Everything here feels realistic, from the soft breeze to the grass I’m laying on, and even the chirps of free birds gliding in the sky. Everything feels so real it is beyond me. But...
“But this is real now; this is my new reality. And for the first time, I get to beat the shit out of something with little to no consequences. Hell, you get fucking rewarded for it.” I say aloud to no one in particular. Being an outcast such as myself one learns to fill the void with chatter.
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“Before I get ahead of myself I should probably find...something,” The words seem to fall from my mouth as the vastness of the world I was in hit me. Great foreboding structures rose from the horizon line tempting me to find what lay farther out. Everything seems very...mystical, no, fantastical would be the better word.
‘Menu’
A column of options appeared in front of me and I quickly tapped on the map tab. Laying out here clothed in only the starter drab did not seem to be the best recipe for success. A darkened map flashed into existence and it was disappointing to see the distinct lack of anything. I pinch the UI to zoom out and was disappointed to find no starter place at all. It seems I’ll have to find it all by myself.
“Good, I’ve never been a hand-holder anyway.” Looking over the cliff I felt the urge to just jump, not because I’m suicidal, but because...I don’t know why. However, I abate the urge and turn around and start walking through the vast plains of wherever the fuck this is.
After about ten minutes the roughness of my clothes already chafed into my pits and creeks. The breeze felt cool before but now it feels like a meager light wind. And after about ten more minutes I questioned whether or not I’ve always been this out of shape.
‘Menu’
I breezed by all the other options straight to my stats tab clicking on it without hesitation.
Player: Tom Strength: 10 Endurance: 10 Dexterity: 10 Constitution: 10 Agility: 10 Vitality: 10
Every stat seems to automatically be set to ten. I wonder if I’m weaker because of that or this world’s physics is different. Maybe there is more gravity? I close out of the tab and scroll down to another one I was interested in. My finger swiftly taps it almost reluctantly, I’ve never been on to hang around other people very often.
Multiplayer has been delayed about One Month
You can’t mean to tell me that the biggest corporation in the universe wasn’t able to properly create a multiplayer system. There’s probably some other reason that they have not openly disclosed. Those types of corporations seem to revel in doing stuff like that. With a soft sigh, I close out of the tab and in a flash, I continue on my way.
The tall grass brush through my fingers as I walk for what seems like hours. Traveling aimlessly was oddly lethargic and now that I got myself sorted out the stress that was building up melted away.
“Now if only I could find the fucking starter village!” My voice meets nothing in particular and that too is relaxing. No one and no thing to worry about just as I’ve always wanted. The world is finally right-
“Ah fuck.” I start hopping in pain as my toe burns from whatever I just slammed it into. The pain soon abates but I find myself facing bigger trouble. A health bar appeared and it’s floating above whatever I just kicked. There does not appear to be an indicator of level or whatever it is, and the tall grass is doing little to quell my intrigue.
“Grawh!” A screech rung my ears, instinctually I retract myself into an athletic position crouched low to the ground and ready to fight. After one painstaking minute, a silhouette flung out of the grass and before I could respond it slammed into my chest. The tall grass cushioned my fall but the attacks from the beast are relentless. For long spindly legs held me in place as the things long neck darted towards me every which way.
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Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“You fucking long legged turtle!” I try to force my arms out of its grip but it seems I really am weaker. My body is practically hole-y right now and by the second more rips in my skin are forming. My own health bar has appeared in the corner in the top left corner of my vision and it’s at yellow level borderline orange.
“Dying here would be such a,” Instead of trying to escape this time I use the lengthy turtle’s legs against himself and desperately roll onto my side. “Disappointment!” Its claws retract to escape being crushed under my body. My hand jettisons out in a crazed fashion grabbing the knee of the turtle. It towers over me but it is not nearly as threatening now.
[https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/badtQvsglGlvj9m3JW-rCyVycC_v6i0rew-cAMGabbU1JfkSCcotBa2p4aMvTrUb5yvr8qN4sS2zajWE6BYaIwWONsm-TJZV238ZuBNRXDv6fyrdygpzzhQuSO42FWO2kUxfjlrU]
Unfortunately for me, the bottom of each leg seems to have little spikes to dig into the ground, and the leg I’ve grabbed is not moving any time soon. A leg slammed into my side almost forcing from my grip but I held on. Grunting in pain I latched onto the other leg that was striking me. The leg not being grounded was much easier to yank toward my body.
With one great heave, the beast fell over dragging me along with it.
“Agh!” A yelp escapes me in reaction to one fo the legs puncturing my right shoulder. My teeth grind and I can hear my blood pumping in my ears but this time I manage to pin the beast on its back. Now on its back it flails its legs around however they are too long to hit me, and I already have control of two of them. Straddling the base of the monsters shell I secure each leg in between my armpits.
Fortunately for me, it couldn’t bend it’s neck upwards to bite my face off. I lean forward on base of it keeping it steady with all my might. Inch by inch my arms crawl to the beast’s neck. My legs groan in pain as it takes my all to keep the thing just from moving. The leathery skin is tough in my skin however there is little muscle underneath its neck flaps.
“Scree Scree!”
“Shut it!” My grip tightens around the top of its neck right beneath where its skull meets the spinal cord. Coughs and wheezes escape it as I choke it. After ten seconds of furiously holding onto a spasming beast, my legs finally give and it flips around in a flash. Somehow I manage to keep my grip on its neck.
“Just fucking die!” My body is reeling in pain but I manage to hold on. Now upright with me dangling off its neck one of its legs tabs into my side. Quickly my health reaches red and it does not seem to be slowing down. Acting fast my other hand shoots up towards the head and grabs just underneath its jaw.
Stabilizing the head with my choking hand I use my other hand to start twisting its jaw.
“Screee” The screech resonates in my eardrum painfully yet I push forward. ‘Twist! Twist! C’mon…’
My health bar reaches the end of its length.
*Crunch*
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The fucking turtle’s head finally gives and does a complete three-sixty. A light disappears from its eyes and the wireframe of its body shows before it explodes into red particles expanding outward every which way. Soon they fade away and my body once suspended in the air collapses to the ground.
Congratulates you beat: Tortugal Lvl.0
Loot: Turtle Skin
Congratulations you learned: Wrestling
“That was...fucking awesome!” Exhilaration, passion, and ecstasy course through my veins relentlessly. I got to beat the fuck out of no doubt about it. I almost died even! But I want to continue I want to fight until I can’t stand anymore! Combat is something that will never not be in my mind. This is my obsession, my life, and my reason for coming to this place.
Soon the wounds covering my disappeared and after the beast died my health increased to about one-fourth of its max. The pain still lingered though and my body has never been this sore before. I love it.
“Huh, that thing was only level 0!” I chuckle and brush my hand through my hair trying to calm my adrenaline pumping body. What’s in store for me in the later levels then? Reading through the notifications made me a little nostalgic.
‘Wrestling huh? That was the first thing I learned IRL too.’
“Damn I might be here awhile I don’t think I’m moving any time soon just like after practice. No, practice was probably worse than this.”
‘Inventory’ I think quickly I just realized I obtained an item too.
I quickly check out the description of turtle skin disappointed to find out that it was a crafting item. Something I’ve never really been big on doing. Letting go of a deep breath I look up at the sky wondering what my future holds in for me. I don’t wonder too long though because soon after I heard a great bellow in the distance.
“Yeah, I better get a move on.”