Ergarth noted that the tutorial had taken him 23 minutes, which meant he had three and a half hours before he would be forcefully ejected from the game.
His thoughts were interrupted by the system.
[System: Your statistics have been calibrated. You now have access to your status page.]
Ergarth refrained from scratching his head in confusion, then realised that he had underestimated virtual reality. Of course he couldn't just assign the starting stat points himself. That would be ridiculous. The body he had now was him, and how would it feel like if he suddenly became twice as strong or twice as fast in real life?
He wouldn't be able to control his body. Now he also understood the reason behind the slightly weird tutorial. It was there to discern his physique and to assign numerical values to it.
He wasn’t able to hold his curiosity in check and so he called up the status window.
Name: (Insert Name)
Level: 0
Title: None
HP: 70/70
Strength: 6
Constitution: 7
Agility: 6
Intelligence: 5
Wisdom: 5
Stat Points To Assign: 2
He furrowed his brows. Apparently, one was still the measurement for a stat point, and if you took 10 to be the maximum a human could reach in the evaluation, raising a strength stat of 6 to an 8 would mean that you would suddenly become 1.33 times stronger than you were before.
Unless, he guessed, after the first stat assignment, they became worth much less. It didn't really matter. This wasn't really an issue he would have to deal with. If there was a problem he trusted Ori to have it repaired immediately. Games that didn’t do so didn’t survive.
He set his name to “Tranquil,” like in every other game, and started reading through the description of each stat. It was all fairly self explanatory, nothing surprising. Intelligence would probably be the stat he would upgrade the least.
Ergarth halted at Wisdom though
It came last and had a... confusing description to say the least. Wisdom raises the likeliness to resist mental crowd control effects and under the correct circumstances can affect interactions with unknown objects and people.
It didn't really matter that much. Ergarth had a plan and it was a plan that required him to be fast. He would waste his time trying to understand the game mechanics later, when the chance for him to gain achievements from being the first to do something was gone.
Glancing at the cold resistance among his skills, he nodded, as reassurance to himself mostly. After all, there was already proof that being the first was rewarded handsomely.
He looked down at the ground from his position high on the wall. Everything below him looked unbelievably tiny. Now the first question was, how did he get down from here?
There weren't any hidden passages in the cave he'd gone through, so there was only one possibility left. Ergarth hesitated for a second, the downwards view making him dizzy, and then jumped.
...Only to sprawl to the ground a second later, not even getting the chance to start screaming.
He got his shit together, sprung to his feet, and looked around, dagger at the ready. After seeing the same scene of about a dozen other people sprawl to the ground in what appeared to be the middle of some village, he calmed down, put the dagger away, and truly took in his surroundings.
Judging by the fact that by turning in four directions he could see the entire wooden fence surrounding the place, it was indeed something that could be referred to as a village. He could faintly hear the sound of a river in the background, and the way the houses were built, second floors bigger than the first ones, meant that the game company had also tried to go for historical accuracy.
He just thanked the gods they didn't add too much realism. He was all for history, but if that meant his nose would be permanently harassed by the way the medieval times stank… Let’s just say he would rather not.
The players around him were dispersing slowly. Which didn't actually reduce the amount of them by much, since ones were arriving constantly. He would have to be careful to not be left behind by his peers, the ones who had completed the tutorial fairly quickly and were brave, or smart enough, to jump of the cliff immediately.
“Never thought I'd describe jumping of a cliff as smart and brave,” Tranquil muttered at himself as he walked towards one of the two exits in the wooden fence around the village. He noted that the only thing he could actually see of the other players was their name (a particular 'Newbstamperxd' came to mind), their HP bar, and level. The last of which was 0 for everyone.
The classes were easy enough to deduce. Everyone had gotten class-specific clothing after all. He wondered if later on in the game he could dress as a priest to sneak up on people better. But that might mean he would miss the attribute-specific effects that equipment of his class would likely provide.
Could be worth a try though.
He arrived at the entrance of the village, which he still didn't know the name of, and saw exactly what he wanted to see.
Two guards just standing there. Very easily discernible as NPCs mostly due to the fact that they possessed a normal hair colour, unlike the players, most of whom he'd seen sporting a mane of white, red, or bright green.
