Chapter 15: 3.4 Levelling Up?

A few minutes of walking later, I actually managed to get to the outskirts of this massive city... Or was it hours? Whatever. It's not like I can feel hunger or the need to piss anyway. I guess there's no survival mechanics in place? Either way, with Guidance still out of commission, I guess it was a good time to get a lay of the city myself as opposed to asking the one person that actually designed the whole thing.

For a fantasy city, [Kotosa] looked far too suspiciously like my own city back in the real world. With the clearly ancient Chinese aesthetic, everything from the architecture to the atmosphere just screamed Eastern. From dragon statues to jade decorations, the buildings were immaculately made; as if Guidance really pulled out all the stops in terms of creating painstaking detail down to each individual tile.

"Damn..." I whistled out with a nod. "Not gonna lie, this is beautiful..."

With various NPCs walking around, the whole place really looked like a breathing, living city. As I walked through the gate, everything around me just felt... different. It was almost as if I was walking into a different world altogether.

[Kotosa: Kattleynan Capital City]

Huh... so this was the capital of this [Kattleyna] whatever. Still didn't know if it was a province or an empire, but at least I was at the center of it all now. Surely I'd get something of worth in this place in terms of stuff to do. Waiting for Guidance to respond was kind of getting old, but at least I had an entire city to explore as opposed to just the admittedly luscious forest.

Hey, I can diss her coding skills for all I care, but I can't really find faults in her aesthetic taste and graphical design.

"Welcome!"

"Care to trade?!"

"Hello!"

I raised an eyebrow as some of the NPCs greeted me. They sounded normal, at least, and not robotic like some trashy indie games. The character designs were also ridiculously varied; with some looking right at home with the Eastern setting while others looked to be a mix of European or Middle Eastern descent. The prevalent clothes were also fitting for the perpetual darkness setting that Guidance got going; with light colors of yellow and white being the prevalent colors among the populace of this massive city.

As I walked through [Kotosa], the lack of an actual HUD made me hesitant to just approach some of these people and trigger some dialogue. I didn't really want to look too stupid when I encountered some random NPC that had no dialogue to speak of. And with me being present in person, some of the more real-life societal norms were really bleeding through to me.

Cause what kind of maniac would just approach a random nobody off the street and ask for a quest or if they sold something?

Of course, that didn't mean I was completely inept in social skills. It's just that.... Okay. Maybe I'm more anti-social than most people, but I still knew how to talk to strangers.

"New face in the city, kid?"

"Interested in some wares?"

Letting my feet guide me, I walked in awe as I drank in the various sights in the city. From what looked to clearly be a [Trade District], to the absolutely marvelous-looking [Kotosa Gardens], everything I just looked at filled me with a novel sense of wonder and excitement. To think that I could be walking through an honest-to-god fantastical city? It was downright ridiculous to even think of! Not even in my dreams did I experience such a sight!

"Hail, Stranger!"

A melodious voice shook me from my sight-seeing. That sounded suspiciously like Guidance just now.

"Yoohoo! I know you can hear me!"

Okay, that sounded far too cheerful to be Guidance. So I guess this was someone else? Was this an NPC then?

Turning towards the random voice that was screaming at me, I raised an eyebrow as the newly-identified woman gracefully skipped towards me. There was no way that someone else would be playing this game, or else Guidance would actually know what she was doing. So this was probably an important NPC if she actually recognized me?

"Thank you!" the woman beamed at me as she finally skidded to a stop in front of me. "I thought you didn't hear me."

Looking like someone that came straight from a mid-century epic, the woman in front of me sported what I could only describe as a battle kimono; a traditional Japanese dress except with the skirt and sleeves being shorter than what was probably allowed in the mid-nineteen hundreds. She was unnaturally pretty as well, with her obviously East Asian features and radiant smile. She wasn't packing in the frontal department, but who really cared about those details? From the looks of things, she was probably fit enough to lift me off the ground despite her smaller stature.

"I-uhh... heard you, yeah...."

What the hell was that, me? I sounded like a loser that never learned how to talk to women! Don't even pretend that you didn't go to four years of college constantly surrounded by women of all shapes and sizes, me. Hell, you're practically accepted into their circles before!

"Yep!" the unnamed woman smiled in spite of my horrible answer.

This was embarrassing. Here I am botching a conversation with a literal NPC, and I couldn't even find it in myself to stay focused. What the hell was Guidance smoking when she designed what I could only describe as the perfect Genki-girl archetype?

"Ookay? Can I help you?"

The woman placed a finger on her chin as she visibly posed in way that portrayed the act of thinking. Damn, she's cute. "I just can't help but notice what you're wearing!"

Huh? "Pardon?" What's wrong with my clothes? Did I tear something while I was in the forest? Oh damn, maybe I have tears and holes. I probably look like a beggar right now!

"I mean, You don't look like you live here!" she cheerfully explained. "You look like someone from [Centrax]!"

Say what now? [Centrax]? That was probably another country or something... But let's get back on the topic here, "I guess? You could say that I just got here, really."

The excitement the woman was feeling was extremely palpable, "Really?! So you haven't seen what our humble city has to offer?!"

The hell?! Humble, my ass! I've been walking in a straight line since I got here, and I still haven't even reached the center of this entire thing! Not to mention the giant moon floating right above us! "I-I suppose not."

"Splendid!"

Before I could even react, the woman somehow managed to snake her arms up on my left arm. Beaming up at me with the radiant energy of a ridiculously pure maiden, the still unnamed NPC started pulling me to her pace. Was she planning on dragging me along somewhere?

"I have to show you everything we have to offer!" she proudly declared. "I'd be a poor host if I couldn't do that much, right?"

"Okay," I guess? I feel like I'm forgetting something here...

"Don't look so sad, Stranger! I'll make sure you'll have a wonderful time touring the city! I'll stake my pride on it!"

I could only watch on helplessly as the woman pumped her fist in determination, her beautiful features scrunched up in some sort of cute seriousness. Am I seriously going to let this happen?

Of course, I will! What kind of lonely dude would pass up being pulled around by such a beauty?!

"Can I have the name of my tour guide, at least?"

"Oh! Where are my manners?!"

Letting go of my arm, the woman stood in front of me as she assumed what I already knew to be the universal posture of respect in the Far East. Taking a small bow, she gave me a smile before she spoke. In an instant, I was perfectly made aware of the floating prompt above her head full of green hair.

"You can call me Shizu!"

I hid my faint surprise as I felt my eyes trail on the prompt above her. I've only seen the usual prompts from the other NPCs, but I never saw something like this before.

["Shizu" Level: ???]

What's up with the question marks, Guidance?

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