I looked around as I arrived in town. It looked very... I dunno... generic? It's exactly what you'd expect from any old RPG. It for the most part had a kind of medieval feel to it, complete with an Inn, a Tavern, a Blacksmith Shop, etcetera. Admittedly, I was a little disappointed by how run-of-the-mill it was for a video game, but I was still in awe from how real it all looked and seemed. I walked up to the Tavern, figuring that's where I'd find some more experienced players that could help me get started. I reached forward, feeling the door, which legitimately felt wooden and again, I was impressed by the realistic quality of this game. I pushed the door open and walked into the bar-like Tavern to be greeted by the sounds of conversation and breaking glass. All around, other players were laughing and joking and getting into "Friendly" fights. It was like a bar scene in a movie. I let out a deep sigh and walked up to the bartender of the Tavern, who was an Elf with short black hair and a suit.

"You new here?" He asked.

"Yeah..." I began, a bit breathless, "How could you tell?"

"You have the look." He shrugged.

"'The look'?" I raised an eyebrow.

"You know," He explained, "That look of astonishment, that you're still surprised by how realistic everything is in here."

"How long have you been a Bartender here?" I asked, a little frightened by that amazing insight.

"That," He continued, "And your stats say you're at level 1 right now."

"My stats...?" I began.

"Yeh," The bartender began, "See, you can check out people's stats, their health, their magic, and their level. All you gotta do is will it. It's easy as breathin'." I focused, trying to do what he said. All of a sudden, a set of numbers and colored bars appeared next to the bartender. There was a green bar that had the words "Health: 300" In the middle of it. There was a purple bar that said "Mana: 125", and the words "Level 26" were above the bars.

"So, those are stats..." I breathed. He nodded.

"Here," He began, handing me a mug filled with a drink, "Since you're a new player, I'll give ya an ale on the house." I looked into the cup. I was still only 18, so I wasn't sure if this was okay or not. "Virtual alcohol doesn't count." The bartender said, once again seeming to read my mind. I shrugged, and took my drink over to a booth, where I sat alone for a bit. Before long, someone entered my booth, joining me. It was a level 15 Man-Beast, that looked around my age. He had dark blond hair with a streak of blood red and a streak of electric blue in it. He had large cat ears with fur that matched his hair and he looked friendly enough. He was wearing dark brown clothes, black fingerless gloves, and a black hooded cloak with the hood down as he sat in the seat in front of me.

"Hey," He began with a smile, waving, "You seem to be new."

"Is it that obvious?" I asked as I raised the mug of ale to my lips and took a drink. Suddenly my eyes widened and I spat the drink out, as it was the most disgusting thing I'd ever tasted.

"Heh, yeah." The guy smiled, "I'm Katuu, by the way." He held out his hand for a handshake. It was then that I realized I needed a username, something for people to call me that wasn't boring like my real name. Giving my real name would be boring and lazy, so I tried to quickly think of something cool.

"Call me Shin Nigami." I said, giving Katuu a handshake.

"Ooh, I might sound racist or something asking this, but are you Korean?" Katuu asked.

"Nope," I shook my head, "I just like anime."

"Heheh, same here, bro!" Katuu smiled, "Y'know, you should drink that Ale. It tastes like fried crap on soggy toast, but it increases your overall Mana. It's a good way to start out your game."

"Thanks..." I sighed, looking down at my drink again. I wasn't sure if a little more magic was worth going through the horrific taste again. I swallowed hard, deciding my best option was to chug it all down at once. I raised up the mug, nearly turning it upside down as I opened my mouth wide.

It didn't taste any better, and after I finished, I put a hand to my mouth, trying not to throw up.

"Heheh," Katuu grinned, "I was like that too when I had my first ale here." I gagged, wishing I had ANYTHING to wash the taste out of my mouth. "So, how you liking it so far?" Katuu asked, making me pause, "This insane VR?"

