Eden's Gate: The Reborn: A LitRPG Adventure Read online

I felt a light breeze as the small pieces quickly started stacking together, one on top of another. Crinkled paper legs were soon visible, and then a paper torso, and finally crinkled paper arms and legs. The thin, paper effigy that appeared tilted its head to the side and rattled as it treaded toward me.

  “Wow! That’s freaking awesome!” I blurted.

  “Look lively!” Trainer said, his words a reminder of the pain I felt when I got a boot to my chest. I wasn’t sure what his paper man was capable of, but I didn’t want to find out.

  I squeezed the hilt of the dagger with my right hand and squared off before the paper effigy was right on top of me. It swung its arm at my head surprisingly slow, and I easily dodged its attack. Again, it swung its other arm, and this time, I whipped the dagger upwards, connecting with the base what would have been its tricep.

  The effigy looked down as the tiny papers of its arm tumbled to the ground, but it didn’t make a sound. It just turned back to me and started swinging its one remaining arm, stepping towards me each time I backed away.

  I felt a bit dizzy all of a sudden and paused to grab my head… It was if something important happened far, far away. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was, but I figured that perhaps the VR headset was acting up. It was a brand-new system on launch day after all. I shook my head and the cobwebs subsided.

  The effigy raised its fist as high as it could and slammed it down towards me, but I rolled out of the way and ran. I was faster than the effigy—much faster—and I easily found its back. I flipped the dagger in my hand, and thrust the point of the blade a few inches above the effigy’s waist, and immediately all the paper tumbled quietly to the ground.

  You’ve gained 10 XP!

  Advancement! You have learned the skill: Small Blades. A wise woman said, “It’s not the size of the tool that matters. It’s the… you know.” Small Blades is linked the base stat Dexterity. Increase your Dexterity to increase your affinity with Small Blades.

  Advancement! You have learned the skill: Backstab. Strike swiftly and precisely. A well-placed tip can down even the largest of foes. Backstab is linked the base stat Dexterity. Increase your Dexterity to increase your damage with Backstab. 100% critical chance for surprise attacks.

  “Well done, Gunnar,” Trainer said. “Well done.”

  I smirked and flipped the dagger in my hand. My confidence was already starting to grow, despite only defeating my first, very weak enemy. The game was already proving to be fun and it was so damn realistic. I couldn’t get over how much I was loving it already.

  “I think that just about wraps up—”

  Whatever Trainer was telling me was cut off by an odd zipping sound, and everything seemed to pause around me. A large, semitransparent window jumped in front of my eyes.

  ||System Wide Broadcast||

  The text faded, and in its place was the vivid image of a man I recognized immediately as the CEO of Nexicon Inc. He had been all over business and technology websites and television, so anyone would recognize him—even if he happened to be covered in a long, brown robe from the neck down and looked slightly younger than I remembered. In his holographic image, he was sitting in a large wooden desk with books lining the walls behind him.

  “Greetings players… or should I rather say, Eden’s Gate residents,” he began. “Thank you so much for being early adopters of the Nexicon VR. Today you’ve been given a gift. You’ve been given the chance to live your life in a wonderful world filled with magic and adventure.” He cleared his throat and his eyes darted to the desk and back up again. His voice turned flat. “Your bodies are dead, and you no longer exist outside of this world.”

  “What?” I voiced out loud and couldn’t help but smirk. “What is this guy smokin’?”

  “As of a few minutes ago, everyone plugged into the Nexicon VR has the chance to live forever. As you may already know, you can die in Eden’s Gate, but if do, you’ll respawn wherever you were bound with some penalties. Immortality may be scary to some of you and exciting to others, but rest assured that I did think ahead for every circumstance.

