ã€ŠAshes of Godsã€‹


 1 Final Finale

    Beads of sweat dripped down Shesmu''s closed eyelids as his heart raced within his chest. He heaved in rapid breaths, still recovering from his exertion. He tried to slow his breathing as he straightened himself, gazing upward; the sunlight pierced his eyelids before he eased them open. Strange runes floated within his hazel irises.

    His gaze fixated towards the sun, a screen stood beside the star. He read the star''s description when strands of black hair settled across his face, obscuring his vision. Shesmu coated his fingers in aura, feeling the familiar buzz of power as the green light raced along them. With a lazy wave of his hand, the nuisance hair strands floated free, spiraling to the floor, perfectly bisected.

    "Shes, it''s almost time."

    The voice of his friend made Shesmu turn. Clad in a pitch-black robe, he had blood-red hair and abrasive ocean-colored eyes. Strange sigils floated within them, similar to Shesmu''s own. All the while a sky blue, semi-transparent interface floated beside his face.

    Cain(ArchMage)

    Level: 425

    HP: 500000(+7 Shield)/500000

    MP: 10 Cores/10 Cores

    Shesmu nodded at Cain when a feminine voice chimed within his mind.

    [Leader! World Serpent is at 40%. How are things going there?]

    Shesmu responded to that voice in his mind. [We''re on the way, Fate. We just killed five of them but three escaped. They just entered the canyon and are going for the Serpent. Crescent is one of them, so stay sharp.]

    [That''s good! As expected of Leader and Cain. The game is now practically over. If they go for a steal, we just turn and clap their buttcheeks!]

    Cain nodded and hummed in response.

    [Well, we''ll be on our way. Once they go through the chokepoint, we''ll close their escape route.] Shesmu added.

    [Haha, it''s not as if they have a choice. If we secure the serpent buff, they''re basically dead. Their only choice is to challenge us even though it''s a do-or-die situation... Well, it''s more like a die-or-die situation!]

    Shesmu felt the joy in Fate''s voice. This was the part she enjoyed most¡ª checkmating her enemies, and laughing at them as she did so. That was the only exciting part for her when competing in regionals.

    [The game is already over. Make it clean.]

    Fate pouted at Shesmu''s words. [Leader, you''re no fun!]

    Understanding that this discussion would be endless, Shesmu terminated the telepathic connection. He then examined his surroundings, noting that every object he saw had a blue screen describing it. Annoyed, he issued a command within the silences of his mind.

    ''Deactivate World Eyes.''

    The scenery brightened without the presence of those irksome, blue screens, putting Shesmu at ease without any visual noise.

    ''Activate Party Mode.''

    Blings assaulted Shesmu''s ears as multiple add-ons appeared. In the top-left corner were his HP and Energy Bars. At the bottom-right were the same bars but of his teammates''. With this, Shesmu could effectively monitor his comrades'' statuses any time he wished. They were all in the green, with the exception of one. That portrait was greyed out, a picture of a boy named Winter.

    ''Even without him, they should be fine.''

    With one hop, Shesmu stood and Cain trailed behind. "Hey, Shes. What do you think of Crescent?" Cain asked.

    Shesmu looked up, his thumb idly scratching at his chin. "Oh, I really like him actually. High compatibility with the ether field, insane reaction, and he is a Tier-V space-time mage. He is crazy good."

    Cain nodded in agreement, staying silent as he did. It looked like he wanted to speak, but his speech seemed to be lodged in his throat.

    "What are you thinking? Want me to poach him?"

    Cain remained silent for some time before responding. His voice and confidence built up momentum as he spoke. "Yeah... if it''s possible."

    Shesmu looked up, lost in his thoughts. Finally, he responded. "Okay, sure. I''ll talk to the manager later about it. Vez is thinking about retiring, so we do need a good substitute."

    Cain didn''t break his silence. Shesmu understood automatically that he was in complete agreement.

    ''Show minimap.''

    A digital 2D map appeared in the bottom left of Shesmu''s vision field. Multiple red dots closing in on a clump of blue ones, drawing closer by the second.

    "They''re closing in on Fate and the others. We need to hurry."

    Cain nodded, then the two jumped onto a tree branch each. They took off to intercept the enemy. From the corner of his eye, Shesmu noticed the all-familiar red-eyed crow, looking at them from a distance. He smiled and whispered, "Eva, Sophie..."

    * * *

    The crow kept watching, discerning their every movement, or possible ones. Its red eyes shone with a deeper hue. Within its pupils, a magic circuit resided. It was connected to multiple screens which displayed the figures of Shesmu and Cain to a stadium filled with a burgeoning crowd.

    The crowd''s cheers reached the clouds, so enthusiastic and loud. The stadium was split into two camps where one half wore red, while the other wore black. Both camps raised opposing flags engraved with the emblem of their chosen champions.

    "Blood Cross!" The red-clad fans shouted.

    "Black Moon!" The fans clothed in black reciprocated loud and aggressively.

    In the midst of it, a couple, whose presence was ephemeral, looked fervently at the screens. They were a little girl and a woman in her late twenties.

    "Papa!" The little girl pointed at the screens. Her mouth opened wide, her eyes glistening with amazement.

    The older woman heard the little girl''s shout despite the roaring noises around them. She jumped in joy and clapped her hands together.

    "Yes, Eva. That''s papa, right? Papa is amazing!"

    Looking at Sophie''s exaggerated demeanor, Eva blushed before rolling her eyes.

    "There you go again, mama. Papa didn''t even do anything yet! How is that amazing?"

    Sophie flinched at Eva''s deadpan expression. That cold-hearted response froze her in place. She looked down before her daughter gave her back hope.

    "But, it''s cool¡­"

    Her daughter''s barely audible whisper was heard. Sophie jumped up once again, her enthusiasm restored.

    "That there are so many people rooting for Papa and his team. It''s cool."

    The mother''s expression softened. She smiled before returning her focus to the screens floating high above the stadium. They no longer displayed scenes featuring Shesmu and Cain. Instead, it focused on the team clad in red whose members were running through a canyon.

    The crowd was hyped already, the cheers deafened the ears. The announcer added oil to the blazing fire consuming the stadium.

    "Blood Cross is becoming desperate¡ªCrescent is leading them towards their final stand! If Black Moon manages to secure the Serpent buff, they can march their way into their enemies'' core. Blood Cross needs to make it happen and they need to do it fast! They''re down five members since the last skirmish. It won''t be an 8v8 fight anymore. It''d take a miracle for them to win! Let''s see if they can orchestrate a miraculous steal!"

    The whole crowd was collectively on the edge of their seats. Black Moon''s fans were assured of their team''s victory and kept hollering the names of their favorite players, while Blood Cross'' looked on with anxious eyes, hoping they could turn the tides. Eva''s mother gazed around the crowd, taking in their expressions. She shook her head. Her attention was misplaced, but she regained composure when she felt a pulling at her cuff.

    "Mama, Mama."

    She turned around towards Eva who stared at her with a toothy smile.

    "Mama, what is this Serpent that Mr. Voice just talked about?"

    "Ah, yes," Sophie responded. "The World Serpent. Hmm, do you remember when we talked about the game Papa plays?"

    "Yes, I remember it." Eva nodded repeatedly. "You said there are two teams. Each team has a core that has to be defended. It''s hidden in a dungeon." She paused as a question occurred to her. "Are the dungeons like ones in the shows?"

    "Eva is such a smart girl!" Sophie''s eyes brightened. "You remembered everything I told you perfectly. Ah, I love you so much!" she pinched Eva''s cheeks, causing her to tear up with how enthusiastically she was pulling.

    "Mama... you''re hurting me."

    Sophie quickly retracted her hands, looking abashed. She hurried to hug Eva and apologize. "Sorry, Eva. Mama just loves you so much she couldn''t help herself but to pinch your cute cheeks. Here, I''ll cast a spell to heal them. You''ll feel better."

    Eva nodded and stopped sobbing. Her mother caressed her cheeks as she cast her spell.

    "Eva wuryath ihu," she chanted softly. The tone of her voice made Eva smile before turning puzzled.

    "Mama, you always say that chant but you never told me what it means."

    Sophie grinned at her daughter''s question. "Well, that''s a secret."

    Eva''s annoyed expression provoked her mother to hug her again. Eva struggled to escape her mother''s grasp but to no avail. She couldn''t escape the deadly bear hug exerting force, so she had to think of a way to outwit her mother. She experienced eureka. The idea brought a smile to her face.

    "Mama," Eva essayed a question. "You still haven''t told me about the Serpent, yet."

    "Oh, you''re right." Sophie nodded, distracted. The reminder served its purpose, making her mother finally release her. Her mastermind plan to outplay the demon lord that was her mother had worked brilliantly! It was perfect! Eva made a winning pose in her head, waving to imaginary fans in a graceful fashion.

    "Oh, yes!" Sophie continued. "The Serpent. As I already explained before, the two teams need to defend their own core while seeking to destroy the opposing one. That''s how you win the game, Eva."

    Noticing something, her mother suddenly leaned forward, beckoning Eva to return her attention to the game. She smiled before focusing on Eva once again.

    "So, each dungeon has a strong, mean, ugly guardian. It is a most difficult task to kill this beast. No one team is strong enough to slay it. As such, our heroes shall travel a dangerous path, and defeat numerous monsters in their journey¡­"

    Sophie''s phony speech made Eva doze off. She finally snapped out of her daze and exclaimed.

    "Mom! Don''t go into your bard mode. Just tell me what the Serpent thingy does!"

    "Ehh, okay." Sophie dropped both her shoulders and her tone. "So, there is this Serpent Boss thingy, and if they kill it, the guardian becomes weaker. Then they go and kill the guardian, that''s it."

    Eva showed a puzzled expression at Sophie''s explanation.

    "So, let me get this straight. You kill the Serpent, and the guardian becomes weaker, right?"

    Sophie nodded smiling.

    "Yes, exactly right."

    "So, can you explain to me how does that even makes sense? Are these two guys related or something, like lovers and stuff? Else, why in the hell would killing a serpent make the guardian weaker?!"

    Eva''s barrage of confusion-filled questions surprised her mother at first. "Hahaha!" She let out gales of laughter. "You''re totally right Eva¡ªwhat does defeating a serpent have anything to do with the guardian? I wonder about it too. I don''t know."

    The laughter didn''t really help Eva, instead confused her further. She returned her attention to the game, deciding to cast her worries aside. The engaging caster''s voice was able to distract her. She looked to the screen, thinking it had displayed her father only a couple of minutes ago. It effectively kept her focus on that screen. Sophie watched her by her side. Eva''s sudden intense focus paired with a slightly ajar jaw made her giggle before her own attention returned to the display. The camera, at the moment, focused on three players. It was the red team. Their steps were quick, and eyes focused.

    * * *

    "We''re close, prepare the array," one of the players, apparently a leader, issued the order.

    The duo accompanying him answered, "Will do, Crescent."

    Crescent nodded in response to his teammates'' before his eyes refocused. The camera followed the path of his eyesight. It showed the exit of the canyon¡ªtheir ultimate goal.

    Beyond it, a fight of epic proportions took place. A beast with three serpent heads faced down with five fighters. Its ghostly hiss reverberated through the air, causing its opponents to flinch. It spewed a thick fog of dark, green poison from its leftmost head.

    "Fate, Vez, blow your load." A knight in golden armor spat out orders. "Truth, detox." His hair was black, and eyes green. His chiseled face was proof of the thousands of battles he''d fought.

    "Gotcha, Leo." A purple-haired girl responded, planting her staff on the ground before her as she chanted a spell.

    "Leave it to me!" A silver-haired man opened his grimoire causing a dark magic circle to appear on the terrain beneath him.

    A priestess in the rear of the party chanted one prayer after another as the fog of poison encircled them, before engulfing the party. At the very moment, a golden magic circle shone beneath them. The radiant light illuminated, all nullifying the dark gas poison. In the center of the magical circle, the priestess floated. Her white robe fluttered, as did her golden hair. Her visage was truly the definition of noblesse and grace.

    "Nice timing, Truth!" The black-haired knight praised. He returned his attention to the World Serpent. "Mages, slow. Rev, scout for Blood Cross."

    "Roger that," a man covered entirely in black responded curtly. His shadow rippled like water before he descended into it. Once he''d disappeared, the rest of the party focused on the boss. An HP bar floated above the World Serpent''s head. Only 10% of the monsters HP remained, causing its bar to glow red. The camera panned up, zooming out to capture the entire body of the World boss. It slowly rotated around it.

    * * *

    It then averted to a new subject¡ªa team of three players hiding behind nearby rocks at the exit of the canyon.

    Crescent, the leader of his team, was going over the details of his plan, one last time. "Remember to time the cloak buff at 7%. The moment I go in, teleport to the other side of the canyon. Draw their attention. I have the array ready, and if I combo it with my dark star, I can one-shot it at 5%. They don''t have the raw burst to out-damage me with their comp."

    Crescent patted both of his teammates'' shoulders, psyching them up.

    "Vain, Yorth, we''ve gone over this hundred of times in practice. Think of it as another practice session, no pressure. We''ll win!"

    Crescent looked back at the Serpent, his eyebrows furrowed. "Guys, it''s time. Yorth, cloak. Vain, TP*!"

    The duo jumped into action. Yorth opened a scroll before biting his thumb. Blood flowed and Vain formed a circle on the scroll. He chanted as the blood shone.

    While Yorth channeled the array, Vain chanted a spell.

    A dark egg-shaped portal appeared before Vain. It rippled like the surface of a lake. At the same time, Yorth''s scroll dimmed in its luminosity, and as it did Crescent started to fade. Gradually he became more spectral before entirely vanishing.

    Yorth and Vain jumped into the dark portal, while the invisible Crescent soared into the air, coming closer to his target: The World Serpent.

    Meanwhile, Rev, who was tasked to scout for his team, felt a strange magical energy surge within the exit of the canyon. His eyes darted towards its source. Two players stood atop the edge of the canyon, charging a spell towards the boss. Rev was prepared to intercept them when he stopped dead in his tracks.

    ''Crescent isn''t there!''

    That realization filled him with an ominous feeling. He summoned two orbs: one golden, the other blue. The orbs moved up and down, left and right, circling him in a spiral that seemed infinite¡ªand they fused. A new, bigger orb was created by their union.

    The completed orb pulsated, radiating a wave that encompassed the whole field. Suddenly, Rev turned his gaze to the air towards a specific location. He bit his thumb and he cast the blood that oozed out on the mysterious orb. Its blue began tinting more towards purple. The orb shone with a myriad of color aura.

    Rev shouted a simple incantation, "Revelation!"

    Another pulse surged to fill the field. Rev detected a presence and dashed towards it. As he did, an ethereal figure appeared right where he''d sensed something. The transparent figure appeared like a ghost or djinn. Gradually he took corporeal form. He''d found the missing Crescent!

    Crescent looked at Rev in surprise. His eyes focused on the orb beside his opponent which resulted in the shock fading into annoyance. At that moment, multiple fireballs appeared around him as he swiftly drew a magic circle. The fireballs shot towards Rev like missiles. Rev watched incoming attacks, responding by nullifying his momentum and redirecting it midair. He started zigzagging with incredible speed, and before anyone could notice it, afterimages appeared.

    The fireballs Crescent had launched all missed their target, hitting nothing, and passing harmlessly through the afterimages. Rev took out a kunai, casting it towards his opponent. Crescent, who was layering one magic circle atop another, was forced to end his chanting, breaking his spell. He created a hexagonal ethereal shield to block the kunai. However, Rev''s weapon easily broke through Crescent''s shield, to pierce his shoulder.

    A black and green aura encompassed Rev, further increasing his speed. Crescent, still hurting from that kunai, was shocked by the display of speed. He desperately began chanting a spell as Rev closed in. Rev reached him in half a second. His knife was coated with a dense black aura, ready to strike. Rev swung his knife to slash Crescent, intending to slit his belly open. He was confused when Crescent disappeared.

    Behind a rock, one of which littered the exit of the canyon, Crescent hid, grimacing in pain. Blood continued to flow from the injury he''d endured. He wrenched out the kunai still lodged in his shoulder to throw it to the ground. He summoned a red potion. The moment he drank it, the gruesome injury started to heal. First, the cracked and chipped bone, then followed by his muscles, veins, and finally his skin. After the healing process was complete, his shoulder was repaired, good as new.

    "Sig¡ª"

    "Where do you think you''re going?"

    Air stuck in Crescent''s throat, dread consuming him. Rev stood behind him. He casually bent down to take up his kunai stabbed into the earth. He turned it to reveal a seal which was carved on its blade.

    "It''s a shame you didn''t look closer at this. Perhaps then you might have had time to prepare. Your teleport skill is still on cooldown, it''s checkmate."

    Rev''s black and green aura surged. Crescent fled, soaring into the sky because he sensed impending violence. Despite his attempted flight, Rev''s speed overwhelmed him. The moment he took off the ground, Rev had followed. Two slashes were the only things he saw and felt. Just from them, his HP bar reduced by half. Three magical circles formed a triangle beneath Crescent. He then chanted a spell in a language foreign to Rev.

    He didn''t want to leave anything to chance, so upon noticing the magical circles, he flung his knife towards Crescent, who was still chanting. By the time the knife reached him, it stopped but an inch away from his vulnerable throat. Deafening silence enveloped the world. It was like the calm before the storm, the silence but a prelude to a horror yet to come.

    A thundering explosion engulfed both players. Crescent was sent flying above. It took time before he could stabilize his trajectory. Dust filled the air. Rocks below crumbled and fell, filling the canyon as a result of the explosion. Crescent couldn''t see anything. He couldn''t determine where Rev was nor what state he was in.

    A murderous intent gave Crescent pause. He turned to see the cloaked figure of Rev. Crescent formed a shield to defend himself, however, his opponent easily broke it. Rev, once again, became a flash of green and black light. He rocketed through Crescent multiple times, further damaging him with each hit. Rev accelerated every time he struck successfully. Soon it felt as if he was hitting Crescent from every direction at once.

    Looking from above, Rev formed something that appeared to be a dark green star, Crescent becoming its core.

    Crescent''s HP was chipped down until it reached 10% causing his bar to glow bright red. Crescent attempted escaping from the brutal barrage by invoking multiple shields. However, they were all destroyed instantly. Left with no other choice, he summoned a red orb from his inventory.

    Rev dashed towards Crescent, intending on finishing him, but he noticed the newly summoned orb. It transfigured into a ball of fire and then stretched. It finalized its form after taking various types, becoming a flame eastern dragon. The dragon roared with supreme might. It trained on Rev immediately, its jaws opened wide. Just before biting down into him, it exploded becoming a surging wave of fire.

    The explosion turned the sky crimson with flames. The air itself burned, creating a thick cloud of smoke. Crescent examined Rev, still breathing heavily after that surprise retaliation. He detected no sign of movement. Reflexively, knowing his opponent''s fighting style somewhat, Crescent looked up. Above him, Rev was on the offense again already.

    Rev dove at him at an insane rate. It could not be blocked, and there was no time for a reaction. Intuition could not save him. Rev''s kunai plunged deeply into Crescent''s chest with a wet thud as they collided. The force of this final strike drove his opponent''s corpse to crash on the ground, digging a grave for him in the process.

    Crescent''s HP was zero.

    Rev landed beside Crescent and clinically eyed his opponent''s corpse with cold diamond-like eyes. He sheathed his knife and recalled his aura from it. Crescent''s corpse slowly collapsed into colorful dust; first, his feet, followed by the rest of his body. However, right before his face collapsed, a mocking smile caressed Crescent''s lips. Rev stared blankly at the spot where Crescent had left the world. His heart sank, the smile bothering him. Cold sweat dripped down his back. Rev turned towards the site of the main battle, back towards the World Serpent. Its HP was at 5%. He heaved a sigh of relief, feeling foolish over worrying for nothing, even if the smile was peculiar. Relieved as he was, the golden and purple orb he''d summoned told him his job was not over yet.

 2 Crescent Domination

    The orb that revealed Crescent''s presence pulsated once again, warning Rev of a further plot of some sort. It was him, and he was alive and well. He''d appeared above the boss, the sclera of his eyes turned black, his blue pupils now red. He emanated a dark aura, towering hundreds of feet above the ground. Multiple red magic circles formed and rotated all around him. These magic circles flew out and encircled the World Serpent, creating a six-headed star. Nine flame dragons flew out from the magical star. All of them far larger than the dragon that had formed as his supposedly final gambit against Rev. This was his true strength!

    The nine dragons stood majestically before the Black Moon players. The blonde priest, Truth, materialized a grey orb. The object pulsated, generating a wave of disturbance that rippled through the mighty dragons. It had no effect.

    "Truth, don''t waste orbs. That''s a sixth tier magic spell, we can''t counter it. Wait until it''s completed, and then we shall direct fire at it. There is no way he can one-shot the boss from 5% using that spell. He can''t do it. Don''t worry."

    "Alright, Leo. It''s Crescent''s loss for being foolish," the purple-haired Fate responded.

    While Black Moon''s members were discussing the matter, Crescent took further action, summoning a purple staff. He started chanting, and as he did, multiple dark magic circles generated one after another until six had assembled. They flew towards the World Serpent. They completed yet another six-headed star.

    Leo, noticing the nature of the dark spell, was shocked, then galvanized into action. Clouds gathered when he raised his sword high up in the sky. Thunder rumbled, then a bolt appeared to strike down towards aloft Crescent. He was unaffected in every way.

    A spheric shield shimmered around Crescent. It had no cracks, despite the colossal power of Leo''s golden lightning.

    "Dammit!" Leo cursed, before issuing commands. "All, take him down at any cost!"

    Quickly, Vez and Fate began chanting, but their reactions were too slow. A very light blue ball of flame, shining a thousand times brighter than the most luminous stars, appeared before the World Serpent. Space folded, and the boss'' figure was disfigured. As though it were a black hole, the blue star sucked in the World Serpent.

    The nine dragons that gathered around the boss stood impassively, unaffected by the immense gravity field generated by the star. The star imploded gradually, having reached the end of its brief life. While that occurred, all the dragons dove towards the World Serpent. The myriad of colors from another explosion blinded onlookers. Uttering a final cry, the World Serpent became a million specks, all rainbow-colored.

    Black Moon''s members stared intensely, shock and awe evident on their faces, at the dead boss. They hadn''t thought it possible, but 5% of its lifespan was terminated by one person''s spells.

    Fate''s eyes brimmed with curiosity and excitement. "Woah, to think his prowess had reached the sixth tier already¡ªIt''s actually giving me goosebumps. He''s way too good. Against that power, even if we all attacked him, we''d have no hope of victory. Goddamn, this is exciting!"

    Fate''s perverted expression made Leo shudder. He shook his head vigorously before chastising, "Fate, this is no time for you to go insane!" He activated telepathic communication. "Shesmu, we need assistance. When are you showing?!"

    Shesmu''s response came quick. "Don''t worry. I''ll be there in a second. We were just preparing a little something."

    Having heard Shesmu''s confident words, the members of Black Moon calmed, reassured that not all was yet lost. Realizing just how powerful Crescent had become was extremely demoralizing. However, their belief in their leader helped them remember the fight was not over. It alleviated their worries simply because of their belief in him. Crescent stood aloof in the sky, looking down on the Black Moon members with his cold, dark eyes. He raised his right arm high, calling forth a black flame that flew from the palm of his hand. The black flame enlarged until it overshadowed the sun itself.

    "Everyone, run!" Leo shouted, recognizing the threat this attack posed.

    All players immediately dispersed, moving in all different directions per evacuation procedures. The

    ball of flame continued to grow, and it wasn''t long before this behemoth of a spell dwarfed every spell that had been used since.

    Crescent''s cold eyes trailed Black Moon as they fled upon his attack. The dark energy emanating from him gave him an aura of dark eldritch majesty. His hand drew an arc towards his fleeing enemies, as he did, the ball of flame followed the path drawn.

    Leo was aware of the moment the fireball launched, looking back at it. He ceased to move. Its speed was mind-boggling. He couldn''t outrace it, nor could anyone else. An object of such size shouldn''t achieve such terrifying velocity, yet tangible evidence that he was mistaken was presented to him.

    He felt an urge to run again, but before he could move a step, he halted again. He glanced at his map. His teammates had run far, but it would not be far enough. Considering the apparent power of this spell Crescent had employed, Leo determined what the radius of its shockwave might''ve been like. His teammates wouldn''t be able to escape the impact.

    Leo faced it, the colossal black ball of power surging towards him. His black hair fluttered in the wind, and his green eyes shined with a piercing light. His eyes shut and he chanted.

    A golden light shined beneath Leo''s feet. Five magical circles rotated, resonating with high speed before converging into a single enormous one. Leo''s body was clad in a golden aura. A large shield manifested itself, strapping onto his arm. He plunged it deep into the earth. Etched on the facing side of the shield was a lion''s face.

    The golden aura emanating from Leo completely focused on his shield, imbuing it a blinding intensity. The particles of light emanating from it became denser and denser. They flew out to the sky and a torrent of light pierced the heavens. Golden lightning formed and thunder rumbled throughout the skies.

    "Stay where you are!" Leo''s order was firm. "This is our last stand."

    Having heard Leo''s telepathic order, all Black Moon''s members froze in their tracks, turning around to look in the direction where Leo''s call had originated. Their gazes were solemn.

    The golden pillar reached out in the skies to the point where it was visible to them all. From the top of it, they could see particles of light flying in an arc towards them, and then beyond. A golden thread remained in their wake. Billions of particles flew, making the top of the golden pillar resemble the form of a radiant dome.

    The clash was high. Everyone held their breaths. The world was sucked into an oxymoronic silence, only white noise serving as the background. The ball of black flame reached the dazzling dome¡ªonly, there was no clash. The fire of doom passed through the golden dome as though it was air. It continued on its trajectory towards the members of Black Moon. By this point, there was no retreat.

    Silence. A moonless night embraced the world. That serene and soothing darkness was ever-present. Such as one where you''d crawl into in the face of danger, searching for safety. A blast of fire illuminated the world, accompanied by a chilling sharp cry. The golden flames converged, and from the mesh, a dragon soared.

    Like dawn after a long night, the cleared dragon burned the sky incandescently with a flap of its golden wings. The darkness disintegrated, only to reveal the members of Black Moon, unharmed. They examined themselves, inspecting their statuses to see if anything had been inflicted on them. They found nothing, and their HP was also full. They looked around, expecting to see the large boulders nearby crumbling, or gray clouds of dust billowing, but to their surprise, they instead saw the green adorning the forest.

    It remained intact. Birds chirped, animals ran, and the trees continued exhaling oxygen into the atmosphere. The black fireball had done nothing that was obvious, it was as though it were an illusion. But an illusion it was not, and every player present knew exactly that.

    A blade of grass danced with the wind. From its tip, a golden orb emerged. Every blade did as well. A torrent of golden lights emerged from the earth. No matter where your eyes searched, a flow of golden light rose. Trees, shrubs, grass and even animals emitted a soothing holy light that converged into a massive airborne stream.

    Fate looked around her, taking in the magical scene in front of them, before focusing on herself. From her right arm, particles of light emitted. Then, her whole body glowed golden. The other Black Moon members experienced the same phenomena. Their light rose to merge with the stream. It moved to one location all could see: the light pillar.

    Crescent examined the golden pillar with his glacial eyes. His expression was aloof, and he seemed immovable. Despite that sense you''d get by looking at his face, his expression broke into a smile.

    "You really know how to put on a show, Leo."

    Within the golden pillar, Leo was gritting his teeth. Thousands upon thousands of damage ticks gnawed at his HP bar. This light was as soothing as a summer breeze for his teammates, but for him, it was more scorching than Hell''s fire. His tanned skin, filled to the brim with vitality and vigor, turned dry. Patches of Leo''s skin peeled off and burned to ashes by the golden flames.

    While the golden orbs continued to converge on the light pillar, Fate turned to her comrades, taking charge. "Everyone! Snap out of it! Crescent isn''t just gonna stand there and let us watch this spectacle. Now we need to buy time until the leader comes! Disperse!"

    No words were said as everyone followed Fate''s command. Crescent''s power was great so they didn''t have time to idly chatter. They dispersed, all three in different directions, not willing to waste a single moment of their reprieve.

    While Black Moon''s members scattered, Crescent stood where he remained above in the sky, the same place he had slain the World''s Serpent. He wasn''t paying the fleeing players any heed, instead, his focus directed solely upon the pillar of light. The contrast between the dark aura oozing out of his body and the golden light gave the scene a surrealistic element.

    The light eventually died, as the ashes scattered quickly. Crescent watched as the wind carried off the remains of Leo before they could no longer be seen. His void eyes lingered on that spot where Leo had passed, standing gallantly for a couple of seconds. His piercing gaze restored as he decided to act again. His focus shifted on the remaining Black Moon players.

    At that moment, Fate and her teammates felt his gaze penetrating them from behind. They all halted, looking back, stunned by the ferocity of his gaze. It shook their foundations. Crescent didn''t move, raising his arm high again. That same orb of darkness converged in his palm. It grew in size, again and again, until it dwarfed everyone and everything in sight. Once again it was a giant ball of madness ready to consume all life.

    The ball then compacted. At a rapid, uneven and discontinued pace, it kept growing smaller and smaller. By the end, the ball was barely half the size of its wielder, though it was still black. A void, such darkness could never exist in this fair world.

    Fate was fearful for the first time. Terror consumed her as she witnessed the birth of a new worse monstrosity. It was as if reality had ripped open above Crescent. The universe itself seemed unable to accept his power. Primal fear oozed from her. It filled her, giving her goosebumps. Had she feathers, they''d be ruffled.

    "What are you guys doing?!" Fate demanded, attempting to take command. "D¡ªDisperse!"

    "No," a counter-command was issued quickly along the telepathic channel. "Stay where you are."

    Fate was surprised. "Leader?"

    "Vez," Shesmu continued. "Prep a mass TP spell! Everyone, gather towards him!"

    "Roger that!" Everyone responded simultaneously.

    The team sprang into action. Vez chanted at a high speed when a dark purple magical circle appeared below him. The circle continued to grow until it reached the diameter of a small room. By then, Fate had already caught up to him, waiting for the rest of the members to converge on them.

    Seeing that Vez was intensely focused, Fate refrained from disturbing him. Her attention was drawn back towards the elephant in the room¡ªCrescent. She was shocked by what her eyes landed on. The void ball was still floating in the air, suspended above his hands. The orb had reduced to no larger than a tennis ball. Even so, it had a menacing aura far larger than its real size. This flame grew bigger and bigger, and so did the fear that grasped Fate''s heart.

    Another ball of void was born beside the other, making it one per hand. The two radiated that same incredible power. The tension in the air announced loudly that they were ready to be launched, and they did as Crescent flicked both of his indexes. Upon that signal, the orbs vanished.

    Fate''s instincts screamed. After filling the air with menace, those horrible orbs had simply disappeared. Her eyes darted in every direction. She spotted them as she knew she would, because they would not simply dissolve. They vanished the moment her eyes locked upon them, only to appear yet again, now hundreds of meters closer to Fate and Vez''s position. She screamed a command. "Everyone! Get your ass over here and fast! We don''t have time left!"

    "Give me ten seconds," responded Truth.

    "We don''t have that!" Fate yelled. "Crescent is gonna demolish us! Rev, where are you?!"

    Rev''s response came instantly. "Behind you."

    Fate looked behind her in time to see Rev wading out of her shadow as if it were a pool. She was already used to Rev''s penchant for dramatic appearances. Thus, she didn''t react, except to chew him out. "Oh, goddamnit! Get serious and while you''re at it, go get Truth here! We need to escape!"

    "Roger," He simply responded, diving back into her shadow. Watching Rev disappear as dramatically as he appeared, Fate sighed and stomped her foot. "Damnit, that''s why he''s single. He''s so creepy! Does he live in my shadow?!"

    While Fate rambled on, the orbs of darkness refused to wait for her complaints to end. They were barely a hundred meters away from the teleportation circle, yet Black Moon still had no answer. Fate felt her heart stop its steady beating when a blurry, greenish shadow appeared in the corner of her vision. "Leader?!" she exclaimed.

    He appeared, a dark green aura surrounding him, dressed in a black cloak, leaping from branch to branch amidst the trees of the forest, and through the flower-scented air. Black hair floated in the air, brown skin dully reflected the sun, but his hazel eyes reflected it brilliantly, conveying confidence and charm. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his hand firmly gripping the hilt of his sword. He kicked up into the air, the force of his motion generating shockwaves.

    After revealing his presence to Fate for just a moment, he surged towards the ebony orbs, faster than the eye could see. He reached them instantly, using iaijutsu to cleave a ball in twain. He then stood mid-air, resheathing his sword. His cloak fluttered in the air. The disrupted energy erupted into a black explosion tinged with purple. The forest had burst in black flames. Animals wailed in pain as the trees sighed silently as they expired.

    Foiled somewhat, Crescent wasn''t defeated. The second ball remained in play and was lurching towards Vez'' teleportation circle. Midway towards its target, it changed course to eliminate Shesmu. This ebony monstrosity had grown immensely, disintegrating everything in its path. Trees, stone, animals, everything it touched¡­ simply ceased to be.

    Despite this apparent menace, Shesmu was motionless, awaiting it. Like Crescent''s own, his eyes were cold, filled with disinterest. He raised his hand, and slowly swiped it horizontally as it reached him. He caught the rampaging dark spell. Upon its capture, there was no impact and no clash of tribulation. It seemed as though he was a child catching a goliath baseball. It gently rested against his hand, as though it snuggled it. Shesmu closed his palm, and in doing so, the ball ceased to exist. There was no fanfare or fallout to accompany its expiration.

    Shesmu kept staring at his palm, finding the minute hairs and imperfections upon it more interesting than Crescent¡ªor his works.

    Having witnessed this casual dismissal of his second massive orb which had caused Leo to sacrifice his own life to counter it for the sake of his companions... simply confounded Crescent. "How?!" was all he could utter in response.

    Shesmu slowly raised his head and made eye contact with Crescent, despite the distance between their positions.

    Crescent joined his mind telepathically with Shesmu. "I could understand," Crescent answered that silent gaze. "that you could cleave apart my spell. What I can''t fathom is how you could have managed the second. No, considering how much energy went into creating that ball, even I''d have trouble were I in your place, simply attempting to mitigate it! To simply catch it and fondle one of my strongest spells like that! How could you?!"

    Shesmu listened to Crescent''s dismayed words. In the end, he could only sigh.

    "Your berserk spell is about to run out. Are you giving up on the match?"

    Crescent gritted his teeth. In response to the challenge, he summoned six further dark magic circles, which generated this time a purple orb before him. It looked as though he might launch it in a last feeble attack on Shesmu, but instead he seized it, cramming it into his mouth.

    He bared his teeth and gnashed them even harder as the black aura enveloped him. Its pulsing became spastic and chaotic. It grew upwards, towering high above, becoming a dark pillar connecting the sky to the earth.

    "When I ask questions!" A massive wave washed throughout the field menacingly. "You best answer!" With those words delivered, the world became monochromatic. Multiple white orbs appeared around Crescent one after the other, each imbued with as much energy the ones he''d spawned.

    "You''ve greatly underestimated me. Perish in this domain I''ve created. All shall! The end of this farce has arrived!"

    The orbs Crescent freshly summoned disappeared, to appear right before Shesmu as a challenge, and a finishing move. An immense explosion engulfed him, generating shockwaves which disrupted even the fabric of space and time. The rest of the Black Moon members braced themselves for the impact, understanding this would be an end to the fight yet they stood firm.

    Crescent then looked at them next, and summoned yet another orb, adequate enough to end them as well, to put an end to the battle. He reached back behind him and savagely cast it, to finish them off in a single stroke. The ensuing explosion engulfed all.

    After having expended so much energy, Crescent was near to collapse. His breath came and went sharply and rapidly. His eyes glazed and dulled with exhaustion. He calmed his breathing with difficulty, looking at the massive dissipating cloud of dust that was all that remained of the field before him. Despite the apparent destruction of all, he knew he hadn''t ended the fight yet.

    Shesmu walked unscathed into the clearing by Crescent from the chaotic dust filling the air, blocking all sight. His steps were measured and deliberate as he air-walked. His eyes darted to the direction of his teammates. A gust of wind dispersed all the dust to reveal them, as uninjured as he. They quickly gathered to Vez''s position before altogether teleported. After they vanished, a tall man wearing a robe walked to the fore. His sharp eyes met Shesmu''s.

    "Cain," Shesmu muttered. His eyes darted back to Crescent.

    "It seems that you''re suffering under a severe misunderstanding, Crescent," Shesmu announced raising his sword. "You seem to believe that because you''ve managed to achieve a Tier-VI mastery level of magic, we''re somehow equal. I''ll cure you of that delusion now." He slashed the air before him, slowly. It seemed as though it was just a feint.

    With that seemingly feeble half-hearted stroke, reality itself rent.

    The monochromatic domain Crescent had created shattered into black shards. Color leached back into the world as those shards fell to earth, vanishing. Crescent watched with dismay as his domain ceased to be. The black aura which surrounded his body sickened and thinned, his eyes returned to their original blue coloration.

    Crescent staggered, losing a meter of elevation, before he marshaled his strength, stopping mid-air. Doing so required great effort. His hand lifted to conjure a purple magic circle, but before it could fully take form, it shattered. Willpower meant nothing in the face of his exhaustion. He stared at his shaking hand and let out a self-deprecating laugh. He then looked at Shesmu, locking eyes with him. He closed his own, silently surrendering.

    Knowing his opponent defeated, Shesmu flickered towards Crescent to finish him with a single thrust. He didn''t resist, his blade pierced Crescent''s body, through his heart. Blood welled from the wound, spraying with steady pulses around the blade from front and rear. It showered down to the ground, nourishing the forest he''d damaged. Crescent coughed up blood, spattering Shesmu''s face with it. His body then slowly turned to naught but particles.

    While Crescent''s body still clung to Shesmu''s, a dark frame appeared behind the latter. It was yet another Crescent. His body was filled to the brim with his dark energy, his pupils still blood-red. He opened a potion bottle to drink from it. He pointed his finger towards Shesmu''s back. An orb of energy no bigger than a pebble was conjured on the spot. Lightning wreathed around it. The amount of energy perceived within it eclipsed any single spell he''d used. He continued pouring yet more mana into the orb. Then¡ªa blade pierced through his back.

    Crescent''s sight faded again, unable to catch sight of his assailant. He no longer saw Shesmu before him. It had to have been him, yet again. He was outplayed. He crooked his neck towards one side where he knew he''d find Shesmu. He was right where he''d expected, a sword going through your back is probably a very good indicator that your attacker is there. Once again, his blade was stabbed through his heart.

    "I must pay you a compliment, Crescent. That cracked magical circle trick was nice. You almost fooled me. I could believe you truly had run out of tricks."

    Crescent feigned shock at the grudging compliment before allowing himself to crack a smile. He had to ask something and hoped for an answer, this time around. "How did you notice?"

    Shesmu looked at him with those same disinterested eyes before his face''s own composure broke as he smiled. "Consider these words as advice from your senior. The farther you thread into the sixth tier, the more attuned with the elements you become. Of course, spacetime is no exception to that rule."

    Receiving an answer was everything Crescent needed. A smile filled his face. He closed his eyes contented with how things had transpired. He became a thousand particles, which fluttered in the wind as they dissolved, raining down to the earth below as rainbow-hued light.

 3 Cains Magnum Opus

    With the threat of Crescent vanquished, Fate could finally sigh in relief. Truth was replenishing Vez'' vigor using her spells, while the latter rested under the shade of a tree. Suddenly, a portal opened. A man wearing a dark robe stepped out of it.

    "Cain." Truth stopped her treatment of Vez and walked closer to the dark magician. "Crescent stole the World Serpent. So, the fight against the guardian is going to be hard."

    "Oh, about that." Cain summoned a scroll to his hand. "We went and got this, me and Shes."

    "Oh, a summoning scroll! Nice one, Cain." Fate jumped on Cain''s back and scratched his head. Her chest rubbed dangerously against Cain''s back, making the latter uncomfortable.

    "Stop it, Fate." Cain tried to squirm out of Fate''s hold, but there was no escaping. She clung to him like an overgrown child on her father''s back. In the end, he sighed and gave up.

    "Oh, what type of summon are we talking about?" asked Vez, his complexion was much improved after Truth''s treatment.

    "An arcane dragon," responded Cain still weighed down by Fate who was still straddling his back.

    "Oh, a legendary rank beast? That''s rare!" Fate slid off Cain''s back and hopped around him to get a closer look at the scroll. "Let me see, let me see. It''s been a while since one dropped for us."

    Cain''s shoulders dropped in disappointment. "Can you be a little more serious? This is still a final, you know?"

    In response to Cain''s comment, Fate waved her hands off, uninterested. "Who cares? It''s just a regional. Let''s have some fun! Now, gimmie that scroll!"

    Cain sighed and said, "Here, take it." He lobbed the scroll for Fate to catch. The moment she caught it, she looked at the words inscribed in gold on its sides.

    While Fate was playing around with her new toy, Cain slipped away in case she remembered and decided to cling onto him again.

    Vez, noticing his teammate''s peril, signaled him to come over. Truth, on the other hand, struck a conversation with Fate to divert her.

    "So, how was the fight against a Tier-VI that ain''t me or Shes?" Cain sat next to Vez.

    "Terrifying," Vez responded. However, his expression wasn''t one of terror, but instead, he wore a smile of excitement. "We were totally, and completely outclassed. There was no point in fighting, even using Final Sacrifice, Leo was only able to guard one of his spells."

    "Yes." A voice came from behind the tree. Rev walked from its shadow, revealing his tall stature. "Even in a one-on-one fight, I was from start to finish in his grasp. It''s shameful to say this, but the whole time I was completely under the influence of his illusion."

    Cain smiled and said, "Crescent advanced to Tier-VI as a spacetime wizard. He is the first of his kind, so of course, you''ll have trouble understanding his spells." He paused before continuing with more vigor. "You guys are at the top of the fifth tier. In the next few months or so, you''ll reach the sixth tier. You''ll need to get used to this level of fighting, so consider today a valuable experience."

    Rev nodded in understanding. He was a man of few words, so he didn''t comment on Cain''s advice. He took it to heart and decided to let his actions show his determination. Vez, on the other hand, broke eye contact and looked away smiling.

    This gesture didn''t go unnoticed by Cain. He knew he''d touched upon a sensitive subject when speaking of the future. He put his hand on Vez''s knee, forcing the latter to look straight into his eyes.

    "Vez, look at me. Family comes first, you know that?"

    Vez nodded at Cain''s words, but the self-deprecating smile didn''t leave his face.

    "Don''t¡ªfeel¡ªbad¡ªabout¡ªthis. Look at me in the eye. Just¡ªdo¡ªnot¡ªfeel¡ªbad," Cain repeated himself. This time taken between every single word uttered was to drive his point home. "Go home and play with your Allen. That''s your kid''s name, right? How old is he?"

    "He just turned four, a few weeks ago," answered Vez with a smile.

    "The cute little thing," Cain remarked. "And you were thinking of leaving the cute little creature alone, for what? We''re already four-time world champions, what more glory do you need for a legacy?"

    Both Cain and Vez laughed. It''s true. After said aloud, everything seemed so senseless. Vez looked at Cain with eyes that reflected sharply the morning light.

    "You''re right. We''ve had more than enough fun in these ten years. If I had one complaint, it''s that I wasn''t able to reach the sixth tier before retirement."

    "What are you talking about?" Cain laughed. "You were the first one to reach the fifth tier before, ain''t that enough?"

    "Haha." Vez laughed. "Yeah, that''s true. It would be a bit too greedy to ask for more."

    "That''s what I''m saying!" Cain exclaimed and then stood to land a hand on Vez. "Here, get up. Once Allen is of age, tell him to come over to see uncle Cain. We''ll have some fun together."

    Vez looked at Cain''s hand and smiled. He then took it and hopped back up.

