Chapter 5: Chivalric Code

They always said that "Someone's happiness is someone else's sorrow". I always thought that it was the way the world works. Some people are happy with their lives, but others aren't. The world is already set up with all the unfairness whether we like it or not.

Even in this world, I still feel it. People like Val, they look at this as opportunities, but others look at this world as a ticket to hell. Although it's solely based on perspective, but it is in our human nature that we don't want to be blamed.

People's individualism can be counted as very high here. People chase their wants and needs, their ideals, and their own will for something they longed for. Many dared to fight and emerged victorious, even in a way which isn't fair. There isn't much place to put trust on.
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My inn wasn't that far away from Ridgeview Crest. It was just  about 100 meters south from Ridgeview.

"Here we are.", I said when we reached the front of my inn. "Thanks Val, you're so kind", I said while smiling at her.

"Are you sure you'll be okay from here? I can help you until you go to bed.", she said.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry okay?", I said.

She smiled and said, "Okay. Good night.".

"Night."

I went inside my inn and collapse on my bed. I took out the piece of cloth that I tore from the rogue who attacked me this evening. It has part of the skull insignia that those guys have. I wanted to go back to the place where a guy logged out from, but that isn't possible at the moment. I gave up on that idea and went straight to bed.

The next day...

I opened my eyes to see someone right next to me. I wasn't able to make out a face because my eyes were still heavy. I rubbed my eye to be able to see. It was Val, sleeping on a chair which she put next to my bed.

"Umm... Hey, Val", I said while trying to wake her up. She woke up and looked sleepy for a second before she gained her consciousness.

"... X!!! Y-Y-You're awake!", she said in shock. She jerked backwards that she fell of the chair she was sitting on.

"Umm... You okay?", I asked while sitting down on the side of my bed.

"Oww.... That hurt...", she said while holding the backside of her head.

I sighed. "What were you doing in my room this early in the morning?", I asked.

"Err... I wasn't convinced you're well hahaha.", I rolled my eyes upon hearing that.

"I also made you breakfast.", she continued.

"Seriously?". I probably looked excited here. No one beats Val's cooking.

"Yep. I made you some sandwich", she said while showing me my breakfast.

"Thanks a bunch!", I said. I took one and ate it. It was just as amazing as the first. There's a soft filling that is simply indescribable. I have some vegetable taste on it, but also rather a bit sweet.

"It's.... Good". I would most likely drool in front of her since it was so good.

"Hahaha. Thanks.", she said. Her smile made my day.

"What did you use this time?"

"Just vegetables. I cut them to pieces and grilled them together in a mash potato. I also added a sauce made of mayonnaise and mustard", she said.

"I like it."

"Glad you do.", she said.

"So what do you plan to do today?", I asked her.

"Well, I would probably buy some supplies for my restaurant and go there later.", she said.

"I see."

"How about you?", she asked.

"I got something to do later. I need to do some digging around about my attacker yesterday. Which reminds me. Have you ever seen a insignia like this?", I said while showing her the ripped cloth I got from my attacker. Valeria took the cloth and studied it.

"I've never seen it.", she said as she returned the cloth.

"I see. Well, can you look out for that insignia in your restaurant? Contact me if there's one.", I said.

"Ok, add me as a friend.", she said while she opened her menu interface. I opened mine and saw a friend invitiation notice. I added it after seeing Val's name on it.

"Ok then, I'll take my leave. Bye!", she said as she left my room. I waved at her and lay down on my bed again. I closed my eyes and drifted into sleep again.
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A breeze rolls in. Leaves from trees flew around, almost dancing with the wind. A boy was sitting under a tree, facing out to sea. It was evening, the sun showing only half of it as the other half dived behind the horizon. The sky was in the middle of evening and night, some parts of it orange, some part dark blue, and a violet contrasting line in the middle of them. A girl came by, seemingly trying to find a place to think. She noticed the boy, it was someone she knew. Someone she knew from way back.

"Don't take a nap here, you'll catch a cold." the girl said.

"Huh? Who's taking a nap? I'm just sitting here chilling out.", the boy replied. The girl approached and sat down beside the boy.

"Well that's kinda creepy. Usually people chill out with their friends in a mall or something.".

"Look who's talking. Anyways I'm here with a friend, so does that count as chilling out?".

"Who says I'm your friend? I'm your enemy you know.", the girl said.

"Whatever", the boy replied. The girl giggled as soon as she heard her answer.

"Hey, what type of girl do you like?", the girl asked after a moment of silence between the two.

"I don't know. Definitely a beautiful one though.", the boy replied. "How about you? What type of guy do you like?"

"Umm... I want one whose smile can help me go through a day without worries. I want to be cared for as who I am. Of course a good looking one too hahaha.", the girl replied.

"I see. Good luck finding the right guy for you", the boy said.

"Yeah. You too", she said.
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I woke up about an hour later. I went to the bathroom and washed my face. I checked my right leg to see if I should take a day off or not. Apparently it was fine. Afterwards I set up my gear and head out into town. I wanted to know about the group that attacked me yesterday.

I head down to the town square. Apparently there was an open meeting going on. The meeting was held by Havok of The Chivalry. It seemed it was an urgent meeting, considering how many people were attending the meeting. I was just in time to hear what important message that Havok had to give.

"Greetings everyone. I am Havok from The Chivalry, and I have good news for all of you. I am pleased to announce that scouts from The Chivalry was able to find the gate to the next floor.". Everyone cheered the moment they heard this announcement. Some also simply just gave a sigh of relief. But I wasn't convinced that the news will stop there. Every RPG game always has a boss, which usually is to advance to the next level of the game, which in Blademasters Online, floor.

"However", Havok continued. "We do encounter a problem. There is some people protecting this door. We are unable to identify them as players or NPCs. The Chivalry have decided that we are to gather force to fight these people in order to go to the next floor.". People start to looked worried.

"Is there any particular similarities from the members of those people?", a random player shouted out.

"Yes, they all wear grayish hood. We are unable to make out any of their faces during the fight. I do need to warn you that all those people are skilled fighters. We have lost several men from our guild due to our last encounter with them.". The whole town square went silent. Not even a single voice can be heard.

