The Eternal: Awakening - A LitRPG Saga (World of Ga'em Book 1)

by Dhayaa Anbajagane

  I sighed, amused that it took a battle with a Forest Ogre to actually snap me out of this mentality for a while. But I couldn’t really help it. It unnerving know just my name and nothing else.

  I’ll find everything out when I get to Langsdale city, I told myself.

  I set aside my thoughts and leaned over the edge of the forest cliff, peering down at the ground. The rain had caused the mud from the edge to slid down the cliff’s side, layering the entire incline with slush.

  “Just the way I wanted it,” I grinned. I scanned the ground directly beneath the cliff. A brown forest of wood and leaves lay there. The darkened color of the soil showed the surface has moistened just enough to be firm but bouncy; the perfect landing spot.

  I stood myself at the very edge of the cliff, feeling the fast winds flow through the body.

  And then I dropped.

  My back slid against the cliff wall, the slush protecting me from the hard surface. I watched as the ground hurried up to me, the friction of my fall slowing me down, but not enough to slow me down from my express pace.

  I pushed from my feet as I hit close to bottom, sending my body diving onto the ground. I hit the surface hard and rolled over a few times before finally coming to a stop, my limbs a little sore from the tumble. I slowly sat myself up, spitting the dry leaves in my mouth before doing a customary injury check. There was a shallow cut on my calf and a light bruise on my wrist, but other than that I was fine, which was honestly a big surprise.

  I turned my attention to the sight in front of me. The forest I was in looked half dead. The tree bark was an unhealthy brown, and the leaves less so. I noticed a lonesome trail through the trees in the direction of the city and walked myself onto it narrow path.

  I should prepare myself for the worst, I thought, remembering the other piece of equipment I’d gotten from the whole ogre event. I quickly slid open my Ga’em menu and delved into my Equipment menu. I tapped on the small icon of a tunic and a screen popped up.

  Title

  Forest Tunic

  Grade

  Zero Star

  Defense

  +15 DEF

  Rarity

  Uncommon

  Durability

  30/30

  Quality

  Great

  Special Effects

  None

  Value

  1500 Sol

  Nice! I thought, noticing the +15 defense increase. Just what I needed. I hit the ‘Equip’ button under the screen.

  DING!

  You are already wearing a tunic. Would you like to switch to the ‘Forest Tunic’?

  I tapped on yes, and my tunic immediately glowed with a bright white light. When the glare finally died down I was no longer wearing a tunic of misty grey, but one of a sandy-brown. I touched the piece of cloth, feeling the fur-like texture under my fingers. I felt warm and cozy, as if I was being wrapped up in a large blanket.

  I should have equipped this while I was in the rain, I thought. Honestly though, I wouldn’t have done that even if I’d known how warm this tunic was. I liked the cold rain. It felt refreshing to me to feel that stinging chill on my skin. It felt like it was a close part of me, and I wasn’t willing to change myself for it.

  An eerie silence flowed through the air, replacing the chilling wind I’d felt before. The bland scent of dust and mud spread around me, filling my head. I smiled. Just hours ago I was wallowing in the rain, appreciating the life all around me, and now I was stuck in a dry forest, with nothing but stale winds and silence.

  The irony was amusing.

  A flash of bright purple caught my eyes, peeking through the greenery around me. I turned to the source, finding a small flowering plant hidden behind the bushes in front of me. The colored flowers glistened, as drops of rainwater lay condensed on their surface, reflecting the dull sunlight.

  Pretty, I thought, wondering what it was. Maybe I can analyze it.

  My eyes stared at the flower, focusing on its smooth texture and rich hues.

  DING!

  I expected an info screen to show up, but instead a prompt appeared.

  Unable to analyze object. You must obtain a new skill - Herb Lore - in order to use Analyze on plants.

  “Ah,” I said as I knelt down next to the plant, taking a few seconds to recall what that actually meant. Herb Lore was a skill that allowed one to identify and use different plants in things like medicine and potions. The only way to learn Herb lore was either to use the knowledge one had of plants or to have someone who knew Herb Lore teach them the skill.

  My knowledge contained close to nothing about herbs and plant, but I did seem to know about this one though, I had no idea why. It was a kind of lily called the ‘Purple Dawn’, named so because it purple shades blended in with the sky at sunrise. I gently grasped one of the flowers, holding the base of the stalk, and snapped it off.

  DING!

  You do not have a Herb Lore skill. The plant has been destroyed.

  The flower in my hand quickly withered away, its petals instantly dulling down to a rustic brown.

  Dammit, I mumbled, and tried again, this time being a lot more careful than before. Herb picking was a lot harder than I’d thought. I grasped the stalk base once more and pinched it with my fingers, snapping it off clean.

  DING!

  You do not have a Herb Lore skill. The plant has been destroyed.

  “UGH,” I yelled, watching as the flower withered away once again.

  Connect with the plant, the thought echoed through my subconscious.

