BornAndTorn

There was so much more to discover in this world. The different variety of monsters brought into the game People could finally be at rest, that this world would pose a challenge to them. While the premise of a prehistoric world was a big draw, the first version was used as an introduction to this world that did not deliver the challenge it promised. Luckily this was now a thing of the past.

The players and their households intensified their investments into the game, after the announcement of the partic.i.p.ation from the youth of the Churches. They all wanted to have their offspring join the ranks of the Churches to gain the prestige and all the benefits such a spot would offer.

The general interest has increased explosively after the populace was able to follow the streams of every player who wanted to stream their adventure. This publicity was used by quite a lot of players as they build up their support. Names like " Call Me Daddy" became a household name, that invoked a lot of interest. His persona became a trendsetter as he represented the zeitgeist, that many people had. While he was not the strongest, his charisma and narrative were attractive enough for every spectator.

He was the driving force behind the famous bug-boy and his feud with the Call me Daddy2 got the average viewer invested into the story, drawing them into this strange and fascinating world. That is why many eyes lied upon him with high hopes and great expectations regarding the new update.

He himself took quite a liking to all this attention, as he had already spent a considerable amount of time thinking about new things and topics to show and talk about during the next hours. Despite his persona, he knew certainly well, that all of his initial success was mainly due to the help of the unknown variable named Call me Daddy2.

He was sure, that Call me Daddy2 had never intended to cause such a scene, but all of the insults and ridicule did much more good than actual harm. Even though those tasteless jokes came at his expense, he was rather thankful to "Call me Daddy2" and has searched around to find this person. He wanted to include him or her into his team.

But all his effort was fruitless because not one person could identify who "Call me Daddy2" is, even after contacting the developers of the game, he still had no answer. It felt like the person behind this name did not even exist.

Despite the mystery surrounding "Call my Daddy2" he did not want to pry too deeply into. He had better things to do than waste his time searching for someone who does not want to be found.

While somewhere busy collecting ideas, a certain famous player was collecting something entirely different.

Despite achieving the first place in the last event. Samantha had never stopped to celebrate and instead focussed on her research. She refused to believe, that the person she fought against was just a mere teaser for the next event. There had to be more to it, as her encounter left a deep impression on her. Something that no one has managed so far.

All her previous research lead to many dead ends, as everything surrounding him was something strange. So she began to use the opposite approach and watched many videos about him trying to find any details she might have missed out on.

She spent her time researching all over Holy-tube to watch many different perspectives over and over again. She could not believe how many details she missed while fighting him. His fighting style was not just calculated but downright scary, he could predict the flow of the battle and all the areas he targeted were lethal. Even scarier was his foresight and ability to exploit the weaknesses of his enemies.

She just had realized, that there had only been one confirmed instance where he attacked first. It was the incident that showcased exactly how strong and durable he was. Every other encounter, was just him waiting while watching his surroundings before he attacked the ones who started the fight with him.

His build has switched a lot over the time from a walking ma.s.s of muscle to the size of small children, but his strength had remained the same. Regardless of his choice of weapon, be it his nails or the gigantic rocks he utilizes them in a manner, that I have not seen any monster or human had done before.

At the same time, she wondered, why the expression on his face had never changed. It was as if he did not care about the events unfolding right in front of his eyes. It had taken Lauras Illusion to break through it but buried deep underneath his facade is a burning hatred, something very unsettling. This raw emotion tipped her off, that there has to be more to him.

The strange engravings on his forehead, his unusual behaviour, his strange battle tactics, his mysterious appearance and his general backstory could not be explained in any way possible. It was only after she had been contacted by Laura, that her suspicion was proven to be correct. Though she would have never expected, what exactly she was about to see.

Laura proposed to meet up in person, as she wanted to talk about something tremendous.

They chose a public spot and decided to wear suitable clothes as to not raise too much attention. As the sun was about to go down, it was the perfect time to meet up. After all their daily activities were supervised.

After sneaking out of their homes, they met up at their favourite s.p.a.ce in public. A small garden with a clear pond. While it was not a secluded spot, it was a small oasis of peace and serenity in an otherwise hectic area. This place area was just behind a former farm that has been abandoned and was now a paradise for children and old people alike.

After a quick embrace, they sat down and started to talk. They had not seen each other for quite a long time, so they had to discuss many different topics. From matters about family to the newest rumour about the prophet and his joyous message.

But despite all those different topics, they did not lose one word about the special NPC they both fought against. But talking about him could not be avoided, as the reason for their meeting was that him.

Laura started the fateful part of the conversation after a particular long sigh.

" I could hardly believe you after you came to me claiming to have found someone you are interested in. In all those years I have never seen you do anything else than training or studying tactics."

