Pearl of the South (World of the Changed Book #2): LitRPG Series

by Vasily Mahanenko

  I didn’t have time to finish that thought before my device control picked up a red dot. And it wasn’t in the cave or in the tunnel in front of me; it was in the tunnel right on the other side of the wall I was up against. Without a second thought, I threw everything I had at the dot in an attempt to take it out with one strike.

  You’re trying to hack the defenses of player DG-30K.

  Probability of successful hack: 65%.

  Attempt 1… Successful.

  Wait, the ability works through walls? Nice! Block the bastard! Is there a camera? Damn it, there is! Connect. Sound! Where’s the sound?!

  “…in this cave,” Villian said, pointing at something on its tablet. Turning the lens slightly, I saw that the mercenary was looking at a map of the dungeon and pointing confidently right at the spot where Grust was hiding. Bastard!

  “We can burn him out, no problem.”

  “What about Mark?” one of the fighters asked. I had the robot take a step away to see how bad the situation was. Villian and its three mercenaries were the strike force, though they were accompanied in the tunnel by five of Four’s newly unemployed underlings. Or, at least, four of them — one was under my control. I didn’t have access to its weapon or the store. Either it didn’t have access, or working through the wall was putting a damper on things.

  Villian looked up, annoyed that my marionette was moving, though it almost immediately looked back down at the screen.

  “I don’t see him right now, but he has to be hiding in the main cave. That’s how it was last time; that’s how it’ll be this time. Search under every rock, use the flamethrowers, and make sure you cover every millimeter. Keep an eye out for mines — Mark likes to throw them around. Okay, we don’t have much time left, so get to it!”

  Flamethrowers! Sure, they weren’t weapons in the direct sense, and they were apparently listed as secondary devices, but I had access to the one my robot had. The settings were simple — force and duration. Turning the force up as high as it would go, I turned my marionette toward the mercenaries and hit the button to activate it with relish. I never would have thought I could be so bloodthirsty.

  “No-o-o!” The shrieking chorus that gurgled away a moment later was music to my ears. The stream of napalm was so powerful that two mercenaries found themselves lying in pools of melted metal. The third was luckier, as it managed to dodge and get away with heavy burns and a charred arm. Villian, the bastard, was untouched. I immediately lost control of the robot as it was taken out.

  You killed 2 players from the owner’s personal guard.

  You can collect 2 (7) named items in the store.

  Level +40 (402).

  20 free attribute points received.

  I threw myself against the wall trying to sense one of the other robots, but to no avail. Either they weren’t close enough, or they no longer existed. Villian may very well have decided to eliminate any potential threats. I wanted to yell something about how the mercenary was next, but that would have been a mistake. Let it think I’m in the tunnel next to them. It was better to have the creature on edge.

  But then, it hit me that I wasn’t sure what to do next. On the one hand, Villian needed the pearl more than me, which meant it was going to come for it, and I needed to set up a defense. On the other, I couldn’t just sit in one spot waiting for who-knows-what. The explosion had turned the main cave into a spot I didn’t want to stay in. If Villian left the dungeon, it could mine the entrance, and it wouldn’t even have had to be in the location to get the desired result. I would be blown to pieces, the location would be opened up, and the pearl would be right there for the taking so long as it survived the blast.

  So long as it survived the blast! That meant that option was out of the question — the mercenary wasn’t going to risk it. It needed the pearl whole and unharmed, otherwise the general wouldn’t be giving out any rewards. And that was why I couldn’t stay in one spot. The robots had sleeping gas they could flood the cave with, and I already knew it didn’t work on Tsarter fighters.

  There it is! I had to wonder what was wrong with my memory — of course, there were first aid items. Pulling up the store, I bought a few syringes with a sedative. That was the only option for neutralizing players for at least a couple hours. There was no telling what Villian used to constantly block regeneration and turn me into a statue, as I couldn’t find anything matching that description. Nope, none of this.

  I slipped noiselessly into the tunnel, doing my best to keep as close to the wall as possible as I scanned the area with my device control. The hope was still there to find an opponent through the wall, but it was not to be. Half an hour later, my slow crawl had gotten me to where the mercenaries had gone up in flames. Both the charred bodies and metal remains were lying there. Villian had indeed taken out the rest of Four’s underlings to make sure they couldn’t be used against it, but what really stunned me was that the mercenary I’d wounded was there, too. Its head was lying next to its body, removed with one clean swipe. None of the bodies had phones or loot I could take. Villian had stripped them, making sure I didn’t get a single coin.

  My curiosity piqued, I headed down the corridor toward where I’d been able to blow up an entire crowd of players including the general’s spawn and the mercenaries. But all I could do was growl through gritted teeth when I got there. Villian had beaten me to the punch. Nothing was left of the robots, the dark dust showing me that the green-skinned beast had simply disintegrated them. And what remained of the mercenaries was stripped and looted. Again, there were neither phones nor loot. The Tsarter leader had been thorough.

