Chapter 5 The Dark Awakening

Lines of glowing bright, Slyly green energy transferred from the book and into Vardy's body, moving up the veins of his arm and lighting them in the dark.

"Spells: Freeze Bolt, Flame Torch, Raise Rank 1, and Dark Heal Rank 1 learned," Vardy noted.

Dark Heal is a passive skill that heals a Warlock.

"It's a good thing I have a firm knowledge on how to use my new powers, I can recite the spells mentally.

"Freeze... ." He muttered softly as the air around him became cold. "Bolt!"

Feeling the energy surge through him, Vardy prepared to face the Essentrias charging from the forest.

to his former friend's skull. "But you'll be patched up soon with my "Nega Force".

Plus, like you said, it's not like you're missing out with that face of yours."

Vardy did not know why he talked to his friends as if they were still alive. He felt a twinge of hurt when he saw them as zombies.

He thought he was immune to loss, and though he definitely was cold to it, there was still a part of him that grieved and tried to hold on to the memories of the two that had been his only friends in this unfair world.

Perhaps a side effect of being Undead. Feeling empowered, Vardy beefed up his physical stats, knowing they were crucial in battles. He made quick work of the Essentrias using Freeze Blast and Flame Torch

Facing the lone Essentria with confidence, Vardy stood his ground, supported by his undead allies' imposing presence.

After buffing his stats, Vardy gestured for the Essentrias, "Come on, surrender now," he commanded, his voice steady and commanding.

Alldrich charged at the Essentria, preventing it from launching its own attack.

"Let's see how you handle this!" Vardy shouted, sprinting towards the Essentria with determination.

He understood that by taking the initiative, he eliminated the Essentria's escape route, though it posed a greater risk to his safety. Nevertheless, he aimed for the EXP and undead the Essentria could provide.

As Vardy closed in, the Essentria snapped at him, sinking its teeth into his shoulder.

"Ouch!" Vardy grunted in pain as the Essentria's teeth sank into his flesh.

Due to his low vitality, Vardy's body was vulnerable, and the Essentria's bite force was formidable. Despite the pain, Vardy fended off the Essentria while Luthor and Tracy intervened, overpowering the Vagrant and bringing it down.

"Do me a favor and kill this thing," said Vardy as he held his mangled shoulder.

"Get him!" Vardy urged his undead allies, his voice filled with urgency.

However, the Essentria retaliated by attacking Luthor, cra cking his skull.

"Oh no, Luthor!" Vardy exclaimed, his heart sinking at the sight of his fallen ally.

In response, Vardy delivered a precise, powerful kick to the Essentria's neck, snapping the bone and incapacitating it for good.

"That's the end of you," Vardy muttered triumphantly, his voice tinged with relief.

"I understand your hunger, but to cast "Raise the dead Rank 1", I require an intact corpse,"Vardy stated. Luthor and Tracy ceased their chewing and rose with grunts, swaying as they awaited further instructions.

Vardy's mana was currently at 2/15, and casting the spell required 4 mana per use. Thus, he needed a minimum of 8 mana to cast it twice. In Rune Quest, there was no in-combat mana regeneration mechanic; therefore, mages had to rest outside of combat to slowly regain their mana. However, this process took several hours for a full recharge.

As a result, mages often relied on consumables such as the "Revival Tainer" to replenish their mana. Every player started with one upon beginning the game which remained a basic item throughout levels 1-100. The flask contained limited charges that could be designated for either healing health or restoring mana."

Every single player started out with a "Revival Tainer" and it was the only basic item that stuck with the player all the way from level 1 to 100. The item had a set number of charges which could be set for either healing health or restoring mana.

Melee fighters employed charge-based skills instead of mana-consuming spells, enabling them to fully charge their flasks for healing.

In contrast, mages typically reserved roughly half of their charges for mana, a tradeoff for the safety afforded by ranged attacks.

Vardy's predicament lay in the absence of his Revival Tainer, an item typically bestowed upon players upon arrival at the Apex Realm - a pivotal hub that accommodates a swift travel mechanism for teleporting to saved locations. Nonetheless,

Vardy's apprehensions were assuaged when a message appeared on his screen.

Vardy was feeling worried about his progress in Rune Quest, but just as he was starting to doubt himself, a message appeared in his vision. It was a new quest!

