《Secrets Online》 Chapter 1 The world fell into chaos, nothing was normal, everything has changed. No one was able to revert the world back to how it was. It was people''s actions that lead it down this way, and when it comes to the real world, there is no superman to woshh in and save the day. The outcome of That Day would make kings weep. Wherever you looked, you could find weak, miserable, and pathetic humans scavenging to survive another day in hell. It was hell on earth that many people had the terrible luck to live in. It was wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony that brought this upon them. However, only few could turn away from continuing their path of sin. It was especially hard as the world fell into chaos. It appeared as if only the ones that were willing to stick a knife in the back of others were able to rise to power. Luckily, even in the bottom pit of hell, people who have not yet been corrupted can be found. Zai Price, as far as he could remember, considered himself lucky. He was able to survive the chaos that unfolded in the world in 2012 - without being forced to suffer like the others. On top of that, he had an adorable younger sister who was known for her beauty and sharp mind. His sister, Ell, was three years younger than him. He loved her very much but did so silently from the shadows. He concealed every possible sign of affection towards her. The relationship could be described as ¡®we just exist in the same house.¡¯ Ell felt like they had nothing in common, nothing to talk about. The Price Family was an Upper-Lower class family. They were able to afford the necessities of good everyday life, and in the year 2025 that was something rare. Thanks to his father, a hard-working man, they could live a pretty stable and enjoyable life with presents on birthdays and a full belly every day. This was a considerable feat in such a day and age. His family was able to enjoy life without worrying about money unlike most of the kids around them. Other parents couldn''t earn enough money to promise their kids a full plate of food let alone to be able to send them to school. To assist their parents, most kids had to work and earn money. Ever since the Catastrophe 13 years ago at the end of 2012¡ªwhen people blindly believed in a myth which told about the end of the world on the last day of the year of 2012 at 20:12. People had panicked, and hell had broken loose on earth. One cult with massive followers had decided to commit suicide in various places for the enlightenment of the people on their final days. It was to their way to warn the people: to allow them to join the cult before it was ''too late''. People were worried about the predictions that were circling around the social media. It was something on the tongue of everyone, and when they started hearing reports on people all over the world suddenly taking their lives, they began to panic. They began to fear that the end has begun. To make it all worse, some people started robbing and stashing things in their basements in panic and preparation in case something did happen. Countless murders occurred that were done by people who believed that they wouldn¡¯t be judged for their deeds on the last day. Workers worried about their families, went back home disregarding their responsibilities. Emergency personnel was no longer available; the phone network fell down, and no one was able to contact another. Ironically, these deeds brought exactly what the humans feared. Historians, analysts, and psychologists agree that what happened was due to bad luck and the generally weak nature of humanity. After the chaos started to calm down and people started to realize that nothing catastrophic happened, everyone thought that everything would go back to normal. However, that was not their fate. One of the biggest driving forces behind ¡°The Catastrophe,¡± was from a pharmaceutical company, the information about what exactly happened then was lost in the chaos of that day. However, the virus PHXV that was being created for the military was released, killing everyone it had infected. The population dwindled in mere hours. The virus itself only lasted a day, and then vanished by itself; its aftermath, however, was devastating. Upon sunrise, the new day started with the rotten smell of corpses and ashes from the burning buildings filling the air accompanied by the sight of destroyed homes. Those who acted smart or were just plain lucky had survived. In the following years, the governments couldn¡¯t regain their standings. Instead, it was the corporations that were in control. Even though the majority of people now lived like rats, while the wealthy minority got even more prosperous, numerous companies fell. Only a few of them survived the catastrophe, and they came out of it stronger than ever. 13 Years later, his family was considered an Upper-Bottom class as they were not wealthy but had shelter, food, and water. They were even able to afford to send him and his sister to corporate school; it was all thanks to his father who managed to get a job at a company that was working on creating a virtual reality game. Not many would be able to afford the game, but it was not meant for everyone to begin with. The whole world spoke about it as if they would be willing to sell their soul to play it. Zai being only 16 felt a little guilty for the precious and joyful moments of being in school, while knowing that the vast majority of other kids his age were working all day long to support their families with the meager wages they earn. His father didn''t approve of him not "living the time of his life as long as possible" as if whatever would follow these years would only be torment. Their lives changed on his sister''s 13th birthday and the days that followed it. When she unwrapped her present, they were surprised to find the virtual reality game their father¡¯s company was working on with the rumored 99% realism. They were looking at a gift that they thought they could never afford, wondering if he got it for cheaper due to working at the company. They didn''t dare to ask him this question. After all, asking a money-related question was extremely rude in such a day and age. They might have been curious, but curiosity killed the cat. That¡¯s why they let those thoughts slip. Opening her present Ell was greeted by the headset which she immediately put on only for her father to put it down again. He explained that even if the access was ready, the game wasn¡¯t. It was a multiplayer game with thousands of participants. So to make it fair for all the players, they had to wait till everyone who was supposed to get it got it. Zai was excited just as his sister to try the new game. Sadly his life changed days before the game launched. It was a typical day when the doorbell rung. Believing his parents had returned. He called out to his sister to open the door but she ignored him. Then the bell rung again, and he got annoyed by it and shouted this time. "Ell, go open the door!!" "I can hear you - you don''t have to shout" answered Ell. When she stood up, she noticed her brother lying on the bed and listening to music she decided it was outrageous. Why should she be the one to open the door and not him, turning back to her room she told him to open the door by himself and the typical Price siblings quarrel begun. "Why don''t you open the door yourself? Why do you boss me around?" "I''m older this makes me wiser by default. That means, I know what is best and it¡¯s my duty as your older brother to order you around." Ell looked at him baffled. "It is true; you are older but wiser? Unlikely." The two siblings glared at each other, then Ell continued. "Anyway, know I''m not going to open the door. I want to note that it was you who stated before that you need some exercise. So when you go and open the door, you will hit two birds with one stone." Ell said that knowing full well that the type of exercise her brother enjoyed doing was different. He had stopped exercising because of the exam period at school, but he gained the title of martial arts champion in a tournament last year. Yet a few months ago, he easily lost to a guy called Logan as if he was a beginner. Nonetheless, he still held the title of a champion in martial arts that he gained in the corporate school. The doorbell rang, again and again, showing the impatience of the one standing in front of the door. Ell and Zai remembered what they were quarreling about and agreed for a truce for the moment and so both of them went to open the door together. To their surprise, the one waiting at the door was not their father, but rather bob, the guard who was employed to guard the neighborhood from envious people who tried to rob or attack people with any symbol of power. Zai and Ell were slightly intimidated by Bob''s existence. The neighborhood had picked the scariest looking guy to guard them, in order to give a visual warning to anyone who doesn''t mean well. However, their curiosity about what he had to say was stronger than their fear of him. Sadly, what he shared with them was even worse than the catastrophe 13 years ago. He never managed to finish what he wanted to say before the Ella started crying and Zai closed the door in his face. "Why? What should we do now? Dad is dead." "We will do, what we have to do,¡± Zai said without a tear in his eyes. Then he looked at his sister¡¯s face, held her face in his hands and told her reassuringly. "Don''t worry, No matter what, I will keep you safe.¡± Hearing his decision, Ells crying got stronger. Being orphans they degraded to ¡°rats,¡± the same kids he felt pity for only weeks prior, the ones that weren''t able to enjoy their childhood. He was left with no choice but to look for a job, but without completing his education, he wasn¡¯t able to get a well paid one. Since he wasn¡¯t the only one like this, the help from the corporate was also nonexistent. They now had only themselves to count on. With the savings being enough for a month worth of living.