Man Made God 001

by Brandon Varnell

  Class: 2-star

  Lvl: 15

  Health: 30,000/30,000

  MP: 5,000/5,000

  Physical Attack: +90

  Constitution: +100

  Dexterity: +50

  Intelligence: +500

  Speed: +20

  Turn Undead: Turns a corpse into an Undead

  MP cost: 10 MP

  Cooldown time: 10 seconds.

  Black Miasma: The Necromancer releases a powerful miasma that deals +10 damage every 5 seconds and has a 10% chance of causing the poison status effect to anybody who inhales it.

  MP cost: 25 MP

  Cooldown time: 5 seconds

  Deathly Stare: The necromancer’s stare is deadly. When it uses Deathly Stare, any player who looks it in the eyes has a 25% chance of dying instantly.

  MP cost: 1,000 MP

  Limits: Only activates when necromancer is at 30% HP. Can only use once per battle.

  Rend: This is the necromancer’s most frequent attack. It uses its sharp nails to rend flesh from the body.

  MP cost: 15 MP

  Cooldown time: 0 seconds.

  It looked to Adam like this monster was bad news. He was only at level 7 right now, so this creature was 14 levels above him. What’s more, its HP was ridiculous. +30,000? Supposing Adam hit this creature every time without a single miss, he would still deal at most -137 points of damage. How many times would he need to attack this thing before it died?

  At the same time, Adam hated admitting defeat before a battle even began. He could already feel his blood boiling as he realized what an overwhelming challenge this fight would be. He wanted to fight this creature. It had been so long since Adam had faced such a powerful challenger that he’d almost forgotten what this feeling was like.

  A grin appeared on his face.

  Bursting into the room, Adam leapt onto the nearby table and launched himself off it and toward the [necromancer]. It must have sensed him. The [necromancer] turned around just as Adam activated the [thrust] skill, shoving his sword forward and striking the necromancer in the face!

  -500!

  Ah?

  Adam was a little shocked when he saw the number, but he realized he must have gotten a lucky critical hit. Maybe it’s face was also a weak point? If that was the case, then striking its face constantly would yield better results than if he just attacked its body.

  The [necromancer] did not make any sound outside of clattering bones when it turned to face Adam completely. It raised a hand. Adam leapt back and began moving away as black mist sprayed from the voluminous sleeve of its cloak. That must be the miasma. He ran around the creature, avoiding the miasma, waited for the black fog to disperse, and attacked it from behind with [slash] several times.

  -137; -137; -137; MISS!

  Adam backed off once again. This time, the [necromancer] spun around and swung its hand out to attack him. This must have been the [rend] skill he read about from the information revealed by the [scan scroll]. He jumped back and landed several feet away from the monster, which was no longer paying attention to the man in the cage after Adam pulled its agro.

  Sadly, the man in the cage had noticed Adam.

  “Hey! You! Are you here to save me?! Please help! I don’t want to die!”

  “Can’t you see that’s what I’m trying to do right now! Don’t talk! It’s distracting!”

  “Don’t worry, bro! I’ll be quiet! I won’t say a word! You won’t even hear a peep from me! Just get me out of here!”

  “Didn’t you just say I wouldn’t hear a peep out of you?! Shut up!”

  Adam hopped back several more feet as miasma billowed from the [necromancer]. This [black miasma] skill it used seemed to have a range of about five feet, which wasn’t far, but it made up for that by spreading out in all directions to surround the [necromancer]. It was an area of effect, or AOE, skill. That meant for as long as it was active, Adam couldn’t get close. All he could do was wait for the miasma to disperse before attacking again.

  Once the miasma dispersed, Adam darted forward, avoided his enemy’s [rend] skill by lowering his body to dodge, and then coming up with a [thrust] that impaled the [necromancer] through the ribcage.

  -175!

  He backed away and ducked to avoid another [rend], then moved behind the [necromancer] and attacked several times with [slash].

  -137; -137; MISS; MISS; MISS; -137; MISS; MISS; -137; MISS!

