Chapter 102: MIRA’S FIRST DAY IN SECOND WORLD ONLINE

I woke up earlier than the morning alarm that day. Usually, getting out of bed was the heaviest part of my day. My body was stiff, my head was heavy, and it took several minutes before I could sit upright. But this morning I opened my eyes immediately and stared at the ceiling with the feeling of a child waiting for a birthday.

I glanced at the digital clock on the side table. Ten past six. Father had said the capsule would arrive in the morning, and with Chronos Tech’s efficiency, "morning" could mean seven o’clock or nine o’clock.

It turned out to be a quarter to seven.

The sound of a truck engine could be heard in the front yard. From the room’s balcony, I saw a white vehicle with the Chronos Tech logo on the side of its body stop in front of the main terrace. Three people in gray uniforms got down from the cabin; two of them carefully pushed a large metal crate on wheels, as if its contents were golden eggs.

Behind me, the room door opened softly.

"Young Master, they’ve arrived," Mira said in a voice that was almost a whisper. She was already neatly uniformed, her hair perfectly arranged, but her fingers were wringing in front of her stomach. I suspected she hadn’t slept at all last night.

"I see," I answered while holding back a smile. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet... I’m not hungry."

"That’s not an answer I can accept. Eat breakfast first, then we’ll meet them."

Mira opened her mouth to protest, then closed it again. Her cheeks flushed slightly. Ten minutes later, the two of us sat at the small dining table near the kitchen, and she finished half a plate of toast with a face as if she were chewing paper.

The leader of the technician team was a middle-aged man with glasses named Mr. Dimas. He bowed deeply the moment he met me in the living room, and I was already used to that attitude. Ever since my father became the largest shareholder, everyone at Chronos Tech treated me like a very expensive piece of glass.

"Good morning, Young Master Rian. We are delivering one Game Capsule unit according to the direct instructions of Master Alexander," he said while handing over a tablet containing the handover documents. "This unit is placed as a special priority. Its serial number is VVIP-003."

Mira, who was standing behind me, immediately flinched. "VVIP... number three?"

"That’s correct, Miss," Mr. Dimas answered politely. "Number one is used by Young Master, and number two is used by Miss Alya. This unit was produced from the same line, complete with the latest generation health monitoring module."

I glanced at Mira. She was staring at that metal crate as if looking at something too big to believe. I only held back a laugh and pointed to the guest room next to mine.

"Install it there."

"Young Master?" Mira’s voice almost choked. "In the guest room? But that’s the room for honored guests..."

"And you are now an honored guest in this house," I answered lightly. "Besides, if your capsule is next to my room, I can check on your condition anytime."

Mira was unable to reply. Her face was already as red as a ripe tomato, and she hurriedly lowered her head, pretending to straighten the folds of her uniform skirt.

The installation process took nearly an hour. The technicians connected the power cables, tested the sensors, calibrated the neural pads, then ran a full-body scan. Mira was asked to lie inside the capsule in a thin medical gown while the scanner lights moved slowly from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. A nurse from Doctor Karin’s team also checked her blood pressure and heart rate, and she briefly delivered a short message from the doctor.

"Doctor Karin sends her regards, congratulations on joining, Miss Mira. And don’t forget to eat regularly."

"She knows?" Mira whispered to me.

"Doctor Karin always knows everything," I answered flatly. "That’s one of the scariest things about her."

When all the settings were finished, and the technicians took their leave, Mira was still lying inside the capsule with wide-open eyes staring at the half-raised glass lid. I crouched beside the capsule and placed my hand on top of hers.

"Nervous?"

"A little," she admitted. "What if I can’t do anything there? What if I only become a burden? Young Master is already so amazing, while I..."

"Mira."

She stopped.

"Being Level 1 is not a shame," I said while smiling. "I was there once too. The difference is, back then I was alone. Now you have me. And I’m not someone who lets someone I care about become a burden."

Mira bit her lip, then nodded slowly with eyes that had become glistening again. I patted the back of her hand once more.

"I’ll go in first, okay? I’ll wait at the StoneBrook square, near the fountain and the waypoint crystal. Once your character is finished being created, just look for the most eye-catching white hair in the middle of the city."

She laughed softly between breaths. "Alright, Young Master."

"And one more thing. Inside there, don’t call me Young Master."

"Eh? Then what should I call you?"

"Syl," I answered. "My name there is Syl."

She repeated it softly, as if tasting a new word. "Syl."

"Good. See you there."

I returned to my room, lay down in the capsule, and pressed the enter button.

Ting!

[System: Connecting to Second World Online... Welcome back, Syl.]

The world turned white, then changed into the scent of old dust and moonlight piercing through a hole-filled roof.

I opened my eyes inside my small tent in the corner of that dilapidated church. Time in the real world was indeed morning, but the synchronization of the Time Goddess made the clock inside the game run on its own, and coincidentally it was now midnight. The first thing I realized was the silence. There were no ghost howls, no monster growls, not even a breath of wind. I checked my status window and found one system note.

