《Realm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 1. The Birth]》 Chapter 1 I moved the steering mechanism gently to the side, and the flyer smoothly entered the turn. The finish line was so close. ''This time I''ll definitely come in first!'' I passed by gigantic stands, covered by a protective dome, as I made the turn. My friends and acquaintances were sitting somewhere in there. I switched on the afterburners, trying to recover from the maneuver. A sharp jerk and the acceleration forcefully pressed me into the anti-overload chair. The compensators could barely cope with the heavily increased load, but the flyer''s hull managed to withstand it. I heard worrying creaks from the hull fasteners. "The right engine''s power has decreased by ten percent. There is a failure in the energy monitoring system of the first circuit¡­" The metallic female voice of the onboard artificial intelligence, ''Roxanne'', immediately reported and showed me another dozen parameters of the flyer''s key systems on the display. "Honey, please, just hang in there," I whispered softly. "If I win and make up with Kiera, we''ll patch you up so well that you''ll be even better than before... Now, quickly, conduct the durability tests and fix anything you can!" Roxanne was an advanced AI, and knew what to do without my commands¡ªI never fully trusted artificials though, so I still issued the commands. An image of the flyer, with green, yellow and red marks, appeared on the central panel. It was good that the red marks were relatively few in number. But the number of yellow and green marks was enough to cause me concern. There were about the same number of yellow markers as there were green ones. ''Damn it, I''m in trouble.'' Then, one after the other, the marks began to change color, and, simultaneously, the onboard AI informed me about the work being completed through my headphones. "I am stabilizing the power of both engines," Roxanne concluded. "The current speed is one thousand... two hundred¡­" And a second later, another alert came: "There is a steep turn to the left in... Three, two, one," the AI prompted, guided by the route map stored in its memory. Immediately, I wrenched the steering hard in the indicated direction, simultaneously reducing the power of the engines. Fuh...My blood was hot with the adrenaline! I had taken a great risk when going into this turn at such high speed. The right wing passed dangerously close to one of the columns that stood at every kilometer, on both sides of the route. Oh yes, this was the most dangerous route for sure! The Grand Tour finale. A hundred high-speed flyers and professional pilots, all with great reaction times, would handle the course with care. But, despite the best security and protection systems available and the amenities of advanced medical care, fatal accidents were rather frequent. "Number six is behind you, a thousand meters away," Roxanne said unexpectedly. "But how?!" Having gotten a lead of almost four and a half kilometers, I didn''t think someone could close the distance so quickly. Without thinking any further, I started the afterburners again, ''...I''m torturing the poor flyer''s engines.'' "The power of the right engine has decreased by another ten percent," the AI reported. "Damn it¡­" I swore. "Number six is six hundred meters behind you." I think I noticed that Roxanne''s voice seemed alarmed. I''ve already turned on the afterburners, so how is he catching up to me?I guess it''s a power levelling of the both engines, so that they could work equally. That is, if the power of one of them drops for any technical reasons, the power of the second one decreases accordingly as well. "Turn off the limiters," I ordered Roxanne. "The code is red zero." The right engine was immediately indicated by a red marker, but the flyer finally jerked forward, as it should have from the start. "Critical indicators of the control systems¡­" I didn''t pay attention to what the AI was muttering, focusing instead on holding the machine together, aiming to move it to the side. After adjusting the ship''s course, the main thing to worry about was that the sixth had begun to lag behind. The finish line was so close ... "Turn right in... three, two, one... Danger!" Roxanne suddenly howled like a banshee. "The secondary circuit monitoring the system has lost power and shut down. Initiating the disengagement of the right propulsion system.. Temperature rising in the rear compartment area. Evacuation of pilot..." But for some reason, the system didn''t evacuate me as it should have, and I didn''t have the time or the ability to reach over and grab the emergency lever. Fire got into the cabin, and the flames hungrily attacked their helpless victim... The flyer, like a crippled bird, listed to the side, then... a blow... an explosion... every cell in my body hurt... A dying light appeared before my eyes...Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. * * * The interoffice call interrupted the train of thought of the Technical Director of the ''Life'' Corporation. "Mister... Grey, your... son... he... is here¡­" He heard the excitedly intermittent secretary''s voice, a young girl that had recently filled thisvery demanding position. "Vela! I know how much you like him! But first, what exactly has happened to my son?" The man''s confident tone had a calming effect on the girl. "Your son," a tearful sob came out, "he''s in the intensive care unit at the Jefferson Hospital." "Cancel all appointments for today," the man said sharply. James hung up and took out his phone: "Will! Bring the car to the entrance, now! We''re going to Jefferson!" "Got it, sir," Will answered urgently. Only a minute later, the chauffeur drove a black classic ''Mercury'' to the entrance of a high-rise hundred-story building. Another minute passed, and then Director of the Technical Department was getting into the car. The car started off with a screech, instantly increasing its speed, they reached Jefferson Hospital fairly quickly. The short, strong, and completely gray-haired man froze like a statue near the translucent glass capsule of the life support apparatus. "My son, my son!" he whispered softly. "Why did you need to race? You''re only twenty-one, all of your life was still ahead of you, and now¡­" Over the past decade, the Director of the Technical Department at the Life Corporation had learned to hide all his emotions behind the iron mask of a hard, but honest man. Even now, as he was standing in front of the body of his beloved only child, ruined by the catastrophe, he didn''t give in to the feelings that were tearing him apart from the inside. He wanted to cry and scream with grief, curse everything in the world and those who had approached his son with those flyers, and this damn sport where young fools risk their smart, and at the same time very stupid selves. It was all useless now that his son was dead. What is done cannot be undone, and the dead cannot be resurrected. The man left the room looking defeated and closed the door gently behind him. The head physician of the intensive care unit and another physician were waiting for him outside in the corridor. ''These people have saved lives in even more hopeless situations, I am sure of it¡­'' One of them was Alexander Grant, a world-famous neurosurgeon, biologist and, most importantly, one of the members of the Board of Directors at LifeCorporation and a longtime friend of James''. James had