  The [black miasma] came out of the [necromancer] again. Adam backed away quickly to avoid being hit by that insipid poison, then repeated his previous attacks. He continued this process, slowly whittling away at the [necromancer’s] health, but while his tactics were doing their job, Adam himself began to feel the mental strain of attacking this thing for so long.

  Virtual reality video games had become increasingly popular ever since the armistice was signed after World War III, but there were also many advocates against gaming. Their concerns were that playing VR games for too long caused a serious strain on the mind. There were many studies that showed people who played for too long without logging off suffered from severe mental stress, which was stress caused by staying in an alert state of mind for too long.

  While this theory of theirs was disproven, it was true that focusing for long periods of time on a single activity could indeed cause undue stress of the mind.

  Adam could no longer tell how long he had spent playing this session, nor how long he’d been fighting the [necromancer], but it felt to him like days had passed. What’s more, he had only dealt -10,000 points worth of damage. This damn monster still had +20,000 HP left!

  Gritting his teeth, Adam closed in again, avoided the monster’s [rend], and attacked it from behind. If it followed its normal pattern, then it would launch [black miasma] at him.

  It did not follow its normal pattern. Adam stared wide-eyed when he saw a bony hand coming for him! He raised his sword out of instinct to block, but the attack struck him anyway, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying.

  -45!

  “Gaah!”

  This was the first time Adam had been struck in Age of Gods, and while the pain he felt now was nothing compared to the pain he’d been through while being trained as an assassin, that did not mean it didn’t hurt. He was shocked by how much it hurt. It felt so real! And the surprise at feeling actual pain while inside of a video game was enough to send a jolt racing through his body.

  As Adam lay there on the ground, the [necromancer] looming over him, he wondered if he could really defeat this thing. He had the utmost confidence in his own abilities, but he also knew his limits. This [necromancer] was at level 15. That was 8 levels higher than him. What’s more, his mind was beginning to fritz like an overheating computer. His brain felt like it was melting out his ears. He could feel his mind shutting down to protect him from the accumulated stress.

  However, just as he thought about giving up, something warm and damp appeared on his forehead.

  Fayte said goodbye to Susan and logged off Age of Gods. She blinked several times upon seeing the familiar sight of her bedroom ceiling, then sat up in bed and stretched her hands into the air. Her muscles felt a little tight, like she’d been sleeping for several hours, but they didn’t feel bad.

  “It looks like it’s time for dinner,” Fayte murmured as she glanced at a clock hanging on her wall. It read 6:00pm. Her stomach was letting her know it needed sustenance. She was very glad no one else was present in the room. While she might not care about what people thought of her, even she did not want others hearing the incredibly un-feminine sound of her stomach gurgling.

  After straightening her wrinkled clothes, Fayte headed into the kitchen and thought about what to make. She didn’t have much in the fridge. There was some leftover chicken, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and that was about it. She would need to do some grocery shopping soon.

  Fortunately, there was boxed pasta in the cupboard, so she decided to make some pasta. She boiled water, added the noodles,
and put in a pinch of salt. She didn’t have any sauce, but she made do with olive oil, butter, and shredded Parmesan cheese.

  Since she had used the entire box and figured Adam must also be hungry, she made an extra plate for him. She set both plates on the coffee table and traveled to his bedroom.

  “Adam, are you up? I have dinner ready,” she said, knocking on the door. There was no answer. She knocked again. “Adam? Are you in there?”

  Her lips slipped into a frown when he didn’t answer a second time. Feeling concerned, she debated whether it was worth invading his privacy to satisfy her concern before ultimately unlocking the door and stepping inside. If he was fine, she could always apologize, but she would never forgive herself if something happened to him while he and his lover were living with her.

  “Adam?” she asked, coming up to the bed.

  The person she’d come to see was still lying on the bed, on his back. His eyes were closed like he was sleeping, but the expression on his face, the furrowed brows and pained grimace, told her that he was not having a pleasant time. If she didn’t know better, she would have said he was experiencing a nightmare. She assumed he was in the game and doing something that required all of his concentration.

