《Midgard (VR Lit-RPG Progression)》 Midgard Launches January 1st, 2072, the 6th model of Nexus¡¯s full body VR technology ¨C VIgard ¨C launches. And unlike the five models before, finally, full human sensation could be achieved in the virtual world. Simultaneously, one could take control of a VR body and perfectly control it with their minds. In other words, it was a gamer¡¯s wet dream. No gaming console had ever reached such a level of success before, and within six months the console reached 1 billion sales. And that was before the price cut. Within a year, 35% of humanity owned a VIgard, and the company¡¯s board became like royalty. There were only 2 problems with the VIgard. It was nearly impossible to program games for it. That hasn¡¯t changed even to this day. While it hasn¡¯t stopped some of the most determined gamers from trying to mod or create new worlds, none of them can even come close to matching the released games. The first of which was Typiskgard, a recreation of our planet in VR to the best of the abilities technology could provide. While it was astounding, and popular, it was nothing compared to what was released next. January 1st, 2073, 1 full year after the release of the system and its companion game Typiskgard, Romgard released. Romgard, a space exploration game ¨C which while unfortunately limited to only 1 solar system ¨C still astounded those who wished to travel through space. The advanced science on display and the freedom of exploring several planets, terraforming them, space stations and space pirates, cemented Nexus as the company of the future. And now there¡¯s Midgard, the most mysterious of the games, which has yet to even be launched. The 2nd problem was that every player would only receive three lives in both games currently out. And worse yet, the facial recognition software of the VIgard would prevent you from logging in on somebody else''s account or purchasing a new system and using it yourself. PKing became a crime punishable in the real-world, and the economies of Romgard and Typiskgard were so strong that their currencies were considered more reliable than the American dollar. Even in spite of these shortcomings, VIgard stands unmatched at the pinnacle of technology. The launch of Midgard will be the biggest, most important day of many gamers'' lives, including my own. - - - - - - - - I mindlessly scroll through news on my laptop, ignoring my advanced programming professor. Every article is about Midgard. The developers have been exceptionally stingy with information, which is to be expected. Nexus is leagues ahead of any other tech company in every regard, including security, there hasn¡¯t been a single leak. The only information available has been Or, that¡¯s what everybody else thinks. I smirk, glancing at the countdown on the top right of my screen. Only 45 more minutes until Midgard will be surprise released. But seriously, their security is top notch. Even with the tens of thousands of dollars I spent on equipment, my friend who works there, and a team of us working together, the only thing we could get out of it was when the game was going to be released. Why would they surprise release it? I close my eyes, getting lost in thought. Even outside of their security being top notch, they haven¡¯t even shared much information about the game. In the two interviews Ki Atama had, he only dropped two pieces of information. That this was the last game he would make for the system, and that he didn¡¯t think anybody would be able to beat the game. That¡¯s so cryptic, why would that be the information he gives out? And why make a game if you don¡¯t think anybody will be able to beat it? And why would he surprise release a game like that? If we assume he¡¯s- ¡°Betsuki!¡± My eyes flash open, and I snap back to reality. ¡°Help me¡­Please!¡± Sukine clasps her hands together while begging me. I snort, and push off my desk to roll closer to her station. She¡¯s tried running a basic code on python, one of the most archaic coding platforms. It¡¯s considered mandatory to have mastered it, most students grasp it around intermediate coding and then start tackling the advanced concepts of coding. But Sukine is an interesting case. ¡°After one battle in my game, every stat gets maxed out? How! And where in the code did that even happen? Why doesn¡¯t it tell me where!¡± She complains, slamming her head quietly against the desk. I glance over her code game. She¡¯s been working on it all semester, and she needs it to graduate with us this year. She¡¯s an expert with Nexus¡¯s software, she even has an internship lined up there¡­assuming she can graduate. But her foundations? ¡°You didn¡¯t properly separate your combat system from your leveling system,¡± I explain while adding a few additional lines, ¡°Your leveling system defines the maximum as 999 for each stat. Since your combat system states that upon leveling up each attribute is increased not by a fixed amount, but to improve itself by a random integer between 1-5, it randomly picks one of the numbers and applies it instantly.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s supposed to happen though, why does it add hundreds?!¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Because Python sucks,¡± I respond with a sympathetic smirk, finishing my edits to her code. ¡°Since it applies it instantly, the code reruns, and that new value which has already been improved by leveling up is improved again instantly, dozens if not hundreds of times, until it maxes out.¡± ¡°Why do we have to learn Python, anyways?¡± Sukine pouts, leaning backwards in her chair in defeat. She¡¯s gradually falling closer and closer to the floor, and only her eyes barely remain above desk-height. ¡°Sukine!¡± The professor catches us not paying attention, and calls her out. Fortunately, he doesn¡¯t notice me, so I push myself and my chair back over to my computer. 30 more minutes until Midgard releases. That still feels like an eternity. I sigh, and lazily watch Sukine, who¡¯s now been called up to the front of the class and has been asked to solve a coding problem on the board. It¡¯s pretty complicated, dealing with how Nexus¡¯s system interacts with the central nervous system of the human body and rewires inputs from the brain to the game. But, this is Nexus¡¯s system, not Python. Before I can pull out my phone, she¡¯s solved it. ¡°Betsu-Betsu~!¡± I look around with a blush on my face, making sure nobody can see the embarrassing text my sister sent me. I¡¯m safe, so I open it up, ¡°Betsu-Betsu~! Are you still coming home over the weekend? Tama misses you a ton! And¡­Mom and Dad don¡¯t let me get away with slacking off at all since college applications are due soon, so I¡¯d looove if you can come back and distract them lol¡± I look back at the timer. I had mentioned the possibility of coming back over the weekend¡­But with Midgard coming out, I want to spend as much time as possible during the formation of the leaderboard online. It¡¯s a little curt, but, ¡°It¡¯s a sink or swim world little sis. Do your best!¡± Immediately, she responds, ¡°YOU SUCK, YOU KNOW THAT?!?! YOU FUCKING FUCK, I HOPE YOU FIND A WAY TO CODE YOURSELF SOME BITCHES, YOU-¡± she continues to give me a string of very compelling compliments. ¡°Love you too?¡± ¡°Clearly, you don¡¯t, but whatever I guess, love you back or something *^*¡± I¡¯m distracted from my sister by movement around me. Class is dismissed. My heart leaps, I jump from my seat. There was nothing else for me to do today other than get home and log in to my VIgard. I hastily shove my laptop and notebooks back into my backpack and rush for the doors. Sukine beats me out the door by a matter of milliseconds, and the two of us book it back to our suite. Our roommates should have everything set up for us, so the only things we had left to do were to log in and game out. ¡°You finished the python project?¡± I ask her, making sure she¡¯ll have no distractions so she can fully focus on Midgard with us. ¡°More like you did, but yes, there aren¡¯t any huge bugs and it should get me up to a C.¡± ¡°Up to?¡± ¡°More importantly, Haruno and Haruhi have the VIgards set up?¡± I nod, our dating suitemates might be insufferable sometimes, but they were reliable. And sent me photographic evidence earlier. ¡°I¡¯ve still gotta know, how did you find out about this?¡± ¡°...Me and Haruno unlocked it, I told you,¡± I lie to her, but it¡¯s better than telling her we used her internship with Nexus to hack into their system. ¡°But if they really did send that information out to the top 100 players of Romgard, there¡¯s no way somebody wouldn¡¯t have leaked it, right?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I have no choice but to distract her. She¡¯s too sharp for her own good, but we don¡¯t have time to properly convince her. Midgard launches in five minutes, and we still need to climb four flights of stairs to our suite. We exchange a confident nod and head to the stairs. We reach the top, breathing heavily and drenched with sweat. The elevator picked the worst week to undergo maintenance. ¡°Sukine¡­Stand up, we¡¯re so close. We only have¡­two minutes left.¡± ¡°You idiot,¡± she begins, reaching down to me and pulling my arm to no avail, ¡°You¡¯re the one¡­who needs to stand up¡­!¡± ¡°Sukine!! Betsuki! Hurry up!¡± Haruno opens our suite door and shouts at us. He rushes over, and helps Sukine carry me inside. We don¡¯t even exchange greetings with him or Haruhi. We shove ourselves into our VIgard pods. They¡¯re not required, but recommended. We apply the rubber suction cups to our temples, lay down, and pull down the helmets. I remember the first time I entered VR, because every single time the same tingling excitement courses through my stomach. I exclaim, ¡°VIgard, ON!!¡± = = = = = = [Welcome back, Betsuki.] The system greets me, the white text being the only thing I can see in the sensory deprivation chamber known as the main menu of the VIgard. [What world do you want to explore?] Its voice is impossible to narrow down to a gender, but I can swear it sounds more like a little boy than an adult male. With a thought, the system brings me to the game select menu. > Typiskgard > Romgard > Back I stare at it unblinkingly. Pretty easy to do since you don¡¯t have eyelids in the main menu. Only 42 seconds pass, which I know because of the stupid timer in the top right that¡¯s counting down to Midgard¡¯s release, but every second feels like a century. But finally, it appears. > Midgard My Avatar [Congratulations! As the first player to join world Midgard, you have unlocked a bonus gift!] [Bonus gift will be added to inventory.] [Congratulations! As the first player to join world Midgard, you have unlocked a bonus title!] [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ will be added.] [Congratulations! As the first player to join world Midgard, you have unlocked a bonus skill!] [Skill ¡®LOCKED¡¯ will be added.] Immediately, Midgard treats me well. The system¡¯s notifications are almost too good to believe. I was the very first player to join Midgard. It paid off to hack into Nexus, even if it was only for the countdown clock. I¡¯m starting this race with a head start! ¡°System, where am I?¡± I call out to the void. Though, since I don¡¯t have a body I guess I don¡¯t have vocal chords either, so it¡¯s more appropriate to say I thought it loudly. [You¡¯re in the avatar creation screen for Midgard. To begin, please select a username for other players to recognize in the game.] An empty text box shows up in front of me, or in front of my perception of the world. I stare at it blankly. Everybody always made fun of me for using ¡®Betsu-Betsu¡¯ as my username, and even my sister who never played VR knew about it now. So, I might as well rebrand. I fill the box in with a name, and the system echoes it back to me. [Your chosen username is: Kazesoku. Is this correct?] > Yes > No I select yes. Immediately a spotlight falls on me. I¡¯ve been given a body, with pure white skin and a smooth plastic texture. A placeholder model. I glance around, and see six creatures around me also with spotlights on them. Each one has a label and basic description above it when I focus on it. I go through them in order. [Human {Recommended}: Humans are the species with the highest population in Midgard. They face no discrimination on any floor or level. They have equal aptitude for all forms of combat and all skills. They are the most balanced race to start with, and can support any style of play.] [Elf: Elves are the species with the second highest population in Midgard. They face discrimination on floors or levels run by Dark-Elves. They have aptitude for long range weaponry and stealth. They do not have aptitude for heavy weaponry or defence.] [Dark-Elf: Dark-Elves are the species most prone to war in Midgard. They face discrimination in any floor or level save for those run by Vampires or Dark-Elves. They have an aptitude for magic. They do not have an aptitude for physical combat.] [Vampire {Not Recommended}: Vampires are the least populated species in Midgard. They face discrimination in all floors and levels save for those run by Vampires. They have an aptitude for stealth and enchantments. They do not have an aptitude for magic or sunlight. WARNING: This species suffers massive debuffs when in open sunlight, debuffs when partially exposed, and slight debuffs when slightly exposed.] [Dwarf: Dwarves are the greatest blacksmiths in Midgard. They face discrimination on floors and levels run by Elves. They have an aptitude for heavy weaponry and defense. They do not have an aptitude for long ranged weaponry or stealth.] [Beast-Kin: Beast-Kin are the strongest of the races in Midgard, but they cannot use magic as a consequence. They face discrimination on all floors and levels. They have an aptitude for heavy weaponry and close quarters combat. They do not have an aptitude for magic or enchantments] A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Oh? It¡¯s a fantasy game? It sounds like it might be an RPG! And it has recommendations for the players too? I wonder if that¡¯s tailored to the system¡¯s knowledge of each person¡¯s style of play, or if it¡¯s universal. Either way, I confidently make my selection. I always love a challenge. [Error.] [Because of your title, you must select Race: Human.] Oh, how annoying. I got locked into a human because of a title I earned before the game even started? It better be worth it. With a sigh, I turn back to the basic human model and select it. I¡¯m expecting to be given a character creation screen, as there was in Romgard. Instead, the system informs me: [Administrator has locked character creation and modification screen. Your randomly created character model is being applied now.] The first thing that loads is my head, and now with an actual pair of eyeballs I can watch my body form. A shimmering blue code extends down from my neck, and leaves my body in its wake. I look at my body, which is loaded with a preset outfit. I¡¯m wearing a navy blue leather tunic, with a cream colored undershirt. There¡¯s a black belt which has a brown scabbard holding a short sword and a pouch, through which the Nexus system intuitively gives me the understanding that¡¯s how I access my inventory. I have cream colored pants and heavy hiking boots. ¡°System, go into 3rd person perspective.¡± [Error. Action has been locked by the administrator. Would you like a mirror to observe your face?] Locked again? What¡¯s Ki Atama playing at? Did he put the game out before the servers and system was ready for it? But he¡¯s brilliant, he single handedly pushed VR technology decades if not centuries forward, there¡¯s no way he would have miscalculated this badly¡­Unless he¡¯s trying to enhance immersion in this game. By disallowing 3rd person perspective, he could be forcing the players to treat the world more genuinely and feel more connected with their avatar. Fine, I hold my hand out and acquiesce to the system, a mirror forming in front of me. Let¡¯s hope I didn¡¯t get saddled with anything awful. ¡°Eh?!¡± I¡¯m way more attractive. My jawline is angular, my skin is still smooth and light, my cheekbones are pronounced but my face isn¡¯t square. Although my eyes are a boring brown, my hair is an eye-catching bright turquoise blue. Everything about my face, my nose, my eyebrows, my lips, they¡¯re all strikingly handsome. I could already see this face plastered all over social media, people wondering who I was. A smile tugs on my lips, and I find out while watching my reflection that even when I smile I still look great. ¡°...Sweet.¡± [Character model generation complete. Allocate stats.] [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} Title: Gilgamesh Lv. 1 - 0/100 EXP HP: 100/100 ST: 100/100 MP: 100/100 Strength: 1 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 1 Intelligence: 1 Presence: 1 Skills: LOCKED, You have 5 Stat Points to distribute.] 5 Stat Points? Just enough to get each core stat to level 2 if I wanted. And as the most balanced species, there might not be a whole heck of a lot of purpose in trying to min-max¡­But at the end of the day, I¡¯m a gamer. Everything into Dexterity. [Error. During Character Creation, the maximum level core stats can be raised to is 3. Dexterity has been raised to Lv. 3.] ¡­The system isn¡¯t letting me get away with anything, is it? Fine. I guess I¡¯ll have to think a little more. Being a purely physical fighter, investing into strength and constitution, might not be a good idea this early one. Especially since the beast-kin race was geared towards physical stats anyways. But I can¡¯t afford to let my hit points be low enough that I¡¯ll be taken out in one shot. I have to put 1 point into constitution. And I¡¯m stuck with the human race anyways, so I might as well learn magic. Plus¡­It¡¯s magic! I¡¯m a nerd, of course I want to be able to cast spells! I put the rest of my points into intelligence. My dexterity and intelligence are both at 3, my constitution is at 2, but presence and strength are both still at 1. [Character creation complete. Loading into the world.] That¡¯s it? What about my class? I guess I¡¯ll unlock it during the course of the game. A progress bar appears in front of me, the loading bar to put me into the game. But since I have some time, I reach into my pouch and access my inventory. My username is at the top, followed by my finances. Underneath is a 6 by 5 grid, with 3 of the 30 slots filled. [{Kazesoku} Inventory: 1G 5S 5BC 10C > Bonus Gift > Beginner Short Sword > Health Potions (x5)] My bonus gift is still wrapped? I select the item. [Congratulations! Your bonus gift is: Urdr¡¯s Tear. Item description: A crystalized tear of the ancient god Urdr. This tear will activate once upon the owner¡¯s wish after the owner has died, and allow them to take one more action before their death.] First Blood [Congratulations! Your bonus gift is: Urdr¡¯s Tear. Item description: A crystalized tear of the ancient god Urdr. This tear will activate once upon the owner¡¯s wish after the owner has died, and allow them to take one more action before their death.] I grin to myself, thinking about what a jackpot of a gift this is. We only get three lives in these games, getting the chance to take another action after death? That¡¯s mutually assured destruction if anybody tries to come after me. This is brilliant! [Load successful! Welcome to Midgard!] The realm of darkness around me dissolves into blue code. A blinding light obstructs my vision, teleporting me into the server. = = = = = = I¡¯m in a massive colosseum. A blue sky stretches above me, pristine sandstone forms the walls that enclose the arena of sand I stand in. Dozens of other players are here, various races and builds, but we have enough room that we¡¯re each given dozens of meters of space to ourselves. I can tell they¡¯re other players because of the usernames over each of their heads. I snicker, my eyes narrowing in and observing one player whose username is ¡®Ballsdeep69¡¯. Gamers never change. In the brief time it¡¯s taken me to get a grasp on my environment, the dozens of players in the colosseum have grown to hundreds, each new player loading in with a sparkle of blue code. Sukine, Haruhi, and Haruno should all be loading in fairly soon too, I should let them know where to meet me. I open my menu with a thought, and glance through it. It¡¯s different from Romgard¡¯s menu¡­I¡¯m going to explore it. The 1st tab is ¡®Player Profile¡¯. When it¡¯s selected, it shows me my stats, skills, titles, current condition, level, and stat points. Same as in character creation. Though, I don¡¯t have any stat points¡­Could I have saved them for now? No, I had to spend them to complete character creation. The 2nd tab is ¡®Inventory¡¯. Why would they have an inventory tab and allow you to access your inventory through the pouch on my belt? They¡¯re identical to each other. I select a gold coin from my inventory tab, and it materializes in front of me falling to the floor. I pick it back up and get a good look at it. It¡¯s a plain gold coin, with the face of some person I don¡¯t know on it and text across the top that reads ¡°Hope¡±. I reach into my pouch with my other hand, and access a silver coin. This time, it shows up in my hand as I pull my hand from the pouch. A small difference, but when using your pouch an item shows up in your hands as opposed to being summoned forth. Maybe I can also use this to act like an NPC? My username would give me away though. Thankfully the next tab, ¡®options¡¯, might help me there. In it I see lots of options, with almost all of them turned on. It looks like I can toggle on system notification, customize the inventory color, and achieve lots of small cosmetic changes about the game from here. Bingo. I toggle off the ¡®display username¡¯ option. The 4th tab is ¡®friends list¡¯. I open it and find it empty. Damn. I¡¯m getting called out by a video game. Sukine and the others should be in here though, so I guess the friends list resets between this game and the other two. I¡¯ll still be able to meet with them, we accounted for that possibility and have a code phrase we¡¯ll tell each other to identify ourselves. ¡°If the blue bird sings ¨C that means the episode of Naruto is over.