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2022-08-26 16:39:05RE: Soul bound
Chapter 000: PROLOGUE
Written by: Zorenico
I'm Theodore, an 18-year-old boy born in the high modern era. The world in which I lived changed after virtual reality games were developed where anyone could dwell in a virtual world with monsters, various races, and even magic existed. Just like this game called "New Life," which I used to play when I was 15 years old. It was enjoyable; you could select your class, hunt monsters, and level up to become a Ranker.
It was fun and all but not until the developer of the game died due to being old enough to pass away. The game was inherited by his family but to only become a game that never had an update and was forced to server shutdown.
I spend my entire teenage life to this game and become a player that seats on the top, hence, a Ranker. I even got a title from the other players, they called me a Hunting Freak. Yes a Hunting Freak, a player who never sleeps just to hunt a boss and loot a good quality items just to find out that the game forced shutdown.
I was such a fool!!
The first thing that came to my mind was about my family. I played this game not just because it was fun, but because playing this game could be a way to earn real money and help my parents to pay our debts.
Yes, I am such a fool.. If only I didn't stick to this game and just sell all my items, pay the debt of my parents, and live a life that they could only dream to have. Then everything would be fine.
Sighed.. I even regarded myself as the breadwinner of the family but to think that everything has gone just because of my foolishness.
Just a few months passed, and a new game rose to its peak and become the second version of New Life. The second version my a$$! The game was just a copy of New Life, to the point that even the scenery was similar in every edge and nook. But for me, a man who used to play New Life for over four years knows everything. Even those player who played New Life just for monopolizing the dungeons doesn't even know that there was always a hidden one that even the developer hasn't even know of. A hidden dungeon that could give a high-quality items that even when I was just a beginner who has just gotten a job class have an inventory that has full of rare or even mystical class items. But it was four years ago... If only.. If only.. If only, sighed..
I cannot let go of the past, I even shut myself in my room for a whole month and never come out. The only thing I do for that entire month was eat and sleep, eat and sleep, and eat and sleep.
But everything changed when the world was flipped upside down. Similar creatures from the game New Life appeared in every part of the Philippines, while former New Life players received a unique thing called a Progress Bar; a transparent bar that exposes practically everything about an individual's physical or even magical abilities.
I don't know what to do but I am sure of one thing; I need to level up faster than everyone else, become a ranker once again, and earn a lot of money to pay my family's debt.
But what exactly is this? My inventory was full of higher-grade items that I used to have? ohh... It was bound. What if it is? Even if I can't sell it, I could still use it! this opportunity, I will take it!
End of Prologue
Written By: Zorenico
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RE; Soul Bound 001: The Beginning
After the New Life server was forced shutdown, I too shut myself in my room. I don't know what to do, what would happen to my family's debt? I was such a fool, if only I didn't stick to this game and sold my items for real money, then the debt of my family would be paid."I was such an idiot!" I cursed myself for almost an hour until I fell asleep on the chilly ground next to the bed.[10:46 PM, Sunday]"N-Noooooo!" I suddenly woke up from my slumber, sweating in fear while having reddish and teary eyes. "W-what just happened?" I questioned myself, peering out every corner of my room to see if it has been a dream or a reality."Ohh... A dream," I took a deep breath, gradually forgetting the scene from that dream.Tututut~ Tututut~ *Phone Ringing*"My phone?" I took the phone off the desk opposite the window after hearing a series of distress alarms.I hurriedly swipe down the notification bar and learned a shocking news that will change the world that I lived in.[NDRRMC: Isang napaka
RE; Soul Bound 002: Time To Hunt!