  Although, no, there actually was loot. Ten glimmering spheres of noa were lying in the middle of the corridor, all attention drawn right to them. That seemed suspicious, but there weren’t any explosives nearby. The spheres were doing nothing but drive back the darkness of the dungeon from their spot on the ground. Once again, my nose started bleeding as I strained my device control. Villian wouldn’t have just left them there, would he? There has to be some kind of trap. But I couldn’t find anything. Not the green-skinned mercenary, not explosives, not a trap. Go pick them up, I guess.

  Once I got my nerve up, I did exactly that. And as soon as I touched them, I cringed, expecting an explosion, but there was nothing forthcoming. The mercenary leader had just left the noa there, not wanting to… Ah-ha, exactly! It hadn’t wanted to shine in the ether like a Christmas tree. That was why it had left the noa for me. It couldn’t have destroyed it — the owner would have had its head.

  Villian Po is trying to connect to your protection.

  Probability of successful hack: 0%.

  What?! Device control tried once more, finally showing me where Villian was. As it risked trying to hack me, it showed me where it was, as well, temporarily dropping its protection. The mercenary leader was right at the edge of my scanner’s range. Still, that was enough for a counterattack.

  You’re trying to hack the defenses of player Villian Po.

  Sum total of your skill levels: 600 (device control: 150, hacking: 150, perception: 150, anatomy master: 150).

  Sum total of Villian Po’s protection: 560 (hacking protection: 140, resistance: 140, resilience: 140, willpower: 140).

  Probability of successful hack: 6.7% (1 — 560/600).

  Attempt 1… Successful.

  Block! Block it right now!

  I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the message. I pulled it off on the first try! The first! I’d thought of the mercenary as a god, and there it was.

  The time Five had taken me over popped into my head. Back then, my phone had obediently flown over to it, leaving me poor and alone. I held out a hand and tried the same trick, and Villian’s device slapped suddenly against my palm. A wave of importance washed over me — it took a few deep breaths to calm myself down. The phone’s screen lit up to show me how much cash my opponent had on it. Almost 800 million coins?! I was stunned. Where do you even come up with that many? That was definitely
going to be enough to pay for —

  Wait, what? No!

  Villian’s device disintegrated into black dust in my hand. Right then, I was also informed that I’d lost control over my opponent’s equipment. Looking over in surprise, I just had time to notice the green-skinned mercenary’s armor crumbling away. It stood there naked for a second, after which it dissolved into the space around it. Before it went, I earned myself a fairly clear gesture — one thumb was dragged across its throat.

  A level four flamethrower cost pennies, just about a hundred thousand coins. The next level up was out of reach for me — I didn’t meet the requirements, and I didn’t have time right them to boost them. Still, it was a dangerous weapon for a naked opponent. The stream of napalm poured over the spot where Villian had just been standing, but it was no longer there. Bathing the walls, ceiling, and ground in fire also gave me nothing.

  A chill ran down my spine. What did it just do? How had it been able to destroy its items and get away?

  “So, you’re worthless without your toys,” said a sneering voice. It felt like it was coming from everywhere. I spun around as if dancing on a hot frying pan, trying to find my opponent, but it was pointless.

  “First, I’m going to destroy you, and then I’m going to take my time with your sister. Everything I can imagine, I’ll try on her, though I’ll make sure she stays alive as long as possible. You can’t even begin to comprehend what she’s in for,” Villian called. It sounded like the voice was coming from the direction of the main cave. Turning my flamethrower on as high as it would go, I ran in that direction, keeping the stream of fire working over the entire space. The green mug had been able to beat through my defenses and make me sweat. I would have done anything for Squirrel.

  But there was nobody in the cave, either. All I heard was Villian’s diabolical laughter bouncing off the walls and making the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Beside myself with rage, I started turning the napalm right and left, trying to catch the invisible bastard. I had no doubt it was nearby.

  “That’s enough — you lost.” The mercenary’s voice sounded right next to my ear. I jumped, but it was too late. Villian’s usual syringe filled with the blocking potion slipped into my body. “You disappoint me, Mark Derwin. All I had to do was turn up the heat a little, and you found your usual spot in deep shit.”

  Like some kind of spider, Villian dropped its head down from the ceiling, holding on to a slender thread with legs and its tail. What, it’s an arachnid, too?

  “So, this is our rainbow pearl?” Letting itself down onto the ground, Villian tossed the flamethrower to one side and pulled my loot out of my pocket. “Hm… Interesting description… So, individually for every… Yes, I didn’t expect that…”

  “Didn’t expect this, either,” Grust said, and the green creature’s knees burst into bloody fountains. Flipping upside down, it began pulling itself back up to the ceiling, though my partner’s next shoot took out the thread as well as its tail. The Tsarter leader crashed to the ground and disappeared — that wasn’t enough to stop Swallow, however. Grust didn’t need to see his target; he could orient himself with his senses. More bloody fountains spouted to knock Villian out of invisibility. Its arms and shoulders were shot clean through. Still, that wasn’t enough for my partner, whose next few rounds penetrated the creature’s stomach. Grust was maniacal, enjoying his work to the point that I had to intervene.

