Prisoners of VR

A Bamboo Spike jutted out of the ground as Rahu condensed a Grass Stick and pointed it in the direction of the spike's approach. He leaped lightly and pole-vaulted out of harm's way. With a kick, he broke off the Bamboo Spike at its base, propped it on his shoulder, and threw it towards the Dungeon Boss.

The Dungeon Boss screeched in alarm before dodging to safety, coming to a realisation that in its hurry to evade the attack, it leaped onto a patch of barren ground. The grass there had been consumed when the Male Mid-Boss created a bamboo wall.

"Give me a boost," Rahu shouted as he ran towards Lace. He grabbed a Bamboo Spike and broke it off, using it as a spear.

"W-What? Ah, got it!" Lace was flustered for a moment when Rahu came her way. But she quickly ascertained what she needed to do and slammed her hand on the grass patch and activated her Skill.

A Bamboo Wall began to jut out of the ground. When it reached a metre in height, Rahu leaped onto it and used the momentum behind its growth as a stepping stone to leap higher.

He crossed the Bamboo Wall obstructing the Dungeon Boss's sight and arrived above it, thrusting the spear downward with force as he fell.

The Dungeon Boss was a tad slow in reacting as the spear stabbed into its thigh, causing it to scream in pain. It grabbed the Wooden Spike and caused it to morph. From its midpoint, the spike curved and stabbed into Rahu's thigh.

It broke as Rahu fell on the ground and rolled upon impact, cushioning the fall. "Argh!"

He groaned in pain and removed the piece of the Bamboo Spike stabbing into his thigh. He stared at the Dungeon Boss that was constricted to its place as the Bamboo Spike pierced its thigh and lodged it in place.

As he approached it, the Dungeon Boss used its powers to vary the shape of the broken Bamboo Spike. It morphed as grass flowed out of its thigh like a group of worms. Following that, it transformed into a small spear.

But, the piece of Bamboo Spike in its hands was all it had to attack. Left on a patch of ground without any grass, it couldn't unleash a Skill.

Rahu intended to keep it there as he picked up a stone from nearby and threw it. The stone slammed into the Dungeon Boss's face, causing its vision to spin. The small Bamboo Spike in its hands fell to the ground. Rahu threw a rock at it and knocked it out of bounds.

He then backed away until arriving at a patch of grass and condensed two Grass Sticks.

As the Dungeon Boss was unarmed and in a state of dizziness, he rushed towards it and beat it up profusely. In a matter of seconds, he knocked it unconscious, leaving it no room to retaliate. With that, he gained the chance to extract its Invoker Crystal, observing its stats while doing so.

[Grass-Faced Dungeon Boss]

[Brainpower: 990]

[Willpower: 114]

[Empower: 5]

[Skill: Bamboo Spike (Moderate/ Intermediate)]

'How are the stats of a Dungeon Boss located adjacent to a Beginner's Village this high? Where's the game balance?' Rahu thought as he extracted its Invoker Crystal and equipped it.

He was distracted for a moment while observing its stats, not noticing the Dungeon Boss craning its wrists a little until its fingers touched his ankle. With that, it was able to observe his stats.

[User: Woof]

[Brainpower: 4892]

[Willpower: 144]

[Empower: 17]

[Skills: Grass Stick (Inferior/Basic), Bamboo Spike (Moderate Basic)]

"Monstrous bastard..." It muttered weakly, stunning Rahu. It then let out a grin and bit its tongue, committing suicide, "But the next time, I'll return stronger. And then,"

"I'll kill you."

"You can talk?" Rahu said in surprise as he stared at the Dungeon Boss's corpse. He then realised what was up as he shouted towards the nearby Elven Users that were still fighting, "Everyone! Logout ASAP! Meet me at Larkrood Village!"

"The animals in the Dungeon can revive!"

He immediately logged out, took a breather in reality, and logged in, finding himself on an open patch in Larkrood Village. Taking in a deep breath, he stared at the newly equipped Skill.

[Skill: Bamboo Spike]

[Grade: Moderate]

[Quality: Basic]

[Brainpower: 35]

[Willpower: 10]

[Empower: 2]

"Considering its power, the activation requirements are pretty low. This is an efficient ability." He muttered, especially since Bamboo Spikes formed rapidly to pierce their enemies. And even after that, he could pull them out of the ground and use them as spears. They were pretty versatile in terms of offence.

And even though it was called a Bamboo Spike, grass was enough to create it. The only difference between it and a Grass Stick was in the degree of toughness. At the end of the day, Bamboo was a type of grass, so this seemed possible.

Of course, if he activated the Skill on a bamboo shrub, its effectiveness would be the highest.

