Orion walked a little while, then suddenly stopped with a tingling clarity in his head.
Where the hell am I?
The battlefield around him pulsed like a living thing. Burning walls, screaming echoes, shattered weapons. It all felt too vivid. Too sharp. Too painful.
This has to be a game. Right?
The blonde girl he saw earlier, her perfect face and impossible proportions.
Her look screamed "custom character."
The monsters, the architecture, the eerie lighting; everything was hyperrealistic.
But then again, he was also sure he could smell blood. Feel heat. Taste bile rising in his throat.
He didn't remember logging in.
He just remembered going to sleep.
He was supposed to wake up early to drive to his cousin's wedding.
The plan was simple: grab a coffee, hit the highway, maybe blast some rock music on the way. (Actually Taylor Sw*ft had a new album yesterday. Maybe he would try that for a change)
Instead-he woke up in this hellish warzone? And he was damn sure he didn't do anything.
Health Condition: Stabilized (Death by Fall+Heart Failure Prevented)
— "Cheat Your Death" Triggered]
Orion felt like he was in a dream after hearing the voices in his head. The strange creatures around him weren't attacking him. He didn't know why, and didn't really care.
Because there was only one question in his head.
What the f*ck is going on here?
That one message played over and over in his mind like a broken record. "Cheat you Death" stuff. It was a girl voice after the first time but still, it was creepy.
His hands trembled as he stared at them. There were cuts on his palms. He felt wind on his skin. His heart raced like he was having a heart attack. It felt like fear was bursting in his chest. Not in-game one, but real fear.
No... no, no, no. This can't be real. It's just some game. A very messed up game.
Then came the pain.
His body buckled as a powerful cramp twisted his stomach. A disgusting, unholy sound erupted from his ass. Orion didn't even have time to be embarrassed.
He vomited. And farted at the same time.
It came out like a violent geyser, splattering the cracked dirt floor.
Well, that felt real and refreshing.
He dry-heaved again. Then again.
"Jesus…" he groaned.
What kind of game has a vomit system?
Besides being disgusting, it was also very painful.
After the events in his ass and throat, he was still in shock with how much details this game had.
Rrrrrr..
Kiiiiiiiaaa...
After a little bit more dry gasping..
As he wiped his mouth, his hearing returned in painful bursts. Sometimes it was ringing, and sometimes it was like buzzing.
For the last time a high-pitched ringing burst into his ears and it stopped. But even if he wasn't hearing those buzzing voices anymore, there were still some echoes of screams.
No!
There are real screams of uproar everywhere!
Finally, he could hear crystal clear voices in this hell. It was a new kind of realism and clarity. It was more than refreshing.
After his ears, the fog in his eyes also decreased.
He could see a little better now.
This stone maze seemed realistic even with his blurred eyes before. But now it looked like real life.
Really cool graphics
He had a sudden urge to walk back and find the blonde warrior girl he had left behind. He wondered if she would even look better now. Maybe even sexier?
The graphic quality is extremely good. I'll give a good review when I get back. I wonder if they did it with that artificial intelligence that everyone has been talking about lately?
The aching of his entire body and the strange numbness on his limbs decreased. He now understood how he had managed to stand up and walk when he came back from death.
Because I didn't feel any pain.
If he had felt this pain before, he would have never been able to get up from the ground.
Pain right now, was reverberating through his entire body like waves.
But when he finally felt his entire body come back to life, something he didn't expect happened.
The fog in his outer vision cleared completely to let him see the outlines of monsters. Goblins, mutated dogs, even a few snake-like beasts slithered in the shadows.
And they were all looking at him.
Shit.
They didn't hesitate.
A second later, claws and teeth shredded him into bloody ribbons.
Orion didn't even have time to scream.
Since he was walking in the exam area for a while, the students behind him didn't see Orion.
But if Seraphine was nearby, she could have scanned Orion's body and saw that he was completely dead.
He was undoubtedly killed by monsters.
[You have died.]
Cause of Death: Monster Attack – Level 5 (Low Tier Mob)
Darkness.
Then cold.
Then... buzzing.
A strange vibration moved through his bones.
A hum only the dead could hear.
[Passive Ability "Cheat Your Death" — Triggered]
Restoration Begins
Vital signs: 0 → 30%... 60%... 100%
Organ reconstruction is completed.
Soul stabilization is successful.
His eyes snapped open.
He took a deep breath—and immediately regretted it.
His lungs burned.
But he was alive.
Again.
Orion lay still, letting the pain pass. He could feel blood reversing its path, flowing backward into veins. Muscles and bones clicking into place. It was the most disturbing sensation imaginable.
[Congratulations. "Cheat Your Death" Triggered]
[Death by -Heart Failure+Blood Loss- Prevented
-Health Condition: Stabilized]
He groaned.
…Cool.
He rolled to his side and forced himself up. His eyes were back to being misty again.
Even while he was vomitting and farting, he never stop walking for a second.
His body felt like it had been tossed off a cliff, but adrenaline pushed him forward. He staggered through the next room, dodging monsters out of sheer panic.
And died.
Again.
[You have died.]
Cause of Death: Monster Stampede
FU*K!
When he revived the second time, he didn't even blink.
He ran.
And died again.
This time he was burned by a goblin shaman's fireball.
Then again from stepping into a trap that launched him into the air.
He lost count after the fifth death.
He barely noticed the system messages anymore.
They became meaningless noise. A dull part of the experience, like loading screens or tutorial popups.
But one thing was certain:
Death still sucks even if this is a game.
It was too real. The pain, the disorientation, the fear and they were the kind of things games usually never bothered to simulate.
He tried to log out a few times but couldn't find the exit button.
Nothing changed even if he screamed or punched the ground in fury.
And it was slowly getting to him.
[You have died.]
Cause of Death: Stupidity