<[CHAPTER 4]>
[The Awakening of the Corrupted!]
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That day.
Unbeknownst to them, the two brothers had their destinies separated by the world itself.
The world as they knew it was changing, and with it, other stories were being born in every corner of The OtherWorld.
And while these two distinct monsters grew in the shadows, others began their journey.
STARTING CITY
Night fell.
Everything was dark; the sound of chains was audible inside the passing caravan.
CLANK!
Eyes opened abruptly, but vision was slow to focus, but when it did…
What was observed was not a room, a login screen, nor an initial menu.
Inside an old, chained car, he smelled rotten wood and the metallic scent of blood.
He awoke on the outskirts of the city inside the slave carriage, surprised by what he saw when he opened his eyes.
Besides him, there were others chained.
–"NeuroLink… what did I do to deserve such a start? Anyway… if you put my account like this, you have your reasons. Every account is different. The fandom will go crazy when they find out about my bad luck, oh my god!"
In his thoughts, he monologued, not even realizing it, but his initial state was quite precarious.
「SYSTEM STARTING…」
A translucent red interface appeared before his eyes.
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「 NOTIFICATION 」
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•Welcome to The OtherWorld RPG!
-Mode: Total Immersion (Active)
-Avatar: Damon Lucifer (Possessed)
-Race: Corrupted Fanalic (Latent)
-Current Status: Critical (Near Death)
-Social Status: Slave (Ex_Naipiano)
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He blinked, slowly focusing on the interface.
–"...so, it's true... this isn't just another game."
He tried to move his arm amidst his internal dialogue, without success.
CLANK!!!
The chain attached to him echoed, and he looked at his own body at the same instant. Thin, frail, covered in whip marks, his breathing was irregular, and performing this feat was painful.
So…
「 AVATAR INFORMATION DETECTED 」
• Critical character status.
- Mana, Stamina, and Life depleted by the containment chains.
• Character attributes plummeted.
- Due to extreme exhaustion, the character suffered a 20% reduction because of each zeroed-out stat category.
He looked at his status interface.
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[STATUS]
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HP: 25 -> 0
SP: 20 -> 0
MP: 25 -> 0
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–"…zero!? That explains the extreme exhaustion!"
He shivered all over, the shiver running down his spine.
–"If this were a normal game… I would certainly be dead by now."
But, even with zero stats, he had died, at least not yet.
He took a deep breath, his expression changing to seriousness.
"Okay... think!"
He closed his eyes to better concentrate, then reopened them a second later, expanding the interface.
A new menu appeared in addition to the previous one.
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[ATTRIBUTES]
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Resistance: 10 -> -2
Perception: 15 -> 3
Physical Aptitude: 20 -> 8
Magical Aptitude: 5 -> -7
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–"Balanced… however, very weak, especially with this restriction from the chains. I need to break them."
He monologues in his thoughts, mentally clicking on the interface.
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[SKILL]
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•Name: Beelzebub
-Rank: F
-Type: Active/Passive
-Cost: 10 MP
•Description:
-Drains status and converts it into resources.
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He frowned.
–"I'm really, really screwed!"
During his lamentations, a pain shot through his head and a voice emerged.
–"Finally… you woke up… nice to meet you, Beelzebub!"
His frame trembled, his eyes darkened slightly.
–"So, you are… a sentient skill!?"
"He asked curiously.
–"Skill? I'm much more than that, I'm the one who keeps you alive!"
Damon smiled dangerously.
–"I thought it was the system… but, alright. So, let's do this right!"
He spoke to the entity.
–"Great… I advise you to analyze the system first before doing anything foolish, check the basics."
Without complaining, he began to mentally navigate the game mechanics.
–"My skill is Rank F, which means I need ten mana points to activate it, it consumes two skill slots, and I can use it twenty-one times a day. The problem is that I don't even have enough resources to use it even once…"
He relaxed, the caravan would continue its journey, and he didn't care much about that.
–"But what really worries me is this mana conversion, the formula is simple… mana + magical aptitude × the skill rank constant."
He said, reading the calculations and pausing briefly.
"So, power depends on control… using one mana point and me possessing one magic aptitude point, these will be added together and then multiplied by the constant times one of the skill rank, which is F… this results in two points of strength and speed of the skill, which added together result in the damage of the same, which would be four."