    "I''m sure he would love it because he watches every game. Actually, he is watching right now."

    "Oh, really?" Cain smiled. "Then let''s make this a show that he will love¡ª"

    "But, before that, I have to ask you¡­"

    "Hmm?" Noticing that the conversation wasn''t done yet, Cain returned his focus back to Vez.

    "What about you? Aren''t you tired of this game? I mean, you''ve been with the guild since the beginning of it, before any of the rest of us."

    "Ah, me¡­" Cain''s eyes turned hazy, memories flooded him like water surging from a broken dam. "I can''t leave just yet. I still have something to do." He paused for a few seconds, thinking about how to formulate his next words, "You see, Shesmu is carrying a heavy burden. I cannot let him face it alone. That''s why, I''ll see this to the end, no matter how long it takes."

    Vez wanted to respond, but the words stuck in his throat. In the end, he just looked away and smiled, knowing that it was something he couldn''t understand even if he explained it to him.

    After his talk, Cain sensed something and turned around. A man clad in a black cloak flickered into existence.

    Shesmu walked over the grassy field towards the rest of the group. Everyone stopped chattering and directed their attention to their leader.

    "Crescent is dead. Let''s go finish this up before their team respawns. We have five minutes."

    No one said anything in response, not even Fate did, they knew that the talking time was now over. In resonance, they all teleported from the grassy field and appeared in front of an immense gate made of dark honey wood which was decorated with golden metal runes. Cain stepped up and pushed the door open.

    The gates opened with a creak, and a cloud of dust billowed out from the air pressure. Light seeped out from the crack of the open door. The darkness gave way to a new world, a green and beautiful one.

    A flight of doves escaped through the open door, while Cain and his teammates entered this new dimension. Immense white clouds decorated the blue sky. Green grass covered the lands, and from afar, a river flowed. They were on a ridge rising above this valley, a place where the sky was within one''s arms reach.

    * * *

    Shesmu stepped to Cain. "The floor is yours, Cain. I can''t do much against the boss, so we''ll be relying on you."

    Cain nodded to Shesmu. His eyes turned serious as he scanned the edge of the valley.

    A sharp cry from the depths unknown forced everyone to cover their ears. From below, a white reptilian limb rose and slammed on the grassy ground. Many luminous yellow eyes opened, and seven monstrous heads emerged.

    A titanic creature flew from underground. A beautiful, white dragon with seven heads opened its wings and soared into the skies. Each head had differently colored hair. From red to violet, the gamut of colors spanned the full spectrum of a rainbow. On its chest, a multicolored crystal was embedded. Five HP bars appeared above the beast, while its name was displayed in full golden.

    The Seven-Headed Hydragon Of Virtue

    Shesmu unsheathed his sword and stepped to the fore. "I''ll take the aggro in this fight. Rev, focus on disarming. Truth, heal me. Fate, Vez, ascension ritual Cain."

    "Understood," Everyone responded.

    The holy dragon dived with its seven heads towards Shesmu. It summoned a gale with its wings and roared in a display of its full might.

    Yellow lightning coursed along the dragon''s right arm as it raised its clawed limb. They glinted with a dangerous light. Shesmu coated his sword with a green aura, and jumped towards the dragon, ready for the impending impact.

    The clash of claw and steel reverberated. The red-colored head of this dragon looked directly at Shesmu with a cold reptilian glare, before opening its mouth. A torrent of blazing flames gushed out, forcing Shesmu to break the stalemate and guard against its scorching fire. Meanwhile, the yellow pate looked at Shesmu from above, before gathering light in its open mouth. The head turned down to bear down on Shesmu, its mouth wide open and a ball of lightning forming in its mouth''s epicenter.

    Shesmu braced for impact, but suddenly, the rampaging lightning was no more. It dissipated in the blink of an eye. A shadow flashed from behind the dragon''s yellow head, but Shesmu paid the movement no heed. He dashed towards the beast of virtue''s open chest and struck the rainbow-colored crystal. Its lively colors dimmed and grayed.

    The seven heads screeched in pain, while the main body swayed. The HP bars above the Boss shone in red, and the top bar decreased by a quarter. However, Shesmu didn''t stop his barrage. He kept slashing at the dragon''s body, leaving wound after wound. The monster''s HP kept decreasing until it reopened its eyes.

    Shesmu backed out, exiting the Boss'' range of attack. The Holy dragon of virtue raised its heads and cried out. Colors returned to its crystal and pulsated throughout the beast''s whole body. It took off with a flick of its wings and soared into the sky.

    Realizing what the Boss was about to do, Shesmu glanced at Cain. He was sitting, eyes closed and legs crossed in the middle of a blood-red magic circle, while Fate and Vez skirted the edges. They fed their power into the circle only for it to be absorbed by Cain.

    ''Crap, they''re not done yet.'' Shesmu glanced back at the dragon with all its seven mouths open, gathering energy in all of them. No choice, I need to tank this one.

    Magic circles started appearing in front of the beast''s open mouths, their colors matched that of their parent heads. Six magical circles finally appeared before each mouth, gathering unimaginable power inside each spell. Flames blazed, rocks formed, Thunder roared, the wind turned into tornadoes and water into jet torrents, plasma balls emerged and purple poison fog gushed out.

    Shesmu witnessed this agglomeration of elemental power. His whole body glowed a dark hue while black magical circles materialized below him. His brown eyes turned dark, and a white pentagram emerged from its depth. He whispered, "State Zero."

    And nothing happened. No green aura, no monochronic world, no flying magical circles. Even the dark aura that was surrounding his body was no more. Shesmu stood on the grassy ground, gazing up at the beast high in the sky preparing this armageddon of raging elements within its open jaws.

    The dragon roared with might. Its seven heads launched spells of every color. Lightning rumbled, flames blazed, small meteorites fell, and all kinds of other spells made their way towards Shesmu. He stayed silent, motionless.

    The man kept tracking the spells as they drew closer. For a moment, he was entranced by their beauty. However, it was but a fleeting thought before they melted into nothingness.

    Rocks decomposed, and jets of water turned into glassy static droplets before disappearing into thin air and giant hurricanes softened to a gentle breeze. The fire whiffed out of existence and so did the lightning dissipate. The balls of plasma quickly followed suit while the purple poison fog thinned out leaving only a light purple faint haze in its wake.

    "Cancel State."

    Shesmu''s eyes returned to their normal brown color. Black magical circles appeared below him before shattering and disappearing once more. His eyes darted back to where Cain was. The latter was clad in a dark orange aura. He opened his eyes and walked out of the blood-red. Fate and Vez stopped channeling their energy into the circle. They sat down on their butts, dizzy and lightheaded from the whole ordeal.

    "Here, the scroll."

    Even though Fate was tired, she still found the strength to throw the summoning scroll at Cain. He caught it with one hand before inspecting it. The golden letters on its side were written in a strange language. Cain whispered, "Arcane Dragon of the First Flame."

    With a quick motion, he opened the scroll. Blinding light radiated from it, forcing Cain to protect his eyes with his hand. He slowly opened it only to be greeted by a gargantuan beast. Fangs sharper than the most treacherous daggers, reptilian yellow eyes that pierce the soul and a snout that breaths whiffs of fire three meters long.

    The dark brown dragon was laying down, but it still towered over everything in sight besides its kin. The dark beast regarded Cain and said, "Thou which hath summoned me shalt receive the august essence of mine august being. The nectar of dreams is the poisoned well of the fool, may wisdom guide thy path to the original truth."

    The dark dragon raised its taloned foreleg gently and showed him his index claw. Cain fist-bumped the dragon''s claw before the latter turned ethereal. The beast decomposed into countless red particles. They gathered around Cain like moths on a bonfire before merging with the latter''s deep red aura. Energy flared around Cain becoming a torrent of red light that pierced the heavens. He stood motionless, amidst the flame-like aura. Jumping far above, he rose high enough to see eye to eye with the dragon of virtue. The aura that connected Cain to the clouds compressed and became a ball surrounding him. It then contorted in various forms before breaking out, appearing as a ghost of a dragon.

    Cain stood inside the dragon of flame, controlling its every movement. He flew to the holy beast in a flash, claws clashing with opposing talons and horns colliding. The flame dragon gathered fire in its mouth, it breathed hell upon its opponent. Cain followed up with a slash to the rainbow crystal in the holy dragon''s chest.

    The beast staggered backward, screeching in pain. However, Cain did not stop. He kept clawing away at his opponent while breathing fire upon it. The holy dragon''s HP decreased until the first bar was emptied.

    The holy beast opened its eye. Light shone from underneath, as it began to repel Cain. It soared into the sky with a mighty cry.

    Looking at the situation from afar, Shesmu panicked. "Everyone, run!"

    Cain flew into the sky, while Shesmu teleported to Fate and Vez. He seized each one-handedly and dashed away, towing them.

    Magical circles started winking into existence everywhere across the field. They were golden, and they emitted an intense light. This sharp glow became a pillar of light that speared into the sky. Everywhere the eye could see was soon covered in this light.

    Shesmu and his team fled with all their might. Fate turned to see the source of the commotion only for her jaw to drop. Humanoid creatures with wings flew out from the magical circles and soared high into the sky.

    "You¡ªyou''re joking! Are all of these¡­ angels?!"

    Shesmu grabbed Fate''s arm in a vise-like grip before teleporting away. Rev turned to watch the spectacle of a thousand angels rising from the ground before following suit.

    A moment later, Shesmu, Fate, and Vez materialized above the clouds, Rev followed them shortly. Shesmu floated midair while carrying Fate and Vez.

    "Leader, can you use Float on us?"

    Understanding their discomfort, Shesmu nodded and said, "Sure." He proceeded to invoke the spell in the depths of his mind and a transparent aura enveloped both subjects.

    "Yahoo!" The moment Fate regained control of her body, she flipped around in the air like a clown and laughed loudly.

    "Goddamnit, Fate. Can''t you be calm for like, one second?"

    Fate calmed and sat cross-legged in the air beside Shesmu.

    "I''m sorry, I''m sorry! It''s just that this is the most boring part of this whole situation, though. We''re just gonna sit here, spectator mode, while Cain gets all the limelight!" She pouted.

    Shesmu tilted his head, unamused by Fate''s outcry. "Yeah, can you tell me who lost the Serpent to the enemy team again? I forgot."

    Fate was frightened by Shesmu''s sudden shift of tone. His cold tone gave her shivers.

    "Hey, hey, hey! Don''t be angry, Leader. We didn''t know he had already achieved Tier-VI, else we would have burst it way earlier."

    "Haha, well, it''s not a problem this fight went like this." Spoken in an attempt to smooth things over, Vez butted in. "Thanks to that mishap, the world will see the first arcane transformation of a Tier-VI mage."

    "Ohh, that''s hype! Leader, you and Cain always go questing together, has he ever shown you his arcane transformation?"

    Shesmu gave Fate a questioning look. "No, he didn''t. Also, what the heck do you think arcane scrolls are? Candies you can buy at a shop?"

    Shesmu''s series of sarcastic questions made Fate chuckle nervously. "Though I do have an idea of what it might be," he continued, easing the tension with only his words, "and if his arcane transformation is anything like mine, it''s gonna go through six stages. Each one is fundamentally stronger than the last. Since it''s the Arcane of Fire, I''m guessing that its color would change at every stage."

    "Shesmu, can you please use your Orb of True Vision? I can''t use mine." Vez''s reminder spurred Shesmu into action. He summoned a white orb and activated it with his mind. A holographic screen appeared in front of it to show Cain facing the Boss.

    * * *

    He basked in the light of a thousand spells. Cain gazed around as the army of two-winged angels rose from the ground and pointed their spears at him. He then looked to the holy dragon which was inspecting him before he made a decision and issued a command, "Avatar mode activated. Arcane Stage II."

    The dragon of flame that encased Cain issued a piercing cry. It glowed bright red before melting and condensing into a ball of flame encompassing Cain as a cocoon. The ball of flame rotated at a high speed before it cracked and Cain emerged. A bright orange aura surrounded him while flaming wings sprouted from his back.

    Seeing his transformation, the holy beast flew towards Cain at high speed. Noticing the dragon''s movement, Cain looked back at the army of angels before diving right in. He gathered a ball of fire in his hand before throwing it at the enemies in front of him, killing dozens of the angel soldiers. He forged a path forward amidst his bloodthirsty opponents. He formed a giant hole in the enemy''s formation.

    From the corner of his eye, Cain looked at the movements of the mighty dragon. To his surprise, it flew in a straight line towards him, not caring about the thousands of its comrades in its way.

    Expecting a clash between the dragon and its minions, Cain stopped and repositioned himself. He waited for the opportune moment to strike. The dragon dived into its minions and passed through them like ghosts.

    Cain''s eyes dilated in surprise before he regained his composure and clicked his tongue.

    "No friendly fire mechanic¡­" He whispered.

    Not wasting any time, he sprang into action. Cain looked at the grassy ground below him before his fire aura grew bigger. Tongues of flame lashed out at the air, scorching the incoming angel army and keeping it at bay. The oversized aura then shrank and concentrated on Cain''s right fist, covering it in a ball of flame. He punched the ground and it cracked.

    Like an erupting volcano, the whole valley was split in two, fire and lava coming out of every crack. Rocks crumbled and fell into the river below the valley. Cain jumped into the crack he made before turning around and facing his enemies.

    The holy dragon bypassed all of its minions and crashed into the ground. Dust billowed and rocks were pulverized. However, the dragon couldn''t make it past the crack Cain made. It could only look at its enemy as it tried to reach him with its paw to no avail.

    Cain didn''t waste his opportunity. Orange magical circles appeared all around him, forming a hexagon. A fire laser launched from the middle of the formation, piercing the dragon.

    The beast howled in pain, but Cain didn''t ease the pressure, he comboed the first attack with another fireball, before dashing towards the dragon and punching its face with his flaming orange fist. The dragon was catapulted out of the crack and into the air before it regained its balance. The flurry of attacks quickly chipped at its Health bar, decreasing it by more than half.

    The Boss stood in the air, eyeing Cain who was still inside the Crack. It roared with might, beckoning for the army of angels. Its subordinates answered its call and dived down the crack.

    The angels pointed their spears forward and entered the crack one by one. Suddenly, Cain couldn''t see the light as hundreds of them covered the sky. He chanted a spell and wisps of flames popped into existence beside him one by one. They turned into bullets as they flashed towards the flying army.

    Spells bombarded the armed angels by the hundreds, however, they remained unscathed.

    "Damn, seems like that won''t cut it."

    "Arcane Stage III"

    The flames surrounding Cain, his wings and everything, they became more intense, they shone like a thousand stars before turning white.

    The angels lunged at Cain with their spears, while he countered with punches and kicks. His limbs clad in white fire, like the hammers of the heavenly forge. He would dodge by the tiniest of margins and strike with clean hits. Their flesh was nothing more than a cover for the metallic frame behind it, which Cain pulverized.

    However, the more angels Cain killed, the more surrounded him. By the tenth soldier he killed, Cain was already surrounded by all twelve directions.

    "Tch," His fists that were covered in flames shone brighter. He punched out, and before his fist could land, he punched again. Again, and again, and again, until his fist was but a blurry image of flaming missiles.

    With his ranging flurry, Cain opened up a pathway. The bright sky showed itself and he was finally able to get a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, the red head of the dragon covered the sun. It opened its mouth and gathered flames in its center, preparing to breathe hell into the earth.

    Cain clicked his tongue before focusing back on the angels surrounding him. He gathered flames on his hand and threw a fireball at his right side. The spell wreaked havoc on his enemies and left Cain an opportunity to flee. An opportunity he did not miss as the hellish breath of the dragon blazed through his previous position in the blink of an eye.

    Cain''s eyebrows furrowed at the gravity of the situation.

    "Arcane Stage IV!"

    A blue fire pulsated from Cain''s chest. It then covered his arms, legs, head, and finally wings. Like a blue phoenix, he soared in the air.

    He murmured a chant beneath his breath and six miniature sky blue magic circles appeared beneath his feet before immediately disappearing.

    Cain kept destroying angels left and right while the dragon kept looking for blind angles to fire its projectiles. In the meantime, he whispered his chants and the magical circles popped in and out of existence. This back and forth lingered for a minute or two before the army of angels dwindled to a non-threatening force.

    Cain looked up at the sky, catching a full sight of the seven-headed dragons. Something he wasn''t able to do for the last minute or so. His expression, however, wasn''t one of worry or distress, but a triumphant one. His grin spanned from ear to ear, a sight he rarely showed to his peers.

    "Flames of Genesis."

    Light sprouted from beneath Cain and illuminated the crater. Hundreds upon hundreds of magical circles popped out of nowhere.

    Blue flames surged and roared before engulfing Cain with their nightmarish tongues. He became fire, and soon enough, he turned into a blazing phoenix. His eyes glinted with a sky blue gleam. His sharp talons tore the air in preparation before he launched with mind breaking speeds.

    One punch. The mighty dragon couldn''t even follow Cain''s movement; he appeared right in front of it. Flames fluttering like wings, fists more solid than steel. With a clean uppercut, Cain shattered the dragon''s crystal, pulverizing it into rainbow-colored dust.

    The Hp bars above the Boss'' head plummeted, and life in its eyes dimmed. The holy dragon fell from the sky and plunged into the river. The crash caused a tsunami. Gigantic waves drowned the grassy plains.

    Cain stood high in the sky, flames surrounding him from all sides. He was looking at the dying dragon when his vision blurred. The wings of fire faded into a whisp as Cain lost his balance. He slowly dived down into the ground before falling on his back, exhausted.

    "Good job Cain, you did great."

    Shesmu suddenly appeared and so did the rest of his teammates.

    "Holy hell, you went all out. Look at this crater! Who''s gonna pay for the repair!"

    Fate''s obnoxious shouting and unfunny jokes brought a smile on everyone''s face. Even the usually stoic Cain couldn''t help but soften.

    "Once we get the prize money, we''ll have enough to cover the cost and more. Even after the snakes at the top take their cut, you''ll all have enough money to drown in booze until you die."

    At the mention of alcohol, Fate got even more excited than before.

    "Leader! Last time you said it''s gonna be your treat but chickened out. You better make it up for me this time or you''re never gonna hear the end of it on twitter!"

    Shesmu immediately regretted bringing up the matter of booze. His eyes darted in all directions trying to find a way out of this sticky situation. However, even though they saw his signals for help, neither Vez nor Cain stepped in to help. They let out a sigh in resonance. They looked at each other in surprise before letting out a laugh.

    "Hey, hey. You guys laugh all you want, but we''re still in-game. This is a final, you know?"

    "Yeah, well, we already won and¡ª"

    Vez was about to continue when his face froze.

    "Wait, we lost the Serpent. Can''t they base race us now?!"

    Everyone turned into high alert mode with Vez''s reminder. Even Cain who was on the ground resting tried his hardest to stand up.

    "That''s what I''m saying you apes. Let me call winter, hopefully, he made it back in time," Shesmu concluded.

    [No need.]

    [Yo winter!] Fate jumped into the call. ''Leader is freaking out here. First, he forgets about the booze, then he trolls around in the final and forgets that they stole the Serpent. Honestly, it''s kinda embarrassing.''

    "You little sh*t¡­" Shesmu seethed at Fate''s teasing, while Vez and Cain just breathed a sigh of relief knowing that matters at the base had cleaned up.

    [You don''t need to tell me that Shes is noob, I think we already established that ages ago. Though while you dipsh*ts were having fun trolling around in these regionals, I took care of the mess here. So, for the sake of everything that is holy, can you please end the game?! I''m getting bored out of my goddamn mind here!]

    Click.

    The connection was cut over, leaving Shesmu not able to say anything. A wry smile was plastered on his face, he didn''t know whether to be angry or laugh at the situation.

    "Okay, Winter is right. This is getting boring for both us and the fans, let''s finish it cleanly."

    Everyone nodded at Shesmu''s words.

    "Well, finishing the game is fine and all, but Leader, don''t forget about the booze!"

    * * *

    The crowd went into a frenzy. Black flags fluttered left and right as the fans of Black Moon cheered and screamed their lungs out. Flyers and flags flew all around the stadium and the atmosphere was festive.

    "Yay! Papa won!" Eva jumped in joy. She then looked at Sophie with sparkling eyes before shouting even louder. "Papa was so cool! And that red uncle was so cool too!"

    Sophie lightly chuckled. She looked at her daughter before landing her hand. "Come, let''s go to papa. He is waiting for us."

    Eva nodded happily and took her mother''s hand. Sophie verbalized a command in her mind. Access restricted area. Code name: BlackMoon. Sponsor: Dawn''s Resonance.

    A cold metallic voice responded in her head. Access granted. Welcome, Sophie of the Crimson Desert.

    The pair of mother and daughter disintegrated into shiny particles before disappearing. They teleported to a hallway. It was dark, illuminated only by the dim light of the torches on the walls.

    "Mama, this place is scary¡­" Eva''s previously cheerful demeanor died down. She fidgeted in her place. Lips trembling, she latched on her mother''s lap, too scared to stay alone in the dark damp corridor.

    Sophie crouched to the level of her daughter before caressing her hair. "I''m sorry. It''s scary, isn''t it? I always told Mark that their aesthetics were not the most pleasant. But¡­ Oh, well." Sophie lifted Eva from below her armpits before putting her in a princess carry. "Here, Mama will carry you." Sophie''s smile turned into a grin before she leaned in and went for a belly rub.

    "Hahaha, Mama! Stop it!" Eva continued laughing even as she shouted and flailed around, making Sophie giggle in return. She then looked at Eva in her eyes and smiled. "See, no more scary place, right?"

    The couple laughed all the way as they walked through the corridor. Barely one minute of walking and they reached an inconspicuous room. Sophie put down her daughter before saying.

    "Papa is in that room. I''ll go and talk to him. You stay patiently here and be a good girl, ok¡ª"

    "What do you mean he is out?!!!"

    Before Sophie could even finish her words, a scream from inside the room shook her. She recognized her husband''s voice. Sophie''s eyes opened in surprise at the sudden outburst, she looked at the door before focusing back on her daughter. She smiled and then said with a soft voice.

    "Eva, can you stay here? Mama will be right back."

    She walked with hurried steps and opened the door, a frown covering her face. There she saw two men staring at each other. One was slim and tall, black hair covering his head. The other was plump with an orange mustache and his hair was cut short.

    "Shade," Shesmu''s eyes were sprouting fire as he stared at the man in front of him. "When we started this org, ten years ago. Ten fucking years ago! Do you know who was on that table too? Do you know?!"

    Shade, the overweight man darted his eyes away from Shesmu before muttering. "Shes, this is really out of my control¡ª"

    "Cain was fucking there! Yes, he was sitting there, since the start of this whole mess. And now you''re telling me we are gonna fire him. Are you kidding me?!" Shesmu could no longer hold back. His teeth were grinding. He clenched his fist so hard blood dripped out. His eyes never once looked away from the shuddering Shade, who was fidgeting on his shoes and looking away at the ground.

    Mustering up more courage, Shade clenched his fist and looked at Shesmu in the eyes. "Shesmu. This is a higherup decision. It''s Dawn that made it! Cain just doesn''t follow the narratives. We already talked about this so many¡ª"

    "He brings wins!" Shesmu''s face couldn''t stop contorting. He slammed the table next to him, breaking every utensil on his way, and grabbed Shade from his collar then lifted him from the ground. Shesmu looked at him straight in the eyes and shouted at the top of his lungs. "He brings championships, that''s what he brings!"

    Shesmu''s teeth stopped grinding, his furrowed eyebrows relaxed. He looked away from Shade for the first time since the start of this conversation before saying in a soft voice. "Honestly, I can''t believe it. After everything, we went through..."

    Shesmu eased his grab on Shade''s collar, setting the latter free. Shade fell on the ground and coughed, gasping for breath.

    "Shesmu, I''m as mad as you are. This is wrong! I know. But even if I''m not the one to fire him, they''ll just fire me and bring someone else to do it. My hands are tied."

    "Stop." Sophie''s voice cut in like a sharp knife through the conversation. Both Shesmu and Shade turned their heads in response to her.

    "What is going on?" She asked. But her voice was lower than usual. It was cold, as cold as her eyes as she observed Shade''s every movement. She locked her eyes with his, making him shudder.

    Shade gulped. He sat up then walked towards Sophie trying to explain his position. "Sophie, look, I''m really sorry. Due to circumstances outside my control¡ª"

    "Enough." Sophie cut in. "Get out of here." Her eyes never broke contact, and her voice was always low. But behind it was a commanding tone that could not be disobeyed.

    Shade, flustered, couldn''t help but step back. He staggered before complying and leaving the room.

    Shesmu looked at Sophie, his eyes lost, his arms low and his hands open. They walked towards each other with staggering steps before falling into an embrace.

    Hot tears streamed down Shesmu''s cheeks. His vision clouded and his throat hoarse. He felt Sophie''s touch on his face. She caressed him and cleaned the tears out of his eyes. Her emerald green eyes stared into his soul, beckoning him to share his suffering. "Mark, what happened?"

    "Cain, no¡ªAllan, Dawn decided they no longer need him¡­" He paused as if to process the same words that left his mouth. "And for what?" He asked with a self-deprecating laugh. "Just because he didn''t scream some cringy speech before he battles like the rest of us bastards do, he is fired! Allan! Allan who was here since the beginning of this goddamn guild!"

    Sophie was shocked. Her eyes widened and her fist tightened. However, she quickly grabbed hold of herself and didn''t fall to panic. She hugged Shesmu harder than she ever did before. Her warmth, her love, her everything, he received it all.

    "Sophie¡­" So he bawled, his speech interrupted by his hiccups. He cried, he screamed at the top of his lungs. He screamed at his own weakness, unable to even defend his best friend. He screamed at the skies and the gods and damned them all, for they destroyed what he worked so hard to build. He screamed and kept screaming, for his innards were crumbling, and they would continue to do so until he is but a hollow husk.

    "Papa!" This voice he knew. The voice of a child, his own. He opened his eyes but the sight was too blurry, so he couldn''t see. He cleared up his tears, and there she was, Eva, shocked and unable to understand what happened in front of her.

    Shesmu smiled. Years of acting in front of crowds of millions let him mask his sorrow. He couldn''t show his weakness to his daughter, that he could never do.

    "Eva? What are you standing there in a daze for? Come and give papa a hug!"

    Seeing Shesmu''s jovial attitude, Eva lost all her reservations and jumped in for a hug.

    "Ah, there you go. That''s more like it."

    Eva chuckled in Shesmu''s arm before asking, "But papa, why were you crying?"

    Shesmu looked at Eva and gave her a questioning look. He then pinched her cheeks and played around with them.

    "Smelly girl, who do you think is crying, huh? See this smile on papa''s face, give me your best one too!"

    Eva smiled even as Shesmu was pulling at her cheeks. Her teeth showed themselves in full splendor.

    "Like this?..."

    "Pfft." Shesmu couldn''t help but chuckle. Eva''s face, when she tried talking while he was pulling at her cheeks, was hilarious even for the pained Shesmu.

    "So, you got to watch the game. Did you have fun?"

    Eva beamed a bright smile at her father''s question. "Yeah! It was really fun! The way papa fought with his sword was so cool! You just went vroooom!! And the black magician lost. Red uncle was also sooo cool! He just went Vraaaah!! And then he became a big fire dragon! He then did Booom! Boom! Boom! And the other dragon went Ahh! And then it lost!"

    While the smile stayed engraved on his face, Shesmu''s eyes showed complex emotions.

    "Yeah, uncle red is really cool¡­" For a second, he broke his act and sadness emanated from his voice. "Much, much cooler than papa¡­"

    Shesmu felt Eva''s grab on his arm. He looked at her in the eyes and her resolute look and pouting cheeks surprised him.

    "That''s not true at all! Uncle red is cool, but papa is also cool! Papa is the coolest in the world!"

    She then grabbed an imaginary sword and started slashing at the air. "You defeat bad guys like this, Vroom! And Booom! And the bad guys go Ahhh! And then they explode!"

    Eva''s roleplaying made Shesmu chuckle, for real this time. He brought her closer to him before carrying her in his arms. Shesmu then looked at Sophie. She didn''t say a word ever since Eva showed up. Shesmu knew that she knew that he was acting, and he was grateful. He was grateful that she stayed silent, because it would have been hard even for him to act, if she did talk.

    "Sophie, tomorrow, I''ll call in a meeting. The whole team will be there."

    Sophie''s lips formed a tender smile, "That''s exactly what I was thinking."

    "Papa," Eva yawned. "Can you continue the story of the blacksmith and the king? You said you''ll tell me but you keep forgetting!"

    Hearing his daughter''s tired voice, Shesmu knew that it was time to log out.

    "Sure thing sweetie, let''s log out and I''ll tell you the story."

    Hearing a tale that was most familiar to her ears, Sophie couldn''t help but blurt out.

    "You were telling her the questline of Kaleh? Now, isn''t that sweet."

    Shesmu acknowledged Sophie''s comment with his eyes, before focusing his attention back on Eva.

    "Let''s log out. Tomorrow will be a long day."

    * * *

    The trio simultaneously glowed in a myriad of colors before dissipating into tiny particles.

    Shesmu''s eyes opened within a capsule. He was naked, his body submerged in a light brown fluid. Being in that liquid gave him a sense of peace, alone with his darkness. He could scream if he wanted, cry and lash out at the world, and the noise cancellers would make no one the wiser. Yet , he didn''t. Despite most of his interaction with his daughter being an act, it healed him.. At least enough so that he didn''t focus on the pain, but on the future.

    In his mind, he issued the command for the capsule to open which swiftly obliged. The room was dimly lit. It was no use to waste energy on light when its only use was to host his VR capsule. He sat up, put his ready-made clothes on, and exited the room.

    He entered the hallway and from the corner of his eyes, he could see his wife walking up the stairs to the master bedroom. Usually, he would trail after her, but tonight, he needed to take a detour. Right in front of the gaming room was a pink door. Stickers of many different characters were stuck onto it. However, the biggest sticker of all had one name written in bold all over it: Eva.

    Shesmu opened it, and was greeted by a mountain of toys. From princess dolls to plushies of magical cats and bears, there wasn''t one single spot in the room where he could take a step without stepping on something.

    "Eva, how many times have I told you to put your toys back in the drawer when you finish playing with them? Honestly, all it takes is one command, how can you be so lazy?" Shesmu''s tone was a mix of reprimand and bemusement.

    Muffled noises sounded out from below the mountain of plushies. Cats and wolves flew in all directions as Eva swam up the hundreds of toys and finally regained her breath.

    "Papa, I''m sowwy¡­ I just, kinda, forgot¡­"

    Looking at Eva''s puffed face atop the mountains of toys, Shesmu couldn''t help but laugh softly. He freed her from the clutch of the little devils and carried her in his arms.

    "It''s okay, sweetie. Let''s clean up this mess, okay?"

    "Okay," Eva replied. "Melon-chan! Can you clean up this mess, please?"

    ''Hai! I''ll do it just for you~''

    A cute, squeaky voice sounded out from the depth of Shesmu''s mind. The pink room turned neon orange. The lower parts of all four walls opened like doors of a closet. The myriad of plushies, dolls, and toys gravitated towards the openings like metal to a magnet. Within ten seconds the messy room turned clean.

    "And that''s a job well done. See? Doesn''t take much effort to go from a zoo to a civilized society. Honestly, I wouldn''t have been surprised if a monkey jumped from one of those corners." While in the midst of his lecture, Shesmu felt the weight on his shoulder increase. He looked at Eva and saw her leaning on his shoulder, using it as a pillow to sleep on.

    "Hey, hey, weren''t we supposed to listen to the story of the king and the blacksmith?" His words were soft, afraid to wake up his princess from her sleep.

    "Well, maybe another time¡­" Carefully he placed her on the bed and covered her with a sky blue blanket.

    "L¡ªlove you¡­ papa." Her barely discernible mumbling warmed Shesmu''s heart, bringing a smile to his face.

    "Love you too, sweetie." He kissed Eva goodnight on the forehead before switching off the light. Leaving his daughter''s room, he climbed up the stairs and entered the master bedroom.

    Sophie was still in her underwear, in the middle slipping into her pajamas. She was beautiful, her dark brown hair reaching to her waist. She looked back at Shesmu and smiled.

    "So, did she like the tale of Kaleh?"

    "She didn''t get the chance to. I was barely at the start and she was already off to neverland."

    Sophie chuckled at the response. She was already done putting on her clothes and slid into the bed. Shesmu quickly followed suit.

    "You know, Eva had lots of fun today. She kept watching you guys, mouth open, for the whole day. It''s as if she saw real-life heroes battling in front of her."

    Shesmu smiled. Even though his heart still clenched in pain, his smile remained. Which father wouldn''t smile at the thought of his daughter? He looked at Sophie before leaning in and playing with the strands of her hair with his hand.

    "She too will become one."

    "You are her hero. Strong, untouchable and unbeatable." Her hand caressed Shesmu''s face gently and her eyes glistened with a thousand emotions. Her fingers then traced their way from his neck and into his torso, pointing at his heart. "But I know that down here, you''re hurt¡­"

    Shesmu leaned in closer, his hands reached in farther, holding onto her back. Their legs coiled around one another, searching for warmth. Their breaths intertwined, and their eyes connected.

    "Sophie, it''s hard. Allan¡ªAllan has been there for me since before I can even remember. He was always there, in the background, protecting me. He was my guardian angel. He was there when I knew nothing, when I had nothing to offer, and he guided me. He was there when we were at the top of our glory, and my confidants were conspiring to betray me. He was protecting me. Without Allan, there is no BlackMoon."

    Sophie stayed silent. She knew that Shesmu wasn''t finished.

    "Sophie, you know why I called the meeting tomorrow?" Shesmu''s voice was soft, breathy, and full of affection.

    Sophie pinched his forehead and chuckled. "Silly you, for how long do you think we''ve been married? Of course, I know¡­" Sophie''s voice was soft like the summer breeze. Shesmu could no longer hold his instincts and deeply kissed her.

    "Tomorrow, you''re going to protect him. Like he always protected you." Her finger ran up Shesmu''s chest slowly, and back to his neck. She leaned in, her breath tickling his ear.

    "Tomorrow, you''re going to gather everyone, all of our friends and do the one thing you should have done long ago. Disband the team."

    Her words hit him like a backdrop. There was no need for a response because she was right. Shesmu will disband the team and start a new journey. But the only thing he could focus on now was her. Her beautiful face, her small upturned nose, her emerald eyes, and long, silky hair. She was breathtaking, even more than when he first proposed to her, six years ago.

    Their lips met, brushing softly, delicate like flaps of the butterfly''s wings. He inhaled deeply. It was just long enough that he could inhale her own breath. Her sweet, sweet breath. He hungrily went for more. His hand gripped the back of her head firmly, afraid to let go. His tongue dug deeper searching for treasure in the deep, dark sea. But here she was, his treasure.

    Sophie chuckled. Her deep, kind voice soothing his heart. But she didn''t say anything. Words were unnecessary. They both knew exactly what the other felt. That''s precisely why Shesmu couldn''t help but fall head over heels over her all over again.

    And as such, they continued. Cuddled, hugged and kissed until they could no more. By the end, when their eyelashes were too heavy to bear, their hands reached out for each other, and their fingers intertwined one last time.

 4 Rewind

    "People of now confuse beasts and viles as the same thing. The people of old didn''t. They saw the true horror of the viles, they saw the destruction they caused with their arrival. And they understood, with every fiber of their being, that they are the archnemesis of this world. While we hunt both beasts and viles, beasts are of this world while the viles aren''t" - Monstrology By The Holy Empire of Men''s Court Scholars

    -----------------

    The sandy winds howled and weeped, and with it the cries of the innocent. Beasts of all kinds roamed the ruined city. Shesmu watched in horror as corpses formed mountains, blood formed rivers, and all the while the monsters'' hunger wasn''t satisfied.

    "Papa!"

    A voice he knew all too well. He turned around, but he couldn''t find her. Only corpses and destroyed buildings. Shesmu was shocked. This kind of horror, it''s something he has never seen before. The pale skin, the vacant eyes, the red blood. Shesmu looked away, no longer able to stare at the dead.

    "Papa!"

    He heard it again. This time fainter and farther away. He moved towards the direction of the sound, but carefully. He took refuge in the vacant buildings, safe from the ogres and chimeras that roamed the city. Slowly, he made his way, the sound of his daughter his only guide.

    Suddenly, a loud roar shook him to the core. Earth trembled and the vases that decorated the house he was in cracked. He put his hand on the wall to regain his balance until the earthquake stopped. However, something was wrong. The streets were quiet. No more howls of beasts, no more weil of men, only silence. Shesmu looked out from the broken window and what he saw, he couldn''t believe. A dragon. A live and real dragon stopped atop the ruined cathedral, breathing hellfire upon the city.

    He went back into the house, afraid that the beast would notice him. Shesmu looked for another way out of the house, and there it was. A backdoor into the alleyway. Shesmu ran with all his might, from building to building, making himself small, unnoticeable. If he didn''t, then there was no happy end for him.

    "Papa!"

    Her voice came back again. He could see her, for a second. Her shadow behind the corner of the street, just a few meters away. He ran to catch her, but once again, he was met with disappointment. There was no one at the corner of the street. However, there was a road. A way that led to outside the city, to the desert.

    Shesmu walked. He walked away from the city and its death, the monsters and the dragon. He walked into the horizon. For hours and hours, his legs never stopped once. His eyesight was blurry, his feet wobbly and his breath hoarse. He was about to fall when he regained his balance, and there she was, in front of him. Eva was there.

    "Eva,"

    He extended his hand toward her, unable to take another step. She looked at him and smiled. "Papa," she paused, her eyes looking straight at Shesmu. "... Goodbye."

    Shesmu blinked. The moment his eyelids closed, he heard a soft hush of wind. By the time his eyes opened, only sand remained. Eva was no longer there.

    He woke up, his hand extended to the ceiling, and tears falling down his cheeks. At that moment, Shesmu felt incomplete, hollow.

    "Sophie¡­" Shesmu turned around, expecting to see his wife on the other side of his bed. She wasn''t. In fact, there was no other side to his bed. He stands up, looks around baffled. The whole room was different. The color of the walls was blue when it should have been white, the hologram projectors are nowhere to be seen, the door was no longer when it used to be, even the blankets on his bed changed. This wasn''t his room.

    A feeling of unease drowned him. The premonition, the nightmare, and now this. Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong. He looked around at the room, trying to see if he recognized it. He did, faintly. A memory of a distant past. This room, he remembered it, he lived and slept in it a long time ago.

    Shesmu exited the room and all of his worries came true. This was the house. The house his parents left him, the house he left almost ten years ago. Shesmu grimaced. It had been so long since his father passed away, but this incident made him remember. The days he spent with his long-gone father in valleys and plains so magical and mystical.

    The low, fragrant breeze tickled his nose, the slow molten sunlight, warmed him from the cold. Things that he couldn''t experience in his ice-cold city were within an arm''s reach in the virtual world. Then father gestured to him with his hand, signaling Shesmu to pay attention to what he was about to do. He raised his right arm close to his face and snapped his fingers. The world was set ablaze, fire spurted from his fingers and danced with a myriad of colors around his hand.

    Shesmu would then follow his dad to numerous adventures. Slaying monsters, finding treasures, eating food from the most dreamlike lands. It all felt so real, and it was all so fun. Shesmu was mesmerized. It was then that he fell in love with the virtual world, with all of its possibilities. But then, his father started showing up less and less. By the end, he would only see him once a month. His mother was also sad. With each passing day, she became more depressed. It was then that disaster struck.

    The news of his father''s death was on all of TV and social media. A leading researcher in neuroscience and Brain-Computer Interface was found dead in his lab. The official cause was stress. They said that he had put in long hours of work, longer than any human should. In the end, he died from a stroke.

    After that incident, his mother was no longer the same. Her fall into depression was then in full swing. She was prone to anger, easy to lash out. At the same time, she would spend hours crying and apologizing. Even her diet was in shambles. Not eating for a few days, only surviving through water. By the end, she fell into insanity. She was hospitalized and kept in a treatment facility. A glorified Asylum.

    From then on, Shesmu was alone. A ten-year-old boy with no parents or caretaker. Only Alan stood with him. Throughout all those years, he only had Alan.

    Shesmu continued walking around the house, lost in his memories. Every piece of furniture, everything was as he remembered. It''s as while the whole world was continuing to change, this place was frozen in time.

    A fleeting thought caught his curiosity. Like his own new home had Melon-chan as the AI system governing it, this house had one too: Seth.

    "Seth¡­" Shesmu''s voice was low, hesitant. He didn''t know if even after all these years, Seth was still functional.

    "Yes, Mark." Seth''s voice was warm, like a father''s, like a caring friend''s.

    Shesmu rejoiced. Even with no maintenance, Seth was still functional. He immediately asked the AI what he has been wondering all along.

    "Seth, what happened yesterday? When did I enter the house? Was there anyone with me?"

    "Mark, you entered the house yesterday at 21:34. You talked with Alan for two hours before heading to sleep. No one entered the house with you."

    Shesmu was confused in more than one level. First of all, by that time yesterday, the game was still in full swing. Second of all, how could such events happen when he has no recollection of it. Something was wrong.

    "Seth, are you sure? I came alone yesterday to this house, right?"

    "Yes Mark, I''m certain of it."

    This didn''t make any sense. How could he not remember such an important trip? And the talk with Alan, what did they talk about? The only thing that Shesmu could think of was yesterday''s incident with Shade. Did he suffer amnesia? Did someone tinker with his brain and made him forget something important? Shesmu needed answers.

    "Seth, I know this is a weird question, but what is today''s date?"

    "June 26th, 2041."

    Shesmu expected many possibilities. Maybe he had been drugged and days went by without him knowing. Maybe his memory had been failing him and he was then in a further future than he actually thought. What he didn''t expect was for Seth to give him a date that was ten years in the past.

    Shesmu chuckled. It all made sense now. Coming back late to this house, talking with Alan for hours before going to sleep. That''s something eighteen-year-old he would do. That settled it, Seth was bugged. It thinks that it''s still in 2041.

    There were no answers to be found in this house, Shesmu had to go out. He needed to understand what actually happened. Check the neighbors'' surveillance camera, talk with the police, anything that would explain to him how he ended up in his old house, hundreds of miles away from where he slept yesterday.

    Shesmu opened the main door and that''s when reality hit him like a truckload of bricks. The buildings across the street, the decorations, the asphalt, the width of the road. Everything was different. No, it was different from when he visited this place a couple of months ago, but it was familiar. He saw these buildings before. He knew them, he visited them, he lived with them. Every day as he went to and from school, he would see them. This street, this whole place, it''s the same as when he left it ten years ago. It''s as if the laws of physics got drunk and time had a bad sense of direction. Shesmu could not believe it.

    He went back to his house and closed the door. There was something he must check. He made his way to his bedroom, turned on the light, and there it was. A small brown case with stickers of his favorite characters glued on it. At this point, Shesmu knew what happened. It wasn''t a prank. It wasn''t an elaborate case of kidnapping. He knew that there was only one possibility. However, He still opened the case, hands shivering. There they were, his digital lenses, Ravs as they were called, they were there, waiting for him. He put them on and, for a second, the whole world turned digital before returning back to normal.

    ''System activated.''

    Seth''s voice resounded in his head with the activation of the Ravs. Shesmu once again asked.

    "Seth, what is today''s date?"

    ''June 26th, 2041''

    His chest heaved. Every breath was painful. Shesmu finally understood what his earlier premonition was about. He finally knew what he lost. The realization stabbed him like a thousand needles. He fell on his knees and sobbed. "Eva¡­" His voice kept shaking, only her name escaped his lips amidst the hiccups. Tears poured down and his heart ached. He never felt so sad, so broken, so powerless.

    Shesmu sat on his bed for the better part of the day. His mind spiraling with his thoughts. Every moment, every smile, every laugh, every word Eva said he remembered. But she was gone, gone amidst the ocean of time. Never to be known, never to live, never to exist, never to be remembered. Only in him.

