The Crystal Sphere (The Neuro Book #1) LitRPG Series Read online

  You see my point? My ability branch was still closed. I hadn't been given any tips regarding which particular stats could be vital for a Neuro's successful development. I had a funny feeling it was Intellect — but this was only my conjecture. Which was why I came to the decision to wait until I reached level 5 before distributing any available stat and skill points.

  "Alexatis? Mind coming here for a moment?" Togien's bellowing voice disrupted my train of thoughts.

  I closed the interface and walked into the cave.

  Oh wow. They'd done a good job there, hadn't they? Possibly, with a little help from the earthquake. Tiny ice fragments crunched underfoot, sparkling in the torch light. Not a single block of ice was left — they'd ripped them all apart nice and neat!

  "How much weight can you carry?" Togien asked me.

  "Sixty pounds."

  "That's nothing," he sounded upset. "How big is your inventory?"

  I shrugged. "Twenty slots. A standard one."

  "I have a proposition for you. What if we give you an extra bag for a hundred slots? We've got too much stuff, you see. We could go all together to Agrion — that's a city on the River Warbler. It's not far from here. We'll give you 1% of the price of what's in the bag. What do you think?"

  A newb would have to be a total idiot to refuse this kind of offer. Besides, it didn't look as if the hike to the nearest safe locations was going to be easy, either. The local mobs were definitely more advanced in levels than humble me.

  "I'm in."

  "Let's load up, then. No, wait," Togien gave my starting clothes a critical look. With a sigh he reached into his stashes, producing a suit of well-worn leather armor. "This is yours. Take a look around and get yourself a weapon," he probably meant the trash items they'd found but which didn't merit the inclusion on their Valuables list.

  "Thanks," I hurried to change into my new clothes: a set comprising a leather jacket, pants, gloves and boots with 40% Durability still on them. It fit me well. Judging by their stats, the items didn't have any bonuses but they did raise my Protection to 12 pt. Excellent for starting out!

  "Suits you," with another good-humored smile, Togien made some mental calculations. "Thanks don't fill a purse though. We'll subtract the kit's price from your share. Actually, the clothes weigh 12 pounds extra. But it's all right. Gwain will cast a few buffs on you. He needs the practice. Good for both of you."

  As the two dwarves continued to sift through their finds, arguing over their potential value and sorting them into several piles, I decided to check out the trash. Lots of curious objects were lying around in the slush — mainly weapons and armor made of some alloy unknown to me. Despite being untouched by rust, their metal had grown dull and brittle.

  I reached out for what looked like a decent helmet. It crumbled to dust at my touch. It must have suffered some magic attack.

  Trash indeed.

  Finally, I had my eye on a sword. Four empty stone slots gaped on its hilt. Its handguard was rather unusual for a sword, formed by several thin masterfully forged strips of metal that completely protected your fingers and the back of your hand. The grip was good. It might take some getting used to but I could already see the design's strongest point: striking it out of your hand wasn't going to be easy. The four empty slots must have been there for a reason. The double-edged blade wasn't too broad. If you took a good look at the fine layer of patina covering it, you could see faint symbols of some mysterious language underneath.

  Item received: a Mysterious Sword

  Damage: 5

  Weight: 2,450

  Durability: 15/500

  Requires level 1 and 5 pt. Strength.

  Class restrictions: none

  "I can see you've made your choice?" Gwain glanced at the sword's stats. "Not enough damage. The durability is a bit low too."

  "It doesn't weigh much," I argued.

  "You're right there," he pointed at a heap of small objects — mainly precious stones and all sorts of weird-looking artifacts. I wouldn't know what to do with them. "Load up. I'm gonna cast two buffs on you: one for Stamina, the other for Strength. Ten minutes both."

  "How did you find this cave?" I asked, distributing the items between the slots of the capacious bag they'd given me.

  "A quest," Gwain replied brusquely. He raised his hands to cast the spell, apparently unwilling to go into detail. Pale blobs of light escaped the tips of his fingers. For a brief moment they enveloped me, filling me with strength.