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Five days ago it had been his sister¡¯s birthday, and now their happy family of 3 became 2. As if the angel of misery didn¡¯t want anyone not suffering and he poked a stick in the Price household. On the next day he dropped out of school without problems due to the school having everything prepared, knowing well that he wouldn¡¯t be able to pay for accommodation. One small sign on a paper and the words ¡° this makes it easier for all of us¡± made him a high school dropout denying him the chance for a good job. He went around trying to find a job as soon as possible and just as he expected - what he wanted to do for a living when he grows up, and any type of decent work that would keep him in the upper bottom class is not the type to be entrusted to a teenage dropout. He didn''t have a chance and instead tried hard labor. His first day was wasted, without him being able to find a job. On the second day, he was able to work in the mine. He has hoped that the money would be enough to get food on the table and keep his sister in school, but his hopes were nothing but a child''s wishful thinking. It was futile the money he earned at the end of the day was barely enough to cover the dinner, he knew that times were bad but this is not what he expected. At this rate, his sister also needed to drop out of school, but he would rather spend every waking moment working than to let that happen. Upon returning home after the work in the mine, he had a bowl of soup for dinner. Some might call it a bowl of soup, but it was only boiled water, with drops of ketchup in it, to give it a terrible taste - it was a necessity that they would eat less daily, so that food would last longer - it was something that he agreed with Ell on. They only planned to do that for a little while, but they both felt differently in their heart, they didn''t dare say it out loud, but they feared that they would have to continue eating such things for the rest of their lives. As they were dining at the table, sharing an awkward silence, Zai''s eyes started close slowly until he fell asleep, Ell stared at her brother, brought a blanket and cover him with it - she then whispered the secret she didn''t want him to know but the one she had to tell. The next morning Zai woke up with neck pain from sleeping in a sitting position all night, his eyes were still sleepy when he noticed the blanket he was covered with. He smiled knowing that it could be no other than his sister who wrapped him in the blanket. He went to her room to check up on her. But, she wasn''t in her bed - instead, she was in his Father¡¯s room sound asleep - Zai didn''t know how to feel, whether to cry or to smile, but he left quietly. When Ell woke up, he was already out, and she noticed that she was late for school, but that was okay as she has decided to become a high school dropout yesterday. By doing so, she would make it easier for her brother who kept trying hard to keep it together, but that could never fool her. Upon his return, they got into a big argument over the fact that she quit school. Zai knew that he couldn''t have earned enough money to keep her in there in the first place, but it still pained him. So he made a statement in a matter-of-fact tone. "Even if you quit school, I will not allow you to work. Not now, not ever." Ell failed to negotiate with Zai but did not accept what he told her. "But what should I do now?" she asked hoping to make him rethink the no working rule. "STUDY! You might¡¯ve had quit school, but you will study nonetheless, you will study by yourself, and you will make sure, that once you grow up, you can work as father did, and afford to let us go back to how we used to be. Until then I will work wherever I can, and I will keep us alive." Zai took his jacket and left the house to search for a second job. In the meanwhile, Ell opened a math book in hopes to study. After she solved the first equation, she looked to her right, only to find the headgear for the Virtual reality game - Secret Online. She remembered that the game should have already begun by now, so she took the gear and divided to test it out for herself. For the year that followed Ell spent most of her time in the game. While Zai spent his time working. Whenever he was home, he would see she was studying, he had faith in her and trusted that she was doing the best she could. However, the moment he left, she would dive back in the game, it was a point of addiction. He had already forgotten about the existence of the headgear in the house. He would only spend his time working. From one place to the other, the only time he came back home, was to eat dinner and to sleep, until he wakes up early on the next day to head back to work. One time, as he was leaving his job, he was attacked by a gang. ¡°Give us all you have earned, and you will keep your life¡± said one of them. "Maybe¡± continued another. Zai didn¡¯t waste time with negotiations. Instead, he immediately hit one of the guys with a sharp punch and kicked the other with his leg. The gang surrounded him, but he made a kick-jump to one of their faces. This allowed him to jump high enough, to be able to get past the gang, and continue his way back home running, escaping from the group. It was not the last he has heard from them. A few days later, as he was leaving home again, he found one of the guys from the gang waiting for him. ¡°Yo,¡± the boy with the golden head said. However, Zai did not reply. Instead, he continued on his way without a care in the world. ¡°I SAID YO¡± the boy said again as he patted Zai¡¯s back. Zai, made his hand into a fist, and warned: ¡°whatever you want to say, better not be a waste of my time.¡± ¡°Chill bud! the boss person wants to meet cha¡± he said. To that, he found a punch in his face and fell on the ground with blood pouring from his nose. ¡°You bastard! How dare you hit me?¡± Zai looked back at the boy, was on the ground with his nose bleeding. The boy merely stared back at Zai and then, stood up, while pushing the dust away. ¡°People who meet the boss, either end up dead, or rich.¡± The boy then turned around and started walking away. While irritated Zai found himself following him. *** Zai followed the boy, for no other reason than the word ¡°money.¡± Had the invitation been to kill him, more than one person would¡¯ve had been sent. The entire way, the boy continued to try to brush up a conversation with him. However, he was entirely ignored by Zai. Finally, they have reached the gang¡¯s HQ. ¡°Ay. there-there¡± Said the boy, while urging Zai to enter the room. Zai looked in the eyes of the boy, held his shirt in his hand and brought him closer to him. ¡°if my life is in danger here, I will kill you.¡± ¡°hahaha! You are a fine joker dude¡± gulped the boy as he said, and the continued ¡°but that would be troublesome for me. you see, I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Right after saying that, another two men appeared, and pushed Kai forward. He could have escaped at that moment, but he decided to continue forward, to see what this opportunity was about. He stood watching the scene that unfolded before him. A man, probably ¡®that boss person¡¯ was hitting another poor-idiot mercilessly with a screw bar. Other people in such a situation, would either try to help the man, scream, or run away. However, it was a dog eat dog world. Only the strong survive, Zai knew that he didn¡¯t care what happens to anyone else. As long as he can accomplish his mission. As long as he kept his sister safe. That was all that mattered. Once the situation solved itself, and the man¡¯s blood was pouring on the floor. The boss person was able to talk with Zai. ¡°I heard you had an offer for me.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t an offer. You either do what I tell you and get alot of money, or you die.¡± Zai, didn¡¯t feel any threat, and he felt as if he could kill the boss at any moment if he needed to. However, he stayed quiet, the element of surprise was better than letting that guy be on guard. ¡°Your punch and kick did a number on my men. One had his teeth fall off; the other had a broken nose - I even heard you did it all without getting hit once, and you were even able to escape while being surrounded by them.¡± The boss, clapped slowly three times ¡°My name is Bayko, and I am Impressed.¡± Zai, however, was not impressed ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°Underground fights! I am officially inviting you to be one of the competitors - if you win, You will earn more money, than working anywhere else.¡° Zai answered, but not too eagerly ¡°Now, we have something to discuss about¡± he then became quiet for a moment, and continued ¡°Boss.