Samatha had to laugh at the comment from Laura. She was fully aware, that she had been quite pa.s.sionate over gaining strength. Her whole life revolved around practising everything that could improve her abilities. The condition of marrying a man was just her way of avoiding any unnecessary trouble. After dominating the initial potential suitors, she could focus without a worry in the world. And if someone truly strong appeared she would gladly rear his children.

After all, she did not have such a glamorous dream for her future. Others might dream of serving their G.o.ds and leaving their mark on history. Samantha just wanted to create a world, where her family could live in without worrying. She considered her talent not as a gift but as a responsibility.

She knew all too well, that every subordinate had placed their dreams on her. On her shoulders lied the hopes of many men and many would be placed there in the future. Rather than seeking the strength of her own, she seeks it for the sake of all those relying on her.

That such news would catch Laura off guard, came as no surprise to her. But she quite intrigued to see where Laura was going with that introduction.

Laura continued without any obvious change in her voice.

" But instead of a strong man, it was just an NPC that caught your eye. I always knew that you taste in men was quite special. So I decided to support you in your endeavour."

A small teasing smile could be seen on her lips as those words came out of her mouth. It was a rare moment for Laura, a moment where she did not have to keep up her appearance. There was no one judging her for every step she takes. She enjoyed times like these, where she did not have to keep up her guard.

Not waiting for Samantha"s reply she continued speaking.

" As we spectated your NPC I could not see what was so special about it at first. It was just an NPC, who slaughtered that cannon fodder. I did not find any interesting magical component surrounding it, neither did it show something outlandish, that I have not seen. Even after pondering for a long time I could not think about why you paid so much attention towards this NPC. "

" I have a confession to make, " Samathna said out of the sudden.

" Please do not make fun of me, after you listen to what I am about to tell you."

Those words pa.s.sed her lips with great reluctance as she turned quite solemn. She did not know what Laura would think of her once she told her about the true reason.

" I actually lost against this NPC. Whether it was due to me underestimating his capabilities or the unusual battle strategies, in the end, I was at the mercy of my enemy. This monstrous NPC had even taken pity on me. What a shameful feeling to be spared by an NPC. When I finally woke up out of my stupor he had been long gone."

Those harmless words were truly vicious for Laura. While she had come to terms with losing against this creature, she still could not fathom how this embarra.s.sing news had been leaked. Samantha had managed to hit a sore spot with her comment.

After an intense retrospection, she understood that her loss was justified. If that would have been a real battlefield she would have been dead without a doubt. No matter how talented or strong she is, the creature had still taken advantage out of her flaws and exploited any weaknesses it could find.

This fact still did not deter Laura from feeling embarra.s.sed by the humiliating fashion she lost in. It is one thing to lose and learn from one"s mistake and another thing being ruthlessly toyed with. That sc.u.m did not only beat her, no this NPC did not stop at that it wanted to ridicule her. Why else, would that NPC thoughts be so contrary to its mimic and behaviour.

Why else would that creature do a physical workout in front of her, why else would it try to teach her those basic exercises? Of course, it was to mock and taunt her, that is the only logical explanation. After all, she can not expect too much emotional depth from an NPC. The strange fragmented memory she saw was just a fabricated fantasy. Any other conclusion seems laughable, as the mysterious clothing and objects in question did not seem to serve any purpose.

" My interest in this strange NPC was a result stemming from my failure. I became mesmerized by his this unusual fighting style and choice of weapon. It was something I had never seen, something truly otherworldly and even after spending so much time I was unable to pinpoint his origins."

Laura rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Her best friend could talk so feverishly about such a topic? Furthermore was she really not making fun of her. Laura was not too sure anymore.

" Every book I searched did not have something similar to him. No old fairytales or legends, no folktales. Even in the holy scriptures was no trace of such an existence. I wanted to find it again and began to search the entire map. The problem was, that even after a long and arduous search that NPC was nowhere to be found.

All I found was my subordinates had stopped testing the limits of their t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es.."

A small smile could be seen on her lips upon mentioning that silly event. In hindsight, it truly it did look like a lot of fun. Though she would never mention that fact out loud.

" n.o.body who had even seen the NPC before or afterwards. At times I wondered whether that NPC was even supposed to exist in the first place. I mean an NPC with a physique that rivals monsters can hardly not be noticed. Or have you seen anything remotely similar to it? "

" Do I have to state the obvious? No, I have not seen an NPC with arms and legs as thick as logs. Be realistic, a human NPC could never look like that. Even that infant we spectated, was a monster in the shape of a human, not the other way around."

Samantha had expected that reply but had a smug expression on her face as she looked into Laura"s eyes.

" But what if I were to tell you, that the child and that NPC are one and the same? Now here me out don"t declare me insane before listening to my explanation. After all, I am way more intelligent. Why are you lifting your middle finger in that weird way?"

" I was just pondering on the deeper meanings of this gesture,"

Laura replied while shrugging her shoulders indicating her innocence. But she could not keep up her facade and a sneer escaped from her lips. This gesture truly seems to appease oneself in a strange fashion though she did not know what this gesture stands for.