  "How much mana does it take?" I asked.

  "One-third of a full charge. That's all right. I also have elixirs. By the time we get to the city I'll raise you a couple of levels. You'll see."

  Who was I to argue?

  I decided against equipping my new sword. I put it into my inventory and assigned a quick-access icon to it. Easier that way. I could still whip it out in no time but this way it was safe from prying eyes. Once we got to the city, I'd have to look it up. I'd love to know what kind of trophy I'd gotten. I might even restore its durability which in turn would improve damage. Besides, all those question marks admittedly intrigued me.

  "Ready?" Togien gave me a critical look but seemed pleased with the result. "Off we go, then!" he led the way into the tunnel, lighting his path with the torch. "Alexatis, try to keep up. If we come across any mobs, keep your head down. I'll do the tanking. Gwain will heal us."

  * * *

  Keeping up with them proved not that easy!

  Ten minutes later I was already stumbling and falling behind. My physical energy reading was dwindling fast. The extra 25 lbs. of weight were taking their toll. The neuroimplant was adding its two cents, too.

  Let me tell you: it had changed the entire gameplay radically. Before, my char could be exhausted and still I hadn't felt a thing. Now my legs shook and started to give under me.

  "Gwain!" I called.

  "I see," he grumbled. "You're a mana gobbler, you. Wait, I need to sift through the spells."

  Being a mule was hard work. Still, I had to grin and bear. It was well worth it.

  As we walked, I pondered over my situation.

  My character's class was bound to attract attention and raise unwanted questions. Still, at the moment that was the least of my worries. I could always explain it away by having had to import my account from a different game world. However, no one should suspect anything about the mind-shattering authenticity levels I was experiencing. Otherwise I'd be a very easy target. Christa had already taught me this lesson.

  So I might need to practice self-control. If the tiniest of wounds made me linger in battle, others were bound to notice it.

  Finally Gwain found the spell he'd been looking for. This buff, on top of raising both strength and stamina, would also halve my physical energy losses.

  "It took you some time," I walked faster, feeling the energy flow into me.

  "My spell book's too thick," he replied, apparently proud of the fact.

  "What, at level 12?"

  "We're both from Middle Earth, aren't we? We had our accounts transferred from there. We lost our levels but kept all the rest. You have any idea how many scrolls I'd studied there? And this," he grinned, "this girl... do you know her?"

  "Yeah."

  "You gotta cool it, man. You never know with them. Today she's a princess, tomorrow a demon. Just like in real life," he joked in a clumsy attempt to cheer me up.

  Togien didn't join our conversation. Still, he kept his ears pricked.

  "What prompted you to level Archeology? Aren't there any mines around here?" I asked simple-heartedly.

  "There are, but they're either poor or you need to mop them up first," Gwain replied. "Local mobs have six hours' respawn time. If you do it with two people, there isn't enough time left to mine anything."

  "I'm sure they'll fix it soon," Togien said confidently. "They'll be mopping mines up regularly. Then we can talk about resource farming on an industrial scale. First with small groups, but sooner or later big clans will muscle in. Familiar scheme."

  "Don't you have clans already?"

  "Small ones. They still keep close to cities and starting locations. The Crystal Sphere has incredible territories but its players still need to level up first. Level 45 was the biggest I've seen. And within a week's hike from Agrion you can already come across level-50 mobs. It's a young world, what do you want?"

  His words took my breath away. I'd always dreamed of discovering virgin locations. I was so fed up with following in other guys' tracks, doing guidebook quests that had been completed a thousand times before me. I wanted to be a pioneer!

  * * *

  The long winding tunnel kept forking and branching off. It was riddled with deep crevices: some of them oozing water, others breathing subterranean heat, yet others sweeping you with chilly drafts, freezing you to the bone.

  No idea how one could find his way here without a detailed map. Still, Togien strode along without hesitation, taking confident turns every time the tunnel forked.

  The two dwarves definitely enjoyed the underground trip. I, however, felt utterly out of my depth.

