Chapter three_LitRPG spartan warrior system apocolypse

Chapter three

Cecis surveyed the clearing, catching sight of the man with the hammer he had spotted earlier. Cecis made the decision to approach him. However, as he drew closer, he couldn't help but notice the man's Persian appearance and attire, which immediately caused an almost instinctual twinge of wariness within him.

Cecis was no stranger to the enmity between his own people and the Persians, and he couldn't help but wonder if this encounter would lead to conflict. Yet, as he pondered this, he also realised that if what he was told was true, this "Tutorial" and "System" were far too massive to waste time fighting amongst themselves. They needed to band together to figure out what was going on.

With this realisation in mind, Cecis made a conscious effort to treat the man as a friend and an ally, as long as he received the same respect in return. Drawing from his past experiences in battle, Cecis recognised that a group could achieve far greater feats than an individual, no matter how outstanding they may be. Cecis was aware that working in harmony with one's allies was crucial to success. He knew that striving to stand out as a hero was not only foolish but also a quick route to a meaningless death.

With this mindset, Cecis knew that the best way to proceed in their current situation was to communicate and band together to explore the unknown. He recognised that the first step towards unravelling this “System” would be to work together, rather than attempt to pridefully solve the problem alone. So, with a tentative step forward, Cecis approached the Persian man, with an open mind in the hopes of making an ally in this strange world.

As he drew nearer, Cecis greeted the man by waving to indicate his peaceful intentions. When he reached him, he said, "Hey my name is Cecis, do you know what or WHY this is happening? Were you also transported here while you were dying?"

The man responded slowly, "I’m Dmitri, I was transported here from where I was working on building a house, I don't think I was dying or died. As for what's going on... I have no idea. Something about levels, monsters, magic, and a system… Whatever that is…”

Cecis shrugged, feeling just as lost as Dmitri. "I don't have any idea what's happening either, But there's a voice in my head that's been giving me instructions. Have you heard it too?"

Dmitri nodded. "Yeah, I heard it as well. And then suddenly, I was here, and it started talking about levels and magic."

Cecis nodded in agreement. "Same here. And for some reason, we can understand each other even though it seems we're speaking different languages."

As Cecis assessed the man, Dmitri, he came to the realisation that his initial worries were unfounded. Despite his Persian background, Dmitri did not seem to pose any threat. While he was undoubtedly muscular and well built, his demeanour and stance was enough implication about his experience in battle. Cecis felt secure that he could defend himself with ease if Dmitri were to launch an unprovoked attack on him, however unlikely it may be.

Another thing he had noticed while talking to Dmitri was that although Cecis could understand perfectly the meaning of what the man was saying, he could tell that they were speaking completely different languages. Cecis wondered about the implications of how the System could allow understanding between individuals speaking different languages so perfectly. The sheer power required for such a System made him wonder if it could be likened to a god. Is the System, in a way, some sort of divine existence?

Expanding on this thought, Cecis pondered the immense impact such a System could have on the world. If it could so easily give the ability to magically understand any language, as well as what was mentioned about “magic” and Stats, the implications were massive. What lies ahead in future of a world like this?

Setting all that aside, Cecis decided to focus on something less theoretical, and looked back at Dmitri and asked, "So, what's your Compatibility rating?"

Dmitri looked a bit puzzled and replied, "My what rating?"

"Your Compatibility rating," Cecis repeated, "You know, the one that the System mentioned when we first arrived here. And the one on the “Status” screen that showed up."

Dmitri thought for a moment before answering, "Oh, I see what you mean. Mine says 4. What about yours?"

Cecis smiled slightly, "Mine is 9. It looks like I have a higher Compatibility rating than you do, if that’s even a good thing."

Dmitri furrowed his brow, "What does that mean, though? I mean, I understand the numbers, but what does it really signify?"

Cecis considered for a moment, "I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. It seems to have something to do with how much free points we get somehow, because I also have nine free points. Maybe higher the Compatibility rating, the more free points we get to increase our power?"

Dmitri nodded slowly, "That makes sense, I guess, I have four free points so you might be right. However I’m not sure how we’re supposed to use the points, Any ideas?"

Cecis thought for a moment before replying, "Before when I thought about the Status screen it just materialised in front of me, so maybe we just have to forcefully think about using the free points to select what we want to use them for or something.”

Dmitri nodded in understanding, and then paused for a minute and seemed to concentrate on staring into open space, before saying “It worked, I was able to use my free points to increase my Agility, I feel… well I think lighter is the best word to use.”

Cecis took a moment to contemplate as the Status screen materialised once again before his eyes. He reflected on the what the voice had said earlier about how investing in Strength would bolster his physical power and the force of his attacks. After considering his options, he resolved to allocate all nine of his available points to this attribute, since if this was all real, Strength seemed like the most important thing considering he would have to fight monsters in this “Tutorial”.

