Another Chap finished, hope you enjoy! [th_084_.gif]
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Everworld really did change a lot.
With a player base of 1.2 Billion there was bound to be a marketing idea and exploit of such a big target group.
TV shows about the game and its basics sprouted left and right but only one company who realized what a big opportunity this new market really was found solid footing with an average viewership of 50% of all players and even more non-players, Megatropos©.
They realized earlier than any other and started to gather information, pay players to reveal things or give live footage from their adventures by connecting to their helmets.
It was a big hit.
Megatropos© was able to build on this first wave of interest by the players and started advertising the game even more as well as giving even better and more detailed information on classes and jobs. Soon it was visible that they had hit a gold mine and the staff couldn’t help but celebrate this breakthrough in their company’s progress.
High levelled players were invited to talk about the game, guild leaders gave insight on structures and overall game statistics as well as systems, hunters explained how to kill a monster best, the possibilities where endless for the staff of Megatropos© and they used everything they could imagine what one would need to know, to get more viewers and more influence.
Quests were the new big thing, there was many different difficulties on Quests, Solo and group quests existed as for now. They ranged from no difficulty till B but until now the highest quest solved right now was a C quest.
It was at a level that even if it didn't show indications of being a group quest, a party of 10 or more was required. Simply put C difficulty was impossible to solve alone.
Quests where a big part of Everworld but it was more than difficult to solve them just like levelling up, it seemed impossible to solve some of these quests.
Hidden quests also existed and they were worse, Job quests could test ones patience, class quests your whole being and a simple D quest could test your life or more.
Many players complained about the difficulty but no word from RocketScience, the creators of this game tried to justify why that was the case.
Today Megatropos© was hosting a Dungeon raid D rank quest in their show.
“As you all can see the guild BurningCrusaders hired as many mercenaries to aid them in this quest as they could. They have many high ranked players but you can never be sure if that is enough.”
Just like that Zero was watching the guild go from room to room in that dungeon to fight monsters and set off traps, it was a lot of messy fighting in his eyes but he saw it all through a TV and wasn’t live there so he didn’t judge them as a bad guild.
Naturally Zero was interested how a higher ranked dungeon looked like but the reason why he watched it was the traps, that was his real objective. He wanted to get some fresh ideas and it did give him some that seemed like they could work.
Hurriedly eating his bowl of Cereals while watching the program before he had to go to work he put the pieces for his plan together.
The sun was setting, a sharp wind blew between the trees and a faint rustling sound reached his ears.
Shadows sprinted down the mountain. Growling and barking could be heard from time to time while those things descended.
Zero was watching them, lying in wait between a few bushes, he previously had rolled around in mud to cover his scent a bit just to make sure they didn’t find him too soon.
Quietly he observed from a distance watching the pack of wolves hunt rabbits and other animals at the foot of the mountain.
An animal that looked like a mix between fox and badger sprinted between the trees, the pack of wolves right on its heels. In a zigzag manoeuvre it tried to lose them but there was many and originally they where faster than the Badgerfox how Zero called it, they were toying with their prey, making it seem like it was escaping and then catching up to it in seconds and killing it.
Only after a few hours of watching and memorizing how the pack moved and hunted he crawled out from his hiding spot.
Zero’s body was stiff and hurt but that disappeared after a few minutes, this game did not need to mimic reality in that regard he thought while scratching the hardened mud off his clothes.
The sky turned from jet black to gray and the surroundings also where easier to see, it was nearly dawn.
Just like planned he was going to show himself to the pack now.
Zero was not dumb. He knew, a level 4 character had no chance against a wolf, it would be suicide and to fight 12 of them was close to being mentally challenged.
To overcome this big difference in level, experience and numbers he prepared all day yesterday, Ingame and outside of it creating a plan and the tools he needed for aforesaid plan to work.
He would wait through the night while they hunted, observing them and learning their patterns from afar during which they would tire themselves after hours of hunting while he was still fresh and ready for battle, only then would he lure them to his trap.
The pack’s overall speed of running had also decreased during the night which was a good thing, he knew he was not faster than a rested wolf but against a tired one he might have a chance.
Stretching and checking his equipment he prepared himself mentally, breathing slowly and going over every step of the plan once again. Breathing a bit faster he got ready, the pack was running back up the mountain, closing in.
Then they stopped and he looked directly into the eyes of the wolf at the front, he had been spotted.
A howl resounded and pushing with as much force as he could Zero started running up the mountain leaving only dust behind.
Right away he ran at full throttle, he could hear them sprinting behind him and it was a very scary experience indeed for himself, it was a game but so close to reality that even though he was luring them into a trap, Zero was terrified.
Jumping over small bushes and stones he ran up the mountain, already his muscles started to hurt and his chest was burning but fear drove him to run even faster.
Making a sharp turn at a lonely tree he now ran along the mountain instead, it was a bit awkward to run while on uneven ground but it was still kind of flat and his overall speed increased, the howling was now right behind him and Zero swore he could feel them nipping at his heels.