contacted him on the doctor''s personal phone on the way to the medical center. "Alex, I''m sorry," James began, shaking his hand, "that I''ve called you in the middle of the weekend, but you know¡­" "It''s okay," Alex waved it off, briefly interrupting the man. "Both of us have children. You did the right thing calling me. I need full medical records, the latest data of the diagnostician and the EEG, any and all data concerning his brain activity." "Let''s go to my office," the head doctor suggested. "All the documents are there, and from there we can formulate a plan on how to proceed with his treatment." Sighing heavily, Alex took out a cigarette and lit it without asking for permission. As the cigarette got halfway to his lips, the fans of the air purification system started to buzz quietly. "It''s possible to recreate the body," the neurosurgeon began, "There are several options. The best one, in my professional opinion, is the deep regeneration camera. James, this doctor here has all the details you''ll need in order to make the¡­ right decision for you, and your son. We can make a new body for your son and it''ll be indistinguishable from his current one. But I don''t know what can be done with his brain." "And what exactly is so wrong that it can''t be cured?" James asked, as the Technical Department''s Director began to get nervous and started to fiddle with one of the pens that were lying on the table to distract himself. "Parts of the brain responsible for motor functions and the vocal apparatus are damaged beyond repair¡­" the doctor stopped to smoke another cigarette. "Many of the vital sections responsible for those functions are damaged. So... if he regains consciousness and can say anything at all, his first words will most likely be ''kill me.'' It''ll be far from a pleasant life after such a procedure. It will be, in a word, hell." "He might not wake up at all?" James asked, thinking about the word "if." "Alas, yes, he''s in an atonic coma." James raised an eyebrow questioningly and the neurosurgeon perfectly understood the unasked question¡ªhow could the Technical Director be expected to know about such medical terms? "It is a coma of the third degree," he began to explain, "the chance to wake up from it, even with all the modern developments in medicine, is about ten percent." Khr-r-r¡ªthe pen was broken and its fragments stabbed into James'' palm. Without noticing the blood from the cuts, he reached for his opened pack of cigarettes with a trembling hand. A long time ago, when his son had been born, James had promised his wife that he''d quit smoking, and since then he had steadfastly kept his word. Until today. "But there is a way out," Alexander Grant thoughtfully said. "Even if we can''t guarantee that your son will, in fact, come out of the coma, and, as mentioned earlier, even if he does, he will be partially brain-damaged... the parts of his brain which are required to enter the virtual world are in order. So I think we should make the best of the situation... I want to try to connect him to Noria." "Are you referring to that new capsule for virtual reality, the development of which we''ve just finished?" James frowned, his face blank, having no concept of what they were referring to. "...But these are just prototypes. Production launch is a week away still!" "That''s it! I''ll help you, as you are my old friend. We''ll take the first capsule from the batch, bring it to my center, refine it, and then connect it to the regeneration chamber. At least let your son... he will at least be alive in there." James saw that his old friend was making an extra effort for his son, as a result of their friendship. "And will he survive?" The gray-haired man whispered softly. "Well, we can''t establish a connection with him right now." the neurosurgeon answered. "Let''s proceed as follows: I''ll stay here and keep an eye on his condition, and as soon as Noria becomes more stable, we''ll move your son there." "Okay¡­" James knew this was the best option for his son. The choice to keep his son awake, but in a miserable state, never even crossed his mind. "But how soon willthecapsulebeneeded?" "The sooner you agree to it, the sooner my people can get started on stabilizing it. I''ll call them today to let them know." "Got it," James nodded. Chapter 2 Virtual reality had long been on a lot of people''s minds. And not only as a gaming world for entertainment purposes, but also as a place where you could live quite a rewarding life: take a break from boring reality, make money and do business, even date someone. The difference in perception between Noria and reality was said to be seamless. It had become available thanks to the Life Corporation, which managed to insure a great impetus forthe development of virtuality. Virtual helmets faded into oblivion long ago, and for the last five years, the industry was dominated by Life''s patented full-immersion capsules. In essence, ''Noria'' is just a game, created by just another company. It was originally created for virtual helmets and occupied the bottom of the world ranks of virtuality, due to a seeming lack of foresight and a ton of in-game bugs that the players hated. It initially yielded the corporation only losses. But, due to the company''s innovative developers and their release of the first Virtcapsules, ''Noria'' became a sort of exclusive, on which the new technologies of full immersion were tested. And, surprising all their critics, both the game and the new capsule technology perfectly complemented each other. In the current version, used in the Virtcapsule, the bugs and errors that were present in the helmet version are long gone. It was a huge leap over the technological abyss that had been unable to sufficiently realize an extremely complex and realistic fantasy world of swords and magic. To no one''s surprise, Life Corporation will not be releasing the exact formula that makes their Virtcapsule tick. It''s often been speculated that due to its complexity very few, if any, know its precise compilation. Quantum computers, neural interfaces, biocrystals, and artificial intelligence are at the core of the machine¡ªthe machine which has given us all the opportunity to live two lives at once! An excerpt from the journal ''Science and Technology'' at the end of the 22nd century * * * Darkness... ''Whether I open my eyes or not, makes no difference. Am I blind?'' I tried to move, but couldn''t. ''Am I paralyzed?...'' ''By the way, where am I? If I am at the hospital, how can I call a nurse if I can''t even see or move? I want to send a message to my father, and¡­ to Kiera. I am sure they are worried sick about me.'' Creation of a new account - Successful. User identification - Successful. Medical data validation - Error (¡í13Q24-16W48 - sent to the administration of the game world). Medical data re-validation - Successful. