Translated Post by Kim Shi Won 7:33 PM, April 5th, 20XX

The day the northerners bombed the USA, the day of the mushroom, they also blasted Seoul with the weapons they’d had pointed at us all this time. I was in the middle of it all. And I remember what it was like to die. The blast that shook windows, the screams of terror filled the air and the destruction devastated everything. Then I was alive again as if nothing happened. Everything was back to normal. It was as if it hadn't happened. I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t know how I should feel, other than being grateful to the Passivity Precept. But I also fear it. It is like a new god, but one that we can see and that has visible influence in our world.

The book on stealth was incredible. It brought up subjects I’d never thought about, like not wearing pure black and instead thinking ahead and wearing clothes that had similar colors to where I would need to go. Or how unobtrusive patterns, rather than plain colors, made it easier to blend into the surroundings depending on the environment. One section mentioned that at low-levels Invisibility spells only acted as a blur and to be effective, needed to be combined with Stealth. There was a whole chapter just on places to hide and how to get into secret areas. Another showed me, with animated images, how to move quietly and how to judge different terrain for noisy areas. I devoured each page and internalized the information. The chapters after the 20th went over the skill’s levels. For the most part, it was just a percentile of people being able to see me versus the distance I was to them with an added benefit of how close the color of my clothes matched my surroundings. When I reached the end of chapter twenty-nine, the pages stuck together, and I could read no further.

“What the?”

Congratulations! You have finished the intro to the Stealth skill!

You have gained the Stealth skill! Because your class and race include a bonus to this skill, you have acquired Stealth level 3! To continue to read this tome, you must reach Stealth level 9. Warning! If you reach level 9 but do not continue to read, you will not be able to increase this skill’s level.

I scowled at the prompt. “Hey, you didn’t warn me that I needed a book to continue learning when I got the blend and observe skills.”

Chill out, player Grace. You would have been warned you when you reached that point.

That made me wonder if the spells were like that as well. If so, I might be done with this task sooner than I suspected.

I grabbed the book that had nothing on its cover. After staring at it for a couple minutes, I finally saw a spiraling symbol that seemed more like a mirage than anything concrete.

Congratulations! Through hard work and studying the world around you, you’ve leveled your Observe Skill to Level 2! Eat some pie on me! Celebrate!

I snorted and waved the prompt away.

The pie is not a lie!

I turned to the first page. It started off like a history textbook, using an overview to explain why the invisibility spell was impressive and why I totally needed it. Halfway through that section, I groaned.

“Dude,” I told the book. “You don’t have to sell me on you. I’m already reading.”

Books don’t usually talk back.

"No Shit! And neither do game prompts.” I rubbed my temples and wondered if Lore had this much trouble when he started. I froze. Now, why was I thinking of that pretty guy? Actually, I thought about him way too much for a man who reminded me of the Asshole Who Shall Not Be Named. Likely because of this mission he suckered me into when I should be searching for clues about my father’s death. Of course, I didn’t know where to start on that mystery either.

Sighing, I shifted my A.D.D. addled brain into gear and read. After the introduction, it delved deep into the magic of the Passivity Precept’s Violence Simulator. Every man, woman, or other had access to some amount of mana based on their intelligence and wisdom. A person could have low intelligence but have high wisdom and still be able to wield a lot of mana, something entirely different from most games I’ve played. But wisdom and intelligence were still different. Higher wisdom helped with mana regeneration. Higher intelligence helped with how many spells a player could learn and determined what the level a spell could get to before a player would have to add points to intelligence. This forced magic users to balance between the two magic modifiers affecting stats. It also taught me various different techniques for how to use the spell, as if a master mage had written down all of their experience and poured it into this one book.

I powered through 9 chapters before the next pages stuck together.

Congratulations! You have learned the Arcane Assassin spell Invisible level 1!

Cost: 4 mana per second.

Cooldown: 30 ISS seconds

Description: This spell will turn you almost entirely translucent for as long as you have the mana for it. You will become visible when you attack.

Warning: It will not cover scent or taste so beware of creatures with advanced senses.

Eleven seconds. That was the amount of time I could hold invisibility if I had my full mana. It almost didn’t seem worth it, except that from my readings, the higher the level, the better and more efficient the spell became. Of course, what happened when it jumped from 9 to 10 I’d have to find out later.

