To an average human being, with a choice between saving and spending money, the choice was obvious, save, though their actions were the polar opposite. To Johan, saving had long left behind after he had struck rich, no longer having to worry about not having enough money, he bought what he wanted, whenever he wanted, including the warrior set he was now putting on.
The game had dared to break the barrier many games had kept out of, personal privacy. Now, the players had to find an area to undress and put on their equipment. Striding from the back of the hut that he used to undress, he proceeded to swing the great sword at the air to create the image of the glorious warrior and getting stares from those who were passing.
No one could pass without looking at the armor twice; it was finished with golden threads. The sword however was the main reason for their attention. It was embedded with jewels and the handle was padded so when compared to the blocky bronze rods the normal players used as swords and unpadded handles that ensured bleeding, this was luxury.
Slowly he puffed his chest and strode forward. Considering that he just spent $20000 all at once, not catching any attention would make him feel the sting his 'investment'. He hummed as he exited the street, heading for the wild lands; he was not going to allow thousands to be put to waste. He knew what he had to go through in order to reach the level of spending thousands.
The wild lands were areas which had not been mapped out, which automatically meant more loot and more experience. Jumping over a rock, he kept looking forward keeping his eyes open for any confrontation, mostly since he had been feeling as if someone's eyes were on him. In the business world, learning to trust your instincts was one of the most vital skills, and he had not reached his position without a high level.
Sidestepping, he broke into a jog and gradually into a run, until he appeared at a wide clearing. Preparing for an ambush in the middle of a wide clearing seemed stupid, but running the 700 meter distance with heavy armor and poor stamina made automatically made him a fool, so he decided to play great warrior by holding his ground.
The first arrow came from the left side, he smirked as he sidestepped, the confident I-don't-give-a-shit smirk. He couldn't believe that someone still used the hunter class in the wild lands. Slowly, he scanned his surroundings as he waited for the next attack, turning just in time for the next arrow to catch him at his shoulder; the force behind it flipped him. Q1uickly, he got on his feet and dashed at the nearest tree line, forget stamina, him dying here meant $20000 gone.
He slashed at the air just in time to catch the cloaked assassin who had been following him off guard. The look of shock was epic, immediately he followed up with another slash to finish him off and continued his dash with another arrow landing right behind him, forcing him into a roll. In all honesty, he was surprised he had gotten a headshot, which was own unnerving, did it mean he was hunted by a bunch of newbies, if that was the case, the shame.
With all the explosive power in his lower body, he dived straight at the tree line, positioning his leg perfectly for the next arrow. The force behind the arrow spun him deeper into the tree line, and slammed his now injured leg against the nearest tree.
Steadying his breathing, he dropped into a crouch and made his way into the forest, the arrows had stopped which meant that he was being chased or they had decided to give up on him, though he doubted the second scenario, no one would give up on something that was worth two months of their salary. He chuckled as he thought about it, that he, Johann Emis was now someone's salary. His clammy palms made the situation worse and with no literally no stamina, the armor felt heavier than usual.
Quietly, he lay down on the ground as he waited for the PKer's to pass by him, taking the time to massage his aching leg where the arrow had connected. Soon, twigs broke as they made way for the group of players. The group was an all male team which was rare. They composed of an assassin and a hunter, both males, and adding the previous assassin that he had taken out, they were meant to be three. No tank, no healer, though he had to admit that their makeup was efficient.
"Marcel, where do you think he went?" the assassin asked as he looked around, hoping to catch any glint off his amour or sword, thankfully sunlight could not enter the forest or else he would have been noticeable .
"I don't know, man. He must have stopped running by now, his stamina must be low sand added with the fact that I hit him…" Marcel the hunter started talking, until he was cut off.
"Seriously, just tell me where to look" the assassin said as he slapped his arm, due to the mosquitoes, the same thing that was happening to him, except he was had to hold his slaps.
"Oscar, just search here. I'm going deeper… or else you will get lost", Marcel said as he got up from his crouching position.
"Dude, can't you see that it is dark here, there is no way we can get him", Oscar complained, leaning against the tree which was right next to where he was hiding.
"Yeah, you're right. Just wait", he said as he proceeded to start a fire, which on its own a miracle in the damp forest. He then lit two sticks on fire and gave one to Oscar.
He watched as the Marcel left Oscar on his own, which was what he had been waiting for. Then the prime opportunity came when Oscar went to the opposite direction. Slowly he stood up without making much noise, and then placed the first foot in front of him, then the second foot, and then into jog and then a run.
Due to poor leg control, he had always found difficulty engaging in most sports with his worst in sprinting and race events, with his reasons being that he had no motivation and that he had nothing to gain, but now he was running for $20,000 and not to be feasted on by mosquitoes. The world blurred as he picked up speed, with regular breaks when he was stumbled.
He was suddenly broken out of his trance when he heard the screaming of Oscar, and soon the arrows followed, he had hope as he had already broken out of the tree line. That was until he heard Oscar gaining on him. Abruptly, he slashed at his left hand side and felt it connect reducing Oscar to the ground screaming as he attempted to stop the bleeding of his left arm. He spun the sword again and then brought it down on his neck, the ultimate executioner move.
Oscar did not even get to scream as he died. Immediately he froze, this was the first time he had killed anything other than the usual wolves and bears. Even in the real world, the things he killed were usually chickens or on rare occasions goats, but even those times were long gone now. Then he bent over as he threw up, emptying everything he had eaten. With the fact that he could have been like Oscar if not for his timing, he quickly dropped the vomit thing and he looked around.
The vomit was sprayed all over the ground; he could even see the bits of apple he had eaten in-game, another part of unneeded realism. The arrows had stopped, so he had to assume that Marcel had run out of arrows or that he had decided that the risk was unnecessary. He took another look and saw the dead body, the thing freaked him out, so he opened his settings and turned on the gore filter.
Slowly the blood gradually disappeared. He couldn't believe that he was so lucky that in a 3v1 situation he came out on top, this was great. With his equipment and skills, he could join a top guild. Slowly his confidence rose as he straightened his back.
His hair slowly stood on its end as he immediately turned and took an arrow to the forehead. And he died.