Dying for the 4th time

Year 2355

Within the game, Rioneed stood the greatest city amidst the Heptian domain. The great city of Ramsis.

It was this very city that every player of Heptian was proud of. It was considered, that this was the center of command and control over the region’s defenses. A city comparable to an ancient kingdom in size, surrounded by towering walls with catapults atop of defensive towers. Guild flags from all over the domain were being raised in this very city.

Currently, loud warning sounds were ringing everywhere in the city, and chaos could be seen all over. This city experienced war every time the Heptian domain was invaded by Solronian domain players. Yet, the city stood strong, sieges were unable to break down its walls. This time though, it was not the usual war, as the enemy was not the Solronian domain players this time.

"Make way for Guild Master 205" This command was accompanied by the appearance of a group of twenty players on the walls led by a middle-aged man with white hair and a very thin build. His gaze was filled with intensity.

"Scouts report," He ordered from atop the walls.

"The situation is very strange, as we are being attacked by high-leveled monsters. They have an extraordinary ability to prevent the resurrection of any player after they kill them." One of the players answered.

The man in command was the legendary guild master whose in-game name was 205. His very guild handled the management of the city. Though they weren't the founders of the city, but since they were some of the first players in the game, they had the opportunity to quickly take over the city. Guildmaster 205 was well known for his contributions and the management of the city, leading to its smooth development.

"Anyone know why these monsters are attacking our city? Is there a new event?" 205 asked all the players around him. They were the upper echelon of his guild and the players that he trusted most in this game.

"I have seen some topics in various forums describing the same incident that is happening in other domains" one of the men replied to him.

"Are you sure Dante?" 205 looked at this young man as he asked.

"Yes sir, I've read 20 of such threads" Dante said while his eyes were fully focused before him. A lot of transparent panels were opened in front of Dante to follow up on the incident from several forums at the same time.

"That's strange. A global event like this without any game announcement" 205 muttered to himself as he thought deeply.He had no doubts about Dante, as he was known for his obsession with following the forums.

Because of his brilliant mind and ideas, he was a much-respected player in the Heptian domain. 205 was also a worthy leader, even though he was helpless in front of this bizarre situation.He couldn't pick the appropriate explanation for this. After a few moments of thinking, he decided to let it go.

He still had a battle to command. His decision was to first stop these monsters from advancing since a lot of players had been dispersed on various maps and dungeons, it would take time for them to return here.

"Ibro, bring your army with you and move out of the city. I want you to create a defensive line a few kilometers away from the city. No bug should be allowed to pass you."He looked at one of the players with a big shield and a short sword and ordered.

Ibro moved down the walls to the ground at once, as he knew the severity of the situation.

When he landed, his 100 thousand men army assembled and marched directly to the front.

Ibro managed to spot the monsters’ huge shadows just after half an hour of him leaving the city.

He remained in the middle of his army observing the approaching enemy. It was an odd mix of monsters that he never heard about before.

"Get in formation and never let the monsters pass you. Hold the line and we'll be celebrating tonight" with a strong and steady voice, he commanded. Ibro was not a newbie as he had seen numerous battles and fought countless tough wars.

The long-range magicians and archers were the first to launch their attack. An overwhelming amount of spells and destructive arrows rained down and poured onto the hordes of creatures. The effectiveness of this assault was without doubt as tens of thousands of creatures lost their lives under the first wave of ranged attacks. The second wave followed swiftly.

Ibro looked on with pride at his army and their assaults. He personally chose his men one by one at a time. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of everyone. This was one of the reasons why 205 relied on him with difficult tasks like these. The fight didn't last for more than ten minutes and suddenly, every player received a notification of something.

"Global Announcement: the Pnroian monsters have invaded every domain of the world. The game considers this as mission failure. Rioneed will now withdraw from this world."

As soon as the notification finished, every player in the world felt a shake in their bodies. It was as if something had left them. Their souls received a hard blow that caused them to lose concentration for a moment. Ibro was no exception and when he recovered, things have changed drastically all around him. Because of that sudden loss of concentration, they lost the upper hand that they had, and the monsters took this chance to push through. The beasts attacked relentlessly, crushing any player in their way.

Less than half of Ibro's army was remaining when the monsters reached Ibro's position. He gritted his teeth as he couldn't understand what was going on. He didn't fully understand what this announcement meant. He tried to call 205 but nothing happened, as there was no response at all from the game system. It was like there was no system at all.

Ibro stood his grounds and concentrated on the incoming monster. He was still feeling pain deep in his soul, but he endured it. To stop the assault of these monsters, he dodged to his left. He scarcely succeeded in avoiding the monster's long lethal claws, to his surprise, his agility seemed to be lower than usual.

