Reality overload Chapter 4: A RATS NEST

Read chapter 4 of Reality overload by Namizou on NovelPedia.

CLAAAAAANG" SCHREEEENNNNG" WHHAAAP—GRIIIINDD" "RHYLL, FLANK LEFT! NOW!" Riley's voice cracked through the chaos. I jerked backward, boots skidding across stone as the orc's massive, rust‑rotted cleaver carved the air where my skull had been. The tip kissed just under my left eye — a burning line of pain, warm blood sliding down my cheek. –15 HP "SHIT!!!" I yelled "HAAAAAAAH!" Luke barreled forward with a roar, shield braced against his shoulder. Heat shimmered around him as he slammed into the twelve‑foot monster. The impact sounded like metal hitting a mountain. The orc barely budged. Its red health bar flickered... and dropped by a sliver. Then it roared — a sound that shook dust from the cave ceiling — and its backhand hit Luke like a battering ram. His body shattered against the rock wall in a burst of white particles. "LUKE! DAMMIT!" My throat tore with the scream. How the hell did it get this bad? Focus, Kris. Focus. "RHYLL! NEW PLAN — PINCER WITH ME! ALTERNATE ENGAGEING! TRY TO KEEP YOUR DISTANCE! NATE, FIREBALL ON COOLDOWN — STUN IT IF YOU CAN!" The orc's next roar pressed on my chest like a physical weight. The air felt thick, wrong. "C‑CHAR! HEALS AND BUFFS! DON'T LET ANYONE ELSE DROP!" "Right!" "Roger!" "Let's go!" Their voices overlapped — fear, adrenaline, determination. Rhyll shot forward, a blur of motion. Her daggers flashed, carving deep into the back of the orc's tree‑trunk leg. The beast howled, spinning with terrifying speed. Its cleaver screamed through the air, but she was already gone, rolling out of reach. WHOOSH—BOOM Heat blasted across my face as Nate's fireball streaked past me and detonated against the back of the orc's skull. Flames rippled across its hide, forcing it forward a step. A single step — but enough. I surged in, coating my blade in ice, frost crackling along the steel as I leapt, and lost my balance! "KRIIIIIS! MOVE!" Too late. The cleaver hit my ribs like a freight train. My vision went white. Breath ripped from my lungs. I felt myself airborne, then— CRUNCH Boulders slammed into me, jagged edges tearing skin as I tumbled, helpless, deeper into the cavern. A hole no one had seen swallowed me whole. PING The system prompts echoed distantly, muffled by the roar of blood in my ears as I slid into the abyss. Darkness swallowed everything. ——————————————————————— Two hours ago Party invite accepted Kris — Lvl 1 — Health 100% Char — Lvl 1 — Health 100% Rhyll — Lvl 1 — Health 100% Lukethatank — Lvl 1 — Health 100% Nattysparks — Lvl 1 — Health 100% "Nice. Now we'll actually be able to keep track of each other instead of wandering off and dying alone in a ditch." My thoughts turning to the morose. "Okay, so..." I held up my fingers, counting them off. "We've got a tank, a rogue, a healer, a wizard, and last but not least—a magic swordsman." "Swordwoman," Charlie corrected, smirking like she'd been waiting for the moment. I rolled my eyes hard enough to sprain something. "Anyway," I continued, refusing to take the bait, "first we need to do some power leveling. I heard from a reliable source that certain items can be auctioned off for real‑world money. If it's possible, I want to hit a decent level so we can sell some high‑tier loot." "Wait, so that rumor was actually true?" Luke asked. "You can make money off this game? I thought people were just talking out their ass." "Yep. But we'll need a guild before we can sell anything," I said with a sigh. "And no mounts until level five," Rhyll added, deadpan. We all groaned. We'd been walking for an hour, and everyone's feet hurt. Mine especially—I'd tripped at least three times trying to get used to the balance of this new body. Graceful was... not the word. "Why don't we take a break and eat lunch?" Charlie suggested, moving toward a fallen tree and plopping down. She pulled food and water from her inventory like some kind of smug survivalist while the rest of us stared like starving wolves. She finally noticed us watching as she bit into a meat ske