"To think you would succeed in killing a Dungeon Boss so quickly. I commend your skill." A voice resounded behind him, startling Rahu.

Rahu unleashed a Bamboo Spike in reflex as he turned around, stunned when the Bamboo Spike dissolved into loose strands of grass upon coming into contact with the entity. It was the Elven King.

"How did you do that?" Rahu asked, failing to hide his surprise.

"You can do the same when the Quality of your Bamboo Spike Skill reaches its peak." Saying so, the Elven King patted him on the shoulder, "The reason I've come to see you is to congratulate you for killing a Dungeon Boss. You've now become eligible to gain a Quest."

Immediately in response to his words, a screen flashed before Rahu.

[Quest: Larkrood Ownership]

[Quest Description: You have killed the Grass-Faced Monkey Dungeon's Dungeon Boss. You are now eligible to contest for Larkrood Village's ownership. The one that succeeds legally gains rights to the village. You can sell the land and even create your own currency, the exchange rates of which will be determined and acknowledged by Megasphere. It can be exchanged with real-life currency.]

[Quest Requirement #1: Kill Grass-Faced Monkey Dungeon's Dungeon Boss ten times (1/10)]

[Quest Requirement #2: Reach Expert Quality with the Bamboo Spike Skill]

[Quest Reward: Ownership of Larkrood Village, Right to Grass-Faced Monkey Dungeon, Currency]

"That's amazing," Rahu said, understanding the implications this would have. If he succeeds in clearing the Quest, he would be able to control who enters or leaves the Grass-Faced Monkey Dungeon. He could mine all the resources there and sell them for cash.

And as the exports increase, so does the value of his currency. If he were to convert them into real-life currency, he'll get a lot of money. For anyone, this was akin to getting ownership of a gold mine.

After all, Larkrood Village was one of the three starting villages for the Elven Race's Realm. So, ownership of it held prime significance. Rahu stared at the Elven King and asked, "Are there more villages out there?"

"Yes, there are plenty." The Elven King shrugged, "But you'll need to achieve certain parameters before the quest for ownership pops up. Other than that, you can settle anywhere in the world, but it'll only be classified as an illegal settlement, no matter how big it becomes."

This meant that even when a hundred thousand people lived in a settlement, if it was considered an illegal settlement, it meant Megasphere wouldn't give it any benefits that it gave a recognised settlement. Currency exchange, spawn point, NPC, Rules, etc. None of it would be provided to an illegal settlement.

Yes, if Rahu gains ownership of Larkrood Village, he could designate some rules and regulations for the village. Megasphere would exercise and enforce those rules. Suppose he made a rule of no killing in the village, then anyone that tried to do so would face severe penalties from Megasphere.

If one exceeded the threshold of penalties, they might even be banned from accessing Worldcraft.

"Well, have fun." Saying so, the Elven King skipped away and disappeared quickly.

"He's as mysterious as always," Rahu muttered, noticing a group of people running towards him. At the lead were Trot and Lace, followed by the others that logged out of the Dungeon upon hearing his shout.

"Is it true that the Dungeon Boss will revive?" Lace asked. She was confident that Rahu was an expert. After all, when he told her to create a Bamboo Wall, his words were short, but she was able to understand it.

It was difficult, if not impossible for two strangers to exercise this level of communication and collaboration. That was unless Rahu was able to understand her character and intelligence level during the short time frame he observed her.

Considering how he swiftly dispatched the Dungeon Boss by cornering its advantages in a matter of moves, she became confident that Rahu was a prodigy of sorts. Hence, she believed his words and left the Dungeon. And the moment she arrived at Larkrood Village, she rushed to find him.

Rahu didn't answer her and instead faced Trot, "The Female Mid-Boss told you something, right? What is it?"

"She said she remembers my attack patterns." Trot said, expressing his confusion, "I have some doubts regarding this situation."

"Tell me too, Trot. Don't hide it." Lace said, restless upon seeing Rahu and Trot turning silent.

"But the next time, I'll return stronger. And then, I'll kill you." Rahu faced Trot and Lace, "This was what the Dungeon Boss said to me."

"Man, what I feared became true." Trot scratched his head in irritation, "Everything is too realistic. First is the pain factor which is the same as reality. So, fighting is scary. Secondly, we need to eat and sleep here to maintain our body's functions. And now, the animals in the Dungeons aren't given the monster treatment but that of a player."

"Does that mean what I think it is?" Lace's face turned pale.

"Yes," Rahu nodded, "Just like the users, the Dungeon Boss will revive shortly. And it'll remember us killing it and its brethren. The monkeys will take revenge once they make preparations."

His voice turned serious, "This time, they'll invade our village. But unlike their Dungeons,"

Rahu stared at the vast plains, "We have nothing to defend ourselves with."