  Grust joined your group: Don’t kill it! We need it alive!

  “What do you care?” Grust came over to me, breathing hard. Judging by his battered outfit, he’d been through a rough patch, as well. He pulled out his phone when he realized that I couldn’t respond. Yes, Grust had had enough — I could see his hands shaking. Printing out two regeneration syringes, he buried one in himself and the other in me. A couple seconds later, my body softened. I was back in control.

  “We can’t kill him right now!” I was finally able to explain myself as I bought a BRO-I outfit in the store. What was left of Villian was crawling across the floor in an attempt to escape, though two sedatives put an end to that. I was able to shove the creature into the armor.

  “Why? Do you have any idea what it did to me?”

  Grust took off his helmet, and I jumped. His head looked like a well roasted piece of meat. How he was managing to walk, not to mention how he’d survived, was a mystery. Still, I found the strength to look him in the eye and even stand up for my own interests.

  “The burns will be gone in eight hours if not sooner. But if we kill Villian, I’ll be neutered. It hid my named items in its virtual storage in its phone, and I can’t get them out. Killing it means waving goodbye to me — no armor, no weapons, nothing. No, it needs to stay alive.”

  After blocking the BRO-I suit and turning the green-skinned creature into a statue, I slumped down wearily onto the ground. That was it — I had the pearl, my main opponents were defeated, and everyone was happy. But I couldn’t get into the spirit of things. Without my named items, I was powerless.

  “Screw you. Just remember this — if it kills you, you can bet I won’t be bringing you back,” Grust shot back angrily. “And you’re hauling it around yourself.”

  He slipped his helmet back on his head, mercifully concealing the blood-curdling vision, and headed toward the exit. Figuring that arguing was pointless, I pulled myself to my feet with a groan, grabbed Villian, and followed him. But as I turned yet another corner, I nearly ran smack into my partner’s back.

  “What’s wrong?” Fang appeared in my hand, ready in an instant to take on all comers.

  “Do you know her?” Grust nodded at a motionless body lying by the dungeon entrance. Only the rise and fall of her chest told me she was alive and blocked, while my perception told me where I’d seen the perfect body.

  “One of Four’s slaves, Mary Larcon. She was the one who brought me back after Four took off my head,” I replied. “But I wouldn’t have thought she’d survive everything that happened here in the dungeon.”

  “What are we going to do with her?”

  “Take her to the safe zone and figure out what to do there,” I said, earning an approving grunt. He liked that idea. “By the way, I have a great offer for you.”

  I held two units of noa out to him.

  “Why? You’re alive. Or is that just in case something happens?”

  “Take them — you’ll like this.” I snorted and picked Mary up, the girl weighing next to nothing. “Just remember that when noa revives someone, they appear completely naked.”

  “What are you talking about?” Grust replied, his voice even getting irritable.

  “It’s not just you and me noa can bring back to life. It’s anybody — Milady, for example. Or Little,” I said. It was just a shame Grust was wearing his helmet — I would have liked to see the stunned look on his burnt face. But it was enough that he threw his arms around me, though a couple of Mary’s bones crunched. A leg twisted awkwardly.

  “You’re going to kill her!” I yelled, trying to pull myself free. “Are you going to bring them back now or wait until your face heals?”

  “Oh, right!” he sighed as he let me go. To make things up, he printed out a regeneration syringe and stuck it into Mary. “A little later — I don’t want to scare them.”

  “In that case, let’s head over to see Verloven. I owe him a little something.”

  The strange red dots I’d just recently seen right outside the dungeon turned out to be nothing more than a minefield. Of course, I very nearly staggered right into it, though that was neither here nor there. Gaining control was easy enough — the mines belonged to Four and weren’t transferred over to its successor. With that taken care of, and by the time Grust emerged from the shimmering film, I was all set. Twenty million coins paid for an LTS I loaded Villian and carefully placed Mary onto. The girl had come to, I thought, though her wounds had been bad enough that she’d been knocked out while her body was being restored.

  If we had a tail, they
were slow and tentative. It took us about two hours to get to Verloven’s location, and the function met us at its gazebo, doing its best to look like all the chaos going on didn’t bother it in the least. Of course, its eyes kept darting over toward the LTS. I held out the noa.

  “Does that cover what I owe you?”

  “It does, Mark Derwin,” it replied, again glancing over at the flying vehicle. Of course — that’s where Grust was. The old character had already sold him once, and it was probably trying to figure out how to get hold of him a second time. But its next question took me aback.

  “I’d like to buy that slave girl. I’ll give you two named items for her.”

  “But you aren’t human. What do you care about her?”

  “She isn’t human, either,” Verloven replied to my amazement. “Mary Larcon isn’t a natural release player. That’s why I’d like to take her off your hands.”