《The Sidekick》 Chapter One – New Beginnings ¡°Through our might,ourdetermination, our sacrifice; the world hasbeencleansed. Cleansed of a taint as old as time itself. Together we stand victorious over the darkness...¡± I zoned out. It was, bymyreckoning the 93timeI had heard this speech over the last 12months. It did not get any better with age. This was our victory tour, or rather his victory tour I suppose. You see my best and only friend, Derik White, was theChosen One.He, together with a few non-essential personnel such as myself, had forever vanquished evil. Whatever that means. Despite being so close to theaction, I wastruthfully rather unclear on the details. You might think that this might finally mean a rest. A chance to stay in one place for more than a night, hell it¡¯d be nice just to see a single person Irecognised. You¡¯d be wrong. Instead we¡¯d embarked on this nightmarish lap ofhonour. ¡°...We will forge a new world. A world of peace and prosperity, where every man is equal.¡± As the speech reachedits climax the applause was deafening. About 200,000 people were jammed into the Capitol Square, or so I was told.Itseemedeach and everyone was screaming, shouting for their hero. I sighed. His success was literally pre-ordained by fate, Derik could not have failed if he¡¯d tried. I on the other hand received no such assurances. As far as I was concerned that made my survival far more miraculous. I pulled myself away from my grumblings. There were more important things to focus on, tonight we would finally move into the palace, finally stop this endless journeying. But first the celebrations. On cue I stepped forward, I held my gleaming sword aloft and waited till the crowdquietened. ¡°Glory to the Chosen One,¡± I yelled.
I awoke the next day nursing a monstrosity of a hangover. My head hurt worse than the time I was kicked in the head by a giant. Swearing never to drink again, I dragged myself up of the floor and clambered awkwardly over the comatose guests around me. Despite my condition, I smiled. It would be arriving today. They called it The Game of Life. Now that the world no longer faced the constant threat ofannihilation, the greatest wizarding minds of the world had finally been able to apply their craft to new areas. This was the culmination of one such effort.Ittransported the user¡¯s mind to a magically simulated world where everyone could be a Hero. I reached the Throne Room. Derek was there already, perfect as ever, dressed in an immaculate white robes and infused with a level ofvitality I could only aspire to. I frowned in pain and envy as he bellowed across the room, ¡®Jason, you¡¯re just in time, our delivery is being carried in as we speak.¡¯This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I shuffled over to him. ¡®Think you could manage to be a little quieter, not all of us are blessed by the Lady of Light you know.¡¯ He chuckled and spoke again at a morereasonablevolume. ¡®Of course, of course. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here. Are you excited?Youmight finally find a fight you can win.¡¯ I opened my mouth torespond, butwas saved from having to think of a reply by a huge box atop a cart being pulled in by 6 guardsmen. I guessed it to be about the size of a person in length anditseemed roughly cubic. It was accompanied by anexcruciatinglyloud voice. ¡®Great. Great. Just perfect. Bring it over here folks. That¡¯s it right there. That¡¯s the spot.Thankseveryone. That was great.¡¯ A short, wiry man stepped from behind the box. He seemed to be the source of the noise, though I couldn¡¯t for the life of me work out how he produced so much of it. He bounded up to us and began to bellow again. ¡®A pleasure. A pleasure indeed. So young, so handsome. I hadn¡¯t quite believed the stories but I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t bring my wife eh?¡¯ He winkedmischievously. This was going to be a long morning. Hoping to cut thepleasantriesshort Iinterrupted, ¡®That¡¯s a little larger than I was expecting? Are they both in there?¡¯ The little man looked at me, then the box, and then back again. He paused for a second and then let out a booming laugh that seemed to reverberate inside my already aching skull. ¡®Hahahaha, that¡¯s not the game, boy. That¡¯s theInstruction Manual.¡¯ ¡®The what?¡¯ I replied. ¡®TheInstruction Manual,¡¯ he said again. ¡®Itcontains all the basic information you need to play the game.¡¯ Before I could say anything more, Derik cut in. ¡®Does it need to be read now? Or can we start playing and read up on things as we need to?¡¯ ¡®Well, it¡¯s not for me to tell the Chosen One how to go about his business.Noit is not. But well, it is traditional to read the rules of a game before you play.¡¯ The little man shrugged.¡® Iguess playing a little couldn¡¯t hurt before reading¡¯. Derik winked at me. ¡®That sounds like an all clear to me. So how do we start?¡¯ The little man gave us each a green crystal. ¡®Here¡¯s the treasure. You¡¯ve got the full VIP package on this one: you can assign your startingattributesfreely; change your appearanceand choose any of the available starting classes. Justdon¡¯t activate it while you¡¯re standing up oryou¡¯ll have a nasty lump on your noggin when you wake if you catch my drift.¡¯ I grinned at Derik, and despite my hangover, rushed off to throw myself onto a bed and activate the crystal. Suddenly I was surrounded by darkness with wordsseeminglyimprinted straight into my vision. WelcomeToThe Game of Life. Chapter Two – Character Creation Words glowed in front of my eyes. Welcome to the Game of Life. Soon they disappeared and were replaced by the following screen.
Please Allocate Attribute Points (40 remaining)
Physical/+2 3 Mental/+2 3
Strength/+1 1 Intelligence/+1 1
Dexterity/+1 1 Willpower/+1 1
Endurance/+1 1 Charisma/+1 1
Constitution/+1 1 Perception+1 1
Luck/+1 1
A quick trial let me discover that putting a point into say Strength would increase it¡¯s value by one as well as increasing my overall Physical Stat by one. Alternatively I could place a single point into Physical to increase its total by two. As I struggled to decide where to allocate my points I started to feel that maybe I should have read the Instruction Manual, I had absolutely no idea what the specifics of each attribute were. Figuring I¡¯d never been one for either physical exertion or for people, I placed 14 points into each of Intelligence and Willpower bringing their totals to 15 each. I wasn¡¯t sure of the relative benefit of placing points into the aggregate Mental attribute and figured I would leave it for now. That left 12 points to distribute. I¡¯d never been a big believer in Luck but somehow having a stat for it made it seem both more real and more important. I therefore brought it up to 10. I also placed 4 points into perception, so I could spot anything dangerous and put another 5 each in endurance and constitution, just in case I needed to run away for an extended period of time. This left me with one point remaining, I added it to Charisma without much thought.
