home > Solitaire Mat > You weren't here. We weren't here. About the book “We Were Not Here. Cold World" Oleg Zdrav

You weren't here. We weren't here. About the book “We Were Not Here. Cold World" Oleg Zdrav

"We are here..." book II

Chapter 1

Today is the first day of spring. At least, I’d like to think so, count of days and weeks was lost at the beginning of winter, and even New Year celebrated at random, randomly choosing a more or less sunny day from a series of similar ones.

Looking back at the months I have lived in the new world, I must admit that I even like it here. Or maybe he just got used to it - a person gets used to everything if he hits his head against the wall for a long time and persistently.

Two weeks ago I returned from another, second in a row, voyage to the elven temple, full of swag and bright hopes. For the first time in the past six months, there was a real trace leading to the old life. There was hope of returning, which, however, is unlikely - I don’t want to think about it, but the chance of returning home is scanty. In any case, you need to go to people - it’s stupid to sit in one place for the rest of your life, especially considering your potential immortality.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, the frosty abysses of the sky opened up, and a week-long, non-stop hurricane hit us - the last greeting of the passing winter.

How did you guess that it was the last one? It's simple - a very unusual event woke me up:

SYSTEM ALERT!

The Global Curse "Oppression of Life" has expired

The global debuff on Life growth has been discontinued.

You are compensated +242 (553) HP of Life.

Your pet has been compensated with +34(89) HP of Life.

Woke up, he didn’t even understand what he was talking about, and only after looking at the profile and discovering almost double the size of his health, he joyfully began to throw the hamster into the air. By the way, his life also almost doubled.

I re-read the notification again, and finally I figure out what’s going on.

For a long time I was tormented by the thought that there was something catastrophically wrong with my pumping. Since I am not a tank or a fighter, but a character with an emphasis on mental and productive activity, it is logical to develop such characteristics as Intelligence - the most important and necessary for both a magician and an herbalist and artifactor.

My base Intelligence value is one and a half times less than my stamina. Due to the fact that the Persian’s reserve of health and life is simply meager, it was necessary to invest in points other than mental capacity, but in strengthening physical condition, and with depressingly low efficiency. That is, I spend points, but there is little benefit - monsters of the twentieth level have a thousand HP or more, I have three times less. It was for this reason that the soul did not feel like distributing the accumulated reserves over four raised levels in a row of 16 units. Because there was no use, well, except for the carrying capacity - so it cannot be said that the endurance was completely useless.

It turns out that the disgrace with the HP level is from the same opera as freezing Armageddon - the work of one hand (hooves?).

The second aspect of what happened is the expiration of one of the important global debuffs! If we think logically, this is a Sign of the end of the Arctic Fox, it cannot be that such an important component of total genocide stopped working ahead of time!

That is why today is the first day of spring. So the sun appeared, confirming my words, for the first time in a week it looked out and shone dazzlingly - beautiful!

Thanks to the prolonged blizzard, I found something worthy to do for the whole week. While going through and sorting the trophies, I noticed two similar sets with jaw-dropping names:

Cornerstone Ribonucleotides of the Golem. Collected 14/66

Mount keystone ribonuclein set (35/77)

If the first set was present in the form of separate disparate elements, then the second set was assembled, naturally not completely. A rather strange three-dimensional structure, reminiscent of a DNA helix molded from curved Lego parts. The design was connected based on the “magnetization” of the corners - quite an exciting toy for children preschool age it would work. And I liked it too.

Having decided that I had nothing to lose, I partially disassembled the half-structure and, after suffering a little, was able to put it back together in the same form.

Perception +1(11)

In addition, I discovered that scattered cornerstones are quite easily inserted into a “foreign” structure, but even in this case their number is not enough for a complete set.

Having critically assessed the possibility of putting together a full set, at least in the foreseeable future, I decided to experiment and make one set out of two, but a little smaller in size.

If one set has 66 elements, the second has 77, then we can assume that all sets are multiples of 11.

Since I have only 49 keystone RNAs of two types, I can try to assemble a structure of 44 elements - the lower the number of elements, the more modest it will be final result.

Intelligence +1(30)

Just in case, I sketch out the original design in great detail and start creating. After suffering for half a day, and having piled up two dozen options with zero effect, I came to the conclusion that practice without theory is a dead-end path for the development of scientific thought in this particular location. We need to start with the basics, understand the relationships, and only then try to put together something serious. Having analyzed yet another phantasmogorical construction, I decided to start with the simplest constructions.

First of all, the figure must be either symmetrical or closed - we will proceed from the fact that programmers are normal people and reasoned in much the same way, because symmetry is the basis of harmony - any accountant will tell you this by combining liabilities with assets in the annual balance sheet.

What could be more harmonious than a circle? Let’s start with it, even if it’s not a circle, but a circle, if you’re being too picky.

My intuition did not let me down. Although at first nothing worked. The chain created from cornerstone RNAs did not show any signs of magical life. Until I remembered the strange attachment of all sets to the number 11. The design of eleven elements fully met expectations, even surpassing them. It exploded in my hands.

Magic damage -240HP. (315/555)

Pure Magic Resistance +1(1)

Thank the local gods, although the structure crumbled, almost all of the cornerstone components survived. Only one burned out - the last one inserted, which was supposed to close the circle.

Bad experience is also useful - any student who gets into the registry office as a groom will tell you this.

What can we learn from this situation? We can definitely conclude that the right path was chosen - the structure should be looped. But how to do this is absolutely unclear. Considering that there are only 48 units of RNA left, 44 of them will be needed for the design. There are only 4 attempts left to achieve success - that is, back to back, you can’t experiment at random.

After waiting for life to be restored, in order to avoid unplanned death, he returned to experiments. While there is no solution for the closing link, you can work on the main structure. Going through the previously created options, I came to the disappointing conclusion that none of the invented designs could be closed - I wasted so much time in vain.

You can, of course, stupidly make a circle with all 44 links, but I’m afraid the final result will match the genius of the design - some primitive worthless creature instead of a full-fledged golem. Or a mount?

I wonder what will prevail in the end?

Admitting defeat, he turned to the original model of genetic engineering. Having recreated an incomplete mount set from the drawing, and examined it from the perspective of new knowledge, I was stunned to be convinced that this design cannot be looped, that is, directly connecting the first and last element. When trying to bend the resulting spiral structure, it immediately fell apart.

Again we have to think, where did this contradiction come from? It is impossible to doubt the professional suitability of the previous owner of the set - obviously, he knew how and what to collect from the cornerstone crap. This means that the right solution exists and we need to find it.

Then it dawns on me that I am holding in my hands a structure originally designed for 77 elements, which means it is less than half assembled!

This is what pushes me to the right decision. Let's assume that the second half of the set should be exactly the same, with the exception of the connecting elements - otherwise the design will turn out to be asymmetrical and not harmonious, which is unlikely, since the idea and quality of the set and components have so far been implemented on high level.

We have two pieces of a spiral - how can we combine them so that the beginning and end coincide? Yes, everything is elementary - one spiral inside another with a half-phase shift. My former boss had such a staircase in his cottage, or rather two spiral staircases built into each other.

And, indeed, the corner elements easily allow you to change the direction of the connection. Each RNA has 11 degrees of freedom - 11 different ways of connecting to its neighbors.

By turning the main spiral in the opposite direction, easily and quickly... I used up the entire supply of building materials. Ugh! My design should be shorter, with only 44 elements, which means the reverse spiral should begin after the 22nd.

The result was a beautiful, stylish, unfinished 43-piece double helix in just an hour. This time it didn’t come to an explosion, as soon as the last crap began to vibrate when trying to insert it into its rightful place, the process was immediately stopped. Because, based on common sense and logic, the explosion will be several times more powerful than the previous one. Here, not only will I be in trouble, but the safety of the building is also in question - further experiments will only take place in the fresh air.