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Birth of a character ... ''Creation... identification... validation¡­? - Hmm, something seemed very familiar here. ''Birth of a character... Am I in the game??? How did I get here, and what''s going on?...'' ''Okay, let''s look at this ''birth.'' I mentally scrolled through the text. ''Stop!'' ''The World of Noria'' is a game, owned by ''Life'' Corporation, where my father works. ''Okay.'' The information was accepted for consideration. ''Yes, yes.'' I looked through the text. I already knew almost everything to do with this game! ''Please, do this faster. I wish I could go out into the world and contact my father via the gaming administration there. I hope he can explain all of this.'' Choose your character''s name. ''Kraven,'' the name came to me quickly, and I wrote it without any superfluous consideration. It was a nickname I had received during childhood and I''d been known by it my whole life. Choose a race ''It doesn''t really matter... let it be a ''human.'' Choose an appearance Without even looking at the proposed options, I agreed to the default selection. Choose a place of birth ''The Empire of Nazhar or the Empire of Gavrtol¡ªwhy only these two countries? Where were the rest? Okay, ''Nazhar." The world of Noria welcomes you, immortal! Character characteristics: Main... Later! ... I felt like I was being dragged into an infinite void and... ''Hurray! Let there be light! Oh... and why is it so bright?'' I shielded my eyes from the sun''s blistering rays that were shining directly on my face with my hand "Look out!" I heard a loud cry from behind me, then felt a strong push that launched me forward and I ended up falling to the ground. Ow! That really hurt! Taken physical damage 7 points. Life 3\10. "Forgive me, sir." Someone''s hands grabbed my shoulders and pulled me up into a standing position. "When you walk along the road, be more careful." He followed the departing cart with his eyes. "You''re lucky that I managed to push you out the way, or you would have been killed!" "Yeah... Thank you very much." I glanced at the tall, portly man in a blacksmith''s apron, who was a head taller than me. He nodded and then went on his way. "Where am I... I¡­ have no clue." In front of me, there was a narrow stone pavement, passing between wooden two-story houses. I walked up to and stood near one of them. Somewhere in the distance, I could see the spire of a tall, cylindrical tower-like building. About a dozen steps to the left, there was a signboard with a painted hammer and anvil on it. The blacksmith who had rescued me went in that direction. ''And now,'' my mind began to assess my surroundings, and get its bearings, ''what do we have on the global map?'' I mentally asked Noria''s system. Nothing! There was fog in all directions from the one lonely point on the map¡ªmy character. I zoomed in. ''Hmmm, useless!'' I could only make out a schematically sketched street and houses along the edges. So, it only showed the road and the two houses I had just seen. I entered the full game interface. ''Where is the ''Help'' tab? I mean, communication with the administration or something.'' "Hmmm¡­" I was surprised at the system''s message I got in reply. ''Help''¡ªan error has occurred, the function is inactive, contact the administration of the game world. "Maybe, this one?!" ''Forum''¡ªan error has occurred, the function is inactive, contact the administration of the game world. ''Mail''¡ªan error has occurred, the function is inactive, contact the administration of the game world. "Damn! What a limited interface this is! What about this one¡­" ''Exit''¡ªan error has occurred, the function is inactive, contact the administration of the game world. ''Damn¡­'' Slipping into the pit of despair and struggling to hold back my tears, I grabbed my head in fear and panic to think about what I knew about the game and how I could use it in my current situation. Chapter 3 ''Should I just throw myself under the hooves of horses and under cart wheels again? It won''t help, I''ll just resurrect at the nearest rebirth point. And the feeling of death won''t be the most pleasant thing I could experience, that''s for sure. It''s possible that the person who put me in here acted with the noblest of intentions, but it''s not any easier than death would have been.'' ''So, the first critical question is: what''s happened to me in real life that I was shoved into virtual reality like this? The second is: what should I do now?'' ''The fact that I''m not dead, and everything around me is not a figment of my imagination, is confirmed immediately, due to my ability to think clearly, and the system''s interface.'' ''Moreover, even if I have never played ''Noria'', I''m still well aware of all its nuances and rules. I also know the history of the world, lands, and races, and much more besides, including the characteristics and capabilities of the current generation of capsules. And all that because my father is the Director of the Technical Department of Life Corporation.'' ''''The world of Noria'' is a virtual reality game with total immersion, that much I know for certain. There are about 100 million players at the moment. There are about 500 million intelligent NPCs of all races. The size of the world is just under 8 million square miles (mainland and islands combined).'' ''Controlling the game is a pyramid type interface of many different artificial intelligences, witha variety of ranks. The higher the position of the player within the pyramid, the higher their rank is, as well as the rights and opportunities of their AI activity. Accordingly, the topmost AI is the main brain of ''Noria,'' which...or whom, even, is capable of global map changes.'' ''Despite the fact that the territorial distribution of players and NPCs based on race is absent, the creators decided to follow in the footsteps of the ancestral history of the world and split ''Noria'' into seven States. Therefore, after selecting any of the available races in the game, and there are about fifty, you pick the starting location of your choice, but, of course, the penalties associated with the class that you''ve chosen are taken into account. There are human or elven lands, the orcs'' wastelands, the dwarves'' kingdom or even free lands, where, it is clear by the name, everyone is absolutely equal and where there is almost complete anarchy. Character classes for every taste and preference possible are offered to the player. The only minor limitations, which could complicate your life, more or less, are fines.'' ''For example, while being a light elf, you can become a necromancer or a demonologist, but the reputation with the same light elves will immediately go into the negative, up to ''Hated,'' but you''ll gain the respect of orcs and drow.'' ''There are still some more nuances. If a man chooses the hunter class, with the same levels and characteristics¡ªelves will still be faster, better and more accurate due to their racial bonuses.'' ''But it is not enough to merely choose a class! You still have to find someone who will give you the first task in a fairly long class quest chain. A thief or a murderer should only find himself in poor neighborhoods or slums, and communicate with different shady characters, as he is sure to hear a few suggestions¡ªof who to kill, to rob and what to steal. You can still try to steal something somewhere or kill a drunkard on your own. In that case, wait for the appearance of unknown persons with certain proposals.'' But to become a magician, you will have to work hard¡ªyou will need to become a student in the Guild, learn, read books, pass tests and then choose what you want¡ªthrow ice attacks and fireballs or treat wounds and help others. You can also choose to not enter the Guild, and try to acquire the same knowledge and opportunities through trial and error, practicing with books on magic. The only problem is, this way is much longer and more difficult, and some class features will not be available to you. So