"Due to the losses of these men, The Chivalry has decided to open registration for enlistment in our guild. We will be waiting in our guild house to the north of Stoneridge. We hope to see you there.". Havok went down the stage and left the scene immediately.

Not long after, Stoneridge's square was back to it's lively state. The sound created creates the same cheerful vibe despite the news about earlier, but the news earlier has became quite a viral topic all over town. People were asking each other whether they're going to try and join The Chivalry. It was none of my concern though. I had always preferred to be alone.

They all used grayish hood huh? I wonder if they have a skull insignia on their upper arms. I would need to ask The Chivalry for this information, but I didn't want to join them at all. I chose to go to their headquarters and talk to Havok myself.

1 hour later...

I reached The Chivalry's headquarters. It was packed with players trying to join them. I barely can squeeze myself inside their building. I thought I might be able to climb up the guild house from the back, but I might cause a commotion due to that, which completely eliminates my chance to talk to Havok.

"Hey! X!", a familiar voice called out from somewhere. I looked around to look for the source of that voice. I caught a familiar face, it was Barrios.

"What are you doing here X? I thought you weren't into these guild stuff.", he said while patting smacking me on my back.

"I'm not here for that reason Barrios. I wanted to talk to Havok. I need some information from him.", I replied.

"I see. Must be about those hooded guys he was talking about right?".

"Yeah. By the way, are you ditching your guild to join The Chivalry?".

"Hahahaha. Good guess kiddo, to bad it isn't correct. I was looking for the opportunity to create a task force with them to fight the gate guardians.", Barrios replied.

"I see. Your clan is Alpha Wolves right?", I asked.

"Yeah. By the way, how exactly are we going to get through this ruckus?".

"Up the roof.".

"You've got to be kidding me, X. We're going to get into serious trouble for that.", Barrios answered.

"Any other suggestions?", I questioned him.

Barrios took a while and rolled his eyes around. After some time, he looked at me and smiled. "You know what? Trouble's my middle name.".

I signaled him to follow me. We went around The Chivalry's guild house and stared upon a wall about 4 meters tall. I used my scarf to cover up my face. Barrios noticed this and thought I was kinda odd for doing so.

"Why would you need to cover your face as if we are going to rob them?", Barrios asked.

"I'm practically going to rob Havok of his information, but I have my own reasons to do so.", I replied.

"Up to you then Mr. Incog.", Barrios said as he shrugged. "So, how should we do- X! Where did you go?", he said as he realized I wasn't beside him anymore.

"Can't you keep a low profile? I'm up here already.", I said while throwing a chestnut at him.

"Well you could've told me"

"I could've-".

"Should've", Barrios said with a face that seemed to be annoyed.

I sighed, "Well quit wasting my time already. I'm going in.", I said while jumping into The Chivalry's guild house.

"Hey! Wait up!", Barrios said. I waited for him while scouting around the area. There were some guild members training. Among those guild members, I noticed Havok was talking to one of his subordinates, probably about the recruitment process.

At first, I intended to approach him stealthily, but looking at how vast the training field is, it seemed impossible already. I was planning on following him after he went into the main building of the guild house. Suddenly a sudden loud thud came from behind me. As I looked back, I figured out that Barrios fell off a tree while trying to jump over the guild house's walls. I shook my head and noticed some of The Chivalry members had drew their weapon preparing to attack us.

Havok walked forward and waved off his men to sheathe their weapons. "What do we have here? 2 kids trying to barge in and join us without recruitment.", he said.

"Who do you think you're calling a kid?", Barrios said in an enraged tone.

"Who else am I talking too? Of course to both of you. What business do you have here in our grounds?", Havok replied. Barrios seemed as if he was about to draw his backsword  but I waved him off to try and explain what was our intentions. Barrios understood me and let go of his hand from his backsword hilt.

"We're here not to enlist into your guild. We rather have other matters to discuss with you. Will you hear us out?", I asked.

"I'm listening.", Havok replied.

"My name is Extorsion, and this is Barrios. Although both of us have different things to discuss, we both still need you to listen to our reasons. Barrios here, he's the leader of the clan Alpha Wolves. He would like to create a task force with you in defeating the gate guardians.", I said.

"Create a task force? Hahahaha. Don't be ridiculous. The Chivalry works as an independent guild. Although I have heard of Alpha Wolves, an underdog guild which has been increasingly popular over time, I would have to say that creating a task force with you will simply slow us down.".

"Why you... You needed more men! We are prepared to lend you a hand in clearing the first floor!", Barrios said enraged.

"Please. You're doing this just to increase your guild's reputation. We, The Chivalry, will be the clan that will bring freedom to all of us in this world. We don't need help from an amateur guild", Havok replied. Before I was able to stop Barrios, he charged towards Havok with his backsword ready to attack him. Havok prepared his so-called custom made longsword, the Diamondback. As soon as their swords met, Barrios' backsword cracked due to the impact with the Diamondback. Havok rammed Barrios back when he was shocked that his sword was cracked by the impact.

"You want to end up like this guy too?", Havok tried to provoke me with his arrogant intonation. Fortunately, I am rarely provoked by other people.

"No. My reason to come here was to ask some information to you, but judging from what you said to Barrios, you can ignore my intent.", I said calmly.

"What sort of information?"

"I said ignore my intent."

"I insist that you ask me what information is it that you need."

After hearing what he replied me, I decided to ask him for the information I need rather than provoking him into attacking me. I showed him the ripped cloth that I got from the ambush the other day.

"This symbol. Do you recognize it?", I asked.

"I do."

"Was it on the grey hooded people you encountered at the gates to the next floor?"

"I'm afraid that's all you get to know.", Havok replied. For a second, I saw his face showing a rather disgusted expression. Due to that, I was sure that skull insignia was on those grey hooded people's upper arm.

"I see. I'll take my leave then.", I said. Havok thought otherwise. He held his sword out in a battle stance and looked at me with the intent to kill.

