A New World, An Immersive Game Experience

"Hmph! That's better. I'll allow you to walk me to school." The kid said, head held high.

"Th-that cannot be! Have you not heard the commotion?! Ah! My apologies." Bowing his head to hide his smirk, Eldrian couldn't believe the kid was buying it. He didn't even have a collar around his neck.

Then again, his cloak did a good job of hiding his neck, along with his dirtied silver hair and elven ears.

"So what? That has nothing to do with us." The kid declared with confidence, moving to continue on his way.

"B-but..." Eldrian stammered, and when the kid signalled for him to continue, Eldrian explained that the school had been evacuated. Apparently, the intruder had made it into the city, or so he explained.

"Impossible!" The kid denied, but only then did he notice his surroundings. The area they were in was quiet, too quiet. It was early in the morning. Sure, he overslept. But it shouldn't be this quiet.

"I will allow you to escort me home. Be grateful!"

"Of course!" Nodding along, Eldrian followed after the kid. Slowly prodding for information. It was simple enough to lead the kid by the nose. Eldrian quickly learned who he was, what he did at school, and a great deal more about the inner workings of the city.

'So, the kid isn't really a noble. Though things are different to what I am used to, given the influence of the undead workers and slaves.' Eldrian noted, stoking the kid's ego so he would regale him with tales about his life.

Naturally, the information Eldrian learned from the kid was limited. But it allowed him to understand the function of the school, what he could expect from the books, and why there had been mana crystals.

In fact, he also now understood why the undead (the captains, those with some semblance of intelligence) carried mana crystals on them.

The kid didn't directly explain this, but Eldrian could conclude on his own. This world, this kingdom, it lacked normal—no, one should say it lacked elemental mana. No mana is normal, Eldrian only perceived elemental as such because of his own biases.

Regardless, it was a fact that their surroundings were filled with mana of the death element. Gray to mana sense, it seemed devoid of life. And that was indeed what Eldrian concluded was the reason for mana crystals existing in the city.

To sustain life, elemental mana was required. While it wasn't directly required in and of itself, death mana had this nasty perchance to invade living things and corrupt them.

Just living under its influence caused great strain, a strain Eldrian had studied as best he could over the last week. He also had his experience in Pyknos forest to guide him. Yet, he couldn't stop the corruption, he simply blocked it by letting his own mana flow and form a skin tight barrier against it.

Luckily, players could recover by logging off. Hence, even this accursed land wasn't completely inhospitable. Though everyone's mana recovery was shot to hell.

The reason for the crystals being in the school was simple and linked to this. The Zonthans had to learn how to control it. As both living and undead, they had to be capable of connecting to both aspects.

They could survive without ever learning this skill. However, if they avoided it, they would be defenseless in an area devoid of death mana. They also wouldn't be able to bring in living creatures from outside the kingdom, nor would they be able to build slave farms.

But, perhaps most importantly. At least to the kid. If he didn't master his control over elemental mana, then he wouldn't be able to enjoy tasty food.

The fact that that had been his biggest concern, despite everything else going on. It told Eldrian the joys of innocence, and also how blatantly a kid can come to believe it was natural to step over others. To perceive himself as a higher being.

The way he talked down to Eldrian wasn't just for show. The kid truly believed Eldrian was meant to serve him. Just as all the other slaves and lower undead were meant to serve his every whim.

The anger Eldrian felt at this realization crashed with his morals to not harm a child. Yet, the more they talked, the more Eldrian realized that the kid would grow up to be a monster. Their values simply didn't align.

"My big bro is already learning how to control the undead. Once he graduates, he'll resurrect our great grandpa!"

That statement totally threw Eldrian for a loop. It helped him calm his raging emotions and keep on the act. Playing along, Eldrian learned that the Zonthans had a rite of passage where they would resurrect their ancestors as undead to serve as their guards and essentially their butlers during times of peace.

The very idea gave Eldrian chills. But by the way the kid was enthusiastically looking forward to his own rite, Eldrian was clearly the odd one out. Such was the difference in cultures and upbringing. Such were their difference in morals and ethics.

The Zonthans did not care for a peaceful burial. Instead, they thought it normal—no; it was an honor to serve their children or grandchildren after death.

"Ah, where here. Huh, hum. You did well. You can go back to work now."

Shooing Eldrian, the kid happily skipped into the estate he was living in. It was actually quite a grand estate, and upon realizing that Eldrian realized he had messed up.

'Dammit!' Cursing, Eldrian confirmed the arrival of two individuals on his map. As he turned to run, a gray barrier surrounded him.

"The invader, I presume?" a male spoke.

"You have our thanks for not harming Harvier. However, we cannot allow you to leave here alive." Came a female voice. "Ah! I know, how about we have you serve Harvier until his coming of age. What do you think, hon?"

"A splendid idea!" A blast of mana sent Eldrian flying into the gray barrier. Pinning him to it and causing the cloak hiding his features to slip. "Isn't this rare? This one is an elf."

"An elf! That's wonderful... This might be more fun than I thought."

'Crap, they're both Tier 7!' Cursing himself for not taking more care to watch his surroundings. Becoming too engrossed in his emotions and the cultural clash of morals was clearly going to cost Eldrian dearly.

However, he couldn't die yet. It was far too soon. Most of the slaves were still inside the city. He needed to make far more of a scene to keep the city's focus on him.

"Aren't you being a bit brazen?" Eldrian asked, attempting to scare them. "What if our fight drags little Harvier into danger?"

"You dare!" The mother shrieked, a heavy pressure surrounding Eldrian. It bore down on him, attempting to turn him into mush against the ground.

"I warned you!" Eldrian shouted, his mind cleared. Whether the kid got dragged into danger or not, he no longer cared.

With a shout, Eldrian pushed his mana through his body. Fighting the weight bearing down on him, he stood. Cracks spreading on the tiled road as he stepped forward.

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:)