Chapter 4. Enter Merlin, the all-blue guy!
KFN A1C4 - The strange wizard in the forest
TL: All the chapters aren"t that long if you read them. But d.a.m.n, they sure are if you translate them. Here"s Chapter 4. Enter Merlin, the all-blue guy!
Lin Ling closed back her eyes and murmured under her breath.
"This is a dream. This is a dream. Please let me wake up. Please let me wake up from this nightmare!"
"What a pity, but this is no dream."
She heard the voice just right above her head. Her eyelids fluttered open, shocked at the sudden reply from a clear voice. It was then that she noticed the voice originates from a black robed man, currently sitting on the back of the lion.
His dark blue hair, soft and silky, like that of a serene sea. A beau that would move the hearts of many. The pair of sea blue eyes gives a sense of a calmness, right before a dreadful storm. TL: Basically, he is all blue.
Lin Ling eyes" are wide open. This beautiful man is too beautiful to be a human!
"W-w-who... are you?" She stammered to get her words across.
"I am Merlin, the wizard. Welcome to the fantasy world of King Arthur."
Merlin smiled at the confused Lin Ling.
King Arthur"s fantasy world? This adds even more to Lin Ling"s plate. She could only come to one conclusion. The words from that CD game... Could this really be...?
"Am I... in the game world?" Lin Ling"s lip barely parted to speak this incredulous thought of hers.
Merlin chuckled and raised his eyebrows.
"That is correct. You are now in the world of King Arthur. The one standing in front of you is Merlin, the Wizard of the Black Forest. This is also the starting point of the game."
Still in disbelief, Lin Ling looked around her. Towering trees that blocks out sunlight towers over her as well. Lush, green surroundings only serve to proof Merlin"s word.
"You"re... This is a lie! What nonsense is this. How can such a thing happen?! Games like this don"t exist! I quit! I want to quit this game! Where"s the Escape b.u.t.ton?!"
Lin Ling"s expression changed from disbelief to that of exasperation. Oh please, she thought. How could such a thing happen in the first place?
"Apologies, but an Escape b.u.t.ton does not exist. The key to exit this game is E-G-G."
Merlin smiled.
E-G-G? An egg? "Egg"?
TL: She p.r.o.nounced it by alphabet, one by one. Then in English. Then in Chinese.
"What do you mean?"
"It means... Eat an egg or an egg-related dish, and you can exit the game."
"Oooh~"
Her eyes widen as oval as egg. The game designers must really like their eggs. If this is true, all she needs to do is to eat an egg and she can go home! But where can she find one smack dab in the middle of the forest?
Merlin smiled at her antics.
"Lin Ling, I shall give you your first task."
"I don"t want to! I won"t play your stupid game. I want to go home!"
She began to cry.
"I want to go home. Must I eat an egg to do so? Are smelly duck eggs okay?"
TL: smiled at her with a difficult expression to read, and said,
"The moment you start this game, the Wheels of Fate has already been turned. Quit, and a terrible curse will befall you."
She raised her head and sniffled.
"That"s not true, right?"
"Yes, it is true."
He smiled warmly before continuing.
"Once you start the game, you must reach the end. Else, the curse will indeed happen to you. Should you complete the game instead, you will obtain a precious gift."
Her ears perked at his words.
"But... what should I do to complete the game?"
"Aid Arthur to be the King of Britain, and find the Holy Grail. Only then can the game end."
"Alright... Where"s Arthur now?"
"Arthur"s mother died when he was young. He was then sent to Count Ector"s castle for his n.o.ble upbringing. The Countess is Arthur"s aunt. Unfortunately, an incident happened. Arthur was jinxed by a witch and is now awaiting
your rescue."
"You want me to rescue Arthur from a witch? You got to be kidding me! I"m just a normal high school girl. How can I possibly complete an impossible task?"
"Now is not the time for that. You must train and raise your levels."
Lin Ling had a ma.s.sive headache as she hears this. She asked,
"How old is Arthur?"
"7 years old."
"AAAAH! HE"S ONLY 7!? That means, I have to wait for him to grow up, make him King of Britain, and find the Holy Grail?! Oh G.o.d! I have to wait so many years. I"ll be a grandma when I get back home!"
Merlin chuckled.
"Do not worry. Both worlds are not the same, and so is the flow of time. While your time here is fast, the time back of your world flows slower. Moreover, the you now will never change in appearance. Not even in a year, or a decade. Understood?"
"Nice. I get it!"
Unbeknownst to Merlin, Lin Ling muttered to herself. I won"t play this time-consuming game, nor do I believe that such a thing can exist. I"ll follow him to get myself out of this forest, and I"ll find an egg to get out of this game!
"Are you ready now?"
