“Haah… haah… haaah… so it’s not a dream… or virtual reality… maybe I’m in a coma or something? But this feels way too real…”

  A figure lay sprawled in a forest surrounded by trees, his chest moving rapidly due to exhaustion.

  “Wait… this could be like some super-secret, super-evil government test or something like that… damn evil governments and their never-ending quest for power… nah, it's unlikely. Could this be real… like really real? Did… did I reincarnate in a new world?”

  The figure raised an arm toward the sky and felt a gentle wind.

  “Don’t these stories usually send someone more… capable? Maybe not, but they should have… that’s if I was sent here by some force or something… wait, do you think?”

  The figure looked toward a tree, where an unknown animal vaguely resembling a bird with a spiked tail and four legs, alongside a pair of wings, squealed and then vanished into the air.

  “…Ok… ok, this… this is fine… right, right, it’s fine. Let’s think… if I was sent here, whoever or whatever sent me wouldn’t just leave me in the middle of some random forest miles out from civilization… right? So by that logic, there should be like… a town or something nearby I could get to by foot…”

  The figure, with one last deep breath, stood up and raised a finger toward the forest.

  “Eeny, meeny, miny, mo… that way I shall go!” he said after randomly choosing a direction.

  “Well, that’s… weird… that’s not my face… it doesn’t look anything like mine… not one bit. So I got a new body too… great. Couldn’t you just teleport me here if you needed me? Why give me a new body? I liked the old one better. Wait… oh god, please don’t tell me…”

  With a sudden thought, he rose to his feet and… checked his pants.

  “It’s still there… ok… ok… so I just look a little feminine. Not a girl… not a girl… wait, why do I look like a girl? Where are my gains?! Oi! OI! Answer me, you… whatever you are!!” he shouted, pointing toward the sky accusingly.

  He sighed after not getting a response and looked at himself once more. Light brown hair cut short, eyes of the same color, skin lighter than his previous body. His face was also far more… round. Height was reduced too, but that’s likely due to this body still being young. His voice, which frankly should have been the first clue to him having a new body, was nowhere near as deep as before—though still decidedly a man’s voice, or rather, a boy’s.

  “…Let’s just go find a place with people. I’d rather not spend even a night in some forest filled with god knows what…”

  He thought about where this potential civilization could be. He looked around.

  “Think, Alex, think… where would I put a house?”

  His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of splashing water.

  “…Hmm?”

  Alex looked toward the direction of the sound and saw… a small critter much like a fox but with multiple sharp-looking needles on its back. The fox-like thing had tried to catch a fish, it seemed, and had failed.

  “Water… WATER, RIGHT! I CAN FOLLOW THAT!”

  Alex facepalmed and looked at the stream where he had seen his reflection just moments ago.

  “Why the hell didn’t I think of that the first time!”

  Alex rubbed his face… then looked in the direction the water was going.

  “If I remember correctly… I’m supposed to follow this upstream… right? Wait, wasn’t that debunked? Who cares, at least it’s something for me to follow. Maybe I’ll see some fisherman or something.”

  He sighed and started following the river.

  “Welcome back, how was the questing today?” a cheery voice asked.

  A not-so-cheery voice responded, “...Just… give me my reward, Taria, I’m really not in the mood today.”

  Taria looked at the adventurer, who was covered in grime and what might have been dried goblin blood. She hummed.

  “Fine, fine. Show me the proof first,” she said, motioning with her hands.

  The adventurer sighed and removed a small sack attached to his side and handed it to her.

  “Hmm… yep, that’s eight goblin eyes! Yuck… here, that’s ten sol just for you. Good luck out there.”

  Taria handed the adventurer ten copper coins and put the goblin eyes in a metal box that had mist rising from it.

  Soon another adventurer came to her.

  “Ahh, Vert! Welcome back. How’s our Silver Spearman doing today?” she asked.

  Vert, a tall man wearing armor made from blue steel with gold trimming, had a cocky smile on his face.

