Difficulty: Legendary (LitRPG Series Book 1) (Difficulty:Legendary)

by Gregg Horlock

  Goblin King – Level ???

  HP - ???

  Strength - ???

  Weakness - ???

  Reebus didn’t waste any time. Before the beast could move, she grew a fireball in her hands and sent it flying at the monster’s chest. The flames lapped on its leathery hide, then fizzled off. If it had hurt the creature, it didn’t show it.

  My first thought was that we shouldn’t be here. This was clearly a creature way beyond our level 4 capabilities. It was yet another example of the cruelty of the techies, that they would put such a powerful monster so close to the newbie camp. This time, though, I couldn’t even blame them. They hadn’t forced us to enter the cave.

  The flames seemed to have enraged the already-hungry goblin king. It took lumbering steps forward, closing the distance between it and Reebus in two strides. When it reached her it swiped a clawed-hand at her chest and sent her flying back against the cavern wall. I heard her head thud as she hit the stone, and watched as her HP dropped by a quarter.

  The goblin stood over her. It lifted its hand again and got ready to strike Reebus as she tried to straighten herself.

  It was all or nothing, I decided. If I let it kill her, then it would soon turn its attention on me. Gripping my daggers, I charged at it. The cavern echoed with my footsteps as I sprinted across. The closer I got the more powerful the stench of rot was, but I forced myself to ignore it.

  I reached the goblin king. Without thinking, I stabbed both of my daggers into its side. The weapon in my left hand cracked and then broke, shattering into pieces on the floor. Pain seared through my wrist, and it felt as if I had broken it.

  10HP Lost!

  Total: 66/110

  What? Attacking this thing actually made me lose HP? How the hell were we supposed to kill it?

  The beast swiped a meaty hand at me, and I felt its claws scratch across my skin.

  20HP Lost!

  Total: 46/110

  There was no hope of us winning. Reebus was the most powerful of the two of us, and her fireball hadn’t even hurt it.

  “We need to run,” I said, trying to hide the panic in my voice.

  Reebus seemed to have lost all her bravado. She looked at the goblin king, and then at me, and she nodded. She got to her feet.

  I turned around. As I started to run toward the opening in the wall, I realised that it was gone. The stone looked smooth and unbroken, and there was no way out.

  We had to do something. Without an escape, the goblin would kill us both. My daggers weren’t going to be much use, and neither was my Snake Tongue. What was I going to do, talk it to death?

  But what about my other ability, Appraiser of Men? Was the name as strict as it sounded? Did it mean I could only appraise the weaknesses of men, or did it extend to other creatures?

  The goblin hit Reebus with its claw. The mage wheezed and then fell to her knees, then doubled over as she tried to suck in air. Her HP bar dropped below halfway.

  I looked at the goblin king. I took a deep breath, and I tried to ignore everything around me. I stared deep into his yellow eyes and tried to see beyond them, to the depths that he kept hidden. As I did, I heard the volume of the world around me quiet until everything was silent. The light into cave faded until it seemed like I was looking through a thin mist. The text above the monster changed.

  Goblin King – Level 12

  HP – 297 / 300

  Strength - Fire

  Weakness – Ice

  Appraiser of Men increased by 25% (75% to next level)

  That explained why Reebus’ fireball had little effect; the goblin’s strength was fire.

  “We need to use ice,” I said, hoping Reebus was alert enough to hear me.

  As the goblin tried to strike her again she fell back and let its claw miss her by an inch. She got to her feet.

  “Keep him busy a second,” she said.

  “Sure, I’ll just dance with him, shall I?”

  I ran to the right hand side of the cave. The goblin focused its attention on the mage, so I scratched my dagger on the stone wall of the cave and made the metal screech. The goblin snapped his head in my direction, and I saw his yellow eyes fill with hate.

  He advanced toward me, taking relaxed steps like a lion taunting an antelope. I wanted to back away but I was already at the wall, and there was nowhere else to go. I could already see the ‘Game Over’ text in my head. This was it for me. All I’d done was make it to level 4.

  As the beast approached me and I contemplated my death, I saw a sheet of ice fly across the cavern and wrap around the goblin. It stuck to his skin and froze him in place, turning his leathered-hide brittle. The goblin screamed until ice covered his mouth, freezing his jaws wide open.

