The sun had just set, painting the sky in deep hues of purple and orange as Sora neared the village. The day had been long, filled with emotion after his reset, grinding against low-level creatures, and now, his thoughts turned to food, rest, and figuring out exactly where he was.
His stomach grumbled, urging him to quicken his pace as the village’s outline became clearer.
As he approached the village’s entrance, Sora noticed a distinct shift in the atmosphere. The outer part of the village retained a strong resemblance to the old world, like a preserved piece of pre-Update Earth.
The Andalusian architecture stood proudly, with whitewashed buildings and red-tiled roofs lining the narrow streets. The buildings here were modern, some even still bearing flickering neon signs from old shops and restaurants. The place felt frozen in time, untouched by the chaos that had engulfed the world years ago.
At the village’s gate, two guards stood watch. As Sora approached, they exchanged a few words in Spanish, their voices low but audible. Without thinking, Sora activated his translating function. The familiar buzz in his ear followed by the crisp French translation never failed to amaze him. He had set the translator to French because it was his native language.
Despite having used this feature countless times, he still wasn’t fully used to the feeling—hearing words spoken in one language while understanding them perfectly in another. It was strange and a constant reminder of how drastically the world had changed.
Sora blinked, momentarily distracted by the seamless translation. "This confirms it," he muttered to himself, his suspicions confirmed. "I must be in Spain."
One of the guards raised a hand, stopping him. "Entry fee," the guard said, his tone gruff but polite. Sora understood enough Spanish to know what he wanted even without the translation, but he let the function run anyway, enjoying the clarity it brought.
The other guard remained silent, eyeing him with curiosity.
Sora fished out a few coins from his inventory and handed them over. The guard inspected them briefly before nodding. "Welcome," he said.
As Sora crossed through the gates, he stepped into a world split between past and present. The village was still small, yet the influence of the New World Kingdom’s transformation was clear. The outer part felt like a relic of old Spain, with modern storefronts and local shops advertising everything from groceries to electronics.
Familiar brand names flickered in dim lights, though some of these stores appeared abandoned or repurposed for the village’s new role in this game-like world.
But Sora wasn’t interested in these modern touches tonight. He had a goal, and that was the core area.
As he moved deeper into the village, he passed an invisible threshold where the architecture changed completely. The transition was seamless, but the vibe was unmistakable. In the core area, things shifted to a more medieval-fantasy aesthetic.
Here, every building seemed to serve a purpose related to players: taverns, inns, guild halls, blacksmiths, and training centers. Unlike the rest of the village, the signage in the core area was always in English, no matter where you were in the world, a deliberate design choice by the system.
"This feels more familiar," Sora muttered under his breath. The core area was where the game-like mechanics took over. NPCs ran most of the shops and inns here, though not exclusively, offering everything from food to potions to player-specific quests. And the best part? He could trust the food and beds here, knowing they were designed to restore players’ health and stamina effectively.
Walking along the streets, Sora passed by several players milling about, some chatting animatedly near a guild hall, while others haggled with NPC shopkeepers. It was a lively scene, despite the late hour.
He finally spotted what he was looking for: a tavern called The Restful Blade. With a warm glow spilling out from its windows, it seemed as good a place as any to grab a meal and gather information. Sora pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The tavern was modestly filled, a handful of players scattered across the tables while an NPC bartender wiped down the counter. The warm scent of roasted meat filled the air, making Sora’s stomach grumble in anticipation. He approached the bar and tossed a few coins onto the counter, ordering a simple meal. The NPC bartender nodded and quickly prepared the food.
As Sora sat and began to eat, his attention wandered to the conversation at the next table. Two players, both clearly seasoned, were discussing the area.
"You said you met the legendary player Subrozace ?" one of them asked, his accent thick.
"Yeah, just outside Córdoba," the other replied. "Small place, but sometimes big players seem to be meeting there"
Hearing this, Sora’s ears perked up. "Córdoba?" he muttered under his breath. That meant he was in southern Spain as he had guessed when looking at the architecture in the outer city. His heart sank slightly—this was far from where he had expected to be.
Finishing his meal, Sora turned to the players. "Sorry to interrupt, but you mentioned Córdoba. I’m new here. Can you tell me how far that is from southern France?". Relative positions of cities didn’t change much, but distances between places increased after the update.
One of the players, a player that looked like a tank with a thick beard, looked him up and down before answering. "You’re in the south of Spain, mate. Córdoba’s close by, but if you’re thinking of heading to France... well, you’re looking at a few days’ travel. But where in France exactly"
"Ales," Sora added. "In the south of France. Not too far north from here before the world upgrade."
