Chapter 11: The Black Spark

I repeated the quest for hours and hours.

As I rode through the forest, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as I looked down at my new armor. It was black as night and shimmered with a bright blue sheen. It was a far cry from the raggedy clothes I had worn before. I was determined to make a name for myself in this world, and I knew that I would need to be well-equipped to do so.

My sword hung at my side, its sharp edges glinting in the sunlight. I had always been a skilled swordsman, but with this new weapon in hand, I felt unbeatable. I was ready to take on any challenge that came my way.

Even though I had better armor I still was constantly reminded that I was alone. The only person who was on my side was me. I believed in no one else but myself.

As I approached the destroyed town for the third time, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. Memories of May betraying me flooded back and I couldn't shake the feeling of betrayal. I knew I had to face the bone boss again, but the thought filled me with dread. I steeled myself, taking a deep breath and readying my sword.

"How long can I feel sorry for myself." I thought to myself.

As I charged toward the bone boss, I could see the determination in his eyes. He swung his bone sword at me, but I was quick to dodge and strike back with a swift slice of my own. The battle was intense, with both of us landing blows on each other left and right.

I cut off the bone boss's arm, I could feel the anger and rage boiling inside of me. I remembered May, and how she had betrayed me. I was determined to take out this bone boss once and for all.

I used my lightning slice skill, enveloping my sword in bright, crackling energy. The bone boss swung his sword at me, but I was able to block it with ease. The lightning from my sword flowed through his bone weapon, causing him to flinch in pain.

I didn't give him a chance to recover, cutting off his other arm with a single stroke. I was filled with fierce determination, my teeth clenched in anger as I plunged my sword into his chest. I pushed with all my strength, driving it all the way through his body until it emerged from the other side.

I couldn't stop myself as I repeatedly stabbed the bone boss, the anger and pain inside me fueling each strike. But as I continued to strike, the tears began to flow, mixing with the sweat and blood on my face.

The boss died.

I won.

"You have gained 5 levels. You are now level 35."

"New transformation unlocked: Black Storm."

I activated my new transformation. My armor was enveloped in black lightning as I felt a surge of speed and power. My magic attacks were enhanced.

As I stood there, victorious over the bone boss, I couldn't help but let out a maniacal laugh. It was a mix of relief, adrenaline, and perhaps even a hint of insanity. But as quickly as it came, the laugh died on my lips as reality set in. I was still alone.

At least I now had the power to be alone.

I ran towards the crimson forest, my feet were enveloped in black lightning. The ground beneath me was charred as I ran.

The sun seemed to take on a red hue, casting an ominous glow on the surroundings. The trees and grass were both a deep shade of red. And the rain that fell from the sky looked like red drops of blood as it hit the ground.

I accepted the demon quest again.

I approached the demons again. I activated my lightning slice skill even though it already was involved in black lightning. My sword began to grow and pulse with more black lightning, crackling and sizzling with raw energy.

I sliced the first demon, the black lightning stunning it in place. I then stabbed it in the back, but it was still standing. I dodged each of its fire blasts as I approached it again, slicing its arm with my sword. The demon's arm was still attached however I could see that I had damaged it pretty badly.

The demon cried out in pain as I struck it again and again, finally taking it down with a flurry of slicing blows.

As the demons closed in on me, I knew I had to act fast. I took a deep breath and focused all of my energy on my sword. The blade glowed with fierce black lightning, ready to take on the demons.

I struck first, slicing through the arm of one of the demons. The demon howled in pain as the bone was revealed, its arm now hanging limply at its side. Another demon began summoning fireballs, tossing them at me with alarming speed. But I was ready, dodging and weaving through the attacks with ease. I sliced through another demon with a single clean swipe, the blade cutting through its body with ease.

But the demons were not going down without a fight. One of them swung a massive fist at me, trying to crush me with a single blow. I narrowly avoided the attack, moving so fast that it gave the illusion of me teleporting out of the way just in time. I focused all of my energy on the demon, slicing and slashing with ferocity. But my transformation was draining me of energy, and I soon found myself back in my base form.

Without the power of my transformation, I was vulnerable to the demon's attacks. Fireballs rained down on me, and despite my efforts, I couldn't dodge them all. The final blow came from a demon's flaming kick, knocking me to the ground and defeating me.

I respawned at my spawn point.

Even though I had the power to finish the quest I kept being reckless. I needed to conserve more energy in order to kill the demons.

I then approached them demons again. They were fully healed.

I transformed into my transformation just before I struck the demon with my sword. I felt the power surging through me as I slashed the demon with my sword.

After I landed the attack. I was un-transformed, the energy fading as I returned to my base form.

My plan was simple. I would transform right before my attack hits which would save me energy. I would then un transform to regenerate any energy I lost. I would also transform if I needed to dodge attacks because my speed was significantly better in my transformation.

My plan worked. I had defeated the demons and completed the quest.

I logged off the night.

As I logged off, I couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the mess in my room. Clothes were scattered haphazardly across the floor, and there were water bottles all over my table, some of them half empty. The food I had left out earlier was now congealed and unappealing. I sighed and made my way over to the window, hoping to find some solace in the sunset. The orange and pink hues of the setting sun were a welcome sight, and I watched as they bathed the city in a warm glow. The neon lights of the city seemed to dance and shimmer in the fading light, and for a moment, I felt a sense of peace wash over me.

This was the first time in a while I had liked the way the city looked. I didn't hate its illusion. I loved its presentation. I was alone though. I had been getting paid better than in my old job. The pay increase I had been getting from leveling up made it worth it.

As I scrolled through my phone, I came across an article that caught my attention. The headline read "Robots Replace 80% of Fast-Food Workers in One Week." I couldn't believe what I was reading and felt a sense of worry wash over me. I had always heard about automation taking over jobs, but I never thought it would happen so quickly or drastically. I wondered how many other industries would be affected and how they would change the world I lived in.

"Is this because of the QVRN?" I thought to myself.

It has been around a week since it came out.

I knew that this day would eventually come but I had a feeling the QVRN influenced this rapid spike. If people could earn money in a virtual world which possibly could be more than what they earned flipping burgers than of course one would work in the virtual world.

Companies may also be expecting this which is why the rapid replacement of human workers have occurred in the fast food business. Only time can tell how this will affect the future.