「 CHAPTER 6: The Birth of a New Beginning 3/6 」
The forest stretched out before me, its towering trees reaching up like dark, ancient sentinels. Casting thin, ghostly beams onto the forest floor below. The air was cool and heavy with the scent of damp earth and decaying leaves. Every step I took stirred the undergrowth, causing shadows to dance and shift.
In the distance, the soft, melodic tweets of unseen birds echoed through the stillness, a haunting reminder of life amid the eerie silence. The deeper I ventured, the more the forest seemed to close in around me.
As I ventured deeper into the forest, I started to see dangerous and deadly creatures lurking around and hiding within the darkness. My best plan right now is to find an animal or something that can easily be killed to gain some exp.
After a while of wandering I fortunately came across a camp of goblins. My heart sank as soon as I saw those creatures. They look very different than they were in the game. They have a cute design in the game but in reality, they are disgusting, creepy creatures.
I'm scared. My legs won't budge and my body is trembling. I'm afraid. I took a sharp rock nearby and stabbed my leg.
I can finally move again but I still can't stop trembling. Telling myself to survive and to get strong is easy but facing those things in reality is a different matter.
I covered my mouth and sat down to calm myself and to think of a way to get through this. I looked around my surroundings and calmed myself.
I stayed hidden and careful to not make any noise that would give away my location. I wanted to test out a game feature, so I hid inside a bush and made some noise. I managed to attract the attention of an armed goblin.
I kept rustling and making screeching noises for it to come closer. The goblin, full of curiosity, cautiously approaches me with a short sword in its hand.
When the goblin was within my range, I quickly grabbed its arm and performed a sleeper choke hold snapping its neck and killing it instantly.
After killing one goblin, I felt something strange but good feeling, It felt like something just went inside my body, this must be what it feels like to gain exp. I opened my Status window to see If I leveled up, and I saw a gauge bar above my name.
[ 10 / 50 ]
I had gained 10 exp from killing a single goblin and I need 50 exp to level up. In [ LEGACY ] your level bar gauge increases every time you level up and forces you to grind even more.
My hands was shaking. It's trembling very badly—I killed a living creature. Fuck! I can't take this—this is too much! But if I want to survive—I told myself that I'd kill to survive so that's what I'll do.
I took the short sword of the goblin, it was a bit worn out but, it will do. For the past 20 minutes, I've been luring goblins to my bush and killing them one by one.
[ 50 / 50 ] -> [ 0 / 100 ]
*DING*
[ CONGRATULATIONS! YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 2 ! ] [ +3 SP ] [ +2% HP ] [ +3% MP ]
Great! I'm now level 2 and my health and mana slightly increased! It took me longer than expected but if I keep up my pace then I'll be able to reach level 10 in no time.
Time passed, my clothes were covered in blood from the goblins, I smelled terrible and I'd been hunting for 2 hours straight with no rest. I managed to get to level 7 just before dawn. I haven't touched my [ SP ] because I wasn't sure yet what I would upgrade.
I accumulated 18 [SP], and both my health and mana increased significantly as well.
The next day, as soon as the sun rose I hunted for goblins again. Last time I went north from the camp, and today, I'm going west.
I'm carefully watching where I step, dirt and sticks crackle as I take each step deeper and deeper into the forest, I looked up to see my surroundings and I was stunned in awe.
Only the faintest rays of light managed to filter through tall towering trees, casting delicate beams that wove a mesmerizing tapestry of illumination on the shadowy forest floor.
Each soft ray seemed like a touch of magic, transforming the dark and enigmatic woods into a fantastical realm. The cool, damp air, rich with the scent of moss and decay, only added to the sense of enchantment.
To me, it felt as though I had stumbled into a living dream, a magical forest where even the smallest glimmers of light carried an otherworldly beauty.
Whilst walking aimlessly through the forest, I happened to see a familiar structure made of stone bricks with covered in moss and in an almost awful state. I walked closer to get a better look at the ruined structure, and I saw a group of goblins camping inside.
I felt confident that I'd be able to defeat them with ease, but immediately I was reminded of how powerless I am. I opened my Status Window and I felt frustrated with my stats.
╭───────────────────╮
ㅤㅤㅤㅤ [ STATUS ]
[ \ \ \ \ \ ㅤ60 / 250 ㅤㅤㅤ]
Name: Kayden Polaris
Level: [ 7 ]
Class: [ None ]
STR: [ 10 ]
INT: [ 10 ]
AGI: [ 10 ]
END: [ 10 ]
SEN: [ 10 ]
╰───────────────────╯
I was flabbergasted when I saw my stats back at the hut, I felt disappointed, I thought I'd make it to this life easily, but I guess, easy things don't happen in life.
Instead of brooding over my disappointing stats, I used it as motivation to get even stronger because in the world of [ LEGACY ], the weak dies and the strong survives, and I will get stronger no matter what.
I allotted 9 [ SP ] on my strength and 9 [ SP ] on my agility, with this, I have no more remaining [ SP ] and I'll be able to land more heavy and critical attacks and at the same time, increase my attack speed as well.
STR: [ 10 ] -> [ 19 ]
AGI: [ 10 ] -> [ 19 ]
Remaining [ SP ] : 0
I closed the window and waited for the perfect time to attack. There were about 6 goblins in the campsite, 3 goblins got up and patrolled the area while I hid in a bush.
