Seraphim Online: Afterlife

‘Urgh… even in death, still can’t escape loading bars.’

Face down on a pile of rocks, groggy and feeling like I’ve just survived an execution, everything feels extremely unnatural and foreign to me like I’m possessing someone else. Guess I should’ve expected something weird, but it almost feels a little too light, like I’m still part of the void. Thankfully, things seem to be gradually getting better as my mind gets quickly accustomed to this.

[Welcome to the land of Seraph! Bootup sequence initiated, loading still commencing…]

Forcing myself up really slow using a larger rock as support, two things are clearly of note, taking up all of my attention. One of which being the partially transparent bar right at the top of my vision, the other being a dense forest split by a tiny stream.

Looks like I’ve gotten the random adventure stuck in the forest start with this new life, would’ve preferred appearing in a starter town or being completely born anew, oh well. No time for suckling babies today… that would be traumatising to live through.

Once I’m on my knees and using every muscle to rise above, suddenly something else falls into sight, nearly causing me to have another heart attack. Did my joke of a wish come true?

‘I… have red hair? And breasts!?! I was being freaking sarcastic!’

Feeling around my entire body making sure to touch everything I can, a feeling of pure terror and excitement clouds my judgement as I come to learn I’m no longer the same person I was yesterday.

‘Huh, nothing down below, and pointy ears as well… wait! I know who I am!’

It takes a second for my memory to kick in and realize exactly what that Goddess was referring to, this is the avatar I created before entering the machine! There was a load of boring preparation tests required to enter the alpha stage of Seraphim Online, one of them was making an avatar from scratch. I can’t remember all that much from the creator itself which is a little strange.

Decently sized assets that help with the imagination, sharp elven ears that could blind anyone bumping into her and crimson flowing red hair, coupled with her blood red eyes. She definitely is an acquired taste, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Ah, I even remember making up a slight backstory for her. She grew up wandering alone due to a disagreement with her family, and now is a bit of a travelling adventurer who does anything to get by. It was a pretty basic backstory, except she’s got a roleplaying secret, she’s literally obsessed with vampires.

Not those shoddy lovey-dovey vampires, the ones that treat humans like cattle and wish to purge the world into never-ending darkness, like Dracula and all that shebang. I wouldn’t say she wants to be evil or anything like that, a hobby is a hobby after all.

Due to her having natural red eyes and hair, the idea of being mistaken or even becoming a vampire makes her stomach churn with excitement. Now, I’ve somehow ended up as her.

‘I didn’t even like vampires that much before so why do I feel a strong affinity towards them now? Those scientists and developers must’ve programmed the backstory in... there are worse obsessions to have.’

I already know it’s a little cringe… ah, and also the fact my name is oddly similar to the Goddess, and the continent, but I’m unoriginal as hell so cut me some slack. This is coming from someone a tiny bit serious about becoming a futanari. Guess I’ve unfortunately got a part of my wish, looks like we’ll just have to settle for good ol’boring yuri today.

You must also be thinking, why even choose a female avatar in the first place if you’re a little unsure? Curiosity and knack of habit I suppose, I’ve always chosen a female avatar for gaming and it just didn’t feel right switching it up. The other reason is down to the smaller hitboxes of females, right? Nothing to do with any additional assets at all…

[Initializing Pre-alpha build version 0.701...]

[Error! Source code not found, stabilizing last known back-up... build now stabilizing…]

[Loading complete! Welcome to Seraph, Sera. This system has been assigned the thankless task of guiding you… there are other things to look at rather than breasts you know.]

It’s not even loaded in yet, but this AI-sounding feminine guide is already scolding me. I’m sorry, but if you put ANY guy in a female body and expect them to be having no sexual thoughts, then bless your innocent soul. I know exactly what I’m doing once I end up someplace safe, these puppies need more screentime, right?

‘Trees, leaves, plants, stream, or breasts? Not much of a decision to make. Are you going to help me get started then?’

[Affirmative, I’ll pass control over the system now… just please try and look elsewhere for the time being.]

'Nope.'

The bar at the top of my vision still remains partially transparent except the loading has opened up into something new. Ah, should probably mention the guide gets subtitles appearing on screen as well… or my vision. Not really sure how this works yet.

‘Sweet, let’s dive into this then.’

Quick glance at the status tab and a pop up under both the menu and the subtitles gives me all I need.

[Since this is the first startup, I’ll give a brief rundown of the system mechanics and presume you already understand the basics of any RPG. Explaining how you can die due to HP hitting 0, or how SP getting dangerously low will cause immense fatigue should be self-explanatory.]