  I relaxed my body and took in a deep breath, calming myself down. I reached out and touched the plant, treating it like a delicate treasure. A tingling sensation spread across my fingertips as though tiny pulses of lightning were emanating from the stalk and into me.

  I felt beats course between my fingers, as though I could feel that the plant was alive. I didn’t lower my hand down to the stalk base time nor did I try to snap it off. I held onto the top of the stem and gently tugged on it, pulling it as I would a child’s hand.

  The flower stalk came off cleanly, and the tingling sensation disappeared completely. I stared at the flower in my hand, watching as it finally kept its morning purple shades.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have learnt a new skill: Herb Lore! You can now identify, or analyze, different plants and pick them with greater ease to make medicines and potions.

  Awesome, I grinned. I took advantage of my new skill immediately, my eyes staring down at the flower, focusing on its shape.

  DING!

  Name

  Purple Dawn

  Rarity

  Uncommon

  Special effect

  Increases agility by +5% for 10 minutes

  “Oooooh,” I said as I looked at the plant’s special effects. I knelt down and plucked four more stalks from the Purple Dawn bush.

  DING!

  You have obtained a new item: Purple Dawn (x5)! Would you like to transfer the items to your inventory?

  I tapped on ‘Yes’, and the items glowed bright in my hand before dissolving into dots of light, disappearing into the air.

  Suddenly, a low growl rumbled through the air, this one less ‘monstery’ and more animal like. I crouched to the ground on instinct, my hands already reaching out to the Scimitars on my back. A gentle purring rumbled close by, the snapping of a sole twig echoing in its wake. I quickly moved myself behind a tree, putting the wooden trunk between me and the source of the sound.

  I heard the whisper of footsteps inch towards me. I resisted the urge to peek out from behind the tree. I didn’t know what this thing was and which direction it was coming from. I didn’t want to make any moves until I figured out at least one of the two.

  The purring kept going, now louder than before. The beast was very close by. I could hear its panting breath come closer, the intervals shortening as the seconds passed. At this point, I’d heard enough noise to gauge that the creature was somewher
e to my right and that was all that I needed to know.

  My hand rested on one of the Scimitars’ handles, my fingers rubbing the rough surface. I lowered my body and jutted my head from behind the trunk, trying to steal a glance of the creature approaching me. I looked for a few seconds but saw nothing but the green of the trees and the brown of the earth.

  And then, it emerged.

  It appeared as a blur of black and red at a distance, but quickly changed, taking the more distinct shape of a feline predator when it neared. I stared at it, focusing my vision while keeping myself hidden from it at the same time.

  DING!

  My analyze screen came up.

  Race

  Blood Sabretooth

  Level

  12

  Health

  200

  Mana

  50

  Stamina

  170

  A blood sabretooth? I jerked myself back behind the tree. Oh no.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have advanced your skill, ‘Analyze’, to Level 2. Less effort will be required to generate analyze screens, and generation times will be shortened by 20%. The analyze screen will also be hidden from everyone but you for the first five seconds after generation.

  I closed the screen, my mind still hung up on the nature of the beast in my vicinity. My body shook, reliving my experience with the wolves. They had been murderous towards me, and I felt this Blood Sabretooth was going to be much worse than that. My mind dazed out for a moment, battling the fear growing within me before coming back to the situation I was in.

  The Sabretooth was at Level 12, which was four levels higher than what I was right now. It didn’t seem like taking this creature on would be a good idea in general, however, it didn’t take me more than a second to realize than I in fact held quite a strong advantage over the creature, mainly because of one single thing.

  The Forest Scimitars.

  The weapons gave me 174 ATK max damage, and that increased by another 50% since we were in a forest, so in total I could knock the thing out with one hit from my Scimitars. However, that didn’t mean a face off would be totally one sided though.

  For one, the blood sabretooth could have good defenses, which would mean my attack wouldn’t really do that much damage. But more importantly, the blood sabretooth was certainly much faster than I was, and it was quite strong as well. It seemed plausible to consider the fact that the beast could probably take me out with a single attack too.

  So in the end, the result of the face-off would just boil down to who was faster, and I had no doubts that it was the sabretooth, by a long shot. I knew I couldn’t match its speed, but I knew of a way to bring myself as close as I could to its agility levels.

  I opened my Item Inventory and brought out a stalk of the Purple Dawn. I put it to my lips and ate the flower in one bit, chewing for a bit before swallowing. It had a bitter flavor at first, but a weirdly sweet aftertaste.

  DING!

  You have consumed a Purple Dawn! Agility will now be increased by +5%. Health regen will be stopped. Effects last ten minutes.

  Wait what, I blinked. Health regen will be stopped?

  It took me a second to realize that the plant had more side effects than my analyze screen let on, meaning my Herb Lore skill didn’t tell me everything I needed to know just as yet.

  Ugh, I muttered. This was not what I’d wanted.

  I heard a ravaging growl, and the quick shuffle of footsteps surging closer. I jerked my head from behind the tree trunk just in time to see a blur of red and black shoot towards me.

