Disclaimer: I make no claim of ownership to any part of The Gamer, and I am making no profit by writing this.
I know that this, so far has been awfully similar to the manhwa, but I promise, promise, promise that there will be some significant changes to the storyline starting from the next chapter. Also, sorry for the long update time, I have had some problems and have only started writing again these past few weeks.
The room around me blurs into a gloomy mist. Looking down I can just about make out my hands – there is no sign of Sae-Young Nuna. The effect resembles my combination of Demonic Energy Manipulation and Mana Mist, except for the fact that I am not losing my precious HP... Damn I jinxed it! Or it could just be my abysmal luck...
A sharp, swift blow comes out of nowhere, knocking me off my feet and robbing me of a full three quarters of my health! My automatic response is to spin around and determine the origin of the attack... but the fog renders that approach redundant. I do not panic though, Gamers Mind sees to any debilitating effects like fear of death and/or dismemberment. Come to think of it that could actually be detrimental to my health in the long term.
Never mind that! Activating Mana Mist I reach out and try to identify the location of the mysterious attacker as well as Sae-Young Nuna. Not that I could do anything to help, she is level 32 and more than capable of taking care of herself but, still... I would want to avoid getting in her way.
Huh? Seems like that the attack really did come out of nowhere or there is a skill which allows you to hide your presence. I know that this room is not larger than 25 metres long or wide so I should be picking up something. Unless I am facing a sniper type opponent, which I sincerely hope I am not. Anyway If Nuna is not here then it is time for plan B.
"ID Escape!"
IMPOSSIBLE TO ESCAPE
I would have tried again but a very menacing female voice rang out. I had only experienced Sae-Young Nuna's 'evil demon voice' once before when I had accidentally seen her changing, and by extension her underwear. It was a bit more intimidating now though because all I could see was a pair of glowing eyes and mouth – significantly larger than any humans should be.
If I hadn't known it was Nuna then I would have been shaking in fear, as it was there was a slight tremble in my knees. Okay... time for some explaining.
"Nuna, calm down... it really is me... I am Han Jee-Han! I am like this because I became a Natural Ability user. That's what Sun-Il said! I only truly found out when I encountered Hwan Sung-Gon..."
There is a pause as my statement is weighed for truthfulness. The response, when it finally comes makes me cringe.
"Prove it."
I am confused. Do I prove that I am a Natural Ability user or do I prove that I am Han Jee-Han? It's probably the latter; while uncommon there are many Natural ability users, and only one of me. That is what makes me cringe... Sae-Young Nuna is about to find out one of my most guarded secrets... something that I have not even told Sun-Il. And I am going to pay.
"Remember back in 5th Grade, when I walked in on you changing? I did see your underwear that time and it was black and silk and-!"
Three things occur almost simultaneously. Firstly I get several notifications from the game. Secondly the fog around me clears. And thirdly I find myself in a rather painful headlock courtesy of an enraged Sae-Young Nuna.
"Why you little brat, you swore that you hadn't seen anything!"
Her fingers find my ear and give a sharp twist. As I try to escape from the grasp of pain I bite back the sarcastic retort on the tip of my tongue. Of course I didn't tell her I had seen anything – I knew that this would be her reaction!
"Boys who peep must pay the price!"
She's growling... that is never a good sign. Her face is flushed red in what I think is a combination of embarrassment and anger. What happens next is something that I have hopefully mentally repressed for the rest of my life. On the positive side my Physical Endurance skill has gained tons of experience. Particularly from... no... Don't think about that!
Still I have managed to recover some HP and am currently looking at the notifications that I was unable to access before. I have got a new skill and some of the others have levelled.
[Persuasion] (Passive) Lvl 1: EXP: 1.55%
Aids in expression of an idea or opinion
+0.5% chance to succeed in persuading someone
That is a rather small increase, but I guess the game would be ridiculously unbalanced if I could suddenly go around charming everyone into doing whatever I want. There's no risk of that at the moment though, plus it is based on my original chances of succeeding, which would be miniscule for something outrageous anyway. I have also gained a level in Physical Endurance, Recollection and Logic. Probably for remembering you-know-what and figuring out that it would prove me to be who I said I was.
