I wake up in the middle of the afternoon after hours of restless sleep.
I stand there, without thinking about anything, as the minutes pass.
My experience with the game has become frustrating, and I find myself thinking about abandoning it, as I have done with so many other things in my life.
Thinking about it reminds me of the past, and with that comes regret.
The easiest paths are also the hardest to get back from.
I gather my wits and get out of bed. After devoting so much time to the game, the daily chores have been put on the back burner, so I'm forced to devote the rest of the afternoon to cleaning.
As night falls, I put on my uniform and head out to face my shift at the factory.
Once again, I find myself thinking about how I got here, stuck in this destructive spiral that has become my life... probably by giving up on things when they get a bit difficult.
The hours pass slowly, as I move automatically between one task and another. At one point, I see one of my colleagues looking at me strangely, and then I realize that I'm trying to conjure dark sparks...
[Starting connection]
[Welcome back, Alnair]
I'm not even sure why I came back... the right thing to do was to sell the equipment and find something useful to spend my time on... The worst thing is that it was this very thought that made me start playing in the first place.
Well, today is Tuesday, the 9th day of the game and the difference between guild members and casual players has become undeniable. Meanwhile, I'm stuck at level 07 until I pay my debt to the gods. I know I wasn't the only one to be killed in the event, but it seems I was the only one who stopped in time...
Putting aside my self-pity, I buy a new staff at a cost of 5 silver coins, and set off to assault Mother Nature's children.
I meet some players on the way, looking rather anxious to get back to the village...
I start to move a little more cautiously, afraid of finding remnants of the zombie horde wandering through the forest, but whatever has upset the players decides not to bother me, and so I start to face some level 04 wolves.
I start each battle by trying to use [fascination of darkness], although I haven't learned it yet, with each failure I feel I'm getting closer to success. And when I least expect it, the notification arrives.
[Congratulations, you've learned a new spell!]
Fascination of darkness is an interesting spell (that's why I chose it.), a well-timed use puts the whole group of enemies into chaos, even more so when the state of terror or frenzy is triggered. And since it takes a strong will to resist, animals are totally vulnerable to it.
Armed with a second skill, I decide to find stronger enemies.
I observe a giant wolf prowling around a cave, the animal almost my height has fangs and claws imbued with red flames.
I cast [allure of darkness] and see a black veil descend over the wolf and cloud its furious eyes. I come out of my hiding place and start throwing dark sparks while counting the seconds. The wolf begins to howl as it loses sight, then whimpers as it is hit.
After the second shot, I start to move sideways, while the wolf tries to advance blindly behind me. On the fourth shot, the wolf begins to regain its sight and stares at me, crazed.
By my reckoning, it has already suffered more than a hundred damage, but my magic leaves no visible marks on its body, apart from a faint purple stain that slowly erodes the creature's fur, so I can't tell how badly it's wounded.
Given my current situation, I choose to be cautious and cast a second spell, watching the creature shrink and begin to growl.
I point my staff and fire a rapid sequence of dark sparks.
[You've killed a level 10 bloody wolf]
On the third shot, the wolf dies, and I run to the body to collect a small red crystal and then run away with all my strength.
The fight lasted about 20 seconds (according to my count), and while I was running away, I heard other wolves coming out of the cave. I thank the developers who programmed the wolves not to stray from the cave, and so after almost a minute spent in a desperate race, I get far enough away.
[Fire crystal fragment]
While I wait to regenerate my [sp] and [mp], I analyze the strange red crystal. Apparently it's used to make items with a fire affinity... with a bit of luck it should have a good sale value.
The day of the killing is coming to an end.
The bloody wolves are dangerous enemies, but they are helpless against my strategy. In the end, I managed to kill 31 of them, collecting 12 crystals and paying off half my death debt.
I devote a significant amount of time to cursing Valthir whenever I remember that burning hell I was subjected to. If there's anything good about it, it's that my death was immediate... I've read some harrowing accounts from players traumatized by how real their deaths in the game were...
The fire crystals resemble a stone with jagged, sharp edges, in various shades of red and warm to the touch. They also come in different sizes, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Obviously it's a magical material, I wonder what it can be used for?
[Attention!]
[There's an hour left until the immersion time limit is reached, I recommend you find a safe place].
I observe Terhi's unfriendly towers as I leave the forest. My stomach rumbles, reminding me that I haven't eaten anything yet, and I start salivating at the thought of my next meal.
The food in the game is beyond delicious. Even the simplest version I can afford has a special taste... maybe I should spend a little more on my lunch to celebrate.
I see a trio of players on the road. A light-skinned, brown-haired human with a pleasant smile on her face. Next to her is a giant, gray-skinned brute, carrying a double-edged axe. Between them is someone I can't identify, perhaps a very small human?
They wave and come over to me as I try to pass around them.
"Hi, what's up? Sorry to barge in like this, but do you know Roni? We're looking to join Eternity, but we don't want to sign the agreement in the real world... could you introduce us and broker a deal?"
The girl seems a little nervous as she speaks, moving her hand and looking away with each question.
"Look, I don't know Roni-"
"But my friend saw you with him during the event..."
The girl interrupts me and points to her little friend.
"If you do us this favor, we'll give you all our silver coins, how's that?"
"Roni spoke to me-"
I stop talking when I see the giant raising his axe. For some reason, this seems like a bad sign...
"What?!?"
[You were attacked]
[You received a critical hit]
[You are in shock]
[You are bleeding]
[You are suffering from severe bleeding]
...
...
[You were killed by Ingrid]
…
…
A torrent of messages floods my mind, and I find myself standing in a white hall while the system waits for my answer about the resurrection...
...
I try to rationalize what the hell just happened.
I was killed by other players (that's obvious), the question is why? I didn't have anything valuable on me, and I never provoked anyone... They wouldn't be after the crystals, a group like that could get dozens of crystals without much effort.
If they wanted to rob me, they didn't need to waste time talking... So this has something to do with Roni?
I resurrect myself in the temple of the goddess, and set off at a fast pace, trying to find answers and perhaps some revenge... or compensation...
"The goddess is having a hard time today, huh," one of the temple guards mutters as he sees me pass by.
Somehow, knowing that I'm not the only unlucky one in this city cheers me up a little.
[Eight-hour limit reached. It is recommended that the player ends the immersion]
[If you wish to continue, be aware that clauses 97.1; 97.5 and 98 are no longer valid]
According to the company, the limit of hours of immersion ensured that there were no side effects during or after the game. The longer the immersion time over the safe limit, the greater the risk of side effects such as migraines, dizziness, etc.
There are 4 types of equipment for the game, the VR helmet being the basic and complete model, lasting 8 and 24 hours respectively, and the basic and complete capsule, lasting 7 and 30 days respectively.
The basic helmet was relatively inexpensive, costing 60,000 credits, while the complete helmet cost 800,000 credits. The capsules, in addition to being prohibitively expensive, were limited to 5 million in the first batch.
The question is: Is it worth risking real death to swear at someone face to face? No!
Can I wait 24 hours to swear at that same person? I can't either.
And here I go after that damned scumbag and his shitty guild.