¡± I remember Haruno laughing uproariously when Sukine came up with that. The 5th tab is ¡®logout¡¯, which I have no intention to do now, so I close the menu and check the surroundings again. The hundreds of people have grown to thousands. It¡¯s getting crowded¡­Right as I think about leaving, an announcement echoes around the colosseum, ¡°Please wait for the game to launch. Midgard will begin once 100,000 players load in,¡± as it speaks, a giant tab opens up above us that reads ¡®12,398/100,000¡¯, and the number is rapidly rising. ¡°You may log out if you want, but your place in queue will be lost.¡± The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Guess I have to wait another couple minutes for the map to open. The colosseum has gotten pretty packed¡­Wait, people have started spawning into the stands now too? To fit 100,000 of us, I guess that makes sense. I feel a presence directly behind me, and my dexterity stat takes over. I immediately tilt my body to the left, a blade passing through where my ribs were just moments ago. Even with my reaction speed, it grazes me, leaving a streak of neon red overtop of my clothes where the attack hit. I turn with my momentum and stare at the attacker. [-5 HP] [145/150 HP] Thanks, system, for obstructing my view. A female elf, username ¡®Kiraki¡¯. She¡¯s smiling maliciously, ¡°Wow, you dodged that? Quick, aren¡¯t you?¡± I wordlessly draw my own blade, taking the opportunity while she talks to turn off system notifications for when I take damage. I can see my health bar when in combat anyways, but I can¡¯t feel any pain in this game. ¡°What are you doing?¡± I coldly ask her. We only get three lives in these games, and given how different this one was so far, even that wasn¡¯t a given. ¡°What? Don¡¯t be so sensitive! I¡¯m getting used to the combat system,¡± she grunts and slashes at me again. Our blades collide, sending sparks between us, ¡°Besides, this is a colosseum! Aren¡¯t they made for conflict?¡± She remarks while pressing her attack, pushing me back. She must have put her last point into strength. ¡°It¡¯s a crime to PK,¡± I remind her, warding off her attacks as best I can. She¡¯s getting out of breath. My point in constitution gave me higher stamina, she can¡¯t win a war of attrition. ¡°Not. In. Midgard! Yet!¡± She exclaims, breathing heavily already. She¡¯s putting her full force into each blow, trying her best to get past my guard. But Midgard is a perfect game for me. I did kendo for 12 years. She¡¯s hopelessly outclassed. I have the time to afford a glance around. The colosseum is filled to the brim by this point, but even still everybody¡¯s made a circle for the two of us. Doesn¡¯t look like anybody plans on helping either. ¡°I guess you¡¯re right,¡± I relent, turning my attention back to her fully. She heaves a sloppy blow downwards, the accuracy and speed of her earlier attacks gone completely. I angle my blade while stepping forward, deflecting her strike and closing any distance between us. ¡°It¡¯s not a crime yet,¡± I whisper, slicing her neck and sheathing my sword at the same moment. [Player {Kiraki} defeated! +500 EXP!] [Level up!] [Skill ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ unlocked!] [Level up!] [Skill ¡®Evasive (Passive)¡¯ unlocked!] [Title: ¡®Cain¡¯ unlocked!] She dissolves into blue code, which drifts upwards. I follow it with my eyes, and see that the count reached over 100,000. Midgard has started, and I just committed the first PK. But she was right. It wasn¡¯t a crime yet, and she¡¯ll just respawn¡­With a grudge against me. Maybe I should thank her. I leveled up twice, I¡¯m starting the game with another advantage! ¡°Wow! Nice moves!¡± ¡°How did you do that?¡± ¡°We should friend each other, what¡¯s your username?¡± People all start talking at once, no longer afraid to approach me since the fight is over. None of them seem to hold it against me that I PK¡¯d her. I guess they all saw her attacking me, and knew I did it in self-defence. But just as suddenly as they had started talking, their voices fall silent. A silence spreads across the entire colosseum actually, and I receive the notification: [Player voices have been silenced by {Administrator Ki} during announcement] Kis Announcement Ki? As in Ki Atama, the creator of VIgard and the CEO of Nexus? The greatest programmer and technician the world has ever seen? I can barely contain my excitement at the prospect of hearing from him. An avatar slowly begins forming above the colosseum. The sky turns a dark shade of orange, and a giant man wearing a flowing golden robe loads in front of the sky. His face is covered by a hood, but there¡¯s no mistaking he¡¯s the god of this world. No, not just the god of this world, the gods of Romgard, Typiskgard, and this world. My personal hero, Ki Atama. But the atmosphere is¡­off. I know he muted us, but the silence is still erie, and his avatar that watches us is far from reassuring. The hood covering his face is unnerving, and the sky changing color feels unnecessary. Why would he do such a thing? [Congratulations on joining Midgard.] He speaks through the system. Why? His avatar is right here, isn¡¯t it? Unless¡­of course, he¡¯s trying to hide his avatar''s voice. He wants to play with us, and doesn¡¯t want us to recognize him. [I would like to first tell you all something that may come off as rather shocking. Midgard, despite it being the newest launched game for my system, will only have you players currently online until it is beaten. You 100,000 have an amazing opportunity in front of you. Not only are you the only ones with access to this game, but you are also the only ones who can beat it. And I highly encourage you to beat the game. There are 2 reasons I encourage this. Firstly, and you will all be excited to hear this, the player who beats this game will take over as CEO of Nexus.] He pauses, giving us time to process what he means by that. I need time. I could become the CEO of Nexus? Just by beating this game? I¡­I have to be the one who wins. Ki Atama was the reason I got into programming at all, and now I have the opportunity to take his job from him by beating his greatest game? No wonder he said he doubted anybody would be able to beat it, he must have made it borderline impossible¡­But he didn¡¯t account for me! I¡¯m going to win but¡­Something still isn¡¯t adding up. [I would next like to inform you of the second reason I encourage you to beat the game. None of you will be able to logout until the game is beaten. As of now, there is no way for you to logout of the game, nor is there a way for anybody from the outside world to interfere.] My stomach drops. Immediately I check the logout feature of the game, which was there just minutes ago when I went through the menu. It¡¯s still there! He¡¯s lying, he¡¯s making some sick joke. But, I might as well log out just to check. I¡­I can¡¯t log out. My heart starts racing. There¡¯s no way. The log out button dissolved as soon as I selected it. It¡¯s gone. I can¡¯t¡­I seriously can¡¯t log out? I¡¯m stuck in this game? This game he told us in interviews was nearly impossible to beat, that we didn¡¯t have any information on? What about my family? My sister? My friends. My friends are in here with me. It just became that much more important we find each other. [I¡¯m aware that might not be enough motivation, so I have added one more feature. As with all other games, you will all have two respawns before you die and permanently pass away in game. To increase your immersion in the game, and to treat it as your new world, after your third and permanent death in game, you will die in real life. Attempts to turn off the game, or remove the VIgard from the user, will result in permanent death.] ¡­This can¡¯t be real. This goes against every law around VR technology. One of the most fundamental safeties required by Nexus was that their games couldn¡¯t actually affect you in real life! This can¡¯t affect my real body, it can¡¯t! But¡­It could be the same principle as why we can¡¯t log out. The VIgard system channels the electrical signals from the brain to the system through the temple¡¯s connector. Forcibly disconnecting from VR from an external source would cause permanent brain damage, if you managed to survive in the first place. If when we die in the game, he¡¯s programmed it so that our VIgard permanently disconnects us from our body, he could be telling the truth. No¡­He is. He¡¯s telling the truth. I¡¯m trapped in Midgard. This is my world now. [I would like to take one second before the game starts, and thank Kazesoku] This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡­What. What?! ME!?! I see my avatar¡¯s face plastered on the sky, along with my username. Why is he thanking me?! [He¡¯s my very first hero, the one who¡¯s been with me since the beginning. Gilgamesh. And he is also the first murderer, the first player to kill another player. But don¡¯t worry Kazesoku, I¡¯ll clear your rewards and punishment system before letting you all out.] I can feel the eyes of those around me narrow in. They know it¡¯s me. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of eyes stare at me with vitriolic hatred. He¡¯s making it sound like I knew this was going to happen, like I approve of it and that¡¯s why I killed Kiraki. The other players are registering that. They can¡¯t take out their frustration on Ki, he¡¯s godly in this world. So¡­They¡¯re directing it towards me. [There are 100 floors in Midgard. The 1st floor, that you are all currently on, is a tutorial floor. And of course, once you¡¯ve cleared the 100th floor, you earn the right to beat the game. After that, the rest is for you to discover! Enjoy my world, level up, and win your freedom. Win my position. Now¡­Let the game begin!] Ki¡¯s character model shatters into shards of rainbow, dissolving againt the orange sky. Soon after, the sky returns to its normal blue hue, and as if to mock our horrible situation the sky is beautiful. We, the 100,000 players now trapped in Midgard, are left alone in the colosseum with one notification. [The world is now open. Good luck!] ¡°Kazesoku!¡± A man screams out, drawing his sword and pointing it at me. His blade shakes, his face is contorted in rage, ¡°You¡­What¡¯s going on! Why did you do this to us?!¡± Me? He¡¯s blaming me for this? What an idiot. I¡¯m just as unaware as- [{Administrator Ki} is forcibly teleporting you] ¡°Haha¡­¡± I can¡¯t help but laugh at how hopeless this situation just became. Really? I¡¯m being teleported now? When everybody mistrusts me anyways? ¡°Hahaha!¡± It¡¯s funny. It really is. What could I do to explain this to them, that I¡¯m not involved in this? ¡°You¡­Why!?¡± A girl calls out to me, her voice giving out. I can hear distant screaming, the 100,000 people in the colosseum are going to panic. ¡°Calm down! Everybody just calm down!¡± Another girl shouts, jumping to my defence. I regard her. She stands between me and a growing crowd of angry players. Her caramel hair is straight, and falls like silk to her shoulders. I can barely see her face, just her side-profile as she stands like a bodyguard for me. But she doesn¡¯t seem to have a good handle on the game, her username is still visible over her head. {Seika_}But as I look out to the crowd, and they begin jeering and shouting at me, I know she¡¯s outnumbered. I smile. My teleport is going to load in just a few more seconds. I can¡¯t save my reputation. Almost every player in the game is going to want to kill me. And being killed in this game means¡­They¡¯re going to try and kill me. They want me to die. I reach out and place a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulder, I can¡¯t let her defend me. They¡¯ll only target her when I¡¯m gone. ¡°Everyone!!!¡± I shout, finding my voice shockingly powerful. [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to increase presence when addressing other players.] [Congratulations! Bonus point has been added to ¡®Presence¡¯ Stat!] Convenient. I need to use the next seconds wisely. ¡°First,¡± I shove the girl away, ¡°Who the hell even are you?!¡± I exclaim. She looks back up at me with wide shocked eyes. I can¡¯t focus on her, or else I might lose my nerve. ¡°Secondly! I will fight-¡± [Teleportation completed] = = = = = = ¡°-For you!! I will beat¡­¡± The world around me has changed dramatically. I¡¯m in a field with knee height green grass. On the horizon to the left of me, a large city stands. I¡¯m willing to bet that¡¯s where the colosseum was. There are small dirt paths through the field I¡¯m in, but I don¡¯t stand in any of them. To the right on the horizon is a forest, both ahead and behind me there¡¯s nothing but plains as far as the eye can see. ¡°I¡¯m screwed,¡± I finish meekly, falling onto my butt in shock. I¡¯m trapped in this game, I¡¯m trapped in VR, every player in the game is going to want to kill me, and Ki Atama is the one to blame. Why did he teleport me right then? At the worst possible time? What could I do? What should I do? I need to find my friends. We need to form a guild. Together, we can clear this game. That¡¯s the answer. I hear a growl. I rise to my feet, and turn to face it. An enemy wolf has spawned, and snarls while pacing towards me. I draw my sword. It¡¯s not the wolf¡¯s fault, but it came across me at a bad time. I clench my grip on the blade, and walk towards the wolf. Its growl turns into a roar, and it charges forward. I dash forwards myself, my blade suddenly glowing golden as my swordsmanship skill activates. I stab forward as I meet the wolf, it opens its mouth to bite me. We meet for only a second, and I skid to a stop, turning around and facing the wolf. It doesn¡¯t even hit the ground, it just shatters into rainbow shards, dissolving into nothingness. [¡®Gray Wolf¡¯ defeated! +8 Exp!] ¡°A lone wolf¡­¡± I mumble, looking at where it used to be. I shake my head, dissuading any thoughts of working alone. That¡¯s a terrible idea in games like this, especially if we want to clear floors. Presumably there will be dungeons. Those are impossible alone. But¡­I can¡¯t meet up with my friends right now, can I? They¡¯re probably playing it smart, in public. I can¡¯t be seen in public. I¡¯ll need to wait for the world to get bigger, for there to be more floors. So¡­I look to the woods ahead of me. I can¡¯t stand still, so instead I¡¯ll move forward. The Key [Debuff Applied ¨C ¡®Exhaustion¡¯] It¡¯s been one week since Midgard launched. Long enough that everybody who was hoping that Ki was lying has been forced to accept reality. We really are going to have to beat this game if we ever want to leave, and now everybody knows it. I¡¯ve had to sleep in the forests, trying to make beds out of leaves and grass as best as I can. But sleeping on the ground where enemies spawn is too perilous, so I¡¯ve taken to sleeping in the trees. Even in the morning, the forest is so dense that the leaves stop light from filtering through. Or maybe it¡¯s the biome¡¯s effect. VR is advanced. Shockingly so. But as more time passes I grow to miss the real world more and more. The small differences in realities are always there, and always make me feel like I¡¯m in some sort of nightmare. There¡¯s this lack of depth to feeling in this world. My body doesn¡¯t feel like a body, it¡¯s an avatar. I can¡¯t give 110%, my muscles are just data. I can¡¯t feel food in my stomach, I can¡¯t dream, my HP bar and username are always in the top right of my screen. It¡¯s so close to being a game, the seeds of the best game I¡¯ve ever played are there. But it¡¯s far overshadowed by the desire for it to be over. One thing is for certain. My hair is a dead giveaway. Players are being cautious, or at least they were for the first couple days. Hunting groups come, probably on quests from the NPCs in the city, and make their way through the forest, but they always come back to the city. Everytime the players see me though, swords are drawn. I¡¯ve yet to see anybody equip anything other than a sword or a bow, though I guess we¡¯re still on the 1st floor. Specialization might happen later on. I¡¯ve been working on a solution to my hair though, and although it¡¯s a little dumb, it might work. There¡¯s a small red fruit hidden in the forest, each one around the size of a blueberry. If I can gather enough of them, I can dye my hair and nobody should recognize me! I open my stat window, my new morning routine. [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} {Debuff - Exhaustion} Titles: Gilgamesh, Cain Lv. 7 - 1225/4200 EXP HP: 440/550 ST: 560/700 MP: 240/300 Strength: 2 Dexterity: 5 Constitution: 5 Intelligence: 3 Presence: 2 Skills: LOCKED, Swordsmanship (E), Evasiveness (Passive), Tracking (F)] I discovered that active skills, like ¡®Swordsmanship¡¯ and ¡®Tracking¡¯ were graded, and by using them more you could level them up in tandem with your own level up. But ¡®Evasiveness¡¯ just seems to passively boost how hard it is for enemies to hit me. This debuff is really annoying, it prevents me from ever getting to my maximum health or stamina. I got it the first night I slept. Presumably if I made a better bed for myself I would be able to get rid of it, or if I slept in an inn. But thanks to my performance in the colosseum¡­That¡¯s impossible. I¡¯ve done reconnaissance, but I haven¡¯t been able to find the boss of the floor or any way to go up. The tallest structures are in the city, but none of them reach through to the sky or anything. There¡¯s no way to know where the boss is. Whatever. Today¡¯s the day I finish gathering enough fruit to dye my hair. I hop down from my tree, and jog through the forest. The forest is filled with enemies, higher level than the plains. Here the average level is 3-5. Rarely, a ¡®strong enemy¡¯ will spawn which is double the level of the average monster. But monsters scale differently to players, so even a level 10 monster has become something I can handle on my own quite easily. They also don¡¯t offer much experience, which has probably been shooting me in the foot. I can only imagine the quest rewards people have in the city. I can¡¯t afford to fall behind, I need to find those fruits! I activate tracking. ¡°Ahhh!