Plague Tank: A LitRPG Adventure (Getting Hard Book 2), page 1
PLAGUE TANK
©2024 GD TEMPLE
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CONTENTS
Also in series
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Thank you for reading Plague Tank
About the Author
Groups
LitRPG
ALSO IN SERIES
GETTING HARD
Rise of a Tank
Plague Tank
Check out the entire series here! (Tap or Scan)
CHAPTER
ONE
“The sun is high above the mountain, unimpeded by any clouds, showering its light on the Great Herald Stone—ah, speaking in the third person is odd,” I said, scratching the bottom of my tusk, a habit I picked up from the Mardukryon NPCs.
Not that I never talked in the third person, but usually only in my head.
However, I was inside Mother Core Online, exploring the virtual reality world of Hierakon. I was, technically, already inside my head. Narrating the progress of my awesomeness was unbecoming of me. Should I hire someone to do it instead?
“Would Contracts cover—wait, is that what I’m looking for?”
A plump blue monster sat beside a similarly colored plant resembling celery but thrice its real-world size.
“Excuse me, kind sir. Is this a Rapdom plant? Rap-dom. Rrrap… dom.” That word sounded funny in my Mardukryon voice.
The [Lvl. 10 Blue Crobel] that only came up to my knee didn’t answer. It rubbed its tiny palms together, probably cold.
I needed twenty stalks of Rapdom for Healer Gula. She had tasked me to collect ingredients for her healing salves, and I’d been neglecting her quest for several days. Better late than never.
This location was conveniently marked on the [Tattered Map] Chief Nogras had given me. Going through the eastern gate of Kurghal Village, I traveled past the Snowy Swinelings area and into the home of the Crobels—little chubby monkeys with thick fur that came in various colors.
The peculiar blue celery was highlighted by a subtle golden light, indicating that it was the quest item I was searching for.
Standing near the plant triggered the [Harvest] option to appear. It was similar to the mechanic of collecting stones for my sling. This way, I didn’t need to bend down to pull them out of the ground.
[ Obtained: 1 Rapdom Stalk ]
After I picked the first stalk, the golden outline faded. It was up to me to find the rest.
This wasn’t a challenge because my surroundings were littered with Rapdom and other plants tended by Crobels. Apparently, I was stealing the food they were growing.
I recalled that BeetsbyLudwig, Luds for short, the annoying clown who pranked me into attacking Mirdabons, also farmed plants, likely for his potions. He was on his way to harvest them when I first encountered his group. If I recall correctly, he’d mentioned that Wharton, one of his party mates, tended mushrooms in the tunnels.
Curiosity got the better of me. Bending my front legs first, followed by my hind legs, I lowered myself to the ground. The Crobels nearby chattered, agitated by my movements. They scrambled away and hid in the bushes.
I stooped my heavy upper body down, one hand on the ground to steady myself, and reached for the base of the Rapdom plant.
[ Obtained: 1 Rapdom Stalk ]
“Not sure what I expected to happen.” I willed the Rapdom to go into my inventory, and it disappeared from my hand.
In a way, it was satisfying to physically do the harvesting as with eating and drinking meal buffs, but I’d be more inclined to do manual labor in Mother Core Online if I had a human form. Gathering plants as a Mardukryon with our bull centaur body was cumbersome.
“Eighteen more stalks to go. I apologize in advance, little Crobels.”
Two days had passed since my party emerged victorious over the level fifty-eight boss of the Silent Plaza—Zoar Elab, the Living Statue. Level sixty-two, counting its true and final form as the Hermit Vinereaver.
Our party took a break from fighting boss monsters because Megan and Nitana were away on vacation. I took this time to complete my Contract with Chimichangaroo, gathering two thousand pieces of [Swineling Fur] to release the two million Artas the system held in payment.
As predicted, Chimi didn’t commission me for further work. He was upfront that he preferred [Patch of Fur] from Mirdabons, which I could no longer efficiently farm due to the level gap penalty. He did tell me to message him when I’d reach an area of the tunnels where a particular rock was found that, when processed, would yield special pigments for textile dyeing.
Collecting, farming, mining, and other gathering mechanics weren’t affected by the level gap penalty, seeing as it didn’t involve killing monsters to obtain items. A level one hundred player and a level one player would find the same rarity of ore in the same area and gather the exact amount after mining it.
