January 14th, 2022
***
A good night's sleep makes a world of difference.
Richter woke up refreshed and relieved — Rio was absent from beneath his bed this time.
He spread his sense across the house, picking up four auras downstairs. Seems everyone chose to stay the night.
He took the moment of peace to open up his status. Richter was curious about his new Skill and Ability.
[Swordsman's Agility (passive) - Increases speed scaling of the Agility attribute by a small amount. Always active.]
'By a small amount? How small?'
He hadn't paid much attention to his base speed since acquiring it; still, he couldn't tell the difference.
He shifted over and clicked on 'Harden'.
[Harden - Uses mana to harden chosen body parts into stone, adding additional weight behind attacks. The more mana used, the more stone-like you become. Can be upgraded]
Richter was too intrigued to pass up the opportunity. He cycled mana from his circuit straight to his hands.
[Harden – 10%]
A light gray luster coated his wrists to his fingertips. The muscles in his arms kicked in slightly, feeling the added weight.
'Hehe...'
He punched through the wall by the headboard, spraying dust onto the pillows. The impact made him cringe as he retracted a fist. Several drops of blood flowed down his arm. He'd misjudged the strength of the Skill — It lacked enough oomph to break the wooden beam within. The learning curve was steeper than expected.
That was enough experimenting for now; he slid out of bed and grabbed some clothes. Any more time in Kagawa would drive him crazy. Especially with the adult children under his supervision.
He walked across the bedroom.
'!'
He stopped. His head whipped around to the window by his side. Every nerve and hair on his body acted up. Goosebumps formed on his skin. Richter shivered, peering uncomfortably past the yard.
'Someone's there,' he thought. His lungs struggled to take in air.
Nothing appeared out of the ordinary; the neighborhoods and streets contained no trace of an aura. But in the sky, there existed a flickering wisp of an existence. It floated twenty feet in front of his second-story window. The murderous intent sent his brain into overdrive.
His eyes locked onto the space of the being. He had no idea what it was or how it managed to hide. He slid his hand down to the blade on his hip — time ticked by slowly.
Nothing happened. The dangerous feeling subsided, but the aura was still there. Richter didn't need a second scare. He moved on, rushing down to the rest of the group.
He briefly explained his worries, and while not convinced, seeing him in such distress made them wary. The five set out with a brisk jog on the long journey back to town.
Rio was the most skeptical of the bunch. A sudden threat appearing the morning after his thievery? What a joke. She glanced over her shoulder while jogging, taking in the house one last time.
'He's probably just tricking us... Right?'
She turned back, picking up her pace.
If only they could be so fortunate.
Because while the five made their way through the remains of the city, two men were conversing in the exact spot Richter pinpointed. They appeared young, covered in heavy armor and trinkets. Each wore several rings, amulets, and necklaces on their bodies.
One of the men pulled out a red sheet of paper. His eyebrows widened; he turned to his companion.
"The offer finally came through," He passed over a sheet of paper. "It's quite incredible really. I wonder why the family is so invested."
The other man took hold of the sheet, reading through its contents.
"Damn, you ain't kiddin'," he let out a low whistle.
"Several times the penalty plus a bonus."
"They must have used Clare to figure out we were on his trail."
The first man squinted at his brother's assumption.
"Well, there are other ways, but that's the most likely. So what do you think? Do we take it?"
"Just cause they're offering extra, don't mean I'll work for them again. But this does give me an idea."
He reached his hand out, tearing a hole into space. He rummaged around until his fingers gripped an old, dusty item.
"Phew! It's still in here, thought I had gotten rid of it for a second."
An old tripod camera popped out of the dimensional pocket, complete with batteries and lenses.
The first man caught on to his intent. He spoke up, feeling anxious.
"Don't you think this will attract too much attention?"
The second man – Drek – laughed at the worries.
"Relax Stel, your detection isn't up to par; there are a ton of other bounty hunters on this planet. We've passed dozens of them - they're quite good."
Stel eased up and fished out several crystalized figurines from a similar dimensional hole.
"Alright, but I've only got seven left. The lowest level is mid-Tier 2."
Drek scratched his chin. "A little tough, but if this guy is worth his weight then I expect a good showin'."
The two men grinned viciously; their overwhelming intent almost spilled past their concealment items.
"Come on, let's get going."
Drek and Stel glided through the air on a thin metal disk, effortlessly tracking the man of great interest.
***
Richter, Koga, Rio, Reed, and Brent stood in shock at the entrance to town. The eastern side was completely demolished. Hundreds of disgruntled and demoralized people drifted through to help with rubble and repair efforts. Corpses and limbs were piled off to the side. Dozens had died.
The group disbanded, each having their worries. Richter immediately set his sights on Wesley's office. He rushed over, pushing through weeping crowds with broken morale.
The damage was suspiciously concentrated, he noted. The governor's building sustained minor damage, while everything else was caved and crumbled. He didn't bother with formality. Richter stormed through the entrance.
"What happened?"
Wesley looked distant, sweating profusely. He finally showed signs of life when Richter shook his shoulder.
"Richter?..."
"What happened to the town?"
He gulped, taking a drink of water. "About an hour ago, a large unknown monster appeared in the middle of the city."
He calmed his shaking hands, regaining some confidence in his voice.
"No one knows where it came from, and we've never seen one like it. It tore through the city after some random guy. It busted up everything and everyone who got in the way. Once it ate the man, it disappeared just as suddenly."