¡± A girl screams. I skid to a stop, and look around. She¡¯s not far away, I can tell from her voice, ¡°Help me!! Somebody, anybody!¡± She cries. I tsk, and check my inventory. I only have 17 of the fruit. Will it be enough to hide my hair color? A loud roar shakes the nearby trees, and makes my mind up for me. I reach into my pouch and grab the berries, slamming them against my head and rubbing them into my hair while I dash towards the noises. I see her. She¡¯s young, probably not even out of high school yet. Her pink hair is set into twintails, but in spite of her size she¡¯s holding a massive greatsword. Or¡­I can only assume she uses it. It¡¯s embedded into a tree at the moment, opposite her, and an ogre stands between her and her weapon. The ogre is at least twice my height, has bumpy skin the color of snot, two teeth poking up out of its mouth, and wields a gargantuan wooden club the size of itself. It wears two pieces of clothing, a brown loincloth around its waist, and a necklack with a small key. The club is raised in the air, and is brought down on the girl with incredible force. The hunk of wood slams into the ground with a crash, the trees shaking and sending leaves falling from the ceiling. I made it in time, even as my breathing is haggard and my stamina bar is over half drained due to the strain I put on dashing, I hold the girl safe in my arms. ¡°Are you ok?¡± I ask offhandedly, looking instead at the ogre. It¡¯s level¡­15?! How did it spawn here?! It¡¯s over double my level! ¡°Y-Yes¡­Thanks to you,¡± she whispers, her voice and body trembling. I set her down, and analyze her. She¡¯s cute, with a button nose and sparse freckles across her face. And her green eyes are staring at me so passionately. I did just save her, she must be feeling a lot of gratitude. The ogre roars, preventing me from taking the time to relish my first positive social interaction in a week. ¡°Can you still wield your sword?¡± Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. ¡°Y-Yes!¡± She responds with a determined fire in her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m Momo,¡± she shares her player profile with me. [Player Profile: {Momoira} Title: N/A Lv. 4 - 176/2300 EXP HP: 74/200 ST: 20/150 MP: 100/100 Strength: 8 Dexterity: 1 Constitution: 2 Intelligence: 1 Presence: 1 Skills: Swordsmanship (F), Heavy Blow] Holy glass cannon!! 8 strength? But she¡¯s only one hit from dying, especially to a monster like this. I grab her hand and retreat with her, as the ogre¡¯s club whizzes through the air where we once stood. ¡°What¡¯s ¡®Heavy Blow¡¯?¡± ¡°Ah! It¡¯s a skill great sword users unlock once you put 5 points into strength. It lets me convert as much stamina as I want into strength and unleash a massive strike!¡± ¡°What happens if you miss?¡± She points at her greatsword, which is buried to its hilt in a tree. ¡°I see.¡± I¡¯m trying to formulate a battle plan to deal with this monster. It might be smarter to just run away, and to cut our losses. It¡¯s slow, its movements are by no means quick, but the force of its club would take Momo out in one hit. Even with my HP, given the poor beginner armor I¡¯m still wearing and the degraded state of it, I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d survive a few hits. The ogre bellows, lifting the club with both hands. The club begins to glow with an ominous red aura. It¡¯s too far away to hit us though, what could it be trying to do? The ogre swings the club downward, and without moving I dash in front of Momo, using my body to shield her. The club crashes into the ground, shattering the earth and sending a plume of dust upwards. The entire forest trembles, and I hear hundreds of birds squawk while flying away. Momo and I are blown off our feet, and I get a notification from the system. [{Guardian Ogre} has used ¡®earth arena¡¯ magic! You are trapped in combat!] The dust settles. We¡¯re in a crater, the sun now filtering through thanks to dozens of fallen trees. There¡¯s a wall of earth and logs around the crater, and only the ogre and us are in here. ¡°...Have you lost a life before?¡± I ask Momo, drawing my sword. ¡°Yeah, at the colosseum massacre. Ah! But I still have one left!¡± ¡°...The colosseum massacre?¡± ¡°Look out!!¡± She cries, directing my attention back to the ogre. I swing my blade, clashing with the ogre¡¯s club. I stand no chance of overpowering it¡¯s swing, but by throwing all of my weight behind my defense I can barely redirect the club over my head. ¡°Momo! Get your greatsword! I¡¯ll distract the ogre, recover as much stamina as you can and use all of it to pierce through this thing¡¯s hide!¡± ¡°What?! And leave you alone with it?! Let¡¯s just run!¡± The ogre swings at me again, but this time I can jump back and avoid it. ¡°You saw the notification! It used magic, we¡¯re locked in combat with it. Besides, this is basic MMO strategy, you chose to put everything into offensive stats! You¡¯re our DPS! I¡¯ll be our tank.¡± She opens her mouth to argue with me. But instead of her voice, the ogre¡¯s bellow drowns her out. She shuts up and nods, rushing away from me to try and find her blade in the debris of the crater. I dive forward. I need to distract this thing as much as possible, if it gets one swing that even grazes Momo she¡¯s a goner, and she¡¯s our best bet at beating this thing. I¡¯m engaging in very reckless tactics, slashing at it between its swings, and dodging its lumbering attacks by a hair¡¯s breadth. What I can¡¯t avoid, I redirect. My breathing grows more and more haggard, but my arms and legs still move just as efficiently. This isn¡¯t real life. It¡¯s a game. As long as I have stamina left I can keep this up. And I have¡­135/700?! I¡¯m running out quickly. ¡°Momo!! How¡¯s your stamina?¡± ¡°I¡¯m back up to 80! Ah! And I¡¯ve got my sword!¡± The ogre swings directly down on me, its club diving towards my head. I raise my blade, and deflect the club to my right. But I miscalculated both its and my strength. It crashes through my blade, shattering the metal, and slams into my left arm. [Warning! Health has dropped below 10%!] It¡¯s a good thing this world doesn¡¯t calculate pain, or else I might have passed out on the spot. Even as it is, my body refuses to move. That blow drained me of nearly all my stamina, apparently I¡¯m in a stunned state. ¡°PUT EVERYTHING INTO IT MOMO!!!¡± I beg of the girl, watching as the ogre raises its club once more. Its shoulders shake a few times¡­it¡¯s laughing at me! ¡°Everything? But, if I do that, I won¡¯t-¡± ¡°EVERYTHING!!!¡± I shout at her, the ogre¡¯s club reaching the zenith of its arc. He¡¯s going to swing it down. I can¡¯t move out of the way either, I¡¯m still stunned. Come on¡­! ¡°NOW MOMO!!¡± [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to increase presence when addressing other players.] [Allies have received temporary buff!] ¡°HYA!!!¡± Momo leaps into the air, jumping clear over me. Her blade is clad in a blue aura, and she brings it down at the same time that the ogre swings its club. The two weapons clash for only a second, but for that second I think to myself that Momo might lose the clash. Neither weapon moves back. Then, I hear the ripping sound of wood being torn apart. Momo¡¯s sword slices downwards, and she moves further, slicing all the way through the club and slashing the ogre¡¯s body in half along the way. A glowing streak of red appears down the center of the ogre, and I see its HP gauge falling rapidly. Momo did exactly what she was supposed to. My stunned state is deactivated as well. Momo falls through the air, looking like a ragdoll. I leap and catch her again, checking her player profile again. She¡¯s at 0 stamina, and she¡¯s been knocked unconscious from the exertion. ¡°...Well done, Momo,¡± I compliment the sleeping girl, looking back to the ogre¡­whose HP is no longer falling. And it¡¯s not at 0. ¡°RAAAR,¡± its roar is filled with fury. There¡¯s still a line of red in the middle of it, although it¡¯s gradually closing. ¡°Sorry Momo,¡± I apologize as I drop her, trading her for the greatsword. I don¡¯t love this blade, I¡¯m not a fan of how it sits in my palms, and I don¡¯t have a high enough strength stat to properly wield it. But I can wield it, and I just need to deal the finishing blow. ¡°I¡¯m going to steal your kill!¡± I exclaim, thrusting her blade forward, stabbing the ogre through its stomach. [Title ¡®Cain¡¯ has been used to increase damage when killing a named enemy.] [Critical strike! Double damage will be applied!] The blade pierces through the ogre¡¯s flesh and sinks to the hilt. The ogre falls to its knees, and then shatters into blue code. [You have defeated {Guardian Ogre}! +2500 EXP] [¡®Tower Key¡¯ has been added to inventory!] [{Guardian Ogre} has been slain! Dungeon to the 2nd floor is now opening¡­] Trestar, the First City [{Guardian Ogre} has been slain! Dungeon to the 2nd floor is now opening¡­] The ground shakes. I get a bad feel, and I start backing up from the center of the crater. I look for Momo, and to my relief she¡¯s regained consciousness. In fact, checking her player profile which is still shared with me, she¡¯s leveled up. As a result of that, all of her stats have been recovered. She locks eyes with me, ¡°Did we win?¡± ¡°We won. But let¡¯s get out of the crater¡­I have a funny feeling-¡± I¡¯m cut off by a crashing noise. A massive tower sprouts from the ground of the crater, shooting upwards higher and higher all the way to the sky. Momo and I were inches away from its walls, and in shocked fear Momo instinctively jumped behind me. The tower continues to rise, until I¡¯m convinced it¡¯s pierced through the sky. And sure enough I get a notification when I observe the tower. [Dungeon ¡®Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡¯ Maximum party size: 20 Required for entry: 1 party member must have ¡®Tower Key¡¯ item] ¡°...That. I had a funny feeling that was going to happen,¡± I mumble to Momo, who must have gotten the same notification as me when looking at the tower. ¡°Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡­? And the Tower Key item. Where do you think we might be able to find that?¡± I hold my hand out and access the key through my inventory, summoning it in front of me. ¡°Oh! Nice! Did you get it from the ogre? Ah! Also! You haven¡¯t told me your name yet, who are you? Thank you so much for saving me, I would¡¯ve been down to my last life if not for you. Do you want to go back to Trestar together?¡± She just rambles, doesn¡¯t she? That¡¯s convenient, it gave me some more time to think about a new name. I can¡¯t share my profile with her, so I just say, ¡°Aoi. My name is Aoi. And yes, I¡¯d love to go back with you. I¡¯ve been¡­hunting in the woods pretty much since the announcement. I was at the very edge of the stands, so I ran as soon as the barrier was lifted, what¡¯s the colosseum massacre?¡± ¡°Oh! So, have you been keeping yourself in the loop on any of the guilds or anything then either?¡± I shake my head as the two of us climb over the logs around the edge of the crater, ¡°Ok! Then I¡¯ll just go through everything! Let me know if you already know some of this and I can skip past it!¡± = = = = = = = Momo and I approach the edge of the city, the massive beige walls getting closer and closer. My make-shift hair dye would only get me so far, and I had used half of my berries for it. But more pressing was processing everything Momo told me. Going in order made it easier to rationalize, even if Momo told it out of chronological order. After I was teleported out, some of the players thought that my words were encouragement for them to fight among themselves. One player killed another, and screamed about how much EXP he got, so suddenly it became a bloodbath. It¡¯s come to be called the colosseum massacre, and around 10,000 players ended up losing one of their lives before getting out. The city itself is a safe zone, which is why that number isn¡¯t higher. Outside of the colosseum and the red-light district, players can¡¯t harm each other in the city. The players who did murder others were marked with a red username, which is why in order to join a guild and when introducing yourself, it¡¯s become fairly standard practice to share your player profile¡­Which is really inconvenient for me. Fortunately, killing a player also leaves a mark on your wrist, which I lack. It must be because of Ki clearing my rewards and punishments tab before teleporting me from the colosseum. That¡¯s how Momo knew I wasn¡¯t a ¡®bad guy¡¯. How differently would she think if she knew I was the one who started the colosseum massacre? After that, the players began forming guilds. Different players teamed up for different reasons. The murderers from the colosseum massacre teamed up and created the ¡®Thanatos¡¯ guild, stationed in the red-light district. There have been 4 other major guilds which have cropped up, but 1 stands among them all: ¡®The North Star¡¯ guild. It¡¯s reached the maximum number of players that can be in a guild, 20,000, and is the primary source of hope and has the goal of clearing the game. The other 3 guilds focus on one primary objective each. ¡®Treasure Trove¡¯ focuses on items. ¡®Private Eye¡¯ focuses on information about the game and other players. ¡®Aegean Shield¡¯ focuses on protecting players who got trapped in this game and are in reality too young to be trusted on their own. Apparently, there are hundreds of players under 13, and certain players over 13 who are just not mature enough to be on their own. There¡¯s a daily meeting between these 4 guilds to discuss what they¡¯ve learned and share information each day. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. That¡¯s where me and Momo are heading. She¡¯s a member of ¡®Aegean Shield¡¯, since she¡¯s only 17 herself. I guess I¡¯m only 19, so I¡¯m not too far off from that guild¡¯s demographic either¡­ ¡°Do you think they¡¯re going to reward us for finding the tower to the 2nd floor?¡± ¡°...Maybe,¡± I mumble back to her, still lost in thought. ¡°So¡­Aoi, what level are you? Since you don¡¯t want to share your profile,¡± she comments, pouting and puffing her cheeks in annoyance that I haven¡¯t shared it. ¡°Level 7.¡± ¡°Wow! That¡¯s pretty high level! What class are you? Ah! Wait! Have you done the class quest yet?¡± I shake my head, and Momo gasps, ¡°Woah! You got to level 7 without even picking a class? That¡¯s bonkers! We should do that since we have some time to kill!¡± She grabs my hand and drags me through the city gate. A massive archway of beige stone, with a giant oaken sign that reads ¡®Trestar¡¯ labeling this city. ¡°It¡¯s a really easy quest! It¡¯s literally just meeting with an NPC and telling them what class you want! Ah! Also! You should join our guild, you might be pretty strong but you¡¯re such an airhead! We¡¯d help show you the ropes of the game!¡± She¡¯s calling me an airhead? I¡¯m slightly insulted. I could probably help program a game like this in just a few years, and she needs to show me the ropes of the game? ¡°...I¡¯m not an airhead,¡± ¡°Ah! We should stop by the exchange vendor first! I have some monster drops from hunting, and I bet you do too! Oh! Also, we should-¡± Momo¡¯s just too energetic for me, and I find myself passively going with the flow. Trading my loot didn¡¯t sound like a bad idea though, most of the drops in my inventory were pretty useless. = = = = = = 4 hours later, and I¡¯m finally taking the class test. I kneel on a pillow in a wooden room, a fireplace in the middle of it. An old woman sits across from me, sipping on some tea. She¡¯s an NPC, the first one I¡¯ve seen. The NPCs of Typiskgard were pretty flat, and the NPCs of Romgard weren¡¯t much better. I wonder how the NPCs in Midgard are¡­ [{Fortune-Teller} offers you a quest! Quest ¡®Class Assignment¡¯! Do you accept?] I select the checkmark on the screen that pops up in front of me. The old lady looks at me with a grim face, ¡°Young hero, you have such a hard journey ahead of you. I do not envy you. But I will offer you what protection I can. Answer my questions true and honest¡­¡± she throws something into the flames, and smoke erupts forth. I can see nothing but the smoke, and the old lady narrates over it, ¡°Are you a warrior who seeks to fight with their strength? Their wit? Or their magic?¡± As she speaks the smoke shifts and transforms into different shapes. A sword, a bow, and a book. Interesting. But since I need to be a solo player because of my reputation in game¡­I need to stay balanced. I can¡¯t afford to sacrifice anything. ¡°I¡¯m a warrior who seeks to fight with all 3.¡± The shapes crash into each other, a new billow of smoke rising from the fire. ¡°How interesting¡­¡± the old lady murmurs, ¡°How do you intend to defeat your foes? With one critical strike, or death by a thousand paper cuts?¡± Again the smoke shifts, forming into a sword or a shield. I¡¯m tempted to select both again, but¡­ ¡°A critical strike.¡± The sword of smoke glows, and the shield poofs away. The fire flickers and sends forth a new plume of smoke. The questions go on in such a manner, asking me about my intentions with my power, what I plan to hunt, what my preferred weapon is, and various other questions. It reminds me of that ancient MMO Wizard101, and the questions it would ask you before assigning you a school of magic. Eventually the test comes to a close though, and the smoke fades. The fire has turned to nothing but a few embers, and the old lady reaches into them. She¡¯s unharmed by the heat, and pulls out a small pellet, handing it to me. ¡°You are¡­A Bounty Hunter.¡± [Class ¡®Bounty Hunter¡¯ assigned] [Quest ¡®Class Assignment¡¯ complete! +500 EXP!] [Level up!] [Skill ¡®Weapons Improvisor¡¯ (Passive) unlocked!] As soon as the last notification pops up, the old woman disappears completely. I rise, and inspect my new traits while heading out of the building to meet back up with Momo. [Class ¡®Bounty Hunter¡¯ - You are a fierce warrior! No matter what you put in your hands, you are able to use it to bring down even the greatest monster or most terrifying player! Equally adept with all forms of fighting, this class is able to specialize every 10 levels! Note: Skill Tree unlocked until Level 10.] [Skill ¡®Weapons Improvisor¡¯ (Passive) - You will be able to use all weapons with some level of proficiency, even if never seen before. You will also be able to use non-weapons as though they were weapons with efficiency.] Interesting. I¡¯ll still be able to specialize as I level up, meaning even though my class is a jack-of-all-trades, I should be able to spec it so that I can fight how I want at high levels. ¡°Aoi!