"Impressed doesn't even begin to cover it..." I sighed, "There have been a lot of VR games over the years, but they could only simulate two, maybe three of the five senses. But this... this is a whole other level of virtual reality. I can see the table, I can feel its wood, I can taste this disgusting ale, I can hear the sounds of fighting, and..." I then sniffed and noticed the stench of the Tavern, "Ech! I wish I couldn't smell the stale alcohol and gassy bastards in this bar!"

"Heh, I think I like you." Katuu chuckled, "Mind if I shoot you a friend request?"

"Sure." I shrugged. He held his hand out, as if putting it on a scanner. A computer-type screen appeared in front of him. He typed up a few things, then nodded as the screen disappeared. I did the same and a screen appeared in front of me, saying I'd received a friend request from Katuu. The message gave me his username, his gamertag, etcetera. I then frowned slightly. "Your Gamertag is xXx_MrBigDick_xXx?" I asked, hoping I'd read it wrong.

"Heheh..." Katuu laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. I sighed, clicking to accept Katuu's friend request. Suddenly, the mood in the building changed as two new guys entered. They both wore hooded black robes and walked in like they owned the place. Everyone went quiet and I could quickly see why. They were levels 210 and 195, way beyond anyone in the Tavern. Katuu flipped his hood up as his friendly attitude instantly disappeared. The two strong strangers walked up to the bartender, who was beginning to sweat.

"We'll take three ales, on the house!" One of them grinned.

"O-of course!" The bartender stuttered as he began to pour them a few drinks with shaking hands.

"What's going o-" I began, but Katuu suddenly reached forward, covering my mouth.

"Shut up!" He hissed in a whisper, "Maybe they'll just pass us by..."

The bartender finished with the three drinks and put them on the counter.

"Thanks loser!" One of the strangers laughed, taking one of the ales and dumping it on the bartender's head.

"Heheh, hahahahah!" The bartender laughed nervously, "Y-you got me again!"

"Har har har!" The other stranger snorted as he and his partner took their ales and chugged them down like it was tasty or something. They then continued their pig-like laughter as they exited the Tavern, shoving anyone near them.

"I think we're safe..." Katuu sighed, taking his hood off and letting go of my face.

"Who the hell were those jerks?" I asked.

"Blood Knights..." Katuu sighed, "They're a guild... well, more like a gang of bullies. They go around, messing with everyone and taking whatever they want. They're too high level for most people to do more than give them what they want. If you don't do as they say, they kill you and take all your equipment. In this game, if you die, you lose all your items, armor, and money. You only get to respawn with your default weapon and clothes, so if you kill someone, you can take all their armor and equipment."

"Man, someone ought to do that to them..." I grumbled.

"Heh, you wanna die, go ahead." Katuu shrugged, "Well, I'd better head back to my guild. My break time's over. If ya need a hand, send me a message. Since we're friends now, you can send me a message from pretty much anywhere." He then got up, flipped his hood back up, and walked out.

"Huh..." I sighed. I stayed at my seat for a few minutes, trying to process everything. I then hit myself, realizing I'd forgotten to ask Katuu where I might be able to find an item shop.

"I can tell you're wondering where the item shop is." The Bartender said, using a towel to wipe off the drink on his head.

"Are you psychic or something?" I asked.

"Heheh, I've just met a lot of new guys." The bartender answered, "I can tell when they wanna find the Inn, or the item shop, or when they just wanna get on to their first quest. The item shop can be found just outside the Tavern. Look to your left when you exit, you can't miss it."

"Thanks." I nodded, "Maybe I'll see you around."

"Have fun, new guy." The bartender waved as I left. As he said, right outside the Tavern, to my left, there was what seemed to be a vending cart, attended to by an Elf dressed in green with long blond hair.

"Yo." He greeted, waving at me.

"Hi." I nodded, "Can I take a look at your inventory, to see what I can buy?"