But if someone possessed Mining skills from an Open-Compatibility Accessory Data Module, an Ocadule, they could gather more ores.
I told Chimi I’d think about it. With eleven million Artas to my name and plenty of other items I could sell, I didn’t have an immediate need for money. I was half the mind to choose a crafting Ocadule and work for myself instead of others—the great trap of capitalism.
The Great Herald Stone should be bettering himself, not be hired for the betterment of someone else!
Soon enough, I gathered the twenty [Rapdom Stalks] the quest required. The other ingredient Healer Gula tasked me to find was fifteen [Luminescent Borples]. I couldn’t begin to guess what they were supposed to be from their name. All I knew was they were found in the tunnels, and they were probably glowing.
I hadn’t entered the caverns behind Kurghal Village and was interested in the chance to explore them. But I didn’t head there just yet.
Perusing my quest log for other materials requested by other NPCs and counterchecking them with the [Tattered Map], I found that I had two more collectibles nearby.
“Six Ice-Veined Fish for the head chef,” I read. “And ten pieces of Crimson Rock Ore for the apprentice Blacksmith.”
The small pond home of the Ice-Veined Fish was at the farthest edge of the Crobel area. The quarry where the rocks were located was a minute’s trot from there, so I headed to catch some fish first.
The Crobels stopped tending their plants as I galloped past, fearfully looking at me as if suspecting I’d steal more of their food.
“No need
With no other Contracts from Chimi, two paths were before me:
The first was to continue farming low-level mobs. Then I’d sell their loot at the auction, taking advantage of high prices because the high-leveled Mardukryon players didn’t want to bother farming them. Or, second, forego the potential income in favor of leveling for the Great Hunt, which was supposed to start in about a week and a half, maybe two.
To help me decide, I approached Kezodilla with my dilemma.
I wasn’t asking for his advice, as he might’ve assumed. Instead, I wanted to check if he was willing to… subsidize—wait, was that the correct term?
Outright pay sounded like I was begging. Let’s go with subsidize.
If Kezo would subsidize my lost income, I’d happily choose option two.
I didn’t directly ask for Artas; Herald Stone would never beg. People should be honored to help me in my endeavors, for my success was the success of everyone.
However, I emphasized to Kezo what I’d sacrifice by leveling fast. Reminding him of the costs of the Ocadule Shards and gear for my Totem Juggling build. To tie it all together, I delivered a dramatic spiel about how I could accomplish so much more for our party if my level wasn’t low and I had more money.
Alas, I could only focus on one!
Unless…
Kezo, being Mr. Teamwork, with cooperation and unity coursing through his veins, unsurprisingly extended his help and committed to subsidize me with Artas. Since we didn’t have team practice for a few days, he’d focus on farming Artas to support our party.
And by our party, he mainly meant me.
We shook hands on it, and I told him, “I’m going to do my best for the Great Hunt.”
That went without saying. Herald Stone always did his best in everything. I was the best in breathing, digesting food, drinking water, and so much more—no one was challenging my claim, and so they stood.
Taking on a serious tact, I started my promise by talking to every NPC in Kurghal Village. I channeled the completionist spirit of Mason, my friend from my old gaming days, and filled my quest log with everything I could find. Herald Stone, Quester Extraordinaire, reporting for duty!
“Let me get this straight,” I said to the Mardukryon NPC named Mangi. “I need a fishing rod to catch fish?” The two of us were in the middle of the frozen pond, standing on ice.
The temperature was cold enough to freeze water, though it didn’t bother me. The heated stone that was my skin kept my humanoid upper body warm while thick, shaggy fur made my lower bull part cozy. The air was piercingly cool, but my large slitted nose made breathing comfortable.
Mangi was fishing at a hole he broke through the thick layer of ice. He was supposed to teach me about the basics of fishing.
“That you do, youngling,” Mangi replied, waving his fishing rod carved from a massive bone. “How else are you going to fish?”
“Can I just buy the one you’re using? Or can I rent it?”
Mangi laughed out loud. “Younglings these days are too eager to try new things without careful preparation. You need to build your foundation first. For fishing, you need to have a connection with your rod.”
“That’s what she said,” I muttered, channeling Mason’s immature jokes. “Mangi, sir… I don’t think that’s a requirement for fishing. By the way, which rod are we talking about?”
