Player Reached the Top. LitRPG series. Book I Page 12

  He decided not to put it off, so he wrote back with a message marked, "Urgent." Perhaps Pak would be free.

  “Cap?”

  “What yours to want?” Lekhor had a pronounced limp, but his face bore a satisfied expression. It was unclear why he was not affected by the bone sticking from his leg.

  “Do you have anybody to cure you?

  “Yes, the shaman will put life on legs. To he we go. If good luck us, then mine and Gikhor to live tomorrow.”

  “The shaman is too far away,” Raven answered, frowning. He did not want them to die, as he had need of their strength. That and, maybe, he had become attached to them with their strange speech, their simple life. But mostly, he admired their strength.

  “We strong Horgh. We to reach the tribe if your successful destiny to go with my and this blockheads.”

  Offered “The Strong, but Wounded”.

  Accompany the Horgh to their tribe.

  Reward:

  +4000 XP;

  +15 affection of the Horghs’ tribe.

  Accept? Yes/No.”

  “Of course, I’m with you, Captain! Only I have something I have to finish. Could you behead this dead animal?”

  “Gr-rkh!” Instead of words, Dreyrok unsheathed his sword and cut the bear’s head off with two blows.

  Thrusting the item into his inventory, Will lent his shoulder to Lekhor, and together they slowly moved towards Latakhorgh.

  On their way, they met some of the same living creatures, they had met before, but Will avoided them, aware of their aggression radius.

  More monsters appeared at night than in the afternoon. The group quickened their pace, knowing that they would not be able to cope even with one beast in their present state. Three and a half hours later, they reached the gates of Latakhorgh.

  The gates were pulled open by soldiers of the garrison as soon as they came within view. They greeted the captain and the two Horghs.

  “Congratulations!

  “The Strong, but Wounded” completed.

  Reward:

  +4000 XP;

  Current relations with the Horghs tribe 88/100 – neutral.”

  The armed guards standing near the shaman also placed hands to stomach, slightly inclining their heads to greet Dreyrok. Grrakhkat sat in the center of the room, apparently busy with something special.

  “Old man, I’ve brought the warriors. Will you treat them?”

  Grrakhkat opened his eyes, examined their wounds, and returned his gaze Raven. “I heard you found the beast, so it’s true. Have you killed it?”

  “For sure!” Will removed the head from the inventory and threw it on the floor. It occupied a large portion of the room.

  “So you did it after all!” Grrakhkat nodded with satisfaction. “But don’t leave it here, please. Take it out to the yard and I’ll investigate later. Maybe I’ll learn where this damned aura came from. For now, choose what you would like.”

  “Congratulations! “The Monster at Night” completed.

  Reward: +15000XP

  Relation with Grrakhkat 47/100 − neutral.”

  “The joker’s ring (Gold).

  Characteristics:

  +15 Agility;

  +400 Health;

  Skill: “Surprise!” passive when health falls lower than 10%, the ring releases a smoke screen within a radius of 40 ft, allowing the user to escape an enemy.

  Cooldown: 2 days.

  Requirements: 60 level.

  Restrictions: None.”

  “Noiseless Walker’s ring (Gold)

  Passive skill

  The owner of this the ring receives ability of silent movement.

  Characteristics:

  +12 Strength;

  +5% Basic damage of a dagger.

  Requirement: 50 level.

  Restrictions: None.”

  “The Guest’s Necklace (Gold).

  A part of the Guest’s set.

  There is an earring, a ring, boots, and a raincoat.

  Description: This necklace was previously owned by a thief, once famous in the Gakronsky empire. His was called ‘Guest’ because of his ability to feel at home wherever he was, especially in the places he was committing thefts. But nobody learned what this thief looked like.

  Characteristics:

  +23% skill of theft;

  +17% speed.

  Skill: “At Home” (Unique), passive, you’ll be always sheltered by ordinary citizens and peasants for a night.

  Requirement: 65 level.

  Restrictions: None.”

  The choice was difficult. He could either upgrade to the 50th level and start using it in the near future, or he could take a set item with a strange passive skill he wouldn’t realize until it was complete. Whether the joker's ring could help him to escape, who knew? Besides, it was necessary to take the risk with regards to the future sale. Having considered the pros and cons, he decided to select the last option.

  “Good choice, Envoy. And now that you have killed the monster even in your weakened state, will you choose a unique skill or the next rank?”

  Raven flashed a crooked smile. The shaman had thrown a challenge at him. The raising of each skill level had not come easily to him. The odds of finding a book of skill with the rank above Journeyman were incredibly small, so it was not worth speaking about. Players had to raise their levels by their own efforts due to frequent use, or hope for good luck.

  “I gather you won’t tell me about the skill?”

  “No, I’m bored, so I’d like to see you in action. Either you’ll be a pig in a poke or become slightly better here and now.”

  “Eh, Old man, I’m not gonna dance for your amusement. I’ll take the unique skill, and handle the rest on my own.”