  As if reading my mind, Gwain who walked behind me decided to cheer me up, "It's all right, man. Soon we'll come to the city sewage-" he cut himself short as he stumbled into me, nearly knocking me off my feet.

  "Alexatis, what's wrong with you?" he exclaimed. "Keep going!"

  I didn't reply. I had a very bad feeling. A whiff of icy cold touched my heart. My breathing seized.

  I couldn't keep it to myself. "Togien, wait!"

  He turned round. "What is it?"

  "You can't go further!"

  "Why not?"

  "I have a bad feeling about it. Don't laugh! It's true!"

  "What's that, an ability you have or something?" Togien asked, hiding a smile. "Or are you pulling my leg? You can't have any abilities, can you? Not at level 1! We still have some walking to do before we can stop for a break," he added sternly.

  A shadow darted behind his back. Two swords slashed through his knee ligaments in a treacherous combo. With a yelp, he dropped his battle hammer and slumped to the floor.

  Three rogues materialized out of the shadows. Players, levels 16 to 20.

  Wheezing, Togien tried to get back to his feet but couldn't. I could clearly see a debuff icon in his tag: both swords were poisoned.

  "Finish him off, Mouk! Otherwise we can't collect the loot."

  "No, wait. I want to bleed him first. I need some blood for my Alchemy," one of the rogues produced a vial and bent down, filling it with Togien's blood. The other two moved toward me. The tunnel was too narrow, so for the moment they couldn't get to Gwain yet.

  Why hadn't he run off while he'd still had the chance? Rogues were good at ambushing you or assaulting you from the back, but there was no way they could catch up with a dwarf in an underground maze.

  "So?" one of the players came closer, playing with his swords. His name tag was recognizably bright red. "Whatcha you gonna do, newb? Will you give us your bag or would you rather we send you to your respawn point?"

  The red name tag with a skull icon on it meant he was a PK: a Player Killer. Any city guard's duty was to smoke him on the spot.

  "You aren't gonna kill me," I continued to block his way in the hope that Gwain — judging by the bustling sounds behind my back — would finally see his chance and flee.

  "Why not?"

  "Can't you see my level? This is noob hunting. Go ahead, then. Your PK counter won't like it. This time you won't get off lightly. This won't be a community-work sentence, man."

  "Quit being smart," he snapped. Still, he seemed to realize the consequences. At the moment, he was already denied access to the city for the ungrounded murders of other players. But if he as much as touched me, the punishment would be much more severe, stripping him of most of his stats.

  "In that case, get out of my way! Hey dwarf, quit hiding behind the newb! We're gonna get you, anyway!"

  "Alexatis, step aside please," Gwain said behind my back, his voice quiet but intense. Was it my imagination or had I heard an empty mana vial clatter to the ground? What was he up to? He couldn't possibly take on three rogues way above his level.

  Suddenly Gwain shoved me against the wall. He'd stuck the torch into a crevice in the rock. The hood of his gray cloak covered his head. He'd put his weapons out of sight.

  "Give us your bag, monk," said the one called Heilig (I automatically added his name to my KOS list) as he resumed playing with his swords. 'The newb is right. My PK counter doesn't need exercise. This way I can stash away the loot, give myself up to the guards, work a couple days in the stables and start it over with a clean slate."

  "You're absolutely right," Gwain mumbled, looking perfectly harmless in his baggy cassock. "Here you are, Sir, take it," he pulled out a fat bag out of his inventory. "Just please don't hurt my uncle. I'm gonna give you his bag, too."

  On hearing that, the rogues obediently let him go past the gang's leader. Once he found himself between the three hoods, he bent his back in a deep bow, spreading his arms wide. "Peace be with you..."

  A dazzling shimmer enveloped his hands. A blinding light came out of his eyes. A warm healing wave washed over me (because I was neutral to Gwain).

  Not so for the PKs! The aura of a blanket debuff turned all three to stone. The one busy collecting blood thumped to the ground, collapsing to one side. The other two stayed on their feet, paralyzed.

