Beyond Respawn: A Gamer's Rebirth (Volume 3), page 5
“What do you mean?” Mike turned his camera to me.
Jada bit her lip and forced herself into work mode. She was indeed a trooper. “Yes, can you please explain to the viewers what you are talking about?”
“It’s simple really. You can think of this as a dungeon. The dungeon has a core in which monsters spawn. While this will not stop monsters from appearing, it will slim down the monsters to a tolerable level, at least here in this section of New York. Elsewhere, I can not be sure. I'm just guessing if this is like a video game, then all this must be like a dungeon break, so the core has to be somewhere. These monsters are around level 30, so they are manageable, but that is not to say the same about other locations.
“Hell I could also be completely wrong as well. But for a group of monsters of different types to be in the same locations like this means that they are guarding something and if I use dungeons as an example only a dungeon core would be the answer.” I did my best to explain things but I was sure it was confusing for those who were listening.
“In short. If we can kill these monsters by clearing out the street we may find a dungeon core. If we do, breaking it will give this area a breather from the monsters. This is in theory only.”
“Let’s hope your theory is correct, but does this mean you will be fighting all these monsters?” Jada seemed unsure about this, but I think that after seeing Hilde and me cut down monsters we encountered, she would have some trust in us by now.
“Yes. There is no path but ahead.” I replied with a faint smile. “From now on, not just me but everyone, if they wish to survive will need to forge forward. Put their fears behind them and work to survive. As long as you can grow stronger you can win.”
I stood up and stretched before pulling out my sword. “Hilde will put a barrier around them while the two of us clear the road ahead. I chose this spot since it had the best view.”
With a grin, I tapped my sword on my shoulder before hopping over the large piece of rubble and making my way towards the monsters. Hilde followed closely behind me.
“Master, how should we deal with them?”
“I was thinking of charging down the middle. If we do that, the monsters will be drawn towards us and ignore anything behind us. I don’t want our reporter friends to get a scare.”
“We can do that. If you want, I can take out the mid-section while you charge in. This will make them turn towards me with a kind of AOE taunt.”
“Alright, then Hilde, I will leave that to you.” The plan was actually perfect. I was still only level 29. This meant that the monsters here were at a higher level than me and in numbers. So if Hilde can really tank them while I cut them down from the back, then we could easily clear all these monsters out.
“Hilde, just make sure you don’t die.” I gave her a serious look. I don’t want Hilde sacrificing herself. Summon or not, I just don’t wish for her to die. After all, this was not inside the game.
“Hehe… Master don’t worry. These monsters are like a warm breeze passing by. They will not even get a single speck of dirt on my uniform.”
“I’m trusting you.” We stared at each other for a few seconds before both smiling at one another.
“Then I will be off. Count to ten before you begin your attack.” With Hilde as the main tank, I watched as she ran straight for the monsters. She was so fast, she was like a blur before my eyes. I never knew she could run so fast. She reached the monsters in almost an instant and stomped her foot into the ground, causing the ground below her feet to sink in slightly before launching herself high into the air.
“[Maid Meteor Fist Of Doom, Only Master’s Toes Can Walk Here],” and with all the heroic appearance she had, she ruined it with the strange sounding shout. I will pretend I never heard it. Yes, that is what I will do. I will just push such a horrifying statement to the back of my mind.
“Master, how do you like the new skill name I made up?” I will push such a horrifying skill name to the back of my mind. But really, what the hell do my toes have to do with anything!? Why the hell is she so hung up on my toes!?
Ignoring the strangeness in my maid’s words, I had to admit Hilde really did the job. All the monsters turned towards her, and I even finally passed level 30 and reached level 32. This was the good thing about all these monsters being a level higher than me. Although now I outlevel them, they will still give me decent experience for the next few levels.
I gave Hilde the time she needed to grab aggro on all the mobs before charging in myself. With their backs turned to me, I could easily rush up and cut them down.
One after the other, a monster died by my blade. I didn’t want to waste my magic here because I felt that destroying the core would not be that easy.
I had no precedent on why I feel this way, but my gut feeling was telling me I should prepare ahead of time. That was why I was only using my sword. If it was not for Hilde, though, I could say I would probably be dead by now. This many monsters were just too much for me alone. I really owed her for helping me as she was. Summon or not, I never thought of Hilde, Silvie, or Mati as actual summons but friends. I know I gave orders here and there, but I never once thought of them as objects to be used.
“Hehe…” A soft giggle floated through my mind. This time, it was not Hilde since I knew her laugh. It seemed to be Silvie this time.
Almost an hour later, Hilde and I stood on top of a mountain of monsters. I was covered in blood, but somehow, Hilde was perfectly clean from head to toe, which kind of irked me a lot. “Is that all of them?”
After all said and done my level jumped from level 29 to level 35.
