ATWT Rewrite

I patted myself down, checking for any items. A small dagger was strapped to my hip—good, at least I wasn't completely unarmed. As I ran my hands over my clothes, I noticed they had changed. My outfit now matched the starting gear from the game—leather armor that seemed lightweight but sturdy, with small accents of metal along the seams. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. All the people from Earth around me were dressed similarly, as if the game's starting look had been replicated for everyone.

I scanned my surroundings, eyes landing on a tree nearby. From behind its trunk, a small slime peeked out, its core shimmering silver in the sunlight.

Whoosh!

Before I could react, the slime shot a bullet of air at me. It whizzed by, narrowly missing me. I jumped back, adrenaline kicking in. The slime wasn't fast, so I quickly closed the distance. With a swift motion, I drew my dagger and sliced through its silver core.

The core shattered, sending a burst of silver paste splattering in all directions. Only the core remained, now cracked in two. I grabbed one of the halves, and it began to glow a vibrant yellow, pulsing with an unfamiliar energy.

Hopefully, with this, I could buy something to eat. I looked around, wondering what else this strange new world had in store for me.

I ran to the closest of the nearby cities, which was city 63.

There were horse-drawn carriages and merchants traveling in every direction along its main highway. The city's heart boasted a robust blacksmith, a variety of shops, and a venerable library, providing both essential goods and wisdom.

There were no guards at the front gate, leaving it open for me to enter. I was scared. The bustling city was very hectic, with horses going in each direction and merchants trying to sell whatever they could.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an elderly merchant with striking white hair that made him stand out.

"One loaf of bread for one bronze!" an old merchant yelled.

I walked over to him from the center of the road.

"Old man, how much is this core worth?"

"They've finally arrived, " he muttered before he continued to explain.

"The guild would buy it off of you for 5 bronze.

"Silver? Can you explain how the currency works?" I smiled.

"100 bronze is 1 silver.

1000 silver is 1 gold.

10 gold is 1 platinum."

Just like the game, I thought.

"Thanks, old man," I smiled.

"What's your name, old man?" I asked over my shoulder.

"Josef … Valente ," he replied,a smile forming on his lips. .

"Josef, how do I get to the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Just keep going down this road. It's the big building at the end; you can't miss it."

"Thanks, Josef."

He smiled back at me before turning away, waving off to other adventurers. I glanced around the bustling market. Merchants were selling everything—swords, weapons, skill books, and all kinds of items I couldn't afford. There were stalls piled high with food and drinks. The city was celebrating. Celebrating our arrival.

 I wandered through the market, eyeing the goods I couldn't buy. I overheard a conversation. It was a group of players, talking with an npc.

"What's going on?" one of them asked, confusion in their voice.

"Where are we?" another complained.

As more and more people flooded into the city, it became more apparent to me—I needed to find a way to make money, a way to get a place to stay.

What could I do? I thought to myself.

In the game, there was always an event for new adventurers at the Adventurer's Guild, where they would give you a large loan—one gold credit that you had to pay back. But it was enough to get a place to stay and even some basic armor. It seemed like a lot of money, but with how easy it was to hunt monsters, especially on the first few floors—the tutorial floors—it should be a piece of cake.

I decided then that I would head to the guild and see if I could get in on the offer.