¡± At the end of that day, Zai ended up participating and winning in an underground fight. The money he earned from one fight was worth what he could earn by working 5 days as a manual laborer. When he entered the battle arena. no one could tell he was strong, everyone thought he was simply a bone given for the dogs to chew on- to entertain the watchers. a scrawny kid that would be broken in half, against the muscle mountain that was against him. However, they were wrong, extremely wrong, and that was proven once Zai was able to win the fight without even being harmed once. *** With the money he earned from the underground fights, he was able to afford food and to live in a similar standard as to when his parents were alive. after he started to learn exactly how much one can earn money, he always wondered about how his father was able to afford sending 2 children to school, to buy a house, to own a car, and to live in a poor man''s luxury. In today''s society, there are 3 classes. The first class; the people that belonged to this class lived in castles. the second class was Upper-lower class for poor people who were able to afford a good life, and the 3rd class, the low class - for the rats - the rest of humanity, the millions that run around the street that would kill each other for a piece of food, the sort of class he believed he was in. The one thing that kept him going was knowing that Ell didn''t have to suffer. If he weren¡¯t there, the only destiny a girl would meet in the street was one that he wouldn''t allow himself to think about. when it was time to eat, he and his sister would sit in an awkward silence that was only broken by the sound of chewing. It had already been a year since this became their daily routine; He would go out from the morning till the night and work. Even he didn¡¯t work, he would only come back when the clock turns 21:00 never a moment before, never a moment after. Ell suspected that he was doing it as such on purpose. He would always leave the house when it was 6:00. He never got sick, he never got tired. it was just the thing he did, for the past year. His sister was similar to him, in a way. She did not leave the house for a year, instead she would wake up and dive in Secret Online the virtual reality game. And then leave the game, to cook some food for her and her brother and to study a bit and to greet her brother as she was holding the pen in her hand. She felt slightly guilty about hiding the truth of the game from him. but she felt as if what was going in Secret Online, was far more important than anything else. The things that unraveled in the past year, the secrets she discovered. it had all lead her down a path of no-return. One day, Zai returned like he did everyday, and for the first time, he saw the headgear worn by his sister. He neither felt anger or resentment. had she known how he would feel she would only laugh at her self. He didn''t expect her not to play it. He was actually surprised to find her studying every time he came home. He simply started to cook food for himself. He gave no thoughts to the fact that Ell was playing the game. But then, he heard that cursed ring again. The doorbell had ranged again as it did almost a year ago. For a whole long year, for as far as he know no one had rang the bell. The sound of the cursed bell flashed some memories of a better time. Zai stepped toward the door with haste, took a deep breath and opened it to see what curse has been placed upon him now. Chapter 2 -Zai POV- Two hours have passed, I was waiting in an office room, it was wide, with comfortable black sofas in it. A desk placed on the side. Windows surrounded the room. Once I looked outside of them, I could see the entire ruin that surrounds us. It was one of those skyscrapers, that stayed standing after The Catastrophe, one that is owned by Secret Corp. The company that my father worked in. The company that owned Secret Online. I was sitting there with eight other people who were the parents of the other 4 top players. One family seemed like an upper-lower class family, the man dressed neatly and cleanly, and their behavior was elegant, but the quality of the dress was common. While another looked extremely rich, the diamond on the wife''s ring is probably worth more than I could pay for even if I worked for a lifetime. Instead of wearing that ring, she could save lives. Thousands of people could be fed, but greed stopped in the way of that. The greed of those who are in power, of those who can save lives, is standing in the way of helping so many people. She could be ignorant about that which happens in the world. I have been in a similar situation, unaware of the way of the world. Only felt pity for others, and wondered why didn¡¯t they get a job. Only if you through it, do you understand that there is a need for external help. I then noticed one couple kept bickering and fighting with each other over the fact that their son was addicted to the game and they blamed each other for not stopping him. They finally quieted down after one grumpy stepdad said ¡°For the love of God - Would you shut up already!¡± He pretended to care about his stepdaughter, but the moment his wife went to the bathroom, his behavior changed completely. As if all that was going around him, was simple annoyance that was of no concern to him. Then the man wearing the ridiculous rainbow-colored robe, who had and a peacock styled hair to match it appeared and introduced himself as the owner of Secret Inc. Anyone would be ashamed to show their face in public if they had such a terrible look, but this only comes to show how much the rich lived in their own bubble, how hard they tried to separate themselves from the rest of humanity. The owner has stated, that in the last year, the five players, have been playing for at least 12 hours a day, every day, to the point of addiction. Due to their continuous dive, they are now somehow stuck in the game. As if their minds completely synced with the game, any attempts to forcibly bring them out could cause brain damage. ''Looked pathetic as he tried to pretend to be sad, I felt like I should give him pointers on his acting skills, once I fix the way his face looks with a punch.'''' "I''m sorry for what happened to your sons and daughters¡­" and then he looked at me and said "and your sister." He then continued saying that it was not in his power to get my sister and the other players out from the game. I was unaware that my sister has spent so much time playing every day. So I started to ask various questions. "But why is she stuck there? how long will she stay there until it is in your power to save her?" I asked impatiently waiting for him to tell me who is responsible so I can break some heads. However, a voice came out from the people standing near me "And how much money will you pay us for the suffering you have inflicted upon us?" I was shocked by the question, but many of them agreed. The president answered "A million dollar for each kid lost will be given to the family. So imagine your sons are daughters are working and you received the money for their work for the worth of a million dollars." The families were shocked, the women from the lower class and upper-lower class family started to cry and hugging her husband while mumbling something. The eyes of the rich family were doubting, the husband and wife kept looking at each other, but no word was said between them, their expression was emotionless. Finally, the step dad could be heard laughing, unable to contain himself. While his wife was repulsed. I was immersed in their reactions. I found it interesting. What use would laughing or crying do now? It won¡¯t save anyone from anything. They should have cried when they heard their sons and daughter would probably be brain dead or stuck in a virtual reality game for the rest of their life. It all felt unreal as if it wasn¡¯t genuinely happening, But feelings and logic aren¡¯t the same, I knew what I saw and what I heard with my eyes was not that of a nightmare. Truthfully, the right thing to do now was to take the money and employ people to save my sister. Once she is saved, she will come back to her wealthy brother, who can truly protect her at that time. One million dollar is a lot in these times when working a full day would get you pennies to be able that barely afford you dinner. A million dollar would get you a castle and servant for the rest of yours and your grandchildren''s lives. "But.." the president continued "you must never tell anyone about what happened to your children." I was shocked to hear that. Not being able to tell anyone about it, means I can¡¯t employ people to look into it further, means I can¡¯t do anything to save Ell. While I was still thinking of what to do, the lawyer, the woman in the suite that came to my house and brought me here, took out five contracts and then said "If you agree to the sum, sign this contract which contains that you''ll get your money in full while we will keep trying to help your children, but you need to keep the fact that they''re stuck in the game a secret." The stepdad was the first to stand in front of the contract and sign with a full smile on his face; he was no longer hiding his feeling toward his stepdaughter from the wife. I tried analyzing the situation. In this day and age when money was the only thing, people would work for. These 1$ million would allow me to live comfortably. More importantly, assuming that Ell can be saved, once she is back, she could live in comfort. I couldn¡¯t see any way I could save her. I neither knew anything about virtual reality games, nor anything about what my sister has been doing so far. But, if I signed that contract, I won¡¯t be able to investigate, I would have to trust the peacock man to help her, and he does not feel trustworthy to me. I looked at the other families, hoping that their reactions would give me a tip. After the stepfather took his wife and left, I looked up to the wealthy couple to remind me of my faith in humanity, surely to them one million dollar is nothing, it doesn''t affect them, they wouldn''t even consider this let alone agree... How? How could this happen? They are signing the contract; they don''t even need the money to live or die. Are they giving up on their son that easily? I couldn''t contain myself, I was looking up to them, thinking maybe they wouldn''t fall for greed, they would do something to make sure the people in the game are saved, yet they are signing over the life of their son, to not speak about it, to not hire anyone to help. Would they even fake their child''s death in case someone asked? I held the arm of the woman as she was signing the contract, and I spoke with a louder voice than I expected "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHY ARE YOU SIGNING THIS? WHY AREN''T YOU EMPLOYING PEOPLE TO SAVE YOUR SON INSTEAD? WHY.." before I could finish what I was saying, the husband kicked me with his leg, I could have easily dodged it, but I was shocked