I have no idea where I am. Looking around, I felt pain because of my stiff neck, probably from laying on the grass for a while.
"Wait—pain...?"
I remembered that I specifically lowered the pain setting to 0%. I shouldn't be feeling any pain.
Did the pain setting increased? I remember that pain setting are always 0%.
"Is this a bug?"
Also, why does everything feel so detailed? I can smell the grass, feel the warmth of the sun, and the sensation of breezes.
All of these aren't supposed to be possible inside the VR game, because it's heavily limited when it comes to replicating senses.
I know VR is pretty advanced, but playing the game, you would know that it's a virtual space because of an alien feeling, like the character your controlling wasn't you.
But now I feel no such thing. Everything felt so real.
The texture of the dirt... The sharp feeling of the grass... And also.
I touched my face. It was smooth and soft. The VR game shouldn't have any of these senses yet.
It's too advanced. It might replicate reality a bit, but this is too real.
Did Hero's Fate update overnight?
"Ugh... My head..."
I felt like I forgot something... I can't exactly recall it—it's vague.
"...NPC?"
That's right, I remembered the NPC that teleported me here. Well, she's a bit creepy, especially with that smile.
"I should log out for now..."
Feeling tired, I decided to log out. I waved my hand in the air, wanting to log out.
"Huh...?"
No matter how I waved my hands in the air, nothing happened. No menu appeared.
"Status window."
Again, no response. Did the game bug out? No way, am I stuck inside the game now?
I repeatedly tried every way to log out, but nothing worked.
I touched my throat unconsciously, and I felt the familiar sensation. It's the AI voice changer mod I applied. It seems that it's still working.
"Testing..."
A magnetic voice rang out. This time, I felt it in my body too. This VR game is too advanced...
"Ahem."
Adjusting my voice to normal, I checked other things that were gone.
Status window, Inventory, and Menu are gone. Except for those, everything seems to be working.
"Skills set."
[Skills:
1. Random Skills (Lv. Max)
2. Magic Aura (Lv. Max)
3. Sacrificial Skills (Locked)]
A familiar panel appeared in front of me. I swiped my hand to the right. A new panel appeared.
[Equipments]
[Headgear: Broken White Horn of an Ancient Dragon (+0 luck)
Torso: Broken Lucky Fabric (+0 luck)
Leggings: Broken Lucky Fabric (+0 luck)
Accessory:
1. Broken Ring of Luck (+0 luck)
2. Broken Ring of Fortune (×1 luck)]
"Great... Just great. Everything is broken."
Basically, with my equipment broken, my [Random Skills] is almost worthless. With thousands upon thousands of skills, only a few are actually useful.
So most of the time, without a luck boost, I'd probably pull weak skills or skills that self-destruct me.
"...Well, since I'm here, I might as well explore."
I decided to pat my clothes to remove some dirt, and I began walking. I felt slightly heavy, but I continued walking in this endless green field.
I saw some monsters far away. Most of them are either goblins or slimes between levels 5–15.
Well, with my current stats at level 1, I'd probably die if I'm their opponent. Unless I got lucky and activated an awesome skill from [Random Skills].
But that would probably not happen.
I am getting tired from walking for hours, an experience I never felt inside a game. Exhaustion. It almost seems like I'm in another world...
"No no no no... Haha, that can't be true..."
I shook my head in denial. As I was walking, I heard a rustle behind me. I looked behind. There was something hiding in the tall patches of grass.
"Great..."
If it's a monster, I'd probably die, but if it's an NPC, it would save me. Let's just hope I'm lucky.
Straightening my back, readying my arm to fire [Random Skills] if necessary, and silently increasing the intensity of [Magic Aura], I stared at the patches of grass.
Using the voice changer, I changed my voice a bit, but I hesitated for a bit.
Since we're here, I will roleplay. Remember, I am the great white dragon.
Remember.
"I know you're there."
A magnetic voice rang out, vibrating the air. This made the one hiding in the tall grass twitch and stop.
After a moment, someone exited the tall patches of grass. My eyes slightly widened when I saw who came out.
[Lv. 214]
A level 214 dwarf. It was a male dwarf. What a surprise. Finding a dwarf alone is kind of rare.
But a level 214 dwarf? Even rarer. Most never reached level 100 because they are a race that was never meant to fight.
While looking at him, he walked while trembling towards me. He kept his head down, unable to look at me.
"State your name."
He trembled greatly.
***
I'm Johnole, and I was exploring the great green field full of monsters.
It was rumored that in this area, there is a hidden legendary existence—a dragon.
Said to be extinct a few thousand years ago, and can only be called a myth.
People said that dragons aren't real, but recent rumors said that someone saw a dragon living here.
Since it was a rumor that could be dismissed easily, even the empire never bothered to check if it's real or not.
Well, whether dragons exist or not, it's not stopping me from collecting materials for my blacksmithing.
They said dwarves are only meant for blacksmithing. Like hell I'm gonna rot inside that place forever.
I ain't gonna wait for some adventurer to take my request, only to bring low-level material that couldn't even be used in creating a broken dagger.
If I want material, I will get them myself. I'm a dwarf, so what? I can hammer monsters away.
"Huh! This is a rocky worm!"
I checked inside a patch of grass and saw a moving worm that was covered with rocks.
This is a rocky worm. Sometimes, they even have rare gems inside them. If not, the rocks covering them could be used as an accessory or weapon, but they are rare to find in the wild. Lucky me!
"Hehe..."
Silently picking up the rocky worm, wiping my dripping saliva before putting it in my bag.
As I was about to stand up, I suddenly felt an extreme pressure. Like my very soul was getting squeezed. I tried regulating my mana, but it only made it worse.
My back was sweating as my heartbeat accelerated. I felt as if someone was watching me. This made me tremble uncontrollably.
My instincts are telling me to run, but due to fear, I couldn't move, let alone run.
Someone... No...
Something indescribably strong is nearby that emits this kind of pressure. The likelihood of it being a monster is high.
Whoever it is... I mustn't get discovered, or I will be killed!
"I know you're there."
A cold magnetic male voice shook my soul. My heart tightened. I'm discovered!
He can talk, which means I could negotiate...! Maybe I could survive!
Led by my instinct and decision, I slowly stood up, using my last bit of strength to stand.
I was trembling, and I can't even see the one who's giving me this monstrous pressure.
Walking in front of him felt like I'm stepping closer to my death. The pressure was getting stronger as I felt him staring at me.
"State your name..."
The voice up close almost made me pass out. My soul is trembling in front of him, and I know one slip and I will be killed instantly.
"M-my name is Johnole, O great existence."
I knelt in front of him sincerely. I still couldn't stop my heartbeat from beating so fast. Despite my trembling fingertips, I suppressed it.
Since he can talk, it means he has some sort of intelligence. And who doesn't like praises?
Start with praises to gain his favor. I felt that my plan is genius.
"...Don't kneel, and look at me in the eyes."
Oh no! My back sweated as my pupils trembled uncontrollably. My breathing became fast as realization hit me.
He thinks that I'm too unworthy to be kneeling in front of him! I mean, who wouldn't get disgusted if a goblin suddenly knelt in front of them?
This must've disrespected him! And what did he mean by saying to look at his eyes?
Will he consume my soul because of it...!?
God, if you exist, please help me...