  Damn, my feet mobilized on instinct, taking me through the forest. A growl sounded and I turned around on cue, noticing that the beast was but a few yards from me. I could see it clearly as it charged at me; its jet-black fur, the streaks of red stripping its skin, the murderous blood-shaded eyes, and the thick fangs that grew out of its mouth.

  It looked a solid killing machine.

  And it was charging right at me

  I looked up a tree a few yards ahead of me, my mind formulating a plan but feeling unsure of it at the same time. I heard panting just a few feet behind me, and I didn’t turn around to know the beast was dangerously close. My feet flew over the ground as I neared the trunk, and my mind focused, ready to make my first play.

  I eased up a foot or so from the tree and jumped into the air, planting my feet against the bark and pushing myself back. My body flipped mid-air as I fell behind, and my subconscious grasped shades of black and red pass beneath me as I dropped to the ground, back on my feet.

  I reached out to the Scimitar, my eyes looking ahead of me as the weapon slidout. The sabertooth slid up to the tree, confused for a mere half-second about where I’d gone.

  And that was more than enough.

  I pulled out my other scimitar and surged forward, right at the beast. My hand surged through, slicing twice into it.

  It didn’t even stand a chance.

  Its health bar instantly shrunk, going to zero in a second tops. The sabretooth collapsed to the ground, not a sound out of it even in defeat. I saw its eyes slowly close, and they remained that way after.

  I stood above the beast, panting hard. I don’t want to do that again, I thought. The only reason I’d gotten out of this alive was in part because of the Purple Dawn’s agility boost and then the sneak attack which had probably resulted in a critical hit.

  DING!

  Congratulations! You have defeated a Blood Sabertooth (Lv. 12). Reward: 3000 XP.

  DING!

  You have now reached level 9! You gain 4 points to distribute between your stats. You also get a 25% advancement to the skill of your choice. Use them wisely.

  DING!

  You have learned a new skill: Swordsmanship. You have proved yourself proficient in the art of the long blades. Go forth and show the world the power of your sword! Strength increased by +5% when wielding a sword. Agility increased by +2% when wielding a sword.

  Nice, I thought as I closed the screen, my eyes turning to the sabretooth’s lifeless body. I couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the sight, invigorated that I’d made that kill. I looked at my Scimitars, my fingers brushing their vine-like ornamentation.

  They’re really good weapons, I thought, admiring them for a moment before putting them back into my scabbards.

  I was honestly quite surprised I’d been able to move like that. It wasn’t that the movements were necessarily hard, but that I just felt very comfortable with them.

  My thoughts were interrupted by the faint the rustle of leaves behind me, and before I could even blink, something heavy rammed into my back, throwing me to the ground. I turned around, ready to attack, but my body froze. A sword was pointing at me, the sharp edge just inches from my throat. A man in black armor stood above me, brandishing the weapon, threatening to sink it into me.

  About ten more men walked out from behind the trees, surrounding me completely. They were all muscular and dressed in black too, with spears, swords and bows in their arms.

  What’s going on here? I tensed, my mind going into disarray.

  The man in front of me chuckled. “Welcome to the Kurc woods, kid,” he lifted my chin up with the tip of his blade. “We hope you enjoy your stay.”

  ***

  CHAPTER SIX

  The man stood in front of me, his burly figure looming over my hunched form. I felt his cold metal blade underneath my jaw, the sharpened edge toying with my skin. My breath caught in my lungs, afraid I’d exhale and cut myself.

  “Who are you?” I asked. “What do you want with me?”

  “You’re going to have to ask our buyer that,” he chuckled. “Although after we’re done with you, I’m not sure that’s going to be possible.” He sprung at me, his sword ready to swing.

  End him, the phrase echoed through my subconscious, wrapping me up in a sudden wave emotion.

  The next moment was a blur. Thoughts emptied out of my head, leaving a clean slate to be
drawn on. I felt my arms move, jerking to my back and sliding out my weapons. I heard a loud clang half a second later, the sound ringing in my ears.

  I held the scimitars in front of me, positioned in a cross in front of my torso. The man’s sword rest against my weapons, its blade unable push through. I swung my arms out, pushing the sword back at him.

  He stumbled backwards, and the other men immediately surged, surrounding me in a tighter circle. I lowered my body, my blades in front of me, my eyes watching them closely. A flurry of analyze screens popped up for them and I took a quick glance at their levels, noticing the numbers to be around Level 16 or 17.

  My eyes picked out an odd man in their ranks, this one not very muscular and wearing black robes instead of a hooded tunic. I could not see his limbs or his face, all of them hidden underneath his clothes.

  A mage, I realized, wary that another type of warrior was also on the battlefield.

  The other men surged to me, swords and spears at hand. A wave of arrows fired from the archers behind them and dropped down onto me. I swiftly charged forward, away from the projectiles’ target and towards the closest man.

  I stretched my arms to my right and flexed my legs, jumping into the air. I released my limbs like a spring, and slashed sideways as I came down on the man. He yelped in pain and dropped to the floor, immobile.