Please Allocate Attribute Points (0 remaining)
Physical/+2 12 Mental/+2 27
Strength/+1 1 Intelligence/+1 10
Dexterity/+1 1 Willpower/+1 10
Endurance/+1 5 Charisma/+1 1
Constitution/+1 Perception+1 5
Luck/+1 10
I looked over my stats again and sighed. I really had no idea if I¡¯d made a good choice or not, I suppose it could be a bit more balanced but I wasn¡¯t very keen on needing any of the physical attributes. I was here to throw fire and summon lightning not flail around with a sword. I shook my head and confirmed my choice. The attribute table was quickly replaced by a full-size replica of myself, together with the words please choose your appearance. The model reacted to my thoughts, changing however I wanted. I tried adding wings, thinking it would be fun to have a pair, however I found I was limited to a basic human shape. I pondered what kind of appearance I should choose. I could be tall, muscular, have a perfect jawline, I could be anything I wanted. Anybody I wanted. After some thought I came to a conclusion; I didn¡¯t want to be someone else. What I wanted was to be me, only better. With that in mind I returned to my original self. After removing a few blemishes, trimming a little around my stomach and adding some muscle, I was human after all, I once again confirmed I was happy with my choices. When this failed to have an effect, I realised I had missed a box above my model asking me to input a name. Shrugging, I entered my own name Jason Nemin and tried confirming my choices again. My doppelganger to disappeared and was quickly replaced by a huge line of copies. They were dressed in a huge variety of outfits and stances. One copy, dressed in a huge loincloth with muscles that seemed to bulge out of his body as he held a huge double axe in one hand like a toy. Above him floated the word Barbarian. To his left was hunched a robed figure. Despite having the same proportions as the Barbarian he seemed to take up half the space, though his eyes glowed with a fierce intensity and intelligence. Or at least, they glowed with something and I assumed it was that. This copy of me was labelled Warlock. These versions of me stretched off into the distance. As I looked closer I was confronted with a variety of numbers and figures. I sighed once more, looking up and down the queue of classes with exasperation. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, nor what any of these things meant. After a few minutes trying to make heads or tails of the situation, a new message appeared in front my eyes. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
Did you read the Instruction Manual?
I shook my head and thought obviously not.
Would you like a short guide?
Yes, yes I thought in reply. A million times yes. Suddenly a small impish creature appeared next to me. ¡®Hi, I¡¯m Fred. I¡¯ll be your guide today.¡¯ I looked towards him in surprise. It wasn¡¯t quite what I expected. ¡®Err what are you?¡¯ I asked, confused. ¡®I¡¯m a guidance imp, we provide our services in most dimensions and several alternate universes as well as most black holes, plus a few high profile imaginary lands. ¡®This world and its system is one of my specialties, I¡¯ll be happy to answer all your questions.¡¯ I had a million questions, I picked the most pressing. ¡®Fred doesn¡¯t seem like a very impish name?¡¯ ¡®Ah of course, of course. My real name requires several senses you don¡¯t have to fully comprehend, its pronunciation is completely beyond you. Fred will do.¡¯ He replied without a hint of condescension. ¡®Errr ok then I guess. Fred it is. Could you tell me how these classes work? And what do all the numbers mean?¡¯ ¡®Sure thing boss. First we¡¯ll need to cover the basics of growth within the Game of Life. There are three main paths to expanding your power. First is levelling and experience gain. As you complete quests, discover new places and vanquish your foes you¡¯ll gain experience and level up. Each level comes with several class points. The number of points depends on your class, for example the Warlock class receives the maximum 5 points per level, Barbarians receive only 3. These class points can be either spent on attributes with a default conversion rate of one class point to one attribute point, though there are several mechanisms by which this can be changed. This is further complicated by your class¡¯ attribute bonus. As you can imagine the strength of a Wizard or Archer grows more slowly than say a Knight¡¯s. These modifiers can be found here.¡¯ He pointed to one set of numbers on the class description. ¡®Class points can also be traded to a class trainer for skills and occasionally items. That brings us to our next avenue for growth, skill growth. Once a skill has been learnt it starts at level 1 from there you level it by practicing with or otherwise making use of the skill. The rate of skill growth is again governed by your class. Furthermore your skill levels cannot exceed your class level.¡¯ He pointed to the Warlock. ¡®This one experiences rapid growth in summoning, eldritch and casting skills. However it experiences a decreased rate of growth in elemental spells and physical skills. ¡®Finally we have milestones and achievements. These typically offer small multipliers or in-world effects. Milestones are rewards for progression, for example killing 100 of an enemy will normally reward you with a 5% damage boost against that kind of enemy. Achievements are similar but as the name suggests they are typically more difficult to earn and involve less repetition. Winning a one on one duel for instance will reward an increase to damage in single combat. While they don¡¯t make a huge difference individually, accruing a large number of such bonuses is key to long term growth.¡¯ ¡®Phew ok, that¡¯s a lot to take in.¡¯ I replied, increasingly glad that my hangover had not accompanied me into the game. ¡®Ok so it seems like the classes both govern the speed at which I¡¯ll progress in particular areas as well as the access I¡¯ll have to certain skills?¡¯ ¡®Precisely¡¯ Replied the imp, jumping up and down in a strange dance. ¡®What¡¯s more not all classes experience growth equally, some are focused on a few key skills which grow quickly. Others offer a larger number of skills but they grow more slowly. Yet other classes are focused on attribute growth and raw power. Finally classes also determine your initial equipment and relations with several major organisations. Most magic classes start as members of the Mages¡¯ Guild with all the benefits that involves, some like Necromancers are automatically despised by the guild.¡¯ ¡®Sweet Lady of Light, how on earth does anyone decide what to pick?