My name is Alex Antonio.
I'm nineteen years old and currently in my second year of college.
That's not what's important. What is important is that I play a game called Heros of Eternity. I've been playing the game for over six years now. My favourite Hero to play currently is King Arthur in the Hunter role.
By the way, my username is 'FightmeBr0999'.
One day, after a stressful day at college, I booted up my VR to play some Heros of Eternity.
I had just loaded into a match when my allied Hunter, A Beowulf player named 'IWannaInvade,' asked to invade.
The enemy team had a King in Yellow and a Rajin, both Heros that were not very strong early in the game, so I agreed.
So we set out through the forest and snuck across the river into the enemy's forest. I knew King in Yellow started in the cursed forest for his clear as I played him a bit when King Arthur was banned.
We arrived and headed towards his first camp, the Skinwalker.
Usually, Heros who started in the cursed forest would begin with the Zombies camp as it was the weakest, but King in Yellow could easily do Skinwalker first as it was melee only, and King in Yellow could abuse his tentacles range to beat it without losing hp.
We soon found the King in Yellow, who was already clearing the camp.
We waited for the King in Yellow to be distracted before Beowulf rushed in. I followed soon after, and at the start, it was going incredible. However, the King in Yellow player was more skilled than I thought, and he used the Skinwalker to his advantage to help him.
Ultimately, we managed to finish him off and turn our attention to the Skinwalker, but that's when it happened. We were fighting it, and I went in for a double slash, but as I stabbed it, killing it, I noticed that I had gotten zero experience, or even gold for that matter.
That was when I noticed ten small arrows on the side of its head. Following the direction it came from, I saw something I would have never expected—a minion standing vertically on the tree with a bow in hand. As I watched it, the minion started copying the common Beowulf emote that players spammed.
I couldn't believe that a minion, a minion, managed to kill and steal me. Immediately, I removed my headset, deciding that was enough Heros of Eternity for today.
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I was ecstatic; finally, I had done it just as I was losing hope. Once I had killed the Skinwalker and emoted upon my enemies, King Arthur instantly disappeared, and Beowulf stood frozen for the rest of the match as I fired arrows, managing to increase my DEX one more time.
After the match had ended (We won, by the way), I couldn't wait to get home to look at my stats.
However, something was strange this time. Usually, when I left a match, I had a little area of space around me as the crowd avoided Minions that had just joined the post-game lobby, but instead of a tiny little area for myself, it was a much larger one.
In addition, the surrounding minions were watching me, muttering to themselves as they passed instead of the usual loud conversations they would have.
When I approached the crowd, the minions moved away from me, one after the other, shrieking as they tried to escape. A terrible feeling was welling in my stomach. Something was most definitely wrong.
Was it the way I looked?
I thought that I looked as I always did, just a blue minion.
Even on the train ride home, people refused to stay on the same train as me, causing me to be the only person to hop on a train, and the minions on the train instantly flooded out once I got on.
Finally, I made it home, and inside was Paul.
"Hey, Paul-" I started to speak, but he rushed towards me and cut me off.
"What did you do!" He spoke, his voice filled with fear and worry.
"What do you mean did I do? Is there something wrong with me?" I asked.
"What's your reputation? What could you have done to make it drop this low!" he yelled.
I tried to think back to any messages I had gotten when I suddenly remembered the information I had obtained after killing the Skinwalker. I was so happy about killing it that I hadn't paid much attention to what the System said.
{Reputation -1000}
"I killed a Skinwalker in the jungle," I spoke.
He froze the moment I said that.
"You haven't received a message from it, right?" Paul spoke.
"It?" I asked.
Paul sighed in relief for a moment before going back to his stress.
"Ignore that then, more importantly, how did you do it? There's no way you could have done it by yourself," he spoke.
"Well, I- I read an article about archery written by Apollo and-" I spoke, but again, he cut me off.
"Apollo? You don't mean the Hero Apollo, right? Nono nono nono- this can't be happening. Please tell me- it doesn't matter, ignore the article. What did you do to kill it?" Paul spoke.
"I waited on a tree above the fog until it was low, and I shot ten arrows at it for the finishing blow," I said.
"You need to get out," Paul spoke.
"What? Why?" I spoke, my heart sinking.
"I can't let you inside my house with your reputation this low. I'll tell you more later through contacts. Take this for now and go before Richie or Charlotte see you." Paul spoke.
{5 gold has been transferred to your account!}
"Use the money to find a place to stay for the night. You won't be let into most places with a reputation that low, but I'm sure you can find something. Just go! I'll contact you later." He spoke while pushing me out of the house.
"What about Richie and Charlotte?" I spoke.
"Don't worry about my family, just go!" He spoke.
For some reason, him saying 'my family' stung a little. I know we weren't that close, but he's done a lot for me in this past month.
Once I was out of the door, he slammed the door shut and locked it; I could hear him muttering something aggressively to himself. Unsure of what to do next and wanting to leave the area as he asked, I wandered.
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I don't know how long I walked, but it was a few hours.
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No matter where I went, minions would stare at me, making sure to avoid my path.
I felt like some monster parading through the streets with blood covering me. But to myself, all I looked like was another minion no different than the rest.
Eventually, I found a place where there were no other minions.
It was a run-down house that no one lived in. It was slightly larger than Paul's house but in much worse condition. The windows were broken, and the roof semi-collapsed. The wood was rotting and seemed like it would collapse any second. But no matter how long I watched it, it never did.