He didn't have enough time to think about it because another beast attacked him from behind. Ibro retreated just in time to prevent the assault. In his position, he could see five different attacks coming from five different directions. He tried to dodge them but failed as he had no space to move at all. He knew when he saw these assaults that he was doomed, as a nail-like spear pierced his neck. He felt terrible pain daunting all over his body.

He began to lose concentration and felt that his body was going numb. He realized that he was dying. At the same time, a peculiar ray of black light appeared from his heart and shone all over the world.

His mind went blank and he died.

Ibro was dead, but somehow, his body reappeared in an unknown world. This world was coated with gray fog. Ibro's body was suspended within the mist, like a fish swimming in the sea. There was an eerie silence that made this world feel especially gloomy.

A white cloud seemed to float slowly and steadily towards his body from afar. The fog clustered around his body until it hit him, as though it was embracing him. A part of the fog shifted to create a hazy female silhouette. She stared for a long time before sighing with her white eyes locked at Ibro.

"This is your fourth loss in your trial. You know that the next time will be your final chance. If you fail, we'll all lose... I'll even lose my life. We all bet on your success, but… every time you retry, you fail. You lack motivation. You lack information. This…"The gentle voice of a lady emerged in this dark place like a beautiful song. A look of distress was reflected in her grim face. It was as though she was in struggling and hesitating over a very important decision. After a long time of silence, she sighed.

"To send you any memories, I will need to use a part of my strength. And to do this, I'm going to give up part of my soul to remain with you. This may be a bad idea, but then ..." She had gone quiet again. She wasn't hesitating at all this time, but she was nervous.

"Yes, this means I will be next to you and fight alongside you again." A cloud of fog detached from her and invaded his body.

"I'll try to retain as many memories as possible of the key details about your time in this game.I can't make you recall everything, but at least you're going to have your essential memories. The laws of your trial prohibit me from giving you much more on this." She lamented over her weakness towards his trial.

"I'll take over the role of this unknown player who created the big city of Ramsis. Instead of him, I'm going to play using my old name, Aya Darwish, and become your game motivation. As I have added my data into your memory, you will always feel like searching for me and fighting for me. Sadly, I will also lose my memories because a part of my soul will always be with you.I hope you will soon be able to find me. You have to crack the game rules as soon as possible and see the whole truth beforehand." Then she gently hugged him before she kissed his cheek.

"Remember my darling, this is our last shot. Don't ruin it. It's all on the line here, my little necromancer." Then she moved her hand and caught something.

From a distance, a strange-looking knife emerged as it was moving easily through the fog.It was like a tiny piece of iron attracted by a massive magnet. It got faster and faster every moment until it pierced Ibro's heart precisely. When this dagger entered his body, the cloud surrounding him had lost control, erupting almost like boiling oil.

"Death Dao!"

A majestic and deep voice sounded throughout this world It was like a divine edict. Everything in place stood momentarily still as t time and space had frozen. Ibro's body started to shake before it miraculously disappeared just as it appeared. After that, everything returned to what it was like as if nothing had ever happened in this unknown gloomy world.

Through the tiny crack in the door of a modern apartment, a beam of light snuck up illuminating the furniture in the room. The room was small yet it didn't feel suffocating at all since every space was used efficiently. On the room's three walls, a few small paintings reflected a sense of organization and style. On a little bed towards the far side of the room lied a young man's body sleeping on it. Next to it was a small metal table with some books.

The young man began to wake up from his deep slumber. Looking at the ceiling, he began to sense the calmness of the place. He sat in his bed and gazed around him with a confused expression. Ibrahim Tawfiq felt a lot of familiarity with the room he was in. When he thought a little, he remembered where he had seen this room before.

It was his own little room that he was staying in at 2345. What he found strange was that this room when he stayed here was from a distant past. It was a history that experienced unusual developments and occurrences that nobody would believe at all. Ibrahim looked around the room, for he was looking for something that may explain what was happening.

He picked up his cellphone when he saw it and unlocked it. The phone was secured with a code that he hadn't yet forgotten. He entered the code followed by a voiceprint. A 30-cm oval transparent screen appeared hanging in the air showing many things on his phone. Ibrahim ignored everything on his phone screen and looked at the clock and read what was written under it in a smaller line, and then he exclaimed in a loud voice:

"November 10th, I came back in time for the whole ten years. It's just a day before the launch of the game."

He held his phone with shivering hands he couldn't believe what was happening before him. More than once did he pinch himself to inflict some pain as he tried to verify again and again that he was not in a dream. He acknowledged the fact that he had been back for a whole decade after spending a whole hour of doubt. He calmed his mind down and started to think about the present and future events.

