by John Gold
After a week of testing everything out on myself, I’m the proud owner of a new skill.
Skill learned: Ointment-making
Ointment-making: +1
Effect on the ointments you make: +1%
∞ ∞ ∞
I have to wonder whether there are other nutjobs out there who spend three days, plus the money, leveling-up non-class skills they probably wouldn’t be able to guess at. There probably are, but they have to be focusing more on combat skills than crafting skills.
The only reason I got this skill is because I know the effects the ingredients have and how to make them, thanks to my cooking skill.
∞ ∞ ∞
Resistance to poison: +0.01%
Poison damage ignored: 224/second
My ointment-making skill is up to 25 two days later. I’ve focused solely on making them for myself and using them to deliver poison, though I’ve also copied my teacher’s entire book of potions and recipes down on paper. I could have done it all using blood magic, with my own blood as the basic ingredient for the ointments and poisons, but that’s something Clarissa doesn’t need to know. New recipes automatically appear in the book, though I have to copy them by hand.
Healing myself so often has got me to the point that it’s a habit. I’m always doing it, even when I’m not taking damage. There’s something soothing about it. For now, the game is a way for me to relax away from the real world, so I spend eighteen hours a day in my capsule. The rest of the time, I’m either sleeping or eating. Something’s wrong with me. I need to start reading up on medicine.
∞ ∞ ∞
Eliza was on her way to the office. That day, she’d received permission to run some studies she’d been dreaming about for quite a while. Life as a student psychologist was one long string of them, interrupted by more relaxing seminars and individual sessions with patients. On the other hand, you have the constant battle of getting funding for your experiments.
“Miss Donovan, one of your wards has been hospitalized,” Moro said to the boss as soon as she walked into the office.
“Good morning to you, too, Moro. Who? What happened?”
“Anji Ganet; general psychological and physical exhaustion. The medbots have already delivered his body to the clinic.”
“That’s odd. He was healthy, no? Put me in touch with the medical staff who did the examination.”
A couple of seconds went by before a room with the boy and an avatar of a doctor appeared on a screen hovering in midair.
“Hello, Mr. Garret. I’m Eliza Donovan, psychologist in charge of Anji Ganet. What happened?”
The man in the doctor’s outfit looked at the girl for a few seconds.
“Good morning, Miss Donovan. The boy is going through exhaustion due to the constant bleeding general overexertion is causing it. The capsule established his critical condition and called the medbots, who put the boy into a medical coma.”
“What’s causing the bleeding?”
“I already told you - general overexertion of the central nervous system. He doesn’t have a neuronet, which would make figuring out the exact reason easier, especially since this rarely happens in people who don’t have a neuronet. Even now, the boy’s brain is overloaded, regardless of the fact that he’s on sedatives.”
“What’s the diagnosis?”
“We’re seeing symptoms of accelerated physiological development syndrome. That would overload the central nervous system and trigger an attack.”
“What’s he looking at, and how is that treated?”
“It isn’t. It’s a deviation at the DNA level. All we can do is work on the symptoms to make sure it isn’t life-threatening. The patient isn’t in danger now, and he’ll be hooked up to a med capsule for a couple weeks. After that, we’ll put him through a restoration course and boost a few development processes to make the boy’s life easier over the next six months. Basically, his body is going to develop too quickly.”
The doctor’s behavior seemed suspicious to Eliza.
“Aren’t you supposed to just give him medicine? His insurance doesn’t cover that kind of treatment.”
“You’re right, Miss Donovan. The most intriguing part is that we received a request from the Lunar government telling us to cover the cost of the full restoration course. I agreed. I’m a doctor, and my job is to help my patients get better. Medicine wouldn’t do as much as full treatment.”
Eliza had to wonder who the sponsor was.
“That’s very odd.”
“Agreed. This happens very rarely. In general, they only finance tech studies. This is the first time I’ve heard of them paying for an orphan.”
Nothing fit with the general policy in Lunar.
“I have a request. When the boy’s condition stabilizes, can you give me permission to chat with him in a personal virtual space? I want to ask him something.”
“What about his supervisor?”
“I’ll talk with him.”
∞ ∞ ∞
It’s a funny feeling when you’re falling into the game, you don’t know where from, and then the capsule forces a shutdown. All of a sudden, you’re in the psychologist’s office.
“Anji, how could you let that happen? Letting things get so bloody!”
“What, did I kill someone?”
“You should’ve seen how much blood there was! The whole corridor was filled with it. The kids are in shock.”
“…”
I’d never liked Vaalsie, but I wasn’t going to kill him.
“They had to take you to the hospital! When they pulled you out of the capsule, there was blood pouring out your nose, your ears, and even your eyes. Your brain needed a break, so you’re going to spend the next two weeks in the hospital. You’re already there, actually.”
The perplexed look on my face says more than words ever could.
I’m no whackjob, so how did I become a fountain of blood they had to take to the hospital and then send for the psychologist?
