The World Of Skill

Abby

"I can't believe that the first thing I am doing in a virtual reality game is finding shellfish, but this game is really out of this world."

While complaining and searching for shellfish, Ryu takes his time to look at his surroundings and it left him in awe. The degree of realism is exceeding his expectation. The smell of sea brought by the wind, the breeze moving past his hair, and rustle his clothes, even the grainy sand getting through past his fingers when he is searching for shellfish felt too real to be true. These tiny details make him forget that he is in a game world.

"Ah, I better get my mind focused and try to finish the quest. I believe that playing the game is the best choice in my life that I ever made."

For Ryu, since he was little, he was forced to practice archery by his dad. It consists of stamina training in the morning, posture maintenance in the afternoon, and shooting practice in the evening. He isn't an introvert that couldn't interact properly with his friend but his lack of time for them is what makes Ginji, the only one that has the same club with him his only friend.

He doesn't even get to experience a holiday except for some slight sightseeing whenever he goes to the archery competition. Seeing the sea for the first time up close, even though it was a virtual one is enough to bring a smile to his face.

"Anyway, I need to practice twice as hard if I want to keep playing the game. That stubborn old man still insisting that practice couldn't be done inside the game world even when that childish Kim something is a top archer in the game. Haah."

Grumbling to himself is one of Ryu's way to kill loneliness and boring time.

「You have found shellfish x1」

"Yes, I got it! It wasn't as hard as I thought. Wait, this one is colored green. Darn it!"

Failure keeps coming on his shellfish hunt but Ryu didn't stop there. Repeated action and hard work are something tempered into his body and mind through archery practice every day. Anything other than archery routine at the shooting gallery is not a tedious task for him.

When his satiety down to 30%, he immediately stopped what he is doing and tried to eat the plain bread from his inventory. Contrary to the baguette's hard-looking appearance, the taste of the plain bread is soft on the inside. It was even better than an artisan French bakery's baguette near his house.

"No wonder so many people loved the game. I don't even think I want to go back to the real world again. If I can live permanently in this world, it would be the best!"

Resuming his task again after eating, Ryu found 3 shellfish. He returned to Abby to hand in his quest.

"Abby, I have finished the quest."

Ryu approached Abby while taking out the 3 shellfish from his inventory.

"Eh, what is this? This isn't the shellfish I want."

"What? This is clearly 3 shellfish and they are colored blue with yellow dots."

"Yes, they are colored blue with yellow dots, but the shape is not what I want. I want them shaped like a perfectly oval clam. Not like a tube or a conch like these. It is your fault for not confirming the details before you go find the shellfish. You did ask for the color but you did not ask for the shape. Such a newbie mistake to not fully understand the extent of your quest."

"Haaah. Alright, I'll go look for them again."

Ryu got no way to refute Abby and it was indeed his mistake for not fully ask the details of the quest. Trying once again to finish the quest, this time with great attention to details he finished it in two hours.

"Darn it just finishing the first quest took me two hours. I wonder am I really going to be okay playing the game."

"Good work Ryu. Just to remind you, every time you get a quest, you need to know the details of the quest before you decided to accept it. You can always reject a quest that you think impossible to complete or some quest may even bring you to your demise when the monster you required to kill is way out of your league. Some NPC out there may even give you a certain quest which has never been completed before and brought death to countless players."

"No wonder some people start to kill NPC."

"What did you say?"

"*cough* nothing. I was just saying this is the quest A-B-C."

"Okay. Since you have finished my quest. You should find Teana for your next step. She should be in her hut not far from here."

"Alright then, but I can you tell me one thing first before I leave?"

"What is it?"

"I am curious, why did you collect shellfish? Is this just a random quest or there is a reason behind it?"

Abby seemed to be a bit surprised hearing Ryu's question. For most of the player, they don't even think about this. They just think about how to complete the quest as fast as they can. Maybe because it was Ryu's first time playing a virtual reality game, or maybe Ryu starts to think of Abby as more than just an NPC and got curious.

When Abby wanted to answer Ryu's question, her expression darkened a bit.

"It was because of my mother. I don't know if it is true or not, but as long as I remember I never saw my mother. I heard from the other NPC on the training ground that if you collect a thousand shellfish, you can make a wish and it will become true. I wanted to see my mother."

"Ah, maybe I could…crap."

Ryu was taken by the mood and wanted to offer his help to collect a thousand shellfish but he realized that it took him two hours to collect 3, for a thousand it will turn his gaming time to shellfish hunting time. Abby smiled looking at his awkward self, trying to block his mouth from saying anything more.

"It's okay Ryu. You don't have to help me. To be honest I have more than a thousand shellfish since a long time ago because players like you keep on coming and finishing my quest. I also know that it was all a lie. After all, we're just some code lines. I am happy with your considerate thoughts."

Abby let out a smile that is so full of emotion. Ryu at this point wondering inside his mind. Is it only an illusion or does the level of Artificial Intelligence is really that advanced to make her seem 'alive' and have emotion? That look on her eyes that is longing to see her mother. Was it really just some lines of codes?

"Alright then Abby. You don't have to be like this, I promise you that I will try to look for your mother. I believe that she really existed somewhere in this world. You couldn't have possibly been born out of stone, right?"

Hearing Ryu's reply, Abby let out a gentle smile completely different from her earlier expression.

"Stupid Ryu. You don't have to make any promise. Because you know, I might really be born out of stone if that's what my background story was made of. I also can't give you a quest to find my mother."

"Ah, crap. Curse the developer if it was really something like that. Sure, they can write any background story they want but they should not be that heartless if they want the player to treat NPC and other players as equal."

Abby giggled at his remarks. "Alright, enough of the pointless chatter. You better find Teana and finish the next tutorial quest."

"Ah right. I will see you later then Abby. I will come back to make sure you won't be feeling lonely."

"You know Ryu, that is a good pick up line for any other female player but saying it to me or other NPC in town might get you to sleep in jail for some days."

"Crap, that's not what I mean."

"You won't be able to visit the training grounds again after you leave from here anyway."

"Well, I'll make sure to find a way."

"Okay then, see you later."

Abby sends him away with a smile. When she couldn't see Ryu anymore, she muttered with a voice that only she can hear.

"So, are we really just an NPC inside the game? Can't we feel anything? Was this sadness inside my heart is just some coded lines and is the smile I make is just a template along with the script? Well, I don't know and there is no way for me to find out. I just hope that Ryu will enjoy his time here and treats the other NPC just like now."

After that, Abby returned to her usual spot and sat down. Some players who already passed the tutorial always curse her for being the first NPC that hides quest detail from them. Some also thankful for her guidance despite her harsh word and tough front act. Anyway, her task is not to think about all of that. She is just waiting for other new players to come.