I saw him draw closer and then sit down by the fire, warming his cold hands and being mesmerized by the flames.
I indeed found another tree branch in the trash, but I was struggling to pull it out. Jeber_Arium heard the noise and glanced in my direction. The stupid branch wouldn’t budge.
“Jeb, help me, will you? Can’t you see that I can’t manage by myself?”
He didn’t even twitch and then, annoyingly, my timer went off.
The mobs were respawning!
An angry squeak came from the nearest nest. A large rat climbed out, spotted me, immediately went hostile and leaped for my throat.
I instinctively threw out my arm to protect myself and the creature sank its teeth into my wrist. My usual tactic wouldn’t work now. There were a lot of rats and I had accidentally put myself between two nests.
I pulled out my broken sword to beat them back but there were too many enemies. They overwhelmed me with their numbers, biting my legs and several jumping on me at once.
The Bleeding debuff appeared. My Life bar turned yellow and shrunk in half.
I was going to be so pissed off if I died right now!
A crooked shadow flashed past and one of the rats shrieked and died as a thrown stone smashed its skull open.
I was barely alive. The mounds of garbage shifted as rats surrounded me on all sides. They were going to overwhelm me. I couldn’t even reach the poisonous fog. It was too far and I didn’t have enough Stamina to cross the whole room.
Jeb threw several more rocks and rushed towards me, pulling out an object from a pile of trash as he went.
It was a roughly cobbled-together fragment of a door with an awkward handle, made out of boards that were beginning to rot around the edges.
Jeb used it as a shield and began waving a firebrand around.
Sparks flew in all directions and the smoke scared away the mobs. The rats scattered but Jeb didn’t stop there. While I retreated to the respawn circle (regeneration went faster there), he managed to run back to the fire, use a fragment of pottery to scoop up some hot coals and poured them into the disturbed rat nest!
An enraged screech echoed through the space. The garbage was tossed into the air as if there had been an explosion. What was going on?
A miniboss! An enormous rat the size of a calf, its fur singed in several places. Well done, Jeb! Did he aggravate it by accident or did he know what he was doing?
Protorat. Level 30.
Its stench washed over us.
…
Aura of Malodor. The speed of your Stamina regeneration is reduced.
Aura of Disgust. Your movement speed is reduced when you attempt to approach the Protorat.
Toxic breath. Damage 2 HP/sec.
…
“Jeb, get back!” I yelled.
He understood me and retreated to the fire.
The Protorat screeched again and launched itself at us. It’s health bar dropped slightly as the burns on its skin continued to smolder, inflicting small amounts of fire damage. It was probably the only weakness of the rat miniboss.
I had absolutely no idea how to kill it. My glove wasn’t much help. I’m no pyromaniac. I had to put quite a lot of effort into starting even a normal fire.
Thoughts raced through my mind. My Life bar hadn’t even returned to half-full and continued to pulse a yellow color. Jeb was OK but could I count on him?
The Protorat pounced on us.
“Shield!” I screamed.
Jeber was quick on his feet in battle. He gave me the wooden door and rolled out of the way.
Sadly, it ended quickly and painfully. The first swipe of the clawed paw smashed through the improvised shield and the next swipe ended my life.
…
YOU HAVE DIED.
1,234 Exp lost.
Chapter Eight
MAX WAS right. I was catastrophically lacking in gaming experience. Why did I stand there like a dolt, covering myself with the door? Was I hoping that the hit wouldn’t get through my defense?
I could feel my nerves fraying. Wasn’t it a bit early? Was my mind that weak?
That’s all right. Let’s try again.
The trembling wouldn’t settle. The 50% of realism was making itself known.
During the war, we were all in God’s hands. Only an idiot didn’t fear death. What were the new technologies offering us?
The chance to die again and again. The sensations were enough to send one mad. My arm was still aching and there was a lump in my throat from the reeking breath of the beast that had killed me.
What do we need VR capsules for? Why do we need full immersion?
A hissing interrupted my thoughts and a bright light shone in my eyes.
Mandatory exit for medical reasons, flashed the message.
My health was fine. This VR capsule was more basic, one of the older models. The metabolic correction wasn’t as gentle and the 50% of realism were having an effect. I looked at the system message. I was blocked for 4 hours from going back into VR.
How annoying. I was worried about Jeb. How was he doing in there? Had he been sent into respawn as well or had he survived and was hiding somewhere the miniboss couldn’t reach him?
I clambered out of the VR capsule, spent a long time in the shower, then ordered dinner and went online.