  A soft glow brought her attention to his neck. The Age of Gods system was lit up with symbols that she didn’t recognize traversing the entire device. She wondered if those symbols were for aesthetic reasons, though she couldn’t see much point in them.

  “Just how long has he been playing?” she asked before noticing the sweat drenching his face, neck, and shirt.

  Adam suddenly released a pained groan. Panic raced through her, but she calmed down and quickly decided on what to do. She went into the nearest bathroom—the one used by Adam and Aris—grabbed a washcloth, dampened it with water, and came back into the bedroom. She sat on the bed and used the cloth to wipe away the sweat from his face and neck. She hesitated for another moment before lifting the shirt to wipe the sweat from his chest and stomach as well.

  Fayte felt her breath hitch when she saw the chiseled six-pack abdominals and well-defined pectorals. She wasn’t the kind of girl who went crazy over boys with muscles. She wouldn’t even call herself particularly boy-crazy. At the same time, while it wasn’t something she drooled over, that did not mean she didn’t appreciate a man who kept himself in great shape. Adam had the most defined torso she’d ever seen. Even underwear models lacked his exquisite physique.

  Feeling the heat rising to her cheeks, she wiped away the sweat from his chest and stomach; she only felt a little guilty for secretly enjoying the feeling of his muscles against her hands. Once she was done, she noticed there was more sweat on his face. She wiped that away too.

  “I don’t know what you are doing in there, but do not give up,” Fayte said softly, though she knew he couldn’t hear her. “Whatever you are doing, please do not give up. I believe in you.”

  Adam could not figure out what this feeling was, but it was pleasant and cool. It felt like… like that time he’d been taking a bath and Aris had come in offering to wash his back. When had that been again? Back then, he’d been treating her like a little sister instead of a lover. She couldn’t have been older than twelve or thirteen-years-old at the time, which would have made him… fourteen or fifteen. He didn’t know for sure since Adam had no idea how old he was.

  “Don’t give up…”

  Adam blinked when a voice reached him, telling him not to give up, encouraging him. The voice sounded familiar, but he could not place it. He shook his head. The voice, whoever it was, whether it was an illusion or something else, inspired him to keep fighting.

  The [necromancer] was above him and using [rend] once more, but Adam rolled away before the attack could hit. The hand struck the ground. Sparks flew as bone struck stone. The [necromancer] jerked back, recoiling and off balance. Adam used that chance, leaping onto the table and launching himself at his foe.

  [Thrust]!

  -500!

  Once more he struck the creature in the face. His attack dealt plenty of damage and even knocked the [necromancer] off balance, which Adam took advantage of upon landing on the ground. He activated [slash] once more and began attacking with renewed zeal.

  -137; -137; MISS; -137; MISS; MISS; -137; MISS!

  Before the [necromancer] could recover, Adam retreated just in time to avoid the [black miasma] attack. He watched as the black, mist-like gas covered the area around the [necromancer], his eyes narrowed. He only had +55 HP left and no potions that could heal him, but so what? That wasn’t going to stop him!

  Adam continued to fiercely battle against the [necromancer]. Even though this was just a game, he thought he could feel his skin becoming slick with sweat and his breathing growing heavy. The exhaustion of his mind was also still an ever present problem. He might be determined to win, but he was still running on nothing but pure determination and grit. Regardless of whether he wanted to or not, his mind would eventually shut down.

  But he was determined to kill this blasted thing before that happened!

  -500; -137; -137; -137; MISS; -137!

  His teeth were peeled back as he snarled at the [necromancer] like it was his most hated enemy. Indeed, at this moment, he had never wanted to defeat a video game enemy more than he did right now. He was going to win and reap whatever rewards were to be had for killing this monster!

  -137; -137; -137; MISS; MISS; -137!

  Adam licked his lips as he retreated from the [black miasma] attack. His shoulders heaved as he struggled to breathe. He blinked several times to keep his vision from fading, but dammit, there were black spots appearing in front of his eyes now! He knew that was a bad sign.