The quest was called "Access the Apex Realm,"and it had a difficulty rating of 1. Vardy read the description carefully: he needed to use the "Glyph Tablets" item to gain access to the Apex Realm. He wondered what kind of rewards awaited him if he completed this quest successfully.

As he read on, he saw that there were two rewards: +10 EXP and +100 Coins. Vardy couldn't help but think about how important coins were in Rune Quest - they were the primary currency used for the game's shop system available through the Apex Realm.

With this new quest, Vardy felt a renewed sense of purpose and determination to succeed. He knew that completing this quest would bring him one step closer to achieving his goals in Rune Quest.

In Rune Quest, coins were the primary currency, utilized in the game's shop system available through the Apex Realm.

However, real-life Vagrants didn't drop coins, making quest completion the only means of obtaining them.

Vardy quickly said yes, and the sign glowed brightly around him, then everything went dark.

When the darkness went away, Vardy was in the Apex Realm, a round room made of gray stone. In the middle was a big basin of water on a pillar, with pictures of fighters and wizards carved on it. Half the water glowed gold for health, and the other half glowed blue for mana. Twelve tall pillars lined the walls, each with doors to different quests.

Luthor and Tracy came in behind Vardy, groaning softly.

"Hey, Luthor, what's it like seeing the Apex Realm in real life?" Vardy asked, knowing Luthor had been here many times.

Luthor and Tracy didn't answer.

Vardy went up to the basin, expecting the goddess Amara to come and give him the Revival Tainer. But instead, strange pixelated boxes appeared, making Vardy step back in surprise.

After the boxes went away, Vardy saw a pixelated black stick figure instead of the goddess.

"Welcome, Host," said the stick figure in a strange, staticky voice.

Although "Glyph Tablets" were rare rewards from challenging Trial Quests, Vardy had no choice but to use this one. Setting it in the secluded forest seemed a reasonable decision, considering its low traffic.

As the stone dissolved into the ground, it left behind a glowing spiral sigil, visible only momentarily before becoming invisible to others. Vardy pondered its accessibility, knowing that typically, only chosen players could trigger such signs.

Satisfied with his newfound pocket dimension, Vardy tapped the sign, bringing up a selection menu.

"Access the Apex Realm?"

Vardy quickly agreed, and the sign lit up brightly, surrounding him with light before everything went dark.

As the darkness faded, Vardy found himself in the Apex Realm, a round room made of gray stone. In the center was a big basin of water on a pillar, with carvings of warriors and mages.

Half the water glowed gold, for health, and the other half glowed blue, for mana. Twelve tall pillars lined the walls, each with doors to different quests.

Luthor and Tracy arrived behind Vardy, groaning softly.

"Hey, Luthor, what's it like seeing the Apex Realm in real life?" Vardy asked, knowing Luthor had respawned here many times.

Luthor and Tracy didn't respond.

Vardy went up to the basin, expecting the goddess Amara to appear and give him the Revival Tainer. But instead, strange pixelated boxes appeared, making Vardy step back in surprise.

After the boxes disappeared, Vardy saw a pixelated black stick figure instead of the goddess.

As Vardy approached the stick figure, it greeted him with a peculiar, staticky voice and welcomed him as the host. Without hesitation, Vardy replied affirmatively to the figure's greeting. Suddenly, the sign surrounding him began to radiate an intense brightness that enveloped him completely. As quickly as it had appeared, darkness consumed everything around him, leaving Vardy in a state of confusion and uncertainty.

When the darkness went away, Vardy was in the Apex Realm, a round room made of gray stone.

In the middle was a big basin of water on a pillar, with pictures of fighters and wizards carved on it. Half the water glowed gold for health, and the other half glowed blue for mana.. Twelve tall pillars lined the walls, each with doors to different quests.

Luthor and Tracy came in behind Vardy, groaning softly.

"Hey, Luthor, what's it like seeing the Apex Realm in real life?" Vardy asked, knowing Luthor had been here many times.

Luthor and Tracy didn't answer.

Vardy went up to the basin, expecting the goddess Amara to come and give him the Revival Tainer. But instead, strange pixelated boxes appeared, making Vardy step back in surprise.

After the boxes went away, Vardy saw a pixelated black stick figure instead of the goddess.

"Welcome, Host," said the stick figure in a strange, staticky voice.