Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Read online

  LIFE RESET: SALVATION

  – NEO Book Six –

  SHEMER KUZNITS

  Life Reset: Salvation

  A self-published book by Shemer Kuznits

  Copyright © 2021

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

  may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever

  without the express written permission of the publisher

  except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  0 - Prologue

  1 - Consorting with Villains

  2 - Home Sweet Home

  3 - From Beneath

  Interlude: Adventurers

  4 - Macromanagement

  5 - Warm-Up

  6 - First Blow

  7 - Revelations

  8 - Messenger

  9 - Economics

  10 - Banditos

  11 - Forward

  12 - Stoney Barrens

  13 - Giant Clash

  14 - Rocky Beginning

  Interlude: War Games

  15 - With Science!

  Interlude: SLTV

  16 - Tower Attack

  17 - March On

  18 - Threesome

  19 - Old Demons

  20 - Downtrodden

  21 - Delvers

  22 - Recouping Losses

  Interlude: SLTV Special

  23 - Parting

  24 - Inspiration

  25 - Last Battle

  26 - The Final Boss

  27 - Free

  28 - Epilogue

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  The Full Golem Song

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  As this is the final book in the Life Reset series, I’d like to thank those who stood by me along the way.

  First, and foremost, I’d like to thank my amazing wife for her continued support of my writing career and my two wonderful kids who provide constant inspiration.

  I’d also like to thank all the beta readers and proofreaders who helped make this book better: JD, zenzonegaming, Colin, Jason, Ben, and Ezben.

  To Nadav and Chris, my two alpha readers, whose many helpful suggestions touched every part of this book - thank you. You’ve helped me deliver a strong conclusion to a series - one which I can take pride in.

  Additionally, I’d like to thank my close friend Gaddy Weissman, who has now been supporting me for eight books straight and has still not hit me over the head (too hard) for the many mistakes he had to correct.

  A special thanks to all my patrons over at Patreon. Your continued support and encouragement have helped me push on through the hurdles.

  0 - Prologue

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  We were sitting in the company’s conference room. It took everything I had to keep myself from gouging out the eyeballs of the insufferable lawyer sitting across the table from me.

  “Mr. Berman,” the oily Mr. Emery continued, “I believe you do not understand the gravity of the situation. The company can’t be held responsible—”

  “I’m so close!” I said, clenching my fists. “We made real progress. We’ve conquered three towns, not to mention a handful of smaller settlements, and liberated some imprisoned players. We’re getting ready to assault Everance itself and to release the dozens of players imprisoned there. Then we can start helping players on a global scale.”

  “Just hear him out, Oren,” Mr. Goldbloom, my attorney, said. “He’s looking out for you.”

  “No, he’s not,” I hissed. “All he cares about is the company’s bottom line.”

  Mr. Emery didn’t flinch at the accusation. “In this case, I believe our interests align, Mr. Berman.”

  “Look, it’s very simple,” Jim, the head technician, said. He pressed a button, bringing up a bunch of charts on a large monitor. “Your readings are all over the place and well beyond an acceptable range. So far, there’s no permanent damage, but I can’t guarantee—”

  “Nothing has changed.” I cut him off. “We’ve already had this conversation. I know the risks. It’s ridiculous to stop when I’m finally making real progress.”

  Tal, my best friend-made-agent, spoke up. “Bro, hear them out. Everyone is worried about you. You just came out of two weeks of mental rehab, and it only took you a day to show troubling symptoms. Are you asking us to just ignore the signs? You’re going down a dangerous path. If you don’t slow down, next time it might take years, not weeks, for you to recover. If at all.”

  I stared at him. My brain was having trouble digesting what he’d just said. “I … was in NEO for only a day?”

  So much had happened; wresting control of my clan back from the invading kobolds, raising an army, conquering Novenguard, Whitebanner, and Storg, not to mention crushing an army that had been sent to stop us. It had been weeks from my perspective in the game.

  “Less than 24 hours, actually,” Tal affirmed. “Oren, this game is taking you down a slippery slope. As your best friend, I’m telling you – take a break.”

  They were all against me going back in. I was hesitant at first to reveal the breakthroughs I’d made just before they pulled me out, but it was time to show my cards. Some of them.

  I drew in a long breath. “I know how I can free all the trapped players.”

  That got their attention.

  Tal frowned. “What are you talking about, bro?”

  “I discovered a clue, which I believe was left behind by Guy. It mentions a hidden cave that connects the VIs to NEO and hints about a way to sever that link.” I deliberately avoided mentioning Lirian and the fact that as ‘my seed’ she was somehow instrumental in said separation. My in-game daughter was the one card I wasn’t ready to reveal.

  “Why didn’t you mention it before?” Tal asked.

