You know, after a near death experience, there were a multitude of reactions I could have made. Shock. Fear. Vomiting.
But whatever my reaction could have been, whatever my reaction should have been... It didn't happen. All because of a rectangle that floated a few centimeters in front of my face.
You have defeated Elite NanoCrawler(Origin) Lv10.
Having just lived a most definitely traumatizing event, the fact that a screen of all things would pop into existence was utterly bazar. Things only got more ridiculous when I became flooded with even more.
Ding!
Calculating EXP and Modifiers.
Modifier: Defeated an enemy 5 levels above your own. EXP X 1.50
Modifier: Defeated an enemy 10 levels above your own. EXP X 2.0
Modifier: Defeated an Elite monster solo. EXP X 2.0
Total Exp Modifier: 4.0
Total EXP: 4000
Ding!
Level up!
Level up!
Level up!
Ding!
Achievement: Baby steps.
Discription: Having defeated an Elite monster for the first time you will have loot of higher rarity.
Ding!
Achievement: First Kill.
Discription: Having defeated an enemy for the first time you will have a 100% chance for loot to drop.
Ding!
Achievement: Base Model Defeated
Discription: Because you defeated the original NanoCrawler, NanoCrawlers can no longer be deployed by ???.
+2000 EXP
10 Stat Points
Ding!
Level Up!
Level Up!
Ding!
Stat increase: LUK+4, STR+3, DEX+1, END+2, VIT+1.
For fucks sake, will you stop with all the damn dinging!?
Ding!
No.
...
Did...
Did this box just speak to me?
Ding!
Yes.
Wait. Are you reading my mind?
Ding!
In a sense.
On second thought, this was far more surprising than the first box was
This was a godsend sent from heaven. There was finally someone here to speak to. Someone who knew just what the hell was going on. As much as a telepathic window could know anyway. With so many questions on my mind, I couldn't really pick which one to ask.
Thankfully, I didn't need to.
Ding!
I will answer the most common questions I am asked. It will speed up the process.
Ding!
1) What is going on? A simple albeit complicated question to answer. Your universe, one of many, has had its game mechanics activated.
2) What are 'Game Mechanics'? They are an extensive and in-depth algorithm written into every universe either before, after, or during its initial existence. When created, and activated, they then proceed to rewrite the universal laws that govern these versions of reality. The universe still functions how it used to, only with a few things added in and a change in perspective for any sentient creatures that exist. Basically, you are now living in a reality that functions like a game.
3) How were the 'Game Mechanics' activated? This algorithm is left inert until such a time as; A: The natives discover them and activate them, intentionally or otherwise. B: The deity or deities of the reality decide to activate them. C: The universe meets another that already had their own activated, forcibly activating the inert one. Note: There are many other ways that they may be activated, but these are the most common ones.
4) Which one was it? I cannot tell you, even if I know the answer to that question.
5) So how does the universe being a game work exactly? Like any other game. You kill things, you get stronger. I am very limited in what I can and can't tell you.
6) Then what can you tell me? Nothing else. There will be no hand holding here.
7) Who are you? I am an administrator. I monitor the universe to make sure the algorithm functions in a manner appropriate for that universe.
8) I thought you couldn’t tell me anything else about the game? Learning my title is not information that will give any player an advantage.
9) But since you watch over the game, doesn’t that make you part of it? SILENCE! I WILL SMITE YOU IF YOU CONTINUE WITH THESE BASELESS ACUSATIONS!
10) OK, you answered all my questions, so what happens now? You do what every other creature that has ever lived before did. You survive until you die. How you achieve this and for how long is all up to you.
PS. I forgot to give you another Achievement. It’s not every day someone kills at Lv.0. Enjoy.
PPS. I will from here on refuse to speak with you. ...Unless I'm bored. Which might be soon. You guys aren't as entertaining as you could be.
Ding!
Special Achievement: Less Than Something. More Than Nothing.
Description: Weather with unbelievable intelligence, indomitable will, or sheer dumb luck, you have managed to kill a higher-level target at Lv0.
Effects: Granted Unique Title
Ding!
New Title!
Title: Born of the Void.
Rarity: Unique
Description: Where the wind is still, you breathe. Wear there is silence, you speak. Where there is darkness, you shine. Where there is the void, you exist. You are nothing given form.
Newly discovered stats will have a onetime increase of 10.
(???)
(???)
(???)
Ding!
New Title!
Title: One of a Kind
Rarity: Rare
Description: Having acquired a unique skill, title, or item displays just how resourceful you can be. Effects: +10 to all atributes.
Even after reading the windows dozens of times, I'd be lying if I said I understood even half of what was written down. EXP? Loot? Rarity? Titles? Achievements? They were complete mysteries to me. Sure I could guess what they meant almost spot on, but who’s to say I didn't completely misunderstood what they meant? Which was a bad thing, since it looked like knowledge would be the most critical resource for me to have.
A tired sigh escaped my lips.
