After pa.s.sing the test, he picked the wrong name! "Nick"! There"s a lot of "Nick" in the world. Why isn"t he called himself "Houdini"?

The redhead guy pa.s.sed the test easily. He showed up by the riverside. Washed and drank water. Saw a wolf. The wolf was as big as a motorcycle. And Nick did what normal people do. He jumped in the river and swam. He knew exactly what he could swim. The river wasn"t wide, but the stream was fast. Nick was tired, but he was able to swim fast. He crawled to the sh.o.r.e and rested. Then, he heard a strange growling behind him. Nick got up and saw the wolf. The wolf was swimming in the river! The wolf wanted to eat him. Nick grabbed a stone and threw it at the insolent animal. And another stone. And one more. The guy was happy to see he was often hitting a target. The target was small, with the wolf" glowing face rising above the surface of the water. There were many stones. Nick wasn"t surprised when the evil predator drowned.

"Is this your test? Nothing complicated! Let"s do it again!" screamed the guy.

"You"re sharp, but with a bow you"d be more comfortable," said the man with the big bow in his hand.

Nick jumped to the side and turned to the voice. He saw two men in strange clothes and with strange weapons in their hands. The bows and short swords that looked more like huge knives. The guy thought they were new enemies and now he can"t run away.

The men suggested he go to town with them. The young man agreed and on the way he remembered his name. He had strange feelings. A wild mixture of r.e.t.a.r.dation and clarity of mind. He didn"t remember anything about himself, but he knew for sure that it was no accident that he got into this world.

Nick listened to the words about Dor, the aristocrats and the Grand Duke, the terrible monsters and all sorts of nonsense he wasn"t interested in.

In the city, he walked down the street and looked at houses and people with surprise. He wanted to laugh in his voice.

But then he saw a message about how good he was! He pa.s.sed the test and even got a +1 to Luck. And the big building had some kind of temporary rebirth point.

Nick accepted the offer and got a rebirth point.

And it was a moment of truth!

And it was the moment of a great and unique horror!

The worst nightmare in Nick"s life.

He chose the wrong name!

The funniest thing was that he agreed to be called Nick and immediately realized that he had made a mistake.

Life was beautiful. He didn"t remember the old life, and the new life was a wonderful and pleasant game. There were calm and responsive people in town. They were afraid of rats! But they frowned and gave Nick a quest. Nick would run down the sewers and kill rats. Pretty soon he realized it was a great way to earn enough honey to pay for food and a place to sleep. And he was saving up the "Glory" points!

Nick met two other players, a man, and a woman. He didn"t agree to work with them. He was doing a great job himself. He didn"t like the woman at once, her name was Samantha, and she was cunning and looked at him like he was nothing. Nick politely refused and did not listen to stories about the benefits of working together. He knew his benefits and his own.

If you are not lazy and spend a lot of copper coins you can buy a short sword and kill a lot of rats with it. And then you will get even more copper coins! And more points of "Glory".

When he died the first time, he woke up in a familiar yard. It was the yard of the Temple. Nick was lying there angry at his stupidity. He was too carried away in battle and did not take care of his rest and recovery. Nick was already taking quests at the Warrior Guild. Local adventurers and warriors frowned and watched in silence as the guy took the quests to kill rats. The locals themselves didn"t go to the sewers, they killed monsters near the city. Nick heard stories in taverns from drunken hunters and warriors. It was fun for him. The locals waited for a month for the monster to appear and then went to kill him with a large company. But it was understandable. They were mortal.

Nick was a player in a strange game with a strange att.i.tude to the development of his abilities. Dexterity comes first! It doesn"t take a lot of health and strength to kill rats. To win, you have to have a dexterous body and a desire to work hard and not complain.

And then Nick committed the first theft. All the townspeople were nice and calm, they met young rat-killer with understanding. But there was one salesman who never gave him an a.s.signment. The Borz trader sold all sorts of things, and in his shop you could buy weapons, armor, books, and jewelry. The merchandise was of modest quality. Nick sold the trader trophies that were sometimes caught after rats were killed. The merchant also bought rat tails. Nick acted wisely, taking several missions from the locals and a mission to the Warriors Guild to kill rats all day long. But this Borz was a completely strange man who had no respect for Nick and was constantly cursing when he gave money for rat tails. A greedy and petty sly man who got what he wanted. Nick had long seen a useful thing in the shop of that bad salesman.