"Sure thing." He nodded, and handed me something that was like a restaurant menu, only instead of food and drinks, it was a menu of potions, charms, poisons, weapons, and so on. I didn't have any use for Mana potions, since I didn't know any spells yet, and I couldn't afford any fancy armor or weapons, so I decided to stock up on Health potions. That was how I usually went about things in any RPG, health comes first. I gave the Merchant my sack of gold pieces and asked for as many Health potions as I could buy with it. He nodded and handed me 10 potions, then gave me back the now empty sack.

"Uh... how do I travel around carrying all these?" I asked.

"Put them in the bag." The Merchant explained, "That's your inventory, it's where you hold all items you currently aren't using."

"Really?" I asked, disbelief in my voice. I started putting the potions into the bag and realized that despite its small size, they fit in perfectly with room to spare. "Huh..." I began, astonished, "Thanks." I then began to get to walking. "So..." I began, talking to myself, "How should I sta-" I was interrupted as someone bumped into me. She had long brown braided hair that came together at the collar bone. There were two blue roses, one in each braid. She had brown eyes and wore a light grey padded jacket with a stand-up collar and tight cuffs, a dark blue vest over her jacket with gold stars on the upper area and a black waist belt, with a sword in its sheath. She also had a small shield on her right shoulder and wore dark grey pants and black boots that come up to her thighs with golden knee pads. I also noticed a ring on her right hand, with an emerald green stone decorating it.

"Sorry." She apologized quickly. She was a level 5 Sylth, and something seemed... off about her. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She looked kinda familiar, almost like I'd seen her before. I figured she probably just based her avatar off a video game character I'd heard about.

"Not a problem." I smiled, then held out my hand, "Call me Shin."

"Rose." The girl nodded, shaking my hand.

"Nice to meet you Rose." I smiled.

"Same here." Rose smiled back, "So, what're you doing?"

"Well, I just got done stocking up on Health potions." I responded.

"Oh?" Rose inquired, "Going on your first quest already?"

"Nah." I shrugged, "That's just how I usually approach games. I stock up on health items so that if I get into a fight, I'll live long enough to get a few hits in, maybe even win the fight."

"That's pretty smart." Rose agreed, "So, you're a gamer then?"

"Yep." I nodded, "Been playing since I was four. I'm pretty sure there's pixels running through my veins instead of blood."

"Heheh." Rose chuckled, "You sound kinda like my boyfriend. He can't get enough of these things."

"Oh really?" I asked, "Bet I could beat him in PvP."

"Bet you can't." Rose argued, "He beat Wad of Gore 2 on its hardest difficulty."

"So did I." I responded.

"Heheh, then maybe it'll be an interesting fight to watch." Rose grinned, "Anyway, I'm about to head out on a quest, and I'd really rather not do it alone. If you wanna, you can come too."

"Well..." I pondered, "The gamer in me never refuses when a nice girl asks me to help her on an adventure. And I don't have anything better to do. Sure, I'll come along."

"Thanks." Rose smiled cutely. She then began to lead the way out of town with me following.

We spent what felt like an hour walking, seemingly aimlessly. As we walked through a dark and depressing forest setting, I decided to try and start conversation.

"So," I began, "What's this Quest about?"

"Shh!" Rose said, starting to act differently, "We're almost there. Should be there... right... about..."

"Hey!" a voice shouted, catching our attention. I turned, and suddenly froze in fear as I realized we were being approached by the Blood Knights I'd seen at the Tavern earlier.

"Now." Rose sighed, her hands on her hips.

"Who do you think you are, showing up on our turf?!" The one that's level 195 questioned, "Hmph! A few newbies like these, what do you say we do with 'em, Tiny?"

"They got guts." The level 210 named Tiny began, "Let's show them to 'em, Bigguy!"

"Whoa, whoa! Wait a minute!" I began, holding my hands up defensively as I tried to think of a way to avoid fighting guys way out of my league, "Fighting isn't necessary...!"

"Heh! Look at that!" Bigguy laughed, "Little red here's a chicken!"

"'Little red'? 'Chicken'?" I asked skeptically, looking at my red trench coat.

"Kid's probably got some health potions at best." Tiny added, "Let's kill him and take whatever he's got."