then you have to go to the Guild and take a special test, confirming your choice.'' The memories calmed me a little... ''OK! I''m done reflecting on all this, it''s time to get ready for total immersion!'' Well, the question of "what happened to me and why am I here" was postponed indefinitely. And the question "what to do now and how to live" was quite difficult to answer as well. Since I had no idea how much time I had to spend in the game, my first thought was that I had to pick out something interesting and rare to give myself an advantage. I wanted it to have at least a neutral reputation, but still give the best bonuses to the race of men. I only wished I could see a complete list of all the classes I didn''t remember. ''I can choose the Witcher. The reputation with all the races is positive, the job is hunting monsters, and it is needed among all the races, I will also be able to perform mutations, which enhance my characteristics, and use mutagens, which are able to give buffs at different times, both in and out of battle.'' ''There''s also a Teleporter, or Jumper. The only class which, as the name implies, is capable of jumping freely between the mainland and Islands. It''s cool, interesting, but very dreary. It is impossible to level up such a character without a clan, which I''m not eager to join for obvious reasons.'' ''Why would I want to work without a clan? Well, first of all, how can I explain why I spend one hundred percent of my time in the game? Why I can''t use the forum and help? No way! It''s better for no one to know what''s wrong with me and who I am. It is better for me¡­'' There are, of course, a few more classes I had in mind, but I will decide on that later. Now I have to figure out which of the cities of the Kingdom of Nazhar I am in at the moment. I can ask any local resident, if he has a neutral and higher attitude toward the faction. Where did the blacksmith who saved me go?'' I came up to the ''Blacksmith'' sign and looked through one of the windows into a small room. There was a counter opposite the entrance, behind which there was a door. There were a lot of weapons and armor on the walls. There were three naked dummies in the center, I had no idea why they were there. I could not see the man, but I hoped he was still here.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The door was not locked so I went inside. "Hey, is anybody here?" I called out. The door behind the counter suddenly opened as if it had been kicked, and the disgruntled blacksmith appeared, "Who''s shouting in here? I''ll... Ah, it''s you, sir," when he saw me, he immediately changed his tone. ''Sir... sir. I do not understand. Do I look like someone else? I urgently need a mirror.'' "Do you want to order anything?" The man asked. Hm, so it seems he had something like a shop, but things were made to order. Therefore, the sign was the same as with a general blacksmith. "No, thank you," I answered. "Can you tell me, what is the correct name of this city?" ''In general, it is always better to communicate respectfully and extremely honestly with neutral NPCs. Firstly, that is what the culture is like, and secondly, the AI can give you a task, if a local likes you.'' "I didn''t seem to push you too hard," the blacksmith was frankly surprised, "and you didn''t hit your head. How could you forget the glorious name of our city?" ''Are you mocking me,'' I gritted my teeth mentally, but said, "I''m sorry for the stupid question, but it just happened." "Ah," he sighed heavily. "Saradan. That was the name of the first king of our kingdom. It''s bad not to know and forget our history." I just nodded, remembering where this city was situated in relation to the other States. As far as I remembered, it was in the eastern part of the country, next to the mouth of the Valand River, along which there was a border with the Black Forest of the dark elves- the Drow. It was a very large and developed city, with many craftsmen and merchants, as it had another industrious country nearby. Which meant there were enough different NPCs here to provide a lot of options. For those who wanted to study crafts and skills, it was a great place. Alas, it was good, but not for me. There was really nothing to do here, unless you were looking for tasks to gain a few levels and earn some local money¡ªiren, a single currency for the whole world of Noria. I needed the money anyway. Walking was too slow and portals, horses or a place in a caravan would cost a lot. "Thank you," I said. "Maybe I can help you with something?" I decided not to waste time and tried to get any quest I could right away. "A-ah,"¡ªthe man zoned out. "No, sir, why!?" He had been thinking for about thirty seconds before he answered. ''That''s strange,'' I thought. "I deal with everything myself," he finally managed. Well, I guess I''d have to walk around the city. Someone among all these NPCs would surely ask for help. ''Isn''t it a game?!''. "Thank you," I said. "I appreciate the information and your time sir." I left the shop and went wherever my feet took me. I had no map, no money for it, and the city was not small. It was kind of hardcore. I didn''t even know what I looked like yet and hadn''t even distributed my points! Exactly! Remembering this, I stopped and made a mental request to the game system. First name: Kraven Level: 1 Race: human Class: none Clan: none Guild: none Character Characteristics: Basic: Strength - 1 Agility - 1 Intelligence - 1 Secondary: Life - 3/10 Endurance - 10 Mana - 10 Free points for distribution: 6 Skills: none Class skills: none Specialties: none Achievements: none Sensitivity: 70% ''Life is not as full as it used to be... It''s really low! I wish I could recover it somehow! After increasing the characteristics, those seven points, which were lost because of my receiving physical damage, will not be gained back without treatment. Even if a new level was reached, it wouldn''t help either. Should I distribute everything equally? Or should I put all the points into strength, then the life bar will increase a little bit? If I take one more hit, I will surely die! But I immediately rejected the last idea. It''s okay if I end up at the rebirth point from the next damage I take. I can bear it. So, I needed to think about what I wanted in the future. ''Also, sensitivity, which affects all sensations, including pain, must likewise be taken into account. It is too high. With it at seventy percent, however, I will feel all the charms of the world in almost all of their glory.'' ''Well, magic, where intelligence is primary, is not for me. It needs far too complicated training, from the initial level to the hundredth one. And even then, it does not become any easier. I''d need a team! Players, who would help clear dungeons, get the right ingredients or do raids on epic and legendary monsters with me. That''s why many magicians try to join a clan as soon as possible. It means there is only one suitable class of magicians for me¡ªa pet owner. But, alas, to have pets, you need either stones of souls or cards. They can be bought as well as dropped from mobs after you kill them. Up to the fiftieth level, this class will cost me so much blood and stress! Of course, then, having a variety of my own pets, I''ll be a kind of walking zoo¡ª with my own tanks and damage dealers. So, magic is not for me, but I will put it aside, in case of an emergency. I categorically did not want to become a tank! The main