by Sergei Katz
Having decided to get some good rest, and hopefully get up early in the morning, I immediately fell asleep.
CHAPTER 7:
A KIND COMPETITOR
This time around, waking up naturally wasn’t to be my destiny either: something was stirring in the bushes under the tree on which I was settled. At the same time, there were strange rustling noises and sounds resembling snorting coming from nearby.
I leaned over the branch and hung my head down: my legs were secure, and my hands had something to hold on to, so I knew that I wouldn’t fall. A couple of minutes later my patience was rewarded. A mighty young hog was under the tree, sniffing around with its dirty snout. I called it a boar for a purpose of a comparison: its skin was of an amber color, covered in black blots in random spots. It had thin branched horns on its head and two small tusks. To the whole world it looked like an ordinary boar, apart from the horns and strange coloring. Its name and description weren’t available to me at the time.
I was curious: what was so delicious down there for it to be so excited? I was certain that it had noticed me: it tried not to turn its back on the tree, and its ears were trembling. So, if it wasn’t going to pay any attention to me, then I had to do the same to it. After several un-gymnastic like movements, I landed on the ground, literally ten meters from the offended boar. The poor creature understood that I had come down for a reason, and obviously did not want to share its trophy with me. The boar grimaced and showed a very angry face, which it was more than capable of, and launched an attack with a menacing grunt.
“What a joke, I can do the same you know.”
I took out my homemade weapon and, throwing it from one hand to the other, approached the creature menacingly. The bewildered hog stopped in its tracks. I could see the growing sadness in its face. It seemed unhappy about the fact that it would have to share, and it began to dig up a line in the ground with its hoofs. After that it retired to its half of the ground under the tree.
I smiled and nodded.
— Great decision, that side is yours, and this side is mine.
Incidentally, I said all of this out loud, even without knowing why, but the boar nodded to me with a serious air, as if it understood what I was saying.
My next step was to find out the reason behind all this messing about. I began to search the bushes in search of a delicacy that had appealed to the boar. I crawled around on my hands and knees for about ten minutes without success.
“Is there any possibility that the cheeky sod has handed over the ground that it had already emptied of food?”
I moved a little further from the hog’s dividing line, and spent the next ten minutes without coming up with anything. I shook the dirt off my clothes, and went to watch my competitor’s activity: the boar sniffed the ground and would dig with its hoofs and nose in certain places. It ate what it found so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to see what it was.
After observing a couple of such finds, I returned to my side of the line. I needed to recall how, in my youth, I dug up worms for fishing. I took out the stone from my bag that I had used to get my leaf sword: today it had a different task to do, going from being a weapon to being a shovel. Since I didn’t have the boar’s sense of smell, I decided to rely on my intuition. The first three attempts came out blank. To be honest, I was digging just to give my intuition a chance to warm up.
When I was choosing the fourth place to dig, one of the areas appealed to me. I did not hesitate for a second. I dug up this site and was well rewarded! I held in my hand a blue-black fruit resembling a shriveled seed. I cleared all the dirt from it completely, and examined it more closely. The game finally decided that after so much hard work, I deserved to know its name, so I could see its description.
Ground raisins are an earthy fruit, very sweet, and a favorite delicacy of many living creatures. It holds hidden properties for some creatures. It grows in clumps, and only one clump of ground raisin mycelium can grow in the forest. From the moment the mycelium is found, new raisins will no longer grow. After all the fruits are harvested, the mycelium will move to a different location. It is used in cooking, alchemy and potions.
Now everything became clear. I had wondered why the sweet toothed creature didn’t want to share its find with me before. Clearly it was not the only boar around, so it would have to share with others, and the oldest and strongest boar would likely simply push it away from its find.
When I discovered what I was looking for and how to find it, things went much faster. It turned out that I could fit exactly thirty fruits in one compartment of my bag. In addition to this, the lines that the boar had drawn in the dirt, in my opinion, had divided the space around the tree in a very fair manner. Having finished collecting, which involved digging up almost every centimeter of my zone, I had collected seventy-four ground raisins.
As soon as my four-legged acquaintance was convinced that I wasn’t looking for anything anymore, he crossed the line he had dug in the ground very carefully, demonstrating from his attitude that we needed to talk. I had no objection to this at all. I had already guessed that for some reason the boar needed more raisins than it had found, and it was clearly not simply because the raisins were delicious.
Obviously, I had tried the very first fruit: it was incredibly tasty, but for me, sadly, it had little effect. Even my food satisfaction level rose by only 10 points. Deciding not to torment my former competitor any longer, I pulled out fourteen fruits, leaving me with two full compartments only. I pointed to the pile of fruits and invited the boar over. My Intuition which was already at 7% just screamed at me that this was the right thing to do, and I decided to rely on it completely.
