There was no problem with alcohol after dinner. There was no hangover. Dan didn't drink much. He listened more to the others' conversations. Dan felt great in the morning, he was surprised to see the other guys wake up in a bad mood. All the guys were angry and wanted the game to break down and format. The increase in Gandalf's levels for today was canceled, as was exercise.

Gloomy Michael took Jim, John, and Nick with him. They put on their deaf cloaks and went to the village to take their missions. Alexander remained in charge of the Preceptorium.

The boys moved the benches together and sat down at the table. Ron pulled out a gla.s.s and bones and soon there were gambling screams.

Dan sat there and watched them with dark despair.

''I couldn't understand the calm of these people. I didn't understand their foolish belief that everything was about to change and that they would all go back to the normal world. No one remembered their past life completely. But everybody was sure that some mistake had happened to them. I couldn't understand it. I didn't believe it was possible to go back to the past real life.

And I was afraid to convince the others of my point of view.''

Alexander gave him the cloak. Dan had a mission to take a fresh look at the castle.

He wouldn't go straight to the donjon. There are weak skeletons and three strong monsters. Dan didn't want to die in the morning. But it was interesting to see the castle with daylight.

He rushed out into the courtyard. The cool air smelled of ozone, it burst into his lungs and stunned for a few seconds.

Heavy drops of rain drummed on the skin of the cloak. Dan smiled and started morning exercise.

He ran along the castle wall, past the buildings.

It's the other players who can spit on the development of strength and dexterity. They've all already chosen the path of the warrior and developed strength and dexterity and body as much as possible.

Dan had to work. He had to take any advantage of the system over monsters.

When he fell asleep, Dan really wanted to wake up at home! But he woke up in the castle.

So now, he has to live in this weird and cruel game. But why? What's the meaning of this? What will be his role in this world? Why does the system hide from Dan the meaning of coming here? These thoughts were spinning hard in his brain as Dan ran and ran around walls.

Will there be a chance for us to go home? Yesterday, I listened to the stories of my new comrades. I practically felt a dominant emotion in my skin to settle in these people forever.

It was fear. They were all afraid. I remembered how my hands felt the b.l.o.o.d.y scars on my face, remembering the pain I felt when my face was torn apart. I knew what they were all so afraid of.

The pain hovered over the group like the worst threat ever. Even death didn't scare them as much as the pain.

How did it feel to die? I still have to find out here, but I've already found out the pain. How long can the human mind lasting under the voluntary torture that has to be experienced many times to survive and become stronger in this world?

*

[Attention! Your dexterity has increased by one.

Try to move faster and become stronger]

*

All right! Dan shaved towards the outbuildings. Let's have a look at our property.

The water in the yard didn't acc.u.mulate much. He looked around and noticed small windows at the base of the walls, where rainwater ran away with noise and foam. Very thoughtful medieval times, the System respects purity.

He pulled a heavy wooden door on himself and entered the first room.

The smithy. Horn, smithy pliers on one side, tanks underwater. At the other wall there were large boxes closed on heavy locks. One of the drawers had no lock on it. Dan could hardly lift the ma.s.sive lid and see that it was full of charcoal. He turned the forging tools in hand and read a short description. Dan put them back and came out of the blacksmith's.

In the second room there were horse stables and a small room with the remains of grey hay. Wandering around the stables, he went outside.

Dan went around the stables and found that there was a wagon behind it under a small tent. Huge wooden wheels with spokes.

He walked around the yard a little more and froze in front of the gates of the donjon. The gate was covered with iron strips, with wolf heads holding greenish rings in their teeth.

Dan stood briefly in front of the gate and reached for the ring with determination.

The time had come for a more serious test.

Michael said that in the village he would give up quests. The group will gain experience. Perhaps it will be enough for a new level. It didn't matter to Dan. He was well-aware of one rule of the game. In the beginning it's easy to gain experience and levels.

Dan didn't even begin to distribute the characteristic points he got for level 7.

Now he has to acc.u.mulate the characteristics. He was sure that this is the right decision.

There were several entry-level skeletons in the donjon. The guys would walk and gently kill them one by one. These skeletons were reborn every day. Of course, the players were three times stronger than Dan, causing three times the damage. But who afraid of ordinary levels 1 skeleton, if you reached level 7? That's funny.

Dan pulled out the weapon. The Robber's club. He'd love to look at an old acquaintance. She's the one he met yesterday, his very first find in the game.

*

[The Robber's club

Rank: a close combat weapon

Type: Normal

Damage: 30-40 [Critical damage: 90-120]

Attention! If you put all your strength into a blow, you can stun and shock the enemy for a few minutes

Durability: 97

Weight: 1 pound (0.45 kg)]

*

Smile at the name. Why is it the Robber's club? Why isn't it the Good Brave man's club? It's a game of gloom and horror. The club is good. It's a crus.h.i.+ng weapon. Crus.h.i.+ng weapons have always worked well against skeletons. And the undead can also be burned with fire!

