"I'm what now?"
Going back to sitting on top of me, Tanya looked down at me and repeated, "I said, you're a Player now too."
Looking at her somewhat incredulously, I ask, "How?"
She absently shrugged, "I'm not really sure how it works, but the simple of it is that when people are exposed to the supernatural, then they are no longer locked out by the Filter. Anyone who isn't affected by the Filter becomes a Player. So, basically coming into contact with a Player means you become a Player."
I nod slightly in understanding. "And that's why everyone is going to know I'm not an ordinary person and see me as a target."
"Uh-huh."
The idea of all this rolling around in my head, a thought suddenly occurs to me. "Wait, wait, wait, if I'm a Player now, then that means I can access the Game and get superpowers too, right?"
She rolls her eyes with a laugh. "That's what I've been saying you goof. You're lucky you're cute."
I chuckle nervously at the reminder that I'm tied up and in the hands of a yandere. A yandere I've already seen kill a man…even if he did deserve it. "But…Why does that make me competition? Is the Game some sort of battle royal with prizes?"
Tilting her head slightly as she spoke, she answered, "No. I don't know where it came from, but everyone thinks there's an 'end' to the Game. Well, almost everyone. Anyway, they think once someone reaches the end and 'beats' the Game, there is some sort of mega prize like ultimate power or something. Some say only the first person to clear the Game will get it. Ergo, some people just try to keep others from potentially reaching the end."
"But nobody knows if it's true," I ask - faintly aware of how I'm buying into this more and more and losing by skepticism to sheer excitement and intrigue. I'm a fantasy loving nerd whose spent a chunk of my life reading stories like this. Sue me.
"Nope."
"Then why do they think that?"
She just raised her arms and shrugged. "Why do religions exist? Everyone thinks there's got to be some sort of higher purpose to things like this."
"Okay…Back to the powers bit, how does that work?"
Putting a finger to her lip, she said, "The genre is more hack-and-slash, dungeon crawler, PvE. Basically, you go in. Kill stuff. Level up. Get skill points. Then, spend skill points on skills you can use in real life."
Nodding, I then thought of something and asked somewhat fearfully, "A-And are there any side effects? Like, if I die in the game I die in real life?"
She just chuckled in response before answering. "No, nothing like that. Basically, your soul enters the Game while your physical body stays on Earth. Your soul gets stronger and when you exit the Game, your soul comes back and transfers the increased power to your body."
I sigh in relief. "So, there's no danger…"
Now, Tanya's expression turned more contemplative. "Mmm, I wouldn't say that. Like a video game, you have an HP bar and stuff. Since it's not your physical body, injuries don't actually play a role in how alive or dead you are and you can take a lot more damage than you normally could or brush off things that would hurt you in real life. However, you still feel pain and stuff."
"Plus, dying in the Game forcibly logs you out. Your soul is effectively damaged, and this not only puts you into a weakened state for a while but it also damages your mind. That's where Losers come from."
"Wait…Are you using 'loser' as a proper term?"
"Ya-huh. It's how you refer to people who die too much and go crazy. Like that guy who went after you before. It's possible he was like that already, but odds are he just sucked and got killed to much so he went crazy."
My whole body feels cold and clammy at her explanation. So, i can't actually die, but I'm at risk of turning out like McPsycho? Then again, my life is apparently at risk of other Players trying to kill me on sight. Even if she's lying to me about some stuff, the fact remains that she's a very real danger to me. If I can get some powers from this game, I maybe can use it to escape.
"S-So, how exactly do I log into the Game?"
Tanya smiled teasingly. "What's the hurry? If you want, we could play a fun game right here~."
As she spoke, she slid back down my body to where she was sitting on top of my crotch again. She then finished her sentence by grinding into me - her teasing expression turning suggestive and predatory.
I panic and loudly say, "W-Well, you know, never a time like the present to get started on bettering myself!"
"Are you su~re," Tanya asks as she leans forward and lies on top of me while looking up at me - her chest pressing against me. "Because something is telling me different."
"I'm sure," I say somewhat strained.
"I guess you're right…After all, we can always play later. We have plenty of time to catch up."
"R-Right…So about logging into the Game?"
"It's easy. Just close your eyes, focus your attention inwards, and you should feel something…there. Like a tunnel you never knew existed. Throw yourself into it and your mind will be sent into the game while your body falls asleep."
Inclose my eyes and try to do as instructed. It isn't easy due to closing my eyes making me even more aware of the warm, soft body lying on top of me. I swallow heavily and try to concentrate but still nothing. My skepticism is starting to come back, but at the same time, I kinda want this to be true. Partly for my fantasy-loving nerd-heart, and partly for the hope this gives me of making it out of here alive.
I try imagining a tunnel like Tanya said, and that's when something happens. It's distant, but there feels like there's something there. I concentrate on it and it starts to grow larger and feel closer. Eventually, it starts to feel less like I'm moving closer to it and more like I'm being pulled in.
Before I know it, I can almost see myself in front of a giant black hole right before falling in.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
I feel myself *THUMP* onto the hard ground.
Groaning from the sense of disorientation I feel, I eventually manage to rise to my feet. As I do, I take in my surroundings.
It looks like I'm in an dilapidated building. Everything around me is concrete that looks worn with small cracks here and there. There's an open passageway, a broken door, and two large but broken windows. Honestly, this still beats being tied to a bed.
Just because I can, I take the opportunity to stretch and move my arms and legs around. As I do, I realize I'm not in my boxers anymore. I look myself over and see I'm back in my uniform - black tee-shirt, jeans, and red-and-black sneakers. I even have my name tag on.
