I became 1 star fodder in a gacha game (Chapter 5) (Patreon)

I'll probably have the next chapter by tomorrow.

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When the healing potion touched his wound, Al nearly lost his mind from pain. It was worse than being shot. A lot worse. Like someone had sliced him open and scraped a blade over his exposed nerves. It was a mercy when his consciousness blurred for a few seconds, dulling his senses.

When the worst of it had passed—about thirty seconds later, according to the timer—he limply flopped his arm onto his lap.

Moving his hand up and down, he dug his fingers into his thigh, searching for the wound. Not only was he unable to find it—his skin being perfectly smooth—he didn’t feel a hint of pain.

He was strongly tempted to give himself a breather before using the next potion, but simply couldn’t. Even if he didn’t accidentally fall asleep, his condition was too bad to delay, even for a few minutes.

Gripping it in a shaking hand, he removed the stopper, the brain-melting scent giving him a measure of clarity. While spilling some of it on his clothes, he managed to locate the other wound, right below his heart. He really was lucky. If the bullet had deviated an inch, his corpse would already be cooling by now.

Not giving himself a chance to hesitate, Al tipped the vial, pouring the potion on his chest. Once again, a wave of pain surged through his body. He didn’t know whether he was getting used to it, but it seemed slightly less intense this time around. He even had the presence of mind to ‘appreciate’ the feeling of his wound closing, and the bullet being squeezed out.

When it was done, the tension seeped out of his body, relief washing over him. He’d lost a lot of blood, and he felt about ready to pass out at any moment. However, he was no longer on the brink of death with a hole in his chest—something to be celebrated.

After sitting still for a few moments, he reached around with a groan, finding the waterskin and dry rations. Without bothering to check what it was, he stuffed the latter in his mouth. His tongue being raw from the potion, he couldn’t taste a thing, but the texture wasn’t appealing.

When he’d swallowed a few mouthfuls, washing the rock-hard portions down with some water, he felt a bit of energy returning to his limbs. It was probably in his mind—food didn’t digest that fast—but he’d take what he could get.

Chewing through the last of it, he wiped his hands on his clothes, though only succeeding in dirtying them more. No surprise, since they were entirely covered in blood.

Sighing belabouredly, Al considered his next course of action. The first part of the mission was done, but there was still a ways to go. If he wanted to avoid becoming monster food, he needed to leave Crow’s Rest.

In the game, there was only one way—finding the nexus point. It was a type of portal, the same used to summon heroes, and travel to different planes. There was an inactive one nearby, though getting to it wouldn’t be easy.

Digging his fingers into the dirt wall, he hauled himself to his feet. He was going to have to sneak out of town and find his way to the forest. It sounded counterproductive, given the monsters originated from there, but it was his only out.

However, he couldn’t leave wearing these clothes. With all the blood on them, he’d be sniffed out before he made it to the woods’ edge. At the same time, he wasn’t willing to strip the corpse. He doubted he’d be able to anyway, weak as he was and in the darkness.

After a moment’s thinking, he decided on a compromise.

With stiff, jittery movements, he removed his blazer, shirt and pants—difficult enough in this cramped space. After rolling them up and stuffing them in the satchel, he took off the corpse’s coat, wearing it over his body. Aside from his underwear and shoes, he was basically naked. He didn’t doubt it made for a ridiculous sight, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

When he was done, slinging the satchel over his shoulder, he stumbled down the other end of the tunnel, clinging to the wall for support. He really hoped the next part went smoothly. If he was noticed, he wouldn’t even be able to run.

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Checking the timer, it took him about ten minutes to get to the end of the tunnel.

At some point, the dirt walls gave way to old brick—a peculiarity for sure. It made Al wonder how this place had come about. Probably, the shack’s owner hadn’t done it himself, but tunneled into an already existing subterranean space.

The end was a pile of collapsed stones, with faint rays of moonlight shining through the gaps. He still couldn’t see properly, but remembered it from the game.

Steeling himself, he set to hauling them out of the way. Fortunately, the stones weren’t too big, and once he’d removed a few of them, the rest practically came tumbling down. He guessed they’d been put in place recently, a hasty attempt to seal of the tunnel.

Toppling the last one, a strong gust came through, ruffling his hair and clothes. It was great to get some fresh air at last, but he didn’t miss a faint metallic scent on the wind—blood.

As stealthily as possible, Al peeked around the corner, going so far as to hold his breath.

In front, he was met with the sight of a vast, dark forest, stretching out into the distance. High above, breaking through the scattered canopy, moonlight shone, dappling across the underbrush. Despite the night’s gloom, the sky was clear, hinting at a tapestry of bright stars, glittering like jewels.

Al almost felt himself getting caught up in the atmosphere, overcome by a mysterious feeling. As a city boy, he rarely got the chance to experience the woods. And the few times he had, they hadn’t seemed so untouched, so primal.