¡¯ ¡®Ahh well, most people are offered only a few choices of class. Normally variations on a theme. A typical player might be given the choice between some combat classes like Solider, Knight and Mercenary say, in addition to a selection of non-combat classes like Blacksmith or Bard. As a VIP player you are offered a level of choice others can only dream of.¡¯ ¡®Yeah... Lucky me¡¯ I said, groaning internally. I was hoping to kill monsters and throw fireballs, not crunch numbers and make long term strategic decisions. If I chose wrong however, I was in danger of being in Derik¡¯s shadow in this world as well as the real one. ¡®What if I can¡¯t choose a class?¡¯ Fred thought for a moment. ¡®You don¡¯t technically need to choose a class, although there are currently no Classless Heroes.¡¯ ¡®What happens if don¡¯t choose a class?¡¯ ¡®Well rather strangely, you actually receive a bonus to the growth of all skills. Either because the system actually defaults to the highest growth level and classes cause some to grow more slowly. Or perhaps it is to balance out the huge number of drawbacks, most notably the lack of class trainer. In fact this second seems more likely since your attributes grow at the standard rate.¡¯ I was caught. On the one hand the rapid growth sounded amazing, on the other the lack of class trainer could prevent me from ever acquiring skills worth growing. Especially in the beginning. That being said, I had real choice anxiety and had no idea how I was meant to pick otherwise. Obviously I wanted magic, but I had no idea what kind of magic class. As I walked up and down the queue looking at different classes I realised just how many options I had available, even if I insisted on a purely casting based class. I could be a standard Mage. Or go for utility as an Elementalist. If I fancied I could even make use of others as a Summoner or Warlock. Alternatively, I could also choose something more subtle such as the Wizard class, giving a boost to magical theory and control instead of specific schools. It was all too much. I shook my head, ¡®Classless it is¡¯. The queue of classes dissolved into the darkness. They were replaced with a new system message.
Choose your Allegiance.
I turned to my imp guide, ¡®Allegiance?¡¯ With infinite patience he replied, ¡®Time for a history lesson.¡¯ Suddenly a giant mobius strip appeared floating in front of us, mostly covered in dark cloud. In the center was a small, glowing white orb. ¡®This is the game world. The residents call it Vinculum. The religions of the world teach that it is the last battleground between light and darkness. They differ in the exact nature of that conflict however. The Vitalists say that the glowing orb in the which the world surrounds is the egg from which the Light Goddess will be born. Her coming will herald the return of Light, and until then the inhabitants of Vinculum must protect her. ¡®The Mortists say almost the opposite, that this orb is in fact the corpse of the Light Goddess, who has already been vanquished by the dark. What is left of her power protects Vinculum, giving them the chance to fight back against that darkness in the hope that they would succeed where she had failed. ¡®Finally there are the Phoenexica. They believe a bit of both, that the Light Goddess had sacrificed herself to give the inhabitants Vinculum the ability to fight the darkness. However they also claimed she would one day rise from the dead reborn to join the fight. Naturally there is all out war between the Mortists and the Vitalists. The Phoenexica on the other hand are universally disliked, but just about tolerated. Regardless of religious disposition, most people refer to the orb as the Body of Light.¡¯ He pointed to the two places on the band not covered by the dark cloudlike substance. ¡®Whatever your beliefs about its nature, the war with the darkness is not going well. These are Principium and Fintasia, the last bastions of light in this world. They¡¯re on opposite sides of the band, fortunately, else they¡¯d have destroyed each other by now. Principium is ruled by the Vitalists, whereas as Phoenexica follows the faith of the Mortists. You must choose a city to pledge yourself to.¡¯ Before I had a chance to reply, he continued ¡®You mortals are all the same. When will you learn that it¡¯s not your thoughts and beliefs that define you, but your actions? They work toward the same goal, but instead of being united by a common purpose they instead squabble over petty differences and deviations in scripture.¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s err, very insightful.¡¯ I replied. Fred shrugged, or at least I think it was a shrug. ¡®My cousin is an Idiot Guide to Philosophy. Most of what he says is a waste of the demonic essence its imbued with, but you pick a few things up.¡¯ Rather than continue this strange line of conversation I returned to the question of my allegiance. I thought for a second, but my choice was clear. Derik would definitely choose to side with the Vitalists, leaving me to choose Fintasia. I wanted a chance to find my feet before I had to deal with him. ¡®I choose Fintasia.¡¯ Chapter Three – The Sage of Knowledge As soon as I selected my allegiance I was standing in a forest, Fred by my side. ¡®You¡¯re still here? Where even is here?¡¯ I asked as I looked around. ¡®Also why in the Light am I naked?¡¯ He shrugged ¡®I said I was your guide for today, emphasis on the day part. We¡¯re in the forest just a little south of Fintasia, I believe. Starting locations are dictated by your class so you were just placed randomly. You¡¯re lucky to be this close to the city really, we can be there soon. Similarly new Heroes are assigned starting equipment according to their Class, no Class means no equipment.¡¯ I groaned, I hate forests. They¡¯re always full of things that want to kill me. Being stark naked just made it even worse, at least there wasn¡¯t anyone around to see I guess. ¡®Guess those 10 points in Luck are earning their keep already.¡¯ I said sarcastically. ¡®You have 10 points in Luck? That¡¯s incredible.¡¯ He exclaimed, doing his strange little dance. ¡®Well yeah, I wasn¡¯t sure what to assign them to and I figured it could come in useful¡¯ ¡®Ahh of course, as a VIP you were allowed to a lot your points. It was a good decision, luck is very hard to increase. It has an automatic modifier requiring 10 skill points for a single attribute point, using your initial allowance was a good idea, what is the rest of your build like? You can share it with me by thinking it.¡¯ With a little trial and error I succeeded in showing him my Character Page.