The boar literally jumped onto the fruit pile in a fraction of a second, without giving me a chance to change my mind, and ate about half the fruits on offer. Soon after that, a light wave ran through the fur on its back. It changed color to a dark burgundy color, and the wild boar’s ears became elongated. It grew in height by about sixty centimeters. Its horns became dark black and grew bigger, and its fangs became thicker and forked at the ends. From being a cute young boar it had morphed into a full grown wild boar. At that moment, I could clearly see which species it belonged to:
The Mangul Ruby Boar is a unique wild boar that has been reincarnated with the help of ground raisins. Agility (unavailable).
Its name was visible in white letters against a dark green background.
Your relationship with the Mangul is one of mutual appreciation. Distance to level of Trust - 5 000.
Thanks to you, there has been a small change in the world: a unique beast has appeared. Before then there had been 49 small changes. The world likes to change and values the changes in different ways: change the world, and it will reward you.
“Wow! I still have not really left the zone for Newcomers, but I have already helped the emergence of a new unique monster. It appears that here each unique creature has its own scale of relations. The question remained: “Why?” It looked like I was about to find out ...”
During my internal monologue, the boar was impatiently shifting from one hoof to another, demanding my full attention. I gestured to show that I would go with it. Convinced that this was so, the wild boar, charged its way through the bushes and went deep into the forest. Of course, unlike the boar, I watched where I was going, but I tried to keep up.
About fifteen minutes later we reached a huge hill. For some time, the Mangul started sniffing various large stones that were laying around the base of the hill, after which, as if it had made a decision, it chose one of the largest. Then it pulled back a hundred meters, and charged at the stone at full strength, striking it with its forehead.
I wasn’t prepared at all for what the wild boar did, or what happened next. The stone rolled away behind him, and a man sized hole appeared. Approaching the hole, the Mangul stamped its hoof on the ground, as though emphasizing that I had to go inside. Then it nodded to me respectfully, and disappeared back into the forest. I
t looked like introducing me to this hole was my reward for giving it the ground raisins. My intuition told me that this gift might be too much for me to deal with, but there was nothing else to be done: my curiosity never left me the slightest chance, and now my legs were inevitably leading me inside the hole.
CHAPTER 8:
GIFTS CAN BE DIFFERENT
The entrance to the hole was slightly below my height, but the vaults of the cave reached about two meters.
“I wonder who lives in here?” I thought to myself.
I took another couple of steps inside, and the game sent a fresh message:
You are the first Newcomer to discover the location of the Ant Hill of the Fire Termites. Within 24 hours of your passage through this location you will receive the following bonuses:
+100% success rate in random chance;
+ 50% increase in your abilities.
“So, it looks like my new friend showed me not just a cave but a whole bunch of benefits coming with it. Let's hope that this location is designed for Newcomers, preferably for one Newcomer on his own, otherwise I will be quickly taught not to be curious again…”
As I was still deep in my thoughts, it took me some time to notice that after the latest message had arrived, it became a bit lighter in the cave. Even though it was still impossible to make out the walls, I did get the impression that my eyes were growing accustomed to the darkness. The cave walls were partially covered with a brown-grey moss, and a weak glow emanated a couple of centimeters from the walls. The creators of the game seemed to have thought every little detail through, and every minute I spent in this world I increasingly perceived it as a reality. It was fun but a little scary: if I felt like this in the first few days, what would happen in three years’ time?
My reflections were interrupted by a dark shape moving in my direction very quickly. I had no experience in using a sword in combat, so as soon as a nearly one meter tall red-black ant popped out right in front of me ... I lost control. To be honest, I totally panicked. My body refused to move, and my brain froze completely, but I had to thank my instincts! I wanted to survive, and my instinct for self-preservation overruled my brain, so I tried to emulate the techniques that I had seen in Kung Fu movies as closely as possible. Swinging my sword as best I could, I killed the insect in the last of my seven lives. In last seconds of the fight, the pain was simply unbearable; I finished the fight on pure willpower.
“If simple wounds can be so painful, what will happen next?! I must find a way to ignore the pain. It’s better not to get injured at all, but I don’t think I will get to that level any time soon ...” — I decided, grimacing from pain.
You have discovered the “Sword Master” skill. Beginner level (1).
Having squatted down on the site of the recent battle, I ate a couple of yellow fruits without wasting precious time. My Life points rose to almost maximum level - 121 out of possible 140 points.
“If the weakest ant in this anthill almost killed me single handedly, how am I supposed to get through this? On top of that I have only 11 yellow fruits left. Perhaps I should retreat and return later, when I'm stronger? It is a pity, really, to miss out on the bonuses, but after all, if I die, I can’t be resurrected!” — The analyst inside me demanded that I return later.
But the gamer within me shouted: “The more dangerous the location, the bigger the prize! At the end of the day, I had no choice! I would still have to fight sometime, if not here, then somewhere else.”
Needless to say, the gamer won, as always. I loved taking risks and experimenting.
When I got back on my feet, ready for new quests, another message was displayed:
Your patron respects your decision, and is pleased with your choice and courage. The relationship with Trickster improved: +350 points. At the moment Good: 0. To attain Respect: 5,000.