reason was over-sensitivity. Seventy percent was way too much. I would not die of shock from the pain, but it would still be very intense. ''The interesting thing... is this sensitivity setting. The player wants to feel the taste of food, a breath of wind on their skin, breathe deeply the fresh, frosty air, all the delights of virtual sex and... pain, does he want to feel other things that are not very pleasant? The "sensitivity" parameter was created for this purpose, the user selects it when loading the capsule. Most players set it between ten and thirty percent, and only when visiting pleasure houses change it to the maximum. The capsule automatically removes this parameter for persons under the age of eighteen. By the way, playing in the world the Noria is allowed from the age of sixteen under the current legislation, and there are quite a lot of restrictions for minors. I''ve never heard of idiots that put it at one hundred percent for everyday play. Well, except for those serving time in virtual prisons, but there are special reasons for that.'' ''The characteristics you level depend on the sensitivity, too. The higher it is, the more chances the player has to raise this or that parameter by one or two points. For example, if you are constantly training your character by running to exhaustion and falling due to low endurance, do not be surprised at the fact that at some point the system will increase your agility. I will, of course, take into account all these features in my further development.'' ''A damage dealer is a character that can inflict high damage to NPCs, mobs, and players. They are divided into melee damage dealers which cause damage near the target and range damage dealers that strike from a distance. The first are soldiers, robbers, assassins, witchers and so on. The second are archers and, of course, fighting mages, but as I''ve already said, magic isn''t for me, and I just hate archers. So, I choose melee and will stick to this path of development. I also have just the right classes in mind.'' ''It''s decided! I''ll put a lot of points into dexterity, as this is the main characteristic I need for my plan, then I will add points to strength, but I''m going to leave intelligence unchanged, I won''t need it anytime soon. Then I can make up for the lack of mana later on.'' Name: Kraven Level: 1 Race: man Class: none Clan: none Guild: absent The characteristics of the character: Basic: Power-3 Dexterity¨C5 Intelligence¨C1 Secondary: Life¨C23\30 Endurance-50 Mana-10 Free points for distribution: 0 Skills: none Class skills: none Specialties: none Achievements: none Sensitivity: 70% ''That''s it!'' ''Well, I''m going on a quest. Beware, NPCs! I won''t give up!'' Chapter 4 At first, I decided to go towards the tower that had a spire. I had to focus on something to get me moving forward. It was especially noticeable, from anywhere in the city. Other NPCs and players were walking leisurely along or alternatively were running past me. But none of them cared about me. As it should be. ''A man is going his way and isn''t interfering with anyone, so don''t get in his way.'' Walking hurriedly, I passed an old man wearing a patched shirt and dark pants. He had been working hard, dragging luggage on a small trolley, but at that very moment, he stopped to rest. "Where are you going? You''re gonna crush my legs!" The tone was angry and scolding, coming from behind me, which made me turn around. A player or an NPC? He''s more like a player, I looked at the massive character and the system obediently brought up all of his available information. Player ¨C Solnar (Powerful) Level ¨C 12 Yeah! I thought. His nickname is completely in line with his looks! Only a very self-confident and narcissistic personality could choose such a "cool" name for the game''s character and choose so bright an appearance. It was a six-foot-tall bodybuilder with broad shoulders, blond hair, and blue eyes. Well, the old man was apparently pulling his cart, but, as he was old and weak and his load was heavy, he had been hunched, making it uncomfortable for him to look backward. So he did not give way to the guy behind him, because the old man just hadn''t seen him. So, the guy was upset by such a show of disrespect and decided to dispose of all his accumulated anger for the day on the poor NPC. "Are you blind? You old moron!" Ignoring the quiet excuses of the old man, Solnar grabbed him by the chest and lifted him into the air. The old man''s clothes, which clearly weren''t new, tore at the seams conspicuously. "I wish I could kill you, but I don''t want to deal with the guards!" The player spat contemptuously. "You get to live for now!" Throwing the old man aside, he kicked the cart angrily, turned it over, looked around for loot and then jogged away. "Where do such fools even come from?" I approached the old man, stunned by such behavior, and helped him to his feet. "Thank you, sir," he said, and tears immediately appeared in his eyes. "Yeah," I muttered, clenching my fists for an instant. If this had been reality, I would''ve interfered at once, as I always had enough strength. But here and now¡ªthis is a game and my interference would not have changed anything, or could have even sent me to the point of rebirth. I continued helping the old man. Together, we put the cart on its wheels again and fixed the luggage, just a pair of bags. "Let me help you," I offered sincerely, looking at the old man take the handle with his shivering hands and plant his crooked feet onto the ground. ''And quests... well, those can wait a bit. How would you behave in this situation? Would you really turn away and pass by, pretending not to have noticed anything at all? As if saying, it is just how life is. Moreover, it is a game and everyone is inanimate here¡ªa set of programmed code. Well, yes, I agree, it''s a game. But AIs are not completely inanimate, biocrystals and NPCs, controlled by them, behave quite like people. They love and quarrel, make friends and enemies. They are like us, only in another world, the world created by people.'' So, I took the handle of the cart, not listening to the old man''s objections, and only asked what direction to drag it in. "Eh, you needn''t do that, sir," the old man again kept repeating himself, although he smiled and was glad to get help. I moved slowly, although I had enough strength to go faster, as I was trying not to overtake the old man, walking beside me and telling his story. And the story was quite an interesting one. It turned out that I had met (who could imagine!) a bankrupt jeweler. About a year ago, this respected and successful man had turned into a beggar, collecting scraps, rags and sleeping God knows where. And the guilty party for his ruin was the local clan of players! However, it had also been the fault of the old man himself. As I understand it, the master jeweler took a risk¡ª he took on the clan leader''s order to make very elaborate jewelry, but did not finish the work in time. According to the nuances of the contract (and the clan lawyer was no fool), he had to pay considerable money in recompense for the work not getting done in time. And the leader had no intention to delay things. The complaint was immediately sent to the Guild of Jewelers and the prince, the ruler of the city. The relationship between the clan and the prince was at the level of Respect. The amount paid up was equal to the cost of the order itself. The master sold everything he had managed to create, and his workshop, and only then was the contract closed. After all, it had also been necessary to pay for the forfeit to the employees. After such a fiasco, the old man''s reputation was ruined. He sometimes got small orders, though at the lowest prices, no one was going to give him big orders due to his reputation with the clan. The master began to drink his grief away, quarreled with his family, and soon he renounced everything, and even left his home. It could not even be called home: just two rooms in one of the common houses on the street, belonging to the Guild of Jewelers. Of course, I did not ask how his wife and children were doing without him. After all, it was his personal decision and responsibility. So, we slowly came to the outskirts of the city, to the poor and beggar''s quarters. There were half-ruined houses, dirty streets, and dark gateways. It was an abode of thieves, murderers, and other very different kinds of outlawed people. I hoped we would not be killed passing by here.