And also because one was Level 34 and the other a whopping 49, which was a lot. They were facing out of the village, so he walked out of it between them and then turned to speak with them. Didn't want to spook them after all.
He turned to Roegen, who was older, if the beard and streaks of grey in his hair were any indication. He was also the higher-levelled one. “Good day to you, honoured guard.” He then performed a slight bow from the waist.
The guard blinked at him. It made Ergath wonder… Had Ori failed to flesh out their NPCs? Ergarth had assumed that a “realistic world” also meant the people in it. After all, the unimportant NPCs like guards didn't really need to be entirely fleshed out; what was important was the gameplay.
Then the guard replied, relieving him of his worries about the game’s quality. “None of that fancy shite lad. Just shake hands like real man, no bowing like those noble fops.” Roegen held out a hand that Ergarth grasped and shook, slightly afraid the man would break it with his strength. He needn't have worried. It was a normal handshake, strong and firm. He also felt the textures of the guards hand. He almost shook his head... Way too realistic, actually.
“So what can I do fer ya boy.” He glanced him up and down. “I wouldn't recommend leaving the safety of the village the way you are now. Why don't ye skedaddle to the village elder to get some gathering quests so you can afford better equipment.”
The guard seemed to have a staggering amount of self awareness. Ergarth just hoped he would let him leave if he insisted. “I just want to know where the dangerous beasties in the area are so I can avoid them. Feel free to point me to the weakest ones as well.” Ergarth shook his head. “Gathering quests don't make a warrior.”
By the way Roegen laughed out loud, he seemed to like his answer. The other guard chuckled a bit as well. Roegen pointed behind the Rogue, causing him to turn around to see a river with a healthy amount of stony beach.
“There you find crabs. Easy creatures, taste pretty good,” The man pointed in the other direction, the forest. “There I would not recommend. Bears, wolves, moose, and the occasional goblin, which yer gun find if you follow the road to try and reach the neighbouring village.” Roegen grimaced. “Annoying little green shites, have been stifling trade for a few months now. Those skeletons appearing ain't helping either.”
The man then shrugged. “Not much else I can say.” Ergarth thanked him and turned to walk towards the river before hearing the man exclaim one last thing. “Oh, and if you see little purple flowers with a red stem, just pick them up. Our healer is needing them.”
“Thanks.” Ergarth waved at the guard as he made his way across a small stretch of flatland to reach the river. He picked up one of the aforementioned flowers along the way. The Red Stem Flower, it was named. How original. He wondered if by picking these things up he was participating in some kind of quest. And also, if he'd continued the conversation with Roegen, and enquired about the goblins, would he have gotten a quest pertinent to them?
Hell did quests even exist? He had been informed of the need for Red Stem Flowers, but there was no system message that would indicate it being a quest.
He walked on with similar thoughts, worrying ones mostly. He was slightly on edge.
Upon reaching the river he looked around and found no other players in sight. He started looking for crabs. There was a reason he went for the crabs, even if he had to ask himself why they were present at a sweet-water spot like a river.
It was because it was far likelier to get a first kill on a creature such as a crab. He couldn't imagine that all the players in the game would be brought into this particular village, nor did he think that all other villages had a river beside them that actually contained crabs. Also, he was less likely to die against a crab than the wolves and bears in the forest.
That was his thought process, until he actually saw a crab. His face paled; the thing was huge. It reached up to his knees, was as wide as his torso. The name “Monster Crab” hovered above its head in yellow, which by traditional gaming conventions meant it was higher leveled than he was. The carapace would be a problem as well. He hid behind a boulder and quickly decided on a plan. He didn't have to fight it head-on.
Hell, he was leaning on a part of his strategy. He searched the ground and lifted a few heavy stones onto the semi-flat boulder he had just hid behind and then hopped onto it. He tossed a smaller stone up and down as he took aim, and threw...
He missed the crab completely.
That was fine. He had time. After two more tries he actually hit the Monster Crab. The stone pinged off its bright red carapace, and a health bar appeared over its head. Seemingly angry, the thing ran towards him, clicking its pincers. When it reached the boulder, it turned to look up at him. That was the point it got its first really heavy stone dropped on it.
