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2024-10-29 19:42:56Upon pressing the [Yes] option, Luck took notice of his surroundings. The ground around him was composed of a black dirt that felt slightly sticky and rough, which he could feel through his boots.
The gray ashy sky added to the foreboding and down trodden atmosphere of the dungeon, the now shattered tombstones and graves reminded some of a ransacked burial site while the more dense types would liken the place to a haunted house attraction.
To Luck, it was a reminder of a memory of the future he would like to forget, which is what he endeavored to do as he stepped forward to descend a sudden flight of stairs that appeared at his acceptance to progress.
These stairs soon led him down into a dark cavern which was both wide and tall enough for him to comfortably move in. Not a single ray of light shined in this place, so Luck unhooked a colorful potion from his belt and popped the cork before drinking it quickly.
His once darkened and obscured vision was then brightened as the features of the cavern became clear enough to see. With his ability to now see in the dark, Luck advanced in a slow but careful manner.
While the potion had given him nightvision, its quality was quite middling as it was only a basic potion. At best, it gave him better depth perception and the ability to see in green and black colors.
Potion of Common Night Vision
Rarity: Common
Description: Through the infusion of magic particles from magic crystals, the human eye is enhanced to see in a new spectrum of light. Able to now view through the night, your journey extends from the light of day.
Effect: Grants the normal skill [Beginner Night Vision] for a limited time. Vision will allow limited viewing in a green and black coloration. Sight is unaffected by sudden changes in light.
Duration: 1 Hour
Turning a corner, Luck peeked out his head to scan for enemies. His small audience through his livestream were egging him on to just start charging through, but he was not listening to them as he knew better.
While his initial stint of battle fury at the entrance made it seem that this dungeon could be cleared through brute force alone, that was far from the truth. A confined and dark place like this, that was filled with enemies, was just asking for trouble if one entered guns blazing.
Finding a group of 10 skeletons meandering around in the chamber just ahead of him, Luck could already tell that this was a trap.
He knew that this upcoming room had additional tunnels connecting to this chamber and would likely spawn more enemies should he try to fight right off the bat.
Additionally, the somewhat rough terrain in the chamber made it easy for a player to get surrounded if they were inattentive to their surroundings.
Wanting to even the playing field a bit before he got into a heated engagement, Luck rifled through his backpack and took out 5 vials filled with a vicious black liquid that glowed a slightly gray hue.
Holding four vials between the fingers of his left hand, he held the 5th between his lips. Hefting the warhammer with his right hand, to rest it upon his shoulder. Luck then rechecked to see if his strength potion and strength ring were in effect.
Moving through the menu with his eyes, he found that his mana had recovered to full thanks to his [Beginner Mana Recovery] which allowed for the fast regeneration of mana while out of combat and slight amount of mana regeneration while in combat.
Finding himself prepared, he ran into the chamber ahead as silently as he could. To his fortunate luck, his presence was unnoticed thanks to the large boulders that were dotted throughout the chamber. Getting into a position as close as possible to the opposite side of the chamber where the connecting tunnels were, Luck lined up his sights and judged on if he could do this.
Finding no issue, he tossed one of the vials full of black liquid at a group of hidden skeletons that were using the boulders as a kind of cover. The sound of shattering glass resounded, but this was only for only a moment.
The black liquid slipped out of the broken vial but as soon as it became exposed to the air, it shined and then evaporated into a black mist that was then light aflame and exploded. Replacing the short sound of cracking glass, a crack of thunder resounded in the chamber.
The area where the once hidden group of skeletons were standing had been flattened as the boulders that were once used for cover were blown to bits.
The other of the skeletons in the cavern were alarmed by this, but they gave no noticeable expression. Yet, they acted as if they were in panic and began scanning their surroundings.
A couple of minutes passed and the skeletons thought that whatever had attacked was likely hiding and began to spread out.
Wanting to close off all routes of escape, skeletons began to exit their hiding places and walked over to block the 4 other connecting tunnels that acted as the chambers possible exits.
Arriving at their destination, the skeletons caught the sight of an unknown figure hiding behind the large rocks. Thinking that it was an enemy, they attacked and rushed forward to surround the last seen location of the figure.
Passing by the boulders, the skeletons felt a slight tug at their feet and heard the sound of cracking glass and then nothing. A black and violent explosion took them to their end.
Stepping out from behind a boulder just a distance away, Luck quickly ran out to throw the 3th black potion he had at the roof of a connecting tunnel.
A third explosion erupted in the chamber and the tunnel began to collapse on itself as rubble blocked any entry from the tunnel and any exit from the chamber.