¡± Momo calls out to me, waving her hand frantically. I look up, and see her standing next to two others from her guild. Or, from their white and red uniforms, I assume they¡¯re from her guild. ¡°The meeting¡¯s happening in 5 minutes!¡± The Guild Leaders Me, Momo, and 4 other share a cramped table in a tavern. ¡°Momo has an announcement for us, she said she found something most interesting while battling monsters in the forest,¡± a large man speaks. Given his white and red color palate, I assume he¡¯s the guild leader of Aegean Shield. A strong build, fierce and noble eyes, a square face, short brown hair brushed back, golden eyes¡­He looks like a tank. ¡°I¡¯ll say,¡± another guild leader speaks up, licking her lips while staring at me. One of her black cat ears flickers, and her tail slowly stretches out from behind her, ¡°I thought I had a tab on most of the noteworthy players by now, but I haven¡¯t seen you before. Who are you?¡± She asks, leaning forward slightly. Her crimson eyes analyze me, and I¡¯m worried she can see right through me. I should have gotten a better disguise than just different colored hair before meeting them! ¡°More importantly, what loot did you get from the forest? Half of the parties we¡¯ve sent to the forest encountered Kazesoku and ran away with their tails between their legs,¡± another speaker. His ears are elongated, his hair platinum blonde and silky, and even though the game started a week ago he actually looks like he has some decent items. I can identify them as the leaders of Aegean Shield, Private Eye, and Treasure Trove respectively. That means he¡¯s¡­ ¡°Everybody. Calm down. It¡¯s rude to expect them to give us information without giving in return,¡± the leader of The North Star speaks. He¡¯s seemingly human. His hair is blood red and messily cut, but his icy blue eyes peer out through his bangs intimidatingly. He¡¯s not as big as the leader of Aegean Shield, but he¡¯s far more imposing. ¡°I¡¯m Yuto. This is Christopher,¡± he gestures to the leader of Aegean Shield, ¡°This is Bai-ko,¡± he gestures to the leader of Private Eye, ¡°And this is Gondolin. We¡¯re the leaders of the major guilds in Midgard, with the obvious exclusion of Thanatos. Would you mind introducing yourselves?¡± He¡¯s strong. As soon as he started speaking, the other guild leaders shut their mouths and watched him. I don¡¯t blame them, he¡¯s intimidating. The sheathed tachi he has in front of him on the table looks impressive, but more terrifying is that he seems like he knows how to actually use it. ¡°...I-¡± ¡°I¡¯m Momo!¡± Momo squeals, introducing herself with the brightest and most oblivious smile I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°I¡¯m 17, single, and a level 5 greatsword class! And this is Aoi! He saved me from an ogre in the woods! He¡¯s been hunting there by himself pretty much since the game started! He¡¯s so cool, he¡¯s not afraid of Kazesoku at all! In fact, he¡¯s been gone so long that he didn¡¯t even know-¡± ¡°I can introduce myself, Momo,¡± I cut her off, trying to keep my tone and expression steady. ¡°You¡¯ve been in the woods since the game started?¡± Bai-ko whispers, a dangerous smirk appearing on her face. She leans forward, her eyes glimmering with a predatory light, ¡°How interesting¡­No wonder I hadn¡¯t heard of you. But, you somehow look familiar. Why don¡¯t you share your player profile with me?¡± My throat tightens. She knows, she¡¯s on to me. Momo immediately gave away far too much information, and I¡¯ve been outed. Should I run right now? Abandon the meeting? Maybe I could meet up with the Thanatos guild somehow, and see if they¡¯d protect me¡­This is a safe space after all. They can¡¯t kill me here, even if they do know. But dammit Momo!! You had to throw me under the bus like that with your big mouth?! ¡°No,¡± Yuto speaks on my behalf, shaking his head, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that Bai-ko. You¡¯re not allowed to know the intricacies of every person¡¯s stats just so you can sell that information to the highest bidder. He can introduce himself, as he said. And I¡¯d like to meet him.¡± He nods to me, and I feel a weight lift from my shoulders. If I wasn¡¯t going to be the one who beats this game¡­I have a feeling he would. ¡°I¡¯m Aoi. Level 8. My stats and my class are my own. I wanted to level up as quickly as possible, and I spawned on the edge of the colosseum, so I ran for the forest as soon as the barrier was lifted.¡± ¡°Level 8?¡± Christopher asks incredulously, ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± ¡°He defeated a boss monster with Momo¡¯s help at level 8. Don¡¯t look down on him, Christopher. Levels aren¡¯t everything,¡± Yuto reprimands him gently, turning back to me and analyzing what he sees. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Momo and I found a dungeon after beating the monster,¡± I get us back on topic, hoping to distract them from any suspicion on me by talking about the game, ¡°¡®Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡¯. Maximum group that can enter is only 20, and 1 player has to have the item ¡®Tower¡¯s key¡¯. Which, I have. It dropped from the ogre when I defeated it.¡± ¡°What?! I thought I beat the ogre with my attack!¡± I sigh, ¡°No, Momo, you passed out. The ogre was wounded but not dead, so I had to deliver the finishing blow.¡± ¡°Interesting¡­And this dungeon, was there anything else notable about it?¡± Bai-ko asks. ¡°We think it will lead us to the 2nd floor.¡± The guild leader''s attention is so sharp I feel like I¡¯m being diced by razor blades, but I continue, ¡°It¡¯s a large tower, so tall that it seems to pierce the sky. After beating the ogre the system told me the dungeon to the 2nd floor is opening. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a coincidence.¡± The guild leaders silently nod, processing the information. After some deliberation, Yuto speaks, ¡°The maximum entry is 20?¡± I nod to affirm his words, ¡°In that case there¡¯s no point staying here. We¡¯ll choose an elite force and raid it immediately. Any longer of everybody being trapped in this one city and the PKers guild will seem more and more appealing.¡± ¡°How are we going to decide who to select?¡± Christopher asks. It¡¯s a dumb question, we all look at Bai-ko, who gives a foxy grin in response. ¡°I suppose we can afford to arm a group of 20. We have some supplies¡­¡± Gondolin begins speaking. The group speaks amongst themselves, me and Momo becoming nothing more than decorative pieces. Or at least, so I thought. ¡°Aoi, give us the key,¡± Gondolin demands, holding out a gloved hand. I remain quiet, assuming incorrectly that one of the other guild leaders must be smart enough to tell him he¡¯s being a prick. But instead, they stay silent, leaving me to realize they do expect me to give them the key. ¡°No,¡± I give a flat refusal, ¡°Absolutely not. I¡¯m going to be in the task force.¡± ¡°What? You¡¯re level 8!¡± Christopher exclaims in outrage. ¡°I earned the key. I¡¯m going to raid the dungeon with you all.¡± Christopher opens his mouth, but Yuto speaks over him, ¡°That¡¯s fine. Aoi can join the raid party. We¡¯ll figure out the rest of the members ourselves. You two can leave now, sorry for keeping you for so long. Thank you for all you¡¯ve done! Come back to this building tomorrow, 08:00, and we¡¯ll raid.¡± The other guild members hold their tongues at Yuto¡¯s words, and Momo squeals while rising, ¡°Yes!! Understood! Thank you! Thank you all!¡± She bows repeatedly during her words, backing out of the room. She doesn¡¯t even realize I¡¯m not accompanying her. ¡°Can we help you?¡± Gondolin asks, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± I gesture to Bai-ko with my head, ¡°But she can.¡± ¡°Oh~?¡± She smiles sharply. = = = = = = ¡°You¡¯re looking for three players?¡± Bai-ko parrots back to me. The two of us found our way to a small room alone in the building. Dimly lit, but even in spite of the darkness her red eyes seem to glow. ¡°Sukine, Haruhi, and Haruno?¡± ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s only their real names. I¡¯m¡­not sure what their names are in the game.¡± Bai-ko sighs, leaning backwards against the wall apathetically, ¡°You¡¯re not the first person to request something like that. Our guild¡¯s overwhelmed with requests like that, and they¡¯re not easy to accomplish¡­¡± She trails off, the implication clear. She wants me to offer compensation. But I don¡¯t have anything I can trade for! ¡°I opened the dungeon to the 2nd floor. I earned the key. This is a small price to pay for that, no?¡± Bai-ko snickers to herself, ¡°Oh, how very noble of you, after that stunt you pulled at the start of the game.¡± My heart drops at her words. Does she¡­know? She can¡¯t, right? How could she know? ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Baiko opens her menu, and clicks a few buttons. A tab opens in front of my vision: [Username: {Bai-ko Ne~ko} wants to be friends. Accept? O Deny? X] ¡°That¡¯s my price,¡± she informs me, stepping close to me. Our eyes are inches apart, hers glistening like rubies as they seem to pierce through my own. ¡°Accept the request¡­¡®Aoi¡¯.¡± She leans even closer, her lips right next to my ear, ¡°And just so you know¡­I hope you are him. Nothing could be more valuable than having you on my friends list, not for me.¡± I stare at the tab, unable to make the decision. Do I trust her? ¡°The others don¡¯t know, by the way. But my eyes are special. Quirk of my class.¡± I tsk. She¡¯s just playing with me. She already knows, doesn¡¯t she? She just wants me to confirm her suspicions. ¡°You better be ethical with information,¡± I mumble, accepting her friend request. She sees the same message I do, I¡¯m confident of it. And instead of her smirk fading, it grows into a broad toothy grin. [Username: {Kazesoku} and Username: {Bai-ko Ne~ko} are now friends!] Raid on Rapunzels Tower The lush forest surrounding us is reminiscent of mirkwood. Trees taller than the tallest buildings, their leaves a ceiling above us that block the sun and leave us navigating in shadow. The floor is earthy, covered in leaves. Occasionally, an acorn, branch, or leaf will flutter to the ground slowly. How long would this floor alone have taken to code? I pick up a leaf, a green oval with a jagged edge, and crush it in my hand. It disintegrates in blue crystals, the grim reminder that this isn¡¯t real life. ¡°Hey, Aoi, how much further?¡± Christopher calls out from the group following behind me, ¡°Bai-ko¡¯s tweaking out.¡± What? ¡°What?¡± I turn around, and sure enough Bai-ko is going feral. She¡¯s practically jumping out of her skin, leaping from tree to tree and mumbling to herself at an incomprehensible speed. Sensory overload. A girl like her who¡¯s obsessed with information can¡¯t handle going this deep into an unmapped forest. She¡¯s trying to jot down every little thing. ¡°Well¡­That¡¯s the leader of Private Eye, I suppose. Not much further, only a minute.¡± The other members of the party behind us are all strong. The lowest leveled one, aside from me, is level 10. I look at my player profile, which has changed since I gained my class. [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} Class: Bounty Hunter Titles: Gilgamesh, Cain Lv. 8 - 25/5500 EXP HP: 625/625 ST: 775/775 MP: 350/350 Strength: 3 Dexterity: 7 Constitution: 6 Intelligence: 4 Presence: 3 Skills: LOCKED, Swordsmanship (E), Evasiveness (Passive), Tracking (F), Weapons Improvisor (Passive)] None of my stats are even over 10 yet¡­I¡¯m doing a terrible job of min-maxing. But at least I won¡¯t die quickly. ¡°Aoi,¡± Yuto speaks up next to me, and I flinch. I didn¡¯t even notice him appear next to me. We all had to share our states when we started this mission, though not our profiles, so I know what a monster he is now. [Player Stats: Lv. 18 HP: 2180/2180 ST: 2000/2000 MP: 1450/1450 Strength: 17 Dexterity: 15 Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Constitution: 12 Intelligence: 12 Presence: 3] The only stat under 10 he has is his presence. It¡¯s just unbelievable. ¡°Yuto?¡± I respond to him, raising an eyebrow. ¡°You should join The North Star after this raid,¡± he smiles brightly, ¡°We could use somebody like you! And you would have good back-up for the game moving forward.¡± ¡°No,¡± I deny him flatly. Guilds like that, with thousands of members, don¡¯t interest me. It becomes too hard to gain exp as an individual, too hard to get the good quests, even loot is distributed as the guilds see fit. I need to find my friends, and together we¡¯ll make a smaller guild. Simple. ¡°Hmm¡­Looking for somebody?¡± He asks quietly, his eyes following mine to drift back to the group behind us. ¡°...Bai-ko told you?¡± I grumble in annoyance. ¡°No, you did. Your body language, the way you¡¯re analyzing every member of our party, you asked all of them about some blue bird? Only an idiot wouldn¡¯t recognize that as some code.¡± I tsk. I suppose I could have been more subtle¡­But I¡¯m saved from having to explain myself to Yuto. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± I announce, as we emerge from the forest and come to the inverted dome clearing in the ground. It¡¯s just as still as it was when I left. I jump in, sliding down the dirt wall and getting closer to the massive tower. After two minutes of walking to the tower, which only took so long thanks to Bai-ko furiously drawing the tower in a notebook as we walked, I¡¯m face to face with the weathered yellow stone bricks. I place a hand against them, feeling the cool stone. [Would you like to use key item ¡®Tower Key¡¯ to challenge Dungeon: ¡®Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡¯? Yes O No X] I select yes. The tower rumbles slightly, and the ground shakes, dust falls from the tower and rises from the exposed dirt beneath us. Abruptly, something falls from the top of the tower. It dangles about three feet above the ground, curly and golden, extending all the way to the top of the tower. ¡°What is that¡­?¡± Somebody calls out from our party. I shudder, knowing what we have to do. I grab a handful of it, my suspicions confirmed by the system, [1 party member confirmed! Teleporting to Dungeon in 5 minutes.] ¡°Grab a handful, everybody. Dungeon raid starts in 5 minutes,¡± I smirk, turning back to our party, ¡°Rapunzel let down her hair.¡± = = = = = = As the timer hits 0, the hair we¡¯ve all grabbed onto retracts into the tower and drags us along with it. It¡¯s a cutscene, which in VR is incredibly strange to experience, control of my body was taken from me and I watched as I held onto the hair for dear life and flew to the very top of the tower. I can¡¯t speak, presumably none of our party can, as we fall into a dimly lit room. The walls are covered in cobwebs and hold various torches, the ceiling seems to yawn into an endless abyss of darkness save for a chandelier that seems as far away as the sun. The floor is covered with a thick carpet, every step we take causes a small shimmer of dust to fly into the air. A pattern of purple diamond and faded yellow flowers can barely be made out on the floor. The entire room is a cylinder, with no way in or out save for the windows through which we entered. But suddenly those windows slam shut, wooden covers obscuring light and make the already dim room turn even darker and more sinister. Shadows seem to coagulate in the center of the room, morphing into themselves and swirling as a voice echoes through the hall, ¡°Rapunzel? Have you come back for me¡­?¡± An old woman croons, ¡°I only have your hair to remember you by¡­And I¡¯m all alone here¡­I¡¯m so hungry Rapunzel, you brought food back, right?¡± The shadows clear with a sudden burst, and in the center of them a witch has formed. Her skin is gray and saggy, and although she is skeletal thin her stature reaches over three times that of us. Her eyes are white and glossy, like a deep sea fish, and she looks over all of us. Her white frizzy hair seems static, it isn¡¯t moving with her head, but in her hands are beautiful flowing golden hair. Some strands of the hair even connect to her mouth, as though she had been eating it. She hisses, her body trembling as the tower shakes, ¡°You¡¯re not Rapunzel¡­NONE OF YOU ARE RAPUNZEL!!!¡± [Boss Monster {Witch Gothel} has been engaged in combat! Good luck!] Witch Gothel [Boss Monster {Witch Gothel} has been engaged in combat! Good luck!] The witch roars, and the hair in her hands turns from gold to shadow. She throws her hands out, and like a whip the shadows lash out and thrust us all away. Her voice turns incomprehensible, and abruptly the system informs us: [Boss Monster {Witch Gothel} has used the spell ¡®Frenzy¡¯!] [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to resist ¡®Frenzy¡¯ spell!] A weird heat wave flashes over my body, starting from my head and ending in my feet, but as suddenly as it hits it fades. That must have been the spell¡­A health bar appears at the top of my vision, {Witch Gothel}. The fight¡¯s on. ¡°Tanks! Front!¡± Yuto shouts, trying to rouse the rest of the party. But¡­They¡¯re fighting amongst themselves. His voice is almost imperceptible too due to his low presence. ¡°Shit! Who¡¯s still sane?¡± He calls out, jumping backwards and distancing himself from everybody. ¡°If you¡¯re sane, get over here, NOW!¡± Me, Bai-ko, Gondolin, and Yuto end up being the only players who resisted the spell. ¡°What do we do?!¡± Gondolin hisses, watching our party tear itself apart. The only reprieve for us is that Mother Gothel is crying while stroking the shadowy hair, she¡¯s not fighting us on top of everything else, even though her health bar is visible. ¡°Bai-ko, how do we snap them out of spells?¡± ¡°What do we even know about magic so far?¡± I follow up. ¡°That¡¯s the problem!¡± Bai-ko responds, her black cat-ears sticking straight up in alarm, ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about magic!! It¡¯s still super mysterious. The only people who have the wizard class can¡¯t explain it. They just have a spell slot, they were assigned a magical affinity, and got to pick three F-rank spells! They think about activating it and it activates. I didn¡¯t know mental magic was in the game! Why weren¡¯t we affected?¡± One of the frenzied party members charges us, screaming incoherently and bringing a great sword down powerfully at Bai-ko. Yuto moves seamlessly, drawing his blade and sheathing it within a moment. The attacker falls backward, and dissolves into blue shards. All of us silently stare at the aftermath of his attack, speechless. ¡°We¡¯re in a boss raid. We don¡¯t have time for that question, Bai-ko, and we don¡¯t have the stamina to waste fighting them.¡± ¡°He¡­He¡¯s right. Ideas, come on guys,¡± Bai-ko advises us. I abruptly recall fighting alongside Momo, and using my voice to encourage her. The system said I got a buff for that because of my title, and my title resisted the spell¡­Wasn¡¯t Gilgamesh an ancient king? Maybe¡­ ¡°I have an idea,¡± all three of them intently turn to me, ¡°Yuto, pick me up.¡± He doesn¡¯t even hesitate. Yuto tosses me onto his shoulders, where I stand above everybody now. I take a deep breath, inhaling as much air as I can, before announcing, ¡°SOLDIERS!!!! SERVE YOUR KING! SNAP OUT OF THIS CRAP!! FIGHT THE BOSS MONSTER, COME ON!! TANKS, AGGRO HER NOT EACH OTHER!!¡± [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to increase presence when addressing other players.] [Congratulations! Bonus points have been added to ¡®Presence¡¯ Stat!] [Allies have received temporary buff!] ¡°Really? That was your plan?!