"Good idea." Bigguy nodded, then looked over at Rose, "What about the girl?"

"She's kinda cute..." Tiny began, stroking his chin, "Once the guy's dead, we'll see if she wants to go on a 'quest' with us."

"Creeps...!" Rose breathed.

"You're not gonna do anything with her!" I hissed, reaching behind me and clasping the sword resting on my back, "Just, leave us be, we'll leave."

"What makes you think you can tell us what to do, noob?!" Tiny shouted, charging at me with demented speed and pulling out a long katana. I pulled my sword out as quickly as I could, just barely managing to block. Our blades were locked in the collision as I tried to push him back, but he didn't budge. "You're still just a level one and you think you can boss me around?!" Tiny laughed, shoving me back. I was off balance for a moment, but regained my stance. I swung, but he dodged easily, and hit me in the back of the head with the butt of his sword. "Ha! Do you even know how to use a sword?" He taunted as I regained my stance. He swung at me again. I blocked, but he swept his leg under mine, tripping me as I dropped my sword. I looked up to find his sword at my throat. "Later loser." He grinned, raising his sword above his head. Suddenly, he froze, his eyes widening. I looked at him, confused. Suddenly, his head slid off his shoulders, landing at my feet as the headless body collapsed, dead.

"What the...?!" I breathed, crawling back as Bigguy drew his sword.

"The hell did you do?!" He questioned, swinging at me. His sword was stopped by Rose's blade, which now had a fresh blood stain on. "You bitch!" Bigguy yelled, drawing back his arm and aiming a swipe, but Rose countered, cleaving his arm from his shoulder. She then spun around and rammed her blade into his throat. Bigguy fell too, dead. As Rose sheathed her blade, the corpses of our enemies evaporated into nothing, leaving behind their armor, weapons, and a few items.

"Wh-what the...?!" I breathed, scooting back farther as Rose approached me.

"Need a hand?" She asked, offering me a hand up, "Relax, I wanna be your ally." I was hesitant, but I took her hand in my own and she pulled me up. I went and reclaimed my weapon, resting it on my back.

"How did you...?!" I started, looking back. I then noticed Rose's stats had suddenly changed, from level 5 to 500.

"Please, come with me." She said casually as she smiled, "I'll explain everything if you do." Again, I was hesitant. How did I know she wasn't gonna just lead me to a special place to kill me? Then again, she might kill me if I don't do what she wants... I just shrugged and began to follow her.

We spent nearly an hour walking back to the town I'd started out in. Rose walked in with a nice big pile of gold pieces, which she'd taken from her earlier victims. She quickly gave the money to the bartender, then dragged me out of the Tavern in a rush before he could ask why she'd just given him money. We then continued to walk, a different direction than before. As we walked, Rose began to talk.

"Now, I gotta be completely honest here," She began, "I might've... kinda sorta... deceived you about my level in this game... like a lot."

"Yeah..." I sighed, "I noticed."

"See, all this was actually a test." She continued, "I've been testing you, to see if you've got what it takes to join my guild.

"Testing me...?" I echoed, "For how long?"

"Pretty much the whole time." Rose shrugged, "Anyway, what's important is, you passed."

"Just what kind of tests are these?" I asked, "Can't be fighting, I got my ass handed to me back there."

"Well," Rose began, "For one thing, when I met you, you were stocking up on health items. You had only just begun to play, and you already had a plan. That shows that you're fairly smart."

"Oh, that's just common sense." I argued.

"Well, it's not so common with some people." Rose retorted, "A lot of people are actually really dumb and reckless when they start. Also, when I asked you to join me for a quest, your eyes had that sparkle, that look of excitement at the idea of going on a heroic adventure."

"Okay there, Yoda," I sighed, "You can stop with the mystical crap." She then hit me in the back of the head.

"Don't be an ass!" She hissed, "Ugh, moving on, when we came across the Blood Knights, you wanted to avoid fighting. You knew your limits and that fighting them would be suicide at your level."

"I was just scared, I didn't wanna die." I argued.

