Achievements in video games represent much more than a simple accumulation of rewards or trophies. They symbolize milestones reached, challenges overcome and moments when the player, through perseverance or skill, stands out. Each success tells a personal story, whether it's the mastery of a complex mechanic, the completion of a difficult quest, or the achievement of a long-term goal. These numerical victories become tangible witnesses to the commitment and time invested, a way for the player to mark his journey and demonstrate his competence. However, beyond mere statistics, these successes are often part of a social framework, where they are shared, admired and sometimes even envied, reinforcing the bond between players and creating a veritable network of recognition.
Actually, I was kind of expecting it. The first time I'd played, I'd also unlocked this achievement. And I think I was the only one who had it. A sort of macabre distinction that made me stand out, like a shameful trophy, but which somehow summed up my performance.
Well, I've got to finish this boss off!
I concentrated for a moment, anchoring myself firmly in the reality of this fight. It was time. I advanced towards the Minotorus, and my muscles tensed. The weight of the iron sword in my hand seemed lighter than before. It was no longer a simple fighting tool; it had become an extension of myself.
I struck.
A thud, almost metallic, echoed through the room.
Then, the explosion.
The floor cracked beneath my feet with a deafening crash. Debris rained down around me, but I didn't care. My gaze remained fixed, my mind focused on a single objective. I had anticipated this moment. I had anticipated every detail. These explosions were no accident. They had been planned. Explosives were hidden under the ground, and the iron sword, when it hit the ground with a certain force, activated them.
I let the Minotorus approach me, looking menacing. It charged straight for me, but as it passed over the trap I'd activated, a detonation ripped through the air. The ground rose up in a blinding flash.
I rushed in, taking advantage of the confusion, and in one fluid, powerful movement, delivered a fatal blow. The sword plunged into the creature with devastating force, slicing through its flesh like butter.
The impact was brutal. The explosion, the sword, all blended together in an instant, and the Minotorus collapsed with a dull groan.
Time seemed to stand still. The sensation of power was overwhelming. Stress, fatigue, all had dissipated. All that remained was the action.
The Minotorus collapsed, inert, as I withdrew my sword, my muscles still tense, but my concentration intact.
It was done.
The notification window reappeared.
[Congratulations on passing the tutorial.
You will be sent on the first path after being affiliated with your companion].
A brief pause, then another notification appeared:
[You've just been teleported to the first path]
I blinked. A new scene.
It was very quiet. An almost unreal silence reigned around me. The streets were bathed in twilight, typical Japanese buildings stretched out before me. Tokyo, but something was wrong. There was this sense of... displacement. The streets seemed frozen in a state of stagnation, almost as if time itself had decided to pause.
I looked around, my heart pounding. Normally, at this point, I would have been affiliated with a companion, as the tutorial had indicated.
And yet... nothing.
Is that strange?
I strained my ears, searching for familiar sounds, footsteps, distant voices, but there was nothing. Just the echo of my own breaths in the vastness of the deserted street.
I took a step forward, scanning the horizon, but there was no silhouette in sight. No partner, no allies. And no new notification to guide me.
It was as if... I were alone.
As I walked quietly along, a blurred silhouette in the corner of my eye caught my attention. A metallic flash, a rapid trajectory. A dagger swung straight at me, a swift and precise attack.
Thanks to my years of gaming and experience on the hardcore version of UBH, my reflexes were sharp, far sharper than those of an ordinary player. With almost supernatural speed, I leaned back, dodging the attack by a fraction of a second. The dagger flew past my face, grazing my skin, before planting itself in a concrete wall behind me.
Who could be so cruel as to attack someone like that? I straightened up, breathless, my eyes searching for the assailant.
Just then, a silhouette emerged from the shadows. A young woman. She stood there, calm and impassive, her eyes staring into mine with an almost unsettling intensity.
She wasn't there by chance. Her gaze, filled with cold determination, told me everything. She was... different.
A notification window suddenly appeared.
[You have just found your companion]
I blinked, a little surprised. My companion... This young woman? So this was who I was going to ally myself with?
I had no choice, it was part of the ordeal. Yet part of me wondered if she was really what I'd expected. Her dark eyes and reserved air left a strange taste in my mouth. I had no reason to doubt my allies in this world. But one question remained. Why such a brutal attack in the first place?
Then she turned abruptly to me, her icy tone piercing the tranquility of the moment.
