#13 News

"That was way too close" Daniel exclaimed and fell to the ground. He needed a refreshment! Laying on his back, he glanced towards the well. 'Water… water sounds great!' He had worked up a serious sweat after all! Not able to stand up yet, he turned on his front and started to crawl.

Upon touching the water his body cooled down immediately and he could feel the energy surge through his body again. "Oh my god… What is this ecstatic feeling?" he moaned in pleasure. Daniel had had training sessions in the past, using water to cool down and hydrate the body, but this water was different! It… felt reinvigorating and changed something within himself. He leaned back, enjoying the feeling before he abruptly sprang into a sitting position, anxious about what was happening to him. 'This isn't normal! What is going on?' With a single look at his stats, Daniel knew what it was. His mana regeneration had sped up by a lot, regenerating five instead of one mana a minute!

Surprised, Daniel looked around, an idea resounding in his head that needed to be tested. A few feet next to the corpses, he spotted the rations the rat warriors had been eating a while ago.

He took a bite and a similar feeling flooded his cells. While he was eating, he constantly checked his stats and see there! His strength had increased by +1!

"That's why they had been eating… it wasn't because they needed it! Food gives buffs in this world!

Now that Daniel thought about it, it actually made a lot of sense. In almost every open-world game Daniel had played, food had been used for its buffs to push the preferred stats in a certain direction to boost the power even further.

He stored the rations for later and tried to do the same with water, but he was unable to.

'Is it because I don't have a container? That has to be it, right?'

He didn't have anything on him that could hold the water though. He turned to the dead bodies once more, but couldn't find a useful tool. He dropped back to the ground next to the well again, after he had robbed them of their other possessions and laid down.

'Star stream!' Two options were available.

[ Swift Step

Enlightened by the teachings of the air, you can use it to push yourself in any direction

Dash Cooldown Duration: 5 seconds

Distance: 10m

Mana per Use: 5 ]

A movement ability relatively early into the game. They were never a bad option in Daniel's opinion, but he would have preferred it later on…

[ Swift Breeze

A strong breeze of wind pushes in any direction, disrupting the balance of enemies and possibly stuns them

Range: 20m

Cooldown Duration: 10 seconds

Mana per Use: 5 ]

A stun… it was intriguing. Placed well and depending on the size of the breeze he could send, this could become a strong weapon.

Daniel halted his thoughts, as the necklace he had been gifted by his father started vibrating. 'Weird… why would Dad call me?'

He held it in his hands and the vibrations ended. Instead, a familiar voice filled the room.

"Hello Daniel".

Daniel melted at the sound of his father! He immediately relaxed and his eyes got wet. He hadn't been inside of Elisa'a for a long time yet, but he felt like mountains fell off his shoulders.

It had been a lot to handle and fighting for his life hadn't been an easy feat for him.

"Hey Dad, I missed you" Daniel started, but his voice started slurring with emotions in the middle, making his words hard to understand.

A minute went by, as James gave Daniel room to pick up his courage again. Only when Daniel cleared his nose and his voice stabilised, did James start to talk again.

At least he tried, but a laugh erupted instead. "It hasn't been either for you either, has it?"

Daniel couldn't but laugh back at him. "Yeah, a lot has happened. Your game is surprisingly realistic and hard! I will need some time to adjust".

"I'm sorry to hear that, but I thought the world should offer the same circumstances you had on Earth… and life is never easy, but you already know that" James exclaimed. The good mood vanished and a depressed air surrounded them, as silence filled the room.

"Seems like we've both not had it easy" Daniel replied, trying to lift it once more. He couldn't help himself but grin upon recognising the similar attitudes he and his Dad shared. A deep connection, a feeling of unity bloomed up inside him. The last time had been before his diagnosis…

"Yeah, listen… I come with even worse news…". James' news came like a cold shower in the morning. Expectedly, the unexpected shocked him.

Totally caught off guard, he needed a minute to comprehend what he had just been told.

His father had signed an agreement to save him and "his mother", as he called the AI Elisa.

'My mother, hm?'

After their first meeting, he had noticed the similarities between the original and the copy, but there were differences not to be overlooked. His mother had had a human body first and foremost. No, he could not accept her, but he could understand the yearnings of his father for a replacement for the empty spot. The real Elisa had been his life before him after all.

The second issue were the, probably professionally trained, combatants he would need to beat.

"Okay, so GMC will start to send competitors into Elisa'a starting tomorrow. How can I beat them though, Dad? They will most likely be trained… I don't consider myself a bad player, but I am far off from becoming a pro!"

"Don't worry Daniel. Of course, I know that and have made preparations! The players who will be joining are good, but it will take some time for them to figure out how this game works. I arranged it so they won't be receiving the support you have received. That means no short

introduction or guide! Until then, the information you received and Doran will give you a headstart!

What I didn't tell you yet, however, is a bigger problem…

Daniel, I won't be able to communicate with you anymore. It would influence the competition and if the magnates found out, I would be forced to hand over everything immediately" James explained.

"Wait, what? We won't be able to chat anymore?" Daniel shouted in disbelief. "For five years?!"

"I wish we would have had more time as well…" James mumbled, guilt oozing from his voice. "The circumstances are dire. Ideally, I would've loved to see you grow in this world, as you made yourself a name, too… However, that isn't possible anymore either. I can only cheer for and depend on you from the background… I'm sorry Daniel. I wish this would've never happened".

"It's okay Dad. I know it was not your fault" Daniel gave himself understanding, while cursing the world and all around him. 'Hadn't he already suffered enough? Why was he only confronted with more challenges now that he had survived death?!"

He dried the tear that had fled his eye. Rage flooded every cell in his body!

"I had planned to reach the top anyways… now I only need to do it faster!"

"I'm proud of you. I have to hang up now… you know the rules. I wish you luck on your journey through Elisa'a, young one. Go get them!" James cheered before he automatically was cut off and Daniel was alone once more.

The skill selection was still awaiting him and the new pieces of information had been an important factor.

[ Skill: Swift Step was selected. Do you want to confirm your choice? ]

[ Yes ]

Daniel was full of energy he needed to release. His blood was still boiling!

He got on the ground and started to make push-ups. He hadn't trained in a long time and his Dad had warned him that the physique in this game had nothing to do with the physical appearance, you changed in the character selection.

After ten pushes he broke down, exhausted and in need of water. But he felt better and his head cleared up.

This time, instead of stopping in front of the well, Daniel pushed himself inside of the refreshing wet. The reinvigorating effect worked wonders once more. Although it didn't recover his stamina, Daniel still had the feeling that he was ready to go once more after his bath.

This time he reached eight before succumbing to the muscle aches.

A message popped up. Daniel read it and wanted to jump for joy, only to realise that he couldn't get up. He had overdone it.

[ + 1 Strength ]

'So even though I can't see them in my status, there are stats that can be pushed. Interesting… I will have to implement physical training routines in my day!

Another advantage over the pro gamer's!"

Daniel had never met any gamers in his life, but the biased image that popped into his head was a slim guy with no muscles. The addicting thrill of gaming was what they dedicated their lives to. Daniel respected that decision but acknowledged it to be to his advantage. They most likely wouldn't even be able to figure out the life-like concepts that were implemented in the game and would only confront themselves with gameplay elements they had already once seen, like the food buffs.

Daniel gained a boost of confidence. It wasn't all about gaming skills! The balance was restored! He could do it.

After resting, Daniel marched onwards in excitement. He would speed-run this starter dungeon. Whatever would face him, he was prepared!