Character Page
Name Jason Nemin Primary Classes Classless
Title None Secondary Classes None
Attributes
Physical 12 Mental 27
Strength 1 Intelligence 10
Dexterity 1 Willpower 10
Endurance 5 Charisma 2
Constitution 5 Perception 5
Luck 10
Stats Health Mana Stamina
Total 185 385 185
Regen/min 32 134 32
Skills
Physical Mental Crafting Miscellanous
None None None None
¡®Oh good Lord, what have you done?¡¯ ¡®Err it¡¯s that bad?¡¯ ¡®Worse. Almost all your stats are in Luck and Mental Attributes, however you don¡¯t have any Skills. Not only that but magic is virtually impossible to learn without help, help that you can¡¯t afford. If you¡¯d invested in strength at least you¡¯d be able to pummel a few small animals to death until you picked up some fighting Skills.¡¯ ¡®...You¡¯re right, my bad. I didn¡¯t really know what I was doing.¡¯ Fred shook his head. ¡®Well there¡¯s nothing we can do now, lets get to the city and try and sort this out there.¡¯ My stupidity well highlighted by my guide, I finally looked around at my surroundings. We were surrounded by trees, creating a thick canopy of vibrant leaves above us. The trees themselves where different to those I¡¯d come across before, they had thick white trunks and even seemed to glow slightly despite the sunlight. Or Goddess -light I supposed. The forest itself seemed devoid of usual assortment of small wildlife and vegetation one might find. Fred indicated a direction and we slowly made our way toward the City, as we went I inquired about the lack of animals. ¡®Be glad you haven¡¯t seen any, in your current state they¡¯d tear you apart. The Goddess¡¯ power infuses the light here, having several effects on the local wildlife. Firstly many of the creatures are nocturnal, spending the day resting in the upper canopies and absorbing this power. It sustains them, reducing their need for food. Despite this they¡¯ll be much more violent and aggressive than animals you¡¯re used to. Almost all of them are capable of absorbing the energy from their kills so they will hunt any prey they can find. In fact it¡¯s similar to the way you gain experience for killing them, or would do if you were capable of such feats.¡¯ I was glad that about them being nocturnal, I really wanted to avoid running into them. I was just about to ask how exactly night worked on this strangely shaped world, when I finally glimpsed the city between the trees. As I hurried toward it, I looked over what I could already see. It was like nothing I¡¯d ever seen before. Gleaming white walls, streaked with red and purple rose up higher than any I¡¯d ever see before. Like the trees before the walls seemed to glow, like they were filled with energy. Extending even above these gigantic walls were three great spires, and in the distance I could just make out the top of lone tower. I¡¯d seen palaces, citadels and monuments all over the world, in fact I¡¯d even helped destroy a few, but I¡¯d never seen anything quite so grand. Even from this distance, the city seemed to exude a sense of majesty, of power. I couldn¡¯t wait to see inside and rushed off towards it. As weneared city we soon saw a bridge of the same streaked stone as the walls, spanning a fast moving river. Behind it was open grassland reaching up to a giant gate in the wall. Excited to reach the city, and keen to see what my Endurance and Constitution could do, I jogged down toward the bridge.
Skill Unlocked: Running Increase your running speed and efficiency. With hard work and perseverance you¡¯ll be able to move easily through any terrain at speed for long periods of time. +2% to Running Speed per level -0.5% to Stamina Drain while running per level Max Level 100
I dismissed the notification and slowed as I approached the bridge. Several gleaming soldiers stood on the bridge, their armour was a pure, glowing white with purple trim. As I approached one stepped forward. ¡®Halt, this is the Queen¡¯s bridge. It¡¯s no place for you peasant.¡¯ I stopped outraged. ¡®Peasant? I¡¯m no peasant, let me past idiot. I¡¯m a hero.¡¯ ¡®Haha really? Then where are your clothes? Your weapons? Your armour? Get lost forest boy.¡¯ I stepped forward again and suddenly the soldier drew his sword. ¡®I said get lost kid. You think anyone will care if you go missing? Get out of here, before you never get the chance to leave.¡¯ I started to protest. The guard sighed and smashed me in the face with his sword. Blood dripped down my face as the whole world seemed to start shaking.
You recieve 35 Blunt Damage.
I fell to floor holding my face. Two soldiers grabbed my arms. My last feeling before I blacked out was being lifted into the air. I awoke caught in a root system poking out the side of a river bank. My head ached and my vision was full of system messages. After coughing up a small pond¡¯s worth of water, I flicked through the notifications. The gist of it was I¡¯d fallen unconscious, taken a great deal of blunt damage, and partially drowned. Fortunately I¡¯d just about survived. It seemed I¡¯d also unlocked some new skills.
