The Skeleton Captain let out a battle cry as it charged towards Wesley and Iron.
Wesley feared the monster might leap through their window. Instead, it crashed through the front door, causing a commotion downstairs. Fortunately, the stairs were not near the entrance, giving them some time.
Struggling to open the window, Wesley realized it was stuck. "Can't open your window!" he told Iron.
Iron, still pale and bewildered, remained seated. "Hey! We need to go out the window or we're in trouble!" Wesley urged.
"It's stuck," Iron stammered. "Has been for years. Can't be opened."
Summoning his sword, Wesley shattered the window. "Come on, let's jump," he said to Iron.
As the crashing noises grew louder, Wesley grabbed Iron's shoulders. "Listen, this might be a game or real. You might die, or you might respawn. But do you want to risk it?" Wesley snapped.
Awareness returned to Iron's eyes. Gasping, he nodded.
A loud thump sounded outside. Wesley pulled Iron up, and they headed to the broken window.
Wesley cursed as the monstrous figure appeared. "Parry!" he shouted, bracing for impact.
Thrown back by the force, Wesley grabbed Iron and shoved him out of the window before jumping out himself. Iron landed heavily but seemed okay.
"Crap!" Wesley cursed as he glanced at his radar.
Feeling a rush of wind, Wesley saw the Skeleton Captain at the place they stood before, its saber deep in the ground.
"We're trapped. Take out your knife and protective vest!" Wesley instructed Iron.
"What vest..?" Iron asked.
Suppressing his frustration, Wesley explained. "The equipment from the black box in your storage bag."
With gestures, Wesley ensured Iron was equipped.
"Stay back! Let me handle this," Wesley warned, gesturing for Iron to keep his distance.
Focusing on the Skeleton Captain, Wesley prepared to fight. The monster struggled to free its saber from the ground, sending rocks flying.
As the monster lifted its saber, Wesley tensed. But then he heard a cry of pain.
Turning, Wesley saw Iron impaled by the saber. Shocked, Wesley quickly attacked the Skeleton Captain.
As the monster approached, Wesley ran, keeping a safe distance. He blasted the Captain with his staff's attacks, wary of running out of mana.
He continued this strategy, leading the monster in circles on the street. Checking the monster's health, he realized they were near Iron's corpse.
But before he could react, the Skeleton Captain charged. Wesley barely dodged the attack, realizing the monster's weapon had given it an attribute boost.
His heart raced as the saber came dangerously close, reminding him of his early days in VR games, filled with excitement. But this time, the danger was real, and he couldn't make mistakes, even though he had a skill to save him, but it only lasted for a day. He couldn't afford to get hurt again after that, so he had to be careful.
When the Skeleton Captain's health was down to half, it suddenly stopped and summoned another skeleton with a club.
"Damn!" Wesley cursed as he saw the second monster, realizing it would be harder to circle around with two monsters. He hoped they were both slow and not smart enough to change their tactics.
But the Skeleton Captain was faster than the Thug, so Wesley had to match its speed, making it harder to keep away from it with the Thug following.
As the Thug blocked his way, Wesley had to change his direction to avoid it, giving the Captain a chance to catch up. He couldn't dodge this time and got hurt badly.
"This can't keep going!" Wesley thought, needing to heal. He spotted two big holes in the house and dashed towards them, hoping to use the house's layout to his advantage.
Reaching the top, he saw the Captain climbing the stairs clumsily. He quickly ate some bread to recover health and cast a spell, then attacked while staying away.
He repeated this plan, using the house to his advantage and dealing with the Thug when needed. After a while, the Thug was gone, and it was easier to focus on the Captain.
But just when he thought he had the upper hand, the Captain threw its saber at him, throwing him out of the house and hurting him badly.
Getting up quickly, Wesley saw the Captain jumping down and ran away as fast as he could.
He realized he was slower now and saw the saber lying nearby. He led the Captain away before circling back to it and kicked it away to keep it out of reach.
Deciding not to use the saber while the Captain was still around, Wesley kept his distance and continued to attack.
When the Captain's health dropped low, it summoned another skeleton to help.
Wesley quickly went back into the house to avoid getting surrounded and took some medicine to heal. Even though the Captain was close to defeat, Wesley knew he had to stay alert.
