Player Reached the Top. LitRPG series. Book I Page 23

HP: 28,000.”

  Such monsters were seen only in the far territories, which were closed to most people. The cartographers earning money from sale of information died several hundred times in those lands where they had seen similar enemies, but there were ordinary monsters there.

  Versions about the maximum level on the Floors cracked one by one, but nobody knew the truth. Why were there such monsters? Was is necessary to kill them before getting the key? Were they protecting something or just there to not let players cross the borders between Floors? Was it possible to reach tgise borders in general?

  The best players had gathered here with a plan to pass this Labyrinth. Even A nonaggression pact had been struck, but they were not fools and understood the situation could change at any time. For this reason, the players avoided each other, waiting to move out.

  Floor Dungeons were divided into several levels of complexity such as Private, Sergeant, Captain, General, and Legend. As for their types, there were three of them: the permanently open type with an unlimited number of attempts per day, the open at a set time one giving several attempts a day, week, or month, and finally, the one-off type.

  Nobody had passed any dungeon at the Legend level yet. The complexity increased in proportion to the chosen level. The Private level dungeon included standard monsters, traps, riddles and the boss.

  Each following level saw an increase in the strength of the inhabitants of a dungeon and the complexity of traps and riddles by 20%. In addition, for each dungeon there was a level limit allowing players to enter it.

  Some players from the Rollin’ Dice and Fate clans passed up to the General level and won good bonuses and titles.

  But now they had to just pass. Crimson Berserker was 42 level, the highest of these players. Mollie, being only thirty-six level, remained the leader, spent a lot of time on development of the guild. She liked the process of building a structure from nothing into something that worked like a Swiss watch.

  “Leader!” Someone from her team called, interrupting her surveying of the enemies’ equipment, remembering and analyzing.

  “What’s up?” Kingmaker answered without turning.

  “We got a message from one of ours. He writes that he has found a catch in how to rise to the island.”

  “Not bad, but we must find a way to open the barrier. Nobody wants to get through before this huge bird.”

  “You’re quite right.” The player sighed, choosing not to distract the young girl any more.

  “Katharine!” Mollie called her girlfriend. “How much time is left?”

  “Twenty minutes.”

  “Well.”

  Except these two giant clans, there were clans that were top-30 and even below here. All of them were going to leave a mark in this Labyrinth.

  The portal began to open in the center between the Rollin’ Dice and the Fate clan. All the players knew that such a big funnel meant the scroll of “Back and forth” had been applied by someone.

  Attendees laughed, imagining the face of the one who would get off on the third Floor instead of the Floor 4+. It often happened and was considered to be a waste of a scroll. As the benefits from scrolls generally came from receiving titles, discovering cities, villages, special locations, and dungeons, each discovery earned twenty-five Influence points.

  Nobody was surprised by how the first-rated player scored points. There was such a feeling that he accidentally pressed numbers on the calculator and that number automatically became his Influence points. At the moment, this anonymous player had nine hundred and twelve points! He stood out among the rest. Therefore, all watched the second-place player and below.

  Crimson Berserker had three hundred and eighty-eight Influence points. Below him was the player with three hundred twenty points. The fourth to eleventh place players had an identical quantity, two hundred and ninety-five. Mollie had only two hundred eighty. There were a hundred Floors, and she would prevail.

  The portal opened slowly, allowing the majority to record it in order to troll the player in the Internet. Their eyes, including those of Mollie and Ronni, popped out of their heads when they saw it.

  A small being with light green skin and bright eyes appeared from the portal. It was so lovely that Mollie couldn't help but want to cuddled it. She had a collection of teddy bears with similar eyes at home. Then someone's body and hands appeared where the small being sat.

  And then they saw him. It was a man six feet in height. He had black hair with a flattop, a small scar on the left side of his neck, and a homely face like millions of people have. His eyes saw took in everything at once, his expression strong-willed but surprised.

  He had a raincoat draped over his shoulder, a dagger attached to his belt, and wore a leather jacket, trousers and boots. Everything about him was unremarkable. Nobody would pay attention to him if he had appeared in a crowd. But now all of them stared at the player's ring on his right hand and especially his level.

  “Name: White Raven

  Level: 55.”

  “Is it you?” Mollie and Crimson Berserker exclaimed in unison.

  “Is it you?” Will reacted, not understanding what was going on or who those people were. But he was not going to lose face and let them know that he had heard about them.

  Chapter 69. Game of cat and mouse

  “Is it really you?” Mollie could not believe her eyes. She suspected the person in the video she had watched a million times to be the first-place player. But the reality did not allow this theory to be the truth. And now she was convinced.

  “I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, but I’m a nice guy,” he said. “I’ve neither disgraced nor killed anybody, and in general I have behaved decently. If your reaction isn’t connected with it, comment on it for our further dialogue.” The rogue has blinked his left eye, looking at the girl.

  Mollie stared at him, understanding nothing he had said.

  Meanwhile Will tried to figure out what clan she belonged to. Unfortunately, Raven did not know heraldry. The only emblem he had seen belonged to the Soul Crushers clan, as Pak had emailed it.