The guide continuing with its monotone robotic voice starts the explanation process, probably leaving out something that could be useful to know later on. I’ve always got enough time to get accustomed with it all, even the really basic stuff will have some sort of interesting mechanic. I’ll just ask more on that another time.

[The first thing to explain is levelling and how that ties into how healthy, energetic or magically enhanced you are. For each level up, 10 points can be added into either HP, SP or MP, with the general cap for levelling and stats being 100. Please also factor in, 1 skill point is obtained per level, expanding on that any further is best left until a later date.]

‘Okay… what about actual levelling and the behind-the-scenes stuff though? How long could it realistically take to hit max level in everything?’

This may sound like an odd question, but if there are any exploits to use that drastically quickens levelling time, you best know I’m going to use them.

[A difficult question to answer conclusively, Sera.]

‘Why’s that?’

[Although this guide has no data on how quick or slow it is to raise your stats, EXP is tracked within the status. Completing quests and destroying enemies is the only way of raising the counter with it being extremely varied and unpredictable.>

[A quick example for EXP fluctuation, a slime would be 1 point of EXP and a dragon would be 1000. Arguably, a dragon is the strongest and most profitable creature to fight. Quests can be unpredictable so the difficulty comes from how much EXP is needed.]

‘Let me guess, this is going to take a while.’

[Correct. Here, let this guide show you an example. It will be easier this way.]

[For every level, 10 additional EXP is added onto the previous EXP requirement for that level. Reaching max level is feasible, just at the higher levels, it could take decades if there are no dragons around.]

Well great, now I regret deep diving into the numbers behind this. I called it at that meeting with the Goddess, this is going to be a painful grind and not the easy going one. Oh well, let’s just say I’m playing on hard mode or something, that has some appeal to it.

‘Okay... feel like I’m going to regret asking this. What about improving the six stats?’

[Although this guide will repeat mentioning levelling time for stats is unknown, there is something that can work as a brief tutorial.]

Another pop up as well as my status floods the screen, making me feel like I’ve downloaded an old-school virus or something. Ah, there’s even a little X in the corner to get rid of what I want, perfect.

[Please also note Sera, don’t take these vague statements as the only way you can better yourself. There is a magnitude of ways you can improve your stats, these must be the most noticeable.]

Having a quick gander through the list, I can get a sense of how some may work. For example, endurance looks like you need to be hurt to progress, while dexterity could be improved quite easily just by walking everywhere. If this is the same world Seraphim Online is supposed to be set in, that being medieval fantasy, then dexterity could be the easiest to level since I doubt I’m going to be able to afford carriages, especially in the early stages.

I’ve already got some more questions, like how some things could potentially be interpreted to a different category and how it’s only limited to six. I should probably start trying to find a settlement at this point… oh, just realized the acronym the six stats make, lovely…

‘I’ve got some more questions for you, but for now, we should probably get back in the moment. Any idea where I should go?’

Looking back around since my breasts aren’t going to help me at this current moment in time, every direction just shows tree after tree with this stream being the only point of reference. It’s not even like I can try using the sun, different world means it could rise and fall in a different direction.

[Pick a direction and pray? This guide is only here to guide you, a situation like this is unguidable.]

‘Thanks for the help, I guess. Might try following where the stream flows and see if it leads anywhere…’

__________

‘So, guess the Goddess is the reason I have this guide, not exactly sure how the other ability is helping me yet. Hey guide, why is it I can’t use most of my system?’

Progressing alongside the stream and conversing with the guide, I can’t help but admire the beauty of this forest and just listen and look all around me. The whistling of the wind, the humming of the birds, the sound of the water splashing alongside me. Can't forget the brilliant bounciness of my breasts, of course. You do tend to forget about the simple things when you spend days and nights alone gaming, or never leaving the big city.

Despite all this, I’m still trying to remain fully aware of my surroundings, but with a base stat of five for perception, I don’t think there’s much I can look for. This forest does seem very peaceful though... almost too peaceful…

[Starting with magic, that system is currently unavailable to Sera until INT 25 has been obtained. The other two aren’t locked and will open up when Sera finds an item or a quest.]

Okay, just another reminder this system stuff is going to be a challenge if I have to wait an additional twenty intelligence levels before getting the chance to use magic. I’m down for the challenge though.

Little more following the stream and something else has caught my mind in a twist. Other than the fixation of this system and this new body I can’t help staring at, there’s something a little simpler that’s playing on my mind…

Seeing it listed on the system is somehow more permanent than just seeing myself in the flesh. On the one hand, I have no idea if I can really adapt to being stuck like this. On the other hand, horny, just horny. I was going to do this to myself regardless, it's just slightly more permanent than I was expecting. Eh, no point in having any regrets now.