Seeing the Captain and its minion on the stairs, Wesley immediately unleashed his Mana Bullet followed by a barrage of standard magic attacks. His staff's energy was almost depleted, but he pressed on. As the monsters ascended, a cracking sound caught his attention. Unsure if he had heard correctly, he remained focused on his attacks. Just as the monsters approached the second floor, the stairs collapsed under their weight.
Seizing the opportunity, Wesley continued his assault from a safe distance. He didn't hesitate to deplete his mana, grateful for the ranged attacks provided by his second class. While raining down attacks, he couldn't help but reflect on how different this situation was from previous games. With real consequences looming, he was relieved to have chosen the Magician class.
Amidst his ranged onslaught, Wesley noticed the Captain squatting down, filling him with a sense of dread. Before he could react, the Captain leaped towards him, forcing Wesley to dodge and retreat. Furious at the monster's abilities, Wesley prepared to make a stand. With the stairs destroyed, there was no more running. It was now a battle of survival.
As the Captain descended, Wesley advanced towards it, determined to end the fight quickly.
Evading the Captain's punch, he struck back with a Power Strike followed by a close-range Mana Bullet. Despite landing a critical hit, Wesley took a hefty blow in return, realizing he could only withstand a few more attacks. Focusing on defense, he waited for an opening to counterattack.
With his Power Strike on cooldown, Wesley opted for single strikes to minimize risk. Keeping a safe distance, he continued to chip away at the Captain's health. As the Captain's health dwindled, Wesley seized the moment, launching a final assault. With precise timing, he delivered a critical blow, severing the Captain's neck and ending the battle.
Observing the Captain's disintegration, Wesley remained attentive and alert, anticipating any unforeseen developments.
As his nerves gradually settled down, he became aware of a series of system notifications that signaled the conclusion of the arduous task.
"Congratulations on your triumph in battle. You have been awarded 105 experience points. Your Fighter class has now attained level 4. Your HP has increased by 20 and your Stamina by 10. Additionally, your Strength has risen by 2 while Dexterity and Endurance have each gone up by 1 point respectively. Furthermore, you can now boast an extra point in Reflex and Wisdom each as well as receiving one free attribute and skill point for both classes."
"Your Magician class is now at level 2 with an increase in HP by ten points along with a boost to MP also totaling ten points. Moreover, there are improvements to Strength (by one), Intelligence (by three), Endurance (by one) as well as Reflex (by one) and Wisdom which sees an uptick of two additional points over its prior state."
"As part of this latest achievement," continued the notification message "you will gain access to Magic Shield."
He was overwhelmed by the notifications, especially the abundance of Experience points. Fighting zombies alone would have required him to defeat over fifty of them to gain that much experience. This single battle had propelled him past the level of both his classes.Approaching cautiously, he noticed several items on the ground where the Skeleton Captain had fallen. Squatting down, he inspected them—a ring and 5 copper coins. Picking them up, he examined the ring closely. It was a Ring of Luck, an uncommon accessory that boosted Luck by 1. It marked the first time he had obtained an item from defeating monsters. Despite days of battling zombies and Skeleton Thugs, he had only managed to collect 3 copper coins. The drop rate in this game world seemed disappointingly low. However, receiving an uncommon item like the Ring of Luck, especially one that enhanced the rare Luck stat, was a stroke of fortune.He wasted no time equipping the ring and storing the coins in his bag. Summoning his
"Tempest," Ogre commented, "That's a cool name, also from the way you fight, I assume you are a Fighter?"Wesley nodded, asking in return, "and you?""Same," Ogre replied, summoning a small hand axe into his grip. "Mouse here is a ranger," he added.Both of them seemed familiar with the game mechanics, unlike Wesley's previous acquaintance."So, why didn't you guys lend me a hand with that monster just now?" Wesley inquired."Why should we?" Mouse retorted provocatively.Ogre laughed and clapped Wesley's shoulder. "We just want to see what you are made of," he said. "And it looks like you were able to handle that little monster anyway. So what level are you? We are both level 3 here."Wesley used his God-eye monocle to scan the pair. Ogre was a level 5 Fighter, while Mouse was a level 4 Ranger. The monocle also detected the armors they wore. Ogre sported five armors on his body, while Mouse had four."I'm level 4," Wesley replied, reciprocating their dishonesty."That looks like a nic