Skill Unlocked: Damage Resistance Increase your resistance to damage of all forms. While many seek to avoid damage, you choose to face it head on. You look forward to the day you can stand unyielding in the face of any attack. 5% boost to rate of growth for armour skills 0.5% to Damage Received per level Max Level 50
Skill Unlocked: Swimming Increase your swimming ability and decrease . You have taken your first steps into the aquatic, one day even the fish will look at you with envy as you move effortlessly through the water. +2% to Swimming Speed per level -0.5% to Oxygen Usage and Stamina Drain while swimming per level Max Level 100
¡®Oh man,'' I moaned out lough. ''I should have invested more points into charisma. At least I¡¯m alive.¡¯ ¡®Indeed. I think you¡¯re going to need a new plan.¡¯ ¡®Oh, you''re still here then. Thanks for all your help with the soldiers.¡¯ I grumbled back at him. I slowly dragged my aching body onto the bank. I couldn¡¯t help but regret my decisions since I¡¯d started the game. I really should have read the Instruction Manual before I started. I lay there, face down, waiting for my health to regenerate. As I did so, I couldn''t help but wish I possessed even a small amount of common sense. Sadly there was no attribute for that, though I had high hopes for Wisdom. All of a sudden I felt soft hands pressing on my neck. ¡®Well, it isn¡¯t every day I see anyone else around these parts. They also tend to clothed when they do come.¡¯ Said a soft, kind voice from above me. Groaning, I turned over slowly. Soon I was looking up at an old, wizened man. He wore a bland grey robe, with a matching grey beard. The only bits of colour on him were his solid golden eyes, which seemed to look straight through me as if I were entirely inconsequential. I really, really hoped he wasn¡¯t some kind of evil sorcerer. Honestly I was a little freaked out by his apparent age. An eternal war with the darkness and all that it entailed had done little for the life expectancy of my kingdom; living to old age was a luxury reserved almost exclusively for the powerful.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. He smiled down at me and produced another robe from thin air. ¡®Here you go, friend. This will keep you warm and maybe salvage something of your dignity.¡¯
Grey Robe The worn fabric of this robe offers no protection at all making this equipment nothing more than a suspicious fashion decision. Armour: 0
I gladly pulled the robe on as Fred informed me that he was visible only to me. If I started talking to him this strange old man would likely think me crazy, or realise I was a Hero which could potentially be worse. Finally dressed, I started to thank the man but he cut me off. ¡®Its nothing, please. Come with me and we¡¯ll get a nice warm meal inside you, are you able to walk?¡¯ I nodded. ¡®Great this way then, I¡¯m afraid we¡¯ll have to go slowly. My back isn¡¯t quite what it used to be me. While we walk, why don¡¯t you tell me what happened.¡¯ Unsure if I wanted to reveal everything about myself to this stranger, especially since I didn¡¯t know anything about him, I just rubbed my head and groaned. ¡®I¡¯m not really sure, last thing I remember there were these guards and then next thing I know I¡¯m waking up in river. I don¡¯t know what happened to my clothes or equipment, they stole them I guess.¡¯ The man looked at me, this time his eyes were focused and piercing. As he stared at me I quickly continued. ¡®I¡¯m not a criminal though, of course. I¡¯m sure of that. It was all some kind of misunderstanding, I think.¡¯ He continued to look at me for few moments before turning away. ¡®Of course. We¡¯ll talk about it again later. Once you¡¯re ready.¡¯ Something about the way he said it made me sure he knew I was lying, though I wasn¡¯t sure how much he actually knew. We walked onwards in silence for a while, I noticed the sky was growing dark and made a mental note to ask Fred about night and day here once we were alone again. We soon stopped in a small clearing. ¡®We¡¯re here.¡¯ He announced. I looked around confused. ¡®Here?¡¯ He grinned mischievously and motioned me forwards. As I stepped into the clearing, a small wooden house appeared. Or rather, it seemed it had always been there, I just hadn¡¯t noticed it before. I rubbed my eyes, wondering how I''d missed it. No stranger to such oddities, I walked toward the house. I¡¯d just chalk this one up to magic, that¡¯s my normal approach and it hadn¡¯t failed me yet. I did wonder if the house was bigger on the inside, I was a big fan of that. The strange old man seemed slightly disappointed by my subduede reaction, nonetheless he shuffled over to the entrance and welcomed me into his house. ¡®Well, it¡¯s no palace but its my home and for a while at least yours too if you''d like. Please make yourself comfortable. I have some stew on the fire, it will be ready soon. Sit down, sit down. I¡¯ll get it all ready.¡¯ He guided me into a small living area. There was a rickety table and a few chairs, but the most striking thing was that almost every single part of the room was covered in books, scrolls and even the occasional stone carving. Most were covered in strange runes and symbols, the few words I could read spoke of strange, mystical concepts like relativistic mana dilation and infinity categories. My host suddenly appeared by my side holding two steaming bowls of stew. ¡®Admiring my books eh?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ve never seen such a collection, where did you get them all?¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m something of a scholar,¡¯ he replied. ¡®Now sit, sit. Let us eat.¡¯ We sat and ate at the small table, as we did so he talked a little about the small library¡¯s worth of books scattered about the room. He even dragged out a few dusty tomes for me, after I expressed an interest in magic. They were titled Introduction to Magical Theory and Elementary Spell Theory. As we ate, I asked a question which had been on my mind since I had seen the shape of this world. ¡®Why do we fall down toward the ground instead of say falling sideways? And why do people on the other side of the band not also fall in the same direction?¡¯ ¡®Ah good question. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been given a nebulous answer like magic, or gravity, before but allow me to explain in a little more detail. At the core of our world is an infinitesimally thick surface of mana. It¡¯s in the same mobius band shape as the planet, the earth and stone we stand upon moves over the core. This is why we experience night and day, as we move around the twist in the band we turn to face the Darkness instead of the Body of Light. It is this same motion however which causes you to be pulled toward the world¡¯s mana core. In fact any motion relative to a source of mana will cause such a pulling effect, however it is in general very weak. It is only the large amount of mana condensed inside the core which causes the effect to be noticeable.