"No!!!!!!"
A horrifying scream echoed through the area.
Countless footsteps in the jungle crunched over fallen leaves, heading towards the source of the scream.
Ember Wilde, lying down already, remained unperturbed.
He turned around to look out of the window in the direction where WTF had left, shaking his head with a sigh, "Young people need to experience more of this world."
Ember Wilde opened his "Planner Exclusive Map" to check WTF's coordinates.
His player icon was no longer visible on the map.
Instead, a new countdown for the resurrection time appeared on the player list.
[WTF, Respawn Time: 60 seconds]
According to the system's explanation, the resurrection time was determined by the player's strength. The higher the player's level and physical strength, the more time it would take for the system to reconstruct their body.
The base respawn time was as follows:
Level 1: 60 seconds
Level 2: 120 seconds
Level 3: 180 seconds, and so on.
After a player changed jobs or obtained special blessings from the gods to enhance their physical strength, the respawn time would increase accordingly.
Dying at a low level had minimal consequences, but as the level rose and the body's attributes increased, dying would become a more serious matter. It might take a day or two for the respawn time!
During the 60-second countdown for WTF's resurrection, Ember Wilde was already waiting in the lobby at the respawn point with a broken brick in hand. He was worried that WTF, frightened from his ordeal, might continue screaming after his resurrection, attracting all the undead creatures outside to the respawn point.
Ember Wilde weighed the brick in his hand, silently counting down the seconds.
When the 60-second countdown finished, WTF's body gradually materialized at the respawn point.
At the same time, Ember Wilde lifted the brick, aiming at the back of WTF's head. As soon as he heard the slightest sharp sound, he would give him the debuff [Dazed] without hesitation.
However, after WTF resurrected, his expression remained calm. He murmured about the punishment brought on by his death.
"Huh? Does this guy have such good mental resilience? Being bitten to death by a group of undead face to face, yet he shows no sign of fear?"
Ember Wilde couldn't help but wonder.
In fact, during the wait in the pure white space before resurrection, in the first 20 seconds, WTF kept screaming. In the middle 20 seconds, he realized that he was just playing a game, and his emotions gradually calmed down. In the last 20 seconds, he finally stabilized his mindset and began to reflect on the experience of death.
"I remember being bitten off a piece of flesh by that skeleton soldier. It hurt... but the pain only lasted for a second and then disappeared."
WTF touched his chin and muttered, "Although it's a 100% realistic game, for the sake of players' mental and physical health, there is a 'threshold' set. When the pain exceeds the threshold, it will be automatically blocked. This game company does have some consideration. If players were to experience 100% realism of death, no one would dare to continue playing!"
WTF continued, reaching for his waist. He remembered that while being pinned down by countless undead, he managed to snatch a broken spear from a skeleton soldier. Perhaps he could exchange it for a fish, he thought.
However, as he felt around, his expression instantly changed.
"What the heck? Why is all my stuff gone? The broken bricks, shards, and everything else I had are gone! Even the primary healing bandage I got as a quest reward is gone! The spear I fought so hard for from the skeleton soldier is gone too!"
He hadn't killed a single monster, yet he lost all his items!
WTF felt that he had made a huge loss this time!
"You can't be reckless in this game; dying means losing everything. Who can withstand such a punishment after dying?"
With this realization, WTF had a bad premonition.
If after death, equipment and items would drop, wouldn't other players immediately set their sights on him?
Who would dare to wander outside with good equipment? As soon as they left the respawn point, other players would snatch everything!
"It seems that other players... are even more dangerous than monster NPCs! But this way, it's even more interesting!"
WTF smacked his lips, smiling.
As a ten-year veteran of "The Alliance," he was used to battling opponents in PvP or exchanging insults with teammates every day.
He not only didn't dislike PvP but felt as comfortable as if he had "returned home."
Killing monsters every day would eventually become tiresome, but fighting against others would always be a joyful experience.
"First death experience summary:
Respawn time: 60 seconds.
This might increase as the game progresses.
Equipment and items will drop upon death.
In-game currency is safe and won't drop.
Experience points will only decrease by 10% upon death.
So, the only thing players fear after death is losing their equipment.
In the future, if facing uncertain battles, it's better to wear less valuable gear."
After summarizing, WTF finally stood up.
It was at that moment that he noticed a figure behind him.
PTSD from being surrounded and killed by a group of skeletons instantly kicked in. WTF quickly rolled and jumped away, looking back to find Ember Wilde standing there with a brick in hand, watching him from above.
"Em... Ember, what are you doing?"
"One of my duties is to protect the shelter from being invaded by undead creatures," Ember Wilde replied in a placid tone while putting down the brick, seemingly engrossed in his role as an NPC.
With such a calm demeanor, WTF would never believe what he said if Ember Wilde's identity wasn't that of an NPC.
"Ember, you're right. There are indeed many undead creatures outside, and I shouldn't have gone out..." WTF sighed.
"Tap, tap, tap..."
At this moment, familiar footsteps sounded outside the respawn point. Ember Wilde and WTF exchanged a glance, both intuitively lowering their voices.
Ember Wilde glanced at his room with his eyes, signaling WTF to speak inside the room.
Both of them tiptoed their way into the respawn point's inner room and closed the door behind them.
Only then did they exhale a sigh of relief.
"Ember, can those undead creatures outside enter the respawn point?" WTF whispered cautiously.
If monsters could enter the respawn point, wouldn't they be able to camp around their corpses and keep killing them repeatedly?
However, WTF's question was met with Ember Wilde's puzzled expression.
"Don't understand? Ah... what I mean is... can those undead creatures enter our shelter?" WTF reiterated in a hushed voice.
"Why wouldn't they be able to enter the shelter?" Ember Wilde asked in return, pointing to the various heavy pieces of furniture blocking the door. "If they couldn't get in, would I need to be so careful?"
"So... these monsters can really block us in and kill us repeatedly?" WTF couldn't help but take a deep breath, muttering to himself, "The defense of the respawn point is crucial! If the monsters manage to break in, we'll be killed to the point where we can't play the game anymore!"
WTF thought of this and looked at Ember Wilde seriously. "Ember, until our respawn point shelter is fully constructed, we must not let other survivors go out at night. If they inadvertently lead the skeletons into the shelter, it'll be the end of us!"
Ember Wilde didn't respond, but he gave WTF a knowing look. It was as if he was saying, "You get it."
"If I could stop players, you wouldn't have to respawn here!" WTF realized the absurdity of his words and awkwardly chuckled. "With my current abilities, I better log off during the night. But don't worry, Ember, I'll soon bring some help to assist you in building the shelter!"
WTF knew that Ember Wilde wouldn't reply to his words. As soon as he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the respawn point, leaving Ember Wilde alone in the environment once again.