Kingdom of battles ✓

Chapter 2

I looked around, my eyes completely wide with shock. I still couldn't believe that the NOA company actually managed to create something like that. They were right when they said that the Kingdom of battles was something that the world had never seen before. It was because the video game was... a whole new world. It wasn't like the others, where you had to play it in front of the computer, click stuff on your keyboard and similar shit. No, in Kingdom of battles you actually lived the video game; you entered its world.

I was currently standing on top of some kind of cliff and I had a pretty good view from it. I could see some kind of village a kilometer or two away from it, surrounded by a beautiful forest. I even had the view of the tall mountains with white tops on the horizon.

I slowly raised my slightly shaky hands, covered by fingerless blue gloves. This was... the dream of every gamer. There were countless times when I wished for something like that, but I never thought that it could actually be possible. Now my dream had come true.

I slowly clenched my fingers into fists and a grin appeared on my face. I couldn't wait to start playing this, but at first I wanted to reach the village to see the other player's reactions. Maybe ask them how I could improve my abilities in this game. I knew that this wasn't going to be like the usual games, I was actually going to have to do stuff. I wouldn't have my avatar to fight for me, I'll actually have to do it myself.

I raised my hand in the air and an almost invisible screen appeared in front of it. My eyes scanned the information about me that were printed there. I could see my name, all of my skills (that were currently zero) and next to that was also a picture of myself and the way I looked in the game. It was pretty different than the usual 'hobo-Natsu', even if I knew that every other player started the game like that.

I was wearing a simple blue T-shirt with short sleeves, some kind of grey mail shirt that didn't look very 'womanly', but I liked it, dark blue fingerless gloves that stopped already at my wrists, not protecting much skin, simple grey pants and black boots. There was also a sword on my back and I had two knives attached to the belt that was holding my pants up.

So this was all they gave us to start with? Interesting...

I thoughtfully frowned and stroked my imaginary beard, ideas already appearing in my head. It was pretty normal for me to start analysing and creating strategies at the beginning of a game. I was like that in real life too, my mother told me that this was one of the rare things that Misaki and I had in common, we both thought about things way to much before actually doing them.

But I mean, I didn't want my life points to drop to zero before I could even reach the city. I mean, who would know what kind of creatures were hiding in the forest that was separating me from it? Even if this was still only the first level, so there weren't supposed to be any really strong ones... But knowing my luck, it was possible that I could run right in to the boss of the first level. It wouldn't actually surprise me.

Just when I was about to scan the cliff I was standing on and see if it was possible to somehow climb down from it, so I wouldn't have to go all the way around, I heard noises behind me. I instantly froze and my eyes slightly widened when the noises repeated. There was definitely something behind me, something that started approaching...

That was when I turned around and realised that I was being attacked by a small orange fox. I smiled with relief, thinking that there won't be any trouble, considering that I was used to battling far more scarier monsters in my video games, but the next second the fox's eyes already shone in a creepy red colour and it showed its sharp teeth at me.

I flinched and my eyes widened with shock. Then I quickly jumped back and carefully held the handle of the sword on my back. When I pulled it out I realised that it was more like a katana, but still surprisingly heavy.