Prologue – A Ghost of the Past

I can hear it.

The stomping hooves of the minotaur closing in on me. I slip into a dark corner of the stone labyrinth, waiting for my prey. I have spent the better part of an hour fighting this monster down here, and my constant hit and run tactics has put a toll on my remaining health and stamina points. Fortunately, the Minotaur himself is near death.

It won’t be long now.

The first half of the fight was a cakewalk. The large mass of muscles moves slowly, and his senses are dull. I hit his weak points frequently, slicing the tendons in his ankles and neck. His racial passive [Enraged] kicked in the moment he reached thirty percent health.

I have been running ever since. Throwing the occasional caltrop behind me or taking potshots with my crossbow. I am running low on consumables, but I only need one good hit to end the fight.

The stomping of his hooves grows louder. My time to strike nears. I can hear a gust of air exhale from his snout. I take a deep breath to collect myself.

“It’s now or never.”

I dart out from my hiding place and start swinging my sword. The timing is perfect. The minotaur appears from around the corner while I’m mid-swing. The raging monster charges forward as he notices a sharp glint appearing in the corner of his vision. The tip of the blade easily slices into his flesh, only momentarily slowed by the resistance of his resilient muscles. My sword exits on the other side, releasing a soft gurgling sound as the the blood starts flowing.

The minotaur’s blood red eyes widen in shock for a short moment while his brain tries to comprehend what just happened. However, it’s already too late. Strength leaves his body as he falls to his knees. I tighten the grip on my sword and take a step back. The minotaur stares helplessly at me as I muster whatever strength I have left to thrust the sword straight through the open wound.

The minotaur lets out a small whimpering sound as he tips over on the ground, lifeless.

I collapse on the ground. That last thrust cost me my last few points of stamina, and my body suffers the penalty of being unable to move for ten minutes while my stamina bar recharges.

Exhausted, I release a deep breath.

That fight took a lot out of me. I mentally open my character’s inventory and check the status of my consumables. My eyes narrow at the sight. “Geez, this was expensive...”

During the fight, I exhausted most of my consumables. I spent a total of 29 health potions, 38 stamina potions, 46 clusters of caltrops, 134 crossbow bolts, 16 haste potions, 12 adhesive potions and 14 throwing knives coated in acid poison. Nearly a hundred gold coins worth of equipment on just one single fight.

But I did it!

I freaking did it!

I solo killed a high-level dungeon boss intended for a group of five people all on my own!

“WHO’S THE MAN!?” I yell. The echo of my bravado reaches far into the labyrinth, although no one is around to hear it.

A small ding echoes in my mind, signaling the appearance of a system window. The familiar blue translucent screen appears in front of me.

Congratulations!

You have slain the ancient heroic boss King Taurus the Red Brute!

For slaying the boss with a party consisting of *1* player(s), you have been granted more powerful rewards!

You have been awarded 2’101’200 experience points!

You have been awarded the legendary item [Horn of the Minotaur King]

You have been awarded 238 Gold, 76 Silver, 34 Copper

This window is quickly followed by another message.

Congratulations!

For being the first player to kill Taurus the Red Brute single handedly, you have been awarded a unique title!

Title Received Slayer of the Minotaur King

And yet another one.

You have leveled up!

You are now level 232

Five unallocated Attribute points have been awarded.

Not a bad result at all. After a short while, my exhausted debuff ends and I can finally move my character. I jump to my feet and try to find a good angle to view my fresh kill. I can’t leave before I take a decent screenshot after all. My pride as a gamer won’t allow it.

Half a minute later, with a satisfied grin on my face, I prepare myself to leave.

I extract a single-use teleportation stone from my inventory, gently placing it at the ground in front of me. I start the 10 second channeling sequence before the stone starts to pulse with power. A wild torrent of blue mana encompasses my body, swirling like a maelstrom.

A couple of seconds later the scent of the dusty labyrinth is replaced by salty water. My vision clears as I stare out at a vast blue ocean.

“Honey, I’m home!” I chuckle at my own dry joke. It feels good to be back though.

My teleport point is located at the docks of the capital city. A fresh breeze washes over me, allowing my tense muscles to finally relax. I look out towards the ocean while a sad smile crosses my mouth.

“I’m going to miss this place…”

With a heavy heart, I turn and head towards the city core. Empty merchant stalls and taverns greet me along the way. The occasional NPC and stray player walks by every now and then, but they don’t say anything. There is definitely a sullen gloom hanging above the city.

Only a year ago, these very streets were bustling with activity. Adventurous players and boisterous NPC merchants filled the streets as loud cheers and laughs could be heard for miles away. The current state of the city is quite the opposite. It reminds me more of a ghost town.

I stop in front of a rundown tavern. Its doors are nailed shut. The wooden walls could need some paint and a few glass windows are broken. I let my fingers glide along a dusty plank barring the door.

This used to be my favorite tavern. I met my first friend in this place, and many of my best adventures started here. Now it’s closed for business, like most player frequented establishments.

This game is dying.