If this was really the second chance that heaven gave me, then I will gladly take it!After learning everything that happened in just that spun amount of time, I immediately went inside our house and changed into a suitable suit."Theodore, what's with that get-up?" Mother asked as she was showing a worried expression on his pale face."Mom, sister, I need to go somewhere." "W-What? where do you want to go all of a sudden?""Yes, big brother, where are you going late at night?" Sister asked while grabbing the end of my shirt."No time to explain.. I will be coming back tomorrow." I responded as I hugged both of them at the same time and departed in a haste."Big brother.." Sister pondered."You've worked hard, Theodore." Muttered Mother as she saw me turn around while straightening up my broad shoulder."Sorry Mom, I am yet again giving you such a hard time.." I mumbled just as I disappeared from the approaching eyes of my Mother...[1:00 AM, Monday], [Location: Makiling Forest, Lag
RE; Soul Bound 003: Leaf Boars
The temporary entrance that the Association created had already opened while players piled up from the front, waiting for the Association's signal. "Time to hunt!" I immediately dashed toward the end of the crowd and successfully entered the Makiling Forest which was characterized as the Windy Forest from New Life. "Ohh.. Though it was entirely different from Windy Forest, the feeling of nature was still there." I mumbled as I entered the forest. The players started to enter one by one while their gazes were similar to that of a predator who hunts everything that they see. I immediately went deeper into the forest and was relieved that the others were not in the vicinity. I first check my status bar to know more about my physical trait. [NAME: THEODORE] [AGE: 18] [LEVEL 01] [EXP: 0/100] [POINTS: O] [CLASS: NO CLASS] [STATS:] STRENGTH: 04 AGILITY: 07 DEXTERITY: 02 WISDOM: 09 ENDURANCE: 03 LUCK: 06 "Hm, my strength was four points means that it was quite low. Agility, ohh
RE; Soul Bound 004: Let's go Shopping
I don't know what to do but if this decision of mine would make my two dearest families happy then, why not? [6:00 PM, Monday], [SM City San Pablo] "So what are we doing here, Theodore?" Asked Mother. "Right, brother? what are we supposed to do here?" "What can we do here? of course, to go shopping!" I answered with excitement. "W-What do you mean, Theodore?" Asked Mother, flustered. "Yes, brother? what do you mean?" "Sighed! here, look at this." I abruptly took my phone in my wallet and showed them the money which I earned in selling the 21 New Coins to the Player Association. "2..200 what? Althea, could you please tell me how many digits are there?" "Ohh okay.. Hm, 1..2.3.4.5...6.." "So how many digits are there, Althea?" "S-Six digits Mother.." "S-Six? Doesn't that mean that your brother has a hundred thousand pesos?" "There's no doubt, mother! big brother was a millionaire!" "W-Wait, it's just a thousand, not millions.." "Theodore! where did you get this money fro
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RE; Soul Bound 006: Restless Tuesday
The second day of my hunt was quite the thrill. I don't know if it was because of my luck or curiosity as an old player but having encountered the mutated purple boar this early was beyond my expectations more so this persistent colleen bagworm.{Colleen Bagworm: An idiom word, meaning; A woman who keeps on pestering a single person.}"S-Say, how did you kill it with a single strike?" She asked, showing a curious expression on her face.I stopped walking and slowly pushed back her face, "Would you please stop for a sec?""O-Ohh, you're quite attractive there~" She said, her cheeks almost immediately turning scarlet."Do Russians speak with this much directness?" I spoke just as I abruptly took my arms back."Ehh? how do you know that I'm Russian?" She asked, taken aback."Just a guess." Though I know that she was a foreign girl since she used English quite a lot.I continued my hunt of blue leaf boar after battling with the mutated purple boar from earlier. "Hm, having an azure knife
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032: Dungeon Break (2)
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As soon as I saw how rude the guild masters of the top five guilds were, my anger starts to boil. "Ronald is it? Why would this meeting require a man like yourself who was not even a part of the government?" I asked, simultaneously releasing killing intent. "He's strong!" Is what those top five guild masters thinking as they have felt the tremendous mana fluctuations filled with killing intent. "A-And who might you be?" Ronald asked as his sweat poured down his broad shoulder. "Hey, I thought you don't want your identity to be known by them yet?" George whispered into my ear. "Ahh.. I fvck up." I mumbled. "We were really curious till now but who might really be this young man behind sir George?" Asked Ryan, showing an expression of curiosity on his face. "A-Ahh this is.. Theodore, what now?" He whispered. "I am.." "Y-Yes?" Ryan stuttered. "I am.." "Hmm?" "I am just a new member of the Player Association." I replied, scratching my head. "Huh? A new member, you say?" Asked Ro
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030: The So-Called Meeting
