Beginning

Bloody Reign, a single-player open-world fantasy game, gives the player a high degree of realistic freedom in the land of Tremor--or so I thought. In reality, the game I was playing was much different than the game everyone else played. An atrocious Steam Rating of only 30% might be the record for a triple-A title, and it was heavily memed on as being generic, buggy, and borderline unplayable by many. Unfortunately, I didn't know any of this since I preordered the game while the hype was at its peak then went out of my way to avoid social media and play through its entirety blind. When I realized I was playing a completely different game, I began to get prompts that confirmed my suspicions from the game itself. The character I was playing began to talk back to me, and I could no longer control the game. I realized that the murderous "Demon Emperor" playthrough I was having fun with would have repercussions on a real world, but it was too late. The moment I tried to take it all back, the screen went dark and I was unable to open the game. Until today.

The whirring of a fan flutters behind me as sweat drips down my neck. My room is pitch black, besides the dim lighting of a monitor in front of me. I hunch over my keyboard and peer at the disheveled, female character in front of me. While there's evident mental exhaustion, she's clearly athletic with burgundy hair, an umber skin tone, and piercing green eyes that betray her undefined features. She can't be older than 16 and yet she has the look of someone who has seen death, which she has.

[Yvette, LVL: 4] [XP: 300/500]

[HP: 400/400* | MP: 2100/2100] [DEF: -]

[Race: Human] [Class: Undecided] [Affinity: Nature]

Attributes: [INT: 21] [STR: 15] [WIS: 34] [AGI: 20] [CON: 4*] [CHA: 25]

*Respawn Penalty: Health reduced by 20% (Duration Remaining: 48Hrs)

Skills: [Survivor's Adrenaline Rush III] [Death's Embrace I] [Survivor's Lament-]

I click on the skill, Survivor's Lament, as the - indicates it's not learned. A notification appears on my screen.

*Ding!*

[Passive, Survivor's Lament] To survive a disaster that washed away your reality, your soul will mourn for eternity. The pain you've experienced has hardened your spirit and given you the strength to stand above.

[Effects, LV.1: Makes intimidation attempts in negotiations more likely to succeed (CHARISMA +15), increases danger perception (WIS +30).]

[Requirements: Survivor Class, LVL: 5]

I open the class information panel and read the Survivor Class' description.

[Survivor Class] A nature specialist class with a large array of both support and combat options, but they work exclusively on the character utilizing them. The class prioritizes a solo playstyle that utilizes wit and the environment to turn the tides of battle. [Difficulty: Expert] [Requirements: Nature Element, Learned Survivor Skill]

Seeing that Yvette has already acquired the skill [Survivor's Adrenaline Rush] she can be promoted to the class. I'm a bit hesitant to choose it for her, seeing as it hinders her cooperation with allies, and if I still thought of this as a game, I wouldn't. However, I know that this is a real-world I'm tampering with, and this class fits her base attributes--disposition--well. I open up the communication prompt, proof that I'm interacting with a real person.

I type, "Would you like to become a [Survivor]? This choice is final."

As well, I paste the information of the class in the message so she can see what she's getting herself into and if it's to her liking.

After a brief hesitation, I see her look at the screen. I jolt back in my chair a bit, as she shouldn't be able to see me--it must be coincidence.

"Yes," Yvette replies firmly.

*Ding!*

[Congratulations!] Class Successfully Chosen: [Survivor]

+5 to all ATTRIBUTES

I realized that I was so caught up in game strategy that I forgot to explain much to her. My heart aches with pity for how confused Yvette must be. I message her, "This is the Forest of Beginnings. I chose this respawn point in order for you to recuperate and gain experience. Respawn point options are based on level and proximity. There are some penalties, but you no longer need to be afraid of death."

Yvette paused... "When can I get revenge?"

I think for a moment, "Executioner Crux is LVL: 328 and you are LVL: 4. I will alert you when you are strong enough. Continue to grow."

"Crux..." an eery smile appears on her lips, "What a stupid name."

She gets up from her huddled position in the middle of the brush and leans against a tree for shelter against the rain. As she stretches, she asks, "How do I get stronger?"

