SL Chapter 5 The Different World


    He first scrutinized his attire, a plain white linen shirt, and a pair of brown pants, coupled with brown woven sandals whose strings had been wound around his legs within his pants until the knee, such that they wouldn''t fall off during intense movement.


    Then, from the sheath around his waist, he drew his most prized possession, a black dagger with a serrated edge. It was inexpensive to those that could afford to splurge, but for him who had to ration every single credit, it had been a monumental purchase, yet it had been needed. The virtual world wasn''t a safe place unless your virtual avatar was powerful enough, had a huge background, or an important bigshot in the real world. He had heard that this world was a result of a Spirit Lord''s ability, the reason why this world was so realistic. That translated into being charged for basically everything within this world. And upon dying, your previously paid session would be terminated, requiring you to pay once gain in order to log in, not to mention the fact that it bred chaotic individuals. After all, a tenth of your paid session would go to the person who killed you.


    First, Eric peeked out into the outside world through the window, which was letting in a health dose of sunlight, with the sensation eerily similar to basking in the real Sun. From the temperature, to the brightness, everything was impeccably mimicked. Of course, that was just his conjecture as it had been some time since he had last felt the true Sun''s rays on his skin.


    Similar rows of houses were lined up on the opposite street, with some appearing to be well maintained while others had become ensnared by nature.


    Though, after failing to catch a glimpse of even a soul, Eric proceeded to clear out the undergrowth and the vines that had threatened to take over his place, before exiting through the door and doing the same outside, though, this time with his senses heightened in case an ambush was sprung, not to mention an assassination. This was the life of the bottom dwellers like himself, unlike those that lived in the far off monolithic stone structures in the distance. But, he was certain that upon his awakening, he would join them. Spirit Lords, no matter the task, were paid a lot of money. Becoming a millionaire after a month would be way too easy.


    After clearing everything, he backed off into the dirt road and nodded in satisfaction before directing his gaze towards the monolithic stone structures in the distance, which were being parasitised by a manner of vegetation, including trees.


    A deep breath was taken, and his caution rose to the highest it has ever been before he broke off into a jog.


    His goal was that city in the distance. This place, where he lived, was a slum area. The only relatively safe time this place could be traversed was during the early nights, when many denizens had logged in, making the streets relatively safe. But now that they were off to their day time jobs, it became a hazard.


    Hjs heart tensed as a reflection entered his eyes, almost blinding him for a moment. But he wasn''t slow, ducking into the middle of two small rooms in an instant, with something, a projectile, making impact into the soil of the road just a moment later. His heart raced as he had just escaped such a near death experience. Though death was an illusion here, the pain was real. Even a splinter hurt like in the real world. Even now, he could feel a dull pain in his ankles after the stress he had just put them through. No matter how powerful you became, pain was your closest companion here.


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    How long had it been since his heart had last pounded this hard? That was something he didn''t remember very much as it had been a long time since he had been attacked. He had always chosen the safe times to head towards the monolithic structures in the distance, in his previous visits.


    Even as he thought, his steps didn''t pause for even a moment as he used the alleyways to his advantage, still moving towards the tall stone and plant towers in the distance. Any other direction would prove to checkmate him unless he was confident of his strength. His eyes scanned everything with scrutiny as he raced ahead. He had fallen into an ambush. If he were his assailant, surely, there would be another trap laid down, right?


    And that was when his sensitive ears picked up a faint sound, causing him to lean backwords, with his back just a few inches off the ground, even as his momentum still pulled him to the front, with glinting throwing stars passing right above him. Even though it had been a long time, his mind hadn''t forgotten battle. His earlier days had been ones filled with skirmishes, before he had graduated.


    After righting himself, he kicked off, continuing with his sprint. If he slowed down for even a moment, the chances of being surrounded were high. Though, before he could breathe out a sigh of relief, a glint, caused by reflection of light entered his eyes, as a figure appeared a few meters in front of him, atop one of the roofs of the small abodes. His entire being was encased in armor with only his purple pupils visible. He was wielding a spear, one he was certain had been the cause of the initiation attack. Though this time it seemed that whoever was in the armor wasn''t going to hurl it, instead, they were preparing to leap down and engage him.


    ''How rich? Why would they choose to target poor old me?!'' such a stray thought appeared even as one of his hands moved to the hilt of his sheathed dagger.


    He drew his dagger in one smooth motion before drawing patterns in the air with its tip, and with the addition of his intent, his speed tripled, with the surroundings blurring, which lasted approximately a second, after which, he found himself face to face with armored guy, whose form had been in the midst of dropping down, with his eyes starting to widen in fear. A smirk started making it onto Eric''s lips at the expression. That meant that this was an amateur, not a professional.


    This time, he lacked the time to draw a rune, so, with finesse, his dagger slid into one of the eye holes of the armor, and was plunged into the armored person''s brain, with him side stepping the armored figure afterwards, without staying around to see the outcome. After all, he was supremely confident in his skill. Though he had gotten rusty, it hadn''t gotten to the point that an amateur would survive his attack.


    A few minutes later, when he felt that his lungs could no longer hold on, he found a relatively shaded and dark shadow of an alley and hid within. His body was hot. And in this sweltering heat, it was unbearable. The silver lining though, was the fact that there were no pursuers. It appeared that the death of whoever owned that armor had made an impact.


    After regathering himself, he continued towards his destination. Today was going to mark the start of his endeavors to becoming one of Spirit Lords. That was something that couldn''t be delayed.


    This time, he was even more cautious. Professionals, people with skill equal, or even exceeding himself could strike at any moment. Amateurs were those that couldn''t form runes fast enough. But professionals, were like him, people who had learned to form a group of runes so fast that it had practically become an instinct. Then, there were those monsters that were even faster, having reached the point of skill turning into reflex. They were the hardest to deal with. Even with money and power, this virtual world held skill in high esteem.


    After almost half an hour of walking he finally reached the boundary. It wasn''t a physical demarcation of any sort, just a transition. Well, some argued that the boundary was the wide road right before him, while others were of the thought that it was the transition of architecture. Behind him, the sea of slum houses stopped, while opposite him, the monoliths loomed, intimidating anyone who laid eyes upon them.


    Tension slipped out of him the moment he stepped away from the slums. Here, there was a semblance of order as targeting anyone might lead to consequences down the line that you couldn''t hope to deal with. Tigers and snakes, dressed in sheep''s skin were everywhere. You might even stumble upon one of those monsters, earning yourself an unworthy death.


    All manner of carriages, being pulled by beasts, from fantasy versions of tigers and dragons, to mere common ostriches, crowded the road. And there was no end to them. This world didn''t just contain humans from the real world, but even NPCs. Though, no one had ever managed to really find any obvious signs that blatantly gave them away. They acted and and moved like real people. It was as if someone had taken souls from the real world and added them into this world. And what''s more bizarre, Eric, and the other player characters, could even give birth to an NPC in this world upon having sex and getting pregnant!