Inside Darwin's workshop, the door to one of the rooms opened, allowing two shadowy figures to slip inside. They crept towards the sleeping figure covered by a blanket.Silently, they approached the bedside. One of them signaled a countdown with his hand. When his fingers curled into a fist, they both swung their weapons, striking the figure under the blanket repeatedly.Worried their target might retaliate, they kept attacking. But after several blows, they noticed no damage numbers appearing. One of them gestured to stop, pulling the blanket away to reveal only a pillow and bolster.Both attackers were puzzled and disappointed. The one with the axe had a sudden realization but was too late to react. A powerful force slammed into his back, sending him flying. A red number, 42, marked his impact against the wall, followed by another, 6.His partner, startled but quick, dodged a swing and rolled to a nearby table to turn on the light.As the room brightened, three individuals found the
After sorting out the loot, Wesley looked around the room. He had avoided searching for hidden items revealed by his God-eye monocle before, to not raise suspicion. Now, he could explore freely.His monocle indicated three green glowing spots in the room, one of which was the dress that initially aroused his suspicions about his treacherous hosts. He made a mental note to retrieve it later, perhaps for potential sale. With coins present, a nearby shop likely existed. Additionally, with ample storage space thanks to his extra bag, he needn't worry about accumulating too many items.Approaching the nearest green marker, he discovered a work table. The marker directed him to a drawer within, filled with disorganized papers. Among them, one paper emitted a green glow—undoubtedly overlooked by Ogre and Mouse amidst the clutter. Retrieving the glowing paper, he discovered it contained a valuable recipe:Whetstone Recipe (Blacksmith recipe)Create Whetstone, a consumable increasing a weapon'
Wesley sat, mulling over recent events, the Valhalla game's beta test being the starting point. He couldn't shake off the connection to the Tetrax Groups, even if not everyone there was affected.Suddenly a loud ringing started. Wesley and Iron winced in pain as they both covered their ears."What on earth is that?""Could be proximity to the epicenter," Iron speculated, his eyes reflecting curiosity."Yeah, maybe that's why not everyone was affected," Wesley nodded, considering the possibility.Determined to delve deeper, Wesley set his sights on returning to the Tetrax Groups once he hit level 10."I'll investigate further once I reach level 10," he announced, determination evident in his tone.With newfound resolve, Wesley threw himself into leveling up, achieving his goal after two more days of grinding."Now that I'm level 10, I've got a new skill," Wesley remarked, a sense of accomplishment in his voice."What is it?" Iron asked, genuinely interested."It's called Natural Body R
Wesley stood there blankly. What? That's it? Are you joking with me?Before he was about to protest for such vague reward, he heard a sound of notification."Congratulations, you have received the Blessing of Goddess. Permanently increase luck by 10."He immediately opened his status window. Yes, it was an Inherent Skill. It was there under his other inherent skill Immortal Soul. His luck was now 13 points including the bonus from his ring. That was a great boost from before. He figured with such high luck, the drop rate should not be too shabby now, right?Suddenly, he gasped having realized something."Are you a Goddess?" he blurted towards the lady in white."That I am," she answered calmly.Meeting a God or Goddess this early was unexpected. Other VR RPG games also had their own Gods and Goddesses. To encounter such a being usually required tremendous luck or enduring long, grueling quests because they were the highest tiered NPC in a game. Thus, meeting one here was extremely une
Wesley lightly tapped the fairy with his finger, attempting to smooth things over."Apologies if I've rubbed you the wrong way," he said. "The Goddess instructed you to aid me, right? Let's try to get along."She glanced at him before relenting, "Fine, let's move on. What's your plan, Mr. Tempest? If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm well-versed in this world's basics.""Understood," he nodded. "First things first, what's your name?""Lilly," she replied.He found the name peculiar but decided not to risk another outburst from the fairy."Alright, next question. What clues did the Goddess mention I'd receive soon?" he inquired."Don't fret, you'll discover them in due time," she replied cryptically."I thought you said you could answer any question," Wesley grumbled."I can, but I choose not to. You'll find out soon enough. Like the others," she added."Others? Are there more people here?" he asked, surprised."Of course. Haven't you encountered anyone yet?" she retorted.