    His mind was void, heart broken. He didn''t budge a finger, his eyes stared into nothing, only at his memories. Suddenly, a ding sounded in the depth of his mind. Seth''s voice announced "Mark, you just received a mail." He opened the mail and it read.

    "Dear Shesmu, or should I call you Mark?

    I know that you must be suffering terribly right now. The loss of your daughter is something of any man''s worst nightmare. You, even more so. For it to happen in such a cruel, unforgiving, and terrible way. I have no words. However, know that you''re not alone, know that things far greater than both you and I are in action and that the world as we know it might very well change. I hope that you find in yourself the courage to move forward and to do what you know best.

    I''ll wait for you, in Ashes of God."

 5 Meeting Allan

    "You have said before that Ashes of God was your pet project long before it was taken by Omega9, how is that?"

    The interviewer stretched his hand for his guest to speak. A middle-aged man with a round frame that already lost half of his hair.

    "Ashes of God was a project that I and some of my friends were working on since our university days. We''ve put in lots of effort, sleepless nights, missed classes¡­ By the end of the four years, we had a functioning product. It''s just that it was nothing like we first envisioned. We had a dream, but we dreamt too big. Like Icarus flying to the sun, our wings were burnt and we were about to fall from the skies. That''s when Omega9 approached us."

    The barrage of juicy information was something that the interviewer didn''t expect, but it was a welcome surprise. A smile covered his face.

    "You guys have put in such incredible effort and hard work. Four years of your life¡­ That''s not cheap. Now the question I wanna ask is what exactly did Omega9 give you that you didn''t already have or could easily procure."

    The guest chuckled.

    "Now that''s one loaded question. It''s easier for me to count the number of things they didn''t give us rather than the opposite. We were just a bunch of teens who had no idea about the scope of the beast they awakened. We needed artists, programmers, hardware guys, beta testers, and most importantly, money to put food on the table. O9 gave us all of that and more."

    The guest''s statement picked the journalist''s curiosity.

    "But there must have been something that distinguished your game from the thousand others. Something that made Omega think that you guys had it, that this game had potential."

    "Haha, I''m not sure. I guess it was our experimentalist approach that earned us their favor. Gosh, it''s been what? Ten, fifteen-year since then? By that time Deep Machine Learning and AI made all the news while MMOs were nowhere to be heard. I guess we were one of the few who decided to integrate them in such a way that has never been done before, and O9 saw potential in that."

    "Interesting. Now, let''s talk more about the game. I know that you can''t tell us much but what feature do you think would be the most interesting to the people? "

    The interviewee felt hesitant. He pointed his eyes towards the roof then scratched his head while grunting.

    "I would say¡­ Time Dilation. It''s something that only existed until now in scientific papers. There are some minigames out there that do have it, but nothing to the scale, depth and breadth of Ashes of Gods. I think, if I had to choose, this would be the most "hype" feature as the kids call it."

    The host''s mouth shaped a perfect "O". His face was the perfect description of the word surprise.

    "Woah, time dilation? I don''t know what that means but that sounds cool as all hell."

    The guest chuckled at the interviewer''s reaction.

    "Haha, right? Well, in simple terms, Time Dilation enables a player to get three to five times as much play time as normal. Sometimes this can go up to some crazy numbers, ten, twenty, a hundred! This is done through some hardware magic that makes the brain work faster. It''s better than sudoku to train the brain too!"

    The interviewee burst out laughing at his own joke. The interviewer tried to continue his questioning.

    "That''s very interesting. But returning to your team and friends from college, are they still in the project?"

    The guest stayed silent for a moment. His laughing face was no more. Only after a few seconds did he break the ice.

    "Ah, my friends. Yes. Some of them stayed, some of them went on with their lives. Honestly, they were all great men and women, and all of them did well for themselves."

    The interview then continued on without much ruckus. Shesmu, who was watching it through his smart lenses exited the stream, frustrated.

    He leaned back on his chair and sighed. He then took off the smart lenses and scratched his eyes. The little devices strained his pupils. He put them in their case before sitting up. He then walked up and down the room lost in his thoughts.

    Okay, let''s recall. After I came back, what happened? Scenes from throughout the day in his head. The film then paused at the image of his daughter, amidst the desert, within that dream. Shesmu bit his lips.

    No, no, focus on what''s important, Mark!

    He shook his head to get the scene away from his mind. He thought back to the mail he received, that piece of hope. Someone out there knew what happened to him. He didn''t know or care whether they were the one who initiated the incident or if they were also just a victim. The only thing that mattered was that he wasn''t alone.

    After reading that mail, Shesmu tried to look for any indication of the sender. The mail used was a throwaway. The IP address it was sent from linked to one location: Turkey, Batman. Obviously, this was just the address of a proxy the sender used.

    Digital forensics led to a dead-end, so Shesmu explored the only avenue left for him: Ashes of Gods. The mail did say that they would meet in Ashes of Gods. As such, Shesmu read every article, watched every piece of news, interview, or anything even remotely related to the game. Unfortunately, no dice.

    Shesmu lowered his head and sighed. He spent all night looking for traces of this mysterious sender. He opened the curtain of his windows only to see the fifty shades of orange painting the sky. It was the dawn of a new day.

    "Guess I won''t have any sleep today." Shesmu yawned. "Seth, prep me coffee."

    "Understood, Mark."

    The old man''s voice of Seth somehow made Shesmu feel a sense of reassurance. These past few days took their toll on Shesmu''s mental state. Things outside of his control kept interfering with him and he got no say in anything. However, this couldn''t keep going. He needed to control his own life.

    "Mark, your coffee is ready. Do you want it at your desk?"

    Shesmu hummed in response. A squared portion of the desk caved in. A cup full of hot coffee then popped up from the hole as if it was an elevator.

    Other than the cup, the desk didn''t have anything on it. Shesmu sat down on his chair before hovering his hand over the table. A black and green holographic keyboard appeared on top of it. At the same time, a massive holographic screen popped into existence in front of Shesmu.

    Shesmu opened the official site of Ashes of Gods as he sipped on his coffee. In bold, golden, stylized letters, it displayed the opening date of the beta: July 1st, 2041 00.00 E.S.T.

    "Four days left¡­" Shesmu''s mind wandered. With all the events that happened and the emotional rollercoaster, he didn''t get the chance to truly appreciate the craziness of what happened to him. Fans spent thousands of hours before trying to compare him with legendary players of the past. Now, he could face them for real. However, before even thinking about that, Shesmu had to settle some scores first.

    "Dawn.." His fist clenched and his eyebrows furrowed. "If I were to work under you again this time, then I am truly a dog that deserves the stick."

    Remembering Dawn''s Resonance and how easily they got rid of Allan from the team, Shesmu was infuriated. He closed the Ashes of Gods'' website and opened his messaging app. At the top of his contacts was Allan Rivera. He clicked on it and sent him a message. He asked to meet him at eight in the park.

    The clock showed at half-past five. There was still quite a bit of time until the meeting. As such, Shesmu decided to go for a morning jog.

    He took off his pajamas and put on a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, sports socks, and a pair of sneakers. He went down the stairs and exited the house.

    On his morning jog, Shesmu made sure to take notice of the changing scenery. The old buildings, the alleyways that were since closed, the fast-food he would always go to after school. Shesmu felt alien. Looking at these past memories coming back to life, he felt like a ghost looking back at the past.

    In those early hours of the day, there was barely anyone on the streets. Only a few joggers and the robots cleaning the streets. Shesmu took a few detours around the residential areas.

    Even though the city was full of towering apartments and skyscrapers, joggers could still enjoy the beauty of the sun, and the freshness of grass thanks to smart building. This was one of the many gifts of the AI boom.

    Shesmu came back to his house soaked in sweat. After an hour of running, he was almost out of breath.

    "Dammit¡­" He huffed and puffed. "Forgot that my body used to be this weak."

    "Welcome back, Mark." A robot holding a set of clean clothes welcomed Shesmu.

    Shesmu jumped on the sofa, dead tired from jogging. He caught his breath before responding, "Thanks Seth¡­ Please prepare me a bath, I''m sweating bullets."

    "Understood, Mark. For breakfast, what do you want?"

    "Ehh, toast, sausages and some apple juice, please."

    "Right away then."

    The robot made its way towards the bathroom, while Shesmu was still recovering. He took a few more deep breaths before jumping back to his feet. Shesmu followed after the robot and climbed up the stairs. He opened the door to the bathroom only to find steam covering the air. Shesmu then took off his clothes and jumped straight into the bathtub.

    "Ah, nothing beats a nice warm bath!"

    Stretching his feet all the way to the edge of the tub, Shesmu felt relaxed. His aching back and thigh muscles were no longer in pain. Relieved from the tension, Shesmu sunk into his thoughts. Now that he went back into the past, there were a few things that he needed to check off his bucket list. And first on that list was taking care of his business with Dawn''s Resonance.

    "Mark, your breakfast is ready."

    Seth''s voice awoke Shesmu from his stupor. He went out of the bathtub and dried himself with the prepared towels Seth left him. He put on his clothes and went back to his bedroom.

    His breakfast was ready on top of his desk. With a flick of his finger, Shesmu booted up his holographic computer while nibbling on his grilled toasts. He then opened his mail and searched for Dawn''s Resonance. He looked at all mails containing the tag one by one, until he found the one he was looking for. Contract Renegotiation Before Free Agency.

    Shesmu clicked on the mail and read all of it slowly, making sure that he doesn''t miss a single word. After reading it twice, Shesmu smiled. His contract with Dawn will be void in two days. A meeting was scheduled today at night to renegotiate the terms. However, while the executives over at Dawn may be coming to the meeting willing to negotiate a good deal, Shesmu was not. He was already exasperated by their antics and way of doing business in his past life, he wasn''t going to repeat that same mistake.

    After finishing his breakfast, Shesmu looked at the clock. It was seven past quarters. Normally, Shesmu would wait out the remainder of the time¡ªmaybe go watch streams, play Ashes of Gods or something. However, today was anything but normal. There wasn''t anything he wished for more than to meet and talk with Allan¡ªone of his only friends in this timeline.

    As such, he opened his messaging app. Allan''s confirmation was at the top.

    "Hey, Allan, changes of plans. Can you come to the park, like right now?"

    "Sure, kinda weird, but¡­ Just let me finish my breakfast and I''ll be with you."

    "Thanks man, I''ll be waiting for you."

    Shesmu turned off the laptop, wore his Revs, and exited the house making his way towards the park. While it is possible for him to meet Allan digitally through VR, today was a special one. He needed to meet him face to face.

    After a fifteen-minute jog, Shesmu reached the park. At the entrance, he found a young man around his age standing in front of an eye scanner. The gates opened with a click.

    "Hey, Mike."

    Shesmu''s call made the young boy turn around. A much younger, skinnier version of the Mike he was used to, stood in front of Shesmu. His hair was still full and glossy, a far cry from his older self.

    "Oh, hey Mark. G''Morning, you''re early today."

    "Ah, just felt like coming here to breathe some good air," Shesmu said while stretching his hand for a handshake. "Nothing beats being one with nature after a good morning jog."

    Mike accepted the handshake while replying, "True that. Sometimes, you just gotta relax and be one with nature. You know, without bots and cameras and bullcrap everywhere trying to know what is the chemical composition of the crap you shat last night."

    Mike''s unexpected rant made Shesmu laugh hysterically, "Haha, couldn''t agree more dude. Sometimes, you just wanna be alone in this world."

    The two laughed for a bit before Mike nodded at his cabin and asked, "Want me to bring you something? At the usual spot?"

    "Nah, no need. I''m full."

    "Okay then," responded Mike while making his way to his little office. "Just tell me over Rev if you change your mind. My lemon grape cocktail juice is a killer!" He then winked at Shesmu before shutting the door.

    Shesmu shook his head at Mike''s usual antics. Even as he grew older, his sense of humor never changed. The only thing that did was his forehead. He lost the genetic lottery and started losing his beautiful orange hair early. Not that it bothered the dude as he just accepted it for what it is and went full bald.

    Shesmu then made his way to the usual spot. It was right next to the Pennantia Baylisiana, the rarest tree in the world. Looking at it, Shesmu smiled. Some things just never change. Even ten years into the future, this tree was still there breathing. Maybe in this new, yet familiar world, it was the one thing that didn''t change.

    A notification awoke Shesmu from his stupor. Allan sent him a message saying that he arrived. Few seconds later, a man with a tall frame walked towards Shesmu from the direction of the entrance. Brown hair, blue eyes and a small beard. He was wearing a blue t-shirt with a white dragon inscribed in the middle of it, and some black pants.

    "Yo," he called.

    "Hey, Allan." Looking at him, Shesmu suddenly felt a torrent of emotions well up his chest. All of the events that happened the past few days flashed in his mind like a film. It was hard not to show it.

    Allan sat down next to Shesmu and stayed silent for a few seconds.

    "So, what''s happening? Whenever you make that face something is bound to have gone wrong."

    Shesmu looked at Allan in the eyes before letting out a chuckle

    "Was it that obvious?"

    Allan slapped Shesmu on the back and laughed, "Dude! Do you think I just met you yesterday? I''ve known you since you were sucking on your mom''s titties, you can''t fool me."

    Shesmu just smiled and stayed silent in response. After a few moments, Allan got tired of the awkward silence.

    "Hey, dude. If you''re not going to talk I''m just gonna go back to sleep." He then sat up, took a few steps before Shesmu talked.

    "Allan¡­ Do you trust me?"

    He looked back and asked, "Huh? Where did that come from? Of course, I trust you."

    Shesmu then looked at Allan straight in the eyes. His eyes were full of myriad emotions. Hope, sadness, reluctance, fear, but most importantly, confidence.

    "What I''m going to say might sound like the rambling of an insane man. Something that is just impossible to believe. But it''s true, all of it." Shesmu took off his Revs, his earpieces and every electronic device present in his body. He then gestured for Allan to come closer. After he did, Shesmu leaned into his ears and whispered.

    "I¡­ I came back from the future."

    -----------

    Hey everyone, I usually don''t try to push my ******* stuff too hard, but today is a special occasion. We''re close to hitting out first milestone, 25 dollars! That''s all thanks to the generous patronage of Durza Gaming. Now, what does that mean for you? If we reach our goal of 25 bucks, there will be a double release day within a week.

    Also, on a lesser happier note. There won''t be a chapter tomorrow. After much thinking, I reasoned that posting every single day wouldn''t be good for my mental health, and the quality of my story. I will take the day to do some mental reset.

    With that said, enjoy the chapter![

 6 Begin

    "I¡­ I came back from the future."

    Hearing those words, Allan was shocked. He looked at Shesmu in the eyes, and seeing how serious they were, he knew that this wasn''t a joke. He hurriedly covered Shesmu''s mouth and gestured him to not talk. They made their way out of the park without even responding to Mike''s greeting, leaving the latter confused. The duo entered Allan''s car before he drove off.

    "What''s going on? Where are we going?"

    Allan looked at Shesmu for a second, before continuing to drive without responding.

    Suddenly, a metallic voice announced, "Allan, it is advised for your safety and the safety of your passengers to activate the auto-driving system. It is known that accidents are a million times more likely to happen with a human driver rather than the fully automatic driving system."

    "Activate manual mode, turn off all assisting and recording systems."

    "Allan, are you sure about this? This action may lead to harm to you and your passengers. You will be fully responsible for any accident that¡ª"

    "I know all of that!" Allan shouted in response. "Just turn off everything."

    "Roger that."

    With all the systems turned off, Allan kept driving without talking with Shesmu. By the end of an hour, they were outside the city and into the highway.

    After fifteen minutes of more driving, Allan took off the road and parked at the outskirt of the forest that surrounded the highway. The two then walked into the forest. By this point, Shesmu already knew what was going on in Allan''s mind. That''s why he didn''t talk.

    After more than an hour of silence, Allan finally talked.

    "Here is a history lesson for you, Mark. Since it seems that you needed one. After the massive industrialization that happened with the AI boom of the 2020s, there weren''t many places left that didn''t have cameras or recording devices sitting at every corner. Right at this moment in time, there is at least a few thousand creepy weirdos sifting through files of a recording of someone''s bathroom where his daughter is taking a piss. And you, somehow, thought that the park wouldn''t have at least a few thousand eyeballs goggling at us while you make your legendary speech."

    Allan turned around to look at Shesmu with disappointed eyes as he emphasized the last part. He turned back around and made his way through the bushes and trees. "However, some forests are an exception to this rule. After some treaty I don''t remember which, they decided that some green spaces need to stay as they are with no human intervention."

    He then turned around, and with a grandiose pose, declared, "And this forest, my friend, is one of them."

    Shesmu didn''t know how to respond to Allan''s grandiose declaration. On one hand, the situation demanded the utmost seriousness. On the other, the way Allan made his declaration made it so nothing he said could be taken seriously. As such, Shesmu just laughed.

    "Dude, I really missed you."

    This groovy, larger than life character that Allan had, was something that disappeared in old Allan long ago. Maybe it was the stress of the pro play, maybe it was just a normal effect of growing up, but Shesmu missed this Allan.

    "What do you mean you missed me? Wait! Don''t tell me! Did I die in the future and you came back to save me?"

    "Haha, do you really want to know? Aren''t you afraid of looking into the Pandora box?"

    Hearing Shesmu''s teasing voice, Allan backed out a bit, afraid of what''s going to come. "No, no, you''re right. One shouldn''t look into the future. I have watched too many movies to see where that goes."

    The two looked at each other for a second before bursting out laughing. After the turmoil that happened the past few days, Allan''s company was the one saving grace for Shesmu. However, looking at him, and remembering the sore state Dawn left him in, Shesmu frowned.

    "Hey, Allan, I need to talk to you about something."

    "Oh, what''s with the face? Are you gonna tell me that I''m suffering from a chronic incurable illness and that only you have the medicine for it?" Allan joked around.

    "Something of the sort," responded Shesmu. "How long until your contract with Dawn expires?"

    "Oh, in like a week or so. They sent me the mail for the renegotiation, yours is before, right?"

    "Yeah, it''s in two days. I''m supposed to meet them today at eight pm."

    Allan in response before asking, "Did you contact your lawyer then? You can''t get scammed like last time. Like holy damn, even while being one of the best assaulters in the league you still get paid like a 3rd tier player."

    "I''m not gonna renew the contract with them," Shesmu responded simply.

    "Oh, did you get a massive offer from someone else? Who was it? DragonForce? TSA?"

    "No, I''m not gonna quit Demon Heart actually."

    Allan stayed silent for a moment before chucking, "Is this some kind of joke? Why would you do that? You''re eighteen, you still have like ten years before retirement. You still haven''t even gotten your first million-dollar cheque yet!"

    "Oh, believe me, I''ll get that and more. It''s just that if I stay under anyone, it''s my sanity that I''m gonna lose." Shesmu then stayed silent for a few seconds before continuing. "You¡­ you too should get out of Dawn. They are just bad news overall."

    "... I''m guessing this whole talk is because of something that happened in the future. They pulled out some weird crap on us, didn''t they?"

    Shesmu nodded with his head in response.

    "The bastards," Allan seethed. "So, what''s the plan? What do we do after we get out of Dawn."

    "There is this new game that I want you to play. Ashes of Gods."

    "Oh, it''s an O9 game, right? But what about it? I looked at it, it has nice concepts. But that''s what O9 always was: Nice concepts, trash execution."

    "This one is different," Shesmu replied. "Dude, I come from the future, this game is gonna be the bomb. By year two, it was the most popular game on the planet. The government itself got involved with it. They started making government-sponsored jobs inside the game, dude! Has that happened in any game before?"

    "Okay, okay, you got me interested in that. When is it coming out?"

    "The beta is in four days," Shesmu responded. However, before he could continue a cold gust of wind made him shiver with his whole body. "Dude, it''s getting cold. Let''s go back to the car and then we continue talking."

    Allan was hesitant a bit, "Yeah, but what about the microphone recorders and stuff. You don''t want people to know that you''re coming from the future, now do you?"

    "Yeah, I''m not stupid enough to talk about it in there, we''re just gonna talk about the game and that''s it. It''s not gonna raise any flags."

    Allan gave Shesmu an unimpressed look at his response. "Oh, really? Then what about before in the park?"

    Shesmu got embarrassed at the mention of the earlier incident. "That''s something else."

    Allan rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

    The two then made their way to the car and then into the city. They talked all the way about Ashes of Gods and what prospects it showed. However, Allan had to, unfortunately, miss the open beta as his contract with Dawn wouldn''t be over by then. He did promise Shesmu to join him once the live servers come out though.

    After being dropped off by Allan at his own house, Shesmu went to his bedroom and ordered a Dreamscape Capsule from the Omega9 website. The shipment would take six hours.

    The next few days went by without much to talk about. He would meet Allan every day at seven, go to the forest outside the city, and tell stories about what happened in the future. The adventures they embarked on, the treasures they found, the bosses they fought. They would keep talking until Allan would have to go to his usual training sessions with Dawn''s Resonance.

    In the meantime, Shesmu would research every corner of the internet. Even if the hope was miniscule, he needed to check if the unknown sender would leave a hint to his identity somewhere. Unfortunately, Shesmu''s efforts were all in vain.

    The day came, July 1st, 2041. Shesmu calibrated his body to the capsule before turning it on. He then entered the capsule and closed the lid. The light dimmed and he could barely see the honey-colored hue of the glass lid.

    Begin

    Finishing his mental command, the darkness surrounding slowly started shifting into a blinding light. At the same time, a female robotic voice sounded in his head.

    Boot¡­ System ¦¸9 3.2 Active ¨C Ashes of God

 7 DèŒ…jè„¿ Vu

    As the voice finished, the blinding light finally dimmed out. And from the pure white, a lively mixture of green and blue was born. A warm zephyr tickled his legs before transforming into a violent gale that catapulted him upwards. The wind pressure didn''t cut his skin, nor did it pressure his lungs. In fact, the whole experience felt surreal.

    "Ah," Letting out the breath that he held for the longest time, Shesmu gasped.

    Slowly opening his eyes, Shesmu found himself high in the sky. Even though he experienced this scene thousands of times already, he still felt his adrenaline pumping as he looked at the green grass on the ever dwarfing plateau.

    "Kraaaw!"

    On his left, Shesmu heard an eagle''s cry. Turning around, he wasn''t surprised when he saw the monstrously big wing, covered in brown feathers blocking his view. The creature then accelerated with incredible momentum, revealing itself to the world. It was a griffin, four meters wide one that stood aloof in the sky. Knowing what to expect next, Shesmu looked all around him. Surrounding him was a drift of griffin, thirty of them to be exact. It was a sight to behold. Flying with such mythically strong creatures would excite even the most nihilistic of souls.

    Suddenly, Shesmu''s lips cracked into a grin.

    "Thump!"

    From below the plateau, a titanic red, reptilian paw slammed on the ground. Its razor sharp claws emitted an air of hostility and hidden danger. A yellow eye opened, and from underground, a titanic creature emerged.

    "ROAAAAAAAAAR!!"

    A brick red dragon, thirty meters long, soared into the sky. Looking at the drift of griffins, it roared, anger clear in its voice. It opened its mouth, and with contempt in its eyes, it gathered fire mana from all over the mountain range. The magical particles gathered into a ball of fire that Shesmu could feel the heat of even a hundred meters away.

    After the first wave of hot wind, Shesmu was greeted by a warm breeze. The gentle zephyr as with last time became more violent and grew into a strong gale. The gust of wind blew him to the side, away from the danger of the dragon.

    As Shesmu was balancing himself in the air, a bright light came from the direction of the monsters. Looking up, he saw the dragon''s fire breath clashing with the wind blades of the griffins. The standoff lasted for a few seconds before the griffins'' attack faded away, leaving them defenseless against the inferno that was about to befall them.

    "Kraaaw!"

    The last cry of the griffins was full of sorrow. It was as if they tried to imprint their memories, their souls into this world that they were about to bid farewell to. Fire engulfed them, a giant ball of flame that spanned 40 meters in diameter. The griffins were evaporated, even their bones were melted by the raging fire.

    Shesmu stood before the fiery hell, looking at the remains of the griffins. The dragon, seeing that its work was done roared one last time before diving down towards the canyon. Suddenly, something strange happened. The fire that was eating at the remains of the griffins suddenly started glowing golden. The fire intensified and rose from the ground. A mixture of orange and golden flames intertwined. Finally, letters emerged, letters made of fire. When written they made: Ashes Of Gods.

    The scene paused and he was teleported into deep space, where a beautiful six-winged angel descended gracefully and said.

    "Hello Adventurer, welcome to Ashes of Gods. My name is Gabriel, the messenger angel."

    With a swipe of her left hand, an avatar that looked the same as Shesmu, albeit naked, appeared in front of him. "In this brand new world, you can craft your own brand new body. But remember, you can adjust your appearance only up to a limit of 20%."

    While Shesmu did know almost everything that there was to know about Ashes of Gods, he knew that he shouldn''t flaunt that knowledge in front of everyone he met. Especially with an entity like Gabriel present.

    "Oh, interesting. So, does that mean I can only change 20% of the things in my body?"

    Gabriel scratched her chin, thinking. "Not exactly. Here, let me give you an indicator of your body''s adjustments."

    With a swipe of her hand, a green rectangular bar appeared above the naked avatar''s head.

    "This bar will change color the more you adjust your appearance. Once it reaches the red, that means that you exceeded the 20% limit."

    "Oh, that''s handy." Shesmu then paused for a second. "Hey, Gabriel. Can I ask you something?"

    At his question, Gabriel answered smiling, "There are few things that I cannot answer, but yeah, you can ask me anything."

    Shesmu replied immediately, "In this game, are there kingdoms and empires already in place?" To start, Shesmu wanted to probe the depths of her tolerance. If he started with the true questions he had in mind, he would definitely get in trouble for it.

    "Yes, yes there are. I can give you the names and a basic description of these kingdoms since you have access to it when you will choose your birthplace. However, for information further than that, you need to go down there and check out the libraries."

    At the mention of the libraries, Shesmu''s eyes widened for a second. So, she can give information that we, players do not have access to until we enter the game.

    "Do I need to create an avatar before choosing my place of birth?" Shesmu already knew the answer to his question. However, he needed to keep up this facade of ignorance if he didn''t want to arouse suspicion.

    "No, not really. If you want, we can skip the character creation process for now, and later on come back to it." Gabriel suggested with her ever smiling face. At some point or another, she started bouncing up and down with her six, purple feathered wings.

    While Shesmu was surprised with her demeanor, he didn''t show it in his face. "Then, let''s do that."

    Hearing his confirmation, Gabriel finally stopped bouncing. Again, with a swipe of her left hand, Shesmu''s avatar turned into particles of light, scattered by a non-existing wind. Then a globe formed, showing the map of Ashes of Gods.

    "You can check the description of each country by focusing on it." Gabriel stated before leaving the floor to Shesmu.

    Looking at the globe, Shesmu already knew which country he was going to choose. But just for the sake of keeping his facade, he decided to check a few other empires first.

    The map was split into a variety of continents, some small, some big. The most prominent ones were named Eudrea, Solon, Auruboth, and Qiunis. There were a variety of large empires spanning the land. Oqibalon, Furix, Nawa Saknave, and Agios were all empires that spanned land bigger than some of the smaller continents. Each empire had their own set of beliefs and, for some of them, their own race.

    However, Shesmu wasn''t interested in any of those at the moment. His eyes were set on a certain kingdom on the north-east of the Eudrea continent: Pliyx Stal Kingdom.

    Focusing on Pliyx Stal, a description of the Kingdom filled the interface.

    "Pliyx Stal kingdom is ruled by the Stal family, thus the name. The Pliyx came from legends of a relic long lost. The properties of the relic differ depending on who you ask, and what their region is¡­"

    Seeing that the description will take a thousand year to finish, Shesmu just skimmed through it fast. He already knew whatever was written on the description due to past life experiences.

    "Oh!"

    Finally finding what he was looking for Shesmu read.

    "Nobles in Pliyx Stal kingdom are decided at birth. Those who are born with golden hair only, are low nobles. Those who are born with golden hair and golden eyes are high nobles. Traces of someone being born with only golden eyes have not been found, but the current consensus is that they would be considered high noble, if only due to their rarity..."

    As Shesmu read those words out loud, he looked at Gabriel.

    "I choose Pliyx Stal as my kingdom of birth." He affirmed.

    At his declaration, Gabriel smiled and said.

    "Understood, and for your town?"

    Shesmu faked his hesitation for a second, before looking back at the map to make it seem as if he was checking it again.

    "Hmm, Make it the Stal Capital City."

    At his antics, Gabriel chuckled for a second before answering.

    "Understood, but please understand that for the first 20 levels, you''ll stay in a beginner town affiliated to the City of your choosing. This applies to all players and all cities."

    With a swipe of her hand, the world map disappeared to leave place for the naked avatar to reemerge.

    While the angel was focusing on the avatar, Shesmu glimpsed at her from the corner of his eyes. Gabriel''s face almost didn''t betray her inner thoughts, only the amused smile showed her true reaction to the events happening before her.

    I guess that''s a pass... Now, for the second phase of the plan. Hopefully, it goes well.

    Crossing his fingers behind his back, Shesmu turned to face Gabriel.

 8 Cat And Mouse

    Looking at Gabriel, Mark steeled his heart before saying, "Can I look at the full body structure of my avatar? Everything that is inside it."

    Gabriel''s face froze. She didn''t respond for a few seconds, completely ignoring Shesmu. Although she didn''t say anything, Shesmu knew what was going on in the angel''s mind.

    Right at that very moment, she was sending thousands of requests to a higher tier system¡ªone with more clearance. That was because that simple question Shesmu asked was something that none of the AIs governing Ashes of Gods expected to be asked, especially so early in the release.

    Gabriel''s frozen face finally cracked into a smile.

    "Interesting, really interesting. I''m not sure if this is a coincidence, or if you have some kind of information. Either way, yes, you can see the full body, with everything that is inside it."

    Gabriel''s words made Shesmu''s heart sink. Goosebumps spread all over his body. Even with such a very simple request, she was able to deduce that he was hiding something. This kind of sharp mind worried Shesmu to no end. Even the slightest, most unnoticeable mistake slipped past him, she would find out.

    Gabriel swiped at Shesmu''s naked avatar and strange things happened. A shadowy figure that had the same frame as Shesmu stood next to his avatar. White flames dotted his body, making a vertical line from his head to the nether region, and a horizontal one across his shoulders. The flames formed a cross inscribed on the shadowy body.

    However, that wasn''t the end of the changes. Shesmu''s naked avatar also had multiple colored balls appear all over his body. From his head, to his heart, to his lungs, to his stomach.

    "I''m sure that you''re dying to know what all of these things are, what secrets do they hold. Unfortunately, I''m only allowed to give you the most basic information about them. That''s of course, unless you ask nicely again, like you did last time."

    Gabriel winked at Shesmu with a smile. The latter couldn''t help but shiver in response. Shesmu''s mouth hang slightly open, and his lips were dry. He didn''t say anything. He knew that no matter what he said in response, it wouldn''t help his situation in the slightest.

    As if she enjoyed the mental torture she put Shesmu through, Gabriel started bouncing up and down with her wings.

    "So, what are these things? These are the physical representations of the most basic power systems of this world: Ki, Mana, Nodes, and finally shadows," She said while pointing at the shadowy figure.

    "Not that great in terms of originality, now is it?" Gabriel smirked while looking at Shesmu. "Any questions for now?"

    Shesmu shook his head left and right, "No, not for now."

    Gabriel''s smirk turned into a more docile smile as she continued, "Well, let''s start with the shadow then. You see these white flames? These are the sources of power of shadow users. The more they ignite, the stronger they become."

    She then turned her attention towards the avatar. "The same is true for the other power users. The more cores they unlock, the stronger they become. As for which cores are for which system? They are classified here by color. The blue ones are for mana, green for ki, golden for nodes."

    Shesmu took a closer look at his avatar. The blue orbs, or cores as she named them, were all in the head area. The golden ones were at the heart, while the green ones were spread out between the lungs and the belly.

    "So, any question about what you just learned?" asked Gabriel. "Do you wanna change them?" She winked while smiling peacefully.

    However, peace wasn''t the best adjective to describe what was happening Shesmu''s mind. She was playing with him. She knew that he was hiding something, and she was using that knowledge to bait him and taunt him.

    Interesting, Shesmu fought hard the urge to grin. The fact that an AI was challenging him to a battle of mind, anyone would be terrified of such a prospect. However, Shesmu lived for this kind of thrill.

    "C-can I change them? How?" Shesmu asked innocently, feigning ignorance.

    Gabrield chuckled in response. "Ahh, that''s a loaded question. Unfortunately, I can''t show you."

    Shesmu understood that this was his cue to change the subject. "Ah, that''s a shame then. All of them seemed so interesting, I can''t wait to play and see how they all work."

    "I can''t wait to see which route you choose," replied Gabriel while floating up and down with her purple wings.

    Shesmu smiled in return before changing subjects. "Ahh, while this is interesting. We probably should continue with the character creation. That way I can experience the game first hand."

    "Definitely." Gabriel swiped with her hand and the shadow disappeared. The avatar also turned back into its normal form. She turned around and asked Shesmu smiling, "So, what part of your body do you want to change? Maybe your eye colors? Turn them golden, those would fit you so well."

    Shesmu gulped in response. Scary¡­ Gabriel had observed his every move since the start. As such, she could predict Shesmu''s every step to a frightening accuracy.

    "Ah¡­ I think you''re right. Golden eyes are definitely something I should have," Shesmu responded in defeat. Even though his pride hurt him, he knew that now wasn''t the time to care for such petty things.

    Gabriel kept bouncing up and down happily as she changed the avatar''s eye colors to gold. "Anything else?"

    Shesmu took a look at his character before finally deciding. "Hmm, make the hair longer a bit, shoulder length. And, change the color to a dark shade of purple."

    Shesmu did play with the idea of just keeping his hair black as normal. However, since he already made that choice in his past life, he thought that changing up things this time would be more interesting. Plus, the dark purple hair choice was also in honor of one of his future friends: Fate.

    Shesmu faced Gabriel and said, "I''m done with changing the looks. We can continue."

    "Okay then." With a swipe of her hand, his avatar was separated into 4 clones, each wearing a different outfit.

    "This is the warrior, or, since you already know about the systems, it is the Ki user in its Swordsman iteration, " Gabriel said as she was pointing to the clone holding a sword and emanating a green aura flowing wildly.

    "This is the Mana user, in its water Elementalist iteration," The mage clone was holding a staff and wearing a robe that was fluttering to a non-existing wind. The clone had a blue and calming aura, his eyes were deep as the ocean, showing his unending wisdom.

    "This is the shadow user, in its Shadow iteration, " The assassin was wearing a cloak that was merging with the shadows, half of his face was masked and a black aura complementing his attire was emanating from him. He was holding a razor-sharp dagger, with a black and red handle. Its blade was darker than black, and the overall aura screamed the word danger from miles away.

    "And finally, this is the node user, this particular one is from Agios, believing in the aspect of Life Aida," The priest was holding a book on his hands, presumably a holy one. He was wearing a white full-length cape with golden ornaments on his shoulders, sleeves and on his chest. He was emanating a holy aura that was complemented by his golden hair and eyes. His whole figure was screaming "I am holier than thou".

    Shesmu didn''t take long to choose which class to take. All of his doubts and worries, he already came to term with before even entering the Dreamscape. He will take the path of his past life, but this time, he will push it further.

    "I choose the Ki user."

    "Hm, really? I thought the Shadow was cool and suited your edgy, cool teenager vibe better." Gabriel said with a tone full of surprise. However, her smile easily betrayed her amusement and mischievousness.

    Shesmu couldn''t be bothered with her antics so he just ignored them.

    "Tch," Seeing that she won''t be able to get a reaction out of him, Gabriel just clicked her tongue and continued on with the process.

    "One other thing, since you chose the Ki user as your main class, do you wanna stay with the default look or do you want to change the color scheme?"

    Shesmu looked at his avatar before making some adjustments, "Make the vest greenish blue and the pants black. Also, make the plates be a bit more dark grey."

    Gabriel changed the look of Shesmu''s avatar as told before replying, "Is it now to your liking?"

    Shesmu subtly nodded in response.

    "Anyways, we''re basically done. You just need to choose your name, and you can start the tutorial. So, what will it be?"

    At her question, Shesmu didn''t hesitate.

    "Shesmu." It was a name that stuck with him even before he started playing Ashes of Gods in his past life. It''s the first ID that he used in his first Vr game, ever since he started playing with his dad.

    "Name accepted. Well then, I think this is goodbye, for now, Mark¡ªNo, Shesmu. But before that, I want to announce to you something. As the first person to discover the power system, you receive the title of pioneer. It doesn''t give you any stats that would increase your power, but it does increase your reputation with the allied races."

    She hummed for a second, hands scratching her chin before continuing with a happy smile, "Well, since it''s such a special occasion, this title will be linked to your account. That means any alt character you make will also have this title. Of course, it will carry to the live server as well."

    Before Shesmu could respond, Gabriel swiped with her one last time. She and the black space around them turned into countless light particles. However, even though her body disappeared, her voice still lingered on.

    "Good luck in Ashes of Gods, Mark."

 9 First-In

    "Good luck in Ashes of Gods, Mark."

    With these parting words, Gabriel''s right hand glittered in a myriad of colors as she swiped in the air creating a colorful tear in space. As if she pulled a curtain, Shesmu''s vision turned a golden white for a second, before he saw himself materializing in another place, kneeling on the ground.

    The floor was made out of wood. Shesmu could feel its dry and grained texture. For some reason, even though he already experienced the realism of Ashes of Gods countless times in his past life, he still felt surprised at the sensation. It was as if this was the first time Shesmu entered this world.

    Congratulations! New Title Acquired!

    Pioneer

    Being an adventurer comes with great opportunities, one of them is being able to discover new species, runes, skills or magic. For those who reached far and wide, and were the first to do something of significance in this world, this title is given.

    Increase in reputation with the allied races.

    Being greeted by this notification was something of a first for Shesmu. Thinking about it, this might be the first time ever someone starts the game with a special title already given.

    Shesmu closed the notification, and while looking up his eyes crossed with those of a person with high stature. The unknown man''s posture was disciplined, like that of a soldier or a dojo master. He wore a pair of metal shoulder plates, chainmail covered by a green vest that were coupled with dark green pants. His muscles were bursting out of his vest, scars of battle decorated his face and arms, telling tales of all the wars he survived.

    All of a sudden, Shesmu who was staring at him felt a great sense of danger. The man in front of him looked much larger. Shesmu''s eyes only could focus on him and only him, not noticing anything of the surrounding. The man felt like a feral beast, a green aura full of ferocity was emanating from him.

    Shesmu shook his head to snap out of the illusion he was trapped in.

    Bloodthirst passive, huh? Isn''t that a high-level skill, I guess this guy is not half bad. At the very least he is a Tier II. But to think I would actually succumb to the effect of this skill for so long. I know that this is just a level one''s body but... My senses are really no longer as sharp as they used to be. This is weird¡­

    As Shesmu was sitting up, he looked at the man in front of him before stopping dead on his tracks. The man''s eyes were cold. So cold, it sent a shiver down Shesmu''s spine. This time, it wasn''t unintentional bloodlust leaking from him, he really wanted to kill him then and there.

    However, as if everything was but an illusion, the warrior''s cold eyes turned soft, a smile filling his face.

    "Hey, young''un, get up. The look in your face is as if you just saw a demon. Hahaha!"

    Seeing the man who was just about to eat him alive turn into a kind middle-aged man felt awkward to Shesmu. However, it didn''t take long for him to just shake off that feeling and go with the flow. There were many weird people everywhere. If he were to be stuck whenever one of them does something weird, Shesmu would not get anywhere.

    Once Shesmu sat up, the man started talking.

    "My name is Leonard, your instructor. Here, I''ll be teaching you the basics of how to become a brave one!"

    As Leonard was talking, Shesmu''s eyes drifted to his surroundings. As expected, he saw the ghosts.

    Noticing where Shesmu''s attention went, the instruction tried to clear his confusion.

    "Oh, these are the ghosts. They are a representation of your comrades from the golden generation in this plane. Each of you is in a different plane with a different instructor so that none bothers anyone in their training."

    Shesmu knew all of this, but he still found it funny how the inhabitants of this world call players the golden generation.

    Each of the ghosts was doing something different. Some were listening to their instructors, others already started training, and some just kept fooling around trying to get a reaction from the other ghosts.

    "First of all, we need to know which weapon do you see fit for your style. It may determine your future advancement in the mighty path of the warrior. But fret not, even if none of the weapons here are to your suiting, you can always choose one later. There will always be a master out there that can teach you the way, you just need to find them!"

    Shesmu wasn''t really interested in the instructor''s short monologue, so he just replied curtly.

    "An arming sword."

    "Oh, we seem to be kindred spirits! Remember young''un, the sword chooses its master, so be worthy lest you get rejected by your own sword! Hahaha!"

    Leonard laughed as he patted Shesmu''s back. Each one of his taps felt more like a boulder slamming on Shesmu''s back, rather than human hands.

    "Hack, hack!" Leonard''s friendly pats hit Shesmu so hard that he felt his bones shaking.

    Goddammit, what have I done to suffer like this! Was he that violent last time?

    "Haha, you sure do have a backbone. Most would have fallen to their knees from my greeting pat. Hahaha!"

    For some reason, a strong urge to go up and pummel Leonard until he drops dead, burnt inside Shesmu. The only thing that was stopping him from doing so was the rational side of him that said: "You''re gonna get rekt before you even take the first step, so calm down."

    "Anyway, enough with the rambling, I''m sure that the fire inside your heart is waiting to be unleashed! Come, here is your sword."

    Leonard materialized a long sword in his hand. It didn''t look anything spectacular. In fact, Shesmu could tell from a distance that the sword''s blade was too dull. The amount of damage one could do with this thing was negligible.

    Shesmu moved forward to take the sword from Leonard''s hands. Even though the sword was of trash quality, he was excited. It had been quite a long time since he touched a sword, and even if it was a blunt one, Shesmu didn''t mind. He was looking forward to playing around with it. Without a sword in his hands, Shesmu felt that something was lacking. Now, he would finally be able to fill that gap in his heart.

    However, when Shesmu took hold of the long sword, it wasn''t joy that welcomed him, but an all-engulfing terror. His hands started shaking, and his eyes were unbelieving. His legs failed him and he fell down to his knees. He could feel it, and he understood it with every fiber of his being. The sword felt alien, almost as if it was the first time he ever touched one.

 10 Setback

    The sword felt heavy, it felt heavy and slippery. He didn''t need to use it to know that when he slashes with it, it would be the sloppiest slash he did in a long, long time.

    Shesmu instinctively knew what was happening. He knew what was happening to his body, to his mind¡ªhe knew it. However, he couldn''t accept it.

    "Heyo."

    "Young''un!"

    "Are you okay?!"

    However, the old man''s words fell into deaf ears. Shesmu''s eyes didn''t even respond to only shouting, only glued to his sword.

    "Did the sword scare you? Don''t worry, it will be even scarier to your opponents!" He then paused for a bit before continuing. "But if holding this sword is that overwhelming to you, maybe you should rethink your decision to be a warrior. You can always go through the purification ritual at the church and you can choose another profession. We can go there together if you want to."

    "No," Shesmu plainly said.

    At his remark, Leonard raised an eyebrow.

    Shesmu stood up, his intense gaze never leaving his sword. With scrunched eyebrows, he raised it and slashed at the air.

    After performing his move, Shesmu closed his eyes and bit his lips. It was now confirmed. He had lost his ability to hold the sword.

    His skills, his techniques, everything he had spent tens of thousands of hours practicing, day and night. It was all gone.

    Shesmu stayed silent for a couple of seconds before taking a deep breath. He then screamed with all his might.