Khh, - I turn around, Gnylkh is at the door, with a very alarmed face, - it’s not a good idea to do that!

"We are here..." book II

Today is the first day of spring. At least, I would like to think so, the count of days and weeks was lost at the beginning of winter, and even the New Year was celebrated at random, randomly choosing a more or less sunny day from a series of similar ones.

Unfortunately, or maybe not, the frosty abysses of the sky opened up, and a week-long, non-stop hurricane hit us - the last greeting of the passing winter.

How did you guess that it was the last one? It's simple - a very unusual event woke me up:

SYSTEM ALERT!

The Global Curse "Oppression of Life" has expired

The global debuff on Life growth has been discontinued.

You are compensated +242 (553) HP of Life.

Your pet has been compensated with +34(89) HP of Life.

I re-read the notification again, and finally I figure out what’s going on.

My base Intelligence value is one and a half times less than my stamina. Due to the fact that the Persian’s reserves of health and life are simply meager, when distributing points, it was necessary to invest not in mental abilities, but in strengthening physical condition, and with depressingly low efficiency. That is, I spend points, but there is little benefit - monsters of the twentieth level have a thousand HP or more, I have three times less. It was for this reason that the soul did not feel like distributing the accumulated reserves over four raised levels in a row of 16 units. Because there was no use, well, except for the carrying capacity - so it cannot be said that the endurance was completely useless.

It turns out that the disgrace with the HP level is from the same opera as freezing Armageddon - the work of one hand (hooves?).

That is why today is the first day of spring. So the sun appeared, confirming my words, for the first time in a week it looked out and shone dazzlingly - beautiful!

Thanks to the prolonged blizzard, I found something worthy to do for the whole week. While going through and sorting the trophies, I noticed two similar sets with jaw-dropping names:

Cornerstone Ribonucleotides of the Golem. Collected 14/66

Mount keystone ribonuclein set (35/77)

If the first set was present in the form of separate disparate elements, then the second set was assembled, naturally not completely. A rather strange three-dimensional structure, reminiscent of a DNA helix molded from curved Lego parts. The design was connected based on the “magnetization” of the corners - it would have turned out to be quite a fascinating toy for preschool children. And I liked it too.

Having decided that I had nothing to lose, I partially disassembled the half-structure and, after suffering a little, was able to put it back together in the same form.

Perception +1(11)

In addition, I discovered that scattered cornerstones are quite easily inserted into a “foreign” structure, but even in this case their number is not enough for a complete set.

Having critically assessed the possibility of putting together a full set, at least in the foreseeable future, I decided to experiment and make one set out of two, but a little smaller in size.

If one set has 66 elements, the second has 77, then we can assume that all sets are multiples of 11.

Since I have only 49 cornerstone RNAs of two types, I can try to assemble a structure of 44 elements - the lower the number of elements, the more modest the final result will be.

Intelligence +1(30)

What could be more harmonious than a circle? Let’s start with it, even if it’s not a circle, but a circle, if you’re being too picky.

Magic damage -240HP. (315/555)

Pure Magic Resistance +1(1)

Thank the local gods, although the structure crumbled, almost all of the cornerstone components survived. Only one burned out - the last one inserted, which was supposed to close the circle.

Bad experience is also useful - any student who gets into the registry office as a groom will tell you this.

I wonder what will prevail in the end?

Are you stuck in a game where there is no one but you, and returning to “real” is a big question? Are you a noob who can’t do anything and there are almost no opportunities for “skill”? Instead of a pet, you got a hamster who is just about to surpass you in intelligence? Is there an Ice Apocalypse ahead that will destroy 99% of all life? Don't rush to despair! You can survive here too! That's when the digital characters will say, "You weren't here!" – then the REAL problems will begin!

The designers who painted the village clearly drew inspiration far beyond the Moscow Ring Road. You should try to find such a wretched village even in Russia.

Skewed black huts, instead of glass there is mica or a cloudy translucent film. That bullish bubble? Neither a mill nor a forge - only scraps of rotten nets and a sunken, leaky boat revealed the main craft of the local residents.

I searched all four houses, and even took the time to inspect the barns. Nothing - empty, as if a cow licked the swag with its tongue. Although where does a cow come from in such poverty is an unheard of wealth for the locals.

It’s a two-day journey from the city to here – there’s no interest for the creators in accurately depicting the non-scripts and the setting. Although judging by the low level of aggressive living creatures, I am still in starting location I am.

I did not stop at the fishing village. The only advantage is a ready roof over your head. But there are too many shortcomings. First of all, the ineradicable smell of rotten fish oil, which permeated everything around, and inside the premises it is generally unbearable. There is no forge - and this puts an end to my plans to level up and soon return home to Agdamoedem.

I can’t decide what to finally name my city. Yes, I decided to take this city for myself, for lack of anything better. I'm a modest guy - that's enough for the first time.

Suddenly I become its ruler - I don’t need such an unusual name. There are few pensioners in the game, but there is one smart one who will enlighten the public about the origin of the name. And characters with alcohol addiction will flock to the city, like bees for sugar.

We had to spend the night on the roof of the barn. The only place where you could breathe, wrapped up to your eyebrows, without fear of being poisoned by combat gases.

It turned out to be more comfortable to sleep on the roof than on a tree. Therefore, well-rested and cheerful, I continued my journey, moving further and further from my city at the average speed of a Lada Kalina, pushed by a disabled person.

Persistence and determination were not in vain. About ten kilometers later another fishing village appeared on the shore, and I liked it much more. At first sight.

A small fishing farm (are there such things?) is surrounded by a strong three-meter wooden wall, which immediately indicates the prosperity of its inhabitants. There is even an observer tower above the main gate - it was built thoroughly and thoroughly. Behind such a wall there should be corresponding swag.

Having walked around the settlement, he was forced to lower the status of the settlement. This is not even a farm - it is an estate, one large house surrounded by a fence of logs. From the river there was another exit, directly to the pier or pier, I don’t really understand port terminology - I’m an advanced office worker, after all. It’s not a royal thing to fill your head with unnecessary information.

I released the hamster into the wild - today he is expecting a holiday. Khoma happily shared this opinion. It's immediately noticeable. Or telepathy, or developed intuition and an innate sense of smell for future freebies.

Still, something confused me, there was some mysterious irregularity here. Squatting down, he carefully examined the pier again. The suspicions were justified - a capital, strong structure. Too strong for a fishing boat! Even four piles are driven into the ground - a ferry can be moored here.

But that's not all. Taking a closer look, I caught the very “strangeness” of the structure. The pier was built by a player or players, based on the amount of work completed. Still, there is a difference between completely constructed NPC buildings created by computer architects and manual “self-construction”. Here the mark from the ax remained, here the saw slipped - leaving a deep, ragged scratch. Designers also practice this for realism, but it looks somehow unnatural. You won’t draw each log separately. As a result, artificial buildings still differ from those made by hand. In addition, they have a self-healing function, which immediately catches your eye. A felled log becomes decrepit and rots in accordance with generally accepted common sense.

So, the pier and the fence are definitely new buildings, assembled by the hands of the players (one person cannot do this).

The plush extortionist impatiently knocks on the fence with his paw, actively attracting my attention: “There’s no need to idle – work won’t wait!”

Attention: + 1(7).

On the side of the pier, straight from the closed gate to the water itself, there is a strange chute covered with a layer of tar or grease. Is it really a boat ramp? It would be great to have your own watercraft.

A three-meter fence is more than three times lower than the fortress wall. You can simply cut through the wall - it won’t take much time; for such a case, a chopping tool can be used with a clear conscience. However, I have a feeling that the estate will be useful to me in the future - why do I need a hole in the fence then?

Therefore, after suffering a little, I whipped up a miracle staircase from poles and vines. The ax wasn’t even dull – that’s how frugal I am.