He tried to calm down and think properly. His mind was full of chaotic images and scattered memories. If he had returned before the Rioneed launched, then he had the opportunity to change the ominous future that he and his Heptian players would face.

He started to sort them out calmly. This game was a huge trap set by the G8 countries on Earth. These G8 countries were the strongest and wealthiest countries around the globe. This wasn't a simple game at all. The game wasn't from a multinational game company but from an unknown source. It all started with a meteorite that fell on Earth on the continent of Antarctica.

Humanity's existence on Earth was destined to be over. The extraterrestrial object and its VR game were the only hope for humanity but the G8 countries had a different opinion. They took this opportunity to establish their reign in the new world. With the exception of one, all of the G8 countries decided to support one more country to join their ranks in this game.

"I've come back in time, and I can fix it all. I've just got one day to get ready."

Then Ibrahim didn't waste his time any further. He contacted a local company and immediately sold all of his property. In the 24th century, everything was easy to buy and even to sell. He only used his phone to sell everything he owned in a few minutes.

He entered the game website and bought himself a capsule. It would take almost 4 hours to reach his location, so he began buying huge quantities of fluid tanks. He bought an amount that could last him for years. Lastly, he bought a huge automatic aircar. He knew that G8 countries were monitoring everyone playing this game. He didn't want anyone to bother him, so he bought this aircar to act like his mobile home. After he finished, he ordered a pizza from a local restaurant.

While he waited for it, he began to think about a certain person… Aya Darwish.

His memories about Aya were a lot, like she died 5 years from now, earlier than everyone after they entered the game. All he knew about her included her sad life and her unfortunate fate; he also knew things like her phone number. He didn't delay and sent a message to her, telling her he wanted to talk to her in the game. She was a well-experienced player, she even established the last stronghold of the Heptian players, the Great city of Ramsis.

Ibrahim used a certain code to write his message to her. This code was known as 'Ashley code', which was invented by Aya herself. Ibrahim told her the name he would use in the game, Ibro, as that was the name he used before. After he finished sending the message, he felt great ease.

Aya was such a legendary figure in the Heptian players' community. He held deep feelings for her, so he wanted to help and save her from her dark future. He wanted her assistance too, after all, in his previous life, he was only a team leader.

The pizza came after a few minutes. He started checking the web for any news about the game after he had eaten. He found nothing new; all he read was just like what he remembered. At the scheduled time, the capsule was delivered to him. Afterward, he started to divide it into many parts. He discovered strange objects throughout this process, which had no reason to be in the capsule. This wasn't new for him. He knew about the presence of spying devices planted in the capsules by G8. They seemed to take the task of monitoring everyone very seriously.

When he finished, he received his aircar and his nutritional fluid tanks. The car was huge as it was nearly 50 meters in length. He loaded in all the things that he needed and then slept at his apartment.

The next day, he began to remodel the interior of the aircar to suit his future living. He also reassembled the capsule again. The capsule was powered by solar power and was connected via satellites. Thus, he turned the aircar’s roof into a transparent glass dome let light through. He installed the capsule in the center of the car. Many of the fluid tanks around the capsule were also connected to it, as he wanted to remain in the game as long as he could. It took him almost a whole day to finish everything.

After that, he ordered the aircar’s AI to constantly keep moving. This auto-driver could control the aircar all the time. This way, Ibrahim wouldn't worry about managing how this aircar traveled. He drew the map of the Heptian country and gave instructions to the auto-driver to drive the aircar around the country lands in circles. After he finished, it was nearly time for the beginning of the game.

When the clock turned 6 AM, Ibro lay down inside the capsule, which was his first time using a luxury-grade capsule. He always used a normal grade capsule in his past life. He closed the capsule’s cover and then put in his data on the optical screen floating in front of him.

Within minutes, he had completed all the settings for the game and linked the game to his electronic bank account. He also chose the general look of his character inside the game. But then he decided to change some of his features of his game avatar. In Rioneed, ever player was able to change up to 20% of his personal appearance.

He checked the time displayed on his screen. It was already past ten minutes past twelve o’clock. He didn't delay any further as he pressed the start button. Everything around him disappeared and was replaced by a wide and seemingly limitless space. He didn't feel strange at all, as he knew this place well. It was considered the holy place for any player. It was where every player started their journey inside the game.

An orange light attracted his attention. It came from far away, approaching him at high speeds. Once it reached him, it transformed gradually to take the shape of a person. She was wearing a glistening golden shield. Her stunning features, perfect body, and long curly hair made him feel breathless for a second. She was an exact copy of the one who was engraved in his memory. She was Onita, the games goddess of beauty.