  “How do you think? I just massacred a whole group of bandits out in the south. The local town there held a celebration just for me. Haha! Here’s the proof.”

  Vert reached into his pocket and took out a piece of parchment and handed it to Taria, who read it.

  “Hmm… this is proof of Vert Grimholder completing the quest… signed by Martim Hvier, town elder and leader of Fortal Mining Town south of the Ervil Manor… yep, it’s all correct. Here’s your reward—forty poli just for you…”

  Vert took the forty silver coins and then held Taria’s hand.

  “Ms. Taria… say, are you free tonight? I’d like to take you out on an adventure,” he said, eyes narrowing as he leaned in.

  Only to have two fingers jab into his eyes.

  “GAAHA! Why?! Couldn’t you just reject me like a normal person?”

  Taria, in response, said, “Nope… anyways, go along now. I’m sure Ms. Fauna is waiting for you…”

  She looked at Vert, who seemed to have more to say, but with a raised finger showing her sharp nails, he squirmed away.

  “That’s what you get for breaking Maria’s heart last month,” she whispered as she blew on her nails.

  Soon a ring of the guild’s bell was heard and she looked toward it.

  “Welcome, adventurer! How can I help you today?”

  Only, the person who came inside was not one of her usual folk. Instead, it was… a little lady?

  (Whoa… she’s pretty…)

  The “lady” came forward with a tired look in “her” eyes. Taria looked at them and guessed they were here to give out a quest for an adventurer.

  “Are you here to place a quest, little girl? Please fill out this paper—I can help if you’re illiterate!”

  The “girl” looked at Taria with a raised eyebrow… then with both eyebrows raised.

  “Oh… umm, I’m not a girl. I’m a guy…”

  Taria blinked.

  (That’s a guy?... THAT’S A GUY?!)

  She stammered, trying to apologize.

  “Oh, uh, I’m sorry, young la—sir… uhh, how can I help you today…”

  The GUY looked at her and sighed.

  “Alex. The name’s Alex… is this place an adventurer’s guild? Sorry, that’s probably a stupid question. I’m new and I’ve never seen a guild before.”

  Taria looked at the person and realized,

  (Was… was he giving me a branch out of this embarrassing moment...?)

  “Ah, right! Well then, welcome, Sir Alex, to the Adventurer’s Guild in Kabara. You must be from a faraway place to have never seen a guild building before.”

  “Uhh, yes… I’m… from far away…”

  Alex looked dejected.

  (Crap, did I say something bad… oh wait, maybe he ran away from home or something… nooo maybe… maybe his home is gone ? … monster activity has increased recently… poor guy must have lost a lot… I’ll make sure to help him out then!)

  She thought, feeling a sense of kinship with Alex—as she too had lost her village and family many years ago before becoming a receptionist at the guild. She knew what it was like to lose everything.

  “Well Mr. Alex, welcome again to our humble guild… am I to assume you’re here to register as an adventurer?”

  “Can I get back to you on that later… I’m still thinking about my options. What exactly do I have to do to become an adventurer, though… just so I know?”

  Taria smiled.

  “Well, it’s pretty easy! You just put your name, age, race, and capabilities in this here paper. We then test your capabilities to see what rank to put you in. From there on out, you can either choose to do this part-time or full-time. But be warned—if you choose full-time, you’ll be expected to complete a set number of quests per week. Otherwise, you’ll get demoted to a lower rank!

  “Oh, and joining the guild can have many benefits—like easy access to tools, weapons, potions, and so much more! In fact, if you sign up today, you’ll get three health potions of low quality for free! Alongside a bag and a weapon of your choosing! How does that sound? Don’t you just want to be an adventurer already?”

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  She gave out the casual spiel about the benefits of joining, to which Alex responded with a deadpan expression.

  She sighed and gave a dejected expression before saying,

  “You could at least pretend to listen, you know?”