at hearing myself scream. I have never screamed for the longest time I could remember. It was odd for a child, but I was always different from other people -¡¯Special¡¯ was fathers way of describing it... The Husbands kick felt soft, but I fell nonetheless "DON''T TOUCH MY WIFE YOU RAT." Rat... they called me a rat. Ahh, we are in the same situation, yet they refuse to speak with me and only think of me like a rat. I guess I was wrong on my previous statement, the reason why the rich don''t help the poor, is not because they are ignorant, nor because they are greedy though they are. But because they don''t consider these people as human, this is also known as the process of demonization. The shape of humanity was sad. I was still sitting on the floor when everyone else finished signing. Money is what controls the world, the smartest thing to do is to take this million dollar and hire people to rescue my sister with it, but the terms of this contract, won''t allow me to speak about this, I can''t hire anyone without telling them what I am hiring them for. There was no explanation done, the families simply picked their stuff and left, I was still thinking about what to do while sitting on the sofa in that office. "I thought they were owners of a big company why would they need the money" I asked myself in a low voice but as if the president heard what I said, he answered "He cared about his daughter, not the money. For example, he could¡¯ve had threatened me, if anyone knew about the fact that extensive immersion in Secret Online would cause them to be stuck in it. Do you think people would still play the game?¡± The peacock spoke as if to explain nthat the parents quietly signed the contract because they knew that he would be able to save their daughter. I saw I had no choice and I was about to sign the contract when my tears ran down my face and fell on the paper, I have never cried in my entire life. Not when my father died nor in the harsh time that followed, but here I am crying unable to stop the tears. I was surprised with myself, as if my brain was telling me to sign the contract while my heart is fighting and telling me not to, I always thought I was heartless, a person who would only do what was logical, what was in the parameters of my mission. It was an ironic thing to discover at such a time. I decided against rushing into anything and instead ran outside of the room. Once I reached the bottom floor and left the building, I screamed again! It was a relaxing feeling. My scream of agony, of pain, made me feel as if all of it would go away. Suddenly as if to bring me back to reality I heard someone else screaming. ¡°Do you know what time it is? It''s 1:30 you mourn" it was already so late in the night, and I hadn''t noticed it even though it was so dark and then I shouted back to the man "If you know what the time is, why did you ask" and then I started laughing like I haven¡¯t done in a while maybe it was a nervous thing, but then I collected myself, and went back to my usual self. When I turned back wanting to go the office that I stormed out of, I saw two guards who came to get me, but it seemed they saw me stopping, screaming and laughing. They were at loss of words and action, so they just stood there and waited. When I went back inside the building they followed, we all were soaking wet in water, as it was raining, I thought that I had brought this upon myself but, serve these two guards right for trying to catch me. When I went back to the room only my contract was placed on the table with a pen right near it. I could see the eyes of both Peacock and the lawyer, as they were waiting for my signature impatiently.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. I picked up the pen, to see their reactions, and put my hand on the piece of paper as if to sign it. I stared at the contract a little, and then back to the peacock. I dropped the pen from my hand, and instead jumped in front of the president and grabbed him by his collar I planned to throw him from the window. However, reason came to me, so instead, I just threw him on the table. He was shocked by my actions, but I needed him to know how dangerous I was. "Isn''t the money enough for you?" he asked in a serious tone "You think you could buy my sister''s life, with this much money?" The Peacock misunderstood me and instead offered again. "Then how much money do you want? you find one million not satisfactory?" "I don''t want your money, no money in the world is enough." "Then what do you want" he shrieked. I thought about it, and I didn''t know, really what do I wanted? I do want the money but not when it feels as if the money is for my sister''s life - it just feels wrong, I want to sign the papers and return to my house rich, but no matter how much I thought about that, I couldn''t say it, as if my own will is not my own. Then I figured out what I wanted to do, I will do what I have to do, to make sure my sister stays safe. I sat down and showed my best ''knowing-smile'' as if I had a secret smart scheme I was about to share. "You speak your hollow words about wanting to save my sister, but how do you plan that?" He looked at me as if I asked the most stupid question ever. "We plan to hire other top players or strong individuals until they can level up to high enough levels to fight back and free your sister.¡± I was shocked; it seemed the peacock has slipped. I asked, ¡°fight who exactly?¡° He looked at the lawyer, who shrugged and then said: ¡°Sign the contract promising you will keep everything a secret and I will explain everything to you, I would even give you a way to try and save your sister yourself.¡± That plan didn¡¯t sound terrible to me, and I ended up signing the contract. He took me to a moderation room, filled with monitors and technicians. He pointed at a monitor that had only the picture of a letter and in the letter was written [You can not stop what has begun. The most powerful is now mine - no pitiful attempts of yours would be able to stop me - But I will look forward to more!] I looked at the owner, waiting for some explanation. When he didn¡¯t explain by himself, I started asking "the most powerful are now mine? who is he and what does he mean?" "The players that are stuck in the game happened to be the top 5 players" he answered and the continued ¡°We also received a picture of the 5 top players, surrounded with a black field around them. We were unable to find where exactly they are in the system and forced ejection would only cause them to be brain damaged.¡± I didn¡¯t understand exactly what he meant, and then the lawyer said: "basically a hacker made a new room inside the game and put your sister in it and now we can¡¯t find her in the game, and we can¡¯t help he exit it.¡± "Well not exactly but that would simplify it," said one of the technicians that were in the room. "Then how can I help my sister with this?" "Some are trying to search for who is this hacker while others are searching where this backroom is, but the thing is we received more letters from this hacker which calls himself The Conductor." I focused well on what the president was going to say, but he suddenly fell silent "And¡­" Zai asked rather impatiently. "He said that if a ¡®hero¡¯ comes along and challenge his avatar in the game and wins, his prisoners would be released." "And are you sending a Hero? Who exactly is that?" I asked. "We did, and he is going to fight him soon, so if you want to see it you can wait in front of this monitor until a player called Ace arrives at this spot." The owner was pointing to one of the monitors that showed a wasteland, empty with nothing in it. "So you are saying that my sister will be saved today." I said, relieved that I would see her soon. "I''m hoping Ace can win¡­¡± ¡°Hoping? Why are you not certain? I asked ¡°Ace¡¯s level has exceeded 250, but your sister level was higher, and she supposedly lost to him, but we can''t wait until Ace becomes a higher level since we know nothing about the Conductor, we will have to take a chance and hope he at least get 1 hit, if he were able to touch him at least once, we would be able to track the IP address and then we can find him in the real world." I relaxed believing that my sister will be up and about sometime soon, there were many monitors, but everyone was looking at Ace who was preparing for battle. He gave an ok sign to specifically nowhere, it appeared on the screen, and I believe it was indented to the programmers who immediately clicked a few buttons and made him disappear. Ace then reappear in the wasteland where I was told the battle with The Conductor was going to be held. When Ace arrived at the scene, he was seen to take out a sword and attack immediately. The camera wouldn''t aim at whom he was attacking as if the Conductor did it in a way that the camera couldn''t see him. It was a short battle, in mere minutes, Ace¡¯s life points have already dropped to 3%, and the Conductor was yet untouched. Then, Suddenly, a stone hit Ace¡¯s face, his life points dropped to 0, and he died. It all happened in a way as if the Conductor was toying with him. ¡°After a player is killed in the game he gets banned for an hour. After that, he can return to the game, but he might lose the stuff that was on him when he died,¡± answered one of the developers. The man died, his death, his expressions, his pain. Felt so real, I was no longer sure if this was indeed a game. Then, as if to prove my suspicions right, the President received a phone call, and so did one of the technicians. The look of horror on their faces made me confused. The phone was slammed down and the developer said ¡°Sir. Ace is dead¡± I could no longer focus on what was happening around me, I could only think about my sister, about her fate, about what was going to happen to her. I shivered at the thought, what if this is what is going to happen to my sister, what if she died in real life