They say time will slip through your fingers if you don't hold onto it. Well, that's basically what happened to me. My foot had recovered enough that I could just walk around without much issue. I had a whole bunch of questions, but the answers wouldn't just pop out of the air.
The first of my questions what were here I currently was. that question was easy enough to figure out. I'd asked Lily while I basically had nothing to do in bed when I was recovering.
The town had a few names. It was known as "Forest's Edge" by the locals but the official name of the town was Larion. The name didn't ring any bells, but it wasn't like I knew every town in the game. The Kingdom's name was familiar, though.
Engel, also known as the flourishing kingdom.
"We're quite a bit south of the capital if that's where you want to go," Lilly had told me. "It'd take about a week on a carriage to get there and going by foot would take even longer."
"I don't see any carriages here."
Lily had laughed at that.
"We're just a small town. We have one, but it's used for trading with the other villages and selling goods."
In other words, they weren't just going to let me have it. The week they'd spend taking me to the capital would cost them quite a bit. Even then, the carriage had already left earlier today. It wouldn't be back for about a week, which left me with a whole lot of free time. Unless I fancied walking all the way to the capital, I'd have to find something to do.
Fat chance of me walking.
It was with those thoughts that I asked Lily if she knew anything that needed to be done around town. The best way to get out of here was to make nice with these NPC's and maybe raise my reputation enough so they'd take me to the capital or something.
"Well, there are a few things," the young woman said with a tired smile.
----------
"Thanks for the help, sonny!" the old couple near the edge of town lived on their own and couldn't really chop firewood.
"Ah, it wasn't a problem," I said with a smile. "Just happy to help."
They had a son once. I couldn't quite remember his name, or theirs to be honest.
"I have to go, but I'll see about getting you a few more pieces of wood in a few days."
The two gave me grateful smiles as I left.
My next stop was the local pastures. Suffice it to say, a few sheep needed shearing, and the one that normally handled the job had been kicked in the face.
"Just be gentle," the old woman teaching me said with a smile. "Treat them like your own and they won't kick."
A laugh had burst from my lips.
"What about the other guy?"
She coughed and held back a laugh of her own.
"He accidentally grabbed one where he shouldn't have. Things happen, so don't give the lad any trouble if you see him, you hear?"
I wanted to laugh at that, but her genuine and warm smile tugged at my heart. The days continued on like that with me trying to gain goodwill with the people of the town. The more time passed, the clearer it became that there was something odd about the village. I saw and spoke with a lot of old folk, but there weren't many people my age. There were a few children, though.
Eventually, a wild idea came to me. I'd been trying to log out or contact a GM every single day, but as I prepared to shut down the H.U.D, I saw my open friend tab. A single name was on it.
Could-
I took a breath and taped Lightning's name. A moment later and I'd sent my message. Would it work?
Time ticked away and I counted the seconds. But... no response. I sighed. It was too good to hope for that, wasn't it? Still, the idea had made me think. What else that was part of the game still worked?
I needed to know.
===========
The evening sun slowly began to dip over the horizon. A frown tugged at my lip. This world, this place followed a strange set of laws. I'd checked my H.U.D and eventually found statistics hidden away behind four different tabs. A quick experiment showed that my HP bar did decrease, but the damage seemed to vary wildly. A small pinch barely tickled me while a normal punch only took about a single percent away. How was damage calculated? More questions.
I could feel pain even if I didn't take any damage, which meant that this world was more realistic than the game. I got tired pretty quickly and there wasn't a stamina bar. I had to sleep and eat, but again, there was no indication of how hungry or tired I was. For all intent and purpose, this game acted like real life with a few extra additions.
For example, I still had an EXP bar. I hadn't leveled yet, but what exactly would happen if I did? My class also let me perform rather ludicrous feats. I'd tried punching a tree in the forest, only for it to explode. It hurt like a bitch, but it did work.
Of course, the instant I left my class's combat stance, the same punch only served to scrape my knuckles. How exactly did that work? I didn't know, but I was intending to find out.
A hunting party made of some of the only able-bodied men in the village would be leaving soon. Apparently, a bear had been spotted nearby and nearly attacked one of the children. I considered my options. Was it really worth the risk to help them? I could always just practice more until I had the hang of fighting...
===========
“Lance, was it?” the leader of our little group greeted me with a cautious smile. He held out his hand and I hesitantly gave it a firm shake.
“Yeah. You were… Michael, right?” A strange name to have in a fantasy world, but I wasn’t the one making these characters.
“That’s right,” he said with a nod and then pushed a spear into my hands. “I’m not sure how good of a fighter you are, but take this just in case.”
I stared at the wooden shaft with a metal point at the end.
