Third Heart

They came out of the tunnel. Their clothing was slightly paled due to the mass killing. 

“I fear my own weapon’s wrath. It is coated with the poison of all those snakes. Where should I clean it?” Albert looked at his weapon and asked others. 

“You should worry that you did not inhale poison with the breathing. Everything else is secondary.” Junan reminded him of the bigger concern. 

“How much time did we spend here?” Sashi asked. 

They were caught by the colony and the consequent actions. 

“One day has passed since we entered the game,” Jake answered her.

It was the marked time when the gamers were supposed to take rest for half an hour. They could simply turn on the neutral mood. In this mood no one can attack them, however, after the given time has ended; they would have to care for their in-game life. 

“Hurry and do your real life tasks then come back. If necessary place a timer.” Junan ordered in a hurry. 

He had been longing to use the bathroom but because his team was in the tunnel; he could not turn the character neutral. 

They nodded. It was a short piece of time. 

Jake hurriedly stood up from the chair and ran toward the ice box. His stomach was howling with hunger. He had been playing the game for six hours; the constant threats and the challenges had kept him busy. He voiced in his head and the screen appeared. Jake was eager to know the changes in the stats. 

He was stuffing food and drinking juice while reading stats. 

Race: Defected Human

Level: 1

Exp: 200/500

Skill: Shooter [1st grade]

Reputation: +1/100

Endurance: 3/100

Achievement: Thief 

Jake stopped at the last stats thinking what kind of achievement it was; as far as he remember it was the granted profession by the team head. However, he did not rob anything yet. 

Goals: Level One Player

Task: Kill the Hidden Python

[Urgent stats updated: with present Exp your smallest broken bone has been cured. The healing process is temporarily locked with your Exp gain]

Daily Tasks: [Exercise 15Exp] [Eat well 5Exp] 

After reading till there Jake did not read further secondary stats. It was enough for now. He took seven minutes in eating. He was counting every minute. Then he started the exercise. Missing daily task could trigger the anger of the system and then the punishment would commence. And he could not imagine what would happen if the system decided to punish him inside the game.

Ten minutes later he was done with the exercise. His eyes were stinging because of the last six hours that he had been spending in the game. Jake carefully covered his broken arm and showered. His mind was so much occupied. The ticking time was running. He took the towel and removed the soap from his body and hung a shirt on his shoulder when he heard the alarm ring. 

The half hour had ended in the blink of an eye and the players had resumed the game. They cleared Dead Breath colony, three more colonies were waiting at the other end of the district. 

“Did anyone notice?” Albert said to get their attention. 

Perhaps he was too much obsessed with the surrounding and the poisonous snakes that he was noting down any changes and every detail. 

“What is it?” Sashi asked curiously. 

She eyed the surrounding ready to witness the change in the atmosphere. 

“The strange overdose of poison in the surrounding has decreased a bit.” He sounded a bit secretive. 

The players now noticed the changed and nodded in agreement.

It was true. The grass under their feet had lost the sliver of odd greenish appearance. The tips were now kinky dry. 

“It is a sign and proof that we destroyed something really dangerous.” Junan gladly added. 

They were now heading toward the third colony. 

The dull sky was again turning black with the clouds. From the corner of the district various ogres were shouting as if they were partaking in a funeral. The creatures working for the Hidden Python were screaming while the slaves were punished today. 

None of the slaves can escape the harsh death. The Python gathered them all at the other corner of the district and stifled them to death. Few of them were running for life and asking for one more chance. 

They were sent this time so that they could save the second heart. The Hidden Python, after placing its two hearts at the various locations, was limited in the dark colony until the whole district and the creatures become poisonous. 

“The screams are coming closer. Run toward the third colony.” They were standing in the open ground. They could not directly face so many creatures that were suddenly appearing, agony visible in their actions. 

The third colony was bigger than previous two. They were running in various directions while Junan kept the younger player with him. He somehow had understood that without the help of this genius young player, his experienced gaming cannot make him earn the level one of this game portal. He was true in this aspect. The accurate clues were a real help, otherwise, they might have been eliminated in the very first colony. 

Also, his choice of weapons was extremely beneficial for the team. Jake did not mind because every player was relying on other players, this way or that way. He needed to carry along until he could gather enough Exp and heal his arm. According to the system, he could unlock shop at level seven. It brought some anticipation in his head thinking that perhaps he could buy something helpful for his defected hand. 

These were all his little hopes and he was hugging them to his heart because without hope he might, especially in the light of current circumstances. 

They ran toward the colony and dispersed in pairs of two and three.