    The scream¡ªno, the war cry, was so feral in nature, so powerful, it made the instructor back away. However, while the scream was powerful, it held no sadness, no self-pity in it. It was a scream that challenged the world.

    Shesmu''s scream left Leonard awed. His eyes widened and he started laughing uncontrollably.

    "What a scream! Haha! I like that! That scream had such vigor in it, such energy! You''re going to become a fine Swordsman, I can already tell!"

    After a loud laugh and his iconic greeting pat to the back, Leonard finally became serious.

    "Well, we already had our fun, now it''s time for me to show you the basics of a warrior. What I will show are the basic skills that every holder of the warrior class should master, so look attentively."

    Leonard summoned a training dummy in front of him, before materializing a sword in his hand too. The sword was the same as the one he gave Shesmu, prompting the latter to think that this was the only type of sword these instructors could summon.

    "First of all, I''ll show you how a normal slash looks like."

    Leonard took a deep breath in as he raised his sword towards his back. His eyes focused, and in the blink of an eye, Leonard slashed diagonally at the training dummy. In less than a fraction of a second, Leonard slashed and went back to his fighting position. A number appeared above the fighting dummy glowing blue, 9000, showing the damage that the dummy took from Leonard''s slash. He then took a deep breath out before looking at Shesmu and saying.

    "This is a normal slash, now let me show you an empowered one."

    However, Shesmu just half-heard those words. His focus was still on the training dummy that has just been slashed. He could barely see Leonard move, let alone his slash. Since his reflexes and muscle memory were gone, he expected his kinetic vision to also deteriorate.

    But Shesmu wasn''t worried anymore. When he first started playing Ashes of Gods, he couldn''t even see the instructor move, let alone his slash. That means that at least some things carried over the time jump. Maybe his predictive abilities, or maybe just some of his knowledge that is ingrained in his subconsciousness made him look at where he needs to look without him actually reacting to anything.

    Whatever the case may be, Shesmu knew that his starting point is still higher than in his past life, much much higher if you consider his knowledge about quests, mechanics, and classes. There was no reason for him to fret, he already reached such heights in his past life without anyone''s help, what now when he has such a massive lead over everyone else?

    Leonard took a fighting stance, preparing his empowered slash. However, before making any moves, he continued his explanation.

    "Now, it gets a bit complicated. You need to free your mind, let out all distracting thoughts and think only one thing: "Empowered Slash". It needs to be imprinted in your brain, your soul even. Only then will the skill activate and your inner power heed your call. Here, watch and learn."

    Leonard''s sword glowed red. The previously dull looking sword emanated an air of danger and sharpness. Leonard slashed swiftly, leaving a crimson afterimage as the trail of his sword. This time, the number that appeared on top of the dummy was glowing red, and looked much bigger and more imposing than when Leonard did a normal slash with his sword. But maybe, most surprising of all, was that the damage reached 30000, more than three times that of Leonard''s normal attack.

    As Leonard finished his speech, a red notification reached Shesmu. At the far upper-left of his vision was his Hp and Energy bar and next to them was a small plus sign. This sign had a red exclamation mark next to it blinking. Focusing on the plus sign, multiple tabs appeared in front of Shesmu. Selecting the Skill tab, a table appeared in front of him.

    New Skill Acquired

    Empowered Slash

    Empowered Slash

    Tier: 0

    Level: 1

    Cost: 30 Energy

    Base Damage: 50 + 125% Attack Damage.

    Looking at the basic description of the skill, Shesmu just casually closed all of the tabs. It''s not as if he didn''t already know every information that was present there.

    Bringing Shesmu out of his reverie, Leonard continued explaining.

    "Here, now that I have shown you how the mighty Empowered Slash looks like, try your hand at it and see how things go."

    Leonard then took a step back to leave room for Shesmu to hack and slash at the training dummy to his heart''s content. Shesmu then took a step forward, holding his sword with two hands.

    Let''s start with a simple empowered slash.

    Thinking those words in his head, Shesmu then thought.

    Empowered slash!

    Shesmu felt parts of his body heat up, especially his arms and abdomen. Weird green energy invisible to the naked eye went through his stomach and then reached his hands before seeping into his sword. Shesmu''s sword glowed bright green before his hands automatically slashed the training dummy.

    87

    Looking at his damage, Shesmu wasn''t disappointed or anything. This was the damage of a standard Empowered Slash. Sure there were ways to make it do even more damage, but this isn''t what Shesmu was worried about at the moment. What concerned him was something more fundamental, a technique that he considered his bread and butter with how flexible it was.

    If this does not work, then I really don''t know what to say.

    Shesmu readied his stance, his sword at the level of his forehead, then he slashed. It was a normal, diagonal two-handed slash, and if someone had seen it, he wouldn''t think twice about it. But just as the sword was about to get into contact with the training dummy. Shesmu thought.

    Empowered... Slash!

    Immediately, that weird green energy surged from his stomach to his arms, then to his sword. Glinting with that familiar green light, Shesmu''s sword slashed the neck of the training dummy. Above the dummy, a big red 175 appeared.

    If anyone was in Shesmu''s shoes, they would be overjoyed at the sight of such an incredibly high damage. It was double the normal empowered slash! However, Shesmu''s face was gloomy. He closed his eyes and bit his lips. Even this one move, he thought.

    Shesmu took a few breaths to calm his heart before opening his eyes again. This time, they shone brighter than ever. He held his sword firmly and slashed again.

 11 Third Times The Charm

    When the gates of heaven opened, Humanity stepped into a desolate world. Ravaged by the thousand-year of war, the triads were saved by the holy humans. The founders with their holy might united the world under the banner of the empire. Thus, the world saw prosperity it hasn''t seen since time long gone. ¡ª The Coming Of Humanity, by the scholars of The Holy Empire of Men

    --------------

    Shesmu stood in front of the training dummy while holding his sword with one hand. His eyes were closed and breath steady. He stood still, not moving in the slightest. However, while he showed no sign of aggression externally, Shesmu was waging a more decisive war, and its battlefield was in his mind.

    Taking a deep breath, Shesmu replayed the sequence of attacks he just did in his mind. As if his mind was a Slow-motion camera, he saw himself making that attack slowly. He noticed every detail, every breath he took, the speed by which his sword was moving, its angle and more.

    The sword kept slashing and Shesmu kept observing. Slash after slash, he would observe the most minute details. Every time, he would become much better and more proficient.

    Shesmu imagined himself raising the sword again. In his mind, he slashed and with his slash time slowed. His eyes measured the distance between the sword and the dummy, its speed, its angle. From that information, he calculated the exact moment in which he should activate his skill.

    Counting under his breath, Shesmu reached 2 before the green energy started gathering on his abdomen.

    ''Stop¡ª''

    Stopping his imagination dead in its track, Shesmu felt his hands become slippery. Sweat dripped down from his forehead and the palms of his hands. He shortly gasped for air before looking at the training dummy.

    Okay, let''s do it for real this time''

    Shesmu took hold of his sword with both hands, gripping its handle tightly. He raised his sword and swung diagonally towards the dummy. As it closed in, Shesmu once again activated Empowered Slash.

    "Shhh!"

    Same as in his imagination, a big red 175 appeared above the dummy''s head. He failed again. Looking at it, Shesmu saw a gash on the training dummy''s neck before it got instantly healed. That was considered a weak spot, as the dummy was representing a humanoid creature, thus the higher than standard damage.

    Shesmu didn''t mind the failure, it was part of the process. In fact, he elated. His last swing felt good, it was close.

    Third time''s the charm, let''s do this.

    For a third time Shesmu took hold of his sword, and with both hands raised it at the level of his forehead. He swung it diagonally, and as the sword closed on the dummy, he activated his skill.

    "Swoosh!"

    A bright green light in the form of a slash appeared in the air for a second before dissipating. A gash, bigger than ever before, made its way through the dummy''s neck before slowly healing. And, most surprising of all, two numbers appeared above the dummy. A small blue 74, and a big red 175 were on top of each other.

    Looking at those magical numbers, Shesmu, whose expression was grim since he reached this world, finally softened. A rare smile appeared on his face.

    Finally, something good.

    However, he didn''t let his excitement get the better of him. He recalled back all the movements that he did, the breaths he took, everything and burnt it into his memory.

    "Clap, clap, clap."

    Snapping out of his reverie, Shesmu turned around to the sound of Leonard clapping.

    "That was a marvelous technique. May I know its name?" Leonard said respectfully, his usual joking tone nowhere to be seen.

    To this question, Shesmu pondered for a second. The move did have a name, but it was more popular among players and he never heard an NPC say it before. In the end, he just pushed those thoughts to the side and answered.

    "This move is inspired by a type of technique called animation cancels. This one specifically shall be named Empowered Slash Cancel."

    "Interesting name, Empowered Slash Cancel, I''ll keep it in mind." Leonard looked like a student taking notes from his professor as he said those words.

    "It''s the first time that I have ever seen anything like that. Were you a swordsman before coming here?"

    Leonard''s question made Shesmu feel complicated emotions. "Something of the sort, yes."

    "Marvelous. A holder of golden eyes but also master of the sword. What an unusual combination."

    Leonard''s unusual statement left Shesmu speechless. I didn''t know that nobles couldn''t hold the sword.

    Leonard coughed before continuing, "Anyway, there are still a few things you need to learn before going on your way. Two skills. Empowered Thrust and warrior''s Dash. Weak in the hands of the unskilled, but unbelievably lethal when used by a master. And you, my friend, are one. I can''t wait to see the rampage you''ll unleash once you learn these skills. Hahaha!"

    As Leonard continued laughing like a madman, Shesmu just smiled in response. Somehow, the jovial, feral nature of this man made Shesmu like him.

    "Haha, so let me show you. This is how you do an Empowered thrust¡­"

    While Leonard continued explaining, Shesmu''s brain just shut off. While his ears did hear the words, his brain could no longer process them. Shesmu was tired. His breath was heavy, and cold sweat dripped from his forehead. He closed his eyes and focused completely on recovering his strength.

    By the end of Leonard''s demonstration, which Shesmu completely ignored, he gained two skills.

    Dash

    Tier: 0

    Level: 1

    Cost: 20

    Rapidly moves you anywhere within a 5 meters radius.

    Empowered Thrust

    Tier: 0

    Level: 1

    Cost: 30 Energy

    Base Damage: 50 + 125% Attack Damage.

    The description of Dash barely gave any information, but Shesmu knew that the skill had many limiting factors. For example, the skill didn''t work well at the edge of its radius when the terrain is not even. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn''t. Someone probably already knew the specific details regarding this in his past life, but Shesmu couldn''t bother at the time looking it up, and for sure won''t bother racking his brain for an answer now. As for Empowered Thrust, it was basically Empowered Slash, but with a thrust. Not really that exciting.

    "You are now a warrior. A beast in man''s skin, a demon on the battlefield. Remember! Your sword is now your limb, and no one ever forgets his limbs! It should always be in your hand, even in your sleep. The woods are cunning, the veil of the night is where the demons sleep! Now, go! Finish your training and become a true warrior of this Great Pliyx Stal Kingdom. A noble''s duty is to be the spearhead in face of danger, a protector of the citizens! Never forget that!"

    Leonard''s aura shifted once he started his speech. No longer was he the amiable middle-aged man, he returned to his steel cold, eyes of the beast Leonard Shesmu saw when he first came into this world.

    Understanding the importance of the speech and the severity of the tone, Shesmu respectfully nodded and said, "Understood. I shall keep those words to heart."

    Leonard''s eyes stayed cold and his lips glued together. That was before he brought out the biggest smile Shesmu had ever seen

    "Hahaha, good good," Leonard repeated as he hugged Shesmu. He then let out and looked at him.

    "You''re now a brother. All warriors of this land are brothers in arms. We care for each other, we help each other in times of need, and we all stand together¡ªboth against the viles and vile humans."

    He then showed the way towards the exit of the dojo.

    "Come, I shall show you around the place."

    Shesmu was a bit surprised by the whole ordeal, but in the end, he decided to just go with the flow.

    As they were leaving the dojo, Shesmu looked around to see the ghosts still practicing. As he looked around, a fleeting thought crossed his mind. Between these hundreds of nameless ghosts, maybe one of his old friends was out there practicing, and he would never know.

    However, just as he was about to be engulfed by that train of thought, Leonard''s voice snapped him back to reality.

    "Hey, Thomas! Come here!"

    A scrawny man came running forward. The moment he saw Shesmu, his eyes dilated in shock and he stopped in place. He immediately bowed and greeted in a loud voice.

    "Greetings, your grace!"

    Shesmu scanned the man with his eyes. He was wearing a green suit coat, black pants, and a red bowtie to compliment his suit. Although his dark hair was balding, it was well combed.

    Shesmu''s eyebrows wiggled in confusion as he looked at the man. Weird choice of clothes, he thought.

    "Hahaha! Thomas! What an exaggerated greeting, you look like you''ve seen a ghost!"

    While Leonard kept laughing obnoxiously, Thomas'' fist shook in anger.

    "Leonard! How barbaric! How can you talk like that in front of his grace, do you not know any shame?!"

    Standing by the sidelines, Shesmu resisted the urge to laugh. Looking at Thomas berating Leonard in a deep British accent while the latter just continued laughing loudly was a moment to remember.

    "Anyway, this gentleman here, ehh¡ª" Leonard looked in Shesmu''s direction, embarrassed.

    "My name is Shesmu."

    "Thanks," Leonard curtly replied before focusing back on Thomas. "So, Shesmu still needs to continue his registration process. Can we get done with that already?"

    "It''s his GRACE Shesmu!" Thomas shouted at Leonard before bowing in the direction of Shesmu. "I''m deeply sorry, your grace. This brute has no clue about the etiquette of high society."

    "Ah, it''s okay, Thomas. I don''t mind." Shesmu paused for a second before continuing, "But nevermind that, we should start with the registration."

    "Right away, your grace." Thomas then ran towards his desk to prepare a chair. "Please, your grace Shesmu, take some rest."

    Shesmu looked at Leonard. The latter just shrugged with his shoulders and smiled, not caring what Shesmu did. In the end, Shesmu accepted Thomas'' invitation and sat down.

    After Shesmu sat down, Thomas went back to his desk and started rummaging for something. After a few seconds, he finally found what he was looking for. He came in front of Shesmu while holding a golden paper.

    "Aha, finally. Here, your grace, this is the paper of light. Only such paper is worthy for someone of your stature."

    Shesmu took hold of the paper and started reading it. It was some kind of birth certificate, but for nobles. While reading, Shesmu found a certain paragraph that piqued his interest.

    "Hey, Thomas. It says here "Prospective High Noble". What does that mean, exactly?"

    Thomas took back the golden paper before responding, "Yes, your grace. His majesty the king, and milords the highs decided that any man or woman of the golden generation whose hair or eyes are golden would be given the prospective title. For your grace, it means that you shall be respected as a high through the land. However, you aren''t granted land until you become a full-fledged noble, which I''m sure you will."

    Listening to Thomas'' speech, Shesmu remembered that in his past life there was this event where all noble players gathered. He had a hunch that this thing about the prospective title was related somehow to that event.

    "Interesting, tell me more. How do I become a true high noble."

    "Yes, your grace. Once a year, young masters come from far and wide to the capital. Their purpose is one, to prove that they are able to lead their people and be victorious. Every noble that reached the age of adulthood is given a small army and a base. And for a full month, they wage war against each other. Nobles that captured two bases other than their own are the winner. His majesty the king rewards them, and they''re declared full-fledged nobles as according to their birthright."

    Shesmu took a few seconds to absorb this deluge of information. The first question that came to his mind was when did this gathering even happen? However, Shesmu forwent to ask this question as it wasn''t of interest to him right now. He could always find out later. What was more important for him now was to get done with the registration process and start slashing things.

    "That''s interesting, I will definitely keep it in mind. Thanks, Thomas."

    Understanding Shesmu''s signal to drop the subject, Thomas sat up and said, "It''s my pleasure, your grace. Please wait for a moment as I get the seal. We can then finish with the registration."

    Thomas went back to his desk and rummaged once again. He took out a golden seal from within the pile of papers and random stuff. He kneeled in front of Shesmu before presenting him with the seal.

    "Your grace, the seal needs your blood to remember your soul. Please put it on your thumb for a few seconds."

    Shesmu took the seal from within Thomas'' hand and put it on his thumb. It stung for a bit, and blood dripped into it for a few seconds before Shesmu took it off.

    "Thank you, your grace. You shall now be officially given the title of High Noble. May you guide this land to glory!"

    With those words, Thomas stamped the paper of light. It glowed in a thousand different colors before disintegrating into colorful particles.

 12 Resonance

    New Skill Acquired

    Noble''s Pride

    Level: 1 (Max)

    Cost: 0 (Passive)

    A noble''s pride is also a noble''s duty. The noble protects the civilians, and in counterpart the civilians respect the noble.

    Gain of reputation in Pliyx Stal Kingdom is doubled.

    Loss of reputation in Pliyx Stal Kingdom is doubled.

    New Title Acquired

    Golden Eye of the Golden Child

    As a holder of the golden eyes, your rights have been determined by birth. But as children of the golden generation, you have no family to inherit or favor to be graced with. However, fret not, as the king granted you the chance to receive a territory and be a beacon of hope for this country.

    This title gives you the same standing as that of a High Noble.

    "Your grace, there is one final thing I need to show you." Thomas closed his eyes and his hand glowed golden. He touched Shesmu''s forehead with his finger and a notification appeared in front of him.

    Mental Teaching Activated

    Do you accept the connection?

    Yes | No

    Yes. A new interface appeared in front of Shesmu.

    New Skill Acquired

    Inspect

    Level: 1

    Cost: 0 Energy

    Shows basic information about the objects inspected. It does not work on object 10 levels higher than the skill.

    "You guys are finally done?"

    Leonard, who stood silent for the whole time at the corner finally spoke.

    "By the name of all the aspects in the sky, what took you so long?"

    "How rude!" Thomas objected. He looked at Shesmu and said, "Please, your grace, forgive this peasant for not knowing how to behave."

    "Ah, whatever." Leonard grabbed Shesmu by the hand and said. "Let''s go Shesmu, there is still other stuff that you need to know."

    Shesmu looked back at Thomas only to see him bowing in his direction. "Farewell, your grace. May your adventures in this world be full of thrill and happiness."

    Shesmu smiled back at Thomas and said, "Farewell, Thomas. I enjoyed your company very much."

    The two made their way towards the building, leaving Thomas back in his desk. After leaving through the gates, Shesmu looked around to see the buildings surrounding the hall.

    "This building that we just came out of is called the Warrior''s Hall. It''s where the new beginner warriors get their initiation. The other buildings you see do the same but for the other classes."

    The surroundings of Shesmu resembled a small village. There were buildings everywhere. Homes, halls, churches, and towers. The place was packed. Surrounding it all was a wall of stone. And in each corner, there was a watchtower, looking out for danger.

    "The tower over there is where the mage newbies spawn. That church is for priests, and that hall is for assassins. But those don''t really matter to you now. The interesting bit is behind all of those: The training ground."

    He then looked at Shesmu and said, "Come, let''s go."

    Shesmu walked after Leonard while looking at the other buildings. Players came out, accompanied by their instructor. They all wore different sets of clothes, robes, cloaks, chainmails, and gowns.

    Finally, the two reached the training ground. An open space with dummies all around.

    "So, Shesmu. Let me do some explanations first before letting you on your way. The space around you is the training ground." He then walked and said, "Reveal."

    The earth glowed in a bright shade of orange. Pillars of golden light appeared all over the training ground. Light made its way from one pillar to the next forming a pentagon. And finally, two circles surrounded the formation, with runes slowly popping into existence between the perimeters of the two.

    Shesmu covered his eyes from the blinding light. After opening them again, he gasped at the sight of the magic circle. Woah, this one is huge. Is it a tier III spell?

    "This little gem here is the cornerstone on which this whole camp was built. You can train all you want, you''ll never run out of energy."

    Shesmu did know about this ability, he just didn''t know that what was holding it was a tier III spell. Seems like they got a really talented enchanter to make this one.

    Leonard coughed to catch Shesmu''s attention before talking with a serious voice. "The reason why I came with you here is but one. It''s for one final lesson. The technique that I''ll show you isn''t a spell that you could just call in your mind for it to activate. You need to have an extremely strong vision and unparalleled talent."

    He then took a deep breath and said. "Look and listen, I''ll only say this once. Focus on your mind, focus on your spirit, focus on everything that makes you, you."

    Shesmu took a deep breath and closed his eyes. By the time he opened them, a white aura covered his irises. From the surface of the floor came a mist. This mist swirled and turned, and with each spin, it turned darker and darker. By the end, the white mist became a black shadow. One reminiscent of the shadow Shesmu saw in the character creation.

    * * *

    "Woah."

    Leonard was surprised. He couldn''t see the mist nor the shadow, but the white aura in Shesmu''s eyes told him the full story.

    "What a terrifying talent."

    Leonard understood that he shouldn''t disturb Shesmu in his current state. Nothing he could teach him would be more important than indulging in this trance. As such, he went out of the way and sat under the shade of a nearby tree.

    He kept looking at Shesmu fighting against the air for long minutes without saying a word. Suddenly, he heard chattering in the distance. He turned around only to see a very familiar face. Leonard''s complexion turned worse as he looked at the man approaching.

    White skin, dark hair, and thin eyebrows. The man had a peaceful smile that never left his face. However, behind that facade, Leonard knew that a beast of unknown terror was hidden.

    "Damnit, of all people it could only be him," He muttered. His eyebrows rose in surprise after as he questioned. "But why would he come though? He never leaves his hole unless the world is burning."

    Leonard''s eyes then glanced at next to the man. A small red-headed kid walked beside him. His cloak told Leonard his full story.

    "An assassin apprentice, huh," He murmured under his breath.

    "Oh, Leonard, fancy seeing you here," The man exclaimed with a bright voice.

    "Spare me the pleasantries Shin, what made you crawl out of your hole this time."

    Shin''s face showed no reaction to the hostility of Leonard. He kept his everlasting smile plastered on his face as he responded, "My little birdie told me that this morning would be interesting." He then looked at the kid on his right before continuing. "So far, I haven''t been disappointed."

    Leonard''s attention immediately focused on the child next to Shin. His hair was bright red and well combed. His eyes were blue like the ocean, and his small frame made him seem weak and vulnerable.

    Interesting, Leonard thought. He then asked, "What''s your name, kid?"

    The child looked at him before responding, "The name is Ryan."

    "Good name, I''m guessing you have a few tricks up your sleeves to catch the attention of Shin."

    Ryan grinned before responding, "Something like that."

    He then turned towards Shin and asked, "Shin, we reached the training ground, now can you tell me why you wanted me to walk all the way over here."

    Shin responded in a warm voice, "I''m going to teach you a certain technique, and here is a much better place for practice than the hall."

    He then turned around towards Leonard, "But it seems like I wasn''t the only one who had this idea." Even though Shin''s lips kept smiling, his eyes glowed with a dangerous glint. "I didn''t think that you would be able to teach your student Resonance in such a short time."

    Leonard''s eyes darted to Shesmu for a second before focusing back on Shin. "That''s not something I taught him. Shesmu learned Resonance on his own."

    Shin stayed silent for a few seconds before finally responding. This time, his voice was no longer cold. "That''s an enviable talent." He then looked at Ryan before focusing back on Shesmu. "Seems like this batch of students is going to be interesting."

    "Resonance," Ryan muttered. "Is that the technique you were gonna teach me?" He asked looking up at Shin.

    "Not really," Shin said slowly.

    "Just tell me how it works and I''ll figure it out," Ryan cut in. His eyes shone with a competitive fire as they looked at Shesmu.

    "Hahaha, you have a lively student, Shin. Seems like you need to learn a thing or two from him." Leonard laughed while looking at the duo. He liked kids with a bit of edge, with a bit of fire burning in them. And this kid showed exactly that.

    Shin just shook his head and said, "Honestly, you two." He then looked at Ryan and continued, "Okay then. I can show you how to do Resonance. But remember this, don''t feel bad if you cannot do it or if it''s hard. This skill is one that needs lots and lots of training, years even for the less fortunate. Both me and Leonard here were only able to master it once we reached the pinnacle of tier II."

    "Just tell me how to do it. I''m not so childish as to need this kind of pep talk." Ryan''s cut in made Leonard almost burst out laughing.

    Shin just smiled wryly in response before continuing, "Resonance is the most basic interaction with the ether. Ether is the energy that surrounds us all. It''s what makes the apples fall, it''s what makes your body stand together, and it''s also what makes casting spells possible."

    Shin then touched Ryan''s forehead with his index and middle finger. "Close your eyes and look deep within yourself. Do not say anything. Do not listen to me. I do not exist, only the world inside you does."

    Shin''s fingers glowed with a white aura. This aura jumped from his fingers and onto Ryan''s forehead. It then pulsated throughout the kid''s whole body before disappearing.

    Leonard and Shin kept looking at Ryan with bated breath. The kid kept his eyes closed for a few seconds before opening them. They were white.

    "What a terrifying kid," Leonard muttered.

    Ryan unsheathed his dagger and started slashing at the air. He dodged, parried and blocked invisible moves. He would then counterattack with flabbergasting speeds. His movements were clean-cut, no fat in his steps, no acrobatics, just clean footwork.

    Leonard looked at Shin and said, "These kids are scary. Were you the one who taught him that footwork?"

    Shin stayed silent for a few seconds, smiling as he looked at Ryan''s movements. Only after a few moments had passed did he respond. "No, it''s something that he knew since before he came to this world."

    "Phew, for kids their age to have such high combat mastery. I wonder how their world looks like. Is it even more terrifying than this one?"

    Shin didn''t respond to Leonard''s musings. He just kept contemplating Ryan''s footwork, not missing any step.

    Understanding that he wouldn''t talk, Leonard joined Shin in his silence and kept looking at his disciple. The two observed their students under the shade of the tree for more than an hour, before they finally fell on the ground, unconscious.

 13 Ready Stance

    Shesmu woke up to a slight headache. The only thing he remembered was fighting his shadow within resonance. After that, everything was blank. He looked up only to be greeted by the rays of light passing through the leaves of a tree.

    "The princess of Voldorwing has finally awakened."

    By this point, Shesmu would be able to recognize Leonard''s laughter between a million one. He turned towards the direction of the voice only to see Leonard standing next to a tall white man. His everlasting smile was like the spring breeze. His blue eyes were as clear as the sky.

    Shesmu stood up from under the shade of the tree. "I may be the princess of Voldorwing, but at least I''m not the old man of Summerrise."

    Leonard was surprised at first before he burst out laughing. "Hahaha, so you outworlders also know about the old man of Summerrise. Good, good, that was a good one."

    Shesmu stood silent, just smiling in response to Leonard''s laughter, before hinting at Shin with his eyes.

    Understanding the nonverbal communication, Leonard coughed and said, "Yeah, some introductions are due. This creep here is named Shin. Don''t let his smile fool you, this guy is scarier than any vile you would ever encounter in the wild."

    Shin just shrugged in response to Leonard''s introduction, a smile of defeat plastered on his face.

    "Don''t listen to this old man''s rambling. I''m just a normal assassin instructor who is living in peace in this camp," he said while offering his hand to shake.

    Shesmu swiftly obliged while also introducing himself. "Nice to meet you, I''m Shesmu. Just a normal outworlder."

    Shin looked Shesmu in the eyes for a few seconds before responding, "Well, nothing you have done until now could be described normal."

    Shesmu just scratched his head awkwardly before looking away, trying to find a way to change the subject. His eyes fell on a person laying on a nearby tree. It was a teenage kid. His hair was red, and his skin fair.

    Shin followed Shesmu''s line of sight, before his eyes landed on Ryan. Understanding Shesmu confusion, he started the introductions.

    "That''s Ryan. He is my student," Shin said, smiling.

    Shesmu scanned Ryan once again with his eyes before thinking, Huh, his small frame definitely helps as an assassin.

    "And he is as much of a monster as if not even more!"

    Leonard''s obnoxiously loud voice garnered Shesmu''s attention immediately. He turned around only to be welcomed by Leonard''s bear hug.

    "You cheeky little brat. You didn''t tell me that you knew about Resonance already!"

    While Leonard''s pats to the back shook Shesmu to the core, his loud, hearty laughter made Shesmu not have the heart to stop him. He just wryly smiled and waited for Leonard''s excitement to die down.

    "Ehm, hm."

    The new voice made everyone turn in the direction of Ryan. Still sitting under the shade of the tree, he scratched his eyes and looked around. When his eyes finally landed on the group, he stood up with one hop before giving the biggest smile a teen could show.

    "Hi!"

    "So the two monsters are finally awake."

    Hearing Leonard''s comment, Shesmu was confused. It''s normal for Leonard to think that he is a monster, he already showed it by being able to use Resonance, but what about Ryan?

    "Ohh! I remember you! You were that cool dude with the sword who was doing all those fancy moves before. How did you do them?"

    "Ehh¡­" Ryan''s barrage of questions left Shesmu speechless for a bit. "A lot of training, I guess?"

    "Ah, you''re right," Ryan nodded in response. "With enough hard work and training anything is possible!"

    "Haha, you talk as if you haven''t done exactly the same thing," Leonard couldn''t help but burst out, laughing.

    Ryan''s smiling face turned confused after Leonard spoke. "Did I? Agh!" The moment Ryan asked his question, he let out a scream while clenching his head. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead and his hand shook.

    The trio stood concerned in front of Ryan.

    "Hey, are you okay?" Shesmu asked.

    Ryan caught his breath before stopping Shesmu with his hand. "Yeah, I''m okay. Sorry for your concern." He took a few breaths in and out before finally standing upright. "It''s just that I don''t remember what happened. The last thing I recall is Shin touching my forehead and this bolt of electricity running through my body."

    Shin scratched his chin for a second, deep in his thoughts before saying, "I haven''t heard of any case of memory loss due to Resonance, but it shouldn''t be too problematic since it was just temporary." He then gave Ryan a serious look. "Either way, you should definitely not attempt it again in a short period of time. It is already mentally taxing as it is."

    Ryan nodded at Shin absentmindedly. His eyes weren''t focused on him, or anyone in particular. They kept darting around until finally.

    "Ehhh!"

    A look of shock was plastered all over his face.

    "I need to go sorry. My friend is waiting for me!"

    Ryan bolted out of the training ground and off to the distance. However, just as he was making his way out, Shin''s question stopped him dead in his tracks.

    "Do you even know where your friend is?"

    After decelerating to a halt, Ryan looked back at Shin and scratched his head awkwardly. "Ehm, sorry, can you tell me which way is the main gate?"

    "Haha," Leonard laughed. "No need for that, let''s all go together. That''s our final destination afterall."

    Shin smiled and added, "That''s right. There were a few techniques that I wanted to show you before you go, but Resonance took all of our time."

    Remembering the subject of time, Shesmu immediately asked, "Since we brought up the subject of time, for how long have we been unconscious?"

    "About half an hour or so," Shin replied.

    "The other outworlders, or players as you call yourself, already formed their team and entered the Forest of Beginning. We might want to cut down on the talk and get to the main gate so that you form your team and be on your way."

    Shesmu looked at Ryan for a few seconds, scanning his future teammate. While he didn''t really care for the quality of his teammates, as he could easily carry with his future knowledge, Shesmu did like to have an understanding of those he will be playing with.

    "Hey, Ryan. Mind going for a spar, just for five minutes."

    Ryan got startled by that suggestion, not expecting it to come out of nowhere. "Eh, now? I mean, my friend is already waiting for me. And it''s been so long already, I promised-"

    "Just tell him to come here," Shesmu cut in. "It''s not like we can go anywhere without forming our team first. And I will not team up with someone I don''t know the fighting level of." Shesmu''s look turned serious as he said those last words.

    "Ohh, I like this! Some competitive spirit is in the air! Young''uns like you should definitely let loose and battle up!"

    While Leonard was cheering for the two to battle and worked as a hype man, Shin just shook his head while sighing.

    "Teens and their hotheadedness," He muttered under his breath.

    "Humu, okay, we can do it. Just wait for me to send a message to Leo and I''m with you."

    Hearing the name Leo, Shesmu''s eyes widened. No, wait, this could be a different Leo. Don''t get too excited, Shesmu. He then took a deep breath and focused on Ryan. The two unsheathed their weapon, and readied for a clash.

 14 Confrontation

    Shesmu unsheathed his sword and readied his stance. His eyes scanned Ryan as he did the same with his dagger. Ryan''s aura completely changed. No longer was he the cute kid that made everyone''s smile. His expression was cold. His blue eyes shone with a dangerous glint.

    "Hooo, this kid has the aura of a killer," Leonard commented while looking at Shin. The latter just smiled and nodded.

    Ryan walked slowly towards Shesmu, his hand held low, loosely holding on the dagger. Suddenly, he disappeared.

    Dash!

    Shesmu immediately teleported in the air. Looking down, he saw Ryan slashing at the spot where he just stood. As Shesmu was looking at him, Ryan''s eyes immediately locked onto Shesmu.

    After making a backflip in the air, Shesmu finally returned to the ground. Ryan accelerated towards Shesmu with tremendous speeds. His dagger cloaked in a dark shadow as he did.

    Shesmu rolled in the ground to dodge Ryan''s attack. He then immediately pounced at his opponent with undaunted ferocity. He then slashed at him with an upward motion, putting considerable weight behind his strike.

    Ryan held his dagger with one hand and supported it with the other so as to parry Shesmu''s incoming attack. However, the power behind the slash still managed to break past his barrier and injure him.

    Shesmu used inspect to monitor the damage he had done to Ryan¡ªTwenty. Shesmu readied his stance once again and slowly approached his enemy. However, Ryan wasn''t as patient as him. He immediately dashed towards him to get into close quarters with Shesmu.

    Seeing how open Ryan was, Shesmu diagonally slashed. Ryan immediately dodged it. With a quick movement of his feet, he sidestepped to the right without losing any momentum. A dark aura covered his dagger as he thrust at Shesmu''s chest. That''s when it stopped.

    "Huh?"

    Ryan looked below to see why his hand stopped only to see Shesmu''s left hand catching his arm from the elbow. Shesmu didn''t give Ryan any chance to think, he immediately slashed horizontally at his neck with his right hand.

    However, instead of the gush of blood and paint of red, Shesmu saw¡­ nothing. Ryan disappeared from within his hand. He then felt a hand grab him by the collar and a leg hitting the back of his knee.

    As Shesmu was losing balance, he saw Ryan''s face smiling as he thrust his dagger towards Shesmu''s neck. Shesmu smiled in return.

    "Huh?"

    Shesmu disappeared from Ryan''s eyesight. The only thing he felt was the touch of cold steel on his neck.

    "Stop!" Leonard''s shout signaled the end of the battle.

    Ryan turned around to see Shesmu''s blade clad in a green aura grazing his neck.

    Shesmu put his sword back in its sheath before reaching his hand out to shake.

    "Good fight Ryan. Your movements gave me chills."

    Ryan chuckled and scratched his hair awkwardly in response. "You too, dude. Your movements were so clean, it felt as if I was playing against a pro."

    Well, technically, you''re not wrong, Shesmu thought while smiling.

    "Good fight both of you! Watching you made my blood boil in excitement!"

    Leonard''s pat to the back shook both Shesmu and Ryan to the core. They looked at each other for a second before letting out a chuckle.

    He then took a more serious tone as he said, "Shesmu, your fighting style is methodical, I really can''t find any fault in it. The only thing I would nitpick is your lack of proactiveness. Even though you won, it was always by a counterattack."

    Shesmu raised his eyebrows in surprise before just nodding silently. While he didn''t agree with Leonard''s school of thought, he wasn''t going to face him about it.

    "As for you, Ryan. You''re a beast. And I mean that in both the good and the bad way. Your reactions are insane, the way you move is feral, and your strikes are deadly. But you also leave yourself open! If it was a real battle, your head would be on the floor." Leonard announced with fervor. He then clicked his tongue and continued with a much lower voice, "Though, I''m sure it''s no matter for you players¡­"

    "Amazing performance," Shin cut in. "You have shown a level that is much higher than any of your brethren. All of the golden generations can''t hold a candle to you. Now that you''re both on the same team, winning the race should be a certainty"

    "Race?" Ryan asked, his face filled with confusion.

    However, before Shin could even answer, a new person came in.

    "Oy! Ryan! You little shit, you made me wait for so long!"

    This voice, Shesmu had heard it before. It was all too familiar. Ryan''s previous words about Leo replayed in his mind as he turned around. And there he was. His black spiky hair. His tall, big frame. Shesmu wouldn''t mistake him even in a horde of thousand. It was Leo, his friend.

    "Hey! Who are you calling a little shit? Just because you''re tall you think you can go around talking crap?"

    "You made me wait all this time and you''re still talking smack? Damnit, Ryan, you never change. What were you even doing that took you so long?"

    "Ehh, Instructor Shin showed me a new technique, so that took up a lot of time."

    "Oh, you got to learn some special techniques? So lucky!"

    "Yeah, and then I sparred with Shesmu," Ryan added while looking at the latter. Leo followed Ryan''s line of sight. When the two''s eyes crossed, Shesmu couldn''t help but feel the urge to jump and hug right at that moment. It took all of his effort to just close his eyes, take a deep breath, and smile.

    "Hey, I''m Shesmu. Leo, right?"

    Hearing Shesmu''s introduction, Leo walked towards him with a smile before offering his hand to shake.

    "Nice to meet you, Shesmu. And yes, my name is Leo." He then turned towards Ryan before continuing, "And this guy''s name is¡ª"

    "Ryan!" Ryan cut in with a loud voice. His eyes stared daggers at Leo.

    "Ehh, aren''t you forgetting an adjective before that?"

    Ryan pounced at Leo and started scratching his hair with his hand, "When I say my name is Ryan, it means that my name is Ryan!"

    "Ai! Ouch! Hey, that hurts! Stop! Okay, I understand, just stop!"

    Confused by what the two were talking about, Shesmu used Inspect once more on Ryan. Last time, he was totally focused on the battle so he focused only on the HP.

    "D-Ryan," Shesmu muttered slowly.

    Hearing him say those words, Ryan opened his mouth surprised for a second before he just sighed in defeat.

    "Pfft," Leo chuckled in response to Ryan''s reaction. He then looked at him and said, "If you''re this embarrassed of the name, why did you choose it in the first place."

    "Ahh. I don''t know, it was just a spur of the moment kinda thing. I always used it so it kinda just stuck. Damnit!"

    While the trio of players talked with each other, Leonard coughed a few times to bring attention to him.

    "Ehm, so I know that you guys really want to get to know each other. I get that. But the race already started half an hour ago and you princesses still haven''t even learned about how to use the party system yet!"

    "Oh yeah, about the race. What''s that about?" Ryan asked.

    "You guys still don''t know about that?" Leo asked, confused. "Every other team already packed up and is making their way to the Tower of Might."

    "Ehm, yes. But before that, you all need to make a party before that. I''m not sure exactly how you players do it, but it has something to do with sharing your true name, and system interface. I don''t know, I don''t really remember."

    Sighing at Leonard''s half-assed explanation, Shin sighed and said, "To make a party, first call the word Status, in your mind. Same as you do with your skills. An interface should appear in front of you, right?"

    Shesmu followed Shin''s commands and a blue interface appeared right in front of him. It showed his character stats, race, class, and level. However, right at the top, there were many tabs. The one he was looking at right was the character one. There was also the skill tab, the item tab, and the community tab.

    "You should see multiple tabs right on top of your screen. You can think the title for each of them if you want to enter it, but for now, focus on the community one."

    Community, Shesmu thought and the screen changed. This time, it showed friends list, party members, guild, and organizations.

    "Focus on the party window, and a message should appear."

    Do you want to create a party?

    Yes | No

    "Okay, so now that we reached this stage, who of you wants to be party leader?"

    At Shin''s question, Ryan immediately jumped in. "I want!"

    "Stop it, Ryan," Leo rebuked. "Don''t be so childish."

    "It''s okay," Shesmu said. "You can be party leader."

    "Ehh?" While Leo was confused, Ryan jumped up and down with excitement. "Yay!"

    "Okay, so Ryan is the party leader. Just say think "yes", then. After that, just think of the true names of the people you want to invite."

    "Okay!" Ryan responded.

    A few seconds later, Shesmu received a notification. It was a party invitation from Ryan. After accepting it, images of Leo and Ryan appeared at the bottom-right corner of his vision. They were accompanied by a green and yellow bar at the bottom of each image. Understanding that it might impact his fighting capabilities, Shesmu issued a command in the depths of his mind.

    Deactivate Party Mode.

    The images then disappeared from Shesmu''s vision, alleviating the visual noise he was experiencing before.

    "Ohh! So, I can see everyone''s HP and energy levels at all times? Neat!"

    "Yes, this one of the benefits you players get," Shin stated. "Either way, time is passing and you need to get going. The race is already in full swing. The first to reach the tower of might is to be handsomely rewarded."

 15 The Road To The Tower Of Migh

    "Okay, so before we make our way towards the tower of might. Let''s do some checkups first," Shesmu stated with a serious tone. He then asked, "You all know how to access your map, right?"

    "Yeah!"

    "No¡­"

    The two''s voices overlapped. They both turned towards each other before Leo asked, "Wait, how do you know?"

    Ryan winked and said, "That''s a secret."

    "Goddamnit, Ryan. Now isn''t the time!"

    "Just think "map" in your head." Shesmu immediately cut to the chase. "If there is one thing I understood about this game, it''s that you can call almost anything through your mind that is related to the system, and it would appear."

    "Ohh, I see, that''s neat!" Leo exclaimed.

    In the meantime, Ryan scratched his chin deep in thoughts before asking, "Hmm, if that''s how it works, then it would make sense for there to be a list of commands somewhere that we can access, no?"

    This kid is sharp, interesting.

    "Yeah, I thought the same thing," Shesmu responded. "And after a couple tests, I found where the list is. Just think "System Command List" in your mind and it should appear."

    The two stayed silent for a minute before they exclaimed in surprise.

    "Oh! It works!"

    "Ohh! That''s neat! But how did you find out about it?"

    Shesmu already prepared for Ryan''s question. "First thing I did when I logged in was to play around with the system. Plus, since games like these generally do have a command list, I expected it to have one too. So, I just tried different combinations of words in my mind until one worked out."

    "Hmm, I see. Interesting, I should have thought about it," Ryan said. "But you would think that such an elementary and essential feature would somewhere I could easily see, no?"

    "Yeah, you''re right. It''s probably mentioned somewhere in the status window, I just haven''t bothered looking for it," Shesmu answered.

    "Anyway, guys, let''s drop the chit-chat. I''ve already waited for half an hour, I''m not gonna wait for more to play this game!" Leo cut in.

    "Yes! I can''t wait to slay some three-headed ogres! The trailer got me hyped up, let''s see what this game is all about!"

    Listening to Ryan''s excited speech, Shesmu just shook his head.

    "Well, first, let''s check the map to see where this Tower of Might even is."

    Shesmu issued a command in the depths of his mind, and a 2d map appeared in front of him. It showed with blue dots their current position, in the middle of the camp. Outside was gargantuan forest that spread far and wide. Some parts were colored green, while others blood red. The tower of might stood behind the red spots, north-east of the camp.

    "Oh, I see some red spots on the map. I''m guessing those are danger zones?" Ryan asked.

    "Probably," Leo responded. "I mean, just focus on them with your eye and it will give you a description."

    "Oh, yeah, you''re right, my bad." Ryan scratched his hair awkwardly. He then coughed and took a more serious tone, "Okay, so we have to pass through two danger zones before reaching the tower of might. Let''s go then."

    Following Ryan''s suggestion, the trio made their way out of the camp. As they passed through the gate, they could see from far the Tower of Might. It stood there in the distance, behind dense forest, towering above the trees. Red and black drawings decorated its ivory texture. Paintings of demons coming from underground, fighting elves and dragons. All the while angels descended from the sky illuminated by holy light.

