[F-01] [SP] Let's Get Started «The First Few Lessons are Free»

[Tsurei 0]

It didn’t take long for Rain to find his first Aconite, but these things were rather sparse, this wouldn’t be as easy as he hoped, with a sigh that emitted a foggy white breath in the chilly air, he inhaled the cold oxygen and sighed, he appreciated the game’s ability to replicate or rather stimulate particular parts of the brain to trick it into recreating their 5 senses, was it really necessary? Then again, it was part of the appeal.

“it’s cold…” he shuddered, looking down at his hands almost with a morbid curiosity, he saw them tremble and go purple, feeling numb, “This is rough…” he chuckled quietly to himself,

“Did you say something?” Yuta asked over the party chat, it was almost like a phone, that, or telepathy but they had to speak aloud, it was a little fiddly and for the interests of quick communication, they had it turned on for now.

“Nothing, just wishing it wasn’t winter right now,”

 

ID# 132758

LD: 17 = Material Found

- Obtained 1 x Aconite/ 1 x [T1] Material

[Tsurei 0]

Grabbing another Aconite, he glanced back up on the area around him, he had to make sure he didn’t run into any monsters on the field, he wanted to test their activation range but something like that would just get him killed. He couldn’t afford to be careless, there was hardly any chatter over the comms,

“Hey, is everything alright?” Rei asked,

“Yeah, no problems here,” Yuta nodded on the other end, even if they couldn’t see him do so,

“Same,” Kenji did the same,

“Yeah, everything’s just bloody grand, over here freezing myself to death,” Takumi replied sarcastically,

“You know that’s not possible,” Yuta stated plainly,

“Yeah? Well it damn near feels like it!” Takumi shot back,

“We need to buy some winter clothes after all this,” Rei laughed,

“No kidding,” Takumi sighed, “I should be asleep right now,”

“And we should all be living our lives in the real world, not in… this place!" Yuta cried out, waving his arm angrily,

“…”

 

ID# 132759

LD: 17 = Material Found

- Obtained 1 x Aconite/ 1 x [T1] Material

Edited December 26, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

The field was littered with Boars and Wolves, you could see them from a distance, like any other game, the monsters were just wandering around the place, find random location within radius and move to, if see player, kill. Huh…

He made sure to avoid any hills or corners, if he ended up walking right into a monster, it would be bad news indeed.

“Hey… What do you think is happening to our bodies right now?” Yuta asked after a moment,

“Why are you asking?” Takumi asked back,

“I’m just… curious, that’s all…”

“… If time is moving at the same rate, we’d have probably died without medical attention by now,” Takumi pondered, “And since dying in the game means death in real life, then dying in real life must mean death in the game, if we’re still here, then it means we must be still alive over there.”

“So…”

“So, we must be in a hospital or something, all of us, receiving medical treatment, drips and stuff.”

 

 ID# 132760

LD: 7 = No Material Found

Edited December 26, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

“Hey, how many Aconite have you guys found? I've got 3,” Rei reported,

“I've got all of mine,” Yuta replied,

“Same” Takumi called in,

“I've got 4,” Kenji reported,

Rei let out a deep sigh, he wasn’t finding one anywhere nearby, you would think these purple flowers would be easy to see on the grasslands, but there was a ton of other flowers around and it’s not even the only purple flower around here. Searching for things were rough and an insanely slow process.

“I’ll keep an eye out,” Yuta reported,

“Thanks,” Rei replied, “Just make sure not to go too far from reach other,”

“… I can’t find any more in the radius we’re covering, we should spread out,” Yuta suggested,

“And be too far from each other to help when we get in trouble?”

“We’ll just run for it, even if we were close together, it’s not like we can do anything without weapons,”

 

 ID# 132761

LD: 6 = No Material Found

[Tsurei 0]

“I wonder what’s going to happen to us when… if… we get back?” Yuta sighed,

“Well, first we have to go through rehab, our bodies are probably in terrible condition,” Takumi replied,

“How come?”

“We might be getting drip fed, but that only has enough nutrients and such to keep us alive, it can’t compare to actually eating food. Our bodies will be frail and malnourished, we’ll have trouble even sitting up probably.”

