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Volume 5

Chapter 12: Dissecting the Game

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Amidst the whiteness of the world around it, a solitary multi-legged chrome-plated mechanical creature creeps over the thick face of the mountain and stubbornly defying the call for murder.

The cruel sky had greyed, denying the warmth of day while the white colored cold soil kept on shaking, the creatures skidding, and the roars of the wild screaming, wanting its prey.

One can hear the violent blowing wind whispering like a giant monster, carrying with it specks of trampling little white dots sending chills down to the bones.

“Of all the times for a blizzard…” in the head of the creature lay a frantic driver. He periodically glances at the side and rearview mirrors, watching out for the direction of incoming attacks.

At the top of the head was Siva and beside him was Volt, both had projectile weapons in hand, back to back to cover both their blind directions.

“What do you think that is?” Asked Volt, cocking the bazooka cannon he hugs on his chest. “It’s been making those roaring sounds since a while now but it hasn’t made a single move.”

Siva released his [Killing Zone] and after a while, a roar returned and he hissed a reply. “Whatever it is, it’s surely an S-Rank monster. Only, I’m not sure what kind because since earlier, I’ve been calling for it to come at us but no matter how many times I try to call it, it doesn’t come and only roars.”

“Was it you who’s been making it do those irregular roars in between few breaths?” asked Thorn on their Auricles.

“Yeah. I’ve been calling for it for a while now but it’s not coming in to attack and only sends that roar in reply.”

“The «Killing Zone» effect, huh…”

“But, why are you even calling for it?” Volt couldn’t put his mind at it. Because with the current situation, wouldn’t it be better if it didn’t attack at all?

Pulled out his Black Ender and then stared at it.

“In this journey, I realized just how weak I am when compared to those who are truly strong. They have trained their avatars in ways that you guys may have even seen it… with that Hagrid. He can move so fast and his punches are really strong that it shakes the air and sends of a shockwave without any equipment to boost it.”

The two other men were silent. Siva stared at the sword for a good moment before Thorn spoke.

“It may be because of the STL.”

“STL?” Volt asked but just as he was about to ask, it was Siva who actually spoke.

“Soul Translating Language. STL. When the Neurolink Device –NLD was just being developed, the idea of it being used for a VR Game was just secondary. Its very first purpose was actually for medical usage, for the coma patients whose loved ones had yet to give up and continued to wait…”

Siva’s tone of voice made the two think of his origins.

He was, after all, the son of the creators of the NLD that they are using for game right now. He knowing of some of the origins of the NLD was just normal if it’s anything else.

Sighing, Siva looked off into the distance, the blowing cold wind and the pinching iron legs of the Centipede against the snow his background sounds.

Putting a hand on his chest, he thought of the words he heard from AG in Fort Magsaysay.

“I was a patient of DNIT… once.”

Hearing this, Thorn gasped. And his shaky voice came from their ears with astonishment. “Direct Nerve Impulse Therapy… were you in some kind of an accident before?”

“I was.” Siva calmly said. “I don’t know what kind of accident I was in before but I was in a coma and my parents didn’t even think twice to put me under DNIT to make me wake up. That was three-four years ago, I think. But I recovered because of DNIT. After waking up, the full development of RPG: Terroa kicked in and led to the things you all should know right now.”

DNIT, Volt was also familiar with it.

It was a kind of therapy that directly sends specifically designed pre-programmed electric impulses to the brain to stimulate brain activity and revive a coma patient’s stagnant brain cells.

It was a double edged sword for which not all coma patients are susceptible and are able to respond to the impulses. Also, there have been reports that some DNI Therapy patients who did not wake up from the direct exposure to these electric impulses displayed much lower chances of revival. Thus, for the sake of general safety consensus, 99% of medical specialists, especially neuroscientists, boycotted and voted for the abandonment of such technology.

“But what does that have to do with STL?” Volt asks.