“One down, 2 more to go.”
Reminding himself of just what he needed to do, Luck attempted to hide his presence again. Wanting to keep the element of surprise, he used his advantage in potions to change the present battle to favor himself.
Using the remaining two black potions, Luck destroyed another two tunnels. In all, 3 of the 5 tunnels that connected to this chamber were still open.
After throwing the last black potion he was holding between his lips, Luck sighed in somewhat annoyance as he wished he could have more effective potions. While his current supply was versatile, it did not pack enough punch when compared to the late or even mid game level potions. With one mid level potion, he could have cleared this room without breaking a sweat but no, he had to do it the hard way.
Unable to buy the mid game potions since they were unavailable in his exchange shop, he made do.
Done with bemoaning his predicament, Luck got ready as he knew that he was in for a fight.
The resulting explosions had thinned out the hidden parties of skeletons and prevented the possibility of large numbers of reinforcements from entering the chamber.
With only 2 of the 5 tunnels remaining, Luck was glad that he was able to get three while unnoticed and undiscovered,
While he lacked any stealth skills, the knowledge from his future memories gave him all he needed to know when it came to the game's behavioral patterns of the skeletons.
Using the similar style of fighting he used on the first level of the dungeon, Luck let loose a series of [Power Smash] with his warhammer and used [Earth Shaker] to get out of any sticky situations.
As groups of skeletons poured out from one of the remaining tunnels, Luck smirked as he eyed the piles of bones which looked like a pile of treasure to him.
He did not have to worry about skeletons sneaking up on him, as he had made sure to destroy any tombstone and graves from the tunnel he came from.
Half an hour passed and Luck finally got the notification he was anticipating to show up.
[Congratulations, You have completed the hidden question, Skeleton Slayer]
[Slay 500 skeletons on a single level of the Pit of the Dead]
[You have cleared Level 2]
[You may now proceed to Level 4]
[Would you like to be transferred?]
[Yes/No]
As soon as the notification sounded, the remaining skeletons in the chamber fell apart and died as their bones scattered on the black floor of the chamber.
Luck patted himself down and let out a sigh of relief at a job well done. Glad that his future memories did not disappoint, Luck quickly grabbed up the loot in the chamber and made his way down the tunnel to further collect the remaining loot.
A somewhat lucky find were the numerous small magic crystals dropped by the skeletons. While they were weak and only had strength in numbers, their advantage in strength was somewhat a boon to Luck as it increased the chances of him obtaining more crystals.
Picking the ground clean, he then moved his eyes around the passage he was in and began smashing the tombstones and graves.
Rummaging through the rubble he made, he came across a few more lucky finds as a few of the graves had a couple of wooden chests in them.
Finding one made of a black colored wood, Luck again put his loot away into his [Pocket of the Creator] class skill.
After rolling his shoulders and stretching his back a bit, Luck pressed the [Yes] option and was suddenly enveloped in a blue teleportation light.
“Onward and upwards, or well… downwards in this case.”
Luck chuckled before disappearing from the second level of the Pit of the Dead.
Skeleton Fighter (Level 15)Description: The remains of a warrior spirit that burns darkly in the depths of the bones. Grudges, curses, and regrets make up this entity's being, who are driven mad and reduced to a mindless corpse that wishes for battle and death. Equipped with swords, axes, pikes, or even clubs, they fight and swarm until they turn to dust.
Health: 85/85
Mana: 25/25
Vial of Explosion
Rarity: Uncommon
Description: A volatile bottle of magic liquid which is a byproduct of alchemical processes. When exposed to air and mana, the liquid will turn into a gunpowder like material that is sensitive to all kinds of physical force.
Note: Can be charged with 100 mana to produce a crude and portable explosive.
