Volume 1 - Chapter 3 - Blessing in Disguise

In a workshop, next to the farming fields beyond the main academy building. A bull-horned young man, a deer-horned young man and a harpy-like young lady surrounds a big, translucent, jelly-like humanoid, who's staring at the item between them nervously.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" The translucent figure look at his three seniors timidly.

De'muel looks at the deer-horned Mak'ra and the feathered Isnic before nodding. "I think this is what the headmistress would've wanted, Dosnak."

The jelly figure shakes for a moment, as though something has tapped a soft jello. "But I've never worked on something like this before."

"You can do it, there's no one else here that can even come close to you."
"We believe in it you."
"Stop underestimating yourself, Dosnak."

Dosnak reach for the crystal laying on the table before him, hesitantly.

*pecho*

Holding it in his hands, he focus on feeling the different surfaces, angles, sharpness, and so forth of the crystal.

"Okay, leave me alone for a few days, cover for me if there's a lesson."

"Of course, let us know if you need anything."

The three oldest of the students leaves the workshop, leaving Dosnak alone as he starts picking out a piece of wood.

* * * * *

Of the 4.5 billion people on the planet, about one sixth of them have joined "Second Phantasia" since its launch 2 years ago. Claiming to be the first Total Immersion Entertainment System since humanity's revival, it boasts unsurpassed realism for all the senses. Its popularity was initially due to the console itself being an intuitively usable computer with a price comparable to a mid-high end personal computer. The userbase truly exploded 3 months after its launch, when users learned that they were able to communicate with each other in the [Common Tongue] regardless of what language they speak. People that would never be able to meet or communicate with each other all of the sudden discovered they can talk to anyone, anywhere on the planet. On top of that, the realism, freshness, novelty and the lack of a rival, "Second Phantasia" became the hottest product on the planet.

The system starts all users in the Zrewheig continent on the planet Amoaltz. The planet has a 14 hour day cycle, with 6 days making up a week, and 212 days making up a year. There is no time differential, one minute passing on Earth is the same as a minute passing on Amoaltz, allowing a total sense of immersion, as if they are really in another world.

It has been a month since the group had laid out their plans for the academy and just slightly under 8 weeks since Bell, Kun and Rick joined "Second Phantasia". They had been able to provide at least 4 lessons individually with joint lessons in between. Bell spent most of her free time going through the first batch of books, almost obsessively, especially on books that focuses on magic. She occasionally discuss her thoughts and idea with Kun and some of the more curious students. Kun has immersed himself with learning magic, putting up small shows for the students every time he discovered something new. Bell occasionally drop by and show off her own discovery as well. Kun often gets the feeling that he would be eaten if he didn't share his discoveries.

Rick somehow ended up as the "Big Brother" of the academy, with all the younger students vying to play with him whenever they have free time. Maybe it was due to the influence of the children, Sammy have also decided to join in the fun, occasionally putting Rick completely in its cheeks. His title as "Headmaster" may in fact be in name only.

As for Till, she has been teaching the students, but her mood haven't been the same since the death of the headmistress. The students that look at her as an older sister also became a little gloomy; they are all sad about the headmistress' passing. As far as they could remember, their big sis and the headmistress were always together.

Overall, they have all leveled quite a bit thanks to the various excursions into the forest, with or without the students.

Today, the four of them have all logged in at the same time.

"Hmm… let's go fight something tougher, rabbits and boars are good and all, but they are too easy now." Rick is balancing a round red fruit on his nose while commenting.

"Alright, let's go! I never had grilled anaconda meat before!"

"... Am I going to end up cooking again?"

"Who else but you?" Rick flicks his head up as he was about to lose balance of the fruit, biting it as it comes down from the air.

Till has been mostly quiet, just nodding at the appropriate time. And so they head out of the [Forest of Illusions] for the first time since officially starting the academy.

* * * * *

"«Gust»! Hurry Sammy!"

"Wait up, Till!"

"What has gotten into her all of the sudden? Did she spot a hot guy or something?"

