Edge of the Abyss (Respawn Trials Book #1) LitRPG Series Read online

  My eyes met those of Savage_Hulk. He must have read a lot in my gaze because he immediately lost it, “What, you think we’ll get in trouble? Ha, suck on it. You’ll kick the bucket, of course, but not by our hands! An incredible series of respawns awaits you,” he promised balefully as Wang set out black candles and drew a circle of symbols.

  “Ready. Move back, you two, and put him in the circle!”

  “Where will the portal open to?”

  “I have no idea! It’s totally random!” Wang bared his teeth in a grin. “Let’s hurry it up before something makes its way from over there!”

  I was dragged along the floor again and pushed into the dip formed by the sunken tiles.

  A purple-black flame shot up silently. I felt like a splinter swept up in a violent torrent. My mind went dark and then came back.

  I couldn’t see anything. There was the sound of dripping water. It stank terribly and I seemed to be lying on a pile of refuse, barely alive.

  Messages flashed before my mental gaze.

  …

  You have used an abandoned portal, left over from the time of the Abyss invasion.

  Contact with the previous point has been lost. The closest respawn circle has been activated.

  …

  My HP bar was barely in the red. No weapons.

  It was pitch black. Grim sounds echoed back and forth.

  Hissing. Scuttling steps approached from different directions. My body was pierced by terrible pain as if someone had splashed acid on me and then a large sign appeared before me.

  …

  YOU HAVE DIED.

  You have lost 1,290 Exp.

  You have lost an item: makeshift spear.

  Respawn in 19:59, 19:58...

  Would you like to leave the VR capsule?

  Warning, frequent emergency exits lead to increased use of the sensory gel. Don’t forget to obtain more consumables.

  …

  Twenty minutes of waiting? I’ll suffer through it somehow. I had no desire to purchase additional consumables. I didn’t even know how much they cost.

  …

  Leave the VR capsule?

  …

  The sign blinked at me persistently.

  I selected ‘No’. I had ways to occupy myself since the interface still worked.

  I opened the logs and read,

  You have moved ????? kilometers.

  You have found a new region: (Enter name).

  Achievement gained: Trailblazer. Nobody has been here since the Abyss invaded. You are the first (+1 Fame, +5% to land travel speed, +395 Exp).

  New quest available: Survival Environment.

  Find a way to survive and rapidly advance to level 30.

  Reward: Your Adaptability will increase by 2 points. Time to complete: 48 hours.

  New quest available: Terra Incognita.

  Explore your surroundings and uncover at least 50% of the map.

  Reward: +1 to Fame.

  …

  I must have missed these messages when I lost consciousness. Oh well. They should be listed in my quest journal. I’ll be able to accept them once I respawn.

  All right, who killed me? It happened so quickly and unclearly. I turned to the logs again.

  …

  You heard a noise.

  Unidentified creatures.

  ??? attacks with toxic spit. Damage over time 10 HP/sec.

  ??? attacks with toxic spit. Damage over time 10 HP/sec.

  ??? attacks with toxic spit. Damage over time 10 HP/sec.

  You have died.

  * * *

  The timer continued its countdown. Why didn’t I just leave virtual reality and to hell with it all?

  I’d mucked up the character (in the state that Denis needed it). I went up a level and lost the Aura of Immunity. It was unlikely that the helpless and unevenly leveled up mule could find any work now and he would be easy prey outside the town walls. It would be easier to create a new one.

  So why was I digging around in the interface, stoically awaiting regeneration?

  The answer was simple — I was hooked. So much had happened in less than a day. I’d plunged into the virtual world like into a whirlpool, hungrily absorbing the incredible realism, feeling young and full of energy again.

  I had no idea how it would all turn out but I wanted to get out of the trouble that I’d found myself in, return to the starting location and get back at the Dark ones. That’s just to start with.

  It was decided. I was staying. I’d see how it all worked and if my first impression turned out to be correct, I’d get my own account. Where would I get the money for my own VR capsule? Only time would tell. I’d solve the problems as they came and in the meantime, I’d use the available access.

  No weapons. I doubted that I could kill someone with my bare fists.

  00:49

  Was I ready?

  00:10

  Chapter Three

  WHAT A CREEPY place. I’d respawned underground, on the shore of a tainted and reeking creek. The thick fumes, gloom and rustling... My nerves were wound up tight.

  A long room with a wide crack in the ceiling. The gap emitted a weak light with some plant roots hanging through it.

  The respawn point was marked with a flat and roughly hewn stone.