  “While you can live a very long and fruitful life here on Eden’s Gate, if you ever actually wish to truly die, simply open up your settings and toggle aging to ‘on’. You’ll grow old similar to the way you would on Earth and eventually die of natural causes. Alternatively, there is one area in Eden’s Gate where permadeath has been enabled.” The camera panned out and showed an area of land that was covered in dark soil, barren trees, and a castle dangling on the side of a large mountain cliff before panning back in to Rupert Winston’s face. “If you ever wish to cease existing, a death in The Mastalands is final. I’d recommend everyone who wants to continue living, avoid coming here.”

  Rupert Winston sighed. “Part of me wants to apologize for bringing you here without your permission, but another part of me knows that no life on Earth could ever rival the experience you’ll have here. I’m certain that many others will log in for the same chance that you already have.” He stood from his desk and placed his hands flat as he leaned forward, a cocky smirk on his face. “Welcome to Eden’s Gate. Welcome to your new life.”

  The image flashed away, and I was left standing there with my jaw slack. “What the fuck?” I whispered to myself.

  “Gunnar?”

  I turned around to see Trainer smiling at me. “That about wraps things up.”

  “What the hell did that message mean?!” I snapped.

  Trainer creased his brow. “What message?”

  “That freakin’ system message that just popped up. The guy in the robe!”

  “I didn’t see anything.” He looked clueless.

  I snapped my lips together and gritted my teeth. I took a deep breath and focused on the idea of my settings window opening up, and just like my status page, a settings window appeared. I paid no attention to any of options other than ‘Logoff’ button listed at the bottom of the menu and the counter at the top that said “Playtime: 00:32”. I had been in the game just a little more than thirty minutes and Rachel was probably logging out now if she hadn’t already.

  I tried to will myself to logoff and then tried to press the translucent button with my finger, but nothing happened either time.

  “Logoff!” I said loudly. “Sign out! End game! Shutdown! Get me the fuck out of here!”

  Nothing happened no matter what I said.

  “What in the world are you yapping about, Gunnar?” Trainer asked.

  “I’m trying to exit this damned game,” I replied.

  “Exit what?” Trainer looked genuinely confused. “I told you that Eden’s Gate isn’t just a game. Gunnar, this is your home now.”

  Chapter Four

  01/01/0001

  “You can’t just stay in the tutorial,” Trainer said.

  I had been sitting on the stairs of the temple trying to figure out a way to log out for the past 15 minutes. Nothing seemed to work. “Maybe if you’d just tell me how to get out of here…” I grumbled.

  “The way forward is through the gate,” Trainer repeated for probably the fifth time.

  I sighed and leaned back as I let my settings menu close in front of me. I wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. I mean, Rupert Winston’s message was loud and clear—I was supposedly dead, or at least dead outside of the world of Eden’s Gate, but my brain couldn’t process how that was really possible. There was no way that I was dead outside but still walking around in-game. Maybe it was just some sort of twisted launch day joke for early adopters.

  I wondered about Rachel. Was she also stuck in game or had she already started drawing obscene pictures on my skin with sharpies and filled my hand with shaving cream? I made a mental note to be very cautious after logging off.

  But then I considered… What if what that system message wasn’t a joke? What if I was really stuck in the game?

  I shook my head violently. There was no fucking way…

  No matter what the situation, there was no use in me sitting on the stairs in the tutorial and clicking a non-responsive logoff button over and over. If anything, the battery of the VR module would eventually drain, and I’d be dropped back into the real world.

  I sighed loudly and stood from the stairs. “Alright, let’s just keep moving.”

  “Back to your senses, I see.” Trainer walked to the top of the temple and pulled a satchel out from under the table. “This will get you started,” he said as he handed me the bag.

  You’ve received: Basic Torch. 0-1 Attack Damage. Durability: 10/10. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.3 kg. This item provides a basic light source when lit.

  You’ve received: Basic Flint & Steel. Durability: 20/20. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. Combine with kindling or other flammables to start a campfire.

  You’ve received: 2 Small Bandages. Durability: 5/5. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.1 kg. Useful for healing light wounds.