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Return to Level 0 Chapter 11 Prepare for the Depth
After accepting the reward from the sudden hidden quest for slaying over 500 skeletons on a single level of the dungeon, Luck was transported directly to the 4th level of the [Pit of the Dead]. In all games, quests were always prevalent and this was no different for the game of Level 0. The [Pit of the Dead] was considered a mid game dungeon due to how its full completion was achieved through the conquering of all 100 levels. Of course, there were shortcuts to quickly descend the levels and Luck was no stranger to them. But even with the knowledge of how to bypass numerous levels at once, Luck was not confident in achieving a full completion. He was here for another reason, a reason that he would find on the 5th level. But before he could descend any further, Luck took it upon himself to prepare. Due to the enormous depths of this dungeon, the designers of this place were merciful enough to install rest points within the descent. Level 4 was one such place, unlike the dark and n
Return to Level 0 Chapter 12 Stacking the Odds
Making his way through the dark tunnel, Luck found himself entering a cavern. Unlike the previous one he had fought hordes of skeletons in, the walls were smooth and the area was well lit by the blue and red glow of rocks that lined the surfaces of the room.Before taking a step into the cavern, Luck refreshed his strength buff with a potion and drank a speed potion, which had the same magnitude of effect as his strength potion. With his speed now doubled, he surveyed the surroundings and saw a scattering of random bones. Grimacing, he grumbled to himself. “It seems my luck isn’t all that great today. This is going to be difficult and a bit painful.” Reaching to his belt, he removed the black potions he had just recently bought and replaced them with more strength and speed potions. While having an explosive option would be useful, he knew that such an option would not be helpful in this situation. Hoping to get a step ahead, Luck activated [Psyche Up] and felt his power surge.
Return to Level 0 Chapter 13 Passing Human Limits
“Hey kid! Come on, it's our turn.” Hearing his friend call for him, the young player disengaged his menu and looked ahead. “Is it time already? Shouldn’t we wait a bit longer?” He asked as the thoughts of that solo player resurfaced. “Nah, he’s probably dead by now. While it was out of line for him to go down first, it didn’t matter since all the other players knew that he was going to die quickly. In any case, get ready. This will be your first time witnessing a boss battle, so stay in the back, and watch and learn.” The swordsman then withdrew his sword from the sheath on his back and flourished it with a flashy air of mastery. His young friend clapped in amazement and sang praise of his skill. “You really know how to use that thing. You seem like a real swordsman from all those fairy tales in the online library.” “You know it! I’ve been practicing hard to get good at this game, one day I’ll win a pvp tournament and become famous.” The swordsman grinned ear to ear while his
Return to Level 0 Chapter 14 Failure and Loss
Upon defeating the Skeletal Tyrant Rex, Luck collapsed to the ground. Whatever skill he had used had worn off and he was returned back to his normal state. As the aura around him waned, he felt his body become suddenly wracked with pain as the after effects from the repeated use of [Rage] took its toll. This was also compounded by how his health was in the red and his mana was depleted. This caused him to feel mentally impaired and his legs felt faint. Falling to his knees, Lucked gasped for air. “Ugh, I feel like I'm going to die, but at least I won. Now… Onto the next part.” As the floor below him began to descend, his vision went dark as the light of the cavern began to grow distant. Quickly drinking a Common Night Vision potion, his sight came back. During his ride down, a pillar had emerged in the center of the boss room. Setting his sights upon it, Luck attempted to stand but felt his knees give out. This was highly irregular since the after effects of [Rage] did not last
Return to Level 0 Chapter 15 Reflection of Failure
Forced out of the game, Luck found himself in his room.Laying on his bed, he clicked his tongue in annoyance at the timer in front of him. Level 0 had a somewhat strict penalty when it came to dying in game. Upon death, a player would be forced out of the game and would be subject to a 24 hour suspension to their account.Since a player in Level 0 could only have one account, this was devastating since sudden events were always abound in the game.The thought of missing out on any possible chance to gain new powers, skills, or equipment made Luck want to cry out in anger but he was not that childish.While he was biologically a young man of 20 years of age, mentally he was 30 years old and had the maturity to keep his emotions in check.Even still, the severity of his situation was evident as he could not wipe away the frown that was on his face.His family was in danger and he needed to use every possible moment to save them.He needed money and he needed in-game fame to do that to
Return to Level 0 Chapter 16 Human Skills and Limits
Looking on the bright side of his situation, Luck had found that a new addition had appeared in his status menu. Under his section for [Titles] were the words [Limit Breaker]. From his memories of the future, this title was a common occurrence for all players that wanted to advance towards the mid to end game content of Level 0. While titles in games are usually seen as just achievements of special feats or the accomplishment of trials, in this VR game, titles held a similar value but had the important benefit of giving the recipients a bonus effect or certain perks. In the case of [Limit Breaker], its effect gave players the right to increase their status past the point of human limits. The cap for all stats except intelligence and wisdom were set to 20, while the others were set to 100. This was a future point of contention between the players and the developers of the game. The players had complained how hard it was for them to advance due to the restrictions of stats, so to a