"You're not going out of here that easily, Extorsion. I won't let you go for free after giving away such information.", he said. Simply by taking a good look at Havok's eyes, I can tell the kind of person he is. He thinks he's the only hero in this world, the only one who can lead people in this world to freedom. He dares to take out any factions that oppose from his ideals. His eyes can tell his intent to battle. Actually, I would say the need to battle.
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Sorry for the late update guys, but here's chapter 5. Took sometime to post due to exams I have to attend to haha. Do tell me what do you think of the story so far in the comment section below, that would be a great help. Thanks again!

Chapter 4: Heat

"Hey, look there", a boy said.

"Wow! It's amazing!", a girl replied to the boy while looking at the scenery he had mentioned. They were both sitting on a tree branch, looking over at a rare sight for them. A golden ray shyly hiding behind the horizon, birds flying from one side to another, some leaves blown away by the gentle wind. They both speechlessly looked at the scenery.

The boy looked to his right and was even more amazed at what he was seeing. It was the girl who he knew from kindergarten, but he was seeing her in a different way. Her jet black hair let down to her waistline, a pair of eyes that sparkles off sun rays, and her smooth skin he touches with his forearm in an unintended manner. He felt as if he was dreaming.

"Umm.. Hey...", the boy started to speak in an awkward manner. The girl looked at the boy in a curious manner, which startled the boy for a second before he continued speaking.

"Umm... I really like the scenery here. It's like everything here is flawless.", he said. The girl nodded in agreement.

"You know, the sky is really unusual today isn't it?", the girl asked.

"Yes it is, but the skies matches your eyes.", the boy said while looking deeply into the girl's purple eyes. The girl was shocked. She immediately blushed upon hearing the boy's compliments. There was an awkward silence between those two as they just stare at each other's eyes.

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I felt a breeze of air flowing through my nose. I realized I'm not dead yet, but my whole body can't seem to move. I decided to stay still for some time before trying to move my body again. After about 5 minutes of becoming a statue, I tried to open my eyes. A flash of light pierced through the moment I opened them. I was blinded for about 3 seconds before I gain my visibility.

"Ugh...", I moaned while covering my eyes. I tried to sat down but failed due to the pain I felt on my abdomen. I looked around while still laying down on the ground. I was in a forest, but different from the forest I was ambushed. As I look up, I saw the hill I was thrown from. There was no one at the top. I still had no idea who ambushed me. Another thing I was confused at is the fact that I wasn't killed by those who ambushed me.

It seems that I was hit by some kind of poison when I felt that sharp pain on the back of my neck. But how is it that I didn't die? A poisoned effect status will periodically decrease your HP until you drink the Anti Poison Remedy or use the Status Rune. I was probably out for more than 12 hours, which is more than enough time for even a light poison effect to kill me.

I fought the pain on my abdomen and I was able to sit down. I checked my HP bar and it was on the red bar, a bit less than a quarter of my full HP gauge. I opened my inventory and drank a potion to replenish my health. As my HP bar expands, I felt that my body starts to feel a whole lot better.

Since I was able to stand up and walk again, I decided to go to town and take the whole day off. I wanted to try "living" in this game for a day. I head back to my inn and took a shower since I literally slept on the ground for the whole night. I filled the bath tub with warm water and went into it immediately to ease my fatigues. I felt so comfortable that I was actually thinking about laying in the tub for the whole day.

I finally able to persuade myself to get out of the tub and flush down the water too the drains afterwards. I got dressed and head outside to get some fresh air and something to eat. I was thinking about eating at Ridgeview Crest, but I do want to try eating other stuff too. I finally decided to buy some deep fried dumplings sold by an NPC. It was good, but it isn't anything compared to Valeria's toasted sandwich.

I decided to go out on a stroll around Stoneridge. Simply sightseeing around town was actually quite relaxing to me. I started at the gates of the city, and walked aimlessly to who knows where. Eventually I finished my stroll in the square. I noticed a lot of people gather up on the district near the square.

It's probably normal since it is the easiest meeting place of all. In the middle of the square was a monument standing around 4 meters tall. At the top of the monument was a golden knight holding his sword and shield in a battle stance. It had a peculiar set of armor, which looks like what knights used back then in the Medieval Ages. The armor had spikes on it's shoulder pads, which I thought it's sole purpose was to cause damage while ramming someone with his shoulder. It's helmet surrounds the knight's face so that his face can't be clearly seen. The helmet itself looks like the Roman's battle helmet, only with a more enclosed look and without the signature Roman mohawk.

As I looked around at people, something caught my eye. It was someone wearing a similar cloak to the guy which logged out of this game. He seemed as if he's checking his inventory. I decided to use this chance and tail him in hope I might get some answers on logging out of this game.

I slipped out of his line of sight by going out of the square and into the crowd. As soon as I am in the crowd, I looked around if there are any alleys that might lead me to that suspicious man. Since I wasn't very tall, I couldn't really see, so I opted for any alley I can go into. I saw one on my right and head there immediately.

As I entered the alley, I noticed that it was simply just a dead end. No matter though. It seemed that the walls are close enough for me to double wall kick up the roof. As soon as I was on the roof, I took a stealthy approach towards that suspicious guy. He was already on the move and moving towards the outskirts of the city. I tailed him from the roof, jumping from one building to another.

I went down the roof when he was nearing the city gates in the east. I followed him but also trying to keep my distance from being too suspicious. He suddenly turned around, probably making sure he wasn't tailed. I was able to react quick enough to move my eyes to another direction and just walk forward as if nothing happened. I relied on my peripheral view to keep track of him. He did looked at me in a suspicious way, but looked away after a while.

He just simply walked toward the gate thinking there was no one suspicious around. As soon as he is out of the gate, he turned north and started to move away to a blindspot behind the city walls. I followed him, but loss sight of him when I looked left. Damn it! I would easily track him down if I was a rogue, since rogues are the most adept class to tracking targets.

I wasn't planning to give up, so I climbed up a tree and try to figure out which way he might've gone. I jumped down from the tree so that I could act as if I was a regular player trying to fight some monsters. As soon as I touched the ground, someone charged towards me.