as well. I must find a way to save her, not mourn her. I looked at the president whose face was as pale as a ghost. Anger welled up in me, and I wanted to shout out at the president and tell him it''s not the time to panic, instead it should be the time where you come up with an alternative action to solve this situation. But, before I could say anything, words on the screen started blinking. [ No one is allowed to cheat! Yet you helped him! With this, both of you are punished! -The Conductor ] Everyone looked in a shock, "What, what! What, Does he mean?" One of the developers gulped and said "I think The Conductor considered our actions of providing Ace with special items and transporting him from one place to the other as cheating" I started to wonder if what the peacock said was all a lie. How could a hacker do such a thing? How would any human being be capable of it? And even if he was. Why is a hacker calling other peoples cheaters? Does that make sense to anyone? The reaction from the developer, was as if considering Ace a cheater was a completely normal thing. Something was suspicious and I acted on my instinct. I held the President from his collar. I have already forgotten what his name was, I didn¡¯t really care, I only knew he was the owner of Secret Inc. and that he was dressed like an idiot. ¡°Listen here you bloody Peacock- you better tell me the truth now and if I find out you are lying to me, you will discover what desperate people who have nothing to lose can do.¡± I wasn¡¯t desperate as I said, but I was never really good at giving warnings. I only knew how to act on them. The owner looked to the side as if to tell the guards that have already swarmed the place in mere seconds to back of. ¡°Okay, calm down. I will explain everything- you have already signed the contract, just remember you can¡¯t tell anyone.¡° My hands were still holding his collar, but he behaved as if he was waiting for me to let him go. ¡°You better not be lying this time,¡± ¡°The Conductor is actually an A.I that does everything in the game, he controls the flow of events and he makes sure no one cheat and if anyone does, he or she is banned for life. But since the company helped Ace and made sure the conductor doesn''t see he was cheating, he was caught and punished much more severely than usual¡± I interrupted him ¡°so, usually, when someone cheats, they won¡¯t be able to play the game again. Then are you saying that what happened with Ace today, was the first time such a thing has happened? why my sister of all people? What did she do?" ¡°Yes, what happened with Ace today was unfortunate, as well as a first. As for your sister, we don¡¯t know exactly what the conductor plans, he has gone berserk.¡± "So what happened with The Conductor, why did he suddenly go berserk?" "We. don''t. know. But, the thing is, even though he has complete control over the game, he still keeps it going the same way it always did. We just don''t understand it" said one of the moderators. "Then all that needs to be done is to get someone strong? to not help him in pursuit of fighting the conductor?" "We are hoping, but either way, Ace just died and The Conductor is holding five players as hostages for an unknown reason. We can''t sacrifice more lives" "I''ll do it, I''ll make an avatar and save my sister," I said with total confidence. "You don¡¯t have an avatar yet and you want to go fight The Conductor? currently, at this moment you''re level is 0. While The Conductor has easily defeated players that were more than level 300 - which part of this won''t get you killed?" said the lawyer, partly with concern, and partly with disdain. "While the developers try to think of a way to get this problem fixed, I''ll try to fix it my own way, I will go in the game and try to level up as hard as I can, I''m highly motivated.¡± I gave a gentle smile saying I''ll be okay to nobody that cares. But then the woman in the suite declared something surprising "I''ll go too, and we could form a party and level up easier this was." "Why would you want to come with me, I don''t need your help old lady" "What old lady?!! I''m here pouring my soul out, offering to help and you dare insult me, I''m the same age you are" she said "Same age as I am, wow I heard girls lie about their age, but you¡¯re a bad liar, and with lying as your profession - seriously how could a bad liar such as yourself be a lawyer for such a big company," I said rather convinced. "Well first, I finished high school quite early, and went to college which I finished early as well and yesterday I was accepted as a lawyer here even though I don''t have experience and was due to the fact that I am the Owner¡¯s daughter." She said that with her nose up in the sky and then she continued and said "The only reason you thought I was lying was that I didn''t lie, you see I am so good at lying that only when I say the truth you might not believe me." She said rather proudly. Does she not know that she insulted herself more than once in one little sentence? "No offense intended, but I think you just offended yourself," I said with a big smirk that I was bad at hiding, but maybe I just didn''t want to hide it. I was irritated and deeply concerned, but this small banter has helped me relax slightly. I didn''t wait for a reply, I simply turned my eyes from the suite and looked at who appears to be her father, the peacock. But before I could say anything, he said. "Your sister became one of the top players. When Secret Online was released, she has been spending far more time than anyone else could afford to spend. Yet how do you plan to level up fast enough to save her?¡± ¡°Well, we could allow him to enter the pod. That way he could play 24/7 without his physical body being harmed.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± I asked. ¡°The pod could make sure that you receive all the nutrition that you need in order to stay alive. It was previously made to keep coma patient in it. It is also what we attached your sister to right now.¡± ¡°That! I want to do that!¡± I have said so eagerly. *** The Owner appeared reluctant to agree to Zai''s idea. But, he made a few phone calls to get a room ready for Zai so he could start leveling up and getting ready to beat The Conductor and by so saving his sister. He didn''t actually think that Zai would be able to do it, but as long as he keeps quiet about this, he didn''t particularly care. In fact, letting him immerse himself in the game, was a problem fixing itself. He had no intention of helping anyone and he would''ve found other ways to cover up the issue if it didn''t fall into his daughter''s laps first. After waiting for the preparations to be ready, he finally entered the pod. Once he was sleeping in the pod comfortably, the headset switched on and suddenly, he was transferred from the world he was in, to Secret Online. *** Everything was dark, he couldn¡¯t see anything but he hear. ¡°I was waiting for you, she said you will be coming. ¡° ¡°who are you?¡± he asked ¡°You currently know me as The Conductor. I look forward to talking with you more ZAI¡± Suddenly the ground started to shake, and the room lit up. In front of him was an NPC that greeted him. "Welcome, before making your avatar, do you agree to the rules and terms.." before the NPC could continue he has already answered "I do" ¡°Ahh yes, most adventurers say that, but you need to hear me till I finish.¡± ¡°I waiver my right to hear it! Now move on.¡± "Your avatar''s name?" "Zai" Zai had decided that he is going to save and protect his sister so he must be Zai. "Which race is ¡­" "Human." "From where would you like to start," immediately a map appeared before him. He looked at the map, the majority of it was dark. This meant that it was mostly unexplored. In the middle, he saw the name "central continent". what better place to start than straight in the middle, and investigate where to go afterward? Chapter 3 "Okay, everything is ready, good Lu.." before the NPC was able to finish the sentence Zai had stopped him. The NPC appeared disturbed by Zai''s actions, looked at him with eyes that felt as if they were saying "this better be good" and then to the shock of everyone, the NPC who was sitting and asking questions, the company people who were glued to the monitor watching how Zai intends to level up from a Zero to Hero, and the Conductor who enjoyed this the most. Zai shouted, "I am going to beat you and rescue my sister, do you hear me, Conductor." there was silence for a moment, and then the NPC spoke, "he heard you alright, and he is telling you Good Luck." A flashing light appeared followed by him getting teleported into the middle of a busy street. He looked at the faces in front of him, one other newbie looked like a dwarf. The dwarf tried to walk but followed by his first step, he fell down straight on his face. Zai started laughing at the sight until he felt a slap on his back, that was meant to be a pat. "Welcome newbie! Did you come here to have fun and enjoy what the game presents? How about joining the Hakuna Matata Clan, we are all for playing and fooling around" It was a group, that had no interest in adventuring. They merely wanted to live in a better world, than their reality. They have also entered the game so they could socialize and chat with other players. Zai who came here for a serious rescue mission didn''t spend time even rejecting him and just continued moving forward looking for a place to start training so he could get himself ready. He walked along the road, the sun was hot, and the flowers had a sweet smell, it was as if he was still in the real world, but the only difference is that this world didn''t seem ruined, the players were wearing armor and holding swords while others were wearing robes. Then there are the players that didn¡¯t look human at all. Still, in a moment of weakness, you could think that this was the reality. He took a deep breath, looked