Richter sat back on the sofa, gazing pensively at his feet.
"Was there any other creature spotted? Or maybe a human that was out of place? Strangely dressed?"
"No one has reported anything about that. But I'll let you know if there was."
"Thanks."
Richter left the office full of apprehension. It was still dark out. There was nothing more for him to do right now, and his body had been tense the whole day. He headed back to Pleasure Inn for some sleep.
He snuck up the creaky floorboards and crept into his room. There was no comfort. He laid down on the sheets and set his sword across the nightstand to his side. The vivid feeling of the aura earlier ate at his mind. He couldn't forget it —Just how strong that person must be.
He drifted off to sleep, hoping he wasn't fated to be the next 'random' guy.
***
Richter wasn't so lucky.
BOOM!
His eyes shot open; his sense swept out to give him instant information. Some bright sunlight blinded him from a large hole in the exterior of the inn . Past it, he saw a giant goblin-like creature on the side of a neighboring building.
There was no mistaking it: he was the target.
It grinned, showing off a set of razor-sharp teeth lining its mouth. An arm reached inside the gap toward Richter. The speed it possessed was deceptive and the room was so small. Between escape and his sword, he chose his sword.
The creature's fist enclosed around him, popping several of Richter's joints. His breathing grew raspy as he fought to escape. Mana desperately raced to every nook in his body.
[Mana Surge – 40%]
He pressed out with all limbs, earning just enough leeway to use his blade. He stabbed down into the wrist and twisted, looking for any kind of tendon that would render the hand useless.
It just wasn't that simple.
The monster reared back – pulling him through the hole – and flung his body down the street where it bounced several times along the road.
Four bystanders darted over to inspect his condition.
Koga, Reed, Brent, and Rio paled at the mangled mess of their former acquaintance. Their eyes flicked between the snarling abomination and the near corpse of its query.
They were running out of time. Reed observed the monster hop off the building, rapidly closing in on their location.
He gripped a healing potion and titled it between Richter's lips. Richter was genuinely grateful since none of his limbs worked.
He sat up moments later.
"Thanks, I'll pay you back."
He felt refreshed and energetic. He downed a Mana Potion and charged ahead, leaving Reed, Rio, and Koga with conflicted expressions.
"That's a Troll... Right?" Koga stared at the familiar shape of Richter's opponent. The nasty green skin, large frame, pointed ears, and-
His gaze drifted to the fresh scar on one of the Troll's wrists.
-potent regeneration.
Koga sighed, "Precisely."
"The mix of familiar and unfamiliar bothers me," Rio stated.
Meanwhile, poor Brent was confused about their discussion.
"How do you know what that is? Have you encountered a Troll before? Did you defeat it?"
The three smiled wryly. Koga volunteered to answer.
"You've heard of 'Mirage' right? The setting and mechanics of the game share eerie similarities with our new reality. This includes Monsters too.
That thing should be a Troll; a Tier 2 monster with a level in the low to mid twenties."
Brent took a closer look at the fight, measuring and reassessing the two beings. Blood covered man and monster alike; the two clashed repeatedly.
"This isn't the only similarity we've seen, but first impressions can be deceiving."
Reed was about to pitch in when a shockwave knocked his breath out. They refocused on the fight, edging closer to see what was happening.
***
Richter skid back along the ground, digging his blade in to slow the momentum. He downed a second Mana Potion.
'Phew, finally a moment to breathe.'
Richter's last attack blasted apart the left side of its chest. The Troll fell to one knee, glaring at the man.
The bones, blood, and sinew regrew instantaneously, far exceeding Brent's regen rate. It had been this way the whole time.
Without mana, Richter wasn't fast enough to dodge. But he needed to conserve for his final blow to pack a punch, and Sunder was too risky to use while on the move. It was time for a change of plans.
There was nothing like live combat to test a new Skill. Richter's adrenaline surged as the two charged at each other. He slid under a heavy punch and roused his energy.
[Mana Surge – 40%]
The edge of his sword sliced into the Troll's shin. He swapped hands and nailed it down into their foot. It wouldn't hold for long, but it didn't need to.
[Mana Surge – 10%]
His strengthened legs boosted him above the Troll's grab. Richter twisted his torso as he reached eye level.
'Penetrate through the drywall-'
Heavy mana stretched from shoulder to fingertip.
'-and break the wooden beam.'
[Harden – 50%]
His fist fired forward like a revolver. It turned the Troll's right eye into jelly and kept going. The punch collided with the brain deep inside. The injuries were apparent. The monster staggered back, brought down to human height. This was his chance.
He pounced from his landing and downed a third Mana Potion.
[Harden – 100%]
His whole arm turned to stone as it blew through the Troll's head. Very little remained inside, he brought his arm out and let the corpse fall flat.
Richter fell back on his back with a pained laugh. A lovely blue notification popped up in his face; he couldn't be happier seeing it.
['Troll Level 26' killed. 20 copper awarded. 240% XP awarded]
'Why the hell was it so tough?' he thought.
His body ached from the strain. It was strange to him that a mere eleven levels could prove so challenging. Technically, he'd fought Dru with an eight-level difference. It was something he'd worry about later. Richter picked himself up and glanced at the four bystanders.
*ping*
To his surprise, a new notification popped up. He read the contents slowly, his face twisting in confusion. For Rio, Reed, and Koga though, this only proved their conjecture. Their faces paled again. This didn't bode well.
[Challenge 1 successful. The Tutorial has been completed. Adjustments have been made]
***