''Mmh?'' Isaac's eyelids fluttered as they began slowly opening. Instantly, he felt wetness surrounding his body. His hair became drenched, and his clothes hugged his body tightly.
Isaac was standing right in the middle of an empty and muddy street. The sky was dark, with water pouring down rapidly. With each passing second, Isaac got more drenched.
He unstrapped the sniper rifle and put it above him as slight protection, but it couldn't do anything to stop from rain hitting him.
His gaze ran circles, and he tried to find some shelter. It was difficult to see from behind the rainstorm, but barely, he managed to catch a shimmer of light coming from one of the buildings.
Without further ado, he began running and soon reached a saloon-like building.
Creak!
Isaac opened the door and entered the saloon with a drenched body. He took a deep breath, and once moving the wet strands of hair out of the way, he could see many eye pairs locked at him.
The building was relatively bar-like, with elderly men and women seated around wooden tables and a bar counter with a muscular man as a bartender.
''Who may you be? Never seen you before, stranger.'' The bartender asked while cleaning the already-clean cups. The elderly men and women soon turned their gazes away and focused on their discussions.
Isaac went to the bar counter and sat on a wooden stool. Then, he said, ''Traveler.''
He began drying his clothes, but it was no use. Then, he received a towel from the bartender and gave a nod of gratitude in return.
After drying up his hair slightly, he opened his mouth, ''Where am I?''
At first, he wanted to know where he was and then decide on his next course of action. After seeing the state of the buildings and streets, he concluded that he was in a faraway village.
''Information costs.'' The bartender said while placing the cups below the counter.
Isaac nodded and took a pouch of white coins. Then, he placed it right in front of the bartender, who nodded and accepted them.
''You are in a village called Rainwell.'' The bartender said.
Isaac instantly heard dinging noise coming from his mind. It was the map that registered this village into its database.
''Where is the nearby city?'' Isaac asked.
The bartender shrugged and said, ''I don't know.''
''What do you mean?'' Isaac frowned and thought that he might have got scammed after getting so little information.
However, then a voice rang behind.
''No one can leave Rainwell…'' After Isaac turned around, he saw an old man with an eyepatch covering his left eye and missing his right leg.
''Why?'' Isaac asked with furrowed brows.
The old man pointed at the poster on the wall that showed the map of the Rainwell. At first glance, the village seemed very small and insignificant. However, there was a large forest surrounding the village.
''The forest is dangerous… No one has managed to reach the end.'' The old man sighed heavily, ''I can only guess… But, it's like a test made by Gods… Only strong ones shall cross enter the promised land, and that land is behind the terrifying forest…''
Isaac nodded, but then he frowned, ''If no one can leave this place, no one should be able to enter either. Why aren't you guys shocked that I am here?''
The bartender chuckled and said, ''You aren't the first one, y'know.''
''What do you mean?''
''Not long ago, so-called Players began popping up.'' The bartender sighed and thought it was like from a fairy-tale, ''They told us about the outside world, and it is incredible the things your kin can do.''
''Oh…'' Isaac nodded, 'So… I am not the only player here…'
''Thanks for the information.'' Isaac gave another pouch of white coins as thanks and asked one more question, ''Is there an inn, anywhere?''
The bartender took the pouch and said, ''Yeah, just turn left and walk until you see a two-floor building.''
Isaac nodded and left the building. Then, he began running toward the left, and it didn't take long for him to see the dark two-floor building.
He entered with his body drenched again. After mulling over his wet clothes, he saw a grumpy-looking elderly woman sitting at the other side of the desk with wrinkled papers in her hand.
Isaac stopped in front of the desk and instantly attracted the grumpy-looking woman's ire. She pinched the bridge of her nose and said, ''You stink!''
Isaac sighed and looked at the bottom of his pants, which were stained with mud.
''What do you want?!'' The woman waved her hand, trying to get rid of the stench.
''One room, please.'' Isaac saw the price tag on the poster, gave the white coins required for the room, and instantly received a key while the woman was motioning for him to go away.
After reaching the second floor, Isaac entered his rented room. It was relatively simple, with the bed made of wood and a blanket draped over it. The walls were in the color of ugly yellow, with the floor creaking after each step.
There was a dirty-looking window that showed the dark sky and a small portion of Rainwell village.
Isaac took off his drenched clothes and began wearing something more casual. It didn't matter to him because he still had the Hexagon Armor within him that kept him secure.
Then, he sat on the hard bed and grimaced. After looking down, he could see that there wasn't a mattress or anything like that. It seemed like he was supposed to be sleeping on a thick wooden plank.
[Temporary Spawn Spot Located!]
[Accept/Reject]
Isaac's eyes sparkled as he pressed Accept. Then, the interface popped up before him, and he began assigning his stats.
After done assigning, he closed the interface. Then, he jumped to his two feet and stopped in front of the musky windows. After scanning through the nearby area, he noticed a few strange things.
Most of the buildings were empty and void of any life. It could also be that they couldn't afford any light source. After turning around, he could see a dimly lit crystal in the ceiling that shocked him.
After all, it was common knowledge that the crystals were usually found among the nobles. However, Isaac then had a hunch that the crystals weren't as rare as in Summer Realm.
'If that's true... Why don't other buildings have it... Hmm...'