Name: Zoe
Race: Demon
Level: 35
Health: 1760/1760
Mana: 1750/1750
Stats
Strength: 175
Dexterity: 150
Intelligence: 175
Vitality: 176
Mind: 175
Charisma: 174
Skills
Sword Mastery: 76/99
Elemental Magic: 2/99
Shadow Step: 1/99
Ice Bind: 1/99
[Static Blade] 9/99
[Ice Block] 5/99
[Water Blade] 3/99
[Torrential Rain] 1/99
[Water Shield] 2/99
Unique Skills
Shadow Mimic: 1/99
Nature’s Embrace: 15/99
Chrono Step: 1/99
Chrono Domain: 1/99
Elite Golem Creation: 1/99 [Slots: 1/3]
?????: 1/9999
My sword master was almost maxed out now.
“Master, there are no more monsters in the area. Shall I call Miss Jada and Mr. Mike over?”
“Yeah, if there is no need for them to hide, then they should come over and get some close-up footage of this. While it might be a bit gory, it is better to show the reality of things.”
“Understood.” Hilde disappeared from where she stood. I raised my head and looked over the dead monsters in front of me and noticed a strange purple light covering a spot between the two buildings. “A barrier?”
While a barrier was not new to me, it did surprise me to see one out here. It could either be where the core is or people. If it is people, then it would be a good place for Jada and Mike to rest for a while.
Trying to fight monsters in a confined space would make it hard to protect the two. I didn’t wish to kick them to the side because they were showing the truth of the new world, but I also didn’t wish for any of them to die either.
“This is just…” A voice came from below, making me take my eyes from the barrier. I looked down to see Jada getting herself ready to talk to the camera while Mike took in the pile of monsters with this camera.
It didn’t take her long to compose herself as she turned and looked up at me. “How does it feel to have killed so many monsters that our bombs could not even touch?”
“Tiring!” I replied honestly. I was really tired!
“I bet. Having to deal with so many monsters is no easy task. The people watching the broadcast have all witnessed your heroic feat. Your destination is in sight. What do you plan to do after you are done with your current task?”
“I will be headed back to my territory. Take a nice hot bath and enjoy a nice lap pillow from my girlfriend.”
That got a giggle out of Jada as she smiled at me. “That sounds like a good time.”
“You and Mike will be there, so feel free to walk around and report what you see. You can show them how people are living even in the middle of an apocalypse. I want you to show them what our new world will be like first hand. It is not always about killing monsters but also about how you live after things begin to settle down.”
“We will be sure to do that.” Jada turned back to the camera and began speaking with those who might be watching. I said it before, but her dedication was remarkable.
I hope their broadcast can help those who were watching, allowing them to understand how to continue in the new world. As long as we can keep people from giving up, they, too, might see the new future.
“It’s a barrier, alright.” I sighed as I looked at the transparent barrier in front of me. I reached up and placed my hand on it, surprisingly watching as my hand passed through it. “Hmmm?”
“Master, be careful.” Hilde pulled me back.
“We have to go forward so we have to go in.” I knew she was worried for my safety but we had no choice but to continue forward. I stepped forward and passed through the barrier, only to hear a grunt of pain from behind me.
“Ouch! Why!?” I turned to see Hilde rubbing her now red nose with one hand and her other hand banging on the barrier. “Master, I can’t get through!”
“Neither can we.” Jada and Mike also seemed to be locked out.
I looked at the notice in front of me.
[Entered Quest Zone…]
[Only the player with the quest may enter the zone. No summons are allowed.]
I couldn’t help but frown because this meant I was on my own, and to top it off, I bet I was going to be in for a tough fight. “Hilde, it seems only I am allowed to enter.”
“What!? Noo!” Hilde looked like she was going to cry.
I sighed and shook my head. “Hilde, protect Jada and Mike for now. I will go see if I can deal with the core.”
“But…” Hilde bit her lip. She looked as if she wanted to figure out a way to break the barrier but I had a feeling it would be impossible for her.
“Hilde, just listen to me. I won’t do anything that will put me in danger.”
“Yes, Master…”
I knew she was unwilling, but there was no choice. I could either face what was to come or maybe an even greater threat later on. I gave her a smile before turning and making my way towards the glowing spot in front of me. The barrier seemed to attach itself to the building and went all the way to the top and down each side, which explained why these two buildings had not been touched.
I slowly made my way to the area that was glowing, but as I did, I noticed that the white glow went from pure white to yellow to orange and seemed to be getting redder with each step I took. I really couldn’t help but want to get this over with as fast as possible.
Chapter 4
Right as the core turned a deep red color, a new notification appeared in front of me.
[Hidden Mythic Quest: ‘Worldly Connections’]
[Conditions Updated…]
[You have discovered a connection between the two worlds. To enter the gates, you must overcome the first trial.]
[Trial Now Started! 126:00:00:00]
[First Trial: Survival (Earth)]
[Earth is under attack by a monster wave. Secure your area and find the core, which is spawning monsters. The trial will end in 126 days if you destroy the core.]
[You have found the core. Core defense mode has been activated. Core Guardian will now be summoned.]
[Failure to destroy the core will result in a penalty.]
“RAAAWWWRRR!!!!”
