Chapter 1: Creation's Cradle

The account creation and login process was in the player's consciousness, when he is connected to the capsule. Because it uses a person's brainwaves as a login password, there was no way it could be fabricated.

As expected of a world-leading organization, the entire sequence happened without any glitch or inconvenience. Twenty minutes later, Demi slowly opened his eyes for the first time in <<Creation's Cradle>>.

The first noticeable difference was his clothes. Instead of the slack T-shirt and jeans that he originally wore to the centre, what Dae-suk felt was the rough texture of poorly woven cotton on his skin. 

"Wow..." 

Right now, he was wearing cheap white tunic and a set of thin and long brown pants. On his feet was a pair of leather boots that went as high as his shin, secured by shoelaces that circled snugly around his feet. It was unlike anything he had ever worn before. 

That's right. The current Dae-suk would've been what everyone who played online games called, a 'villager'.

"Status Window."

A blue translucent screen appeared right in front of Demi's vision. It was invisible to anyone else but him.


Player ID: Demi
Level: 1   Class: None <!>
Titles: None

Health: 100/100    Mana: 25/25

Basic Stats
Strength: 5    Agility: 5   Vitality: 5   
Intelligence: 5   Wisdom: 5 
Status Points: 0

Special Stats:
Demonic Force: 0

Weight: 1/50


Dae-suk's status was typical of any beginner. Unlike other games whereby players choose their class right from the start, the design of Creation's Cradle is where everybody starts on the same line and customize their characters as they level. Players are free to invest their stats points according to the characteristic of each class. What makes it truly unique is that the number of available classes are virtually infinite as. This is only possible because classes were not manually designed, but generated automatically by the AI according to the lore and development of the game. And this, in line with the vision of Marlo Inneas, was the biggest draw of the game — a world of infinite possibilities.

Next to <Class> was a <!> icon. Demi tapped it gently with his fingers, and a more detailed description appeared on a separate menu.

[Class Change: Reach Lv 10 and head to the nearest Advancement Tower.]

Prior to getting a Class, all players were essentially sitting ducks. While there were specific skillbooks that were not Class-based, they generally fell short compared to Class-specific ones. There were even quests that were only available to particular classes. In short, playeres had to get a class as soon as possible.

Given the complexity of a game that tried hard to emulate reality, there was a lot of instructions and manuals to read. It was only after almost half an hour of familiarizing himself with these that Dae-suk finally looked up and took note of his surrounding. 

And that was when he truly understood the grand name of Creation's Cradle. 

The clear and cloudless azure sky above...

A vast, endless plains that stretched far into the horizon...

An emerald carpet that clothed the whole landscape...

The ceaseless and resounding humming of the waves breaking against the cliffs. powerful and ceaseless...

This was indeed, a reflection of the magnificence of Earth, of Creation.

"..."

Taking all that in his sight, an indescribable emotion welled up in him. The overwhelming sense of freedom and release did something to Dae-suk's heart and a long-forgotten scene began to play in his mind.

"Son, the key to living free is for a man is to have purpose in life."

"Purpose?"

"Yeah. And enjoy pursuing that purpose, no matter how much life beats you up."

It was of an overseas camping trip that his father brought him to once. He was young then, and couldn't really understand what his father meant. But now, after all the knocks and pains of life, he knew better. 

'Within this world, I'll restart my life. I can't mourn forever.'

It was a short and simple declaration. But with it, Dae-suk's dead eyes gained a new light.

"My name is Demi."

---

'What a beautiful forest.' Demi thought as he travelled in a random direction. The in-game menu wasn't helpful at this juncture, as many parts of it were unexplored and darkened. All it indicated was that he was in the region of Aiden. Specifically, Aiden Forest. As compared to walking under the glaring sun, the shaded forest seemed much more comfortable. Besides, it's a change of scenery for the city boy.

'Even the air smells clean and fresh here.'

Over the last 20 minutes, Demi had caught sight of several small animals of different colours and species: brown, fluffy white, black-spotted, and even an electric blue rabbit-looking creature. But something felt lacking

'Where are the monsters? Is this Neapets??'

Right. It was too peaceful. After doing some preliminary testing, Demi judged his current stats to be about 20% stronger than an average human adult. While Demi was used to fighting other human beings in the real world, his hand itched for a stimulating battle with other non-humanoid monsters. After all, in this world no matter how hard he fought, he wouldn't be injured. Even the sensation of pain would dulled.

'Mm?'

Just as he went past a small creek, Demi discovered an animal trail that seemed to lead deeper into the forest. Based on the width of the trail, it would probably have been made by something at least the size of a large dog. Or a wolf. Jackpot. 

"Here I come." Demi couldn't help grinning happily as he moved quickly along the trail. It's been a long time since he felt so spirited heading into a potential fight. The roots and uneven ground didn't slow him one bit as he peered into the distance, scanning expectantly for any monster hiding in the bushes. After about ten minutes of running however, he had no choice but to halt the hunt. And the reason for it was his lack of stamina.

