[10 minutes ago]
I was sitting on a bench in an alley in Iacreumor, flicking my blade against the stone wall. My rage was boiling inside me. I kept seeing the moment when that damn samurai with green eyes cut my mask and me.
— That damn bastard made me look like a fool. In front of a bunch of players! And then he took my loot!
The friend in the red hat grinned, but not very confidently.
— Well, to be honest, Leroy, you asked for it... Everyone knows that you shouldn't jump into a fight with someone you don't know.
I glared at him. I don't need my own people to lecture me. The friend in the blue hat intervened, as always, more gently, but with the same implication:
— But he's right… That samurai was clearly not simple. Maybe it's for the best that you died then. Imagine what would have happened if he had left you alive and shamed you even more.
I felt my stomach boil at those words.
Deserved... disgraced… Who are they to talk to me like that? They're also sucking up here, pretending to be supportive, but you can see it in their eyes: It's your own fault.
—Shut up, both of you! No one's going to make me look like an idiot. Not that green-eyed guy, and not you little dogs! I'll find him yet.
We started walking down the street, and the blue one pointed at a gun store.
—Look... Is that the toad girl?
I turned my head quickly and saw Disava coming out of the store. She was small and awkward, wearing a cheap raincoat.
The same girl I was going to cut out on the first day of the game, if it weren't for that damn samurai.
—Ha! Great. If I can't get the green-eyed one, I'll at least get back at his new toy.
Red cautiously remarked:
—Leroy, what if she's not so simple? Maybe we're going to get nothing?
I grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
—She's a weakling. Even if she bought something, it won't help. The three of us will tear her apart. And if we're lucky, she's dragging herself to some dangerous location... That's where we'll catch her.
Inside, the humiliation still burned, but now I had a goal. Green-eyed, you'll regret it. I'll start with her, but things didn't go as planned.
They followed Disava like a pack of predators stalking their prey. Leroy45 walked in front, his knuckles white from gripping his sword. All he could think about was getting his revenge.
"Today I'm going to take my revenge! Today I'm going to regain my respect."
—Hurry up before she gets too far away.
The guy with the red hat nodded, grinning.
—It's just a girl. We'll take her down in no time.
They made their way into the Misty Garden. Here, the air was heavier, and a whitish haze lay along the ground, swirling around the roots of the trees and hiding the barely visible silhouettes...
[ Now]
From the thick fog came a roar, like the buzzing of an insect, but much louder, metallic, and vibrating so that it made his ears ring.
—What the hell...
The guy in the blue hat started, but he didn't finish. A shadow emerged from the fog, glinting with steel, and grabbed his shoulder with monstrous speed.
A piercing scream cut through the air and immediately stopped. The screen flashed, blinked, and disappeared. It was as if he had been erased from the game, as if he had never existed.
—N-no!...
Redcap recoiled, clutching his axe. Leroy45 felt a cold sweat break out on his back. The words stuck in his throat, but his instincts screamed:
—If you panic, it's all over.
—Stay! Until the end!
He breathed out, thrusting his sword forward. They spun through the fog like two ants surrounded by fire. Visibility was almost nonexistent: a step to the side and you were out of your companion's sight.
Heavy footsteps, the screech of claws, and the metallic breath of death echoed through the white haze.
Blue Cap didn't even notice the movement behind him in the whitish veil. The fog shimmered as if the very air had come to life.
And in the next instant, a long, thin tail, shining with a metallic sheen, sharp as a razor, emerged from that milky void.
— What the...?!
The tail passed through his body like a knife through cloth. The player screamed, a wild, piercing wail that echoed through the silence of the Misty Garden. His hands shook as he tried to break free from the invisible grip, but the tail writhed like a snake and pulled him away.
The fog closed in behind him. The scream ended as abruptly as it had begun, and the player disappeared from view as if he had never been there.
Only Leroy45 remained. His breath was coming in short gasps, and cold sweat was pouring down his forehead. His heart was pounding in his chest, and each beat echoed loudly in his ears.
In front of my eyes still stood the picture of how a friend was taken away into the white abyss. He turned sharply and his eyes met mine.
I stood still, only slightly tilting my head, watching the events. In my eyes flashed something incomprehensible: not malice, but not sympathy.
— It's.. you...
Squeezed Leroy45, his voice broke into a wheeze. He convulsively raised his sword and, clenching his teeth, rushed forward.
—You witch!
He almost reached me, but at the last moment, a massive head emerged from the fog in front of him. The metal scales shimmered like polished plates, and hot steam poured from its mouth.
Two bright blue, electrically flickering eyes pierced the air. The creature's gaze was not just fierce; it exuded a predatory awareness and a cold intelligence.
Leroy's sword trembled in his hands. His cry of despair stuck in his throat, and an icy feeling gripped his entire body: it was not a monster, but a sentence.