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Status:

Name: Cecis

Species: Human

Type: Enlightened

Condition: Healthy

Compatibility: 9

Grade: (Z)

Level: 1 (Z)

Experience: [0/13XP→(LV 2)],[0/715XP→(Y)]

Statistics:

Strength: 9

Agility: 0

Endurance: 0

Vitality: 0

Magic: 0

Mana: 0

Aura: 9 (+5%)

Intelligence: 10 (MAX) (Enlightened)

Free points: 0

Achievements:

Enlightened: Entity has reached maximum Intelligence and cannot put System Stats into Intelligence. Allows communication between anyone with the Enlightened Achievement. (+5% Aura)

Cecis turned to Dmitri and asked, "Hey, did you notice if your Aura increased along with the free points you invested? I put all nine of my free points into Strength, and now my Aura is at nine as well."

Dmitri took a moment to look responding, "Yeah, same with me, after investing my points my Aura Stat increased. I put four points into the Agility Stat, and Aura is at four now."

Cecis raised an eyebrow, "That's interesting. It seems like investing in any Stat has an impact on the Aura Statistic, but what does Aura influence?"

Dmitri responded, "I don't know, let's just ignore it for now. Here, let's go-" He broke off mid-sentence as they heard screams coming from the other side of the clearing.

Cecis and Dmitri looked across the clearing and saw three monstrous birds with long, sharp talons. While their bodies were a bit smaller than the average human, they had a massive wingspan and the heads of human women. They were attacking a group of people at the edge of the clearing. Cecis recognised them as harpies from stories told by campfire light, said to abduct and bring people to the underworld.

Without hesitation, Cecis took a step forward and began to sprint towards the harpies. He turned to Dmitri and yelled, "FOLLOW ME!" as if he had commanded his troops into battle many times.

Dmitri hesitated, feeling the fear creeping up his spine. "I’M JUST A BUILDER" he screamed. "I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIGHT GODS DAMNED CURSED MYTHICAL CREATURES!"

Cecis didn't slow down, but he turned his head back towards Dmitri and yelled, "Just stick with me! I'll lead the charge."

Dmitri took a deep breath and ran after Cecis, although he started running after Cecis, he quickly found himself gaining on him. As they drew closer to the harpies, Cecis felt fear but also adrenaline pumping through his veins, and he hoped that his new points in Strength would help him survive this upcoming battle.

As they closed in on the harpies, Cecis raised his spear and prepared to strike. "Stay behind me," he bellowed to Dmitri. "And watch my back!"

Cecis scanned the chaotic scene noticing a few injured humans bleeding on the ground and a woman running towards them, circled overhead by the three harpies. His heart pounded in his chest as he spotted a harpy swooping towards a woman, its sharp talons poised to strike.

Realising he wouldn't make it in time, Cecis felt a surge of desperation. Without a second thought, he hurled his spear towards the harpy, hoping to save the woman's life. The felt lighter in Cecis hand as he threw it, but also more powerful at the same time, and it flew forward as fast as an arrow, piercing almost all the way through the other side of the harpy's back, instantly Cecis felt some strange but somehow pleasant energy entering his body.

Moving on, Cecis quickly rushed forward to retrieve his spear from the dead harpy, adrenaline coursing through his veins. But his triumph was short-lived, as the second harpy attacked him from above. Cecis felt the scrape of its talons on his side as he rolled with the blow towards the dead harpy. He managed to grab the dead harpy's body with one hand and use it as temporary cover to yank his spear out with the other, just as the harpy came back around to attack him again.

But before Cecis could even raise his spear in defence, Dmitri charged forwards and jumped into the air with unexpected speed, brandishing his hammer. He swung it with all his might, smashing with a crunching noise into the harpy's wing and narrowly missing its body. The harpy swerved off course and hit the ground ten metres away from Cecis.

The harpy swerved off course and hit the ground ten metres away from Cecis, who had managed to get his spear free just in time to stab at the third harpy dive bombing Dmitri, piercing it through the head, feeling the same energy he had felt entering him when he killed the first harpy. The dead harpy fell into Dmitri, knocking him to the ground.

Cecis turned to the harpy Dmitri had injured and saw that it was hobbling towards the edge of the forest, moving quickly. Despite the searing pain that coursed through his side and ribs, Cecis approached the harpy and lunged at it with his spear. He missed.

His spear hit the ground with more force than he had intended and it dug itself deep within the grass and dirt of the meadow near the harpy’s head. The harpy let out an ear-splitting shriek and weakly lunged at Cecis, dragging its talons along his arms as he shielded his vitals from the blow, searing pain going through his forearms. However, with its wing crippled the harpy’s superior Agility was useless, and it could barely move. With fierce determination, Cecis jumped on it, using his superior Strength and size, grabbing its scrawny neck and twisting it with all his might. The harpy emitted one final scream before going limp in his grasp. He felt a surge of the strange energy, stronger than before, and although his injuries still burned, he sensed a slight relief. It was as though they had diminished partially.

[Eliminated three (Harpies) Experience granted based on contribution, extra Experience awarded for one higher level enemy defeated.]

[Experience threshold reached.]

[You are now Level 2, congratulations on your first level!]