*

Adventurer"s Ring

+1 to Luck

*

Nick had already acc.u.mulated 50 silver rials. That was the price of 500 rat tails, and killing 500 rats is 2 days of hard work in the sewers. But the reward of 10 points of Glory and 10000 points of experience is a good motivation for feats of perfection.

Nick didn"t come out of the sewer for 2 days and got 10 levels and enough goods to trade for the Ring of the Adventurer.

And this nasty merchant decided to cheat on honest Nick. The Borz said that he could only buy this amount of rat tails for 45 rials! Nick argued and bargained, but couldn"t win the unequal battle with an experienced trader.

Skinny Borz crooked his face in the winner"s smile and threw the wallet with the silver on the counter. Nick started counting the coins. The merchant whispered something quietly with contempt and took the bag of rat tails to the next room.

And when Nick counted the coins, he reached out and took the Ring of the Adventurer off the shelf. In all the stores in town, the product was on the shelves and counters so the customer could pick it up and check the quality of the product.

Suddenly, Nick put the Ring in his inventory and waited for the merchant to pay. But the Borz never came back. First the merchant was doing something in the next room, then it got quiet and Nick stood in silence and looked at one sword that could help him well in the sewers.

He had a great sword that killed rat perfectly but wasn"t very durable.

Where"s that greedy b.a.s.t.a.r.d? I got a lot to do, Nick thought.

*

[You commit theft. There"s a 97% chance of a successful theft. Do you want to commit theft? Yes/No]

*

Nick froze.

What a heinous abuse! I"m not stealing anything, I"m waiting for that skinny b.a.s.t.a.r.d. I"m an honest player, I have money. Stupid game! Ninety-seven percent of a successful steal. That"s interesting. What happens if I agree? If I fail, I"ll get caught and go to jail. There"s a prison. Raging drunkards and the rest of the rude ones are in it. It"s a game, let"s see what happens, Nick thought and agreed to steal the ring.

At that moment the Borz showed up in the aisle and looked at the player with contempt. Then, he was screaming in an unpleasant voice:

"You don"t buy anything! You just bring me those d.a.m.n rats tails. Why are you standing there like a tree? Go to your sewer, hope the rats eat you forever this time."

*

[Congratulations! The theft was a success! You get 500 points of experience.

You successfully committed your first theft. You get +1 Spirit.

Do you wish to obtain the specialty Thief? Yes/No]

*

"You are a very strange merchant, master Borz," smiled Nick. "You are the strangest merchant of all the Dor merchants. But I"ll go and kill a couple more rats if you don"t mind."

Nick came out of the store. He opened the inventory and looked at the ring. He wouldn"t put it on his finger. He wasn"t happy. That he stole something he could buy. He tried so hard, that filthy merchant ruined the winning final. Nick remembered that Luck in this game couldn"t be increased at the expense of performance points and glory points.

He only wore the ring in the sewers. It was a very funny sight: a naked redhead with a sword in his hand, running through the sewers and killing rats. Nick was saving his clothes from blood stains and other nasty traces from the rat fight.

Suddenly, the guy sat down by the wall and thought. Then, he got up, his body was covered in clean, tidy and modest clothes of a citizen.

Nick thought he was done with rats. He decided to have some fun.

The fun didn"t last long. When Nick walked into the store and successfully stole the cheap thing, he accepted the offer of the game and took the specialty Thief. Stealings cheap stuff was easy and rewarding in terms of experience. He got 100 experience points for each theft, for killing a rat he got only 20 experience points. Nick immediately realized that the amount of experience depends on the value of the stolen thing.

Then, a vampire came up to him and asked him to give 30% of the value of the stolen goods to the Killer Guild. The vampire explained that the Guild can reveal the player"s activities to all traders and townspeople. Nick decided that the price for a quiet life wasn"t that high. He wasn"t very interested in money. He wasn"t even interested in the experience anymore. Nick realized he wasn"t getting any Glory for stealing. And he was losing a lot in his character development. He could pay only 1 gold coin and join the Guild. As a member of the Guild he could get a.s.signments, and then he could get Glory, but had to part with the stolen value. Studying in the Guild of Killers was very expensive.

