My alarm woke me six hours later. I’d set it up to test how I’d feel after six hours of sleep and the experiment felt like a success. I was clearheaded and ready to face the day, it seemed the rumors about needing less sleep were true.

That helped a lot, If I only had to spend six of my out of game hours sleeping, I would have time to manage my exercise plans. Making that work meant getting to Darren’s gym as soon as I could.

I quickly got dressed and headed for my front door, grabbing a couple of apples on my way. Fruit was the only thing I’d splurged on getting fresh, as I knew I’d need the nutrients.

Ten minutes later, I was outside and walking towards the gym, already feeling puffed from the Sixteen flights of stairs on the way down. The elevator had been out for years and the building’s owner showed no sign of having it fixed anytime soon.

Despite being out of breath, I moved on to the gym. I didn’t have enough time to just wait around, my body could rest while I was in the game. Besides, I didn’t want to linger around here. My building wasn’t in the best part of town and the path to the gym was worse still.

I strode purposely through the narrow, rubbish-filled streets, trying to project as much confidence as I could. It wasn’t exactly an area I’d prefer to be traveling through at five-thirty in the morning, I could only hope the really nasty characters were still asleep at this hour.

Luckily, the worst I experienced was a few shady characters loitering in side alleys. While I didn’t particularly like the way they stared at me, they let me pass without issue and I soon made it to the gym.

Darren’s was in an old, rundown warehouse long since converted into a full-size gym. While it might not have the latest in fancy equipment, it had all the basics at a price half that of every other gym I’d seen.

The carpark was almost full when I arrived and people filled the inside working on their pre-work exercise routine. I guess I’m one of them now, I realized with a grin.

Sure, I might not exactly be profitable yet, but one day I was confident that I would be able to say I was a pro gamer. And part of that was making sure I got enough exercise to keep my body healthy, it was time to stop dawdling.

My swift walk over here had been enough of a warmup, so I got right into the routine I’d found online. It was a pretty basic weight set, designed to be done in half an hour. While it wouldn’t be enough to bulk me up much, it would do to keep my muscles in good shape despite not using them for most of the day.

It was hard going since I’d never really worked out before and I only got through about half of the exercises. Still, I felt good, like I’d made some progress. I was sure I’d be able to work up to the rest over the coming weeks.

Exercise, finished, I left the gym and returned home. In total, it had taken an hour and ten minutes, forty minutes of transit time, and thirty of actual exercise. Combined with the time I’d taken getting ready and the few minutes I took on returning, I’d spent a solid hour and a half by the time I forced myself back into the pod.

That’s great, I thought with a smile, I should be able to fit that into my routine every day. With a half-hour break to get some food into my body at lunch, an hour for dinner and six hours of sleep I had the schedule for my out-of-game hours set. With a sigh, I reluctantly moved over to the VR pod, it was time to get back in the game.

Shuddering at the enclosed space, I lay back in the pod and initiated a login.

----------------------------------------

I woke in a tent, relieved to find myself intact and still in the same place as I’d logged out from. Either the fire plan had worked or I’d gotten lucky enough that no Beasts had found me while this body was unconscious.

I pulled myself into a crouching position and crept over to the front of the tent, pulling the pistol from where it rested as I went. I’d learned my lesson about being careful yesterday, I wasn’t about to assume my campsite was safe just because I’d survived.

Carefully sliding the zipper of the tent down, I peeked out of the gap to survey the camp. The first thing I spotted was the remains of the fire, it had died down to smoldering embers overnight.

Beyond that, I could see the stream and the bushes on either side of it. Everything was quiet, with not even birdsong or the rustle of rodents in the undergrowth. Something felt off, it didn’t match the liveliness I’d seen yesterday at all.

I slowly pushed my head out of the tent to get a wider field of view. To the left I could see nothing, the right, however, had a glowing set of eyes in the bushes. They stared at me over the remains of the fire, watching every move I made.

Fuck, I thought, freezing in place. Whatever it was, it seemed to still be cautious of the coals and the small amount of smoke they gave off. That was the only reason I could think of that it hadn’t already charged.

I pulled up the scanner information on my watch and could barely stop myself from cursing out loud as I saw a large red dot right in the same position as the eyes. Gulping in fear, I focused on pulling up the Bestiary information for it.

Beast Report:

Great Tiger

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A large and particularly vicious Beast. It shares the form of a great cat, though with significant changes caused by its larger than normal core. They are often seen rearing up on their hind legs like a bear, allowing them considerable reach with their front claws.

While usually solitary, there are some reports that particularly powerful specimens have formed large packs numbering more than a dozen Beasts. Anyone encountering such a pack should do everything in their power to disengage and flee.

Double fuck. This did not sound like an easy Beast to fight, yet given its position, I doubted I had a choice. There was no way I’d be able to outrun it, and I didn’t have enough wood to rebuild the fire for long.

At least it didn’t look like there was one of those packs about, I could only see one set of eyes, and my scanner agreed it was the only Beast in range. Against a single enemy, I had a reasonable hope for success, particularly if it was going to keep waiting for a while.

I really don’t want to do this, I sighed, even as I unzipped the door of the tent till it was fully open. Raising my gun in a firm grip, I slowly left the tent. The eyes barely moved, still staring at me from across the clearing.

