Chapter 7: Training Session
I woke up back in my room and slowly regained my bearings. My mind was still foggy from the deep dive. I couldn't shake off the feeling I was still inside the game.
With a deep breath, I stretched my limbs, feeling the tension release from my body.
I was also tired. Very tired. Not in the physical sense since the deep dive was akin to sleeping, but mental fatigue was something I will have to account for in the future too.
I stood up and went to make some late dinner. I rummaged through the fridge and found some pre-made pasta, heated it up, and sat down to eat in silence.
The game had synchronized with real-world time, and it was now nighttime in both. I wondered if there were different time zones within the game, with players from all over the world joining in.
After finishing my meal, I picked up my tablet and logged onto the game's forums to see what other players were up to. The forum was a bustling hub of activity, with players sharing tips and tricks, discussing the latest news, and forming alliances with one another.
I scrolled through the posts, surprised by all the information the players were able to discover in such a short time.
As I thought, there were also many who complained about the difficulty.
[MageMaster69] - What is this shitty game? I lost to a fu**ing goblin. A GOBLIN!!
[RangerRampage] - Our whole party was wiped out! How are we supposed to gain levels if we can't even leave the city???
[DungeonDiva] - Yo, what's up, gamers? Look, I know it's tough, but that's the whole point, right? We ain't playing Barbie Dreamhouse here, people!
[PriestessPower] - To set the record straight. The game isn't hard - it's challenging. And that's what makes it so damn addictive. So don't give up, fellow adventurers. We got this!
It was actually even worse than I thought. It appears that almost half of the players died at some point during the first few hours after launch. Among them were even some prominent streamers and professional players.
I finally learned what the death penalty is. It's actually not too bad. Well, it depends on how you look at it.
When you die, your body is killed, but your soul is transported to the nearest temple, where the game reconstructs your body. This process apparently takes 24 hours. But you won't lose any experience or abilities.
You lose, however, every item you had on you. Well, it is still there since players' bodies don't disappear like monsters. If you are in a party, your teammates can gather your stuff for you, or you can locate your corpse yourself after you resurrect.
That is what I mean by not too bad. You don't lose anything but time. That is for now, of course. Even if someone can't get their stuff back, most players have nothing valuable on them.
That will change over time as the game progresses, so the death penalty will become harsher further on. It will also be a golden time for PKers given the 100% drop rate and lack of safe zones.
Although killing a player outside of official duels is counted as murder, it is the same as killing an NPC. The difference being that you can get out of killing an NPC if there are no witnesses.
However, with players being technically immortal, there will always be a witness: the victim themselves. So killing a player will mark you as a murderer and send every guard in the region searching for you.
And the punishment in the game is no joke either. It ranges from prison for minor offenses all the way to execution. And the thing about executions is that it takes a whole week to get your body back.
How do I know this? Believe it or not, some players have already committed crimes, got caught, and were executed in turn.
It seems my decision to explore the city instead of running outside with everyone else to fight monsters was the right one.
Wait, now that I think about it, does this mean I will have a whole day's head start over most players?
This is it. This is my chance! If I play my cards right, I might have a chance to get to the rankings!
Full of enthusiasm, I went to sleep thinking about all the things I wanted to do tomorrow.
I woke up well-rested. I looked at my smartphone and saw that I have received a message from none other than Xavier.
[Hello, my friend! How is the game so far? With the craze around the launch, I can't get leave right now. But I secured a vacation for myself starting in a week! I will be joining you!]
I smiled. It must be so hard for him to see everyone around him play but be stuck at work. I replied to him with encouragement and went to make myself breakfast.
There is no point in rushing inside the game. Because it is a new technology, there are medical concerns about how it will affect the human body. The full-dive helmets are configured to allow a maximum of twelve hours of continuous play before they will forcefully eject you from the game.
I could already feel the mental strain after only about eight hours in the game, so I'm fine with it.
I finished my breakfast while looking out of the window at the bustling street below. Ah! It's so nice not having to work! All the more reason to try to get into the rankings. If I could secure an income playing the game, that would be the best.
I started the game by setting it to Quickstart directly so that I wouldn't have to go through the lobby every time.
I opened my eyes. Wooden ceilings hung above me, and delicious food smelled through the air. I remembered I was in the room I logged out of yesterday. I went downstairs to get breakfast from the innkeeper.
It is a bother to eat both here and in the real world. But if I eat enough now, I won't have to worry about food later when I'm out exploring. Besides having the ability to taste all kinds of delicious foods without worrying about gaining weight, it also has something to it.
I already thought of all the things I wanted to do today, so I quickly finished the food and proceeded straight to the adventurer's guild.
I will train for a few hours with the sword. I still remembered my pathetic display from yesterday.
Then before noon, I will head up to the cemetery to try to locate the hidden tomb for my class quest.
***
I stood nervously in the sparring ring of the adventurers guild, sword in hand and my heart pounding with excitement and fear. This was my first time sparring against someone with a sword, and I felt a mixture of awe and trepidation at the weapon's weight and balance.
I spent the last hour training against dummies in the corner of the training field, and when the trainer told me I was ready for the real thing, I was both happy and nervous at the same time.
My trainer, a seasoned swordsman with a kind smile, stood across from me, his own sword at the ready. "Don't worry," he said, sensing my nervousness. "We all have to start somewhere."
With that, we began our training. My movements were clumsy and uncoordinated, and I stumbled with each swing of the sword. But my trainer was patient, guiding me through the motions and correcting my form with each mistake I made.
Slowly but surely, I began to feel more comfortable with the sword in my hand. The sound of the blades clashing against each other filled my ears, and I could feel sweat starting to form on my forehead.
But there was also a sense of exhilaration—the rush of adrenaline that came with the possibility of mastering the sword.
As the training session came to an end, I was proud of myself for taking this first step. My trainer gave me a nod of approval, and I left the ring feeling totally exhausted.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone