NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 14: A Painful Lesson
Alex lies on the ground, cold and bloody, with pain coursing through every inch of his body. Today has been a series of new, brutal experiences: beheading a man, getting shot in the shoulder, stabbed in the chest, falling off a wall, nearly bleeding to death, and being miraculously saved by a shabby-looking yet precious healing herb.
His eyes, heavy with exhaustion, catch the sight of the herb dissolving in his hand as the last of its green vanishes. For a second, he isn't even sure if he has hallucinated the note changing, or if it has really happened.
[Healing Herb]
Quality: Light Green
Effect: Heals 30 HP over 30 seconds. More effective when processed into medicine.
Note: Didn't I tell you?
At least his next experience is more welcome.
Alex is dragged into a nearby hut by a group of elderly women and young girls, those too old or too young to fight. They work quickly, stopping his bleeding and patching him up with basic first-aid. He lies on a rough woolen blanket, feeling the relief seep into his bones. As the weight of the battle fades slightly, he decides to check his notifications.
You have taken 1 HP bleeding damage from your left shoulder's gunshot wound
Healing Herb heals you for 1 HP
You have taken 1 HP bleeding damage from your chest wound
Healing Herb heals you for 1 HP
Healing Herb heals you for 1 HP
Healing Herb heals you for 1 HP
...
He scrolls through the cluttered feed of injuries and slow-healing notifications.
Villager removed the bullet from your shoulder
You have taken 1 HP bleeding damage from your left shoulder's gunshot wound
Villager disinfected your wounds and bandaged you – bleedings stopped
Finally, the pain, exhaustion, and trauma of the night catch up to him, and Alex falls asleep.
When he wakes up, his body still aches, but at least he is alive. He checks his status:
Alex Kerber: Lvl 0
HP: 46/50 (wounded max HP limited), MP: 50/50
STR: 5, AGI: 5, PHY: 5, SNS: 5, CHA: 5, MNA: 5, INT: 5 SPR: 5, LUK: 5
Available Stat Points: 0
Innate Skills: Genius Conjurer lvl 0, Statistical OCD lvl MAX
Free Skill Slots: 2/2, Free Basic Skill Slots: 8/8
Contribution points: 3530
Even though he is mostly healed, his HP won't fully regenerate because of his injuries. He is still in better shape than he has any right to be, far better than someone who has been shot, stabbed, and thrown off a wall.
He can't help but joke to himself, "Didn't Luffy & Zoro just eat meat and drink alcohol to recover from anything?"
But this isn't an Anime, and he isn't made of rubber.
As he thinks it over, Alex notices something strange about his contribution points. They've skyrocketed overnight. He does some quick mental math.
130 for the first day's side quest,
1000 for killing Robin the traitor,
350 for the second day's quests,
400 for the third day's quests,
Subtract 100 for food… add 850 for last night.
He should have 2630. But instead, he has 3530. Where did the extra 900 come from?
He scrolls through his notifications and finds the answer:
For successfully defending the village from a Baroque Works assault, all remaining players earned 1000 contribution points.
But Alex has only received 900.
100 contribution points have been deducted for bandages and wound cleaning.
"Stingy village," Alex mutters.
Still, he is alive, and that is what matters. But the notification also reminds him, eight remaining players. Which means someone has died last night.
Alex leaves the hut, his body sore but moving, and goes to find the others. When he steps outside, Eirini and Perlah rush towards him, hugging him tightly, catching him off guard. He hadn't expected the warm welcome.
"You're alive!" Perlah says, relief in her voice.
They walk him to the village center, where the rest of the group is gathered. Thato grins as Alex approaches. "The devil's luck, man. I thought for sure you were dead after getting shot, stabbed, and falling off that wall!"
Alex forces a smile. "Guess I'm harder to kill than I thought," he says, though deep down he knows it isn't toughness. It is pure luck. Without that healing herb, he'd be dead.
Thato claps him on the back. "You're a real warrior, Alex. Glad you made it."
Alex, still reeling from the night's events, asks about the missing player.
"It was Alan," Roja says quietly. "The guy from Scotland. He got shot in the head during the attack, didn't even have a chance."
Alan… Alex hasn't known him well, but it still hits hard. One bullet, and just like that, Alan is gone. It makes Alex realize how close he had been to joining him. If not for the herb, he'd be dead too.
Roja steps forward then, pulling something out from her inventory. A notification appears as she initiates a trade.
Player Roja initiated a trade with you.
"My inventory unlocked after the battle," she says, handing Alex two chests. "You earned these."
Alex receives two chests, one white, one green. His kills have earned him the right to them, and thankfully the others have honored that.
You received Chest (White)
You received Chest (Green)
He opens the white chest first.
[Chest]
Quality: White
Level: 0
Note: Dropped by a Millions agent during the tutorial mission.
You received 300 Fantasy Coins.
You received 200 Fantasy Coins.
Nothing special," Alex concludes. "Coins are useless right now."
Then he opens the green chest.
[Chest]
Quality: Green
Level: 0
Note: Dropped by a Billions agent during the tutorial mission.
You received 1100 Fantasy Coins.
You received Solid Marine Saber.
[Solid Marine Saber]
Quality: Light Green
Type: Sword (Saber)
Required Stats: STR - 5, PHY - 4, AGI - 5
Durability: 40/40
Damage: 12-16
Effect: Solid Parry – Increases the chance to parry an attack by 5%.
Note: A solid saber, apparently stolen from a higher-ranking marine. Hopefully, it will serve you better than its previous two owners.
Alex grins as he straps the saber to his waist. Finally, a real weapon. No more swinging a dull axe around like a madman.
He fiddles with the system and puts his old axe into his newly unlocked inventory.
After a few more minutes of talking, the group splits up. Thato, the workhorse, goes straight back to logging trees. Alex just shakes his head in disbelief. "What a beast."
As for Alex, he has learned his lesson. No more hoarding points for a stat-boosting potion that would do him no good right now. He nearly died last night, and he needs to prepare. The saber is good, but he has lost his bow in the chaos, and he needs something more if he is going to survive.
Some things about Alex haven't changed; he still schemes and strategizes like he always did, but this experience has shaken him. This isn't a game where you can save, reload, and optimize your way to the best outcome. His life is on the line, and he needs to stay alive, not play the long game.