Night fell as the moon stood high in the sky, shining majestically.
A large group of people seemed to be running in a frenzy at this moment, afraid of what night had in store for them.
Little did they know, there was no predator nearby, confident or brain-dead enough to attack a colossal force of thousands of prey.
"We're close, I see the light!" A grumpy old man screamed out joyfully
"Finally, we've been going for so long. I want to go back home!" A woman dressed in office attire remarked, her exhaustion obvious to the naked eye. Perhaps wearing heels to work was the reason for her downfall?
'What if the village can even hold so many people; what if there's a Hunger Games-type scene to pick out the lucky residents?' he thought to himself
However, soon he found himself proven wrong. They reached the "village," and honestly, he couldn't understand what part of this beautiful city was a village.
Although no skyscrapers were present, thick stone walls were going around the village; looking into the village from the open gate, numerous houses were spread out, and even shops!
Before the group could regain their calm or move forward, a figure appeared, dawning chainmail armor covering it from head to toe. A sharp silver spear in its hand.
"ATTENTION! Esteemed Travelers! Please form four lines: one for men, another for women, a third for the elderly, and lastly, one for children! Please cooperate as night has fallen and it is dangerous to be out!" A manly voice commanded from under the helmet.
To the soldier's dismay, such a large group of people would hardly be able to form such a disciplined system.
This began a riot of sorts, the old and elderly being pushed to the ground, the children being separated from their parents if they luckily met them. The young and strong men pushed through the pack, trying to enter the city first.
Suddenly, a torrent of screams rang out. Looking to the front, one would be astounded to see a bear-like man on his knees as blood spilled out from his chest.
"Was I not clear?" A cold line from the armed guard, the visage of a guide disappearing replaced by a soldier forged by war.
"GET IN YOUR LINES" he screamed for order, a group of similarly dressed guards stepping ahead and surrounding the messy group.
Naturally, in front of such a display, everyone became docile. Alex ended up near the front of his line.
'These guys are 2D NPC's, they can kill us. They're just following orders it seems, but that doesn't mean we can disrespect them as if they're mindless zombies.' he thought
"Next!" A guard stationed at the very front of his line announced, Alex stepped forward.
"Please state your name, age, and Talent Rank," the guard said as he sized Alex up.
"Alex Edwards, 19, F Rank" Alex confidently said, not mentioning the growing potential his talent possessed.
"You are assigned to house 468; you will receive food and water that will last you a week; you may live in the residence for a week before you have to pay for it if you choose to remain there." The guard said, waving for Alex to head inside.
"Does that mean I can change my residence?" Alex inquired as he stepped past the guard
"Yes, you can move to the populated side of the city for 1 silver a day." The guard responded without looking back, shouting out for the next person to come forward a second later.
'So it's all about money here too, huh?' Alex understood that wealth was a universal requirement for an enjoyable life, and in this world, he would definitely need it.
Stepping into the city, without heading to his assigned residence, he ran up to one of the merchants setting up a stall near the city center; why?
Well, because of the glorious sign "Starter Pack Available," that caught his eye.
The merchant's eyes glowed as Alex approached the stall. "Hello, good sir! Might I interest you in any of my exceptional goods?"
Seeing the collection of goods, Alex shook his head. "No, thank you! Please give me a Starter Pack."
Hearing his words the merchant rolled his eyes, handing him a little ring without so much as a word.
"Thank you!" Alex smiled at the man and walked away, towards the back end of the city.
House 468.
"Not so much of a house is it? More like one of those dirt shacks I used to build in my favorite open-world game." Alex said looking at the humble stone shack
Inside, a simple wool bed and a medieval-style toilet were present.
Regardless, Alex sat down on his rather comfortable bed, wearing the ring the merchant had given him.
Inventory:-
Space: 3/32
Items: Stone Sword, Health Potion x3, Mana Potion x1.
A blue screen appeared in front of him, this time displaying rows of empty blue boxes, with three filled with the mentioned items.
He pulled out all the items, spreading them on his bed.
The conditions seemed to be right; he now tried to feel his Talent, thinking about using its ability.
In a second, he felt like he had lost something, as a light membrane appeared before him, and out of the membrane came..him. Well, a clone of him, to be exact.
Now came the time for testing how this Talent worked.
First, he tried moving his hand, but the clone's hand didn't move.
Next, he thought about the clone moving its hand; it did work. Okay, so it was a spilt screen experience, it seemed.
He wondered if commanding it worked.
"Do a push-up." In response, the clone got on the ground, performing a clean push-up.
So that worked too? This means he could potentially use his clones for automation as well.
Now onto the most exciting aspect of his talent, he picked up his stone sword in his right hand, looking at the clone in anticipation.
A light membrane appeared near the clone's right hand, spitting out a stone sword from it.
"I'm rich!" Alex triumphantly roared; he and the clone simultaneously put down their swords, and Alex picked up all the potions he had gotten joyfully.
Soon, looking at the 3 green and 1 blue potion in the Clone's hand, Alex couldn't stop himself from breaking out into an evil smirk; this was his time to shine!
He felt the urge to pick up his swords and head toward monsters with his trusty clone!
Nonetheless, looking at the pitch-black night outside, the thought of going into the forest quickly left his mind.
"You, guard the door." He commanded his clone, as he placed the potions on the ground and nestled into his wool bed.
'Tonight marks the arrival of the protagonist! From tomorrow I begin my conquest of this realm!' He thought as his mind wandered till he fell asleep.