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "We''re going there," the old man pointed to one of the aisles between the houses. Okay. We turned the corner and approached an inconspicuous iron door. The old man knocked a couple of times, calling for someone named Eran¡ªapparently the owner of this house. Ten minutes later, the door opened with a creak, and on the threshold appeared a short, dressed in all black, one-eyed man of indeterminate age. "It''s just you, Grandpa," he was not surprised at all. "Today, I''m the only on duty. Come in quickly." The man took a step forward and to the side. "Not you!" He blocked the passage and his hand roughly pressed against my chest when I went to follow the old man. "I don''t know who you are, noble, and will not let you into my house!" The man grimaced through his teeth and peered at me angrily. ''First, they called me sir, now they call me a noble. What did the game''s random system choose for me when it created the character?'' "Eran, he''s with me," the old man said quietly, peering outside, "He''s a good fellow, even if he''s one of those gentlemen types. Why are you so angry?" The one-eyed man looked thoughtfully at the old man, then at me again. I could almost see the gears spinning in his head. He probably knows the jeweler well. But I''m obviously unpleasant to him, as he has no respect for nobles. "OK," he removed his hand and allowed me to pass, "But know this! There are some people who don''t really like your type. So don''t get cocky. They can cut you up before you even blink," the one-eyed man grinned as he said this. I shrugged and dragged the cart into the building. We found ourselves in a long, wide corridor with many doors on both sides, each of them with a number on it. At the entrance, there was a tiny room and a table that probably belonged to the one-eyed Eran. "Don''t be mad at him," the old man was confidently walking ahead of me. "Eran is, of course, a robber and a murderer, but he has never killed any innocents. His house is a shelter for people like me. And he doesn''t charge a high fee for accommodations and food." "Yeah, ok," I whispered softly. "Do you doubt me?" the jeweler chuckled. "You shouldn''t. You know, before I got here, I thought as you do now. I used to divide everything into black and white. And it turned out to be very different from that," the old man waved his hand annoyingly, "I live here now." He stopped at the door with a "happy" # 13 painted on it, as we had walked more than half the length of the corridor. Having rummaged in the inner pockets of his shirt, the old man pulled out a large, rusty key on a short rope, struggled a bit with the lock and opened the door to a small but cozy room. "Come in," he offered, "I have only the one bed, you''ll sleep on it, as you''re a guest after all, and I''ll rest on the floor. It''s better than sleeping outside. Or are you in a hurry?" the jeweler suddenly asked with a squint. "Well, no," I answered honestly. The quests can wait, I have plenty of time. "By the way," the jeweler asked. "What''s your name?" "Kraven." "What a strange name," the old man shook his head. "Well, you can call me Grandpa. Yeah, just Grandpa!" He repeated his name, seeing my surprised expression. "I''m used to the nickname. And ... thank you again, Kraven," the jeweler held out his hand. OK! I happily shook his hand. He hadn''t revealed his name before, maybe he''ll say it some other time. I''m curious now. Ring-ring The quiet chime of bells caused me to wince in surprise as the, lines of a semi-transparent system message popped up in front of my eyes. A hidden task: To help Grandpa, is done Reputation with NPCs is increased to "Respect" Level 2 has been obtained You have 3 points available for distribution ''Hm? This is quite weird and sudden.'' ''Although, the world of Noria is full of these kinds of hidden and secret tasks, generated by the Artificial Intelligence for certain situations.'' ''You throw, for example, a coin to a beggar, and immediately messages come. The beggar turns out to be a disguised high priest of some heavenly patron. It happens sometimes. There are well-known occurrences in real-world history, when in ancient times kings and emperors dressed as ordinary poor people and walked around the cities, watched how people lived, how they treated each other, whether they cursed the government and their rulers or not.'' ''Sometimes it is different. Some hidden tasks can bring significant benefits, others are just a small plus to your virtual karma, but the third um...can cause so much trouble that you''ll regret it a hundred times over.'' ''So, in this case, the system counted in my favor the help I provided and good attitude I displayed toward the old jeweler, throwing a certain amount of experience and, at the same time, increasing my reputation. I don''t need the second level, as well as the three free points accompanying each new level, because for me it''s too early still, the reputation, on the other hand, is a very good addition. This task, by the way, can be attributed to those affecting karma, useless, but pleasant nonetheless.'' ''Also, it is not simple to gain experience points and reputation in the game.'' ''The amount of experience given for completed tasks, killing mobs, creating items, and so on, is never indicated. Neither is how much is left to the next level. The experience value is unknown and highly personalized for each player. Everything is left to the discretion of the AI controlling the game. You could kill a dozen hares in the nearest forest and not get any points, but you could collect cabbage in the garden for an old woman and get the long-awaited level. Now, of course, if you manage to kill a wolf that''s level 11, the AI will honestly evaluate the method of the kill and give you enough experience for at least two or even three levels. But the same method will not work the second time, you will need to come up with something new or modify the old quite a lot.'' ''As for reputation... There are four kinds of negative and the same number of positive reputations. Let''s start with the worst case¡ª''Hatred.'' They will kill you always and everywhere they see you, if they can, of course, or the consequences of a murder will not result in death for the NPCs. Do not consider those who hate you to be hateful, bloodthirsty maniacs. Oh no, they can make plans, be careful and cautious. Then