Chapter 7:Current Status

Under the chilling moonlight, the border forest lay eerily quiet. Night owls occasionally let out piercing cries, turning the entire woods into a gaping predator silently awaiting prey.

Walt sat awkwardly by a tree, his plump face a mix of helplessness and frustration—he wanted to vent but had no target.

On Walt’s other side, Cosette silently prepared food. Her expression seemed calm, but swollen red eyes betrayed everything.

Alicia leaned quietly against a trunk, eyes closed to rest while checking her status.

—

User UID: PrprArecia#1145
Level: 3 (EXP -1/0, EXP gain error)
Gender: Un��Ҫ�¨² error
Race: Ancient Star Dragon (Sealed)
Innate Abilities: Rainbow Magic Eye (Passive), Conceptual Manifestation (Sealed)
Racial Abilities: Unsealed
Racial Traits: Unsealed
Mastered Affinities: [ ] (Void)
Main Class: Magic Swordsman
Sub Class: Spirit Tuner
Class Skills: Stellar Magic (Proficiency E), Spirit Summoning (Proficiency E)
Martial Arts: Falling Shadow (Proficiency E)
Bound Equipment: Magic Sword · True World, Moon Dust
Character Status: Severe Injury (Recovering)

—

At some point, “Mental Trauma” had vanished, and her level rose to 3—no EXP notification.

This discovery left Alicia bittersweet.

Joy: she could level, contrary to initial fears.
Worry: upgrades now completely unpredictable—no targeted power growth.

Worse still—her stats.

Strength, Constitution, Agility, Spirit… all still hidden.

Escaping the current predicament also gnawed at her.

In-game, she was an all-powerful veteran player.
But this was reality. Did game logic still apply?

Wounded, she couldn’t even fight at full strength.

Where to go? How to get these two to safety?
Powerlessness crept in.

Just as Alicia lamented her cursed fate, Walt rubbed his hands, plump face fawning.

“Uh… Cosette, and… Miss Lishia, what’s the plan?”

His words snapped Alicia’s scattered thoughts back.

“Don’t worry. I know the border forest well. I’ll get you to the border army outpost.”

Alicia shoved down her gloom and spoke.

Not bravado—though survival odds against beastman pursuit were iffy, simple navigation was no issue.

Thanks to Pegasus Studio BWD’s malice, Rodinia had no minimap. Players used paper maps, tools, landmarks.

As a cyber-native spending half her day in-game, basic orienteering was trivial.

She’d walked most of Rodinia on foot.

“Good, good!”

Walt exhaled, wiped sweat with a handkerchief.

High tension had turned every rustle into wolf howls. Relaxed now, he yawned.

“Not time to rest. We move on. Only at the border post are we truly safe.”

Alicia crushed Walt’s nap fantasy.

He opened his mouth to protest—saw Cosette silently gear up and follow, swallowed complaints.

—

“Where are we headed?”

Still heavy-hearted, Cosette asked softly.

“South. There’s a border army camp. Cross this forest, we’re safe.”

Alicia led, deftly clearing vines and barbed stems with glowing magic sword.

Nothing slowed her. Hard to believe she was gravely wounded hours ago.

Cosette followed close. Years as mercenary—she was used to wilderness. Priest robes inconvenient, but she kept pace.

Warning Walt behind about footing, Cosette watched Alicia’s back, doubts growing.

Alicia wasn’t local—why so familiar here?
Crisis after crisis, always calm.
Who was she?

Deeper into forest, Cosette’s awe grew.

On surface, Alicia seemed to wander—climbing rocks to scan, checking traces, pausing at trees. Looked lost.

But Cosette saw: under Alicia’s lead, the obstacle-filled forest revealed a clear beast path.

A skill only long-time mountain rangers or hunters knew—ordinary folk couldn’t navigate dense woods.

Alicia’s actions made Cosette’s curiosity spike.

Self-proclaimed “wild mage,” yet casting style bizarre—first Cosette had seen.

No staff, no medium, no chants—just raw magic control and one magic weapon.

Now wilderness mastery too—Cosette couldn’t ignore.

Lost in thought, Cosette walked head-down—suddenly bumped into Alicia, who’d stopped.

“What happened?”