"In most cases that would be true." Rose continued, "But when they threatened me, you were willing to fight the impossible odds. You didn't run away like a coward. It was actually pretty brave." I blushed at her compliments.

"Well, why would you want me?" I asked, "You saw me fight, I sucked."

"Anyone can get good at fighting." Rose shrugged, "You'll need some training, but helping you get stronger will be much easier than if you were already strong and we had to try and make you smarter or braver. See, that's why we recruit new guys like you. We can see the potential you have from the very beginning."

"Okay..." I began, "All that I understand... but what I don't get is, how did you change your level so fast? In five seconds, you went from level 5 to 500. Is it some kinda glitch?"

"Only guild members get to know how." Rose replied, "So, I'd like to introduce you to the guild before you decide whether or not you wanna join."

"That sounds... fair." I sighed. As I followed her, I was surprised. I hadn't done much at all in this game and already, I had been invited to join a guild. I wasn't sure what made me wanna trust Rose so much though. I'd just seen her murder two guys like it was nothing. Maybe it was because she's been so nice to me, or maybe because she kinda saved me back there, or because she'd said so many nice things about me, calling me brave and smart. I just shrugged off my thoughts, and decided to be grateful that I was already being invited to something.

After a while of more walking, we arrived at a large building, which I assumed was the guild. It looked like an old building but she lead me over to the other side of the building and opened a door, leading down then open another door to show a larger room. It was still old looking but elegant. Instead of the brown brick like outside, inside was decorated in silver. There were a lot of other doors, lining the walls and above a few places were navy flags with a silver dragon in the shape of a 'S' and 'D.' Rose smiled at me.

"Welcome to the Silver Dragons." She smiled.

"Huh..." I began, "Looks cool..."

"Hold up, is that you...?!" A new voice entered. I turned my attention to a corner, where I saw the familiar face of Katuu from earlier.

"Katuu?!" I asked.

"Well, look who's been plucked from the batch of newbies." Katuu smiled, "Shin wasn't it? You'll love the guild. Before I started coming here, I sucked. But now-"

"You suck a tiny bit less." Rose retorted with a mean smirk, "Shin, I didn't know you and Katuu knew each other."

"Yeah," I chuckled, "I met MrBigDick here not long before I met you."

"Heheh, you're not gonna let me live that down are you?" Katuu scratched the back of his head.

"Well," Rose argued, "That Gamertag describes him, but not in the way he wants."

"You know, you're the reason I go to therapy..." Katuu fake sobbed, "Anyway, I'm outta here. Guess I'll be seeing you guys later." He then shrugged and began to walk off.

"Well, anyway," Rose continued, "If you do end up joining the guild, you'll probably spend your first few days in the training room, so I guess I should show you that."

"Sounds fair." I shrugged as Rose led the way to another room. As we entered, it seemed to go from the kinda guild you'd see in an rpg to the kinda dojo you'd see in a kung fu movie, complete with people fighting at the center.

"This is where you new guys get beaten into shape." Rose grinned, "You're right, you're a terrible fighter right now, and I plan to fix that."

"Why do I not like the sound of that...?" I asked, a little nervous at the thought of having to fight her.

"Oh man up." Rose stated, "This game does simulate pain to make it more realistic, but the pain's so dull, you'll be fine. If the game could legitimately make you feel the pain of losing a limb or breaking your bones, no one would play it."

"Well, that makes sense." I sighed, at least a little relieved that even if she was gonna kick the crap out of me, it wouldn't hurt too bad. I then observed the fight that was going on, between a girl and a guy. The girl then grabbed the guy's arm, flipped him over onto his back, and stomped on his face. I winced, getting a feeling that'd be me and Rose later...

"Moving on, to the Mess Hall!" Rose suddenly said, dragging me with her to another room. It was a large dining hall-type area, with long dining tables that people would eat at, though the whole room was currently empty. "This is where you eat meals and socialize."

"Huh, looks neat..." I began, looking around the room.

"Of course," Rose continued, "If you wanna eat here, you'll have to pay with your own money."