"What the–" Surprised by the low damage, he swiftly followed with another slash, dealing 13 damage.'Crap, it's boosting its defense,' Wesley realized, seeing the Lizardman discard its shield. With its tough scales, it didn't need extra defense.As he exchanged blows, he worried he'd run out of Immortal's Might before finishing the Lizardman. Checking the timer, he saw less than five minutes left and panicked.Considering fleeing while still speedy from the boost, he debated. Staying meant certain death once the buff wore off. Too bad, he was close to defeating the boss. Before he could decide, a stern voice interrupted."You idiot! Forgetting your trump card?" scolded the sulky fairy, hovering nearby.Wesley recognized the voice, not bothering to turn. It was his Fairy companion, gifted by the Goddess. Surprised she could still communicate, he realized she meant his new weapon's skill, Overlimit. In the heat of battle, he'd forgotten it.Remembering, he activated the skill with a tho
"Here's the plan, you use your ember to place is all in an invisible demarcation. At least it can last for a whole day and that should do!" Strong chuckled. "I have a different plan. The ember is powerful, wave it and she'll be puffed into a little rat!" "No, it doesn't work that way, Lily," Wesley laughed. I'll just say we would get on the ship and watch her moves, she just might not have that instinct, seeing we're already headed for an even greater battle." Wesley added, pasting a nervous, light smile on his face. "Good thing to have each and everyone of you on my back. I hope you'll enjoy the ride and don't forget to come back for more. As you all know, we're headed for the tower of decision, some of you are headed there for business, some for bargain and some for... Battle. Eitherways we're all headed in the same direction, so let's stick together and we'll definitely see each other on the other side! See you on the other side!" Menon explained. They sat put on a shaky be
They arrived at the nearest harbour on the beach. Goffer, the witch at the Street of Confusion, had mentioned the name of the ship to be, Menon. They got to the harbour and continued to make their inquiries. "Hello. Please we're in search of a certain ship, it's named, Menon." "Oh Men? He just started on another voyage. You'll have to wait two days, that's how long it takes him to return from a voyage to the other side." "Okay then, any place to maybe sleep and freshen up here?" "Not at all. I thought you're trying to see a possibility to stay around so we don't miss the ship when it comes." "Oh, no one misses the ship. Except they want to miss it. When the ship returns, it makes a loud, deafening sound, so that everyone knows his back and those who would need to get on the ship would make themselves available. There's a hotel, just opposite us. You can stay there for the next two days." "Alright. Thanks a lot. We appreciate." As they entered the hotel room. It was very co
"Welcome." She said. "Just follow me. I'll show you the most intriguing sight in the entire world." "Alright, I'm following you. Intrigue me!" He chuckled. The mermaid had granted him the temporary ability to breathe under water as long as he was close to her. He lost the ability of he went farther. They swam on to the deepest depth of the ocean, until they arrived at what looked like a city under the water. "I've been here before. We just even left off this 'water city' when you met me." Wesley added. "Oh really? Then how come I never met or saw you?" "I don't know, it's a big city, so that's very much possible." "Here, this is my room." They had now arrived at a huge mansion. Wesley saw Merpeople swimming across and above, going about their needed duty. It all seemed like a different planet under the water. "I'll love for you to meet my parents." "Meet you're parents?" "I only came here to see the most intriguing sight on earth, nothing more." "I know. You could as well
As the continued on. They were suddenly expunged from the tunnel. They were now in the sea, and in the mist of the red fog. It smelt like human blood. "What is all that red stuff?" Wesley asked, turning to Lizot. She was excellent at history. "For the first time, I'm just blank, Wesley. But you can ask the ember and see, if any answers would be provided." "Why ask an ember when I'm right here for you?" They all turned to see the pixelated whale. "I'm the messenger whale, I help drowned players make it to where they can breathe. But from the way you folks look, you're not lost in anyways. Or am I wrong? Please let me know." He said fluffing his huge fins, he had a deep baritone voice that seemed to echoe through out the oceans. "Are the Merpeople aware of your presence?" "Who are the Merpeople?" Strong questioned. "They are the major inhabitants of the ocean. They are like you, they have your physical appearance, the only difference is they possess fish tails, fins and default a