  The man standing in front of him was young. In this game, it was possible to find out if a player used their real identity by requesting information on her or his status or if players shared similar information. Therefore, he did not know whether this character was real or imagined. He did not have to even remember her name, as she was in charge of the group.

  The situation was changing while he inspected a new environment and responded to the girl’s surprised remarks. Small clans and separate groups of players that had stood at some distance gathered more densely now, obviously not planning to shake hands with the young man. Knowing Raven had not met anybody and thus had been in no position to anger them, he tried to understand why they wanted him dead. And then he realized… it was for fame, to be captured on video.

  “Ha-ha,” Will muttered. “This is going to be fun.”

  “White Raven,” Berserker said. “Haven’t you seen our proposals on the website? We’re ready to pay a reasonable price for some info. Even better, I will pay from my own pocket. Considering that the update allowing players to change local currency to real has already come into play, I’m ready to pay a lot.

  “Hey! Crimson Berserker! Wait in line! I was the first to speak with him! Kingmaker stepped forward, revealed herself to be the leader.

  “It’s unimportant.” Ronni flicked her off like a flea. “When we finish, you can accept any offer you want. I need only information. Unlike you, we have the strongest players.” He smiled at her.

  This touched a raw nerve. Mollie sniffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “You’ll regret your words, number one, oh, excuse me!” Mollie apologized and put her hand over her mouth. “I just said, without thinking… khm... former number one…”

  She did him a favour in return, grinning mischievously.

  Her clanmates hooted and laughed. Many of them had unshouldered their weapons, ready to attack i
f something happened. Ronald's face flushed, but he quickly regained his composure.

  “Well, there's a first for everything. So what will it be, Raven?” He glanced at Will again, paying no attention to his longtime rival.

  “Uhmm …” The man smirked, considering the presentiment of an opportunity to cover his sister’s tuition in the near future. Will had already thought to exchange all his gold coins, as the payment was required in three days. But here, as if by the hand of God, he had been sent this remarkable scroll. “Well… money for information. Guessing what you want to ask, I’ve got one condition,” he said.

  “What is it?” Berserker asked.

  “Did you read all the information about the updates?”

  “I take it you’re referring to protection against dissemination of information by signing the contract?”

  “Correct. You have to pay for such violations, here as well as outside.” He pointed upward, hinting at reality. “Ascension has already become my second home, and so some opportunities have transcended my life here from there. I hope you’ll be able to pay a coercive fine in the case of a contract violation, but it won’t be money you’ll pay.”

  “It won’t be money?” Berserker frowned. “What, then?”

  “I’ve sent you a request. Add me and you’ll receive the document. And excuse me in advance; I’m not a lawyer, so the text will be very simple, without any loopholes. Even so, you must satisfy all the terms of the contract.” Raven spoke only to Berserker now.

  “Then we'll settle on a price. Either today or tomorrow, I’ll get in touch with you, but you won’t have long to think it over.”

  Will would profit well if this man blabbed that Raven was the only one currently not on the first three Floors. But first, Crimson Berserker seemed to be tormented by how exactly Will had achieved first place by such a wide margin. Second, the profit would not be instant; also, the main loss would be connected with the game.

  The condition that the clan leader would impose was: the party in breach of the contract would be banished from playing "Ascension" for a year. Knowing that the contract could be made public and thus the owners of the game would know about it, very few people would risk stepping aside for a whole year.

  Mollie, frowning, thought of what price would be worth paying for his information. Despite being rich, she preferred to begin relations with the potential top player of the clan not with big money, so Mollie looked for other variants. Unfortunately, she had no ideas how to motivate him. The girl knew nothing about White Raven.

  “Hoo-oo ! Looky, looky who's here. It’s Number One! Guys, how about greeting our ‘hero’?” At last, the players seemed to be forming some kind of alliance, and had decided to act. The one who spoke played for Barbarian class. He had a big two-handled axe and a muscle-bound body.

  Raven inspected him and smiled. “What nonsense. This low-level crowd, they really wanna kill me? Piranhas will eat an elephant if they have time.”

  “Name: Dark Warrior

  Level: 33

  HP: 1,340”

  When barbarians leveled up they had an increase in Stamina, as they were “Warrior” characters.

  Judging by the general levels of attendees, Dark Warrior was one of the better players here. These men want to gain fame by killing him. They did not care that he was alone, only that he was a high-level player at the moment. If they were able to murder him, here and now, the number of views would be huge.

  But Will was not going to die. His skills would allow him to deal with fifteen thirty-level players in short order. He started recording, prepared to take the floor and then to loot the corpses, but he was interrupted by the girl.

  “If you don’t want problems with our clan, knock it off. We haven’t discussed issues with him yet.” Convinced she had just saved Raven from a bloody fight, the girl stepped in front of him with a magic staff in her hand.

  Raven did not know what class she was, but the magic staff obviously was not simple for her level.

  Mollie stood, wondering what to say next, when she suddenly felt suffocating pressure from behind.

  “What’s going on?” How was such a powerful aura here? Chills ran up her back as she slowly turned round.

  Eyes full of malevolence and a desire to tear her apart stared at her.

