Cyberserk

Chapter 5 - The Cruel Law of Karma

A group of people had already congregated on the small street in the early morning hours. The nearby high-rise buildings were instantly transformed into the semblance of medieval towers. Why medieval? Because people had lost all their electronic toys! From the many apartments, windows came screams. A loud and shrill voice became the best model of an iPhone! Shout louder and you will be heard!

"The terrible thing! Soon the government will correct it!"

"This is a cyber-terrorist diversion! This is war! My husband has already rushed to his department!"

"Shut your mouth! Go kill a zombie and buy a pitcher of beer!"

"This water and food are so good!"

"Watch out downstairs! I'm throwing out the trash! Watch your head!"

People shouted and exchanged news. The world went crazy.

Small groups stood at the portal and looked at the realization of fantasy. The living dead! It was scary and cool at the same time.

"My friend ran to the house next door. All over the city, these strange portals appeared. And there were zombies all over the city! Good thing they don't move away from the purple portals!" one man told the story.

"The dead are guarding the portals. I wonder what's on the other side."

"Buy a club and try to kill a zombie!"

Suddenly a guy jumped out of the portal with a sword in his hands.

"Ouch! Ugh!" Dan Raven ran into the zombie and knocked him to the ground. He almost choked on the nasty stench. During his vigorous fight, Raven paid no attention to the stench.

"Take that! Die!" Dan began to swing his sword at the nearest zombie.

The people retreated a few paces. Many didn't know this guy; they hadn't seen this citizen go into the portal earlier.

Following the young man out of the portal, another man in a hooded jacket appeared. It was the man who behaved calmly and immediately stood in place.

"Nice shot! Watch out for the skeleton!" Phantom encouraged his partner.

Killing four dead men proved to be an easy task. Facing a hundred dead men is a challenge to a player's psychic. Four slow monsters is a mockery of human courage.

One zombie's hull swelled and exploded. A box of trophies hung in the air.

Dan Raven found that he had killed all the enemies. The young man grabbed his prize and walked away from the portal. He suddenly remembered that there were millions of dead on the other side! And a huge army sends a small group of zombies led by a skeleton to guard the portal.

"You've been inside! Tell me, dude! What's in there?" shouted a local inhabitant.

"There are millions of zombies in there! No not millions. It's hard to count them there are more crowds than three stadiums!" Dan was honest about what he saw.

"You're full of s**t dude. You lie like a drunken squirrel," laughed the man quietly.

"Go and see for yourself! Don't run into any zombies! Four dead men are coming out the other side. It's the guards," the phantom said quietly. He pulled his partner toward their house. "Let's go somewhere quiet."

Dan nodded his head and walked toward his house.

When Raven approached the entryway he saw a large group of people. These people were standing around whispering. There was an atmosphere of terror and despair in the air.

Everyone was looking at the horrible sight on the sidewalk. A man's corpse was lying on the ground. Blood had already pooled in a large puddle under the corpse. Next to the corpse, the killer was barely moving!

The killer had a red sign above his head. A bright b****y marker glowed with the name of this invalid.

[d**k Rolldon. The Killer] 

"What happened?" asked Dan quietly to the phantom.

"It's terrible! One Punk stabbed another Punk. They fell to the ground and fought like dogs. Then one Punk died. And the other one became the Killer. The idiots didn't read their contract," the older man next to Dan said quietly.

"Shut your mouth, asshole!" barked a young guy with tattoos on his face.

"Shut your mouth, little Punk. The stench of your words is all you got left. What's up freak? Scared to hit me? That's right! Hit me and you'll be laying with your buddy!" the older man shouted back loudly at the young man.

"Karma's an evil b***h," the phantom shook his head. "Now you know what you missed when you didn't read the contract."

Dan Raven looked at the body of the player killer. PKs are normal! In all games, killing players was standard gameplay. Games were designed for people to be able to vent their aggression in the game world. Kill the enemy in the game and then in reality you will have a good mood! Do not accumulate inside yourself dirt and negativity. Play games and kill monsters. Get rewarded and get light feelings. Come back to reality and bring rays of light and goodness!

The phantom pulled Dan toward the entryway. The clone noticed that some people began to closely examine the box with the trophy in the student's hand.

