“…….WHAT THE FUCK????? How am I supposed to clear this mission? If he had a class of a swordsman then there would still be a chance because of the additional 20% attack power that the class would have contributed but since he’s an assassin not only would he get the extra 20% but his attack power would instead be reduced by twenty per cent if he used the sword to attack.

The worst part was since the moment he grabbed the sword he was unable to change his weapon from the sword back to the dagger. His dagger clearly gave him more attack bonus and he might stand a chance in this fight if he would be able to use it, at least that’s what he thought until he saw the domineering soldiers surrounding him from all sides.

Vikram took a large gulp seeing his situation. Due to the pressure, Vikram could almost feel his legs wobbling. Some might feel that since it's a game it doesn’t matter and just attack but no matter how much Vikram tried to think that way, it truly felt real. He didn’t know whether to curse the game developers for making things feel so real or praise them.

The initial thoughts that Vikram had of fighting a bitter battle till the end until he lost his life disappeared the moment he saw the huge army of soldiers. In all the fantasy novels he had read in his past times, he saw the main character rushing towards his enemies without batting an eye and coming out victorious. Thinking of this he chuckled and thought to himself ‘Guess, I’m not a protagonist.’

“HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU”

He was expecting the soldiers to show some chivalry and come at him one at a time but instead of that with a loud roar they all directly started running towards him with full force. With fear clearly written on his face he tightened the grip on the sword’s hilt and raised it to his shoulder level. Vikram knew that he stood no chance but it was more like a subconscious by his body to make itself feel safer by even a bit even though death was certain.

Seeing Vikram raising his sword the already howling soldiers howled even louder as if somehow triggered and rushed towards him with an even greater force. Vikram was like a tiny ant facing a tsunami coming directly at him from all around him. As a last desperate attempt, he lifted his sword further and slashed it down with greater force while closing his eyes tightly but before his strike could land, he felt a slight pain on his neck and opened his eyes just to see the legs on the soldiers that had stopped moving and beside them was a headless body who had a sword tightly held its hand.

It took a while for Vikram to realize that he had been decapitated by one of the soldiers as his vision slowly started fading away.

Mission Failed

As a penalty, the next time the player logs in he would have to start the game from the beginning.

That was the last message Vikram saw as his vision turned dark.

_________

Vikram soon got up from his bed and removed the VR helmet from his head. He was a bit frustrated at how unfair the quest was. He couldn’t help but curse the kid for leaving the game at such a place. If he had logged out in some other region then Vikram would have been able to enjoy a high-level account and easily earn money through it.

Vikram calmed himself with a deep sigh. It didn’t matter much now. What’s lost is lost. He was initially planning to start from level 1 anyway so it doesn’t matter now. Vikram looked at the clock and noted the time, it was close to six in the evening now. He could only log back into the game after midnight that means.

In Odyssey, death was something all players feared because not only would it reduce the experience of players, and drop some of their equipment but also would turn off their account for six straight hours. That meant eighteen hours of in-game time, something that meant a lot to the rankers and players who were competing to become rankers.

Vikram went to his worn-down kitchen and started preparing his dinner which was going to take quite some time but he had a lot of time to spare at the moment so it didn’t matter. After eating his dinner Vikram turned on his television and started watching the news.

“It has been more than three months since the release of Odyssey and just like any other day the players can’t help but praise the game more and more. Unlike the expectations the land of Odyssey has not yet been explored more than 10% even after all this time…this both leaves the players in exasperation and excitement as to what is yet to be discovered in the world of Odyssey…”

The news was all mostly related to Odyssey and it was quite justifiable because of how intensely linked the game had become in just a mere 3 months. Vikram leisurely watched the news for a while before feeling sleepy. He had initially planned to start the game at midnight but from the looks of it, he would be postponing the plan for tomorrow morning.

Closing the television Vikram walked towards his bed and lay down on it. He turned his head sideward to look at the VR headgear that was placed on the side table. This morning while waking up he hadn’t in his wildest dreams thought of being able to play this game, so what if he had to start from level 1 now after tasting what level 54 feels like?

It doesn’t matter one bit, he now has a golden chance to turn his life around and he will, no matter what! The path would be arduous as it should be because nothing that isn’t difficult is worth chasing after. With that in mind, Vikram turned off the lights and closed his eyes.