He finally reached it, a flat boulder with a tree on it while it was leaning right over, what appeared to be a crater in the side of the mountain.
After looking over his shoulder he confirmed all 12 wolves looking back at him only a few meters away with hungry eyes.
He ran over the boulder, the pack followed him, thinking they trapped him with a cliff right in front of him, then Zero jumped to his death.
The Eyes of 12 wolves that normally only showed bloodlust or hunger maybe for the first time displayed complete surprise.
Now this pack had another problem, that their prey had jumped to its death and they could not just easily follow was already bad enough but they too were not even a meter away from the edge of the boulder, still running at full speed.
They tried to stop, putting their legs into stone and earth, claws grasping to hold onto something, everything was in vain.
With an ear ringing howl the pack fell into a pit like crater, kissing the ground hard and most of them losing more than half of their health.
Confused and in disarray they looked around, there was no easy way out of the crater, they would have to try to run up the steep wall over and over again until they would finally reach the edge.
The human was not down here, not even a trace or scent, the only ones down there were the 12 wolves.
To their horror they could see the human standing above them at the edge of the crater, a rope was beside him that hung from the tree that was leaning over the edge and not only that, a boulder that wasn’t there before was next to the human now.
He gave it a small kick and accelerated by the steep slope and gravity it crashed into four wolves halving their health again and breaking a hind leg and a paw.
Wolves were smart enough to know they had fallen into a very nasty trap indeed, the future looked grim.
Zero pulled himself up a bit and reached the edge of his trap.
It was scary hanging over a pit of wolves only supported by a rope he previously created out of more leather strips and sturdy weeds he found.
Now that he was safe and his prey trapped it was easy, boulders were already prepared all around the pit beforehand and he only had to give them a gentle push to do extreme damage.
Only now did he see the message that had popped up after pushing his third boulder in the crater and taking a short break.
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Because of an extraordinary way to trap your enemies and turn the situation around to your advantage, Skill(s) and stat(s) have increased!
Ploy has gained + 1 Level!
Tactic increased by + 12!
Agility increased by + 3!
Strength increased by + 2!
This is a special event and the same action will not trigger this increase again.
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Bliss filled every part of him.
Just because of one action, one planned out trap had gotten him a whole level for a skill which needed hours and hours of grinding to obtain together with 17 stat points which was nearly two level-ups more, in a single moment.
It would not happen again the same way but knowing how you could create events like this...
The possibilities showed themselves for Zero and he was in Bliss.
Smiling and having a feeling akin to being drunk he dropped one boulder after another in the Pit.
After killing the first wolf his experience bar didn’t move, first he was confused until he noticed a message telling him about distributable stat points.
He had gotten a whole level instantly.
Honestly, thinking about it, him being level 4 and killing a level 25 wolf, it was no surprise but considering how long it took him to level up and how many hundreds of rabbits he had killed, it was a big difference, at the same time he also had a revelation.
By using the terrain, using traps and his wits he would have it a lot easier fighting monsters and could maybe even kill certain types that surpassed his own level by 10 or more gaining levels even faster.
It was a big discovery for him, he was lucky to have found this crater but in the end it was his wits that got him 5 levels, one skill level and 17 extra stat points after killing all the wolfs.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
Zero was happy with himself, very happy indeed.
That was when it happened.
About to distribute his points from the 5 levels he had gotten, a howl cut through the air. It was a dark sound making his hair stand up instantly.
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Hidden Quest: Howling Wolf
Through a brutal massacre of the regional wolf pack their sleeping Alpha Wolf has been summoned to take vengeance on whoever killed his pack.
If the “Alpha Wolf” is killed, uncommon loot will be dropped.
Difficulty: H
Requirements: Kill 10 or more wolfs in 30 seconds.
Reward: Uncommon loot and a title.
Penalty for Failure: Death and all items will be dropped.
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*gulp*
Zero had to swallow after reading that message.
The reward was extraordinary but the penalty was too great.
“Delete Quest.”
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Quest cannot be deleted because the “Alpha Wolf” has found your scent.
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“Wait what!?”
Zero turned around as fast as he could.
Face to face he looked into the eyes of a jet black wolf, it was watching him with a snarl.
A growl so deep that Zero could feel the vibration in his teeth came from the beast before him, its shoulder height was even taller than his own and the paws where as big as the wheels of a car.
It was a monster of a wolf that towered over him growling and piercing him with its stares.
Zero did not dare to look away in fear of getting attacked and stared back in horror. While his body remained stiff his mind was going haywire, panic filled him but at the same time he was racking his brain trying to find a way to kill this monster.
Running away was not an option, he would never outrun this thing but if he also got it into the pit...
Slowly he was backing away, nearing the edge of the crater but the black wolf saw it and engaged.