I was able to react quick enough and throw one of my throwing knives at the guy. I ran to a nearby tree and kicked the tree to lunged myself to the attacker. He was able to dodge my throwing knife but wasn't prepared for the upcoming attack. I pull out both of my daggers, double slashed him, somersaulted forward, and used the momentum from that somersault to deliver a hard kick before he could pierce me with his broadsword. He fell to the ground hard.

I realized that he was the same hooded guy I was tailing. He didn't recover from the blow fast enough, which made me able to stick my dagger to his throat and try to get some answers out of him.

"I want some answers.", I demanded.

"No wonder you were tailing me. See if you can get some out of me.", the guy reluctantly said.

"Yesterday I saw a guy wearing a similar hood like you. He was able to log out of the game. How is it that he is able to?", I asked in a rough manner.

"I know no such guy.", he said arrogantly. There's a sense of him being calm from his tone. Almost too calm.

"You better give me the truth quick if you value your life.", I said while tightening the grip of my hand on his shirt and my dagger.

"You have no proof I know him. Just because we wear the same cloak doesn't mean we share anything in common.", he said.

So he's looking for proof huh? I tried to remember other things about the guy who logged out. I remembered that he had a skull insignia on his right upper arm. I glanced at the guy's upper arm and see the same insignia.

"Is that so? Well can you explain the same insignia you have on your cloak's upper arm?", I asked him.

"You do have a good eye kid. Problem is you're too cocky. You didn't even bring any back up when assaulting someone.", he said in the same arrogant manner he used for all the words he spoke.

"First of all, I work alone. Second, I didn't ask for your opinion. Third, I'm giving you-", I was stopped by a sudden kick from my right side. So the guy did call for back up before I attacked him. I was tossed away towards a tree.

He was loose from my grasps and took his broadsword from the ground. He was then joined by 3 other guys, 2 defenders and a rogue.

"You got some nerve to meddle with us, kid. Now, it's our turn to attack!", he said while charging towards me. The other 2 defenders also charged with him. The rogue however, was staying there doing nothing.  The 2 defenders charged with their shields looking to bash me. I dodged the 2 defenders, but I didn't manage to dodge the fencer's slash.

"Argh!", I shrieked in pain. I was pushed back a couple of meters, but a defender rammed me with his shield before I could regain my balance. I was slammed towards a cliff. Luckily, I was still able to regain my balance before falling over.

"You should give up, assassin! You're outnumbered 4 to 1!", the fencer said.

"I'm never going to give up, even if it takes the life out of me.", I said. I took in some breaths before continuing. I pointed at the rogue and said, "Nice trick. You used a disorientation explosive on me, other wise your boss will be humiliated by the way he missed.".

"You're sharp. That rogue is our support specialist. Just for your information, I might not be able to hit you if he wasn't helping me out there. Problem is we have practiced this tactics everyday, and we do have a strong teamwork.", the fencer said. "I'm thinking about sparring your life. You seem to be a tough combatant. I'm giving you an offer. Join our cause, and we will rule this world together.".

"Over my dead body.". The rogue suddenly tossed a small bag to the sky. The bag exploded and covered the area with a thick black smoke. The rogue smirked and started to run around. The rogue might've thought that he had the upper hand, apparently he was terribly mistaken. He attacked me from behind, causing me to be lunged out of his line of sight again. As soon as I was hit, I activated my Stalker skill and ran towards a defender who was coughing due to the smoke. I stood in front of him and get ready for the upcoming attack. As soon as I sensed the rogue was attacking, I dodged his attack and caused him to push his team mate off the cliff.

"Block!", the rogue exclaimed after the smoke had cleared out and realized his team mate was gone. Everyone was shocked, including me. I did plan to dodge the rogue's attack for him to attack his team mate. Rogues are able to tag someone, and the target will be highlighted, even through smoke or walls. I used his lack of visibility to my advantage, but I didn't expect the cliff was behind that defender.

"Impossible! Everyone, fallback!", the fencer commanded in horror.

"Y... You... You'll pay for this!", the rogue said while he dashed towards me. He was consumed by rage. He swung his saber like an enraged pirate trying to battle all out for a pot of gold. The look on his eyes simply said everything I need to know, he wanted to kill me for real.

"No, wait!", the fencer said. It was too late though. The rogue missed his attack on me and fell into the very same cliff his team mate had fallen into. I did try to pull him up, but I was only able to rip off some of his cloak.

"You'll regret this boy.", the fencer said. He ran away after saying that. Probably going back to his base. I tried to chase after him, but the swift slash that hit my right leg thought otherwise. I fell to the ground trying to chase him. When I looked up, neither the defender nor the fencer was in sight.

I drank up my potion and went back into town. It was somewhere about 7 or 8 p.m. I was exhausted and decided to go to bed immediately. I passed through Ridgeview Crest, apparently Valeria was just done locking up.

"X!", she greeted me with a huge grin on her face.

"Hey, what's up?", I replied.

"I'm just, you know, locking up the restaurant. How about you? You look umm...".

"I know. It's a long story."

"Are you going to be okay?", she asked with a worried face.

"I'll be after a good night sleep. I'm just exhausted that's all.". I took a step forward, but suddenly my right leg acted up again.

"Ack..", I shrieked. I was falling to the ground, but Valeria managed to help me stand.

"It was fine a second ago.", I said enduring the pain.

"Please don't push yourself too hard.", she said. She helped me sit on a bench near the front of her restaurant.

"Can you please tell me what really happened?", she demanded. I couldn't resist to say no. She did gave me an amazing free dinner yesterday. Not only that, I'm someone who always speak the truth when someone demands. I don't know why. I guess it's simply in my nature.

I told her about everything. Starting from the time I left her restaurant up to now. She looked worried the whole time, especially in the part where I was mistaken as a killer.

"I... I can't believe it.", she said after hearing the story.

"It's just how it is, and I didn't make this up.", I said.

"I know.".

"How?".

"I don't know. I just have a feeling that your not lying.", she said.

"I see...".

"Thanks... for believing me", I said. She didn't say a word, but her smile answers everything.

"All right. Come on, I'll help you go home", Valeria suddenly said. She stood up and tugged my arm signaling me to stand up.

"Wha... You really don't need to.", I replied.