  Reebus ran forward and raised her staff. She brought it down on the goblin’s body, grunting as she put her effort into it. As soon as the wood struck the goblin, the monster shattered into thousands of pieces and then spread across the floor.

  I sank back against the wall until I was sitting on the floor, and I let my breaths catch up with me.

  The pieces of the goblin soon evaporated, and I heard the tinkling of CR coins as they fell onto the floor. I didn’t have time to count them, but I knew there would be enough to get me into the Mercs.

  After the CR coins, something else appeared. This was an item, and I knew straight away that it wasn’t anything standard. It was a small dagger, and it had a golden outline to it. It probably wasn’t a unique item, but it was something special. The king was dead, and in his place was the loot.

  I got to my feet. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were. As I walked across the cave, Reebus darted to the centre. Without a second of pause she picked up all of the CR coins and the item.

  “What are you doing?” I said, knowing it was a stupid question. It was obvious. She’d tricked me again. Well, I wouldn’t let her get away with it.

  As I held my dagger in my hand and started running toward her, a door opened on the opposite wall of the cave and revealed the green grass of the forest beyond. Reebus ran straight through it, taking the loot from the battle with her.

  I ran out of the cave after her and gave chase through the plains, but I knew I wouldn’t catch her. As my stamina bar emptied and my steps slowed, I watched the mage disappear into the distance.

  Chapter Nine

  As I walked through the Killing Fields and back to the village, I didn’t have much time to brood on how Reebus had double-crossed me. Just as I went by a giant oak tree, a mousekin sprang up from the soil next to my foot. I didn’t even have time to sidestep before I felt its teeth clamp down on my ankle.

  10HP lost

  Total: 36/110

  I kicked the mousekin away, knocking 1HP from it. While it was dazed I stabbed it with my dagger and watched its HP drain just over a quarter. My stamina hovered at halfway point, and I knew that with so little energy and only one dagger, I wouldn’t be able to kill it.

  The creature tried to bite me again, and then when it missed it tried to move out of range. I stabbed it and then stepped back. The mousekin squealed, and blood dripped from a wound in its side. Unperturbed, it ran at me. I moved back, avoiding it as it sprang toward my leg.

  10HP lost

  Total: 26/110

  But it hadn’t touched me! I turned around and saw that 2 other mousekin were behind me. One had teeth covered in blood from the bite it had inflicted on my calf. Before I had time to react, the other one sunk its teeth into my thigh.

  10HP lost

  Total: 16/110

  10HP lost

  Total: 06/110

  I was surrounded. I had just a single dagger and hardly any energy, so it seemed that even running away was out of the question, since once my stamina drained the mousekin would beat me for speed. Was this to be my end? Killed in the newbie forest by a couple of over-sized rodents? It was hardly the stuff of glory, but I couldn’t have expected anything better. I hadn’t played the game well.

  As the mousek
in in front of me prepared to launch at my legs, a small ball-shaped object flew through the air. It landed in front of the mousekin and exploded, spreading thick smoke all around the forest. I smelled gunpowder in the air, and my ears rang from the noise of the bang.

  The mousekin fell to the ground. With just a millimetre of health, it tried to limp away. I wasn’t going to give it the chance. I stepped forward and slashed it across its belly, and I watched as its guts fell onto the forest floor and stained the grass.

  15 exp gained!

  Total: 75 (1 exp until level 5).

  The mousekin’s body evaporated. I knew that the other 2 were still behind me, so I stepped out of their reach and then turned around. As I stared at them, I heard the sound of footsteps from across the forest. I watched with relief as Brian and Smoglar ran toward me.

  Brian held another ball-shaped object in his hand, and I saw that a fuse was attached to the end. Fire fizzed down the small length of rope. Just as it reached the end of the string and touched the bomb, he threw it and sent it hurtling through the forest, where it landed in front of the mousekin.

  This time I put my hands to my ears just as it exploded. The flash of light blinded me for a few seconds, and when I opened my eyes, only one mousekin was alive. It had just a fraction of its health left.

  Without pause, it focused its gaze on me. It would go out fighting. With its last breath it was going to attack me, and I knew that I only had 6Hp. One bite was all it would take. At the same time, I knew that I only need 1 more exp to reach level 5. If I killed the mousekin I would have to leave Blundow without a guild. If I didn’t finish it, the creature would kill me instead, and then I’d have to leave the game.

