The air was warm to the point of being humid. I wiped my forehead against my sleeve, cursing when the hard edge of my arm greave slammed against my hairline. God, that hurt. My fingers rubbed the sore spot as I picked my way down the street so early in the morning.

Contrary to my theory, night did fall on Suprana, but only for a few hours—or at least it felt shorter than what I was used to. Now that I was thinking about it, it was hard to tell the time in this world. How did these people manage?

Then again, it's not like they're not a bunch of codes bundled up together by ultra-real graphics and other shticks I haven't been able to get my hands into. None of these people really existed, unless, of course, there were other users like me, who were trapped inside the game. What happened to our bodies? Was I really transported inside the game, soul and all? That's...

I might think of suing the developers once I get out of here.

My mind flashed back to the skirmish I've lived through last night—a dragon dude almost bashing my face in because of some deep-rooted prejudice, me bashing his face in with a spell I didn't know I was capable of, and the fact that I almost died inside a game. Right. I would sue the developers if I get out of here in one piece.

I blew a breath, the hot gust coming out of my nose scalding my lips. Ugh. What's up in this weather? Couldn't the game have dropped me somewhere with a temperature closer to what I was used to in Whiteridge?

The name of the city I've lived in since I was a child flashing through my head made my stop in my tracks. A breeze picked up and blew strands of my impossibly-long silvery hair in the direction it went. Whiteridge. It's amazing I haven't forgotten about it during my time here. When I squeezed my eyes shut, every bit of my memories of the outside world were there.

I remember the house I grew up in when we were overseas. The day we migrated and arrived at Whiteridge, the day I started and graduated highschool, my first day of university—they're all there. Including that basement room with stuttering lights where the sounds of keyboards clacking, mice clicking, and freshmen shouting in victory or in suspense. It's where I met a certain someone I'd rather not think about now, especially when my morning hadn't turned out to be one of the best ones I've had.

That's right. The reason why I was out in the streets this early was because I woke up wasted in a dingy bed space, and when I realized I've spent most of my money on booze, I had nothing to give to the landlady besides a small piece of copper that couldn't even be called coin. Yup. My first day in, and I was already someone I swore I would never become.

I shook my head and sighed. It's been a while since I last touched this game so I didn't know how much money I had in my inventory. Apparently, it was enough to pay for four bottles of liquor, a bowl of green goop with pieces of mystery meat bobbing inside, and minor repairs around the tavern. I was still moping about that last item in my receipt. It's not my fault that the dragon dude used me to lay waste in Lion-Head's shop.

Hushed whispers mixed with the irregular metallic clinks of my armor with every step I took. One glance at my surroundings told me enough. Eyes wandered from small cliques to me before hunkering towards their mates to talk about what happened yesterday. My gut churned and my head lowered itself, for once grateful for the long strands of silver shielding my face from the crowd.

It's not like that did anything. As a woman with silver hair and purple armor walking around the streets, I blended as well as an elephant behind a coconut trunk. Now that I was really looking, the color scheme in this town consisted of somber shades of brown, red, and gray, with the occasional bright greens and pinks thrown in. Nobody walked around in heavy armor, certainly no women with pointy ears and a visible weapon hanging from their belts. Aside from Dragon Dude last night, there wasn't anyone who dressed like me.

That's guaranteed to get me talked about. Not to mention the spell I performed last night to get Dragon Dude off my back. How was he even? I hope I didn't end up killing him. If I did, too bad. Unless there's some kind of police force here as part of the game's strange updates as of late, then, it's bad, indeed—this time, for me.

A tall shadow loomed on the horizon. I raised my head and my eyes landed on the grandest building I've ever come across in this bland town. The facade was blindingly white, gilded with gold lines emanating from a huge circle in the middle, resembling the sun's rays. In the middle of the gold circle, a huge, red crystal glinted against the early sunlight. So this was...

"Step out of the way if you're not going inside," a voice accompanied the dull pain exploding in my shoulder as they strode past me. The nerve—

I froze when I noticed what the person wore—armor, carved from seemingly the same metal as mine was, albeit a different shade, a fine, satin cape hanging from their shoulder pads, and a decorated helmet tucked under their arms. Like me. They're like me.

"Sorry," I said, making a show of scratching the back of my head to show I was non-threatening. "I just arrived here. Is this the guild?"

The person—a man an inch taller than me—raised an eyebrow. His dark brown hair could have fit snugly with the dudes back in Whiteridge, with it being a melting pot city. "Only a nutter wouldn't be able to tell Raventhorne apart from all the other guilds," he said.

I blinked. Raventhorne? If memory served, this was the guild one of my friends from university got into in his first trial. I didn't know it was in Suprana or the fact it looked like the opposite of what it was named. Raventhorne gave all the dark and mysterious vibes. This building right here looked like its bubbly cousin.

"Well, thanks for your help," I said, stretching my lips into one of the fakest smiles I could muster. "My appointment with the master is almost starting. Can't miss it."

Before he could do anything suspicious, like offering to take me to the master's office himself, I sidestepped him and made my way towards the small opening I observed people march towards and out of during my talk with Brown-hair Guy. From my periphery, I watched the crowd bustle about, for once feeling at ease now that I've seen how they were dressed similarly and carried weapons like they were just another type of luggage.

The doorway whizzed over me and, as expected, a large, pristine hall opened up. Think of the fanciest hotel lobby one has ever been to. Multiply that to about a thousand. That's what Raventhorne Guild looked like.

I craned my neck to the ceiling. More criss-crossing planks cast in gold lined it like a minimalistic painting of suns. Crystals of various shades peppered the insides of the circles, similar to the guild's facade. For the second time in my time in this world, the height of the ceiling made me feel small. And insignificant.

Amidst all the gold and the waxy brown walls, spots of green leaves pocked my periphery. Like topiary back home, only this time, the plants looked like they're ripped straight from a fantasy novel. There were bulbous, pink flowers, as well as bunches of crimson spikes jutting out of trimmed bushes. Heck, there were even small bell-shaped flowers hanging from vines curling around the balustrades of the staircases and the balconies of the second floor overlooking the lobby. I wouldn't even be surprised if they rang like bells.

A screen other than the menu I see in my vision edged to my attention. I turned to find a long row of desks and chairs lining the eastern wall. It stretched for as long as the lobby did, sporting countless divisions to make up some sort of cubicles. Behind each one sat someone dressed in a green, long-sleeved top.

It's like a bank, and these must be the sign-up booths. I steeled my nerves. I made this far, right? Might as well take it all the way.

With that, I let my feet carry me to where I was supposed to be.