Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book V

by Rick Scar

  “Hey,” Erkhor said, holding the rogue around the waist with surprising ease. “The time for rest is yet to come, brother.”

  Raven gave no reply but curved his lips slightly, attempting a smile. He had no idea whether there was any sure way to tell that you were having the Visionary Syndrome; he wished he had read those articles more attentively. The only sign he knew was a fleeting sense of time. Those affected would no longer think of exiting the game, believing that the game world was real until they got disconnected from the capsule.

  It had been full ten hours of running, fighting, and stress. He remembered how he used to fight the Stone Warriors. But even then, he took very short breaks. Now... Now he hadn’t left the game even for a minute, putting his body and mind, his physical and mental health, at risk.

  Since the concept of gaming came to be, many hardcore gamers had put the virtual world above the real one. He was on his way to becoming one of them.

  Then again, it had always been those who thought differently than the others who changed the world, be it for the better or for the worse.

  10 hours and 13 minutes

  He came in time.

  The stone altar, and the wide square surrounding it, were littered with corpses, their facet eyes staring at the visitors with eternal fear. The stench of death and rot had enveloped the entire central district.

  There was no place free of bodies to put your foot on. Raven refused Erkhor’s help and closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning before making his way toward the blood-drenched altar.

  The rest followed him silently, glancing around.

  “Nanel? Nanel? Can you hear me?”

  Silence.

  Nanel’s body was hanging three feet above the ground, held in the air with ropes made of blue energy, her head drooping on her chest. He couldn’t tell if she was breathing.

  “Nanel, please. Speak to me.”

  He stopped to take out the Obedience Crystal when he heard a voice.

  “Messenger. I’ve been waiting for you.”

  As this voice resounded through his mind, Raven shook his head and looked around.

  “So it’s true. A surviving Dolf.”

  The voice paused briefly. When it spoke again, it oozed such fury that it pressed on him physically.

  “It’s all because of you, you bastard! My father… You… You’re the bastards, the locusts to be destroyed! I’ve been waiting for this moment. I’ll de—”

  Half-dozing off, Raven winced at this migraine-inflicting voice and groaned. He would kill for a moment of silence.

  “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up, you bitch!”

  “HOW DARE YOU?! I—”

  She was breaking into his mind like an energy vampire – and that gave him a sudden idea.

  That’s it! I probably still have it.

  Once his fingers touched the inventory and he thought of the vial with a dried flower he had obtained a long time ago, this item appeared around his neck, enclosing his mind with an impenetrable barrier.

  “Oh, that’s so much better.” He sighed. Before the voice, or whoever it belonged to, could do anything else, he retrieved the Crystal from his inventory and put it to the Nanel’s bared ankle.

  When the Crystal completely merged with her body, Nanel’s eyes opened wide. She took a deep breath, as though she had just emerged from under the water, and hissed: “I’ll kill this scum.”

  As Nanel looked down at her chains, Raven saw the blue energy being absorbed into her hands. Slowly, Nanel landed on the ground, and cracked her neck.

  “Hello, dear. Will you give me a hand?”

  Did she... Did she tame the Crystal’s power? The question barely touched his mind when he muttered: “I… I’ll be back in a sec, darling.”

  Attention!

  Sweeping away the messages, he collapsed onto the dead bodies and, barely conscious and completely drained of strength, pressed Exit.

  Chapter 266. The Crossroads Effect

  W ill had a dream. One of those dreams that you couldn’t remember after waking up, however hard you tried. Something was tapping inside his mind, some hidden truth, but whenever he tried to grasp it, it melted away like a snowflake, escaping him. It was an important secret. Flashes of images, places, words, and stories... Whose stories were those? They disappeared before he could discover any pattern, leaving him in the dark.

  Dreams were rumored to be a door into the secret corners of our mind. If that was true, he lacked the keys to open those doors. Or maybe the keys he had were the wrong ones.

  He fell out of his capsule, gasping for air, and collapsed to all fours, touching the cold floor of his apartment. His awakening was so abrupt that it felt as if some force had pulled him out of that strange dream. He had an urge to vomit, but his empty stomach could do nothing other than spasm.

  “Will? What the…? Are you all right?!” came his father’s anxious voice.

  Having heard weird sounds coming from his son’s room, Darius rushed in to see what Will was doing. He bent down to see his face, and saw that his forehead was sweaty. Darius frowned at touching it. Will didn’t seem to have a fever, but he still looked unwell.

  “Will?”

  The young man gave no reply; he couldn’t speak. His throat was squeezed so tightly that he couldn’t even swallow. Seeing that, Darius ran to the kitchen to pour him some water.

  Will gulped it down greedily and, swallowing the last drops, whispered in a faint voice: “Thanks.” Huffing, he rolled over onto his back, and stared at the familiar ceiling. “I made it. I fucking made it.” His eyes had a gleam of relief as he looked at his father.

  “I don’t understand what you mean... And you haven’t answered my question.” Darius stood up, looking down at the stupid smile on his son’s face.