Wow, even from such a short staircase I almost fell - the rung broke. But he managed to catch the edge of a log and, pulling himself up, fell over the fence.

WITH reverse side There was a narrow platform on the wall, so I didn’t even have to fall. On the flooring on which I fell, guards are obviously walking, or defenders are fighting during an enemy attack. Now there is neither one nor the other - there is emptiness around.

Big house inside the fence confirmed my assumptions. The architecture and layout are clearly modern, not even stylized as antique. Nearby there is a separate impressive building, clearly for economic purposes; a tall, smoked chimney rises above one of the outbuildings - is it really a forge?

First of all, I inspected the gate. Thank the local gods - the door opens easily, otherwise I’m already tormented by claustrophobia because of this, I can’t get in or out normally. Now I am freed from this nightmare - climbing walls with the help of random devices.

I’m releasing the hamster again - today is his day, I won’t deprive the pet of well-deserved pleasure. Three days to plunder - note that I didn't say that.

The first thing that surprises you is the discreet “Fishing and Hunting” sign above the entrance to the house. It’s interesting that the pies meow – that’s news.

I remembered that I seemed to have heard about this. Fans of fishing and hunting move to the virtual world and realize all their desires and dreams here. In principle, it may be - the places here are beautiful, the river is nearby. But why so far from the city? Or do they use a teleport? The rich have their own quirks. The main thing is that the swag is fatty.

First I evaluate the general layout. A huge hall hung with trophies - I don’t know how they make such decorations from mobs. On the walls there are several crossbows and a heavy two-handed sword in the center of the exhibition. Table, chairs, paintings and lamps on the walls.

The next room is the shared bedroom. It has six bunk beds, like in a regular soldier's barracks. The impression is enhanced by identical bedside tables in the aisles, identical blue woolen blankets and white pillows, laid out evenly, as if by a thread. Strange hunters and fishermen are here. I was never keen on either one or the other, but I always thought that these expensive pleasures were for snobs and the rich. The barracks did not fit into this impression.

The second bedroom is also not a VIP apartment, although it is more richly furnished. Looks like an officer's quarters.

I looked around the kitchen briefly, the wealth of dishes, kitchen utensils and accessories pleased me, later I will carefully study and savor each item - this is the best place to learn the craft of an herbalist.

The hamster squeals demandingly from the other wing of the house so that I don’t get distracted by nonsense, but hurry to him as soon as possible, preferably with a big bag. As expected, Khoma found the most delicious thing - a weapon. And now, happily riding on the grating that replaced the door to the warehouse, he waved his paw invitingly at me, giving me the honor of discovering the trophies in person. He has a strange thing - he himself cannot or does not want to find trophies, the owner must do this. But Khoma will gladly collect the loot in a bag.

I use the unique skill “Quick collection of trophies” - it seems that it gives the pet more experience. Overload appears - it’s okay, for the sake of your furry friend you can be patient a little.

The hamster gains an incredible amount of experience - he immediately jumps to the seventh level.

Character Stats:

Name: Khoma.

Type: Hamster. Personal pet.

Level: 7.

Defense: 2.

Basic abilities:

Agility: 11.

Intelligence: 2.

Endurance: 2.

Experience: 322/450.

Additional abilities:

Search for treasures: + 8.

Unique abilities: Quick collection of trophies.

The Arsenal is amazing. Just an incredible amount of cutting and shooting equipment. Dozens of swords, pikes, and halberds are displayed along the walls in wooden racks. More than twenty bows and three heavy crossbows. Packs of packaged arrows and crossbow bolts are placed separately. Offhand - at least a thousand shots. For the first time in the game I see combat shields for swordsmen.

What is surprising is that all the weapons are for beginners. Maximum for the fifth or sixth level. Strange fishermen and hunters have settled here.

A huge number of weapons and arrows allows you to withstand a full-fledged siege. On the other hand, the estate is in no way suitable for full-fledged defense.

The second aspect is even more mysterious. The cost of building and maintaining your own outpost in the virtual world is expensive. Against the backdrop of such monetary investments, there is such outright rubbish in the weapons store. Have you really decided to save money on security? I don’t believe in this - everything is arranged too professionally and competently here.

This means that this weapon is not for protection! And for whom? Who needs beginners with iron toothpicks who have not reached the fifth or sixth level? Only one thing comes to mind - clans.

How could I not have guessed right away - it’s so obvious. This is not an estate for fishing and hunting lovers - it is a hidden training base for one of the clans. That is why she is in the starting location. So that newcomers can easily get here. And so far from the city - so as not to attract attention. Who in their right mind would travel for days through such an unpromising area for complete noobs. And masquerading as a hunting ground is fine for casual travelers. They wouldn't be allowed inside.

If you think about it, the location of the base is simply perfect. Firstly, for leveling up complete beginners, living creatures from this location will come down. For more advanced Persians there are river monsters. This is second. Apparently, just beyond the river another zone begins, and there are animals more dangerous than hares, with levels much higher. And I can confidently assume that on this shore the location also ends and turns into a new one. Because now I’m already quite far from the city, and it shouldn’t be too big. That's why I'm somewhere near the land border now.

It turns out that the base is located at the junction of three locations at once, and in addition for training there is a river with crocodiles for variety.

Organize a conveyor belt for pumping up new tanks for the clan, essentially freeing valuable multi-level fighters from this tedious duty. Whoever came up with this is almost a genius.

Cartography: + 1(8).

Due to the abundance of piercing and cutting instruments, a modest gray cabinet in the corner of the room went unnoticed. But as soon as the door was opened, all the other wealth faded and receded into the background. Rows of shelves filled with elixirs. Forty-six bottles of deep red color. Each adds twenty units of Life. Plus ten standard cones with antidote. Elixirs for increasing Strength and Endurance - twenty-three in total.

There was no equipment at all. Strange approach to learning. Are clothes and armor really not important for beginners? It would seem that it should be the other way around. For protection, only shields for one hand. But this is understandable - a necessary skill for a first-line fighter, so he must swing with a sword and shield. Develop skills and abilities specific to this particular style and weapon.

If the armor was not taken care of, then this must mean something essential.

In what situation can you level up a character without risking damage? Only at the training ground. But this is simply not effective, and it is also unprofitable in terms of time - the experience for mobs is an order of magnitude more.

After thinking about this puzzle, I found only one logical explanation. For newcomers, conditions at the location were created as if they were at a training ground - with a minimum of risk and damage. The huntsmen drove the beast, the noobs killed from a safe distance or from cover, without risking anything.

If everything is as I think, then we need to look for these places in the area. It is quite possible that they will also be suitable for hunting for me. I remember how I suffered with an ordinary rat, and the desire to throw my chest at someone serious immediately disappears. I’ll be happy to finish off any wild boar’s skull with a stone if it’s in a trap or at the bottom of a trapping pit. Since the exp for loot is the same, why strain beyond measure?

Then I notice that Khoma is tugging at my trouser leg and clearly hinting at the continuation of the banquet. The expa he ate definitely did him some good – he even grew a little bigger and stronger. Excess dexterity changed not only the gait, but also the posture of the hamster. If not for its characteristic appearance, it would be easy to mistake it for a cat. Or for a well-fed tiger cub - his movements became so flexible and elegant.

I follow the rodent of the hamster family, but instead of another storehouse of wealth, I find myself in the dining room. Although no, I was hasty with conclusions. There are tables and benches for a whole crowd of people, but this is not the most important thing in the room - there are shelves with books along the wall. The first library I came across in this world is a real treasure.

And the room is a training room for cadets.

Khoma does not react to the activation of quick collection - for him there is no value here. However, he brought me here, apparently guessing that this find was important for me. The smart assistant has grown up and is caring.

I'm looking forward to picking up the first book. “Shooting business. Archery, crossbow." Great.

"The art of sniper shooting for skilled shooters." A good book that will be useful in the future.