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029: Departure and Arrival
As soon as I entered the FAB headquarters, a soldier, supposedly a commander of some sort of air force, greeted me respectfully and proceeded to show me the way to the so-called runway. "From this point on, our pilot, Rowan, will accompany you to your destination; have a safe flight." "Then, please take care of me, sir Rowan." And that is how I board a military plane for the first time in my life. .. [AT THE SAME TIME] "Ha! These bastards become more lawless simply because they've become a player!" muttered Secretary of National Defense as he observed the top five guilds debating. "Sir, we have received a phone call from Major General Akinso that Theodore was on his way here. He will probably arrive this midnight." Said Lara. "I see. There are still no casualties right?" "Yes, it appeared that the dungeon entrance was calmer than the recent D-Rank dungeon that formed at Los Baños." Lara reported, recalling the time when the first D-rank dungeon emerged at Los Baños. "What ab
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028: The Departure
That's how Sasha ended up taking her dinner with my family. "So how did you and my Theodore meet?" Mother asked as she showed an expression of curiosity on her face. "Ahh, that day when I met him was quite heroic. He save me who was being chased down by a monster that has unbelievable strength!" She spoke as if she was born as a storyteller. "Ohh? Just like a hero that saves a certain princess?" Mother became more interested in Sasha's words. "Oi, don't exaggerate things." I whispered. "I'm not exaggerating. When I was on the verge of being attacked by that monster, your son, Theodore had already killed it with just a single strike just like a piece of cake!" And Sasha's exaggerated story continued. "But it was really exaggerated; even though I killed it with a single strike, I still suffered from shock, and I didn't save you at all! You were already so fast that the mutated boar couldn't keep up with you, which is why its attention was drawn to me," I mumbled to myself as I reca
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027: A long Night
Roger, the one who assessed my combat capabilities, got interested in the Skull Shield that I utilized during the battle and asked if I could sell it to him for any amount, or even using New Life currency."Are you sure?" I asked in a serious tone."Yes, no matter what the price is, I will still buy it!" He said as he showed an expression of eagerness."Hmm, how about 2000 New Coins?" I offered Roger using New Life coins because I don't need real money right now as the association had already provided a safe residence for my family to live in."Deal!" "That's it? How rich was this man would be to just accept that much offer?" I mumbled as I saw the Executive Director walk closer to Roger while giving him two unknown bags."Here.." Roger received the two unknown bags from Joshua and eventually gave them to me as he spoke."What do you-" "The payment," he remarked as he quickly put the shield into his inventory."W-Wait, care to explain this situation?" I stuttered."Ahh, remember the
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026: Second Evaluation
The second Evaluation was about close-range combat, or to be precise, this combat will evaluate one's player capability and whether they have the courage to fight even if they have no chance of winning. "So a battle of courage, you say?" I mumbled to myself as I finally saw the opponent that I will be against with.A bulky and seemingly strict man in his twenties entered the Combat Evaluation Area while looking at me in excitement."That guy's name was Roger, a warrior class who had already attained his first advancement just like sir Theodore." Joshua said."Joshua, will he really be my opponent? He looked like he can't take a punch with me~!" He said as he took off his shirt."Ahh, sir Joshua, can I use some of my skill?" I asked as I was a little enraged but what he says was nonetheless true. I may be powerful in terms of firepower, but I can lose instantly if I took a punch from that bastard's huge fist."B-But this was a test of courage and not an official match evaluation thoug
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025: First Evaluation
So that's what happened. Player Association was currently experiencing an infiltration from a heinous guild or more so one of the top five guilds called Rugal. This guild was formed as an anti-government or those who think that the government was always at fault. "I see, so that's why this man was too tense huh?" I mumbled to myself as I looked at Troy's face intensively. "I-I'm really sorry sir!" Troy said. "It's also my fault for twisting your arm." [LOCATION: Executive's Director Office] *Knocking Sound* "You may come in" As I walked in, I noticed a man in his thirties standing in front of the window, gradually turning his attention to me. "Ahh, so you're here, Theodore!" He said. "And you are?" I asked as I showed a curious expression on my face. "Sorry for my late introduction. I am Joshua, an executive director of Player Association." He bowed as he speak. "Where was that old man? I thought he would provide me a new identity card." I asked as I peered out every cor