I answer honestly, "With my aid, you will gain strength quickly as you defeat enemies. As well, I will help guide you through methods of gaining skills naturally."

Yvette stands up straight and clenches her fists, "By defeat enemies... do you mean, kill them?"

I hesitate... I don't want to bring a character down the wrong path again, but this is really the only surefire way for her to get strong enough to defeat him. I bite my lip and reluctantly reply with one word.

"Yes."

But, I quickly add: "I don't wish for you to become a soulless killer. You are free to decide what you do."

She looks at me through the screen again with a strange look, "Thank you."

From her perspective, I must be some kind of savior--a god. That's what I was to *him* at least. But, I know the truth. All the suffering she's faced, and her world has faced, is because of me. A wave of despair rushes over me. I don't know how to respond to her thanks, but I can't tell the truth. I'm the only one who knows of this world, and I can't let it forsake me.

I don't want it to forsake me.

Not like the real world.

__________________

My eyelids slowly fall as I take a deep breath and collect my thoughts. The large tree I'm leaning against pokes into my back and I become aware of my clothes. I still have what was on my body as I died, including the damage to it.

What magical power allows this? The devil wants me to become strong, and it says I must kill. It gave me the title of 'Survivor' to turn me into a hardened warrior--is what I thought, but the recent robotic message echoes in my mind. "I. Don't. Wish. For. You. To. Become. A. Soulless. Killer. You. Are. Free..."

Perhaps, the "savior" of mine isn't the corrupt devil I thought...

Then why didn't he save my mother? Why me? Anger begins to overtake me and my knuckles turn white from the tension in my fists... I quickly recollect myself. I don't have the time to be angry at my benefactor. Regardless of the motives, I will use it as my vehicle for revenge. My vehicle for strength. My power to fight. Suddenly, I see a prompt in front of me.

[Let *PLAYER* Take Control?]

It's accompanied with a message from the "devil" no... "Player",

"Danger. Let. Me. Help."

I quickly hover to the [No] box, but I stop myself. I'd already be dead if not for this "Player's" help. If it taking control of me to fight this danger gives me strength, then I have nothing to lose.

__________________

A carnivorous bird can be seen approaching Yvette.

I quickly prompt her to give me manual control. This is a last resort, as taking away the autonomy of a sentient being is questionable, to say the least. It's a necessary measure, though. This large-beaked, flightless bird, similar to the terror bird of prehistoric times, is LVL: 10 and an apex predator of the Forest of Beginnings. Yvette has yet to realize her skills and is inexperienced in combat, and to be honest, I'd be unable to help her if I wasn't familiar with the bird. Luckily, I've fought it (through my computer screen) countless times and have its attack patterns memorized.

[Skockle, LVL: 10]

[HP: 900/1300 | MP: 300] [DEF: 500]

Predatory bird with high mobility and massive single target damage in its beak.

Attributes: [INT: 3] [STR: 210] [WIS: 10] [AGI: 50] [CON: 13] [CHA: 1]

Skills: [UNKNOWN]

While its attributes might seem ridiculous in comparison to Yvette, that's due to the power scaling of "Bloody Reign": every level you get 30 attribute points. For Yvette and humanoids, this means they generally have spread out attributes like hers. For monsters, they tend to have specialized attributes like this bird. It will cleanly one-shot her if it lands a hit, but it suffers the disadvantage of low maneuverability from its massive head. Thus, it's easy to dodge if you know how it attacks.

As I take control, Yvette seems to glow and her movements become more robotic. I enter first-person view and pick up a fallen branch, then prompt it to be strengthened into a sturdy weapon: a basic elemental enhancement spell that doesn't require a skill but only works on objects of the character's affinity. Normally, you'd need to learn the basics of magic in order to manipulate the elements and cast even basic spells like this, but I can bypass this as the player. The strength of the spell depends on the amount of MP used at a ratio of 3MP for 1DMG for beginner casters, and there's no reason to save more than 100 MP so I use 2500 of her 2600.

[Branch]

[Damage] Physical +20, *Nature +833

Gives +2 Reach, +1STR

*Currently strengthened through [Beginner Elemental Enhancement: Nature] (Duration Remaining: 09:59)

I crack my knuckles, lean forward, and grip my mouse.