Return to Level 0 Chapter 17 Training Calls
As he left the bustle of the front office of the training grounds, Luck immediately headed to the room indicated on the slip of paper he got from Carol. Down a long hallway of doors, Luck surveyed each one and confirmed that he had the right room number, he then moved to open the door. Upon entering, he was met with the quite expansive quarters of a fully furnished training room which could possibly accommodate 6 people at the max. Suddenly, a prompt appeared in front of him. [You have entered Training Room 619, Would you like to enter training mode?] [Yes/No?] Selecting the obvious choice, the prompt then turned into a menu that gave him an option to choose a variety of training weapons. Selecting a few, a variety of unique and special looking weapons materialized on a nearby table. This was one of the many perks of renting a private training room. Usually, players would have to pay for the use of the more specific or specialized weapons. This was due to how the system of p
Return to Level 0 Chapter 18 Growth and Plot
During the period of time when Luck was suspended from the game due to his recent [Game Over], party leader Caleb, a close friend of Queen Flamerath and a top guild member, had returned from a dungeon run in the [Pit of the Dead]. After witnessing Luck’s climactic fight with the Skeletal Tyrant Rex, Caleb had ended the dungeon run early since he was summoned back to the Kingdom of Primeria. He had received a quick response on his findings, so he quickly disbanded the party and had used his waypoint to return back to the city. His possession of a usable waypoint was a testament to his veteran status in the game of Level 0, he had become so engrossed in the game that it soon became like that of a second life to him. Upon his return, he met with Queen Flamerath who, after viewing the recorded battle between Luck and the Skeletal Tyrant Rex, had ordered him to begin an investigation on Luck. They had yet to find out his name, so for now they designated him as [The Player]. “Flamerat
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Chapter 59 Soloman’s First Battle
As the battle continued, the men of Dieles who were led by Soloman, pushed the left flank forward. Soloman’s resounding and thundering voice pressed the men forth. They felt as if their backs were given a hearty pat of encouragement, and it was effective. So much so that these rough and tumble frontier villagers became even more so. It was as if they were invincible, but that was far from the truth. “Grah! Watch out! Hold that LINE!”Soloman barked orders as the oncoming swarm of monsters had seemed to increase. In fact, a new wave of stone beak appeared from the nearby valleys. This new force of monsters had come a knocking.Were they drawn in by the spilled blood or were they battle hungry animals who roared for the hunt?Soloman didn’t know but he put that out of his mind. He called for the knowledge of tactics within him, long held back since common managerial matters used to be his main concern. But now, he could use it. He could use the ethereal blade of wisdom he had kept she
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Chapter 58 Dodos In the Mountains
Upon arriving to the mountainous northeastern terrain of the frontier, the caravan’s pace had slowed on account of the uneven dirt roads. The carriages and wagons were meant for flat and even roads, so a winding uneven path that went up and down was not easily traversed for this large group of people.Not only that, but this location was inhabited by a species of rock creatures that regular NPCs could not handle. So, much to Flama’s delight, she got a chance to finally have her fun.Jumping from the lead carriage, she equipped her dual swords.“Enemy spot! I’m taking them out!” She said with gusto and charged the gray rock scaled enemies.These were stone beaks, a dodolike creature that had a beak as hard as metal but with a gray dull color at its elongated beak’s tip.They were fast and moved in packs, so dealing with them was usually done with a team of players. But Flama disregarded all forms of teamwork at the moment.Being coped up in the carriage for 2 days had really grated on
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Chapter 57 Planning Developments
Getting himself settled into the lead carriage, Luck and his party would be given a chance to sit together and talk. The responsibility for navigating and steering the wagon was given to Soloman, who was attending the trip as well since he was interested in Flama’s hunch that something new was out in the northeastern mountains.To Soloman’s knowledge, the northeastern mountains had nothing of interest. Only the common rocks and materials like marble, granite, and wood that a person could gather. Although, he had been hearing about rumors of new monsters in the frontier, along with changes in geography.He had not seen it firsthand, so this was a good opportunity to see for himself. As Soloman steered the lead carriage, an accompanying caravan of about 20 wagons and carriages followed in a tight formation behind him.“OPEN THE GATE!” A soldier yelled, giving the signal to his consort men. “Have a good trip Mister Soloman.”Waving back Soloman chuckled. “I will, be sure to keep the plac
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Chapter 56 A Couple's Morning In Dieles