"I insist.", she said as she pulled me up and put my arm around her shoulders. I gave up trying to go back to my inn alone. I simply walked with her helping me and showed the way.
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Right! Chapter 4's done and dusted. I might not be updating chapter 5 for quite a while though, as I will be busy with exams on the following weeks (ooo damn it...). Thanks for reading everyone! Please do comment on this so that I might know more about my not-so-amusing grammar and stuff, or even you may try to speculate what will happen (I might make a side story from your speculations haha).

Chapter 3: Black Out of the Night

What? A guy just logged out from the menu? What the heck is going on here?

I tried to open my menu and hit the log out button. Nope, it doesn't work. I thought it was only possible to do so from the place that guy logged out from. I tried, but still no positive results.

How can he just simply logged out like that? It can't be that he used a 3rd party application, the game should be banned when the news hits about players being stuck in Blademasters Online.

A gust of wind blasted from my back. Next thing happened, I dropped down to the ground.

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4 hours earlier...

The lively city of Stoneridge. Known as the capital city of the 1st floor. It has been about a month since the bug happened, but even then the players hadn't made any progress yet. Lots of players had been blabbering out about the theories they came up with. Theories to be able to beat the game. Still, a certain obnoxious idiot won't believe in any of them, as for him they were just theories with no proof and simply can't be fully trusted.

Most players enlisted themselves into clans. They believe with numbers, it is possible to get more information and hunt easily. Some clans escalated to popularity quickly, simply because a famous RPG gamer from another game was in it. The clan was called Chivalry. The famous player used the in-game name Havok. No one knew his real name, and he seemed to intend it to be that way. Chivalry was known for their expert tactics in combat. They divide their members into squads with a very tight training schedule.

Pugna pro incentia. Fight for freedom. That was their motto. The Chivalry was known for their expert tactics in combat. They divide their members into squads, attackers, blockers, supports, and even special operatives. They have harsh training routines, believed to be the source of their power. However, X simply thought that it was all simply because they had an admirable commander, the one and only Havok. He sets every single strategies, knows the best way around things, able to make quick decisions in a matter of seconds. Lots of people were talking about them. A lot of them wanted and have tried to join them, but they only consists of players who were noted for their special... skills.

It was about 6 p.m. X was getting hungry and decided to head to a quite famous tavern in Stoneridge, Ridgeview Crest. The place was known for it's delicious toasted sandwiches, beautiful ridgeside view, and a beautiful chef.

Ring!, The bell on the door rang as soon as he entered.

"Welcome!", X was greeted by the infamous beautiful chef most people were talking about. She has slick dark brunette hair which is tied up on the back and a pair of beautiful light brown eyes¹. X was speechless at first, but he thought she wasn't his type and averted his gaze.

"Table for one please", X replied to the chef's friendly greeting.

"I see. This way please.", X was shown to his table. It was at the edge of the balcony on the ridgeline. The golden sunset rays caught his eye and gave a moment of real world feeling since entering this virtual world. After gazing off for about 5 seconds of staring at the sunset, X was brought back to consciousness by the chef waving her hand in front of my face.

"Are you okay?", she asked.

"Err... Yeah. I was just caught up by the scenery here.", X replied.

"You like it? I picked the spot for this restaurant myself.", the chef said with a huge smile.

"I see. Wait, you picked this spot?"

"Yes. I know a lot of people was thinking I'm an NPC, but I'm actually a player", X could've swore she was an NPC, but hearing that she is a player caught him off guard. He then realized she wasn't lying after seeing a diamond above her head, showing that she's indeed a player.

"You can actually own and run a restaurant?", X asked while walking to his appointed table.

"Yes. Apparently there are a lot of things that work like real life in this game.", the chef said while handing X the menu.

"And you manage everything here?", X asked while looking over the menu.

"Yes I do. The stocks and suppliers work just like real life. My father owns a restaurant so I might know a thing or two about managing this place hehe.", the chef replied. Knowing this fact, X thought It seems like you can simply take a break from the war and settle down.

To X, it can be a good thing and a bad thing. Good thing is, the players can simply take our time and feel like the real world. Which brings him to the bad point, people might get accustomed and just simply start a new life here, which means less players will be on the front line trying to finish the game.

"Umm... I really can't pick what to chose. I'm not exactly that picky on eating", X said as he scanned the menu and found nothing he really craved for. The chef gave a confused look at X as if not expecting it to happen. X could only narrowed his eyes even more and try to pick an order.

"Most people order wild meat sandwich. It seemed to be the customers favorite here.", the chef said encouraging X to take an order.

"Hmm... You know what, surprise me.", X closed the menu and gave the chef the menu.

"Surprise you?", the chef gave an even more confused face as she isn't sure what X meant. X gave a brief glance at the chef and sighed.

"Just make any type of toasted sandwich you want, but not from the menu.", X replied in a calm manner, as if he really didn't care that much.

"I.. I see. I'll try my best", the chef said with a stuttered smile, caught off guard by the fact X chose something out of the ordinary. After the chef left, X stared at the view even more. The sunset rays starting to fall fade behind the mountains on horizon.

---

"Hey! Wait up!", a little girl shouted while chasing a boy.

"No way! I'm gonna go to that place first!", the boy shouted back while sticking his tongue out towards the girl.

BUMP! The boy crashed into a tree while he wasn't looking at where he was headed. The boy fell down in a sitting position.

"Oww... My backside...", the boy grumbled.

"That's what you get for not waiting up.", the girl said in an angry tone. She held out her hand towards the boy. "Come one, we'll go to that place together.", she said with a pleasant smile.

---

"...xcuse me", a voice startled X. He opened his eyes as he jumped backwards. He saw the chef trying to wake him up from his nap.

"You must've had a tiresome day. You wouldn't wake up at all, even your food went cold.", the chef continued. She gave a sigh, but wouldn't press even more of her annoyance at X more than a single sigh. X looked around and realize that it was night.

"Whoa... I'm so sorry I slept", X said while he facepalmed. He never thought that a view could've soothe him so much. He thought it just has been a long time since he saw a beautiful view like that.

The chef sighed. "Well, I'm reheating your food at the moment.", she said. X looked around again and realize that the whole place was empty.