Yggdrasil Online used to be the most popular Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online game, or VRMMO for short. Tens of millions of players once called this game home, but now it’s only a shell of its former self. Only a couple thousand players log in every day now, whereas most migrated to newer and better games. Nobody cares about this relic. The game was one of the first of its kind to hit the markets. Players rejoiced at the realistic scenery and splendid gameplay. But like most games, newer and better games were eventually made and the masses moved on.

I don’t even know why I’m clinging to this game myself sometimes. Perhaps it’s because I for the first time in my life felt like I mattered. People treated me like an equal, and we shared laughs in spite of real life appearance, accomplishments and social status. We were all just mere players, with a common interest in gaming. It’s the sort of harmony I have craved all my life. Sometimes I wonder if I keep playing this game just because of sentimentality alone. My friends have all moved on. I feel like a ghost of the past.

...

I do like it here though.

No matter what I feel, I soon have to find myself a new pasture. The servers are scheduled to shut down this very evening. This means that my character, the testament to my memories, will be wiped clean.

I keep on walking until I reach the city plaza. The plaza used to be filled with merchant stalls, and it was the main area in the city for players to find a party to adventure with. Now the place is desolate. At the center of the plaza stands a large fountain made out of marble. It’s one of the city’s main landmarks. At the top of the fountain, three statues form a ring. A human, an elf and a dwarf are holding hands facing one another. Smiles of friendship and comradery on their faces. It’s truly a marvelous sight.

I walk up to the fountain and sit down on a bench at the edge of the pool. I stretch my arms and let out a comfortable yawn. My eyes slide shut and my body relaxes. The virtual sun gives me a warm sensation on the skin. It’s a delightful feeling.

“Hey there stranger! Is this seat taken?” My eyes shoot open. I tilt my head to the side and notice a human player. His avatar is of an older gentleman. He is bald as an eagle with a thick white beard, sporting a full plate mithril armor with a shield strapped to his back and a hammer resting at his hip. I activate my analyze skill and the blue transparent window appear.

Theocles - Champion of the Light

Guild: Sun Crusaders

Level: 245

HP: 37732 – MP: 22374 – SP: 33687

Race: Human

Class: Paladin

“Hooh… Champion of the Light, eh? I would be honored to be seated next to a paladin of the famous Sun Crusader guild.” I smile at the man.

“Cheeky kid.” The man laughs while taking a seat next to me. “The pleasure is mine, getting to enjoy the last few hours on the server with the famed Solo-Butcher.” He grins.

I let out a laugh. “Can’t say I ever liked that nickname.”

He laughs. “Not flattering enough for you kid?”

I raise my eyebrow. “Sounds rather crude, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so… but from the videos online, the battles you fought were far from pretty.” The old paladin chuckles.

“Got the job done didn’t it?” I shrug while revealing a small grin of my own.

“Can’t argue with that!” He roars with laughter.

We sit there smiling a bit in peace, taking in the atmosphere. The old man pulls out a couple of tankards of ale and hands me one. The cold ale feels very refreshing. I’m lucky I met another kind soul to keep me company these last few hours.

“So how did you get that fancy title?” I eventually ask the man. [Champion of the Light] is a very rare title only a few players ever managed to achieve.

A smile appears on the old man’s face. He begins to tell a tale of his guild and how they fought a high level necromancer in a cursed crypt at the base of the Cyrene Mountains. The battle was tough and his entire raid fell. Being the sole man standing, the old man managed to pull off one of his most powerful smite abilities and vanquish his foe. He received the title after completing a set of very specific conditions he was unwilling to reveal, but I keep trying to wiggle the information out of him.

We sit there trading stories for a while. The old man tells tales of his guild’s most challenging raids, and I tell stories of the bosses I fought on my own.

The hours pass by.

“… and that’s when I decided to hold my last stand against the bull. I went for a power slash around a corner for the sneak attack bonus…” I lift my arms, pretending to hold a sword in my hands.

“… then I followed up with a power thrust to his exposed wound. I reckon I wouldn’t have made it without getting a double critical hit!” I finish of the story of my latest battle. The old man sits on the edge of his seat, captivated by my recital of what probably was my toughest fight yet.

“Splendid! I wish I could have witnessed such a fight!” He roars, his glee apparent on his face.

“I’ll upload the video later. I can send you the unedited feed if you’d like?” I usually never offer up the raw footage of my fights, since I don’t like to reveal my strategies in depth. My unique strategies is what earned me my fame in the first place. I am going to make an exception for this old man though. He is a good guy and I feel like I can trust him. The game will end soon anyway, so it’s not like my combat style have any value anymore.

My smile slowly withers.

“That’d be great!” His smile is radiating with joy, unaware of my shifting mood. The look on his face reminds me of my own from when I received my very first gaming console as a kid.

Good times…

“Aah, but look at the time! I gotta head off kid. It’s been a pleasure!” The old man says.

“Is it? A pity, I enjoyed your company Theocles. Perhaps we will meet again in another game?”

“Please, call me Theodore. And I sure hope so kid.” The old man waves his hand. A bright white light flashes from his location. He is gone. Logged off.

I stand up and do another light stretching.

“I guess I’ll head off as well.” I mutter.

“So long Yggdrasil… thanks for everything.”