  “The Skill Book (Unique): "Without barriers".

  Active skill (Apprentice).

  Gives a chance to adhere to both walls and ceilings.

  Duration: 50 seconds.

  Energy required: 60.

  Cooldown: 3 minutes.”

  “What a swell pig in a poke! Pinky. Ha-ha. But it’s time to be off.”

  Chapter 37. The Message of the adept

  The next day, the shaman healed the captain’s leg, after which Raven persuaded him to accompany him while he cleaned some more infected places in the forest. Gikhor's hand had also been healed. The powerful magic had worked.

  Raven did not hurry to purge the forest. His true goal was to level up so he could start searching for the Box. He did not know how strong he would be if he grew in level, but there would be great rewards in the epic chain of quests.

  For the next four days, he and a band of Horghs, led by Dreyrok, traveled through the forest in search of those places. The captain remembered one in particular, but finding it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. A frightening thought crossed the rogue’s mind: did the Taargada Forest could cover the whole continent of this Floor?

  Looking through the forum this morning, Will came across a topic thread where players shared their screenshots of the opened sites from the map of the first up to the third Floor, hoping to see the project scales. As it turned out, 24% of the first Floor, 21% of the second, and 18% of the third Floors had been opened in relation to the map’s total area. And this was the result of several million players’ work! But Will was only one to make it this far. And, considering his last few weeks, it might be said that he had made no headway.

  As disappointed as he was, there was no other way to proceed. Therefore, any opportunity to level up was welcome. Two days after their defeat of the bear, they came upon another cursed place. It consisted of a single, enormous tree.

  The young man did not know its name, as it had come from the imagination of the developers. Having killed the infected monsters with the help of the crystal, he absorbed some energy from the tree trunk then he filled the crystal just over half of its capacity.

  “Cursed shard (Unique).

  Loaded: 109/200.”

  A search turned up nothing. As a r
esult, Raven only had the 46th level and three unused skill points. He had not spent them. He knew receiving specialization opened new branches of development. Though his stealth also should have been leveled, thus reducing detection radius of high-level enemies, there was no need of it. If something happened, he would be able to use his points there.

  Different alchemical, mechanical, and similar ingredients for crafting dropped from the slain monsters. The total amount of gold collected was two hundred forty-eight coins. There were also several topazes of the fifth and sixth class for incrustation, adding +10 to intelligence and +8 to agility. Two items which had dropped out of the toad and a winged dragon were 70+ level and had no value for him, so he put aside them for sale.

  When Will returned to the city, he disposed all unnecessary items in his storage and headed back to the shaman. Engaging in grinding in the forest, he did not forget about the terms specified by the old man. The designated time was drawing to an end, and he hoped five days did not mean exactly five days.

  The guards let him pass as one of them, as his reputation and rumors about the monsters to be killed in the nearby lands probably warranted it.

  “Hi, Old man.” Will did not remember why he called him so, and why he reacted calmly to it.

  This time, the shaman was not sitting in his favorite pose but was instead at the table where candles burned, illuminating a few books being spread out. Hearing his voice, Grrakhkat faced him.

  “Oh, White Raven, you’re right on time. I’ve just stopped deciphering, so please wait twenty minutes.” With that, he resumed his work.

  The rogue sat on the floor and speculated how the adept had died. Why had he been in the small room in the warehouse, and what had he wanted to say in the letter written in blood?

  “That’s all!” The man distracted him from thoughts. “I’ve rewritten the text in the language that will be clear to you. But I don’t understand what it is about. Maybe you'll figure it out.”

  Will took the piece of paper and scanned the message. “The brotherhood is in danger. The secrets I have learned cost me much. Fatally wounded, I could hide here, in the warehouse of my grandfather, in the secret room only to write about a plot against Shadow Order. The Latians and the Holy Land united, you, who will find this message, warn…"

  The rest could not been decoded; perhaps, his life had drawn to a close. At last, the room arrangement secret had come out. He found it difficult to believe that these people were constantly climbing through the window there. It was an entrance for sending post birds, not for men to enter to the room. Many details were lacking. But the message was not insignificant.

  “You know the will of the dead adept of Shadow.

  +2 Influence points.

  Current value of Influence points: 577.

  Offered "Messenger"

  Warn the Shadow Order about the plot if they are still alive …

  Reward: unknown.

  Accept? Yes/No.”

  “It seems to get into Shadow Order is impossible. At least, not at the place they were earlier. Considering I found a shrunken skeleton and not a fresh corpse, it has obviously been more than fifteen years since he died.”

  “Thanks, Grrakhkat. I’m glad to have met you. If you need anything, let me know. And now, it’s high time for me to leave your tribe and to see to other matters.” Will gave a wave of his hand in farewell and made his way to the door.

  “Farewell, Envoy. If you are in these regions again, come. I’ll find something for you.” The shaman smiled in reply.