Eventually, Nick stopped stealing stuff from shops and went back to work in the sewers. He joined a clan where no one demanded anything from him. Nick was polite and humble.

Then, Nick changed the clan and realized that the new environment was a completely different level of development. Above all, he felt a strange sense of pride when he learned that the Thief was a decent game cla.s.s. He already knew about the Order of the Immortal Hunters and he was pleased to be part of the team. The mastery and skills of new acquaintances surprised him. Their levels were also respected by Nick.

But the most enjoyable discovery was waiting for him after choosing a cla.s.s. When Nick scored 100 dexterity points, he realized that he had to stop developing and increase his reputation. He didn"t find anything special about an increased reputation. The nasty Borz started giving him the quest to kill rats! It was a great achievement! It opened up such perspectives that it was unbelievable! At that moment, Nick laughed and decided to increase his dexterity by 100 points.

In the cla.s.s selection room, he got the answer to a mystery he couldn"t solve.

Nick immediately noticed the strange characteristic of the Spirit.

*

Spirit: Increases the rate of regeneration of life and mana and the length of time the skills are used and their power. Highs spirit level allows you to confront opponents above you in level.

*

Mysterious and incomprehensible character property. The spirit was like Luck, they worked strangely and mysteriously. What does it mean to confront the opponent above you in the level? How does the spirit help in this case?

Nick looked closely at the description of the most magical skill in Thief cla.s.s. He immediately raised that skill to its maximum level.

*

"Hide in the Shadows". Skill allows you to hide your presence from outsiders.

Attention! The chance of detection is greatly increased if you make fast movements or are exposed to bright light.

When you activate the skill, you spend 120 MP. Time of action and Cooldown skill: 120/240 seconds.

*

Nick increased his spirit by 20 points, then read a description of the skill and smiled. He raised his spirit to 100. With a new smile, he met the news that he had become an adept of the Spirit. But the main thing was that he increased the effect of the skill by 60 seconds!

Nick stood at a stone figure that looked nothing like a thief, a crook, or a petty criminal. The tall man stood with pride and independence. He had a condescending smile on his stone lips. His left hand was set aside a little and rested on his stick. Most of all, the figure resembled a monument to a n.o.bleman, a true aristocrat.

And then the redheaded thief decisively spent another 100 points on the development of the characteristics of the Spirit. He was pleased to see some perfection in describing the skill.

Time of action and Cooldown skill: 240/240 seconds.

*

Nick did a pretty good job on the ruins of Galatea, he was able to add to his collection of rings with a boost of Luck. He wouldn"t hide his findings from the clan and was grateful for permission to use rare artifacts. Daros Stick was a reliable weapon, but most of all Nick was pleased with the appearance of this unique artifact. The stick did not look like a rough club, it looked like a short pole. And it looked a lot like the stick. Nick soon got used to carrying a stick in his left hand and under his arm. He liked to use an ancient artifact as a stick rather than keep it in his inventory.

The ruins of Nazgor were fun and simply stunning in terms of character development.

When the clan decided to return to the castle, the burglar came up to the ranger and said:

"Nick, I"m staying. I"m going to look for local hiding places, work on the traps. Then, I"m going to take the binding off and let some monsters eat me in peace. I"ll meet you at Galatea in two days. This is the closest point to rebirth."

"Your intelligence is working very well. But you"re making some sick decisions. There"s no problem. Nick, this is your game. I hope your plan works. We"re going out with the girls," answered the ranger.

Two days later, they met in Galatea. The burglar was pleased and pleased with the clan"s excellent selection of rare trophies. But he also reported some unpleasant news.

"There were strangers in the ruins of Galatea. I did not leave any traps, but I noticed a stranger. He ran away. He"s not a player. A local man, but clever and fast. I did not chase him, it is useless with my level of endurance. I"m not an athlete. I"m a humble burglar. I"m not waiting for applause! Girls, your grateful smiles are my best reward," said the burglar and bowed.

"I"m not smiling," noticed Bella calmly.

"But you did good, Nick. You"ve helped us a lot with your warning."

"Well-done, brother," smiled John.

"And a great move with a deadly journey back to the castle!"