He carefully observed each formula.
"In my case, I'm still very weak, but there's a solution. The same thing happens with stamina conversion, adding it to physical fitness."
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[CONVERSION]
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•Mana (MP)
- Mana + Magic Aptitude × Constant
- Example:
1 MP + 1 Aptitude × 1 = 2 Strength + 2 Speed -> 4 damage
•Stamina (SP)
- Stamina + Physical Aptitude × Constant
- Example:
10 SP + 10 Physical Aptitude = 20 Strength + 20 Speed -> 40 damage
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He smiled again.
"So, at this moment, my physique is the most efficient! I'd like to use magic right away, but I guess you'll have to wait."
He grew more serious and closed the interface, looking around the moving cart. The armed mercenaries accompanying on horseback, the terrified slaves inside the cart, the chains on our necks, arms, and legs fastened to an iron ball were our torment.
Our destination was obvious: the city auction.
"So this is the tutorial… or a trap caused by the system itself, either way I'm going to have a lot of fun!"
He tilted his head and smiled as the cart reached its destination.
Meanwhile…
In the southern region of the city, a dry thud echoed.
It was the sound of a bite that echoed more properly in the open plains south of Starting City, mixed with the whistling of the winds gently swaying the golden fields.
A confrontation was underway; an orange balloon was strapped to a young man's leg, its elastic surface vibrating slightly as it applied constant pressure.
The young man's eyes widened for a brief moment, feeling real, raw pain unlike any other simulation he had ever experienced.
He instinctively recoiled, shifting his weight to his opposite foot as he tried to maintain his balance. His breathing was ragged and uneven, not from exhaustion, but from immediate surprise.
"This… hurts a lot!"
This wasn't just a game, the game, and that game was The OtherWorld… here it was reality.
The monster remained trapped, slowly draining the target's stamina while four others floated around, passively observing… a sign of imminent danger.
They were waiting, assessing the situation… at least that's what Near William thought.
He clenched his teeth; his previous mistake was clear: a flawed combat reading, insufficient and inferior to what he needed to win.
But there was still something, his instinct.
With a sudden movement, he twisted his body, lifted his trapped leg, and slammed it forcefully against the ground, along with the monster.
The impact made the balloon vibrate intensely, its shape distorting for an instant until a bang was heard.
POP!!!
The monster exploded, its fragments scattering into the air.
He took a few steps back, panting.
Leaving behind only a small piece of elastic material—the monster's skin.
But he didn't have time to celebrate; the other four began to move against him. Slow, synchronized, they surrounded their prey and then advanced.
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[NOTIFICATION]
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• Alert!
- Multiple hostile targets detected.
- User advised to retreat.
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The system notified him of something obvious, but he wasn't upset; even surprised, his attention remained focused on the opponents.
–"Damn… now there are too many!"
Meanwhile…
Back in the city, in a dark alley.
Someone was silently watching, leaning against a wall partially shrouded in shadows.
City guards passed by holding posters, which they pasted on lampposts; it was the face of none other than the hidden individual himself, Damon.
His face and description were emblazoned on those posters; the slave had escaped and was now being sought.
–"So… they found out!"
Back on the plains…
The boy Near ran awkwardly, bruised and battered, but alive.
The four monsters pursued him, leaping with precision in sequence. His HP was low and he had no concrete strategy.
He looked back as he ran, observed his pursuers, and then, facing an open plain, without cover or help, he continued running.
Some time later… in the distance, he spotted other adventurers and beyond, something larger. Something that shouldn't be in that beginner's area; a shadow crossed the open field devouring all the monsters and adventurers it encountered.
The balloons stopped, and so did he; they were afraid of the entity, just like him. Silence remained, the balloons dispersed, and then a deep sound and something perceptible even from afar.
ROAR!!!
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[NOTIFICATION]
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• Alert!
- The user has detected an unknown threat.
- Threat ranking not found in the user's database.
- Due to the user's status, fleeing is recommended, but there will be a penalty.
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He trembled all over, his eyes dry from staring so intently at the interface.
–"Now we're screwed… and that wasn't even part of the mission!"
He said, bracing himself.