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Chapter 2: The System
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“Here, again?” John said aloud, looking into the void surrounding him. Within what felt like seconds, a voice spoke up, as John continued to float.
“The sacrifice was sufficient,” spoke the booming voice.
John warily took a breath, finding his voice, “You said that I would get knowledge for sacrificing the goblin.”
“I will allow the use of my glorious system, as per our deal.”
“What do you mean, system?” John asked, confused.
“The greater your experience, the more knowledge is earned.”
John couldn't help but sigh with that clarification. Are all gods this vague and cryptic?
He then felt the familiar sensation of falling. John groggily opened his eyes and noticed the soreness in his limbs. Sleeping on the ground sucks.
With that thought, John sat up. Just like with the relic, words appeared out of nowhere.
System Unlocked
To access, simply think or say ‘system’.
John sat there for a moment, looking at the words, dumbfounded. He is slowly getting used to how odd his life has become.
“System,” John sighed.
Most features can be unlocked by doing something monumental.
For now, enjoy the skills list
Survival Technique: 1/100
Evasion: 1/100
Ice Magic Synergy: 1/100
Dagger Synergy: 2/100
Updating conscious thoughts
Suddenly, John could ‘feel’ that something had changed. He looked down at the dagger, knowing how to properly grip the small weapon. As for magic…
John couldn’t help but chuckle as the knowledge of Boreal Touch came into his being.
He then looked down and flexed his hand watching whips of mist and ice waft up through the air
It's odd that he didn't feel any coldness from the spell. A thought for another time.
He then stretched and started to make some future plans. Top of the list is finding civilization.
I really don’t want to sleep on moss again. John thought with a grimace. His campsite was just temporary, and berries and mushrooms were everywhere, so he decided to walk parallel to the stream.
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Looking around at the beautiful landscape John couldn’t help but think that there were rarely places like this on Earth. He then took stock of what he knew about the country he’s in. Realis was home to many elves but it wasn't exclusive. Several teams made up the Realis portion of the game. The game was so big they had no other choice but to spread it amongst the workers. John was really only a part of the monsters that made up the region more than anything. The most he had to worry about was the occasional goblin raid or ‘hoard’ Massive amounts of goblins would congregate in a large cluster and assault whatever town was closest. As John tried to think about where exactly he was in Realis he came across a beaten down path, about the size of a road on Earth. Relief made its way across his face and he realized that all he had to do was follow it, he was bound to find something.
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After a couple of hours of walking, he could hear something in the distance. As he got closer he realized that it was coming from off the path. John quietly followed the noise and heard a voice laughing. He quickly hid behind a tree and peeked around the tree.
Stealth: 1/100
The words appeared in front of John, much to his annoyance. The knowledge then flooded in, how to step, how to crouch, and how to quiet his breathing. John then turned his attention to the sight before him. Multiple people huddled in a circle, laughing around the small fire. He then noticed that several people were tied up in the corner of the clearing. They looked to be in rough shape judging by their torn clothing. The prisoners seemed to be three men and women with pointed ears. An elf. John could easily walk away. He was just about to do that before something stopped him. John couldn’t tell what, but something about leaving right here right now would be something he’d deeply regret. He then steadied his breath as he glanced at the outlaws. John knew he’d be no good in a one on one fight. He then heard a voice chuckle gruffly.
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“We’ll sell these people and be on our way. The elf in particular will make some good coin.” John could then hear his heart pound in his chest. He couldn’t leave now, what kind of person would he be if he walked away? John stilled his heart and started to plan. Picking them off one by one seems to be the only option. He looked through the trees and saw that the sun was setting. Better wait for nightfall. John sat behind a tree and made himself comfortable.
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Now that night had descended, John felt much more comfortable.