Sae-Young Nuna was incredibly shocked when I told her about my power, and promptly proceeded to find it incredibly hilarious. I was rather irritated initially, but all this changed when I entered the ChunBuMoon Recovery Dungeon. I was expecting Sun-Il to be in a bad state due to the Dungeons effects alone. If a 100% faster MP and HP recovery zone doesn't make you better quickly then you are in a pretty bad shape. You will have more than a few bruises at any rate. But this was terrible.
My best friend lay in a hospital bed covered in bandages and had casts on 2 out of 4 limbs. He was hooked up to a drip and he looked terrible... like he had been beaten to within an inch of his life... which come to think of it he probably had been. And then he had the audacity to say hello! Hello?! How could he greet me so casually while he was lying there half dead!
"Don't worry... killing me probably wasn't part of his plan so I got off lightly."
That was scary. He is wounded that badly and he thinks he got off lightly just because he isn't dying. I guess that it is one thing to be told about the kill and be killed attitude of the Abyss, but it's a whole other thing to see its effects first hand. For the first time I seriously understood Sun-Il's warning about training more. I could really get killed. Sun-Il could really get killed.
It was then I knew that I was going to get involved. I was going to Level Up and I was going to get stronger. There was no way I was going to let my best friend get hurt because of me. When I said that in my strongest voice I actually though that I was being cool and heroic. Then Sun-Il had to go and ruin it by laughing exactly like Nuna had. What is it with their family?!
"I'm serious Sun-Il! I am not joking around, and I will Level Up, silly as it may sound, and I will get stronger!"
And that was when the game dumped yet another surprise on me.
TUTORIAL: COMPLETED
Skill Books: UNLOCKED
Abyss Auction: UNLOCKED
Random Encounters: UNLOCKED
That was the tutorial! Seriously?! Does that mean that things are going to get harder from here... and what's with all the things that have been unlocked?! I understand what skill books are, and that should help me out. But the idea of random encounters, if they are combat based is most unwelcome and what the hell is the Abyss Auction? Sun-Il will probably know so I end up asking my one reliable source of information. His eyes widen dramatically.
"The Abyss Auction is like a black market where magical goods are sold... Let me guess, the game told you?"
He groans when I nod, and since I cannot quite distinguish whether it is pain or annoyance I lean over his bed to check. That is when I notice the book on a bedside table. Damn you low perception! How could I not notice that it was not an ordinary hospital magazine... the leather bindings and strange symbols on the front cover set it apart. So it is out of curiosity more than anything that I pick it up. I guess I really want to know whether it is actually a book on magic or not. I was not expecting the newly unlocked Skill Book system to come into play so soon.
Skill Book: YunHon Soul Recovery
Do You Wish To Learn This Skill?
YES
NO
My immediate instinct is to press the yes button, but I catch myself just in time. Skill books in games disappear once used and it would be awful if I manage to destroy some rare, one-of-a-kind magic book just so I can learn something. Goodness knows how angry they would be then... On the other hand I really, really want that skill and so I decide to see if it is all that rare.
"Hey, is that book important?"
His brow furrows as he replies.
"Well, I guess you could say that. It is a theory book from our allies... the YunHon Guild. We share the theory behind a few of our minor techniques for mutual benefit. It's not the techniques themselves, but it still comes in handy."
Okay, it's important. I could ask permission though... all he can do is say no.
"Could I learn it then? Only if you have a spare copy though... it will probably get destroyed."
"You can't."
I got immediately rejected.
"You would need to know the basics of their style before even attempting a technique."
Oh... But wait a minute!
"I can still try though?!"
"Yeah, I guess. The book's a copy so it can't be taken outside though."
That was all I needed and I firmly pressed the yes button. Only I met with immediate rejection.