"Umm... Is it already closing time?", X asked in the most polite manner he could manage, although knowing X, he doesn't really understand what manners is.

"Yes it is.", the chef said while laughing. "But since you ordered something special, I guess I'll give you an exception. Come inside, it's getting cold outside.", she said with a smile. X followed her into the restaurant and sat down on the counter. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is quite simple but has a nice feeling to it as it gave off a feel like a tavern in the 1800s.

"Did you design the place?", X asked as he's curious about the place itself, since it was run by a player.

"Not really, I just picked it out from a basic store template and added a tiny amount of decoration."

"I see..."

"Here you are!", the chef said while handing X the reheated toast sandwich. X looked at it and everything was neatly placed, just like what you would get in a 5-star restaurant. He looked up at her, but she had a shocked expression.

"Something wrong?", the chef startled even more due to X's hideously scary looking eyes.

"Umm... Well... I was just startled that I forgot to ask you for your drink.", she said as she averted her gaze.

"It actually slipped off my mind too.", X said with a straight face as he closed his eyes. The chef laughed after a certain pause, leaving X dumbfounded by why she suddenly laughed.

"It doesn't really matter though.", X said, leaving the chef to raise her eyebrow. "If I did order a drink earlier, it will probably thaw out already.", X continued.

"It definitely will", she said with a playful smile and gave X the menu again. "So, what will you have?"

"Umm... Is there any C**a-C**a² or the sort?", X asked.

"I'm afraid no one had found out the way to make soda in this game", the chef frowned as she looked as X. X simply sighed and asked the chef if she had any suggestions. "I might suggest the Zuto berry tea though. It is a lot like sweet tea, and it's rather popular here."

"I'll have that.", X said. The chef went to the back to prepare X's drink. X stared at the sandwich in front of him. He decided to open the top toast to see what's inside, he found some kind of patty, some fresh vegetables, and some kind of sauce. He then closed the top patty and held up his sandwich preparing for his first bite. Suddenly the chef went out from the back with his drink.

"Haven't had your first bite yet?", she asked.

"Yeah. I was just checking the ingredients you use inside.", X  took his first bite. His eye widened just from the first bite. The sandwich had an amusing taste. Although it might look like a regular sandwich, it's taste is just simply can't be put into words. The crunch of the toast and vegetables, the rich taste of the patty, and the velvety taste from the sauce really hits the spot.

"It's good!", X said still with his eyes wide open. The chef looked surprised at X's reaction, but eventually smiles afterwards.

"What's inside of it?"

"The vegetables are fresh from the batch that came this afternoon, the patty is a smoked wild meat patty, and the sauce is a special sauce I tried to make just now.", the chef said. She sighed afterwards and continued, "I'm glad you like it", with a smile.

"I see. You have got yourself a very satisfied customer.", X said while trying to put a grin on his face. He quickly finish up his food, although deep down he really do want to savour it's flavour even more, but he felt bad it was already past Ridgeview Crest's closing time.

After finishing up his food, X drank up the Zuto berry tea. It wasn't too sweet, but not too plain either, in addition it had some kind of cooling effect afterwards.

"Do you like the tea?", the chef asked.

"Yeah. It has a very... interesting taste.", X said as he picked the right words for it, although he could only came up with the simple ambigious word of interesting.

"I see. Can I take the plate away?"

"Yeah sure. How much should I pay?"

"Err...", the chef paused thinking. She came up with her answer a couple of seconds later, "This time it's on the house."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. But next time you will need to pay"

"Isn't it obvious?", X said as he averted his eyes. "Thanks again... err..."

"Valeria", the chef held out a hand to give me a handshake. "Val for short"

"Thanks Val. I'm Extorsion, but you can simply call me X.", X shook her hand.

"Sure X. Come again!"

"Duh... I still have to eat something tasty you know", X said as he walked outside.

Night has fallen on Stoneridge. However, X didn't felt like going back to his inn yet, so he decided to go out on a stroll in a forest near the south-western part of Stoneridge. He was looking for a place for him to think, but apparently he found a suspicious looking guy using a grey hood. X followed him due to his uneasiness by using his Stalker skill. The skill allows a player to stay invisible as long as the player is able to stick to the shadows. X decided to follow the suspicious player from above to make him less suspicious and use the leaves' shadows for cover from the bright moonlight.

The suspicious guy stopped in a middle of some trees in a circular formation. X stayed on the tree while trying to see what the guy was doing. He opened his menu and pressed his log out button. He suddenly glows and breaks into pixels.

Did he log out?, X asked himself. He tried to log out but nothing happened. It just shows the same bug notice like the first time he tried. But how is he able to do it? X tried one more time, the result is just the same.

X thought that the place where he stood on might be a place where a player might be able to use the missing script from the log out sequence. He stand on the spot the hooded guy stood when he logged out and opened his menu, followed by pressing the log out button. It still failed. X had no idea how the suspicious guy did it.

Although X was preoccupied by figuring out why can't he log out, he was able to hear rustling of bushes behind him. His right hand prepared one of his throwing knives while his left hand prepared to close his menu interface. In a split second, X closed my menu and threw the throwing knife towards the bushes. Suddenly X felt a sharp pain on the back of his neck. He was able to realized that he had been ambushed, but before he was able to do anything, he dropped down to the ground.

---

1 Try picturing an anime styled image from the start to the end. Count this thing as a light novel^↩
2 Yes... the infamous brown colored soda beverage^↩

Chapter 2: The Lone Wolf

It was 11 p.m. X¹ was on a bed in the inn he rented trying to get some rest. It was raining outside, and the city itself appears to be sleeping. Although the sound of rain usually calms him down, but this time it's making him very uneasy.

---

(2 days before)

After X discovered he can't log out, he immediately went back to Beginner's Town to see if anyone else was having this problem. He saw a passing by defender and decided to ask if he could log out.

"Of course we can! It's a game you know. You just open the menu and press this button here.", the huge defender said in a very confident way. He put on a confused face at first, but then he agreed to do it. 