One fourth of its life bar disappeared as the crack of the stone colliding with its carapace resounded through the riverside. Its body was smashed to the ground, its legs unable to support the weight.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
Not to be deterred, the crab got up again, and while Ergarth was hefting another stone up, it attempted to climb up the boulder. Unsuccessfully, of course. He had picked this boulder perfectly knowing that there were no handhol- err, crabholds? No. No holes. No holes in the boulder for the crab to climb up and have a go at him. Seemingly also noticing this simple fact, the crab started laboriously scuttling away. Its intent was clear.
Before it could start running, though, Ergarth dropped another stone on it, crushing it to the ground once again. The stone took away more of its life, and a limb possibly, if the crunch he heard was anything to go by. The crab, however, was not to be stopped. It got up, set its remaining legs, and got pushed into the ground once again as a heavy human landed on its back, stabbing it, dealing minimum damage.
Ergarth rejoiced as he discovered the new mechanic. So, the damage system wasn't so straightforward. Attacking the carapace directly with a stabbing weapon, instead of a blunt weapon, did indeed deal less damage. He pricked the crab in one of the spaces between carapace plates, dealing more damage than he had with his backstab skill. To further prove his understanding, Ergarth stood up and stamped harshly on the crab’s exposed head, depleting the rest of its life.
This was troublesome. The difference of blunt, stabbing, and probably slashing damage added another level of complexity to the game. He'd also just proven his theory that there was no invisible defence stat. You carried armour to protect that specific part of your body.
Another worrying thing: He hadn't gained an achievement for the kill. Which either meant that there was none available, or that there was a different one. Maybe for the boss of the species, if such a thing existed. God damn this game and its sparse information.
Well, it was too late to start doing anything else anyway. He got back onto his boulder, this time remembering to pack the heavy stones into his inventory instead of carrying them. He took aim and nailed another crab, a bit further away, right between its beady eyes.
-/-
[System: Congratulations! You are the first user to kill ten crabs, showing that you are the one and only Crab Hater. Along with this title you also gain a special item!]
Ergarth sat down, laying on his back and staring at the unbelievably blue sky. He looked at his game time. One and a half hours left.
Should he continue playing despite his exhaustion to chase the other firsts? He scouted the area around him and duly noted that the time he'd taken to kill ten crabs had been enough for almost every other player to leave the village and start traipsing around.
They were picking up flowers, cutting wood, and occasionally trying to kill a crab… which usually didn't work out that well. The aggressors ran away screaming, or simply died. None of them seemed to get the idea of dropping boulders on the crabs.
Weird, he remembered gamers to be more innovative. But maybe they just hadn't come to term with the fact that this was real. This wasn't one of the old games, where you were unable to interact with the terrain. Here you could throw stones. Break off branches and cut them into spikes. Dig holes in the ground. Do almost anything really.
Ergarth logged off.
After the jarring feeling of once again inhabiting his real body, he exited the immersion chamber, dressed in some simple clothes, and took a small walk from his 'gaming room' to the kitchen. He opened up cupboards, raided the fridge, and abused the spices to create what one could loosely call a fruit salad.
Though the dish was created quite badly the breakfast remained edible and even tasted good because of the sheer quality of the fruit.
Ergarth leaned back on one of the hammocks in the living room/kitchen and turned on the television disguised as a wall. The only way for him to eat thoroughly and slowly was if he was distracted while eating. And this was becoming more important due to the game he was playing right now. An immersion chamber stressed the body much more than any other media, to the point where a young adult like him had a limited use time of six hours, shortened to four hours by Ori if you were playing their game.
After all, slaying monsters and raiding dungeons was a bit more exciting than watching some full immersion movies.
The channels that were recommended to him were still of the last game he played. He had studied it in many different ways after all. He would have to look for Pangaea footage manually.
“Search Pangaea.” Nothing terribly interesting came up. The few trailers from the company behind the game that he had already analyzed. A video titled, “Amazing, easy way to slay crabs.”
He simply looked into it to confirm that yes, it was a video about smashing crabs with stones whilst staying out of their reach. He scratched his chin in thought. He had considered making a guide on the art of crabslaying himself, and selling for a penny per view.
Chump change, but a start. At least starting up a reputation as a guy who knew how to offer tips in virtual reality. He'd decided it wasn't worth after short consideration. It was more useful to debut with more startling information.