— Hello there! —Trickster appeared beside me. — You are a rather interesting person, — the patron smiled. — I'm really pleased that you chose me as your patron.
I was truly surprised by his sudden appearance, as I didn’t expect my patron to be a real person, I just thought it was someone who would give me bonuses.
Apparently, my surprise could be clearly seen on my face, because Trickster grinned:
— What, did you think that I was just sat around somewhere doing nothing and occasionally give you quests to undertake?
— Something like that, — I smiled back cautiously. I still didn’t understand what to expect from this character.
— No, I myself would not leave my world just to do that. I also love taking risks, adventures and battles, and I love things that are new and unique, —Trickster was tossing coins between his fingers as he had done when I had chosen him in the cave. He did it automatically, without even noticing.
— If that’s the case, — I decided to ask, — then why did you decide to talk to me here and now?
My patron smiled:
— I did not know who you were and what you were capable of until now. Also, the fact that you brought me into the world and cheered me up a little didn’t mean that we would get along together. Now, after watching you for a couple of days, I'm sure that if you get some training, then we can achieve a lot together ... —Trickster had a dreamy look, and, as if following the mood of their master, the movement of the coins became smoother.
While my patron was busy dreaming, I neatly moved my position to make life easier for me, so it was more convenient to watch the hole: I didn’t want to be suddenly caught off-guard.
Noticing my maneuvers, Trickster got amused:
— Don’t be so afraid! We've got twenty minutes at least. I used some of my talents, so they won’t dare to come here for a while. —Trickster tossed two coins in the air, and as soon as they touched the ground they increased in size and turned into two dark colored stools. Trickster, sat down on one of them, and with a gesture, he invited me to sit on the other one, saying: — Please sit down.
The expression on the patron's face became serious, and his behavior changed dramatically as soon as the coins disappeared from his hands. In front of me was a clever, discerning companion, restrained in both words and actions.
My achievements in this world depend on you, —Trickster began. — Obviously, in the future there will be other Newcomers who will choose me, but for the upcoming year it's just you. This year is very important, as it gives me a head start over those who weren’t chosen this time around. I have plenty of competition too, and some of them have been selected by more than one Newcomer. Naturally, the stronger and more powerful I am, the more opportunities and influence you will have. So, my dear Marten, I'm vitally interested in your development. However, my powers are limited by the contract that I have agreed with this world, and so far I haven’t been able to be of much assistance. Unfortunately, my skills in conventional weapons are modest and a bit of a joke. However, I'll teach you everything I know. — Trickster rose and took a step towards me, placing his hands on my forehead, saying: — Close your eyes, Marten, and open your mind to me.
I relaxed and closed my eyes. At first there was nothing but darkness, and then I saw Trickster in a kaleidoscope of color. He moved very slowly from one combat posture to another, striking with an invisible sword. As soon as it seemed to me that I had remembered everything, the kaleidoscope disappeared, and I felt the patron removing his hands from my forehead.
I opened my eyes. There were messages for me:
You have learned “Slashing strikes” (cost: 10 mana. The impact is applied instantly). Your weapon deals out +15% damage, has a chance to inflict a bleeding wound, 0.2-0.5% injury every second, for 3 seconds.
You have learned the “Penetrating strike” (cost: 25 mana. The impact is applied instantly). Your weapon deals +20% injury, with a 5% chance of damage to internal organs, additional injury depends on the importance of the organ.
You have learned the “Evasive movement” ability. If you see an attack and you know which part of the body it i
s aimed at, you have a 10% chance of evasion.
You have learned the fighting style of “Sword Master”. Your movements have acquired logic. Studying the moves of your opponents, you can gradually improve your style, copying and adapting their moves.
— That's all I can teach you about sword fighting.
— Thank you so much! — I sincerely thanked Trickster. — It's much more than I knew before, so now, I think I stand a slim chance in this cave at least.
— Of course you do! —Trickster smiled and began to disappear into the air. — “slim” is the right word, so good luck to you!
As soon as the patron and the stools had disappeared, another ant flew at me from the darkness. I did not panic, but I wasn’t completely confident that the first victory was more than a pure accident. I didn’t have the required fighting skills yet: and even the skills that I had acquired already didn’t provide an absolute guarantee. It was one thing to have knowledge, but another thing was being able to apply it.
Blocking one attack, I tried to sever one of the ant’s legs with my sword, but an unpleasant sensation passed over my hand, and I was afraid that I was going to drop my sword. However, as a result of this maneuver, I injured one of the termite’s legs, and its attacks began to slow down. It shook every time it accidentally stepped on the injured limb. That's the technique that I wanted to use again in my future battles with the termites.
Nonetheless, the uncertainty of whether I could return from the dead without a chance of resurrection, coupled with the pain of my wounds, made me more cautious and constantly held me back. This time I led the fight more deliberately, and I anticipated the attacks from the termite’s legs, some of which I cut with the sword, and others I managed to avoid.