I looked at the next book, the one with a shimmery water symbol inscribed on the blue leather. I didn’t want to read another word, and the feeling was more than my mind’s insistence to not get anywhere near that Add Fire spellbook.

A loud groan escaped me. “I can’t do it!”

“Do what?” Crimea’s voice asked from behind me.

“Gah!” I jumped and jerked to face her. “You scared the shit out of me.”

She leaned around me and peered at my butt. “Huh. I don’t see any.”

“Er. It’s just a phrase where I come from.”

“Yep! I understood that,” she said, eyes sparkling with mischief. Oh, she was just fucking with me. “Listen, after thinking about your schedule. It really was too much to ask you to read those entire tomes in one sitting.”

“Exactly!”

“So you should go to sleep now and finish in the morning before you log off.”

I peered at the glowing walls. “But it’s still light out. And where do I even sleep?”

She dropped a rolled leather sleeping bag and a pill-shaped pillow to the floor. “Right there.”

I scowled. “Okay, look, I just need a quick break. Even adults in my world get a recess every couple hours. Can’t we just walk around the city a little and you can show me what it means to be a real elf?”

She tapped her chin in thought. “That’s not a bad idea!” Her hand gripped my shoulder, and we appeared on the side of a busy street, but not the one where I stalked Davis Crimsondahlia. “Look at these folks as they go about their lives in the PPVS. These are real elves.”

They just seemed like ordinary people. The only real difference was that everyone had a gorgeous face and most people wore some kind of armor or robe. “What’s the difference between the elves here and the elves in your real life?”

She eyed me. “That’s a surprisingly insightful question.”

I shrugged. “Where I come from we have this beautiful thing called the internet. It’s a place where our purest or darkest fantasies come to life, even if it’s just in our heads. You might say my people are experts at hiding their true selves behind a mask of anonymity.”

“Fascinating,” she murmured and motioned to a fancy looking wizard wearing a green embroidered cloak. “You see him?”

“Yeah.”

“Endorin Mossthorn. Here he is a ruthless level 13 spell slinger, known for tracking and killing players. But in real life, he’s considered an adorable, gentle person, with perfect manners and a better appearance. He earns his living by crafting flawless, near unbreakable, ceramics that take years to complete. He’s a true paragon of perfection.”

“But in here he’s a murderer?”

“Yes. But it’s not really murder if no one actually dies. And a little pain is good for the soul.”

I snorted. “That’s a new one.”

She walked down the street blending in with the crowd. I followed quickly so I didn’t lose her.

“Our lives in the real world have plenty of conflict, even without violence. Actually, because we can’t use violence, we’ve learned to be simultaneously deceptive and truthful. But most importantly, we’ve learned to work together and compromise. To treat each other with kindness, even if it’s only skin deep. But not so much within the sim.”

“So does this place look anything like where you live?”

She chuckled. “No. Not anymore. While we use a similar architectural style, our buildings are much taller in the cities and filled with far more life. Like trees, bushes, birds, and Squirreletters.”

“What now?”

She pointed to a red squirrel looking creature the size of a large cat. It trailed behind a couple of bulky (for Elves) warrior men who walked hand in hand with wide grins.

When I just stared at the fascinating creature, she grabbed my shoulder sauntered over to a nondescript building. There was no sign outside the door. Actually, I hadn’t seen a sign since I’d been here. Not even the vendors had them to promote their businesses.

When we entered the establishment the smell of sugar and other sweet mouthwatering mixtures filled my head, but there was no sign of any candy, just stained oak walls decorated with beautiful carvings of strange confections.

“Crimea!” A massive elven man said as he stepped from behind the counter. He held his arms wide, and my teacher went in for a brief bruising hug, if his wince was anything to go by.

“Jovian! It’s so good to see you!”

“Are you here for the roaming rat dungeon?”

“The what?” I said.

“Well, I wasn’t until you said something,” she said and hugged my shoulders. “This is one of our new recruits. Mia, from someplace called Earth.”

“She’s a halfling.”

“I’m aware,” I said dryly. “But tell me about the dungeon.”