Dan already figured out several ways to defeat the strongest monsters.

He doesn't understand why the rest of the players are still sitting waiting for something that doesn't understand. Eight days!

Okay, let's look at ourselves in a new fight.

*

Dan barely opened one of the gate doors and slipped in, the thick door almost silently closed behind him. A magnificent hall opened in front of Dan. Eight smooth high columns formed a corridor. It was lighted by torches a couple of yards above the floor. The torches burned poorly illuminating only the central pa.s.sage. The rest of the hall was hidden in darkness.

And who lighted the torches? Skeletons?

At the end of the hall, there was a huge picture carved in stone depicting some creatures, but Dan couldn't see the details. In front of the picture there was a small bas.e.m.e.nt with a wide bowl.

He pressed the weapon firmly and slowly moved forward.

At the same moment, a slight shuffle was heard from the areas resting in the darkness.

Dan froze on the spot.

Because of the second column, the Skeleton appeared on the left side of the torch.

It was a real skeleton with remnants of some rags on its bones.

Skeleton with no weapon in his hands.

Green flames were flickering in the empty eye sockets and among his ribs. With his head turned, the dead man turned his look at Dan and slowly spied in his direction.

As soon as Dan saw him, fear took hold of him. Trying to overcome it, Dan turned the status with the information of the creature coming at him.

*

[Skeleton

Level 1

Type: normal

Life: 1200]

*

Dan feels better. Level one. No weapons.

He only needs to hit the skeleton 30 times! That's half a minute of the fight. Dan can win.

And at that moment, the skeleton, which was only a few steps away, rushed sharply in his direction.

Dan almost missed that moment, but he managed to dodge it by jumping aside sharply.

Obeying his instincts, Dan turned away and the club, describing the semicircle, hit the bone joint near the knee of the creature. There was a crunch and a line about the damage appeared in the interface.

[A critical blow! You have dealt 110 damage points.]

Oh, great! What if I hit it differently? The club extracted green sparks from the ribs of the creature.

[You've done 50 damage points.]

That's a lot to think about. Fighting requires real dedication. You have to hit with all your might, with a real desire to cause damage.

s.h.i.+t! No time to think! The skeleton jumped again and Dan tried to jump aside. But he stepped on the floor of his cloak, his body swung a cube down the aisle. d.a.m.n cloak! d.a.m.n fool! And I need dexterity and agility to turn away. Why didn't I take my cloak off? I was mad at myself.

Dan stopped his fall at the feet of another Skeleton who came out into the lighted s.p.a.ce.

The Skeleton had already brought his hands to the punch and Dan rolled sharply back, avoiding the punch.

Dan quickly removed the cloak into the inventory and jumped to the feet. Then, he started throwing himself between the skeletons. Dan managed to avoid hitting them. At the same time, his mind noted that the bones of the creatures were covered with a transparent sh.e.l.l. When he hit the skeleton, it blinked greenishly.

Dan also noticed that the skeleton he hit in the knee began to move slower than his comrade. He hummed and the devil's dance began. Dan's theory was fully confirmed.

If he hit the bone joints, there would inevitably be critical damage. If he hit the joints on legs, the creatures will slow down significantly.

Dan was a snake spinning between two skeletons. He was able to practically immobilize both. Dan was kicking in the legs. His kicks didn't just cause damage! He was slowing my opponents down. But Dan failed.

Four more Skeletons showed up because of the distant columns. And that's when he screamed. With all his might, Dan started hitting one skeleton at a time. Soon he killed the first creature.

He got three hundred experience points.

The d.a.m.n inscription distracted Dan, he missed one of the Skeletons. A deaf blow and a sharp pain pierced the player's body in the back area.

*

[You were hit with 190 damage points.]

*

Dan twisted in pain. It's like boiling water was sprayed on his back. He bounced aside, good thing there was a gate. The pain had subsided.

The skeleton with the shattered bones on its legs was moving quickly with its hands and crawled towards him. Like a terrible kind of an evil spider. Four of his comrades were slowly shaving in his direction. Should he run away?

At first, that thought inside Dan started to make him angry. And then he suddenly remembered clearly why he was here. Go to the devil, all of you! I'm going to kill you all. And I'm going to kill myself! It's a game, baby! Dan laughed, he twisted the club with his hand that was whining in pain. Then, he started hitting the skeleton that has got to him.

The digital value of the damage done and received did not distract Dan anymore. He tried to move fast and hit hard. Dan succeeded. Dan even took it to the next level. Six Skeletons with bunches of trumpets lying on a stone floor. And Dan could barely hold on to the feet.