"That makes sense." I shrugged.

"Oh! I forgot to show you!" Rose slapped her hand to her forehead, "In the main lobby!" She then dragged me back down to the first room she showed me and led me down to a board with dozens of posters on it. After a bit of inspection, I realized these posters explained the information on different quests. They told what the quest was about, what the reward would be for completing the quest, and each poster had a few stars lined at the top. I noticed, the more dangerous and difficult-looking ones had more stars, so I assumed that the stars represented difficulty. "This is where we accept quests and such." Rose explained, "As you can probably tell, the stars represent how difficult a job will be. So far, the toughest jobs go up to ten stars."

"I get it." I nodded, "And obviously, the harder the job, the better the reward, right?"

"Yep." Rose nodded, "Have you played this before?"

"Nah," I shook my head, "That's just what I'd do if I were the developers of this game. You should get more rewards for more work."

"Well, then you'd make a good developer." Rose smiled. Suddenly, someone else entered the Guild. It was a girl with blond hair and purple eyes. "Ah, just in time." Rose smiled, motioning for the girl to come over here. As she did, Rose started the introductions. "Shin, this is my friend Claire."

"Hello," I smiled, extending my hand for a handshake, "It's nice to meet-" I was interrupted as she suddenly slapped me across the face.

"Hi." She grinned as I started to rub where she slapped me.

"What the hell...?!" I began.

"Oh, Claire greets people by slapping them." Rose explained, "Don't take it personally, she slaps everyone."

"Really?" I asked, "Even you?"

"Of course not." Rose looked at me like I was stupid.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because she wants to keep her hands attached." Rose shrugged.

"Ah..." I said, deciding it was probably best to drop the subject.

"Welp, I'm off to find another quest." Claire said, "Bye Rose." She then slapped me again, "Bye new guy." She then went off to the job board.

"So...?" Rose inquired, "Whaddya think? Wanna try being a member of the guild?"

"Heh..." I began, "Honestly, I'm still surprised you want me in. But yeah, I'd like to work with you guys more. If you and Katuu are any example of the others here, I'd like to get to know you all better."

"Alright!" Rose smiled, "Welcome to the Silver Dragons! Now, before anything else, I'm gonna teach you how to actually fight. If you go out there the way you are, you'll be killed by the first monster you meet."

"Please, don't sugarcoat it..." I said sarcastically.

"Now," Rose continued, "On to the dojo for a few matches." She then dragged me off to the dojo from earlier. She had me change my equipment, into a gi like the martial artist from that old arcade game, Road Brawler.

"Um, question..." I began, "I can understand the outfit, but why aren't we using our swords?"

"We'll get to that." Rose brushed my argument aside, "Think of it like how you need to learn to crawl before you can walk, you need to learn to punch and kick before you can parry and strike."

"You're sure about this?" I asked again.

"If you get disarmed in battle, these will be your best weapons." Rose insisted, holding up her fists.

"Okay..." I sighed, giving up.

"Now, come at me." Rose ordered, getting into a stance.

"Alright..." I began. I stepped forward, drawing back my fist. I was interrupted, however, as Rose landed a swift kick to my face. I paused, a bit dazed. "...You're good..." I managed before falling down.

"C'mon, get up." Rose, sighed, helping me up, "I didn't kick you that hard..."

"That hurt..." I mumbled as I got up.

"We've got a lot of work to do..." Rose sighed, getting into a stance, "Again." I threw another punch, but she dodged, uppercutting me in the jaw. I stumbled back, but stayed on my feet. I ran forward with another punch, but she dodged, and I couldn't stop myself, so I fell on my hands and knees. Rose then raised her foot and stomped on my head, forcing my face into the ground. I slowly got back up. "Again!" Rose ordered.

The next hour or so went a lot like this. She knocks me down, I get back up, she knocks me down again, repeat. After another half hour of getting punched and kicked repeatedly in the face, I laid back in a chair in the lobby, drained and sore. I was back in my default equipment and let out several long groans of pain.