  You’ve received: Small Food Ration. Durability: 5/5. Quality: Average. Rarity: Common. Weight: 0.2 kg. Who knows what’s in these tasteless things? All you know is that they keep you alive.

  “Thanks,” I said.

  Trainer placed his hand on my shoulder and started leading me down the stairs of the temple. “You’ll learn most skills naturally as you progress, but magic is generally gained via finding scrolls, books and learning them from other magic users.”

  “Do I select a class at some point? Wizard, thief, warrior?”

  “Everyone in Eden’s Gate is unique. As you progress you may earn titles based on your choices, achievements or renown, but you can’t simply select a class or title.”

  I nodded and followed, only being able to halfway pay attention as I worried about what was going on back home.

  When w
e arrived at the open gate outside of temple, Trainer looked at me and smiled. “When you gain a level, your stats are restored, but only if you’re not cursed, diseased, or poisoned. If you die, you’ll awaken where you spawn until you bind yourself to another location.”

  “And how do I bind? To what?”

  Trainer smiled. “You’ll know when the time comes.”

  I raised my eyebrows and shrugged. “Alright then. Is there anything else I should know?”

  “I can only tell you a few basics. You’re a baby fresh from the womb and must learn about the world through your own discovery.”

  “Hmm… Well, thanks.”

  “Good Luck, Gunnar.”

  Trainer turned and headed back to the temple, and I started past the gate that led to the distant forest. Just a few paces outside the gate, my vision started to blur, and a weightlessness took over my body. Everything soon went white and then that white faded into a complete and total darkness.

  You have spawned and must learn to survive on your own from this point. Good luck!

  I no longer felt weightless, and the air around me was cold and musty. A high-pitched squeak echoed out above me.

  Great… a cave, I thought. Out of all the places I could have spawned, I had to be spawned underground.

  I felt something crawl over my ankle, and I kicked out instinctively, trying to rid myself of whatever it was. I lifted my foot and jerked to the side, bumping my head against something hard and rocky.

  “Fuckkkkkkkk!” I grunted and grabbed my head. My voice echoed several times, and I heard several high-pitched squeaks answer my curse.

  Bats. At least ten or more, I guessed.

  I took a deep breath and gathered myself, then felt around in my satchel for the flint and torch. My hands were no longer hurting, but the fact that my health bar was at about 95% meant that I had taken some damage just by hitting my head.

  I sat the torch on the ground and knocked my flint & steel together a few times over it until the sparks caught the tiny kindling that jutted crudely at the top. An ember appeared, and I blew hard until the ember puffed up into flames.

  I lifted the lit torch and inspected my surroundings. The cave was wide and circular, and directly behind me large stalactites hung down, blocking all but a small crawlspace that led to who-knows-where. There was only one other obvious passage which was a few meters in front of me. But most importantly, the place was crawling with maggots. Hundreds of them were squirming all over the ground.

  “Gross!” I spat as I flicked my foot, trying to rid myself of the ones clinging to my shoes. Wherever I was, I wanted to get out as soon as possible.

  I bagged my flint and steel, pulled out my dagger, and started forward, cringing every time I heard the squishy noise of the tiny maggots bursting under my shoes. I followed the path ahead and found myself coughing as a whisk of air carrying the smell of something rotten suddenly caught my nostrils.

  What a wonderful place they decided to start me in… the toilet of Eden’s Gate.

  There was a low screech, and before I could even see where it was coming from, a maggot the size of a small dog slithered quickly towards me, its puckered, pink mouth opening and closing with each creep forward. I instinctively took a step back, but the maggot was surprisingly fast, and when it was right on top of me, I kicked it hard, sending it flying far back down the passage.

  “Nasty!” I spat.

  The sound of several low screeches cried out from the direction the maggot flew, and I immediately knew that I had made a mistake. Within seconds, 3 more giant maggots were slithering towards me even more aggressively than the first.