"I could have easily defeated that bloodsucker! I could have hit him hard on the nasty trunk with my stick! But I tolerated it, and here I am. I"m back with you! Who has Velida"s food left? I filled my inventory with a rare weapon. I found a magnificent bow for you, Emma! You"ll be happy. Who"ll give me a piece of yummy?"

The players laughed and went to the castle. Emma asked Nick to show her the weapon.

*

Magic Shooter Bow

Type: rare

Damage: 230-500 [Critical damage: 500-1000]

Durability: 1200

Weight: 3 pounds (1.36 kg)

Combat skill:

The Eternal Arrow. The skill creates a magic arrow that does not consume conventional arrows. You can shoot without even having arrows. Costs mana 7 MP. 70% damage is magical in effect.

Attention! Successful possession of this weapon requires level 37, strength 64, dexterity 143.

*

"What a cutie! Nick"s bow does more damage, but he doesn"t have the combat skill," admitted Emma.

"Take this, it"s a great weapon and you"ll need it," said the burglar.

"How did you find it? Were there any traps?"

"Piece of hamburger! Don"t worry, the great Nick Houdini is not afraid of traps. Let"s go and catch up with our guys."

Not all the players in the castle went straight to the cla.s.s selection room. Girls went up to their rooms to take a bath. The girls were unhappy with the living conditions at the castle. Having a small room, more like a monk"s cell, is normal. But not to have a bath! It was unacceptable and had to be corrected immediately! The players were not sweating! Players didn"t stink. In the morning you could wash your face and hands and wipe your hands with a towel, but it was a respect for tradition, there was no need for that. Blood and dirt could be washed after work in the common bathing room. The castle provided enough hot water. But the girls didn"t agree with that kind of order. The builders were summoned to the castle, and the girls" rooms were expanded to provide s.p.a.ce for individual hygiene procedures. The bathtubs were able to be made by Turin, who took on this job cheaply.

The redheaded burglar got what he hoped for! On level 20, he didn"t get a new magic skill. But now he had something that only a.s.sa.s.sins could boast.

*

Anonymous. Skills allow you to hide your name from outsiders.

Attention! The chance of disclosing your real name increases significantly when you meet someone who knows your real name and face.

When you activate the skill, you spend 240 MP. Time of action and Cooldown skill: 120/120 seconds.

*

Nick had the skill of changing his face, now he could start the game full of exciting adventures and fun.

The burglar came up to John and quietly said:

"John, there"s a serious case on your part. Intelligence! I have a skill that will not give my name to other players and other citizens. I think there"s a job in town for a master like me."

John nodded and sent the burglar to the ranger.

"He"s in charge of intelligence in our clan. You do realize, brother, that secret service has to be secret. I"m just acting as the chief of intelligence, actually, Nick"s the boss. I have a different kind of job," said John quietly.

The two of Nick"s had a serious conversation. Ranger was worried that the clan had sharply decided to reveal its involvement in the city. But that made sense and was a great opportunity.

"So you can hide your name. For how long?"

"I can walk under someone else"s name all the time. It requires you to keep track of the duration of the skill and resume its work. It"s not complicated."

"Nick started working at Dor. Special attention has been paid to Samantha"s work. She is one of the main players in this field. Needs to be kept an eye on her. She"s a tough woman."

"Yeah, I didn"t like her right away. But she"s good."

"You"re good, too. Nick. Remember the main danger. The main monster isn"t around you. The main monster is lurking inside you. You"ve learned the skills that local professionals have gained from decades of hard work. Don"t lose your head, burglar."

"Who is not with us, is against us. They"re smart, but we recognize them. These aren"t the players you"re looking for."

"May the Dext be with you," laughed the ranger. "Start operation "N.N." which means "Nick and Nick"."

"Agent "No Name" is ready to show his intelligence, Dexterity and all of his skills, boss."

And that same night, the burglar ran off to Dor. On level 40, he may have overlooked level 15-20 monsters. Meeting the local gangsters of the ginger guy didn"t bother at all.

Nick was well-aware that some vampire or wise old man"s life experience required to respect and caution. He"d walk down the road with a quick step and smile.

The elusive and unique Nick Houdini walked the path of war! His adversaries will have many surprises.