Creation's Cradle was well-known for its realism. Well, perhaps too realistic. Its cutting edge technology perfectly simulated the human body's accumulation of fatigue. Based on a Lv 1 character's stats, players could at most sprint for roughly ten minutes or so before their stamina gets depleted. This parameter was inserted to increase the difficulty of the game, and also serves as motivation for the players. With enough stamina stats or pots, they would no longer be constrained by their stamina and could fight endlessly.

"Pant... pant... this... damn... game..." 

The cheap cotton clothing that first felt novel to Demi now felt heavy and cumbersome instead. The material wasn't dry-fit, and the sweaty shirt stuck on his skin, making him feel particularly uncomfortable. Furthermore, the poor quality of the beginner shoes also began revealing itself. The soles of his feet hurt from the rocks and pebbles that he inadvertently stepped on.

Thankfully, the trail finally came to an end. The row of trees gave way to a large clearing, and a majestic-looking lone oak tree stood in the middle. It had orange leaves, and gave off a feeling that is different from any other trees in Aiden Forest.

"Is this some kind of special landmark?"

Seeing the comfy shade under the tree, Demi decided to take a short rest there. It should take about a five to ten minutes for his stamina to recover. As he moved his exhausted legs along...

[You have discovered the secret location <Aiden Forest Core>.]

"Hmm? Is there something special about this place?" 

Demi was thrilled. Perhaps there was something special about this place. A treasure of some sort. He began probing and scrutinizing the tree, starting from a spot several metres away from it, followed by its roots and trunk. A few minutes later, he spotted a red fruit the size of his fist, hanging innocently on one of the branches. While it didn't a sound, it seemed to be screaming "Eat me!" to the novice staring intently at it.

Moments later...

"Hehe. My first adventure." 

Demi held the fruit in his hand. Upon closer observation, it looked like an overgrown plum. It's skin wasn't just red as first discovered, but had several patches of gold all over. The impressive visual image made Demi more eager to consume it. When he first made contact with the fruit, a system prompt popped up. 

[Red Fruit]
Rarity: Unknown
Effect: ??? <!>
Description: A red fruit found in Aiden Forest.

Filled with expectation, Demi tapped the <!> prompt.

[Items of unknown origin can be identified by an Appraiser or an Appraisal scroll. Do note that the higher the rating of the item, the less likely it can be identified by said method.]

[It is not recommended to use a consumable or equipment before it is identified.]

'Well, whatever. What can happen?'

As a beginner, Demi had no idea what could happen. In the closed beta, there were players who consumed unidentified items and ingredients. The mildest suffered a temporary debuff. The slightly more unfortunate ones were paralyzed, poisoned and died. The truly unlucky ones lost status points permanently. And that was the closed beta. It was likely that even more severe consequence could occur in the open beta. 

But Demi, who didn't know all this, threw caution to the winds and confidently took a large bite out of the fruit. 

"Delicious!" He couldn't help but exclaim out loud. It was sweet and crunchy, tasting like a crossbreed between a pomelo and a grape. The floral aftertaste was also rather addictive. 

[You have consumed <Tranquility Fruit of Aiden>.]

[Intelligence has increased by 2 points.]

"Haha! I knew it would be fine!" The unexpected windfall made Demi beam ear-to-ear. Based on the system manual, 10 points of stats would be obtained every level up. And now, within the first hour of his login, Demi already gained a permanent stats increase. Of course, he knew that it was probably only a once-off lucky encounter. Still, just like a novice who won his first bet at a casino, this incident still raised his expectations somewhat.

'Where should I go now?'

After the initial exuberance, Demi cooled his head and consulted his map. After deciding where to go, he got up to continue his journey. Or to be more accurate, tried to get up.

"Eh?" There wasn't any strength in his legs.

[You have breathed in an excessive amount of the fragrance of the Tree of Tranquility. You have fallen asleep.]

Without any warning, Demi's eyelids turned as heavy as lead. Falling asleep in the open like this would have made him the perfect snack for the monsters in the forest.

"This... damn... ga-"

Before he could finish his curse, Demi lost his consciousness. Leaning in a cross-legged posture against the trunk of the tree, he looked like a someone on the quest for enlightenment. 



---

As the sky turned from bright blue to the glitter of sunset, two herb-gatherers were chatting with one another on their way home. It had been a hard day of work, but their yield was well worth the effort.

"Hey, look at that." They passed by the clearing where Demi was in a comatose state. "You think he's okay?"

His companion looked in the direction the man pointed at. 

"How commendable, to be seeking the ascetic path at such a young age." His companion nodded in agreement. They saw the peaceful look on Demi's face and his perfect posture, and were inspired. 

"We should focus on our task too!"

"Let's hurry back! Then we can rest early and have strength for tomorrow!"

After years of doing the same routine over and over again, these men recovered the initial passion they had towards botany. Demi had no idea that that night, in a solemn seting, the two of them renewed their desire to become world-famous herb-gatherers.