Chapter 3: Chapter 3: RETURNING TALENT AND THE CHOICE
After finishing my walk around the western district, I slowly made my way back toward the crowded center. The name of this beginner city was StoneBrook, a beautiful settlement surrounded by sturdy stone walls and classic architecture that pleased the eye. I chose to rest my virtual body by the edge of a fountain located right in the middle of the city square. The clear water sparkled as it reflected the light, and the sound of its splashing somehow gave a very real relaxing effect on my nerves.
Beside me sat a middle-aged man wearing typical local resident clothing a brown linen shirt with a simple leather vest. Floating above his head was a small, clean white icon. That white icon was the system’s absolute marker indicating he was an NPC.
Meanwhile, when I glanced at the crowd passing through the square, most of them had bright green icons above their heads. Green meant Player. I had read several threads on internet forums before the game launched; this color system functioned as an instant differentiator. Apparently, other colors would appear if a Player committed crimes or killed other Players, such as red or black for PK (Player Killer) perpetrators. But for now, in the safe zone of the beginner city, the scene was still dominated by green and white.
The middle-aged man beside me suddenly turned his head. Instead of ignoring me like most digital characters in old games, he flashed a friendly smile.
"A bright day for a stroll, little angel. But you look quite tired. Was your journey to StoneBrook that difficult?" he said in a tone full of very natural sympathy. If it weren’t for the white icon above his head, I would have thought he was a Player role-playing.
"Ah, yes. My body isn’t very friendly with long distances," I replied, feeling a bit awkward because the feminine voice coming from my own mouth still sounded foreign to my ears.
The man chuckled softly, then offered me a fresh red apple he took from his cloth bag.
"Eat this to refresh yourself. A girl as beautiful as you shouldn’t look wilted in a city this lovely."
I accepted the apple with growing astonishment. From the corner of my eye, I saw several male Players in beginner linen shirts trying to strike up conversations with a gate guard or vegetable vendor nearby, only to receive indifferent, even rude responses and were shooed away for being a nuisance. Why was this NPC next to me so friendly and kind? Was it because of the Elf race’s good reputation among locals, or was there something else hidden? I decided not to overthink it and simply enjoyed this rare kindness until my stamina bar was full again.
Once my virtual body felt truly refreshed, I stood up. My main destination wasn’t the outer gate, but a large stone building at the end of the street with a sign showing the silhouette of a crossed sword and shield: StoneBrook Training Hall. This place was provided for newcomers to test various types of free weapons before deciding on their life path.
The moment I stepped inside, I was greeted by large racks displaying dozens of standard weapons. From heavy two-handed swords, slim daggers, battle axes, to wooden magic staves.
I stared at a magic staff with a dimly glowing blue gem at its tip. Logically, with my Intelligence (INT) stat receiving a 100% bonus from Albinism, a magic weapon was the most rational choice. I was destined to become a mage who rained destruction on enemies from a safe distance. However, deep in my heart, I felt a strong reluctance. Being a mage meant standing still, chanting long spells, and relying on static movement. I didn’t want that. I wanted to feel this body move actively.
My gaze shifted to the rack on the right, where rows of wooden bows hung. The moment I saw the curves of those bows, my chest stirred strangely. A deep longing suddenly surged up.
Before leukemia stole everything from me two years ago, I was a teenage archery athlete. I loved that sport with all my heart and had even won several national-level competitions before my body suddenly collapsed in the middle of training. The bow and arrow were part of my lost youth. Moreover, my Dexterity (DEX) stat was also very high thanks to the Albinism buff. DEX was the main parameter that determined accuracy, hand speed, and projectile penetration power.
"Standard wooden bow," I muttered as I took down a long bow with a polished brown finish from the rack. The weapon felt perfect in my grip light yet sturdy. I also took a quiver containing thirty blunt-tipped wooden training arrows.
I walked toward the open field at the back of the building. There, rows of straw dummies were placed at twenty-meter intervals. Some other Players were sweating profusely as they struck dummies with wooden swords, while I took a position in a relatively quiet corner.
I took a deep breath and positioned my feet shoulder-width apart. My posture automatically formed, muscle memory from the real world that was still deeply embedded in my soul, even though my physical body there was paralyzed.