Thorn replied, “DNI Therapy uses specific sets of nerve impulse-inducing stimulating pre-programmed electric discharges that can be measured only in a quantum levels. The program that translates and also creates these electric discharges are called STL. With the brain as the central thought processing unit of the body and considering that the thoughts created are what defines a person’s soul, how do you think are we able to recreate an avatar and control it in a virtual world made of computer programs?”

Volt felt cold water was splashed into his body. “So in simple words…”

Siva nodded. “The program that makes these avatars of ours move is that STL. Have you ever asked why we can’t add stats to our basic stats?”

Volt thought for a moment. Though he was definitely shaken by these things he was hearing, it still boils down to the fact that they are just trying to think of how and why some players are able to exceed the limits of the basic stats to be as strong as Hagrid.

“Training?” Volt replied.

“It’s just one thing.” Thorn said. “If you also think that it’s because of circumstances or how you have set up your avatar’s stats during the initial phase of your careers, that’s also, still, just a shallow part of it.”

Volt was silent. He was close to being lost. They were just talking about how Hagrid was able to be so strong but now they are already dissecting RPG: Terroa’s gameplay.

At this point, Siva’s silence was broken, “I think it more has something to do with your [Will] or your very thoughts itself.”

Thorn glanced back at the side mirror and Volt leaned his head to the side to glance at the back of his companion in this blizzard.

Siva was lost in a thought. His silence and calm breathing on their Auricles signified that he was also in the verge of discovering something within his mind.

But as the seconds passed, Thorn and Volt couldn’t wait and Thorn even spoke as if suggesting, “If it has something to do with the thoughts of a person, then that does mean that the stronger the person’s thoughts are, the stronger he will be?”

Volt felt that this [idea] was plausible, knowing that ‘Rex’ had shown how many times he had exceeded the normal realm whenever he was set to not dying when in a pinch.

Thorn’s words were not just mere conjectures either.

He had seen Siva, as The Destroyer, back in Aarun, and most especially during the War of Two Powers, exceed the limits of what a normal player could display.

He had felt it in the Forest of Oz in Aarun, when he saw Siva for the first time… that will to become strong that it became a pressure that frightened their Ranger, Hanna, that she rattled in fear.

It was what led him to deciding that no matter what, they must not cross roads with Siva.

And yet now… he could only shake his head.

Things had developed in the wrong direction and the world of Terroa, with Siva at the center of it all, had affected their lives in an irreversible way. No matter how much he wanted to regret not wanting to be part of this ordeal, with his background in the real world and the fact that he, both as a player and the person behind the avatar [Thorn], is now with Siva in this very moment, he could only trod his feet forward and only look back to check where he’d been.

Know where you are and where you’re going by knowing where you’ve been.

Thorn was sure and was also convinced that Siva’s occasional exceeding of game limits was due to his relentless pursuit of survival fueled by his desire to save his brother.

“Ah!” Thinking up to this point, Thorn and Volt felt like a thunder had hit them.

They both let out a surprised gasp at the same time.

Desire.

It all boils down to that very word.

And even Siva who has been silent for a while now had to lift his head as he seemed to have connected everything to that mere thought as well.

“Could it be…?” Thorn thought of the time possibility.

Volt was agape as well, “It should be.”

Thorn’s breathing seemed to become short in between as he racked his head trying to NOT convince himself that he was correct.

He had seen it with his own eyes. Everywhere around him, all payers without one exception, is trying to be as strong as they can be inside the game.

Some of them are lucky. Some are hard working. But it all boils down to how much they really want to be strong that they can exceed the limits of their basic stats when needed.

Why is it that even though almost everyone in the game has equal amounts of health and yet when they clash, the weaker looking are still defeated?

Yes there is the factor of equipment. But putting that aside, when an S-Class monster does his [Pose of the King] roar attack, everyone freezes and they become susceptible to terrible damage. And yet, even when hit with a direct attack, only the ‘weak-looking’ ones die immediately and those who ‘enjoy’ or those who are ‘not willing to die’ against that attack are able to survive…

It’s not about physical strength or the way they have set up their equipment, it’s about their will–

–their desire to survive that let them to survive!

