Soul Art Online

- Arthas -

The Sky turned black and on the screen, the same man who had appeared in the welcome menu appeared in the sky.

Welcome everyone to 'Soul Art Online'. I'm the creator of this game. You all can call me the Game Master.

 With our introductions done, let's start with the main part of Soul Art Online's Story.

This world of Arcana will be your home for years to come. I dare say that, except for the extra Game parts, it is a real world of its own.

I have given everyone the same starting point, the same potential and the same opportunities to rise to the top of the world. You can be anything, an Angel or a Devil, a Hero or a Villain in this world, however, be sure to face the consequences of your actions. I might not punish you, but the world itself is not so forgiving.

Every action has a consequence. Some might be good, some bad.

Okay then, have fun till you complete the game.

Oh yeah, I completely forgot to tell you all with mysterious philosophical BS, you guys are stuck in the game till you complete this. If you die in the game, you die in real life.

Remember that part about the souls and all in the welcome screen? That was all real.

You all quite literally signed off your souls to me.

As for the other facts, those are surprises you all can discover for yourselves.

The words were treated like a joke by the people surrounding me but I felt a pit forming in my stomach.

I quickly checked the menu and sure enough, the Log out Button was gone.

There was still hope in my mind because the device can just be turned off and it will be switched off after the battery runs out. This could be an elaborate prank as well.

Oh, in case you are thinking about anyone breaking you out after the battery runs out, don't bother. The device doesn't run on electricity but magic. For those who don't know, magic exists, so do all the mythological creatures that you may have heard about. It started the moment we started this event in-game. The time inside this world flows twenty times faster than the outside so a year outside is twenty years inside this world. Complete the game quickly and you might be back for Christmas. Good Luck. Have fun.

Oh, I left a gift for you all for this event. He snapped his fingers.

I felt my body change slightly. Looking at the window pane, I discovered that the slight changes I had made to my character's looks were reversed. I looked just like myself.

I looked as the sky turned back to its original colour as the Game Master's image faded.

This was very similar to what hazy bits of memories I had from the previous life. Things are going to turn chaotic very soon. Did I feel a panic attack coming?

Maybe. For once I felt thankful to my dulled emotions.

I quickly rushed towards an Inn and booked a room to get myself some privacy. I'd rather not be around when people started panicking. It is like a flu that spreads from one person to another.

I occupied the bed and took deep breaths. To calm myself down. It was for the first time in years that I felt my heart beat that fast outside of exercises. On one hand I was worried about being stuck in here for who knows how long and on the other, a very small part of me was really wishing for that to be the case.

I tried to meditate for a few minutes, to calm myself and think properly. Losing the ability to think properly would be a sure shot way to die.

I mean sure there is a high chance that this might be a prank but I don't think that anyone and I mean anyone would do such a thing on the first day of a worldwide game launch. This type of move was basically PR suicide for any company.

This means that people will go crazy after they recover from their initial panic. Such fear will make them take irrational decisions and be prone to violence.

First things first, get a headstart from the first village. Games can have first kill bonuses and stuff for people who kill a boss for the first time and so.

I made a short term plan to take advantage of things I can while others are dealing with the situation while trying to remember all the things the Game Master had said.

This world is as real as the real world.

So stop thinking of this as a Game and start viewing this as a real world where people have a special type of power.

I brought out a piece of paper and made some notes of the things that I remembered to check out for in the next hour.

- Scene Change -

A week has passed since the opening of this game. I'm not sure if I should even call this a game anymore.

Any and all hopes of this being shut down were starting to die down.

And the most ridiculous thing about this was that I was not really bothered by any of this. I mean a bit but considering people who had shut themselves inside the inn or their makeshift homes, I might as well be enjoying my life here. The panic phase had started differently for everyone. Fifteen minutes after the announcement, some people had started to become uneasy. An hour later they had started panicking and shouting profanities. Around two hours later, Things had started to become crazy as people had started attacking the npc's while some others huddled and started crying.

