The attacks collide against my sword, but they aren’t heavy at all, Scott realizes. I get it. A weapon weighs nothing more than a feather when equipped, and impacts with other weapons feel the same…
Harrington pierces a sword through Scott’s chest, taking advantage of the momentary distraction. “You’re wide open!” he declares.
Scott immediately backtracks, causing Harrington to pull his sword back.
I don’t feel the pain, and there’s no blood rushing out. Scott grows stiffer by the second as his hand tightly clasps the front of his shirt. But that piercing sensation… I definitely felt it. It’s like fighting monsters all over again.
Feeling things like this makes me damn uncomfortable.
Harrington smirks as he raises the sword to his chest, letting the blade lean on his shoulder. “We were planning to talk, right? What other questions do you have?”
“…I can’t think of any at the moment,” Scott replies tersely as he forces the discomfort to go away. He cautiously brandishes his sword, narrowing his eyes at Harrington.
…This game is sensational.
It makes me want to know more and more about this world. The curiosity is almost eating me alive.
For the first time in most of his life, Scott grins in anticipation.
“Come at me again, old man.”
Harrington is staring at him, startled. Then he can’t resist a chuckle.
He should really smile more often.
“All right. Be prepared, Scott!” he warns before charging at him again.

***

(Part 2: Aliyah Sifer)

In another setting within the game, a woman sighs, taking a deep breath before raising her arms.
I can’t believe I’m doing this, she thinks to herself forlornly, but I’m already here, so…
A spark of lightning conjures itself from her fingertips. In her other hand, ice spreads over her palm.
Lightning and ice.
From the moment she entered the game and had the basics given to her, she already knew that she was going to be a sorceress. She didn’t want to wield a weapon despite attending a fencing class each week (for formality’s sake), and she definitely didn’t want to be a Demon Type. Runes didn’t quite interest her, either.
Let’s see what I’m actually capable of.
In an instant, lightning scorches the trees. Afterwards, ice spreads across the forest.
She marvels at her handiwork. Amazing… so this is how it feels to actually wield magic!
I might be playing this game for the whole summer now. Good thing I didn’t take extra classes back at my school!
She cheers to herself once more. I can play all I want in this game!
Now, before I embark on my very first quest, I gotta find someone I know and play along with them! She eagerly nods to herself. That way, if I ever get KO-ed, there’ll be someone to revive me!
With that, she exits from the small training forest and sets off towards the direction where many players are gathered, chattering excitedly to themselves. She can even see a few showcasing their Type’s abilities.
I think most of them are Usual Types, with some of them being Sorcerer Types like me.
She doesn’t have to walk far, for she spots a familiar someone by the pond in the park.
Strolling towards the person, she puts on a placid smile.
“Jenna.”
The girl turns around at the sound of her real name, startled.
“Who on earth — whoa, is that you, M—”
“My game name here is Aliyah,” she smoothly interrupts, stretching her hand out. “Aliyah Sifer.”
The girl stares for a moment, then laughs.
“Okay, okay. My name here is Vilandra Luchnerg.” Vilandra shakes Aliyah’s hand. “So, does this mean I shouldn’t regard you as my big sister in this game?”
Aliyah smiles. “Frankly, I’m even surprised that you managed to recognize me in an instant. I altered my whole appearance, you know.”
Vilandra chuckles. “Come on, sis. We’ve been living together for eighteen years. I’m the closest person to you! Even if your hair, eyes, and nose are different, I can still recognize you in a heartbeat!” Vilandra then proceeds to inspect Aliyah from head to toe, looking intrigued. “But boy, this game is amazing, sis! It renders our features as smooth, so you can hardly see any freckles or acne on anyone at all! We all look so 3D, it’s awesome!”
Aliyah laughs. “You’re looking pretty gorgeous yourself, Jenna.”
“It’s Vilandra, I said!”
“Oh, sorry! Forgot.”
Vilandra huffs in exasperation. “Anyway, let’s team up and go beat up some monsters!” she exclaims excitedly.
Aliyah smiles, placing a hand on her hip. “Then where are we supposed to go?”
“Well… dangerous creatures usually reside in the big forests, right?!” Vilandra guesses.
“Uh huh… but what if they’re high-leveled?” Aliyah points out. “Remember, we’re only Level 1.”
Vilandra pouts. “There you go again with your logic,” she says defeatedly. “Makes sense… but awww, I really want to try this power out, you know!”
“Why? What type did you choose?”
“I’m a Rune Type,” Vilandra says proudly, lifting her hand at face-level for Aliyah to see her right wrist glowing a bright gray. “I chose a Sleep Rune for my right and a Water Rune for my left. They’re both pretty cool powers, if I do say so myself!”
“But you haven’t tried them out yet, have you?” Aliyah guesses.
“Well… I just got here, okay?” Vilandra grins brightly. “The NPC girl I talked with when I began the game told me everything there is to know about my Type! I just had to extract all the juicy details from her, so I found out that the runes players are starting out with are at their very basic level!”
“Hmm, interesting…” Aliyah muses in intrigue. “Elaborate if you can.”
Vilandra nods in excitement. “Okay, so here’s the thing: you can unlock different spells with Runes once you increase your MP level and also by the rate you use them! For example, my Water rune can only be used for a single spell: water splash. It’s a weak attack since it’s only at Level 1, but if I keep on upgrading it, I can summon a tsunami on my enemies if I want to! Awesome, right?!”