Chapter 2 -2-First Quest

I even carefully examined the pointy foliage of the hedge walls, searching for hidden cameras. Glancing up at the sky, I didn't spot any camera drones. Instead, I noticed the moon, pale and easy to overlook in the daylight. Then, I noticed another two moons. "Three moons? That can't be right," I exclaimed, baffled. I looked back down at the floating screen, then back up at the sky. Still, there were three moons. "Am I going nuts?" I wondered aloud. I sat down on the grass, uncertain of what to do next. I kept glancing up at the sky and the extra moon. In front of me, the screen still waited patiently. "This is crazy, really crazy. Where am I exactly in this world?" Another screen appeared next to the first. Michael???? Race: Human. Current rank: Normal Progression to Bronze rank: 0% (0/100 essences). Attributes: [Power]: Normal. [Speed]: Normal. [Spirit]: Normal. [Recovery]: Normal. Free attribute points: (0/1) Human Racial Abilities: - Interface - Quest System - Inventory - Map - Adaptor (Special) "Is this some sort of character profile or power screen? It seems like it, but it's unlike anything I've seen in novels before," I mused, shaking my head in confusion. After a thorough examination, I pondered, 'Why is there a question mark instead of my surname?' Does the system not recognize my surname, or is there another reason?' 'And why is it so hard to understand?' "It would have been easier to understand if it was a simple gaming system," I added, glancing at the screen once more. "Map," I repeated, recognizing the word. "I know what maps are. How do I access the map?" Another screen appeared as requested, but with the addition of the third screen, the space in front of me started feeling crowded. I absentmindedly wished for the other screens to close, and they promptly did so. "I guess that's helpful," I remarked. Things were becoming increasingly difficult to rationalize, especially with the additional moon in the sky. A voice-command hologram seemed unlikely but not entirely impossible. However, the idea of mental command holograms was a whole different story. "Now, this is troubling," I concluded. Hoping it wouldn't actually work, I began to experiment. Surprisingly, I found that I could open and close any of the windows with just a simple thought. "Maybe I didn't actually die," I tried to reassure myself. "Perhaps the police officers saved me and took me to a hospital somewhere. Or maybe I simply passed out on the floor, and I'm now hallucinating and dreaming of unbelievable things. Like a nice dream, with a big garden." I let out a groan and closed my eyes for a moment. "How did it come to this? Is this really how I'm trying to comfort myself?" Taking a deep breath, I slowly opened my eyes again. The screens were still there, patiently waiting. "Just go along with it, I guess," I told myself. "Don't make any conclusions until you have more information. That's the logical thing to do now." I shifted my attention back to the map hovering in front of me. It resembled a map you'd find in a video game, with a list of locations included. [Zone: Vane Gardens (Bushy Maze)] Similar to a video game map, most of it was hidden. Only a small part of the hedge maze I had already explored was revealed. I experimented with moving the map using my mind, discovering that I could zoom in and out just as effortlessly as I could open and close the floating screens. "Now, let's check my current location," I murmured to myself. As I zoomed out, I reached a world map that seemed unfamiliar. Though the details were blurry, I could see the outline of the continent... Hold on! Just one continent? It's unsettling. Even in most novels, there are usually two or three continents, but here, there's only one. "That's not how I expected the world to be," I murmured to myself. According to the map, I was in the northwest part. I glanced around at the thick, green hedges surrounding me. I felt the soft grass beneath my feet and the warm, humid air against my skin. "This doesn't seem right," I muttered. With a sigh, I closed the map. "This is all so weird." Human Racial Abilities: - Interface - Quest System - Inventory - Map - Adaptor (Special) I started looking down the list. "The interface seems obvious. Quest system and inventory too, I guess. Adapter? What the hell is it?" I closed the inventory and pulled up my character profile again. Next down the ability list was the map, which I'd already looked at, then the adaptor. Ability: [Adaptor] - Language adaptation: Ability to learn and understand different languages. - Essence, Elemental stone, and skill-book absorption: Capability to absorb and utilize monster essences and knowledge from Elemental stones and skill books. - Immunity to identification and tracking effects: Protection against being identified or tracked by magical means. "Language adaptation? So, does that mean with this, I can talk with the people in this world?" 'Anyway, nobody will answer me... let's assume it's a yes.' I glanced at the other items, like the Elemental Stone and Essence, but I couldn't figure out what they were for. "No idea what those are." After a few seconds, I closed all the open windows except for the map with a mental command. "Alright, then," I said, glancing along the path ahead. Neither direction seemed better than the other. "Let's explore a bit more and see what's ahead." I chose a direction without much thought and started walking. "I really wish I had clothes right now." ... I was walking through the maze, the map open in front of me. It was being unveiled as I walked, so my current plan was to reveal enough that I could plot a way out. I froze when I heard a rustle in the hedges. "Um, anybody?" I called out. "Is anybody here?" There was no response from the other side. "Hey, are you listening?" Still there was no response. Again, there was some movement in the maze. I shrugged. "Fuck you; if you are here, then stop playing hide-and-seek." I was about to resume walking when a screen appeared. ... New Mission: For some unknown reason, the nearby area is now filled with lesser-ranked monsters. Goal: Find out why these lesser-ranked monsters have taken over the area (0/1). Reward: Basic shirt and pants. Bonus Goal: Defeat twelve lesser monsters (0/12). Reward: Basic shoes. ... "Monsters? That doesn't sound good." I was looking around suspiciously when suddenly something small came hurtling from the bottom of a hedge. Instinctively, my hands shot back over my privates, leaving my head exposed. "What the fuck?" Without warning, I was blinded by something latching onto my face, its sharp claws digging painfully into my scalp. I panicked, yanking it off with both hands, feeling a chunk of skin tear away with it. I dropped to my knees, the creature still squirming in my grasp. With a scream, I slammed it into the ground over and over until it stopped moving. (You have defeated [Stalwart Gerbil].) (Defeat lesser-ranked monsters 1/12.) Finally, I released the creature and scuttled back, still on my hands and knees, heart racing. The wounds on my head throbbed painfully, blood trickling down my face. I wiped it away from my eyes, trying to catch my breath and make sense of what had just happened. "What on earth is going on? How did a gerbil end up on my head?" I glanced at the creature. The window that appeared described it as a hamster, but it was much larger than any hamster I had ever seen, almost the size of my head. It looked swollen from being pounded into the ground, and there were streaks of blood on its fur from my head. I approached it cautiously, prepared to move back quickly. With a hesitant finger, I reached out and prodded it. As I cautiously prodded the body of the Stalwart Gerbil, a strange sensation washed over me. The creature's body began to tremble, and then, to my shock, it started dissolving into minor particles right before my eyes. As the gerbil's body disintegrated, numerous system messages flooded the air in front of me, but for a moment, I was too stunned to pay them any attention. Instead, I couldn't help but dwell on the implications of what had just happened. 'If this little guy could hurt me so badly, what'll happen if I meet a bigger, high-ranked one?' The thought sent a shiver down my spine, imagining the possibility of facing enemies capable of killing me in a single move. I quickly snapped out of my daze and focused on the barrage of system messages hovering in front of me. (Ding, congratulations, host! Monster Core (Lesser) has been added to your inventory! (Ding, congratulations, host! The healing potion (Bronze) has been added to your inventory! (Ding, congratulations, host! Monster Essence of Gerbil has been added to your Character Profile! I sighed. Starting today, I can guess my life is going to get really busy.