Game’s Dogma

​​​​​​​The first comment on the thread was, ‘Don’t play games if you don’t even know how to log off!’

Enduring the growing irritation as he scrolled through the taunts and ironic comments, Drako Yau finally saw someone who actually bothered to answer the question seriously.

‘Take out your phone, open up the system interface, and you’ll see the Log Off button at the bottom. P.S. Remember to check your eyes if your eyesight’s not too good!’

The original poster then gave massive thanks to the person who provided the solution.

…

A chilly breeze blew past him.

Drako Yau quivered, cold sweat completely drenching his back.

In his system interface, the ‘Log Off’ button was absent. He even tried spam clicking the space at the bottom of his interface where the button was supposed to be, yet nothing happened.

At that moment, he had a thought, a horrifying one.

What will happen if I can’t leave the game?

Drako Yau forced himself to calm down as he observed the night sky, mobs walking past him as he did. He was thankful that he was still in the starter area, because mobs beyond the region weren’t as friendly as the ones here. Most would actively attack players once players entered their territory.

Anyways, he managed to find an empty cave and hid there.

Another cold breeze whizzed past him, and he shuddered from the cold. He left the cave to knock off a few branches from nearby trees with his stick, then returned with the branches that would serve as firewood. As he struck a rock against another, he felt grateful to the crazy old geezer who had forcefully made him live in the woods back in the days.

A blazing campfire started burning inside the cave, the heat emanating from the fire warming him up. Not sparing it another thought, he quickly scrolled through the browser to look up the information he needed like a hungry man craving for food.

Brainwave technology, cannot log off, false imprisonment…

Despite searching through dozens of keywords, none of the information was of any help. Still, he managed to find something from the keywords ‘brainwave technology’. The company that published Real World was called ‘World’, and their description of the brainwave technology made his heart sink.

‘Although our brainwave technology is a well-developed one, we still do not recommend players to indulge in the game for extended periods of time. As such, there is an alert signal on the top left corner of every player’s vision (next to the health bar). When the alert turns yellow, it is a warning signal to players. When the alert turns red, players are recommended to log off immediately and rest. Be at ease, however, because it is very unlikely for the alert to turn red, unless players fight non-stop for 24 hours. If players do not rest when the red alert is shown, it is possible that they will experience brain damage.’

Drako Yau looked at the top left corner. Let alone the alert signal, even his health bar was nowhere to be seen. He then continued reading the official description.

‘Of course, we have accounted for such situations. Resting in the game will provide the same effects of resting in the actual world. As such, we have various taverns and inns for players to rest in. Simply put, sleeping in the game is equivalent to sleeping in the actual world.’

Breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing those words, Drako Yau closed the browser. The campfire crackled while he was lost in thought. Entering this game, was it the wrong decision?

Chirp! Chirp!

Drako Yau twitched slightly as he gradually opened his eyes.

The brilliant sun was showering rays of light into the cave through its entrance. Beside him, a bird was chirping as it looked at him with curious eyes. The campfire in front of him had long since expired, and it was now no more than a pile of ash that gave off white smoke.

He stood up and relieved himself. He had read from the browser that only players who logged in with game pods were granted the excretory system, and excreting in the game would also cause the person to excrete in the actual world. It was great that he wouldn’t become the first player to die from holding piss in for too long.

Upon waking up, Drako Yau was struck with a wave of hunger.

He looked at the round, plump apples on a tree and grinned. Taking two steps back, he then sprinted and ran up the tree with just a few steps, after which he plucked the ripe fruits as he sat on a branch. Only after munching several apples did the flames of hunger die down within his stomach.

As he casually leapt down from the tree, a surprising thought struck his mind. Living such a life… it was just like the past. His main staple had been fruits as well, and when he had a bit of luck, he would hunt and cook the wild animals he had managed to catch.

‘Nine days and a half more.’ Drako Yau looked at his phone and set a timer which now showed 228:59:45.

Yesterday, he had read about the nutritional supplement system. When eating in the game, his actual body would also be ‘eating’ the corresponding amount. However, the system did say that the limit was ten days.

In ten days’ time, if he still couldn’t find the way out of the game, he would starve to death. Two hundred and twenty eight hours, it was the countdown towards his death. Still, he was at least glad that the game was connected to his phone. If not, he would have been a hell of a lot more stumped than he currently was.

As he travelled away from the starter area, he fought whatever mob he came across. Though he was still perturbed on the inside, he hadn’t forgotten that he was still within a game. Levelling up, it was the fundamental source of strength.

By the time he left the starter area and reached his first city, Yoda, he had already reached Level 5. Finally, he could equip the spear. It put his mind at rest as well, for the spear was his preferred weapon after all.

Regarding skills, Drako Yau decided to put it off for later. He would decide how to spend his skill points after unlocking the third skill upon reaching Level 7. Right now, he was relying on the five attribute points given for every character level. If he had not invested those points, it would have taken him forever to defeat the mobs he had encountered. 

As he entered the city, he inspected his attribute interface.

Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, and Constitution; those were the four attributes available.

For every five points he gained from levelling up, he invested two points into strength and one point into each of the other three attributes. He was not gunning for maximum damage anyways, so he chose to develop his character in a more all-rounded manner. Still, Strength was a more useful attribute for him, who was a melee combatant, in general.

Entering the grocery store, he bought a bunch of items: maps, food, and many more. Equipment wise, he had no plans on purchasing any. The first thing on his to-do list was to find the way to leave the game.

‘Young master.’

In a luxurious mansion, an old butler respectfully handed over a towel to a young teen. With his upper body naked, the teen received the towel and dried himself.

‘What’s my itinerary for the day?’

The old butler flicked through a notebook with his wrinkled hands and replied, ‘Today’s swordsmanship training is over. A meeting will start in an hour, which also means the young master now has an hour of free time.’

The young man showed a slight smile. ‘Then I’ll enter the game. Notify me fifteen minutes before the meeting starts through my phone.’

The old butler gave a respectful bow and witnessed the young master as he entered the game pod, sighing lightly as he did. The young master really had it tough. This new game, perhaps it was the only way for him to relax.

The lights flickered, and soon the teen was back in Real World.

Players would log in at the location where they had previously logged off at. The teen was in a forest upon logging in; it was apparent that he couldn’t be bothered to return to the city after farming levels and simply logged off in the wilderness.

Hunter

Description: Agile fighters who focus on speed. Their quick attack speed and movement speed give their opponents a real headache, but by wearing light armour, they sacrifice defence and have comparatively low health.

Skill type: Hunters have excellent vision, making them excellent ranged combatants. Their agile attack and movement speed also turn them into devastating killers who tread the shadows.

Class progression: Ranger, Assassin.