*kon*

"No idea, but I'm not going to leave her alone, you guys catch up. «Pump Up»!"
Bell's legs thickens slightly before she starts running off.

* * * * *

A youth in a dull brown uniform lies facedown on the ground, there's hoof prints leading away into the forest, off from the path. Like a gust of wind, a pale little girl riding a white furry blob appears next to him. Patting the albino beast, it flattens itself, letting the girl down.

The girl goes up to the figure and turn him over.

"A Sardonian messenger?" Reaching down, she place her fingers on his neck. "Good, he's still alive."
There's two figures riding towards her from the distance, a bright red demonhead hanging above their heads. The girl's eye narrows, expressing a silent fury. "Villains."

[Villain]s are users that have killed non-users recently, they are identified by a red demonhead hanging over their head. Unlike [Murderer]s who get a red sword for killing users, [Villain]s are synonymous with bandits, raiders and warmongers. Any users that kill either a [Villain] or a [Murderer] will not receive a [Murderer] symbol.

"Groundwind east southeast, leafwind east, crosswind northnortheast…" The girl starts mumbling to herself for a while as they draws near.

"Hey, there's a little girl over there."
"Who cares? Just kill her."

The two riders readies their scimitars as they approach ever closer to the girl.

"«Wind Spiral»!" The pale, light blue-haired girl claps her hand together before thrusting them toward the riders. A sudden gust, or more accurately, a lance, of wind slams into the two users, sending them to the ground.

"Watch it, girlie, don't you know who we are?"

"Shut up. «Rising Tempest»!" The girl lifts her left hand up, staring down at the [Villain] who spoke. Leaves and loose dirt at his feet starts to stir, rising in the air.

"Hey.. hey… help me down!" The [Villain] asks his friend for help before he starts flying upward into the air.

"You asked for it!" The second [Villain] ignores his friend and licks his blade.
The lone man with the scimitar crouch down "«Backstab»!" and vanish from view.
A moment later, he appears behind the girl, slashing down with his scimitar.

"«Burst»!" As though expecting him, the girl swings her left hand down and release a wall of air going away from her in all direction. The man flies away for several meters before he can finish swinging his scimitar down.

"Till!" A red blur suddenly appears from the forest. The angry looking felinoid with buffed legs look at the girl, to the scimitar wielding man on the floor, the red demonhead symbol, back to Till, then finally focusing the man completely, unfastening the mithril halberd on her back.

"*Bleep*, another one. «Serpent Strike»!"
The man gives a sneer before diving toward Till. Before she can react, Bell was already attacking the man. "«Elemental Blade - Metal»!" A large shining mass of dull silver light flies toward the man, who stops his attack to block it with his scimitar. The blade shatters, but the man tumbles in the air before landing on his feet, drawing a dagger as he does so.

"Are you okay?" Standing between Till and the unknown man, Bell readies herself in a wide stance. Till merely gives a curt nod. "Okay, sit tight, I'm going to finish off this bastard."

Bell suddenly dash toward the dagger wielding man, who reacted by throwing the dagger at her. "Ha!" Bell collapse her halberd and throws it like a tomahawk.

*gakin*

The two weapon collides, with the dagger flying harmlessly to the side. The man easily dodge the spinning halberd, his eyes opening wide as he watch it splits the tree behind him.

"«Air Hammer»!"

*bata*

Till assists by slamming a spell into the man's head.

*koki koki*

Bell's entire body gives off some cracks and pops. The man can only gulp.

"«Metal Claw»! «Elemental Dance»!" A liquid light covers her paws before revealing sharp, metal claws replacing her normal ones. She release thrusts, kicks, elbows, knees relentlessly in successive order.

*baki baki gokin boro boro*

All of the strikes lands cleanly on the man, his armours and bones cracks and breaks, his clothing in tatters, cuts covering his entire body. His armour eventually ended up scattering all over the place. The scene continues, with the occasional cry of pain interrupting the symphony of striking sounds.

Bell kept striking until the man fades away, leaving a pulsating crystal and some potions behind.
She grabs the loot and turn toward Till.

"Let's head back for now."