Dan walked silently into the entryway and began to walk up the stairs to the door of his apartment. He met only two people as he walked up the stairs. Most people preferred to stay in their apartments and wait for the police.

Dan opened the door and walked into the apartment. 

"Gotta open the window in the room. And throw the stinking garbage out the window," said the clone.

"Hey, don't turn into a savage! The garbage can be taken outside and thrown away from the house. It can be taken to the other side. Take it with you into the portal," said Dan.

"You're strange. A lot of people thought you were strange. But Magnificent I consider you good material for training and making a future great player of the human race," said the phantom in a solemn voice.

"You are insane and strange. You knew about the contract!" Raven looked intently at the clone.

"It is time for important information. I do not break the rules of the Game. You saw it with your own eyes," the clone stood in front of the student and continued his story. "This Game is both a curse and a blessing for humans. Think about it for yourself. You can sit like a coward in your apartment and do nothing. Buy simple provisions at the store and feed your cowardly life. It is a blessing for the weak in spirit and children! 

Karma is a blessing for the weak and children! No one dares to harm a weak man! Retribution follows instantly! The Game is the ultimate judge and executioner in one. Doing 1 point of damage takes away 10% of all attributes! If you hit a weak person five times, you will become twice as weak and slow as your victim! You will move slower than a zombie! 

The penalty for violence lasts 24 hours! The penalty for murder is for life. Decrease all attributes by 99%. This murderer downstairs will now lie down for the rest of his life without strength. He will be fed. He's on a daily charity quest. The killer can move quietly. But his fate will be a terrible reminder to everyone he knows. Karma's an evil b***h!"

"Don't swear," Dan asked. "I hear you. It's scary."

"You don't get the important point! Karma is a curse on the human race! Humans are now deprived of their privileges. Humans have no weapons. 

Do you remember the old movie about Rambo? The dude with the huge knife managed to survive and kill his enemies! He was a soldier in a special squad. 

How many people know how to kill? How many people are willing to kill? Millions out of billions. 

And the worst part is that people don't have the opportunity to learn how to use ancient weapons. You've seen a lot of movies about all kinds of warriors. But there's no sense in jumping in with a sword and training from the memories in the movies. Even the most excellent swordsmanship book won't help you become a skilled swordsman. You need a sparring partner! But the law of Karma forbids people from damaging each other. People can't train! You and I can train."

Dan Raven remembered a moment.

"Wait a minute. You kicked me there in that place. You kicked me twice!" Raven remembered how the clone kicked him during the fight with the dead men.

"Bingo! You picked the lucky ticket in the lottery. You picked me. I'm not part of the human world. I'm part of the Game! Karma has nothing to do with me. I am not a player. I will beat you. You can beat me. We can practice fighting skills," the phantom raised his hands and stood in a boxing-like stance. "Would you be willing to box, Mr. Lucky?"

Dan was willing to open the box. The box fell apart and a gray book appeared in the player's hands instead.

[You have received the skill book level 1. The skill Powerful Blow is available to learn. Would you like to learn the skill Powerful Blow? Yes/No]

"What did you get?" asked the phantom.

"A strong blow," replied Dan calmly.

"Not a strong blow, but a Powerful Blow. Classic! Learn it immediately. It's the foundation! It's a universal physical combat skill," the clone suggested.

Dan took his time. He opened the skill book and read the description of the universal skill. 

[Powerful Blow.

Required level: 1

Requirement: None

Mana cost: 2. Applying the spell adds +1 point of damage to the attack. Increases attack power by 10%. 

Powerful Blow increases the damage dealt with enemies and throws them back. Knockback an enemy to deal more damage!] 

The skill was necessary. Dan Raven wanted to learn it, and the book flashed a bright b****y light with flashes of golden sparks. A stream of this wondrous light hit the player's body and Dan realized that he knew how to activate the Powerful Blow. All he had to do was wish and his attack would get a magical boost. Just in case, the player placed a picture of the skill in the quick access panel.

Then Dan looked at the phantom.

"You're definitely not human. You have no idea how sneaky humans can be. A 10% penalty for doing 1 point of damage to another human? This law of Karma won't stop evil people. Damage can be done with more than just a weapon. Threats and blackmail, intrigue, and meanness. People know many sneaky tricks, brother," the young man whispered.