appear from?" The atmosphere of confusion was palpable.
When I looked to the side, my eyes fell on a banner that read: "Welcome to the City of Einbroch." At that moment, it dawned on me. I was in Rune-Midgard, a realm of Ragnarok.
The shock paralyzed me for a moment. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Could it really be? Maybe it was all a dream, but the possibility loomed over me - if Earth was truly gone, was this world now our new home? Had everyone who died been transported here too? The thought unsettled me, lingering at the edge of my mind, refusing to leave.
The memory of how Ragnarok had inspired my life came flooding back. The Creator class had been a source of motivation that led me to become a chemist, specializing in the field. The memories of my previous life mixed with the reality of the moment. What would it be like to be part of this world?
Walking through the streets of Einbroch, I could feel the industrial pulse of the city. Huge factories exhaled smoke, while merchants advertised their wares on every corner.
As I weaved through the crowds, my gaze landed on a man leaning against a wooden post. He held a worn sign that read, "Want to become an adventurer? Talk to me." He looked tired but alert, scanning the passing faces with the practiced ease of someone used to sizing people up.
When our eyes met, he straightened up, giving me a nod and a half-smile. "Looking to get started in the adventurer life?" he asked, his tone casual but with the unmistakable trace of someone who'd had this conversation too many times. "You'll find lots of opportunities in this line of work, I can help you get an idea of how it goes."
Upon accepting, the guide began to explain to me what I needed to know before embarking on an adventure. He talked about the level system, how to collect items, and the need to equip yourself properly. "You're a apprentice now, it's great to have a new adventurer among us." he said.
He explained that once I reached level 40, I could choose a class—Alchemist, Swordsman, Mage, and so on. Each class would have unique skills and responsibilities. The guide also mentioned simple quests I could take to gain experience and items, such as collecting materials from local monsters or helping out NPCs in town.
Among his explanations, he highlighted important areas to explore, such as the Payon Pampas, Payon Swamp, and Payon Cave. These regions offered valuable opportunities to hunt monsters and gather items. He emphasized the importance of learning to trade with merchants and selling the items collected for resources.
The guide warned me about the dangers that lurked in the world: stronger monsters, bandits, and the need to always be aware of my surroundings. Finally, he explained about the Kafra system, which allowed me to store items and was extremely useful for managing resources during adventures.
However, as he spoke, an unexpected boredom washed over me. I already knew most of information he was sharing, there weren't many changes compared to the game.
When I finally finished all that chatter, the guide asked me to write my name on a piece of metal that looked like magic. "From now on, this will be your identification," he said, as I pondered what name I would choose. After thinking about it, I remembered my previous name in the game, Azoth, which was a reference to alchemy. With a smile, I wrote my name on the metal. But then, he charged me 100 zeny.
As soon as I finished the adventurer's guild, I decided to take a look at my inventory. To my surprise, in addition to the usual cotton shirt and a knife, I had 1,000 zeny. I paid the guide the required amount and told him I would come back later to pick up some quests.
After that, I left the adventurer's guild. I could have picked up some quests and set out on a journey, but I needed to get my bearings and set my goals. I still needed to understand the limitations of this place. Would everything be the same as the game, like a simulation, or were there scalable elements to what was happening here?
As I walked out onto the street, I noticed that many people were panicking. For Earthlings, who were not used to isekai stories, dealing with a situation like this was difficult. There were cries, desperate children, and old people in shock.
I was 37 years old in my past life, but now I look 20 years old instead, with a body very unlike my past life's.
Continuing to walk, I passed several shops and merchants trading in the square. Despite the tension in the air, the locals didn't seem to care much about what had happened. Some welcomed us, trying to calm those who were panicking, while others simply ignored the situation. It was then that I saw the alchemy shop and a wave of nostalgia washed over me. I went in, curious to know if the ways of creating potions were still the same as in the game.
Upon entering the store, I was greeted by a familiar scene. There were alchemists and people trading manuals and books. I went to the "menu" on the table and saw the same books as in the game: Alchemy Manuals Vol. 1, 2 and 3, the simplest ones. I asked the salesman, a man with a long beard and balding on the sides, who appeared to be about 50 years old: "Sir, are these the only volumes you have? Where are the others?"
