Level One With Thirteen Lives

It was as if the world narrowed into an ultra-widescreen view. It reminded Pete of MMO and RPG cutscenes generated by the in-game engine.

He fell through a dozen clouds which gave way like cotton candy. The sky was not something unfamiliar to the boy. It was a pleasant blue, speckled at places with white clouds. The pollution was practically non-existent.

What else would one expect from medieval times when there were no industries?

'To which period did Robin Hood belong?' he asked himself. '12th century? 14th century?' Perhaps the boy should have done some research on the hero before coming to purchase the game. "I don't give a fuck!" he shouted aloud.

Screech! Pete saw a couple of vultures flying on either side.

[ Griffon Vulture: Lvl 3 ]

They eyed the boy for a moment and then looked away.

"Aisling! You exhibitionist bitch!" Pete cursed aloud. "Who throws people down from the sky?!"

The goddess had made him sign something shady and had cast him down like a stone. It was exciting, regardless. The wind howled in Pete's ears, and an epic cinematic chorus played somewhere in the background.

"Like all other MCs in Isekais, I will become overpowered," the boy determined. "Then I'll give that bitch a taste of her own medicine!"

Before Pete could complete his train of thought, he lost consciousness mid-air. Nobody knows how much time passed in the interim.

Snap! Crack! Rustle!

Pete was jolted awake by slaps and slashes. He opened his eyes to find himself falling through tree foliage. That could mean only one thing. He was close to the ground!

'Oh fuck! I'm going to die again!'

Bam! The forest parted, and the boy fell against the buttresses of a tree. He bounced and rolled off into soft green grass.

Surprisingly, he wasn't hurt. Perhaps the pre-game resilience was still active for him.

Pete sat up and looked around. The place was something out of a mid-afternoon fairy tale.

It was a meadow with forests on either side. A gurgling streamlet ran through the middle. Lofty mountains soared up in the background. Lush, springy grass sprouted all around the boy.

Bees hummed and flirted with young primroses. Grasshoppers stirred and tip-tapped on tender grass. Swallows chirped and chased swirling dragonflies.

Pete took a deep breath of relaxation. The exotic smells of pollen and cherry blossoms filled the air.

Ducklings and fox cubs played near the streamlet on gravel beds. A pleasant breeze murmured soft music into his ears. Pete almost heard bagpipes playing somewhere far off. His skin tingled with goosebumps.

Shortly, the cutscene disappeared, and the game appeared to have begun.

"I think that chick, Aisling, messed up big time," Pete said aloud. "This does not look like punishment! It is paradise!"

"But come on! At least I could have gotten a better body as a legendary hero!"

Pete's body was as fat as always. He sat butt-naked on the grass.

Blink!

A dashboard blinked in front of him.

[ Welcom-- to-- the-- Legenda-- He-- ]

[ Error! ]

Crackle! Buzz!

"Umm… What's wrong? Was that supposed to be a system prompt?"

------------------------------

[ Difficulty- Nightmare ]

[ Title: ---- ]

[ Class: ---- ]

[ Inventory: ---- ]

[ Level: ---- ]

[ HP: 10 ]

[ MP: 0 ]

[ Lives Remaining: 13 ]

-----------------------------

Pete scratched his head. He was not an expert gamer, but thirteen lives looked like good news.

"I am beginning to like Aisling. She might be a bitch, but she's left me a gift!"

"I guess I have to level up and get stronger. What is Robin Hood supposed to do anyway?"

Rustle, Rustle!

The boy heard sounds behind him. 'Probably rabbits?' he thought. 'I saw some of those cute furry animals jumping around.'

Thud! Thud!

Pete turned around to find the source of the disturbance. A large deer-like animal hovered above him, with antlers as large and expansive as mini-truck axles. Its heavy hooves had been making the plodding sounds.

'Is it an Irish elk? Cool, I thought they were extinct on earth. Maybe it is my dinner for today? This game-like Isekai is not half bad. But how do I kill this beast?' Pete wondered. He was hungry all of a sudden. The boy extended his right hand towards the elk hoping to get prompts from his system.

Bark! The animal shook its head violently and spat on the ground. Pete sensed something terrible was going to happen but was too lazy to react. As he watched, the elk dipped its massive head, charged, and drove its antlers up, impaling Pete through his midsection.

Splurge! "Aaaaaaaargh!" The boy had never screamed that loud in his life. Neither had he imagined that pain of such a degree existed.

"Ghhhhh!" he tooted as blood poured out of his mouth, and his HUD became scarlet-red.

[ Critical Hit! ]

[ HP -75 ]

Pete looked down and saw the antlers dripping with his blood and innards. He felt the elk lift his body and try to shake him off. The boy felt mind-numbing pain, but his voice was already lost by then.

The gory scene lasted about a minute.

[ YOU ARE DEAD! ]

'Dead?' the boy thought. 'But I am still conscious.' A light flashed across his vision, and the red HUD returned to normal.

Zip! Bang!

[ You have been Resurrected! ]

[ Lives Remaining: 12 ]

Pete's body was restored to the exact point when he had been killed. However, the trauma of being gored by antlers had not dissipated from his mind yet.

"FUCK THIS!" The boy scampered to his feet and ran for his life.

He breached the tree line and raced into the woods. The sunlight filtered through the dense foliage and dappled the ground with patches of light. Inside the forest, the smells were exotic and musty, stinging his nose. However, the boy did not care. He wanted to get as far as possible from that particularly crazy elk.

'Like what the fuck, man! Give me a break! I just started the game!'

Pete kept running on and on even though his heart felt like it would explode.

Crunch!

He tripped over a gnarly root and fell flat on his belly.

[ Critical Damage! ]

[ HP -18 ]

As a pool of blood formed under him, another system message appeared.

[ YOU ARE DEAD! ]

Zip! Bang!

[ You have been Resurrected! ]

[ Lives Remaining: 11 ]

Having returned, Pete sat down on the forest floor and covered his face with his hands. 'Oh, my God! What's going on? I don't want this shit….'

'I have a very low HP of ten points,' he figured. 'My body is fragile as fuck! Every minor hit becomes critical. If I don't level up fast and gain HP, all my extra lives will be lost!'

Pete looked up at his experience bar.

[ EXP 2/1000 ]

'That's all? After dying two times? How the fuck am I supposed to level up then?'

"Aisling, you bitch!" he screamed into his folded hands. "Stop trying to sabotage my Isekai! I saw your tits by mistake!"

Slither. Slither.

While Pete sat meditating on his plight, a thick hairy vine wrapped itself around him.

The boy soon became conscious of it and stirred into action. However, it was too late. As he tried to get up, the vine tightened its grip, bound his feet, and suspended him in the air. Upside down, Pete screamed his heart out.

"Help! Somebody help! Is there no hero in this fucking place?! I am Robin fucking Wood!"

The vine lifted his body higher and hung him over a tree trunk.

Pete looked down and peed himself in horror. A gigantic mouth with sharp, gnashing teeth was at the junction of the branches. Rasp! Snap!

It was a carnivorous tree! "No, no, no, no, no, no-," were the boy's last words.

Chomp! Crunch! Chomp!

The flesh-eating plant gorged on the boy in two wholesome bites. Perhaps Pete served as a snack for it.

[ YOU ARE DEAD! ]