  Without moving or showing any other signs of life, I continued to examine my surroundings. My eyes became gradually used to the dimness. Not far from me, on the damp and slimy wall, hovered a revolting-looking creature.

  …

  Centipede. Level 13.

  …

  My throat closed up. Everything looked way too realistic here. I was lying on a mountain of garbage piled up beneath the crack, trying to pretend to be nothing but rags, and with good reason. The creature was close and I was probably within its aggro zone. I wouldn’t be able to break through its chitin with my fists. I needed a stick at least.

  The nervous tremble wouldn’t leave me. Very slowly, I stretched out my hand, feeling the various junk beneath my fingers.

  The centipede noticed me after all and curled itself threateningly. Why wasn’t it attacking?

  Only then I noticed the thin, rapidly fading golden lining marking a circle around me. A hint immediately appeared. Apparently, I couldn’t be attacked by mobs in the first few minutes after respawn, but as soon as the aura faded completely, so would my temporary protection!

  I hadn’t felt so many acute emotions in a long time. Denis wasn’t lying, it really was a full-scale virtual reality, a digital world where one could live!

  Or die a painful death — I could see venomous saliva drip from the disgusting creature’s mandibles. I frantically dug through the junk but nothing appropriate turned up. I was going to be killed by a few venomous spits!

  Another mob came scuttling along the wall. My hand touched something solid and a message appeared at once,

  You have found the remnant of a rusted sword.

  Durability 9. Damage 4-5, multiplied by the current Strength score.

  …

  I snatched up the weapon and attacked at once. The sword struck the stone wall and produced a shower of sparks. Did the creature swerve out of the way?

  No! It wasn’t fast enough... It was too flimsy and was sliced in half. I got rid of the second one just as easily. Phew... I took a few steps back, sat down on a rock and breathed heavily. So much stress!

  A blurry, hunched over silhouette suddenly flitted through the gloom. Some kind of undead? It was hard to tell in the dark. I leaped up and turned, but it was too late. With a powerful thrust, the zombie drove its spear right under my ribs.

  The pain and surprise made me scream and hesitate, and I immediately received two more hits.

  The surroundings grew darker and were replaced by a blood-black fog. A large sign appeared:

  YOU HAVE DIED.

  * * *

  The time between a virtual death and respawn was not only a serious psychological test but also a chance to plan further
actions.

  Lines of system messages glowed in the dark.

  You have died.

  You have lost one level.

  Durability of torn clothing: 0.

  …

  Yep, one of the inventory slots now contained ‘rags’.

  Well, what did I expect? Savage_Hulk had clearly predicted my near future. He knew that the Abyss portals lead to locations where my character couldn’t survive.

  I felt mad. They’ve messed with the wrong guy! I simply wasn’t expecting an attack from behind!

  I opened the character panel.

  Dan, Level 11.

  Race: Human.

  Race bonus +2 to Adaptability.

  Class: Warrior.

  Class bonus +1 to Strength, +2 to Stamina.

  Life points 10

  HP 200/200

  Strength 11

  Liftable load 55 kg

  Physical Defense 11+20.3

  Dexterity 5

  Dodge Chance 5%

  Agility 5

  Stamina 12

  Physical Energy 60

  Faster Regeneration 6%

  Intellect 5

  Mental Energy 25

  Learning Ability 5, Mental Defense 12.5

  Adaptability7

  Resistance 7%

  Adaptive Leveling (none)

  Luck5

  Chance of Successful Hit 2.5%

  Chance of Finding Items 2.5%

  Charisma5

  Attractiveness 5

  Possible number of NPC followers 1

  Damage (fists) 22

  Damage (magic) 0

  Damage (broken sword) 44-55

  Effect of the Abyss 0

  Mutations 0

  Primary skills:

  Secondary skills:

  Swordsman + 5% damage when using swords.

  Battle technique + 5% to physical defense when using light

  and medium shields.

  Abilities: none (first ability available from Level 25).

  Required to reach next level: 1500 Exp (current: 0 Exp)

  I had another ten minutes until I could return to the game.

  I should look at my equipment and inventory, see if anything could serve as a weapon.

  So, what did I have?

  Torn clothing. Durability 0, defense 0.

  Old leather jacket (light armor). Durability 25, defense 8.

  Old leather pants (light armor). Durability 15, defense 5.

  Old leather gloves (light armor). Durability 7, defense 2.

  Old leather boots. Durability 17, defense 5.

  Interesting how the character’s outfit panel was designed. There were slots for everyday garments, so I could wear my rags under my armor.