“It’s all about… desire.”

After Thorn whispered, the drifting wind rapidly began to seethe and like a reply to his statement, a loud roar resounds from not too afar. The ground shook toppling snow and rocks, the rumbling of the wind and the echoing tremors rattled the ground the feet of their vehicle used to thread.

The three were shaken to their feet as they forgot that they were still being watched by an extremely terrifying existence hiding in the blizzard.

“Something is coming!” Volt yelled and cocked a load as he readied his bazooka.

From a few tens of meters away, they saw a giant black hand emerge from the piled up snow and this hand was connected to a shoulder that hid in the whiteness of the blizzard storm.

The length of the arm was around ten meters so just with it alone, one could imagine that on whatever kind of creature that arm was connected to should be a giant without a doubt.

A resounding roar rang from the depths of the blizzard and it somewhat dissipated some of the blowing wind and the falling snow from the clouds.

The Centipede was toppled over and Volt and Siva was knocked off their feet to fall off against the snow.

“Whaaaaaaatttt theee heeeeeeeecckkk!!!” Thorn inside the Centipede was screaming. He was still inside when the tons and tons of snow fell over the Centipede.

“Avalanche!” Volt screamed on their ears.

Two shadows jumped off from the snow as they both had hover boards on their feet when they steadied their bearings. An explosion rang from beneath their feet as Thorn emerged, panting and face grim.

“I swear I am never going to Canada to ski again!”

The three regrouped as they traveled into a nearby rock and recovered their wits.

“What is that?” Volt’s yell made the other two forget their initial surprise as they all looked back up towards the direction of the mountain top.

With their hairs standing on edge on their backs, they all felt goosebumps as a large silhouette of a human-shaped monster could be seen from the shadows of the blizzard storm.

It has a head that directly connects to the shoulders without a neck. Two upper limbs and a very large body… although it was still not clearly visible and only its shape can be seen, it was still enough to make the trio think that this is indeed a giant monster.

“Oh my God! The legends are all true! That’s an Ice Giant!” Thorn yelled in horror. “Quick! Let’s get out of here!”

As he spoke, he popped a capsule and a hover board appeared that he jumped on to for his retreat.

Volt followed, looking back to see a large boulder of ice heading their way. “Look out!”

Thorn and Volt looked back but was too late. The ice boulder was almost upon them. But Siva who was behind them made an ollie and jumped as he turned and punched the boulder off of them with Dragunov.

A sounding explosion echoed and the ice boulder three meters in diameter shattered and Siva fell back but was caught by the two on each side.

“On your feet! Let’s escape from here!” Thorn yelled.

“Just what is that thing?” Volt asked in fright.

The mere thought of its size was frightening enough and for it to accurately know where to land that boulder was even more frightening than in their most frightening imaginations.

“Ice Giant.” Thorn spoke, looking back to check. “It’s a Dragon Race descendant with almost 50% dragon blood running on its veins.”

“Dragon?!” Volt was shaken.

The Dragon Race… the legendary existence inside the game that was said to be the original owners of this planet before the Humans or the Ancient Muans that eventually became Terrans even came here.

In fact, the Dragon Race’s original appearance are unknown but legends says that the real Dragon Race was not the so called Dragons –creatures that either resembled a serpent or a four-legged mammal.

No. The Dragon Race was said to be shaped just like the Humans. They are humanoid in shape, only, they are able to change their appearance to that of their so called ‘beast form’ to unleash their maximum power.

Stories about them were all written in the Book of Legends and other historical books.

When he recalled this, Volt felt that the world had just become colder. He even had the urge to log out.