“I’m not the best, but I know how to deliver a good punch,” I said hesitantly. Spears really weren’t my build and I had no skill points put into it. Admittedly, my unnamed skill was only rank one, but the difference between a single point and nothing was surprisingly large. When I was actually trying to hit things, my body sort of moved on instinct. It was clumsy but carried a sort of sharpens to every move.
I grabbed the spear and tried to do the same thing. I nearly tripped and wound up losing my balance pretty quickly.
Weren’t spears supposed to be the easiest weapon to use for someone without experience? I guess they still took a bit of getting used to…
We were standing at the village’s edge, ready to depart into the forest. In total, there were a good six of use. Not all the men were here. Some had stayed behind in case anything were to happen. Still, these five were the best the village had at the moment. They all looked at me with something resembling pity. Or maybe it was nervousness?
“I don’t think a punch will do anything to bear like that,” one of the men said. “At least you might be able to get lucky with a spear.”
The leader nodded.
“I know it’s a bit hard to use one at first, but a dozen minutes of practice will at least let you protect yourself.”
That was an option. The better option was to just rely on the class I’d chosen. I didn’t have any fist weapons or such, but I knew I could pack a serious punch.
“I’ll show you what I mean if you just give me a second to demonstrate.”
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A few of the men sighed and groaned in frustration.
“We don’t have time for this.”
“Kid’s going to get himself killed. Why do they always have to be so stubborn?”
“Alright, alright. But if I find your display wanting you’ll practice with a spear, ok?”
The leader of our merry band said. He was obviously expecting me to fail. I took a good look at the man. He must have been in his mid to late twenties and had a surprisingly stylish haircut. He was also the only one using a proper sword. The other men held spears and there was only a single person with a bow. I recognized him as one of the village’s hunters.
No one was expecting me to do much more than bruise my hand. I walked up close to a nearby tree and took on the proper stance for my class. It felt like trying to squeeze a bar of soap. Still, I held on.
When I reared back and punched my fist through the tree’s trunk, I was greeted with gasp and whispers.
It was incredibly difficult to keep a smug grin off my face after that.
=========
“Right, so everyone know the plan, then?” the leader said.
“Yeah,” the archer said with a nod. His name was Riki, I think. “I’ll try and pepper it with arrows when we see the beast,” he said confidently. “You guys wait and try to ambush it once it starts chasing me.”
Michal gave a nod and then gave my shoulder a pat.
“I admit, having someone that can punch through trees does make our job a bit easier,” he said with a chuckle. “If you can hit its head we might end the fight right then.”
If only things always worked out that nicely. I was sure something was going to go wrong, but I couldn’t really tell what.
“I’ll try my best,” I said with a nod. “Still, running isn’t a bad option if things go sour.”
Any good player knew that tactical retreats were just as valid as any other tactic. Run away, chug a few potions and then come back good as new. Granted, we didn’t have any potions here, but it was still a good idea.
“That’s right,” Michael said. “Our top priority is to get home to our families-“ he turned towards one of the men. “And our pet dogs, I guess.”
The tallest of the group rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.
“Not all of us can have a pretty little wife, you know?”
Snickers and laughter rolled through our little group.
“Hey, I think your little Marian is a perfect catch!” Riki the archer said with a barely restrained laugh. “You’re lucky to have her!”
It almost felt like I was watching real people talking. Then again, these A.I were good enough to fool a human. They might as well have been humans for all intents and purposes.
I certainly couldn’t tell the difference.
“Right. The beast’s den should be up ahead if Riki wasn’t smoking some Tumbling Grass when he gave that report a day ago,” Michael said with hushing motion. I followed his hand out as he pointed past some trees.
“We’d be crazy to try and fight it in its cave, so let’s try and make the first strike count.”
Everyone gave a hushed “aye” and took up their positions behind some nearby trees. I did the same and watched as Riki slowly edged his way towards the cave’s mouth.
My heart was practically bouncing off my chest like a rubber ball. It felt like it was about to burst out like some kind of alien. I waited with bated breath, counting every second. Then I heard it.
“Oh shit!” Riki shouted as something whistled through the air. "That's way bigger than I thought!" His rushed footsteps echoed through the forest. And then I felt as the ground beneath my feet rumbled. A rough, hungry roar vibrated through the air.
Riki rushed past my spot and a large shadow quickly came after him. I, like everyone else, jumped out.
I nearly froze up.
A bear? No. This thing was no fucking bear! This was a fucking Voracious Ursa! It was definitely not a “normal” bear!
Jesus Christ.
Well, I was already halfway up shits creek. I stared at the bear and considered where to throw my punch.
Voracious Ursa weren’t a joke, at least when someone was as low a level as me. Then again, this world leaned slightly more towards reality than the game did. Where it would have been nearly “impossible” to beat one before, things might be different now. At least, that was what rushed through my mind.
Maybe I was just scared that running would get me killed because it would. These giant bears could run almost as fast as a small car and I definitely wasn’t outlining that.