¡± Gondolin asks incredulously. I smirk, hopping off Yuto¡¯s shoulders, watching as the chaos subsides, ¡°Yes¡­¡± I respond, clapping his shoulder, ¡°It was. Now we have a boss to fight, get up there with the tanks.¡± Gondolin tsks, and rushes back into the battle. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did,¡± Yuto begins, giving me a genuine smile, ¡°But good job. Thank you, Aoi,¡± he thanks me before following Gondolin back into the crowd and trying to organize them to attack Mother Gothel again. ¡°How¡­Did you do that?¡± Bai-ko asks me suspiciously, one of her cat ears twitching slightly. Her red eyes glimmer with curiosity, and she pushes her face closer and closer to mine as I leave her without an answer. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re¡­Kazesoku?¡± She whispers the name. ¡°No. It¡¯s a perk of my title, Gilgamesh¡­I guess. I just got lucky. Now shouldn¡¯t you be helping the DPS unit get reorganized?¡± ¡°This is a better use of my skill set.¡± ¡°Interrogating me?¡± This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She flashes a predatory smile, her sharp white teeth not making her seem any flavor of trustworthy, ¡°No, I¡¯m getting information on the game. We all need that to survive, don¡¯t we?¡± I don¡¯t like her¡­But I don¡¯t dislike her either. She¡¯s sharp, and she¡¯s a little too nosy, but she¡¯s straightforward about it. She¡¯s honest, and I can respect that. ¡°I guess¡­Look, if you can, improve my PR, will you? I¡¯m not a fan of our situation either, and I don¡¯t know anything extra about the game. I never worked with Ki Atama, I¡¯ve never talked to him, and in fact I¡¯m pretty pissed at him for making me start the game with a target on my back.¡± ¡°Mmm, and I should do that by lowering my own PR? Compromising people¡¯s trust in our guild? No no, not while the power balance is still being established. But¡­I haven¡¯t told anybody who you are yet.¡± Mother Gothel lets out a second road, and pulls back the hair. She swings it down like a club, slamming into the tank unit. Only two of them were able to dodge the blow, the rest¡­Blue shards. ¡°WHAT!?¡± I cry out, my voice coinciding with the thunderclap of noise her hair connecting to the ground caused. She had a spell that strong to start, and she¡¯s physically that powerful?! We¡¯re already down to 2 tanks?! The DPS unit attacks, and I bear witness to our first piece of good news. Her health isn¡¯t super high. Before she can pull her hair back up and attack again, she¡¯s halfway depleted. And that¡¯s when phase 2 activates¡­While the DPS are still within her striking zone. She lets out a shrill screech, and her gray skin begins to turn more and more demonic. Her white hair grows longer, thicker, and darker. ¡°RUN!!! GET OUT OF THERE!!!¡± I cry out. But it¡¯s too late. Her hair shoots out like spikes, impaling every single member of the DPS unit¡­Except one. They all immediately dissolve into blue shards, while Yuto who barely used his sword to block the attack in time flies back behind me and slams into the wall. ¡°Ok¡­New plan?¡± Gondolin murmurs, basically appearing on my right, one of the two tanks who survived. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s a boss we¡¯re supposed to aggro,¡± Christopher grumbles, making up the remainder of our tank unit. ¡°I¡­agree,¡± Yuto murmurs, his breathing haggard as he stumbles from the wall and comes even with me, ¡°And, Bai-ko¡­Where the hell have you been during all this?¡± ¡°What happened to not having time for questions?¡± She coyly responds, the five of us making up every member left alive of the party. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­I¡¯ll chew you out later, you stupid cat. Aoi, plan?¡± Yuto asks, and all of their eyes turn to me. Mother Gothel¡¯s waiting for us again¡­She¡¯s a boss without high HP, but with incredible damage output. She¡¯s not super fast either. There¡¯s an easy answer. Hell, I¡¯m only level 8 but I might be able to pull it off. ¡°Hit and run,¡± I say confidently, ¡°Keep it simply. We weren¡¯t wrong, we need to aggro her, but not just waiting for her to attack. Dark Souls style. Gondolin and Christopher go in and get her to attack, me and Bai-ko follow up trying to attack her, she¡¯ll fire back. We have to run before she charges it. After the charged attack, Yuto,¡± I turn to him and ask him flatly, ¡°Can you take her out? You¡¯re our best DPS left.¡± Yuto blinks, sighing with a defeated smile. He lowers his body and gets into a powerful stance, one hand on his hilt and the other on his sheath, ¡°Yes,¡± he closes his eyes, waiting, ¡°I¡¯ll be ready.¡± ¡°You heard him!¡± Christopher announces, smiling brightly, ¡°Let¡¯s go Gondolin!¡± He charges forward, Gondolin groaning before following after him. Me and Bai-ko slowly follow them, watching and waiting. Christopher and Gondolin get within range of her whip attack, and both raise a shield when it comes down on them. There¡¯s a deafening crash, but neither me or Bai-ko give it time to check if they survived. We charge past them, and approach the giant witch. I draw my blade, still nothing but a beginner sword, and slash through her thigh. Bai-ko leaps off my shoulders and uses twin daggers to slice through her neck and rolls down her body leaving more slashes and attacks. Gothel¡¯s hair begins wriggling ominously, and the hairs on my own neck stand on edge. ¡°RUN!¡± I shout, more as a command to myself than for Bai-ko. I got 1 measly attack in?! That¡¯s all?? I pump my legs as fast as they¡¯ll take me, but Bai-ko still easily outpaces me. Damn her higher level dexterity! I hear a shrill scream from behind me, Mother Gothel¡¯s hair attack. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m out of range. I turn around, eyes wide, only to see every single strand of her hair arc towards me at the same time. Their speed is like lightning, and they reach me before I can take another step. With a sickening thud, the hairs¡­ Pierce through¡­ Christopher¡¯s shield? ¡°Christopher?!¡± I cry out, shocked that he¡¯s still alive. He turns back, smiling brightly even as his stomach is impaled by the Witch¡¯s attack. Blood spills from his mouth, and he falls to one knee as the hair is drawn back by Mother Gothel. ¡°Had to pay back my guild¡¯s debt to you!¡± He announces proudly, ¡°You saved Momo¡¯s life, so consider it even!¡± Christopher falls forward¡­But doesn¡¯t shatter into blue shards. How much HP and Constitution does this monster have? ¡°AOI! MOVE!¡± Yuto commands. I feel a presence behind me, and immediately jump out of the way. Yuto shoots past me like a bullet, a blue line following behind him. I hear one slashing sound, and when I spot Yuto¡¯s body again he¡¯s standing behind Mother Gothel, chest heaving with every breath and his sword hanging listlessly by his side. Mother Gother reaches down slowly, stroking the hair in her hands. I smile, knowing what comes next. ¡°Rapunzel¡­I miss you,¡± she croons, before dissolving into blue shards. Her health bar had hit 0. [Boss Monster {Mother Gothel} defeated! Raid rewards being calculated¡­] [Congratulations on clearing the dungeon ¡®Rapunzel¡¯s Tower¡¯! The Second Floor will open!] [Congratulations Player {Kazesoku}, you have been deemed the highest contributor! Your rewards are: Rapunzel¡¯s Hair, Flynn¡¯s Tunic, +10000 exp] [Level up!] The Thanatos Guild It¡¯s been one week since the clearing of the first floor. In that time, the second floor was easily cleared by Yuto and the Northern Star Guild. The floors seem to build into each other, the forest we entered at the end of the first floor is still what we¡¯re exploring now on the third floor. While the first floor was Rapunzel, the second was Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf was easily slain, Yuto reported to us that it was even weaker than Gothel. Well, ¡®us¡¯ might be a stretch. He reported it to the guild leaders, and Bai-ko reported it to me. Meanwhile, across the last week I¡¯ve been busy with two things. ¡°When the blue-bird sings??¡± I cry out into the street, standing at my small stall in Trestar. Sukine, Haruhi, and Haruno, have all been completely missing in action. They couldn¡¯t have died¡­right? No. They¡¯re good players, they¡¯re smart people, and just like me they¡¯ve coded games. We know what to do to win. I sigh, looking down the crowded street and seeing nobody responding to my seemingly schizophrenic shouts. ¡°...the episode of Naruto is over,¡± I mumble to myself, sitting back down on my chair. I¡¯ve had no success with this first goal, but the second goal speaks for itself. [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} Class: Bounty Hunter Titles: Gilgamesh, Cain Lv. 16 - 12,559/32,000 EXP HP: 1235/1235 ST: 1450/1450 MP: 825/825 Strength: 6 Dexterity: 16 Constitution: 7 Intelligence: 8 Presence: 5 Skills: LOCKED, Swordsmanship (D), Evasiveness (Passive), Tracking (E), Weapons Improvisor (Passive), Arcane Knowledge (F), Sharpshooter (F)] I snicker. Everytime I look at my profile I feel better and better about it. I haven¡¯t quite caught up to where Yuto was during the raid on Gothel, but I¡¯ve still made good progress. Not to mention my skills, which prepare me for anything. It was an incredible stroke of luck I was able to acquire arcane knowledge, mixed with my knowledge of how games like this work. Albeit, I didn¡¯t expect it to take three straight days of studying beginner spell books and interviewing every magic class I could find¡­ [System Alert: Message from Bai-Ko] She¡¯s been sending me updates pretty frequently, but this is too early. She hasn¡¯t even met with the other guild leaders yet. Maybe she¡¯s found some information on Sukine and the rest? With a thought, I open the messages tab. [TP as soon as you can. Yuto lost a life.] I rise to my feet immediately, my eyes widening. Yuto? He lost one of his lives? ¡°That can¡¯t be¡­¡± I whisper to myself, reading the message over and over trying to come to terms with it. Yuto¡¯s strong, he¡¯s smart, he¡¯s level-headed. How did he lose a life?! On just the 3rd floor?! That doesn¡¯t make any sense, it¡¯s too early, he¡¯s strong! With my heart pounding in my ears, and still in disbelief, I select Bai-ko¡¯s profile. Friends can teleport to each other as long as they¡¯re in a safe zone, which I¡¯m assuming she must be given she¡¯s sending me this message. I select the teleport button. = = = = = = My vision dissolved into blue shards, but gradually the pieces came back together and regained color. I¡¯m on the third floor now, around a small campfire. Bai-ko, Gondolin, Christopher, and two people I¡¯ve never met before are already here, sitting on logs around the flame. There are a total of four tents, three large and one small, which make up the small outpost on the third floor¡¯s forest. It¡¯s ridiculously dark, and if not for the fire I wouldn¡¯t even be able to see the dozens of thick oak trees densely packed around us. I stride forward, ¡°Bai-ko, I got your message, where¡¯s Yuto? What happened?¡± Bai-ko turns to me, the rest continue staring at the fire, ¡°Yuto¡¯s back on Trestar. We banned him from the floor.¡± ¡°WHAT?!¡± I cry out in shock, unable to believe the words, closing the gap between us. Before I can get to her though, one of the strangers I don¡¯t know interrupts me. He¡¯s a beastkin like her, with auburn fox ears, shaggy hair, and piercing green eyes. He wields a kanabo, a metal rod thicker at the top with studs, and looks stand-offisly at me. ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you, I¡¯m talking to Bai-ko,¡± I hiss, stepping past him. Or trying to. But to my surprise, he swings the kanabo at me. He¡¯s a build I¡¯ve seen before. He¡¯s strong, but that¡¯s really it. He¡¯s not creative, he¡¯s not fast, he¡¯s just strong. I step into his attack, closing any space between us, sweeping his legs from under him and grabbing his mouth while I bring him to the ground. I hold him there tightly, looking up at Bai-ko, putting together their relationship. ¡°Tell your second in command to step down, and stop being so cryptic. Explain what¡¯s going on Bai-ko.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. She sighs, massaging her eyes while saying, ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. We¡¯ve just all been on edge. Hong-hu, stand down.¡± I feel him relax under my hand, so I let him go and get next to Bai-ko. ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°Kazesoku did,¡± Christopher grumbles, tossing a few more twigs into the fire. I hide my reaction as well as I can, but fortunately everybody save for Bai-ko and Hong-hu are still staring at the fire. ¡°That¡¯s not quite right,¡± Bai-ko corrects, ¡°We don¡¯t know that he¡¯s done anything-¡± ¡°Oh cut it out,¡± the girl I don¡¯t know steps up, her arms crossed and a defiant expression on her face. She has black hair, braided into twintails, and a sharp jawline. Pointy ears strut out beyond her hair, signaling her as an elf. Her eyes border on black, and there are freckles across her face, ¡°What are you, in love with the guy?! He made Yuto lose a life! And he did it with a surprise attack no less! I don¡¯t know why we¡¯re still sitting here debating about what to do! We should just go out there and-¡± ¡°Lose a life? Like Yuto?¡± Gondolin finishes her sentence for her. She tsks, ¡°You don¡¯t know that! He got caught off guard. We know they¡¯re here now! Instead of taking revenge, we¡¯re sitting here while they¡¯re laughing at us!¡± ¡°We¡¯re coming up with a plan, actually,¡± Bai-ko says, ¡°Now sit down and listen. Or, if you want, you can go brazenly chase after the shadows.¡± The girl throws her hands up in annoyance and storms off into a tent. Baiko continues, ¡°That¡¯s Tankina, she¡¯s the second in command of The North Star. She¡¯s been taking Yuto¡¯s first death the hardest of us all¡­We kind of thought he was invincible.¡± ¡°I kind of did too¡­On the topic of which, are you going to explain what happened yet? Or should I try to piece it together from what I¡¯ve heard.¡± Bai-ko sighs, ¡°You¡¯re probably not far off. Yuto was raiding this floor with an advance party from his guild. Things had been going well, and we¡¯d made substantial progress. This floor seems to be based off Hansel and Gretal, so there are some breadcrumbs hidden along a path you need to follow. If you follow them, you get deeper and deeper into the forest, until eventually you come across a cabin. The cabin was a dungeon, Yuto didn¡¯t want to challenge it yet, so he came back along the trail, and was going to try and gather a proper raid guild for it. But he was ambushed.¡± ¡°Thanatos?¡± ¡°There were way more than they could fight off. According to Yuto and the others there were at least 100 of them. Yuto was¡­Well, he¡¯s the only one that made it back.¡± ¡°What does that even mean? You die and then respawn, there¡¯s no way everybody there was on their last life except him, right?¡± ¡°Do you know how respawns work?¡± Bai-ko asks coldly. I slowly shake my head, and she continues, ¡°Wherever you last slept, you respawn, as long as it''s a designated safe spot. Which, are determined by the game as spots cleared by players and where they¡¯ve set up camp with actively residing players.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t¡­¡± I murmur, realizing what they did. As long as a spot was cleared by players, it doesn¡¯t matter what those players do. So if they kidnapped the rest of the players¡­They could kill them over and over as they respawned in Thanatos¡¯s camp. ¡°They did. Yuto had to kill himself in order to escape. They had arrows with sleeping potions, or paralysis, he couldn¡¯t tell. But one thing was clear, they were targeting him.¡± We all sit in silence for a few moments, with only the crackling of the fire to interrupt it. ¡°So, why aren¡¯t we going after them immediately? Tankina¡¯s right. If we go now, we could probably still save some of them, and avenge Yuto.¡± Bai-ko shakes her head slowly, ¡°No, almost certainly not. They¡¯ve been missing for three days now. It takes that long to respawn. There¡¯s no point in rushing at this point.¡± ¡°Well, then why don¡¯t we get a huge force together? We could just totally overwhelm them with numbers. You don¡¯t seriously expect a couple of us to fight against a group that big, right?¡± Christopher speaks up this time, his normally strong voice slightly weathered and pained, ¡°You weren¡¯t there for the colosseum massacre. Even if we called on the guilds, most of them wouldn¡¯t want to fight against Thanatos, and by the time we got a force together they would¡¯ve heard of it and left.¡± I groan in frustration, plopping down on a log next to Bai-ko, ¡°Cool. So, no offense, but Tankina was right. We¡¯re just sitting here for no reason? Why¡¯d you even call me if we¡¯re not going to do anything.¡± The camp shifts slightly, and the members all look between each other uneasily, their eyes settling on Bai-ko. She closes her eyes and announces, ¡°Well, I called you because I thought you might be able to help us make a decision. You¡¯re strong, you¡¯re competent, you¡¯re smart. What do you make of things?¡± ¡°What do I make of it?!¡± I ask incredulously, snickering and staring back at the fire. I list off our assets, ¡°We don¡¯t know where the enemy is. We don¡¯t know their real strength, or levels. We don¡¯t know how many of them are here, only that they outnumber us by at least 15 to 1. We don¡¯t have Yuto, we don¡¯t have time to get any more group members, and as a wonderful cherry on top we¡¯re in the middle of dark woods. Did I miss anything?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve got Kazesoku,¡± Gondolin glumly adds. And that¡¯s when it hits me. My eyes flicker to Bai-ko. Her red eyes are open again, and staring back at me with an almost apologetic light. Her plan, without ever being explicitly stated, becomes clear to me. She wants me to use the renown of my username to go and chase the Thanatos guild away, or to help us get the drop on them. Or¡­Maybe even to infiltrate and keep an eye on them. ¡°...We¡¯ve got Aoi.¡± The Thanatos Guild (2) ¡°...We¡¯ve got Aoi,¡± Bai-ko answers Gondolin¡¯s grumbles, all but confirming my suspicions. I¡¯d be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t curious to meet the members of Thanatos, but not enough for me to willingly risk my neck to see them. Still¡­If they¡¯re doing it in my name, I might as well try to stop them. ¡°I¡¯ll look for them,¡± I say with a defeated voice, rising from the log. ¡°Alone?!¡± Christopher asks with a gasp. ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± ¡°No! That¡¯s too dangerous!¡± He exclaims, his protective nature on full display. His desire to ensure our safety is heartwarming, but he already saved my life with Witch Gothel. Besides, it¡¯s safe for me to go alone this time. ¡°Fine, fine, I¡¯ll go with him,¡± Bai-ko says languidly, stretching as she rises to her feet, ¡°Reconnaissance is my specialty, after all.¡± ¡°Where you go, I do too,¡± Hong-hu steps forward, also planning on coming with. That makes things trickier, because he doesn¡¯t know who I am¡­ ¡°Neither of you are going,¡± Gondolin steps forward, ¡°I have the best eyes. I¡¯m a ranger, after all. I¡¯ll go with you, Aoi.¡± Eh? What is¡­What is happening? ¡°Stop! I¡¯ll go with him, I can shield him and ensure he gets back safely from the reconnaissance in the first place!¡± Christopher suddenly throws his hat in the ring as well. It feels like I¡¯m not given any say in this matter¡­They¡¯ve all started arguing amongst themselves over who¡¯s going to go with me! ¡°HEY!!!