"Welcome adventurer from far away. My name is Onita and I will be your personal guide in your next journey at Rioneed. What are you called, adventurer?"

This was a tricky question, as she didn't want to know his real name, but the name he would use in the game. Many players were enchanted by the Onitas’s beauty and did not focus on her words. They replied with their real names, so the game was filled with real-life names at first. That was a strange and funny situation.

"My name is Ibro."

"Hi Ibro, where are you from?"

This was another tricky question. Onita wanted to know where the players chose to start playing. Ibro was fully prepared as he had thought a lot about where he would start.

"I am from Memphis."

"Memphis is a wonderful city. What about your class? In Rioneed there are many classes that are divided into two main modes, Adventure mode, and Lifestyle mode. What mode would you choose, Ibro?"

"I will choose adventure mode."

"That's good. The adventure mode suits you. In Rioneed there are different classes for adventurers. They are divided into four main sections: shield classes, warrior classes, healer classes, and magician classes. Which class would you like to choose from?

"I choose magician classes"

"Good choice. The classes of magicians are then divided into wizards, dark magicians, and summoners. Which class will you choose?"

"I choose to be a dark magician."

Although he could not choose a secret class from the start, he was well aware of the restrictions imposed by the game for the selection of secret classes. In Rioneed when you found a secret class you could not use it at once. There was a condition that must be met first, which was that every secret class was only suitable for players who use a certain common class. Secret classes were like a higher version of normal classes.

If a player found a secret class that didn't suit his common class then he couldn't use it. That was a common incidence in the past, so it was normal to find many secret classes sold at the city auction house regularly.

The secret class that he chose for himself was related to the dark magician common class. The class of dark magician was a strong class that would give him a good boost in the early stages of the game. As for the skills of the class and how he would fight, it wasn't a problem for him.

"Welcome to Rioneed, Ibro. You will start in a novice village named Ishka. I wish you a nice journey. If you ever need me, you can exit the game and re-enter it again. Then select my name and you will appear here. I will always be here to receive your questions and answer them. Bon voyage, brave adventurer."

She turned into an aura of orange light once again. Ibro followed her for a second, before a brilliant flash blinded his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a spacious large village square with several people walking and talking around him.

He knew that he had officially started the game. He was now in the Ishka novice village main square, where all the new players arrived. This square was named by many players before as the village center. He checked the village center. It was a very wide space completely paved with polished stones.

He looked at himself, wearing a simple white thin leather armor and holding a small wand in his hand. Being a newbie sure brings back memories but this time, he's holding a small wand instead of his usual sword and shield.

In the middle of the square, there is a large statue of a warrior waving a large sword in his right hand. A group of 2 and 3-story buildings surrounded the village center. They were entirely built out of wood.A number of wide streets branched off from the village center. They lead to different areas of the village. He did not need to explore the village. All the novice villages were similar to each other. He opened his profile at once.

Player Profile:

- Name: Ibro

Level: 0

Title: None

Guild: None

Fame: Zero

Class: Dark Magician

HP: 10/10

MANA: 10/10

Attack: 1

Magic Attack: 1

Defense: 0

Magic Defense: 0

Speed: 0

Attack Speed: 1

HP Recovery rate: 1 HP per second

MANA Recovery Rate: 1 MANA per second

Strength: 1

Vitality: 1

Intelligence: 1

Agility: 1

Endurance: 1

Remaining Free Player Attribute Points: 10

Player Equipment:

Newbie Armor: Features: Null

Newbie Magic Wand: Features: Null - You need a Magician class to use it.

Skills:

Basic Black Blow Skill:

Active skill. It requires a magical wand to use. Consumes 5 MANA. Creates an attack of Dark Energy at an area of 3 meters 3 meters directed by the player not more than 50 meters away from him. Causes Damage = Magic Attack 2. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 15 seconds. Mastery 0 / 10,000 .

Basic Paralysis Skill:

Active skill. It requires a magical wand to use. Consumes 10 Magic Energy. It causes paralysis of one target for 5 seconds. Cooldown: one minute. Mastery rate 0 / 10,000 .

Basic Confusing Skill:

Active skill. It requires a magical wand to use. Consumes 20 Magic Energy. Confuses the target to attack those around him other than the player himself. Duration: 20 seconds. Cooldown: two minutes. Mastery rate 0 / 10,000 .

Inventory:

Basic Restoration Potion:

Amount: 5. Restores 10 HP within ten seconds. It can be used in combat. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

Basic Magic Energy Recovery Potion:

Amount: 5. Restores 10 MANA within five seconds. It can be used in battles. Cooldown: 30 seconds.

100 Copper Coins.