I nocked an arrow, drew the string back until it touched the corner of my lips, and narrowed my eyes, aiming precisely at the straw dummy’s head. The tension of the bowstring against my fingers felt incredibly real. My focus locked onto the target.
Whoosh!
The bowstring twanged loudly. The arrow shot through the air in a perfect straight line.
Thud!
It struck dead center in the middle of the straw dummy’s forehead. The arrow embedded deeply, making the dummy’s head shake violently. I smiled faintly. My talent and instincts hadn’t disappeared.
Without wasting time, I nocked the second arrow. Draw, aim, release. Thud! Same spot. I continued with a stable and fast rhythm. The third, fourth, fifth, up to the ninth arrow all hit with absolute precision in the dummy’s head. Only the tenth arrow went slightly off because my stamina was starting to drain, causing it to veer to the side, though it still hit the dummy’s neck. Nine out of ten shots hit the fatal point.
Ding!
A crisp system notification rang in my ear, accompanied by a bright green screen.
[System Notification: You have demonstrated an outstanding level of accuracy and mastery in long-range shooting using a Bow-type weapon. Your motor nerves have adapted well to the rhythm of archery.]
[You have triggered the conditions to unlock a new Skill: Bow Mastery]
Effect: Increases physical damage by 5% and shot accuracy by 5% when using Bow-type weapons.
[Do you wish to learn this skill?]
Activation Cost: 1 SP
[Accept] / [Decline]
"Of course, accept," I whispered as I tapped the screen.
[1 SP consumed. Current SP: 13]
[Congratulations! You have learned Active Skill: Bow Mastery (Level 1).]
I lowered my bow and took a long breath to steady my heartbeat. While sitting on the wooden steps of the training field to trigger the Slow Walking skill, I decided to allocate the 5 Attribute Points (AP) I received from the GM compensation earlier. I opened my status screen and distributed the points wisely: 3 points into INT to strengthen my magical foundation or mana for future needs, and the remaining 2 points into DEX to further sharpen my bow accuracy and shooting speed.
After my stats were updated, I stood up again. I refused to leave the city immediately. I knew my albino Elf body was very fragile, so I chose to stay in the training field, repeating the archery motions, feeling every pull of the bowstring, and allowing this new body to fully merge with my old instincts.
I was too immersed in the joy of archery. Every time my quiver emptied, I would refill it from the storage rack, rest briefly to recover stamina, then return to shooting the dummies. My focus was so deep that I didn’t notice the surrounding environment slowly changing.
The oil lamps around the training field were lit one by one by NPC staff. When I looked up, StoneBrook’s blue sky had turned into a dark purple night canvas sprinkled with beautifully twinkling virtual stars. It was already night in the game.
According to the time conversion I had read, one full day in SWO passed very quickly equivalent to only 6 hours in the real world. Calculating from the moment I first stepped into the city square, I realized I had spent about 4 to 5 hours purely online just walking around and practicing archery inside the city.
"Time to rest," I muttered. My virtual body was starting to send faint signals of fatigue.
I returned the training bow to the rack and slowly walked out of the training hall toward the regular inn in the commercial district. After paying a few beginner copper coins to the friendly NPC receptionist, I entered a small but clean inn room on the second floor.
I locked the door, then lay down this Elf girl’s body on the straw mattress covered with soft linen. While staring at the wooden ceiling, I opened my status screen to evaluate today’s hard work.
My eyes immediately widened at the big surprise displayed there.
========== STATUS ==========
Name : Syl
Gender: Female
Race : Elf
Trait : Albinism
Level : 3
EXP : 0 / 400
Health : 60 / 60
MP : 180 / 180
Stamina: 100 / 100
========== ATTRIBUTES ==========
STR : 2
INT : 18
DEX : 17
AGI : 3
VIT : 2
Attribute Points : 6
========== SKILLS ==========
Slow Walking Lv10
Bow Mastery Lv10
Skill Points : 33
"Level 3?!" I exclaimed softly, unable to believe what I was seeing.
I hadn’t even killed a single monster outside the city, yet my character level had already risen two levels. SWO’s progression system was truly revolutionary; intense archery training and constant long-duration walking under debuff conditions were apparently valued by the system as a massive accumulation of experience points (EXP).