“It’s a dungeon that appears at random locations throughout the city. It causes endless trouble for hard-working business folks like myself. Especially, those of us who create works of culinary art.”

She pouted. “So, you’re closed because of the dungeon?”

“No, we’re open. The last time this happened, I had an enchanter make a shield where the dungeon entrance always appears, so there are no rats here. But I do want someone to clear it out before they find a way in through the walls.”

“How about my new recruit takes care of it tomorrow evening after you’re closed?”

I raised a brow at her. Did she just sign me up for a quest without asking?

“I don’t know. It’s a level 3 dungeon. And I doubt she’ll be able to finish it by herself.”

“I’ll find someone to help out. I have a couple ideas of who to bring in already. In exchange, could you give us some of those delicious sampler boxes?” She said, mouthwatering hunger infusing her voice.

Jovian Indagospire has given you the quest: Exterminator in the Sweets Shop.

Rewards: 2 boxes of samplers worth 500 PMk (one for you and one for Crimea) and 3000 EXP.

Failure: Tears of sadness

Of course, I accepted.

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “To show you my thanks now, here are two candies on a stick.”

He pulled two multicolored lollipops from his inventory, but they were unreal. The candy was translucent, like a watermelon jolly rancher but it swirled and twisted into lovely surreal designs. When I turned mine just right it appeared as a tree, then a group of flying squirreletters.

“This is beautiful! I’m, like, almost terrified to eat it.”

He blushed. “Oh, this is nothing. Come back tomorrow, and I’ll show you the blueprints for the cake I’m creating for the Crimsondahlia’s bonding celebration. It will be a true masterpiece.”

“I can’t wait!”

***

After being escorted to various places throughout the city and trying all sorts of new and delicious elven cuisine, Crimea brought me back to her dojo.

“You feel like you know elven society a little better?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve barely scratched the surface, but I think I’m ready to go back to studying.”

“Good!” She started to take a step back, and I could almost feel her gather magic for a teleport.

“Wait!”

“Hmmm?”

“Who are you going to get to go with me on the dungeon run? Barret Jo? Rion Cho?”

She laughed as she vanished from my sight. A chill ran down my spine. Well, hopefully, I wouldn’t hate whoever she picked.

I grabbed the Add Water and Add Air spell books. It took me an hour and a half to get through water but only an hour to read air since it was so similar to the previous one. I heard once that aerodynamics was just a type of fluid dynamics. These spells proved that to me.

By the time both books were completed I’d seen these prompts:

Congratulations! You have learned the Arcane Assassin spell Add Water level 1!

Cost: 5 Mana

Cooldown: 10 ISS seconds

Description: This spell will add 10 water damage plus your magic modifier (4) to your next attack.

Congratulations! You have learned the Arcane Assassin spell Add Air level 1!

Cost: 5 Mana

Cooldown: 10 ISS seconds

Description: This spell will add 10 air damage plus your magic modifier (4) to your next attack.

Both spells were essentially the same, both more than doubling my damage while adding an attribute to a portion of the damage. I imagined that the Add Fire spell likely had the same stats just with fire damage.

I yawned finally feeling tired. I could learn Add Fire in the morning. I stood up and walked over to the sleeping bag. When I started to unroll it, a menacing shadow loomed over me. I froze.

“Have you been a good recruit and finished reading all your magic books?”

I winced and turned towards the smiling Arcane Assassin.

“Um, you see...”

“Finish reading the book,” she deadpanned.

I gulped and trudged toward the last book.

“And when you’re done, put them in your inventory. You don’t want to lose those!”

I grumbled at her incoherently and turned the first page. It was similar to the other two damage dealing spells but took twice as long to get through because my hands shook every time I turned a page as if the very act would bring out the flames that terrified me. By the end of the 9th chapter, a thick layer of cold sweat had gathered on my skin.

Congratulations! You have learned the Arcane Assassin spell Add Fire level 1!

Cost: 5 Mana

Cooldown: 10 ISS seconds

Description: This spell will add 10 fire damage plus your magic modifier (4) to your next attack.

As soon as that prompt appeared, I shoved the books into my inventory and passed out in the warm sleeping bag. Surprisingly, I didn’t dream of fire.