The sound of an oar rowing through waters can be heard within the pitch black darkness.
"Well, well, well. What do we have here?", a raspy voice said. Shortly after, an astral blue orb lights up at the middle of the room, illuminating a robed figure who red eyes flaring from underneath. The light reflected off of a curved scythe's blade.
"Such an unyielding soul. Even in death, you fight to exist. You would be so delicious..."
"...but today is not your time."
"Rise."
The blue flame flickers and glows as if it was talking to the hooded figure.
"You have died, but you may be resurrected... for a price. You may sacrifice your body, your memory, or your peace of mind."
Silence ensued as the soul was deciding its price... until it flickered twice.
"I see.", the robed figure said, before reaching forward and grasping the blue flame with its skeletal hand. He then tugged onto the blue flame, pulling what looked like white, transparent strings from it before he opens his palms upward and condenses the string into a short, rectangular screen.
Inside the screen, a young boy can be seen in a workshop, tinkering with a motorcycle with his father. The boy then rides onto the motorcycle, and once they finally get it started and running, the boy and his father looked at each other with delight before laughing and sharing a happy moment together. The scene loops again, before a skeletal head opens its mouth and consumes it.
"That was delicious... but try not to die again, will you?", the robed figure said before he begins to row away with his boat. Shortly after, the blue flame begins to expand, lighting up the whole room until...
...
I opened my eyes before I sat upward, gasping for air as I clutched my stomach. My wounds! They're... not here? I looked down to see my abs, but there were no scars either. Same with my wrist. It's as if nothing happened at all... was it all just a dream? I'm in the same tent...
...Yet I feel a tear flow down my cheek. Somehow, I can't stop thinking about my father... but why? I'm sure he's okay, but why do I feel... incomplete? I feel my heart sink... but why? Why!? I just lost something important, I know it!
...I'm ashamed to admit, but I spent a few minutes sobbing in the tent. I really miss my father. I want to go back home... why the hell am I even here? I just wanted to have fun! I don't want to die! What did I do to deserve this? I'm... I'm...
"...pathetic.", I whisper to myself before wiping away my tears. I know I shouldn't be a victim here. I'm done moping around... I... I have to think. I should focus on hitting level 80 first, maybe then, I'll be able to go back...
I clear my thoughts by taking a deep breath before recalling what I can remember. Am I in a time loop again? Will the day start the same way as last time? There was the player tied to a pole, then there was the scout, and there was the farm where I got killed by the bandits. What could I have done better? How could I have avoided my death?
Maybe if I didn't go for wrist control, I would have avoided that wrist stab, but the bandit can switch grips so seamlessly that he'll just stab me in other places of my body. If only I had protection... wait- that's right, why didn't I try to wear armor?
I then exit the tent, expecting a commotion... but no? Everyone was already back to their businesses, and there were three wooden poles burnt on the side. A haunting reminder of my actions... but I shake my head and shrug it off. I jogged down the road and into the previous crossroads, where I talked with the scout peering through his spyglass.
It was the same dialogue with the scout, with him introducing which areas need help and giving me a map and a compass. So... does that mean that events with NPCs repeat while events with players cannot repeat? What if they had the same fate as me, suddenly sucked in a video game and cannot get out... and I killed them? Let's... not think about that right now.
I march towards the bridge and lean onto the railing as I collect my thoughts. How will I get armor? Last I remember, gear can drop from monster kills, quest rewards, shops, and crafting. Let's see if I have some in my inventory...
I must have looked like a madman to the people passing through. I was testing all sorts of keywords and such, and I did manage to open some menus from the original game. It was inventory, hero status, character build, training, and crafting. Everything was mostly the same... except that I don't have bags to increase my inventory slots, and that character build and training is locked. I should level up further.
Looking back now, fighting monsters isn't the only source of experience in this game. Maybe I don't have to rely on violence all the time. Ain't it funny? A brawler avoiding fights for survival?
I then slap my face with both hands to focus up. I don't give a shit. I will get stronger, no matter how long it takes. That old farm isn't going anywhere... and I will take no more half-measures. I will play to win.
I returned back to the ruins of Graywatch where everyone was focused on rebuilding. I should help out too. I looked around for someone barking orders, and it was an older man with a white bandana, chestnut beard with a gruff expression and a cast on his arm... isn't he the same person from last time?
"Excuse me, are you the foreman?", I asked.
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The foreman looked at me from head to toe, his gaze lingering on my eyes.
"Hero of Graywatch. What the hell do you want?", he asks with a snarl. That mug pissed me off, but I ain't here for that.
"I'm no hero. I'd rather you call me Marcus instead.", I replied to which he simply nods.
The two of us then got into talking. Looks like most of the houses were either burnt or destroyed from the aftermath of the invasion. The fields in the outskirts were trampled too. I offered to help as a worker, and he seemed to pause for a few seconds before smirking.
"Well get to fuckin' work, kid!"
The rest of my day went by like a breeze. It was full of hard labor. I was like a fuckin' super mule, carrying planks of wood, sacks of cement, and buckets of water across the settlement. I also helped in demolishing walls with a sledgehammer, and re-tilling the soil with a hoe. By the end of the day, my body had aches everywhere, and my hands were splintered and blistered... but at least I got paid three silver coins for a day.