He quickly shook it off. If his hunch was right, he’d be experiencing more spectacular things soon enough. Right now, he needed to get out of here.

Carefully stepping out of the tunnel, he glanced over his shoulder. Not far from him, a grey cobblestone wall stood, stretching into the distance. It was easily the height of two men, too tall to see over.

There were no screams or shouting, no children crying, nor the sounds of battle. The silence was eerie, broken by the occasional crunching of gravel, wood splintering or stone tumbling down.

Heroes of Nexus’ storytelling was always sparse, but it wasn’t difficult to guess what happened. Most likely, the monsters had come out of the forest in the middle of the night while everyone was asleep. By the time the townsfolk realized what was happening, it was already too late.

Al decided to not give it much thought. What was the point of lamenting the dead? If he didn’t get out of here, he might become one of them soon.

After glancing around and seeing nothing, he crouched low, scuttling into the underbrush. He had a rough idea of where the portal was located, but this wasn’t a video game. There was a big difference between a small level, clearable in five minutes, and the real world.

If he remembered correctly, a footpath lead to the nexus point, branching off from the main road. The portal—an old-looking stone archway—was something of a gathering spot for locals, who were unaware of its true purpose.

Gathering his bearings, Al headed in that direction. His steps were slow and cautious, taking care not to stumble or step on a branch. He couldn’t see any monsters nearby, but rather than putting him at ease, made him more anxious.

Clutching the small, pathetic knife in one hand, he desperately hoped nothing would go wrong.

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It took him about fifteen minutes to reach the main road. It wasn’t too difficult to find, having simply hugged the wall.

Well, maybe ‘hugging’ was the wrong word.

At first, he indeed had indeed stuck close, not hearing much from the other side. However, as the minutes ticked by in glacial slowness, he realized Crow’s Rest wasn’t entirely silent. There were the aforementioned sounds of debris shifting and falling, but that wasn’t all.

Al didn’t know whether the adrenaline and anxiety enhanced his senses, but he started picking up on some… unsettling noises. Faint scrunching. Wet squishing. And steady, even breathing.

When he realized what it was, goosebumps broke out all over his body. He knew the town was teeming with monsters, but hearing them so close by, no more than a few dozen yards away, devouring their victims was spine-chilling.

From then on, he put some distance between himself and the town. There was no need to tempt fate.

Once again, he was struck by the timer’s usefulness. Perhaps it was too distracting, staring at it all the time, but having something to focus on helped preserve his sanity. If he had no choice but to listen to those nightmarish sounds, and the woods’ soul-stealing whispering, he might have lost it completely.

By the time he spotted the wide, dirt road between the tree-trunks, clearly visible in the moonlight, he felt about ready to die from stress. It had taken a lot of willpower for him to creep closer, peering around a tree toward the town.

He didn’t know whether he was disappointed or relieved when he didn’t see much. The winding of the road and the unevenness of the terrain was obscuring, so he couldn’t see the gates, nor get an idea of how the monsters managed to infiltrate.

However, satisfying his curiosity wasn’t important right now. He needed to find the trail. If he remembered right, there was a fallen tree nearby. It even concealed a secret—the second and last one in the level.

And another ten minutes later, he did indeed find it.

Needless to say, but Al hadn’t felt such a sense of relief in both his lives combined. He was almost unable to restrain himself, barely fighting the urge to stumble over. It wouldn’t be long before he could finally leave this nightmare behind.

However, taking a moment to calm his nerves, he took out his waterskin, draining the last few drops. If he messed it up at the last moment, he really wouldn’t forgive himself.

He needed to grab the item hidden in the trunk. It wouldn’t help his current situation, but if the portal didn’t send him back to where he came from—and he doubted it would—it would be invaluable for what came next.

When he was done, he wiped his mouth, restowing the satchel. Without wasting any more time, he dropped onto the dirt, crawling the last stretch at a glacial pace. The brush thinned out closer to the road, making it easier to be spotted.

His muscles burned from exhaustion. Droplets of sweat slid down his brow, stinging his eyes. Rocks and branches drew bloody lines across his skin. Every inch he covered felt like a thousand miles.

But in the end, he made it.

Not even giving himself a chance to feel relieved, he stuck his hand inside the hollow he knew to be there. Searching around, he felt moss, dried leaves, beetles.

And then, a circular object, hard and cold.

With a shaking hand, Al withdrew the ring. It wasn’t easy to see in the darkness, but he knew it was a simple silver band. The only notable feature was an inscription on the inside; something he remembered from the game. However, it was too faded to be read.

Slipping it on his finger without hesitation, a message suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, typed in softly-glowing electronic letters.

[Acquired ‘The Lover’s Ring’]

[↑EXP 25%]

Scanning the notifications, he was relieved to find his game-knowledge still applied. It was the only advantage he had, so he was understandably worried about losing it.

Now reassured, he steeled himself for the last leg of his journey. Things had already gone according to plan twice. He only needed the third time to be the charm.

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