Light blue flames flickered deep within a pair of dark, eyeless sockets, gazing back at me emotionlessly. The skeleton reflected in the water’s surface was wearing the same exquisite armor that I was.
It had completely slipped my mind. If my abilities here were just as limited as they had been in the game, I probably would have noticed sooner. However, without this reminder, I had completely forgotten which avatar I was playing.
My usual in-game avatar was based on a humanoid that I had customized down to the last detail. The system allowed players to make all sorts of customizations to their appearance, even inventing your own species. You could give your avatar elongated ears to make an elf, or maybe a pig-like nose to make an orc, just to name a few.
For a fee, you could gain access to even more avatar customizations, one of which was a skeleton avatar.
My friends had criticized me for choosing such a meaningless customization. It may have been a paid avatar, but it wasn’t like anyone would be able to see it, since I was covered in armor.
Even I hadn’t noticed until I removed my helmet and saw my reflection in the water…
I shook my head and tried clearing my thoughts to refocus myself, though the shock was more emotional than anything. I was surprised at how calm I continued to be, though that provided little comfort considering the situation I found myself in.
This is going to be a pretty big problem, I realized.
There was no way I could remove my helmet in front of people, not looking like this. Someone may think I was some sort of monster and try to kill me.
I also wasn’t sure where I stood in terms of strength in this world. Considering that my appearance in the game had transferred over here, it was almost certain there were other monsters out there who’d transferred as well—monsters I wouldn’t be able to defeat alone.
I glanced around at my surroundings as the weight of the situation finally began settling in. As far as I could see, nothing but a serene expanse lay in front of me. I didn’t see anything that may pose a threat. Knowing that I had a spell like Dimensional Step to escape any dangers at least provided me with some comfort.
But now I needed to think about my next step.
I decided I should lie low and try not to stand out. That was really my only option. Considering my appearance under the armor, it didn’t really seem like a good idea to go near any populated areas. On the other hand, it wasn’t like I could just wander for the rest of my days, hiding out in a world I knew nothing about. Perhaps I wouldn’t need to take my armor off right away, even in populated areas. But even if that were the case, the armor itself was far too extravagant; it would draw plenty of attention on its own. And, again, it wasn’t like I could just take it off.
The only things I truly had in this world—a world I didn’t even know the name of—were my armor and weapons. I’d lost all my in-game items and money. So, first and foremost, I needed to find a way to start earning money and put together some sort of lifestyle.
I could feel my head heating up the harder I thought, so I stuck it into the river. The chilly water immediately began cooling me as it flowed past my exposed skull.
I hesitantly took a drink. I could feel the water flow down my throat and spread throughout my body. However, when I brought a hand to my throat, all I felt was the vertebrae that made up my neck.
How was a skeleton able to drink water, and where did it even go? And how was I able to taste it?
I figured it was best not to worry about the little things right now. I could feel my head starting to overheat again.
First, I needed to pull myself together and begin looking for a village or town. If I followed the river downstream, I was bound to find some sort of human settlement.
I took my helmet from under my arm and put it back onto my head, resuming my travel with Dimensional Step.
There was a road running alongside the river, so I figured I couldn’t be far from some settlement or other. Even at my most charitable, I couldn’t call the road nice, or even well taken care of. It consisted mainly of compacted dirt, and I could see where carts had passed through from the ruts etched into the ground. Judging by the road, and the surrounding environment, whatever civilization lived in these parts didn’t appear to be very advanced.
As I continued using Dimensional Step to travel downstream, parallel to the road, I spied a horse-drawn carriage and several horses stopped around it. I should have been excited about finally encountering some people from this world, but something about the situation felt very disconcerting.
I transported to a spot above the scene with a good vantage point, where I could watch over the carriage and its surroundings.
I saw a hulking figure clad in leather armor stab another man—one of the carriage’s guards, it seemed—straight through the mouth. Around them, five other men who appeared to be guards lay motionless on the ground. There were also a few unkempt men sprawled out among them. The hulking man who’d stabbed the guard and five other men clad in similar clothing—mercenaries, bandits, or something similar—were all that remained. There were also two women, whom the bandits were handling roughly.
Judging by the looks—and the lecherous smiles—the bandits were giving these women, it was apparent where things were going next.
The whole scene further reinforced my impression that I was in a distinctly non-modern world. Horses and carriages were still being used as a means of transportation, and the men’s clothes were straight out of a medieval play. What’s more, they were just casually killing people with swords in the middle of the day.
But, I thought as I glanced down at my gleaming armor with a sigh, others would probably say the same about me.
The gleeful laughter and shouts of the bandits tearing away clothing mixed with the screams and pleas of the pinned-down women.