Cyberserk

Chapter 2 - Meet the Dead and the Phantom

Dan watched the dead men. The dead men were strange. They evoked a sense of fear. But at the same time, the guy saw that these dead men moved too slowly. The zombies moved like stunted turtles. Like disgusting and creepy slow-moving creatures.

The distance to the portal was several tens of meters. But for the first time, Dan was able to use the player's ability to identify things and creatures of the new world.

[Zombie (Undead)

Level 1.

This is the lowest rank of the undead. Zombies occupy a large part of the Earth's location. Zombies can also be found in tombs and crypts throughout the game. Zombies serve the Darkness, they are blind and thoughtless, striking only with their bare hands. They move slowly but with ruthless determination, eager to dine on human flesh. They are simple-minded and easily deceived. Beware of a large group of these monsters. Once caught in a large group, you can't escape!]

[Skeleton (Undead)

Level 1.

Cruel-dead creatures only seek to kill their victims. Skeletons, move faster than zombies and have intelligence. The weakest skeletons attack with the strength of their bones. Skeleton warriors use weapons. These bony troops have been found with swords, clubs, bows, and even armor and shields. Dangerous are the skeletons who have the same weapons with which they died. Even more terrifying are the Skeletal Remnants of Wizards. They can prove that even the dead can wield the powers of magic!]

Dan read a description that reminded him of the faint lines of a simple fantasy novel. Where is the exact information? Where is the damage information of the monsters? Where is the life index of these dead? Above the heads of the undead, no bar shows the health reserve of the monster. Does he need to start an attack?  You'll have more information after the fight, won't you?

Raven smiled. The zombies look very slow. A skeleton is a serious opponent. A fearsome opponent. But in any game, level 1 monsters are made for a beginner's warm-up! A level 1 player can't die if fighting a level 1 monster one on one. That's the basics of any game! 

Raven thought it was a good time to test his strength. If he chickens out and embarrasses himself no one will see his shame. First, he must attack the skeleton. And pull him away from the zombies. Kill the skeleton and then take care of those three slow bags of experience. The player smiled at his simple plan.

Before leaving the apartment, Dan decided to test how his one skill worked.

[Phantom. The cost of the spell is 10 mana. The caster summons his copy. The phantom has all the skills and knowledge of the caster. The clone is destroyed if it takes lethal damage from enemies. When a Level 1 clone is destroyed, it transfers 10% of its accumulated experience and knowledge to the caster. Each level of the spell increases the percentage of transferred experience and knowledge by 1%]  

Dan had exactly 10 mana points. If he summons the phantom, nothing bad will happen. In 10 minutes his mana supply will be restored. The living dead terrified the young man. Help from an ally never hurt.

Raven opened his skill book and found the page with the spells of the summoning school. All the skills of the second and subsequent levels were covered in a gray layer that resembled a dusty fog. But one skill shone a picture at the end of the list of possible summoner spells.

Dan mentally moved the picture of the skill to the quick access panel. The player closed the skill book and quietly whispered the invocation, "Phantom!"

He felt an unpleasant feeling in his stomach. Dan had managed to get hungry. But now the feeling of hunger was joined by the feeling of a strange emptiness in his body.

"You've spent all your mana. You'll feel better in a minute," his copy said in a familiar voice.

Dan Raven turned his head and froze. He's a magician! He's cooler than Harry Potter! Naruto chokes on his noodles with envy. A greeting from the System added to the stream of foolish thoughts.

At the pleasant sound of the bell "Ding!" the words of the message arose.

[Congratulations! You are the first player to use the Phantom skill. Reward: the skill Phantom acquires extraordinary properties. The Phantom skill goes to level 2. You have the skill Level 2 of the School of Summoning available to you!]

"Greedy assholes," snorted the Phantom dismissively. "I wish they'd unlock level 2 sword skills."

"Why a sword? I wanted to arm myself with a bow," Dan said immediately. "But you're right. I planned for you to be a melee attacker. I could support you and deal with damage from afar. There are zombies and skeletons. Against skeletons, it's better to use crushing weapons."

"You reason like a human. I'm reasoning like a player. You're part of reality. I'm part of the game," the phantom expressed an oddly profound statement and moved on to simpler topics. "Half your knowledge of weapons is unimportant. And it makes me laugh to hear your nonsense about the nature of hostile creatures."

"Hey, clone, don't be so insolent! I'm the one who created you. Show some respect," Dan resented.

"When you're worthy of respect, you'll get it. Think with your head, not your a*s. I was created to give you benefits. Experience and knowledge! Do you understand? If I don't become an archer, what's in it for me? I'm learning swordsmanship, and you're learning swordsmanship much faster," the phantom calmly explained.

"Wow. That's cool and true. But the thought of stabbing someone with a sword or knife creeps me out," Raven confessed.

"You buy a sword and I'll start the m******e. Then we'll move into the portal and there you can dispel me. To do that, you have to cast the spell a second time," the phantom grinned. "You'll get a tiny scrap of experience. But the freshness of the experience I guarantee you."

"Tell me honestly. Aren't you scared at all?" asked Dan.

"Good question. I'm not part of reality. I'm not alive. That's why I'm not afraid of death. But the possibility of getting hurt and in pain stresses me out."

"Would I feel pain, too, if a monster hurt you?" Dan asked an important question.

"Sure, but a faint tinge of pain. Like a slap on the back with the palm of your hand. Eleven percent is not a serious experience," the phantom shook his head. "Hopefully our special connection will help the perception of knowledge."

Dan Raven didn't understand anything. The phantom looked at him like he was stupid.

"You're a lucky guy. You got the advantage twice at the start of the game. We have an extraordinary connection," Phantom winked at his partner. "I feel like I can almost catch your desires and even read your thoughts. But half your thoughts are garbage. You haven't read the agreement! i***t. You don't know anything about an important feature of the Game. But you're a lucky asshole who got help from the magnificent me."

"I can read the user agreement at any time. And what kind of impudence is that? Don't read my thoughts," Dan frowned.

"You're an i***t who compares the experience of a computer game player to that of a real game player. You don't have a copy of the user agreement in your database. You can't start the game over. The end of the game is death. The train has left, don't cry for me Massachusetts!"

The phantom's words did not please the student. Interesting things are going on with this magic. The summons hints at some mysteries and angrily criticizes the creator. Such a partner is not sympathetic.

Raven opened the store and selected the line with the cheapest sword. He wanted to buy a weapon and a sword appeared in his hand. The young man felt the weight of the sword. He also felt the strange feeling of owning an actual and necessary object. It was impossible to live in the new world without a weapon at hand. Dan shook his head and held the sword out to the phantom. 

"Let's go kill dead people," Dan gingerly took the sword by the blade and held the weapon out to his partner.

"I'll wear your old hoodie. We don't need your familiars to think you have a twin visiting," the phantom took the sword and went out into the hallway.