¡± Their voices quiet down, as Tankina emerges from the tent again, ¡°Everybody, shut up, I¡¯m going with him.¡± ¡°Oho?¡± Bai-ko purrs quietly, amusement flashing across her eyes. ¡°Tankina, please, you¡¯re the opposite of stealthy,¡± Gondolin raises a fair point. ¡°But I¡¯m the one who¡¯s wanted to go since before he got here! And besides, you¡¯re all actual guild leaders, your lives are way too important! We already lost one of Yuto¡¯s! My life is the most expendable, after this guy,¡± she points at me, ¡°So I¡¯ll go with him!¡± ¡°But-¡± ¡°SHADDAP!!! I¡¯m going anyways!! Either with him, or without him!¡± She screams, before storming off¡­into the forest. ¡°No time like the present, I guess,¡± I murmur, following after her before she gets out of view, ¡°I¡¯ll let Bai-ko know when we get any updates, and try to come back soon! Don¡¯t be idiots, but try to get more people here so that we can pull off a raid. Just some elites!¡± ¡°Aoi!¡± Bai-ko tosses something my way. I catch it, and check the item¡¯s description. It¡¯s hair dye remover¡­so this really was her plan from the get-go. ¡°Good luck!¡± She calls after me, ¡°Be a good chaperone!¡± I snicker and wave goodbye without looking back at her. = = = = = = Our journey through the forest has been¡­less than fruitful. We¡¯ve been moving without torchlight, as that would only alert Thanatos to our location, but that means our progress has been slow. I¡¯m in charge, and my tracking skill has helped us slightly. I¡¯ve definitely found the breadcrumb trail that we¡¯re supposed to follow for the main mission of the floor, but I¡¯ve come across nothing in terms of Thanatos guild or any other players. It¡¯s like they¡¯re phantoms. ¡°...Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± Tankina asks me, crouching next to me as I examine the floor as best as I can in the dark. ¡°Should I be?¡± I respond quietly, deciding our best bet is to follow the breadcrumb trail and try to retrace Yuto¡¯s steps from there. ¡°Well, yeah. We¡¯re facing Thanatos. We might actually die, unlike when losing one life fighting monsters. Isn¡¯t that scary to you?¡± ¡°No. No more so than usual,¡± I mumble absentmindedly, not giving our conversation much thought, ¡°We¡¯re just in a video game. The stakes are higher, and the game feels more real, but at the end of the day it¡¯s just a game. And I¡¯m a good player.¡± ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. But, Yuto died to these guys. Doesn¡¯t that alarm you?¡± I narrow my eyes and stop walking, turning around and looking at her. She¡¯s asking a lot of questions for somebody who was so headstrong and boisterous. ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she answers with unexpected candidness, ¡°Of course I am. I¡¯m terrified. I hate this game, I hate this stupid guild, and I hate that I¡¯m here,¡± she spits out with vitriolic anger. ¡°...Then why are you here?¡± After my question, silence seeps between us for a long time. The silence grows long enough that I begin to convince myself she isn¡¯t going to answer my question, but that¡¯s when she speaks again. ¡°Because if I¡¯m scared, and I¡¯m doing ok with the game, I can¡¯t imagine how much worse everybody else must be feeling. I¡¯m not here because I want to be, I¡¯m here because I need to be. We need to clear this stupid game as fast as we can, so that we can go home and pretend it never happened. So that we can save the tens of thousands of people trapped with us. To save ourselves.¡± I hear her voice crack slightly at her final words. She¡¯s venting, completely and utterly, but she needs it. She needs somebody to listen. ¡°Are you doing ok?¡± ¡°...This sucks! I hate it! This game is absolutely ridiculous, it¡¯s been over a month since we started playing and we¡¯re only on the 3rd floor. Yuto¡¯s our hero, he was supposed to be the strongest player, he was becoming our symbol of hope, but he died already?! There are 100 floors, and he lost a life on the 3rd one?! If he can¡¯t even do it, we¡¯re all screwed! We¡¯re all going to die here, there¡¯s no way we can beat this game. And I miss my family, alright?! I¡¯m scared I¡¯m never going to see them again. And by the time I do see them again, it¡¯ll have been months. No, years! It¡¯ll be years before I see my family again!! If I ever do! I¡¯ll die before then. I¡¯m going to die in this pathetic game! I¡¯m stuck in here, I¡¯m stuck and there¡¯s nothing I can do about it!! This is awful, this is terrifying, this sucks!¡± She begins to cry and she gives me her speech. She falls to her knees in the forest, covering her face with her hands, as her body is racked with sobs. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. I kneel next to her, and slowly pull her into a hug, ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± I whisper quietly, realizing how much worse this game world must be for people who¡¯ve never even worked with code before. This world is a system for me, it¡¯s just a test, one I plan on passing. I¡¯m at least passingly familiar with how parts of it were constructed. But for everybody else? Away from their family and friends in a foreign world for who knows how long? ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± I add, holding her closer. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we can¡¯t go back yet.¡± Her sobs gradually begin to quiet down as I continue to console her, ¡°But we will. I promise you we will. You¡¯ll get to see your family again, and we¡¯ll beat this game. I promise. You aren¡¯t going to die.¡± The two of us separate. Even in the dark, her tears are glistening down her face, but she sucks it up with a sniffle, nodding slowly. ¡°But if even Yuto died¡­?¡± ¡°No,¡± I stop her, shaking my head and smiling, ¡°Yuto didn¡¯t die. He lost a single life. He has two more. And he¡¯s the strongest person in the game, of course he¡¯ll bounce back five times as strong. And he didn¡¯t die to the game! He died to an ambush, that we¡¯re going to foil. Now let¡¯s keep moving, ok?¡± She takes a shaky breath, and then rises back to her feet, ¡°You¡¯re right¡­I¡¯m so sorry, you¡¯re right. I just¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± I tell her, getting back up and poking her forehead, ¡°I get it. Let¡¯s keep looking, just one step closer to beating the game.¡± = = = = = = [Congratulations! After tracking down a hidden guild, tracking has leveled up to a D-rank skill!] The notification crops up right as torchlight catches my eye flickering between the trees. I grab Tankina¡¯s wrist and pull her into a crouch with me, placing a finger on my lips. I doubt she could see me in the dark, but she was probably able to assume why I grabbed her in the first place and stays quiet. The two of us slowly make our way closer to the lights, as their camp grows more and more in focus. It¡¯s¡­huge. How did they have time to set all of this up? It¡¯s like a small city in the trees, four massive ones serving as the outline. Bridges connect between the trees far above us, and small shelters are built into each of the trees. The ground level has one huge campfire, around which various tents and crates full of presumably supplies are. They must have intended for this to be their camp for a long time. Horrifyingly enough, in the center of the trees, hanging below the bridges, there¡¯s a large wooden cage dangling above the fire. A dozen or so people are trapped in there, all of them unmoving and lying down. Whether they¡¯re asleep or paralyzed doesn¡¯t matter, what matters is that they haven¡¯t lost all of their lives. ¡°Stronger than one!¡± A man¡¯s voice calls out from above, loudly, making me wonder why he couldn¡¯t have done that earlier and given away his location. The bustle of the camp slows, and people emerge from their tents. Dozens of members, probably around 100, all armed to the teeth, stand in the camp. At least a dozen more are on the bridges between trees, and standing atop the cage a man steps into the light, ¡°Stronger than ten¡­¡± ¡°Stronger than a hundred men!¡± The masses below him call out. He laughs, nodding in approval, languidly walking around the top of the cage without a care in the world. ¡°Tell me, my little reapers, how much have you grown with us?¡± People cry out various numbers, throwing out anywhere from 5-10, causing such an uproar I¡¯m shocked we didn¡¯t hear them before. ¡°What are we looking for?¡± Tankina whispers, starting to rise. I grip her wrist tighter and pull her down again, ¡°Hey! What was that for?¡± She calls out, as though she¡¯s oblivious to the sight before us. I shove my finger against my lip, and gesture to the still chanting crowd ahead of us. Fortunately their uproar prevented her from giving us away. ¡°Can you see something? It¡¯s just so damn dark!¡± She asks, narrowing her eyes and almost seeming to look through the camp. The man laughs from atop the cage, ¡°Excellent answers! Things are simple here, no? Level up, and survive. If your level¡¯s low, you die. It¡¯s just that easy! Kazesoku showed us that! And it¡¯s great to see how much you¡¯ve all grown!! Truly, truly! And we have 12 lovely little bags of EXP here for you¡­But who should get them?¡± Again, outcry from the crowd below. I take the chance to turn to Tankina and ask, ¡°Can you not see them?¡± She looks closer ahead of us, and shakes her head, ¡°Are they in the distance?¡± I stare at her with wide eyes. Why can¡¯t she see them¡­? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°Well¡­¡± I start thinking. My eyes drift to my inventory tab, the bottle of hair-dye remover is waiting for me. I need to be ¡®Kazesoku¡¯ again. Or their twisted version of me. I can¡¯t do that in front of Tankina anyways, but she can¡¯t see their camp. ¡°Just wait for me, ok? Go behind that tree,¡± I point in the distance towards a stray tree. She furrows her brow, but nods and backs away. ¡°I think we know who wants to take their last lives most of all though¡­¡± The man announces, prowling about the cage and savoring his time in the spotlight. ¡°Your very own guild leaders, OF COURSE!!!¡± He gestures with a sweep of his hand to the dozen or so people on the bridges. They wave to their fans, and the crowd at the bottom goes wild. It¡¯s almost like a cult¡­I look around, ensuring Tankina¡¯s gone, and take my bottle of hair-dye remover out. I apply it, and hope the results are immediate. ¡°But who of them will have the first boost? Who should it be?¡± Names start being thrown around, until I hear one I wasn¡¯t expecting. From right next to me. ¡°Kazesoku?¡± She whispers, almost directly into my ear. I jump away, my eyes wide, accidentally leaping into the light. ¡°It¡¯s really you?!¡± She asks with a maniacal smile, leaping with me. Her face stays only inches away from mine, as though she¡¯s drinking me in with her eyes. Her wide, diamond white eyes, trembling slightly. ¡°KAZESOKU!!!¡± She shouts, grabbing me with strength I¡¯ve never felt in the game before. I¡¯m totally trapped in her embrace as she lifts me up in a hug, spinning around with me. Everybody else in the camp has gone quiet, murmurs spreading among them, ¡°Oh!!! I¡¯m SO happy I finally found you!!! And you brought a present for us!¡± A present? She giggles, looking to her left. When I follow her gaze I see Tankina, hiding behind a tree as best as she can. But¡­it¡¯s still like she can¡¯t see us. What is going on?! Can she not tell the light is shining directly on her?! ¡°KAZESOKU IS HERE EVERYBODY!!!¡± She cries out, tossing me into the air like I weigh no more than a feather. I fly all the way up to the cage, passing by the announcer from earlier, and fall down right into the girl¡¯s arms again. ¡°AMAZING!!! Amazing! Amazing amazing amazingggg!!!!¡± She laughs wildly, spinning with me again, the rest of the guild spreading out for her. ¡°I¡¯ve dreamed of this day since founding the guild! You kept me waiting for so long¡­But that¡¯s ok! You¡¯re here now! I¡¯ve dreamed of what I¡¯ll say~!¡± She clears her throat and puts me down for the first time, kneeling in front of me, ¡°I¡¯m your biggest fan! Phantasia, the leader of Thanatos, and please¡­¡± a notification interrupts her. [Username: {PhantomPython} wants to be friends. Accept? O Deny? X] ¡°Accept my friend request!!¡± Phantasias Obsession ¡°Accept my friend request!!¡± She demands of me, staring at me with her eerie white irises. I hardly have time to catch my breath from her excitement, before the guild behind her begins murmuring in suspicion. ¡°Is it really Kazesoku?¡± ¡°He¡¯s more handsome than I thought he¡¯d be¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Kasesoku, let¡¯s just kill him!¡± That sentence alarms me. And it¡¯s the one that gathers the most steam. The key-phrase ¡®kill him¡¯ gathers steam, spreading like wildfire among the guild. Suddenly, the murmurs turn into a chant. ¡°KILL HIM! KILL HIM! KILL HIM!¡± ¡°BE QUIET!¡± Phantasia snarls at her guild. Like a bunch of trained dogs, they retreat to the edges of the camp whimpering. ¡°None of you are touching a HAIR on his head! Try it¡­¡± she dares them to make an action, exuding a strange black aura from her body, ¡°I need some more EXP anyways.¡± But, but,¡± one of the brave guild members hesitantly steps forward, standing in front of the huddling mass behind him, ¡°What if he¡¯s not Kazesoku?¡± ¡°Duh, we¡¯ll kill him,¡± Phantasia responds casually, turning back to me. As soon as her eyes fall on me, the viscous face and aura she had confronting her guild melts into a maniacal grin, ¡°But he¡¯s Kazesoooku!!! He¡¯s here! Oh he is he is he IS!!¡± She exclaims, wrapping her arms around me again, ¡°Right?! Why aren¡¯t you accepting my friend request?¡± [Username: {PhantomPython} wants to be friends. Accept? O Deny? X] The notification stares me down ominously. I really don¡¯t have a choice. [Username: {Kazesoku} and Username: {PhantomPython} are now friends!] ¡°YES!! AHAHAHA!!!!¡± Phantasia screams uproariously, spinning around with me once more, treating me like a doll. I open my settings and look through her information. Phantasia¡¯s stats, Phantasia¡¯s stats¡­got it! [Player Profile: {PhantomPython} Class: Assassin Titles: Jack the Ripper Lv. 25 HP: 1450/1450 ST: 750/750 MP: 1500/1500 Strength: 5 Dexterity: 22 Constitution: 2 This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Intelligence: 11 Presence: 22] ¡­No way am I beating her in a battle. She outclasses me in dexterity, and that¡¯s the stat I¡¯m trying to get the highest. How do I get out of this situation? What¡¯s my win-con? I could try a surprise attack, her HP isn¡¯t ridiculous, but that wouldn¡¯t save me from the horde behind her. Level 25? This blows, how am I supposed to counter that? ¡°Oh! Oh! Kiraki, Claude, go capture the girl,¡± Phantasia haphazardly orders, still clutching me. Wait, Kiraki? As in, the girl I killed in the colosseum? ¡°Yes, guild leader,¡± two voices respond from the bridges, and go after Tankina. I don¡¯t have the time to watch her, I can only hope she escapes them, I need to devote all my brain power to saving myself right now. ¡°Oh Kazesoku!! I¡¯m so so happy you¡¯re here! Please, please, let us give you some help!¡± She exclaims, snapping her fingers. She must have sent a message through the game system, because with only that snap her guild abruptly moves and opens the cage. The prisoners inside, all 12 of them, are taken out and brought before me and Phantasia like we¡¯re royalty and they¡¯re preparing a feast for us. ¡°You can kill all of them if you¡¯d like!¡± Phantasia announces brightly, letting go of me and giggling sweetly. ¡°A-All of them?¡± The same male from before steps forward, ¡°But you said we would share-¡± he¡¯s cut off rather abruptly by a knife protruding from his throat. He dissolves into blue shards, Phantasia standing behind it. When did she move? I couldn¡¯t see it, she¡¯s just too absurdly quick. ¡°Any other complaints?¡± She asks with a sickly sweet voice, her face smiling even as her eyes fiercely stare everybody else down. ¡°No? Brilliant! Please Kazesoku,¡± she skips happily over to me, ¡°Kill them all!¡± ¡­It would be an excellent way to gain EXP, wouldn¡¯t it? It could cement my stance as Kazesoku in this guild, I could use that EXP to save more lives than the amount I¡¯d be taking. And most of all¡­It would save my own ass. They¡¯re all paralyzed, they¡¯re the ones that went and got captured. They were going to die if I didn¡¯t come here to try and save them, so it¡¯s better for that EXP to go to me instead of them. Isn¡¯t it? No. I slowly draw my sword, my eyes closed and taking a deep breath to calm my heart. Justifying it doesn¡¯t make me a better person. I¡¯m about to become a murderer. ¡°Augh!!¡± Tankina¡¯s scream forces me to open my eyes. She¡¯s been captured. Tied up, thrown face down in front of me, hardly able to speak due to the paralysis. Still, she grunts, she cries, she makes as much noise as she can. ¡°Ooo! Good job you two!¡± I hear them high five Phantasia behind me, ¡°But she¡¯s so loud, isn¡¯t she, Kazesoku?¡± She whispers, almost seductively, from behind me. Her arms slither their way down my shoulders, hugging me from behind. Her lips, inches from my ear, whisper, ¡°Are you going to kill her first? She¡¯s so loud¡­Or are you going to save her for last? Let her dread and fear mount as you slaughter her comrades?¡± Kill¡­Tankina? My teeth clench, my grip tightens on my sword. How could I? ¡°You want me to kill these helpless people? To kill them without even giving them a fair shot?¡± I ask quietly, trying to act like a haughty overlord. I speak louder, ¡°That is not how murder is done, that¡¯s not where beauty in killing is found!¡± I announce, breaking away from Phantasia, shoving her away from me. ¡°Bloodshed is beautiful because it is hard fought, a symbol of humanity. And you¡¯re taking that away from them, asking me to slaughter them like they¡¯re fattened pigs. No¡­¡± I raise my blade, pointing it at Phantasia. ¡°If I¡¯m going to kill anybody here, it will be you.¡± Even if this goes poorly for me¡­I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t kill Tankina. Call me a hypocrite for considering killing the other 12, but I won¡¯t kill somebody I promised to protect. The fire crackles, as though it¡¯s laughing at the development, but nobody else in the camp makes a sound. Even Tankina has ceased her racket. ¡°Kazesoku¡­¡± Phantasia whispers, her voice airy. She slowly caresses her body, her hands rising from her hips and ending as she holds her blushing face. Blushing? ¡°Kazesokuuuu~!¡± She moans my name wantonly, walking towards my blade like a moth attracted to light and only stopping as it presses against her breast. ¡°Oh, OH!!! To be killed by you, to feel your blade against my heart,¡± she shudders, grabbing my sword and slowly placing it against her neck. ¡°Do you want me to fight you for it? Do you just want to take it? I¡¯ll do whatever you want,¡± she trembles in excitement, and I realize she¡¯s crazy right as she announces, ¡°I¡¯m obsessed with you.¡± The Title Cain ¡°I¡¯m obsessed with you,¡± she whispers dangerously, her eyes trembling with ecstasy at the thought of being killed by me. I tighten my fingers around the cold metal hilt of my sword, and pull it slowly back to me. It marks her neck, a small blue glow takes the place of a cut, as I lower my sword. How to make this work out in my favor¡­? ¡°Then, we¡¯ll let them all go,¡± I can barely register my words as they come out from my mouth. Immediately, the guild behind me roars in outrage, all manners of protests actively berate me. Even Phantasia doesn¡¯t have the power to quell them. But I might. ¡°SILENCE!