Chapter 77
This is a fictional story by realTensai
The Priest's sudden words triggered the same reaction in everyone as all the students and teachers stared at their updated game system. And just like he said, a new window called quests was now available.
"Come on, go ahead and open it," he said, his voice containing genuine excitement.
Alvis' insides itched upon hearing his cheerful voice as it couldn't be a good sign. However, he took a deep breath in and out and opened the quests' window.
Welcome, player! Three quests are available.
Alvis went on and opened up the first one.
Quest Introduction: Hold the Line
Quest Giver: Captain Elara, the leader of a rebel faction.
Location: Rebel Base Camp.
Dialogue: "Player, our scouts have discovered a strategic control point deep within enemy territory. If we can capture and hold it for three minutes, it will disrupt their communications and give us the upper hand. Will you help us?"
Objective:
Capture and hold the control point for 3 minutes.
Quest Log:
Quest Title: "Hold the Line"
Objective: Capture and hold the control point for 3 minutes.
Rewards:
Items: Rare weapon ("Elara's Bow"), Health Potions (x3)
Coins: 400 coins
Alvis' mouth fell open as he let out an audible gasp, staring at this quest. He had to double-check to see if he was just imagining things, yet everything stayed the same. Just to be on the safe side he read it once more, however, his rising heart was a testament to the realness of this situation.
It's incredible!
Even though he knew it was wrong he couldn't suppress the smile that was forming on his face as his gamer nature took over. The detail of this quest made even his game system look like a low-quality game. There was a quest giver, special locations, rare items, potions and coins to be won, just like in a real game. And it was just one quest he had seen. Without even analyzing it, he opened up the second one.
Quest Introduction: Hidden Chamber
Quest Giver: Archaeologist Liora, a scholar studying ancient civilizations.
Location: Archaeologist's camp near the ancient ruins.
Dialogue: "Greetings, player. We've discovered ancient ruins that might hold secrets long forgotten. However, the entrance to the hidden chamber is sealed by a complex puzzle. Could you help us unlock it?"
Objective:
Solve the ancient ruins' puzzle to unlock the hidden chamber.
Quest Log:
Quest Title: "Hidden Chamber"
Objective: Solve the ancient ruins' puzzle to unlock the hidden chamber.
Rewards:
Items: Ancient artifact (e.g., "Amulet of the Ancients"), Key to the hidden chamber
Coins: 300 coins
The second quest was just as detailed as the first one, making Alvis' heart beat even more. He would look into each specific aspect later on, for now, he also wanted to see the last one.
Quest Introduction: Defeat the Holographic Monster
Quest Giver: Technician Zara
Location: Holographic Training Facility
Quest Description:
"Adventurer, we've been developing advanced holographic training simulations to prepare for real combat scenarios. However, something has gone wrong, and a powerful holographic monster has gone rogue. We need you to enter the facility, defeat the monster, and reset the system before it causes any more damage. Can you handle it?"
Objectives:
Travel to the Holographic Training Facility
Use your map to find and reach the Holographic Training Facility.
Enter the Training Simulation
Interact with the control panel to initiate the training program.
Locate the Holographic Monster
Navigate through the simulated environment to find the rogue holographic monster.
Defeat the Holographic Monster
Use your combat skills and equipment to defeat the monster.
Reset the System
Interact with the control panel to reset the simulation and prevent future malfunctions.
Quest Log:
Quest Title: "Defeat the Holographic Monster"
Objective: Defeat the Holographic Monster
Rewards:
Items:
Holo-Blade: A unique weapon created from the holographic technology.
Energy Potions (x2)
Coins: 500 coins
For the first time since opening his updated system did Alvis catch his breath. His hands were still shaking, yet at least the smile on his face had vanished.
"Isn't this amazing?" the Priest said, the happiness in his voice making him seem like a child. "I spent the whole night working on this new system."
His enthusiasm had leaked to Alvis, yet he just shook his head.
This isn't the time to be happy. It's a real-life survival game, not some high-quality video game!
Alvis clenched his fists, ramming his fingernails into his palm to get a grip on himself. With his mind now collected, he analyzed each quest.
The first one was called Hold the Line and one had to help Elara from the Rebel Fraction do just that. However, there were several things Alvis had to check. The location of the quest was at the Rebel base camp, though Alvis didn't know about such a place in their school. It was obvious that this Rebel Fraction and everything wasn't real and was just created for this game. Alvis also doubted that it had a deeper in-game meaning, as every quest had different tropes. However, he still had to find out where the quest would take place.