"Oww... my everything..." I groaned, rubbing my face. I was grateful that the game didn't simulate bruises and such, otherwise I'm pretty sure my face would be unrecognizable.

"Wow, you didn't land a single hit that whole time..." Rose smirked, "Well, it looks like I'll have a good punching bag for the next few days." She cracked her knuckles.

"Not funny." I groaned feeling more sad than grateful.

"Hey." Rose began, patting my back, "Don't be down on yourself. I'm just messing with you. Really, no one lands a hit on me on their first day. Honestly, I'm impressed."

"Impressed at what?" I asked, "That I can fit your fist in my mouth?"

"Most people barely last five minutes when I start training them." Rose said, "You lasted over an hour. I can tell, you're pretty stubborn, and you won't give up easy, and I can respect that."

"Well..." I began, "I guess it wasn't so bad..."

"Attaboy!" Rose grinned, patting my back, "Who knows? If this keeps up, you might master the art of 'block with your face'."

"Oh, ha ha." I fake laughed, feeling a bit better, "I guess, at least I'm getting properly trained..."

"Yeah." Rose smiled, "But I'm sorry to say, I'm not gonna go any easier on you. A few days, maybe a week or two from now, you'll have the taste of my fists permanently memorized, but you'll be able to fight."

"Uh... thanks...?" I shrugged, "Well, I probably should log out for the day. I've started my game off pretty good if I say so myself."

"Okay." Rose nodded, "OH! Stupid me, I forgot!" She then grabbed hold of my hand, dragging me with her, "Before you go, there's something you need to do!"

"Uh, okay...?" I shrugged. Rose dragged me down to what seemed to be a gift shop, which sold a bunch of items, shirts, coats, hats, rings, necklaces, and even weapons, all with the Guild's symbol on them.

"To officially be a guild member, you need to wear something from here." Rose explained, "Once you do, you'll always spawn at the Guild when you log in."

"I see..." I began.

"Don't worry," Rose grinned, "The first one's free."

"Well that's good." I nodded. I looked through the strange gift shop, looking at the items. I didn't want anything too big and/or bulky. And the weapons looked cool, but they weren't any stronger than the sword I already had. After a while, I settled for something simple, a silver chain necklace with the Silver Dragons Guild symbol attached. I put it on, and it didn't look too bad on my avatar.

"Nice." Rose nodded in approval, "It's not too flashy, but easy to notice. Well, you take care in the real world."

"Oh, wait." I began, "You never told me how you made your stats lower when I met you."

"Oh, that." Rose began, "Well," She then held up her hand, showing the ring with a green gem, "This here is an insanely rare item drop called Loki's Ring, that lets me change how my stats look, even though it doesn't actually change how strong I am. I make my stats appear lower, so I can go out and recruit new guys like you without raising any suspicion."

"That's cool." I breathed.

"Yeah..." Rose began, then got up in my face and gave me a death glare, "Tell anyone about it and I'll shove my foot down your throat! Got it?"

"Y-yes ma'am!" I stuttered, scared.

"Good." She said with a cute smile, "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I sighed, "I plan to start playing as soon as I can after school."

"Alright, same here pretty much." Rose agreed, grinning, "Can't wait to kick you in the mouth again."

"VEEEEEEEERRRRY funny." I groaned. I then held my hands out, as if on a computer, and a screen popped up in front of me with options. I chose the "LOG OUT" option, which then opened up an "Are you sure?" screen with the options yes and no. I selected yes and everything went black.

My stomach growled as I took off the headset. I was back in the boring old, real world. I looked out my bedroom window to see it had gotten dark. I put the headset away, safe and ready for my next session. I then left my room to go and get myself something to eat. As I had my makeshift dinner, I couldn't help but feel anxious already. I knew that I'd spent most of my first day with a fist or a foot lodged in my face, but I couldn't wait for the next day, to get back to work on learning how to fight, maybe even find myself doing a quest or two. After dinner, I went right to bed, deciding that the sooner the next day came, the sooner I'd get to play again.