  “I guess it’s on then, bitches,” I said as I gave both my dagger and torch a tighter grip. Even if I ran back, there was nowhere for me to go unless I were to jump in the crawlspace which was probably home to even more disgusting creatures.

  When the first maggot closed in, I kicked it aside and swung the fire of my torch down towards the second. It screeched loudly and seemed stunned by the flames, but it was saved when the third giant maggot leapt up and sunk its teeth into my leg.

  I screamed and almost lost my balance as pain burst through my calf. I dropped the torch and swung my dagger frantically at the maggot that was latched on to me, and a yellow puss-like substance spilled out of its body and dripped down my leg. It released its grip and fell to the ground curling and screeching.

  The smell of the maggot juice would have made me vomit if it weren’t for the pain and adrenaline pumping through me.

  I noticed that my health had already been brought down to 80%, and I kneeled, reaching for my fallen torch while simultaneously driving my dagger as hard as I could into the maggot that had earlier been stunned. Yellow liquid surged out of its mouth, and it immediately went limp.

  Before I could even stand, another giant maggot jumped on to my arm and sank its teeth into my shoulder. I dropped my torch again, and used my free hand to grab hold of the maggot, pulling as hard as I could, ripping it from my skin. I pinned it against the wall as I drove my dagger into its body repeatedly until it stopped moving.

  The body of the gooey, mangled maggot fell to the cave floor, and I grabbed at my searing shoulder. Another low screech rang out, and I turned to see that the first maggot that I stabbed was still alive, crawling slowly towards me with liquid still seeping out of its body. I took a step forward, lifted my foot high, and slammed it down as hard as I physically could, causing yellow liquid to splat all over the cavern floor.

  You have gained 90 XP!

  A low, celebratory drumming sound echoed around me.

  Advancement! You have reached level 2 and gained 3 attribute points. To assign your attribute points, open your status page. You can also increase any of your known skills by 1 level. Choose wisely, as your choices cannot be undone.

  You have gained 10 HP!

  I should have been celebrating the increase, but the pain from the maggot bites was excruciating. I inspected the damage, and blood was dripping out of both my shoulder and my legs. My health bar was down to 50%, and below my status bars were two icons. One was like a dark red blood drop, and the other was a green skull and crossbones. I focused on their meaning and two alerts displayed at the bottom of my screen.

  You are bleeding and require medical attention. Bleeding is a damage-over-time effect.

  You have been poisoned and require medical attention. Poison is a weakening and damage-over-time effect.

  Pain shot out in my shoulder, and I watched as my health bar dropped to 45%.

  “Shit!” I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the pain as I began searching through my satchel for a bandage. I gripped on to a soft cloth, but before I even had time to take any action, I looked up and saw 3 more giant maggots approaching.

  “You have got to be kidding me…”

  Pain coursed through my body, and then another sharp pain pulsed in the wound of my leg. My health fell to 35%, and I was starting to feel dizzy. There was no way I would survive another battle against 3 more maggots in my current state. My only choice was to try to run.

  I reached for my torch and bolted towards the maggots as fast as I could, kicking one out of the way and jumping over the other two. Each step of the way, my feet squished on the smaller maggots that littered the floor, soaking my feet in an icky mess. The pungent smell of death grew stronger as I continued.

  Another shock of pain thudded through my body, and my health was down to 30%.

  The thin passageway opened into another large room, and as soon as I stepped inside, I was almost choked by the heavy odor in the air. The source of the smell was apparent right away as against the far left wall, a huge dead body, maybe fifty times my size, lay dead on the ground. Its head was half missing and both small and large maggots were feasting on its decomposing, gray flesh.

  When the light of my torch light bounced off the cave walls, I noticed a chest lying at the foot of the giant body and a sword leaning against the wall. But most importantly, I noticed one massive maggot the size of a bear that had been sucking at the body’s neck. It turned to me and screeched in rage. All the other maggots turned in attention, and the screams from them all at once were like daggers in my ears.