You Can't Learn This Skill
15, Vitality Required
15, Intelligence Required
That is probably the best bad news that I have heard since this whole game business began. Sure, it said that I couldn't learn it, but it also told me that I could with enough points. And Since I already have over 15 INT, I only need to place 8 points into VIT in order to learn the skill. I'm pretty sure that I am grinning uncontrollably now as I place the majority of my hard earned points into VIT. My HP increases as well, which is always good, and now I am ready to try again. This time I succeed and the book vanishes, to be replaced by a screen.
[YunHon Soul Recovery] (Active): Lvl 1: EXP 0.00%: MP Cost: 50
Yun meaning to burn, Hon meaning soul. With a soul stone: +50 HP, + 50 MP.
A recovery skill which burns the soul's energy to heal the body
Without a soul stone: +50HP
A rush of knowledge flows into my mind and I feel absolutely great. It's like the saying that knowledge is power is literally true. I could probably use this technique right now, if I had someone ill to practice on... wait... I am such an idiot! Sun-Il is right there! Reaching out for his bandaged arm, I place both hands on it before activating the skill. It turns out that all of Sun-Il's broken bones and torn muscles were cured after a mere two uses of my new skill!
Although that had taken up a full half of my MP, it was well worth it, both in having Sun-Il better... and the look on his face was terrific! I wish I had had a camera to capture the moment.
[Anatomy] (Passive) Lvl 1: EXP: 0.43%
Your understanding of the body's parts, and how it works
+2.5% Chance of a critical hit to living opponents
passively increases INT by 1%
It seems like I gained knowledge of the human body when I healed Sun-Il. Right now it is nothing more than a vague notion about where to hit in order to cause damage... but if I level it up it should be quite deadly. Though it is a pity that it won't work against zombies, I could have used an advantage, however slight
Then I made a quick exit following nearly losing my mobile. When Sea-Young Nuna came in and saw Sun-Il completely healed the look on her face was even better than his. She, after all, had even less experience with computer games than he did. It was with great sadness that I deleted that picture of her with her jaw wide open, but as mentioned... she threatened to smash my phone otherwise.
So I made a quick escape and so was walking home when it happened. The dreaded Random Encounter.
Random Encounter: Please Choose:
3 Assorted Slimes
10 Assorted Zombies
1 Elemental
Reward: Various
So it was a battle system then, and since ID Escape was not working... was this even an illusion barrier to begin with... I had to select an opponent. In the end I decided to choose the zombies... despite them being the most numerous they were also easier to kill than slimes. Plus I did not want to risk the elemental turning out to be ridiculously powerful and defeating me. It was an unknown quantity and I had killed plenty of Zombies before so... Assorted Zombies it was!
A quick press of the yes button and I was inside an inescapable illusion barrier facing a zombie... rabbit? Only this was a large and dangerous rabbit that I was pretty sure ate meat now rather than carrots.
"Observe!"
Zombie Rabbit: Lvl 13
Once a beloved pet, this rabbit had the misfortune of falling down a well which contained necromantic artefacts. Now resurrected it seeks the lives of others in order to maintain its own. Becoming a zombie has made it impervious to pain and allows it to far exceed the limitations on its original body.
Great... I pull out my trusty baseball bat and activate Power Strike, promptly missing my target as the zombie jumps out of range before delivering a sharp blow to the back of my leg. I hiss in shock as I instantly lose 20 HP. That blow, had I been an ordinary person would have made me unable to walk! The rabbit moves forward to attack again and I sidestep just in time.
The chase that follows makes me incredibly glad that the only zombie currently in sight is the rabbit. If I had had to worry about attacks from behind I would have never been able to corner it long enough to use power strike. After that it was quite easy as it was momentarily stunned after each blow. That hadn't happened with the other zombies... but they were that much bigger so maybe that was a factor.
Repeated precise and agile movements has raised DEX by 1
Guess some good came out of fighting that irritating rabbit, Acrobatics has also levelled, but there is no time to waste as a couple more zombies come out of a side alley and immediately attack. I never thought I'd see the day when I am glad to be attacked by ordinary, human zombies. Guess it just shows how mucked up my life has become now that it's a game.
