Hacking the Game Didn't Go as Intended [Part One]

CHAPTER 35: Blessings - Jupiter & the Goddess of Harmony

As for me, Daisuke contemplated, I've always been the confrontational type in video games, so I'm leaning towards a melee build. But definitely not a tank. Tanks might focus on defense, but their role is to draw aggro and keep the monsters occupied while the DPS—Damage Dealers—chip away at their health.

Tanks basically live in the danger zone, and as a result, they die all the time. But I'm not sure what awaits me after death, so I'd rather opt for a build with a higher survivability rate.

With that in mind, I think Speed, Dexterity, Strength, and Stamina should be my main focus. Sure, my build wouldn't be solely focused on strength and defense, but with explosive speed, I could evade attacks and continue dealing damage safely until the enemy's down.

"A battle of attrition."

HP: 204/270 | MP: 15/15

Strength: 3 (+15) | Stamina: 3 (+12) | Agility: 12 (+25) | Intelligence: 1 | Dexterity: 10 (+35) | Composure: 5 | Indomitable: 3

Stat Points: 70]

DING!

[Investing 20 Stat Points into Strength. Is this correct?]

"Yes."

[Once Stat Points are allocated, it cannot be reversed. Do you still wish to proceed?]

"Yes."

[Investing 20 Stat Points into Stamina. Is this correct?]

"Yes."

[Investing 20 Stat Points into Agility. Is this correct?]

[Investing 10 Stat Points into Intelligence. Is this correct?]

"I've been playing games long enough to know that I'll be needing MP for skills soon," he said as he clenched and unclenched his fingers, testing his strength. "So, I figured I would at least invest 10 Stat Points into it."

Now he was jogging in place, a smile spreading across his lips. "I feel much lighter than I did a few minutes ago. It may have only been 70 Stat Points, but I can definitely feel the difference."

HP: 301/465 | MP: 15/65

Strength: 23 (+15) | Stamina: 23 (+12) | Agility: 32 (+25) | Intelligence: 11 | Dexterity: 10 (+35) | Composure: 5 | Indomitable: 3

Stat Points: 0]

"Inventory."

At his command, a blue window boasting an aesthetically pleasing design materialized. It displayed dozens of slots organized into different categories—Items, Equipment, Consumables, Materials, and more.

Slipping his hand into the thumbnail depicting the items slot felt akin to dipping his hand into a reservoir of room temperature water. But, in fact, it was a different dimension.

After stowing the shards of Mana Crystals and other items he had in his pockets, Daisuke found that simply reaching into the right category and envisioning what he wanted to retrieve was enough to summon the item to his hand.

"Now that that's all figured out," he said nervously, "it's time for the moment of truth."

Daisuke dreaded what he would find if he looked, but after conditioning his mind, he dismissed the inventory window and tried searching for the logout button.

There was none.

"Figures."

While he could access the Leaderboard and the like in the «Main Menu», he was completely barred from accessing the internet, troubleshooting, or even customer service.

For a fleeting moment, he entertained the idea of reaching out to a player and utilizing them as an intermediary to make contact with the GMs, also known as the «Game Masters». Yet, a creeping suspicion told him that perhaps it wasn't the wisest course of action. Contacting the game's developers might not be the right approach either.

Was his mind merely uploaded onto the game as a copy? If so, did his original self know about this duplicate? If he did, wouldn't he have already scoured the entire game searching for his doppelganger by now?

Alternatively, if his mind was cut and pasted like a piece of text into a host body, doesn't that mean his original body was already long eaten by worms and rendered to bones by now?

Setting aside the depressing thought, Daisuke summoned the Status Window to inspect the weapon he had acquired from the Elemental King raid. Yet, as his gaze traversed the interface, he couldn't help but notice a particular section adjacent to the character screen—the companion menu.

Daisuke's lips quivered. "...It can't be!"

His heart raced, torn between anticipation and trepidation. Doing his best to still his nerves, he steered towards the screen, and in the next moment, his eyes widened with sheer shock.

[Name: Zephyr]