The tank chuckled. "Not far? You’re looking at a two-day drive, if the roads are clear. But those highways? Expensive as hell."
"How expensive can highways be ? France is neighboring Spain !" Sora asked, confused.
"How expensive?" the other player, a rogue, chimed in. "Extremely expensive. Most of the old highways were destroyed when the beasts showed up and wrecked everything outside city barriers. Now, the Federation rebuilt some of them, but you’ve got to pay to use ’em. They’ve got players guarding every stretch of road. Bandits, beasts... it’s all out there. You’re basically paying for protection. The world has changed, mate. Unless you’re a higher level player, it’s the only way to travel fast."
Sora frowned, the thought of traveling by highway suddenly less appealing. "How much are we talking?"
"I don’t know exactly where your Ales city is but fifty thousand gold, easy," the tank replied with a shrug. "More if you want to rent a car. And that’s not counting any accident or extra fees. Those highways are dangerous, man. It costs to keep them secure."
Fifty thousand gold. Sora didn’t even have a fraction of that amount. Returning to Ales was out of the question for now. He’d need to grind much harder to afford such a trip.
Soon after, Sora stepped out into the cool night air. He had his answer—he was in Spain, far from home, and traveling back wasn’t feasible. But that didn’t matter right now. What he needed was a bigger city, a place where he could train, and gather the money and resources he needed to grow.
"If you’re carrying more than your inventory allows, we offer space bags for rent or purchase. These bags can hold up to 100 tons and 1,000 item stacks."
"How much?" Sora asked.
Rental: 100 gold per hour
Purchase: 10,000 gold
Sora hesitated. With his gold balance at 30,000, purchasing a space bag would take a significant chunk of his funds. For now, renting seemed like the more practical option.
"I’ll rent one," he decided, handing over 100 gold.
The teller handed him a small, ornate bag. Sora transferred all 18.2 tons and 453 stacks into the bag, his movement returning to normal immediately. With a nod, he thanked the teller and left the bank.
Next, Sora headed to the [Auction House], where he planned to offload his most valuable items. The building was filled with the familiar hustle of commerce—players bargaining for gear, NPC auctioneers showcasing high-level weapons and armor, and merchants offering rare materials.
Sora approached one of the auctioneers, a sharp-eyed NPC who seemed to size him up as he laid out his wares.
"I’d like to auction these items," Sora said, revealing his best equipment.
The auctioneer carefully inspected each item, nodding with approval as he examined their rarity and level requirements.
Items for Auction:Aetherblade Sword [Uncommon] (Level 45)
Estimated Value: 8,000 gold
Lunar Tear Pendant [Uncommon] (Level 40)
Estimated Value: 6,500 gold
Titanium Armor Set [Uncommon] (Level 45)
Estimated Value: 12,000 gold
Phoenix Feather Cloak [Uncommon] (Level 40)
Estimated Value: 5,500 gold
Frostbite Bow [Uncommon] (Level 50)
Estimated Value: 25,000 gold
The auctioneer raised an eyebrow at the Frostbite Bow but made no comment. "Excellent items," he said. "You will receive 50% of the estimated value upfront. If the items do not sell within a week, you can either take them back or we will purchase them at 80% of their estimated value. Be aware that 2% of the final selling price will be taken as a fee upon sale."
Sora knew this was standard practice. High-level players were often willing to spend more than the estimated value for life-saving equipment. These items were in high demand, and supply rarely met it.
The auctioneer processed the items, and a notification popped up:
Advance Payment Received: 28500 gold
Sora’s gold balance increased to 58 424 gold. He turned and made his way to the clerk responsible for direct purchases. He had no interest in auctioning off the lower-level items and materials because no one would buy them at a better price than NPC.
"I’d like to sell the rest of these items directly," Sora said, dumping the contents of his inventory onto the counter.
The clerk, an NPC who clearly had seen his share of bulk sales, quickly assessed the collection.
"For these, I can offer you 80% of their estimated value, which comes to 17 620 gold."
Sora accepted the offer without hesitation. His gold balance now stood at 76 044 gold.
Stepping out of the auction house, Sora felt lighter—both physically and mentally. With a little more than 76k gold, he had a solid foundation to re-gear himself and start fresh.
He returned the space bag at the bank and returned to the auction house.
But he knew now that he needed to focus on his future. And that future required him to gather the best equipment he could find for his current level. He also had other plans for the money left.