    "Ohh, those paintings are so cool! Are we gonna fight demons in that tower?" Leo exclaimed, his eyes burning with excitement.

    "Silly you, if we fight demons this early, what will be there for us to fight in the late game? Galaxy destroying eldritch gods?"

    Ryan''s rebuttable made Leo drop his shoulders and awkwardly laugh. The three then continued walking down the main road before Shesmu stopped them.

    "Guys, we probably should take a detour now and enter the forest."

    "Hmm," Ryan checked the map one more time before responding. "Yeah, you''re right. If we continue down the main road, we''re gonna be way off course."

    "Okay then," Leo said. And as he said those words, colorful light with little intensity shone next to his arm. After the light faded, a small shield appeared on his right arm.

    "Oohhh!! That is so cool!" Ryan exclaimed. "How did you do it?"

    "It''s a system command. You just say "Summon" followed by the name of the equipment and it appears."

    "Oh! I see. That''s actually neat! You could do some real cool stuff with that. Wait, let me just check the command list and show you what I''m thinking."

    While Shesmu stood by the sideline, he was interested about what Ryan would do. Ryan already intrigued him with the fight that happened before, and how natural he was with the dagger and the skills of the game. It would be interesting to see what else he had in store.

    Ryan played with his dagger a bit before it suddenly disappeared.

    "Okay then, now for the real trick!" He swung his empty arm in a swinging motion at the direction of Leo. The latter instinctively guarded against the incoming attack with his shield. When Ryan''s hand finally reached Leo''s guard, colorful light shone and a dagger appeared inside it.

    "Oy! Why did you suddenly attack me?!"

    Leo raised his eyebrows in surprise and confusion at Ryan''s sudden hostility.

    "Hmm, I guess the swinging motion isn''t really the best idea when trying to assassinate." Finishing his train of thought, Ryan stepped closer to Leo, grinned and said, "Come here, let me tell you something."

    "No no no, you stay the fuck back! You want me to approach you while you have that crazy grin on your face?! You outta your mind!"

    "Tch," Ryan clicked his tongue when his plan failed before finally sheathing his sword.

    "Haha." Shesmu''s light chuckle made both Leo and Ryan surprised.

    Ryan chuckled in return before saying, "See, so you can laugh too."

    Shesmu raised his eyebrows in confusion at Ryan''s comment. Wait, was I that broody? Shesmu thought.

    "Hahaha, I''m just kidding. It''s just that you haven''t been talking so much so I feared that there might be some ice between us."

    Hearing Ryan''s concerns, Leo jumped in too. "Yeah, we still haven''t even properly introduced each other."

    Shesmu was elated by the duo''s proposition. Since Leo came into the picture, he had been thinking of ways to integrate the group without being too pushy. But now since they gave him this opportunity, Shesmu would definitely take it.

    "Okay, so who wants to start first?"

    "Sure, I''ll start," Ryan said. He then blushed before finally blurting out, "Ryan is my in game name. My real name is Ryan. Yes, I know, not the most original, but anyway. I normally play swordsman, but this game I wanted to spice things up a bit and play Assassin." He then thought for a second before concluding, "Ehh, I think that''s it in terms of basic introduction."

    After Ryan finished, Leo followed suit.

    "Okay, guess it''s my turn. My name is Leo, I usually play knight, or any other tank the game allows me to play. Also, games I played would be things like Last Stand and Demon Heart."

    At the mention of Demon Heart, Shesmu''s lips widened into a faint smile. "Huh, so you played Demon Heart too. I spent a long time in that game. Like ten years."

    At Shesmu''s response, Ryan raised his eyebrows before asking. "Your name is Shesmu, and you''ve been playing Demon Heart for 10 years. Are you, possibly, God Speed Shesmu?"

    Ryan''s question stirred quite the reaction from Leo. His mouth opened wide before exclaiming, "No way! God Speed Shesmu, for real?!"

    Seeing the reaction of Leo and Ryan, Shesmu just sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

    "Ehh, yeah, it''s me, Shesmu. But don''t worry guys, I also piss and shit like everyone else on the planet."

    Both Leo and Ryan laughed awkwardly at Shesmu''s response.

    "Yeah, sorry for that," Leo apologized. "It''s just that it was quite the surprise to find out who you are."

    "Yeah, sorry," Ryan followed while laughing sheepishly.

    Shesmu just shook his head left and right. "Nah, don''t worry about it. It''s normal. Now, my real question, is who are you Ryan to be able to fight at such a high level against me when you have never played the Assassin class before."

 16 Question

    "Nah, don''t worry about it. It''s normal. Now, my real question is, Who are you Ryan to be able to fight at such a high level against me when you have never played the Assassin class before."

    Shesmu''s question made both Ryan surprised¡ªLeo, even more so. He looked at his friend with an incredulous face. "Wait what? You almost beat Shesmu in combat?! How?!!"

    Ryan, surprised at the turn of events, just shrugged and said, "I don''t know. I just went with the motion and my body did all the work. Everything felt so natural to me that I didn''t even have to think about it."

    Ryan''s remark left Leo with an open jaw. "You cheeky bastard! Just because you got to do something good for once doesn''t mean you get to brag and flex like that!"

    Shesmu, on the other hand, had a serious look on his face. That''s very weird, very suspicious. I would get it for him to be so good if he was a pro player at some other game before, but that doesn''t seem to be the case.

    In the end, Shesmu just smiled and dropped the train of thought. The only way he could confirm his suspicions of Ryan was for the latter to admit them. And Shesmu wasn''t so much of a prick as to force an answer from someone he barely got to know.

    "Hahaha, seems like you''re a natural at this game. That''s great! We could be a really nasty team together."

    "Oy!" Leo exclaimed. "Don''t just throw me off the picture just yet! I too have some nasty parries, just so that you know!"

    Ryan raised his eyebrows at Leo''s claim. "Oh really? I don''t remember that last time we played Demon Heart. I remember us specifically get team wiped because some idiot tank forgot the boss timings."

    "Ehh, really? Did that happen?" Leo avoided Ryan''s judging stare and started whistling away.

    "Hahaha, oh, I''m sure you have some nasty parries. A tank is the heart of the team, and you shall be a great one."

    I know you will. Shesmu''s toughts were the continuation of his speech. Looking at the current Leo, he could see traces of his future self. Heart of the lion¡ªLeo of Black Moon.

    Hearing Shesmu''s praise, Ryan clicked his tongue while Leo had a smug look on his face.

    "See? Even Shesmu can see my greatness! Hahahaha!"

    Shesmu coughed twice to get back the attention of the team. "Anyway, let''s stop idling around. We already lost a lot of time, we can talk while walking."

    The two nodded and followed after Shesmu. As they made their way through the forest, Shesmu heard something move in the bushes. He signaled with his hand for Ryan and Leo the direction in which to go.

    The trio made their way through the bushes, their feet tiptoeing the ground. They made sure not to step on any branches so that they didn''t alert whatever was behind the bushes.

    Finally, they saw the creature that made the noise. A white rabbit, eyes as red as a ruby, hopping around in a patch of grass.

    Excited, Leo made a motion to stand up and catch it before Shesmu stopped him dead in his tracks. He signaled him to stay low and wait.

    As they did, the trio kept looking at the rabbit hopping around, eating one blade of grass after the other.

    Soon enough, what Shesmu was waiting for came. He signaled for Leo and Ryan to look up the tree branches. There was a short green creature stretching a bow and aiming at the rabbit. With a motion of its hand, the arrow bolted from the bow and struck the rabbit.

    "Kiri! Kiri!"

    Three more goblins went out of the bushes surrounding the area and took hold of the rabbit. That''s when Shesmu gave the signal to fight.

    Just as the ranger goblin made its way down the tree, Shesmu pounced at it and slashed its neck. A green slash was all it saw before its head rolled on the ground

    87

    Fatal Damage Activated: Instant Kill!

    Killing the ranger goblin instantly, Shesmu focused back on the other three. Once they saw Shesmu kill their brethren, they dropped the rabbit to the ground and took out their knives.

    Leo charged at them with his shield while Ryan waited for the most opportune moment to strike. The goblins dodged Leo''s attack and circled him. However, before they could even get a chance to hack away at his leg, Ryan disappeared from his position behind one of them¡ªa grin plastered all over his face.

    Shesmu didn''t stand idle either. He used his Dash skill to teleport behind one of the two goblins left. He diagonally slashed the vile''s back, leaving a deep wound across it. Without stopping for even a moment, he struck once again¡ªat the goblin''s neck this time.

    The two goblins Shesmu and Ryan engaged fell on the ground at the same time¡ªdead. The last vile, seeing its comrade falling like flies, turned its back to flee. Ryan pouced at it with incredible speeds and pierced its back with his dagger.

    "Kiri!"

    The last goblin screamed one last time before falling to the ground.

    "Whew!" Leo exclaimed in surprise. "That was fast!"

    Hearing Leo''s praise, Ryan had a smug look on his face. "Huhuhuhu, praise me more! Muwahahahahaha!"

    Shesmu chuckled in response while sheathing his sword. "Ok guys, let''s continue hunting. It''s probably best if we reach level 2 before entering the first danger zone."

    "Oh, yeah, about levels. I''m 75% of the way to level 2, what about you guys?" asked Ryan.

    Shesmu checked his EXP bar quickly before replying, "Same."

    "Oh, nice. I''m actually at 50% even though I didn''t kill any of the goblins."

    "Oh, interesting," Ryan responded. "Seems like this game has a Party Exp sharing system. Pretty nice."

    "Yeah, that definitely helps," added Shesmu. "But more importantly. Check out your inventories. Maybe these monsters dropped something."

    After a few seconds, Leo responded, "Nothing here."

    "Oh, I have something," Ryan cut in. "Some goblin loincloths, knives, and a bow."

    "Oh okay. That doesn''t seem too useful, maybe we can sell them later?" commented Leo.

    "Yeah, most likely," Shesmu responded. "Either way, let''s go. Nothing to stay here for."

    As Shesmu said those words, the party of three heard a scream from inside the forest.

    "No, stop! Kyaaa!!!"

 17 A Dreadful Encounter

    "Ah, why are they not stopping?! They keep following us!"

    Oh, players. Also, did they aggro a shitload of monsters or something?

    Once Shesmu''s thoughts reached that point, he immediately stopped in his tracks.

    "Guys, stop, let''s hide for a bit," He ordered in a calm tone. Shesmu wanted to first check out the situation before deciding on how to help the distressed players.

    Both Leo and Ryan understood the thought process of Shesmu and acted according to his instruction. The trio hid behind the shrubs, waiting for the players and whatever was chasing them to come.

    They didn''t have to wait for long, as the moment they hid was when the distressed players came. One girl, one boy, both holding their sword clumsily, ran into the clearing as if their lives depended on it.

    Seconds after the clumsy duo came in, three small green humanoid creatures appeared. Goblins? And baby goblins at that? How in the world do these creatures beat you? Shesmu was surprised, to say the least about this situation.

    "Do you know who I am? I am the hero foretold by the prophecy of old! The savior!" The guy then turned towards the girl before continuing, "Don''t worry, I will protect you from those evil creatures! Just watch my power!"

    Looking at this scene, Shesmu, Leo and Ryan thought the same thing, It''s a roleplayer¡­The trios'' eyes squinted in disappointment that couldn''t be described by words.

    "Oh, Ryuuji, you''re so cool!"

    So even the girl is in the roleplay.

    Once the trio saw this scene, they turned to look at each other. Reaching a silent mutual understanding, they nodded their head. They turned around, and silently made their way out.

    "Don''t worry, I will protect you from those vile creatures! Just watch my power!"

    "You can do it. I believe in you, kyaa!!"

    The trio kept walking as if they heard nothing. They were eager to get out of this place before the two roleplayers noticed them.

    "Shit! I got hit! How dare you goblins?!" For a second, the guy dropped his role-playing voice. The pain was clear from his tone.

    "Ryuuji, are you hurt?! We should run!"

    When Shesmu heard the panic in the duo''s voice. Something inside of him made him stop.

    If I go, these guys are probably gonna die.

    Dying in an MMO was normal, it was part of the experience. However, Shesmu still felt conflicted. It would take no effort from him to help these guys out. However, if he did turn around now, he might not hear the end of their roleplaying speech.

    When Leo and Ryan saw Shesmu stopping, they looked at him incredulously.

    "Shesmu, what''s going on? Let''s get out of here before those two nutjobs notice us," Ryan stated.

    Shesmu sighed while looking at the sky for two seconds before looking back at both of his teammates, "I''m sorry guys. I probably will regret this the moment I do it, but I''ve got no choice."

    Without waiting for their response, Shesmu ran back towards the two roleplayers. They were already disarmed and the goblins kept hitting them with their blunt knives. But the baby goblins could barely output any damage, only dealing five with each hit.

    Really how can a person possibly lose to that? Even your punches deal more damage than them.

    In less than five seconds, Shesmu arrived at the clearing. Without saying anything to the duo, he used his skill Dash to teleport towards the goblins.

    "Kiri, kiri!"

    The screeching of the goblins made Shesmu even more irritated than how he already was. He looked at one of the goblins, and before it could even react, he slashed open its neck using an Empowered Slash Cancel.

    The damage was enough to kill the goblin who barely had 100 HP.

    Without wasting any time, Shesmu grabbed the second goblin and pushed it to the ground on its head. Its skull caved in, and blood gushed out from its orifices. Seeing its ally being killed, the last baby goblin jumped towards Shesmu, trying to maim him.

    That is fortunate. They cannot even make out the difference in our strength.

    While the goblin was in midair, Shesmu muttered, "Empowered thrust." His sword glowed green and he plunged it deep into the goblin''s neck. Blood gushed out and painted Shesmu''s face red. He then took out his sword and with one final slash, he ended the goblin''s life.

    Once Shesmu finished his job, he turned around to look at the role-playing duo who were still shuddering in fear. His bloody face cracked into a big smile before he said.

    "You guys are trash."

    Shesmu could no longer hold it in his heart anymore. Being a roleplayer was one thing, being so bad was another. At this point, he had mixed feelings of anger and pity towards the couple.

    The girl became flustered when she heard Shesmu''s insult, "Hey! Yes, you saved us, but that doesn''t give you the right to insult us!¡ª"

    However, before she could even finish her rant, Ryuuji stopped her.

    "No, Sakura. He is right. At this point in time, I am simply too weak. No matter how much I want to protect you, with this power, I can''t."

    As he said those words slowly and heavily, pain could be seen in Ryuuji''s eyes. He clenched at his heart in regret before he forcefully looked at Shesmu in his eyes.

    "Great master, please, with this power of mine I cannot defend anything or anyone. I beg you, teach me how to become a strong person!"

    The light in Ryuuji''s eyes showed the strong will in his heart. However, Shesmu didn''t buy any of that. He squinted his eyes throughout the whole speech. He had a judgemental look on his face that condemned mankind for evolving to this state.

    "Nope, sorry. Just learn by yourself, it''s not that hard." Saying these words, Shesmu immediately turned his back and took off. Want me to take care of you nutjobs? Yeah, right!

    But if Shesmu had thought he would get away from this situation so easily, then he was in for a world of disappointment. Before he could even take two steps, Shesmu was stopped by a hand holding his leg. He turned around to look at what the idiot was doing again, only to be greeted by the most anime protagonist smile he has ever seen.

    "I''m sorry, but I cannot continue down this road. So that I can protect everyone that I love, for our future, I must be strong."

    "Yes! You get the chance to train the hero of old, how can you not be proud?!"

    If there was anything that annoyed Shesmu more than the chunni roleplaying hero, it would be the annoying cheerleader next to him. Nope, I''m getting out of here.

    Before he could hear any more of their rants, Shesmu used Dash to teleport away from Ryuuji. Then, with all of his strength, he sprinted out toward Leo and Ryan, who were still waiting for him deep in the forest.

    "What was that?" Leo asked.

    "No time for that, we need to get the hell out of here first." Shesmu shuddered just remembering what kind of situation he was about to be stuck in.

    As the trio continued running away from the terror that was Ryuuji and Sakura, Ryan laughed and exclaimed, "Haha, that must have been the funniest thing I have ever seen in years. For someone to scare you this much, he must be amazing in his own way!"

    In response to Ryan, Shesmu just grumbled and muttered under his breath, "yeah, he really is amazing. Just a tad bit too amazing for me."

    While the trio was still running away, Ryuuji and Sakura were still on the ground looking at their backs.

    "Hey, Ryuuji, don''t worry about it. That guy was too stupid and couldn''t see your potential. I''m sure that there will be so many others who will." Declared Sakura. But her shoulders were down and she kept looking on the ground; she was obviously dejected.

    Ryuuji looked at the direction Shesmu ran for another two seconds before turning towards Sakura. He got closer and cupped her head before looking straight at her eyes and saying. "Sakura," he then caressed her hair before continuing, "Don''t feel sad. Every hero has to go through hardships, and this is but the first one. I could sense it, that unless I train under him, it will be meaningless. I will not give up, and you should too." Ryuuji then stood up before extending his hand towards Sakura, "Get up, we still have a long journey awaiting us."

    Ryuuji then turned towards the direction Shesmu went in, he then looked up to see the Tower of Might. We will meet there, master¡­

    ***

    Shesmu was also staring at the Tower of Might. He mused It seems that we''ll only be there by the middle of the night.

    "Oh Shesmu, I reached level 2 from your duel before with the goblins, how far you off from 3?"

    "Oh, let me check, Ryan," Shesmu answered. He then looked at the exp bar below his hp and ki bars before continuing, "I got 60 exp from those 3 goblins. Still, 160 more until the next level."

    "Oh, that''s neat. If leveling is so easy, we should start grinding as fast as possible," declared Leo.

    "Yeah, it makes sense to grind first. But I''m not sure about what will happen in the Tower of Might, leveling might make whatever challenge we face there easier. Plus there are still the danger zones that we need to go through, we might want to level a bit first before going through them," Ryan suggested.

    Shesmu listened to the suggestions and thought for a bit before checking his minimap. From there, he could see multiple yellow circles; those were places with high monster density.

    "Okay then, let''s go left. We will have our fair share of monsters to fight there," Shesmu ordered.

    The duo was confused for a second before Leo asked, "wait, how do you know that there will be monsters on the left? Is it because of the yellow circle?"

    "Yeah, if you focus on them, you''ll see information related to what monster inhabits that area. I deduced that if we go there, we''ll find more monsters," Shesmu simply answered.

    With no questions left to ask, the trio turned left and continued running.

    "Kiri, Kiri!"

    Hearing the screeching of the goblins, the party stopped in its tracks. From between the trees, Shesmu could see seven goblins on the ground and four hiding on trees. He used inspect on them and found that the goblins on top of the trees were all level 3, while those on the ground were level 2.

    Shesmu signaled to his duo to sit down so as to hide.

    Ryan inspected the monsters before giving his two cents, "If they''re this weak, then we can definitely kill them. We just need to deal with the goblins in the trees first, those will be a problem."

    Well, I guess that those might be a problem if they just randomly jumped down. I should probably take care of them myself and leave the ones in the ground to these two.

    While these thoughts ran in his mind, Shesmu declared, "Yeah, let me¡ª".

    "I''ll do it," Ryan declared. Shesmu was about to tell him to reconsider, but once he looked at Ryan, his determined eyes stopped him.

    Shesmu then just smiled and said, "We''ll leave it to you then." He then looked at Leo before continuing, "Leo, we need to distract the other goblins so that Ryan can look for his assassination opportunity. Let''s do our best."

    Leo nodded at his words, and Ryan crouched before walking slowly towards the tree on which his first target resided on.

    Once Ryan came close to the tree, the duo stood up and ran towards the goblins.

    "I''ll take care of the two at the right, deal with those on the left. Be careful of the goblins above, understood?" Shesmu ordered in quick succession.

    "Understood."

    Shesmu quickly vanished from his spot using Dash and performed a normal slash towards the first goblin. Before it could even react, Shesmu''s sword slashed through its neck. Green energy flashed from Shesmu''s sword and melted in with the dark red color of goblin''s blood. Without wasting any movement, Shesmu roundhouse kicked the injured goblin and catapulted him towards its ally.

    "Kiri, Kiri!"

    The uninjured goblin cried as he fell down from the weight of his comrade. Shesmu then ran towards them and activated Empowered Thrust, he then thrust his sword into the piled-up goblins, drilling a hole through both of them.

    Blood gushed out like a fountain from their wounds, dyeing Shesmu''s pants a dark shade of red. Kicking the body of the goblin that was on top, the one on the bottom was finally freed.

    "Kiri, Kiri!"

    The goblin crawled and cried. It tried its hardest to get away from the demon that was Shesmu. It struggled as it tried to run away, falling down every few steps.

    Shesmu just stood there, not moving for a little while. Suddenly, his hand twitched. He looked at the pitiful figure of the goblin fleeing and raised his sword. Then he threw it, and it flew with incredible precision towards the monster. Its tip plunged into the goblin''s nape. It tried to cry again, but it could only gurgle. It continued struggling until finally, it stopped moving.

    +40 Exp

 18 MMO Mathematics

    Shesmu walked slowly towards the dead goblin and pulled out his sword. The way the goblins ran, the crawled, everything was so realistic.

    Although his heart was still heavy, Shesmu kept his head high. From the corner of his eyes, he glanced at Leo.

    The man was fighting with all of his might, he kept blocking with his shield most of the goblins'' hits and whenever he saw an opportunity, he hit them with his sword.

    However, even though he was putting a good fight, his HP was always on the decline due to the goblin from above throwing sharpened rocks at him. Shesmu was thinking about the goblins on top of the trees when he remembered the task given to Ryan. He turned to look at the target that Ryan assigned to himself, only to see that it''s still merrily throwing rocks at Leo. However, from beneath the branches of the tree, Shesmu could see a shadowy figure.

    Shesmu smiled while looking as the shadow slowly crept towards the goblin who was still unaware. The cold glint of the sword flashed for a second and Ryan pounced on his target. Before it could even scream, he muffled its mouth and slashed its throat. He plunged his dagger deep in the goblin''s heart before activating his skill. Dark aura came out of the vile''s body and with it blood and gore.

    By this point, Shesmu''s suspicions already piled up to the roof. First, the insane mechanics and reaction time. Add to that the impeccable game knowledge and flexibility in his skills. There are no two ways about it, this guy is almost certainly from the future.

    Shesmu kept looking at Ryan, not knowing how to approach him. In the end, he just sighed and thought, I''ll talk to him later about this. For now, helping Leo takes the utmost priority.

    Shesmu looked at Leo once again. Using inspect, he found that he only had 40 Hp left. However, before Shesmu could even Dash in to help him, Leo used Empowering Slash and took down one of the goblins. Surprised by this turn of events, Shesmu stopped for a second before thinking, Well, he is Leo after all.

    "Leo, I''ll leave the ones in the ground to you. I''ll take care with Ryan of the ones in top, just don''t die," barked Shesmu. He then immediately ran towards one the surviving goblins on top of the tree before jumping. The branch on which the goblin stood was four meters above ground. No matter how one thought about it, they could never see a way where Shesmu could jump that distance. However, the moment Shesmu jumped was the moment he vanished. He appeared like a ghost in front of the poor goblin. Shesmu slashed at the chest of the goblin while his sword shone with a green aura.

    Shesmu then took hold of the branch with one hand and watched as the goblin fell down. He clicked his tongue and said, "Damnit, missed lethal!"

    The goblin, blood gushing out of his chest, pushed with both hands to stand up. However, before he could lift himself back up. Shesmu jumped from the tree branched and crashed into it, his knee turning the inside of the vile into mush.

    Shesmu turned to look for his next target only to see the last two goblins running away. He couldn''t use Dash for another 8 seconds, and by that time they would have already ran away due to their superior agility. Tch, guess I can''t do anything about that.

    Now that his primary targets were gone, Shesmu decided to help out Leo with the goblin he was fighting against. However, before he could even stand up, Ryan appeared behind the goblin.

    Plunging his sword deep into the goblin''s heart, Ryan one-shotted the creature. Blood gushed out from the goblin''s wound painting Ryan''s face red, before it fell down.

    "Huff, thanks dude. You''re a lifesaver," Leo was not in his best shape. He had to tank both the attacks of the goblins he was fighting against and the rocks that were thrown at him. At this point, he barely had 15 HP left.

    "Don''t sweat it," Ryan said while smiling. He then asked, "Ehh, can you tell me how much exp you got? Like, we know that exp gets shared, but how much is actually spread?"

    Shesmu jumped off the branch he was holding on and walked towards the duo. "Yeah, that''s actually interesting," Shesmu said. "Help us better strategize."

    Leo checked his exp bar before replying, "I got 140 exp overall. Leveled up and almost halfway through level 2."

    "Oh, interesting. I got 190 exp. I''m guessing you got half of the exp from the kills. Interesting, so that means you got 30 exp from the kill I took. I see."

    Ryan scratched his chin while thinking. His head trying to find any way to abuse this system.

    "Wait, does the percentage change if the number of people in the party changes?"

    Ryan''s question made Shesmu chuckle. "Dude, this game is made by mega AI singularity gods, you think they would leave such an obvious exploit?"

    Ryan scratched his head in embarrassment before his expression lightened up¡ªan idea struck his mind.

    "Oh, it''s fine if the percentages do change. It''s still much better to be in a party than to be alone. Power leveling should be duper easy in this game."

    "Yeah, you''re right! We don''t really need to worry about who gets the last hit." Leo exclaimed. The passion of Ryan rubbed onto him and he became excited too.

    However, Shesmu decided to calm the duo down a little bit.

    "That''s cool and all, but first we need to rest a little bit so that Leo recovers his HP. The effect of bread."

    Leo was confused by Shesmu''s response, "The effect of bread? What''s that?"

    To his question, Shesmu quickly responded, "Bread regenerates your HP, but it takes a bit of time."

    "Oh, okay," Ryan responded. He then continued, "Well, we can''t do anything about then. Let''s just hide behind the trees and rest for now."

    Both Shesmu and Leo agreed with him, and thus the trio chose a tree to lean on. All of them took out a portion of their ration and started eating; Leo, because of his low Hp, and the other two because they were hungry.

    They kept on munching on their bread for a while before Shesmu finished and said, "Hey, Ryan, wanna check out the surroundings? We will just look for another group of goblins, so that once Leo is ready, we have a clear direction."

    "Sure, I have no problem. But what about you Leo, are you fine staying here alone for a bit?" Ryan asked, concerned for his friend.

    To this question, Leo just laughed, "Haha, what do you think I am? A baby who still needs his mom, just go, shoo, shoo."

    To this answer, Ryan just smiled in resignation.

    "Well, you heard the man. Let''s head out."

    Shesmu just nodded his head and stood up. The duo just moved out in an arbitrary direction while Shesmu was thinking, If there is anything that will blow his cover, it will be Armageddon, right? It''s the biggest event after all.

    Confirming his decision in his mind, Shesmu waited until Leo could no longer see them before he asked.

    "Hey Ryan," Shesmu then turned to face him before continuing, "Do you know about Armageddon?"

    Shesmu was expecting many faces. He expected him to laugh, or be confused, or keep a poker face. But the face Ryan made was one that he didn''t predict.

    Ryan looked a little bit confused first at Shesmu''s question before it turned into one of understanding.

    "Ah, Armageddon, you''re talking about the battle of good and evil before the day of judgment, right? Of course, I do. I have read the bible after all."

    Shesmu looked at Ryan for a second before his mind just went off, Huh?

 19 First Grind

    Leo was leaning on a tree, checking his character screen when he heard shuffling to his right. Looking at the direction of the noise, he found Shesmu and Ryan walking towards him.

    "Oh, did you find any goblins?" Leo stood up and asked.

    Ryan was first to respond, "Yeah, like a five-minute walk from here. But before that, sit down, we need to talk about some stuff." He gestured for Leo to sit back down while doing the same. Shesmu followed swiftly after, and leaned on the trunk of the tree. "So, we need to decide on stat allocation. Can you check your character screen for me?"

    "Sure," Leo responded. After a few seconds of tinkering, he continued, "I got 10 free points."

    "Yeah, it''s the same for all of us," Shesmu butted in. "Let''s see. We have a pretty standard class combination. Tank, consistent damage with me, and burst damage with Ryan."

    "Yeah," Ryan added. "Since my abilities scale with agility, for the most part, I should probably focus on that, right?"

    "You''re right, but if you put all of your points in agility, your normal attacks would do zero damage. Plus, you do have some scaling with strength, so you should add points in that too. Maybe 3:2 in favor of agility?"

    "Yeah, that works," Ryan responded.

    "So, for me, I probably should focus on vitality, right?" Leo asked.

    "Ehh, yeah, you''re the tank so you should have some vitality. But your skills right now are all offensive, so maybe you want some strength too? That way you don''t become just a meatshield."

    "Yeah, he is right," Ryan said. "At least that way, even if both I and Shesmu die, you still have a chance to win the fight."

    "Talking about team wipe, anyone knows how will we be able to communicate if we end up separated?" Shesmu asked.

    "Ehh, there is this messaging function that my instructor showed me before," answered Leo.

    "Yeah, he did message me earlier," Ryan added.

    "Oh, interesting," Shesmu responded absentmindedly. He scratched his forehead silently thinking before he continued, "I''m thinking of something else though. Demon Heart did have telepathic communication, there is no reason this game shouldn''t have one."

    "Oh, let''s check the command list then. If there is anything that''s gonna give us answers, it''s gonna be that, right?" suggested Ryan.

    "Yeah, you''re right. Let''s do that," added Leo.

    Shesmu issued the command in his mind and a list appeared in front of his eyes. The other two did the same. He kept mindlessly scrolling up and down until Ryan exclaimed.

    "Oh, I found it!"

    ''Here, do you hear me?'' Ryan''s voice resounded in Shesmu''s mind. He grinned in response. Knowing information from the future was one thing, but being able to convey it without arousing suspicion was a task on its own.

    ''Oh, nice,'' Shesmu responded. ''We found it at the same time.''

    "Eh? Ehhh? How did you guys find it so quickly?" Leo asked.

    Hearing Leo''s troubled tone, Ryan had a mischievous grin on his face. "Ohh? You want to know? Muahahaha! It is something you need to find by your¡ª"

    "Just think "party whisper"," Shesmu cut Ryan in the middle of his Machiavellical speech, leaving the latter''s words stuck in his mouth.

    "Hey, dude, you''re really not fun, you know that?"

    Ryan''s deflated response made both Leo and Shesmu laugh.

    "Hahaha! Dude, you should see your face when Shesmu cut you in. I can''t stop laughing."

    Leo''s statement confused Ryan even further. However, laughter is contagious and Ryan wasn''t immune. He soon joined them too.

    When they finally calmed down, Shesmu said, "Okay, so we now know how to distribute our points. Ryan 3:2 for agility and strength. Leo 3:2 for vitality and strength, I''ll go opposite of Ryan with 2 in agility and 3 in strength. Sounds good?"

    "Yeah, perfect," Ryan responded.

    Shesmu allocated his stats¡ªSix points for strength and four for agility. He waited for a few seconds before his teammates finished allocating. He then sat up and said, "Okay, since we''re done, you guys want to go hunt some more goblins?"

    "Do you even need to ask?" Ryan had a grin plastered all over his face. He couldn''t wait.

    "This time, leave some kills for me, eh?"

    "Don''t worry, we''ll let you have your part of the glory," Ryan answered.

    The trio went back to the forest. As they made their way through the trees, minutes passed by in a fly. Finally, they reached a clearing in which monsters resided.

    There were five level 3 goblins in the group. Shesmu quickly assessed the situation and barked out his orders.

    "Leo, you charge in first and hold their aggro. Ryan, wait in the sideline and look for an assassination. I will try to focus one goblin at a time to relieve the stress from Leo, be ready to strike!"

    "Understood!"

    The party immediately went into action with Leo taking the lead. He raised his sword and lunged towards the first goblin.

    The horde of viles were in no formations. They were scattered randomly, and when Leo attacked, they couldn''t respond properly. Before they could even stop the attacker, Leo activated Empowered Slash and swung his sword towards his victim.

    After Leo slashed the goblin''s chest, he backed off a little to avoid getting swarmed by the other monsters. With their high agility, the goblins were able to quickly catch up to him, however, using the range of his sword, Leo kept them at bay.

    The injured goblin was still struggling to get up on its feet, when a dagger, covered in darkness, came from behind and plunged deep inside its heart. Ryan then took out his weapon from the goblin''s corpse before going back to the shadow of the forest, waiting for his next opportunity.

    The four living goblins surrounded Leo from all four directions, waiting for a mistake from his part. They kept this status quo for two seconds before Shesmu came in. He ran towards the goblin right of Leo, attracting the attention of its comrades. The three other goblins wanted to help out their brethren, but the moment they did so Leo lunged towards the goblin in front of him and plunged his sword in its ribs. The goblin screamed in pain, stopping the other two from coming to the aid of the goblin Shesmu was facing.

    Shesmu noticed the indecisiveness of the two goblins and didn''t waste his chance. While the goblin in front of him was distracted by the cry of his comrade, Shesmu quickly ran towards it and performed Empowered Slash Cancel while aiming for its neck.

    Instinctively, the goblin raised its arms to guard its neck. Shesmu''s sword has cleanly cleaved through them, leaving the goblin crippled. With no way to attack but its teeth, the goblin was but a sheep ready to be slaughtered. It turned its back in an attempt to flee but Shesmu just thrust his sword into its back, ending its life.

    The two goblins that were indecisive just a moment ago seemed to have decided that their target should be Shesmu. They ran towards him but Shesmu didn''t pay them any attention. His focus was on the goblin Leo was fighting.

    The tip of a blade peeked out from the goblin''s stomach, while its eyes stared in shock. Behind it stood Ryan, who jumped at the opportunity the moment the goblin was struck by Leo. In its daze, it couldn''t sense the presence of death that was approaching from behind.

    Looking at this situation, Shesmu just sighed and smiled. After easily dodging the two goblins'' attacks, he told his teammate in a loud voice, "Guys! Let''s finish this quickly"

    "Yeah, it''s getting boring," Ryan responded.

    Hearing their confirmation, Shesmu thought for a second, Well, I haven''t tested this yet, but can I still grab and throw like before? Deciding that it wouldn''t do any harm to try, Shesmu feigned a slash before grabbing one of the goblins from his hand. He then tried to perform a back throw, but in the midst of his actions, Shesmu stopped. ''Wait, what do I do next?'' In Shesmu''s past life, he didn''t think about how to back throw when he did it, it just came out naturally without him having to think about it. Now that he lost his muscle memory, he could no longer do it.

    ''Well, it doesn''t matter. It was just for style points anyway, and I can always learn it again, it''s not that hard of a technique.''

    While Shesmu was consoling himself with his thoughts, the free goblin jumped towards him with a knife in its hand. Shesmu immediately reacted to this attack with a front kick to the face of the creature, stopping it mid-jump. He then used Empowered Slash to cut the hand of the goblin that he was still holding making it scream in pain.

    By this time, Ryan and Leo reached the scene and killed the crippled goblin in two hits. The other goblin suffered a similar fate.

    After the fight with the goblins, Leo was one step closer to level 3 while the other two already reached it.

    "Agh, those goblins are so stingy! The only thing they dropped are these lousy trash knives. They are even worse than our newbie sword!" Leo complained.

    "Well, it can''t be helped. The only thing we fought are normal monsters at or under level 5, we can''t expect to equip ourselves with the best gear from their drops," Ryan soothed Leo. He then looked at the scenery in front of him before checking his mini-map. He grinned then said, "Plus, shouldn''t you be excited? Gears, treasures, and bosses, all of those are in front of us. We have reached the red zone!"

 20 Red Zone

    The red zone didn''t look any different from the normal ones. The trees were still as tall as ever, blocking the moonlight from illuminating the way for any traveling party. However, Shesmu and his friends didn''t take any risk. Even though the scenery looked the same as before, they have been very careful with their steps, stopping every dozen of seconds to reassess their environment.

    If I remember right, somewhere around here there should be a waterfall; behind it the goblin den.

    Shesmu looked at the minimap and found that the waterfall was about thirty meters to their right.

    "There seems to be a waterfall nearby," Shesmu announced, "if there is anything my experience told me, it''s that these types of places are where hidden quests and treasures are located."

    "Seems fair," Ryan responded, while Leo nodded in agreement.

    The party, after deciding on their next destination, walked towards the direction of the waterfall.

    "But really, it''s already been five minutes and we still haven''t found any monster, isn''t that strange?" asked Leo.

    Ryan frowned and muttered, "you''re right. It makes no sense." He then thought for a couple more seconds before continuing, "maybe-maybe, there is a boss close to here or something?"

    Hearing his suggestion, Leo became excited, "A boss? Yeah, I know many games that did things like these. The area around the boss always lacks normal monsters."

    "Ohh, you''re right Leo. Many games have that feature, so as to not just swarm you with mobs then kill you with a boss. What do you think, Shesmu?"

    "Hmm, I guess? I mean, it could just be that there was a team before us that cleared the area. And the monsters disappeared after a while. Well, who knows?"

    However, while Shesmu''s mouth said one thing, his thoughts went in a different direction.

    This is the goblins'' territory, and it''s night so they are asleep in their den. Of course, there wouldn''t be any monsters going around.

    Shesmu then continued, "Well, who cares about that for now. We''re close to the waterfall so let''s up to the pace. Hopefully, we find some treasure chests and get some good gear, the durability of my sword is already down by half."

    Leo laughed at Shesmu''s comment and added, "Yeah, me too! Also, let''s wash our swords first before doing anything else. The handle is so sticky with goblin''s blood that I can barely hold my sword properly."

    "Yeah, we should do that too," Shesmu answered.

    The party went through the dark branches only to be greeted by a silvery light. The water of the small lake in front of them reflected the light of the moon.

    "Wow, this scenery is beautiful!" exclaimed Leo. The dark and gloomy forest took a toll on his mind, and that of his teammates too; now that they could finally see some light coupled with beautiful scenery too, their hearts were relieved.

    The trio kept staring at the flickering light on the water for half a minute before Shesmu finally snapped out of his daze.

    "Guys, I know that this is cool and all, but remember what we''re here for. Let''s start searching!"

    At Shesmu''s orders, the party started searching. They first checked the outskirts of the lake, each of them taking a position. Shesmu took north, Leo took west, and Ryan took east.

    They looked at every nook and cranny, next to every tree and in every hole, they could find. However, the party ended up empty-handed. After fifteen minutes, they finally decided to stop.

    "Well, we already checked the outskirts, so it''s time for a dive!" exclaimed Ryan, appearing happy. Shesmu made the both of them check out the surroundings first and foremost even though it was obvious that what they came here looking for was inside the lake.

    "Yeah, finally! Let''s go swimming-I mean searching!" declared Leo, correcting himself mid-sentence.

    Shesmu looked at the duo in an incredulous manner for a moment. In his past life, for the longest time, the only thing he knew was work and work and more work. When he was streaming his gameplay for other people to watch, he had to control his conduct to conserve the image of his team. When he wasn''t streaming, he had to train his fundamental techniques and familiarize with the new strategies. The only fun he had was the little bit of banter and challenges between him and his teammates. Now, staying with these two guys and experiencing the game in different more fun ways made Shesmu unwilling to go back to his previous lifestyle.

    With his internal introspection done, Shesmu just smiled at Leo and said.

    "Well, let''s not forget about our goal here. But having some fun along the way isn''t a problem."

    With this, as if they were beast unleashed, the duo immediately jumped into the lake.

    Splash!

    Without even taking off their clothes, they dived right into it.

    "Ah! This is great! The water is so cold!" exclaimed Leo.

    "Come in, Shesmu. We need to keep on searching for the treasures, right?" Ryan added, then he continued with a taunt, "Or, are you maybe afraid of the cold water? Is that why you have been delaying the search of the lake for so long?"

    The smug smile Ryan had on his face quickly annoyed Shesmu. Then, without any notice, Shesmu jumped into the water, still fully clad.

    "You little shit, just you wait!"

    Shesmu swam with all his might towards Ryan, intent on teaching him a lesson for mocking him.

    Seeing Shesmu coming at him with such ardor, Ryan immediately ran away.

    "It was just a prank bro! Please!"

    However, Shesmu didn''t have any of that. He kept on swimming, intent on catching Ryan no matter what.

    While Leo was laughing his lungs out on the sideline, the duo kept on swimming, one running away and the other fully intent on catching his prey. Their speed was about the same, so the battle became quickly one of endurance.

    It didn''t take more than two minutes for Ryan to not be able to keep up speed and be caught by Shesmu.

    After Shesmu caught Ryan, he looked at him for two seconds while thinking, Well, now that I caught him, what do I do now? He then kept looking at Ryan''s nervous eyes for another five seconds before just sighing and letting him free. Shesmu couldn''t bring himself to scold Ryan when he looked at him that way.

    "Hey Ryan, I have never asked you this, but how old are you?" asked Shesmu. The opportunity didn''t present itself before, but he was curious about Ryan''s age since he looked and sounded so young.

    "I''m 14, what about you?"

    "I''m 18," Shesmu answered, though I was 28 at some point.

    "Well, enough of all of this. Let''s get to searching, we cannot waste even more time."

    With this closing statement, the party went back to work. Everyone took one part of the small lake and started searching.

    Less than five minutes later, Leo came back to the surface and exclaimed, "Guys! I found something. Come!"

    "Oh, is it a treasure?" Ryan asked.

    To his question, Leo nodded. After that, everyone followed Leo''s lead and dived under the water. It didn''t take more than 10 seconds for the trio to reach the surface of the lake which was filled with algae. But between all of the green, a golden shine stood out. Leo spread the green plants, and a golden treasure chest had slowly shown itself.

 21 Crawling To The Den

    The trio kept looking at the treasure chest for a couple of seconds before Shesmu finally took the initiative. Well, they don''t even know how to open these chests so it''s better if I just do it, he thought.

    On the front of the chest, there was a button. Shesmu clicked it, and after four seconds of mechanical clicking, the chest opened. A brown light shone from inside the chest and a notification popped up for Shesmu.

    With his hands, Shesmu signaled for his teammate to go up. He decided that it''s better to reach the surface first and catch their breath before checking the notification.

    With his signal, the trio swam up to the surface of the lake.

    "Bwah, I was about to suffocate," exclaimed Leo. Both him and Ryan erratically breathed in and out.

    After waiting for them to catch their breath, Shesmu looked at Ryan and Leo before saying, "Ok, I got it."

    As if these words were a magical spell, the duo immediately became energetic again.

    "There better be some cool gear there, the devs are gonna hear it from me otherwise!"

    Leo nodded at Ryan''s declaration, and Shesmu just laughed before he checked his notifications.

    [Wood Chest Tier 1 Opened

    The rewards have been sent to your inventory.]

    Shesmu opened his inventory only to find three new items. There was one sword, ten potions, and ten pills. Shesmu took out these items from his inventory one by one so as to show them to his teammates. He then Inspected them.

    [Iron Sword

    Rarity: Iron

    Required Level: 1

    Weapon Level: 1

    Attack: 40]

    [Regenerative Health Potion

    Increases Health Point regeneration by 5 Hp/sec for one minute.]

    [Regenerative Energy Pills

    Increase Energy regeneration by 5 Energy/sec for one minute.]

    "Weapon level?" asked Leo confused. He then continued, "Do weapons level up in this game?"

    Ryan was also frowning in confusion when he answered, "I guess? But look at those potions, aren''t they broken? If we just hit and run while using them, we will never die."

    "I''m not sure about the weapon that level up and how that works, but I think we should decide on the distribution first, right?" suggested Shesmu.

    Ryan thought for a second then said, "Well, Leo is the tank for now, so he should get 4 potions, while we get 3 each. Since you''re the most proficient with the sword here, so you should take it, and I take 4 pills while you split the rest. Is that good?"

    "I think that''s fair. Shesmu has been taking most of the burden until now, so he deserves compensation," Leo responded.