  I had no choice. Without giving the beast chance to strike, I stabbed my dagger into its head and then let it fall limp onto the floor. It twitched on the ground before becoming still, and then it evaporated into the air.

  15 exp gained!

  Level Up! – New Level: 5

  Exp to next level: 84

  Despite what my new level meant to my situation, I couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of pleasure that shuddered through me. It was almost an involuntary feeling, as if my body was hardwired to like it.

  When the warmth subsided, I knew what it meant. This was it. I would have to leave Blundow and face the main map, and I’d have to do it without a guild behind me. What was I going to do? I knew that I still had a debt to pay to the brigands, and that as soon as I left Blundow they would come and find me.

  Brian and Smoglar reached me and stood at my side. I glanced at them and saw that they had also reached level 5, though their faces weren’t as downcast as mine.

  Attention: You have now reached level 5. You have ten minutes to leave Blundow, before you are forcibly removed.

  I had to act, but what could I do? I didn’t have the Guardian points or the strength to join the Halons, and I hadn’t caused enough Chaos to join the Serpents. I didn’t even need to check my inventory to know that I couldn’t pay the CR necessary to join the Mercs.

  “Did you find a guild?” said Brian, looking at me.

  I shook my head. I was so filled with anxiety that I could hardly speak, because I knew my voice would betray my emotions.

  “Tough luck, kid,” said Smoglar. The blade of his new axe was stained with blood.

  I stared at them. “You’re leaving too, aren’t you?”

  Brian nodded. “In a few minutes.”

  “Let me join you.”

  “No chance,” said Smoglar, shaking his head as if it was the most ludicrous thing he’d ever heard.

  “But why? None of us have guilds. Isn’t it better to stick together?”

  Brian put a hand on my shoulder. His touch was gentler than I expected. “We have things to do, Janus, and we’re going places that will be too difficult for you.”

  “Besides,” said Smoglar. “You’re the greenest thing I ever saw.”

  I sank down to the forest floor. Twigs dug into my legs, but I didn’t care. I might not have been dead yet, but the end wasn’t far off. Even if the brigands didn’t find me and kill me, it wouldn’t be long until something else did. I was a tinker in a world of mages and warriors, and I knew I wouldn’t last.

  “There goes everything,” I said to myself. I didn't care that my voice was cracking. “Herelius is going to get away with it. I’ll never get to look him in the eye.”

  Brian jerked his head back in surprise. “What did you say?”

  “This is it for me. As soon as I leave Blundow, I’m dead.”

  “Not that,” said Smoglar. “The name you just mentioned.”

  I looked up at them and saw that they stared at me intently. “Herelius Rouge?”

  “How do you know him?” asked the dwarf.

  I told them what had happened in my first play through. As I recalled every last detail I felt like I was reliving the experience again, and it left me feeling empty.

  After I had finished, the two of them stared at me for the longest time. Smoglar was the first to break the silence. “You better get up,” he said to me. “It’s time we left.”

  “You mean I can come with you?”

  “Don’t make me say it again, green fingers. Get up off your arse and let’s go.”

  For the first time in a while, I felt happy. I still had a long way to go, and I wasn’t part of a guild, but at least I had people with me. Something told me that this wasn’t Brian or Smoglar’s first play through. The giant, especially, had something going on. Something had happened to him, and maybe he would tell me about it someday.

  Congratulations! As a level 5 player, you have unlocked your first Tinker perk!

  Perk Gained: Bomb Maker

  Finally this was something that I could use. I had already seen the damage bombs could cause when Brian had thrown them at the mousekin. If I could learn to make things like that, then maybe there was hope for me after all. First, though, I needed to know how to do it.

  I barely had time to think about it, when a text box appeared on the screen.

  Message from viewer:

  “Use this to defend yourself when they betray you.”

  Item added: Unknown [Rare, must be identified]

  I didn’t know who the viewer was and I didn’t know what kind of item they had sent me, but that would have to wait. A timer appeared in the middle of my screen and warned me that I had to leave Blundow. Brian and Smoglar must have had similar warnings, because the giant and the dwarf started to leave the forest.

  I followed them out of the Killing fields and away from Blundow, not even bothering to look at the newbie village behind me. I knew that I wouldn’t miss it. For the first time, I felt like I was going somewhere.

  Thanks for reading book 1 of the Difficulty: Legendary LitRPG series! If you want to know when book 2 is out, then join my mailing list!

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