“Damned if we don’t, damned if we do, huh?” Rei added with a sigh,

“Maybe we should just stay in here,” Takumi joked,

“Definitely not, we have to get back,” Yuta declared firmly

“Do you have something waiting for you?” Takumi asked, he seemed so desperate to return,

“I’m… getting a baby brother,”

“Dang, seriously?” Rei cried out incredulously,

“That’s wonderful!” Kenji added,

“… How old are your parents now…?” Takumi however, grimaced,

“Whatever, anyway, I have other reasons like that driving me forward, we have to get back as soon as we can…”

 

ID# 132763

LD: 14 = Failed

Edited December 26, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

Suddenly, a sharp sound pierced the air, a wolf’s howl resounded through the grasslands, their ears pricked and they all quickly shot their gazes around the area, all of them holding their breaths.

The sound was distant to Rei, but he could only assumed that someone had aggroed a wolf,

“Did anyone aggro a wolf?” Rei quickly asked,

“Not me,” Yuta stated hurriedly,

“Me neither,” Takumi replied,

“It was near me, but I didn’t do it,” Kenji reported,

“Alright,” Rei let out a breath of relief, “Get away from the sound, be careful not to run into any of them,”

“Yeah… I’ll do that.”

“…Say… does it hurt to die in this world?” Yuta asked nervously,

“Great timing,” Takumi rolled his eyes,

“Yeah…” Rei sighed, “The 5 senses are replicated, but pain is dulled, in the end, it’s supposed to be a game, the most we’ll feel is a tingle or a pinprick,”

 

 ID# 132764

LD: 18 = Success

- Obtained 1 x Aconite/ 1 x [T1] Material

Edited December 26, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

“Oh yes, worry about the ethics now,” Yuta spat,

“It’s kinda strange now that this is a death game,” Rei agreed,

“Why start a death game like this anyway? Why the elaborate setup?” Takumi frowned, “There’s any number of ways to go about it, why did Akihiko go through all the effort of becoming a well known scientist and doctor only to put some much time into a virtual world and use it to trap thousands of random people in it?”

“… Who knows?” Rei sighed, he agreed, what was the motive behind something like this, what was the purpose or goal of all of this, it wouldn’t accomplish anything, the real world must be aware of his actions by now if the news he showed them at the start of all this was anything to go by, he was famous and it would be hard to hide away so suddenly.

 

ID# 132765

LD: 2 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

It was definitely confusing why the developer went to such lengths as to spend a decade to make this game, only to throw the huge amount of potential and profit away with a action like this, did he have a target, did he even have a goal in the first place? Are we sure he wasn’t just unhinged by the possibility of whether or not he could, he never thought if he should?

What was he doing now? Sitting in jail? Dead? Or still out there, hiding away and watching them with a disgusting smile on his face as he makes people of all ages suffer the crushing possibility of getting killed by monsters in a game ruled by numbers and stats?

Rei let out a deep sigh, pondering on these things were pointless and a waste of time, it didn’t matter anymore, the only thing that did, was them surviving, and for him, he needed to at least get some joy out of this, because somewhere inside him…

He hoped he never had to return.

 

ID# 132766

LD: 10 = Fail

Edited December 26, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

His life didn’t seem to have a future, anytime he looked forward, he could only see worry and despair, would he even manage to get a job? Would he have a family and children, lead a happy life? Having an adult life was unappealing to him, he only wished he could stay in his room forever and play games endlessly, in his little square room, cut off from the rest of the world.

That was what he wanted, so if he was doomed to stay stuck in this game forever, he might get annoyed by all it’s bugs and quirks, but at least he wouldn’t have to deal with the uncertainty of living in the real world.

Even if he died that would be fine, his life was full of ups and downs, but he could say it was decently fun, if he died now, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything else.

 

ID# 132767

LD: 1 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

But there were people that wanted to go back, like Yuta, they all had something waiting for them on the other side.

His mind wandered to those on the frontline, what was on their mind? This was a game, many people were young teenagers, sure, most of the adults were on the frontline and ever since Akihiko somehow managed to show their real life appearances in the game world, he could see the children scattered about in town, empty husks of broken life, no path forward, the path backwards taunting them.

The more he thought about it, the more depressed he became, for now, returning home was just a possibility. They may or may not. Maybe all 10,000 of them will die here. Maybe someone someday will make it to the top and set everyone free.

But the path forward was all he had, it was the best he could do to keep his head down and eyes on his feet to make sure he didn’t fall over.

 

ID# 132768

LD: 11 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

Rei sighed, if he ever made it back, how much time would have passed? Days? Months? … Years? Either way it would be terrifying, if days passed, it would be as if everything was just a long, painful dream. If years passed, he would have been suddenly left behind in the torrents of time, lost and stranded. What would have changed? What would happen to his studies? Would his family still be there waiting for him?

