Beyond respawn a gamers.., p.1
Beyond Respawn: A Gamer's Rebirth (Volume 2), page 1
Beyond Respawn: A Gamer’s Rebirth 2
Author: invayne
Editor: Clayden Reid-Stephens
Artist: Marina
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 1
“I am never leaving the house again…” I moaned as I collapsed on the couch. We had just returned from the hellish undertaking of speaking with Angel’s father.
“It was not that bad, was it?” Angel pursed her lips as she walked over to me and took off my heels. She then lifted my legs and sat down, placing them on her lap all before giving my calves a massage.
“It was not bad but deadly. Angel, remember I am not used to talking in the first place. And I just spent the entire time talking with your father. To be honest, I was quite surprised that I was even able to talk for as long as I did.” It was strange being able to speak, but my fear of speaking to others did not appear once. It was a very strange but welcome change.
“Well, no matter where you go now, I will do my best to stay by your side so that way, if you find yourself having difficulties, I can help you out.” Angel was really a good friend. It was quite nice having someone you could rely on in your life. But there was always that chance down the road…
“I hope so….” I mumbled out loud by accident.
“No. I promise here and now that I will never abandon you. My father is also one who never breaks a promise. Why do you think I forced him to promise never to betray you?” Angel did get into a small argument during our talks. She was quite adamant about her father, promising never to betray me. He did not hesitate to promise, but he was a businessman. He might still betray us down the road. At least, that is what I thought would happen. But he said he would transfer the land deeds over to me once he acquired them. He only asked that he get his fair share of profits from the dungeon once things began and asked us to help him level so he could survive. So I guess it was a win-win situation. I got the land in the area to build up our organization, and he got the power leveling, protection, and income.
“Okay, alright, alright. I was wrong, please don't make that face.” Angel’s sad face really hurt to see. I sat up and placed my hand on her cheek, causing her to blush and give me a silly smile. “That’s better.”
“Hehe!” Angel jumped on me and hugged my neck, causing me to fall back on the couch. I could only lie there and sigh as I patted her back.
“Alright, get up. I want to get changed and take a bath.” I tried to pull the clingy girl off me, but she held on tight.
“Let’s take a bath together! They say skinship is the best way to create closer bonds!” Angel’s words were starting to sound strange again.
“Where did you hear something stupid like that?” I asked, even though I knew I would get a stupid answer back.
“From anime.” Of course! This girl…. But I guess this one time we could share a bath.
“Fine, but only this one time,” I answered.
Angel got a little too excited and dragged me almost off the couch and to the bathroom. By the time I realized it, I was naked and sitting in the bath with Angel sitting on the other side, hugging her knees. “Hey Zoe… Will our world really be destroyed?”
“Just our current life. It is what we are aiming for, right? Are you worried?” It was not like the always positive Angel to be worried about anything, so this was a new event for me.
“I just hope when everything happens, my father can stay safe. We do not know when things will fully change. We do not know when monsters will appear in the streets. Or when chaos will ensue. I am just nervous.” Angel had a point. If he was in the wrong place at the wrong time….
“Have your father move into this building. Or one of the others. If he works from home, he can still run his company. But he is also a smart man, so I am sure he has already thought of these things. You can just remind him about it tomorrow. Let’s get out and get changed. We need to hop into game and finish our quests. We will also need to come up with a plan to quickly level your father. I think the first dungeon will be good. But we will need to escort him to it.” I had been thinking about it since it was mentioned, but I think the only way to really level up her father fast is to do so in a dungeon where others can not interfere.
“Can we even do the first dungeon?” Angel’s question was a good one.
“Yeah…. We should be able to at least clear the floors up to the first boss and then reset. If we do that a few times, we can over-level the dungeon and then clear it easily.”
In the end, Angel really did lay next to me as we logged into the game. We both appeared next to each other in-game. “How much time do we need to wait?”
“A few more in-game days. For now, we can just go over our plans for when we leave this place. Your father will need to meet up with us. Hopefully, we can both level up enough to handle the elites in the dungeon. I think if we are careful, we can get your father to level ten by the time we reach the first dungeon entrance, which will be enough for him to be able to assist us in some way. I want your father to pick up healing. Along with that, he can pick up some crafting skills as well. Because a level 10 healer is enough to sustain us during a fight.” The only way to really power-level anyone is to either be over-leveled for the dungeon or at least have some form of healing. I figured with my current swordsmanship, I could take on the whole leveling-up thing.
Without any form of healing, I would be a bit more iffy about it. It seemed Angel also had this idea. “Yes, I was planning to mention becoming a healer to him. My father has no idea how to play these games as it is, so I am sure it would fit him perfectly.”
After discussing things and making plans, we spoke with Grey before foraging for herbs and other resources outside the village. An in-game day later, Grey finally called for us. “We can leave in two days. Is this good for you?”
