04. Firstden Village (02)

Compared to him, a healer needed much more time to prepare before stepping into combat.

Khalisa had mentioned completing gathering missions, which meant she was probably collecting herbs, brewing potions, crafting remedies.

But did she brew her concoctions in the middle of a battle? That would be far too troublesome and dangerous, not to mention impractical. She couldn't possibly do it all on her own.

It made Alden wonder about the different approaches to progression in this world. Combat classes like his could just grab a weapon and fight. Support classes required infrastructure, knowledge, and resources. Different paths, different challenges.

But his prediction could be wrong.

He followed the direction Khalisa had indicated, down a dirt road that forked into two paths ahead, its middle section overgrown with short shrubs and wildflowers. As he walked, boots crunching on the packed earth, the outline of Firstden Village slowly sharpened on the horizon.

Soon, he began to notice others along the road. Reincarnators, he assumed, occupied with their own tasks. A pair walked together discussing strategy in low voices. Another sat beneath a tree, apparently meditating or reviewing their stats. One sprinted past him at impressive speed, clearly testing their Move Speed stat or maybe just in a hurry.

Alden could tell they weren't NPCs because their movements were too natural, too fluid and varied. They shifted their weight, scratched their noses, looked around with genuine curiosity rather than programmed patterns.

Besides, he noticed something else that confirmed it: the names of the reincarnators didn't appear above their heads, unlike the background characters. The NPCs all had floating nameplates in simple white text. Real people had nothing, maintaining some semblance of privacy.

"Are you serious? This item's got to be worth at least ten bronze coins, right?" A man's voice rang out suddenly, filled with frustration.

Alden's attention shifted to a stall on the roadside where a reincarnator was haggling with a merchant over what looked like a giant claw.

"Sir, if I wanted it, I could go find this thing myself!" The seller—a portly man with a thick black mustache that dominated his face—defended himself with stubborn confidence, arms crossed. "Seven bronze is my final offer!"

"Outrageous! I fought those damn birds with everything I had to get this!" The reincarnator slammed his hand on the counter, making the displayed wares rattle. "Do you have any idea how hard they hit? I nearly died!"

Alden slowed his pace, watching the exchange with growing interest. The NPC merchant was arguing back, negotiating, showing personality and business acumen. This was nothing like the farmer he'd met earlier, who had barely seemed capable of answering a simple question.

Was this what Khalisa meant by useful NPCs? Background characters who actually served functions beyond set dressing?

His understanding of this world was still like a grain of sand in a vast desert. Every answer spawned ten new questions.

The scope of Ascendria was becoming clearer, though. Combat was important, yes—essential even—but it was only one part of a larger, functioning whole.

This place had markets and an economy. It had crafting systems and trade. There were basic necessities like hunger and thirst to manage, judging by the food stalls he was passing. It was life, but... different. Gamified. Here, reincarnators were bestowed with abilities beyond normal human limits, but they still needed to eat, still needed gear, still needed to participate in society.

As he moved deeper into the outskirts of town, Alden spotted a small wooden stall offering what looked like raw meat and fresh fruits. His stomach chose that moment to remind him he hadn't eaten since... well, since before he died, technically.

"Hello there, fellow hunter!" The woman behind the stall greeted him enthusiastically. Her entire outfit appeared to be made from animal pelts. Deer hide, or something similar from this world. Leather bracers, a fur-lined vest, boots wrapped in what might have been wolf skin. "Looking for a fresh chunk of meat?"

"How much for one?" Alden asked, keeping his tone casual but cautious. He had no idea what the economy looked like here, what was expensive versus cheap.

"Well, the large cut's fifteen bronze," she replied, gesturing to thick slabs of red meat laid out on the counter. They looked fresh, well-preserved. "Medium's ten, and the small one's five bronze. So, what'll it be? These are cheaper than most vendors in town, you have my word on that."

It was remarkable, really. This "useful background character" acted like a real, living merchant. But Alden's thoughts were interrupted by a more pressing problem.

He remembered with sinking clarity that he'd just emerged from the trial ruins. He hadn't completed any town quests. Hadn't found any treasure chests with currency. He was, in gaming terms, completely broke.

"Ah, tough luck for me," Alden said with an embarrassed chuckle, taking a step back from the stall. "I just finished some exploring and didn't earn a single coin. Sorry to waste your time."