The metal mouth closed with monstrous force. A ringing crack, like the hum of steel on stone, echoed through the Misty Garden.
Leroy45 didn't even have time to scream before his body was torn to shreds, as if he had been swallowed by the system itself.
The pieces of digital flesh crumbled into shining fragments and dissipated, leaving only a faint echo of pain and rage in the air.
It was the first time I had witnessed another player's death up close, and the sight of pixels being mercilessly sliced apart and disappearing into a milky haze sent chills down my spine. However, it was not the sight that truly shocked me.
As the fog parted and a huge figure emerged, the system flashed a brief summary in front of my eyes.
[ The Metal Lizard Barnadat - ????? ]
One of the monstrous creatures left by the ancient gods as a punishment for mortals. Its body is covered with white and silver scales, which are as strong as mithril. Blue streaks of energy shine between the scales, as if the lightning of the heavens itself flows within it.
The text shimmered, but then there were strange gaps, as if the game's interface was unable to fully process the data.
"Legends say that Barnadat was ?????…
????? ?????…"
The words broke and disappeared, the letters crumbled into a ripple, and then the line went dark, as if it had burned out before my eyes.
—What...?
I whispered, blinking in disbelief. For the first time in the game, I had encountered a creature that the system could not fully explain.
In front of her stood something monstrous: a silver body, more than a dozen meters long, swirling in the mist, and each of its scaly plates reflected the rare glimpses of ghostly light.
The creature breathed heavily, with a metallic rattle, and with each exhalation, thin threads of electricity erupted from the crevices between its teeth.
My heart started racing. I felt that the familiar game was coming to an end and something else, dangerous, forbidden, was beginning.
I stood, my hands clenched around the hilt of my dagger, unable to take my eyes off the creature. From my brief observations, it was clear that this was not just any monster.
Its movements were too swift, too precise, as if its massive body of silver plates carried no extra weight.
Each movement was executed with terrifying ease, as if the metal that comprised its skin was something more flexible than steel yet stronger than mithril.
In the swirling mist, his silhouette seemed even larger. His metallic scales shimmered with a silvery sheen, and blue luminescent veins pulsed through the gaps between the plates.
The beauty of his scales was deceptive: they glowed like a jewel, but the light was harsh, electric, and menacing, as if a storm were raging within the depths of this creature.
His eyes... I felt a chill run down my spine. The blue glow was too bright, too alive.
There was no soulless, empty fire in them, like in ordinary monsters.
There was a storm of lightning and thunder in those eyes, a thirst for destruction, a thirst for battle. He wasn't just looking at me, he was evaluating me.
I frantically opened the menu, trying to exit the game right now. In any way I could. But the system coldly displayed:
[You cannot exit the game in combat mode.]
[You can only exit the game if: Victory or Death.]
My heart sank, and I clenched my teeth, feeling my mouth go dry. So it was all or nothing. There was no other way.
At that moment, the metal monitor bared its teeth. Its mouth split open, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Blue sparks flashed between them, illuminating the fog with bright flashes. It slowly tilted its head, staring directly into my eyes.
Its gaze was like a thunderclap. Lightning danced in those electric eyes, and behind them was something else hunger.
It wasn't just a desire to kill; this predator reveled in the challenge. He was enjoying the anticipation.
Name: Disava
Achievement: One Against Thorns
Race: Toad-Girl
Class: Pioneer
1000 Vales
Level: 10
Experience: 55/450
[Attributes]
HP [Physics]: 125/125
ST [Stamina]: 60/60
STR [Strength]: 61
AGI [ Agility ]: 20 +30
Intelligence: 51
Constitution: 46
Will: 51
Luck: 41
[Combat Parameters]
Defense: 31 + 13
[Resistances] (none yet)
[Equipment]
Right Hand: Scarlet Budding Flower (12-18 damage)
Left hand: Mist Leaf (damage 19-30)
Blood Rose Knuckles (locked until level 10) (damage 18-26)
Armor: Worn-out Shirt (+1 defense)
The Cloak of the Pink Predator ( +12 Defense )
Footwear: Old Sandals (+1 Movement Speed)
Extra:
Poison Resistance: +10
[ Skill ]
Thorny Strike – Lvl. 2
Petal Fragrance – Lvl.2
Running – Lvl. 2
Thorny Barrier – Lvl. 1
-----
Name: Metal Lizard Barnadat – ????
Level: 200
Experience: ??????
[Characteristics]
HP [physics]: ??????
ST [stamina]: ??????
MP [magic]: ?????????
STR [strength]: ??????
AGI [agility]: ???????
Intelligence: ???????
Body: ??????
Will: ??????
Luck: ?????
[Combat Parameters]
Defense: ?????
[ Resistance] ??????
Optional: ??????
[ Skill ] ??????