“Can we make it three? There are a few things I need to deal with before we leave.” I could not do two in-game days since our time frame would not match up. It was also not good to stay in-game for too long at this time. At least not until our bodies started to become stronger.
“Then three it is. This actually helps me prepare a bit more. Let me know when you are ready.” Grey did not seem to be in a rush, which was good. With things settled in-game, Angel and I both logged out once more.
“Morning already? I feel like I haven’t done anything yet…” I sighed. Time was going by too fast.
“Zoe, how long do you think we will be stuck in the dungeon for? Should we get some kind of nourishment? Don’t they have those pills?” The pill Angel was talking about is for hardcore gamers. It could keep your body going for a few days without needing to exit fulldive. They called them poppers, but in truth, they were condensed vitamins and minerals along with all essential proteins that were on a slow release. They would release just enough nourishment for your body for a single day, with each release normally going for four days.
Then there were water bags. It was basically an IV bag. It had a special band that strapped around your wrist that found your vein and stuck a needle into it. Then the fluids inside the IV bag would slowly soak into your bloodstream over the course of a few days. The only issue was bathroom usage, but most people used bedpans. They even had special bedpans that had anime figures on them. Some were so high-tech that you didn’t need to even worry about wiping.
“We will do the popper that lasts two days. But we will need to make sure we drink a good amount of water and use the bathroom a few times as well. Make sure you set bio settings to alert you in-game when you need to use the bathroom. We will take turns guarding, allowing us to log out for a quick bathroom break and water run. We will need to be as efficient as possible.” If I was alone, I would be screwed. But since I have Angel with me, this will work out well. While we would not stop to eat, we could at least use the bathroom and drink water.
“I am glad you said something because having to use a bedpan….” Angel blushed. I knew what she was getting at, and yeah, I felt the same.
“Tell your father to set aside a bit of cash for the capsules that will be coming out soon. See if he can order a hundred of them right away since they will become very expensive later on.” Capsules…. They were different from the plain old VR Helmet. They have everything built in and are automated. You got into it naked, and the seat you sat on had a hole for you to do your business in. Once you were done it would even flush it away. It had built-in IV Holders and even a place to stash your poppers. It was created for hardcore gamers, but when the end of the world hits, and things settle down, these capsules will be where the organization’s farmers would basically live. They would spend weeks at a time in these capsules. With their newfound strength, they did not need to worry about exercise since it was all stat-based.
“It’s hot!” I whined as I was pulled by the demon with pink hair through the hot, sweltering sun.
“Zoe, it’s not even that hot out! If you didn’t wear a hoodie, you would be perfectly fine!” Angel was being mean! She was making me go out to the store to pick up the things we needed for our quest. I really just wanted to stay home since there was an issue with my head.
My horns had indeed grown after being in-game. They gr
ew to be almost an inch and a half long. The base was still black, but the tips were a blood-red color, which stood out against my black hair. “You are not the one with things growing out of the top of her head! I even found a bump in a place where a bump should not be.”
My character in-game did have a tail, but that did not mean I would want one in real life! I know in many stories, demons have thin, black, pointy tails, but… but... I did not want a tail in real life!
“That… I am not sure what to do about that. But Zoe…” Angel scooted up next to me and whispered softly: “You have a cute butt.”
“Can you not talk about that right now!? I shouldn’t have shown you!” I should have looked at my horoscope today. Why was today such a bad day?
“Hehe.” Angel only laughed at me as she continued to pull me down the street. She had her arm hooked with mine, so I had no choice but to keep pace with her.
We soon arrived at the store in question, VR Paradise. It was the only place nearby that sold poppers. As soon as we entered, we instantly gained attention. Mainly because two girls walking into a male-dominated store were not seen every day but soon would become the norm. But right now, I felt like a fish in a fish tank inside an aquarium. Being stared at like this was just a bit…. “What the hell are you staring at!? Never seen a girl before!?”
I almost tripped when I heard Angel suddenly yell out. I looked at her angered expression and puffed-out cheeks that only made her look more cute than threatening and sighed. This girl really was… “Cutie, you shouldn’t say things like that. We only thought you two were quite cute. How about we get to know each other a little better?”
Hmm… I looked over at the person who spoke. He was a slightly handsome man, but his arrogant expression seemed really off-putting. He had confidence in himself, which was good, but he was putting that confidence in the one thing he should really not be confident in, hitting on girls! “And why the hell would I want to get to know you? I am not here to pick up guys or be picked up!”
“Hey, don’t be like that…. Ahh! My hand! What the fuck!?” I watched as the young man walked over to us and stretched out his hand towards Angel. At that moment, I kind of snapped.
“Who said you could touch her?” I asked in a low voice, my hood falling down due to my sudden actions. I grabbed the young man’s fingers and bent them back before flinging his arm away.
“Zoe!” Angel turned to look at me in surprise. But I ignored her as I stared at the young man.