at the sky, stretched his arms and screamed: "a new journey begins." All the players turned around and stared at him, when Zai realized he had done something embarrassing, he tied to act cool as if he didn''t care. He then noticed a question mark floating in front of him. Once he aimed his focus to it, a help screen popped up. It had various tips to help new players. He did the first thing he read about and immediately said "status." Suddenly a window popped up in front of him. [ Name: Zai Level: 1 (0%) Health Point: 100 points (100%) Mana Points: 50 points (100%) Pets: Non Class: None Luck: The Worst Notice: Player is Branded by The Conductor. ] Zai stared at his status, seeing the notice he understood it meant that the Conductor was watching him, for an unknown reason it made him smile. After viewing his statues, Zai checked his equipment The status window disappeared, and a new window opened, there was a burned piece of bread among his equipment, and a black sword. Zai looked at his equipment in frustration "I thought players started with different things." He checked the status of the sword. Sword quality can only be viewed once equipped Warning: once equipped the sword is bound to the player He then looked at the piece of bread and remembered how only a while back, even a burned piece was at least something for him to eat. He put it back in his inventory for the day he would need it. Zai felt frustration, he looked around and realized that he has been wasting time instead of rescuing his sister, but he didn¡¯t know where to go. Suddenly, he noticed a flyer on a nearby board. [You want to experience? You want to train? You want good rewards for your efforts? Welcome to the Trial Arena, you can fight monsters without having to leave to the wild.] He had felt that this was an excellent place to test out his fighting ability in-game. Therefore he went straight to the Trial Arena. __________________ In the meanwhile, everyone in the monitor department was panicking "WHAT is THAT? how could there be such a thing?" One of the moderators commented "usually for beginners their status, would include attack power, defense, intelligence, strength, race, alignment, class, fame, stamina, vitality, agility and most of them start at 10 points, including luck. Even if someone had terrible luck, they would have 0 points. Yet, his stats didn''t include these things, and his luck was ''The Worst'' such a thing has never been heard of before. As for the equipment, he should have received 10 pieces of bread. And that''s it. The sword is even more suspicious, I have never even heard of such equipment." *** Zai unaware of any of these things, gave it no further thought. He headed toward the Trial Arena where the players usually id the challenges in groups but there were cases where solo fighters were able to win. It depended on their skills, but they could only fight monsters that matched their level. When he arrived at the arena, the NPC inspector who looked like a lizard directed Zai to a round room full of doors and told him he can decide where to go and then left him alone. It was up to Zai to decide which door to enter. Each door had a number on it, and it seems there were 99 doors. Supposedly behind every door, there was a different challenge, and it was up to the player''s luck to open the door which is least scary. Zai, trusting his analytic ability, chose the door No. 71 for the best reason. Because door No. 71 was the closest door to him and it made no difference because either way he doesn¡¯t know what lies behind any of these doors. He put misguided faith in luck and opened the door to enter, the room had various weapons and armours. Zai went to take an armour to wear it, but a window appeared in front of him
Armor level 20 - too heavy for you to wear
Zai Started to wonder at the stupidity of the system, why would an armour for a level 20 player be in a trial for level 1 player. He just dismissed his thoughts as sceptical and got a sword and armour that looked different from what he wanted, but they were the only ones he could equip himself with. The system allowed him to wear anything he wanted, but they were too heavy and were very hard to walk with. However, when equipped through the system, he received multiple benefits. The countdown was about to hit zero, it was time for him to start and complete this challenge. The door to the arena was opened, Zai stepped out with the sun in his face at first glance, He then heard a loud Voice of a commentator which was heard all over the Arena "He came out, Zai the level one warrior who picked this room" and then a cheer came out, Zai looked around and noticed he was surrounded with spectators all sitting around the arena. They were cheering and clapping, while he was standing in an actual arena with a lion who was not released yet¡±The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Had he not have been used to underground fights, he would have been scared shitless in this situation, everything looked realistic he felt the danger just by standing in the middle of the arena. "Wh.. wha¡­ what is going on?" He said in a low voice, but he was being monitored on the screen in front of all the spectators. And everyone heard the answer, as the commentator¡¯s voice was heard by everyone "Between all the people who enter the trials they are given the option of picking one room from 99 and the room you chose will lead you to a trial relevant to your level, but there is one room that is different, and it gives you a random trial from all of the levels, until now there were 99 entries to this room, and only 3 were announced winners! Now creatures of all creation, you all came here to see contestant number 100!" A wild cheer was heard from all around the arena. "Let the fight begin." Once the words were spoken, another window appeared in front of everyone in the arena
Zai level 1 VS. Leo level 31
* Everyone who came to the arena to see the Level 1 battle the level 31 monster, came to be entertained by watching a first-time newbie running around scared. However, that was not what they got, instead, Zai was standing his own ground, he was not running around but rather analyzing the situation. Unlike the other players in Secret Online. Zai was there for a purpose, many things rested on his shoulders. his sister''s life was dependent on him winning that fight. He has reached a conclusion ¡®I can¡¯t defend against this monster, I have no choice but to attack, but I might be caught - there is no way out of this, the best I can do is hit and run" He ran at the lion that was standing still not feeling any intimidating presence, and he jumped above him, making a circle in the air as he slashed the lion with his sword. He was unsure if it would work, but now he knew - Real life skills, also apply in game. Since he has been battling the underground lately, he knew how to manage. Once his feet landed on the ground, he ran to a tower and used a double jump skill from one side to the other, until he was swiftly able to reach the top of the tower, and sit above watching the lion growl underneath him. Then the game commentator''s voice was heard in the entire arena, "This epic skill are exciting to watch, the air double jump slash that Zai has shown looks amazing - too bad that the only thing it did was get his sword to almost get broken! and the lion hurt only a little." After hearing the commentator''s word, Zai checked his sword, only to find that as the commentator said, the durability dropped down to 1/30 and that was done by only 1 hit. If he used the sword again, it was sure to break. He remembered he had another sword which he received upon joining the game. A black sword that he was unable to identify which also included a warning on its label. Zai was unaware of the implication of having a bound sword, but once he accepts a bound item, he won''t be able to use any other similar item. The only way to be able to do so is if he passes a ritual that would require him to spends days looking for a different set of items. He was wary of the sword because it had the warning, but he didn¡¯t understand what the warning was about, so when it came down to it, he said "It is all or nothing" he had already made up his mind, he was going to bet, and bind that sword. maybe it was a useful tool that he would be able to use to defeat the lion. He knew he had no choice, without a sword he would definitely die. He viewed the status of the sword again before equipping it.
Sword quality can only be viewed once equipped
Warning: once equipped the sword is bound to the player
He held it in his hand. The sword was light, it was useful for sudden attacks, and it was sharp. He swung it, and when he did, he could hear the wind whistle. The wind''s whistle was followed with him noticing that his life point dropped by one. He was curious and immediately checked his sword status.
Cursed Sword - Level 1
Bound to Zai
The sword used to be owned by King Voriken the 4th, he used this sword to further his plans of revenge. Countless people''s blood was drawn by this sword. Countless cursed it as they drew their last blood. ] Blood magic activated after the 10,000th sacrifice, and the sword was cursed. Anyone who holds it, in return for using the sword, their own blood will be drawn.
Active: Sonic Draw
Sonic Draw would allow the owner to create sound with his sword
Notice: As a bound sword, the sword levels up with the holder. Any harm that comes to the sword will be drawn from the health point.
Zai looked at the screen in shock. Only by swinging the sword he had lost one point. This means that with his health right now, he only had 99 tries before he dies by default. The special skill sonic draw, was useless! The only thing it did was make a nice sound for his ears. It can''t be used in a battle. He immediately tried to substitute the cursed sword back with the beginner sword he got upon entering the contest.
