“Warren, Luka.” The gatekeeper greeted us. “You’re back early today.”

“We ran into a pack of wolves on the way. How could we not hurry?” Uncle Warren chuckled. “Tom, does Aunt Kate’s inn have any rooms available?”

“What do you need to know that for?” The gatekeeper winked. “Ah, I get it. You had another fight with your wife, didn’t you?”

“Hey, hey, what kind of thing is that to say?”

Uncle Warren’s face was full of anger, while Luka beside him was holding back her laughter, her face red.

So NPCs had such expressive faces now? I remembered that fifteen years ago, they’d only repeat their dialogue scripts over and over. They couldn’t just chat freely like they could now.

Who’d have thought that after fifteen years of war, VR gaming would be the industry that made the most progress?

“This is Elsa, the person who saved our lives.” Uncle Warren pointed at me, watching from inside the covered wagon. “She’s a traveler, and she’s just arrived in Nagu Town. We can’t exactly make her sleep under the eaves, can we?”

“Oh, a traveler, huh?” The gatekeeper looked me over, then grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Welcome to Nagu Town. If you want to settle down, just go to the town hall and talk to Mr. Naville.”

“Settle down?”

“That’s right.” The gatekeeper nodded. “We’re recruiting townsfolk, and the lord’s granted ten years of tax exemption. So settling down now is a pretty good deal.”

“Oh, got it.”

“By the way,” the gatekeeper continued, “if you’re looking for work, you can find all sorts of jobs on the notice board at the town hall. There are also the Mercenary Guild and Commercial Association counters. If you want to make money, go take a look.”

“Ah, I see.”

The gatekeeper went on and on about the basics of Nagu Town. Having long since gotten used to the usual tutorial routine, I just kept nodding along.

“It’s getting late,” Uncle Warren cut him off. “We’ll head over to Aunt Kate’s now.”

“Hey, Warren, I’m not finished yet.”

“Some other time! Giddy-up!”

Uncle Warren flicked the reins, and the brown packhorse started clip-clopping along. It pulled the wagon to the square in the center of town in no time, then stopped in front of the second most imposing building on the west side. I looked up at the three-story building. It was made entirely of wood and looked quite impressive. The sign above the door read “Kate Sisters’ Inn.” So this was where you rested and saved your game, right?

“We’re here.” Uncle Warren stopped the wagon. “Little miss, tell Kate I sent you and she’ll give you a discount. Don’t forget to come by the blacksmith’s tomorrow. I’ll have your sword ready tonight.”

“Thank you, Uncle Warren.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. See you tomorrow, little miss. Giddy-up!”

“Goodbye, Elsa.”

Luka, the huntress sitting in the passenger seat, waved goodbye to me. Uncle Warren flicked the reins, and the packhorse pulled the wagon toward the other side of the square. Ahhh, the cute huntress was leaving. I felt a little down. But I quickly cheered up and turned my gaze back to Kate Sisters’ Inn. The setting sun painted the walls red, making the whole building look like it was on fire.

On fire?

A sharp pain...

Pain throbbed in my temples, and an image appeared before my eyes: in a castle engulfed in flames, countless corpses filled the hall. A frenzied vampire queen drank greedily from the dead, laughing as she awaited her own end.

Who... are you?

The vision quickly faded. I shook my head and tried to focus. What was that just now? A cutscene? Or had I simply run into a bug? An inexplicable sadness lingered in my heart, refusing to fade. After taking a moment to collect myself, I pushed open the inn’s door. The rust-covered bell rang out clearly, and the woman behind the counter gave me a warm smile. She looked to be around forty, and her plump figure filled out her apron.

“Welcome! Would you like a room?”

“Could I have a single room, please?”

“Of course.” The woman set the register on the table. “It’s one copper a night, and meals are just one extra copper. Quite a bargain.”

I took a silver coin and five copper coins from my pocket. I’d looted them from those two unlucky NPCs.

“I’ll stay for five days, to start.”

“No meals?”

“I’ll see how things go.”

“All right. Here’s your key. Room 301.”

Aunt Kate smiled as she helped me check in. I wrote my name on the papyrus, but this time I left off my surname to avoid any trouble.

I took the key upstairs to the third floor and soon found Room 301. When I opened the door, I saw a wooden bed covered with straw and topped with a brown sheet. It looked reasonably clean. Apart from the bed, the room held only a cabinet and a table with chairs. The worn wooden chair had clearly seen better days. I opened the window, and a cool breeze swept through my silver hair. The view outside was wonderful; I could see the whole town.

“Save, then quit the game.”

With that thought, I lay down on the bed and tried to call up the system menu. But once again, I failed. I could open my status screen and inventory, but the option to quit was nowhere to be found.

This is weird. Do I have to keep playing this VR game until my body finishes recovering?

For now, I should just go to sleep...

Damn it, why am I so wide awake at night?!

After battling sleep all night, I left my room early the next morning, feeling completely drained. My stomach was growling with hunger. I couldn’t believe how advanced games had become—they could even simulate hunger. Kate Sisters’ Inn only served black bread and soup for breakfast. After spending one copper to fill my stomach, I decided to pick up the weapon from the beginner quest at the blacksmith’s first.

I left the inn and followed the street in the direction the wagon had gone yesterday. I soon found the blacksmith’s shop. Uncle Warren was hard at work, hammering away. He dunked a freshly made sickle into water to cool it, and I quietly watched him finish.

“Hey, little miss. Sorry, I was so busy working that I didn’t see you.” He took a cloth-wrapped bundle from a cabinet. “I got the sword ready last night and sharpened the blade again. Give it a try.”

“Thank you, Mr. Warren.”

I politely took the sword and drew it from its sheath with a shing. Its gleaming blade reflected my crimson eyes, flashing with a sharp, cold light. It wasn’t a legendary weapon, but it was much better than the sword I’d broken before. It was just a little too big for a fifteen-year-old girl—about the size of a two-handed sword.

I gave it a few practice swings. The cold blade cut through the morning sunlight with a sharp whistle. Uncle Warren raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

“You’ve got some skill.” He nodded. “You’re pretty impressive, little miss.”

Of course I was. I had the passive skill “Swordsmanship (Beginner).”

And if the beginner level was already this good, I couldn’t even imagine how powerful the advanced level would be. If I could back up this game’s save file and take it with me, I’d definitely buy the latest equipment and keep playing. It... was just too realistic. This world and its NPCs... they seemed like real, living people.