“You have no right to lay a single finger on her, yet you just tried to grab her. What were you planning on doing, forcing her to come with you? Were you planning on kidnapping her? Do you think we are some kind of prize? You are very lucky that this world still has laws, or else I would have cut off your fucking head just now!” The entire store was silent. I have no idea why, but right now, I felt a strange excitement welling up in me at the thought of killing this bastard. The thought of his blood spurting out of his neck as it fell limply to the floor just seemed so…. euphoric. “Hehe… Maybe I will just do just tha…”
“Zoe!” Angel’s voice entered my ears as I felt a strong tug on my arm. I turned and looked at her in a slight daze before looking around at everyone else. That was when I realized that in my hand was my sword… my in-game sword had suddenly appeared in my hand. “Zoe, we should go.”
“Ye…. Yeah.” With no other choice, the both of us quickly ran out of the store. I still had my sword in my hand, so we had to run to a side alley and call for someone to pick us up.
I looked at the sword in my hand in a daze as we stood in the alley. Angel was on the phone calling her dad. I really had no idea what had come over me just now. I really intended to kill that guy. “Angel…. Did this…. Did this appear out of nowhere?”
“Yes… My dad’s secretary is nearby. He will pick us up in two minutes. I told him to come to the side alley. Zoe, what happened just now? You suddenly felt like a different person. I only saw you like that once before, and that was when those guys were KSing me. Did you really plan to kill that guy just now?”
“Mmm….” I really did want to cut his head off just now. Even now, the excitement of wanting to see his blood spurting into the air was still running through my mind and was driving the smile on my lips.
“Oh? Ladies, are we lost?” I turned to see a group of thugs walking up to us. We were in a back alley, but what were the odds of us having two groups of assholes walking up to us at the same time. At least this group had a few girls in it, but they did not seem to care about the guys hitting on other girls. In fact, they were laughing as if they thought it was funny.
But I found the idea of them messing with us a little exciting. I gripped the sword in my hand and stepped forward, tapping the sword off my shoulder with a bright smile on my face? It could have been more crazed than bright I am not sure since there are no mirrors around.
“Zoe, don’t!” Angel was quick to pull on my sweatshirt, but that did not stop my mouth.
“We are very lost. You see, normally, we leave a trail of blood to lead the way back home, but for some reason, there is no blood on the ground to use as a marker. So do you mind, you know… Losing your head?” I grinned and tried to take another step forward, but this time, Angel pulled hard on my arm, pulling me back.
“Ignore her. She has a habit of picking fights. We are already waiting for someone to come pick us up. They will be here any second now.” Angel was basically pleading for these people to leave us alone. I could understand why, because I did not think I could hold back any longer. Anyone who dares to have ill will towards the two of us for some reason brings out my blood lust.
“Tch! Keep your crazy friend in check! Why the hell does she have a sword anyway!?” One of the young men yelled out. I watched as they cursed and walked away. Earlier, when he called out to us, he had indeed a hint of ill intentions towards us, but maybe my little display of strangeness scared them?
“Young Miss!” A voice called out to us. I turned to see a skinny man with wide black-rimmed glasses running towards us. He looked to be in his mid to upper thirties.
“Charlie! Over here!” Angel yelled out. Knowing that she knew this man calmed my nerves quite a bit.
“What? What is going on? Why does she have a sword?” Charlie asked a very good question. I could not even answer that since it was my in-game sword, and it appeared in my hand without me even opening the inventory menu.
“Don’t worry about that. Just escort us back to my father and get us some poppers.” Angel grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the street. I let her pull me along since I really just wanted to get out of here myself. Things were just too weird. The feeling I was getting when I thought I was going to get to kill someone was really strange.
I never felt this way before. Even in my dreams, I never wished to kill anyone. The feeling did come naturally when you had no choice but to kill, but that was when your own life was on the line or you were trying to protect something important. But this time, while I was stepping up to protect Angel, my thought process was to kill instead of hit. And at some point, my sword had appeared in my hand. I am not sure if this was because of my thought process or not, but it happened.
I do not remember thinking about taking my sword out of my inventory, and even if I did, it would not work unless I had opened my inventory in the first place. So the idea of my sword suddenly appearing in my hand was very strange.
We both got into the backseat of the car. I rested my sword on my lap since there was no sheath to it. “Angel… Sorry…” I figured I should apologize to her first since I freaked her out.
“No. There is no reason to apologize. You were trying to protect me, but what happened? Before I knew it, you were acting like you had in-game that time. I could tell if I did not stop you, you really planned to kill that guy.” Angel gave me a worried look, which made me feel even worse.
“When things happen, there will be times when you will need to turn your weapon against a human. Normal laws will no longer exist, so remember this. But today was different. I felt excited at the thought of seeing that guy’s blood pouring out of his body. Even now, I feel excited and want to go back so I can do it. It’s like a strange urge welling up inside me. This has never happened in my dreams, so I am at a loss. It’s as if the traits of a demon are actually being instilled in me. I do not believe I am even human anymore, or I am close to not being human anymore.”