It was fight or flight and I’d chosen fight.
The world that had slowed to a crawl began to pick up speed. I refocused my attention on the absolutely massive mound of flesh, fur, and razor-sharp fangs in front of me. It was said that their pelt was like chain mail, making most sorts of slashing weapons ineffective. Sure, that was all fluff back in the game, but this world was different.
I gulped and watched as the other hunters hesitated like me. Their faces paled and their legs trembled. When it seemed like they would falter, a single man stepped forward. That was all it took to rouse the others. The fear and dread on their faces didn’t so much vanish as it was drowned out by terrified determination.
They were here for a reason and that reason was something worth fighting forth. Worth dying for. The men let out desperate battle cries and thrust their spears out. Steel met the beast's fur and a small amount of blood was spilled, but just as I expected, their weapons slid of the monster’s thick fur.
Their unflinching bravery roused something similar within me. If they, who were just background NPC’s could do this, then why couldn’t I?
The doubts and fear in my mind vanished. I landed with a firm thud and lunged forward at the beast. It had turned its head towards the others; they paled and stepped back, eyes wide in terror.
A strike to the head would have probably killed the monster if I was lucky. That wasn’t what I went for. Such attacks could be devastating if they hit, but I didn’t want to risk it. How could I? I hadn’t so much as been in a fight since coming here!
No, there was one other tactic I could use.
The wind slid across my face as I rushed next to the giant bear. I put my left leg forward, placing all of my weight on it and pulled my right arm back. Instinctual movements guided my actions.
Voracious Ursa, like many of the “giant” monsters in the game had a weak spot. Well, calling it that might have been a bit much. Its fur was thick and spongy, but there was a spot right above its heart that was much thinner.
So I let my body move on its own and delivered a simple, but destructive right straight directly where the bear’s heart should have been. Its flesh twisted around my fist and I felt something hard and brittle shatter.
A sickening number of cracks echoed through the forest and the crumbling shards of the bear’s sternum swam under my knuckles. And then a loud pop burst from the point where my fist met flesh.
The Voracious Ursa let out an agonizing roar and spun around quick as lightning. I was stunned, petrified as its jaws opened wide. Blood began to spill from its maw. It was dying, but it wasn’t going to go alone.
If I’d simply moved away after hitting him, none of this would have happened. Instead, I-
“L-Look out!”
Someone smashed into my side, tackling me to the ground. The earth shook and teeth smashed together. A large dust cloud was sent billowing into the air as the Ursa hit the ground. It lay there, motionless.
Sweat rolled down my face. All it had taken was a single punch. How was that-
Michael rushed forward, raising his sword and thrusting it through the Ursa’s eye. The monster didn’t so much as twitch. What? Did I blow up its heart or something? Still, that was smart thinking.
I took a breath and stared at the person who’d saved my life.
“T-Thanks, Riki.”
The young man chuckled and nodded. He stood up and gave me a hand. I gladly took it and rose to my feet.
“That was insane,” someone said.
“You literately killed it in a single punch.”
“It’s like something one of Engel’s Monks would do…”
Well, they weren’t wrong. A monk could have easily killed one of these in a single punch.
As they continued to banter amongst themselves, I stepped closer to the monster. A few of the men were already bringing out some rope. Were they going to carry it back? It made sense.
How much would a monster like this sell for? Heck, I’d barely so much as damaged the pelt with that last blow.
I stared at my fingers and curled them into a fist. Just one punch. It was the sort of inhuman strength that could rip a man’s head off. And I had that sort of power. The game was violent, yeah, but this world was on a completely different level.
“Fine work,” Michael said as he walked up next to me.
I nodded dumbly. My fingers suddenly began to tingle.
“You said you barely knew how to fight, and I could see that. Still… that sort of strength isn’t something a normal person can just dish out.”
A small hum left his lip.
“Tell me, have you ever had a dream about-” he bit his lip and then shook his head. “No, never mind. It’s not any of my business.”
With that, he turned and began helping the others tie up the corpse. As for me? I was far too focused on the tingling sensation that had spread through my body. A maelstrom of energy churned within my stomach. What was it?
A thought suddenly came to mind. I opened up my HUD and found a small flashing message.
“Level Up”
Huh. It looked like I’d gained three levels.
I moved my finger over the button. Was it wise to do so here and now? I had no idea what would happen. Normally, a brilliant bolt of light would explode from a person’s character. Would that happen here too?
I hesitated for a moment.
My hesitation grew into doubt. No one ever batted an eye to a player leveling up before, but things were different now. Maybe the glowing pillar of light wouldn't happen now, maybe it would. I didn't know.
"Man, this thing reeks!" Riki said with a gag.
"Smells like shit and piss," another of the men said. "I think I heard animals craped themselves when they died?"