That reaction caused Samantha to pout, as she was not taken seriously by her childhood friend.

" Here I am making a confession and you are not even taking me seriously. I see how much you value our friendship. No wonder, that you are incapable of making any other friend beside me."

" Please, you are not any better than me, you can"t find friends to save your life. If you are unable to see eye to eye with them they are not your friends they are just your subordinates. Such is the fate of the less talented."

" I am not here to discuss our inability to gain friends, I want to tell you about that strange NPC. I could not lay my finger on it, why that "monster" was so familiar to me. After all, this was the first time I had seen it with my own eyes. But its mannerisms and general bearing were strikingly similar to the one I had lost to. "

"But I dismissed those thoughts, as an NPC should not be able to s.h.i.t forms like that. I could not get rid of the feeling, that those 2 were on and the same. After a long time of observation, I noticed, that both of them had something carved into their forehead. It all added up after seeing this. The fighting style, the inhuman tenacity, the general bearing all was the same."

Laura could not help but laugh at the things she just had heard.

" Let me get this straight, you think those 2 people are the same because there is something carved into their foreheads? Does this argument not look a bit too weak for such a claim? Don"t forget, this monster was a teaser for the upcoming events. Both of them might have been used to promote the game but the NPC you fought was removed from the game after your fight for whatever reason."

"I mean this whole world is simulated and can be changed at a whim, why do you even bother spending so much time on a simple NPC, that was just a teaser."

Laura had been shaking her head while she made that statement. She patted Samantha on her shoulder, she knew Samantha had invested all that time for nought.

" I will let you in on a little secret as well. After we finished observing this strange being, I followed it and was interested to see how it would react once it got to know, that I was the one that caused the illusion. But it did not look surprised upon seeing me, rather it felt like it had been expecting me. It did not attack me on the spot but just stared at me waiting what I would do."

"I wanted to know the story behind that hatred is shown after being caught. What was the cause for all those strange images I saw looking into its head? What was the intention behind showing them to me? Yet that monster thought about very strange matters."

"I could not even understand half of what it thought about and the rest did not make any sense at all. At that point in time, I started to realize, that my normal tactics won"t work on him. Those tactics only work on sane targets."

"And from the things I have seen in its head, the monster is far, very far away from any logical thinking. Even in comparison to the other monsters, it still somehow looks like a mad ent.i.ty. Those monsters rely on their basic instinct and act accordingly, that insane thing, on the other hand, is driven by heavy and raw emotions but seems to suppress them. Its action is neither logical nor instinctive, they seem random and not coordinated."

"Still, everything seems to change once it starts to fight. Clarity returns to its mind and it starts to act in a reasonable, explainable manner. In this aspect, it proves to be far superior to any monster I have seen. Those 2 polar opposites can only be explained by it being a faulty design. The developer could never have intended for it to become such an egregious abomination."

Samantha had not once intervened while Laura had spoken about the NPC. She had to admit, that Laura was most likely correct. She had falsely a.s.sumed, that the NPC she lost to was something special. She did not know what lead to her developing such a deep interest in it. Still, Samantha was unable to truly erase its image out of her head, as its presence was still lingering in some parts of her mind.

While Samantha was thinking about the words she just had heard, Laura did something that left speechless. Laura had managed to conjure 2 different spells simultaneously something she had never been capable of before.

" Though there are some things I truly fail to comprehend, why am I able to walk again after everyone told me I would have to rest for a long time? Why has my mana capacity increased by such margin? Why did such an outcome occur after fighting against that monster. It"s a shame I absolutely can not remember what happened while fighting it. "

Samantha could not believe her ears, as she was told that Laura had fought against him and actually cannot remember any detail from the fight itself. While most of the public was not aware of the true capabilities of Laura, Samantha knew exactly how strong she was. If not for her young age, she would be able to beat her. So what exactly happened?

Before Samantha could ask about the details, she saw Laura startled expression.

" My parents are going to kill, let us return to our homes, I do not want to risk getting caught, while I should be resting and my parents are going to check on me sooner or later now.."

" Lets meet up in "Primal Survival" later."

Both of them hugged each other before leaving in a hurry and running back to their homes.

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At the same time after the Update had gone live, some players had logged in successfully and entered a brand new world. As this world could not be compared to the previous version in any way It was bigger, more detailed, prettier and livelier than before. But those players did not want to savour those small details, they rushed pa.s.sed every NPC they found and ran straight into the wilderness to train for the upcoming events.

They knew all too well, that they will have to train like there is no tomorrow if they even want to have the slightest chance at defeating the youth of the Churches. Though those players had a slight misconception about this new world. The phrase "Survival of the Fittest" has never been more fitting.

Though the person responsible for this change would not enter the public eye for quite a long period of time.