"Weapon repair for beginners." Passable.

"Blacksmithing 1." Briefly and clearly.

“Spear formation. Strategy and tactics."

"Shield and sword, spear, halberd."

“Ving Chun Wei” – what is this? As the name suggests, Chinese legworm? Let it be.

"Hunting for large animals." I hope it's useful.

"Medicines and Poisons." A lucky find based on my profile.

Nice selection– a lot of information and nothing superfluous. All skills and abilities are selected for a specific training scheme. I like it - I'll start studying it tomorrow. Diligently and with zeal.

At the end of the inspection, I again visited the kitchen. Now I was not interested in the wealth of dishes and kitchen utensils, but in the warehouse supplies. After all, almost two dozen people live here, and not just for one day.

To my disappointment, nothing significant could be found either in the kitchen or in the tiny pantry. A standby supply of food, some bottled oil, various cereals with a total volume of half a bag. Salt, spices, even pasta were found, but they don’t amount to a strategic reserve.

Well, I’m braking out of the blue. It’s the Middle Ages—there’s no electricity or refrigerators, which means there’s nowhere to store food at home. For this there must be a cellar or a glacier.

Indeed, the cellar turned out to be next to the house. It was not possible to really examine it: it was dark and cold inside, through open door There is almost no light down. But I looked at the main thing: the huge basement is filled almost to the top. On the shelves are boxes and bags, cans and bottles, huge heads of cheese and hams on hooks. This amount of food is enough to feed a small army to survive a short period of time. nuclear war. It's a pity that such wars are never short.

But that's not all. There was a dry grain storage facility in the yard. Two dozen bags of flour and pasta were neatly stacked here. But I didn’t see rice - doesn’t it grow in this world?

Another find was discovered under a canopy that adjoined the second gate facing the shore - a good-quality tarred boat. Or is it a boat? I am a sailor, like Volochkova is a ballerina. For me alone, the boat is quite large and heavy, but the local crocodiles will not bite through the side. Although who knows, local monsters - maybe he won’t even have to bite them, he’ll swallow them whole.

I can lower the boat without any problems, but dragging it back will be painful. Let's leave this question for future times.

In addition to the river launch, there were many interesting things under the canopy. Traps of all sizes and shapes: from small and medium to heavy, with a chain as thick as my forearm. If you tie a centuries-old oak tree with such a chain, then the dragon will not escape from the trap.

I didn’t make it to the forge.

That's enough impressions for today, it's time to go to the side. A new period of my life begins - unbridled growth and quality. Now I am not afraid of hunger, the last doubts have been cast aside.

I woke up early, the stars had not yet left the sky. I eagerly began reading.

In order not to be tormented by the choice, I closed my eyes and pointed my finger at random. Whatever my pointing finger hits is what I will teach today.

"Big Game Hunt" dropped. I was a little disappointed, but I still have to learn. By the way, the book turned out to be fascinating and interesting. If it were not for the lack of time, one could enjoy the ease of style and the beauty of the author’s style. After brief description There was a detailed description of the methods and methods of catching some especially dangerous predators. Arrangement of traps and construction of trapping pits. Reading tracks and driving prey.

Closing the book, I discovered that the sun was already high.

You have received a new skill: Hunting + 2(2).

You have received a new skill: Setting traps + 2(2).

Intelligence: + 1(5).

Experience: + 5(78/100).

The time has come for the Great Hunt.

I choose a convenient descent to the river, upstream. A suitable place for the plan, the trees are very close to the water. I install two traps for guarantee. One of them is simply monstrous in power; to cock it into firing position, I twist it with a special curved key for a quarter of an hour. The second trap is smaller, for safety net. The crocodile will begin to fight, having fallen into the first trap, and will definitely put its paw or tail into the second mechanism. And then I’ll arrive in time.

The traps are located at the edge of the surf, the chains are sprinkled with sand and are invisible. For insurance, they were wrapped several times around the trunks of two different trees. If you're lucky, the predator will be greatly limited in maneuver, literally stretched out different sides.

He buried several copies behind a nearby tree. I left my bow and arrows there. Against a reptile, and with my skills, they are no good. But the reserve is not enough for your pocket, you can get it in the eye if you are very lucky. But my main weapon is a halberd or a sword. Plus a shield in the left hand.

It took another half hour to get the bait. Just in case, I scored two birds with one stone. There were no losses. Earned two experience points.

I carefully place the carcass of a toothy rabbit in the center of a camouflaged trap. I carefully pull out the stopper - now it’s better not to touch anything, in order to avoid amputation of unnecessary limbs.

The second rabbit goes to feed the dolphin. I throw raw meat, chopped into pieces, into the river opposite the beach.

The water is seething, the backs of large fish flash several times on the surface, but so far everything is not the same. Suddenly, several fish noisily jump out of the water, fall with a splash and noise, and quickly run away in different directions. Clearly a real hunter for fresh meat had appeared. I throw the last pieces of rabbit meat right at the shore, next to the bait.

I didn’t even have time to catch the moment of the attack. Click - and right on the shore there is a huge ugly body of a reptile beating. A blow of monstrous force, the heavy anchor chain was stretched like a string, but the tree withstood it. Immediately the second trap is triggered, gnawing its teeth into the crocodile’s paw.

The plan worked - now it's my way out. Despite two wounds, the creature was not going to give up. Although the trap of monstrous force closed, clamping its elongated mouth, like a dolphin’s, it could not pierce the skull and cause serious damage. He only fixed his jaws, depriving the monster of his most formidable argument. The second trap tore the bone armor down to the meat and pinched the paw, but very little green bubbling blood flowed out.

A red stripe of reptile life appeared. A full streak, even without a noticeable decline.

Crocodile Southern Green.

Level: 10.

Life: 396/400.

I jump out of the ambush and throw a spear point blank. Next comes the second. It was aimed at the eye, but as expected, it didn’t hit. The first only scratched the skin and flew into the water, the second sluggishly stuck into the neck. The monster absolutely did not like this. It launched a series of somersaults and sweeping blows with its tail, raising waves of mud and silt from the bottom, creating a small tsunami.

A good animal is at least five meters in length. Convulsions and jumps did not go unnoticed for the crocodile. The traps dug even deeper into the body, and I was surprised to realize that if this continued, the second trap would simply tear off the monster’s paw, and then I would not be able to cope with it. I just can't get close.

Crocodile Southern Green.

Level: 10.

Life: 382/400.

We must act immediately while the victim of genetic engineering has limited mobility.

I grab the halberd and hit him on the head with all my might, like an ax.

Crocodile Southern Green.

Level: 10.

Life: 367/400.

Not the best solution - if the trap could not push through the skull, then an ordinary halberd is completely powerless. I, of course, understood this, but depriving the enemy of sight is a priority task. In which I succeeded, albeit partially. Having cut off a piece of chitinous armor and hooked an eyelid, I poured inky green blood all over the beast’s face. But I didn’t have time to jump away. I just didn’t expect just such a trick - a cloud of steam shoots out from the blowhole behind my head and almost covers me. It’s good that the main blow missed, and what was hit was taken by the shield.

Life: – 1(17/18).

You are poisoned! Life: – 1 unit/30 sec. Duration: 15 min.

But this is completely inappropriate. I have an antidote, but I have to save money. For now he endures. We must cut down this Southern Green without waiting for the acid charge to be renewed.

I jump up from the side of the second trap, the creature is furious and fights on the chain, but does not see me. Therefore, I hit hard and accurately, instantly jumping out of the affected area.

Crocodile Southern Green.

Level: 10.

Life: 343/400.

You are poisoned! Life: – 1(16/18).

I repeat the successful maneuver now on the other side. Enemy life: 322/400. I have: 15/18.

Perform this trick a couple more times, drink the antidote, heal life. Unless, of course, I get thrown out again.

Hit. I'm lucky - I pass the crit. Monster: 276/400. For me: 14/18.