  Gwain slumped down the wall. Blood soaked his clothes.

  "Shitheads!" Togien's roar echoed through the tunnel. He was healed completely. Grabbing his hammer, he took a swing — which was stopped by Gwain's weak outcry,

  "You can't finish them off! You know that, don't you?"

  Gasping, Togien tried to overcome his fury. "You're right.' He turned to me, "Alexatis, help me, quick!"

  "What do you want me to do?"

  "Check his bag! Look for a vial with some purple liquid!"

  "This one?"

  "Yes! Give it here! I'll unclench his teeth and you pour it down his throat! Like this! Good!"

  Gwain groaned, stirring weakly. His Life bar began to grow.

  Having made sure that he was okay, I motioned Togien to step aside so that the paralyzed rogues couldn't overhear us.

  "Was that a Humble Bow?" I asked.

  The dwarf frowned, looking at me unkindly from under his bushy eyebrows. I could understand him. It looked like this account transfer had just played a bad joke with the Crystal Sphere admins.

  "How do you know about the Bow?"

  "I played in Middle Earth. From what I heard, you couldn't get this ability for love nor money. You have to complete a quest chain issued by the Higher Priests without killing a single mob. That's how they teach Meekness to any potential candidate. Am I right?"

  "You should keep your mouth shut about that," Togien said anxiously. "It took Gwain a year to complete it. That's why he lagged behind me level-wise. If anyone hears about his imported ability..."

  "You shouldn't worry about me. You'd better worry about these PKs here. They will talk, trust me. You should have given them the bags, really. It was stupid of Gwain to expose himself like that."

  "Wait a sec," Togien crouched by the wall, laid his hammer on his lap and logged out. Nothing seemed to have changed. His hands still clutched the weapon's handle. His gaze, however, had become empty and lifeless.

  Gwain had already come round. Still, he didn't seem too eager to talk, apparently realizing he'd screwed up.

  Now is a good moment to say a few things about that magic ability of his.

  When activated, the Humble Bow sucks the life out of the monk who cast it, leaving only 1% — just like the Bleed debuff does — and heals all neutral and friendly characters while paralyzing all enemies within 150 feet for 10 hours with a Stone Curse. Cooldown: 10 days.

  Nothing special, you might say? What is so unusual about being able to heal your friends and simultaneously paralyze your enemies once in ten days? Still, the Humble Bow has one truly unique factor. It affects all players regardless of their levels.

  Now imagine two clans fighting for a new territory, fortress or resource. The battle reaches a critical point; you give it your all, throwing all available forces into the strife; your wizards are out of mana, your warriors barely standing on their feet, and the enemy's high level players are hacking their way through your ranks, about to storm your casters' positions.

  At this moment, a humble monk stands in the attackers' way and bends his back in a deep bow. "Peace be with you..."

  A blinding light blankets the battlefield.

  The monk drops dead. And all around him, your exhausted clanmates arise to their feet and pick up their arms while your enemies freeze like a sea of statues. And nothing can change that!

  In all honesty, I didn't envy Gwain at the moment. His unique ability had evaded the Crystal Sphere admins during his account transfer, putting him in constant danger. In this young world troubled by its first turf wars, he wouldn't be able to preserve his neutrality and enjoy undisturbed gameplay. The moment the word got out, everyone would start applying pressure to him, desperate to get a fighter like him into their ranks.

  But whoever he joined, others weren't going to stop. They might try to bribe him or simply make his virtual life unbearable. Gwain would lose his freedom, turning into the closely guarded property of a group of influential top-level clan members. If his goal was to make money playing, he would sure do that. Still, I had a funny feeling he was in it for the thrill, just like myself. Gwain craved adventure, not a hedonistic excuse for an existence in some classified citadel vault.

  Togien stirred, coming round, and let out a deep breath. "I found it. All three are paying players. They couldn't have played in Middle Earth. They're about seventeen in real life."

  "How did you find that out?"