  The [necromancer’s] health was now down to +10,000. Once it reached 9,000 HP, it would use [deathly stare], which had a 25% chance of instantly killing him. If possible, he would prefer not to let this creature use that, but he didn’t have any attacks that could cause more than -500 damage to this thing.

  What should he do?

  In desperation, Adam cast his glance around the room. There were tables, bookshelves, the cage which Trader Wilkins’ son was trapped in, the iron maiden sitting in the corner, and that was about it. Would any of these assist him?

  A sudden thought ran through his mind as he stared at the bookshelves. His idea would never work if this was a normal game, but Age of Gods seemed abnormally real so far. Surely these bookshelves were not fixed in place, right? It was worth a shot!

  Adam didn’t attack when [black miasma] dispersed and instead raced over to the nearest bookshelf. He channeled energy into his legs and leapt over twenty feet into the air, landed on top of the bookshelf, and crouched down, glaring at the [necromancer]. His enemy’s red eyes flashed with malevolence as it stalked toward him. The sound of its skeletal feet striking the floor created a staccato rhythm that was mismatched to his rapidly beating heart. He tried to slow his heart rate down as he waited, and waited, and waited, until the [necromancer] was just a foot away from him and reaching out with its bony hand.

  Now!

  His actions swift and decisive, Adam pressed his feet against the bookshelf, his back against the wall, and pushed. A loud creak echoed from the bookshelf. Then, to his immense pleasure, the bookshelf tipped over. He leapt off it as the bookshelf fell and landed square on the [necromancer].

  -1,500!

  A grin appeared on his face as his outrageous idea worked. Not only did it work, but it had dealt -1,500 damage, and it had knocked the [necromancer] onto its back!

  Adam landed on the floor and viciously attacked the [necromancer] with [slash] and [thrust] continuously. Whenever the cooldown time on [thrust] wore off, he would use it, and then he would go back to using [slash]. Not only did he not stop attacking, but he attacked the [necromancer]’s head instead of its body.

  -500; -500; -600; -500; -500!

  The monster’s health had been at +9,500 after he smashed the bookshelf on it, but now it was steadily decreasing. +9,
000. +8,500. +7,900. +7,400. +6,900. +6,300. Adam didn’t stop attacking the [necromancer] even after it pushed the bookshelf off its body and began climbing back onto its feet. By the time it stood up, his enemy’s HP had been reduced to +400!

  Gritting his teeth, Adam raced toward the wall, ran up it, and kicked off it in order to launch into the air. The [necromancer] turned to face him, its eyes flashing red as it prepared to use [deathly stare], but then Adam swung his sword and activated [slash] just before it could use its ultimate attack.

  -500!

  Adam landed on the ground with a harsh thud, his body finally giving out. He tumbled across the floor and landed on his side. Behind him, the [necromancer] remained standing in place for several seconds before its skeletal body broke into dozens of pieces and scattered across the floor.

  Ding!

  [You have defeated the 2-star enemy [necromancer]! Items dropped: [rusty key], [Staff of Darkness], and [Cloak of Despair]. +10,000 experience points! +1,000 ability points!]

  Ding!

  [You have leveled up! You are now at level 8! +10 HP! +10 MP! +5 SP!]

  Ding!

  [Thanks to your efforts and determination, you have acquired a new skill! [Blood Sacrifice] is a skill born from your determination and unwillingness to give up in the face of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy. This skill is unique to you and allows you to increase the amount of damage you do for 10 seconds in exchange for half of your HP. This is a self-sacrificial skill gained after fighting against a hopeless situation and succeeding! Congratulations!]

  Ding!

  [Warning: We have detected abnormal fluctuations in your mental state that coincide with extreme stress caused by overusing the mind. You will now be logged out of Age of Gods. Furthermore, you will not be able to log in for at least 24 hours. Please remember to play safely.]

  A series of announcements and warnings appeared on a screen in front of Adam, but he was far too tired to do more than cast them a cursory glance. He shut his eyes and released an exhausted sigh. What he wouldn’t give for a few hours of sleep right now…