At the crack of dawn, the citizens of Dieles awoke as usual. Players like Luck, Flama, and Caleb, would have to say and think that these people were quite rural or rough and tumble. But they came to terms with this, this was life on the frontier, a place where the land had yet to fully develop in a city where all conveniences were always so close. The setting was medieval, citizens were in leather tunics while others had some form of plated metal, strapped to their chest like armor. Amongst them, a large group of about 100 men were busying themselves as they loaded wagons and carriages with everything they would need for a trip. Flama, the ruler of the Kingdom of Primeria, stood beside the mayor of Dieles, Soloman. A few Dieles citizens wondered who the girl standing beside their rotund mayor was, but going by his demeanor it made them think that Flama was quite important. At the side, Luck could already envision what kind of reaction they would have if they found out that Flama, w
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Chapter 55 Developments in Dieles
Rolling through the gates, it was the 4th day they had been on their journey, more than twice the expected time they had expected to go through. Entering the port village Dieles, Luck heard the chatter as NPCs worked about selling their seaside wears. From dried fish to fishing equipment, this village truly embodied a seaside life.He could even spot a distant beach as they passed through the village. After arriving at the Village Major’s house, they were greeted by a contingent of the village's militia, who were apparently informed via carrier pigeon about Flama’s arrival. The group of armed men were dressed inconspicuous to ensure they wouldn’t bring any upheaval or attention to Flama. While she was their queen, they knew that all rulers needed to ensure their safety and not bring attention to themselves.“Welcome!” A man with a rotund belly bellowed, his mustache curling around his playful finger. “I greet our fine guests from afar. Might there be anything we can assist with. We s
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Chapter 54 Under the Night
Looking to the side as she laid there, out camping in the wild at night, Carol moved her hand from under the sheet. She gripped Luck’s hand who was beside her, he finished humming his tune, so she looked at him with asking eyes and the question evident in the form in her brow. “You don’t have a problem with that? Are you sure?” Luck asked and Carol gave a timid nod.Luck shrugged and laid closer beside her, producing a blanket for himself. He continued to hum another tune as Carol looked up at the dark sky, the bright twin moons and sparkling stars helping to banish her fear of the dark from her mind, alleviating her fear status. It was the same here, she thought, no different from before and no different now. Her people, once in their history, had praised the stars and the moons, naming the ever-streaking stars in the sky as gods. It was a primitive idea, but Carol thought that they perhaps did it so that her people back then could have something to comfort themselves through the
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Chapter 53 On the Way to Dieles
With the creaking of the wooden wheels sounding their way down the dirt path, Luck and his party were soon on arrival at the port village of Dieles. How they knew they were close was by the apparent salty smell of the sea. Luck sniffed and thought that this was what nature truly was like. Mixed with the dirt, he could almost taste the sea. Or how the seas on earth were like, before corporations and human hands had touched it. I made him chuckle to think that this virtual world was replacing his real life. In fact, it was as if he truly started over in a new world if he took into account that he died in his past’s life. But that was a dreary topic to think of. “Master, are you alright?” Carol asked, pressing her chest against his arm. Luck’s brow twitched away from the sky but more in the fact that he was creeped out. To him, this is like a young girl hitting on some old dude. “UH? I’m fine, just thinking about the sea.” “Really? That is all? There is not anything else?” Carol so
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Chapter 52 NPC Nature
Hooking the horse up to the carriage, Caleb looked over to the interior of the rugged wooden wagon. It was an old piece of technology that seemed out of place in his reality’s futuristic cars. To him, it seemed retro and a novel experience to actually set one up, a perk of VRMMORPGs. “All set here, how’s the inside coming along?” “Yeah, almost finished here, come give me a hand.” While the voice was muffled, Caleb could still hear Luck clearly. Climbing up, he helped him move along crates of supplies that were inside his pocket space inventory. It consisted of water for the horse, crude straw sleeping bags, and rations to fill their bellies during a long journey. I was like they were going on a trip and while only a fraction of what Caleb had acquired, he could tell that Luck was trying to pack the wagon light. “So where to?” Caleb asked as he was handed another crate full of rations. “For now, we head north. While it might not be the most direct path to the northeastern mounta
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Chapter 51 Trekking Home
“Incoming, 5 on the right and 3 orcs to our left flank. FLAMA!”“I know! Come get some you ugly mutts.”At Flama shouting she pumped herself up as Luck continued to observe the situation, they were in. It had been only a few hours since they began their trek to his base and along the way, it seemed that the orc encampment was making moves, he didn’t know for what purpose, but he knew they were a threat.“DOUBLE! SLASH!” Flama let loose her twin swords sinking them into the green flesh of the orcs. Without even having to communicate with Luck, she had picked up on the larger threat.Suddenly, a scorching flaming hit her square in the chest, but Flama was unphased. Instead, she charged at the remaining orc, whose skin was of blood red color.It roared and raised its club like a wand to cast another spell on the tiny human girl. But all it saw was a long blur of red hair pass him by.Not even giving the red orc a second more of her attention, Flama dashed over to Caleb as fast as she cou