I probably looked quite weird. A grown-up man staring into space. Only my pupils were moving from time to time.
Well, how else to do it? All the information was displayed through the contact lenses. Reading off a holographic monitor no longer seemed convenient. One got used to good things quickly.
What did experienced players say about realism levels? It was an important question. I needed more information about all aspects of virtual life, as long as the information was trustworthy since the internet was full of flooding[4] and trolling. It could be difficult to separate fact from fiction.
‘If you haven’t been to the Edge of the Abyss, you haven’t lived...’
‘We have been asked to cast off our moral bonds and show our true nature...’
‘Let the strongest survive. The Abyss forever! All the trappings of civilization disappear like chaff in less than a day. You will do things that you would have never thought possible. Seriously. This isn’t an ad. We’re animals.’
‘Restricted to 18+. What a joke. What about the children whose parents rent VR capsules in entertainment centers and are away from home for days at a time?’
Those were the most sensible posts taken from a mass of swearing, confusion, exalted excitement, fear and madness.
The situation appeared to be in freefall. The Edge of the Abyss couldn’t be shut down since the servers were scattered all over the world and many countries, such as India, refused to do so. They had no intention of switching off millions of VR capsules. On the contrary, they were building skyscrapers filled with equipment designed for full immersion.
After this trip through the World Wide Web, I was left with the persistent feeling that someone had poured a bucket of ice water and kitchen scraps over my head.
All right. I had nothing to lose. I’d keep digging.
OK, what could I find out about the gameplay?
I searched for ‘level of realism and leveling up a character’.
To my surprise, I found an intelligent answer quite quickly. It turned out that there were plenty of sensible players, who published genuinely useful information. This is what I found:
The 10% of realism recommended by the developers is a dead end. The character needs to be leveled up at 50% at least. I’ll explain why.
First, weak pain sensations (when a wound feels like a scratch) lead to a dismissive attitude. You don’t develop your fighting skills. You act carelessly while your opponent, who has at least 50% of realism, knows the price of pain and has practiced every move, trains hard and is motivated.
Second, the fear of pain can be overcome. You will be rewarded with an intensity of other sensations, plus, pain can be r
educed to a minimum. Don’t let yourself get hit. Don’t start fights that you can’t win. Don’t neglect the abilities of a multiclass character if you’re traveling solo or gather experienced healers into your party. Healing during battle removes all the painful effects — I’ve experienced this in practice. Some buffs significantly reduce negative sensations, plus, your defense and resistance increase with time (as you level up).
Most importantly, remain in control. Pick the regions and locations that match your level. Pay more attention to daily training and then the Edge of the Abyss will show you its best side.
Weigh up your strength and stay calm when you confront your enemies...
* * *
The return to the Edge of the Abyss went as normal.
First came the intro and then I found myself standing in the resurrection circle.
Nothing had changed. The same muted light came from the fissure and the hunched figure of Jeber_Arium could be barely seen through the fumes.
“Hello!” I waved to him.
He started in surprise, stood up and raised his spear to attack but then recognized me. The tip of the weapon dropped back down and then an incredible thing happened. He hurried towards me, stumbling, grabbed my elbow, squeezed it tightly and stared intently into my eyes.
“I thought you weren’t coming back,” he said, his voice gruff and hesitant.
The long isolation had disturbed his psyche. Alone among the mobs, in a completely hopeless situation, he had gradually lost all hope and remained alive only thanks to his instincts. His hopes and dreams had all faded away and his desires had grown simple, limited to a gulp of water, a bite of food and the search for a safe corner where he could fall into a restless sleep. But now I could see a glimmer of awareness in his eyes.
It was worth coming back just for this. The important thing now was not to let him sink back into himself and become apathetic.
“What happened to the miniboss?”
“I ran away and it buried itself back in the garbage.”
“How are we going to get out of here? Have you thought about it?”
“We’re too weak,” he shrugged hopelessly.
“That’s true. Yet you used to be much stronger, right?”
I couldn’t even imagine what this guy had gone through. I could see the internal struggle reflected on his gaunt and haggard face. Paleness spreads over his cheeks like gray spots.
“Yes,” he said hollowly.
“Can you remember and teach me?”
“I can barely remember that power,” Jeb admitted. “I lost it...”
“What was your level?”
Jeb wrinkled his forehead in thought. His thinness made him look like an old man. “Seventy-three, I think.”
“Cool... what did you specialize in?”
“Battle magic,” he said, sounding uncertain.
“Could you teach me?”
Jeb hesitated. The guides that I had read insisted that two multiclass players could train each other and level up.