"Must I really do this? You owe me 50 GP for wasting my time you know". After X nodded as a confirmation, he pressed his log out button. Nothing happened. He panicked out and immediately spread out the news with his insanely thundering voice. Every single one of the players around them checked if they could log out. No one could.

"This is impossible! How is it that I can't log out?", a girl said in a panicked way. She freaked out, and apparently it got the crowd going too. Every single one of them simply lost their hopes. Some of them simply just sat down and mourn, while others are making a big fuss.

"We got to tell everyone about this. Most people are in the town square, lets go there", the defender X asked to log out at first insisted. He thought that it would just bring more harm than good, since it would just discourage everyone that plays this game. However, before X could talk out his thoughts, he was already being dragged to the town square. Well, the guy's enormous and also a defender class, so resistance is pretty much futile. But one way or another way, everyone will find out anyway, X thought.

As soon as they were at the town square, the defender looked for a place where he could stand and get the crowd's attention. There was a nearby small stage at a corner of the square. The defender thought it would suffice, so he stood on the stage and got the crowd's attention.

"Excuse me everyone! Can I have your attention for a moment?", a crowd soon formed in front of the stage.

"Thank you. I would like all of you to try to log out of the game.", the defender said.

"Why would we do that?", a random person asked him.

"Because my friend here...", the defender paused his speech and pointed at X, "...found out that we can't log out of this game", the defender explained. A huge murmur by the crowd occurred.

"I can't log out!", a random guy exclaimed. The crowd grew anxious and more of them tried to log out. More and more testimonials were shout out, and thus it became clear to the crowd that all the players were stuck in this game. Most of the crowd panicked. Some seems to try and act calm while persistently trying to press their log out button.

"This is a message from the game master! Everyone is to gather at the Beginner's Town Square now! We are in need to inform every single player an announcement!", suddenly a voice emerges from somewhere. It was the game's system message. Every single one of the players were able to hear it since the sound is basically like their own voice playing in one's head.

After quite some time waiting, the town square suddenly was locked down by some kind of barrier. Everyone panicked when they realize they're trapped. A hologram of a huge man appears. He was tall and slender, he also wore a full metal framed glasses. Some of the players recognized him immediately. The person was Kiyoshi Hayate, the head developer of Blademasters Online.

"Welcome to the world of Blademasters Online. I am Kiyoshi Hayate, the head developer of this game. I know that all of you here are gathered to know why is it that you can't log out. The reason that you can't log out is not because of a programming error. I intended to make this game like this. The only way you will be able to log out is to take the Blademasters' Title at the 100th floor.". A lot of complains can be heard, but it does not seem like Mr. Kiyoshi could see or hear all the complaints thrown at him, or he was acting as nothing happened.

"Oh yeah, there's also another thing I would like to say before I forget. If you die here, you will also die in the real world.", after those words the crowd grew silent. All of them in shock of able to be killed for real. Meanwhile the man shown as a hologram smiled from ear to ear.

"By the way, if your room isn't locked, you might be in danger. If you were disconnected of your BrainStorm in the game, your brain will be overloaded by the electrical discharge and you will also die.", most of the players were looking down at the ground, knowing that any of them could be killed at any moment by a certain accident.

"Everyone, I would like you to fight as your real selves, so by tomorrow, your appearance will be the same as how you look in real life. But don't worry, your names will still be your in-game username. Thank you for your cooperation and happy playing."

As the hologram disappeared, so does the force field around the square holding all the players in. No one moved an inch, shocked by the reality they refused to believe. Among the sea of shocked players, X was the first one to move. He calmly walked towards the square exit but was stopped. It was the defender.

"I can't believe this. Please tell me this is all a dream, or at least a joke."

"I don't have the power to do so. I did not created this world. I'm sorry but you just have to accept reality.", X said without care to him. The defender looked at X straight in the eye, unable to believe the words X just said. X could see hopelessness and desperation just from a look on his eyes. Those eyes are also easily seen on other people around, which were staring at X for being so laid back and calm.

"What are you going to do?", he asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm going to fight. I'm going to fight and reach the top floor."

"How can you still say that? You don't know what lies ahead. And you can't respawn in this game, Once you die, you die for real!", the defender caught X's collar and shook him.

"You won't know what lies ahead if you don't try. To put it in another way, mourning for your life here wouldn't do you any good. I'd rather die trying than die mourning for nothing", X gave a sharp reply. X released the defender's grip as his hands weaken from X's sharp comment. He faced the square exit and left without any other hindrance.

X looked for an inn to stay in for the night, and he decided on a decent inn to stayed in. The inn's room was simple. There was a bed and a desk beside it, and a toilet in the opposite side of the room. Pretty much everything X could ever thought he needed. He unequipped all his weapons and holsters and went to sleep.

---

X woke up somewhere at 8:30. He went to the toilet and washed my face to wash off all his drowsiness. When he look at the mirror, he saw his regular self. He widened his eyes at first, but he finally remembered what Kiyoshi Hayate had said, all the player's appearance will be the same as they are in the real world.

X had probably just a normal face, although back at high school he used to be feared for his dangerous looking obnoxious eyes. The front left side of his hair was spiked up towards the right, leaving an emo-like right pony which almost covers his right eye. Meanwhile the backside spiked up towards the middle and the sides of his hair was shorter compared to his hair at the top.

He rushed to equip his gear and went to the border of Beginner's Town. The situation was still sort of gloomy, but there were also some players who had found their fighting spirits back. X thought that it was a good thing to see, at least he won't be fighting alone to finish this game.

"Hey assassin!", a voice called out from somewhere. X noticed that voice. It was the defender yesterday. His appearance had changed slightly. The only thing X could notice was different from the avatar he saw yesterday was just the defender's face and hairstyle. Yesterday, the defender had a more western face and a mohawk hair, but today he seemed like a regular Japanese guy with a simple short spiky hair.

"Your real self seems to be rather small and skinny.", the defender said in a rather jolly way. X could only gave him an unimpressed look.

"Hahaha! Calm down. I'm just kidding. By the way, I haven't really introduced myself. I'm Barrios", the defender said. He puts out an arm to shake X's hand.

