'This changes everything.' Alex looked at the Skill Book in his hands, still unable to believe his luck.
Just like items, Skills were divided into different grades.
Common, Uncommon, Rare, Super Rare, Unique, Legendary, and Divine.
The purple book in Alex's hand was a Super Rare Skill Book, an item that would let him choose any skill available in the game.
However, there was a limitation. He could only select one skill, and it could only be Rare Grade Skill, or below.
Although the Skill Book's grade wasn't the highest, it bore the [EX] Insignia on it.
What did that mean?
Unlike skills acquired from ordinary skill books, any skill chosen by the Player could grow into something far stronger.
Just that alone made it more valuable than any ordinary Super Rare Skill Book in the game.
Whether the skill chosen was a Common, Uncommon, or Rare Skill, it could eventually ascend to Legendary Rank as long as the Player kept on using the skill over and over again.
Just like Alex had said earlier, the Skill Book was a game-changer.
It would allow him to start his ideal build early in the game, giving him access to better skills in the future.
"But I still need to unlock my Magic Stat to use the skill I wish to have," Alex muttered. "That means I need to wait until I get into Frieden Academy."
After carefully storing the Skill Book in his storage ring for future use, he took the small pouch inside the chest.
The pouch contained twenty silver coins, roughly equivalent to two gold coins.
'Perfect,' Alex thought. 'With this, I don't have to worry about staying at an inn for a while.'
Alex stuffed the pouch inside his storage ring and looked around the camp to check if he had missed anything else.
So far, aside from the sword of the Goblin Warrior, the camp had nothing else of value left to loot.
Seeing no reason to stay anymore, Alex approached the teleportation gate and pressed his hand against it.
The runes under his feet glowed, and Alex felt lighter as they lit up one after another.
When the magic circle's power reached its limit, his body faded into particles of light that shot toward the biggest Floating Island, where the Town of Thaloria was located.
A moment later, Alex felt himself standing on solid ground in the middle of a large plaza. As he regained his senses, he heard bustling noises surrounding him.
By the looks of it, he was in the teleportation hub of the city. Various stalls lined the edges of the plaza, and behind them were merchants hawking their wares to the tourists who had come to visit their town.
Alex originally wanted to check the merchants' products but changed his mind when a loud growl sounded from his stomach, reminding him to eat.
"Dim Dim."
"You're right, Dim Dim. I need food and sleep. Let's find an inn first.'
"Dim Dim~"
As a player, he had visited the Town of Thaloria many times. But this was his reality now, and he was experiencing everything from a different lens. Sure enough, it felt different to see the town in real life.
After asking one of the patrolling guards for directions, Alex finally found the inn he wished to stay in.
Cat Tail's Inn.
As the name implied, it was run by Catkins, making it famous among the players.
Aside from that, a Unique Character could be found in this place. Alex also hoped to meet this character, which was one of the reasons why he chose this inn.
The chances were slim, but as long as he stayed at the inn, meeting that character was not impossible.
Just as he was about to enter the inn, a notification sounded inside his head, and a blue window screen appeared before him.
*****
[Main Story Quest]
[Enroll at Frieden Academy]
— Frieden Academy is where the most talented teenagers on the continent gather to become exceptional Warriors and Magicians. The majority of the students here are members of the nobility and other powerful families.
< Mission >
— Become a Scholarship Student by passing the Trial of the Academy.
Duration: 3 months.
Rewards: ???
Failure: Death by Snusnu.
*****
The corner of Alex's lips twitched after seeing the fate that would befall him if he failed to pass his mission.
'That sounds a bit hardcore,' he thought as he entered the Inn to secure some food and lodging.
"Welcome to Cat Tail's, nyah~"
Seeing a beautiful Catkin for the first time, Alex couldn't help but gulp his saliva. While he wasn't ignorant about them, seeing them in the flesh, and not behind a computer screen, was a surreal experience.
Because of this, Alex had a strong urge to give the inn a five-star review, simply because the waitresses were all beautiful Catkins.
Unfortunately, there was no such thing as five-star reviews in Arcana, so he simply gave the innkeeper a thumbs-up in his heart.
Now he understood why the cultured men on Earth liked Beastkins, especially Catkins, Foxkins, Wolfkins, and Cat Woman.
"I'd like to order some food," Alex said. "And book lodging for a few days."
"You came to the right place, Mister," the waitress replied with a smile.
She gestured toward an empty table tucked into a cozy corner of the tavern and guided him there before taking his order.
The young man was not in the mood to eat meat right now, so he chose to get mushroom soup and sandwiches for him and Dim Dim.
It didn't take long for their order to arrive. As soon as the food was served, they started eating, conversing between bites.
"Dim Dim, are you staying with me?" Alex asked the Dim Sum God, who happily ate its sandwich.
Dim Dim nodded. "Dim."
"Then let me know you better," Alex said. "Do you have any favorite foods?"
Dim Dim thought for a while before answering Alex's question.
"Dim~"
"You like pudding the most?"
"Dim!"
"I'll make you some in the future," Alex said, eliciting a happy smile from the cute little God.
Truth be told, he felt more at ease after knowing Dim Dim would accompany him in his journey.
He didn't want to admit it because it sounded cheesy, but he felt a bit lonely about never seeing his friends from Earth ever again.
'I guess the Guild will need to find a new tanker for their weekly raids,' Alex realized as he thought of his guild, which was one of the top guilds in the game. 'I hope the Guild Master doesn't go crazy after realizing I went MIA."
(A/N: Missing in action.)
With a faint smile on his face, the young man looked at Dim Dim, who was happily munching on a new sandwich.
To be honest, he felt a little guilty about leaving his responsibilities behind. But even if he could go back to the moment he was given the choice, he wouldn't hesitate to make the same decision to go to the world of Arcana.
Because the world of endless possibilities was like a siren's song for people like Alex, who wished to have a second chance at life.
He might've been off to a rough start, but he still felt optimistic about passing the Trial of Frieden Academy.
However, Alex overlooked one extremely important detail.
The academy trial's difficulty had also been ramped up to Hell Difficulty.
A fact he would only realize three months from now.