“I’ve forgotten everything,”
“No, you haven’t. It’s just that the game penalized you by reducing your highest characteristic. Which is Intellect, right?”
He shrugged and seemed to shrink into himself.
“Come on, don’t give up already! Do you remember how to use the interface?”
He nodded.
“Open the characteristics tab. How high is your Adaptability?”
“Ten,” Jeb replied after a pause.
“Excellent. Let’s get you up two more levels. Then we’ll start teaching each other all sorts of tricks. Combat and magic ones. Got it? Excellent. Go and gather some rocks. Let’s piss off those rats and drag them into the fumes.”
We raced back and forth through the tunnels until evening, disturbing nests, annoying the rodents and killing them in the dead end beyond the toxic cloud.
We had completely exhausted ourselves out but also advanced Jeb up three levels. We barely spoke during the monotonous farming, and even now, sitting by the fire, we continued to breathe heavily. We were both very drowsy but had to eat something first. I had already received two warning messages about the upcoming debuffs.
I found an old, crumpled metal helmet and attached a clumsy handle, turning it into an impromptu cooking pot, which I filled with water and hung over the fire. Our ability to survive in terrible conditions was the result of our minds and not brute force.
Once the water had boiled, I took the rat meat out of my inventory, which the mobs often dropped as loot, and added two pieces to the pot. At least I didn’t have to gut the rats first.
* * *
The night passed calmly.
By sleeping in shifts and keeping the fire going, we both got a good night’s rest and received the Vigor buff.
Jeb continued to act like a wild thing, at times peering at me worryingly or growing melancholic and withdrawn, but this was tolerable.
The mobs had long respawned and were darting about among the garbage but not coming close to the fire and the respawn circle.
I hung the pot over the fire again and warmed up yesterday’s stew, making myself eat a little. Jeb wasn’t too picky in that sense, chowing it down merrily.
While he finished breakfast, I found the remainder of the hapless door. The handle was still attached to it. It would do for now. I had none of the necessary instruments in my possession, only a dagger. I used it to sharpen two sticks. I gave the long one to Jeb and kept the short one for myself.
“Let’s go,” I indicated a small open area on the other side of the creek.
“There’s nothing to farm there,” my companion noted.
“Today’s training,” I replied. “Attack and defend!”
Jeb didn’t understand what I meant at first, staring at me with distrust. I had to poke him with my stick, which imitated the length of the broken sword. The wooden stick inflicted 1-2 points of damage. It had laid in the water for a long time and was swollen with moisture, weighing about as much as the sword.
Jeb got annoyed and struck me with his ‘spear’ but I managed to throw up my makeshift shield in time and block his attack, and immediately tried to perform a somersault towards my opponent.
Incredibly, it worked! To be honest, I was worried about snapping my neck. However, cyberspace is lenient towards certain things, despite the level of realism, so combat acrobatics were possible in principle. Rolling over stones (most of them pointy) didn’t inflict any injuries. I became slightly disorientated, which meant that I couldn’t perform my finishing move but it was decent for a first try.
Jeb jumped back and jabbed at me with the spear, managing to wound me. A creepy smile lit up his face. There we go! I received 3 points of damage and a small scratch.
I got back to my feet and covered myself with the shield.
Jeb had decided to test how tough I was. He performed a series of quick thrusts that almost pushed me into the wall and then I used a simple but effective move, batting his spear aside with my shield and immediately making a thrust into his chest.
It went very well! Jeb was knocked off his feet. If I had been holding a real sword, the scuffle would have been over.
I gave him my hand and helped him back up.
Was Jeb angry? I couldn’t tell. The smile on his narrow face looked more like a scowl.
“Why fight if we don’t get any experience points?” he asked huskily.
“You’ll see soon. Attack me,” I encouraged him.
By noon we were both swaying on our feet.
“That’s it. That’s enough.”
Jeb lowered his spear, breathing heavily.
“Let’s head back to the fire.”
I opened the character tab back at the respawn circle. Not bad. Dexterity, Stamina and Strength had all increased by 12-13%. More importantly, I had learned how to do rolls and no longer responded to them with intense dizziness.
“Jeb, do you remember any simple spells from your past arsenal?”
He thought for a long time, then slowly raised his arm and made a clumsy pass. Several runes glowed and faded in the air between us.
“What is it?”
“Phantom Shield... It didn’t work.”
“Try again!”
Jeb hung his head. “It won’t work.” he whispered.
Edge of the Abyss (Respawn Trials Book #1) LitRPG Series Page 12