  “It’s … complicated. The tablet holding the clue isn’t fully translated. I’ll need to find someone who can decipher the rest of it … I need to find David Tenenbaum.”

  The name elicited a chorus of gasps from around the table.

  Tal looked at me incredulously. “Are you talking about David-not-the-one Tenenbaum? The first player to ever get stuck in the game?”

  “Who’s incidentally, also the only player with a higher CCP than Oren here,” Jim added.

  “Yeah.”

  “And cutting that connection will somehow …” Mr. Emery said, “remove the AI – Shiva – from power and release all the players?”

  “I … I think so.” I looked at the uncomprehending faces around me and sighed. “Listen, guys, I know it’s a long shot. But you got me back here in the first place on the off chance that Guy’s last message – that so-called ‘prophecy’ – would come true. I’m following the breadcrumbs he left for me as best I can. I have a good indication that the stone tablet I need deciphered is invisible, or at least somehow camouflaged, from the VIs. That tells me some higher power is acting in our favor. Isn’t that proof enough that I have a chance? And doesn’t that merit taking some risks?”

  “Do you know how to find Mr. Tenenbaum?” Mr. Emery asked.

  I hesitated. “My information indicates he’s held in some secret high-security prison in Everance. I’m going to look for him there.”

  “Dude, Everance is huge,” Tal said. “It could take a lifetime to search.”

  “That’s why I’m planning to bring some of my army with me. Once I’ve taken over the city, it should be easy to find where they’re keeping him.”

  Tal shook his head. “Everance is the capital of that region of NEO. It was designed to be impregnable. A secure base that players could fall back to when all else fails. You’ll nee
d tens of thousands of decently leveled soldiers to even have a chance at taking it by force.”

  “I can do it,” I insisted. I swept my gaze around the room. “I’ve already had a group of players erect a temple there that I can use to teleport forces into the city and weaken it from within.”

  “It sounds like it will take far too long to achieve,” Mr. Emery said. “The company can’t be held liable if anything—”

  “It won’t take long!” This entire discussion was starting to feel like I was constantly cutting people off to plead my case. “I can do it.” I looked around, meeting their eyes, willing them to believe my words. “Trust me.”

  To my surprise, it seemed to work.

  “Very well,” Mr. Emery said evenly then looked at Jim. “Mr. Taylor, as our head technician and resident biotech expert, how long do you estimate Mr. Berman can safely remain in the game?”

  “A day.” Jim hesitated as he looked at me. “Two at most, but that’s only if you actively avoid high-stress situations. Beyond that, I can’t guarantee we’ll avoid any permanent damage.”

  Two days. That was about two months in-game. Not a lot of time to take over one of the strongest cities in the game world, and I had no idea how long it would take after that to locate the hidden cave and the mysterious ‘conduit’ inside. But it was going to have to do.

  I nodded. “I can make it.”

  “We’ll still need to log you out periodically to continue monitoring your condition,” Jim warned. “But we’ll make those occasions as brief as possible.”

  I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath. “I’m ready. Send me back in.”

  Jim smiled at me. “Of course.”

  I exhaled with relief.

  “Pending a full medical checkup, that is.”

  “Shadow-crap.”

  1 - Consorting with Villains

  I materialized back in NEO, finding myself in the same abandoned hut I used for refuge before logging out.

  But I wasn’t back at my clan or in any of the other settlements we’d conquered. I was hiding in the heart of my enemy’s stronghold. I was inside Everance itself.

  My goal was clear; I needed to strengthen my clan and find David Tenenbaum. The most direct way to achieve both was to take over the capital itself.

  The Mob Squad had come through. They had managed, against all odds, to establish a temple dedicated to our evil god Nihilator inside the city’s walls. With an established chapter of my own church, I was able to freely teleport directly into Everance, bypassing its walls and safeguards.

  Just before logging out, I’d gone against the Mob Squad’s advice and stepped out into the city. I’d taken the precaution to camouflage myself and quickly discovered that their warning was not without merit.

  The temple was located in one of the city’s poorer districts, and thus, was lightly patrolled. But as soon as I moved into one of the more bustling areas, a passing patrol noticed me and came to investigate. I’d slipped away, hiding inside the hut in which I now stood.

  Vic, my VI companion currently in the shape of a cloak around my shoulders, said in my mind.

  I missed you too, honey, I said dryly then cracked a smile. Sorry if I left you hanging.

 

  I winced.

 

  Yeah, I got it; thanks for that disturbing mental image.

 

  I let that slide. I knew better than trying to out-pun Vic. My companion was weirdly passionate about getting in the final word.

 

  It looks like I was too optimistic thinking I could walk the streets with you covering my face. The Mob Squad wasn’t kidding about the guards checking everyone. That patrol almost spotted me. Let’s wait for darkness before trying again.