"Well, I'm not going to go check around its ass!" Riki replied sharply.
The people here were incredibly distracting. I sighed and pulled my hand away from the button, dismissing the window. It was a bit too risky. In the game's lore, the player characters were the "god's chosen." If I suddenly started glowing, people would quickly figure out that I wasn't normal.
I turned to the bear and thinned my lips.
Well, less normal than I'd already shown them. I really needed to practice throwing punches a bit more. That sort of strength was basically a superpower. But, forgetting all of that for a moment, being known as a god's champion could come with trouble.
The game did have a rather powerful church, or at least this part of the world did. In the beta, they gave some really sketchy quests, like rounding up heretics and such. I never did figure out where they took them or what they did to them. For all I knew, things had changed enough where I might be treated as one. Right now, I barely knew anything about this world. So, I wanted to wait until I got home and maybe level up in the bathroom or something.
"Hey, Lance! Are you going to help us with this?" Riki called out.
I pulled myself away from my mind and found him trying and failing to lift up one side of the bear. A chuckle slipped from my lip.
"Don't laugh!" one of the other men said.
"Yeah! This thing is way heavier than we expected!"
Michael sighed and gave a nod.
"I'm afraid we'll need your help one more time," he said gingerly. "Is that fine with you?"
I blinked. Man. I guess killing something like this in a single punch really made him look at me differently, huh? I still say that was a bunch of luck mixed with actual strength, though. I doubt a punch to the side would have killed the monster.
"Sure," I said with a friendly smile. "But you guys have to get me something nice to drink when we get back."
All I've had is the weird tasting water from the well and milk. The town had to have some sort of juice or something, right?
"Drinks on me!" Riki cheered. "Don't worry, I'll make sure to wipe your ass too, your highness!"
A bout of laughter rolled through the small group. Even Michael couldn't help but chuckle at the young man's antics.
Maybe I was caught up in the moment, but I joined them. We'd barely known each other for more than a day, but I found myself smiling. I guess killing a giant monster is a good way to bond.
"Make some room, then," I said with a grunt, pushing Riki back a bit. "I can dish out a mean punch, but I'm not so sure about lifting a bloody mountain."
There was a thought. Would I get stat and skill points by leveling up? The H.U.D was weird and didn't show everything, but I was sure I had stats somewhere. How would those translate in this world? Either way, I was happy the devs were the weird kind of people that didn't make auto-level up a thing. Seriously, who did that?
"Right, right! Well, let's be off!" someone said with a laugh.
I sighed. This was going to be a long walk back.
-----------
It had taken us a good six or so hours to eventually make it back to the town's gate. There was an old lady waiting by the gates. I recognized her as the one I'd helped out this week.
"T-They're back," she shouted weakly. Honestly, I felt something tug at my heart watching her try so hard. Still, her message got across as a young man poked his head out from the makeshift watchtower. He was one of the village's hunters.
Before long, he'd jumped down with a few other men and helped us all bring the bear into the town's center. While he and everyone else began talking about how best to cut it up and preserve the meat, I slinked away for a quick breath of fresh air. My clothes were dirty, sweaty and there was a bit of blood on them. I wasn't the only one practically covered in grime, but I was the only one disgusted by it. Or, at least the only one that let it bother him.
The other guys were already figuring out how to best cut up the beast. All I wanted was a bath and to get out of these dirty clothes.
"There you are," a familiar voice called out to me. I turned and found Lily staring back at me. "I was a bit worried when I didn't see your face."
I chuckled and took a step back.
"Just wanted some space. I think I'll be taking a quick bath."
She nodded with a smile.
"I thought you might," she said and giggled. "I prepared a warm one for you when I heard you'd be going to help them hunt the beast."
Oh?
"Wow, thanks. I appreciate it."
She nodded.
"Yeah. You should get washed up and then come join us for the feast."
"Feast?" I asked with a furrowed brow.
"I mean, yes? You killed a massive monster! If that's not worthy of a fest, then I don't know what is!"
Huh. I guess I didn't really think of it like that. Come to think of it, most RPGs I've played always had events like these, didn't they?
"Alright. Thanks," I said with a small smile. "I'll go do that then."
She nodded softly and then turned around, heading back to the town's square. I, on the other hand, had some blood to get out of my hair, and my clothes, and my back... and everywhere, to be honest. It's what I get for being so close to the monster's bloody head. Even in death, it couldn't help but spit blood at me.
God, I hoped the smell could be washed off... maybe I'd level up just after that? Yeah, that sounded like a plan!
========
Eventually, I found myself in Lily's makeshift bathtub. It was little more than just a big, wooden tub behind her house, but I was never happier to have one available. She'd really kept the fire under it burning until I got back.
She was like a doting mother.
As I dove my head under the warm waters, I let all my worries be washed away.
There really wasn't anything like a nice, hot bath.