After I started running I didn’t stop until I passed the gates leading into Longxin’s Pass. At first I had fled to survive, but after realizing that no one was pursuing me, I ran because I could. It was a liberating sensation, feeling the wind push against your face as you sprinted as fast as your legs could carry you.

  It definitely didn't have anything to do with the fact that the shadows in the dark forest scared the crap out of me.

  Using the copper coins I’d looted from my aggressors, I procured a room in the first inn I stumbled across. It was a small and shabby establishment, and the brawny innkeeper looked like he did some side-hustle as either a bodyguard or a bouncer.

  It was expensive, but well worth the money.

  With the door locked behind me, I collapsed on the hard but comfortable bed.

  “What a day…” I sighed. After going through the sect evaluation and a ten hour-long trek on foot, I had not only completed my swordsmanship drills but also escaped from a rabid bear. And to top it all off, I had to tactfully retreat when even more players had crawled up out of the woodwork.

  “Probably more competitors…” I sighed internally. The two groups of players had seemed to be acquaintances. Evidently, it hadn’t taken me long before I started leaving witnesses behind my little escapades.

  Though, to be fair, I hadn’t exactly foreseen the whole bear fiasco. For ten whole hours I had walked along the forest line, and apart from an overzealous boar and a failed ambush attempt, I hadn’t had a single accident. Thus, after several hours with no incidents, I had naturally been lulled into a false sense of safety.

  However, in hindsight, it probably couldn’t have unfolded more serendipitously than it did. Not only did I survive without a scratch despite nearly literally poking the bear, but I had gotten away with three more talismans, bringing my total up to six.

  Admittedly, I didn’t feel great about what had happened to the group, but I wasn’t overly hung up on it either. In a couple of hours they’d respawn again, far wiser after this valuable learning experience.

  And so, feeling significantly safer in my rented accommodation, I logged out for the night.

  …

  The next morning arrived without much fanfare and after a quick morning coffee, I returned to the exciting world of Cultivation Online.

  Back inside the inn, I greeted the rising sun outside my window with a faint smile on my lips. A quick check confirmed that both Dark and Atom were already online, hopefully also on their way to the White Tiger Sect, having passed their evaluation. The friendship feature was handy to check whether someone was online, but it would’ve been even handier if you could send private messages through it too.

  Stretching my limbs, I opened the door to the 2nd floor hallway, ready to continue my journey. I had until dusk to make it to Mount Longhu, and if the young guard from Durnatel was right, I would be able to spot the mountain in the north-eastern horizon by now.

  “...”

  “Fuck.” My face blanched as I accidentally locked eyes with the person exiting the room adjacent to mine.

  “Thief?” The young woman from yesterday, Lana, questioned with a sleepy look on her face. Her faculties obviously weren't firing on all cylinders yet.

  Consequently, I did what any sane person would do in my situation, I stepped back into my room and closed the door in her confused face. Naturally, the door was locked as well.

  “Not good.” In retrospect, I’d been too careless.

  Again.

  As fatigued and sleep-deprived as I had been yesterday, I hadn’t considered anything else apart from logging out in a place where I wouldn’t be ambushed immediately.

  “Only to wind up making the same mistake again.” On reflection, it didn’t require a genius to figure out that the players would take a rest in Longxin’s Pass.

  Bang! Bang!

  “Open up!” Lana’s scream reverberated through the entire inn. “Open the door you fucking moron!”

  After a quick survey, I hurried over to the only alternate exit: the window. Poking my head out I eyeballed the height.

  “I can make that.” Thus, before I started second guessing myself, I squeezed myself out of the second floor window.

  “This is gonna hurt.” I thought before letting go of the windowsill.

  “Ouch.” I couldn’t help but wince as my butt landed on the ground. Fortunately, no debilitating injury hindered my movements.

  And so, for the third time in less than twelve hours, I fled the scene.

  …

  After filling my water canteen and exchanging my final copper coin for two pieces of stale bread, I expediently exited the town, leaving its angry occupant behind me.

  Moreover, like the young guard had claimed, in the distant north-eastern horizon, I saw it.

  A massive mountain piercing the clouds. Even from so far away, I could feel the immense presence it emitted.

  Mount Longhu was finally in sight.

  …

  Two hours later, I stopped on the side of the road to take what I felt was a well-deserved breather. In an effort to save time, I had defaulted to jogging towards the mountain that was still looming in the distance. Shockingly, despite two whole hours of jogging, when I looked at the colossal presence, it felt like I hadn’t moved an inch.

  Thus, I made it a point to not look at the mountain as I moved closer.

  Interestingly, on this side of Longxin’s Pass, the landscape was a lot more mountainous, with rolling hills stitched closely together. It kind of reminded me of that one time I visited San Francisco, only with a lot more greenery and a lot less people.

  The resemblance only increased when you took the morning fog into consideration.

  Furthermore, unlike yesterday, I no longer felt the same level of dread when I peered into the thickets of the forest. Despite the fog somewhat hindering my vision, it was still much clearer than it had been during the night.

  I realized it was never the darkness that frightened me, it was what it shrouded.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Still, my encounter with the bear had provided me with a new and significant sense of respect towards the forest and all of its mysterious inhabitants.

  Thus, I reacted nearly instantaneously when a blurry silhouette jumped at me from the treeline.

  Still, despite my reaction time, I winced as the edge of a blade cut across my chest, leaving a thin line of blood in its wake.