  That was the reason I had originally hidden in the hut. It was broad daylight when I’d first tried making it into the city, but the company had logged me out before it got dark.

  Vic asked.

  I blinked. It is?

  As a Shadow-Touched creature, the darkness felt as comfortable and illuminated as daylight. Checking the internal game clock revealed the time was close to midnight.

 

  Thanks, I said and accessed the player messaging system. I had two messages waiting.

  New Era Online [Internal messaging service]:

  From: Sullivan Tucker

  Subject: Status update

  Hi, Oren,

  It’s been several days since we met, so I figured I’d send you a quick update from the front.

  We’re consolidating our hold over the settlements; rebuilding fortifications, patrolling the countryside, etc.

  We’re currently holding the entire south part of this region. It will take the bulk of the army to maintain our hold over it if anyone nearby sends significant forces against us.

  So far, there haven’t been any signs of retaliation coming from Everance itself, but I’m worried. If they do decide to send their forces against us, we have no chance of winning with our current numbers.

  I’ll message you again if there are new developments, but until then, come and see me in Storg when you have a moment to discuss our next steps.

  Sullivan,

  Grand Army Strategist

  It sounded like things were well in hand. I knew we couldn’t really do anything against Everance with the forces we currently had, so my main goal was to increase the size and strength of the army to a point where it could threaten the enemy capital.

  New Era Online [Internal messaging service]:

  From: Ragnar

  Subject: Where you at, fugly?

  I need to talk to you. Meet me at Whitebanner.

  I grimaced. Having a conversation with my old enemy – who I’d transformed into an ant-person – was pretty low on my list of priorities.

  With Vic’s cloak form once again covering my goblin features, I went out into the dark streets.

  The air was crisp and clear, and even though it wasn’t my own settlement, I could feel my senses expanding, alerting me of possible threats.

  Nighttime was my time.

  Channeling my mana, I commanded the surrounding shadows to huddle close around me. Then I walked through the streets, a dark dot inside black ink.

  When I exited the poor district that housed the temple, I came across another of the city patrols and stood back in the shadows. The guards didn’t even slow down as they walked by.

  Once the way was clear, I rushed through the open street. I knew where I was going. Everance had been my home for three years before I was turned into a goblin, and I knew it like the back of my hand. For the first time, I was sneaking through a settlement I was familiar with. I knew where all the important people lived, and I knew which parts were vulnerable. Back then, I was an upstanding citizen, favored by the nobility and looked up to by NPCs and players alike. And now I’d come back, as a thing lurking in the shadows, to tear it all down.

  I bared my teeth in a feral grin at the thought. Being a monster was liberating.

  Evading a few more patrols, I slipped into one of the city’s posher districts and soon came upon a giant pile of rubble. It was the Manapulators’ devastated mansion. My old guild.

  I spotted a few dirty thugs digging through the debris. Over a year had passed in the game since I’d torn the building down, and by the look of it, the place was already picked clean. Some people still seemed to hope to find hidden riches.

  It was understandable. At the prime of i
ts existence, just before I was betrayed and cast out as a goblin, the Manapulators was the largest, most powerful guild in NEO.

  For a moment I considered blasting the scavengers apart with a few direballs, but I quickly abandoned that line of thought. There was nothing to gain by it, and the explosions would attract unwanted attention.

  Instead, I started climbing the pile and soon found an open hatch. It was one of the vaults I’d hidden throughout the game world. I’d already given its location to the Mob Squad so they’d have the funds necessary to build the Dark Temple. I stepped through the opening, my boots banging the floor as the shadows spilled in after me like a black curtain.

  A menacing growl came from within. “Who goes there?”

  I stopped at the entrance and studied the vault’s interior. It was basically an underground chamber that was warded against divination spells. Once the Mob Squad had plundered it, they’d left it open. People still seemed to think they could scrape something from inside.

  I spotted the source of the voice quickly. The man was well-hidden inside a crack in the wall, indicating he had a decently leveled Stealth skill, but he couldn’t compete with my sight.

  He seemed to be the only one inside, and I knew the place was virtually soundproof, so I felt no concern in letting my presence known.

  “I’m the original owner,” I said. “Who’re you?”

  “Ha!” came an ugly chuckle. “No, you ain’t. I heard that dude was a stupid-ass traveler who got tossed out of his own guild.”

  Vic said admiringly in my mind.

  “Not really liking your attitude,” I said, talking to both of them.

  “Who do you think you are, shortie?” The man slithered out of his hole and inched his way toward me, raising a dagger.

  I smirked. The man hadn’t realized I could see him and was trying to sneak up on me. I let him crawl the rest of the way toward me, and just before he was about to strike my back, I directed my mana toward him, making his body seize up.