Stealth: 2/100
The words appeared and disappeared quickly. Not feeling much of a difference John focused on the now sleeping bandits. He then took his shoddy dagger in his hand and crept up to the bandit sleeping closest to him. He made sure to be hyper aware of the sounds he was making. The bandit was snoring peacefully. John couldn’t help but gulp at the slaughter that was about to take place. This would make him a murderer. He then looked at the tied up group who were staring at him in shock. John took his dagger and stabbed it through the throat of the closest bandit, who’s eyes widened. John quickly put his other hand on his mouth and watched life leave his eyes.
Dagger Synergy: 3/100
Assassination: 1/100
Stealth: 3/100
John dismissed the message as knowledge flowed into him. He then realized that he went about the murder wrong. He should’ve twisted the knife to his brain to make it more quiet and merciful. He then looked at the next one and did the same, this time making it instant. As he slaughtered him John could feel himself numbing to the thought of killing. Kind of unsettling. Could be the skill.
As he killed the next one he heard a voice exclaim, “Watch out!”
John was then quickly tackled to the ground, shocking and disorienting him. He looked up and saw the rage filled face of one of the bandits.
“You’ve killed my men!” He yelled loudly. John saw the glint of a dagger in the bandits hand. John reacted on instinct, summoning magic to his hand and grabbed the bandit's throat with Boreal Touch, causing the bandit to grasp and cough at John's hand. The bandit backed off, allowing him to get to his feet. John's heart pounded and adrenaline coursed through his body. He grasped the dagger in his hand and rushed into the bandits guard, who was busy coughing up his lungs. With speed and precision unlike him, he drove the dagger into the throat of the last bandit. Watching the evil man die was strangely cathartic to John. Shaking his head, John fell on his butt, breathing deeply. Words appeared before him, but he quickly dismissed them, vowing to check them later. A voice spoke up, shaking him from his thoughts.
“You’ve done it, thought we were done for.” One of the prisoners says with relief in his tone.
“Thank you kind sir!” John could only nod and sat up.
The elf woman finally spoke.
“They would’ve sold me off. You’ve saved me from a fate worse than death. What’s your name?”
John nodded and said
“John, my name's John.”
John couldn’t help but glance at the dead bodies around the clearing. Something about it deeply disturbed him.
“It was them or us.” The second man said.
“I’m Joric, he’s Seve, and she’s Wilt” the other one spoke grandly.
“How did you people get captured?” John asked, questioning the entire situation
Wilt spoke up
“We were attacked on the main road to Ilis, we’re all merchants.”
Ilis sounded familiar to John, but he couldn't quite recall all of it. A logging town from what I remember.
“We have a little bit of coin, if that's what you want. We owe you.” Wilt says with a shaky grin.
“Just food and rest, if you don’t care. I've been in the forests for a day, and I just now found the road.” John says, not really wanting to take straight coins. They look like they need it.
They laugh and Joric pats him on the back.
“C’mon, Ilis is about an hour's walk from here, we’ll lead you there.”
And so they were off. John was too tired to think any further.
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John’s legs were on fire, and the breeze that once felt nice, had quickly turned cold. John really hadn’t said a word since they started walking. A lot of things were weighing on his mind. Something as common as killing bandits in this world wasn’t a huge deal. Earth, however, placed a heavy focus on human life. He was just going to have to get used to it. He looked up and saw that the moon was still hanging in the sky. It truely was a long night, that seemed to drag on forever.
John finally made it to town. Ilis was a very small town, with only a few houses scattered here and there. The logging stand and equipment were fixed over a large stream. It was a beautiful little hamlet in John’s opinion. The merchants lead him to a small inn with a sign blowing in the breeze in front of the wooden structure. John made it inside where the merchants paid for him a room, where he quickly went to. The feeling of sheets and wool pillows was heavenly. John laid his dagger down on the table beside him and looked up at the ceiling.
“Skills”
Dagger Synergy: 5/100
Ice Magic Synergy: 3/100
Stealth: 6/100
Assassination: 5/100
Survival Techniques: 5/100
Evasion: 4/100
Getting into fights is the best way to progress. John stretched one final time and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.