¡¯ ¡®Oh really? That clear everything up.¡¯ It did not clear much up at all, that said it seemed as reasonable explanation as any, even if I struggled to make sense of it. It was certainly a much more plausible explanation of why such forces existed than any found in my own world. Soon we finished eating, and just as I was about to begin asking some more probing questions about who my mysterious host was when he stood up and said, ¡®Now, it is time for bed I believe. Let us learn more of each other in the morning, friend. For the moment, lets see about finding you a bed. You must be in need of a rest.¡¯ He ushered me through into another small room, with an equally small bed. ¡®This will have to do, I don¡¯t have much room I¡¯m afraid. My own bedroom is next door, please don¡¯t be afraid to disturb me if you need anything.¡¯ I lay down in the bed for a while before remembering my guidance imp. I sat up and looked around the room, trying to make out his small figure somewhere in the darkness. Eventually a voice spoke up from down by my pillow, the small imp was standing next to my bed. ¡®Looking for me?¡¯ ¡®Yeah, I forgot just how small you are.¡¯ He frowned. ¡®Well I wouldn¡¯t be a very good short guide if I was any bigger would I?¡¯ ¡®Ah ok, I guess... Anyway, can I actually sleep in the game? Also what happens if I spend too much time ingame? And will he notice if I log out and come back tomorrow?¡¯ ¡®Well yes of course you can sleep, just think about going to sleep for a period of time and system will make it so. You don¡¯t need to sleep, of course, but doing so for more than an hour will earn you a 5% experience bonus for the next day. Double that if you sleep in a bed. As to how long you¡¯ve been in the game, it¡¯s been nearly 10 hours game time but more like 2 and half in your own world. There is a time dilation effect. He will almost certainly notice you missing, without knowing his stance on Heroes it would be unwise to reveal yourself.¡¯ ¡®Hmm, do you know who he is?¡¯ ¡®Of course, but I can¡¯t tell you I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯m only authorised to tell you general information about the game world, otherwise it would be too easy.¡¯ ¡®Great, so I¡¯m stuck here with a strange old man who seems to be some kind of experienced mage and may very well decide to kill me if I log out. ¡®Oh well, I guess I was here to kill stuff anyway.¡¯ ¡®You what? I don¡¯t think you¡¯d get very far in a fight with him.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m not talking about a fight. He¡¯s a magic user right? So he¡¯ll probably have very low health and physical stats? I¡¯m going to sneak into his room while he¡¯s asleep and cut his throat. Maybe we can even find some stuff of his to bribe the guards with so we can finally get into this damn city.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a little extreme?¡¯ ¡®Well maybe, but its only a game right? If I want to be better than Mr Perfect for once I¡¯m going to need to take risks. Well those risks start here.¡¯ ¡®Mr Perfect?¡¯ The imp replied, confused. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it¡¯ I replied as I got to my feet. I meant what I said, beating Derik wasn¡¯t going to be easy and I needed every advantage I could get. Killing this man and looting his house could help my progression massively. Before I left the room I looked at the books I¡¯d been given earlier. ¡®Could you carry these for me in case it all goes wrong and we need to make a speedy exit?¡¯ ¡®No need, these are skill books. Just pick them up and read them, you¡¯ll absorb the knowledge within quickly and they¡¯ll disappear afterwards.¡¯ I did as he said, picking up the first book and opening it. I was immediately presented with a messgae.
Would you like to read Introduction to Magical Theory?
I thought yes and the message was quickly replaced by another, as the book faded to dust in my hands.
Skill Unlocked: Magical Theory Increase your understanding of the arcane. You¡¯ve begun your magical journey, with knowledge comes power. The secrets of magic are the secrets of the universe, understand them and the possibilities are endless. Max Level 1000
¡®This skill doesn¡¯t come with any bonuses. What¡¯s the point in it then?¡¯ ¡®Not all benefits can be condensed into a few numbers. This skill represents your understanding of basic magical phenomena, like all knowledge it can be applied to a multitude of situations. Most importantly many spells and magical skills will require a certain level of Magical Theory before you can use them.¡¯ I sighed, this world seemed to be overly complicated. I¡¯d been here for nearly a whole day and I had yet to throw a fireball at anything. I moved onto the next book and read it.
Skill Unlocked: Spell Theory Increase your understanding of spellcraft and control over the forces you wield. Spells are the basic tools of any magic user. You¡¯ve begun to develop your understanding of their usage, and in doing so taken the first steps towards their mastery. -0.1% to Mana Usage of spells per level Max Level 500
Spell Theory Subskill Unlocked: Magic Missile The basic training spell of any would be mage. Limited in power and inefficient this spell serves more as an example of magic usage and relatively safe practice spell than a true combat power. Allows casting of Magic Missile Mana Cost: 25 Magic Damage: 5 +10% damage per level -5% mana usage per level Max Level 10
¡®How do subskills work?¡¯ I asked. ¡®These are applications or variants of a specific skill. Most spells, for example, occur as subskills. Gaining experience in a subskill also gives experience in the parent skill, though subskills typically grow much faster. You can¡¯t however level them above the level of the parent skill. As well as being useful skills in their own right, reaching the maximum level of a subskill can have a variety of effects such as changing the parent skill or unlocking new subskills.¡¯ ¡®Ok, sweet. Looks like I can finally call myself a magic user.¡¯ I suppressed the urge to try out my new spell, fearing that it might make enough noise to for the old man. Figuring it would be best to wait until he was asleep, not to mention keen for the experience boost I lay down to sleep for a few hours. Three hours in fact. Upon waking I quietly crept out of my room, searching for the kitchen and once I¡¯d found it a knife. I returned, with as little noise as I could, to the old man¡¯s door. Bracing myself to run if needed, I slowly pushed it open. I¡¯m unsure what I was expecting, perhaps strange glowing lights and a few chained demons. The bare, modest room I was confronted with instead was something of an anticlimax. Once again moving as quietly as I could, I made my way over to the bed. I paused standing above him, taking a moment to collect my thoughts and ensure I had not woken him already. As I waited a new notification appeared.