The salesman looked me up and down with an expression of disdain. "Durarara! Boy, you're not even an alchemist yet and you're already talking about volumes after 3? You still can't learn even the first one. We can talk about volumes 2 and 3 later."
The salesman gave me a shrewd look, assessing me. However, with no intention of selling anything at that moment, he spoke in a firm voice, "Kid, what's your name?"
"Azoth," I replied immediately.
He continued, "My name is Benner. I'll be blunt. We don't handle volumes above 3 here; they're expensive and rare. Those looking for something more, whether for large-scale trade or forging battle-worthy weapons, don't waste time here."
"This city is a place for rats who want crumbs, who need to venture out in search of items to make their potions. Alchemists or real creators buy and make their potions to resell to the great clans. This filth and stench of this city is garbage for the aristocracy."
It was just as I imagined. Before, when I played, I was a very sought-after player. My guild loved me because I contributed potions and was an excellent weapon of war. I was also a great strategist in the Imperium wars.
Now, it seemed clear that I could not remain in this city for long. It's time to start developing myself and focusing on the pursuit of Alchemist Class, one that I knew well from the game. I would need to learn how to produce potions that, with luck, would earn me a small fortune.
"I understand, sir. I'll be a great creator in the future. Remember my name whenever I come back here to buy ingredients for my potions. You'll profit a lot from me."
"That's what I wanted to hear from you, kid! Good luck on your journey. Look for Rankor in the city; that way, you'll see the ranking of the greatest creators, both in the city and in the world, and you can make friends with people of your class, which will make it easier to exchange ingredients. And a bit of gossip: in Morroc, the number 1 in the global ranking gained a unique ability to create new types of potions. There are rumors that he's going to create a new volume of the potion creation manual in the world. This will turn the creation methods upside down!"
I left the alchemy shop with a question in my head. The number one in the alchemy ranking could have the ability to create new potions, but also new, different ingredients. Could I use the methods of my world to create new weapons for war? 'No way,' I thought, 'if all the people who died on Earth were brought here, I don't think it'll take 20 years for us to have a bunch of rifles and trench warfare here.'
I don't believe everyone was brought here. Although I saw many in this city, I couldn't put a number on it, as it seemed like they were all teleported randomly.
After that interesting conversation with Benner and several tourist attractions in the city of Einbroch, I began to feel very sleepy. I thought I would never need to sleep in this world, but to my surprise, I was really tired. With 900 zeny left in my account, I began to wonder: would it be possible to find a room to rest in an inn? If the prices were too high, I would have to settle for sleeping on the street, which was not a very encouraging prospect.
I soon spotted a few inns and entered the simplest one. As soon as I walked through the door, I was greeted by a woman on the other side of the counter, dressed in maid's clothes. She looked at me with a friendly smile and said: "Hello, I am the Kafra of this inn. Do you want a room or do you want to use the storage service?"
"How much does a room cost?" I asked.
"It costs 300 zeny a day and includes the use of the storage service for the entire day of your stay. If you choose not to use the service, the room costs 100 zeny, and each time you need the storage, you pay 40 zeny, which is 10 zeny less than the Kafra down the street."
It wasn't as expensive as I thought. The possibility of using the storage several times during my stay made the accommodation a good deal. After thinking about it for a moment, I decided to pay only for the accommodation service and ended up with 800 zeny. A good night's sleep awaited me, and tomorrow I would begin a journey full of ambitions.
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Protagonist Data
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Day: 1
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Class Level: 1
Base Level: 1
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Life Status:
HP: 100
MP: 35
Attributes:
STR: 5
AGI: 5
VIT: 5
INT: 5
DEX: 5
LUK: 5
Combat Statistics:
ATK: 23
MATQ: 14.5
HIT: 6
Critical: 1
DEF: 12
MDEF: 5
Flee: 5
ASPD: 105
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Zeny: 800
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Equipped Equipment:
Knife
ATK: 17
Description: A simple knife.
Cotton Shirt
DEF: 10
Description: Simple cotton shirt. To be used on any occasion.
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