Not only had my character level increased, but my skills had also grown at an astonishing speed due to the insane intensity of use over the past few hours.
Passive Skill: Slow Walking (Level 10 - MAX)Active Skill: Bow Mastery (Level 10 - MAX)
Both skills had reached their basic level cap at 10. Below the names, there was a blinking yellow indicator text: [Requires Breakout / Limit Breakthrough]. To break through and raise the skill to the next tier, the system demanded a very expensive investment: 5 SP/skill.
Seeing my Skill Points (SP) skyrocket to 33 thanks to the accumulation from both skills, I didn’t need to think twice. The 5 SP cost that would have seemed terrifying to ordinary players now felt very cheap to me. Without hesitation, I immediately pressed the breakthrough button for both skills.
Ding!
[5 SP used for Breakout Skill: Slow Walking.]
[5 SP used for Breakout Skill: Bow Mastery.]
[Remaining Skill Points: 23]
Once the breakthrough succeeded, the system immediately opened the Skill Branching menu. For Slow Walking, the screen displayed three special skill options, of which I could only choose one. My eyes scanned each description, looking for the most sensible option to cover my physical weaknesses.
The first option was related to lightning movement speed, while the third was stealth capability. However, my gaze locked firmly onto the second option: Stamina Regeneration. Without thinking long, I selected it. Considering my stamina consumption was doubled due to Albinism, this ability was an absolute priority.
Ding!
[System Notification: You have chosen the ’Stamina Regeneration’ branch for Slow Walking.]
Acquisition Cost: 2 SP
[Accept] / [Decline]
"Accept," I whispered.
[2 SP consumed. Congratulations! You have learned Sub-Skill Passive: Stamina Regen (Level 1).]
Effect: Your character constantly recovers 1 Stamina point per second under any condition.
Although at Level 1 it only recovered 1 stamina point per second, this was already an incredible breath of fresh air for my character’s future survival. At the very least, my stamina bar wouldn’t empty so quickly during normal walking.
Next, I moved on to the Bow Mastery branching. There, the screen displayed five derivative skills I could choose. Most of them required agile movement, rapid consecutive shots, or great physical strength all things that went against my crippled base stats.
However, my eyes stopped on one name that shone the brightest: Power Shot. This skill relied on high Dexterity (DEX) calculation to release a single arrow with massive destructive power, perfectly matching the static yet precise combat style I wanted.
Ding!
[System Notification: You have chosen the ’Power Shot’ branch for Bow Mastery.]
Acquisition Cost: 2 SP
[Accept] / [Decline]
"Accept."
[2 SP consumed. Current remaining Skill Points: 19 SP]
[Congratulations! You have learned Active Skill: Power Shot (Level 1).]
Effect: Consumes a certain amount of MP and Stamina to release one shot with double destructive power and penetration. Accuracy heavily depends on DEX stats.
Seeing the remaining points on my status screen now 19 SP and 6 untouched AP after the level-ups I let out a long sigh filled with overwhelming satisfaction. All the early preparations in StoneBrook were more than enough to build a unique character foundation.
I closed all the floating blue holographic interfaces. The night silence in the StoneBrook inn room embraced me once again. The faint sound of crickets came through the slightly open wooden window, letting the cool night breeze caress my albino white skin.
I adjusted my sleeping position on the soft straw mattress, pulled the blanket up to my chest, and closed my eyes. The fatigue pressing on my consciousness felt peaceful. Before fully disconnecting, I murmured a firm command to the system.
"Logout."
Whoosh.
The colorful medieval fantasy world suddenly collapsed, vanishing in the blink of an eye, replaced by total, silent darkness. A few seconds later, my consciousness was slowly pulled back to the real world.
My eyes opened slowly. My view was no longer the wooden ceiling of the inn, but the transparent glass surface of my futuristic Game Capsule.
I took a long breath, looking at my real-world fingers thin and pale so different from the graceful, beautiful fingers of the Elf girl named Syl.
However, instead of feeling depressed like usual, a faint smile formed on my dry lips. Inside this black nerve-control pod, a new life awaited me beyond the gates of StoneBrook. And I couldn’t wait to return there this Afternoon.
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