  “What's wr-wrong?” The girl stuttered.

  “Don't interrupt me when I'm making jack, dammit!” Raven hissed. Palming Ukumi off, he asked Mollie to look after her and headed to the players planning to kill him.

  “Excuse me,” Berserker began. His face bore no trace of the rage he had felt recently. A smile lit up his face, and brightly shining eyes conveying that he would be having some good fun now. “She’s such a chatterbox. Sometimes I don’t even listen to her, and you should not either. She’s quiet at home. As soon as she logs in, she becomes the leader. You can’t even imagine how difficult it is to deal with her!” He shook his head.

  “Let’s forget about her, and play a little…” He used “Stealth”, rushed into the crowd of the players, and appeared behind a healer in a white hoodie with a staff in a hand.

  - 1090!

  Without activating any skills, Raven caused huge damage, instantly cutting off a head.

  “Rag dolls,” Raven thought, choosing a new victim.

  The players understood that Raven was high level, but he did not come up to Rogue class. Such damage could be caused if one’s stats were substantially increased by titles or items. His clothes were shabby, so there were only titles… but what titles did he have? Some of the players watching this fight swallowed, afraid to reveal their characteristics.

  “Cast spells to slow him down! Magicians, flash against invisibility and cover your asses!” Dark Warrior ordered. “Aykal, put a Prison and walls behind ‘rags’. And take care of yourself, idiot.”

  The barbarian did not stand still. Having raised the stats of his allies by 30% for two minutes, he hung up protection against unexpected attacks on himself, adding to resistance from the physical attacks another 40% for one minute.

  The Aykal class player with the nickname Ramen conjured the prison while the high-level rogue cut them down one by one. Even though his health level was not high, every attempt to attack him ended in failure. Raven dexterously evaded the edges of swords and axes flying towards him, and the group’s magic was suppressed by his resistance. If any of them were hit by his blade or arrows, it caused damage of fifty units. This player was similar to a Viscount-rank raid boss.

  At last, Ramen conjured the prison, shouted a warning to his mates, and managed to catch Raven by surprised when he was killing their archer. The Prison skill was one that Aykals could be taught by their mentor after finishing a long chain of quests. It was worth the time and effort to learn. Passing through dungeons in fights with monsters, the Prison skill held an enemy in one place so it could not attack. But the skill was coveted not only because it prevented attacks but because the magic quietly damaged the encaged opponent.

  And now the magicians, without waiting for signal, began to pour spells upon their foe, along with two melee skills, before relaxing. For the Prison skill, there was no difference whether an enemy was high-level or ordinary. It worked for one minute, then its Cooldown lasted fifteen.

  “Ah-ha-ha, and is it number one?” Dark Warrior laughed. He attributed his still being alive to his own merit. He could not imagine that the rogue had saved him for last. “Video of your murder will have millions of views. Out of respect, I'll drink to your health, when I’m getting hammered on the money I’ll earn from your death.” The barbarian glanced at the surviving players. “Son of a bitch has killed six players, two healers, one buffer, a magician, the tank, and the archer… and all in thirty seconds!”

  “Ha-ha!” Will wiped away a tear of laughter. “Watch closely, idiot! That whom you want to kill…” Then, though still caged, his body dissolved into thin air.

  Chapter 70. How to capture a dragon

  Crimson Berserker watche
d the fight intently. Without suspecting, these “smart guys” gave him a chance to evaluate the actions of White Raven. Judging by his movements, he was not a professional player. Either that, or he did not want to reveal his level, preferring to present himself as an ordinary person. Anyone who fell for that would sorely regret it.

  Nevertheless, Raven’s actions were simple, but in them there was a measure of dispassion, as if he was used to cutting down monsters, not people. Players encountered monsters every day and would monotonously kill them without thinking of the equipment and skills. It was not surprising, as this man’s level said a lot.

  Ronald took note of how the rogue killing the lesser players, planning what countermeasures which he would undertake if he had been the leader of these kamikaze fools. Aykals helped out against the enemies using "Stealth". Walls did not allow one to creep behind and attack unexpectedly.

  Enemies might have some necessary potion reducing duration of the magic action “Inspiration,” “Light of Truth,” and other spells. The players called them “flash” because of their cumulative effect against reserved enemies. Effects of such means were cancelled only by higher-ranked magic.

  The fight continued on, but still the strength was unequal. Raven flashed between the players and brought chaos to their ranks. If they had been more professional gamers, they would continue to act without having to follow their leader’s orders, which the would not have been able to keep up with. Taken aback and confused, the players expected somebody to advise them.

  By some miracle, they managed to entrap Raven. The pathos speech of the relaxed warrior was met by laughter, and then…

  ….

  Raven slowly dissolved, disappearing from the cage. It obviously was not “Stealth”; his body, as if reduced to a haze, sank into the ground.

  Mollie had seen it before, in some video. It had to be some unique skill. She cuddled the Dryad in her arms, afraid to hurt her; not because the rogue had given it to her, but because the forest race was so cute Mollie would easily cuddle her all day. She had spent a lifetime collecting expensive toys that looked as if they were alive, but they could not compare to this charming, tiny being.