comes ''Enmity''¡ªthey may kill you or maybe not. It depends on their mood, so to speak. ''Dislike''¡ªthey probably will not talk to you, answer your questions, either, but they can send you "to hell" if you are too persistent or hit you if you annoy them too much. And finally, you have ''Mistrust'' - it is One-Eyed thief and murderer''s attitude to me. Simply put, he does not like me and that''s it.'' ''Now more on positive reputation¡ª''Friendliness''. If none of the above-mentioned things happen between you and NPCs, then you have this reputation by default. You can chat with them, ask them something, bargain, help, if possible, even get a quest. The next one is ''Respect''¡ªfor example, Grandpa: I''m sure the system gave me the reputation at the moment when I helped him, but it did not hurry to show that to me, maybe, it did not want me to get too complacent. In this case, the NPC thinks you are their best friend and tries to help you with all their strength, for example, by giving you rare and interesting quests. ''Reverence''¡ªif they are of the opposite sex, be careful, he or she could start to flirt, this isn''t a joke. You will always be accepted as a member of the family, given all the best, given protection and so on. ''Exaltation''¡ªyou are almost God to them. You can find out your current reputation only by looking at external signs. No figures and data, except system messages about its increase (as in the case of Grandpa) or decrease, and the game does not generate these messages for you. You could kill a wandering cat, then you meet a merchant, and he turns out to be the father of the girl who owned the cat, who saw what you did. Then you will be asked to move along and not interfere with trade. If you start to argue, he will call the guards. Ring-ring What else could this be? Chapter 5 You have not eaten for a long time, the ''Easy Hunger'' debuff has been received Every 30 minutes, your endurance level will decrease by 10% Potions of endurance will not help If the endurance is depleted, you will receive the ''Heavy Hunger'' debuff Every 30 minutes, the life level will decrease by 10% Potions of life will not help Try to eat on time! ''What an accurate and correct explanation! Thanks a lot. I will die of hunger, then revive, and, if I do not eat for a while, will get this debuff and die all over again. With my sensitivity, I really need to eat on time and make sure the food isn''t rotten.'' "Grandpa," I said excitedly, "Do you have anything to eat?" While I was thinking, the jeweler began to sort out his belongings and laid them out on the table. "No, of course not," he answered without distraction. "There is an eatery in this building. There." Without looking, Grandpa waved his hand to the side, "At the end of the corridor. Wait a bit, and we''ll go there together. Don''t go there alone, it''s better if you go with me." "Yes Grandpa." I sat down on the lonely little chair by the door. Grandpa finished in a little over an hour, and I watched anxiously as the figure of fifty in the line turned into forty. "Let''s go," he said, taking the key and nodding at the door. I immediately ran out of the room. Grandpa, closing the door carefully, turned the key in the lock and walked to the end of the corridor slowly. I impatiently circled near him, and mentally counted down the time until the next tick. "Are you really so hungry?" The old man was surprised and perturbed by my actions. "Eh, youth. There is no patience in you." Grandpa! Hurry up! I screamed in my mind. No time for stories! Not now! But finally, we came to the end of the corridor, I opened the double door and let the jeweler go ahead in front of me. It was a huge hall, poorly lit by some dim glowing balls on the ceiling, with a lot of chaotically arranged tables, at which a dozen or two people could be found sitting. On the right, near the entrance, there was a long counter with trays and dishes, and in the opposite, far corner, I saw two people cooking something in a large copper pot, standing by an open stove.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Take two trays, bowls and spoons and go to the cooks," Grandfather advised me. "I''ll talk to them for awhile." Trying not to attract attention, although those who needed to, had noticed us already, I grabbed trays, a couple of deep wooden bowls, and walked to the stove along the wall, away from the tables. The closer I approached, the more I felt the pleasant smell of freshly cooked food. Grandpa took the trays and bowls from me and filled them with food for me and him. "Let''s go to the far table," the jeweler suggested. "Mmm!" I cautiously tried the first spoon, it was something like a thick soup, and closed my eyes with pleasure. "Yummy!" I don''t know what it was made of, but it tasted pretty good. I ate quickly, but neatly. Endurance is restored 50\50 Life is restored 30\30 ''Great! I would finally be able to relax. I could forget about food for at least the next twelve hours. As far as I remember, in this game it is enough to eat only once a day, and food can restore life after minor injuries. And how could I have forgotten that? However, even if I had remembered, I still had no money for food.'' "Hey, Grandpa," a man with an obvious gangster''s face sat next to us, "Who''s that guy?" He pointed at me with his finger, which had a dirty, gnawed fingernail. Grandpa looked confused. ''What do you want from me, huh?'' I thought, annoyed. "Kraven," the jeweler whispered, a little scared. "I don''t care what his name is! What is this noble creature doing here?" The angry man was staring at me now. I was silent, although I wanted to respond, but Eran had advised me to not draw attention. And the voice of reason also required that I sit quietly and not get in trouble. "Why are you silent? Are you dumb or what? Maybe a cat got your tongue?" the bandit offered mocking questions. "Grandpa, leave us alone," he aggressively, but gently, pushed him off the bench, "Let us have a heart-to-heart talk. I don''t like, as you know, such gentlemen." Grandpa was standing nearby and blinking, while his hands began to tremble nervously. He didn''t know what to do. It was clear to me that he shouldn''t interfere and he had no one to ask for help. I tensed up, anticipating a big problem, and the advice, to not show off, wouldn''t help much there. Of course, I knew how to fight well, but that was in real life. Five years of daily martial arts training increased my speed, reaction time, and reflexes¡ªwhich are very important for a pilot. Moreover, I not only drove flyers but also trained, so my dexterity and attentiveness were at the highest level. ''But the game has its own rules. I don''t have any real powers here. There are only those that ''Noria'' has recently given me.'' ''Oh, and I thought the day had started off poorly. No, it had started very well, but it will end even "better"¡ªwith my death! I don''t think that this thug wants to talk to me. Alas, perhaps this is my fate.'' I didn''t wait for a move from the bandit and, having grabbed the first thing nearby¡ªa tray, I hit his impudent face with it, accompanied by the words, "Fuck you!" You have dealt physical damage -3 A translucent message popped up before my eyes for a split second. What was I hoping for? Could I kill him? It was way too unlikely. Blood sprayed from the bandit''s broken nose and he wiped it off with his sleeve. "The noble has some character, yeap? You know." He