    "Well, if it''s fine with you guys, then I will take the weapon. Hopefully, we find some other treasure chests to equip everyone."

    With this, the group went back to searching. After an hour, they found three other treasure chests. Unfortunately, none of them had any equipment, they only contained potions.

    The distribution of the potions and pills was the same as before with Leo taking four Hp potions and Ryan four energy pills from every chest.

    After cleaning the place, Shesmu finally decided to check out what was behind the waterfall. Even though he knew that the goblin den was there, Shesmu deemed it necessary to clear out the area of every treasure chest possible.

    Shesmu swam towards the waterfall and looked behind it. He found that even though the entrance of the den was higher than the level of water, they could still reach it by using Dash.

    "Hey, guys! I just found something weird!" shouted Shesmu at the top of his lungs to get the attention of the duo.

    The duo swam towards him. When they got close to Shesmu, Ryan asked, "What is it? Another treasure?"

    "Even better," Shesmu responded. He then signaled them to come behind the waterfall before pointing towards the den and saying, "Come here and look at what I''ve found, seems like we''ll finally have some fun."

    The trio followed his lead then looked at where his finger pointed at.

    "Is that a cave? We should check it out, maybe we''ll find more treasures there!" exclaimed Leo.

    "Well, I''d love to too, but how are we supposed to climb that high?" asked Ryan, unwillingness clear in his eyes as he looked at the cave that he deemed impossible to reach.

    "Well, who said anything about climbing? We have the Dash skill, so let''s use that," suggested Shesmu.

    As if given a new life, Ryan''s voice became cheerful when he exclaimed, "How could I forget about that! Sorry guys, sometimes my brain just turns off."

    "Haha, don''t worry. It happens," consoled Leo.

    "Well, let''s get going guys. We can''t stay here all night," said Shesmu.

    The duo nodded at Shesmu''s words and in a count of three, they all dashed towards the entrance of the cave. Once their feet touched the ground, a message appeared in front of them.

    Ding!

    Congratulations on finding the level 5 dungeon: Goblin''s Den!

    For being the first party to find the dungeon, you are rewarded with 50 human reputation points!

    "Oh a dungeon, lucky!", exclaimed Leo before continuing, "and these rewards are sweet too!"

    "I was expecting to find a treasure here, but for it to be a dungeon, that''s even better!" added Ryan.

    Shesmu closed off the notifications before turning and looking at his teammates, "I think that we should probably stay quiet for now. We don''t know where the monsters are and we don''t want to get swarmed from the get-go."

    The duo nodded at Shesmu''s words before Leo responded with a lower voice, "Let''s go, guys, I''m already excited."

    Ryan and Shesmu smiled when hearing Leo''s quiet voice, before chuckling a little bit. This whole scenario left Leo confused, but he didn''t mind and just walked deeper into the cave.

    The trio didn''t have to walk for long before finding their first opponent. Barely fifteen seconds in, a group of five goblins ran towards them, dagger in hand.

    Each of the goblins was a level 5 one, and with small bodies, they could run one next to the other in this small cave with ease. Shesmu used Inspect on all of them and found that they had 200 Hp. While this number dwarfed his 160 Hp, it didn''t matter to Shesmu. After doing some calculation in his head, Shesmu thought, With my new sword, I can kill one of them in one combo.

    "Leo, Ryan, the usual!" Shesmu barked out.

    Understanding his meaning, Leo ran towards the goblin group while Ryan hid under the cover of the shadows waiting for the perfect opportunity.

    Shesmu followed Leo''s lead and ran towards the goblins. At this point, Leo was already their focus, so Shesmu just singled out the goblin at the left and swung his sword towards him.

    A flash of green light emanated and ridiculous numbers appeared above the flabbergasted goblin.

    120

    240

    [author] Remember to rate and add the story to your reading list here on SH.

    Also, don''t forget to heart the chapter if you really liked it.

    Finally, if you wish to support me and get access to advance chapters (up to 12), then you can check out my *******[/author]

 22 Like Butter

    Shesmu''s sword cut through the goblin''s neck like a knife through butter. Blood gushed out of the creature''s neck, dyeing Shesmu''s face red. However, even while being showered by blood, Shesmu didn''t flinch; he looked at the goblin straight in the eyes. The vile''s eyes that showed fear and surprise just a moment ago slowly became lifeless.

    For half a second, the goblins that were focused on Leo shifted their attention towards their dead comrade; this lapse of concentration spelled their doom.

    Empowered Thrust!

    Shesmu''s sword flashed green before he thrust at thin air.

    Dash.

    The goblins couldn''t understand why Shesmu would thrust in the open like that¡ªthey soon did. Shesmu vanished from his place and appeared in front of one of the goblins. His sword pierced through the creature''s neck, stunning it in place. Shesmu took out his sword from the goblin''s neck and the creature fell on the ground, blood gushing out of its wound.

    In less than a second, the group of five goblins turned into three. The remaining viles stepped back in fear. The human in front of them became a god of death in their eyes, ready to reap their lives.

    However, what they didn''t know was that there were two shinigamis on this battlefield. From the depths of the shadows, Ryan emerged. His dagger cloaked in an aura of death. He impaled the first goblin, puncturing its heart and reaching out to its chest.

    Noticing his presence, the two goblins left stepped away from him. However, there was no running away. Ryan disappeared from their vision only to appear behind their back. He slashed the first goblin''s neck before manhandling the second one. After taking control of the last goblin''s arms, he grabbed hold of his dagger and stabbed away at its chest.

    Looking at this scenery, Leo was flabbergasted. Ryan''s face was covered in blood, and his mad grin turned him into a demon.

    "Holy damn," Leo couldn''t help but blurt out. "You''re really a savage."

    Ryan blinked in confusion at Leo''s statement. He then touched his face only to be surprised by the blood on his fingers.

    "Haha," Shesmu couldn''t help but laugh. "Seems like you really got into it."

    Looking at Shesmu''s face, Leo couldn''t help but give him an unimpressed look. "Dawg, just look at yourself. Your whole body is covered in blood!"

    Shesmu looked surprised at first before looking down at his clothes. They were dyed red. It looked as if he just survived the purge.

    Looking at Shesmu''s surprised expression, Leo couldn''t help but sigh and shake his head in disappointment.

    "Really, you two. Are you sure you''re not twins or something? You act literally the same!"

    "Hahaha," Ryan laughed. "Well, we did both carry your ass through this run. So in that spirit, yes, we''re very similar."

    "Oy, that was a low blow!" Leo''s eyebrows scrunched.

    "Hahaha, I''m just kidding. You will be useful later when we fight the boss."

    After saying those words, Ryan took the lead in exploring the cave. Looking at him from behind, both Leo and Shesmu sighed. They looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

    After exploring the cave for a few more minutes. They found another group of goblins. This time, they quickly took care of it, with Shesmu and Ryan, again, taking all the kills. They both leveled up, but Shesmu received another notification.

    Iron Sword Level Up!

    Oh, I forgot that low tier weapons leveled up this fast. Nice! His sword glowed golden for a few seconds before the light died down. He then used Inspect to check its new stats.

    Iron Sword

    Rarity: Iron

    Required Level: 1

    Weapon Level: 2

    Attack: 45

    Oh, a five damage increase. Not too shabby, Shesmu thought. Focusing back on his friends, Shesmu concluded that this was a good time to introduce them to the concept of leveling weapons.

    "Oh, wow. My weapon leveled up!" Shesmu exclaimed, faking excitement.

    "Wait, what?!" said Leo. "Weapons can level up?!!"

    "Okay. Now if that isn''t the dopest idea ever, then I don''t know what is," Ryan stated.

    "Yeah, but why do our own weapons don''t level up?" asked Leo.

    "Hmm, can you inspect your weapon and see if it has a weapon level?" Shesmu thought before asking.

    Leo unsheathed his sword and inspected it. After a few seconds, he said, "Oh, no, it doesn''t have it."

    "I guess that''s why," Shesmu stated.

    "Ohh, maybe it''s just the starting weapons that don''t have it. I can''t wait for one of these goblins to drop a good dagger for me to equip!"

    Ryan''s excitement was contagious, even Leo was getting fired up.

    "You''re right! Let''s continue hunting more goblins, I can''t wait for them to drop a shield and a sword for me."

    As such, the group continued their exploration through the goblin''s den. They encountered a few more squads which they killed easily before finding a worthy opponent. A vile, taller and bigger than any of the goblins they fought until now appeared. In its right hand it held a big butcher knife, on its left a small wooden shield.

    Inspecting it, Shesmu found out its name.

    Hobgoblin(Elite) Lv: 7

    HP: 1000/1000

    Behind the hobgoblin were several other smaller goblins¡ªall level five. Shesmu glanced at Ryan. Seeing the grin plastered all over his face, Shesmu couldn''t help but smile too. His golden eyes looked straight at the Elite monster, like a predator looking at its prey.

    Let''s have some fun.

    Shesmu unsheathed his sword and disappeared. He immediately dashed in front of one of the goblins and slashed diagonally across its body.

    Empowered Slash!

    Shesmu''s sword glinted with green aura as the slash connected, performing the cancel perfectly. Blood gushed out from the vile''s chest wound like a fountain. All the while, Shesmu stepped back so as to not be circled by the other goblins.

    While the monsters were focused on Shesmu, a shadow darted around in the corners, waiting for his opportunity to pounce. He didn''t have to wait for long. The moment one of the goblins broke out of formation and charged at Shesmu, Ryan appeared behind its back and claimed its life.

    Not wasting the opportunity, Leo charged at the hobgoblin so as to keep hold its aggro. Seeing him charging at it, the elite monster raised its knife to slash at him. However, Leo blocked the strike with his shield and counterattacked with a slash of his own.

    The moment Leo took hold of the Hobgoblin, Shesmu and Ryan burst into action. Shesmu ran towards the goblin and thrust, slashed, and struck at them with his sword. Meanwhile, Ryan dashed behind them, claiming the life of whoever Shesmu focused with his attacks.

    In no time, the small viles were all killed, leaving the hobgoblin alone. Shesmu and Ryan focused all their attacks on the latter so as to relieve the stress from Leo. After a couple of slashes, the elite monster, too, was on the floor, dead.

    Empowered Slash Level Up!

    Looking at his skill level up, Shesmu smiled. It did take a considerable amount of time for this skill to level up, but it finally did.

    Well, with this, the boss fight would be much easier.

 23 Den For Den

    After killing the hobgoblin, Shesmu looked at Ryan and said, "Hey, Ryan. Did it drop its shield and sword?"

    Ryan checked his inventory before answering, "Yeah, plus a bunch of pills."

    "Great," Shesmu responded. "With this shield, you''ll be able to at least tank the boss."

    "Yeah, you can count me on that."

    With those words from Leo, Ryan materialized both a shield and a sword and gave them to the latter

    Shesmu then looked at Leo and said, "I''ll take five energy pills, you take the rest. I already have a lot of HP potions. Hopefully next time a dagger drops, that way everyone''s equipment is Iron."

    Leo looked at the ten Hp potions on Shesmu''s hand before he laughed and said, "who cares about HP potions? Haha. I already have thirty of them, just split normally."

    "Well, if you say so. In any case, next weapon will be Ryan''s, no matter its rarity. We need everyone''s gear to be topnotch," Shesmu concluded, leaving no room for discussion.

    Both Leo and Ryan nodded at Shesmu''s words. With the equipment split, they decided to take some rest and allocate the points they got from leveling up.

    After a few minutes, the party continued the exploration of the den. As they did, they fought a pack of goblins after the next. Most of them dropped unranked weapons and some goblin fabric. However, occasionally, a rare item would appear

    Ryan was checking his inventory when he suddenly called out, "Hey guys. This goblin dropped something weird."

    "What? Is it a weapon or something?" Leo asked as he and Shesmu came over.

    Well, if normal mobs dropped something weird, then it must be Ether stones, Shesmu thought as he walked towards Ryan.

    When the two reached Ryan, the latter opened his inventory and took out an item. It was a blue stone that was slightly larger than a pebble. It gave off a cold glint, but other than that, it appeared normal.

    "Its description is really vague. It says that it''s an ether stone and that it drops from monsters with the ability to evolve, but it doesn''t say anything other than that." After inspecting the stone, Leo was left with more questions than answers.

    Listening to his friend''s confused words, Shesmu smiled and thought: Well, that''s to be expected. Hmm, maybe I should start buying them as soon as live servers are out.

    "Yeah, that doesn''t really say much," Ryan added. After thinking for a bit, he continued, "Well, it doesn''t really matter anyways. We can just save them up for now until we understand their use."

    "In any case, we can check the forums later after we finish this dungeon. Let''s continue with the looting first," Shesmu concluded.

    After a few minutes, the party finished checking on the loot and got some rest. Just as they were about to go out of the room and continue the exploration, Leo noticed that some of the goblins'' bodies disappeared.

    "Hey, I just saw some goblins disappear!" Leo exclaimed.

    "Are you sure you aren''t imagining things¡ª" before Ryan could even finish his words, another goblin turned into particles and disappeared.

    Looking at the disappearing monsters, Shesmu saw this as an opportunity to explain another concept.

    "I guess that makes sense. If monsters were to be left alone after players kill them, everywhere would just reek of the smell of blood and death."

    "Well, enough of this. We need to finish this dungeon as fast as possible so that we can reach the tower fast. We don''t want to miss out on those rewards now, do we?" Shesmu added.

    Leo then took out the torch from the handle, and the trio went out of the room. They continued walking on the main path of the cave.

    "Hey, what do you think that room was?" Leo asked suddenly.

    "Hmm, maybe it was a sleeping room or something? Either way, I don''t think that there are that many goblins left in this dungeon. I don''t know how many we killed there, but it gotta be more than a couple of dozen. I got to level 7 and more than halfway to 8 just from them," Ryan answered.

    "Lucky you guys, I just got to level 6 from the hob," Leo pouted.

    Hearing him depressed, Shesmu couldn''t help but intervene, "Don''t worry Leo. On the road to the tower, I''ll let you have the last hits until you reach our level. We can''t leave you trailing behind for too long."

    When Leo listened to Shesmu''s suggestion, he couldn''t help but look and feel guilty, "you don''t need to do that, man. I don''t want to drag you guys down."

    "You won''t drag us down, don''t worry. But you will drag us down if you don''t get to our level by the time we reach the tower and there is some challenge there or something. It''s better this way," Shesmu argued.

    "If you say so. Well, I''ll be in your care," Leo concluded.

    The party then continued its journey until, suddenly, they saw a source of light deep into the cave. As the trio kept moving, the light grew closer and more apparent. In this part of the cave, there were torches on both sides of the cave illuminating the road.

    No longer needing another source of light, Leo turned off the torch and put it in his inventory. Moments after, Shesmu heard step sounds. Thinking it might be his own steps, he stopped and so did his teammates.

    "What''s going on, is there something in front of us?" asked Leo.

    "I think I heard stepping sounds," Shesmu answered.

    "I heard them too, three monsters are ahead of us," added Ryan.

    Hearing Ryan''s guess, Shesmu couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows. That''s¡­ an accurate judgment. Too accurate.

    Shesmu didn''t have the time to be lost on his thoughts, as the stepping sounds grew closer. The noise became clearer and louder until finally, the perpetrators showed themselves.

    Three monsters appeared, and when the party inspected them, both Ryan and Leo were shocked.

    Hobgoblin(Elite) Lv 7

    Hp: 1000/1000

    Hobgoblin(Elite) Lv 8

    Hp: 1200/1200

    Hobgoblin(Elite) Lv 7

    Hp: 1100/1100

 24 How To Gut A Goblin

    "Ryan, take on the right one. Leo, the left! Once one of them reaches lethal, everyone Dash into it and kill it! No hesitation!" Shesmu barked out.

    Leo and Ryan immediately sprung into action, listening to Shesmu''s orders. Ryan faced the hobgoblin on the right. Its frame was much shorter than its counterparts. It held a dagger in its green hand, waiting for any opportunity to strike. The hobgoblin Leo faced a two-handed sword and had 1200 Hp. From the looks of it, it was a tank variant.

    Shesmu marched towards the middle hobgoblin. It held a one-handed sword and had an Hp of 1100. From his earlier Inspect, he knew that it was a warrior variant. Shesmu ran towards it, sword in hand, and feigned a slash. The monster took the bait and activated a skill. Its sword glowed a bright shade of red before the goblin slashed diagonally at Shesmu. Expecting this outcome, Shesmu easily dodged the attack to the left and countered with a hit of his own.

    Empowered Slash!

    Shesmu activated his skill and used Empowered Slash Cancel, chipping away at the creature''s health. Then, with a swift motion, he roundhouse kicked the hobgoblin in the face. The vile took a few steps back, its hand grasping at its own bloody face. Shesmu continued his assault with a front kick that catapulted the creature into the air.

    Leo was in a standoff against his enemy when a hobgoblin came flying from the direction of Shesmu. The monster that Leo was facing turned into a cushion for his teammate to soften his landing. Both of them fell on the ground, leaving the green creatures at the mercy of Shesmu''s party.

    Surprised by this sudden outcome, Leo looked at Shesmu with his jaw hanging. "Damn, son! What was that?!"

    Before Shesmu could respond, Ryan teleported atop of the hobgoblins. His dagger covered in a dark aura as he plunged it deep into the warrior hobgoblin''s heart, instantly killing it.

    As Shesmu was about to congratulate Ryan for the kill, a dreadful feeling consumed him. His face turned livid. He turned to look at the assassin hobgoblin, only to not find anything.

    "Guys!¡ª"

    The moment Shesmu turned back to look at his teammates and warn them, he was stopped by the sight of a bloody Ryan. A dagger was poking out of his chest, baptized by the blood of his teammate. Shesmu kept looking at Ryan''s shocked face before focusing on the hob behind him. The creature had a cold look on its eyes as it made eye contact with Shesmu.

    No, it''s going for Leo next!

    "Leo, run!" Shesmu shouted out. And the moment he cried out was the moment the hobgoblin vanished, leaving a falling Ryan bleeding out on the ground. Without even thinking, Shesmu used Dash and teleported towards Leo. At the same exact moment, both Shesmu and the hobgoblin appeared, each of them had their weapon ready to strike.

    The hobgoblin didn''t expect Shesmu to appear before him and hesitated for a moment. That second of hesitation was all Shesmu needed to settle the duel once and for all. Empowered Thrust, Shesmu thrust his sword, its target was the hob''s heart.

    The creature felt a cold shiver down its spine. Its instinct screamed danger at it, and the monster immediately raised its arms to guard. Unfortunately, it was all too late.

    Plosh

    By the time the hobgoblin''s arms were raised halfway, Shesmu already plunged his sword deep into its heart. The light dimmed out of its eyes before the hobgoblin slowly fell on Shesmu''s shoulder and then on the ground.

    All this time, Leo couldn''t do anything but stand awestruck. He was about to say something before a noise behind him stopped him dead in his tracks.

    Both Shesmu and Leo looked at the source of the noise, only to see the tank hobgoblin slowly stand up. While it was getting up an unexpected movement drew everyone''s attention. Ryan who was supposed to be dead had his fingers twitch.

    Shesmu rejoiced at the survival of his friend and used Inspect on him to check his HP. Of his 184 max HP, only 24 remained.

    However, it wasn''t only Shesmu and Leo that noticed Ryan''s movement, the tank hobgoblin did too, and he was but a few steps away from Ryan.

    Understanding the severity of the situation, Shesmu immediately ordered, " Leo, teleport towards the hob!"

    Not even taking the time to respond to Shesmu''s command, Leo used Dash and appeared in front of the monster, blocking its way towards reaching Ryan.

    "Big dumb green man gotta kill me first if he wanna touch him," Leo taunted.

    While Leo was busy blocking the hobgoblin''s way, Shesmu ran towards Ryan before he rebuked him.

    "Idiot, why aren''t you using a potion already? You still have a bleed effect eating at your HP, don''t you?"

    Looking at Shesmu''s angry face, Ryan smiled, "you really know a lot of stuff, Shesmu, don''t you?" He asked before taking out an HP potion from his inventory and gulping it. "The way you move, the way you fight, even the decision you make. All of them are so good, and all of them are so unique in a sense."

    Listening to Ryan speak, Shesmu panicked for a second. Did he figure it out already? But I made sure not to do anything out of the ordinary, how did I mess up?

    "Shesmu. For some reason, your face, your name and everything you do feel so familiar. I don''t know why, but there is this feeling inside my heart that tells me we''re really similar," Ryan then stayed silent for a moment before continuing.

    "You asked me before how I was so good at this game even though I''m new. I have been thinking about it for a while, and even up to this point I don''t understand. The only thing I know is that this morning I had a strong headache, and after that, something inside me changed."

    After another bout of silence, Ryan continued his explanation, "It sounds weird, right? But I really can''t tell what happened. After that headache, my body started doing weird things all of his own. The food that I usually ate felt bland like I no longer like it, shows I never paid attention to suddenly became interesting. And, maybe most importantly, when I entered this game, something was wrong. It was too¡­ Familiar... Like a D¨¦j¨¤-vu, it felt as if I had played it for the longest time.

    "Hey, Shesmu, tell me, is it the same for you?" Ryan asked with an innocent smile.

    Shesmu''s heart clenched with every word coming out of Ryan''s mouth. So, you too have been stranded in this timeline with no choice of your own. Wasn''t it the case, Ryan?

    Shesmu didn''t know how to answer Ryan at all. Many emotions and thoughts intertwined in his brain. He was already almost certain that Ryan was a time traveler like him. The only question he had in mind was whether it was him that had sent the letter to Shesmu. But now, it was clear that this wasn''t the case.

    In the end, Shesmu just closed his eyes in resignation. He then opened them and smiled, "I''m not sure, Ryan. But if it is something that had to do with Ashes of Gods, then we will surely find out about it sooner or later."

    -----------

    Annnnnd my part(e)on has finally been reopened. Due to some irl problems I had to close it for a while, but now it''s finally open to public. If you guys want to support me and get access to up to 12 chapters in advance, click on this link: part(e)on.com/yorth

 25 Rage Fuels The World

    While Shesmu and Ryan were talking, Leo was standing alone, facing the hobgoblin on a one on one deathmatch. The monster would slash downwards from the left, and Leo would slash upwards from the right, parrying the attack.

    The same scenario kept playing out with different angles and different positions, but none of the contestants was able to hit the other. The monster was too slow, and Leo too unskilled to take advantage of openings.

    After ending his conversation with Ryan, Shesmu looked at Leo fighting. At first, he thought about helping him right away, but after looking at things for a bit, he found out that Leo was doing good for himself.

    Well, he should learn to defend himself on his own. Plus, if he is in any danger, I can always help him out. Unless he gets his head cleaved off, or heart destroyed, he won''t be one-shot.

    While Shesmu was watching Leo fight against the hobgoblin, Ryan stood up and sat down next to Shesmu.

    "Why aren''t you helping Leo?" Ryan asked. He obviously knew that Shesmu had a soft spot for Leo. The fact that he suggested leaving mob kills to him was a big indication.

    "I can''t always be there for him. Plus, wouldn''t he find it boring if I helped him every single time he is in trouble? It''s better for him to learn to fight alone now, than later when there are many more skills to be familiar with."

    "I guess that''s true," Ryan concluded. The wound on his chest by that point was already healed, no scar was left to be seen.

    Noticing that he was already fine, Shesmu asked Ryan, "By the way, how did you survive that stab to the chest? I thought that it pierced your heart when I saw it."

    "Ah, that. I''m not sure too. But just before I got hit, I felt a shiver down my spine and my body moved on its own. I guess that it was just a lucky dodge," Ryan explained.

    "I see," Shesmu responded.

    "Honestly, I was a bit surprised. I didn''t expect the hob to be that ruthless and fast."

    Hearing Ryan''s laments, Shesmu fell into deep thoughts too. Yeah, that hob was a bit too good. Maybe it was a special one? Reaching this conclusion, Shesmu looked at Ryan before asking.

    "Can you check your inventory? I have this suspicion that the hob was a special one. If so, it should drop an Ether stone like the last one."

    Ryan checked his inventory before responding.

    "Oh, you''re right. It did drop an Ether stone. It also dropped a blood dagger."

    "Oh, that''s neat!" Shesmu exclaimed. "Show me, that might be a pretty good weapon."

    "Sure." A dagger appeared in Ryan''s hand. Its hilt was red, and its blade sharp. "Here you go."

    Shesmu took the dagger from Ryan''s hand and inspected it.

    [Blood Dagger

    Rarity: Iron+

    Required Level: 7

    Weapon Level: 1

    Attack: 70]

    "Yeah, it''s an Iron+ dagger. Pretty powerful."

    Ryan took back the weapon from Shesmu''s hands before playing around with it a bit. He looked at Shesmu and a grin stretched all over his face.

    "Now, with this, you think you can still beat me like last time?"

    Hearing Ryan''s taunts, Shesmu rolled his eyes. "It doesn''t matter how powerful the weapon is if it can''t touch its target."

    "Tsk, touch¨¦¡­"

    Both Ryan and Shesmu''s focus went back to the fight in front of them. As time went on, Leo became more and more familiar with the attacks of hobgoblin. He was now able to sneak a counter-attack or two before switching back to defense. As such, he slowly but surely chipped away at the monster''s health. That was until it reached the 20% mark.

    When that HP threshold was passed, a red aura of energy engulfed the monster''s body.

    After another missed hit by the hob, Leo tried to counter-attack as he did throughout the whole fight. But just as his sword was about to slash through the monster''s side, it countered with a slash of its own.

    Huh, so it has a berserk mode. Interesting. If this hob is already this strong, I wonder how much stronger the boss would be.

    Leo clutched at his shoulder. Even though he could barely feel any pain, the shock of receiving such a wound halted him mentally. Leo looked at his Hp only to find it down to 212. He used Inspect on the monster and was surprised to find that its health went up to 320.

    "Is that a lifesteal type monster?" Ryan asked.

    "Yeah, and a pretty powerful one at that. I think that rest time is over, this is not an opponent Leo can handle now. He just doesn''t have the damage needed."

    Saying these words, Shesmu stood up and unsheathed his sword. He took a few steps towards Leo and the hobgoblin before raising his sword and starting a swinging motion.

    By this point, Ryan had already seen this move multiple times. His eyes darted directly to where the monster stood, and immediately Shesmu appeared, his sword but inches away from berserker''s neck. As usual, his accuracy is topnotch, Ryan thought.

    The moment Shesmu appeared was the moment the hobgoblin saw its death. Shesmu didn''t give it any time to react, and immediately used Empowered Slash Cancel.

    165

    330

    Blood gushed out of the hobgoblin''s neck before it fell down, lifeless.

    At that moment, two notifications reached Shesmu. He opened them and two messages unfolded.

    [Congratulations, you leveled up!]

    [Weapon Level up!]

    After looking at the messages, Shesmu had decided to leave checking his weapon''s new stats and allocating his points until later. He still hadn''t allocated his points since reaching level five, so he needed to do that soon.

    "Huff, huff. What took you guys so long?" Leo asked.

    "Well, it seemed that you were having fun battling against the hob. Didn''t think it was appropriate to stop you in the middle of it," Shesmu answered.

    "It was fun. It''s just that when he went berserk, I thought I was a goner. Well, enough of that. What did it drop?" Leo asked, expectation clear in his voice. Until now, every hobgoblin dropped the weapon that it was using. Now that he defeated a sword wielder hobgoblin, his heart was pumping in excitement.

    "Aren''t you the happy little child," Ryan teased. "It would be funny if all of the hobs drop their weapon but this one. Now that would be hilarious."

    "Stop jinxing it, you idiot!"

    "Okay, okay, we can have this discussion later. Ryan just show us the drops already."

    Hearing Shesmu''s rebuttal, Ryan clicked his tongue before saying. "Fine, if you guys don''t wanna have fun then it''s your loss."

    Grumbling those last words, Ryan materialized a sword in his hand. Its hilt was red, much like Ryan''s own. Seeing this, Shesmu already had an idea about how strong it could be.

    [Blood Sword

    Rarity: Iron+

    Required Level: 7

    Weapon Level: 1

    Attack: 80]

    "Well, seems like you were lucky, Leo. The weapon you got is pretty good," Shesmu announced. He stopped as he remembered something, before he continued, "But it''s required Level is 7. Did you reach it from this fight?"

    "Ah, about that. Yeah, I barely reached level 7. Hobgoblins are really generous with their exp," Leo answered, feeling lucky that he reached level 7 and could equip his new sword.

    "Then that''s good. Well, since everything is ready, we can finally challenge the boss."

 26 Gobboss

    Before the party could make its way towards the boss, Shesmu had a sudden train of thought.

    "Hey Ryan, can you check your inventory to see if any sword dropped?"

    Ryan raised his eyebrows in confusion before a look of understanding dawned upon him. A grin then immediately stretched all over his face.

    "Huh, now wouldn''t be interesting if the only hob that didn''t drop anything was the warrior one?"

    Hearing Ryan''s taunts, Shesmu clicked his tongue and responded, "Can you just check your inventory, please? We still need to go fight the boss."

    "Yeah, I''m getting bored with this dungeon already. I want to get my tank skills fast!"

    Hearing Leo''s complaints, Shesmu smiled wryly. "Well, hopefully, you don''t have to wait long for that."

    While Leo and Shesmu talked, Ryan materialized a sword in his hand. After taking a look at it, he couldn''t stop laughing.

    "Hahahahaha! This is too good! Damn, this is just way too good. I can''t believe this, we all get an Iron+ weapon but you. Hahahahaha!"

    Listening to Ryan''s maniacal laughter, Shesmu was a bit confused. He used Inspect on the sword to check its stats.

    [Steel Sword

    Rarity: Iron

    Required Level: 7

    Weapon Level: 1

    Attack: 60]

    "Oh, it''s not too bad. Much better than my iron sword." He then looked at Ryan with a smug look on his face. "Plus, I''m not really sure that a ten damage difference would be able to make up the difference between us."

    Hearing Shesmu''s taunts, Ryan couldn''t help but frown in annoyance. "Hey! Just because you won against me once doesn''t mean you''re better than me! I want a rematch!"

    Looking at Shesmu and Ryan bantering, Leo couldn''t help but smile a bit. However, remembering Shesmu''s status as a legendary pro player, he couldn''t help but frown a little bit. That''s weird though, how can Ryan keep up with Shesmu? I know that he is good, but not THAT good.

    Shesmu interrupted Leo''s thoughts as he started talking. "Okay, let''s get going now."

    Hearing him talk, Leo snapped back to reality before following after his two teammates.

    As they made their way through the cave, they passed through numerous rooms. After looking at them, they found hundreds of goblins sleeping one next to the other. They were packed like sardines.

    Deciding that it was too much of a risk to fight them, the party just continued on without disturbing them. After long minutes of walking, the three finally reached the boss'' room.

    The gate of the boss'' room was ornamented with different carvings. Ogres, goblins, and monsters of all sorts were carved on the red doors.

    "Guess this is the boss room," Leo concluded.

    "Seems like it," Ryan added.

    Before opening the gates, Shesmu looked at his teammates and asked, "Did you guys allocate your stats yet?"

    "Ehh, not yet," Leo responded.

    "Same," Ryan added.

    "Well, let''s do that first before entering."

    After allocating his stats, Shesmu conjured up a strategy in his mind before making his speech.

    "Ok, so once I open the door, I want you to start chugging down on your potions. Even though your hp is full, inside the fight we won''t have much time to drink them so you want them running beforehand."

    Both Ryan and Leo nodded at Shesmu''s words. They summoned potions in their hands and readied them.

    "Other than that. Once we start fighting, I and Leo will rotate aggro. Ryan, make sure not to do too much damage until the boss''s aggro is firm on one of us, okay?"

    "Understood," Leo responded.

    "Sir, yes sir! We will follow captain''s orders to the end!"

    Ryan''s sarcasm made Leo a bit uncomfortable.

    "Ehh, Ryan. You can''t be rude like that."

    "Haha, don''t worry about it. It''s just banter," Shesmu said. He then turned his focus on Ryan, "Well, maybe if you actually won that duel I would have respected you as a captain, but now¡­"

    Shesmu''s words were like salt on an open wound.

    "Touch¨¦¡­ Dude, just you wait. Once this dungeon is done, I will challenge you immediately!"

    "Can''t wait for that to happen." Shesmu then focused back on the boss room''s gates. "Okay guys, I''m gonna open the room. Prepare yourself!"

    The two nodded in response.

    Shesmu pushed the red gates open. The open doors left way to a dark room¡ªa stark contrast with the torch-illuminated outside. However, once the party walked inside, light flared up from every corner of the room. Torches stationed in a meticulous order all around the walls of the boss chamber lit up in blue light.

    A throne stood at the back of the room, one made of bones and steel. A creature, green like a goblin but tall and big like an ogre sat on the throne. On side of the throne rested a one-handed sword. Its blade was dyed black as the night, while its handle was red like blood.

    Shesmu used Inspect on the monster in front of him.

    Goblord(Boss)

    HP: 10000/10000

    "Ten thousand HP?! How-how are we supposed to beat this thing?" Leo asked in fear and surprise.

    "Well, just don''t get hit," Shesmu teased. He then continued on a more serious note, "I''ll do most of the damage, so don''t worry about that. Just make sure to hold its attention and block its attacks. As for you, Ryan, I expect that you''ll be able to sneak in attacks without messing up its aggro, am I wrong?"

    "You already said that you don''t need to repeat it to me, you idiot. Just worry about dumbo Leo over there messing up the aggro or getting one shot. Well, that would be embarrassing."

    "Hey, the heck you mean. You think I''ll mess up the aggro? Just don''t go burst him with all of your skills like an idiot and everyone will be fine," Leo retorted.

    "Stop this you two. I and Leo will be in charge of juggling the aggro. When you want to burst, signal to me so that I take hold of the aggro. When everything is normal, Leo will be in charge of tanking the boss. Is that clear?"

    "All clear," Leo responded.

    "Roar!" The goblord stood from its throne and roared, showing its might to the impudent intruders. It raised its sword and charged towards the party.

    "Leo, chug on that potion and block its charge!" Shesmu ordered.

    Leo complied with the orders without hesitation. After chugging down the potion, he took hold of his sword with both hands. The blood sword was a two-handed weapon that emitted terrible might. It was dyed in red and leaked in a blood aura that merged with the surroundings.

    Leo ran at the boss and blocked its charge with his sword. After the first impact, Leo was pushed back by a few centimeters, but he was still able to hold on, locking the boss'' movement.

    However, while the boss was busy dealing with Leo, Shesmu appeared from behind his teammate. With one smooth swing, Shesmu used Empowered Slash Cancel and slashed through the goblord''s chest, dealing 540 damage.

    Shesmu''s strike surprised the goblord and left him open for other attacks. Leo didn''t waste this opportunity and used Empowered Slash, dealing 300 damage. And, as the cherry on top, Ryan appeared from behind the goblord and stabbed him on the back using Empowered Thrust, dealing 280 damage.

    After this flurry of attacks, the goblord became angry. The monster radiated a black and red aura before it gathered on his sword. He then slashed at the source of his anger and resentment: Shesmu.

 27 Second Phase

    Black and Red Energy gathered in the boss'' sword, clashing for dominance. The monster slashed at Shesmu with incredible momentum, leaving a black and red trail.

    Watching his impending doom, Shesmu thought, Empowered Thrust! Green light gathered on Shesmu''s sword before he thrust, his target: The boss'' sword. The two weapons clashed for a half a breath before the boss'' overwhelmed Shesmu''s sword. With barely any momentum wasted, the boss'' sword struck down like a meteorite, intending on decimating its target.

    The goblord''s weapon flew out of its hand. Shocked and surprised at this turn of event, the monster looked at Shesmu''s determined face. He should have been cleaved in half, but there he stood, triumphant while its sword spun in the air before plunging deep into the ground.

    Shesmu breathed a sigh of relief thinking, Good, deflected it. He then raised his sword and slashed at the boss before it could regain its balance and start attacking once again. As usual, Shesmu used Empowered Slash Cancel and targeted the goblord''s neck, activating a critical damage effect.

    270

    540

    With all the new upgrades to his equipment and stats, Shesmu''s critical hits did close to enough damage so as to two-shot a hobgoblin. When the two damage numbers appeared, even Shesmu''s teammates were surprised for half a second before attacking the boss once again.

    Even after receiving so much damage, the goblord only lost a quarter of its health. As if all the hits that it received were but ant bites, it stood up proudly with its chest puffed. It unsheathed its sword from the ground and looked at Shesmu with an intense glare¡ªIt was going to kill him.

    Black and red aura engulfed its body, but instead of gathering in its weapon like last time, it entered its skin and merged with the monster''s body. The goblord''s whole frame glowed faintly in both colors, emitting a lethal aura.

    Damn, that sword, it''s an evolved weapon.

    Shesmu gripped his sword even harder, a smile covering his face.

    "Everyone, beware! This might be a buff skill or something, it looks a little bit like the skill the tank hob used, so try not to get hit, understand?"

    "Understood!" Both Leo and Ryan replied.

    Well, that''s one thing. But now that all of our attack skills are on cooldown, we''re in trouble. And I''m still not used to this body goddammit. If it was before, even without a sword or a skill I would have toyed with this boss like it was nothing!

    In the face of this unnecessarily difficult situation, Shesmu''s frustration grew. However, the boss didn''t really care about his internal struggle and attacked him with no prior notice.

    Shesmu woke up from his daze and parried the goblord''s slash. The clash felt as if someone smashed him with a rock. Shesmu took two steps back and his hands felt numb after the exchange.

    Leo, noticing that Shesmu was out of gas, ran towards the boss and attacked him. Leo kept on the offensive so as to switch the aggro of the goblord back to him.

    In the meantime, Ryan circled around the boss from the shadows to prepare for an attack from behind. Once the opportunity showed itself, he lunged at it.

    While his two friends were fighting, Shesmu didn''t stand idle. Once Leo firmly took hold of the boss'' aggro, Shesmu kept going in and out slowly chipping away at the monster''s HP.

    After a couple of rounds of Shesmu going in and out, the boss slashed Leo before he could recover his stance. With one hit, the boss took half of Leo''s Hp and threw him off balance. The goblord then raised his sword a second time and slashed at Leo intending to finish him off.

    When Shesmu saw his friend getting hit, he immediately dove in and activated Empowered Thrust. Like last time, Shesmu targeted the boss'' sword. However, while the boss activated an attack skill in the last attempt, this time he did not.

    Shesmu''s sword hit the middle of the goblord''s blade, parrying the attack. Due to the recoil, the boss'' sword went up and the goblord lost his balance. Neither Shesmu nor Ryan missed this chance and dished out as much damage as possible. Shesmu slashed the goblord''s chest two times before ending his combo with an Empowered Slash Cancel to the neck, while Ryan kept stabbing and slashing at the monster in the back, his dagger cloaked in shadows.

    This flurry of attacks took out a good chunk of the boss'' Hp, reducing it to a quarter. The goblord finally restored his balance. The moment Ryan saw the boss take hold of itself was the moment he jumped back, not even risking being in his attack range.

    The goblord was enraged. It screamed and shouted to the heavens before kicking Shesmu''s guts with all its might. The kick sent him flying across the room, back against the floor.

    "Huff, puff"

    Shesmu stood up slowly, using his sword as a support. He checked his Hp at the left corner of his vision and saw that he lost 100 health. He then looked at the boss and was surprised by what he saw.

    The goblord stood proudly with energy exceeding by multiple times whatever he showed before, bursting out his whole being. Dark and Red aura intertwined, with the color of blood being the dominant one.

    So, it''s a berserker too. This is bad, if Ryan and Leo stay next to him, they''ll just die and gift him HP!

    Once Shesmu considered this scenario, he immediately ordered, "Leo! Ryan! Get the heck out of there!"

    Not wasting even half a second, both Leo and Ryan teleported out of the goblord''s vicinity.

    Now that his teammates were safe, Shesmu inspected the boss. The goblord barely had 2000 HP left. After doing some mental calculations, Shesmu thought: If I activate a fatal hit, I can kill it!

    The boss raised its sword nonchalantly and aimed with its tip at Shesmu. The overflowing energy that was coming out of its body gathered at the tip of its weapon. Two dots of black and red energy spun in a circle and grew to the size of a tennis ball.

    The ball of energy hovered in the air for a few seconds as if to mock Shesmu, before pouncing like a cheetah.

    The ball of death flew with incredible momentum towards Shesmu. In less than half a breath, it reached its target. The goblord smirked, thinking that his enemy was already dead.

    The ball of energy stood in front of Shesmu, almost touching his nose. However, it couldn''t. Shesmu flickered out of existence, dodging the ball of red and black. The wall behind him exploded in a burst of flame.

    Leo could barely make out what happened before his eyes darted towards the boss. He couldn''t believe them. In its spot, three people stood. Shesmu with his sword, clad in a green aura, plunged deep into the creature''s neck. Ryan, his dagger, cloaked in shadows, puncturing the boss'' heart. And finally, the goblord, proud as it was¡ªdead.

 28 Preemptive Strike

    The Goblord stood upright, with its eyes closed and chest puffed. Neither the sword piercing its neck nor the dagger puncturing its heart took away an ounce of its majesty. However, death spares no one. After a few seconds, both Shesmu and Ryan took out their weapons and sheathed them. The Goblord had fallen.

    With the Goblord''s death came the jingly sound of notifications. Shesmu clicked on the plus sign and a bunch of messages appeared.

    [Congratulations, you leveled up!

    Weapon Level up!

    Weapon Level up!

    Empowered Slash Level up!

    Empowered Thrust Level up!]

    Well, that took a while. They finally reached level 3.

    The boss was generous with its exp. After reaching level nine, Shesmu looked at the exp bar under his HP and found that he was 57% of the way to the next level.

    After a few seconds of the boss'' death, a blue portal appeared in front of the throne. However, neither Leo nor Ryan seemed to be fazed by its appearance.

    "Wow, just wow!" Leo exclaimed, "You guys, just how did you do that?! It''s as if you were on sync or something."

    "Hahaha! Yes! Praise me more! My speed is impeccable, my timing is perfect. Only I could produce such an outworldly performance!"

    Shesmu just shook his head at Ryan''s antics, smiling. "So, did your weapon level up?" Shesmu asked.

    Ryan hesitated for a second before replying in a more serious tone.

    "Oh, yeah, they did. Though it really doesn''t matter that much. We''re going through levels and content so fast that by the time a weapon levels up, another with much better stats drop."

    Leon nodded at Ryan''s words. "Yeah, I''m guessing that this mechanic would be useful later on when leveling up is no longer as easy."

    "Yeah, that''s probably true," Shesmu responded.

    "Let''s forget that for now. We need to look at the loot! The loot!!"

    Ryan''s excited shouts made Leo excited as well.

    "Yeah, that boss was so damn hard. If it drops trash, I would be so mad!"

    "Stop jinxing it, you idiot," Ryan rebutted Leo while checking his inventory.

    "Haha, sorry sorry."

    Ryan looked at his inventory for a few seconds before his face turned into one of pure horror.

    Seeing him act this way, Leo started stressing out a bit. "Ehh, Ryan? Is something the matter? Why are you so shocked?"

    By this point, even Shesmu was interested in what Ryan saw that would make him look that way. Even with everything that happened until now, there wasn''t even one instance where Ryan showed such a face.

    "What the hell is this?!!" He finally screamed.

    By this point, both Leo and Shesmu were on the edge. They both gulped simultaneously.

    "This weapon¡­ It''s a gold tier sword!"

    Hearing him say those fabled two words, Leo''s jaws dropped.

    "What?!!"

    Shesmu, on the other hand, opened his eyes in surprise. So, it''s like I thought, it''s an evolved weapon.

    "Yeah, let me show you."

    Ryan''s hand shone with blinding golden light, Shesmu covered his eyes in response. By the time he opened them an amber blade appeared on Ryan''s hand.

