"...What?" Rael stared at the system messages with shock.
He was not even sure if he was in the game anymore—it all felt so vivid. The wind hitting his skin, the need to eat something.
Especially the need to eat something.
Fuck, I'm hungry... Rael thought, and as he did, a system interface popped up in front of him.
Category: Nourishment/Food
• Suspicious Stew (Common): 1 Trell
• Stale Bread (Common): 5 Trell
• Not So Stale Bread (Common): 10 Trell
• Lamb Porkchop With a Side of Honey and French Fries (Common): 100 Trell
That seems pretty cheap, I'll just—
Fuck. Rael wanted to slam his head against the ground. He had completely overlooked the top of the interface.
But upon seeing the very bottom of the interface, his hopes were restored.
Yep. He pressed the "Yes" button, when all of a sudden, a neat bento box appeared before him, plopping down onto the cold, hard ground.
It emitted a faint light, and only then was he able to see his hands.
They were more slender than he remembered, and to top it all off, he felt much weaker as well.
Is this not a dream? Am I really inside some sort of cave? Rael thought, with a frown.
He had read one too many books to know that the theory of reincarnation was bullshit, yet it still existed in fiction.
However, there was a high chance he had found himself in the exact same bullshit situation, or perhaps the thugs sold his organs and threw him in the cave to die.
But that made even less sense, as he was seeing the system screen, just like in Sketa Online.
Is this Sketa Online? No way, right? he pondered with a chuckle before opening the bento box.
What greeted his sight was a few rolls of sushi, chicken, rice, and seaweed.
He was not a big fan of seaweed and was about to throw it aside, but Rael halted.
Wasting food when I'm broke? Am I stupid?
Without further ado, he immediately gobbled everything up.
Yet, as he finished eating, his delusions finally faded.
I'm not on Earth, and I'm not in a game. Rael pondered and glanced into thin air before saying, "Status."
Immediately, his eyes widened at the sight.
- Boss Monster Variation: The Pay to Win Boss [Unranked]
-Experience: [0/100] [+]
Heavenly Attraction (Divine): 500% increased affinity with NPCs.
- Premium Leveling [Special-Unique]
The user is able to use currency to level up or raise his stats.
- Premium Evolution [Special-Unique]
The user can evolve infinitely by spending currency.
- Premium Shop [Special-Unique]
The user can spend currency to acquire any item or skill.
Health Points (HP): [20/20]
Mana Points (MP): [100/100]
Attack Power (AP): [2]
Movement Speed Increase: [0.5%]
Critical Hit Damage Increase: [0.25%]
Time until V1.0 Release: 150 Days
Hmm... My character was completely reset, and now I've become a boss monster whose stats are even worse than a normal level 1's... Rael lay down in disbelief. These last few hours were too hectic.
But there was one thing that had caught his attention the most, and that was the message at the very bottom.
Rael could recall Sketa Online's V1.0 update releasing on New Year's Eve, and if that really was the case, then that meant he was back in the past.
In fact, nearly 10 years back.
Sketa Online was a hit right off the bat, with hundreds of millions of players playing daily, and he was obviously one of them.
What now, though? The only thing I can see is a massive stalactite and... a rat. Rael was immediately alerted and stood up to his feet.
His stats were measly, and he was a mage back in Sketa Online. However, a rat like that was just a weak level 1 monster.
Therefore, under the dim light of the stalactite in the distance, Rael approached, holding his breath and minimizing the sound of his footsteps.
The rat was unaware, and since there was only a single one, Rael decided to go all out with the first attack.
Taking a deep breath, he wound up a kick and sent it right at the unsuspecting rat.
A blue damage number appeared right above the rat, and right after—
"Screeee!" It let out a pained screech, flying off and colliding with a wall.
"Piece of shit rat, come here!" Rael taunted with a grin as the staggered rat got back up on its feet before dashing at him.
Twisting his body, he was about to dodge, but due to his low agility, Rael was bitten.
Shit... Yep, this is not a game. It did not take him long to confirm his suspicions, as the pain was most definitely real.
Nonetheless, the rat was now holding onto his leg, digging its teeth in further.
But despite his HP decreasing, Rael kept up the same strategy—just this time, he hit the rat with his fists.
It finally clung off his leg, and as it did, Rael turned on his heel before sending out a straight kick right at the rat's head.
Why does it have so much HP? he grumbled, yet the rat was visibly hurt.
Picking up a rock off the ground, Rael threw it straight at the rat, and it collided with the side of its body.
10 Trell for all that hard work... Rael thought and felt a sharp sting in his leg.
You have got to be shitting me.
A headache was forming, and there were no antidotes or anything of the sort in sight.
Meaning, there was only one option left to not die.
Category: Utility/Healing
•—Balance: 10 Trell—•
• Band-Aid (Common): 2 Trell
• Empty Syringe (Common): 5 Trell
• Low-Level Poison Antidote (Common): 10 Trell
• Low-Level Healing Potion (Common): 100 Trell
How convenient. Rael pressed on the third option, and soon, a tiny vial—green contents swirling inside—appeared in his hands.
Without even waiting for a moment, he drank it, and immediately, the system messages appeared again.
Huh? I can get stats passively? I thought I could only get them after leveling up... He straightened his back, a serious expression appearing on his face. This changes a lot...
Rael rubbed his temples in frustration. He had barely slept the night before, and now he had to deal with this amount of new information.
I should probably just take a nap... He glanced around, trying to find somewhere safe.
But instead, he was met with a rat charging straight toward him.
Letting out a sigh, he got into his makeshift combat stance.
Not like I wanted to nap anyway...