"Wait, wait!" The merchant leaned forward, eyes suddenly keen with interest. "You mean ruins exploration? Or cave diving perhaps? Did you kill any monsters down there?"

Alden paused, turning back. "Uh... yes? Why?"

"Because I always appreciate a hunter's haul!" She grinned, revealing slightly crooked teeth. "Monster parts have value, friend. Show me what you've got. I might be interested in a trade."

"Oh." Alden blinked. He hadn't even thought to check his inventory after the trial. "Hang on a second."

He pulled up his virtual bag interface, the hologram appearing before him with a thought. To his genuine surprise, he had obtained several items during the spider fight: Ruin Spider Legs (×3), Spider Blood Eyes (×5), and something unusual. A dark, lightless stone labeled Obsidian Crystal Fragment.

The crystal caught his attention immediately. Alden focused on it, and a detailed description appeared:

[Item: Obsidian Crystal Fragment]

Found deep within ancient ruins during the Trial. Its surface reflects no light, as though it devours it whole. Scholars believe it to be a relic from a lost era when magic was still wild and untamed. Combine with other fragments to unveil its true secret.

Value: High

"What the...?" Alden muttered, his brow furrowing as he read the description again. A fragment? That implied there were more pieces somewhere. But the trial was supposed to be unique to each reincarnator, wasn't it? What about the others who'd completed their own trials? Did they get fragments too? Were they all pieces of the same thing, or different things entirely?

The implications made his head spin. Was this some kind of collection quest that spanned all reincarnators? A puzzle that required cooperation to solve?

"So? Wanna trade or not?" The merchant's impatient voice snapped him out of his spiraling thoughts. She was tapping her fingers on the counter, waiting.

"Yeah... I'd like to make a trade," Alden replied, mentally selecting the spider legs. The moment he confirmed, the monstrous limb materialized in his hand—long, hairy, with sharp points at the joints. The sudden appearance of the grotesque thing made a passing NPC yelp in surprise and hurry away.

"Whoa! Monster legs?" The merchant flinched back instinctively, then quickly regained her composure, leaning in to examine them. "Ruin spiders, eh? Nasty creatures. That'll do nicely. How about... two small meats and three apples for one set?"

Alden considered this. He had three sets of legs total. "Can you double that offer?"

They haggled for a few minutes, the merchant proving surprisingly shrewd. In the end, Alden traded all three sets of spider remains—the legs and two of the blood eyes—for five small cuts of meat, six apples, and two heads of lettuce that looked surprisingly earth-like.

Each item, the vendor explained, could be cooked into a dish with unique effects. Cooked food provided better benefits than raw: stat boosts, regeneration buffs, even temporary resistance to certain damage types.

But since Alden didn't know the first thing about cooking—hadn't even seen a kitchen or campfire yet—he decided to save them for later.

He could eat them raw, the merchant had warned. It would still provide sustenance, keep the hunger at bay. But the benefits would be negligible, offering only mild satiety. Worse, there was a fifteen percent chance of receiving the Nausea status effect, which would lower vital stats like Health and Stamina regeneration for an hour. Not worth the risk unless he was desperate.

[Charisma has improved]

The notification appeared suddenly as he finished the transaction, floating in the corner of his vision. Alden paused mid-step, staring at it. Charisma? That was a hidden stat. It hadn't appeared on his Data Information screen at all.

So there were stats beyond what was displayed. Social stats. Alden now understood why he'd felt his Data Information was somehow incomplete earlier, as if the numbers and calculations couldn't fully capture what made a character function in this world.

Whatever Charisma did, it would clearly be inseparable from his daily interactions. Trading, forming parties, maybe even romance options if this world worked like certain games.

"A complex world," he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head in bemused appreciation.

As he wandered deeper into Firstden proper, passing through the open gates where bored-looking guards waved him through without question, Alden left the bustling outer market behind.

The streets were wider here, paved with cobblestones instead of dirt. Buildings were taller, sturdier, built to last. NPCs and reincarnators mingled freely, creating a strange hybrid of medieval town and gaming hub.

He followed the flow of foot traffic until he stopped before a larger wooden structure that dominated a small plaza. A crowd had gathered there, maybe twenty or thirty people, mostly reincarnators based on the lack of nameplates.

Something was clearly drawing them in, creating an excited buzz of conversation. Alden felt compelled to investigate, pushing his way closer.

