The Rotten One: Hard Leveling is a game which was launched in the year 2022 and 2 years later its popularity increased exponentially. It was a 2D MMORPG which means Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game.

But players abandoned it because of its difficulty — almost impossible to win.

Then the company promised 400 million dollars to the people that would complete it.

The game was an open world, made of floors 1-100, which were subdivided into sections. The more you go, the bigger it became and detailed designed e.g. 1 kilometer, 5 kilometers.

The game had three main protagonists.But you could create your own with money.

Johnny, a swordsman, the character which suffered the least in the game. His arrogant personality made him talk randomly when you were to use his skill.

Playing role: hero. Long, yellow hair and blue eyes.

Elina, the character whose progression is the fastest but she is mentally unstable. At some time when you used her she becomes useless.

Playing role: hero.

Malvoid, the character that suffers the most. His curse is his body rotting, which makes him die at any moment but he is the best character for average floors.

Playing role: villain.

Joel was lying on the ground.

He wore only black trousers.

Then he opened his eyes slowly.

He stood up.

Where am I? Is this a cave?

Actually he was on the floor 1 - sector 1, the walls were covered with a black gelatinous substance which stuck to the walls. And on the ground there were holes, each 1.50 to 2.50 meters, at random. Immediately, he held his head. His body was aching, he felt weak. Then he looked at his hand — there were fresh scars as if his skin was opening. He stared at it.

How on earth is this possible?

His hands were like rotten flesh. He felt pain in his entire body then held his stomach. It was burning inside like magma in fusion, he used the wall as support while walking. Avoiding the gelatinous substances.

This is the worst choice I made, I’m now Malvoid.

His skin was opening apart slowly, creating scars on him.

[SYSTEM]

[Physical appearance: Black short hair, ruby eyes, black skin]

[Status:

Name: Malvoid

Race: Undead

Age: 29

Height: 1.89 meters

Tier: Rat

Level: 0 Exp: 0/10]

[Physical attributes:

•Strength: 05

•Agility: 05

•Vitality: 05

•Dexterity: 05

•Intelligence: 05

Overall power: 05]

[Other attributes]

•Luck: 00

•Wisdom: 00

•Charisma: 00

[Negative buff]

•Cursed body: decomposing every 4 hours

•Corrosive body (temporary)

[Skills]

•None

VIT - Vitality: Increases HP/health, sometimes defense or stamina. Makes you tankier.

STR - Strength: Increases physical attack damage. Often boosts melee weapons like swords, axes.

DEX - Dexterity: Boosts accuracy, crit rate, dodge, attack speed. Good for archers, rogues.

AGI - Agility: Increases dodge, movement speed, attack speed.

INT - Intelligence: Increases magic damage, magic defense, and max MP/mana. For mages.

WIS - Wisdom: Boosts MP regen, magic resistance, sometimes healing power. Clerics/priests use this.

LUK - Luck: Increases crit rate, drop rate for rare items, sometimes dodge.

CHA - Charisma: Affects NPC interactions, prices, party buffs. etc

He was walking with difficulty.

I can die at this rate, my skin is as soft as cake

Then he mistakenly put his hands on the gelatinous substance. His hands stuck to the wall. Moreover, he used his force, and his palm came off. He stared at it.

"Malvoid, you’re so weak" he whispered.

One hand on his stomach, the scars deepened and created pain.

Immediately, he breathed in, absorbing air. Then when his lungs were full, he breathed out deeply, and a corrosive gas came through his mouth.

[Corrosive body effects have been reduced temporarily for a minute]

Then he reminisced about his past. His face darkened. He couldn’t accept dying so early, his player’s honor was in danger. He wanted billions even more. His face twisted with motivation.

His body strengthened.

And he ran in the direction he came.

He knew with his type of power he would not go far. He was moving faster and faster.

[Your Dexterity has reduced by 60%]

[Your Agility has improved by 1]

He was breathing heavily. Doing turns, running 20 meters.

Then started back.

[Your Vitality has reduced by 2]

He fell to the ground on his knees, and splashed up water. In the air the droplets touched his body and a reaction occurred like a drop of water reacting with a strong acid. Eventually, he knew about the solution to stop the corrosion.

He remembered there was a hole of stagnant water in the game. Instantly, his body moved towards the place. He was no longer avoiding the stagnant water bodies. Finally, he arrived and smiled a little and jumped inside.

The hole covered 1/8th of the ground, and droplets from a black rock above him were leaking water into it.

He was submerged into it. Moreover, a reaction occurred. Hot air bubbles were forming nearby him. He felt pain internally and externally. Drinking up the water. An uncontrollable pain he felt, and he let out an inhuman scream.

"Haaaaaaar!!!"

His entire body was petrifying.

His body descending to the bottom of the hole. And his body slowly lay on the ground.

[Petrification at 87%]

[Warning: Oxygen depleted]

Do undead need oxygen?

The silence settled.

At that moment it was thick, pressing against his eardrums like wet clay.

He couldn’t move or talk anymore. Malvoid’s eyelids were petrified as stone.

His tongue was stone.

Even the corrosive gas in his lungs had gone solid.

So this is the end, why is it not exactly like the game?

He turned into a statue at the bottom of stagnant water. Then it twitched. Just his pinky. Then stone started to crack apart. One line after the other. Then a glowing green. Moreover, it came out of him and water rushed into his open mouth. He didn’t drink the water. The water became him. At that moment he moved out of the water and stood up erect and smiled a little. He survived because the petrification was not complete and he was forcing himself to move.

[Corrosive Body has been permanently removed]

[In the course of acquiring a skill]

[Strength increased by 2]

[Agility increased by 2]

[Vitality fully recovered]

His body had strengthened.

He opened and closed his hands several times. The droplets from the black rock falling in the water produced a hissing sound. Immediately, he continued running. Faster and faster.

His body was lighter than before. He trained for hours.

[Dexterity has increased by 1]

[Vitality has increased by 2]

[Agility has increased by 1]

[SYSTEM]

[Warning: 2:00:15 for decomposition]

As soon as he saw that, he took off running, going deeper into the floor.

Moreover, he did not avoid the stagnant water.

He covered a distance of 200 meters while running when he saw a skeleton.

As soon as the skeleton saw him, its head shook like a vibrating stone in fury.

The skeleton went to attack.

Then, nearby, Malvoid sent a vertical strike with his sword.

But Malvoid turned to his right and avoided it.

Immediately, he threw a punch at the neck of the skeleton, but unfortunately, his hand got broken, although it cracked the skeleton.

So what did I say before?

He wore a slightly disappointed smile.

Furthermore, the skeleton made a horizontal strike, and he jumped backward.

At that moment, he felt strange and looked to the ground.

He saw his blood falling to the ground.

[Warning : Your vitality is decreasing by 0.2 per second]