Not thinking straight and desperate to find a spot to be alone, I entered.
I was glad that minions had no sense of smell, as I imagined this place would smell awful.
The interior was the same as Paul's house except a little bigger.
I stood inside as minions couldn't do anything else and let my thoughts fester. A downward spiral that I couldn't help but stop. Why didn't Paul tell me that killing a monster would cause me to lose that much reputation? Why did I think that was a good idea? I tried not to blame Paul as it wasn't his fault, but my mind was desperate to find anyone to take the fall except for me.
In an attempt to clear my head, I opened Minion Media.
----------------------------------
{Welcome NotAMinion!}
{CHOOSE AN OPTION}
{Minion Messenger}
{Minion Mania}
{Minion Market}
{Minion Meeters}
{Other}
---------------------------------
Thinking about it, I realize I had never looked at the other option.
'Other'
----------------------------------
{Minion Money}
{Minion Map}
{Minion Magazines}
{Minion Modes}
{Minions Most Monstorus}
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Curious, I looked at Minion Magazines, which instantly became a mistake.
It was a way to see news and current events in minion society, and unfortunately, they were all about the same thing.
'Minion with negative one thousand reputation loose walking around in Sector M'
'Minion with negative one thousand reputation spotted leaving a Post-Match lobby.'
There were easily a hundred different articles all about it, and I dared not read any.
Instead, I quickly closed the map, and desiring the ability not to think, I focused my mind on a blue elephant; however, before I could finish, a notification popped up on my screen.
{After careful consideration, the System has decided to award you for your efforts}
{System favor gained: 10}
{System shop unlocked}
{Requirements for Hero promotion unlocked}
"What!" I couldn't help but gasp.
System favour? More importantly than that, I unlocked the requirements to become a hero.
'Promotion,' I thought to myself.
I ignored the Minion promotions as they seemed unchanged. Instead, my focus was on the Hero promotion.
{Hero awakening Requirements:
- Gain 100 System Favor
- Meet the System
- Win the tournament of Gods
Requirements met: 3/3}
I couldn't believe it.
I finally knew how to become a Hero. Of the three, gaining one hundred System Favor seemed as easy as stealing a camp got me ten.
The other two were much more elusive.
I tried looking them both up, but nothing useful came up for either.
Questions started flooding my mind. Why would the System encourage stealing monster kills with System Favor but also punish it with minus one thousand reputation? Why wasn't there a level or gold requirement?
Thinking about it didn't do me any good.
After my match tomorrow, I would look at the system shop as I was too tired tonight and wanted something to look forward to tomorrow. Despite today taking a turn for the worse, everything would work out just fine.
'Sleep'.
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"Minions have spawned," the now all too familiar voice spoke.
Before I could even process any information, a sword came flying at me, stabbing me in the head.
{Critical hit! Minus 0.6 hp}
I jumped back in a panic, the sword sliding out of me in the process. In front of me was two minions. One was a Melee Minion, the other a Mage Minion. I aimed my bow, but a spell hit me as I did.
{Minus 0.2 hp}
I shot my bow at the Mage Minion, but the Melee Minion blocked it and charged me, stabbing and killing me with his blade.
The world went black.
I was currently in the respawn zone, as I called it. I couldn't feel, sense, or do anything other than think in this place. Then, after a while, a countdown would start,
{10}
{9}
{8}
{7}
{6}
{5}
{4}
{3}
{2}
{1}
and then I respawned.
The moment I was back, I pulled my bow back, ready to fire, but they were gone. That's when all of a sudden...
{Critical hit! Minus 0.6 hp}
{Critical hit! Minus 0.4 hp}
They were behind me.
I tried to turn around, but it was too late.
Their sword hit me again along with another spell, killing me once more, and again, the world went black.
I was brought back to the respawn zone; this time, I had a plan.
If they weren't in front of me initially, I would instantly turn around and shoot them while backing up like I had seen the King in Yellow do before.
It wasn't a profound plan, but it was a plan nonetheless. The countdown started soon after.
{10}
{9}
{8}
{7}
{6}
{5}
{4}
{3}
{2}
{1}
and then I respawned.
Right before me was the Mage Minion; instantly, I shot my arrow, hitting him.
{Hit! 0.269 damage dealt!}
I prepared to fire again, but instead, I was hit by a sword.
{Critical hit! Minus 0.6 hp}
I turned around, moved away from the Melee Minion, and fired a shot, but he blocked it with his shield. I was then hit again, this time by the Mage Minion.
{Critical hit! Minus 0.4 hp}
From there, I tried to fight back, but in the end, they killed me once more, and of course, the world went black.
Panic was now starting to set in as I had no clue how to counter their onslaught, especially when I had no clue which direction they were coming from. While my mind was still racing with ideas, the countdown started.
{10}
{9}
{8}
{7}
{6}
{5}
{4}
{3}
{2}
{1}
and then I respawned.
Instantly, I aimed my bow; this time, the Melee Minion was before me. I shot it, but it didn't go anywhere near him; he didn't even have to block it as he rushed me down and killed me with the help of the Mage Minion, and the world went black.
How long was this going to last?
The match had to end soon after all. Even without us, Minions, they would end the game eventually, right? Soon, the countdown started.
{10}
{9}
{8}
{7}
{6}
{5}
{4}
{3}
{2}
{1}
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