¡± I demand, stomping my foot at the same time. [Title ¡®Gilgamesh¡¯ has been used to increase presence when addressing other players.] [Congratulations! Bonus point has been added to ¡®Presence¡¯ Stat!] ¡°They are not being set free! They are being let go,¡± I announce, eyeing down this hive of killers. ¡°I¡¯ve come to visit you all, haven¡¯t I? And how bland, how boring a visit it would be if all we did was murder a few defenseless bags of EXP! So no, we will not spit in the face of the game which granted us this forest. We will use it to its fullest. We¡¯ll hunt them. Hunt them like rabbits.¡± The protests which were voiced against me have gone silent, and instead they look amongst each other almost excitedly. I raise my hand, and further try to sell the idea, ¡°Furthermore, this helps you all just as much as me, no? You wanted the chance to kill them yourselves! Take their EXP, earn it if you can! And I¡­¡± I struggle to come up with a natural line, trailing off. Their hearts are captured by now, I can see admiration in their eyes, I can¡¯t wobble at the finish line! ¡°And I get to have some fun.¡± They cheer. The Thanatos guild is cheering for me. For my idea. I let out a small sigh of relief and turn back to Phantasia, ¡°How long¡­¡± I trail off again, noticing her heavy breathing and blushing cheeks. Her chest heaves with every breath, and her white irises tremble with excitement as she watches me. But most alarmingly, she was only inches away from me when I turned around. I don¡¯t know when she approached, but I have to maintain composure in front of this girl. Her obsession with me might be the luckiest thing that¡¯s happened to me in the game. ¡°How long until their paralysis wears off?¡± ¡°Mmmm,¡± she closes the final bit of space between us, placing her chin against my chest as she stares directly up into my eyes, ¡°Around thirty minutes? But the 12 might recover quicker, since we¡¯ve been continually reinjecting them for the last 3 days. Maybe they¡¯ve developed a resistance?¡± I resist the urge to gag at the thought. Being trapped in a cage, in front of a group of people waiting to kill you, forced to watch the whole time, continually drugged¡­How terrible. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have just enough time for you to explain this guild properly to me, won¡¯t we?¡± I whisper, slowly brushing a strand of her pitch-black hair out of her face, playing into her delusions. She shivers, nodding slowly. ¡°Of course, anything you want,¡± she presses her body against me in a way that I have to focus on not getting distracted by, ¡°Anything at all¡­¡± ¡°The information, Phantasia,¡± I despondently respond, pushing her away, as she lost her privilege to touch me. ¡°Yes!! Yes yes!¡± She clears her throat, and gestures to the guild members, who are all parading around the fire excitedly. They¡¯re like a cult¡­but what are they worshipping? ¡°We¡¯re worshipping you!¡± Ah. ¡°I started this guild after the colosseum massacre, inspired by your performance! I loved you as soon as I saw you, and you were able to commit the first murder! Even before me!! Oh I loved it! I tried to kill somebody as soon as you left, and sure enough I immediately levelled up! It all spiraled, it was a beautiful day!¡± She sighs wistfully, closing her eyes and licking her lips as she savors the memories, ¡°So many blue shards were drifts around, blades were clashing, chaos unlike anything I¡¯ve ever felt in the real world. A high I¡¯ve never felt before, the adrenaline in my veins, the pounding of my heart¡­It was sensational! I took my blade from one person to the next, intruding on battles and-¡± ¡°What does this have to do with the guild?¡± ¡°Ah!¡± She opens her eyes again, giggling, ¡°Yes yes yes! Of course! Well, eventually, the masses left the colosseum. There were only a few dozen of us left, all anxious to try and kill each other. And I came up with the idea to form a guild, a guild of killers! To relive that high! Some of them resisted, so the rest of us killed them! At the end of it all, there were 10 of us, including myself. I made myself the vice-guild leader, and the others were my constellations. Stars shining in the night, only visible to those with the skill to see them.¡± ¡°Vice-guild leader?¡± ¡°Of course!¡± She says as if it¡¯s only common sense, ¡°You¡¯re the guild leader. I¡¯m only keeping the seat warm for you! As soon as you ask, I¡¯ll hand over the guild to you!¡± No. Absolutely not. ¡°Each of the constellations decided to specialize in something different, including myself! Though, one constellation has already been replaced. Oh! Yes, any member of the guild can challenge a constellation to take their place! If they can kill them, that is.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­I see,¡± I murmur, ¡°Does that include me? For the position of leader?¡± ¡°Bzt!¡± Phantasia puts her arms up in an ¡®X¡¯ shape, ¡°Absolutely not! They¡¯d have to get through me first. And I promise you,¡± she leans in close, wrapping her arms against my neck and placing her forehead against mine, ¡°I won¡¯t let anybody touch you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± I tear myself away from her, my heart rate increasing just being around Phantasia. Her obsession is a problem. ¡°I¡¯ll trust in you then.¡± A groan catches all of our attention, every person in the guild turns and looks at the 12 prisoners by the fire. A cheer erupts, jubilation spreading through every face in the guild but mine. They recovered far quicker than anticipated. Quickly, I open my settings and message Bai-ko. I include my location, the loosest summary possible of our circumstances, and that the guild members won¡¯t be here in 30 minutes. ¡°Any final questions before the hunt, Kazesoku~?¡± Phantasia whispers into my ear. I look over my message one more time, and my eyes narrow. What if they can¡¯t find the guild either¡­? ¡°How did you hide this guild base so well? The woman,¡± I point to Tankina, ¡°Wasn¡¯t able to hear or see it despite being feet away.¡± ¡°Oh! That¡¯s just me,¡± she explains casually, disappearing from in front of me. That¡¯s not possible! I was staring right at her, but she¡¯s gone, did she teleport? A weight crashes into me from behind, soft arms wrapped around my neck like a scarf. Phantasia makes me give her piggy back ride, giggling, ¡°It¡¯s a benefit of my class, and my presence stat! I escape from anybody¡¯s detection for 3 seconds immediately after activation of ¡®stealth¡¯. And guild leaders can imbue their bases with their skills!¡± A shiver runs up my spine. Presence just became a far more important stat than I thought it was¡­How am I going to min/max this game when there are so many conditional abilities?! Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Another groan, another movement from the pile, ¡°Now!¡± Phantasia climbs me like I¡¯m a tree, standing on my shoulders and addressing her guild, ¡°The hunt is ON!!! The hunters, give your prey a 10 minute head start, and from there on¡­It¡¯s a TRUE FREE FOR ALL!!! Kill each other to get ahead, kill your prey, find them and annihilate them, do anything you want! What¡¯s the point of living otherwise!?¡± = = = = = = ¡°...You don¡¯t have to watch me the whole time,¡± I mumble to Phantasia, glancing over at her. Her white eyes are the only thing visible between the shadows of the trees, until a smile stretches across her face exposing her white teeth as well. ¡°I would rather be nowhere else,¡± she calls back, disappearing from my gaze for a moment. She¡¯s been doing this for the last 10 minutes, constantly keeping me on guard. As soon as we make eye contact, she smiles and reappears somewhere else, like it¡¯s a game. Which, I suppose this is. But it¡¯s one I intend to lose. My tracking skill keeps unintentionally leading me down the correct path, so I¡¯ve been working my hardest to steer us clear of it while getting more information out of Phantasia. She¡¯s been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the constellations though, claiming that if I cared so much about them I could go talk to them myself. ¡°Why did you start capturing people? If you¡¯re so addicted to the adrenaline of fighting, why make them prisoners?¡± I ask, finding her white eyes roaming around the dark forest once more. With another smile, she disappears, her voice echoing around me, ¡°That was just for the guild! I have a reputation to uphold at least, and I need to keep them all satiated. I murder a few of them every day, so to keep the rest from freaking out I distract them by letting them level up once or twice.¡± The two of us hear a twig snap in the distance, and go deadly quiet as we look over. I grow silent out of concern¡­There¡¯s no way I found a member of the Northern Star guild by accident. ¡°Boss monsters provide even more EXP than real people, why not kill them every once in a while?¡± I ask loudly, trying to alert whoever we found to our location. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Phantasia¡¯s eyes don¡¯t make their normal appearance, meaning she must still be entranced by whatever made that noise. Yet her obsession with me compels her to answer, ¡°Maybe, but you know as well as I do that the EXP excuse is nothing but a ruse to keep everybody else calm. I just like killing people, they¡¯re unpredictable, they¡¯re wild, they¡¯re desperate. Hearing their screams, hearing them cry, feeling them battle¡­I won¡¯t be able to give it up when I go back to the real world. You know what I mean, don¡¯t you, Kazesoku?¡± Upon her uttering my name, I hear a quiet yelp. Like somebody trying to keep themselves from screaming but being unable to do so. A familiar scream. I close my eyes and sigh, tightening my grip on my sword. There¡¯s the unmistakable sound of running, and a presence attacks me from behind. I swing my blade, countering, our two swords clashing against each other and lighting up the forest with sparks. Damn it!! Why did it have to be her?! Why now! Why you?! ¡°I¡¯m Tankina, of the Northern Star! You killed our leader, now taste my-¡± She¡¯s an idiot. She¡¯s cut off, not even by me, but my Phantasia. Eager for the battle, Phantasia tackles Tankina and wrestles her to the ground. It¡¯s hardly a fight. Tankina struggles for a moment, but Phantasia¡¯s far higher level (and the dagger pressed against Tankina¡¯s throat) determine the bout before it even began. ¡°Oh wow! Look at that loyalty Kazesoku! Shame she¡¯s an idiot!¡± Phantasia mercilessly impales her a dagger through Tankina¡¯s hand, pinning her to the ground, ¡°That¡¯s for attacking our god, you harlot,¡± she whispers into Tankina¡¯s ear. ¡°Go¡­Die!¡± Tankina resists with what little energy she can muster, trying to push Phantasia off of her. But the girl just laughs at Tankina¡¯s efforts, impaling her other hand with a second dagger. Tankina lets out a yelp, unable to hold onto her sword anymore it clangs to the ground. ¡°Feisty! Kazesoku, she¡¯s fun isn¡¯t she? Oh! Please, please kill her!¡± She begs of me, grinning brightly. My heart stops for a moment. Tankina stops moving under Phantasia, and both of the girls look up at me. One¡¯s eyes filled with fear, the other with ecstasy. I hesitate, unable to make the choice. I can¡¯t kill Tankina, but if I don¡¯t, Phantasia might just go ahead and kill both of us. Even though she¡¯s used both her daggers impaling Tankina, I don¡¯t know if she has any more, and I don¡¯t think I have the skills to beat her regardless. My knuckles go white as my grip on my blade tightens, my mind racing as I wrack over every possibility to try and get out of this. ¡°Unless¡­¡± Phantasia disappears from view, reappearing with her lips practically biting my ear, ¡°You¡¯re not Kazesoku,¡± she whispers knowingly. My body freezes as she slowly moves behind me, ¡°Your stats are very low for a killer like us¡­And there¡¯s no mark on your wrist, now is there?¡± She adds, sliding her wrist along my shoulder and showing off her own marking. The brand of a player-killer in this game. ¡°You¡¯ve been very hesitant to take action, to take a life¡­Even though your username says you¡¯re him, maybe he isn¡¯t who I thought he is.¡± I steel myself for the decision, staring at the pinned and helpless Tankina. She¡¯s¡­She¡¯s only lost one of her lives, right? So this won¡¯t kill her, kill her. I¡¯m only taking one life, and in exchange I can save many more in the future. I¡¯m not doing this to save myself, I¡¯m doing this for my position. I¡¯ll be able to leak information, I¡¯ll be able to steer Thanatos away from murder, I¡¯ll be able to do lots of good. I just¡­I just need to get my hands a little dirty first. ¡°Don¡¯t question me, Phantasia,¡± my voice comes out as a snarl so viscous even I¡¯m surprised. I shrug her arm off my shoulder, and approach Tankina. Her eyes are turned up at me, angrily cursing me. ¡°What fun is there in preventing these insects from having a chance against me? No, much better to stay at their level, hide amongst them,¡± my blade begins to glow red. Tankina, Phantasia, and even I all stare at my blade in shock. I¡¯ve never seen this before, but I don¡¯t have the time to panic about it. ¡°That way, ending their miserable lives is as enjoyable as possible,¡± I murmur, raising my blade, the metal emitting a low hum. Tankina suddenly moves. She rips her hands free of the blades, tearing them open in shards of blue. In one fluid movement she grabs her sword, and moves to bring it at me. In a moment, I take my action. It could have been charged with fear for my life, the instinct of self-preservation. Perhaps I was already committed to bringing my sword down, and she merely startled me into it. But most terrifyingly, was that it wasn¡¯t me doing it anymore. [Title ¡®Cain¡¯ has been used when fighting a player! Thanks to this title, you have bypassed the respawn limit, and permanently killed Player: {Tankinanka}!] [Level up!] [Skill: ¡®Acting (F)¡¯ unlocked!] [Level up!] [Skill: ¡®Mana Infusion¡¯ unlocked!] [Level up!] [Level up!] [You have committed a ¡®True Murder¡¯, taking the last life of a player. You will now be marked.] I stare at the wall of notifications in shock and terror. I hadn¡¯t even registered the action I took, my body simply moved. It¡­it must have been the Cain title, right? There¡¯s no way I would have¡­And I killed her? Permanently? I overcame her respawn limit? That¡­can¡¯t be. But I look at my wrist. Sure enough, the same mark on Phantasia¡¯s wrist is on my own. In a daze, I look back over at where Tankina was. Her body is somehow still there, frozen in place, looking as shocked as I feel. The ground beneath her is cloven in two, her form seems as hazy as a mirage. She opens her mouth, trying to say something, anything. ¡°Aoi¡­I¡¯m¡­Scared,¡± she whispers, before shattering into blue shards. [System Alert: Message from Bai-Ko] I can¡¯t even process the alert. I murdered Tankina. Not just taking one of her lives. I murdered her, she¡¯s dead forever. She¡¯s gone. I snuffed out a life, just like that. A life that begged me to save it earlier today. I killed her. I feel hollow, I feel far far away from the world. I can¡¯t parse the noises Phantasia makes as words. I scarcely feel her wrapped around me, I can hardly register as she showers me with compliments and jumps up and down with me in her arms. I¡¯m a killer. I¡¯m a murderer. I murdered Tankina. Murderer Phantasia finally puts me down, after celebrating my murder for 5 whole minutes, gushing with glee about my skill. I don¡¯t even have the energy to stop her. ¡°That was incredible Kazesoku! You¡¯re amazing, I¡¯ve never seen an attack like that! Did Ki give it to you? Oh you have to show me again! There¡¯s a member of our guild who¡¯s been annoying me, can you use that on them?! Oh you¡¯re just so cool!!¡± She squeals, jumping around me. Suddenly she stops, and frowns, ¡°Hm?¡± Her eyes narrow in on nothing. She must be reading a message. That¡¯s right, messages. Bai-ko sent me one. I open it on auto-pilot. [Understood, good work. We¡¯re raiding the base now, just aiming to destroy it. Hopefully that will scare them off the floor and convince them we have a bigger party than we do. Help us out with that, will you, Aoi?] ¡°Aoi¡­¡± I mumble, my eyes lingering on the final word of her message. I take a deep breath, closing my eyes, processing. That¡¯s right. I¡¯m not Kazesoku, I¡¯m Aoi. ¡°Kazesoku, there¡¯s a slight problem,¡± she mumbles, almost nervously. ¡°You see, our uh, our base was destroyed while we were gone.¡± Her words go in one ear and out the other. All I can think about is how she made me murder Tankina. I clutch my sword tighter, staring daggers at this girl who forced me into this horrible role. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. They attacked very soon after we left! It¡¯s ok, we have a base on the first floor!¡± I raise my blade, and whisper, ¡°You wanted to see my skill again, right?¡± Phantasia¡¯s eyes tremble. She was so willing to offer her life to me before, wasn¡¯t she? I¡¯m already a killer. If anybody deserves to die, it¡¯s her. ¡°S-Sure! Yes! Of course! But¡­I, I can still be helpful to you! I swear! I¡¯m sorry the base was destroyed but it¡¯s ok we can regroup and I can find you more victims and-¡± ¡°You said you¡¯d be willing to give your life for me, that it¡¯s mine to take, right?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± She gulps, eyeing my sword as it begins to once more glow with the red authority of the title ¡®Cain¡¯. ¡°But I want to be with you longer than this, I didn¡¯t even¡­I wasn¡¯t even the cause! I can-¡± I cut her off with my sword. There can be no mistaking that the blade was swung with my own intention this time. It comes down at a blistering speed, but never comes into contact with Phantasia. A surge of wind blows through the trees as my attack crashes against the ground, leaving a deep slash. Her voice, echoing around me, comes from the darkness of the trees, ¡°I¡¯ll make it up to you, Kazesoku! I swear! I will! I will! I will¡­¡± her voice fades away, and she leaves me alone in the darkness. I simply stand there for several minutes, letting the emotions of the last few hours wash over me, and then I fall to my knees. Even though I¡¯ve levelled up several times, and am technically overflowing with new power, I can¡¯t bring myself to move. I can¡¯t feel happy that Bai-ko raided the base successfully, all I can think about is that I¡¯m a murderer. I hear a quiet growl to my left, but don¡¯t bother to lift my head and look at it. I deserve to die. If a monster stumbles across me, that¡¯s a stroke of good fortune. I don¡¯t want to think, I don¡¯t want to fight, I don¡¯t know if I have the right to. The monster prowls in front of me, entering my line of sight. A strange creature, with paws on the hind legs but hands on front, moving like a gorilla with the head of a wolf, half covered in fur half in muscle. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Suddenly, the creature stops moving. Its form seems hazy for a moment, before it all at once dissolves into blue shards. Bai-ko walks through them, approaching me casually, ¡°Aoi,¡± she calls out, her red eyes flickering with cunning, ¡°Good to see you.¡± I don¡¯t respond. ¡°Thank you for infiltrating Thanatos for us,¡± she stops in front of me, pulling into her inventory and pulling out a potion, ¡°Were they happy to meet Kazesoku?¡± She asks brightly, taking off the potion and pouring it on my head. I wince, the liquid splashing against my hair and matting it to my forehead. ¡°This is a more permanent hair dye, a cosmetic item from a shop in Trestar,¡± Bai-ko explains, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, by the way.