"There's one thing, getting to the Tower of Decision and there's another, finding Lord Shadow. Well when you get there, you'll figure it out yourself!" "Alright! It seems you'll rather be a blind witch!" "No. No. No. Wait. When you get to the Beach of Riddles, there's a ship that speaks, it's name is Menon. It's the only ship that would be able to take you all over to the other side of the sea, that's where you find the tower. Can I go now?" "Sure". She walked off into the thin air, as if there was an open door in front of her. "You've heard the direction she gave. "What's the next step now?" Wesley asked looking in the direction of Lily and Lizot. "We start heading on as she stated." A notification popped on the screen.'Tempest, you have delayed at a particular spot. The time is ticking, the game is rolling, don't be left behind.' "Ouch! Didn't see that coming." Immediately he said this words, he began running in the direction needed, as stated by Goofer, the witch. Strong fol
The mini-boss had forgotten to mention to Wesley the fact that he would go through the Street of Confusion on his way to the Tower of Decision through the Beach of Riddles. They had slowly arrived at the Street called Confusion, without even knowing it. The fairies, Lily and Lizot were well aware of this, but were too engulfed in their conversation to realize how far gone they were on their path. They slowly came to a street with the sign post, 'Welcome To The Street Of Confusion', it was indeed confusion. They had been on the street, long before they saw a sign post indicative of where they were. The street was also actually longer than it seemed to be. Most players ended up here, being swirled away by one thing or the other. Wesley also noticed that it was hard to understand what the inhabitants of this street said when they spoke, because the words were all juggled up and confusing. The feminine voice they heard belonged to a witch who lived on that street. She was the only one w
Suddenly Wesley is suspended in the air. The two mini-bosses watch in astonished. Suddenly they disappeared into thin air as well as the cage he was put in. Wesley, amazed and confused at the same time with regards to what had just happened, however continued his journey on. He was now heading towards the tower of decision, he remembered everything he was told earlier by one of the mini-bosses he had met. He muttered to himself, "tower of decision? How am I supposed to get there now!" "She would guide you" he heard White's voice say from behind him. "Ouch! You sure scared the hell out of me! What the heck!" He exclaimed as he sat back on a golden pillar standing in front of him. He was now in the Golden City, an immensely beautiful city, just after the bridge of Despair. He had appeared here since he was victorious at the bridge. Few players make it past the bridge. "You're slowly coming to the end of the game. I must commend your strength and tenacity, there have been so many pla
"I don't know Son, please save me, don't let them have me, I saw them kill a young lady, right in front of me. I think she was a player or a relative to one of the players who couldn't meet up to their request." "Mother, I'm sorry you have to go through this. Please try to stay as calm as possible, I've got this. I'm gonna get you out of here. What was the request the player failed to fulfill?" "I can't remember!" She answered, amidst sobs. "That's the weirdest part of it all, I can't even remember what it was, if I could everything would have been a lot easier, I guess." "How did we get in here?" "I would explain that later Mom, please just put yourself together. This is not the end of the world. Now here's what we are going to do. I think I've figured this out. The game wants you to cry, so don't. Laugh instead. That would create an imbalance and thus we can escape. Are your hands tied?" "Yes they are." "With a rope? Or?" "I don't know what they call the material with
"Wow! Incredible!" "You deserve it. Your courage amazes me, even as a Lightan. Kudos." Wesley walked through the bridge with Lily behind him. They walked for a long distance, the bridge was getting despairingly long. Now they understand why it was named the Bridge of Despair. Wesley was getting weak. "Wesley! Come on, don't do that! Let's keep going. Don't despair! That's what the bridge wants, for you to despair." "The ember! It can boost my strength, I'm sure." Wesley highlighted as he reached into his bag pack for the ember, it wasn't there. He searched frantically for the ember, it was gone. And Lily was gone too. "No way!" "Yes way! You're our prey now. There's no going back. You're ours to feast on. We didn't kill you. Just something you should know in advance before you die." "Die? Do you really know me?" "We don't, we don't care to. We just want to party!" A host of weird looking creatures creeped out in their numbers from under the bridge. They crept out from all direct