    Looking at the gold-ranked sword, Leo exclaimed, "This is so fucking sick, man! Dude! With this, we''ll just breeze through content like it''s child play!"

    "You''re damn fucking right!" Ryan said. "Let''s check the stats first though, they probably are out of this fucking world."

    While Ryan was talking, Shesmu used Inspect on the weapon. Even he was curious about the stats of this little gem.

    [Cambion Blade

    Rarity: Gold+

    Required Level: 10

    Weapon Level: 1

    Attack: 250

    Skills:

    Demon Ki(Passive): Add Dark attribute to ki and increase the power of ki based skill by 20%.

    Demon Slash: Long-range crescent-shaped slash. Base Damage: 500 +180% attack damage.]

    Looking at the stats, Shesmu couldn''t help but chuckle. It''s official, this game is brain-damaged.

    "Hmm, can someone explain to me one thing? Was O9 fucking drunk when they made this fucking game? This isn''t a sword, this is Jesus H. Christ''s holy stick!"

    Leo waited for Ryan to finish his rant before adding in. "Holy fucks in heavens, Jesus would be proud if they had a stick this big. This beyond just broken"

    Hearing Ryan''s and Leo''s rant, Shesmu couldn''t help but laugh. "Damnit guys, this is too fucking funny. Holy shit!"

    Ryan and Leo joined Shesmu in his laughter.

    "Oh well, O9 might be high on some weed, but at least we''re the one benefiting."

    "Yeah, this time. Wait until we reach the main city and everyone is styling on our asses with their divine equipment. Oh, I have a boot that lets me teleport and boosts my attack speed by 1000%. Oh, I have a sword that can cut through space and time and disconnects you with a slash. Fuck me sideways!"

    Leo''s rant made Ryan laugh his ass off. "Hahahaha, damn dude. This is too funny! Honestly, I wouldn''t even be mad if some weird crap like that happened."

    "Dammit guys, let''s get serious here, okay?"

    Hearing Shesmu''s intervention, Ryan grinned like a maniac.

    "Oh, Mr. Broody McBrood doesn''t wanna have fun? Come on, give me a smile like the one you showed before." Ryan stretched Shesmu''s cheeks to make his lips smile. "Here, much better!"

    "You little shit." With one pinch to the forehead, Shesmu pushed Ryan away from his face.

    "Haha, okay okay, I''ll stop teasing you. We need to decide on who is gonna take this sword though. I can''t since I''m an assassin."

    "Do you still need to ask about that?" Leo asked. "I would be beyond embarrassed if I took the sword. Just give it to Shesmu already, goddamnit."

    Shesmu was embarrassed. Hearing praise from someone he considered almost his equal just a few days ago didn''t sit right with him. However, he couldn''t say anything to retort back. The facts were clear.

    "Damnit, okay I''ll take this sword, but whatever drops next is yours, the both of you."

    "Deal," Ryan responded.

    "Yeah, let''s do that," Leo added.

    "Okay, if we no longer have anything to do here, maybe we should exit the dungeon."

    "Yeah, let''s do that," Leo answered Shesmu.

    The party then made its way towards a blue portal that stood before the throne. No one had seen it appear, and it certainly didn''t exist as the party was fighting the boss. However, no one paid it any heed. They just walked toward before Shesmu touched it.

    [Congratulations, your party was the first in the world to conquer the dungeon: Goblin''s Den!

    Please choose a party name!]

    Shesmu thought for a second before asking Leo and Ryan for their opinion.

    "Hey guys, we''re the first to clear this dungeon. It wants us to choose a party name, what do you think?"

    Leo thought for a second before blurting out, "Blazing Blades?"

    "Lame," Ryan groaned.

    "Hey, if you have a better name, say it!" Leo retorted.

    "Wait a minute, I''m thinking," Ryan pondered for a second before adding, "Black Moon."

    When Shesmu heard this name, he was surprised. Black Moon, huh? Interesting name choice.

    "Black Moon, I like that. Sure, I can go with that."

    Seeing that everyone agreed on the same name, Shesmu concluded, "So Black Moon it is." He then thought, Team name is Black Moon.

    After he confirmed the name, multiple notifications flooded Shesmu.

    [Congratulations on being the first party to conquer Goblin''s Den in Pliyx Stal Kingdom.

    Congratulations on being the first party to conquer Goblin''s Den in the world.

    Congratulations on being the second party to conquer a dungeon in Pliyx Stal Kingdom.

    Congratulations on being the tenth party to conquer a dungeon in the world.]

    Attached to these messages was a list of rewards, but Shesmu didn''t care at all about that. He immediately thought, Show dungeon ranking for Pliyx Stal Kingdom. In front of Shesmu, a list containing two teams appeared.

    1-Dawn''s Resonance

    2-Black Moon

    Looking at the name plastered in gold at the top of the ranking, Shesmu''s eyes turned cold. His heart flared with the wrath of a dragon. Dawn''s Resonance. Just wait for me, I''ll be coming for you.

 29 Moonlit Confrontation

    After a few seconds of the ranking interface appearing, Shesmu and his friends were teleported out of the Goblin''s Den. However, the scenery they expected wasn''t there. Rather than the lake next to the waterfall, they found themselves in a clearing in the middle of the forest.

    Under the moonlight, the party sat and discussed.

    "So, all of you guys heard those notifications? We''re top 10 in the world! This is insane!" Leo exclaimed.

    "We sure are," Ryan added. "Haha, I can already see the titles of the videos about us! We''ll be so famous! Muwahahaha!"

    Seeing them being so excited, Shesmu couldn''t help but smile. Well, being top 10 in dungeon ranking isn''t really that good, but I guess I can be happy about it.

    There are so many rankings in Ashes of Gods, so many tournaments, so many dungeons, and so many events. The number of times that Shesmu ranked first, with his team or solo, was uncountable. After a while, it became so dull that getting first place in a local tournament felt like eating an appetizer, just part of the course.

    However, this was the first event in this timeline Shesmu ever ranked in. For some reason, it felt good. Shesmu hasn''t experienced something like this since the last time he won the world championship.

    Damnit.

    The world championship trail of thought led Shesmu to some painful memories. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. Calm down Shesmu, there is still hope.

    Shesmu took a deep breath before focusing on his teammates.

    "This is just the first of many wins to come, so don''t feel too excited yet, save that for the big stages. Anyway, we should check out what we got first."

    Shesmu opened his notifications and was flooded again with messages. Skimming over all of them, Shesmu found that he got 10 gold overall, 100 magic stones, 2000 Human reputation points, and a title.

    [New Title Acquired | Goblin Slayer I

    Goblin Slayer I

    Title acquired after killing 1000 goblins or being the first to conquer a goblin related dungeon.

    10% Bonus damage against goblin type creatures.

    Upgradable]

    This title is pretty good. Goblin evolution goes pretty high in levels, so this title should be useful for a while. Guess I should consider grinding out goblins some more in the future.

    "Guys, what did you get?" Shesmu asked.

    "Ten gold, a hundred of those weird ether stones, two thousand reputations, and two titles. The last are pretty sick actually?" Ryan stated.

    "Oh, two titles?"

    "Yeah, you didn''t get them, Shes?" Leo asked.

    "Nah, I only got one. Goblin Slayer."

    "Oh, we got that and a Reputable Citizen title. It was from the reputation points that we got if I understood the text well," explained Ryan.

    Oh, so it''s because of the noble title. I see.

    "Ah, then I understand now. I got a noble title at the reception, so I guess that''s the reason why I didn''t get that."

    "You have a noble title? How?!" asked Leo in shock.

    "I think it has to do with my eyes. From what I read, it seems like nobles in this country are born with golden eyes. Don''t really understand why O9 would do such a weird thing, but not going to complain," explained Shesmu.

    "Wow, that''s such a stupid system," complained Ryan.

    You bet it is. Even at this point I''m still weirded out.

    "Like, what game rewards you for basically doing nothing. It''s so stupid," Ryan continued.

    "Yeah, I''m with Ryan on this one, Shes. But hey, at least now we know it. In the live game, we''re gonna abuse the heck out of that, haha!" laughed Leo.

    "Sure, I don''t see any problem with that. Just know that you get double the infamy if you choose to be a noble though," warned Shesmu.

    "Ah, about that. Yeah, I''m not gonna be a red player. Unless Omega9 trolls too hard and doesn''t even give us an Arena where we could pvp, I see no point in pking."

    "Same as Leo. Don''t really enjoy pking that much, unless someone annoys me real hard."

    "Well, if you guys think that way, then it''s all fine," Shesmu concluded.

    "Now, let''s grind a bit so that I reach level 10. That way I get to equip the Cambion Blade."

    "Oh, before that," Ryan grinned as he looked at Shesmu. "I think you''re forgetting something. A little pinky promise that we made before, remember? Something about a duel."

    Leo shivered looking at Ryan''s face. It felt a dark, cold aura was emanating from him. "Ryan, are you okay? You''re too scary¡­"

    Shesmu smiled in response to Ryan and unsheathed his sword. "Sure, come on in. I want to see if this fight would be any different from the last one."

    Seeing both of his friends getting a tad bit hyped up, Leo backed out of the fight and gave them space.

    "I''ll be here watching you as you do your thing. Just remember to leave me out of it."

    Ryan and Shesmu were both too focused to even hear him. The moment Leo backed out, they lunged at each other like tigers.

    Shesmu thrust his sword in the direction of Ryan, forcing the latter to sidestep. Shesmu followed his thrust with a horizontal slash to the left, making Ryan duck to avoid his blade.

    Noticing the opening, Ryan pounced at Shesmu. With Ryan so close, Shesmu couldn''t utilize his sword properly.

    Ploosh

    Ryan''s dagger stabbed deep into Shesmu''s abdomen. Blood trickled down from his wound and onto the blade. However, the moment Ryan was about to take off his dagger, Shesmu grabbed his arm.

    "Got you," Shesmu said with a smile.

    His blade shone with a green light as he thrust it towards Ryan''s face. The latter immediately disappeared. Shesmu''s grin turned even wider.

    Dash

    Shesmu appeared in the sky. Ryan stood below him, about to slash a Shesmu that was no longer there. He grabbed Ryan by the collar, throwing him off balance, before thrusting his sword towards his face.

    Ryan closed his eyes by reflex. However, the pain never came. He slowly opened his eyes only to be welcomed by the tip of Shesmu''s sword. It still glowed with a green aura. Somehow, from this angle, the green energy looked like wisps of flames to Ryan¡ªflames of hell.

    "Woah!"

    Leo''s exclamation signaled the end of the fight.

    "Tch, dammit. I did even worse than last time."

    Shesmu stretched his hand for Ryan to take. The latter hesitated a bit before taking it.

    "Thanks," he murmured.

    "You know why you lost this time?"

    Ryan didn''t respond.

    "It''s because you lack experience. You have good reflexes, battle instincts, and insane athleticism overall. However, you jump at any opening like a monkey, without asking yourself first; "Is this a trap?""

    "Let''s have a rematch," Ryan said with a determined expression in his face.

    "No," Shesmu flatly replied. "There is no meaning to our fights right now."

    "What do you mean there is no meaning to our fights?" Ryan retorted. "The meaning is in the fight itself!"

    "Ehh, guys, can you calm down? It''s just a game." Seeing the situation degenerate, Leo tried to calm it down.

    "Leo, please, I''m talking with Shes here."

    "Ryan," Shesmu cut in. "If you want to fight, fine. However, before that, let''s finish this tutorial first. Deal?"

    Ryan stayed silent for a few seconds before finally succumbing in. "Okay, deal."

    "Great!" Leo exclaimed. "Now that the drama is finally done, let''s get back to grinding, okay?"

 30 Chrome Armors And Foxes On Fire

    With the fight between Shemsu and Ryan finally done, the party continued on with their grind. With their weapon enhanced, the level 5 and 6 goblins were a piece of cake. Seeing that grinding would be too inefficient if they continued farming in these low-level regions, they dived deeper into the forest.

    After a few minutes of running, they entered the fox territory.

    Fox

    HP: 300/300

    The foxes that the trio encountered were level 7 and 8. It took around half an hour for Shesmu to make that final step from level 9 to 10.

    After looting the foxes for their pelt, Shesmu took out the Cambion Blade and equipped it. Dark energy flowed from the weapon to Shesmu''s body. It gathered in his stomach, and Shesmu could feel it changing something inside him.

    A dark aura surrounded Shesmu''s body for a few second before it dissipated. However, Shesmu knew that it was only hiding in his body, waiting for the moment he summons it.

    After equipping the sword, the party continued on with their journey towards the tower.

    It was midnight when the party finally stopped. In the distance, one could hear the sound of roaring and howling intertwining together. A battle was taking place.

    Shesmu looked at his mini map and saw that they were at the edge of the red zone. He looked in front of him and a scene straight out of fantasy unfolded.

    Two camps, two armies split the forest. On the right, there were the goblins sharpening their weapons. A quick inspect told you their level, it was an astonishing 15. In the middle of their camp stood a green humanoid monster, fully clad with black and red armor. It was a Goblin General, and its level was 25.

    In the right stood the foxes, baring their claws. Their levels didn''t lose out to the goblins one bit, ranging from 14 to 17. In their midst stood a magnificent large Firefox. Its paws and sides were crimson red, while its fur was snow white. A quick Inspect told tales about its strength. It was a Fox king, a level 30 monster that evolved into a firefox.

    The party hid under the bushes afraid to make any sound. Every now and then Leo would raise his head to peek from between the bushes and go back to report.

    "None of them made a move until now. Just what are they waiting for? We''ve been sitting here for 15 minutes already and they still haven''t even gotten close to each other yet."

    "Yeah, I''m with Leo on this one," Ryan added. "In the first place, what are we even sitting here waiting for?"

    "I mean, since we got to see such a rare sight, I thought that it would be a shame to miss the opportunity to be the third dog. But from the looks of it, this is going to take all night. It''s a shame that we miss out on the loot of that firefox. Guess we have no choice."

    With these concluding words from Shesmu, the party crawled their way out of the hills, so as to not be seen by the two monster armies. They took a long detour around the battlefield before finally reaching safety.

    Really, this forest is full of surprises. To think that a rare variant such as firefox existed here. If I had a firefox pet, even without me doing anything, I would still be one of the strongest in this game, or at least this country until level 40.

    Shesmu was deep in thought when he suddenly remembered something. Wait, if I remember right, didn''t that guy tame his firefox in the Forest of Beginning. In the first place, firefoxes are very rare. At the very least, there shouldn''t be more than one Forest of Beginning hosting them. So, it had to have had something to do with that big guy over there. Thinking these words, Shesmu looked back at the battlefield in the distance. Maybe it was its child?

    War cries emanated from the distance, howls and roars permeated the air. Shesmu slowed down his steps to a halt and turned to look at the direction of the war. Well, no matter what happens there, it''s all going to reset once the live game goes up. Once that happens, I''ll go and get my share of the pie. Sorry about that, Shaman.

    "Hey Shes, we need to up the pace, else we''ll be even later than we already are," Leo reminded.

    "Yeah, let''s get going."

    Shesmu then looked at the tower in the distance illuminated by the moonlight, and glimpsed at his minimap. They were about two kilometers away from their destination, and the way was filled with danger.

    Clashing metal and anguished wails orchestrated a requiem of death. Goblins, fully clad in metal armor, clashed swords with the paws of their foes. Foxes lunged at goblins and bit their throats off.

    Blood painted the battlefield red and the gore decorated it. In the midst of this armageddon, the goblin general was howling out orders.

    "First battalion, flank from the right! Second battalion, to the left! Third battalion, retreat!"

    The General was one of the few goblins that could speak the human language. However, even though the other goblins couldn''t speak it, they were able to understand.

    The Goblin General stood proudly, with a red helmet covering his face, and black and red plate armor protecting his body. The metal shined in the middle of the night, showing that his set of equipment was new. It was specifically made for him, one of the ten generals of the goblin clan.

    The casualties of the war were even on both sides, and this bugged the General a lot. His grunt facial expression showed his worry and impatience. He kept tapping the ground with his right foot, waiting for something.

    "General Chrome, the trap is ready."

    A goblin soldier came in and stood on one knee before reporting to the Goblin General.

    Chrome, once he heard these news stopped tapping the ground with his foot. His worried expression turned immediately into an excited one.

    "Good," Chrome responded. His smile turned into a malevolent grin before he continued, "With this, the king of the foxes is dead."

    While the battle between the two armies was raging, Shesmu and his party were making their way to the tower.

    Wolf

    Hp: 700/700

    "Ryan, take care of the wolves at the left. Leo, the right. I will take care of the middle one then rotate."

    The duo nodded, accepting Shesmu''s orders. The party spread out, each of them heading towards his target.

    Leo was the first to reach the pack of wolves, making him their biggest focus. However, before the whole pack could aggro to him, Ryan came from the side and stabbed two wolves successfully, stopping them dead in their tracks.

    With perfect synchronization, the wolves have been divided between the members of the party. Ryan took hold of the monsters on the left, evasion tanking them using his superior reflexes and high agility. Leo kept hold of the aggro of the wolves at the right by attacking them and blocking their strikes using his new swords, damping their damage.

    Ryan is one thing, but Leo really became better after all the fights he has been a part of. As expected, you only become better through trial of fire and blood.

    Shesmu unsheathed his sword from his back and looked at the wolf in front of him. It was confused on who to attack between Leo and Ryan. Well, let''s test out the power of this Cambione Blade. With these thoughts, Shesmu raised his weapon and performed an Empowered Slash Cancel.

    400

    702

    Overkill was an understatement. With the passive of the Cambione Blade, Demon Ki, Shesmu''s Empowered Slash was enhanced further. The poor wolf had his head decapitated with one strike.

    After dealing with his target, Shesmu turned to look left. Ryan was able to effortlessly handle his opponents. He would slip in a stab, and before the wolf would even raise his paw, Ryan would dodge the attack. Good, he is starting to learn. Predicting attacks is much more useful than just reacting to them.

    Deciding that Ryan wouldn''t need his help any time soon, Shesmu decided to focus on Leo. While the latter was holding his ground against his enemies, countering with a slash or two of his own after any intense barrage of hits, his health was still being chipped at little by little. He was already down a quarter of his HP.

    Shesmu looked at the situation and decided that it was as good of a time as any to test his other skill that came with the Cambion Blade: Demon''s Slash. Shesmu activated his skill and raised his sword. Energy flowed from inside his stomach to the blade of his sword. The blade took a dark shade and glinted under the moonlight.

    Shesmu slashed at the air and a black crescent was formed, heading directly towards the two wolves Leo was facing.

    1464

    1464

    The black crescent of energy went through the two monsters and split them in half. Blood and gore littered the ground and painted Leo''s face red. The latter just cleaned off his face with minimum disgust.

    "Thanks for the help, you saved me there."

    "You''re welcome. But forget that, let''s help Ryan."

    As if they practiced this scene multiple times, both Leo and Shesmu used Dash at the same time. Each of them appeared behind one of the wolves Ryan was fighting. With one slash to the neck, both monsters were decapitated.

 31 Night-time Scouting

    After killing the pack of wolves, the party decided to rest and regen their health.

    "But man, your sword is really overpowered, Shesmu," commented Leo while drinking his pots.

    "Yeah. The enhanced damage is one thing, but that energy slash. You killed two wolves in one hit from a distance, how broken is that?!" Ryan added.

    "Well, it is a Gold+ rarity weapon after all. Thinking about it now, if that goblord was able to land one ki empowered attack on us there, we would probably have been one shot. Plus, there was also that black and red energy orb thing. That was scary," reminisced Shesmu.

    "Anyway, how far are you guys from level 10?"

    "I''m level 9, 80% of the way to 10," responded Ryan.

    "I''m also level 9, though I''m only halfway to level 10," followed Leo.

    "Okay then, we should grind a bit more before going to the tower then."

    Well, if it''s about grinding, then maybe we should try and search for a dungeon. Since we''re in a wolves area, there must be a wolf dungeon here.

    Everything made perfect sense in Shesmu''s head. The only downside was that unlike the goblin dungeon, Shesmu had no idea where the wolf''s is. Thus, the only way was to search for it in the traditional way. When Shesmu''s thoughts reached that far, he looked at both Leo and Ryan.

    "Do you guys want to do another dungeon?"

    "What kind of question is that? Of course, we do," responded Ryan. "But where are we gonna find one?"

    "Yeah, the last one was hidden behind a waterfall. We were lucky enough to find it, but I don''t think that the lady will smile on us again," added Leo.

    "Well, who knows? Let''s just try our luck and if we don''t find it''s all good. This is just the beta, remember?"

    Shesmu''s suggestion resonated with Ryan. He scratched his chin thinking for a few seconds before replying, "Yeah, you''re right. Since this is just the beta, it''s better to gather information. If we get to know where the dungeons are now, we will have a much easier time locating them in the live game."

    "Oh, I see. Yeah, that makes sense," said Leo.

    "Well then, let''s split for now. Leo, you explore the right part. Ryan, the left. I''ll check forward."

    "Sounds good," Ryan replied. "If I find something, I''ll report to you telepathically."

    "Yeah, that''s a good idea," Shesmu affirmed.

    With those words, the party split up, each going in one direction.

    * * *

    At the same time, on the battlefield that hosted the goblin and fox army, the Goblin General stood. Next to him were many of his advisors and subordinates, each of which kept their hands behind their backs and looked downwards in respect.

    "Grr,"

    General Chrome looked up at the direction of the sound. In front of him was a chained beast, with poles penetrating its body. These poles were engraved with runes of all kinds. They glowed golden, illuminating the dark surroundings.

    "O'' king of the foxes, what a pitiful sight. To think that an evolved variant like you would fall this low, you really underestimated us."

    "General, with the power of the seal that was granted to us by the fae and our blacksmith''s prowess, even if it was an evolved beast it couldn''t resist that might. In the end, it''s just one monster who still hasn''t learned how to speak."

    The words of the kneeling advisor behind his back brought a smile to the Goblin General''s face. For the whole time, he was worried about the outcome of the battle, but seeing the firefox falling prey to the trap as planned relieved him from stress.

    After looking at the Fox King for two seconds, General Chrome''s smile turned shrewd as he thought about something. He took a few steps towards the beast in front of him until he could feel its hot breath on his face. The General then taunted.

    "How do you feel now? Seeing the face of the one who killed all of your brethren. Does it hurt? Does it make you despair?"

    The tired eyes of the Fox king glinted with a cold light.

    "Awwooo!"

    The beast howled with all of its might and tried raising its paw. However, the chains blocking its shoulders and the pole that rooted its paws to the ground remained unyielding. It opened its mouth, fire gathering at the tip of its tongue. However, it dissipated into ember before dealing any damage.

    "Haha! Keep struggling Fox King. Your body has been chained and your magic has been sealed. If you think that with your puny power you can break the seal, then dream on! Of course, that''s unless you evolve again."

    The Goblin General finished with a low note. He was having fun giving hope to the beast then shattering it right after. Both of him and the Fox King knew that there was 0% chance of a second evolution as the firefox already reached adulthood.

    The firefox glared at the Goblin General in front of it with fury engulfing its eyes. But it knew that it was of no use. Its clan was already decimated and its power was dwindling. With all of the injuries it had accumulated, the only reason it still hasn''t died was because of the amazing natural recovery of the firefoxes.

    The Fox King no longer cared about what would happen to itself. The beast already lived a long life and it had no regrets. It made the fox clan reach level of dominance thought of as impossible before, in this internal area of the forest. Its only worry was its child, but it already made sure to leave an escape path for it before the Fox King was caught.

    "Haha! Well, enjoy these few days of rest, because they will be your last."

    The Goblin General then turned and signaled to his attendants to follow him out. He already had his fun and there were still many things he had to attend to.

    The Goblin General left and the Fox King just lied on the ground with its eyes closed. However, what none of the participants knew was that there was another being in the room looking at the scene. For the longest time, its eyes were fearful, but as the Goblin General kept taunting the Fox King, its eyes burned in anger. By the time General Chrome left, the stealthy being''s eyes were cold.

    * * *

    "Huff, puff,"

    Shesmu breathed in and out while standing on a tree branch. Jumping for half an hour from one tree branch to another would tire anyone who hasn''t specced in agility and vitality.

    After calming his breath, Shesmu looked down. The branch was fifteen feet above the ground, so he could see whatever was happening down there clearly.

    Few wolves roamed the area. Only two were entering a cave with a game on their mouths.

    Thought it would be hard to find the dungeon in the middle of the night. Who would have thought that you two will guide me all the way?

 32 Overgrinding

    After Shesmu found out about the wolves'' hideout, he issued the command for telepathic communication.

    ''Ryan, Leo, I found it.''

    ''Oh, nice. Where are you?'' Leo asked.

    Ryan''s put-down came swift and quick. ''Just look at the map, you dummy.''

    Shesmu shook his head at his friends'' antics before saying with a serious voice. ''Leo, you''re five minutes away from my location. Ryan, you''re eight. Come here quick.''

    ''Roger.''

    Even though Ryan was located the farthest, he reached Shesmu''s location first.

    "Ehm, soo, what was that thing about eight minutes and five minutes?"

    Ryan''s sly remark made Shesmu furrow his eyebrows in annoyance. He took a quick glance at the minimap only to see that Leo was pretty close. Soon enough, he appeared from within the shrubs and made his way towards Shesmu and Ryan.

    "Great, since everyone is here. Let''s go to the cave." Without even waiting for a response, Shesmu made his way towards the dungeon.

    Leo was surprised at the abruptness of Shesmu. He felt that there was some tension in the air. He looked at Ryan for answers, but the latter only giggled and followed after Shesmu.

    [Congratulations on finding the level 10 dungeon: Silver Wolves'' Cave!]

    The cave was dark, even darker than the forest. Even the moonlight that was their guide abandoned them in this dungeon.

    "Leo, please light up the torch," asked Shesmu.

    "Sure, give me a second."

    Leo took out the torch from his inventory and lighted it up. The fire was a savior¡ªa guide to the trio who just a few moments ago couldn''t see two feet past their nose.

    The party explored the cave and after two minutes, they found their first foes.

    Two wolves, both of them had black fur and red eyes. Their fangs were sharp and their claws deadly. Shesmu inspected them. Both were at level 11.

    Wolf

    HP: 730/730

    Wolf

    HP: 750/750

    Shesmu had the urge to just use Demon Slash and be done with it. However, remembering the Energy cost and cooldown of the skill, Shesmu stopped himself.

    Both Leo and Ryan dashed towards the monsters without waiting for Shesmu''s orders. At that point, they had already developed enough of team coordination to not need Shesmu to give even the most basics of instructions.

    With dexterous movements, Ryan dodged the wolf''s attacks and countered with his own. He slashed at the beast''s neck. However, just as the dagger grazed the wolf''s neck, shadows cloaked Ryan''s dagger. Two damages appeared above the monster''s head, killing it instantly.

    Looking at this display of skill, Shesmu couldn''t help but pause and smile.

    Huh, so he was able to copy it.

    Leo took a much simpler approach. He first blocked the wolf''s strike with his shield before countering with his own attacks. With a couple of rotations, Leo was able to kill the wolf easily.

    Shesmu didn''t take part in the fight and just stood behind the duo, watching their every movement.

    "Good job, the both of you. It seems that you no longer need me now, maybe you should try and duo the dungeon for a change."

    "You''re joking, right? Of course, we can, just sit back and relax."

    Shesmu was just trying to tease both of them a little, but who would have thought that Ryan would be even more quick-witted.

    "Ehh, you guys are joking, right?" Leo said with a quivering voice.

    Looking at Leo''s worried face, both Shesmu and Ryan had the same grin on their face.

    "I don''t know about that," replied Ryan. "Were you joking, Shesmu?"

    "Huh, why would I joke about something like that? You guys are plenty strong. You can do the work, while I just sit outside and enjoy the moonlight."

    Looking at Shesmu''s deadpan face, Leo was getting worried for real.

    "Ehh, I''m really not sure about that Shes. Ryan is really good, I know, but I don''t think we can do it alone."

    Both of Ryan stayed silent for a few seconds, making Leo''s worries grow even bigger.

    "Hey guys-" Just as Leo was about to talk, Shesmu and Ryan cut him off with their laughter.

    "Hahaha! Dude, you should see the look in your face. It''s too good! Haha!"

    Seeing Ryan laugh like a maniac, Leo heaved a sigh of relief.

    "You guys really went too far with the joke, you know?"

    "Sorry sorry, Leo," Shesmu apologized. "It was just too good of an opportunity to pass up."

    "Ehm, ehm," Shesmu coughed twice to set up a serious tone. "Okay guys, let''s continue on with the exploration. It''s getting late."

    "Yeah, let''s do that," Leo curtly responded to the dismay of Ryan. The latter just clicked his tongue and followed after them.

    The party kept exploring the cave, killing wolves left and right. The monsters posed no challenge, making them bored out of their mind. The situation kept repeating itself multiple times until the first elite appeared.

    Silver Fang Wolf(Elite)

    HP: 2300/2300

    "Well, I guess this is the first monster that won''t be one-shot," declared Shesmu.

    He then dashed and appeared in front of the Silver Fang Wolf. He then executed his Empowered Slash Thrust Combo, dealing more than 2000 damage. The beast dropped dead with one hit.

    "Nah, just kidding. It was still one-shot," said Shesmu dejectedly.

    "You really like bragging about, Shesmu. But I like that, a strong person has the right to brag, that''s my motto!" declared Ryan with hands on his hips.

    "Oh, I don''t think he is bragging. I too didn''t think that it would be one-shot, it''s an elite after all."

    "You know, Leo. Sometimes, I really don''t know if you''re trolling or not."

    Ryan looked at Leo with tired eyes, already used to his friend''s antics. Leo, on the other hand, had a confused look on his face.

    "Well, let''s just continue guys. I''m getting bored of this dungeon already, I just wanna blitz it," said Shesmu.

    With those words, the party continued their exploration. The trio blitzed through the dungeon-like there was no tomorrow, wasting no more than 20 seconds on every pack of wolves. Even elite wolves couldn''t survive one combo from Shesmu, so the whole ordeal was a breeze.

    After much exploration, the trio found themselves in front of a big door. All of them assumed that it was the boss''s room. By the time they reached this far into the dungeon, Shesmu and Ryan reached level 13 while Leo was 12.

    "It really sucks that none of the wolves dropped any weapon, but at least the elites dropped good quality pelt and wolf armors, so I guess that''s not too bad," Ryan commented.

    "Well, yeah. We were in need of new armors anyway. It would be really weird if we had insane weapons but all the other equipment was trash," responded Shesmu.

    "Anyway, the exp was good, so I''m fine with that. Plus, isn''t the boss going to drop some cool weapons and items? That''s the custom, right?"

    "Well, yeah Leo. Plus, things are finally going to be fun. I hope."

    Shesmu had an excited smile on his face as he opened the doors to the boss'' room. In the middle of it, a beast three meters tall with ripped muscles stood. Its silver fur shined through the moonlight that came from the rooftop.

    Shesmu used Inspect on the wolf and his excited smile became even more deranged.

    Silver Wolf King(Boss)

    HP: 30000/30000

 34 Coordination 101

    "Awooo!"

    The howl of the silver wolf king signaled the start of the battle. The party separated in all three directions before Shesmu gave his orders.

    "I''ll evasion tank! Leo, you offtank when I''m out of gas!"

    By the time Shesmu finished his orders the boss was already in front of him, ready to swipe him with his paw.

    Shesmu rolled on the ground dodging the attack before getting back up. At the same time, both Leo and Ryan attacked with their own skills.

    The wolf king, being attacked from both sides, no longer focused on Shesmu and was about to hit Leo. Shesmu attacked with a skill of his own.

    445

    829

    He slashed at the Wolf King''s neck using his Empowered Slash Cancel. Red Blood gushed out from the wound painting Shesmu''s right-hand red. The boss''s attention was now fully on Shesmu.

    Silver light gathered on the Silver Wolf King''s right paw emitting a calm and elegant aura. He will Dash! The monster vanished from Shesmu''s sight, and a black shadow appeared in front of him.

    Without even turning around, Shesmu Dashed out, appearing above the boss that was a moment ago behind him. The wolf''s attack shattered the ground, leaving debris and rocks that were catapulted in all directions.

    Shesmu activated Demon''s Slash and threw a black energy crescent towards the boss before gravity took over.

    1561

    Shesmu''s ranged skill dealt insane damage to the wolf forcing it to fall down on one paw. Shesmu didn''t waste any time and activated Empowered Thrust as he was falling. He performed an aerial Empowered Thrust Cancel; his target was the Wolf King''s neck.

    445

    829

    While Shesmu was fighting with his life on the line, Ryan and Leo weren''t sitting idly either. Whenever Shesmu landed a successful hit, or when the boss'' attention wasn''t on them, they would sneak an attack or two, making the Wolf King accumulate damage.

    Shesmu was out of gas, all of his skills were on cooldown. Leo understood that and immediately changed his playstyle to a more aggressive one. Before the Wolf King could even recover from Shesmu''s attacks, Leo jumped in and slashed at it. A couple of normal attacks and an Empowered Sword Slash was all it took for the boss''s attention to fixate on Leo.

    "Awoo!"

    The wolf stood up. It raised its right paw and gathered silver energy. Leo knew the destructive potential of that technique, so he braced himself. He readied his shield and fell on one knee.

    The Silver Wolf King''s paw struck down Leo like lightning from the heavens. Leo''s body bounced five meters in the air from the impact. His shield was thrown about and his sword was wedged into the floor on the other side of the room.

    Shesmu used Inspect on Leo and breathed a sigh of relief.

    Leo

    HP: 150/950

    That one attack can kill any of us but Leo in one shot. This motherfucker is insane.

    However, Leo''s sacrifice hasn''t been in vain. Even though he was only able to save five seconds by distracting the boss, these few seconds were enough for Shesmu to have his Empowered Slash off cooldown again. Before going into battle once again, Shesmu used Inspect on the boss.

    Silver Wolf King(Boss)

    HP: 19356/30000

    Two rotations like this and we can do it.

    After pushing one of Leo''s feet into the grave, the boss was prepared to finish its job. It readied its legs and prepared to lounge at the half dead man when Ryan appeared in front of its face.

    230

    630

    With one slash, Ryan was able to procc two damages. However, he wasn''t done yet. Before gravity could catch back with him, Ryan clung at the boss'' fur with his hand then slashed at its neck once again. The boss was only able to react after it received three hits.

    The Silver Wolf King shook its head left and right, trying to throw Ryan off balance. However, the latter only used its movement as a source of momentum to jump upwards, successfully landing on its back.

    Looking at this display of skill, Shesmu just smiled. This wasn''t the first time Ryan showed abilities and battle sense of a pro player, so he was no longer as surprised. It''s just a pity that you don''t have a good weapon, Ryan. In any case, wolves are known for dropping good daggers, so you''ll definitely get one after we kill this doggy.

    Shaking the thoughts out of his head, Shesmu snapped back to reality. All of his skills other than Demon Slash were up. He jumped towards the Silver Wolf King, garnering its attention. It was about to raise its paw to deflect the incoming attack when a sharp pain from its nap stopped it midway. Ryan plunged his dagger in it, making it lose focus of Shesmu.

    Shesmu didn''t waste the opportunity given by his friend. He performed Empowered Slash Cancel, slashing the beast''s neck open. He started falling down, but before his feet could touch the ground, Shesmu continued his attacks and slashed at the Wolf King''s left thigh.

    Ryan continued his attacks while Shesmu went in and out, dodging the Wolf King''s paws and countering with his own. This went on for a few rotations before the boss'' HP fell to 7000.

    It''s close to berserk, gotta hold off my cooldowns.

    All of Shesmu''s skills were up, including Demon''s Slash. However, he didn''t use any of them as he knew that the moment the Silver Wolf King reached 20% was the moment it should be one shot. If it was not killed in one hit, there was no way for the party to not get wiped.

    Plus, what''s going with Leo. It''s been a minute and a half, did that hit shock him that bad?

    Every few seconds, Shesmu''s eyes darted towards Leo''s direction, checking if he showed any sign of life. Sadly, even though his Hp was regenerating, he still didn''t open his eyes.

    While Shesmu was looking at Leo, Ryan kept slashing at the boss from above its back. However, contrary to what it had done until now, the wolf rolled on the ground. Seeing the weird movement of the boss, Ryan performed Empowered Slash Cancel one last time on the Wolf King''s nape, before jumping in the air.

    Blood gushed from the boss'' back before it rolled and left a red stain on the ground. After its roll, it stood on four paws and looked at both Ryan and Shesmu coldly.

    "Awoo!"

    Moonlight shone on the boss'' figure and a silvery light came out of its every pore. The silvery glint that engulfed the Wolf King intensified and reached out to the heavens.

    Shesmu knew that this was the berserk mode of the Silver Wolf King. As with the Goblord, this was a state where every move of the boss was a special technique. It was also a state where the boss could unleash his ultimate move. For the Goblord, it was the black and red ball of energy that destroyed half of the boss room. As for the Silver Wolf King, Shesmu didn''t know.

    The boss whose energy was running rampant disappeared from everyone''s sight. Shesmu expected the boss to target him, but after half a breath, he couldn''t feel the boss'' presence anywhere near him. He turned to look at Ryan, and lo and behold, the Silver Wolf King was next to his friend, his paw shining a silver light and ready to strike down.

    With no hesitation Shesmu Dashed in front of the boss, his target was the Wolf King''s paw. He slashed at it and at the same time activated Demon''s Slash. Knowing that just the combo of his normal attack and Demon''s Slash wouldn''t be enough to kill the boss, Shesmu decided to spice things up. Empowered Slash- Empowered Thrust! With those thoughts, Shesmu swung his sword.

    Energy kept gushing out of Shesmu''s abdomen and feeding his sword. After Shesmu''s weapon hit black energy appeared, and then to top it off, Shesmu''s blade glinted green. Black and Green energy clashed, creating a multicolored crescent that slashed through the Wolf King''s body.

    Time seemed to stop for a moment as the torrent of energy dissipated. In its wake, the Silver Wolf King was left motionless, a hole piercing through his body from his paw to his back. Then, half of the boss'' body fell, before the other half followed suit.

    [Congratulations, you created a skill combination!]

 35 Slashing in Style

    [Congratulations, you created a skill combination!

    Please name the skill combination]

    Hearing these two messages in his head, Shesmu thought for a bit before he responded, Cross-slash.

    [The name is approved. Skill combination: Cross-Slash has been created.]

    [Cross-Slash(Combination Skill)

    Rarity: Rare

    A skill that combines Empowered Slash, Empowered Thrust, and Demon''s Slash.

    Base Damage: 600 +230% attack damage (grows as the base skills'' level grows).

    This skill can only be activated when the Cambione Blade is equipped.

    Cost: 190 Energy

    Cooldown: 60 seconds.]

    Shesmu smiled as he looked through the skill''s description. He was already gassed out in terms of energy. Looking around him, Shesmu couldn''t help but marvel at the power of his skill. The black and green crescent slashed through the king of wolves and pierced through the ceiling of the cave.

    Debris and rocks fell, leaving space for the moonlight to shine.

    "Thanks for the help, Shesmu."

    Shesmu turned to look at Ryan before answering, "No problem dude. Just that, we should probably check on Leo, he is worrying me."

    "Ah, don''t worry about me."

    Hearing the familiar voice, both Shesmu and Ryan turned to the direction of Leo. The latter was standing with difficulty.

    "But really, what the hell happened. Once I got hit by the boss I dced. They gave me a message that I was disconnected due to some shock or whatever."

    "I guess your heart was pumping out too hard. The game automatically disconnects you if that happens."

    Shesmu has seen countless cases where newbies would randomly disconnect because some monster appeared out of nowhere. Experiencing an event that would be the equivalent of a death sentence in the real world would shock anyone. When Leo disclosed that he had been disconnected, Shesmu was not surprised.

    "Well, it''s all good if you''re back. But when you go back IRL, please do a quick diagnosis of your body. No one would want a mishap to happen to you because of something so stupid."

    "Yeah, hard agree with Shesmu. Once we finish the tutorial we go do a body check up to you."

    "Sure, I''ll do that. But now, did you loot the boss? What did it drop?"

    "Wait, let me check."

    Ryan opened his inventory interface before blurting out, "Huh? Another Gold weapon?!!"

    Shesmu''s expression turned serious. This is weird. Gold weapons shouldn''t be this easy to get.

    "Ehh, are gold weapons supposed to be this easy to get?" Leo scratched his head, trying to think of a possible explanation.

    "Beat me," Ryan replied. "All I know is that this booty is mine!"

    Golden light shone in Ryan''s hand before materializing into a dagger. Its hilt was made of silver, shining with the moonlight. The sharp end of its blade glowed with a deep blue, while it''s dull end was ornamented with a wolf engraving.

    "Woah," Leo couldn''t help but exclaim. "That looks pretty damn cool, dude!"

    Shesmu felt the same. The beautiful look of the dagger, its elegant form, and its aura of lethality. All of that merged to create the perfect weapon.

    [Silver Fang Dagger

    Rarity: Gold

    Required Level: 15

    Weapon Level: 1

    Attack: 300

    Skills:

    Moonlight Dash: Instantly teleport in a radius of 10 meters, leaving behind you a moonlight clone. Resets after each successful kill.

    Cooldown: 10 seconds

    Assassination: Deal 200% damage once target is below 10% Hp.

    Cooldown: 15 seconds

    Set Effect:

    2/5: +25 Agility

    4/5: +40 Agility, +15 Strength

    5/5: +60 Agility, +30 Strength, +5 Concentration]

    Shesmu inspected the dagger and smiled. "That''s a powerful weapon. The fact that you get a second dash, plus the passive ability makes you that much more lethal."

    "Yeah, plus that set effect!" Leo added. "I don''t know what concentration is in this context, but just the agility and strength boost is bonkers!"

    "Hehe," Ryan scratched his head. "Well, I still need to wait until level 15 to equip it."

    Shesmu thought for a second before asking, "Is that all that dropped?"

    "Ehh, no, let me check," Ryan opened his inventory once again. "Hmm, there are the usual ether stones, a hundred of them. Some pelt and a coat."

    "Oh, show us show us, I wonder what kind of stats they have," said Leo.

    The same usual light shone within Ryan''s hand before a multitude of objects appeared. Surprised at the number, Ryan couldn''t contain them all and they dropped.

    "Hahaha, damn Ryan, you''re being clumsy," teased Leo.

    "Oh shut up, will ya. I was surprised that''s it."

    While Leo laughed at Ryan''s misery, Shesmu inspected the loot one by one.

    [Silver Wolf King''s Pelt

    Rarity: Silver

    Description: Main material to various agility-related equipment. Most notably, the silver fang set other than the weapon.]

    [Silver Fang Coat

    Rarity: Silver+

    Required Level: 15

    Defense: 100

    Set Effect:

    2/5: +25 Agility

    4/5: +40 Agility, +15 Strength

    5/5: +60 Agility, +30 Strength, +5 Concentration]

    "Hey, Ryan. Your luck, can I have some of it please?" Shesmu asked.

    "Huh?"

    "Inspect those items and see what I mean."

    Both Leo and Ryan''s focus went back to the pelt and the coats. After inspecting it, Leo couldn''t help but to exclaim, "Damn son! You already got yourself two parts of the set!"

    Ryan grinned and laughed maniacally, "Hahaha, muwahahaha! Shes, once we get to level 15, I''ll challenge you to a duel again! This time it will be my win!"

    Shesmu shook his head at Ryan''s antics before replying, "Sure. We can do that. But if you think just because you got yourself some nice, new shiny items you''ll be able to defeat me, then you can go back to neverland."

    Leo scratched his head and laughed wryly. "Hmm, guys. You wanna go out of the dungeon first before bickering? I think we still have a race to finish."

    Shesmu just shrugged while Ryan clicked his tongue. The party was ready to exit the dungeon and continue their journey towards the tower. The moonlight was still enlightening the room, embracing the trio. That same moon that shone in the sky was witness to a bloody scene.