“Accelerated body development syndrome. You’re going to live, and you can read about the rest yourself.” I nod. For the time being, it’s better to get along. “You’re going to spend the next two weeks in the game, though you have to make sure you don’t overload your nervous system while you’re in there. The resources it has should be enough for you to get back on your feet. As soon as your body tells the capsule that you’ve had enough, they’ll cut you off, put you to sleep, and then drop you back in. Okay?”
I nod again.
“Anji, why won’t you talk to me? What did I ever do to you?”
I look at her like she’s some kind of idiot. First, she pulls her tricks, and now she wants to talk with her?
“I remember our last conversation. You told me how much you hate women, though I still don’t understand why you won’t talk with me now. You spoke in the space port, no? And I can’t have anything to do with why you have a hard time with girls.”
I point at my ear.
“No, I turned off all the communication channels with the outside virtual space.”
“Because you threatened me and the ones I care about. Then, you told the other kids that I can talk, and that created a whole lot of problems for me.”
I see the joy of victory in Eliza’s eyes, and the happy smile on her face turns her into a very beautiful girl.
“What if I didn’t tell them?”
“You created a situation that hurt me, whether you meant to or not.”
“And that’s why you don’t want to talk with me?”
I switch off my sound. She wants to say that “that” was nothing. I’m good at reading people, and the virtual space lets me identify their emotions. Instead of listening, I start reading her work. Eliza is smart and a good psychologist, though I’m not prepared to give anyone the time of day if they think I should just forgive their mistakes. We’re never going to work together.
∞ ∞ ∞
Victory! Regardless of how the conversation ended, Eliza
was satisfied that the boy had opened his mouth. The first time, she’d made the mistake of talking with him in the orphanage. That misstep had led to his complete refusal to work with her, and now the boy was closing up and turning off his audio channel.
“Moro, play the audio back and show me how the boy reacted to everything I said.”
From the recording, she could see that Anji’s face twitched for just a second when she said “that’s why.” The system registered his expression as a disgusted grimace.
“Ah-ha, so you feel hurt when it comes to your principles and values,” Eliza said with a triumphant smile.
∞ ∞ ∞
Well, that’s news. Although, I can’t help thinking the diagnosis is wrong. The overload is probably just something to do with my nerves. I’m having a hard time controlling my flow of thoughts, both in and out of the game. That means I need to read about it, otherwise I’ll kill myself without even trying.
I’m pretty sure I know how to stay relaxed over the coming two weeks. To work on my smithing, and smithing skills in particular, I need metal. For that, I need lots of ore. Time to get to work. It’s back into the sweet embrace of darkness for me.
My conversation with Claude is short but productive.
∞ ∞ ∞
You can learn the miner profession.
You learned the miner profession.
Miner: +1
Chances of discovering mineral deposits: +1%
∞ ∞ ∞
“Claude, for a few reasons, I need to spend the next two weeks in the dark. I’d like to spend that time mining ore.”
“Two weeks? You’ll go crazy by yourself!” The blacksmith throws his arms up.
“Believe me, two weeks is nothing. I’ll be busy, too.”
“Ah-h, you’re always like that. Is there anything you aren’t afraid of?”
“Sure, a terrifying old lady and her grandchildren.”
“What old lady? Did you do something to her?”
“Wearing a black hood and holding a scythe. I ran away from her, but she kept inviting me to visit. It didn’t go well.”
I walked off toward the mine, leaving Claude’s shocked expression behind me. He didn’t see my insidious smile, however. A little thing, but fun.
Off I went into the darkness. There were lots of reasons for this, for example, since your brain takes in most information from your eyes, darkness helps lessen the load placed on it. I don’t plan on using magic, though nobody said anything about meditating. The most important thing right now is to learn how to control my consciousness. After all, another attack like that could kill me.
It turned out to be even better than mediation. Each strike of my pick was a touch that let me feel the space around me, with my imp eye ability drawing a picture based on the echoes. They say that the darkness starts staring into you if you spend too much time staring into it, but that’s not how it is for me. I start to sense it. My whole being works in perfect harmony, analyzing what my body is doing, the strength of my swings, the sounds around me. I empower myself with every hit, finally perfecting my ability to control my body. Working in complete darkness like this is so relaxing! My hands are getting the chance to work in place of my head.
Two weeks pass, and I get a message.
New ability: Shroud of darkness
You’ve spent so much time in the dark that you’re starting to think of it as part of you. You have the ability to clothe your body in a shroud of absolute darkness.
∞ ∞ ∞
If you think about it, my aura is just starting to consume the light. I look absolutely dark, and it’s a great ability. I’m a full-fledged night hunter now.
When my treatment finishes and I get back to the orphanage, the first thing I do is fall asleep. I sleep for hours, only waking up to get some food before going back to sleep. There’s no pain, no stress, no blood. I’m feeling great and ready to work.
Back in the game, I leave the mine. Aromas fill the air: the forest, the sea water, food being cooked, hot metal. I run over to the sea, looking to jump and feel each muscle clenching, each cell working.