“Siva! Why did you have to call that thing?!” Thorn faced Siva only to feel regret when he realized that he was frozen stiff looking above them. “Huh? What? Is there…”

But before he could even finish, Siva pulled the Volt and Thorn as he made another jump to the side.

A loud crashing sound followed by a roar of a large monster shattered the space where they were just now and the resulting tremor and booming wind had toppled them on their heads as the three were blown away and planted on the snowy mountain wall.

ROOOOOOOOOOOAAARRRRRRR!!!

With a roar that can rattle the soul, the blizzard wind lurched to a calm stop and dissipated. The Ice Giant’s massive body stood from the crater it just made.

The entire mountain violently shook and the blizzard wind picked up again. The ice wall trembled and the three men who was planted on the mountain wall could only lift their heads as they gasped in horror.

Now, they could clearly see the monster that was hiding in the blizzard earlier.

Its height was around 60m tall, a massive muscular four-armed body and crystallite white fur that sparkled and reflected the light of sol that was now brightly shining in the sky when the dark grey clouds cleared with that one single roar earlier.

Their eyes were almost bulged to the point of escaping the confines of their sockets. The monster that is now clearly looking down at them with its ruby red eyes like a king was both a majestically awe-inspiring monster.

It was a humanoid creature and yet it has dignity. Its head doesn’t have a neck and was directly connected to its broad shoulders.

It has consciousness. It has awareness.

It was intelligent.

And it was looking at them like they were a bunch of criminals who trespassed in his territory.

Siva was the one who managed too steady himself first and he staggered to stand. He removed his skull mask and pulled down his hood to uncover his head.

He looked at the monster eye to eye.

The monster’s brows curled into a frown. It smashed the ground and then roared at Siva. Their ears were deafened and the two behind Siva almost lost their consciousness on that roar.

But Siva seemed to have been able to endure and did not even receive any damage.

[The Gift of Spirit]

In the lower right side of his vision, there was a blue label of a passive skill being activated. The Gift of Spirit was actively reinforcing his spirit and fortifying his consciousness to resist the pressure screaming to shut his body and succumb to death.

While the other two was on the edge of their feet, Siva was looking at the monster eye to eye.

Because… for some reason, he heard a voice.

“What did you say?” He spoke towards the creature.

The creature narrowed its eyes and then calmed itself as it slowly lowered its head to sniff at Siva who did not even flinch.

After a while, it stood straight again and then turned its back at Siva.

“Wait!” Siva called and he seemed to want to follow but a wave of a hand picked up a massive wind that rejected his approach. The monster continued to make his way towards the mountain top as Siva and the other two was pounded by that powerful cold wind that pierced through their protective clothing.

Siva still resisted, “I said wait! What do you mean I am not him? Who is him? Who’re you talking about?”

Siva was already diagonally inclined as he resisted the cold wind that’s now gradually becoming stronger.

But the monster only continued to walk slowly, not even paying a single glance back at Siva, disappearing into the distance, hidden by the mist of snow, until finally the three of them were blown by a surge that’s almost enough to crush any ship.

The wind picked up and they were carried as far as the mountain’s snowy ice caps could reach while the blizzard still continuously blew and left them only glancing at it from afar.

No one of the three could know exactly how far they were blown because when they realized it, they were all tired from just resisting the wind and lost their track of their wits…

When they woke up, the blizzard was gone and the world of white snow was covering them from head to toe.

And yet, despite that, they were alive.

“You guys alright?” Thorn was the first to call.

“Urgh… my head still hurts.” Volt spoke from not too far from Thorn.

“Siva!”

“Siva!”

“I’m here.” A hand pierced up the snow and the two went to pull him up the snow that buried him.

Thorn removed the snow that covered his body while Volt looked around and picked up three hover boards from the distance.

Siva sat up, shaking his head before laying on his back to where he was, looking up to the now blue sky with an occasional drifting chunk of white cloud.

He heaved a long sigh before speaking. “I heard its voice…”

Volt and Thorn exchanged looks.