  Will tried to get up, but his body was aching too badly to do that.

  “Shit. I’ve totally forgotten.” It felt like a very bad case of DOMS; probably the aftermath of staying in the game for too long. He was about to drop back to the floor but, catching a glimpse of the setting sun outside the window, remembered something important. “Fuck...! What’s the time?”

  Darius brought his watch closer to his eyes.

  “Twenty to eight. Will you tell me or not?”

  “Help me up. Now!” Will blurted out, ignoring the question.

  As his father helped him up, Will dragged himself over to his PC and, switching it on, opened the game forum.

  At what time was Round Four supposed to begin?

  Having typed his question into the search box, he clicked on the link to the tournament rules. His heart pounded as he saw the time.

  ….

  Beginning of Round Four: 04-11-2045, 10:00 P.M.

  ….

  I still have time to join...?

  He struggled to believe that he could continue with the tournament. Although he wasn’t in the best shape, the chance to try his luck still lifted his spirits. But then his gaze slipped down to the corner of his desktop and noticed the current time and date.

  04-12-2045

  April the twelfth... The twelfth? The twelfth?! Fucking hell! I’ve been asleep for more than twenty-four hours!

  His body went limp at the realization. He stared absent-mindedly at the screen.

  Up until that moment, he had hope that he could still make it, but reality shattered this hope. Like a school bully, it kicked down the sandcastle he had been building, destroying it, and leaving him with a heavy heart and teary eyes.

  He was late.

  Sitting still in his chair, Will felt his father’s hand touch his shoulder.

  “Go eat something. I don’t know what happened, but you need a meal.”

  Will nodded absent-mindedly without really hearing him.

  His hope had been just an illusion. Although he had already made peace with defeat, for a split second, the hope of doing the impossible was rekindled. He had almost seized that opportunity when it slipped away.

  “Will? Will! Can you
hear me?” Darius waved his hand in front of Will’s eyes, trying to getting his attention, and then pointed at the kitchen. “Go eat something.”

  Will nodded again. As he stood up from his desk, out of the corner of his eye he spotted a new thread being created on the forum.

  Round Four Results: The Finalists

  …

  He collapsed back into his chair and, opening the link, saw the unedited footage, and familiar names.

  I could’ve been one of them. But my luck wouldn’t have it.

  “I’ve made my choice,” he whispered and, closing the browser, headed for the kitchen, muttering and clutching at his rumbling stomach as he went. “I really need some food.”

  He sat at the kitchen table across his father and stared into his cup.

  “So, what happened?” Darius, with a can of beer in hand, asked again. “I’ve been away for just one day, and you nearly died in that capsule.”

  “Stop that, old man.” Will smirked and returned the stare. “I had to do it.”

  “You won’t tell me anything, will you?” Darius shook his head and heaved a sigh, realizing that there was no point in asking more questions. Will would only tell him if he decided to.

  “Forget it. What about the apartment? Have you showed it to Leah?”

  “I finished all the paperwork yesterday. Filled out all the forms, and went to the tax office.” Darius’s spirits lifted a bit at this change of subject. “You should go and take a look.”

  “I will… Once we move there. You know I don’t need much to be happy.” Will smirked. “How much?”

  “Slightly over a quarter of a million. Including all the fees, taxes, and the estate agent’s pay.”

  “Nice. I’m glad that that’s done.” Will slapped the table with his hand and nodded in approval. Putting his cup into the sink, he headed for the capsule. “I’m going back into the game.”

  “Is that really necessary? You look like you need some rest,” Darius tried to convince him.

  “Yes, it is. Don’t worry. I’ll be back in a sec.” Will frowned at his capsule bed and added: “At least I hope so.”

  Once back to where he had left the game, he called out to his wife.

  “Nanel?”

  The altar and the square had been cleaned in the meantime. Only small dots of blood here and there remained.

  “Raven? You’re back! Wait a sec. I’m coming to you.”

  “What about the hag? Have you dealt with her?”

  “Only thanks to you.” Her voice was full of gratitude. “I’ll tell you everything when I get there. I have many surprises for you, darling.”

  “Okay.”

  While waiting, he took a better look at his surroundings. Having been in a rush to save Nanel, he had had no time for sightseeing.

  The altar was surrounded by columns of fire rising from the stone pedestals that cast light onto the stone slabs, bright enough for him to make out the familiar symbols covering the altar. He had seen them before in the books and notes of the dead professor, and on the seals he had had Daltaro decipher.

  Oh yes. Daltaro told me he had some problems with them, he remembered, wincing. It was him who had sent his friend away into the unknown. It’d be his fault – and his problem – if the archer died there.

  He then remembered the system messages he had closed without reading them before exiting the game. He opened the menu and quickly found them. As he began to read through the messages, his hands started to tremble. “Holy shit!”

  Attention! Thanks to your intervention, Nanel has survived and awakened the power of her ancestors, finally learning the truth about her birth.

