The Price of Hyper-Realism

Saad was amazed by the depth of the game's culinary system. It wasn't just about defeating monsters and completing quests; there were also hidden recipes and secret ingredients to discover. 'what if I help her with the garden? But I do need to get back to Drusilla too.' He thought to himself and decided to bring it up to Ashen witch, "Your garden truly has so much potential. I will stop by to help again."

[Your familiarity with Ashen witch has increased.]

The old woman's eyes sparkled with delight. "You have a keen eye, young one. I believe you could be a great herbalist someday if you keep up the good work. That reminds me, you said you were here to find herbs."

Saad's eyes filled with hope, 'could it be?' Was this the reward for increased familiarity? "I was here on a quest from a novice herbalist. She needed me to add ten herbs to her encyclopedia."

"Just that?" The old lady got up from the creaking chair with ease. "I might have some around. That's all I can offer for your help for now but if we can get my garden to get better, I might be able to give you better rewards. But an encyclopedia, huh- reminds me of old days."

Saad couldn't believe it. He had thought that finding the remaining herbs would become a tedious task since he would need to venture out of the safe zone and into a place with monsters. That would also mean to borrow the weapon from association and for now, he knew absolutely nothing about fighting. This is why he was thinking of checking the local shops.

"I happen to have a collection of middle-grade herbs," Ashen witch continued. "They're not easy to come by, but I've been gathering them for my research. I could lend them to you for your quest."

Saad's eyes widened in surprise. The offer was unexpected, but he couldn't deny the potential benefits of having access to such rare herbs. Perhaps, giving better herbs would mean an additional reward." That would be incredible," Saad said, his excitement evident in his voice. "I will definitely repay you for this."

The old lady nodded with a small smile. "I can see that you're serious about helping me. Besides, it's not like I have an immediate need for these herbs. You can put them to better use."

Saad thanked her profusely, feeling grateful for the unexpected support. With the help of Ashen witch, his quest to complete the encyclopedia seemed a lot more achievable.

"Come with me," The old witch said, leading him to the back of her humble abode. She carefully opened a wooden cabinet, revealing several glass jars filled with vibrant, magical-looking herbs. Each jar was labeled with the name of the herb and its properties.

"These are some herbs that you can use," she said, gesturing towards the jars. "They're rare and potent, so warn the young herbalist to use them wisely."

Saad was in awe of the collection before him. Each herb seemed to pulse with energy, and he couldn't wait to add them to the encyclopedia.

"Thank you so much," Saad said gratefully.

The old lady smiled warmly. "I believe in you, young one. Becoming an herbalist is not just about gathering herbs. It's about understanding their properties and how they interact with one another. It's a lifelong journey of learning and discovery."

Saad nodded, taking her words seriously. He wasn't thinking of becoming an herbalist but there was no issue if he ended up learning about it.

[You have received the assistance of the Ashen Witch and obtained ten middle-grade herbs for your quest.]

[You had your first lesson from a master herbalist. Your knowledge of herbs expands.]

The message that followed made him feel all light and airy with happiness. With Ashen witch's help, he took one herb each and pressed it into the magical encyclopedia which absorbed the essence of the herbs and then he wrote down the details that Ashen witch told him about. It was just a short description of the herbs and their simple use and also the level of mastery needed for their use.

[Drusilla's Encyclopedia]

Drusilla, the novice herbalist, is on a journey to compile an encyclopedia of local herbs for her master. Assist Drusilla in becoming a skilled herbalist.

- Quest Details -

[Empty Encyclopedia]: 1/1

[Herbs Collected]: 10/10

Difficulty: E

Rewards:

- Hesperia Flowers +5

- Quills: +10

- Experience Points: +10

[You have completed your quest. Please hand it over to the quest NPC to receive your reward.]

Saad read the message and felt satisfied. It was great that he could finish the first quest too. It was really all thanks to Ashen witch. He promised her to return after handing the encyclopedia to Drusilla and left her home to go see Drusilla. He was really hoping for better rewards since he was giving her the information about middle grade herbs.

That's when snow from the building he was walking under fell on him and he felt the impact with all his body.

[A mysterious and ominous fate is at the play.]

[You have been injured by the falling snow. HP -10]

Saad groaned, clutching his split head in pain as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. The blood that lightly dripped, looked too real and the pain scale was really doing its job to realistically portray the pain. He had read it on the user manual that keeping the pain scale realistic makes your in game movements better and it can help with better gaming experience, because you won't charge into danger and end up losing the life of your character. He couldn't believe his bad luck.

Just when he thought things were finally going his way, he ended up lying on the side of the road with his HP decreasing rapidly. To think that he would be so unlucky to have the snow falling on him from the roof of the building. Seeing the reactions of few players nearby, he had a sudden realization. Perhaps, these things were not a normal part of the game but rather were happening to him due to the bad luck triggering them. There was nothing he could do for now. He could only go see Drusilla and hope that his HP would stop decreasing. However, a message popped up in front of him, further adding to his troubles.

[Your HP decrease by 1 every minute.]

[You have fallen into the negative status 'chirping stars'. Your focus has decreased temporarily.]

Saad really wanted to scream loudly. Now he was sure that the mysterious fate was nothing other than extreme bad luck. The decreased focus made it really hard for him to walk. His foot would land on the wrong angle and he could see many players and even NPCs passing the way, looking at him with pity. But, no one gave him a helping hand. He felt like, that was also because of the mysterious fate or people just have become increasingly heartless.

With a determined effort, he forced himself to get up and stumble towards Drusilla's shop. Each step felt like an eternity as he fought through the pain and dizziness due to game being hyper realistic. He wanted to decrease the pain scale but it seemed that it can be done only under normal condition and not when you are already suffering from negative status. Which was strange to him but nothing could be done at the moment. Finally, he managed to reach the shop and leaned against the door for support because of the negative status. At least his HP stopped dropping when it had decreased by 15.

Drusilla, the shop owner, looked up from her work and gasped when she saw Saad in such a state. "Oh, what happened to you?!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side.

"I had a little accident with the snow," Saad managed to say through gritted teeth. "I need your help. Is there anything I can use for my HP and Injury?"

Drusilla's expression softened with concern but it was soon overshadowed by her huff of frustration as if she had no desire to help him out of his predicament. Though she still quickly guided Saad to a chair, helping him sit down. "Just how did you get hurt like this while gathering herbs," she scolded. "Let me take a look at your head. Oh, how are you so clumsy? Can you really even do something?" She sounded bitter and bratty, and Saad really wanted to snap back but he didn't want to make it worse for himself by gaining negative familiarity.

She examined his injury with a practiced eye and disappeared inside the shop, instructing him to stay put. After a short while, she returned with a small bottle filled with a mustard-colored liquid and poured a few drops on his injury.

[Low-grade herbal ointment 'Verdant Soothe' has been applied. The bleeding has stopped. HP +1 every 1 minute.]

Saad felt a soothing warmth spread through his body as the pain began to subside. It was a relief, but he was still feeling weak and under the negative status.