As I walked deeper into the forest, the smell of decay and rot filled my nostrils. The trees were twisted and gnarled, their leaves a sickly shade of brown. The sunlight filtered through the canopy in thin streams, casting eerie shadows across the ground. And everywhere I looked, I saw huge purple spiders, their webs stretched between the trees like a tangled web of death. I shuddered at the sight of them, my skin crawling at the thought of those venomous fangs sinking into my flesh. But I knew I had to push on, no matter how terrified I was. I had a quest to complete, and I wasn't going to let a few creepy crawlies stand in my way.
I could not afford to have fear. That is what made my old life how it was. I readied my sword, the metal glinting in the dim light of the forest.
I charged at the first spider, my sword slicing through its legs one by one. The spider let out a high-pitched scream as it fell to the ground, immobilized. I raised my sword above my head and brought it down, cutting off the spider's head with a single strike. I turned to face the next spider, ready to take it down as well.
As I charged into the midst of the spiders, my sword glowing with electricity, I used my thunder slice move to speed up the process of taking them down. With each swing of my sword, I could feel the power of the thunder coursing through my veins.
As I hacked and slashed my way through the purple spiders, I couldn't help but notice how much more competent I was than I had anticipated. I was able to take down these monsters with ease, using my thunder slice move to speed up the process and deal extra damage as I hit multiple spiders.
Despite the rush of adrenaline that came with the fight, I couldn't help but worry about Mia and May. I hoped they were holding their own out there, fighting their own battles. I knew they were both skilled fighters but still I couldn't stop worrying for them.
As the spiders attacked me, I feel a searing pain with each blow. It feels like my skin is being ripped open and my muscles are being torn apart. I grit my teeth and keep fighting, determined to take down these spiders.
Many turned the pain settings off however, I kept the pain settings on because of the immersion. It was also a form of punishment for playing the game for so long. Even though it felt as if I would really die I still fought with all I could.
"I-If that's all you guys got then y-you've already lost," I said to the spiders.
I grinned even though I was about to fall. I still readied my sword even though it pained me to even blink. At that moment I did not feel as if I was in the virtual world. I felt as if my life was truly on the line.
As I fought and defeated each spider, I reveled in the feeling of their blood splashing across my face and sword. The excitement of battle filled me with a sense of vitality and purpose. I counted the bodies of the spiders, pleased to see that I had exceeded my goal by killing 20 more than needed. This achievement brought a sense of satisfaction as I wiped the sweat from my brow and took a deep breath, feeling rejuvenated and ready for more.
As I approached the witch, I couldn't help but feel pride at the sight of the pile of spider bodies behind me. The witch was an elderly woman with purple-gray hair pulled back into a disheveled bun. The deep wrinkles on her face told the story of her long life. She rewarded me with 3 levels and a new trait, "The warrior's spirit," which increased my damage as my health decreased, giving me an edge in battle when things seemed dire.
The game seemed to give me a trait based on my actions.
I completed the quest over and over again.
I had always been a bit of a solo player, preferring to work on my own and grind out levels rather than relying on a party. But as I continued to level up and unlock new abilities, I couldn't help but feel like I had found my true calling in this virtual world.
As the hours ticked by, I became more and more focused on the quest. I was fully immersed.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I reached level 30. I couldn't believe that I had made it this far. I was so immersed in the game that I forgot that I had unlocked my first transformation quest.
I haven't slept in a while but I felt as if sleep was nothing but an illusion.
The quest was already accepted. It was called, "A Town's Wasteland."
I headed toward the location on the map. It was a town that had been destroyed by a boss.
As I walked towards the town, I could see that it was in shambles. The houses were burned down, and rubble was scattered everywhere. There were dead bodies across the town. As I walked through the streets, I couldn't feel bad for any of the people who lived there because they were not real.
They spoke as if they were real. They reacted to what I said. Their expressions changed. Their tone changed. They might even be classified as sentient. But to me, they were just code which was strange considering that I saw the world as being real.
Suddenly, I caught sight of something out of the corner of my eye. It was a man, draped in bone armor and wielding a bone sword. His skin was a sickly grey color, and his eyes glowed a sinister red. I knew instantly that he was the boss I had been tasked with defeating.
I ran towards the man in bone armor, wielding my sword and using my lightning slice skill. However, the boss was unfazed and effortlessly disarmed me, throwing me to the ground. As I lay there, dazed and in pain, I could see the boss standing above me, his red eyes filled with hatred.
He stabbed me with his bone sword. I bled profusely and the pain was intense. It felt like my whole body was on fire. I gritted my teeth and tried to push through the pain, knowing that I had to defeat this boss to complete the quest.
As the boss pulled out his bone sword from my side, I struggled to get back up. I was low on health and used my sword to attack the boss, but it did little damage even though my "Warrior's Spirit" trait was active. I could feel the sharp pain of my wounds as I bled.
As I struggled to get up, I felt a sharp pain as the boss plunged his bone sword into my chest once again. My vision started to fade as I realized that this might be it. I had failed to defeat the boss and now I would be forced to respawn at my spawn point, back in the spider forest.
I was angry at myself. I was disappointed in myself.
"Am I still this weak? Was it my arrogance?"
I checked my friend list and saw that Mia and May had surpassed my level. Mia was level 51 and May was level 46.
"How are they so far ahead? What have I been doing?" I thought to myself.
I checked my Map and decided to do a level 50 quest even though I was 20 levels behind. I went to the quest giver who was a wizard. I had to defeat demons in the crimson forest. I headed towards the forest and set my spawn point there.
As I entered the crimson forest, I was overwhelmed by the striking red hue that seemed to envelop everything in sight. The trees were a deep, scarlet red, and the grass under my feet was the same color. The air was thick with the smell of iron and smoke, and I could see red demons skulking in the shadows. These demons were tall and thin, with twisted, gnarled bodies and elongated, spindly limbs. Their skin was a bright, fiery red, and their eyes glowed with an otherworldly light.
I tried to dodge their blasts of fire magic, but one of them caught me off guard and sent me flying. I quickly got back on my feet and retaliated with a lightning slice attack, but it barely made a dent in their tough skin.
One of the demons charged at me, its fist glowing with fiery energy. I barely managed to block the attack, but it still sent me crashing to the ground, my health plummeting to just 5 percent.