Before I had time to rejoice, the time came for a new trick.

You have been affected by: Ultrasonic Shock. You are stunned! Duration: 30 sec.

Life: – 3(13/18).

Everything floats before my eyes, by touch I pull out some kind of bottle, it must be medicinal. Because while the star is in shock, it is quite possible to get an acid attack that will finish me off. You need to get treatment urgently.

Life – 1(12/18).

I swallow from the neck.

Life: + 6(18/18). You have reached maximum level, more cannot be restored.

It's not an easy walk. I rush into battle again.

The enemy has 208... 167... 159... In time I notice the opening valve on the back of the lizard, the acid attack goes nowhere, the monster does not see me. For prevention, another blow to the eyes - now it definitely hit. At least one eye is damaged, the other is bloodied.

I’m treating myself with a potion, I’m not using the antidote yet, I’m saving for the future - after all, it’s a valuable thing. At this moment, a long-awaited trouble occurs - the trap tears off the crocodile’s paw, and he gets room to maneuver.

Life is 98/400 and is slowly decreasing. Of course, he will not bleed to death, but regeneration is not so noticeable.

Apparently, now there will be ultrasound, then acid again. It is at this moment that you need to finish him off. I take a few steps back to soften the blow.

You have been affected by: Ultrasonic Shock. You are stunned! Duration: 10 sec.

Life – 1(15/18).

This time I got quite a bit. It's time to finish the demonstration performance, I'm tired of dolphins and crocodiles.

It took four more hits.

Congratulations! You killed Crocodile Southern Green, level 10.

Experience: + 40(120/180).

You are getting new level: 3. Unallocated stat points: 4.

You are completely healthy!

Attention! For the first time you defeated an opponent more than 3 levels higher than yours! You receive the achievement: “Conqueror of the Strong” – + 10% to experience when fighting with opponents higher than you in level. Experience: + 100(220/300).

You gain a new level: 4. Unallocated stat points: 8.

Swordsman: + 1(3).

Resistance to poisons: + 1(2).

Setting traps: + 1(4).

I will distribute stat points later, thoughtfully and judiciously.

Let the pet out and let him run around in the fresh air. First of all, I inspect the traps - there is no visible damage. The smaller one was cleaned and washed - all the teeth are in place, and the chain is intact. Only the tree to which I was clinging this chain was half worn out - the beast raged furiously, from the heart. For the future, we need to take this into account and choose a tree that is stronger and thicker. But with a large trap I had to suffer. During the battle, he bit into the bones of the skull so tightly that there was no way to tear it off. I had to take out the knob and unclench it right there.

Didn't understand? What nonsense?

You are poisoned! Life – 0.2 units/min, duration: 9 sec.

Aw, it stings! I throw the tool away and shake my burned hand. The trap is completely smeared in the poisonous blood of a crocodile, and when it comes into contact with the skin, it not only burns, but also causes poisoning. True, weak and quickly dissipating.

The work turned into hell. I turn the gate for several minutes, trying to hold my breath, to the continuous accompaniment of messages:

You are poisoned! Life – 0.8 units/sec, duration: 40 sec.

Having collected a serious dose of poison, I take a break. I recover and begin to work further.

You are poisoned! Life – 0.1 units/min, duration: 5 sec.

Finally, the torment is over, the crocodile fishing gear is freed, washed and even cleaned with sand. It's time to call it a day and stomp "to the house, to the hut."

However, here Khoma unexpectedly became stubborn. His indignation knows no bounds. How can you throw a carcass without taking out valuable loot from it?!

Lest I doubt, he approached dead creature and pointed his paw directly at the belly.

What a penny-pincher, everything is not enough for him. Although. I understand that I’m wrong - today the pet was left without prey.

I take the halberd in my hands and...

You are poisoned! Life – 0.1 units/min, duration: 5 sec.

You are poisoned! Life – 0.4 units/sec, duration: 20 sec.

In about an hour, the carcass of a crocodile with an inappropriate dolphin snout was shredded and gutted.

In addition to holes in my clothes and burnt hands, I developed a persistent allergy to crocodiles and hamsters, so I sneezed and coughed incessantly.

Khomu's instinct did not fail him - a valuable trinket was discovered in his stomach. After washing it in river water, I was pleased to put a thick, not very attractive ring on my finger.

Steel Ring of the Intellectual.

Intelligence: + 3(8).

Not to say that it was a very useful acquisition; it could have been rewarded more generously for such a monster.

If it were not for the bonus for the difference of three levels, then there would be tears, not a reward.

For a level ten mob - and only forty experience points?! Have the creators completely lost their conscience? And the drop is modest. I’m being a little disingenuous here – I’ve long dreamed of beating a hamster in terms of intellectual development.

Maybe valuable ingredients are obtained from crocodile? Most likely, this is true. Rarely does anyone in their right mind hunt him for forty units of experience; he is a very inconvenient prey for a simple hunt. The only question is which of the insides is valuable. After all, I can’t take the whole carcass in the hope of selling it to a passing alchemist. If only you collect the entrails and make poisons out of them.

No sooner said than done. Apparently, the ring worked - my intellect began to work, now I know what to do.

We take the heart - it cannot be confused with anything.

You are poisoned! Life – 0.1 units/min, duration: 5 sec.

I don't pay attention to poisons, I look for the liver. I would also like to know what she looks like.

Apparently not like in the “Book of Tasty and Healthy Food,” where I saw a photograph of raw liver.

As you would expect, I didn’t find anything valuable. Now, if only there was a cow and not a crocodile...

And then the increased intelligence gave a hint: take the acid gun. Such a unique organ would probably cost a fortune.

Finding the organ that shoots acid turned out to be easier than ever - by looking at the hole-valve in the back of the head. A translucent wineskin with corrugated ribs and walls, even a little acid gurgles inside. A vile thing both in appearance and in feel.

You are poisoned! Life – 0.6 units/sec, duration: 20 sec.

Resistance to poisons: + 1(3).

Carefully, without touching with my hands, I lay out the prey on the grass.

That's all for today - not a single hamster will force me to work anymore. Khoma shrugs his shoulders expressively: “Am I against it – the swag is over anyway.”

Here's an ambush - where to put this valuable crap? She will stain my whole bag with poison, blood and mucus... Yeah, that’s a suitable container. A bucket stolen from a well from Aghdam-Eden itself. True, it is half filled with raspberry juice, but we can easily cook it again.

I pour the healing potion into empty bottles, freeing up the bucket for valuable cargo. And in general, medicines need to be stored in more appropriate conditions - part of the potion has dried out and stuck to the bottom and walls like jelly.

Well, what a day today - nothing but problems out of the blue. I don’t have the strength or desire to wash the bucket of dried raspberry juice, so I put the crocodile pieces just like that. Maybe it won't go bad.

I return to the river to wash the halberd from the toxic mud. On the way back I grab a bucket to throw it into my inventory. And I almost fall from surprise - the bucket weighs nothing, as if it were empty.

My first thought was that they stole my valuable ingredients and stole my swag from under my nose.

I look inside and am surprised to find that the croc’s heart is still there.

Attention! You have created a unique substance “Levitacite AntiNewton”!

You have entered the Top 10 Alchemists who created the original levitating substance! You cannot view the list.

You get a new profession: Alchemy + 2(2).

Potions: + 2(7).

You gain a new skill: Substance Recognition + 2(2).

Experience: + 100(320/440).

You gain a new level: 5. Unallocated stat points: 12.

Attention! Now you must eat to save hit points, and you may experience hunger!

You receive a bonus: Life regeneration: + 0.1 units/min. (constantly).

Events rushed at a gallop. “There wasn’t a penny, but suddenly it was altyn,” that’s what my grandmother used to say. Later I asked in the reference book what kind of mysterious altyn this was. It turned out that Altyn is ancient copper coin. I didn’t have time to read further - I was distracted.