I decide to step over to get a look at things outside. There isn't much of a view, but the impression I get is that the setting is either an abandoned city or a post-apocalyptic one. The various buildings blocking my line of sight are looking no better than this one, and what little of the road I can see past them, I can see is broken up with weeds growing through it.
The setting around me is what convinces me this is real and I'm not just now waking up from Tanya punching me. It all seems to elaborate if that were true. Though, I am curious about being back in my clothes.
This in turn causes an unpleasant thought to occur to me. I say aloud, "I really hope she's not doing anything to my body."
"Do you have so little faith in me?"
Jumping at the voice, I spin around to see Tanya. She's back in her baggy, full body black clothing with the hood and mask down. She's smiling kindly at me but I don't know what it is, but there's something about how she's looking at me that just feels wrong.
"What do you think so far," she asks.
Not sure what else I can do in this situation, I give my honest opinion. "Um, well, I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't post-apocalyptic, and I'm happy to have my clothes back."
She nodded at my response and started walking forward. "Yeah, this whole area's kind of a dump. Stage One: The Satellite. From what I hear, this area is kinda like the tutorial of the Game where people can get a feel for the basics without getting too overwhelmed." She reached me and showed no hesitation to lean on the concrete windowsill despite the broken glass with crossed arms. "Stage Two: Beginner Village is apparently much more scenic and fantasy-esque."
"Um, can you explain that for me a little more?"
"Think of it like level maps. As you level up and get stronger, you need to find stronger enemies to fight, so you move to a different area of the game."
"And, how do we do that?"
"There are basically three areas to Stage One. Dungeons, Field Dungeons, and the City. In the city we can buy, make, and improve some gear among other things. Then we go into Dungeons to get stuff to get better gear, level up, and make money. Then, we challenge the Stage Clear Dungeon. Once we pass it, we're transported to the next stage."
I nod along with her explanation - somewhat thankful to have someone so knowledgeable despite the circumstances - when something occurs to me. "You seem to know a lot about this. How long have you been a Player?"
Tanya looked up thoughtfully. "About…five…ish years. Maybe six."
I balk at her claim. "I'm guessing it's super hard to level up or the Stage Clear Dungeon is super hard or something, right?" I almost dreaded her answer. As freaked out by this as I was an am, Tanya seemed pretty kickass. If she was stuck here, then what did that mean for me.
"Not really," she answered flippantly. "I just never had much reason to try. I come here to train and for the Life Extension. But otherwise, I didn't care."
I breath slightly in relief at her answer. I still don't know if I can trust her, but I'll believe what she says until given a reason not to. But, I notice something she said. "'Life Extension'," I ask.
She looks at me confused before shooting up with a startled expression. "Oh! How could I forget about the Life Extension!? Okay, super important. First things first, open your status."
"Okay," I respond nervously. I then attempt the tried and true method of opening status in fiction. "Status!"
A translucent blue screen appeared before me. At the top was my name followed by some tabs reading 'CHARACTER', 'INVENTORY', and 'SKILLS' with the character tab highlighted. Under those was an image of me with little icons along either side I assumed corresponded with the equipment I was wearing - having my shirt, pants, and shoes. It was your typical character interface. There weren't any stats or anything which was a bummer, but there was a heart icon in the upper left of the character model. On it was a timer counting down from 43:17:44 in what I guessed was hours, minutes, and seconds.
"Okay, you see that heart icon in the upper left?"
"Yeah."
"Good, that's you're life meter."
"So, it's like the Link games? Where my hit points are represented as a heart and I've got one full heart?"
"No," she said while nervously scratching the back of her head. "That's your life. From the moment you become a Player, a timer begins counting down from twenty-four hours. Once that timer reaches zero. Poof. You drop dead."
"What!!?"
She rounded her head as she replied, "Ye~ah, and the Life Extension is basically this thing where you get an extra twenty-four hours by entering the Game. Think of it as a 'daily sign-in bonus."
I run my hands through my hair in a mix of panic and frustration. "So, not only do I have killer Players after me, I also have to play the Game every day or I die!?"
Looking down sadly, Tanya answered, "Basically, sorry I didn't say anything earlier. I come here every day, so I forgot." She quickly perked up and hurriedly added, "But there are ways to gain additional Life in the Game, so you could build some up. We just have to clear special events or bosses; PvP lets you steal some of the defeated Player's Life if you want to do that."
"Yeah, no…What special events and bosses?"
"I haven't checked the other maps, but on this one there are three special bosses that appear. There's one that appears in the Dungeons once every month on a random day. When it appears, that night there is a special event called Demon Panic. Ordinarily, the city is a safe zone, but during the event it gets over run with monsters. The special bosses of the event can extend your Life. Another random monthly event is Harpies' Invasion which is kinda the same and happens about a week after Demon Panic. The other two bosses are a weekly raid boss who appears every Saturday and the other is a monthly raid boss who appears the end of every month."
"Oh! Also, there's a special Dungeon under the city called Paradox Labyrinth. Supposedly, if you reach the end, there's an item that provides a lot of Life."
I let out a suffering groan. Part of me had though I could possibly get superpowers, escape and then be done with this, but it looks like that isn't possible. I should have guessed though. How often in stories does some random guy get involved in the secret supernatural world and just get to walk away without dying.
Tanya looked at me kindly - this time without there being anything unnerving about it and seemingly genuine. "Hey, don' worry about it too much. You like living according to a schedule right? Just think of it as making coming here part of your daily routine."
"Yeah," I groan. "I guess."
She nodded happily. She then stepped over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders before spinning me around and facing me toward the passageway she came in through.
"No time to worry about stuff. Let's go get you suited up!"