Chapter 4

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."