It felt like the Beast was trying to get my measure, to work me out even as I tried to outsmart it. I crept forwards with bated breath, expecting it to move at any second. A few steps later, I was at the smoldering fire, and I reached down towards it.

While most of the wood I'd put in had burned, there were several partial branches that had survived the night. Keeping my gun up in my right hand, I began sliding them back into the fire.

Soon I’d piled them on the coals and with the Beast still watching, I moved around, gathering more dried leaves. Once I’d gathered a large handful, I pushed them down into the coals between the branches.

As I’d hoped, the fire caught again, rekindling into a small blaze. It wouldn’t last long, however, it would be enough. I’d seen how the Beast’s eyes had started when the fire caught, Bradford had been right about how much they feared it.

Unfortunately, I’d gathered all the close wood last night so I wouldn’t be able to wait it out. Instead, I’d use the fire to my advantage as I started the fight. I carefully circled the fire until I was directly opposite the Beast, then lined up a shot.

I fired. The plasma shot across the clearing, striking the bushes near the Beast with a loud hiss. There was no way I was ever going to make a forty-foot shot, not with my skills, this was what I’d been planning from the start.

I’d honestly been lucky I hadn’t started a forest fire with the shots I’d missed so far. This time I was doing it deliberately. The super-heated blast incinerated the bush it hit before its heat caught the ones nearby.

Seconds later, I heard a feline shriek as a gigantic figure burst out of the burning bushes. It had to be at least eight feet long and four feet high. Then it pulled itself upright, and I found myself face to face with an eight foot tall tiger Beast.

Even from thirty feet away, it loomed over me, tall and imposing. It growled, a deep, echoing sound as it shuffled forwards. Being upright clearly slowed it considerably, I imagined it was more for intimidation than anything else. It was working, I didn't think I'd ever seen a more terrifying sight.

The tiger prowled back and forth between the two sources of flame, unwilling to move towards either, yet not frightened enough to be driven off. It was time to change that.

I lined up my pistol again, this time firing off a series of shots as quickly as I could. Thirty feet was still a tough shot, however, I was sure to hit, eventually.

The first missed, as did the second. The third just barely clipped its slide, trails of plasma igniting the edges of its fur. Then the fourth shot took it straight in the chest, exploding with a horrific, scorching sound.

The tiger shrieked, reeling in pain, and for a moment I thought I'd won. Then it fell to all fours and charged at a terrifying pace. I’d driven it far past the point of fearing my campfire, it only just gave it enough consideration to skirt past it.

That was enough to give me a chance, however, and I took a fifth shot as it came around the fire. This one flew forwards, right on target. Then, to my complete shock, it darted sideways, its figure moving like the wind.

Even at only a few feet away, it nearly dodged the entire shot in an incredible display of reaction time. Nearly wasn’t enough, however, as the plasma still exploded on the side of its face, taking its right eye out.

It shrieked even louder than when I’d hit it in the chest, dropping to roll its face through the dirt. Then it was up again a moment later, launching itself toward me.

I could barely believe how the fight was going. The Great Tiger seemed as tough as the Forest Boar, yet still faster than the Dire Ferrets. Combined, it made a terrifying foe, one that I might not be capable of defeating.

I tried to aim again, however, it seemed wise to how I was hurting now. It kept darting back and forth as it advanced the last few feet, always staying off my line of fire.

It rose to its hind legs again as it reached me, revealing the oozing scorch mark on its chest. A clawed paw swept out, striking my arm with bone-rattling force. My pistol went flying at the hit, leaving me with nothing but deep lacerations.

I screamed In agony, trying to stumble backward, to find something, anything to fight it with. It stumbled too, clearly having trouble keeping its weight up with the wound in its chest.

Yet it turned that to its advantage, falling forwards onto me, pinning me to the ground with its body weight. While this put its claws out of commission, its teeth-filled mouth was still very much an issue.

I struggled to keep its maw away, yet it was far stronger and heavier than I was. All seemed lost, then my questing hand found something, the very tip of a branch. It was one that I’d pushed into the fire before the fight.

Now blazing merrily, it would make a decent weapon against the fire-phobic Beast. I gripped the branch with everything I had even as it burnt my hand and pulled it towards me.

Just as the beast was lunging forwards, its maw gaping open, I intercepted with the branch and shoved the fire straight down its throat.

It reared backward, flailing in terror. With its weight released, I rolled out from under its body, scrambling for my gun. It was at least ten feet away, and I expected to feel claws on my back with every step.

Somehow I made it. I grabbed the pistol and spun around to see the tiger trying to extract the burning branch from its mouth. Its paws didn't seem suited for the task, its awkwardness had given me the time I’d needed.

Raising the gun despite the pain in my hand, I aimed as best as I could and emptied shot after shot into the beast. I only stopped, panting in exhaustion, after my ammo pack was empty.

A moment later, a pair of System messages confirmed my victory.

Combat Report

Outcome

You killed 1 x Great Tiger Level 2

You have been moderately injured

Rewards:

You gain 40 XP

Level Up Achieved

Congratulations, you have reached level 2.

You gain:

1 point in Toughness

1 point in Mind

2 points in Will

2 free stat points

1 universal skill