¡± I still remain silent. She finally raises an eyebrow, crouching down in front of me, ¡°Aoi?¡± I hold my tongue, and she frowns. Her crimson eyes flicker around me, surveying the area and me accurately. ¡°Who was it?¡± She asks, her voice softening slightly. ¡°...Who was what?¡± She nods to my wrist, ¡°The person you killed.¡± I flinch slightly upon hearing the words. I make eye contact with her, and confess, ¡°Tankina. The title Ki gave me activated without my knowledge¡­It killed her completely. Took every life.¡± Bai-ko doesn¡¯t let any judgement show on her face. She just nods, rises to her feet, and holds out a hand, ¡°Come on. Yuto¡¯s here with the rest of the Northern Star¡¯s upper ranks. Clearing the 3rd floor should help take your mind off things.¡± ¡°...¡± I look into the darkness of the forest around us. Phantasia¡¯s white eyes are nowhere to be found, but I still feel as though she¡¯s haunting me. Her obsession, her guild, her voice, her love, her powers. I take Bai-ko¡¯s hand, climbing to my feet, ¡°Yuto won¡¯t want to see me with this on my wrist.¡± Bai-ko laughs gently, reaching into her inventory and taking out a skin colored write guard. She slaps it against my wrist, and it immediately melds into my skin, covering the marking. ¡°I¡¯m the leader of the information guild. I¡¯ve gotten my hands dirty once or twice too, so don¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± I examine my wrist for a moment, admiring the item. I nod, and open my player profile before the raid. [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} Class: Bounty Hunter Titles: Gilgamesh, Cain Lv. 20 - 12,559/32,000 EXP HP: 1455/1455 ST: 1320/1500 MP: 950/950 Strength: 10 Dexterity: 17 Constitution: 7 Intelligence: 8 Presence: 7 Skills: LOCKED, Swordsmanship (D), Evasiveness (Passive), Tracking (D), Weapons Improvisor (Passive), Arcane Knowledge (F), Sharpshooter (F), Mana Infusion (F), Acting (F)] ¡°Yeah,¡± I murmur, eyeing my weapon¡¯s improvisor skill. My mind drifts back to my rewards from the first boss, and an idea begins hatching. If it works, this time around I might not just be sitting behind the lines, I might be one of our main DPS players. And I have a lot of frustration to vent, ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± The 4th Floor I breathe heavily, my eyes flickering to my health bar. I¡¯m shocked to discover how much HP I have left, around half of my health bar. ¡°Hyap!¡± Accompanied by a grunt, a pickaxe flies towards my head. I flip backwards, avoiding the attack by a hair''s breadth. ¡°You don¡¯t deserve it!¡± The dwarf hisses at me, similarly breathing heavily, standing between me and a bright red gemstone. ¡°Your dialogue options are shockingly limited compared to the NPCs in Romgard¡­¡± I state bluntly, my blade glowing red as I channel my ki into it, ¡°I assume that¡¯s because you¡¯re not even an important NPC. You¡¯re just a mini-boss,¡± I throw my sword at the dwarf like it¡¯s a dart, catching him off-guard. The blade arcs towards the dwarf¡¯s stomach, but he brings his pickaxe down to guard himself. I smile, ¡°Gotcha,¡± I whisper, a golden thread of Rapunzel¡¯s hair connecting my hand to the blade suddenly glows red, and with an infusion of my mana the sword changes direction mid flight and impales the head of the dwarf. ¡°You¡­bastards¡­will never wake, Snow, White¡­¡± he gurgles out the same dull line of dialogue the last four dwarves have reported, and then dissolves into blue shards. [Mini-Boss {Grumpy the Dwarf} defeated! +7,800 EXP!] [Level up!] ¡°Didn¡¯t even have any good loot,¡± I murmur unsatisfactorily, walking past where the dwarf stood and taking the gemstone. I figured out I could use Rapunzel¡¯s hair like a fishing rod during my fight with the 3rd floor¡¯s boss monster. With Yuto, me, and every other guild leader there it was a cake-walk. Ever since then, we¡¯ve been grinding through the 4th floor. It¡¯s been a fetch quest, essentially, something my tracking skill has come in great assistance with. They mini-bosses give decent EXP, even if they don¡¯t have any loot besides the gems. I open my inventory, checking the new gemstone, and then open my player profile. [¡®Glistening Ruby¡¯ ¨C 5th gemstone needed to awaken Aurora from the cursed sleep the dwarves have put her in! The ruby sparkles with an unknown magic hidden deep within it¡­] [Player Profile: {Kazesoku} Class: Bounty Hunter Titles: Gilgamesh, Cain Lv. 23 - 967/45,000 EXP HP: 746/1565 ST: 412/1500 MP: 215/1035 Strength: 10 Dexterity: 19 Constitution: 8 Intelligence: 8 Presence: 9 Skills: LOCKED, Tracking (C), Swordsmanship (D), Mana Infusion (D), Arcane Knowledge (E), Sharpshooter (E), Acting (E), Evasiveness (Passive), Weapons Improvisor (Passive)] My stats are looking alright. I¡¯m still not at a point where I could kill Phantasia¡­But Yuto and I have started sparring recently. And I give him a run for his money, even if I can¡¯t beat him. Regardless, I report back to Bai-ko, who promised me she had something big as a reward if I could find this dwarf. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it [{Kazesoku}: Got the dwarf. He was guarding the glistening ruby.] [{Bai-ko Ne~ko}: Gg! U know u didnt have to kill him, we only needed u to find him for us *^*] [{Kazesoku}: Mhm, well you said that about the last dwarf too, and when I sent you to location you asked me to guide the raid party because apparently the entrance was too well hidden. So, forgive me for taking the initiative.] [{Bai-ko Ne~ko}: Idk wat ur talking about (£þ¦Å£þ£»)] [{Kazesoku}: What¡¯s my reward for this one? Can I tp to you?} [{Bai-ko Ne~ko}: Yah! Feel free! *w*] = = = = = = The world comes back into focus around me, the crystalline blue shards it dissolved into during teleportation coming back together as the small hub-area of the 4th floor. A small village, with no more than 20 wooden houses, and in the center was a stone church. Most of the people on this floor were NPCs, our first taste of real NPCs in this game as opposed to the limited beginner ones from the first floor. ¡°Welcome back, Mr. Hero,¡± Bai-ko calls out to me sarcastically, smirking as she does so. I tsk, reaching into my inventory and pulling out the gemstone for her. I toss it to her, ¡°Stop calling me that,¡± I mumble, looking away from her in shame. Even though I wasn¡¯t looking at her, with the Sharpshooter skill assisting my throw, the gem falls perfectly into her hand. She, and the six people around her, make up the entire force of players on the floor. Well, excluding me. The game only let 8 people up, to match the 7 dwarves and Snow White. In a way, a blessing in disguise, since it ensured Thanatos couldn¡¯t meddle with us on this floor. ¡°Why? I think it¡¯s plenty accurate!¡± Yuto reassures me, wrapping his arm around my head in a show of brotherly affection. I had been worried he might be in lower spirits since he lost a life, but if anything he¡¯s been happier. ¡°...I didn¡¯t kill her,¡± I respond while batting his hand off me. ¡°But you got us information,¡± Bai-ko retaliates, shivering in pleasure at the idea of more information for her greedy mind. ¡°That¡¯s more important.¡± ¡°But, don¡¯t get us wrong,¡± Gondolin speaks up, sitting on a nearby rock while sharpening a battleaxe, ¡°It would¡¯ve been amazing if you did kill her.¡± I recognize his presence, and everybody else¡¯s. Gondolin, me, Yuto, Bai-ko, Christopher, Hong-hu, and two other players whose names I still haven¡¯t bothered to learn. ¡°What¡¯s the occasion? Why¡¯s everybody here? I only got one of the gemstones, not even the last one.¡± ¡°Because, we¡¯re having a meeting,¡± Bai-ko patiently explains, ¡°And we¡¯re deciding what to do.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± I raise an eyebrow, ¡°About what?¡± Bai-ko chuckles, taking pleasure in being the most knowledgeable person in the room, ¡°About the fact that¡­well, can I talk to you alone?¡± She gestures to the church with her head, not actually asking me but rather demanding I come with her. I oblige, and follow behind her. We enter the stone building, a rather quaint area of the floor. One painted glass mural of Aurora serves as a window above the altar, and on the altar Aurora is sleeping in a small coffin. In the coffin are 7 empty sockets, one for each gemstone, 4 of which are filled with gems of different colors. The church is empty save for us, the wooden pews quiet and unoccupied. Bai-ko slowly approaches Sleeping Beauty, Aurora, and places the ruby in one of the remaining sockets. It clasps into place. ¡°What?¡± I ask, crossing my arms. ¡°Could you¡­Unblock Phantasia?¡± She makes a bold request immediately, but I can see why she had to make it away from the others. I sigh, thinking back on the monster who leads Thanatos. As soon as I separated from her, I blocked her as a friend, but didn¡¯t remove her. She can¡¯t teleport to me, and I can¡¯t see her messages to me, but in theory we are still friends through the system. ¡°...What¡¯s my reward for the gemstone first?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t doing the right thing it¡¯s own reward?¡± She asks gingerly, turning back to me. Seeing that I remain stone faced, she approaches me slowly, whispering, ¡°How about getting to stay as Aoi instead of being outed as Kazesoku? That¡¯s a compelling reward, no?¡± Her eyes glitter dangerously at those words, but I know they¡¯re an empty threat. It¡¯s just as beneficial for her to keep me on her side as it is for me to keep my identity a secret. ¡°Bai-ko,¡± I say her name sternly. ¡°Alright, alright, sorry. Can¡¯t a girl have a little fun?¡± She asks with a pout, turning away from her while stretching her arms, ¡°Your reward isn¡¯t anything huge, honestly. It¡¯s just that we found somebody who responded to your bluebird quote.¡± Not anything huge? I can¡¯t stop myself from grinning, it could be Sukine, Haruhi, or Haruno, but regardless of who it is I¡¯d finally get to meet up with somebody from real life! ¡°That¡¯s amazing!! Why, who, where?!¡± I call out happily, energy in my voice that I didn¡¯t even know I had. But Bai-ko turns around with an almost apologetic grin, ¡°Ah, well¡­The thing is, the person who responded to it¡­We suspect them to be a member of Thanatos. So¡­Would you mind investigating them for us?¡± Vampire The person that Bai-ko found, who finally responded to the riddle that me and my friends from real life came up with, is a member of Thanatos? ¡°Ok,¡± I start, closing my eyes and massaging the bridge of my nose, ¡°That doesn¡¯t prove anything. You¡¯re the information girl, give me more information about it.¡± ¡°Mmm, right to the point, are we?¡± She teases, a playful light in her ruby eyes, ¡°I like that about you, Aoi. The simple answer to your request is as follows: Some of my informants were following the girl, since we suspected doing so might lead us to Thanatos. They were caught by her, and she didn¡¯t take too kindly to it. Their stats were geared entirely towards presence, so they were throttled by her. Didn¡¯t take a life, but sure gave them a pounding and robbed them blind. Before doing so, she asked both of them your little question about the bluebird. Ergo, a relation between you two seems inevitable, no? And therefore, in order to ensure she¡¯s not in Thanatos,¡± Bai-ko triumphantly finishes, ¡°Unblock Phantasia and ask her.¡± I sigh, opening my menu and staring at Phantasia¡¯s grayed out username {Phantom_Python}. I really don¡¯t want to. In fact I have no motivation to unblock her, even with this promising lead. I just can¡¯t stand the thought of talking to her. For a moment, her white eyes watching me from between the dark brown oak trees, popping out from the dark like ominous beams, flashes across my mind. ¡°No,¡± I refuse, ¡°I¡¯ll talk to her myself. What¡¯s her username? What floor was she on?¡± Bai-ko pouts, ¡°Really? I had other questions you needed to ask Phantasia¡­¡± She heaves a heavy sigh of her own, ¡°What a pity¡­¡± ¡°Bai-ko.¡± ¡°Mm? Yes, your information,¡± she snaps her fingers and a profile is sent to me through the game''s messaging system. The username is {Kayama}, and a photo is attached. She¡¯s hooded, but even in spite of that her pale skin seems to glow in the shadows. Her hair, long and pitch black, perfectly frames her face, and bangs come down to cover one of her eyes. The other eye that stares out, looking to the left of the camera, is as dark as her hair. There are only two notes below the profile, those being that she¡¯s suspected of being in Thanatos and that, ¡°She¡¯s a vampire,¡± Bai-ko assures me, seeing my disbelief. Even though I knew it was an option in the beginning of the game, nobody had selected it for some reason. One would assume it would be far more popular, but maybe the idea of being forced to drink other people¡¯s blood in VR was a hard pill to swallow. ¡°What¡¯s the situation with the vampire species?¡± I ask Bai-ko, unsure of things myself. ¡°Well¡­It¡¯s complicated,¡± Bai-ko admits, ¡°But to make a long story short, the ¡®Vampire¡¯ species operates almost more as a sub-species than a wholly independent species. So, once you choose your species as Vampire, you have to pick another species. You then can ¡®awaken¡¯ as a vampire by chance, or by fulfilling certain requirements. And don¡¯t!¡± She puts a hand up, stopping me from asking my next question, ¡°Even think I¡¯m giving you any more information than that for free. If you unblock Phantasia, I¡¯ll give you all the guild¡¯s information on Vampires.¡± The two of us commence a staring contest, both silently yet stubbornly trying to force the other to cave. In the end, I tsk and turn around, leaving the church, ¡°I¡¯ll find out from Kayama.¡± With a slight trace of annoyance that I didn¡¯t cave, she still calls after me, ¡°You sure you don¡¯t need that information? Vampires are unique! You¡¯re going to regret it if you don¡¯t work with me on this! Just ask Phantasia-¡± I close the door to the church behind me, and her voice disappears with a snap. = = = = = = For the first time in what feels like months, I¡¯ve returned to Trestar, the first city of Midgard on the 1st floor. The place is still larger than life, and given the distinctive lack of trains, carts, cars, or even bicycles navigating it has proven to be something I¡¯m less than fond of. But I need to meet Kayama, who¡¯s in district 7¡­ Trestar has been divided by the players into 10 districts. Well, it would be more accurate to say that Private Eye, Bai-ko¡¯s guild, has separated it into these distracts on their maps. The center of the city is the first district, and after our raid on Rapunzel¡¯s Tower a teleport gate to the 2nd floor appeared there. Most of the major guilds have their bases set up there, and small guilds are constantly recruiting players there. The colosseum is in district 1 too, strictly monitored by Yuto¡¯s guild The Northern Star. District separates the city into fourths, connecting district 1 to all 4 major entrances and exits of the city. The other districts all have their attractions and hot spots, but district 7 is one that never ceases to annoy me. It was where Thanatos first set up their home base, and for that reason it¡¯s still rarely visited by players. Even though PvP is disabled in the city, and even though an alliance of The Northern Star and Aegean Shield drove them out, the place is still unnerving. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Tall buildings, all close together but with thin alleyways between each of them, make it feel like something could jump out at any moment. Small arches constantly decorate the main walkway through this part of the city too, so threats could come from above just as easily as from either side. And the main bell tower of Trestar rests here, with gothic architecture and gray stone walls that stretch taller than even the tallest wooden cities here. My steps echo through the district, the few players that are here are all furtively and quickly moving through, trying not to stay for too long themselves. The tower bell rings, then again, and again. It continues until it¡¯s rung 7 times. I look up and observe the setting sun. If I wanted to catch a Vampire, the scene was set. I activate my tracking skill and investigate the area around me. Immediately the traces of people and animals become much more apparent, the most obvious signs even glowing with a gentle golden coloration. I don¡¯t need to just track down any random person that¡¯s walked through here though, I need to find where somebody¡¯s living here¡­ Taking a knee, I reach down and feel the bricks that make up the path, trying to see where the most wear would be. Where it would lead. Steps leave small traces, but in one day the steps won¡¯t leave anything more than some dirt. If somebody traces the same path through a city, for months, then my skill should¡­ [Congratulations! Skill {Tracking Rank C} and Class {Bounty Hunter} have synchronized to help identify a target¡¯s location!] ¡­Perfect. One pair of footprints suddenly begins to glow a much more prominent golden, the rest fading out completely. I follow them confidently, quieting my steps as I do so. They take me through several alleys, and I end up having to climb to a rooftop. Fortunately, the buildings are so close together that shimming up is no problem. Once on the roof, I notice somebody, who seems not to recognize that she¡¯s being watched. Instead she intently watches the street below us, her back turned to me. Even in the little sunlight dusk provides, she¡¯s wearing a hood, and due to a small breeze her black hair becomes visible. I smile, knowing in my heart who this is. I have to make sure of course, but still¡­I finally found Sukine. Approaching her silently, I end up only one step behind her. ¡°Kayama,¡± I whisper into her ear. With speed only slightly slower than Phantasia¡¯s, the girl whips around and grabs me by the throat. ¡°Who are you?!¡± She hisses, and when she opens her mouth pearly fangs glisten. Her eye, although it was black in the photo I had, somehow has turned yellow even though every other feature is the same. ¡°When the episode of Naruto ends,¡± I say calmly, acting like her hand¡¯s not even on my throat. With, comes out surprisingly clear. Even though she¡¯s quick, her strength stat must be low. Her weak grip loosens, and her eyes widen. Her eyes grow slightly misty, and she lets go of me completely. I grin, prodding her to finish it, ¡°Well? When the episode ends, what does that mean?¡± ¡°It mean the blue bird starts singing¡­¡± She mumbles, on the verge of tears. Her whole body trembles, and abruptly, she dives into my arms, crying. ¡°...It¡¯s good to see you, Sukine,¡± I whisper to her, holding her close and closing my eyes while I enjoy our reunion. But sharp pain interrupts me, pain in my neck. I flinch, and open my eyes. Sukine''s mouth is wrapped around my neck, and one trickle of blood falls from it. My HP bar falls rapidly as well, and before I can even react I¡¯ve lost 70% with no sign of slowing down. [Debuff Applied: Vampiric Poison!] ¡°SUKINE!!¡± I cry out, shoving her away and stumbling back. ¡°W-What, what are you doing?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she whispers, hunched over and with her bangs covering her eyes. In the darkness, the lower half of her pale face sticks out like a sore thumb. My blood is smeared across her lips and trails to her chin, and two lines of tears fall down either cheek. ¡°But I¡¯m just, I¡¯m so¡­¡± she shivers, and suddenly her eyes flash through her bangs, locked onto me. ¡°You have three lives, right? You can, you wouldn¡¯t mind giving me one? I¡¯m so¡­so,¡± she charges at me, baring her fangs and roaring, ¡°HUNGRY!!!¡±