  I expected a beast, so my eyes widened when I noticed it was a young man who’d attacked me.

  Taking two steps backwards, I drew my sword in one motion. With its reassuring weight in my hands, an inexplicably profound calmness found me.

  “Come on then you piece of shit.” I cursed the actions of my dishonorable opponent, completely ignoring the fact that I easily could’ve done the same thing if I was in their shoes.

  When the realization that I wasn’t dead yet sunk into my opponent, a wary look manifested on his asian face.

  “He kinda looks like a-” My careless contemplation nearly cost me my life.

  Thankfully, my body reacted before my mind did.

  Metal clashed against metal, and I realized we were approximately of the same strength.

  Unlike me, however, my opponent was neither distracted nor hesitant to inflict injury.

  Hence, I blanched when my opponent’s fist hit me in the face.

  “Fuck that hurt.” I spit out a mouthful of blood as I retreated backwards. Yet, my opponent wasn't having it.

  Blocking another swing that easily would’ve decapitated me if I didn’t react on time, I observed my opponent flex his shoulder in a familiar way. “Oh no you don’t.”

  Unwilling to feel the taste of another suckerpunch, I dodged downwards like I was in the ring of a boxing match.

  My opponent’s choreographed punch missed by mere millimeters and suddenly, his frame was wide-open. Following my screaming instincts, I utilized the advantage, maneuvered my sword, and stabbed forward.

  Honestly, it shocked me how easily the sword pierced through my opponent’s chest.

  A look of unrestrained horror blossomed in my opponent’s countenance as his raspy voice gasped for air. Additionally, since I was currently inside his guard, I was close enough to smell his breath as it puffed against my face.

  Withdrawing my bloodied sword, my opponent collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud. Soon thereafter, blood started to pool around him, saturating the ground crimson red.

  [“You have killed a mortal human with a sword. Swordsmanship proficiency has increased significantly.”]

  [“Results: +1 Swordsmanship Lv. (Beginner 6 > 7). Your nascent killing intent has developed immensely and is starting to show signs of fruition.”]

  It took me a few seconds before I realized what was wrong.

  The corpse wasn’t turning into pixels.

  Breathing erratically I looked at my bloodied hands; the scent of blood was overpowering. Suddenly and unrestrainedly, the NPCs' horrified look flashed before my inward eye. His raspy gasp echoing through my mind.

  I felt like vomiting.

  Without caring about anything else, I logged out on the spot.

  …

  Even after emptying the contents of my stomach while kneeling in the bathroom, the NPC’s horrified face remained stubbornly imprinted on my mind. Try as I might, I couldn’t seem to erase it.

  “It’s fine.” I told myself repeatedly. “It was just an NPC.” I thought over and over again.

  Still, the horrified look remained, haunting me. And his raspy gasp, taunting me.

  “You did what you had to.” I repeated again, like a mantra. “He attacked me first. I only defended myself.”

  Inadvertently, I remembered the distinct smell of the NPC’s final breath.

  It was the scent of a human.

  I proceeded to retch until I stopped producing any more vomit.

  …

  Nearly thirty minutes passed before I had gathered enough willpower to pull myself together again. Realizing I positively reeked of sweat and vomit, I silently entered the shower.

  To think that just yesterday, I had marvelled endlessly about the game’s ability to perfectly replicate the human senses. The vivid realism of the game had enraptured me entirely.

  Now, remembering how easily my sword had pierced through the NPC’s chest, I couldn’t help but to feel somewhat disillusioned. There was no doubt in my mind that the game was incredible; I just didn’t know if it was unreservedly a good thing.

  Once I was clean, I returned to my bedroom wearing the tattered old bathrobe I’d received from my children on my thirtieth birthday.

  On my bedsheets, my VR HeadGear rested innocently, unaware or uncaring of my inner turmoil.

  After a minute of reflection, I put the device on and re-entered Cultivation Online.

  …

  “You’re still here huh…” I thought as I stared down at the corpse below me. “Of course you are.”

  Closing my eyes, I steeled my resolve.

  After a lot of emotionless patting, I quickly removed myself from the pale-faced corpse carrying three additional, bloodstained talismans clenched in my hands. And whilst the discovery of the talismans had provided me with a motive for the young man’s attack, it had done very little to comfort me.

  [“Chen Delan’s Provisional Outer Disciple Talisman (White Tiger Sect, Trial #177).”]

  [“Sun Hui’s Provisional Outer Disciple Talisman (White Tiger Sect, Trial #178).”]

  [“Ye Feng’s Provisional Outer Disciple Talisman (White Tiger Sect, Trial #223).”]

  When I read the name on the last talismans, I had proceeded to study the corpse with a morbid obsession.

  The conclusion of my findings was that the NPC I had killed possessed an oval-shaped face and a defined chin that, on a closer look, was somewhat reminiscent of the grandma who’d helped me back in Easton.

  I chucked mirthlessly at the cruel twist of fate.

  “...” Not knowing what to say or do, I did the first thing that came to my head.

  I pulled the corpse into the bushes.

  “I’d bury you if I had more time.” I proclaimed softly, but If the words were meant for Ye Feng or for me, I did not know.

  And so, with a grand total of nine talismans folded in my pocket, I carried on with my journey.

  Maybe it was just a coincidence, but when I glanced at the horizon, Mount Longhu appeared to be a lot closer all of a sudden.

  …