The people on the frontlines had something worth dying for in the real world, something they would fight powerful monsters like dragons or giants just to make it back to their side.

What would it be like to have even a tiny bit of that drive? Of that hope?

His mind returned and he shook his head before laughing to himself, out here in the grasslands, in the cold chilly air, surrounded by quiet bar the sound of the rustling wind, it was easy to be lost in your own thoughts, and the winter didn’t help either.

 

ID# 132769

LD: 4 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

The cold was enough to seep into the bones, it could make one sleepy and isolated, the feeling of loneliness and emptiness would take over and all will to live would escape him. Not to mention that feeling overly cold would make them fall asleep, cells become less active after all. He could deeply understood how everyone still in the Town of Beginnings felt, the sheer overwhelming wall of despair, not a spark of hope in sight, they were all waiting, for someone to save them.

He already made his decision however.

He would move forward, wherever that took him, he would keep walking on this path, however long it takes to hit an ending. And because everything was fated to fade into nothing anyway, he needed to make sure he had fun, as much as he could, to make this horrible journey through life even just the slightest bit warmer.

He didn’t plan to run, but he wasn’t ever going to stop either. Come hell or whatever there was, let’s have some fun, yeah?

 

ID# 132770

LD: 13 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

“Why is this damn flower so damn hard to find!” Rei cried out, throwing his hands annoyed into the air, the sudden outburst after the long silence surprised everyone on the comms,

“Y-yeah… geez, you scared me,” Yuta breathed out,

“A warning next time would be great,” Takumi sighed,

“R-right… sorry about that,” Rei scratched his cheek sheepishly,

“You’re right though, I haven’t seen a single one for a while now,” Takumi added,

“Should we go to the forest and try there?” Kenji suggested,

“Eh…” Rei sighed, “There’s probably even stronger monsters in there though…”

“We might not have a choice,” Yuta stated,

“… You’re right, let’s get in there and try to find some,” Rei gave in, the sooner they get this over with the sooner they could get on with the next step and actually get to fighting monsters, the one thing this game was all about and the only thing to look forward to right now.

 

ID# 132771

LD: 2 = Fail

Edited December 27, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

The forest in winter was definitely a haunting sight to see, the trees were leafless, almost like husks of their former selves, if there was a parallel here, Rei was somewhat annoyed by it. The brown, decaying leaves were scattered across the uneven terrain in spades and piles, making it rather annoying to search for Aconite in a place like this.

“Does anyone else feel the sudden urge to jump in that?” Yuta asked,

“Hell no,” Takumi replied instantly,

“It’s tempting… but…” Kenji squeezed out,

“But it’s probably disgusting and filthy,” Rei finished,

“Yeah…” Kenji nodded, even though none of them could see him,

“What are you, a dog?” Takumi sighed in disapproval,

“Hey! Come on!” Yuta protested,

“Keep an eye out people, if there’s a place for wolves, it’s gotta be the forest,” Rei warned, “We’re not going to just get tackled by boars, we’re going to get mauled by wolves at this rate,”

 

ID# 132772

LD: 11 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

“I really wish I brought gloves,” Takumi complained,

“We’ll buy one next time, but I don’t think we’ll have any more of this crap,” Rei replied,

“What’s after this anyway?” Kenji asked,

“We have to make potions at Zackariah’s then he sends us to the blacksmith, who’ll tell us to hunt some Boar pups, from there, we’ll get a weapon or armour of our choice,” Rei explained,

“Wait, we still have to fight unarmed?” Takumi cried out,

“I like it better that way,” Yuta shrugged,

“Thankfully they’re just Boar Pups, so they’re not all that tough.” Rei replied,

“So we’re going to have to beat the crap out of some Boar pups with our fists?” Takumi shook his head in distaste at he barbarism,

“You can kick them if you’d like,” Yuta suggested,

“I am not looking forward to committing animal cruelty,” Kenji sighed,

“Virtual animal cruelty, my friend.” Rei added.

 

ID# 132773

LD: 10 = Fail

[Tsurei 0]

[As it turns out, 11+s are successes, dammit, I knew i saw it somewhere but didn't see it again. Thanks for the help, Randel!]

“I think I've got everything I need,” Rei reported. So far, no problems.

“Yeah, same here,” Yuta reported,

“Great! Finally! Let’s head back,” Takumi stated,

“Uh… Guys!” Kenji’s voice was distressed and unsure,

“What is it, Kenji?” Rei asked quickly, pressing his hand to his ear, listening intently,

“One of them’s after me!”