Error 1404 You can''t remove your bound sword
The window kept repeating every time he tried. "FINE! I WON''T USE A SWORD THEN" He removed his sword from his hand as if he was willing to fight with his bare hands. Once the sword was returned to his inventory. As if to trick the system, he immediately tried to take out the beginner sword. Immediately, the cursed sword was the one in his hand. ¡°I DON¡¯T WANT THIS, I WANT THE BEGINNER SWORD,¡± Zai said in frustration.
Do you really want that beginner sword that much?
Yes No
"I can smell the conductor behind all of this! all that which you are doing is cheating! Yet you get pissed if we do? YES! MY ANSWER IS YES" So be it. Next thing he noticed, His cursed sword was in his right hand, and the beginner sword was in his left hand. Except the beginner sword looked grey now instead of the brown color it used to have. Before he dared to swing it, he double checks the sword status to make sure everything was going well.
Beginner sword
Attack +2
Durability 1/30
Unknown Sword Heart Unlocked
The sword heart was something new that wasn''t in the stats before. He tried to check the information on it but was unable to. "Great now, a cursed sword in one hand, and an almost shattered sword in another- I feel as if the situation is now worse than before. The commentator''s voice was heard again. -WHAT HAPPENED TO ZAI? Suddenly after standing on the tower, started to play with the swords, yet he doesn''t dare attack the lion. A "boo" can be heard from the audience who dislike cowards!¡± A vain finally popped in Zai''s head. He has decided it was time for him to continue his plan of run and slash. He figured that by doing such a thing, the lion would steadily lose its life. He prepared for his attack, raised his two swords to the sky, jumped from the tower, straight at the lion, in hopes of sticking the swords right in the lion''s body. However, the lion suddenly jumped upward aiming at Zai. Due to the work of gravity, Zai couldn''t dodge in mid-air. But he was able to make his sword plunge straight into the lion''s mouth, his hands also were in the lion''s mouth. And when the lion closed his mouth on them. It was an instant defeat to Zai. Suddenly, he felt as if he was in a black liquid. He tried to move, but as if he was pinned down, he was unable to do anything. Suddenly and all at once, the black liquid disappeared from around him and instead, a man with long black hair, wearing a white coat appeared in front of him. The person in front of him resembled someone he knew a lot, if only he had shorter hair, he would certainly be him "Father?" Chapter 4 "I am not Father - my name is The Conductor." Zai glared at the image of his father that the conductor used. "Don''t worry, the moderator room can''t see anything happening here - you can speak freely." While glaring Zai wondered "Why would I worry they are watching?" "The moment that you attached the headset to your head was the moment I had full access to your brain - YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHY! " Zai looked at him without understanding what he means "JUST FREE MY SISTER, YOU PSYCHO." The Conductor answered, "she is safer with me than out there- I will help you when you reach your answer, but for now, until you know what it is you know, you are useless." Just when he finished saying that, a window appears confirming that he was dead.
You have been killed you will not be able to log in for 1 hour
As he was being logged out he heard an echo stating "Just know, that I am on your side in everything. They must not let them know." *** It had only been an hour since he entered the game, and he had already died. Zai was worried that the difficulty level was more than he thought it was going to be, and the secrets in it were confusing him. He looked at his sides and found one nurse who was supposed to take care of him while he was diving in the virtual world. He didn''t speak with her or say anything, he just stepped out from the pod and ran straight to the monitor room in order to understand exactly what happened. *** "We don''t know" "Most of the things that happened to you were first-time occurrences. Something that is done randomly, that among the 5000 players that applied in the last year in all levels. Only 3 were chosen by that game, and you were one. Your cursed sword is a first... everything about everything was not supposed to happen- your quest failed, simple- the conductor know you are there and he is doing everything he can to stop you, there is no other explanation" The moderator was talking patiently about how Zai will never be able to win anything. When suddenly, Zai felt a hand on his shoulder. Upon looking at the hand, he found it belongs to the President. "You might have had a lot of difficulties, but your techniques and your attacks are actually good. You have talent kid." The moderator then stopped his rant about how Zai would definitely fail, and instead took a complete turnaround after hearing the owner¡¯s words. "At least your fight ended with you winning, even if you are cursed with a sword now, and already managed to die in the first bit " Zai could only think about one thing ''This guy is annoying, he wishes to rub my loss in no matter what'' but he didn''t want to let it down and planned to come back with a great comeback, so he asked " and how did I win? I clearly lost, or were you secretly blind? " Suddenly the moderator looked at Zai with a smirk, "I knew you wouldn''t know" then he started ticking on the computer in front of him until his fight was played back.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He jumped down, the lion jumped up, his two swords falling into the lion''s mouth, the lion closes his mouth on his hand, which was followed by his death. Zai already knew that, the shock was what happened afterward. His beginner sword, which had a 1 durability, was broken, and all the shards were inside of the lion making it lose its health steadily as if it was poisoned. While his cursed sword became berserk upon the death of the master it is bound to. Like every other bound sword, it also died in an explosive way, making the inside of the lion explode. The two attacks caused the lion to ultimately die. Thus even without him being there, Zai has won the battle. *** After seeing that he had won in such an odd way, he realized that it must''ve had been the conductor''s work. Or.. his luck was so terrible, that there was no more bad luck to come and only good was left? He started thinking ¡®the Conductor must be behind this, what did he mean by saying that I know. What is it that I know?¡¯ Zai looked up at the president, hoping to ask him some questions. But a weird feeling stuck with him, making him unable to ask or to trust him. He did not trust him previously, that would''ve been ridiculous but now a fire in his stomach made him feel as if the same man he met a few hours ago, was actually an enemy. Was he? Or is the conductor just trying to mess with him? if he is, it is working... "GAHHHHHH" Zai suddenly screamed in the middle of the room causing everyone to look at him. He brushed it off by ignoring their existence and then he went back to the capsule to wait for the hour to be up. The weird sensation rushed over Zai as he entered the game again. He noticed there were some news messages and so he looked at them [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] The message repeated itself, 11 times. He had received a lot of EXP upon killing a monster that was x31 his level. In excitement, he continued looking at his stats and equipment
Name Zai
Level 11
Health Point 700
Mana point 335
Pets The Blooded Beginner Sword
class Non
Luck The worst
Attack 70
Defense 50
Title The Killer from the Grave
He checked his Title
The killer from the Grave The title is given to the one who killed his enemy after dying. Some enemies might avoid you out of fear of being cursed once you are dead.
He was excited by the news, so he quickly went to check his inventory to see what happened with the precious sword from hell. The inventory had The cursed sword, The Blooded Beginner Sword and the burnt piece of bread. He was shocked at finding "the blooded beginner sword" he had no recollection of it. The only other sword he had was the beginner sword he got in the arena and that was broken, even if it wasn''t the same sword, it was not his - it was borrowed from the arena. In curiosity, he read the sword''s status page and his confusion was cleared.
The Blooded Beginner Sword
The Sword''s Heart has been Unlocked. After fighting with the sword side by side, you have chosen to continue fighting with it, refusing to part way and using another. This sword was used by beginners for all of his life, and once it helped them level up, it was thrown away, time after time. You were different, you have caused the sword to awaken from its slumber. Sword Level 1 Note: The sword Has a soul now, it is categorized as a pet. It can level up with training and hard work.