Skill Unlocked: Sneak Increase your ability to sneak. Whatever your motives, you¡¯ve begun to learn the art of stealth. With sufficient practice you¡¯ll move silently through the world, concealed in the darkness and waiting to strike. +2% to Concealment while Sneaking per level -1% to Noise Made while Sneaking per level Max Level 100
Emboldened by the skill gain I held my knife over his body. Gritting my teeth and steeling myself I grabbed head and savagely drew my blade across his throat. Immediately receiving a string of notifications.
Critical Hit x3 damage. Sneak Attack x3 damage. Slashing Damage 81.
Yourfoe is Bleeding.
Your foe is Silenced.
As soon as I struck him he began to shake and struggle. Ignoring the mounting pile of notifications, I held him and drove my knife repeatedly into his body. Blood covered me as he screamed, my own voice adding to the cacophony as I roared mindlessly, my hand rising and falling with a will of its own. The only small mercy was that the barrage of notifications blocked my vision, stopping me from watching my own gruesome handiwork. After what seemed like an eternity his body stilled and I fell to floor, gasping. Chapter Four – Life after Death I lay on the floor by my victim, Fred hovering nervously nearby. Eventually I summoned the energy to begin dismissing the combat notifications until finally I reached the rewards for my gruesome deed.
Opponent Vanquished: 150,700 xp
Congratulations. You have reached level 8 You have 35 Class Points remaining.
Achievement Unlocked: Sagekiller Sages are the pinnacle of their craft. Kingdoms tremble beneath the gaze of these walking legends. The balance of the world shifts with their death, and above their body stands you, glorious. +2% to experience gain +5% to all attributes Title Unlocked: Sagekiller
Class Unlocked: Sage of Knowledge The Sage of Knowledge is devoted to study and learning. Class skills are focused on improving experience gain and the development of mental and theory based skills. Over time, by taking advantage of these bonuses, the Sage will truly become a magic user unlike any other. 5 Class points per level Attribute modifiers:
Physical 0.75
Strength 0.5
Dexterity 1
Endurance 0.5
Constitution 0.5
Mental 1.5
Intelligence 2
Willpower 2
Charisma 1.5
Perception 1
Luck 0.1
Prerequisites: 25 Mental Skills and Subskills, Spell Theory Level 500, Mana Manipulation level 1000, Spell Crafting level 100, Two Casting Skills at level 100, Intelligence 100, Willpower 100 , No Current Sage of Knowledge
When I finally worked up the motivation to stand, I began to survey my surroundings. Where I¡¯d been expecting a gruesome, bloody visage; I instead found myself in a modest bedroom. By the bed was my short guide, Fred, and on the bed was a glowing, golden orb. As I looked around for any sign of the body or blood, I asked ¡®I unlocked a new Class, what does that mean?¡¯ ¡®When you reach level 20 you gain the chance to adopt another Class or Subclass. Subclasses augment your original Class, giving you access to new Skills. When you choose a new Class, however, it starts at level one and grows independently of your other Class, albeit twice as slowly. Once both your classes reach at least level 30 you can once again choose a new Class or Subclass. More generally every time the levels of all your classes reach the next multiple of 10 you are offered the same chance. Each extra Class you take on grows twice as slowly as the previous, however.¡¯ I nodded absently, already focused on the glowing orb in front of me. I reached out and touched it, immediately a message appeared asking if I would like to loot the body. I selected loot all, and it was quickly replaced by a new popup.
You are over-encumbered.
Suddenly I felt as if a huge weight was pulling me down, forcing me to my knees. Barely able to move, I stumbled over to the bed, collapsing onto it. ¡®Fred, help. I can¡¯t move. It says I¡¯m over-encumbered.¡¯ The little imp just sighed and shook is head. ¡®Drop it all. We¡¯ll take a look over it and see what¡¯s worth carrying. With your abysmal strength you can¡¯t manage much.¡¯ After a little messing around I managed to open my inventory and dump its contents onto the floor. It was books, a huge pile of books. Plus a few more grey robes llke the one I was wearing, it seemed the old man didn¡¯t have much variation in his wardrobe. I rolled my eyes, I had been hoping for more. As I looked over my haul, I spotted one book, poking out from under the heap, that seemed to glow. I pulled it from the pile and ran my hand over the cover. It seemed to pulse with power. I opened it.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Would you like to read: Unknown Skill Book?
Shrugging, I opted to read it.
Legendary Skill Unlocked: Skill Steal Steal the skills of your vanquished foes. You¡¯ve reached a level of understanding of experience gain beyond any other, it allows you to sometimes extract the knowledge of a previously unknown Skill from those you¡¯ve slain. 0.25% chance to learn a Skill per level Max Level 100
I reconsidered by previous evaluation of the loot, it seemed I¡¯d struck gold here after all. Fred informed me I was indeed incredibly fortunate. Legendary skills were almost unheard of, and jealously guarded by those who possessed them. They were typically earnt as rewards for the most challenging of quests, or other outlandish feats. That I found one in a Skill Book spoke to the now ex-Sage''s talents. I considered the potential of my new skill as I continued to search the pile. It was full of suggestive titles like Dimensional Casting, Advanced Summoning and Arcane Channeling. Eventually I reached a book I couldn¡¯t help but read immediately. It was simply titled Fireball.
Skill Unlocked: Fire Casting Improve your understanding of, and affinity for, fire spells. One of the major elements, fire spells typically involve large areas of effect and overwhelming damage. The greatest of fire mages can rain death and destruction down upon their foes. +2% Damage and Effect Radius of fire based spells per level -0.75% Mana Usage for fire spells per level
Fire Casting Subskill Unlocked: Fireball Throw great balls of fire at your enemies. No introduction necessary. Allows casting of Fireball Mana Cost: 100 Damage: 60 Effect Radius: 1m +10% Damage per level +10% Effect Radius per level +5% Mana Usage per level Max Level 50
Grinning I lifted my hands and, without a second thought, I yelled ¡®Fireball¡¯. There was a strange sensation, as if something were being drained from me, then suddenly a brilliant, red ball of fire struck the wooden wall in front of me. Within seconds the whole room was aflame, the pile of books burning fiercely in the center. ¡®Sweet Lady, what have I done?¡¯ I ran.