“A Boar!?” Yuta cried out,

“N-no! It’s a huge white wolf!”

Takumi cursed over the comms,

“Run back to the town!” Rei shouted, waving his arms before taking off at a sprint, looking to the side, they burst out from the forest and onto the grasslands, he can see them, the black of Yuta’s coat, the navy of Takumi’s jacket and finally, with some focus, the green of Kenji’s sweater, a large white wolf chased after him, it was huge, easily the size of a car? A truck? Either way it was kicking up grass and dust as it charged. Snarling and nipping at his heels, they were not nearly fast enough to outrun it, the several tens of meters headway were quickly diminishing.

Edited December 27, 2019 by Tsurei

[Tsurei 0]

Rei swerved in his course, curving towards Kenji, running past Takumi and Yuta,

“Rei!?” Takumi cried out as he saw him run by,

“Don’t go alone!” Yuta exclaimed, running after him,

None of them were particularly fit, even in the virtual world that still applied, Yuta was probably the most athletic, then Takumi, then Rei and lastly, Kenji.

Kenji quickly tired and fell behind, the large white wolf leapt on him and threw him to the ground with a crash, before it could snarl and tear out his throat, Yuta arrived, charging into a body bash against the target.

 

ID# 132794

BD: 7 = Hit, Damage =1

MD: 7 = Hit, Damage = 15

 

With a soft meaty thud, the wolf barely moved though it did take notice of him. With that attack, they could finally see it’s health bar, and that strike did hardly anything to it, this was a unbeatable enemy for them right now.

The giant wolf slashed out with their claws, knocking Yuta spiralling and bouncing across the ground, landing several feet away, three large digital red gashes on his torso, he coughed and shuddered, his HP having dropped to extremely dangerous levels.

[Tsurei 0]

Things were not looking good. Were they going to die here? At the start of their journey? Rei glanced at Yuta who seemed to be in shock and Kenji who was screaming and flailing away in panic, the wolf still pinning him down with a single paw.

For whatever reason, it turned and began to rush towards Yuta instead of killing Kenji, there was a silver lining here perhaps but as far as Rei was concerned, one of his friends were dying either way, he quickly began to pick up some rocks and throw them at the wolf as he dragged Kenji to his feet and they ran, it seemed enough to gather the monster’s attention after the second stone.

Growling annoyedly at them, it turned around and found that Yuta had disappeared, having managed one last desperate sprint to retreat to a safe distance, too far away now, the Wolf snarled before slowly turning back.

 

ID# 132795

LD: 16 = Successful escape

[Tsurei 0]

Their health regenerated quickly outside of combat, by the time they got back to the town, they were already at full, as they panted, leaning against the town walls and glancing nervously out to the grasslands, they breathed a sigh of relief, nearly collapsing where they stood, the NPCs stood there, unfazed.

“Yuta! Are you alright?” Rei confirmed, panting,

“Y-yeah… I-I think so…” Yuta replied, trembling, having come so close to death, he was sure he soiled himself, but thankfully that wasn’t a concern in the game, “Thank god that the pain simulation was dulled,”

“Yeah,” Kenji nodded frantically, in full agreement,

“We are not going in that forest ever again,” Takumi stated firmly, coughing,

“Yeah, definitely not,” Rei nodded, “Not until we have sets of Perfect Gear or something,”

“I'm not even sure we did damage to it!” Yuta exclaimed,

“No, it’s health bar budged just a little, it must be a really strong monster on this floor,” Rei replied back,

“It nearly killed you in one hit!” Takumi cried out, “Let’s not even bother with it from now on,”

“I agree,” Kenji nodded,

[Tsurei 0]

With that, the 4 man group walked slowly over to Zackariah’s potion shop, still reeling from the near death experience, taking time to come to terms with it all, along the way, they of course saw many people wandering the streets aimlessly, even children huddled in the alleyways, these were no NPCs, but real life players, children trapped in the game, freezing out in the winter, nowhere to go.

Rei glanced over at them with sadness, there was nothing he could do for them, at least, there was no solution he could provide that would be helpful to them all, Takumi and Yuta pointedly didn’t look in their direction, knowing that if they did, the feeling of pity would be overwhelming.

Kenji on the other hand, quickly took off his sweater and handed it over to one of the kids,

“Here, wear this, it’ll keep you warm,” he smiled kindly, but the children didn’t look up at him or react to his words, simply stayed still in the cold, alarmed, Kenji quickly took a closer look at the child, he seemed to be fine, just unwilling to respond,