We soon reach a wide open area of tall greenish yellow grass, reaching above my head, a light breeze shaking the foliage.
“Okay, this place shouldn’t have many people around.” Chirps Lewis.
Various cries of monsters, take everyone’s attention. We aren’t alone.
Leaf covers his mouth with his hand, signalling everyone to be quiet. Everyone nods.
Excitement is in the air as the group scans around the tall grass for monsters to fight, keeping our footsteps as quiet as we can. A stench soon hits my nostril.
What the hell? They even added shit in this game?
I cover my nostrils from the sour smell. Ready to continue on I look around. The others no longer in sight. Panicking I shuffle my feet faster, pushing foliage out of the way with my sword. My knees knock into something furry.
What…
Before I react, the creature squeals and charges ramming itself into my stomach.
“Ahh! Holy shit! That hurts!” I cry out in pain as I fall backwards.
My health bar chunked a whole half of my health.
You are now tagged in combat against a
I grab onto the stems of grass and scramble to my feet, coughing and winded from the impact.
Lewis didn’t tell me that this game would hurt!
My finger fumble at the hilt of my sword, trying to pull it out.
The boar attacks once more, biting my ankle. I yelp in pain again, unimaginable pain shooting through my leg from the bite.
My health bar trickles further down as the boar clenches its jaw harder.
Using both my hands, I swing my sword out from the sheath, popping a button from the leather sheath in the process. The iron edge slashes across the boar’s face in a crescent. Its health bar losing about an eighth of its total health.
"What the hell! This is not fair!" I exclaim in anger and frustration.
The boar makes painful squealing sounds, swinging its head around in the air.
I guess I have no choice.
I widen my legs a little and grip my sword a little tighter, the tip of the sword aimed at the boar.
“Come at me!” I taunt.
The boar charges again. This time I am ready. I thrust my sword forward, plunging it into the boar. The momentum still pushing me onto my back. My fingers slip on the sword handle, I am defenceless. The boar climbs atop me, the sword still stuck in its back.
This is going to hurt.
“Ah! Someone!” I plea as I am mauled by the boar. My body freezes from the excruciating pain. “Please!”
I watch my health bar rapidly depleting.
Suddenly a lightning bolt knocks the boar off my chest. I sigh in relief, pixelated red marks my chest still stinging in the cool air.
I hear Lewis shout out a battle cry, swiftly followed by a squeal from the boar.
You have defeated a
Level up!
Level up!
New skill learnt! Sword fighting.
You have earned +5 defence from your actions.
“You alright?” Leaf asks, handing me a flask with red liquid inside.
I drink the red fluid as fast as I can. The pixelated wounds slowly disappearing. My health now about two thirds full.
“I fine, thanks.”
I return the flask to Leaf before standing myself up.
“Whew, that was a close call.” Lewis chuckles.
“You didn’t tell me that this game actually hurts people!” I snap at Lewis.
“Well. Yeah. It is to make the game more authentic and gives players a reason to avoid taking damage. And besides, at least you are alive. If you die in this game you lose everything, all your levels, stats and your items. So you would be pretty much starting again.”
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
I grumble to myself, cursing him.
*
For the next few nights we farmed monsters as a party, occasionally completing quests. Everyone already deciding upon a class, everyone besides me. Due to my stats and my skills, I spent most of my time cooking and repairing equipment for the others.
SkillsCrafting25Cooking22Sword Fighting2
This is so dumb.
To: TeekoI think I am getting bored of this game.
From: TeekoWhat? Why? We haven’t even left the first island yet.
To: TeekoI am barely fighting anything, I am doing is cooking and repairing and I don’t even have a class yet because all my stats don’t fit into any of the classes.
From: TeekoDon’t worry man. Things will slowly pick up, especially once we get our hands on a ship and about your class, how about we try find one that fits you?
To: TeekoThis is not just some bullshit trick right? Like when you didn’t tell me that this game really hurts?
From: TeekoNoooooo, I am super serious.
“Hey are you guys alright without Zepher and I?” Lewis asks the rest of the group
Corvus gives his trademark nod.
“Buuut I want to eat his food!” Beatrice protests.
We all ignore her.
“We’ll be fine without you two, let’s go.” Leaf answers with a smile.
They leave us behind at the gate.
“Any idea what class you want?” Queries Lewis, his arm nudging me as we walk back into Lorburn.
“Not really. I don’t think I want to be a mage but then again I don’t really want to become a swordsman or a marksman either.”
“Well you gotta go through the beginning classes to get to the special classes.”
“Special classes?”
“You didn’t read the beginner’s manual did you? All of the classes branch off into different classes, these classes are level two classes, stronger and more variety. Then those branch off into even more classes. Level three classes.”
“So I have to become one of those three classes?”
Lewis rests the back of his head on his hands as they walk.
“Well.” Lewis sighs. “No, there are other classes. Just, not as good.”
“Like what?”
He clears his throat before beginning. “There is the cleric class, um, scout and beast tamer. There are probably more they aren’t worth your time.”
“What? They sound like alright classes.”
“As a cleric all you do is spam your heal and buffs, as a scout all you do is sneak around and report back what you find to your party and all the beast tamer does is sit around and watch his monsters fight. Pffft boring.”
“Can’t be that bad.”
“It is that bad.” Lewis interjects
“Screw it, I’ll see if I like them anyway.”
Lewis’ tone changes as if something had snapped inside of him.
“Well, I don’t think you have the mana for the cleric class. So that leaves you with beast tamer and scout. Your choice.”
The idea of scout seems kind of cool, but at least I can kill stuff as a beast tamer.
“Let’s try beast tamer.”