I had taken that time to collect all the quests I could at a single time and left to the outskirts of the village to complete them.

I needed a T2 Class job to get ahead and a T3 to stay safe. This was however easier said than done.

The rabbit pelts were used to make a scarf which was offered to the Blacksmith's apprentice, getting me a thanks from him and a recommendation to the Hunter of the village because I could hunt well apparently.

The Hunter was the boy's uncle.

I also got to meet the Blacksmith who gave me several quests which were basically to mine for ores, collect the fangs of the Sharp Fanged Wolves, the tusks of the Black Nosed Boars and such.

These quests were however currently outside my range because any one of those animals could make a chow out of me.

I paid a visit to the village Hunter who was another old man, Gunter.

The letter gave me the chance to become an apprentice hunter. My first test to become an Apprentice Hunter was to hunt 20 Rabbits and a boar.

Now, the first part was easy.

It just needed time.

The second one was hard. I had gained two levels after the Blacksmith's quest and another one of Martha's quests but a level 4 Villager alone would still die if facing a boar.

The trap to hunt a boar was expensive and by expensive I mean really expensive.

I had gotten a few tools from the Blacksmith. An axe, a shovel, a pickaxe for mining as well as several pieces of rope.

It took me hours to dig a hole and disguise it somewhat. Some chilli powder was collected from the General Stores and made into makeshift bombs after mixing it with water.

The next part was waiting on a tree for the boar. I spotted one after an hour or so and threw stones at it, bringing it towards me and then I threw the chilli water on its eyes. The beast cried out in pain as it thrashed around finally dropping into the hole.

I attacked it with the pickaxe, putting a hole through its head.

The Kill netted me one hundred and twenty experience points pushing me near level 5.

The old hunter took the quest loot and made me his formal apprentice and gave me a badge which signified the title.

Apprentice Hunter's Insignia

+1 STR, +1 DEX

I got the notification at the same moment.

T2 Class: Apprentice Hunter Unlocked.

By then the people had gone full on mad and started attacking the villagers. The Villagers were much stronger and everyone who did such a thing was put in the Village Chief's prison.

Almost half of the players were thrown in prison.

Their sentence will be for the next two weeks. This had instantly calmed down the rest of the players who retreated into whatever holes they could find for themselves.

I on the other hand went ahead and started my training with Gunter. It was basically him teaching me three new skills.

Track, Set Trap and Skinning.

All he did was send me out to hunt boars after that. Thankfully the new skills were very efficient in taking down those things and I filled the outskirts of the entire forest with the traps.

In the next two days I maxed up my Villager Class which finally gave me the option to change into the Apprentice Hunter Class.

Congratulations on being the first one from your Village to advance to a 2nd Tier Class.

Title Gained

One Among a Hundred

+10% increased Exp Gain.

Keep doing your best, Player.

The Game had such things?

This changed everything completely.

50,000 Villages meant that at least 50,000 players will get this title. What's next?

First in a town, first in a prefecture, first in a country?

Hunting Boars was not giving as much experience any more. In fact the Exp Gain was halved after I changed to a T2 Class, a single boar started giving me 60 Exp.

The Apprentice Hunter Class gave +2 STR, +2 END and +3 DEX Per Level.

The Class itself gave the user a Basic Weapons Skills.

I took the opportunity to skin all the boars and sell the meat to the Village Butcher while the Skin was used to make a new set of armour for myself.

The money was used to procure enough materials for the long hunt that I was planning to go on. I bought everything that I thought was important. Books on the local flora and fauna, basics of weapon maintenance and two sets of swords, spears and a Bow with two quivers of arrows. Water pouches and food that can be stored for long journeys and plenty of medicine, both some basic antidotes and healing salves and a pair of goggles to protect my eyes. Martha gave me some more collection quests as I was now an Apprentice Hunter.

In about a day or two, the ones who are in depression will have to force themselves to move and crowd the usual hunting ground where I hunt. I wasn't planning to hang around there anyway but it still would be inconvenient for levelling up.

I plan to pick up the pace and level up till I max this Class.