[We appear to be nearing the end of the stream, Sera.]

‘Good, the running water was starting to put my bladder in a twist. Let’s see what we’ve got next.’

As soon as the stream ends, disappearing somewhere beneath the rocks, the forest also stops presenting a vast grassy landscape situated inside a valley. The scale of this place is insane! There may be something far off in the distance, but from here, I might as well be looking through glass covered in fog.

Before moving on, I grab a quick handful of water from the stream. Is it safe to drink? You'd bloody well hope so.

'This could be quite the trek…’

__________

“Is tha-… damn, this girly voice will take a little getting used to. Looks like we've got something”

Having walked for what feels like hours over a grand distance, something sparks my interest at the same time another thing appears on my FOV.

‘That’s good, but no time for it now… shit. Maybe I should’ve grabbed a stick from the forest to use as protection.’

As I’m getting closer, the point of interest gets more noticeable clearer, resembling what once was a small battlefield. Thankfully, whoever caused this is long gone. the aftermath still remains intact.

Vultures and crows start to scarper away as I arrive at the place. All around me, an aftermath of a small battle can be seen. Weapons, bodies, armour, blood, no idea on who’s won this as all the victims have no signs of any affiliation and all wear different colours. Well, that’s not completely true since most of the bodies are adorned and dripping in a crimson red.

As soon as I get close to one of the corpses, all my senses but one seize up, the putrid odour of it hits me like a punch. The smell is revolting…

“*Bleurgh*… urgh…”

Falling to my knees, my body gets the better of me as my stomach cannot withstand this any longer. The sight of the bodies is bad enough, I feel like I can withstand a little blood though. That pungent stench of death that lingers all around is impossible to stomach.

[This guide suggests you close your nose and start looting for anything that isn’t nailed down. Time is of the essence since survival is to be prioritized for both of us.]

‘You're a sympathetic fellow, you know that? I know you’re right... just give me a second… or a minute.’

Giving myself a moment and trying to regain my composure as best I can, I awkwardly scoot over to one of the less bloodied bodies around here. In particular, looking for a dagger holstered on the man’s hip.

[To place an item into storage, just stare intensely at it for a few seconds while making contact.]

[Iron dagger (Weak) obtained.]

‘Huh, that was more user-friendly than I thought.’

[Waterskin (Filled) obtained.]

Within seconds of looting the first guy, I’ve pretty much forgotten about my stomach problems and now onto the next. Before I know it, I'll be aiming for robbing graves next!

[Iron battleaxe (Weak) obtained.]

[Coin purse (14c) obtained.]

[Iron chest plate (Weak) obtained.]

[Warning, carry weight limit hit! Drop excess items immediately!]

Without any warning, my entire body feels like it’s being weighed down by a truck and an insane movement penalty is applied.

‘I swear I’ve barely picked anything up. Need to take a look at this quickly…’

‘Hang on, what freaking game has a carry weight limit of 10!? Why is this so low?’

This world or game isn’t in hard mode, this is freaking hardcore! It’s… actually starting to get appealing in a weird sort of way, who needs abilities as powerful as the atomic bomb when you can’t even carry a few pieces of equipment? At least the progression is going to be fascinating.

[Carry weight is calculated by using 10% of the overall SP limit. If Sera hates the restriction so much, just throw away anything too heavy or make a backpack until SP is upgraded.]

‘That helps a bit. Wouldn’t have considered carrying around a purse or a handbag as a dude, I'll need all the help I can get now. First, let’s finish this looting, then get some inventory management out of the way…’

__________

‘Phew, there you go, even managed to find some food. I’m being risky not taking any armour... it weighs far too much though.’

Pretty much all of the lighter gear was either broken, bloodied or just simply didn’t fit my curvy elven body, the boots being an exception. The sword and dagger are the only working weapons around here I can use, I can barely hold that battleaxe. Huh, maybe increasing strength will help with heavier weapons.

Anyways, now I’m done with this, the latter part of the day begins to fall while I’m still checking I’ve got what I need. My inner hoarder is telling me those destroyed leather straps and bloodied rags may fetch a pretty penny, everything apart from the coins seems to have carry weight.

'This is making me depressed... where's a cheat code or a console command when you need them? Any advice to gift, Guide?’

[This guide suggests finding a place to tucker down for the night. Maybe there’s a cave hidden away in this valley somewhere?]

‘Good call, it’s not like I have any clue how to make a shelter anyways…’