Chapter 5

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 Status Window, he reviewed his updated attributes and levels, feeling a sense of refreshment despite lingering mental exhaustion.

After resetting his experience setting to 50:50, he pondered the importance of ranged prowess, deciding to evenly distribute his experience between both classes to ensure balanced improvement. Choosing to save his free attribute points for later use, he then turned his attention to his Battle Skill page, eager to explore his new skill.

Under the Magician skill section, he discovered a new spell: Magic Shield, an active skill that created a shield in front of his equipped magic weapon, offering defense affected by his intelligence stat. With this defensive skill at his disposal, he felt better prepared for melee combat.

After some experimentation, he upgraded both Parry and Magic Shield with his free skill points, enhancing his defensive capabilities. Satisfied with his skill adjustments, he closed the status window and approached Iron's former location, only to find his corpse gone, leaving behind several items on the ground.

Inspecting the items, he found cooking ingredients and recipes—a normal egg, carrot, and a recipe for chicken soup. Reminded of Iron's prowess as a Master Chef, he collected the ingredients and learned the recipe, stowing them away in his inventory.

While about to leave, something caught his eye—an object on the ground. Approaching it cautiously, he recognized it as a piece of the Skeleton Captain's saber. Puzzled by its presence, he picked it up, inspecting it with his God-eye monocle.

Identified as the Blade of Haste, an uncommon one-handed weapon, it boasted impressive stats, including increased movement speed by 10%. Despite its allure, he couldn't wield it yet, as it required level 5. Storing it safely in his bag, he moved on, ensuring he hadn't missed anything.

Reflecting on Iron's ruined house, he sighed and departed, seeking refuge in an area with fewer red dots. Over the next two days, he encountered numerous monsters on his journey to the outer rim of the City. Though mostly low-level zombies and Skeleton Thugs, he also faced tougher opponents, including a level 4 Skeleton Thug. However, following his battle with the Skeleton Captain, these encounters felt manageable.

Reaching Fighter level 5 and Magician level 3, he equipped the Blade of Haste, increasing his traveling speed. He also acquired a new skill for his Fighter class: Swing, a melee range AOE skill that dealt 120% physical damage to enemies in a fan shape. Utilizing this skill, along with his defensive abilities, he navigated group fights with confidence.

Despite the challenges, he refrained from using his Magician range attacks, focusing instead on honing his melee combat skills. He acknowledged the risk of overextending himself and embraced a cautious approach, reminiscent of the martial arts prodigies in his past VR RPG experiences.

Throughout his journey, he scavenged various items and ingredients, including a pair of sandals and ingredients for cooking. Despite failing at his first attempt to cook Egg Fried Rice, he gained proficiency and eventually succeeded. Although he couldn't yet prepare Chicken Soup, lacking some ingredients, he remained hopeful.

As he continued his solitary journey, he couldn't shake the absence of other survivors since encountering Iron. A few days later, Wesley reached a suburban area within the city, almost leaving it entirely with only half a day's worth of travel left. As he ventured further, fewer houses dotted the street, and more vacant lots emerged, some with signs advertising their availability for purchase. Despite the diminishing number of monsters, Wesley noticed far-off hills and prairies as the road stretched into the distance.

It struck Wesley as strange that in normal RPG games, it was the wilderness teeming with monsters, yet he couldn't spot any visible monsters in the far-off open fields. Nevertheless, he continued following the paved road.

Contemplating where to spend the night and how to scavenge supplies or cook food once he left town, he suddenly bumped into something, feeling dazed but unharmed. To his surprise, he encountered an invisible barrier that curved slightly around the city.

Could it be that they were not only trapped in this game world but also confined within the city? Similar to how RPG game worlds consisted of several maps with edges that were not traversable? If so, how would he find the exits or entrances? There were no guides or clues!

Frustrated, he kicked a rock at the invisible wall, which bounced off. Taking a deep breath, he looked around, unsure where to go next.

He spent the entire morning and half the afternoon tracing along the invisible walls, confirming their curved enclosure around the city. Although monsters at the edge of this map were scarce, he still encountered several while traveling along the invisible wall. At one point, he detected five red dots clustered together not far away.

Deciding to break his previous record of fighting three opponents, he engaged them in battle, employing a mix of melee and ranged combat. After grinding away at the monsters, he noticed two blue dots approaching his position on the radar. Finally, he could meet other people again. However, the blue dots stopped not far from him, seeming to observe from a distance.

Curious, he approached their direction, but they circled the building away from him, trying to stay out of sight. Pretending to look into the distance, he waited until they finally began to approach him.

Observing the blue dots on his radar, Wesley thought, "Finally making your moves?"

He waited for them to approach before turning around. A brawny man with a full beard stood in front, blocking the view of the second person. Shifting his position, Wesley saw a skinny man behind, with a rough face and a slight hunch. They seemed to have stopped abruptly due to his sudden turn. The three men exchanged awkward glances.

"Did they try to sneak up on me?" Wesley wondered, examining their hands. They were unarmed, but he couldn't be sure about the skinny man, whose view was blocked initially. He could have stored his weapon instantly using the advantage of the inventory system.

The brawny man suddenly burst into laughter. "Wahaha! It really is a player. What did I tell you?" he exclaimed, looking at his skinny friend.

The skinny person just pursed his lips and squinted at Wesley. "I am Ogre! This one's Mouse," the brawny man introduced.

Those were clearly aliases, so Wesley offered his own, "Tempest."