  At Taria’s sad face, Alex sighed and gave her a bone.

  “Well… I’ll think about it. But just in case, what quests are currently available right now?”

  Taria rose up like a comet.

  “Oh ho! Well, let’s see. Hmm… currently the majority of quests are monster extermination quests, due to the recent monster dens being claimed by stronger monsters, throwing out lower-tier monsters. Other than those, we have collection quests for herbs and plants from an apothecary… along with a mining quest for the blacksmith’s guild and a farmhand job to help collect meat honey from buzzard nests.”

  Alex listened to Taria and nodded.

  “Can I know what those herbs and plants look like?”

  Taria nodded.

  “Here, it’s drawn on the quest form. Most adventurers are illiterate, so we make drawings to help them.”

  Taria laughed as she handed Alex the paper. Alex hummed as he looked at the picture.

  “Hey… Taria, right? Does joining include lodging? As in, can I stay here or somewhere nearby if I join?”

  Taria thought.

  “No, not directly… buuuut we do have somewhat to help you with that…”

  Alex looked at Taria, who had a cheeky expression, then sighed.

  “Only if I join?”

  Taria nodded.

  “Only if you join…”

  Alex sighed.

  “Fine, but just one more question… you said I’ll have to write down my ‘capabilities,’ right? What do those include exactly?”

  Taria smiled and said,

  “Well, the most common ones are: ranged, melee, magic, and support. Those are the roles that indicate your capabilities. If it falls somewhere in those roles, then it counts. Though you have to actually prove you’re at least somewhat proficient with your role, otherwise we won’t accept you.”

  Alex looked at her, seemingly gaining energy from this talk.

  (Haha, I’m so great! Just talking with me makes someone’s day!)

  Taria thought—only to see Alex leave.

  “...Hey, wait! Where are you going!!?”

  Alex didn’t respond, only raising a hand and saying,

  “’Kay, bye. Thanks for the explanation,”

  and headed out of the guild.

  Taria fell on her desk.

  “...”

  She was silent until—thonk!

  “No sleeping during work hours. I thought I told you this, Taria.”

  A book gently bonked her on the head. It was Guild Master Bartol.

  “...Leave me be… I feel like crap right now.”

  Bartol held in a chuckle and asked,

  “Lose another potential adventurer? Yeah, I know what that feels like… well, not directly. I never had trouble with recruiting. Mostly my peers did. Haha! But I’m sure he’ll come back… the allure of being an adventurer is far too strong for someone so young to resist.”

  Taria looked at Guild Master Bartol and gave him a deadpan expression.

  “You suck.”

  She kicked him in the leg, yet Bartol had no reaction other than laughing.

  “Right… how can I do this…”

  After leaving the guild, Alex’s mood was better—mostly due to confirming certain things. Mostly that, just like in the stories, those who go into another world have a cheat skill or ability. And his is translation.

  He had no issues understanding the people. Alongside this… reading.

  “I can actually read the language… well, not really. I can understand what’s written, but I don’t know what it says. It’s like… being able to get the intention without the actual understanding of the language… neat…”

  “It does require a lot of focus, though…”

  Another thing he confirmed—though this was more of an afterthought until the guild receptionist brought it up—

  “Magic…”

  Yes, magic. I need it. Forget everything for a second. I want to cast fireball!!!

  He raised his arm and with as much focus as he could gather, he shouted—

  “FIREBALL!!!”

  …Dang it.

  “Didn’t work. Just made myself look like a madman… at least I’m back in the forest where there’s no one around to judge me. Except for the trees—and boy do they judge.”

  In fact, Alex could feel their nonexistent eyes bore into him in judgment.

  “Well, I’d like to see you try… huh? What’s that? …Thought so. All bark and no bite… heh.”

  After laughing at his own joke, he sat down.

  “Magic… well, let’s see. If this is anything like those stories I read back on Earth, then… there are a few ways for me to cast magic.”