I followed the rest of the laborers to a run-down inn where we bought chicken stew and bread for 50 copper coins. It tasted like a normal chicken stew... but there's something else. Like... umami? While no one was looking, I checked my status as I ate the stew, and I was right. The food gave me a small buff to "vitality" and "stamina regeneration". If I wanted to maximize my chances of survival, I should get into cooking too. somewhere down the road. After a few rounds of drinks with the rest of my co-workers, I rented myself a small room for 50 copper coins and rested.
As the next few days passed, I found myself having a routine. During early mornings, I would jog laps around Greywatch with shadowboxing rounds in-between. After I get myself some breakfast, I spent my morning 'til afternoon doing hard labor with construction, paving roads, and rebuilding fields. I even picked up a few carpentry lessons and farming lessons from there. At night, I practiced Boxing and Muay Thai combinations and drills by myself through a makeshift punching bag I tied up to a nearby tree. I wish I had somebody train grappling with, though.
"You sure you aren't tired, kid? You've been runnin' 'round a lot and helpin' lots. Take a damn break, will you?", the foreman said as I hoist another set of planks on my shoulder.
"Nah. This is easy work, old man.", I said confidently, before hauling building materials again.
After my first week of working, conversing, and training, I've found a few things I can use to my leverage. While all of this field and construction work does not increase my experience bar, I've found that they instead increase my attributes instead. My Strength and Endurance has increased a bit, and I can really feel the difference in the little things I do. I can hit harder, carry heavier stuff, and can do them for longer.
I also discovered that just like in real life, our diet is very important. From what I've heard, food is filled with "magic" here, which explains the "umami" taste I've been having, and how I can quickly recover from training and working just by eating right regardless of sleep. I've found that protein sources like meat give me health related bonuses while carbohydrate sources like potatoes give me stamina related bonuses... but I have yet to find out what fats, vegetables, and lipids offer me since they are so damn expensive here.
Unfortunately, this routine couldn't hold on for long. One early morning, us laborers were rounded up by the foreman.
"We're runnin' low on materials, and the "Knights of the Six" aren't sendin' any our way. I say we get our own shit! We'll show 'em that people of Graywatch don't need help!", the foreman announced, followed by the cheers of the laborers. He then elaborated on a plan to enter a nearby forest to chop wood, mine ore and stone deposits, and gather herbs and plants along the way. Sounds simple on paper, but these forests were teaming with slime, wolf, and other monsters... have I prepared enough to face them myself? With the money I earned, I should have enough for a full set of armor, so I headed to the local general goods store.
"Welcome to the Graywatch General Goods store, my friend!", the merchant greeted. He seemed to wear a blue tunic trimmed with gold with the pants and brown boots to match. He's awfully lucky for this shop to survive. I walked up to the display, staring at each piece of armor for a bit as I inspect them. As a player, I seem to have an innate "appraisal" skill, where I can check the equipments' stats and quality.
As expected, everything here is a piece of shit common tier gear, and barely a rare tier gear in here... but one fact caught my eye. Why can I equip them all? Usually warriors can only wear plated armor and not mage robes nor leather armor. Is it because I'm a "Brawler"?
I took my time to carry the common tier set of full plate armor to his desk. My appraisal skill tells me that the value of this set is around 8 silver coins, so I should have some left overs.
"I see that you have a good eye for equipment! These came from the capital city itself! That would be... 45 silver coins.", the merchant said with a grin.
"...The fuck?", I blurted out of shock, to which the merchant raised a brow at.
"Is there a problem, my good sir? I assure you, this set of plate armor is the finest we have in our shop, and that it will protect you against the Dragon Lich himself!", the merchant said. This motherfucker is ripping me off!
I then reach past the counter and grip his collar with both of my hands, pulling the most intimidating face I could make.
"Why the fuck are you ripping me off?", I asked with a snarl.
"G-get your hands off of me, you savage! I give you a fair price, and this is what I get!? What, the Hero of Graywatch thing was a lie all along!?", the merchant said in a panicked tone. I can see a drop of sweat fall from his forehead... yet he refuses to drop the price. Is he that desperate? To be fair, the whole city was just destroyed... but fuck this guy.
I reluctantly release his collar from my grip.
"What can I get with 10 silver coins, then?", I asked with a glare. The merchant adjusts his shirt before he paces around as he returns everything that I grabbed and came back with another set of piss poor gear. A pair of metal gauntlets, metal shin plated boots, and a set of fur armor was all he could offer.
"There, and I am even generous enough to give you this at a discounted rate, after what you have done!"
I used my appraisal skill, and deduced that this gear amounts to 4 silver coins of value. The system seems to give a much, much lower price than retail. Seems like bartering is a skill I need to learn too, if I want a fair price.
With a sigh of disappointment, I take the gear for 10 silver coins. A week's worth of wages... but this is better than being defenseless. I put the gear on and move around before I exit. These gauntlets and greaves were indeed heavy, but I can manage with all the hard labor I've been doing. Just as I left the shop, I can hear the merchant shout "Next time, you don't like how I price 'em, go make 'em yourself, you punk!"
...Yeah, sure. Just you fuckin' wait, I'll make better gear myself when I come back from this gathering trip. I made a quick stop to the local inn to buy chicken soup and bread to get myself stamina and health buffs before I regrouped with the people at the city center.
Us laborers were equipped with a set of gathering tools, which were an axe, a pickaxe, a sickle, and a hammer while there are hunters escorting us. A few oxen mounts were brought along too to carry our gathered goods. Once everything was ready, the foreman gave his signal and soon, our gathering crew begins its march towards the forest.