- You shouldn't be wandering the streets so calmly," she rebuked me. Her intense gaze fixed on me, as if she were scrutinizing my every move, looking for a flaw.
I froze for a moment. Yes, the place was quiet, almost unreal, but part of me knew that the real ordeal was about to begin. The first path through UBH was renowned for its simplicity. A wave of goblins. Nothing too complicated for an experienced player, but...
A shiver of concern ran through me. The young woman seemed ready to attack me at any moment. She was different. And that's what bothered me.
She held up a finger, as if waiting for my reaction.
- The first test," she continued with cold indifference, "is a matter of survival. A simple wave of goblins.
I looked at her, trying to decode her statement. It was simple, indeed. But something wasn't right.
I'd been watching her movements earlier. The dagger that had grazed me was not thrown by an amateur. It was too precise, too deft. Even in a stressful situation, she had acted with rare mastery. It wasn't just a low-level skill. Something inside her, beyond her appearances, seemed far more powerful.
Why such strength in a simple companion?
I tried to understand. She didn't look like a novice, nor a mere rookie of the game. The dagger she had thrown was so precise that it could not have been the gesture of an ordinary player. A shiver ran through me.
- You know, just because you're a high-level player doesn't mean you can afford to be careless," she said in a deep voice, as if issuing a warning.
I was shocked. High level?
I stared at her, my eyes wide. How did she know? Although I'd improved over the years of practice, I'd never mentioned my progress to anyone, not even my subscribers.
She replied, with a slight grin on her face:
- Yes, if you're with me, you must have beaten the Minotorus pretty quickly, right? I beat it in 1 minute 03. And to think that some people can beat it in less than a minute... she added with a tone of disgust for herself.
For a moment, I had no answer. It was strange. Normally, after the tutorial, you were supposed to be affiliated with a partner of the same level, but here I was with someone obviously extremely powerful. She didn't seem to be just a low-level player like me.
- Did you hear what I said? She stared at me, a glint of defiance in her eyes. You know, just because you're high level doesn't mean you can afford to neglect others...
She was referring to my own attitude of walking around serenely, as if I weren't in a world of combat. It was true, I was used to feeling safe, even after my hours on UBH. But I'd never imagined I'd be introduced to someone so powerful.
I wondered how she knew so much. I had a feeling she already knew my identity as a streamer. If that was the case, lying wouldn't help.
I took a deep breath and told her the truth:
- The truth is... I finished the tutorial in 6 hours and 40 minutes.
She looked at me for a long time, without saying a word.
She seemed surprised, her eyes crinkling in astonishment.
- Over 6 hours? How can that be? And why are you with me? There must be some mistake... Anyway, good luck.
She turned on her heels, ready to leave, but no sooner had she taken a few steps than a new notification appeared, blocking her movement.
The words flashed before us like an inescapable sentence:
[Path #1: Goblin attack
Rules: Survive the goblin attack with your companion for 24 hours. If one of you dies, you both fail the test].
I could feel the tension thickening in the air. The notice was unequivocal, imposing a new rule, a merciless test.
She seemed genuinely incredulous, her eyes widening as she looked me up and down.
- I can't believe it. I'm going to have to take on a player like you...
She raised her eyebrows, almost exasperated, as if a curse had fallen on her. But as she took a second look at my face, her expression changed to one of shocked understanding. She stared at my features for a few moments longer, then her eyes lit up.
- Wait a minute... You're the streamer Bareass, the guy who's known as the worst player in the game, right?
A strange silence settled between us, the air heavy with realism. I didn't even have to answer her, as she seemed to have already understood. I laughed nervously, the situation catching me off guard.
- Yes, that's me...
It was almost surreal, that after so many years of playing and streaming, this was the moment that would define my true entry into the world of UBH. A kind of cold realization.
We both looked at each other, a heavy silence stretching out. All was not as expected, and I could see that she was far from thrilled with this unexpected partnership.
She finally broke the silence, her tone slightly more serious, more analytical.
- Normally, in the first trial, there's no liaison with the companion, you know. You start on your own and you're supposed to survive on your own.
Yes, that was true. In the original game, the first trial was supposed to be a simple introduction to the game world, a series of waves of enemies to deal with on your own. No connections, no help, just you and the creatures out to destroy you.
- Yes, that's right," I replied. But now it looks like they've decided to change the rules.
And that made the enigma even more complex. Why the change?