There was pain pulsating all over his body. It was like he was boiling in a cauldron. His right leg got a few punches and it hurt like it was broken. It was even more painful to step on it.

Dan has 93 points left in his life.

d.a.m.n it! When you get a new level, the player's health points and mana are not restored, Dan moaned and swallowed tears. But he waddled to a bunch of bones. He has to collect the loot.

While picking from pile to pile, he bent down through the force and touched the bones of defeated opponents. Dan couldn't read the description of the loot, the pain in his body clogged up all strange thoughts.

Heavy footsteps spread all over the room. When Dan turned around in a doom, he saw a new creature. Higher than usual Skeletons in a horned helmet, in chopped iron armor. Bones and a burning green flame could be seen through the pieces of armor.

This skeleton had a sword and a s.h.i.+eld in its hands.

Congratulations, the animators who painted this thing can get the highest score. The creature was inspiring, it couldn't help but inspire.

*

[The Skeleton Warrior.

Level 15

Type: Elite

Attention! This monster has committed over ten murders of players. Its characteristics have been increased by 20%.

Life: 8000.]

*

And now Dan definitely finished. Death in the a.s.s! In the a.s.s this game! When he turned around, Dan was wobbling all the way to the exit. He b.u.mped into the door and howled from the powerlessness.

The door wouldn't open!

The creature's footsteps were coming closer and closer behind his back. Dan turned and looked into the green flame that carried to death.

For a while, as if enjoying the moment, the Skeleton stood a step away from Dan. And then a swirl of metal and a moment of pain swallowed Dan up.

*

Death, Me, and the Great Nothing.

I was and I was gone.

I've never experienced horror like this before in my life.

*

The body arched out and the first breath hardly pushed air into Dan's lungs. He leaned on a stone bed and looked around the Revival Hall with a blurred look. There was a weakness in the whole body. With his legs gently down, Dan slid from the base. With back resting on the bed he sat down on a step and froze. His head was empty, there was not a single thought. The mind was stubbornly unwilling to comprehend what had happened.

There was no time for Dan yet. A message from the system shaken him.

*

[Congratulations! You experienced your first death.

Three hundred experience points received.]

*

Why did I go to the donjon alone? It was the right thing to do. For Whom? It was for me.

What for? I had to understand. Understand what? Death. And what gave me that knowledge? I experienced Fear. Will that knowledge help me? Yes... or destroy me. I don't want to experience this anymore. Then, I will die. I'm kind of immortal now.

And at that moment, Dan felt a rush of air. It was like a weak breeze of wind. And Dan thought he heard a quiet laugh and a voice that said only one word.

'Lies'.

*

[Attention! 'Vengeance' mission accomplished. 4000 experience points have been gained.

Attention! Mission 'Lost Kin' complete. 1500 experience points obtained.

Attention! Your group is honored to fulfill its duties. 50 'Glory' points have been received.

Your group's overall status has been changed to 'Rumors confirmed' and you have received the second level of fame.

Up to the next level of fame you need to score two hundred more Glory Points.

Now your group can count on more tasks and more details, the traders will give you a significant discount on their products]

*

Michael in the village gave up his quests. The status of the group blinked quickly. So now Gandalf will not have to test himself in the woods. Gandalf + 3 levels. Ron, Tom, Leo, John and Nick at +1 level. Dan counted in mind and realized that everyone, but he had fallen 3,500 experience points. He got an extra in 2000. Michael, Alexander and Jim were still on their own.

Dan got up on his feet and came to the window. The window was tightly covered with a wooden s.h.i.+eld, but there were big gaps in it. He looked down.

Downstairs, one of the players was wrapped in a deaf cloak, standing in the rain, propping up the wall and occasionally looking down at the rope.

It was only at that moment that Dan realized that he was still in the main tower!

That creepy skeleton killer down there! It's near! The point of rebirth is not in the chapel! And how does he go down?

Dan took a good look at the s.h.i.+eld that closed the window. He was on his way up. You could lift it up and squeeze it out the window. And then you could go down the rope to the castle courtyard.

Dan picked up the s.h.i.+eld, threw one leg over, and grabbed his hands to the wet rope.

Then, he helped himself with his legs and crawled out and slipped straight down.

Thank G.o.d the guys put knots on it. Otherwise, Dan descent wouldn't have been without consequences. His legs touched the ground and Dan breathed out lightly.

Alexander was leaning against the wall and nodded at Dan with a smile:

"Happy birthday, Dan. Come on, let's get warm. I've been watching you for half an hour. I'm soaked."

After the rebirth, the body felt weak, Dan felt uncomfortable with the raw cold. He pulled a cloak out of the inventory, put it on shoulders, and went after it.