"Just check your in-game map to see where the quests will be."
As if reading Alvis' mind, the Priest had given him the answer. Alvis did as told and opened up his in-game map by navigating his system. Just a normal map of the school popped up, but there were some changes. The places and buildings had different names. The third school building had become the rebel base camp, the library had turned into the ancient ruins, and the gym near the main building had become the holographic training facility.
Incredible. — Wait, no, I can't be amazed!
Still, Alvis had to acknowledge the effort the Priest put in. However, it made him also wonder how this was even possible. Creating a real-life survival game, with systems, quests, items and so much more, was way beyond standard magic. Alvis had done a ton of research on systems and found out that nothing like this existed. So how did the Priest do all that?
Was it his curse?
Curses and blessings defied the rules of nature so it could be possible. Considering how every Priest of the Devil Cult had their own unique curse, it made sense. Yet how he did it didn't matter right now so he focused back on the quests.
This time, his eyes were on the rewards. Every quest rewarded someone with at least one item and coins. However, Alvis couldn't see how coins would benefit them, given that they were trapped in the school.
"You might be wondering what the coins are good for."
Seriously, can he read my mind?
"Just check your system again and you will see."
Alvis immediately opened up his system again and what he saw was a new department called shop.
"I've created an in-game shop where you can pay with coins. You can buy all sorts of things, be it food, items, weapons, potions, and more. But instead of me telling you, just take a look at it."
Alvis couldn't believe what he heard, so he had to see it with his own eyes.
Shop Interface
Shop Categories:
Survival Gear
Weapons
Consumables
Cosmetics
Special Offers
Category Breakdown
1. Survival Gear
Items:
Armor:
Basic Armor Vest (300 coins): Provides standard protection.
Advanced Armor Vest (600 coins): Enhanced durability and damage resistance.
Helmets:
Combat Helmet (300 coins): Reduces headshot damage.
Reinforced Helmet (600 coins): Increased head protection.
Backpacks:
Small Backpack (200 coins)
Large Backpack (400 coins)
2. Weapons
Items:
Weapons:
Sword (750 coins)
Mana Sword (1500 coins)
- Variations: Elemental Sword (2000 coins)
Shield (750 coins)
Advanced Shield (1000 coins)
Axt (750 coins)
Bow (750 coins)
Beam Gun (1000 coins): Standard issue with moderate damage and range.
Beam Sniper (1500 coins): High damage, long-range.
3. Consumables
Items:
Health:
Bandages (50 coins each): Basic healing over time.
Medkit (200 coins): Full health restoration.
Food:
Water Bottle (25 coins)
Standard Food Package (50 coins): Protein Bar, Water, Trail Mix and Canned Beans
Premium Food Package (200 coins): Five-Star Meal
Potions:
Stamina Potion (150 coins): Increases stamina regeneration.
Speed Boost (200 coins): Temporary speed increase.
Regeneration Potion (250 coins): Regenerate your health.
Mana Potion (250 coins): Regenerate your mana.
4. Cosmetics
Clothing:
Shoes (200 coins)
Jeans (200 coins)
T-Shirt (200 coins)
Jacket (200 coins)
5. Special Offers
Items:
Bundles:
Starter Pack (3000 coins): Includes Basic Armor Vest, Combat Helmet, Standard Weapon of your choice, Shield, and Medkit.
Team Offers:
Starter Pack (2000 coins)
Alvis' jaw dropped, his brain trying its best to process everything.
This system gotta be better than my own.
The level of detail was unmatched.
"This is just like a real video game," Dane said, realizing the same thing as everyone else. "It reminds me of War of Races."
"You're right."
I thought Trial of Insanity had been an accurate name, but the Devil really outdid himself this time.
"Why do I already have coins?" Sekki asked.
Alvis looked at his own system and saw that he too had already 100 coins.
"I was generous and gave everyone 100 coins," the Priest said. "From now on you will get 50 coins with every day you survive."
"Wow, this is amazing."
"I will give you one more tip though," he said, his voice and words sounding friendly, yet Alvis couldn't shake off this weird feeling. "Be careful how you use your coins. You might need them later on."
An icy shudder coursed down Alvis' spine and his brain memorized these words.
"This is it for now. You will need time to get used to everything. I might change a few things based on your behavior but this is a story for later," he said, wrapping up. "I wish you happy survival games."
His voice cut off and his presentation ended. Once again, he had dropped a bomb and just vanished. However, everyone knew that with this update, the survival game started!