So, now the wave of bonuses and hits pouring out of the cornucopia surprisingly closely resembled this saying.

I shake the crocodile’s heart out onto the grass and am surprised to discover that there is nothing else inside. The acid fat tail has disappeared. But the bucket itself was transformed: the bottom and walls were covered with red shiny enamel, and not completely - only half.

Attention! You have created a level 3 artifact “Weightless Bucket of Agdam”. Reduces the weight of items placed in it by 60%.

You receive a new skill: Artifact.

Intelligence: + 1(6).

Experience: + 40(360/440).

Is it really that simple? Is acidic iron from crocodile the very thing that has an anti-gravity effect? It can not be!

Surely these crocodiles have been killed thousands of times, and it doesn’t take Einstein’s intelligence to figure out which organ has valuable alchemical significance. Surely the fat tail was cut out and sold to alchemists - but only a few managed to invent anti-gravel.

I re-read the system message again:

You have created a unique substance: Levitacite AntiNewton.

So, he created it after all. It’s interesting now to find out from what and how.

Since the acid iron disappeared, it was obviously one of the components. But there was nothing else in the bucket except the heart, but it was whole and unharmed. Perhaps this is a catalyst for the reaction, that is, the presence of the heart is necessary, but it is not consumed. There must be a second reagent, and a rare one, since no one thought to use it.

Once again I mentally reconstruct the course of events. And then it dawns on me - raspberry brew! Of course, I didn’t realize it right away. Red enamel is a reaction product of dried varnish remaining on the walls and acid. The result was the mythical Anti-Newton, which reduces weight. Attached (stuck) to the carrier, it formed a finished artifact.

What unprecedented prospects are opening up - now you can reduce the weight of any objects? Or only metal ones?

But even if so, the weight of chain mail, shields and other armor amounts to tens of kilograms. A sixty percent weight reduction is a fantastic freebie. You can get rich.

In general terms, I now have an idea of the method of obtaining it. You just need to clarify the details - whether it is better to use the heart, liquid or dried pitch, and how to apply the substance to the ammunition.

The mood returned to high record levels again. It’s time and honor to know - it’s getting dark, and I want to sleep: “Homa - go home!”

Myak is in no hurry to fulfill my request and looks thoughtfully towards the river.

I turn around and freeze with curses ready to roll off my tongue: “I don’t want it, I don’t need any more freebies!”

The cut and chopped crocodile carcass is replete with pop-up captions and clearly illuminated organs.

After all, I’ve been an official Alchemist of the second level for half an hour, and now I clearly see what valuable internal organs remain in the monster. God, not only internal ones! Now I have to cut out the teeth and claws - they are also marked as useful prey.

I take the halberd in my hands, and...

You are poisoned! Life – 0.1 units/min, duration: 5 sec.

It started to rain in the morning, the ground softened and turned into impassable mud. Fortunately, the previous owners paved most of the yard with wooden blocks, and it is quite comfortable to walk on them. Unless, of course, you are confused by a continuous stream of water falling from the sky.

The hunt didn't work out today. As soon as I stepped out of the gate, pood-sized lumps of clay formed on my boots, and walking immediately turned into pure flour. I decidedly no longer wanted to fight anyone in such conditions.

Wet and dirty, I returned back, then spent an hour trying to light the stove, simultaneously smoking the whole house with smoke while I figured out the ingenious stove design.

Having warmed up with boiling water and brewed herbs (there was no tea), I decided to inspect my Persian. I had already distributed the points, and now it was worth thinking about the future.

Main profession: Herbalist 7.

Character Stats:

Level: 5.

Defense: 3.

Fame: 1.

Basic abilities:

Dexterity: 4.

Intelligence: 6(9), + 3 – Steel Ring of the Intellectual.

Stamina: 11.

Experience: 360/440.

I wonder where Fame came from? Is it because of the antigrav prescription?

I wish I knew why I need her in this bearish corner.

The excitement about the exciting prospects and future profits from owning such a recipe has already subsided, but doubts remain.

Why hasn't a patent been registered in my name? Take the same raspberry broth - it’s such a simple recipe, but unique, and my authorship is secured by law.

Apparently, I am required to establish the exact recipe and production technology. And only then will it become my indisputable know-how. This leads to the conclusion that I urgently need to repeat the experiment and record the original ingredients and method of preparation. But to do this, you need to quickly kill the crocodile, get an acid wineskin - that’s why this morning I got out into the rain, into the very mud.

However, I don’t see any urgency - as soon as it dries out, I’ll start exterminating mammals and reptiles. I can’t vouch for the exact classification; after all, I’m a herbalist, not a biologist...

Okay, I'll start reading books.

First, “Medicines and Poisons.” Interesting and educational, there are several recipes, but there are no necessary ingredients.

The resulting buns are better than all expectations:

Potions: + 1(8).

Alchemy: + 1(3).

Herbalist: + 1(8).

Resistance to poisons: + 1(4).

I take a break for lunch and start reading Ving Chun Wei. A boring book about the great Chinese kung fu masters, and Bruce Lee, who was somehow involved in them. Apparently, programmers and designers drew inspiration from Hollywood cinematography half a century ago. However, even complete nonsense in the virtual world has very real bonuses:

You gain a new skill: Hand-to-hand combat.

Swordsman: + 1(4).

You gain a new skill: Pole/Spear Mastery.

Stamina: + 1(12).

You can feel the hand of professionals - they did not skimp on literature and accompanying preparation. The books are not simple, they are literally golden. Very expensive and rare manuscripts, they give several skills at once, these are worth their weight in gold.

By evening the rain had subsided, we can hope for a successful hunt tomorrow. Now I have a crocodile for a couple of hits, one left.

The remaining time was spent making potions. Without much success, I spoiled half of the entrails extracted from the monster. Apparently, the limit of luck was exhausted the day before. Of the ten experiments, nine completely failed. Later, I had to long and persistently wash the dishes from the most varied, but invariably disgusting and smelly substances. And only a strange solid horseradish, the size of a nut, with the strange name “gatrolite”, gave a positive reaction with the healing potion. As a result of the reaction, the liquid evaporated and the gizzard turned into a gray-white powder.

Attention! You received: "Gatrolite Essentiale" - a universal antidote for most non-magical poisons.

Alchemy: + 1(4).

Potions: + 1(9).

Experience: + 10 (370/440).

Judging by the lack of bonuses, the recipe is well-known, which is not surprising given its simplicity. It's worth noting that I still have four unprocessed gastrolite stones left.

It seems that hunting crocodiles is an extremely profitable business.

I realized how cruelly wrong I was only later.

Everything went wrong from the very beginning, and the end result turned out to be the same.

The rabbits categorically refused to attack the five-level player and ran away as fast as they could. I finally shot the hare with my bow, but it took over an hour. In addition, I was wet and smeared from head to toe.

Since there was no bait, we had to wait for the crocodile for almost another hour. And according to the law of meanness, only one, the main trap, snapped on the long muzzle, worked. The second only scratched its prey, clanging against the horned armor when the monster touched it with its tail.

Having assessed the disposition, I felt disappointed and bewildered. What confused me even more was the message about the creature:

Crocodile Southern Green.

Level: 8.

Life: 356/360.

The next surprise was the absence of acid attacks. Once every five minutes, the croc expectedly struck with ultrasound, but flatly refused to shoot with acid and poison.

After suffering quite a bit, I finished off the amphibian and got... a natural fig with butter:

Experience: + 30(401/440).

But the most important disappointment awaited me inside the killed carcass. There was no acid unit! I could have guessed earlier, during the battle.

The found gastrolite brightened my mood a little. Just one, instead of the expected five – and that’s a catch.

I didn’t even take the rest - I don’t know how to use it, and there’s no one to sell it to. I don’t know what to do with the fangs and claws that have been lying around at home since last time, so I won’t bother. Today is clearly not my day.