Running Subskill Unlocked:Sprinting Move at massively increased speed for a short time. As you race to improve your skills you will reach the pinnacle of land basesd speed. Stamina Cost: 10% per second Percentage Speed Increase: 2*Stamina Cost
I made it outside, fortunately the fire was slow to spread to the rest of the house. I sat in the clearing watching the house, and the huge wealth of knowledge it contained, go up in smoke while lamenting my poor decision making. I¡¯d joined this game to prove that I could stand on my own to feet, that I could be worth something my own right, not just by association with Derik. As the house burned, I pledged to myself to be better, to do better. To be more careful, and not be sidetracked from my true goal. I would be unyielding, ruthless even as I pursued my aims. As I lay on the forest floor, dreaming of my success, I heard a soft growl from outside the clearing. I stood quickly, looking around worriedly. I soon saw a pair of gleaming red eyes looking out into the night. I¡¯d been in this kind of situation before many times, so I did what I always do. Once again, I ran. I made it three steps, perhaps four, before I felt a sharp, burning pain in my back. For a few seconds I was in total agony before the world faded away, replaced by a single message.
You have died.
I awoke on a cold stone slab, the light streaming in above me through resplendent stained-glass windows. I groaned softly and pulled myself into a sitting position. Looking around I recognised the tell-tale signs of a place of worship. Statues and religious iconography where placed tastefully around the other-wise bare interior of the room. The only exceptions were 10 great stone slabs in the center, my own included. The walls were similarly furnished, mostly white stone with sparsely placed paintings. The entire domed ceiling, however, was a single great piece of art. Entirely made of colored glass, it seemed to depict a sacrifice of some kind. Throughout it ran shiny black streaks of an obisidian like substance, no doubt meant to signify the Darkness or some such. As I ran my eyes over the scene, I eventually turned around, finding myself face to face with a man in gleaming white armor. It was unlike the heavy plate I was used to seeing, instead it was tight and form fitting, without a single break. I traced the outline of his figure, finding not a single imperfection, until my eyes reached his face. Unthinkingly I blurted out, ¡®Are you an angel?¡¯ ¡®Hahahahaha,¡¯ his deep laugh reverberated across the room. ¡®I¡¯m nothing of the sort lad. I¡¯m Xeres, I run the White Knights guild. You¡¯ve respawned in the Temple of Light.¡¯ He paused for a moment, looking me up and down. ¡®You know, kid, it¡¯s traditional to put some clothes on, even if you lost your main equipment when you died.¡¯ I blushed furiously. I was naked again. I must have lost my clothes when I died and been so caught up in my surroundings since then that I hadn¡¯t realised. ¡®I, err. I don¡¯t have any?¡¯. He frowned. ¡®None at all? What happened to your starting equipment? It should be Soulbound.¡¯ ¡®I, I¡¯m not sure. I was wearing a robe when I died, it¡¯s all I had. I¡¯m not even sure how I did, maybe it was destroyed when I did¡¯ I replied. Still embarrassed by my nakedness I didn¡¯t want to admit I¡¯d decided it would be a good idea to go without a Class, I hoped your equipment being destroyed was a possibility. ¡®Hmmm. You must have been PK¡¯d, tough luck kid.¡¯ Seeing my puzzlement he sighed, producing a simple grey robe, much like the one I¡¯d been wearing previously and passing it to me. ¡®Here take this, I¡¯ve been practicing my enchanting and this was going to be used for materials. It looks like you need it more than I do.¡¯ I hurriedly equipped it as he continued talking. ¡®PK¡¯d means player killed. Normally when you die you lose most of your items but keep a portion of your gold and any items which have been Soulbound to you, like your starting equipment and some quest items. If a player kills you, you lose only what they loot from your body. Unfortunately some spellcasters can gain access to a soul trap spell, which among other things allows them to loot even Soulbound items. It was in poor taste really, you¡¯re clearly a noob and anyone with the ability to use that kind of spell wouldn¡¯t have found anything on you worth taking.¡¯ I was greatly relieved to be clothed again, and glad I wouldn¡¯t have to explain myself. It seemed this man, Xeres, had come up with an excuse for me. ¡®Thank you very much for the robe, and for explaining what happened. Sorry you had to see that.¡¯ ¡®Nonsense kid, it was entirely my pleasure,¡¯ he responded with a wink and somewhat predatory grin. ¡®You should go see the guards. They won¡¯t be able to help much with your killer, but they might have some old equipment you can borrow and maybe some work for you to do. If you can make a little money you should be back up and running again in no time.¡¯ ¡®Great, thanks so much for all your help.¡¯ I paused. ¡®What are you actually doing here?¡¯ ¡®Guild raid. We just took down a dragon. No big deal.¡¯ He boasted. ¡®Some of my guildmembers didn¡¯t make it. I¡¯m here waiting to welcome them back to the land of the living when they respawn. And give them their share of the sweet, sweet gold. One sixtieth share of a dragon¡¯s hoard is no laughing matter, kiddo.¡¯ A dragon, I thought to myself. That sounded pretty awesome. ¡®Hey, how does a person go about joining a guild?¡¯ ¡®Hahahahaha,¡¯ he bellowed again. ¡®Depends on the guild, kid. They all have their own requirements. I think you¡¯re a little off joining mine but come find me again when you¡¯ve picked up a few extra classes.¡¯ A little disheartened, I thanked him again and decided now was a good time to log off. I wasn¡¯t sure how long I¡¯d been in game, but it must be lunchtime at least. I¡¯d get some food, maybe read a bit of the Instruction Manual and then come back in and go find the guards as suggested.