"Extorsion", X said while he shook Barrios' outstretched hand. "You can call me X for short"

"Hey, can I add you to my friend list? I'm sure we can be great friends.", Barrios said. X didn't expect to immediately be asked to be added to the friend list. He isn't someone who enjoyed a social lifestyle in the real world or any of the other games he had played. But after thinking about it twice, he thought that to make friends in a game like this might prove to be useful. Most of the players had the same goal, to finish the game and get back to the real world.

X gave Barrios a slight nod. Barrios smiled and opened his menu. He went to his friend list and sent an invitation to be friends with X, which X simply accept.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to the next town before nightfall."

"Alright! Let's go!"

"What do you mean 'we'?", X asked. He looked rather puzzled but then smiled.

"We're going to the next town, what else?"

"I'm sorry, I'd rather go alone."

"Is that so? Okay then. I'll probably rally up my own team and then go to the next town. Best of luck, lone wolf!", Barrios said and left.

"Making friends with the likes of him might be a good idea, especially in this game. We could exchange information since we don't know anything ahead of us.", X thought to himself. Barrios gave off a playful nice guy feel according to X. However it's pretty much in X's nature to work alone, like X always preferred to.

---

1 I will refer to Extorsion as X for short. This will also be his nickname^↩

Chapter 1: The Bug

WILL YOU FIGHT FOR HONOR, OR FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE?

The very same question that is stuck on my mind every single day in here. What does it mean? I don't know yet. With all the blood I shed and all the fight to survive, I'm still clueless to answer this. To be honest, I don't know anything in this world, except for one thing. This game is the fight for survival.

---

"Today is a big day for every single Japanese gamer. After launching the BrainStorm, the virtual reality game platform, Himitsu Corporation is ready to release it's first game for the BrainStorm, Blademasters Online. Every game store is packed with gamers from all over Japan, awaiting the release of this game. The head of Himitsu Corporation, Mr. Himitsu Akira, said in the press conference that Blademasters Online will push the boundaries of gaming beyond our recognition. I'm Miyako Manaka reporting from Akihabara-", I closed the tab of my internet browser after that news report.

"Good thing I pre-ordered this game. So much for a neet to be able to get this game. At least I still have time before the next university entrance tests begins.", I said to myself. Soon after, I layed down on my bed preparing to boot up Blademasters Online on my BrainStorm.

"Here we go", I said before starting the game. My whole vision turned black and before I knew it, Himitsu Corporation's logo showed up, followed by an opening of the game. The opening itself was pretty decent as it showcases the world of Blademasters Online. Soon after, I was on the loading screen.

I was greeted by a sound asking, "Will you fight for honor, or fight for your life? Welcome to Blademasters Online, warrior. You will be directed to the create-a-warrior screen". The create-a-warrior screen is pretty simple. You're simply asked for your in-game username and pick a class for your warrior. I wrote down my username by using the virtual keyboard right in front of me. Extorsion. Yes, this is the username I used on pretty much every other game I played.

"Please select a class", the same voice commands me. There were 4 classes:

• Defender: A class that highly relies on strength. This class is able to use longswords and backswords
• Fencer: A class that relies mostly on dexterity of the user. This class is able to use broadswords and rapiers
• Rogue: A class that relies mostly on the user's reaction. This class is able to use katanas and sabres
• Assassin: A class that relies mostly on agility. This class is able to use butterfly swords and daggers

I chose the assassin class pretty much on any other RPG games, so I went for it on this one too. I am then redirected to the character creation screen. The character creation screen basically lets you create the character you will be using in the game. There were thousands of combination that you can use for your character, but I stick to what I usually use; jet black spiked hair and moderate body build with no accessories.

After creating my character, I was sent to a loading screen to the game. The first sight I saw was a beautiful city. It's something sort of like what you get in the medieval ages, but it just simply looks elegant. As I looked up, I saw a sign saying 'Welcome to Beginner's Town'. Well, we all started somewhere. I talked to a nearby NPC. That NPC turns out to be a quest giver.

The quest was pretty simple, I was to accompany him to gather some apples. On the way there, we were attacked by a bunch of rabbits. The NPC told me that I was given a basic weapon to use from the start of the game. I opened my inventory menu and saw that I was given a 'Basic Assassin Set'. I opened that set and it gave me 2 daggers and some throwing knives, including their holsters. So I used them and start attacking back to the rabbits which attacked us. The controls was a lot different from what we get from regular games, since this is a virtual reality game. I was able to do some combos, but I was hit by one of the rabbit's attacks. I do feel some pain, but it isn't something I would worry about, since my HP bar was still 9/10.

After quite a while battling those rabbits, I did manage to kill them all and finished the quest from the NPC. I liked the idea where you were given a tutorial by a mission as it simply give you quite some instinct of what to expect in this game. I was given some GP (game points), which was the currency of this game.

I checked the time which was on my menu screen. It was getting kinda late, and I have to wake up early tomorrow to visit a university's open house. I decide to log out. There was one problem. I can't log out.

---

Well, that was quite a first chapter for me to write. I do realize that my English isn't so good and I do have problems in making names haha. Please do write a feedback to me about my writing. If you like this story, be sure to subscribe. Sharing this story will really help me. Thank you for reading!

READ ME BEFORE READING

Hello fellow readers

You might be wondering what is this blog. Well, this blog is dedicated to a story that have been in my mind for quite sometime, and I have decided to finally put it out as a blog. This blog will not be updated regularly, since this is a blog for me to put out all my boredom hehe. This blog will be fully in English, but be warned that my grammar isn't exactly the best, since I'm not that good in grammar.

The story is about a boy who played a MMORPG game. The online game is called "Blademasters Online". As you can tell, all the weapons in this game consists of blades (and some projectiles as in throwing knifes, not bows and arrows). When a player logs in into the game, the players will not be able to log out, unless someone finishes the game. The rest of the story will be explained via the story itself.

Well yes, I do admit that the story itself is like an adaptation from Sword Art Online. Not only that, you will also be able to find some reference to other animes or mangas. To be honest, I'm not that good in coming up with my own idea for a story. If there are anything close to anything at all;

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in this story that might take reference to other things, except for the story itself

Well, without further ado, happy reading :D