The Masochist Learns!

It seems I'm not entirely honest with myself.

This fight with Daniel... is awesome!

Our 10th fight brought to light what I was always wondering...

"What happens when I die?"

Well it seems two things happen.

First I lose all experience when I die. Second I go back to my first save point.

My first death brought me back to beach, then my next couple of deaths went back to the bed in the cottage.

To make sure I lose as little progress and make a lot of progress I needed to save, and save often.

I remember playing one turn-based game where the tutorial fight could literally kill you and send your ass back to the opening cutscene if got hit with a critical strike allowing the enemy to attack again...

Ahhh good times...

Well anyway it seems like certain NPC's can remember me and my deaths. However it doesn't change their moveset, it does however change their dialogue to me.

For example the merchant will not remember me. Daniel would remember me though.

The merchant will always look at the top of my head not even looking me, then send me away.

Daniel wouldn't repeat his God awful opening line.

BOOOOOM

Daniel hit the ground next to me sending a shockwave that sent me flying out of the ring.

I didn't have any recovery skills so I just kinda flew out. Midway through my piloting lesson I noticed I gained control over my fall and could direct myself, only slightly.

So I have fall controlish movement. I don't take fall damage either I believe. Seems to me air combat is gonna be more prevalent in the future. I don't necessarily mind air combat as long as it's snappy. I still never managed to hit Daniel I only could parry, and dodge. Dodge meaning I move out of the way I don't actually have an ability.

Fighting Daniel now proved to me there's a huge difference in our combat abilites.

Daniel could teleport, use strong AOE (Area-of-effect) that send me flying if I'm not far enough away, and I don't even know how much health he has or how much damage I do. For all I know this wooden sword would do chip damage.

Hmm I was getting better at remembering his moves and utilizing my attacks to negate some of his attacks.

Dismissing such thoughts I approached the ring again, however Daniel said something completely out of character.

"You know you can leave the tutorial world at anytime right? There's no need to fight all of us."

"What do you mean?"

"The tutorial world isn't holding you hostage or anything, the door is over at central point of the island. You can leave and start the adventure right away. Right now our fights are just a draw at most, you understand my patterns. You just can't exploit my recovery frames."

I lowered my sword and thought to myself on this situation, on one hand this made a lot of sense. Then why did it feel like a easy path? All my life I always choose the most difficult and frustrating option. Setting me apart from the casual gamer. Now I can just move on?

Daniel made a good point though, I couldn't exploit his weaknesses. Battles of attrition only work if your build is specialized for long fights. I couldn't do that just yet. And this strategy wouldn't win me fights in one try either. Trial-and-error works only if you don't die...

"Here let me show you the door." As Daniel beckoned me to follow him.

Skeptical I followed him and he led me to the center of the island.

A lone door that seemed to ooze magic was sitting in the open area. In a word, Neat.

However as soon as I approached the door the same voice I heard when I entered this world warned me.

"Hirro you can leave, however if you do you'll be forfeiting abilities that will help you in your survival. Please note that when you leave, DEATH IS PERMANENT. Choose wisely." The Guide said.

Ahhh choices. What to do? Obviously I'll do something else.

I spun around on my foot and walked back to the ring to continue fighting Daniel. I learned how to get exp anyway and actually keep it without winning. I only get exp through parrying his attacks.

So what do you do if you can parry, but dying resets your exp? Easy you run away.

I approached the ring and Daniel was there...

"Your not a excellent player. You died so many times that you can't get stronger and once you leave the tutorial you'll only have one life. You would have died already if you wasn't in the tutorial."

"Soooo anyway I'm ready to start."

I said not caring.

"Hmmph fine, die then."

He teleported and used a huge shockwave attack that I was used too at this point however I needed to move directly opposite of it in order to avoid the AOE. The wind pressure from the swing of his sword blew past me and I almost got knocked over.

I righted my stance and summoned my sword back to me. I watched intently waiting for the right opportunity... Daniel rushed instead of teleporting and did a thrust attack. I timed my overhead strike and countered his thrust attack, sending his attack striaght into the ground which promptly destroyed ground where his sword went. His attack took all I had to just deflect his attack away from me.

-2 EXP Earned-

I immediately turned around and ran off the stage and the battle ended.

"Hmm very clever." Daniel said.

I grinned widely.

I couldn't defeat Daniel the way I was now.

I don't have the skills or the attacks to defeat him.

However, unlike games where you start a fight you get put in a inescapable arena. I wasn't stuck. Daniel proved this when he knocked me out of the arena. Daniel always kills me when I parried him though, because I was earning exp.

I went back to the bed in the my starter house and saved. Then I rinsed and repeat this process.

I made sure to avoid dying if I could, I didn't want to waste time in this unwinnable fight, I needed skills or stat increases to actually win. After 20 fights of parrying Daniel only once and running away. I finally got it.

-Congrats you leveled up!-

LET'S GOOO!