  Chapter 38. Laws of the world

  “Topic Where do auctioned items for 50+Level come from?”

  “Topic Scroll through “Back and forth”, my story of travel and scrolls in brief.”

  “Topic Has anybody seen the guard from the 3rd Floor?”

  “Topic For everybody!!! Take cognizance of mobs leveling up!”

  “Maximize”.

  “I think many players have noticed that the monsters in the low-level locations are leveling up gradually. Being interested in this phenomenon, I asked the developers about it since I’ve found nothing online. Here is their official answer (for those who haven’t read yet):

  “You should not be surprised at monsters leveling. In order that the players do not lose interest and concentrate on unlocking all the gates, monsters will progress, based on the average players’ level on the concrete Floor and in the concrete location. As for guards, the stronger players are, the more they play the stronger they will become, gaining new abilities and weapons.

  The most advanced NPC will remember those they killed; some humanoid enemies will be able to loot dead bodies. As we’ve mentioned, the world will continue to evolve, such that even a Goblin can become the leader of the tribe. The whole point of this is to make it difficult for “Messengers” to walk about freely on the Floor and to kill all in their path.

  In addition, it is worth recognizing that all market prices depend on you. The market will be saturated with every type of goods in inhabited cities, villages, and so on. Life works in mysterious ways; quest NPC players are able to die, and the cities may collapse and be reconstructed. You influence the world, and the world influences its inhabitants. Top of the game to you!”

  The number of comments to this post had exceeded several tens of thousands after only a few hours. Many recalled different events. A Level-3 boar in the Sarkatov forest had already become Level-4 for four days. After being killed by forest robbers and goblins, the players returned to the place of their death but did not find their lost rings waiting for them. It had not been the players to take them away, because a player could take things from a corpse immediately after it disappeared. And there were hundreds of similar stories.

  Silly people were indignant, but clever players understood that the game would lose its allure if the world they loved didn’t continue to develop. Difficulties should have been overcome at all costs, finding ways out of seemingly impossible situations. What was the interest in beating monsters you had already outgrown by several tens of levels? The top guilds and those who had gone after them in the first hundred days had noticed this long ago, so they focused on searching for quest starters that would bring them to the guards.

  Will read this post, but did not worry about it. Half of his level was threatened only by a mushroom growing on the forest's edge.

  Raven said goodbye to his so-called “fellow soldiers” and went beyond the gate. The young man found himself alone in this game world once again, for the first time since he had abandoned Radermin. He travelled to the village.

  Thanks to his new skill, “Without Barriers,” the rogue had checked with the Horghs on the cursed areas in the forest, and found he could hunt monsters alone without fear of multiple attacks. He just wanted to climb a higher and thicker tree and shoot them like chickens.

  Will wrote back to Pak about updating the arbalest and clothes, also reminding him of potions. At that moment, his equipment consisted of:

  Vagrant Jacket (Bronze);

  Red Eye Ring (Bronze);

  Gale Greaves (Bronze);

  Twilight Ring (Diamond);

  Flying Dagger (Gold);

  Dreadnought’s Crossbow (Bronze).

  Having five hundred and ten gold coins (he had received the message about sale of the auctioned gloves recently) he could afford new things, remembering that at the beginning of the game he had had only ten copper coins.

  He put aside four hundred gold, waiting for the update when there would be the possibility of placing, withdrawing, and conversion of real money into the game. When this feature came into force, guilds would begin to pull ahead. So far it was unknown what course would be his to take, but he had to be ready. A payment for his sister’s schooling was not far off.

  Chapter 39. Greed

  Navigating by the map, Will moved ahead to the village to hunt and pick some herbs. The missions he had taken before were still in his task logs.

  On his way he met people, wandering
alone or in small groups through the forest. Once he saw a 57-level lynx covered with needles jump from one tree to another and then attack a 52-level horned wolf that had gotten lost.

  The fight didn’t last long. Digging its claws in the earth, the lynx hissed, arched its back, and shot its needles into the wolf’s head. So the lynx won, despite being slammed hard by the wolf’s horns and tail, piercing the lynx’s hide with a thorn not unlike a scorpion’s sting. Will guessed the lynx was not fully mature and had not yet learned how to choose a lesser opponent yet.

  Raven would not risk engaging with the local fauna until he found his level weapon. Three hours later, he found himself in front of Skiavra's closed gate. Warriors gave him the nod in recognition of his merits and glory, then opened the door hidden in one of the gate’s shutters. Only fools would keep the gates open in such hostile territory.

  While Will awaited the letter from his companion, he decided to buy some skills. He had not yet procured any book of skills yet. And it was worth visiting several weapons stores, perhaps he would find something worthwhile.

  The rogue again visited the mean old man he remembered because of his caustic personality. Will examined the list of available skills. In took ten minutes for him to make his selections, as their prices were suitable.

  Book of skill: “Cut”