"Am I that predictable?"

"You know, the Army teaches you how to know people. When you went to get the cloak, I knew you'd go there," he said.

"Are you in the army?" asked Dan.

"And you're not?" he answered with a question.

"I don't know, I don't remember. There's something I don't like about the idea of the army. Subordination," answered Dan honestly.

"How many skeletons have you killed?" he asked.

"Six," smiled Dan.

He stopped.

"Did the Elite kill you?" he asked in a quiet voice.

"Yes."

"Don't tell others... The skeleton could have raised the level of your murder. They won't like it."

Dan looked into Alexander's face and realized that he liked that man. They stopped at the chapel door. Dan nodded his head at him. They understood each other.

*

There was a noise coming from the chapel.

When Dan walked into the room, he was surprised to see the players having fun at the tables.

There was a fresh pitcher of wine and leftovers from yesterday's food on the table.

Gandalf was most excited and laughed.

When Dan got there, the players calmed down a little, but Dan smiled and shaved past the table to the fireplace. The noise behind his back resumed.

As Dan laid the cloak on the stone floor, he sat closer to the fire. Dan opened the window with characteristics and serious thought.

Leo came up to him and put a cup of wine next to him, then came back to the table.

*

Name: Dan.

Race: Human

Level: 8

Experience: 19100/20700

Strength: 12

Intellect: 10 [MP 100]

Dexterity: 12

Spirit: 15

Endurance: 15 [HP 1500]

Luck 1 [Pa.s.sive]

Available with 10/+5 characteristic points and 8/+5 skill points.

Before a character is a.s.signed to a cla.s.s, the distribution of skill points and the skill tree is blocked.

*

And how do I develop my skills? While a.n.a.lyzing my fight in the Donjon, I tried to think over my next steps. If I hadn't been beaten up, could I dodge the Warrior Skeleton like a normal Skeleton? No! He had level 15. A monster. A swordsman sharpened to murder. But even so. What did I get? Six dead skeletons in one death. I got the level! But they were level 1.

Does it make sense to put points in strength and dexterity? Or I have to continue to increase the spirit and intellect.

Strength increases the power of the close attack, as well as the chances of parry and block.

Dexterity increases accuracy, evasion and a chance of a critical hit and long-range attack.

Battle in the Donjon has shown that creatures have weaknesses by hitting them, causing them to take critical damage. How is the damage calculated in the game?

Yesterday, when I talked to the guys, I found out that the damage to the weapon depends directly on the strength of the character.

In my description, the club had 30-40 points of basic damage. How much damage did my 12 strength points add?

Status. Battle Records. I did 50 damage in most cases. Strength is added to weapon damage. I thought so.

On the other hand, there were already a majority of warriors in the group.

The system directly writes about the presence of magic in this world, and I have reason to think about another way of development. Then, I need to increase my Spirit and Intelligence.

Dan didn't like the laughter of the players. And that's when he realized that he didn't want to be like them. He has to wait for a while.

Dan didn't drink wine. He was just holding a cup in hand. His eyes froze on the fireplace flames.

After a while, Dan fell asleep.

He woke up to the sound of the door slamming. A cup of wine was in his hands the whole time.

Dan put it aside, went up sharply and moved to the exit.

The sky was so tight with clouds, the rain stopped, but the water slurry continued to hang in the air.

Alexander stood in the center of the courtyard and talked to Michael about something. And near the gate there was a lively vanity.

Dan came closer and froze, his jaw rushed down. At the opening in the wall leading to the gate mechanism, there was a dense shorty with a huge red beard to the waist. The rough features of his face were as if carved in stone. The short man was fat, but his thickness was solid, powerful.

He had thick arms and legs. How does he walk in general?

"Shut your mouth," said Michael.

He came up to Dan and watched at the reaction with a smile:

"Dan, really, shut your mouth and doesn't stare at him. It's indecent."

"Who's that?"

"It's a dwarf. I told you, there are a lot of races living here. Why are you so surprised?"

"You know, when you see something like this in a picture, its one thing. And when he's standing next to you, it's different. Who is he?"

"Turin, the former village of a blacksmith."

"Why former?"

"And he is the main award for the werewolf a.s.signment."

The expression on Dan's face made Michael laugh. He made it clear:

"We finished off his daughter's killer. He swore to serve us for that. His son stayed in the village."

"Violent order here."

"I heard you went to the donjon."

His look got serious and it was like he was trying to look at something in Dan.

It was a subject for a serious conversation.

Dan did not hide anything:

''I wanted to get to know the Lady better. I had to find out what it is. Death. And rebirth too.''

Michael frowned and shook his head:

"Met. What's next?"

"I have suggestions. We can defeat these monsters."