Chapter 4: My Turn

The data in front of me was arranged in a chaotic mess, filled with garbled characters.

But from the recognizable text, I could tell it was my personal status panel.

The jumbled data currently floating before me made it nearly impossible to see my surroundings.

With a thought.

The massive amount of data instantly dissipated.

Only one line of data remained, displayed before me. Fortunately, this line was free of garbled text.

【HP: 5/10】

10 HP? That low?

Even a "Destitute" starting class gets 15.

In the game's lore, those are the stats for beggars, refugees, and slaves.

I overestimated you, Kael.

Now is not the time to dwell on why this data suddenly appeared.

But the experience is clearly completely different from the game.

With only 5 HP left, the pain is impossible to ignore; it pierces deep into my brain.

Fortunately, the difficulty I had breathing earlier has vanished, though the wounds on my chest remain.

My physical strength hasn't changed; it’s the same as it was a moment ago. Even with this "digitization," it doesn't make me stronger.

However, this digitized body has instantly turned my severe injuries into something akin to mere flesh wounds, rather than the internal trauma I felt before.

Furthermore, the various issues caused by the exhaustion that had plagued my body since I woke up have also significantly subsided.

Despite being heavily wounded, my physical state feels better than it did before I regained consciousness.

I scrambled up quickly and gripped the sword lying nearby.

Strength surged into me instantly.

Hm?

I looked down.

The blade in my hand was still the one I had been using.

The longsword was slender, with a hollowed-out fuller and noble patterns representing the royal family carved into the blade.

It had a beautiful crossguard and an exquisite hilt.

It had absolutely no practical value—it was purely a decorative vase.

Yet, this vase-like ornamental sword had granted me strength.

"Equipment?"

Does a digitized body allow equipment stat bonuses to take effect?

Kael looked up, a smile on his face, though it was a smile through gritted teeth.

My turn!

Gripping the blade, I lunged forward, charging fiercely at the ghoul that was tearing into the soldier captain.

I’m grateful for the "Genesis Stone" combat system, which is based on real-world physics.

It ensured that anyone who played this game mastered at least some basic swordplay techniques, not to mention that Kael was once a technical player in this game.

I was, at the very least, a minor expert.

With a flash of steel, the ghoul's head went flying high into the air.

Before it even hit the ground, I kicked it away.

"Your..."

A weak voice came from nearby, followed by the screech of a ghoul.

Kael ducked, spun, and swung the sword in his right hand upward.

In my blind strike, I didn't hit the ghoul's neck precisely, but instead struck its shoulder.

I held a knight's longsword in my other hand, thrusting it from bottom to top, piercing through the ghoul's head.

This blade was the one I had casually pulled from the giant bat's head when I rushed over.

However, compared to the flashy prince's sword, Alirise's standard knight's blade didn't seem to provide any stat boost.

I pulled the blade out.

Looking at the one remaining ghoul and the giant bat in the air, Kael charged directly at them.

The ghoul leaped, its sharp claws swiping at me from the side.

I blocked with the knight's sword, closed the distance, and pulled the prince's sword hard across its neck.

Without checking if it was dead, I decisively rolled to the side, dodging the giant bat's claw strike from above.

Backhanding the blade upward, the prince's sword felt exceptionally light and sharp. It sliced the giant bat's left wing clean in half.

The severed wing robbed the bat of its most powerful weapon, and it immediately lost its balance, flapping its wings in a struggle.

I rolled to my feet, pushed aside the wing, stepped forward, and thrust my sword straight through the bat's human-like head.

I pulled the blade out, jumped over the carcass, and kicked the ghoul that was trying to get up.

Although that last strike hadn't decapitated it, it had left its head wobbling precariously on its neck.

As it was kicked back to the ground, Kael brought the prince's sword down hard, severing its head.

"Hoo..."

Thunder rumbled, and the rain washed over my body, cleansing the foul-smelling blood.

The pain returned, washing away the excitement of the real-life combat.

【HP: 4/10】

Why did I lose another point of health?

I looked down at the wound on my chest; it was still bleeding into the rainwater.

So, I'm still in a "bleeding" state.

The weak cries nearby brought me back to my senses.

I hurried to Alirise's side to check her injuries.

Her left arm was torn and covered in blood, and her palms were riddled with wounds.

Her left leg was twisted in a fracture, and her right leg was a mess of blood and flesh, also bitten.

"You, your wounds..."

"Don't speak. I'll get you out of here first." But before I could finish, Alirise had already lost consciousness.

I turned my head, only then remembering the soldier captain, but he was currently lying in the mud.

I hurried over to check on him.

His wounds were far more fatal; his abdomen and chest were nearly torn apart, and I could even see his intestines spilling out.

It was clear he had cleared out the squad that had chased us, and knowing his time was short, he had rushed back to support us upon hearing the noise.

These wounds were beyond saving.

He opened one eye halfway, looking at Kael, and reached out a trembling hand.

Then, his arm fell into the water, and he breathed his last.

Looking at the soldier, Kael didn't know what to say for a moment.

This was different from an NPC dying in front of me; even if I wanted to deceive myself in my mind, I couldn't.

Because this was real. No matter how virtual a game world is, it can never reach the level of reality.

I closed his eyes and placed the object he had been trying to hand over into his hand.

It appeared to be a medal.

"Awoo!"

A strange cry pierced through the rainy night from afar.

Hearing this sound, Kael looked over immediately. The sound was very familiar.

It was something I couldn't afford to provoke for the time being.

"You are a warrior."

I pulled the soldier's hands and crossed them over his chest; I still remembered this was the custom of this country.

But no matter what, this body wouldn't be safe; it would either become parts for enemies later or turn into food.

I turned, hoisted Alirise onto my shoulder with one hand, and began to run through the downpour, holding my weapon in the other.

This was the source of my strength; if I didn't hold it, I might not even be able to carry her.

I looked at the three-story bell tower in the center.

"Carnivore Village? So it's this godforsaken place. Was it called Rubble Village back then? It's too clean; I didn't recognize it at first."

In the game's post-launch storyline, this was a decent leveling spot.

There were two quest lines here that I had completed several times while playing.

Having read the guides, I was very familiar with this place.

It was just that this was several years ago, and it was very different from the later situation. I hadn't recognized it at all until I saw the well in the center of the village and that iconic three-story bell tower.

"If it's here, then those things should still be around. It's currently the time of the Blood Disaster, when everyone is fleeing."

Thinking this, I looked at Alirise on my shoulder. There was no other way; I had to see if they were still there.

If they were, it meant this world had a very high degree of similarity to the game world, and I would have the ability to predict future events based on my experience.

I could still save Alirise. After all, in her current state, although she had no fatal wounds, if this bleeding state wasn't treated, it would be a huge problem.

Even if she survived, she wouldn't be able to run.

And it would attract the attention of enemies.

Thinking this, Kael scanned his surroundings constantly.

Until he saw a small two-story house.

"That's the one. The village chief's house."

I rushed inside. It was empty, so I dashed into the back room.

Seeing the double bed, I flipped it over without hesitation.

Then, I pulled back the carpet on the floor and, sure enough, saw a loose wooden door.

"There really is a basement."

Kael's face lit up. He lifted the door and jumped down.

Exposing his upper body, he moved the bed back into place.

(End of chapter)