"Ughhhh…"
The hell just happened?
"Ahem! Aughhhh!"
Why the hell am I vomiting blood?!
"Ahem! Ahem!"
And what the hell are those damned slimes doing?!
"Ahem!"
He was confused, so he first tried getting back up. But, his legs were too weak, and the pain in his chest where that slime had crashed into him was just too much for him at that moment.
'Why is that thing so strong?'
Slimes were supposed to be creatures of nature that didn't have any muscles or organs.
They are purely a mucus that moves with the help of the energy in their core.
Sure there are slimes that possess a physical body resembling the humans, but they are still slimes made of mucus and a core.
They weren't supposed to be this strong…
"Ughhh…"
But after just one of them crashed into him, he was thrown all the way here and now was on the verge of death.
'Actually, how did I not die?'
He could tell his ribs were broken by the impact, and he also received internal injuries. Realistically, he should have died from that impact but… he was still alive.
"Mmmm…"
He was in pain. His head, his chest, his back, even his limbs were hurting. And yet, he was somehow still alive.
"Haaa…"
He did not understand how this had happened, but the fact that he was still alive was still true.
And since he was alive, the blessing that all players possess would bring him back to his optimal state soon.
However, he knew it would take some time.
'What are they doing there though?'
He somehow dragged his body and rested it against the tree as he looked at the slime creatures on the shore that had made him like this.
They did not have any face or anything so he couldn't tell if they wanted to eat him or if they were feeling pity, but, one thing he could see behind him was a clear lake that did not have any moss left on its surface.
They finished their food, so they might have just wanted him to get more. But, it was not going to be possible.
"Haaa…"
His eyes were heavy.
It was already evening so he knew he was out for quite a while now. But, he was sleepy once again.
The pain was getting to him, so even though he was in a dangerous place with those creatures looking at him, he had no strength left in him.
He never wanted to kill them and he didn't think they wanted to kill him either.
It was an accident… he knew that much.
"Ughhh…"
So, even as he closed his eyes while tightly biting his lips, he did not resent those poor little creatures.
It was their fault that he was in that state. But, it was fine… he wasn't mad at them or his own self for not killing them when he had the chance.
…
He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
And when he woke up, it was already evening once again.
"Ughhh…"
The pain was still there, but it wasn't as bad as it was just a few moments ago.
'So this is still a game, hun?'
It was justified with 'having a blessing' but since players were still players, having them under prolonged physical debuffs made no sense.
Not many would want to rest for months to recover from this kind of injury. And, since higher-level players experience even severe injuries during their fights, it would be dumb to have them be bedridden for months.
This was a game, and recovery happening overnight was the most logical and realistic thing.
"Haaa…"
He looked around after checking his condition, and the slimes weren't there anymore.
He could see them in the distant waters, but they weren't here anymore.
'Looks like they were hungry after all.'
He tried standing up. But his legs didn't have enough strength to stand up just yet.
He fell down every time he tried getting up, but when nothing worked, he gave up and rested back against the tree, again.
"At least my throat is clear now."
He coughed up all the blood blocking his airway and throat so he had a good enough breathing space or else he would have choked to death due to blockages.
"Let's eat something…"
He had the food that was provided to all the players at the beginning. Not many players needed to use it since the tutorial usually only took a few hours to complete. But, in his condition, he needed it.
'Status window.'
[Ding.]
============
ID: Elio (Level-2)
Race: Human (Commoner)
T-T (Physical stats)
Strength: 1
Agility: 1
Endurance: 2
T-T (System stats)
Intelligence: 1
Luck: 1
Charm: 1
T-T (Functional stats)
Energy: 0/10
Stamina: 1/10
Fatigue: 9/10
(Stat points: 15)
{Skills: — .}
[Titles: — .]
============
He did not have any energy to function, and only food could fill that gauge once again. Fatigue will decrease with some more rest and his stamina will start recovering as soon as his condition gets back to normal.
"Hmmm?"
He noticed it late, but he was somehow (Level-2) now and there was an extra stat added to his endurance. He had done nothing noteworthy until now aside from getting beaten up and enduring pain, so it confused him.
"What happened when I was out?"
He called up the status window to see what had happened in the time he was unconscious. And it was here that he noticed the previous system messages.
[Ding!]
[You have experienced extreme impact for the first time! Rewarding Exp.]
[You have experienced extreme trauma for the first time! Rewarding Exp.]
[You have experienced the [Unconscious] state for the first time! Rewarding Exp.]
[Ding!]
[Level up!]
[(Level-1) > (Level-2).]
[You have recovered from physical and internal injuries for the first time. Rewarding Exp.]
[For having a strong mind to endure the first extreme trauma and recovering safely, you have been rewarded.]
[Endurance+1.]
"Wow… I get rewarded for getting beaten up as well?"
This realistic game sure had its pros as well, hun?
But just one stat point in a mental stat won't really make any difference.
He knew where he had to assign his stats after enduring that kind of experience.
"Assign stat points."
[Ding.]
[You have used Free Stat Points.]
[Ding.]
[Strength:1 > 10.]
[Endurance:2 > 8.]
Agility surely affected both physical and mental characteristics, but in this place, if he was going to deal with beings possessing that kind of strength, he needed the power to resist their physical attacks and endure the impact on time.
Agility was not going to help him that much in this wetland in the first place.
"Haaa… now what?"
He was done eating, and after a little more rest, by the time his second night arrived, he had finally recovered completely.
"She's going to be mad…"
In
Not many games of this era offered this time difference feature, but
And, though there was a play-time limit for the headgear users and those who play in the rental stores, those who had high-tech Chariots like them did not have to worry about the connection time out for three whole original days.
They can live in this world for nine system days and still be in peak condition… but, he knew she would kill him if he didn't come out for dinner, or for their regular training sessions, for that matter.
"Let's hope she understands…"
This quest was important for him. So, now that he had recovered, was stronger, and had a clue about how to clear this quest without getting his hands bloody, he wanted to test out his theory once again.
And for that, he needed to stay here… in this exhilarating, deadly world.