"What's going on?" he asked, loud enough for the person in front of him to hear.

The man turned around. Short, wearing long blue robes embroidered with silver runes, carrying a gnarled wooden staff. A mage, definitely. His eyes were sharp behind thin spectacles, studying Alden with a calculating gaze.

"The Quest Board," the mage said simply, gesturing toward the building. "It's been refreshed with new missions. Happens every few hours."

He looked Alden up and down, taking in the basic brown fur armor and common sword. Suspicion flickered behind his calm smile, though not hostile—more like professional assessment. "You're new to Ascendria, aren't you?"

Alden considered denying it, playing it cool. But what was the point? His gear probably screamed "newbie" to anyone with experience. He nodded.

"No worries about that," the mage said, his tone warming slightly. "Everyone starts somewhere. The Quest Board offers a wide range of missions with varying difficulty and experience rewards. You can choose whichever suits your level and playstyle.”

“Just..." He paused, his expression becoming more serious. "Mind the difficulty ratings. You wouldn't want to die too early in your new life, would you? Death mechanics here are... unpleasant."

Before Alden could ask what that meant, a loud shout rang out across the plaza.

"Come on! We need party members to clear the Shaman Imp dungeon! Looking for a tank and a mage!" A hooded figure in all black—assassin or rogue class, probably—stood on a barrel, calling out to the crowd. A woman in pristine white robes stood beside him, staff in hand. A healer, most likely.

"For newbies, it's generally better to find a team," the mage commented, glancing at the recruiting pair. "You'll level up faster with a balanced party. And you definitely won't have to face a boss alone, which at your level would be suicide."

"Do you have a quest already?" Alden asked, curious if the mage was recruiting or already committed.

The mage's fingers moved through the air, pulling up his interface and confirming something Alden couldn't see. He looked back at Alden with a slight smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Of course I do. But I don't think I'll be inviting you to join," he said bluntly, though not unkindly. Just stating facts. "My party runs higher-tier content. You'd be a liability at level one, no offense. Until next time."

With that, the mage stepped away, rejoining a group of four others who stood near the edge of the plaza. Each was dressed distinctly according to their class. Heavy armor, leather scout gear, robes in different colors. A balanced, experienced team.

Alden watched them go without resentment. The mage was right, after all. Since Alden had no acquaintances in this world yet, no connections or friends to rely on, he'd have to prove himself the hard way.

He approached the Quest Board directly, weaving through the crowd of reincarnators studying the available missions. The board itself was massive—easily ten feet tall and twice as wide, covered in posted notices that glowed with faint magical light. As he drew near, a holographic interface appeared before him, listing all available quests in neat categories.

Alden's heart sank as he read through them.

Ten active quests total. Almost all of them were marked as Hard difficulty, recommended for levels 15 to 20. None were available for absolute beginners, levels 1 to 10. The lowest tier he could find was rated for levels 10 to 15, and even those looked intimidating.

Am I jumping in too early?

Maybe. But what choice did he have? He needed to grow stronger, needed to understand the combat system, needed to test his abilities in real scenarios. High risk, high reward. That's how you grew, right?

Alden scanned the level 10-15 quests more carefully and selected one that didn't sound completely impossible:

[Quest: Clear the Swarm of Imps]

Difficulty: Medium-Hard

Recommended Level: 10-15

Recommended Party Size: 3-5

Objective: Enter the Sunken Grove and eliminate the Imp infestation. Defeat at least 30 Lesser Imps and 1 Rage Imp.

Rewards:

- 2,500 EXP

- 50 Bronze Coins

- Medium Stamina Potion ×3

- Refined Iron Shield

Alden stared at the quest details, his finger hovering over the accept button. Could he actually complete this mission alone? Or even survive it? He was level one. The recommended level was ten. That was a massive gap in any game.

But the rewards... 2,500 experience would probably push him to level 4 or 5 immediately. The bronze coins would let him buy better food, maybe even some basic potions. And that Refined Iron Shield would be a huge upgrade from having no shield at all.

His class was literally designed around using a sword and shield. Fighting without one felt wrong, incomplete.

Before he could second-guess himself into paralysis, Alden accepted the quest. The notification flashed across his vision, and a waypoint marker appeared on his mini-map, pointing toward the forest beyond the town walls.

[Quest Accepted: Clear the Swarm of Imps]