It turns out that the crocodile respawned after yesterday, but the valuable drop did not appear? I wonder how long it takes him to grow a new organ? A year or more?

Now it’s clear why AntiNewton is such a rare and unique material.

However, there are probably other crocodiles in the river, old and well-fed, who have fed on a valuable resource. Theoretically, you can come back here in a year and kill this same handsome guy, but it’s a very sad prospect. I don't want to think that I'm stuck here for a long time.

The disappointment is so great that I decided to take a desperate step - to remove the valuable skin from the crocodile. Because if not a hamster, then a toad will strangle me for spending the day aimlessly, without swag. I’ll make myself fashionable boots from crocodile skin. I am sure that no one has these, in any of the worlds. Super durable, made from the skin of a unique monster - the dream of any Yaroslavl cowboy.

Ignoring the usual poisoning, the terrible stench and the ubiquitous vile mucus, he got to work. The result was several dirty, torn, untreated pieces of hide and:

Resistance to poisons: + 1(5).

Hunting: + 1(3).

Experience: + 2(403/440).

Having carried the unique leather product to the estate, I asked myself a sacramental question: what to do with it next? You can’t bring it into the yard - the smell will make me run away in an hour.

I decided to hang it to dry on nearby trees. I don’t think that the local beast is so hungry as to devour the tough and poisonous skin of the local boss. However, you should not put the eggs in one frying pan, what if the skin should not be dried, but rather soaked? Therefore, half of the material was sunk near the shore - tomorrow we will evaluate which technology is correct. A few large stones will prevent the current and fish from dragging away my shoe material.

The thought latched on to the word “fish”. I haven't picked up a fishing rod for a long time. Today is a good day - it was experimentally determined that there is only one crocodile in the immediate vicinity. No one responded to the bait either upstream or downstream. This means that today you can fish relatively safely. I'm not confident enough to fight level eight or ten monsters in their native element without the benefit of using traps.

The net was present as an attribute of hunting, but no one knew how to use it - neither me nor the hamster. There were no other fishermen nearby.

I wasn’t interested in launching a heavy boat, so we’ll fish from the pier/pier. But first you need to take care of the bait. Obviously, large fish are better than small ones, so we sweep away worms and other maggots - and are they even here? Large game fish feed on smaller fish. So we catch her first.

With the help of a net, two stakes and the memory of the damn grandmother, the first catch was obtained. An experienced fisherman almost drowned, getting entangled in his own net, getting wet and freezing blue. At one time, a dozen medium-sized fish appeared in the net, there were no small ones at all - the mesh of the net turned out to be too large.

Since I only had a single copy of the net, I had to clean it, carefully assemble it, and hang it along the fence. After which I spent a long time making a fishing rod from scrap materials.

As a result, I started fishing at sunset. Having hooked half the fish onto a steel hook, I throw the tackle into the river. Instead of a fishing line, a thin, strong rope as thick as a finger - you can pull out a shark. The image of a shark confuses me, and just in case, I tie the tackle to a log. You should not hold a rope in your hands, on the other end of which you don’t know who.

The fears turned out to be exaggerated, but not in vain. A minute later, the rope jerked, and with difficulty, having suffered quite a bit, I pulled out a huge catfish, about fifty kilograms. If I had held on to the rope at the moment of the jerk, the catfish would probably have pulled me into the water.

You gain a new skill: Fishing.

Experience: + 1(404/440).

Fishing: + 1(2).

Experience: + 1(405/440).

The next catch is a quarter-quintal pike perch.

Fishing: + 1(3).

Experience: + 1(406/440).

An unknown fish, similar to a sturgeon with a long nose. Pike perch, catfish, pike.

The fisherman's skill no longer grows - the game, as usual, sharply reduces the growth of the skill after the third time.

End of introductory fragment.

An original start. Blue screen and modest inscription in the upper left corner.

Of course, according to reviews " New world"different from everyone else virtual worlds, but not to the same extent. According to subjective feelings, I’ve been in limbo for about ten minutes, content with a fascinating inscription in English. No body, no scenery, complete lack of interface. I’ll come out of the cocoon, file a lawsuit with the company and never set foot in this game again.

...

Fatal system error.

...

Welcome to the New World!

Finally. I will still demand compensation, don’t get away with it.

Wow! What beauty all around. The detail is amazing. I look around, mouth open. As an experienced gamer who has played dozens of worlds and games, I can responsibly say that I have never seen anything like this before. Finally, the game has surpassed reality itself in authenticity. And everything here is very beautiful, unnaturally beautiful. This doesn’t happen in life, but I still like it. What colors, what smells! Designers get an A plus.

I look around more closely. A medieval city, a central square and a portal of movement, in the center of which I stand.

I turn my gaze to my dear self, and the player frame pops up:

...

Basic information about the character:
Name: Not selected.
Race: Human.
Main profession: Not selected.

Character Stats:
Level: 1.
Defense: 1.
Fame: 0.

Basic abilities:
Dexterity: 1.
Intelligence: 1.
Endurance: 1.

Additional abilities: no.
Professions: none.
Recipes: no.
Alchemy: no.

I inspect the equipment. The rags I'm wearing should go straight to the landfill.

Appearance is obviously important when receiving tasks, and the attractiveness of the Persian greatly contributes to this.

First of all, you need to get around the city, assess the situation, and ask the locals. Complete a couple of simple tasks, find or buy equipment.

While I was looking through the characteristics and assessing my modest capabilities, I somehow did not pay attention to the surrounding situation. As soon as I took the first step, descending from the portal, I was suddenly surprised to find that there was no one in the square. Not a single soul. Well, let's look. At least someone should be here.

After wandering through the streets and alleys for about half an hour, I came out to the central square of the city. To a huge and... empty one. The city seemed to have died out. But in principle this cannot happen!

Before the dive, I spent time and checked in advance on the main game forum in which places you can take tasks. Who is better to buy from and acquire skills? So, half of the quests for beginners began in this square. Taking a closer look, I found a herbalist's shop, a tavern sign and an empty blacksmith's counter. Everything is as it should be. It was from the herbalist that I was supposed to receive the task: to deliver a healing potion. As a reward, get the first specialty. Earn a knife from the blacksmith by completing a chain of simple tasks, but... the square was empty. Not a single NPC, not a single player. Although according to the description there are always a lot of people here, even at night. Now, as far as I can tell, it's late morning.

Just in case, I tried the locked doors - none of them opened.

Mentally slapped himself on the forehead, turned on the chat... And again fell into a stupor. There is complete silence on the air. Not a single message.

There weren't even regular system alerts or news. The chat is dead. “It’s getting weirder and weirder.”

Maybe there was an attack, and the entire population rushed to the walls to defend the city from the enemy? But why is there silence in the chat, because the defenders should be within range. And the fuss on the walls is not noticeable, because I passed by them when I was wandering through the streets...

After another half an hour, after a fair amount of meandering, I made my way to the city gates. The gloomy expectations were justified - and there was not a soul here. The massive three-meter gate is closed, the mechanism for opening the heavy doors is apparently inside the tower, the entrance to which is a surprise! – locked.

- This is not a game, but what the hell! – I swore out loud for some reason. – The developers are crooked. Quit the game!

And... nothing happens. I repeat the code phrase twenty times, changing the intonation and volume. There is no result!

I open the ammunition and characteristics panel. There is no exit button here either. It shouldn't exist, but it was still worth making sure. Exit from the game is provided standard, voice or mental. It is enough to say the code phrase, and a standard window will immediately pop up asking you to go online. A reliable and proven system that has been used in virtual games for decades.

System queries and contacting admins also did not bring results.