  The secret quest chain, The Heiress, has been updated.

  Description: Talk to Nanel.

  Your relationship with Nanel has been upgraded.

  +200

  Current relationship status:

  414/800 – Affection

  Is this the surprise she mentioned? he wondered.

  Attention! You have helped to free Telisssa Ami-Ra’tasssu, the Queen Mother, from the chains of Sansel-Ti-Mitz, restoring peace to her mind and heart.

  Peace has been made with the Swarm.

  Your name has been removed from the Swarm’s blacklist.

  Current relationship with the Swarm: 0/100 – Neutral

  Adamarona and the Swarm are no longer at war!

  What the fuck? Each new message was more and more astonishing.

  You have been offered a quest: Meet the Mother

  Description: Telisssa Ami-Ra’tasssu wants to meet the king of Adamarona, White Raven.

  Reward:

  +100,000 XP

  You have been rewarded a new title:

  HONORARY MEMBER OF THE LIST

  Description: Mmmm, the blacklist? I’m in!

  Your despair, insanity, or other force driving you will stop at no obstacle. You have reached the hostile empire’s capital while being on their blacklist and survived to tell the tale.

  +400 Influence Points

  +You can use teleports while being on the blacklist*

  *Visit four more capitals while being on the blacklist, and get another limitation removed.

  “Ahahaha!” He couldn’t help but laugh, yet the next messages made him wince. “Salt to my wounds.”

  Attention, White Raven! Round Four will begin in 20 minutes.

  If you do not join the arena by this time, you will be disqualified.

  …Round Four will begin in: 10 minutes

  …Round Four will begin in: 5 minutes

  Attention, White Raven! You have been disqualified from the tournament.

  Your rank in the tournament: 20

  Thank you for your participation!

  That was the end of the bad and late news.

  Attention! You have accomplished a heroic feat by stopping a war, and preventing millions of deaths.

  Attention! You can learn a new skill:

  TIRELESS

  Rank: Heroic

  Active skill: Apprentice

  Description: Heroes are born from blood and suffering. From pain, sweat, and incessant self-improvement. When to give up? They never ask this question. They only give up when they die. While a hero is alive, they fight.

  You would not have succeeded if you had stopped even for a single minute. This skill will give your character speed a temporary boost.

  Speed: +1,000%

  Energy required: 6,000

  Duration: 3 minutes

  Cooldown: 1 week

  Cost of learning: 150 Influence Points

  Accept: Yes/No?

  Fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!! He stared at the speed bonus provided by his new skill, his emotions beyond description.

  Hundred and fifty Influence Points was all he had. He could finally put them to good use.

  I don’t think I’ll be able to use it soon, he thought as he looked at the required amount of energy, but still accepted to learn the skill. He was extremely lucky to get this opportunity; he hadn’t expected anything like that when he decided to rescue Nanel.

  Following his confirmation, another message popped up.

  You have been awarded a new title:

  FIRSTBORN

  Description: You have become the first player to learn a heroic skill.

  +500 Will Points

  “Fucking shit! I’ve hit the jackpot!” he muttered to himself. “Was my decision to drop out of the tournament wise?”

  He made his choice at reaching another crossroads. Left or right? Up, down, or back? Or look for any other solution? The fruit he now reaped was the result of his own choices. That, and nothing else. He knew that as he looked at his rewards.

  As he read the messages, he – again – took no notice of his sensitivity level, missing out on another reward for his self-imposed challenge.

  Current sensitivity level: 105%

  “You’ve been away for a long time, Raven.”

  “Nanel?” He quickly closed the menu at hearing his wife’s voice, and tur
ned to face her.

  She looked different. Something had definitely changed about her. He couldn’t see what exactly it was, but her aura provided a hint.

  Identification.

  Name: Nanel

  Level: 124

  “When…?” He was stunned by her level, losing his thread of thought. “You… How are you such a high level?”

  He stared at Nanel. It had been a while since he had last used Identification on her; she had been level eighty-three back them. “What happened?”

  “I’ll tell you, but first…” She came up to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips, then looked into his eyes and smiled. “Thank you for coming to my rescue.”

  “I’ve promised you. Don’t you remember?” He touched a strand of her hair with his finger. An electric flash of blue energy ran down it. “Nanel... Your hair... Is it…?”

  “Ah, that?” Nanel took his hand and looked into his eyes. “That’s the real me.”

  “The real you?” He stared in astonishment, unsure about what she meant, until he remembered the recent message about the Heiress quest.

  But he was still unprepared for her next words.

  “I’m the daughter of the Emperor of Obedience.”

  Chapter 267. The Past and the Present

  R ound Four had ended yesterday. The finalists’ names, and Ronald’s own among them, were shimmering in front of him on the projected screen. It was pretty late at night, but Ronald kept staring at them, sitting in the same pose and wondering what had prevented Will from showing up.

  What could’ve made one of the strongest players drop out of the race so suddenly?