“My first task for you, youngling, is to find the materials to make your own rod.”
[ Quest: A Simple Fishing Rod ]
To make a suitable rod for fishing, gather five (5) [Golden Willow Bark Strip] for the line and a sturdy [Golden Willow Branch] for the rod.
“And another quest,” I groaned.
CHAPTER
TWO
“I’m back with the bark strips and branch,” I reported to Mangi, having only taken a few minutes to gather the items. Collection quests weren’t too bad, even if they seemed menial. Exploring the icescape of this virtual mountain and the nostalgia this sort of task brought, made it enjoyable.
“That was quick, youngling!” Mangi said as he yanked a wriggling redfish with crystalline scales from the fishing hole. “How I wish I was still your age, full of liveliness and energy.”
“You should’ve seen me collect these from a tree over there,” I dryly replied, knowing that NPCs only answered within their intended scripts. So far, I encountered only one NPC that could hold an actual conversation, even breaking the ‘fourth wall’ of the game—the golden Dalkanus who managed the entire planet.
“A good job! I knew you could do it.”
“Good? Call it spectacular. I’m pleased that you never doubted me, Herald Stone, to be able to collect bark from a tree.”
[ Quest Completed: A Simple Fishing Rod! ]
[ Increased: Player Level to 14! ]
[ Increased: Molten Corium Level to 2 ]
“Level fourteen already?” I mused. The hundreds of Snowy Swinelings I killed for Chimi powered me through level thirteen, and this quest from Mangi pushed me to level up again.
Lvl. 2 Molten Corium: Ancestral Flames thread through the skin of Aritu practitioners, granting them (+22% Fire Resistance) and (+6% Fire Resistance Cap). Being of such untold purity, the Ancestral Flames also warp (11% of all incoming non-Fire damage) and convert them to the Fire Element.
The skill from the second Rank of the [Aritu Ancestral Flame Form] Ocadule that I got from the hermit Mehubanarath had leveled up.
Wasn’t that much of an improvement, but small increments each level would eventually result in enormous benefits. The part where it converted non-Fire damage into the Fire Element was especially powerful—a final reduction of the damage I’d receive, essentially using my massive Fire Resistance to protect me from other Elements as well.
Mangi taught me how to fashion a simple fishing rod from the items I’d gathered—that was another quest with Experience and Gli as rewards. Then he set me off in search of bait for the line, yet another quest.
“Glowing worms? How about a piece of Swineling?” I held up a small slab of meat from my inventory. “I have plenty of these that we can hold a barbecue party for all the fishes in this pond. We could tie a piece to the end of the line and see if they’ll bite.”
“The fish you seek only has a taste for the glowing worms,” Mangi explained.
“And the place where those worms live is near the tree I’ve been to,” I said, examining the [Tattered Map].
“Excellent observation skills, youngling! Did you spot them while collecting the materials for your fishing rod? Off you go then.”
“You could’ve told me to also collect them while I was there,” I grumbled.
Thankfully, Mangi asked no more of me after I returned with the bait and taught me how to fish. I had taken up the request of the head chef back at Kurghal Village to collect ingredients, not only for Experience and Gli, but also to establish a connection that he might cook for me in the future. I needed to find a good use for the piles and piles of Swineling meat in my inventory.
Next, I looked for the [Crimson Rock Ore] required by one of the apprentice blacksmiths at the village forge. I hoped I didn’t need a pickaxe or some other tool to gather it.
“I need a pickaxe to get the ores out of this rock?”
I was at a small quarry surrounded by boulders threaded with veins of shining red minerals. Several Mardukryon NPCs labored away, chipping at the rocks to collect the ores. They piled the materials high on a cart pulled by a six-legged furry beast back to the village.
“That you do, youngling,” said the NPC, leaning on his pickaxe. Their tools had handles much longer than those in real life, compensating for a Mardukryon’s height far surpassing a human’s. “How else can you extract the ore if you’re not equipped for the job? This is an important lesson for you.”
“Can I use my spear to get it out?” I stabbed at the red minerals with the weapon Chief Nogras had gifted me.
[ Notice: Use the right equipment to complete this action ]
[ Notice: Use the right equipment to complete this action ]
“You don’t need to repeat it,” I said, shooing away the pesky notifications.