And what now stood in front of me was none other than a dragon. Like the one that was flying through the sky on a much smaller scale but still as tall as a single floor house. Just because it was smaller did not make it any less dangerous.
“Please do not yell it's annoying.” I rubbed my ear. The roar was ear-piercing.
“Master, please fall back. Even though the dragon is only level 40, it is still a dragon.” Hilde had a right to be worried, but I still couldn’t back down.
“Hilde, I can’t back down. If I do, something even worse will happen. I need to kill this thing and destroy the core. My quest doesn’t say what the penalty will be. The worst case would be instant death. It could even spawn a massive world boss that is thousands of times stronger than this thing. If you or anyone else got hurt because of that, I wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“Master…” Hilde went silent for a second before continuing: “If you get hurt, retreat as quickly as possible back through the barrier.”
“I will. I promise. I can just run around the city and kill monsters until I am many levels higher than it if I see that I can’t win.” At least, this was my plan…
I took a deep breath before reaching out my hand: “[Shadow Mimic].” I didn’t just do this once but ten times, summoning all level 30 monsters that I had just fought before reaching here. On top of that, I decided to use [Nature’s Embrace]. These little flower guys may look harmless, but they were very good at controlling vines as well. I figured it would help with some kind of crowd control on the dragon boss here to help me escape if needed.
Even if it was only for a split second, that split second could mean life or death. This was not in-game. This was real life. If I die here there would be no respawning. I would end up dead, and there would be nothing I could do about it.
“Rawr!!!” The dragon roared once more before rearing its head. A bright glow came from its neck, making me frown.
“Breath…” I couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. In game, it was fine if you got slightly hit by a breath attack of any kind, but right now, if I got hit, I have no idea if I would be able to heal the damage or not.
Seconds later, a wave of orange and white flames rolled towards me. It was more of a cone attack, so I had no choice but to use my [Shadow Step]. I took this chance to get an attack in while it was still shooting its breath.
Dragons scales were too hard to slice through, so I only had one spot I could attack at this time. They say never to kick a dragon’s ass. Well, they never said not to poke it with a sword. With no time to lose, I stabbed out with my sword.
“Guwarrr!” A strange roar came from the dragon as my sword stabbed him in the well… the area that should not see light unless you run around in the nude.
I pulled my sword out and quickly used water magic on it before using [Shadow Step] once more. The dragon began to turn around to swing at me with its massive claws. Only when I was in the clear did I try to see where to send my mimic. “You three to the left, the rest of you go right. Attack the underside of its tail. Try to stay behind it.”
My shadow mimics quickly charged forward and began attacking. I had noticed the underside of the tail, as well as the underside of its body, has softer flesh. I was not sure how much damage my mimics would do or how long they would last, but they would make a good distraction.
I quickly charged forward once more, hoping to land a good strike. But to my surprise, the dragon had ignored my mimics altogether and was entirely focused on me! I couldn’t help but want to cry. I mean, come on! You are being bitten and clawed! Why are you staring at me!?
There was only one thing to do in a situation like this… “I’m sorry!” Bow your head and apologize!
“Rawr!” I guess it didn’t work because the big bully swung its massive claw at me. I had no choice but to push off the ground with my foot and shoot backward, but it didn’t seem I was quick enough. One of its long claws was coming straight for my body.
I shifted my sword into a defensive stance since I knew I could neither parry nor block it, so I did my best to deflect it so it didn't cut me in half.
*Bang!*
All I heard was a bang followed by the sound of shattering as my sword broke into many pieces. My body lifted off the ground and was sent flying. I felt mind-numbing pain in my right arm as I crashed heavily into the concrete beam that was holding up the roof of the building entrance. My blood splattered all over the place.
“Shit!” I cried out as I held my injured arm. There was no way in hell I was going to be able to fight a dragon as I am now. This quest is unfair!
But now that I think about it. The time limit was long. It gave me enough time to level up but this was just stupid. I looked down at my arm that dangled at my side, barely holding on, and knew I had to retreat. “Hilde, I am coming your way near the building to your left.”
“Master, I am already here. I can see you. Hurry up, the dragon is making its way over to you.”
“Got it.” I waved my hand, sending in the flowers to try to slow the dragon down. My mimics were also doing what they could to try to buy me time. If I could, I would reward them all, but sadly, they were not sentient.
As I stepped forward, I noticed my left ankle was also twisted. It hurt to put any weight on it, but I had no choice. I gritted my teeth and moved as fast as I could while trying to hold my arm in place.
This was a learning experience. I had gotten in over my head. And now I am suffering because of it. I will need to hit at least level 50 if I want to beat this damn dragon. There was no ands its or buts about it. This was just a fact. This guardian was as strong as a level 50 boss. Maybe stronger. To even think about fighting against it, I will need to be as powerful or much stronger.
“I need to learn to use a ranged weapon.” I loved the sword, but in situations like this, a ranged weapon was needed.
I didn’t even look at the dragon as I hurried as fast as I could to the barrier wall. I could hear its roars behind me, and I could tell I was losing my summons quickly. But they were at least doing their job.