  He raised five fingers.

  “Number one: incantations. Ahem… oh flame, heed my word, I command thee—FIREBALL!”

  …Nothing. Just more judgmental trees. One finger down.

  “Number two: magic wands. I’ll try a stick for now…”

  He picked up a stick from a nearby bush and with a few hand motions shouted—

  “FIREBALL!”

  Nothing again. “Really?” Another finger down.

  “Meditation… nope.” Another finger.

  “Nope again.”

  Finally, after half an hour of attempts… it happened.

  “...”

  He gathered himself, calmed down, and focused on thinking about fire.

  “What is it…? Oxygen, air, fuel, friction, and a lot more…”

  He raised his arm… and imagined energy coming from it, creating fire—just a small flame, about the same as a lighter.

  After a minute or so… heat.

  He opened his eyes.

  “Ha… haha… I did it! YES!!”

  He raised his arms, fists clenched—then immediately regretted it, as the flame was in his hand, causing him to burn his palm.

  “AHH… that’s… yeah, that makes sense. Not sure why I thought it wouldn’t hurt me.”

  “Okay, now let’s try using it as an attack…”

  Repeating the same steps, Alex made another flame about the same size. Then, with a thought, he shaped the flame into a small ball, the size of a marble. He raised his arm and threw it. It leapt and hit a nearby tree, leaving no mark.

  “So it’s weak… maybe I can add mass?”

  Alex picked up a few dry leaves and a stick barely the size of a finger. After repeating the same thing—though this time imagining the flame combining with the leaves and stick—after a few seconds, the flame looked bigger and stronger. It felt heavier, even though it just floated above his palm. He threw it, and this time it had a noticeable impact on the tree, leaving a small crack on the bark along with scorch marks.

  “Nice,” he thought.

  “So I can use materials for added effect… hmmm, maybe I should carry a little bag with wood and stuff for spell casting. Guess I’ll have to become an adventurer. It’s probably my best bet… not like I know how to do anything else… it’s probably my only real chance of living here till I find a way back home… if that’s even possible… Well, with that done, I think it’s time to get back to the guild.”

  —--------------------

  “See? I told you he would be back. Now go get the testing area ready. I’ll talk to him,” Baratol said, and Taria nodded as she looked at Alex, then sighed and went behind the counter into a room in the back.

  “Hello, are you here to become an adventurer? Here, just fill this out,” Baratol said, not waiting for Alex to say anything.

  Alex sighed and said, “I don’t know how to write.”

  Baratol nodded. “Just tell me your name, age, capabilities, and race. I’ll do it for you.”

  Alex nodded.

  “Alex… just Alex. No last name. Sixteen, I think. And I’m good at magic… I think… I’m human.”

  Baratol looked at him and raised an eyebrow but shrugged and wrote down the info.

  (Human… what the hell is that? Must be from one of the other realms. They can be pretty weird… This guy looks just like a Zarian, just like us. Weird…) Baratol thought as he completed the written part.

  “Now, if you can come with me, we’ll start the capability test to see if you can qualify.”

  Alex nodded nervously and followed him out back, where Taria was, along with a small target for practice and some kind of small crystal.

  “You said you’re good with magic. See if you can hit that target. The degree of damage on it will determine your placement.”

  Alex sighed and stepped forward. He raised his arm while holding some small sticks he had broken down into smaller pieces, then tried to make his biggest fireball yet. It was the size of a baseball. For added effect, he imagined it spinning. He raised his arm back and let loose the ball of fire. It was still pretty slow—nowhere near the speed of an actual baseball or anything like that. Hell, he could probably catch it if he ran. But once it hit the target, it exploded and made it fall backward

  Taira looked at the device in her hand…the magic crystal lit up..”blue..hmmm..yep thats enough to qualify!”

  “Hmm, if I had to guess, you’ll end up a Copper Rank 1… that’s… not the worst, I guess,” Baratol said, trying to sound nice.