[System: Camp Tent effect has ended.]

The tent’s effect had already expired. For the past several hours, I should have been exposed without protection in the middle of the Forest of Discard, yet not a single monster had touched me. I stepped out of the tent and swept the church hall with a suspicious gaze. The floor I had cleaned was still clean, the benches I had stacked were still in place, and the repellent bottle in the corner hadn’t shifted even a bit.

The crescent moon carving on the altar seemed to glow faintly under the moonlight falling through the roof hole. Or maybe it was just my feeling.

This place rejects monsters, I concluded while stroking my chin. Whether because of a seal, or because of something older than that. Interesting. But now isn’t the time.

I packed up the tent, put it into my inventory, then took out a Return Scroll. Ten seconds of casting, non-combat condition fulfilled, and no enemies nearby. I tore the seal; bluish light enveloped my body, and the church faded into a sea of white.

When my vision recovered, I was already standing in the StoneBrook square, right beside the fountain.

The city remained crowded even though the night was already late. Oil lamps burned along the streets, players came and went, night vendors shouted, offering their wares, and in the distance the ringing of hammers from Thorek’s workshop could be heard. I leaned against the edge of the fountain and opened the friends list. There were no notifications yet. I waited while watching the crowd, and realized something funny. Once upon a time, I had come here alone with a confusing identity. Now I was waiting for someone.

Ting!

[System: Player "Mirabelle" has sent a friend request.]

Mirabelle? I raised an eyebrow. So the ID "Mira" was already taken by someone else. I laughed softly and pressed the accept button.

Ting!

[System: You are now friends with Mirabelle. Friend location: South Entrance of StoneBrook Square (New Player Respawn Point).]

I immediately walked toward the south of the square. Every step felt a little faster than usual. Then I saw her.

A girl stood frozen in the middle of the respawn point in a cream-colored beginner tunic and simple cloth pants. Her hair was long, black, and wavy, falling to her waist, and her skin looked a little paler than I remembered. Her body was slender and of medium height, with a soft face I had known since I was little. Exactly like Mira in the real world, except that her dark brown eyes now reflected a faint reddish gleam under the lamp light, and when her lips parted slightly, two small fangs peeked from behind her teeth.

She raised her face toward the night sky. Stars were scattered clearly above StoneBrook, and the moon hung round between the city towers. Both of her hands were stretched forward, letting the night wind flow between her fingers.

She was crying without a sound.

"Mira," I called softly.

She flinched and turned. Her eyes swept over the figure in front of her, from the silver-white hair tied in a ponytail, the ruby-red eyes, the white uniform with a shoulder cloak, down to the thigh-high stockings. Her mouth opened, closed, then opened again.

"Young Master?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Syl," I corrected firmly, while glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "Call me Syl."

"S-sorry!" She covered her mouth with both hands; her face immediately flushed red. "Syl... Miss Syl... Young... I mean..."

"Just Syl is enough."

"But..." Her eyes were still tracing my appearance with a mixture of awe and embarrassment. "You... I mean, you... are so beautiful."

I blinked. My ears felt hot. "That wasn’t my choice. The system made me like this."

"Still beautiful," she murmured softly while looking at her boots. "Like a fairy from a fairy tale."

I cleared my throat and hurriedly changed the topic. "How does it feel?"

Her face immediately brightened. She turned slowly, spread her arms, then took a deep breath and exhaled it with a tremor. "Amazing. I can feel the wind. I can smell the bread from the tavern over there. And..." She glanced at her hands, moving her fingers one by one. "And my body feels light. Even lighter than I imagined. It feels like tonight is merging with my skin."

I narrowed my eyes. That last sentence sounded odd.

"Open your status," I said. "Just say ’Status’ in your mind."

Mira closed her eyes for a moment, then a blue window appeared in front of her. I glanced sideways with her permission. And instantly, my brain stopped working for several seconds.

[Name: Mirabelle | Race: Vampire (Monstrous Race) | Level: 1]

[Current Time: Night | Racial Bonus Active: Nocturnal Blood (All Stats x2)]

[HP: 500 | MP: 300 | Stamina: 400]

[STR: 24 | INT: 24 | DEX: 24 | AGI: 24 | VIT: 24]

[Racial Passive: Nocturnal Blood. Night: all stats x2. Dusk: all stats reduced by 70%. Day: all stats reduced by 90%.]

I read that line three times.

"Syl?" Mira looked at me anxiously. "What’s wrong with my status? Did I choose something wrong? I didn’t choose anything; the system determined it directly..."

"No, it’s not your fault," I answered, forcing my voice to stay flat. "You’re a Vampire race. That’s in the Monstrous Race category, one of the extremely rare exotic races. And the system is currently showing that your entire status at Level 1, tonight, is higher than my status, which is already Level thirty-five."

"Eh?" Mira blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Your STR is twenty-four. Mine is seventeen and a half. Your HP is five hundred. Mine is one hundred twenty."