This was too much. In less than an hour, my life had been sent down of tunnel of misery and lunacy without any warning. Life was a game. I was lost. And a million other things were going on that could either be life threatening or lifesaving. And I was just standing here bleeding like an idiot. The fact that the metal machinery was starting to give off a horrible smell wasn't helping either. The thing had spilled out some more horrid liquid at some point of its beating. A black viscous substance that looked like oil but smelled like sulfur. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I wasn't cover in it.
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Unpleasant was one way of describing it. Discusting was another.
Staring at the lifeless (powered down?) corpse with accusing eyes, I noticed something rather odd. Drenched in a puddle of robo-blood was a lump. A rather flat and rectangular lump. Out of curiosity I picked it up. Wiping the lump clean revealed an interesting revelation.
It was a small book with the words 'Metal Manipulation' on it.
Ding!
Skill Book Found!
Skill: Metal Manipulation
Rarity: Rare
Type: Magic
Description: You are able to counjur and manipulate metal.
Cost: Energy
Would you like to learn this skill?
Y/N
.
..
...
At this point I shouldn't be shocked but damn! This was a magic spell! A true and blue magical spell!
Momentarily forgetting the entire situation, I slammed the Y without a thought. It wouldn’t be until later that the fact I had managed to make physical contact with a floating screen came to my mind. Dealing with the revelation that magic was real though, it wasn't much of a surprise it had taken a back seat.
Ding!
New Skill Learned!
Barring a wave of excitement when the new window appears, I didn't feel any different. No explosion of energy. No revelation of alter dimensional information. Not even a shiver going down my spine. Safe to say I was mildly disappointed. You'd think when you learn magic it would be a bit more... Well, magical.
Not willing to be completely demotivated, I set about doing a few million things to figure out how to use the skill. From yelling things like "Use skill: Metal Manipulations!", to doing bizarre poses to use it. Unfortunately, nothing worked. e
"Damn it!"
I fell to the ground, exhausted with a layer of sweat covering my body. What could only have been several minutes of experimentation was quite taxing. Mentally and physically. The possibility that I wouldn't be able to use magic was quite stressful. It probably didn't help I was still bleeding from my earlier 'fight'. Since I couldn't see the wound directly, I could only guess how large and deep the cut was.
In short, I was having a shity time while making no progress.
Really it should have been so simple. A piece of metal here, some magical pizazz there, and bam. I could use magic. Instead of looking like a third rate ballerina who knew nothing of bailey dancing.
Sitting up I looked at my hands. Greasy, covered in oil and my own perspiration. Bruised and numb, my fingers still aching every time I tried moved them. A sorry sight to behold. Just how were hands like this meant to summon metal?
Maybe I wasn't all physical? I mean nothing I said or did let me use the new skill. So maybe I just needed to use another method. But what?
I sat there, struggling to find an answer to my own question. If words or movements didn't activate it, then what else was there to use? It was hard to think about it, what with all the minor annoyances my body was experiencing.
For whatever reason, I closed my eyes and attempted to block out my surroundings. It took a minute, but eventually my senses were muddled enough were the distractions were easily ignored. Having reached the serenity I so desired, I pictured myself summoning a piece of metal.
The audible thunk and yelp that followed were signs of my success.
After I finished hopping on one foot and cradling said foot, I took the time to admire my handiwork. It wasn't that large. It was quite pitiful actually, seeing as it was just an unrefined chunk of metal no bigger than my fist. Reaching down and picking it up, it dawned on me that I had managed to create a tangible substance out of nothing.
If I was smiling, it was the biggest, dumbest grin I had ever made.
While the results may have been subpar, it was still rather unbelievable I had succeeded at all. Its ruff texture and weight was all the proof I needed. I couldn't identify what color it was though. The emergency lights painted my surroundings a similar shade of red.
The only things that weren't another shade of crimson was the oil and the creatures eye's...
Remembering my not too recent brush with death killed my happy mood. I glanced at the lifeless metal creature. The pool of machine blood had grown to a larger size. The smell spreading.
Being withing reach, I kicked it. Other than the slight pain of kicking a heavy object so casually, nothing else happened. The corpse layed there motionless. Still dead.
While I was relieved that it hadn't sprung back to life, it was of little comfort. It may not be the only one.
While I didn't want to think such grim thoughts, facts were facts. I was utterly, thoroughly, and completely out of my depth. There was some sort of cataclysmic event. Monstrosities were more than likely walking around which were without a doubt dangerous. I was only alive because of some miracle. But the biggest mind numbing thing of all was reality itself just losing its mind. Literally in some sense if this administrator is to be believed.
I had another sigh escape me.
Well, survival against insurmountable odds was just a part of the packaged deal I guess. Not like any game was without its risk but damn if I didn't like one with life threatening consequences.
Regardless, it was in my best interest to find a safe heaven. Or someone with a better grasp of the situation. Hell, anything would be better than wallowing in a pool of oily blood. Thing is, as I studied my surroundings, there may be a bit of a problem.
The hallway was still blocked off behind me. The rubble was still filling the other end of the room. There weren't any other openings, other than the hole in the ceiling. Witch was too far for me to reach, nearly triple my height.
I was locked in a room. With a dead body. And the only thing of use I had was the ability to summon metal with no real idea on how to use it.
There was only one way I could respond to this.
"Well fuck me six ways to sunday."