Before I got to do anything, one goblin approached my bush, I thought that this was perfect because I could kill him easily but right before I could grab its leg, it pissed all over me.
My mouth dropped a frown and my eyebrows furrowed. I felt angry and frustrated as I see him peeing on my head.
It took a while for it to finish and I could see his relieved face after he took a piss, I endured it because I'd die if I don't. I suppressed my anger and grabbed him by the neck stabbing his back piercing the heart with the Goblin's sword.
With the scent of goblin urine, they wouldn't be able to smell me, so I slowly crept up behind the camp where three goblins were sleeping with food still in their hand.
I held my sword tight and began stabbing their chest piercing the heart killing them instantly and their bodies dropping on the floor. I sneaked up on the last two goblins on patrol, clearing the campsite.
I took a quick rest on their campsite to explore my Menu Window. I took a look at my Status Window once again.
" *Sigh* I haven't leveled up yet, huh?"
It was stupid of me not to check the Skills Window before I started my hunt. But when I checked I was disappointed to see that there were no skills available or active.
"Well, I expected this."
I opened my Profile window because it's quite unusual for a system to have a profile window. The Profile window just shows information about the user or in this case, me. It shows everything about me such as traits, biography, age, etc.
And lastly, the one that I was most curious about, was the Craftting. Crafting, was one of the essential things you need in [Legacy]. Crafting allows you to make various items from weapons, armor, relics to accessories, and more.
But crafting with the user's window, it is limited to some extent. You will be able to craft more by using a [ Work Station ], which lets you craft more items with the necessary materials.
And then, suddenly something popped into my head. If Crafting is available then, is Gathering also a possible? It is a key feature in the game that lets you gather materials such as ores, crystals, plants, and other stuff to make items and complete certain quests.
I closed everything and caught something in the corner of my eye. I looked to my left and saw the stairs leading down somewhere dark.
It is a [ DUNGEON ], a structure built by Ancient Ones to hide their treasures. But Dungeons are very dangerous, It consists of levels of 5, level 1 being the easiest. The deeper you go down the levels, the harder the enemies become.
But for me, I couldn't help but smile imagining the amount of loot I could get from the dungeon.
On my first day playing the game, every players would go to the village near the spawning area but, I was different. I tend to explore more in open-world games to appreciate its beautiful landscape and scenery.
Upon exploring, I came across a structure much like this one but was in perfect shape. It was filled to the brim with monsters and traps, but at the end of it lays an abundance of treasure waiting to be taken by the players. And that is how the younger me who was at level 1, conquered a dungeon all by himself.
I stood up and stretched my whole body to warm up, I grabbed a stick and cloth from the camp and made a torch. I went down the very long stairs until I reached the first level.
As I head down, I could no longer hear the wind whispering, or birds chirping and not a single ray of sunlight in sight. All I could hear are drops of water from the ceiling and the squeaking of bats flying around in the darkness around me.
As I reached the first floor of the dungeon I opened its massive doors cautiously, preparing for any incoming attacks. After confirming it was clear, I headed inside. I would often step on bones and remains of those who met their demise attempting to conquer this place. As I was walking in the dark hallway of the dungeon, I saw a light from the distance, with joy, I rushed towards the light hoping it could be a safe place for me to camp.
As I sprinted down the dark, narrow hallway of the dungeon toward the distant light, the ground beneath me began to crumble and give way. Before I could react, I plunged into the void, the sensation of falling endless and disorienting.
When I finally came to a halt, I slowly opened my eyes, my heart pounding in my chest. I found myself lying on a richly adorned carpet in a grand throne room.
The opulent space was illuminated by the soft glow of torches, revealing elaborate tapestries and intricate carvings that adorned the walls. At the far end of the room, a majestic throne sat elevated on a dais, casting a long shadow in the dim light.
The contrast between the dark, perilous dungeon and this magnificent, serene chamber left me in stunned disbelief.
In the center of the room stood a pedestal, bathed in an eerie, spotlight-like glow from an unknown light source. With my limping leg and a partially broken rib, I stood up from and walked towards the pedestal.
Atop the pedestal rested an ominous black ring, its surface gleaming with a red gem set in the center. A dark, swirling aura of black smoke seemed to emanate from the ring, adding a sinister, otherworldly quality to the already eerie atmosphere. The sight of the ring, surrounded by the spectral glow and shifting shadows, filled me with a sense of foreboding and awe.
I took a closer look at the ring resting on the pedestal. My heart skipped a beat as recognition struck me. The sight of that ring filled me with a wave of anger and aversion, It was something that I never wanted to see again. The item that made my experience ten times more difficult, [ The Ring of Seven Curses ].
「 END OF CHAPTER 6 」
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[SP] (Status Point) - Points used to level up stats of the player's Status Window, a key component making them stronger and tougher depending on what the player desires.
「 MENU 」- It displays all the available buttons or windows that a user can use.
「 STATUS 」- It displays your overall status and experience.
「 SKILLS 」- It displays all the available skills the user can use or cast.
「 PROFILE 」- A window that shows Information about the user.
「 CRAFTING 」- An essential window used for crafting what the user needs as long as they have the necessary materials.
「 INVENTORY 」- An infinite pocket dimensional space. No need for backpacks!