Silence for a moment. Then Mira covered her mouth and laughed heartily until her shoulders shook. Several new players who passed by turned their heads curiously.

"Sorry, sorry! One hundred twenty HP at Level thirty-five?" She wiped the corner of her eye. "Young... I mean, Syl, how is that possible?"

"Albinism Trait," I answered, folding my arms across my chest. "INT and DEX are doubled, but VIT and STR are cut to pieces. Don’t laugh. It’s unfair suffering."

"But it’s so funny," she said between laughs.

I snorted. Even so, seeing Mira laugh freely under the moonlight made my chest feel warm. It had been a long time since I had seen her laugh like this without burden.

However, my analytical brain couldn’t stop working. I reread that racial passive line and felt the corner of my lips lift unconsciously. This was clearly a high-risk, high-return race. Doubling all stats at night was an insane number. But during the day, when her status plummeted ninety percent, she would be weaker than any Level 1 player. And dusk, the most vulnerable transition period, only gave her thirty percent of her normal strength.

"Mira, listen to me carefully," I said, lowering my voice. "This race is extremely strong, but there’s a price. During the night, you’re almost unbeatable for a Level 1. The moment the sun rises, you’ll be extremely weak. So we’ll arrange a schedule. Night for hunting, day for resting in a safe place."

"I understand." Mira nodded, now with a serious face. "So during the day I have to hide?"

"If you don’t want to die ridiculously, yes." I let out a breath. "And one more thing. Hunting at night is dangerous. Monsters are far more aggressive after dark. They attack faster, chase more often, and their numbers are greater. Your status is high, but your experience is zero. That’s a dangerous combination."

Mira swallowed and nodded again.

I invited her to walk around the city for a bit before departing. I showed her the Main Church from a distance, the "Red Dragon" tavern with buffet prices that made wallets cry, and Thorek’s workshop that was still lit. Mira listened to every explanation of mine while occasionally stopping to touch the stone walls, feel the texture of fabric at merchant stalls, and smell the soup aroma from the tavern.

At a night weapon stall, I told her to choose. On the table lay short swords, wooden staffs, small axes, and several daggers. Mira stared at everything in confusion, then her hand stopped on a simple straight knife with a plain wooden handle. She lifted it, weighed it, then spun it once between her fingers with a very fluid motion.

"This one," she said softly. "Somehow it feels the most fitting in my hand."

"Have you ever used a knife?"

"Almost every day," she answered with an awkward smile. "In the kitchen. Cutting vegetables, slicing meat, filleting fish. This knife’s shape is almost the same as the slicing knife in the house kitchen."

I held back a laugh. "Alright. Beginner-level kitchen knife, then."

I bought her that knife, plus a set of light leather armor. Mira put on the armor awkwardly, tightened her knife belt, then straightened her back with a face full of determination that didn’t match that beginner uniform.

At the southern gate, a stretch of grassland spread dark under the moonlight. The night wind swayed the knee-high grass. Several beginner players were practicing in the distance, but their numbers were far fewer than during the day. The green Slime blobs that usually hopped lazily now moved more agilely, with slime that glistened wet under the moonlight. From afar came wolf howls that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Mira stopped at the edge of the footpath, swallowed, then turned to me.

"Syl."

"Yes?"

"Thank you for waiting for me."

I smiled thinly and lifted my chin toward the grassland. "Go. I’m behind you. If anything dangerous appears, I’ll shoot immediately."

She nodded, took a breath, then stepped forward. A Slime jumped out of the grass and lunged toward her face at a speed that almost made me pull the trigger. But Mira moved faster. Her body spun sideways, her knife swung straight, and with one slash she split that blob into two parts that fell scattered on the grass.

Ting!

[System: Mirabelle defeated Green Slime Lv. 1. EXP +10]

Mira stood frozen, staring at the knife in her hand, then at the slime that was melting into the ground. Her eyes widened.

"I... succeeded?" she whispered. "Just now... I moved on my own?"

"That’s your status," I answered while lowering the rifle. "AGI twenty-four and DEX twenty-four at Level 1 is no joke. Added to your hand movements that are already used to knives, the result is like just now."

"Like cutting vegetables," she murmured in amazement.

"Indeed similar."

Mira laughed softly, then turned to the next slime with sparkling eyes like a child who had just won a lottery. She ran lightly toward the slime blob that was hopping near a rock, and I followed her from a safe distance while watching the surroundings. Every few minutes, I peeked toward the tree shadows in the distance to make sure those wolves weren’t approaching.

I leaned against a fence post of the footpath, watching Mira’s back moving nimbly under the moonlight. In the sky, the stars were still scattered clearly, and the night wind carried the scent of wet grass. In my mind, the riddle of Mirror Lake and the starless night was still turning, but tonight that riddle felt a little lighter.

Dawn is still several hours away, I thought while counting the game clock in the corner of my vision. During the night, I can level her up as fast as possible. The moment the sky starts to turn red, I have to take her to a shaded place before her status plummets. The Moon Goddess quest isn’t going anywhere.