Chapter 2

During the Beta phase, Wesley learned that the staff's energy was like ammo. A Magician could still use the staff for ranged attacks even without spells. However, once the energy ran out, he could only resort to melee or spells.

Before he dashed out, he saw several green circles through his monocle surrounding certain objects. Approaching, he found bread and picked them up.

"Why only four glowing?" He wondered aloud, picking up the non-glowing bread to inspect.

After thinking it over, he figured the glowing ones were useful items, while the non-glowing were just regular. Grateful for the God-eye monocle, he stashed three glowing bread in his storage bag and ate the fourth. His HP had dropped from 185/230 after the fight in the Tetrax building. It stayed 45 points lower, showing no natural healing mechanics. He'd need consumables or items for healing.

This game demanded more; he'd need to stock up on supplies. If he ran out, he'd be in trouble. Keeping this in mind, he made a mental note to look for more shops offering food or medicine.

After munching the bread, his HP slowly rose to 215/230. Not full, but enough. Another bread would waste 15 points, as one could heal 30 HP in total.

Leaving the shop, he scanned his radar. Two red dots appeared, one nearing while the other was further away.

"Let's deal with you first," he said, gripping both weapons tightly.

"Just treat it like any other VR game," he reminded himself, trying to stay calm.

Approaching the monster, a zombie like before, he checked his God-eye monocle; it was level 1.

"Alright, let's do this," he said, advancing. When he was ten meters away, the zombie finally reacted and started moving. Its movements were slow and predictable, making it easy to counter. He waited for the zombie to lunge past before striking.

"Power strike!" He shouted, landing a blow on its side.

36 damage.

Surprised by the high damage, he followed with a normal hit.

23 damage.

As the zombie retaliated, he stepped back. After the Power Strike cooldown, he attacked again, this time silently activating the skill.

Another 36 damage.

Realizing the skill didn't need verbal activation, he distanced himself from the zombie. Trying the magician's skill, he aimed Mana Bullet. The blue ball missed, hitting a nearby fence.

"Crap. Need to practice my aim!" He cursed inwardly, not used to range attacks. He kited the zombie, waiting for the skill cooldown, gradually improving his aim. After a few shots, the zombie turned to dust.

Since he only used spells, his staff's energy remained full. Observing his stamina and mana gradually recovering, he sat down briefly before facing the next red dot.

Being ranged allowed him to avoid damage, saving another bread. He repeated the process with the next zombie, also a level 1, improving his left-handed aim.

He kept grinding, using his radar to find zombies. Avoiding grouped zombies, he focused on singles, his experience nearing level 2. The God-eye monocle beeped as he neared the next target, revealing a silhouette of red lines.

Level 2? A higher-level monster. Excited, he also discovered the monocle's ability to partially see through obstacles and warn of higher-level monsters nearby.

He followed the silhouette along the wall, silently, expecting it to detect him. Surprisingly, it didn't. He pondered if its perception range was lower or if it couldn't see him through the wall. Curious, he continued, eager to test his theory.

He waited for the monster to pass by the wall's edge. As it approached, its silhouette revealed a skeletal figure clutching a club, oblivious to Wesley's presence as he hid behind the wall. Its movements were sluggish.

Skeleton Thug (Basic monster, Undead) Level 2 HP: 250

The level had increased by 1, but its HP had nearly doubled. Dealing with this one would take more time.

Once sure the monster wasn't aware of him, Wesley stealthily approached from behind, staying out of its line of sight. The monster's slow, predictable movements made it easy to sneak up on. Holding his breath, he closed in until he was three meters away, nervous not to make a mistake. With a dash, he activated Power Strike.

Sneak Attack! Critical! 62 damage!

A remarkable hit, the highest damage he'd achieved so far, nearly a quarter of the monster's health. Without pause, he continued his assault as the monster turned. Another strike landed, dealing 21 damage, slightly less than usual, indicating the Skeleton Thug's higher defense.

The Skeleton swung its club, but Wesley managed to block with his sword, still taking 18 damage.

"I blocked it but still took damage?" he pondered. Blocking seemed futile; he'd have to evade. The Skeleton's speed and power surpassed the zombie's, making evasion trickier. But its movement speed matched the zombie's, allowing Wesley to kite it with ranged spells, gradually wearing it down.

It took longer, but eventually, the Skeleton fell, rewarding Wesley with 10 experience points, five times more than from hunting zombies, likely due to its higher level. With these points, he reached the next level.

"Congratulations! You have reached level 2 for Fighter class. Awarding 20 HP, 10 Stamina, 2 Strength, 1 Dexterity, 2 Endurance, 1 Reflex, 1 Wisdom, and 1 free attribute point and 1 free skill point."

He invested the free attribute point in Dexterity for improved speed due to his kiting tactics. As for the free skill points, he held onto them. With three in total, two for Fighter and one for Magician class, he planned to save them for more powerful skills as he progressed.

Though he didn't spend the skill point, he checked the skill page and found a new skill available.

Parry, level 1/20 (Trigger skill, require melee weapon) Damage received is reduced by 30% when enemy's attack is blocked using a weapon.

He decided to invest one skill point in Parry. Though the reduction was only 30%, it would still prove useful later on. Parry, level 2/20 (Trigger skill, require melee weapon). Damage received is reduced by 33% when enemy's attack is blocked using a weapon. Despite the small increase, he saved the remaining skill point for future needs. Excited about his level-up, Wesley finally noticed the items dropped by the Skeleton. Picking them up, he found two small round objects.

"Copper coins? We have coins?" he muttered, inspecting them. "If we have coins, can we spend them?" He hadn't encountered any working shops or people since this began, only hostile monsters and the unfortunate man who became a zombie snack.

"Others could be lurking nearby." He stored the copper coins in his bag, intending to find them eventually. "Look out bastards, Tempest is coming for you."