Chapter 3: “Starting Zone” as an Elf Village

It was surprising to realise the voice in Eren’s head sounded somewhat feminine.

The voice in his head sounded robotic but it was definitely female. It reminded him of the automated customer service lines he hated back on Earth.

I’m in another universe and I’m already being lectured by a computer.

His parents were away caring for his grandmother. His girlfriend… well, they’d been fighting more than talking lately. And his boss had made it clear she didn’t want him around anymore.

Starting fresh in a new world didn’t sound so bad right now.

He swallowed as he watched the magical image of the cheerful elf walking beside him, then quickly shook his head.

Emily seemed like a nice person and he didn’t want to look like a weirdo.

Once they entered the village, it became clear it wasn’t as big as it had looked from the outside. There were only a few houses clustered in the Centre, with larger estates scattered around.

At the very heart of the village stood a modest tree surrounded by a shallow pool. Nearby sat a cosy-looking restaurant and a small café.

Seeing Eren’s interested gaze, Emily began describing life here. She said there were several hundred people in the village and that aside from a restaurant and a bar, there wasn’t much.

She also mentioned the tree was the heart of the village, but Eren barely listened to that part.

How can a tiny tree be the heart of anything? One strong wind and it’d snap in half.

Emily looked like she wanted to head straight for the restaurant in the centre, but she stopped and stared at Eren’s bare body, which was still only covered by his underwear.

“Should we go to my house first and get you some clothes? There are old clothes my father left behind that could fit you.”

Eren didn’t object. Most of the elves, especially the women, were already looking at him like he was a strange animal, so he wanted to get somewhere quiet and safe as soon as possible.

And maybe he could finally check his stats and abilities, like the voice in his head had suggested.

Within a minute, they reached a sweet little house. Like the others, it had a small garden surrounding it, neat and green.

Eren automatically looked around for massive trees with homes built high up on their branches but obviously there was none.

“You can sit wherever you want.”

Emily smiled, then disappeared into the back room. While she was gone, Eren surveyed the house, opening a few cabinets and old drawers out of habit.

The space by the front door was basically a living room. Inside were seat-like pieces of furniture, only larger than what he was used to.

The moment he sat down, something felt different.

This is too comfortable!

His hips sank in and a warm, pleasant looseness spread through his body. These seats were absurdly soft.

“Hey, Emily! What’s in these?”

Emily stuck her head out of the back room for a second. When she realised what he meant, she chuckled.

“We use the feathers of the Magic Hen Birds. The old hunter of the village set up a farm when he got retired. His name is Henner. He was even the one who brought these birds from the deeps of the forest.”

She kept talking, like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Nowadays, the whole village gets feathers and wool thanks to him.”

Emily glanced down, as if something personal had crossed her mind. Then she lifted her head, smiling like she’d made a decision.

“I should introduce you to him. Henner’s been around longer than anyone else in the village. He always has a story to tell. If anyone would understand your story, it’d be him.” She said it really quick.

“Okay. But am I really the first foreigner to come to this area? How can there be no humans or other living things around?”

“Since I was born, I haven’t seen a single alien creature. This little village is the only habitable place I know in the area.”

That hit Eren wrong. Maybe this had something to do with the whole “starting zone” thing the voice had mentioned and maybe nobody could enter or leave except the expectant people.

Am I supposed to be here? Is that why the door opened?

…

“Sitting in Emily’s living room, Eren stared through the wide windows. The soft seat and warm afternoon light were making him drowsy.”

A few seconds later, it finally sank in again that he wasn’t home and he wasn’t even in the same universe.

“How quickly I forgot,” he whispered, then swore to himself he wouldn’t forget again.

He stood up immediately and looked around the house. Aside from the back bedroom where Emily was, there was a kitchen and a large bathroom.

The bathroom looked like it served as both a toilet and a washroom, but Eren couldn’t figure out where the light inside was coming from. Then he noticed something on the wall.

“Oy! How does that plant on the wall emit light?”

Emily finally returned with clothes and when she reached the bathroom door, she pointed to the corner of the wall with a delicate hand.

“It’s an ivy plant. Its name is Koen and if its trunk grows somewhere that receives sun all day long, its leaves will emit light in the dark. We use these plants in places like this. It’s very common and popular.”

She pointed again.

“Look, the trunk goes to the backyard through that hole in the wall.”

Emily showed him a few other things that made the house feel even more unreal. The way they drew water into the kitchen and bathroom involved other magical plants and magical stones were used for hot water.

When Eren put the clothes on, he looked like an old medieval peasant. It was a greener, more comfortable version of that style, but still old and unmistakably elvish.

The important part was that the moment the T-shirt and shorts touched his skin, he realised the fabric was the most comfortable thing he’d ever worn.

“Are these also made from the wool of magical beasts?”

“Yep!”

At this point, Eren stopped being surprised by small things. He stepped to the front door and looked toward the setting sun as a gentle wind shook the leaves of the countless trees in the garden and beyond.

“Looks like a very beautiful and peaceful place,” he said without thinking.

“I know where you come from is very lively compared to here,” Emily replied, “but this village is also a great place to live.”

Eren raised his eyebrows at her. The way she stared at him, expectant and open, made him feel awkward, especially because she was watching him with that open, curious expression.”

She can’t be interested in me, right? Don’t be silly, dude.

Every elf he’d seen in the village was beautiful or handsome. Eren couldn’t even imagine a woman like her wanting to be close to an overweight guy with an ordinary face.

Even by elf standards, Emily stood out. She was more beautiful than the others and the fact she kept watching him with that curious look made Eren’s skin prickle.

It was almost like she wanted him to stay.

“Do you live alone?”

The question caught her off guard. Emily blushed immediately and glanced back toward her house.

“My mother died recently. Now I’m alone. Ah!”

She smiled like she’d just had a brilliant idea.

When she smiled, she was the kind of beautiful that could stop traffic. It would be hard not to fall for her.

“Why don’t you live here with me? Besides, I don’t think there’s any vacant place in the village you can stay right now.” Her expression looked cute even with her slightly aged face.

Eren hesitated. He had a girlfriend back on Earth, or at least he thought he still did. Living with Emily felt like crossing a line and some part of him knew it was dangerous to be in the same house with this innocent elf.

But where else was he supposed to go?

He saw Emily’s eyes and his head nodded before he could overthink it again.

“Yuppiiii. Then I will arrange a place for you in the bedroom too! Don’t go anywhere, I’ll be right back..”

Eren’s face shifted as he watched Emily laugh and run into the back room. She moved like she was afraid he’d change his mind at any second.

To be fair, if she hadn’t been so excited, practically her frontside bouncing as she ran, he might’ve actually processed what she’d just said.

Instead, he found himself grateful for the magical view.

Eren had a difficult time focusing on other important things for a minute.

And ignored the sounds coming from the window and whispered.

“Profile..”

A translucent screen flickered to life in front of his eyes.

*Name: Eren Teya

Level: 0

Health: 100 Mana: 0

Race: Humanoid

Class: Locked

UNIQUE SKILL: Door Master (First Evolution League)]

He stared at the words.

Level zero.

No class.

And a skill he didn’t understand but had a theory.

“Door Master?”

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