pulled out a little knife, with a crooked serrated blade. "Well, since you have quite a tongue on you, I''ll cut it out right now!" Chapter 6 The man tried to reach me across the table, but I quickly jumped up, grabbing the second tray, as the first flew somewhere off to the side. "You''re fast," the bandit muttered, getting up slowly from the bench. Two more men began to approach me on either sides. The rest of the people did not intervene, they just watched the fight and cheered my opponents on. Grandpa''s gone, I just hope he doesn''t get hurt after they kill me. "Close the door!" the bandit with the knife yelled to someone, "I don''t want someone to interrupt me while I''m cutting off that useless tongue of yours." So there are at least one or two more people behind me. "It''s better if you don''t fight," a guy advised me from somewhere to the right of me. "You''ll just have longer to suffer," he cheerfully grinned, showing his crooked and rotten teeth. No way I''m going down without a fight. I jerked to the left side and threw the tray at the face of the enemy in front of me, hoping to distract him and then sneak past him to the pot. Let''s see how you ''sing'' when I start throwing boiling water at you! But I didn''t succeed in my attempt. He managed to grab my sleeve and slow me down. It was enough for the first bandit with the knife to run up to me and hit me in the side. Surprisingly, I wasn''t really hurting, the adrenaline had smoothed my sensitivity which was at seventy percent. Physical damage taken is 15 units. Life 15\30 ''Eh, I should have put points into force. But I''d probably just be prolonging my agony.'' The third bandit ran up and knocked me to the floor, hitting me several times with his fist. Physical damage taken is 8 units. Life 7\30 Hit me again and it''s goodbye, I''ll be flying back to the spawn point. I hope I can find Grandpa again. He''s a good old man. "Open up, you bastards!" a loud scream came from behind the closed door. It was a familiar voice, the one-eyed owner of the house had come. "What''ll we do?" the guy who was leaning on me asked.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "Kill him," the bandit with the knife ordered, hatred in his voice. "Eran won''t do anything, it''ll be too late by then. And if he kicks us out ... well, it''s not the first time." I was moved to the back, being held with my arms behind me. "Get ready to meet your ancestors!" What they don''t know though¡­ is that I am immortal. Probably because I don''t look like a typical player. The first bandit threw a knife to the man who was holding me down. The man caught it with one hand and raised it for the final blow. I''ll find you and take revenge! Promise! Vzh-zh-zhih, a dagger zipped through the air and bit down on the hand holding the knife, and the bandit howled and rolled aside, grabbing the injured limb. The next moment, a tall, blurry shadow knocked down the bandit that had threatened me at the table, and sent him to a long rest. Or even an eternal one, because with a broken trachea you will not live for very long, unless magicians help you in the near future. But are there any healers around here? "Are you alive?" The man leaned over me. He was wearing a dark cloak with a hood on his head. I could not see his face. He gave me his hand and helped me stand back up. "Open the door!" The stranger ordered and, surprisingly, no one in the eatery dared to object. "What happened here?" One-eyed Eran burst into the room, distributing kicks and cuffs on the head to a pair of slow-witted guys along the way. "Where''s Grandpa?" And what about me? Well, okay, I guess I''m not really offended. "Well..." It turned out that the chefs had dragged Grandpa behind the counter with the trays on it, so that he would not accidentally get into a fight, and now he was standing in front of Eran and trying to clearly explain what had happened here. "Got it," the one-eyed man said, after listening to the story. "I knew it, it was a bad idea to allow you in here," he said to me. "I forgot all about that idiot!" He pushed the cold corpse with its throat cut with the toe of his boot. "And where is the third bastard?" "He managed to leave," a voice from the crowd sounded. "Son of a bitch!" Eran swore. "If anyone sees him, tell him that it''s better for him not to come here again. If I ever see him, I''ll kill him! I will choke him with my own hands! And you," he beckoned me with a gesture, "you can stay with Grandpa today, but tomorrow ... You better leave by tomorrow." The jeweler came up to me and pulled me away from the eatery, "Let''s leave. We will rest, heal you, and have a drink together. I have something to get rid of the stress," the old man winked at me. "Let them deal with this mess themselves." I wanted to thank the stranger that had saved me from these maniacs, but did not have the time. Grandpa had already pulled me out of there and into the corridor. "And where is Dazrael? That long-eared bastard! He''s made a bloody mess, and who will clean it up?" This was the last thing I heard before we came into the room and the jeweler locked the door. "Ah, how are you?" the old man lifted my clothes without permission, examining the cut. "Where is that salve?" He rummaged in one of the bags beside his bed. "Here it is! Come on, take off your shirt, I''ll smear everything with this, tie it up, and you''ll feel better in the morning." Then we drank some disgusting swill, but it helped. Grandpa told some stories again and I listened, struggling with drowsiness... "Sleep, dear, sleep," I seemed to be covered with a rug. For some reason, the name Dazrael flashed through my mind, and I tried to remember it... "It''s a cruel game, son, even if you''re immortal," someone whispered softly, maybe Grandpa. Or it seemed to me like it was him? And then I was fast asleep... * * * Author''s Note: Hello, My name is Paul, I''m from Russia. And this story is the translation the first book of the popular Russian series LitRPG novel - "Realm of Noria". So it happened that me have an agreement with Amazon on this book, and i can''t publish here the whole story. But if you enjoyed the opening chapters, i''ll really appreciate if you support me and buy my book on Amazon. The release of the second volume of this series will be very soon here (just the other day in May), on this site! Note from the author Hello, friends!!!))) My name is Paul, I''m from Russia. And this story is the translation the first book of the popular Russian series LitRPG novel - "Realm of Noria". I started publishing here only in March , but really happy that some people already started reading me right here. So it happened that me have an agreement with Amazon on this book, and i can''t publish here the whole story. But if you enjoyed the opening chapters, i''ll really appreciate if you support me and buy my book on Amazon.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The release of the second volume of this series will be very soon here, on this site! Here are the Links for those who missed: Realm of Noria [LitRPG series. Book 1. The Birth] Amazon. Kindle Unlimited https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B07L43CBC9 Facebook https://www.facebook.com/paul.kite.pk Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43126914-the-birth I hope you will find a couple of minutes and leave a short review on Amazon or Goodreads after the reading. It''s very very important for me!!!)))