With a leap that covered more than five meters it opened its mouth to bite his head off and as a desperate measure Zero had no other choice but to jump into the pit and grabbing the already tattered rope, waiting to hear a sound beneath him telling him that the big wolf was now down in the hole.
But no sound came to his ears and confused he looked up, only to see the wolf sitting at the edge and biting the rope he was clinging to in half.
This wolf was indeed very smart and he could only curse it when he hit the bottom of the crater losing 85% of his health and nearly dying in one instant.
His body hurt worse than all he had ever felt but with trembling fingers he opened his backpack and stuffed his face with the orange striped leafs.
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Argis Tangea has healed your Lifepoints by 150!
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Munching on about 6 of those leafs he looked back at the wolf with hatred in his eyes.
He was not going to die from a stupid oversized wolf, and with those thoughts finally all his fear was dispelled and anger took its place.
Aforementioned Wolf was now slowly sliding down one of the crater walls to face him.
Zero stood up and drew the sword he got from Khanas, he was more than ready to fight this beast and level up again.
With a wicked smile on his face and the desire to live burning his insides he ran at the wolf.
His slash was easily evaded to the right and this time he had to dodge otherwise his face would have been taken off by a swipe from the kitchen knife sized claws.
Jumping right and letting another swipe pass him by Zero thrust his sword forward cutting the leg of the wolf leaving a nasty gash but not without a prize.
He was bit at his shin and his healthbar dropped by half in a moment, luckily his bracelet was inside the mouth of the wolf so 10% of the damage was dealt back which made the beast back off howling.
Eating another handful of leafs Zero watched blood run down from the corners of the wolf’s mouth, he couldn’t help but smile seeing that and started to attack again.
Even though he was doing Damage and cutting away at the health of his enemy, the difference in level showed easily.
While it took him one or two good slashes with his sword to lower the health bar of the wolf by a small bit one clumsy bite or swipe that grazed him took more than 30% of his health in an instant, if he was hit bad it was more than 50%.
Following that logic he would die the moment he was cornered or hit in succession so he had to stay in control of the fight at all times, eat as many leafs as he could during breaks and slash when he saw openings.
That he was able to fight at all against this monster with massive amounts of agility and strength was close to a miracle.
After a long fight, it felt like hours, he had lowered the wolf’s health by 90% only leaving a bit to go.
The black fur was covered in blood, one paw was limping and a few claws where missing but the eyes, the eyes of the Alpha wolf were still alive and fighting.
Zero was at full health from eating the leafs, even though they just sped up regeneration if you didn’t get hit for a few seconds it was still the same as the instant health from healing magic or the effects of proper health potions.
The real problem was his enormous stash of Argis Tangea had dwindled to the point where only a single leaf was left.
It wasn’t enough, Zero knew it after fighting for this long. He knew one hit would slow his movements if he didn’t heal himself back to full, a second one would leave him half dead and a third...
It would be the end.
Anger filled him once again, burning, searing hot, uncontrollable anger.
“I am going to kill you. I am going to take your life before you can take mine nad spill your guts on the floor. I will not die here you hear me?!”
Zero screamed those words at the wolf and just like that for the last time, sword and claw clashed.
Blood splattered the ground, the screams of a human and the howling of a mad wolf could be heard in the forrest surrounding the mountain.
Jump right.
Swing left.
Defend.
Eat.
Swing right.
Lunge.
Get back up and ignore pain.
Attack.
Attack!
Attack!!
Attack!!!
His Vision was dyed red, it was a fight to the bitter end.
He was hit, he got back up and attacked.
Messages started appearing but he kept hitting and swinging until he noticed the body he was slashing didn’t move for quite some time now.
Breathing heavily Zero regained his senses and looked into the empty eyes of the black wolf while the beast slowly started to turn grey.
The winner was evident but he felt no bliss in this Victory, no rush, he just felt tired.
One look confirmed he was at less than 10% health, talk about a close fight.
Daylight was blinding him, the sun was already climbing quite high and only now did he check the messages he got.
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Quest completed!
The title -Wolf’s Bane- will now appear in your character window and enhance your abilities .
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Wolf’s Bane:
+ 5 to all stats
+ 30% more Damage against all wolf type beasts
Small animals will fear you when you attack them lowering their Damage output by -20% and increasing your own damage by +15%.
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You have levelled up 3 times!
Distributable stat points: 80
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Because of an amazing feat that would normally be far beyond your reach the stat -Fame- has been created!
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Fame:
This stat will make your name known to the world, creating rumours and legends of your deeds and NPC’s might know you even when you don’t know them, can earn you special titles, Quests, Skills, Discounts and Invitations to parties.
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For killing a special Monster your Fame has increased by + 5
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Zero had defeated a special monster as a level 9 but because he didn’t have time to distribute his stats before the fight he was actually fighting it as a level 4.
He truly accomplished a feat worth of praise and after the storm of messages ended, a smile plastered his face.
Tired and hurting all over once again, Zero had survived.
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