World of Karik: A Game of Villains 17 Level-down

Salvation came unexpectedly in the form of a Shaman Kappa. I came across it on the far side of the swamp. The monster shaking a knobby staff was much larger than its fellows. As planned, I received the monster's blow, but didn't die, contrary to my expectations. I fell to my knees.

Shaman Kappa has cast Total Weakening on you.

Endurance and strength are reduced by 10.

Yeah, and if I was wearing my regular armor, I probably wouldn't even be able to stand on my knees. The creature would hit me with its crooked stick and I would die again, losing a small amount of experience. But the enemy suddenly threw a pinkish cloud at me. It smelled of sour flour. I coughed, trying to get it out of my system, when the Shaman suddenly pursed its lips and began to inhale the clouds of pink stuff that had covered my body.

Health points began to decline, and then something I could not believe at first happened.

Shaman Kappa has deprived you of one level.

My level 10 instantly changed to nine, and even dropped by another half. It was reducing both my health and experience!

I died after that realization.

Waking up, I ran at full speed in the opposite direction. Was I really that lucky? Although, for a normal person, the word "lucky" looked strange in this context.

The creature threw the pinkish smoke again and robbed me of two whole levels before I died again. My next meeting with the Shaman Kappa ended with another loss of experience and, respectively, levels. I didn't count how much experience I had lost that time, although it was about the same as before. The level to experience ratio grew with each new loss. As a result, the vile beast got me back to level 4. Fortunately, I needed some 5% to reach level 5. So, I put on my armor, summoned my scythe and quickly got what was mine. It was unusual to feel just how weaker I had gotten. I lost all of my skill and stat points, but the spells remained, as expected. All of them, except Stone Skin, were level 1 again.

So, having died only six times, I did as Baldy asked. Now I could go back to the base. I immediately felt calmer, and my confidence was replaced by lethargy and weakness.

The effect of Will Suppression has ended…

What was that? This willingness to go and get killed wasn't mine? Was it induced? Had I not met the shaman, I wouldn't have cared about inscriptions after all those deaths. Would I still consider this my idea? But who did this? When? Why? Okay, I'll get to that later. I can't think right now....

I had no trouble finding my way back to the base this time around. I was already quite good at navigating. The sun was getting brighter and brighter. The morning came. Most of the squad was probably still sleeping, but someone had kept watch. I stomped and coughed to attract attention.

"Scytheman?" a hesitant voice said. "Is that you?" said, I think, Mikhail.

"Yeah!" I replied.

"Petrovich! Petrovich!" Yeah, that was definitely the Major. "Vasily's back!"

The Lancer immediately appeared next to me, as if he had materialized from thin air, and exhaled in my direction. His breath smelled rotten. "Really, it's Vasily! Alive!"

But he only sounded happy. There was suspicion in his eyes. He was still holding his lance near my throat.

I nodded wearily. Alive, that's right.

"Petrovich, could I go get some sleep?" I made my voice sound plaintive for a greater effect and tried to brush past the guards.

"Sure!" the Lancer answered, giving me an amulet and exhaling with, it seemed to me, relief. "Or maybe you can tell us what happened?"

Petrovich pointed at the place above my head where levels were usually displayed. No one tried to make me tell more details. I thought that the loss of levels was not that extraordinary of a thing.

"It's a long story," I said evasively. "Tomorrow, eh? I'll tell everything at the meeting…"

Slipping into the cave and finding my place, I plopped down onto the scattered rags and almost immediately fell asleep. I slept soundly. The night adventures probably took their toll on me, and the body took what it needed. No one dared to wake me up. I woke up around noon, sprang to my feet and went outside. Squinting from the bright light, I saw everyone from our squad, as well as the newbies, sitting in a semicircle. Everyone except Igor and Fox. Andrei, who was standing in front of the audience, turned to me.

"Good to see you, Vasily!" he smiled.

I walked over and sat down next to Suren, who patted me approvingly on the shoulder. In a friendly way, without condescension.

"Vasily, you're level 5?" Olga exclaimed, apparently saying what was on everyone's mind. But the rest remained silent for some reason.

"Yes," I nodded. "So it happened."

"Tell us what happened yesterday," Andrei suggested, motioning me to stand next to him so that everyone could see me. Apparently, that check amulet at the entrance removed all of the suspicions. They were now simply interested in my story.

And I told them. Everything except what Baldy told me via the Reaper, and that the decrease in levels was my own doing. I told them that I managed to escape from the Reaper, that he hadn't noticed me, and that I lost the levels when I came across the Shaman Kappa. I described the fight with the monster quite colorfully, adding a couple of juicy details. Then I lied about coming across another Kappa and reaching level 5. Deception, by the way, increased considerably.

"I've heard of it," Suren nodded. "I haven't met any Shaman Kappas myself, honestly, but... Someone else did. You're lucky you have met those monsters and didn't die, only lost levels."

Only then did I realize what a trap I had made for myself. If I had died, I should have resurrected at the base. But I came on my own. I said nothing about my death. Suren helped me weave the official version of the story—I lost the levels, but escaped and survived.

"So Lera became the Reaper's follower," mused Andrew. "That's bad."

"Rotten girl she was," Petrovich interrupted. "I've noticed it long ago…"

"Valentin Petrovich," the leader cut him off. "Even if you really have noticed something 'long ago', it's too late to talk about it now."

The Lancer turned silent, but continued looking at Andrew with a frown.

Chapter end