  A quick calculation showed that I currently had 31.3 units of Physical Defense. Twenty of them came from the gear, 11 from Strength and another 0.31 as a Dexterity bonus. Why was I adding up these numbers? Because I was planning to survive. Simply put, my defense would be automatically subtracted from the incoming damage. If, for example, the physical damage from an enemy sword was 50, I would be hit with 18.7 points. With my current HP, I would be able to survive 10 such hits but the 11th would send me into respawn. Things were much worse with my Resistance. Toxins, poisons, bleeding — my character couldn’t really cope with any of this. Seven percent of resistance was too low. I would have to evade venomous spits and other such nastiness.

  I was leaning towards the thought that the underground was a simple water drainage system located beneath a large town. The tunnels would surely have vertical shafts that I could use to climb up to the surface.

  My mind was glitching. I felt overwhelming terror at times, which would quickly fade away. There were plenty of reasons for fear and doubt. I’d landed in a digital environment whose rules I was not familiar with. Would my life experience help me?

  I looked through my inventory again. Apart from my outfit, I had a flask of water, a vial with a potion given to me by Craig for the quest, a stale piece of bread, and the mysterious Guardian’s Amulet and Soul Crystal.

  It certainly wasn’t much. On the upside, I could run quite quickly over short distances since I had good Stamina and the character was carrying only 25% of the maximum load, which also increased speed.

  It’s decided. I’d explore the nearest tunnel. Perhaps I’d get lucky and find a way to the surface straight away.

  * * *

  The reeking gloom obscured my vision.

  I wished I had a torch. I could try and make one out of some branches and rags, but how would I get a fire going in these clammy catacombs? A chilly dampness came from the wide arched doorway. Tendrils of fog drifted along the ground.

  The vapors were quite acidic! I got used to the smell but the system messages about the gradual reduction in my outfit’s Durability made me wonder if I should be barging straight ahead.

  I looked around me. No centipedes so far. The zombie was about twenty meters away from me, digging through the garbage. I couldn’t read the frame from here but his leather armor and rusty spear made him a dangerous opponent. I wouldn’t head that way.

  The tunnels were full of toxic vapors. Why did I think that? My throat started to burn and tickle whenever the light underground breeze carried the reeking miasmas towards me.

  A section of the thick brick wall near the respawn point had been shattered. Another tunnel could be seen beyond the uneven hole, which was clearly not part of the rainwater catchment system. I’d leave that tunnel for later.

  The fog grew thicker in the meantime. The mustard streaks were no longer drifting close to the ground but rising higher.

  Well, let’s see what my life experience was good for. Was the digital world realistic enough that a few simple tricks would work here?

  I took my ragged clothing from the inventory and dampened it with the water from my flask, thus making a primitive breathing mask. It would filter out some of the poison.

  The zombie had noticed me in the meantime. He dropped what he was doing and was watching me from a distance but not yet attacking. Not the best neighbor. There was no more time to waste, I had to get out of here!

  Four tunnels led out of the collector. Two to the right of the respawn circle and two to the left. I could discern a faint green glow of unknown origin coming from one of them. Yes, it could be dangerous, but pitch blackness was worse. Forwards!

  I took a deep breath, held it and ran as fast as I could. Through the poisonous fog, splashing through the fetid puddles. The light gradually grew brighter. Not even small animals lived among the toxic vapors. My Stamina dropped quickly, and I had to slow down to a walk when the bar got to almost zero. Yep, it was regenerating, but slowly.

  I took gasping breaths of air.

  …

  You have sustained mild poisoning (2 HP/sec).

  Effect: dizziness and weakness. Strength has been reduced by 1 point until the effect of the poison wears off. Stamina regeneration is slowed down by 25%.

  …

  Swaying and holding onto the wall with my left hand, I finally got out of the toxic cloud and found myself... in a dead end!

  The tunnel had been destroyed. The roof looked like it was about to collapse at any moment. There were signs of mudslides everywhere. The most impressive sight, however, were the moss colonies emitting the green glow.

  The debuff continued to weaken me but the risk was worth it! Now I could make a torch.

  There were two types of moss. The first spread out like a carpet. The second type looked more like seaweed, with a profusion of glimmering threads hanging down from the ceiling. I gathered some and wound them around a stick that I had found in the same spot, getting quite a good source of fluorescent light as a result, which dispelled the darkness by about a meter.

  I waited for all the negative effects to pass, then held my breath again and raced back.

  * * *

  I was sitting on the regeneration stone and waiting for my strength and poison-affected health to recover.
I’d noticed that HP regenerated twice as fast at the respawn point. It was a valuable observation, considering that I didn’t have any potions.