Merlin lightly jumped off the lion and stood in front of Lin Ling. She bit her lower lips in frustration, and nodded.
"Good. Now let"s begin your first task."
Merlin patted the lion"s back.
"In this forest, there are many evil spirits ready to attack this lion at night. You shall protect him for three days, three nights. Pa.s.s this test, and I will allow you to confront the witch."
Evil spirits? Lin Ling feel gooseb.u.mps all over her body. Even her voice rattled as she asked,
"I.. How do I defend against these evil spirits...?"
"Do not worry. I will teach you the basics."
Merlin took out a large racket from his back.
"Speak the incantation I taught you while using this invincible racket to slap them away." TL: In Chinese, the invincible racket means the world"s most powerful racket, in a manner of speaking.
The invincible racket? Lin Ling tilted her head, and looked up and down this "invincible racket".
... Isn"t that a fly swatter...?
TL: "What"s the incantation?"
"It is a simple incantation, 8 words in total. I hit, I hit, I hit hit hit! .... Hey Lin Ling, don"t faint now!"
Merlin exclaimed in surprise.
Haha... She rubbed her own head as she chuckled. It"s going to be even weirder if no one fainted after knowing that!
She is now suspecting that this wizard is really a modern guy! Did he watch the Guess Guess Guess show to come up with this weird incantation?
TL: Here"s the show. It"s a fun show from Taiwan! "Hold on a sec. You are a wizard, right? Can you... conjure up some food?"
Merlin expression is that of surprise, and so is Lin Ling"s. To think that such a smart idea can come from her!
"Of course. What do you want?"
Merlin held out his hand in preparation of his magic and said,
"Anything but eggs."
Merlin muttered the spell, magical wisp appeared from his hand. Then, out of thin air, a basket of bread appeared, with a plate of steaming, hot barbequed meat.
"I have said what I have come to say. I will return in 3 days. I hope to see both of you alive then."
"Wait a minute! I have a question... How can you speak Chinese so fluently?"
Lin Ling noticed this disparity just a moment ago.
"Ah, that"s because this is the Chinese version of the game..."
TL: LMAO so if I enter this game world, I"m still screwed.
Merlin"s reply slowly faded with the wind, as his silhoutte too disappear as though it was never there.
"Hey..."
She nudged the lion next to her. Even before the evil spirits reach here, the lion would probably think of her as snack.
The lion named Leo growled and moved slowly towards Lin Ling. Alarmed by Leo"s sudden change, Lin Ling stiffened with fear. Merlin is no longer here. She is now alone with this lion who at any moment...
"No... Don"t come..."
Lin Ling feels dread for the first time, and tears begin to well up. Why did this happen to me? Is my bad luck rearing its ugly head again?
Suddenly, the lion jumped at her. However, Leo did not attack her but instead, affectionately rubbed his head against her while purring like a kitty.
"Ah Hua..."
Lin Ling then fondly remembered her beloved dog who was taken away by her parents. She stroke Leo"s head in return and said,
"I"ll call you Ah Hua, okay?"
Leo growled as if to reply. (Leo: I do not want such a bad name!)
"You like it? Alright, from now on your name is Ah Hua."
Lin Ling forgot her fears and smiled gently at Ah Hua.
(Leo: No no noooooo, I don"t want this nameeee! *T_T*)
"Wow, you like it that much? You are so touched till tears are coming out."
Lin Ling continued patting his head.
"Silly cat, hehe..."
(Leo: T_T......)
The day grows dark. The moon too now hangs in the sky. The moonlight shone down on our duo, giving a eerie atmosphere to their task at hand. The wind blew through the trees, making noises even a brave man would fear. As the night stills, hootings can be heard from the forest.
Lin Ling sat near Ah Hua, clutching the invincible racket given to her by Merlin. She is alert to all noises, ready to speak the words and use the racket in her hands.
CRASH!
A dark silhoutte appeared next to her. She jumped up in shock and readied to beat it down, only to find a bat struggling to raise his wings. She patted her chest and sighed in relief. She sat back down and returned to her
previous state. The forest is alive with nocturnal creatures activites, and Lin Ling is honestly scared witless. If she can go home now, she would rather listen to her mother"s nagging than this! As she think of her mother, she thought of her homecooked food, her warm bed, her favourite ice cream still waiting for her in the freezer, and her friends...
Why, why am I so unlucky?!
Lin Ling is afraid. Since young, she has never camped outside, not to mention in a dark forest with evil spirits! Unable to hold it in any longer, she let her tears gush out like a faucet.
Ah Hua was surprised by Lin Ling"s crying, but he merely wagged his tail before going back to sleep. After a long session of crying, Lin Ling is finally tired of it. She leaned on Ah Hua"s furry body and dozed off.