A please smile appeared on Zai''s face. He immediately took out his bloodied sword, to check out exactly what it looked like. Once the blooded sword was in his right hand, The cursed sword was in his left as if magically activated. "Hello Math-ter " The grey sword bent as the sound came from it. Zai was startled and immediately dropped the sword. "oushhhh... Math-ter, tis hurth" He picked up his sword again and looked at it. The grey sword kept changing colors, It was now a black sword with eyes on it. You could feel the smile in the eyes, the excitement from that sparkle. If it were the eyes of a child, anyone would fall down on their knees and hug him. But that was no child- Zai immediately put the sword back in his equipment without a second thought "CREEPY - CREPPY - CREPPY " He kept repeating that thought until he reached the arena where he intended to collect his grand prize for killing a level 31 monster. Chapter 5 Zai headed toward the Trial Arena with excitement, wondering what his reward was going to be. If he would get a 100 gold coins or get some rare item worthy of the effort he put in the fight. To his disappointment, no matter how hard his fight was, it was still considered as ¡°Level 1 Arena¡± and thus, what he won was only 5 copper coins. It was a scam, the game was scamming the players, it was obvious to him. He went looking for someone to complain to. But no one answered his call. Until finally, a woman appeared in front of him. It was very hard to tell between NPCs and real people because of how realistic the game was. for him, she was the first female NPC that he would get to speak with. She wore the Arena staff clothes that were stuck to her body. He was glad he found someone he could discuss the issue with, perhaps get the staff to issue a bigger reward to him. Then the woman started by congratulating him on his wonderful battle and amazing skills. Then continued to flatter him, and she completely ignored what he had to say. It was of no use, the more she spoke, the more irritated he felt. Finally, after she talked for five minutes nonstop, he decided to stop her and said ¡°If you can¡¯t help me! then leave me be!¡± He felt annoyed by her - annoyed by having an NPC fangirl that did nothing to help him. "I wish she was real" She looked at him with sparkling eyes and say ¡°I was impressed by you, my name is Rose. Remember it¡± Before he could reply, she was already gone. He shrugged off the meeting to nothing of importance, and instead continued to search for someone to complain to about the meager sum he received. As if to snap him back to reality, a window appeared before him [MATH-TER... HELP ! I WATH SWORDNAPPED ] Once Zai saw his pet¡¯s cry for help. He checked his inventory and to his surprise, both the sword and his money have been stolen. ------------ Sudden realization dawned on him, he had only spoken with Rose. She had stayed with him for long enough, in such a suspicious matter that he could not but rush to blame her. He has not developed any feeling toward his pet, in fact, he only thought of him as creepy. But, he couldn''t let the kidnapper enjoy the spoils, he wanted revenge, he needed it. He started to wonder, in theory, the sword was weak now, but it would grow with time. it could become his tool to defeat the Conductor He was still worried that in one way or the other, the conductor was the one who sent him the sword. It could be that he received it as to thwart his plans; after all, he received a notice that he is branded by the conductor, and he had ¡®the worst luck¡¯ even his sword was cursed. Yet again, he received 2 swords - no matter how terrible he thought they were - he also managed to level up 11 times on his first day. He suddenly felt hungry upon smelling the sweet aroma of freshly baked bread. But he had no choice other than droll on it, as he had no money. Usually, players don''t die from hunger on their first day, but Zai was different, he did not receive any food to sustain him for the first while, he only got a burned piece of bread and he was unsure if that was something to be eaten. He was even scammed and received far less money than he should have received, and to top it all of, he only just realized that the meager sum was also stolen. As he was working down an empty street to get away from the smell of food. A man holding a painting bumped into Zai. His painting fell down, but the man continued running away. Zai picked up the painting, wanting to give it back to its owner. When suddenly 2 guards appeared.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Put down the painting and come with us willingly and you will not have to suffer¡± Zai was confused as to what was happening when the two guards stepped in front of him. He was still holding the painting. He immediately noticed something was off and put the painting down. It seems as if the guards misunderstood Zai''s intention and instead thought he was the thief. "wait, I''m the good Samaritan, I stopped the thief and now I wish to gave you back the painting, why are you treating me like a criminal" "Well thank you kind Sir, but how dumb do you think we are? There is no one else here and you are still wearing the same cloth" The thief he saw earlier was wearing beginner cloths, similar to his. "But I truly am not one to blame, what would I want with a stupid painting anyway" Zai spoke desperately, cursing his luck. He was left with no choice but to run, to escape from the situation. And he tried to do so, yet he was greeted with another guard who appeared from behind him. Next thing he knew, he was in a prison cell. *** "THIS IS UNFAIR? WHERE IS JUSTICE? IS IT BLIND UNABLE TO SEE THE TRUTH EVEN IN THE GAME? " He had nothing to do but sit in that prison cell waiting to hear what his punishment will be for a crime he did not commit. Again, The word luck has proven itself to not be bad. As food was brought to the prisoners, and he was able to survive death from starvation. The Food he received was a dry bread that tasted sour, the first bite he took caused him to choke on it and then to spit it out surprised by how disgusting it was. "I thought people joined this game to escape the real world -why would they put something that would taste this bad?" He then heard someone chuckling. It was followed by a girl¡¯s voice that said ¡°You were right to spit it out, I personally think it''s poison" She was in the cell next to his, he was able to see her from the hole between their two cells. Her face was not clear to him, but her long red hair was. ¡°What a twisted world we live in, to worry about food even in games¡± After she said her statement, a long silence followed. Until she broke it again. "So what evil thing did you do to be put in here?" "I stopped a thief and took what he stole and they think I was the one who did it" "Wow, the same thing happened to me! do you think this is a conspiracy to make us eat this bread?¡± she answered sarcastically ¡°Ahh, why did I even bother telling you, even the guards didn¡¯t believe me,¡± She started to panic and quickly said: ¡°I have nothing better to do than believe you, so tell me, what was it that was stolen?¡± "It was a painting of a bird with a horn¡± *** The girl suddenly got closer to the hole to directly look at Zai¡¯s face and to ask him if he was serious. At that moment, Zai saw the face that made it to his revenge list. The one he suspected as the thief that stole his stuff and the one he wished to get revenge on. ¡°Rose? ¡° he asked to verify ¡°Ehh, you know my name? ¡° ¡°You stole stuff from me¡± ¡°Me? steal stuff? from you? I am an upright citizen, I would never stoop so low as to do such a terrible deed¡± ¡°Say¡¯s the one who is sitting in a prison cell¡± Zai looking at the facts became more and more convinced that she was the one who stole from him. ¡°Don¡¯t be quick to judge, you yourself said you are innocent¡± she smirked pretending to believe him, thinking that no innocent party would be caught in this game. ¡°Just give me back my pet, and we can consider it even¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about- but if you want, I can help both of us out of this prison cell¡± Zai becoming suspicious was now a habit of his. Rose was not an exception but having nothing to do, and not being hurt by hearing the plan he was willing to hear what she had to say next. ¡°Scream like mad, let the guards come to check on you, and while they are distracted I will escape my cell. After I do, I will make a commotion in the entire place, and when they go look for it, I will come and free you¡± Zai raised an eyebrow at what he heard ¡°and you think I would believe you will honor your word and help me? ¡° ¡°You will not be harmed either way. If I was lying nothing will happen to you other than helping me out. Don¡¯t worry, just trust me a little, and see how this will work out" He had nothing to lose by trusting her, but he still didn''t feel like doing so. "Give me my sword back, and I will consider it" "I said I don''t have it" she puffed her cheeks upon saying so as if to clarify that she felt insulted. After considering it a little, she started again "I''ll get you something better... the commotion I plan to make, it will be by stealing various things from this place" "YOU ARE A THIEF AFTER ALL" he suddenly cut her and screamed But she ignored him and continued talking "I will split them in half! you''ll get some, and I will get some as well" "HEY, DON''T IGNORE MY STATEMENT- you want to steal from here? weren''t you the one who said she wouldn''t stoop so low as to steal?" "I remember saying something similar to that, But I believe it was more along the lines of not stealing from people like you, as in newbie. Why would I go through the process of hard work, to steal 5 copper coins?" "YOU EVEN KNOW HOW MUCH MONEY I HAD" Zai punched the wall before him and repeated slowly " GIVE. ME. MY. SWORD. BACK!" To his inconvenience, she replied "no. can. do" in the same slow pace he spoke previously. Irritated by her, he started to call the guards, deciding that he could make a complaint against her and having the law and justice deal with her instead. Once the guards entered his room to understand what was the commission about. She found her chance and escaped