Well that's what Arthur had told him. And he trusted the man to have his best interests at heart. Maybe a video about slaying a boss, or doing a dungeon.
Putting aside his thoughts, he continued to watch the most interesting videos, which were all of bad quality. The fact that the player base existed for (he looked at his watch) about three hours now probably had something to do with that.
A faint sound of a door shutting and creaking wheels tipped him off to the fact that his brother had woken up.
Ergarth turned off the television. He was done eating anyway. He put the bowl in the dishwasher and starting making some tea in the kitchen. It wasn't long until he heard the usual complaint. “You know, if you would just wait for me to wake up, I could make better breakfast for both of us than whatever monstrosity you manage to create each morning,” Victor said as he rolled into the kitchen, deftly avoiding all the items strewn on the ground.
Ergarth shook his head as always. “You know I can't sleep for that long, and I don't want to wake you up.” He pressed a mug of tea into his brother’s hand, who accepted it gladly.
Victor took a sip and sighed in delight. “Its weird how good you are at making beverages and how bad you are at actual cooking,” Victor mused.
Ergarth messed up the younger boy’s hair. “That’s what I have you for,” he said as he walked past his brother, towards his room to continue his research in the game’s forums.
“When will you let me play that new game with you?” Victor suddenly asked, almost pleadingly from behind him.
Ergarth was glad that he finally had a definite answer. He bent down, looked Victor right into his brown eyes, and poked him in the head. “Don't worry about it little brother, two days, then you can join me.”
The words seemed to make Victor’s eyes light up in happiness. His younger brother gave him a thumbs up and rolled himself into the kitchen, where he started preparing his own breakfast.
His gaze darkened. Ori had made many a promise. Being in a virtual reality game allowed the use of a perfectly healthy human body, even if it wasn't so in reality.
He had tried to keep the information away from Victor. It wouldn't do for him to be disappointed by false promises once again. But his brother had found out anyway.
They better deliver.
-/-
Ergarth put down the pen he'd been using to make notes about the beginner village, the people within, and the possible quests. He had searched the forums for answers, and the forums provided. He made sure to only write down the most generic of information, not willing to waste his time chasing rumours. He wondered if there was an achievement for being the first to do all available quests.
Probably.
Was it feasible? No.
It was still better to go places where others didn't dare tread.
That's why he sighed. It was probably time to log in again.
-/-
Crab hater: (Crabs are more likely to attack you. Gain buff [Strong Man] when fighting against crabs. [Strong Man]: 5% to Strength)
An interesting title, Ergarth mused. It had a positive and a negative aspect. Another point in favour of the game. Not many bothered to actually go into any kind of pro/con situations, ones where you didn't only decide which buffs you received, but also which debuffs.
He leaned on the counter of the villages pharmacist as he watched the pretty redhead weigh the red stem flowers he'd brought her. “This seems enough to give you a few coppers,” she said, smiling at him.
Creepy.
Honestly, the NPCs were much too lifelike. More lifelike than some people he'd met in real life. He was here for a reason though. While others in the village were running around like headless chickens, accepting quests from everybody and anybody, he would rather focus on one NPC. After all, a reputation system existed.
Therefore, there was probably a reward for someone who maxed it out with a specific person first. And the person he'd chosen was Mary. The village’s Pharmacist/Alchemist.
He smiled back at her, lightly closed the offering hand containing four coppers and gently pushed it back to her. “No need.” He shook his head. “In a small community such as this, everybody needs to do his part to help, and if that’s plucking a few flowers from the ground, then so be it.” Ergarth watched the NPC’s facial expression carefully.
It changed from happy to... happier? Well, it seemed she liked his behaviour.
There sadly wasn’t an actual meter with which you could measure relationships. Calling it a relationship system was a bit of a stretch anyway. The NPC’s were so humanlike that it made perfect sense to be able to befriend them like other normal people.
Mary clapped her hands together. “That's the correct attitude to have! Humans only survive in this world by holding together!” She pumped her fist enthusiastically. “The power of Friendship!”
He had picked Mary for a reason. In the forums of the village of Fern, the place he was in at the moment, she was the least sought-after NPC, but also one of the friendliest.
As he watched her jump around, talking about the virtues of community, friendship, and holding together, Ergarth couldn't help but feel he should have picked someone else.