And here's the bug. You will have to sit in the game for twelve hours until it automatically throws you back. As far as I remember, the built-in limitation of the cocoon is exactly this. It is prohibited to play for more than half a day in a row. The player is obliged to leave the capsule, and if his condition does not correspond to the acceptable values, then he will not be able to enter the game until the required characteristics are restored, or after six hours of rest. Since I have already spent more than two hours here, I still have a long time to wait.

In principle, you can wander around the city, but it’s boring. No tasks to take, no character to shake. Nothing at all. I'm pretty tired of admiring the beauty of the scenery. The only consolation is the thought of compensation, which I will collect from the organizers of this mess.

There’s no point in standing near the gate, so I decide to take a walk around the city – maybe I’ll find something interesting.

After a while, as expected, I got lost, completely lost my legs and was tired as a dog. A banner appeared before my eyes:

...

- Amazing!

What they need doesn’t work for them, but everything else functions properly. It’s good that players become hungry and need to eat only after reaching the fifth level. Otherwise, by now I would be struggling with an empty stomach in search of food.

You need to sit down, or at least on this porch, and relax.

I looked around, trying to determine where I had gone. A poor, unkempt neighborhood, some wooden huts, pavement paved with crooked cobblestones. Not as beautiful as in the center, but realistic and high quality, down to the smallest detail. He went up the steps, tried the door - as expected, it was locked. I looked through the keyhole for some reason. There is no key in the keyhole, which means it is locked from the outside.

If we assume that the owner did not take the key with him, then perhaps he hid it somewhere nearby. Under the rug or under the porch. There’s nothing I can do anyway, I’ll start searching.

I spent a whole hour on this stupid thing, feeling like a hunter of black cats in a dark room where they had never been. I tore off the railing during the search, broke down the step, dismantled the woodpile with firewood and, finally despairing, decided to inspect the roof of the house. Maybe hidden under the tiles?

An original start. Blue screen and modest inscription in the upper left corner.

Of course, according to reviews, “New World” differs from all other virtual worlds, but not to the same extent. According to subjective feelings, I have been in this limbo for about ten minutes, content with the fascinating inscription in English. No body, no scenery, and a complete lack of interface. I’ll come out of the cocoon, file a lawsuit with the company and never set foot in this game again.

"Welcome to the New World!"

Finally. I will still demand compensation, don’t get away with it.

Wow! What beauty all around. The detailing is of amazing quality. I look around, mouth open. As an experienced gamer who has played through dozens of worlds and games, I can responsibly declare that I have never seen anything like this before. Finally, the game has surpassed reality itself in authenticity. And everything here is very beautiful, unnaturally beautiful. This doesn’t happen in life, but I still like it. What colors, what smells. Designers get an A plus.

I look around more closely. A medieval city, a central square and a portal of movement, in the center of which I stand.

I turn my gaze to my dear self, and the player frame pops up:

Basic information about the character:

Name: Zdrav Race: Human

Main profession: Not selected

Character Stats:

Level: 1

Fame: 0

Basic abilities:

Agility 1

Intelligence 1

Stamina 1

Additional abilities: no

Professions: No

Recipes: Cooking: No

Alchemy: No

Herbalism: No

Inspected the equipment. The rags I'm wearing should go straight to the landfill.

Appearance is obviously important when receiving tasks, and the attractiveness of the Persian greatly contributes to this.

First of all, you need to get around the city, assess the situation, and ask the locals. Complete a couple of simple tasks, find or buy equipment.

While I was looking through the characteristics and assessing my modest capabilities, I somehow did not attach any importance to the surrounding environment. As soon as I finished, took the first step down from the portal, I suddenly discovered with surprise that there was no one on the square. Not a single soul. Well, what are we going to look for? At least someone.

After wandering through the streets and alleys for half an hour, he came out to the central square of the city. To a huge empty square. The city seemed to have died out. But in principle this could not happen.

Before the dive, I carefully read on the forums where and in what places I should take tasks, where it is better to shop and gain skills. So, half of the quests for beginners began in this square. Having looked closely, I found a herbalist's shop, a tavern sign, and a blacksmith's counter. Everything is as it should be. It was from the herbalist that I was supposed to receive the task of delivering a healing potion and receiving my first specialty. Earn a knife from a blacksmith by completing a series of simple tasks.

But the square was empty. Not a single NPC, not a single player. Although according to the description there is always a crowd of people here, even at night. And now it's obviously late morning.

Just in case, I tried the locked doors - none of them opened.

Mentally slapped himself on the forehead, turned on the chat... And again fell into a stupor. There is complete silence on the air. Not a single message.

There weren't even regular system alerts or news. The chat was dead. It's getting weirder and weirder.

Maybe an attack, and everyone rushed to the walls to defend the city from the enemy? But why is there silence in the chat, because they are definitely within range. And the fuss on the walls is not noticeable, I passed by when I was wandering through the streets.

After another half hour, after a fair amount of weaving, I made my way to the city gates. The gloomy expectations were justified - and there was not a soul here. The massive three-meter gate was closed, the opening mechanism was apparently inside the tower, the entrance to which, surprise, was closed.

This is not a game, but what the hell,” I cursed out loud. - The developers are crooked. Exit the game.

And... nothing happened. Repeating the code phrase twenty more times, changing the intonation and volume. There was no result.

Opened the ammunition and characteristics panel. I couldn't find an exit button. It shouldn't be there, but I checked anyway. Exit from the game is provided standard, voice or mental. It is enough to say the code phrase and a window will pop up asking you to leave. A reliable and proven system that has been used in virtual games for decades.

System queries and contacting admins also did not bring results.

And here they have a bug. Now I will sit in the game for 12 hours until it automatically throws me back. As far as I remember, this is a built-in limitation of the cocoon. It is prohibited to play for more than half a day in a row. The player is obliged to leave the cocoon, and if his condition does not satisfy the acceptable values, then he will not be able to enter the game until the required characteristics are restored.

Or only after six hours of rest. Since I’ve already spent more than two hours here, I still have a lot of waiting left.

In principle, you can wander around the city during this time, but it’s terribly boring. No task to take, no character to shake. Nothing at all.

I'm already tired of admiring beauty. I was comforted by the thought of compensation that I would extract from the organizers of this mess.

There was no point in standing near the gate; I decided to take a walk around the city.

Maybe something interesting will be found. After a while, I expectedly got lost and felt tired and exhausted. A banner appeared before my eyes:

Amazing!

What they need doesn’t work, but everything else functions properly. It’s good that hunger and the need to eat appear in the player only upon reaching level 5. Otherwise I would be in pain by now.

You need to sit down, or at least, on this porch and relax.

I looked around, trying to determine where I had gone. Poor quarter, some wooden huts, cobblestone streets. Not as beautiful as in the center, but realistic and high quality down to the smallest detail. He went up the steps, tried the door - as expected, it was locked. I looked through the keyhole for some reason. There is no key in the keyhole, which means it is locked from the outside.

If we assume that the owner did not take the key with him, he hid it somewhere nearby. Under the rug or under the porch. There’s nothing I can do anyway, I’ll start searching. For a whole hour I was engaged in this most stupid activity, feeling like a hunter of black cats in a black room where they had never been. I tore off the railing during the search, broke down the step, dismantled the woodpile with firewood and, already in despair, decided to inspect the roof of the house. Maybe hidden under the tiles somewhere.

There were no stairs anywhere nearby, so I had to roll a barrel from the yard and, climbing onto it, continue the search.

It seems that my initially hopeless idea turned out to be a dud. Having torn off a dozen tiles and smeared himself in cobwebs and dust from head to toe, he spat in disappointment. I wanted to jump off the barrel, when suddenly my eyes caught on one of the boards. It was a little different in color from its neighbors, and also stood out a little from the series, catching the eye with uneven slits.

Yes! I tear off the tablet and find a massive bronze key under it.

You have found the key is simple.

You gain experience +5 (5/40)

You gain the Seeker skill +1 (Seeker apprentice).

You gain the Attention skill +1