I swim all day, checking to make sure I can still control all my streams of consciousness. Actually, it’s even better. Using them now doesn’t tax me as much. I head back to the blacksmith’s in the afternoon.
Quartz sand is one of the most valuable materials I found in the mine. We use some to make glass, since I don’t have anywhere to hold the potions I make. I was using acorns instead of tubes. Clarissa barely had enough for herself, I didn’t have many of my own, and they weren’t sold in the village.
For a week, I work in the smithy, reinforcing metal under Claude’s instruction. I find out that you can reforge metal to add layers and make it stronger. You can also temper it in special structures that add different things to them. I’m no blacksmith, and I’m not planning on developing that area, so I just focus on processing metal. Five days later, I pull it off.
Skill learned: Metal reinforcing
Metal reinforcing: +1
Effect on reinforced metal: +1% durability
Everything’s set up so cleverly in Project Chrysalis. To start with, there are real parallels for reinforcing metal by tempering it in special constructions. Every different kind of metal has the temperature it melts at, and you can wreck the constructions if you use them for the wrong kind. And who prepares the treatment for the metal? Clarissa, using her potion-brewing skill. That means that I get her recipe.
There are about two weeks left until the ship gets here, and I still want to learn how to reinforce wood. If the book is accurate, you use a special treatment. They haven’t invented things like compression, so you have to figure out which treatment to use for which kind of wood, otherwise it’ll have the opposite effect. Everything having to do with processing metal and wood, really, works with the thermal and chemical properties of the material. I get what I’ve been waiting for on the second day.
Skill learned: Wood reinforcing
Wood reinforcing: +1
Effect on reinforced wood: +1% durability
There are four days until the ship gets here now. I spend every day on the pier, afraid to miss it. If I do, I’ll be stuck in this wilderness another two months.
In all my time on the island, I’ve picked up five class skills, and collected herbs, pearls, and some metal. I’ve boosted my resistance to poison. I’ve found tons of recipes for potions, poisons, treatments, ointments, and other solutions. I’ve made test tubes and a master potion-brewer kit. For the last nine days, I’ve been collecting herbs and making concentrated poisons. Incredible! They’re the dream of any self-respecting archer.
Hell showed me that all kinds of little things can end up saving you. Nobody ever reaches out to help, though everyone’s only too willing to jump on your head when you’re drowning. They’ll take everything, wait for you to get something else, and then take that, too. I need strength, the kind of strength that even the sovereigns of the world can’t take away from me. Judging by my conversation with the devil, they can take anything, even my body, but they can’t take my intelligence or skills. I’m not sure about my achievements or levels.
I sit there, seething at myself and my weakness. I want strength! The kind that will make me the equal of anyone trying to touch me, that evil being in the astral who was keeping an eye on me, for example, or the other one with the sword. By this time, I’ve realized that I wasn’t looking at myself. There were some differences that hadn’t caught my eye. They’re all enemies! The world is hostile and does everything it can to keep me from becoming too strong. My enemies have shown their hands, and I know how to respond to them.
I need strength and a path of development. I need to think. There’s one idea, but it’s too small. I need power, and not just physical power.
∞ ∞ ∞
Merlen Ruzh and Leon were sitting in one of the rooms in their clan castle. Their breastplates were made of bright white mithril, with the avatar of the god
glistening under the rays of a sun, the crest of the Golden Hand. Merlen, who practically lived in the office even in real life, stuck with his favorite white shirt and stylish leather vest even in the game. He was readying the reports submitted by the negotiating team.
The castle was surrounded by six levels of tall walls, turning the whole mountain into an enormous fortress with a multitude of towers and moats. Inside, there were warehouses, barracks, throwing weapons, and an enormous pond. It was really more a city than a clan castle. They’d even set up a stationary teleport. The local population had suggested setting up a branch of the dwarf bank and several trading centers, though it was all desolate, the castle looking deserted. Shadows were all that walked the streets. The castle shields ran at full strength, too. And everything had started so well!
Two months ago, the clan leadership had wanted to boost the flow of prana coming in, so they decided to send missionaries to a few cities. A problem arose when all three cities in a long valley asked them to kill a dragon that had been demanding cattle and gold from them for years. The enormous lizard was always ravenously hungry, and that was hitting the locals hard.
After a reconnaissance mission, a strike group was formed two thousand strong, mostly made out of archers and mages. It was a green dragon, after all, hearty and Level 1200.
They found mountains of gold, epic items, and precious jewelry in its cave, and the Golden Hand celebrated their victory in the central castle. But nobody could have guessed what would happen next.
Dragons are intelligent and very vindictive.
First, four people arrived and asked the local clanmen why they were celebrating. They were told that the management was celebrating victory over the dragon and the recognition of their god Leon in three cities.
“You killed a dragon just for that?” asked one of the arrivals, a man with long, gray hair and dressed in burgundy leather armor. Experience and wisdom dripped from his words, and he was disappointed.