Once I begin to try out Energy Bolt the rest of the zombies fall with relative ease. Turns out that I had a skill that knocks them over and renders them unable to attack from range! I feel like an idiot for not trying that before... Seriously though, what is up with the range of zombies? Seven of them were human, one was the aforementioned rabbit and the last two were, respectively, disgusting and weird.
The first was a decomposed zombie which resembles slime with bits of bones sticking out, that's how rotten it was. I didn't care about the Mana cost for defeating it solely with Energy Bolt; there was no way that I was going near that thing. The second was a zombie teapot... a zombie TEAPOT! That had been hard to take in... And I ended up using Observe just to reassure myself that this was really happening.
Zombie Teapot: Lvl 10
Through a series of unfortunate events this teapot was used to simultaneously store a transmutation charm and a zombie's brain. When accidentally activated the transmutation charm changed the china to the nearest substance... in this case zombie flesh. It is able to fire guts through its spout.
While I had been able to defeat the other zombies without losing much health the teapot's attacks had taken their toll on me. Luckily it could only attack in one direction so that when I got behind the spout I could smash it pretty quickly. And with that the random encounter was over and the Illusion Barrier shattered, leaving me with a small pile of drops.
Walking over I picked up a small vial of red liquid which thankfully was not blood, but healing potion. It was an incredibly weak healing potion that only healed 25HP, but a healing potion nonetheless. There were also 2 small soul crystals, £30 and... A box of teabags, and if those came from where I thought they did there was no way I would ever use them!
Teabags of Dark Change (x12) [Uncommon]
These teabags each temporarily change the physiology of the drinker giving them resistance to zombie attacks for one hour, at the cost of gaining a weakness to light element attacks
Nope, still not going to drink any tea made with that stuff. It seems to me that it makes you turn partially into a zombie and that is something I would like to avoid. I escaped the other zombie illusion barriers that I encountered on the way back, mostly because my MP was too low to use power strike or energy bolt. ID Escape gained a level, so it wasn't a complete waste though. I'm also on the verge of levelling up so a few hours zombie hunting tomorrow should be sufficient to get enough XP.
For now though I am slightly curious about the Abyss Auction... I wish I had asked Sun-Il about how to access it. If it is anything like a normal game marketplace there will be all sorts of useful equipment, and skill books, and potions, and I am way too excited about this so I should probably go to bed. Actually, scrap that... I have homework. Seeing as how I have just enough Mana for it, I activate studying and pick up my school textbooks. Which apparently are also skill books?!
Tempting though it is to learn them I would have a hard time explaining to the teachers how I have managed to lose all of my books. I probably would get in a load of trouble as well. Technically I could always buy another copy, but the idea of spending my hard earned money from slaying zombies on school textbooks, of all things, just doesn't seem right. I'll probably go to the book shop tomorrow and see what they have there. Yeah, that's a plan.
Having finished my homework at nearly midnight I wait, hoping for a boost to intelligence. I suppose it'll take another couple of days of studying to increase it again. Sigh... I hate homework. But I finally have managed to level up, which is a big positive. It seems like levelling up alone is enough to increase my HP and MP. Han Jee-Han is now level 8, and has another 5 points to spend! Tomorrow the Abyss Auction waits...
...So what do you think? Good or bad? Please do review; it does correlate positively with a quicker update rate.
...
The Gamer: Han Jee-Han
Level 8: EXP: 0.11%
HP: 230/230
MP: 5/270
STR: 13
VIT: 15
DEX: 12
INT: 16
WIS: 7
LUK: 6
Points: 7,
Money: £290
Acrobatics: Level 3
Anatomy: Level 1
Blunt Weapon Mastery: Level 7
Demonic Energy Resistance: Level 4
Demonic Energy Manipulation: Level 3
Enhanced Punch: Level 1
Energy Bolt: Level 2
ID Create: Level 1
ID Escape: Level 2
Logic: Level 4
Mana Mist: Level 3
Observe: Level 2
Perception: Level 4
Persuasion: Level 1
Physical Endurance: Level 3
Power Strike: Level 3
Recollection: Level 3
Rip: Level 2
Studying: Level 4
YunHon Soul Recovery: Level 1