    * * *

    A plain that was once green with grass and trees was now red with the blood of its victims. Goblins and foxes, which were just a moment ago enemies, lied on top of each other like lovers on bed. However, instead of the fiery passion, the coldness of death engulfed their eyes.

    The battlefield was split. One part was burned to a cinder. Flames set ablaze turned both corpses and trees to ashes. On the other part, a freezing hell resided. Corpses of both races were brutally murdered. Even their wounds were frozen.

    And, on top of a small valley stood a beast. A small fox that was colored both fiery orange and cold blue. It stood under the moonlight on all four looking at the carnage before it. In its eyes myriads of emotions merged, only to culminate in a single tear.

 36 To Conquer Silver

    After passing the portal, the trio appeared in a big clearing. In the distance, the tower was much closer than before.

    An exclamation mark displayed the plus button at the top left of his screen. He focused on it and a notification appeared.

    [New Title Acquired

    Wolf Slayer]

    [Wolf Slayer

    Title acquired after killing 1000 wolves or being the first to conquer a wolf-related dungeon.

    10% Bonus damage against wolf type creatures.

    Upgradable]

    Looking at the minimap, Shesmu knew that he was still in the wolves'' territory. He then changed his noble title to the new Wolf Slayer one.

    "Guys, it''s the final sprint. Let''s just blitz through the monsters and be done with this forest," Shesmu said with confidence, his attention fully focused on the forest ahead.

    "Yeah, I''m getting pretty bored actually. I wonder what''s in the Tower of Might for it to take so long to reach it."

    Ryan''s musing made Leo interested too.

    "Yeah, it better be interesting. All this work for nothing would be pretty anti-climatic."

    Shesmu''s eyes lingered on the Tower of Might in the distance before finally saying, "Now is no time to dream. Let''s go."

    The three made their way through the forest, the light of the moon their only guide. Soon enough, they reached their destination. The ivory tower was surrounded by many buildings and secured by walls on all sides. When the party reached the gates, they found a guard.

    "Milords, congratulations on reaching the tower of might. Your party is the second to finish exploring the Forest of Beginning."

    Hearing this, both Leo and Ryan were dumbstruck.

    [Congratulations on being the second party to reach the tower of might.]

    [250000 Exp

    7 gold

    Boots of Mobility]

    [Congratulations, you leveled up!]

    [Congratulations, you leveled up!]

    With the system confirming the guard''s words, the duo jumped in joy.

    "We did it! We actually got second!"

    "Holy, I can''t believe this. We started so late but we still got here before everyone? This is insane!"

    Looking at his teammates being so jumpy and happy, Shesmu couldn''t help but smile. Well, I already told you guys that you shouldn''t worry. His eyes then turned more serious as he thought, Though I wonder who got here first.

    "I welcome you, people of the golden generation, and your grace holder of the golden eyes."

    The gates opened and a man in his thirties came out. His hair was golden, eyes blue, and smile radiant. He looked at the team of three for a second before continuing.

    "My name is Aldrien, I will be your guide and instructor for this phase of the trial. Here I''ll be showing you some of the secrets of this world that you need to master before challenging the world."

    "You have used the skills given to us by the holy aspects, I presume. You must have felt that energy flowing from your belly and nourishing your sword whenever you use Empowered Slash or Thrust." His eyes then fell on Ryan, "And for you, cunning use of the shadow. You must have felt its calling, its power."

    He paused for a second, looking at each and every single member of the part. "Now, I''ll show you the secrets of that energy, the secrets of Ether."

    "Ether? The secrets of Ether? Is this the energy that we use for skills?" asked Leo.

    "Yes indeed. Ether is the power that we harness. It''s in the air that we breathe, the meat that we eat, and the water that we drink."

    He unsheathed his sword and green energy flowed through it. "Ether, however, is unusable in its raw form. That''s why, we warriors, turn it into Ki first."

    The green energy flowing through Aldrien''s sword focused on its tip. Then, with one slash, he threw a crescent-shaped energy towards the forest.

    Crash!

    The party turned around and looked at the damage caused by Aldrien''s sword. Entire patches of the forest were raised. It was as if a giant stepped on the forest and crushed the trees. Total devastation.

    Aldrien smiled and put his sword back in its sheath. "Milords, that''s the power of Ki."

    Looking at the power Aldrien showed, Shesmu couldn''t help but smile. This was the Ashes of Gods that he knew. The over-the-top strength, the overpowered magic. That''s what made Ashes of Gods fun for him, it was its charm.

    "Milords, your grace holder of the golden, let us enter the main hall before continuing the explanation. I''m sure that staying in the cold here is not pleasant for you."

    "Sure, let us do so."

    Shesmu gave his confirmation and Aldrien led the way in the vicinity of the tower.

    As they walked, Ryan couldn''t help but whisper, "Damn, that guy got swag. He just flexed on us so hard and then acted as if it was nothing."

    Leo laughed in response, "Guess that''s the power of an instructor."

    Shesmu stayed silent all the way to the main hall. Once they reached it, they entered a room similar to the one they first appeared in. The same wooden floor, the same shade, and the same size.

    "We already talked about Ether and Ki, so I will not bore you with the details of the theory. It''s convoluted at best. Instead¡­" Aldrien unsheathed his sword and raised it horizontally, at the level of his eyes. "Let me show you how to do it practically."

    Green energy flowed in the sword. The aura behaved like the flames of hell, its tongues lashed out in all directions.

    "Summon your energy. Whatever skill you use to summon it, use it. However, don''t follow the motion. Just let the energy rage on within your blade."

    Shesmu unsheathed his sword and looked at its blade. Empowered Slash. The familiar green aura flared up. From within his stomach, energy burst and coursed through his veins before reaching his sword.

    Ryan and Leo did the same. Green aura covered Leo''s sword while black shadows cloaked Ryan''s dagger.

    "Good, but before we proceed, I need to tell you a few things. Once the ritual is complete, you''ll be summoned into your own internal realm. There, you will found a strange person. It might be a dragon, it might be a titan, or it might be a shadow. It doesn''t matter which form it takes, just know that they are not your enemy. That''s because they are you, a part of your soul."

    Both Leo and Ryan were surprised at the revelation.

    "What do you mean, it''s a part of my soul?" Leo asked.

    "Milord, I''m sure you''ll understand once you talk to them."

    Even though the answer didn''t satiate Leo''s curiosity, he ended dropping the ball and didn''t pursue further. Aldrien then continued, "Okay, so now I want you to focus on where that energy comes from. Trace it back to its origin. Only then will you feel its pull, its attraction, surrender yourself to it, become one with it."

    Shesmu did as told. He focused on the path of his energy, its source, right at the middle of his stomach. He could feel its pull, its whispers. Shesmu accepted its calling.

    Shesmu floated in darkness. Like the deepest abyss where the light could never pierce, he floated, carried away with its currents. Suddenly, he stopped, and from the darkest black, light emerged. He stood before a gate¡ªno, one couldn''t call such a monstrosity a mere gate. Gates were for humans to walk through, this one was for dragons.

    As Shesmu stood in front of the gate, he heard tapping coming from a distance. A smile crept up his face. He turned around to look at the new arrival. Fiery red hair that reached her waist, blood red horns protruding from her head, and tanned skin like that of chocolate milk.

    "It''s been a while¡­ Zyra."

 37 Glimmer From The Future

    "It''s been a while¡­ Zyra."

    Zyra didn''t respond. She walked right in front of Shesmu and slapped him on the cheeks.

    "What the hell was that?!" She exclaimed. "What the hell was the deal with you and Cain?!"

    Shesmu was still surprised by the slap. Its sting made his eyes watery, however, he didn''t lash out at Zyra. He smiled and said, "Let''s drink and talk. It''s been a while."

    "Tch," She clicked her tongue. "You''ve always been such a wimp. Damnit, if I was you, I would have just burst in their office and pummeled them to death. He is your brother you know? How can you call yourself his when you can''t even protect him."

    The fire of hell raged within Shesmu''s heart, however his face was as calm as the sea.

    Seeing him act this way, Zyra clicked her tongue once again before summoning a gourd. She then materialized two big cups before serving her drink. She passed one to Shesmu and said, "Here, spring of the dragon valley, as you like it."

    "Thanks." Shesmu took a sip and smiled, "Ah, spirit of the dragons, fruity and sweet. Just as I remember it."

    Shesmu took a few more sips with a happy smile on his face before he put down his cup. His face turned serious.

    "For Cain, too many things happened. If they did end up pushing their agenda, I would have dissolved the team then and there. But, with this turn of events¡­"

    Shesmu''s lips pressed thin. Remembering the dream¡ªno, the nightmare, and the drowning feeling of loss he experienced after, he couldn''t help but punch the ground in anger.

    "Aghh!" Zyra screamed. "I no longer understand this world you live in. How do people just randomly time travel?!!"

    Shesmu looked at Zyra with cold eyes before saying with a low voice, "It wasn''t random."

    "Huh, you think it was premeditated? The one who sent you the letter maybe?" She asked.

    "Maybe¡­ I''m not sure if it''s him or her that caused it, but I know for sure that they have more information. I''m going to find them for sure."

    Zyra clasped her hands over her head and shouted, "Aghh! I hate this kind of stuff! Just give me stuff to punch, not this brain crap!"

    Shesmu chuckled at Zyra''s reaction before his eyes darted towards the giant gate. It was made of gold and ornamented with ruby and sapphire. Dragons, titans, and monsters of all kinds were engraved everywhere.

    "You want to open it?" Zyra asked.

    Shesmu nodded at her.

    "Okay then, let''s do it."

    The two sat up and walked towards the gate. They both rested their hand on top of the door, when a loud creak sounded. Light seeped out from the crack of the open door. The darkness gave way to a new world, a green and beautiful one.

    "Okay, let''s go activate the crystal," stated zyra. Wings sprouted from her back, and her face turned into that of a lizard. Her clothes tore apart as she transformed into a mighty dragon. A big, powerful red dragon.

    "Come, ride on my back," Zyra said with a deep voice.

    Shesmu jumped on top of her back before thanking her.

    "Hold on tight, you''re weak right now so you better not fall off."

    Shesmu took Zyra''s advice to heart and clinged to her scales. Zyra flexed her back legs and catapulted into the sky. The sudden acceleration almost made Shesmu lose his grip on her neck. The jump upward lasted a few more seconds before Zyra stabilized. She spread her wings and soared above the clouds.

    Shesmu couldn''t help but smile at the scenery. This kind of view, he probably wouldn''t be able to see it anywhere but here¡ªat least for a very long time.

    "What do you think of the scene? You probably won''t be able to see it anywhere else now that you came back in time," Zyra teased.

    "For someone who is so violent, you really have a sharp tongue."

    "Hey, who did you say was violent?! You think you can talk shit when we''re above the clouds? Wanna see what would happen if I did a 360?"

    Zyra''s threats worked wonders against Shesmu. "Okay okay, I get it. You''re a beautiful and calm lady dragon, we good?"

    Zyra had a satisfied smile on her face. "Hahaha, that''s right, that''s right!"

    The two soared for a while before reaching their destination. "Shes, make sure to hold on. I''m gonna nose dive."

    Again, Shesmu took hold of Zyra''s scales and clenched at them with all his might. Zyra faced downward and folded her wings. She pierced through the clouds with incredible speed.

    From the white of the clouds, the scenery changed to green. Valleys, rivers, and plateaux everywhere. The grass was lush and the trees were tall. The only thing missing were the animals.

    "It''s really deserted down here," Shesmu commented.

    "Well, can''t be helped. You haven''t gathered any ether yet."

    Shesmu nodded at her words as they made their way downwards. The dragon landed on a prairie. The gust of wind created by her wings blew the grass away and unrooted it.

    Zyra transformed back to her human form, leaving Shesmu to fall from the sky. He rolled on the ground to cushion the impact before finally stabilizing.

    "Now that was just unnecessary," He murmured under his breath.

    "Did you say something?" Zyra asked with a high voice, her tone daring Shesmu to find something clever to say.

    Shesmu didn''t respond. He just walked past her and made his way towards the forest. Zyra chuckled before following him.

    The two walked for around five minutes when they reached the entrance of a cave.

    "It''s been a while since we entered this place, hasn''t it?"

    Shesmu didn''t respond. He entered the cave and light illuminated his way. The moment he would take a step, luminous spirits would come and shed light over his way.

    "It''s a shame though," commented Zyra. "You were this close to making a pact with a primordial last time. So close. And now, you have to do it all over again."

    "That doesn''t really matter."

    Shesmu''s response made Zyra raise her eyebrows in surprise.

    "The advantage I have over all the other players right now is immeasurable. I wouldn''t need a pact with a primordial to protect anyone¡­ At least for a while."

    Shesmu''s response annoyed Zyra. She rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly. "Can you be selfish at least once in a while? It''s always protect this, protect that. Can you think of something else for a change? Something like world domination, now wouldn''t that be fun?"

    "World domination doesn''t accomplish anything," Shesmu simply responded.

    "Now that''s where you''re wrong, brainass!" Zyra exclaimed. "If you were to dominate the world, then you can accomplish all your goals. Protecting your friends and family, finding the man of the letter, you could do both!"

    Shesmu stayed silent for a while before responding, "Either way, it''s not something that I can do right now. I''m so extremely weak."

    His eyes darted towards a certain object. They had finally reached the room. The luminous spirits illuminated the chamber. They merged with the walls and transformed into luminous crystals of all colors.

    There were ten giant crystals of different colors within the room. Each of them was the size of a boulder, nine of them surrounded the green crystal in a circular formation.

    Looking at them, Shesmu clicked his tongue.

    "Huh, ten crystals. Just like last time," Zyra commented.

    Shesmu stayed silent for a couple of seconds before murmuring, "Not for long."

    "So, you''re going to change it at the next character creation? That''s the only way, no?"

    Shesmu couldn''t help but bite his lips. In front of his mind was the picture of a six-winged angel, and her traitorous smile.

    "Hee, it''s Gabriel that you''re thinking about, right?" teased Zyra. "Well, it''s normal for you to be scared. Outsmarting a super AI is an impossible task for you humans after all."

    Shesmu clicked his tongue before responding, "I''ll find a way to get the perfect twelve cores. Gabriel can''t do anything to me if the only thing she has is suspicions. Plus¡­"

    Shesmu''s thought trailed off as he recalled Gabriel''s crazy smile. "She enjoys this type of thing."

    "Huh, if you say so," Zyra responded. "But forget about that. Activate the crystal already, I can''t wait to gather ki again."

    Zyra slapped Shesmu''s back as she said those words, startling the latter. Shesmu rolled his eyes as Zyra laughed loudly. In the end, he complied with her words and put his hand over the green crystal.

    Green light shone with high intensity, forcing Shesmu to cover his eyes. Soon enough, both him and Zyra were engulfed by the light¡ªand the whole Ki realm too.

 38 Ablaze

    Shesmu''s eyes shot open. His blade burned with blazing green flames. Looking around, his whole body was covered in a green aura. From the tip of his toes to his purple hair strings.

    "Seems like everyone has awakened."

    Aldrien''s announcement prompted Shesmu to look around. Ryan was sitting cross-legged, his whole body engulfed by shadows. Leo, on the other hand, was in a battle stance. Both of his sword and shield glowed with a green hue. He slashed and hacked at the air before blocking invisible attacks with his shield.

    "Oh, you''re finally up."

    Leo''s focus shifted towards Shesmu. He sheathed his sword and unequipped his shield before coming closer.

    "Your grace, your ki is leaking. The way to control it-"

    Before Aldrien could finish his sentence, the green flames turned into a wisp.

    "Oh, what incredible control. As expected of your grace, your talent eclipses everyone in this land."

    Shesmu wryly smiled at Aldrien''s flattery before responding curtly, "You''re exaggerating instructor Aldrien. The land is far and wide, who knows what kind of monster is hiding at every corner."

    Aldrien didn''t push his flattery even further¡ªat the relief of Shesmu. The latter looked at Leo before saying, "Seems like you got the hang of using Ki. Those are some interesting plays you showed there."

    Leo scratched his head in embarrassment. "Well, now I can at least be a tank worthy of the name. I can fortify my shield with my Ki, you see?"

    As he said those words, Leo equipped his shield back and infused Ki within it.

    "With this, I can tank any hit, no matter the boss."

    Shesmu laughed in response. "Well, it''s great that you''re confident in yourself. Just make sure that you don''t swallow back your words later."

    Leo blushed. "Well, maybe not any boss. But I should still be able to do my job as a tank well."

    "That''s great." Shesmu patted Leo''s shoulder. He then unsheathed his own sword and said, "Well, I should also check what I can do with this new power."

    He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Leo stepped out of the way to leave Shesmu some room to play around. The latter took a few steps with his eyes closed and both hands on the hilt. He opened his eyes and lunged.

    Green aura engulfed Shesmu''s sword. Slash after slash, Shesmu created a dance of death. The hue of the sword left an aftereffect every time the weapon slashed.

    After the myriads of slashes, Shesmu lunged and thrust his sword. The green aura gathered in the tip of his sword before firing like a laser.

    The green beam hit the wooden walls of the dojo, creating a loud explosion as a result. The smoke took some time to disperse, and after it did, Shesmu could see the effect of his attack. The wood was charred in some places but there was no crack or break.

    "Okay, now that''s just anti-climatic," Leo commented. He covered his mouth with his hands as he just realized how rude his comment sounded. "Sorry Shes, didn''t mean to be rude."

    Shesmu just shook his head in response and said, "No worries."

    "It''s normal for the attack not to leave any mark on walls," Aldrien said. "Those are made of Elderwood. The fact that your grace''s attack left such a mark already speaks miles of your grace''s talent and prowess."

    "Ohh, is it some kind of super wood or something?" Leo asked.

    "Yes milord, you could say that. Elderwood is as strong as steel but as flexible as water, or so the legends go."

    Once Aldrien finished his explanation, Shesmu''s focus went to Ryan. He had been suspiciously silent this whole time.

    The shadowy aura that was cloaking Ryan had already been tamed. His eyes were looking at the ground, but they were not focusing on anything in particular. However, what struck Shesmu the most, was the sweat dripping from his forehead. It somehow reminded him of Ryan''s earlier migraines.

    Did he have another episode? Shesmu thought.

    "Hey, Ryan, is something the matter?" Shesmu asked.

    Ryan was startled by Shesmu''s question. The latter''s voice snapped him back to reality.

    "Ah, nothing really."

    Of course, Shesmu''s curiosity wasn''t satisfied. He knew not to pry in people''s secrets, but his suspicions made him push for more.

    "Oh, really. How was your meeting with your shadow self?"

    "Oh, so that''s what they''re called," Leo cut in. "Mine was a giant titan that could transform into a small child. Honestly, he was pretty funny."

    Ryan stayed silent. Shesmu waited for him, which prompted Leo''s curiosity.

    "Ehh, is something wrong Ryan? You''re awfully silent today, that''s not like you."

    "Ehh, it''s just that he said something weird. Agh," Ryan let out a little painful moan at the end and clenched his head with his hands.

    His cry prompted both Leo and Shesmu to check on him.

    "Hey, is something wrong Ryan? Are the headaches flaring up again?"

    Ryan could barely force out a slight smile towards Leo before closing his eyes in pain again.

    "Dammit," Ryan cursed. "he said "Welcome back"."

    "Who said that?" Leo asked in worry.

    However, Ryan didn''t respond to him. He looked up and made eye contact with Shesmu. Even though the pain was clear in them, there was another emotion¡ªhope. Hope that Shesmu would give him the answer he so longed for.

    Shesmu broke the contact first. He couldn''t tell Ryan what was happening to him yet. At least, not in front of Leo. Plus, even he wasn''t sure about what was happening to him. He had his theories, but they were only that¡ªtheories.

    Seeing Shesmu''s reaction, Ryan couldn''t help but smile wryly. He took a couple of deep breaths before standing up in one jump.

    "Okay! Let''s do this!" He exclaimed. His usual vigor returned to his face.

    "Ehh, are you sure that you don''t want to take some rest, Ryan?" Leo asked, worry clear in his eyes.

    "If Milord wants, I can bring a priest to help you with any discomfort," Aldrien finally said, after staying silent for the whole time.

    "Nah, don''t worry about it. I''m as good as new, see?" Ryan flexed his non-existing muscles, making Leo burst out laughing.

    "Dammit Ryan, you really never take your health seriously ever, do you?"

    "Hahaha, now let me show you the skills I got!"

    Ryan closed his eyes and let himself be engulfed in his own shadows. The moment he opened them, he disappeared.

    "Right here."

    Turning around, Shesmu found Ryan appearing from within his own shadow.

    "Ohhhh, that''s sick dude!" Leo exclaimed.

    "Yeah, plus I can do this type of stuff."

    Ryan threw his dagger in the sky and teleported towards it. Shadows cloaked his weapon as he slashed at thin air. A black crescent-shaped energy attack descended towards the floor causing a crash.

    From the smoke, Ryan emerged before unequipping his dagger.

    "What do you think?"

    Ryan tilted his head and taunted Shesmu with his eyes. Understanding the underlying meaning behind his words, Shesmu couldn''t help but smile.

    "We still need to clear the Tower of Might before you have your showdown. That was the agreement, no?"

    "Oh, goddamnit, you guys are still going on about that," Leo couldn''t help but sigh. Shesmu and Ryan already fought twice before, and Ryan lost both times. This was starting to turn into a comedy show.

    Ryan ignored Leo''s remark and responded, "Okay then, let''s clear this thing fast so that I get my rematch."

    Aldrien, who stayed silent for the whole time, finally spoke, "Milords, it seems that you have grasped the extent of your power. I think it''s high time for milords to make their way to the Tower of Might."

    Shesmu put his sword back in his sheath. "Well, you heard the man. Let''s get going."

    Both Ryan and Leo nodded. The trio then made their way out of the dojo, and towards the ivory tower.

 39 Flair

    As the party made its way out of the dojo, Aldrien called out one last time.

    "Milords, I have called upon a servant named Evie to attend to your needs and show you around the tower. She should meet with you on the way."

    "Thank you, Aldrien," Shesmu replied. "You shouldn''t have gone so far."

    "It''s my duty."

    With the exchange of flatteries done, the party made its way out of the room.

    "Oh, seems like lots of people came while we were training," Ryan couldn''t help but say.

    Shesmu looked at the crowd of players before using Inspect on some of them "Yeah, plus their level isn''t that bad. Hovering around twelve."

    The talk about levels prompted Shesmu to inspect Ryan too. He was already level 15, much like his own self.

    Following Shesmu''s train of thought, Leo''s eyes also focused on Ryan. He exclaimed, "Ohhh, Ryan, you''re already 15? Equip the silver dagger, I wanna see you with it."

    Ryan couldn''t help but grin at Leo''s suggestion. "Oh, you want to see me in my fabulous silver wolf coat? My stylish silver wolf king''s dagger? Sure! If that''s what you want, I shall let you feast your eye on it! Muwahahaha!"

    Hearing Ryan''s usual speech, Shesmu couldn''t help but sigh. While Ryan and Leo bickered about, Shesmu''s attention was drawn to a conversation amidst the crowd.

    "Did you hear about the monster that''s roaming the forest?"

    "A monster roaming the forest? What''s that supposed to mean? There are so many monsters roaming the forest."

    "No, I''m not talking about those. Those monsters are but mobs, the one I''m talking about is a true monster. He killed a party of a hundred level 10 and above players if the rumors are true."

    "A hundred level 10 players?! What kind of Boss is this?! Is it one of the clan kings everyone has been talking about?"

    "I''m not sure about that. The only thing I know is that the monster was a fox, and it used both fire and frost. And, the most unbelievable part of this whole story was: the monster was level 5."

    Shesmu stopped for a second. A fox that uses fire and frost. Is it- are they talking about Isshog?

    Shesmu knew of only one fox who used both fire and frost. It was the double evolved Tier 5 monster: Isshog.

    I don''t remember an incident like this in my past life. Isshog isn''t supposed to evolve until much later. Shaman was only able to have it evolve after reaching Tier 1 and went through the trial. This is much too fast.

    "-Shesmu. Hey, Shes. From Earth to Shes, do you hear me?"

    Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Shesmu looked at Ryan before saying.

    "Sorry, let''s continue."

    Ryan was already clad in his new outfit. A deep blue coat with silver streaks all over it. Shesmu gave Ryan a cursory look before saying, "You''re looking good."

    Shesmu''s praise made Ryan smile and giggle, at the expense of Leo''s annoyance.

    "Yeah, he is looking good but he doesn''t need to rub it on our face."

    Ryan ignored Leo''s remark and just laughed even more loudly, garnering unwarranted attention from bystanders.

    "Damnit Ryan, you''re making me embarrassed." Leo blushed. He hurried his friends so as to not be in the spotlight any longer. Shesmu couldn''t help but find his reaction cute.

    The party marched their way through the crowd and finally reached the entrance of the tower.

    "Hey guys, weren''t we supposed to be escorted by someone Aldrien sent?" Leo asked.

    "Oh, now that you say it, she was supposed to meet us somewhere around here. You think she got lost and couldn''t find us?" Ryan suggested.

    "Impossible¡­ right? I mean, the whole place is only so big, how could she get-."

    "-lost¡­"

    Someone rushed in, cutting him mid sentence. Her pink hair covered her face as she huffed and puffed. She put her hands or her knees as she tried to catch her breath.

    "I apologize, huff, your grace, puff, milords. This lowly servant deserves death for not performing her duties. Please tell me your punishment and I will comply."

    The girl looked at Shesmu with resolute eyes, showing her determination. However, her constant shaking quickly broke that image and turned it into one of a scaredy cat.

    "Your name?" Shesmu asked.

    "Your grace, this lowly criminal''s name is Evie. Please punish me but I hope that you would spare my family. I can endure any punishment."

    Evie''s begging raised both Ryan and Leo''s eyebrows.

    "Huh, I didn''t know that you were secretly a tyrant overlord, Shes." Ryan''s grin stretched all over his face as he looked at Shesmu.

    "Damnit Ryan, now isn''t the time," Shesmu murmured under his breath. He leaned in and looked at the scared girl in the eye, a docile smile on his face.

    "So your name is Evie. Good name. Don''t worry, no one is going to punish anyone. You''re safe here."

    "Thank you, thank you!" Evie groveled on the ground. "This lowly one''s gratitude is eternal. This lowly one''s gratitude is eternal!"

    The sound and sight of a maiden crawling and shouting on the ground made many eyes turn Shesmu''s direction. Even Ryan and Leo couldn''t help but snicker at the sight. Seeing that the situation was going to turn messy, he immediately gave a hand to Evie before consoling her.

    "Hey Evie, don''t worry. You don''t need to thank me, no decent human being will punish you for something as petty as this."

    After calming Evie down, Shesmu held her hand and helped her all the way to the entrance of the tower.

    "Evie, how long have you been working here?" Shesmu asked.

    "Yeah, you look like a newbie. Was this your first mission?"

    Leo snapped at Ryan''s remark.

    "Ryan, that''s rude."

    Ryan just whistled and looked away from Leo, "I didn''t say anything."

    "Milord is right, this is my first mission. His lordship Aldrien told me to attend to his grace and milords, but never specified that milords were in the main hall. I kept looking everywhere in the plaza but to no end."

    Shesmu heard her story and sympathized with her. The world of Ashes of Gods was harsh to peasants. Even an incident as small as spilling water can result in a whole family being massacred. Shesmu couldn''t imagine the amount of stress and pressure that was on her shoulders as time went on without finding her targets.

    "Well, don''t worry about it. All of this is a thing of the past."

    Shesmu took a more pensive look at Evie and found a grimoire stuck to her hips by a chain.

    "Oh, so you''re a mage, I see."

    "No, your grace, this lowly one is but an apprentice. I still need to work hard to reach the level of a mage."

    "I see," Shesmu responded. "Well, you should keep working hard to grow stronger. Strength is law, such is the way of Stal, no?"

    Evie bowed after hearing Shesmu''s words, "Your grace''s wise words are lost on this lowly one."

    "Hey Evie," Ryan cut in, his voice a tone higher than everybody else. "I may not have known Shes for that much, but one thing he hates is flattery like this."

    He then marched forward and scratched her head playfully, "Just be natural. It???s better that way, haha."

    "Yeah, Ryan is right," Leo added. "We''re all just friends. You can be one of us too."

    "Sniff sniff, milords!"

    The masks cracked and the innocent teen behind them shone through. Evie jumped at Ryan and Leo and hugged them both. Ryan was flustered at first but he couldn''t help but soften up. He and Leo laughed with all their hearts.

 40 Tower of Lore

    "Milords, you are probably short on potions after such a long journey."

    "Oh, not really." Ryan grinned as he summoned the pack of potions in his inventory. "See, we barely got to use any of them."

    Seeing the pack of potions, Evie couldn''t help but cover her mouth in surprise. "Sorry milords for doubting your strength."

    "Damnit, Ryan." Leo couldn''t help but shake his head. "Do you really need to boast about everything you do?"

    "Well, maybe we don''t need potions, but we definitely need to find a tailor," Shesmu said. His eyes then focused on Ryan, "Not only to let you complete your set, but also for us to get any sort of armor."

    "If that''s the case, your grace, then I shall guide milords to Ray, the tailor. He is the best around here."

    "Oh, you''re a regular around here?" Leo asked.

    "Not really," Evie scratched her head awkwardly. "I have just been here for the past week. It is part of my training as an apprentice mage."

    "Huh, I see. Interesting," Ryan responded.

    Shesmu nodded at Evie. Seeing that the conversation between the two was finished, Ryan jumped in and asked her, "Hey Evie, can you tell me about the magic that you learn? I''m interested."

    "Of course, milord. Right now, I have only learned the basics of fire magic. I still need to learn the other three elemental magic spells before becoming a true mage."

    "Oh, I see," Leo responded. "So you have to learn all four magic types before becoming a true mage. But can''t they just transfer that knowledge to you, like they did with us?"

    At the mention of the knowledge transfer, Evie''s eyes looked down at the ground and the tone of her voice became lower. "That''s not something that can be done easily, milords. Normally, you can only transfer your knowledge to your direct student, and you can only have one at a time. It was with Aida''s grace, aspect of love and life, that the people of this land could accommodate you of the golden generation, and teach you their skills."

    "Huh, interesting," Ryan responded. "Seems like we really got it easy as compared to you guys."

    "Not at all," Evie responded, her voice much higher than before. "Milords'' generation is fated to do great things, and save this world! The viles that plagued this world for thousands of years, only you can save us!"

    "Huh, so this is the lore of the game," Ryan murmured, getting a chuckle out of Shesmu. The latter looked at Evie and asked, "So, why do you think that only us can save you?"

    "That was the prophecy made by the angels in their holy temples. Every man and woman throughout the Stal heard it in their dreams."

    "Huh, so that''s how everyone got to know about us. I see," responded Leo. Meanwhile, Ryan was scratching his chin, deep in thought. Suddenly, a look of realization dawned upon him.

    "Hey Evie, can you tell me exactly what the voice in the dream said?"

    "For certain, milord," She responded. "Aida, in her supreme beauty, came to my dreams in a place that could only be a vision of the heavens. She then told me with a grave voice that tough times were upon us, but that men and women from another world will come and help us through these tough times. Folk that looked like us, thought like us, and fought like us."

    "Did she tell you that we were undying?" Ryan asked.

    "Ah no, that''s something the angels and their priests told us after."

    "The same ones that told you we would be fighting against the viles in the name of justice, right?" His tone was more serious than before, confusing Evie.

    "Yes, milord," She ended up responding.

    Seeing the barrage of questions Ryan asked, Leo couldn''t help but intervene, "Yo, Ryan. Where are you going with all of these questions?"

    "Ah, nothing nothing," Ryan responded, his voice back to its normal tone.

    Shesmu looked at Ryan and couldn''t help but smile. He understood exactly what was going through his mind. Well, the politics in this world aren''t obvious at first. But they will come into play soon enough.

    With those thoughts still in his mind, Shesmu walked with his party mindlessly through the first floor of the tower. It was a marketplace, with merchants everywhere trying to sell their goods to players and indigenous alike.

    "Huh, this place sure is lively," Ryan commented. "I know that the warriors and instructors are here to accommodate to us players, but what about the rest?"

    "Oh, I just noticed that. You''re right, Ryan. Is this tower used by normal people too?"

    "You''re right, milord," Evie responded to Ryan and Leo''s musing. "The Tower of Might, or shall I say, the Towers of Might are a big part of our Stal culture. Since our founding father mandated that we live to become stronger, he made a pact with the aspects to create these towers. They are here to test our might, strength, wisdom, and intelligence. They are also the last trial for any apprentice before they become a true holder of their class."

    "Ohh, that''s interesting! So even the indigenous actually go through this tower. I wonder if we could party up and climb the tower together?" Ryan suggested.

    "Ohh, that''s a great idea, Ryan! Yeah, we should totally do that, Evie!"

    Ryan and Leo''s excitement made Evie blush. "It would be my utmost honor, milords. Unfortunately, I cannot join you right now. I need to finish my training as an apprentice first before challenging the Tower.

    "Ah, that''s a shame then," responded Leo.

    Shesmu, on the other hand, didn''t participate in the conversation. He just walked behind his friends smiling. However, his expression turned serious as his eyes landed on a portal in the middle of the first floor, right at the center of a plaza.

    Pact with the aspects, huh. You really never cease to amaze me, Lavador.

    Shesmu''s trail of thought was soon cut off as they reached the tailor, at the guidance of Evie.

    "Ehh, guys, aren''t we forgetting something?" Leo asked. "The only gold we have is from beating the dungeon, don''t we wanna sell our loot first?"

    "Oh, you''re right," Ryan responded.

    "If milords wish to sell the materials you acquired from battle, the convenience shop might be your best choice."

    "Thanks, Evie, can you show us the way, please?"

    Evie smiled at Leo and responded, "Certainly, milord. This way, please."

    The party made their way to the convenience shop where they sold most of their material for cheap. They made their way back to the tailor, where Ryan got his Silver Wolf King set done. Leo and Shesmu settled for leather armors and pants made from wolf fur and leather they bought from the merchant.

    "Milords, his lordship Aldrien is about to make a speech. The tower is about to open."

    "Hoo, now I''m excited!" Leo said, "We''ve been hearing about this tower for so long, it better have some exciting in it or I''ll be very much disappointed."

    "You''re damn right, Leo. If it''s just hacking and slashing, I''ll rage quit immediately."

    "Haha, I''m sure you''re gonna have fun, milords. May your journey be safe."

    Evie beamed a gracious smile towards Ryan before she turned and led the way. Ryan couldn''t help but blush.

    Seeing his friend turn red, Leo grinned from ear to ear. He nudged at Ryan while whispering, "Hey, if you want, I could be your wingman."

    Ryan snapped back to reality with Leo''s taunts, he pushed him away while saying, "Huh? Who do you think needs a wingman? I was just surprised, that''s it!"

    Leo laughed at his friend''s misery before the party followed after Evie. They soon reached the far end of the bottom floor of the tower where a huge crowd of players awaited them.

    "People of the golden generation, congratulations on making it this far. I''m sure that your journey through the forest of Beginning was full of danger, and that you came out stronger than when you entered."

    Aldrien opened his speech with a booming voice, gathering everyone''s attention on him.

    "The first and second trials were mandatory, but this third and final one is not. You are free to continue on to the Stal capital without partaking in the tower of might. Those of you who choose to do so can go through the portal to my left."

    He then pointed at a large structure behind him. Steps made of stone led way to a blue portal. The latter stood in the middle of a hexagon-shaped gigantic stone ring. It was decorated with magical runes, and glowing stones¡ªmuch like ether stones but substantially bigger.

    Contestants marched towards the portal one by one until only a fraction of them remained. As the players left, Aldrien looked at Shesmu''s party and acknowledged them with a smile.

    "I presume that those of you who are left want to take on the tower. Brave choice made by brave warriors, I''m sure that a bright future awaits you. Now, let me explain how the Tower of Might work. The tower is split into floors, with each one of them testing an aspect of your strength. The floors hold many monsters, traps, and puzzles. You need to make proof of strength, prudence, and wisdom if you want to pass through."

    Aldrien''s voice went lower as if he was telling a secret. "However, that''s but one facet of the Tower of Might. The biggest enemy that you''ll face in the trials is within you. Between all hundreds of contestants that you make, one of you is a monster in disguise."

 41 The Crowd Speaker

    "Between all hundreds of contestants that you make, one of you is a monster in disguise."

    Aldrien''s voice struck like thunder. Silence issued after his declaration, before a torrent of murmurs surged.

    "A monster? How?"

    "What kind of joke is this?!"

    "Well, that''s a change of pace. A monster between us players. That''s gonna be fun," said Ryan.

    He then pondered for a second before adding, "But won''t that be way too easy. Finding the monster between us that is. We can just all decide on answering an obvious question from the real world and the one who doesn''t answer will naturally be the monster."

    Hearing this, Shesmu chuckled. If only it was so simple.

    "What makes you think that the monster doesn''t know about real world knowledge. Also, by what criteria are you going to eliminate people. If someone is slow on answering, do we kill him? Because, you know, once the first person answers, the monster will immediately imitate him. Plus, I think that standing out so early is a dangerous idea."

    "Why do you think so, Shes?" Leo asked.

    "Well, this game might look like a simple find the odd one out type, but actually it''s far from it. This is a psychological game. Tell me, what will happen if I say that someone is a monster, but it turns out he isn''t?"

    Leo pondered for a second before Ryan cut in.

    "You''ll be toasted. Everyone will think that you''re the monster and that you wanted to kill us using a borrowed knife. And, even if they don''t immediately think so, the monster can urge them to do so."

    "You''re right, that''s what will happen. That''s why the best thing to do in this type of situation is to sit back and let the heroes try and be heroes. We''ll keep gathering clues from the sidelines until the time is right. Understood?"

    Ryan grinned at Shesmu''s reasoning, "Heh, I didn''t know that you were this shrewd, Shesy Shes."

    "Shesy Shes?" Leo was surprised by the weird naming.

    "Cough, cough" Aldrien coughed two times to get everyone''s attention. "You don''t need to worry as of now. The monster won''t attack until you enter the first floor. For now, you can rest easy."

    Aldrien then pointed with his finger to his right and a new portal appeared. "You can challenge the tower by entering this portal. Contestants, I wish you the best of luck."

    "Ehh, I have a question, sir," A silver-haired man said from amidst the crowd. "Is the monster within us right now, or will he only appear once we enter."

    Aldrien stayed silent for a few seconds before he said in a low voice, "He is within you, right now."

    Murmurs surged from within the crowd. Everyone was eyeing each other with untrustful eyes.

    "If that''s all, you can now enter." Aldrien stepped off from the stage, marking the end of his speech.

    From amidst the murmurs, a man''s voice boomed. "Fuck this crap! If we''re gonna do this, then might as well weed him out right now!"

    His red spiky hair suited his angry demeanor, and with his thunderous exclamation, everyone stayed silent.

    "How don''t we know you''re the monster," A man covered by the veil of the crowd said in a barely audible voice.

    The crowd''s untrusting eyes focused on the red-haired man, scaring him in the process. However, he quickly took hold of himself and rebutted back.

    "Huh? Who said that? Coward!"

    Seeing that the situation was about to degenerate, the silver-haired man cut in, saying "Calm down everyone. Now isn''t the time to fight. Let''s hear what¡ªehh¡ªwhat''s your name?"

    "Blake," He responded.

    "Let''s hear what Blake has to say, what''s your plan to get rid of the monster?"

    The crowd was now silent, waiting for Blake to talk. Their eyes were no longer as sharp and judging.

    "So, if the monster is within us, the only way to distinguish him from the normal players, it''s to ask him questions only we can answer!"

    "Huh, so you mean real-world questions?" The silver-haired man asked.

    "Yes."

    With this declaration, everyone in the crowd got excited and elated.

    "That''s a great idea!"

    "You rock, Blake!"

    The silver-haired man smiled and said, "I agree, that''s a great idea."

    Seeing the sudden change of atmosphere, Shesmu clicked his tongue. Damnit, this is the worst-case scenario. The monster can now manipulate the crowd as much as it wants.

    "Ehh, that''s a bad idea, no? What if the monster already knows stuff from the real world?"

    Shesmu heard Leo''s intervention and he couldn''t help but think, Goddamnit, Leo.

    "Shh, Leo, you''re making us the center of attention." Ryan tried to stop his friend, but it was too late.

    "Huh, are you making excuses?"

    "Are you perhaps the monster and you''re getting afraid?"

    Taunts emerged from all over the crowd. Seeing their unnatural hostility, Leo took a few steps back. Sweat dripped from his forehead.

    Seeing that his friend was about to get eaten alive by the crowd, Shesmu stepped in.

    "Those are not excuses. We can recite the fucking forty-nine U.S. presidents, but what the fuck does that even say?" Shesmu knew that the only way to handle this crowd was to be assertive. "More importantly, how are we even going to conduct this interview? Are we just gonna ask the question out loud and have everyone answer it, are you kidding me?"

    Shesmu''s outburst silenced the crowd. While they were no longer as hostile as before, they were still suspicious. To that end, the silver-haired man took center stage once again.

    "That is very much true. We don''t know what kind of information the monster has, so it might be all meaningless to conduct this search. So, what do you propose we do?"

    Shit

    With the ball at his court, Shesmu was now in a predicament. He never predicted that he would be the center of attention this early. It just made everything that would happen next that much harder.

    Seeing their friend in this predicament, both Leo and Ryan looked concerned. Ryan looked at the silver-haired man with disgusted eyes. He was about to jump in with his own retort when Shesmu gestured for him to stop.

    "What I propose right now is to play the game. The monster lives in this type of conflict, he cherishes it. Right now, when we have basically no idea what he is capable of, it''s his perfect opportunity to sow discord."

    Shesmu then took a deep breath before saying with a loud voice, "The monster''s objective is for us all to die. That''s its final goal. Then, what does that mean?" The question was obviously rhetorical, but Shesmu still waited for a few seconds before answering it. "It means that he will make his move. At one point or another, he will no longer be able to stay inactive and will make his move. That''s when we strike!"

    The silver-haired man clapped at Shesmu''s speech before the rest of the crowd did as well.

    "Great thinking. The longer we survive, the more agitated the monster will be. It will be forced to make a move, and that''s when it''s most prone to mistakes. And that''s when we catch it."

    The silver-haired man stepped closer to Shesmu and extended his hand for a shake.

    "My name is Arthur, glad to meet you."

    Shesmu accepted his handshake and responded, "I''m Shesmu, nice to meet you too."

    While Shesmu''s mouth said one thing, his eyes told a different story. They were cold, piercing.

    Arthur responded with a smile before going back to his team.

    "Is he the one?" Ryan immediately asked, at the surprise of Leo.

    "Huh? Do you think Arthur is the real monster?"

    Shesmu stayed silent for a few seconds before responding, "I don''t know. It sure does feel like it, but my instinct is telling me that this is a trap. Honestly, I have no idea."

 42 Dreaded Return

    While Shesmu and his party were talking, the rest of the players made their way towards the blue portal. The one leading to the first floor.

    "Okay guys, one final thing. The key to heaven is meat buns."

    "Huh?" Both Ryan and Leo were surprised.

    "It''s just our safeword. We have no idea what kind of monster it is, or what kind of trials there are in the tower. If there are any shapeshifters or things of the sort, we can use this safeword to distinguish between real and fake."

    "Oh, that''s smart. As expected of Shesy Shes," Ryan said while grinning at Shesmu.

    The latter shook his head with his hand and responded, "Just please don''t make that weird naming a habit."

    "Okay then, do you prefer Shes-mu?" Ryan elongated the "mu" in "Shesmu" like the moo of a cow, gaining a chuckle from Leo.

    "Okay, not gonna lie, that was mean but funny. Sorry, hahaha."

    Both Ryan and Leo laughed at the expense of Shesmu. The latter sighed and said with a serious voice, "Well, this is all fun and well, but we still need to enter the tower. We''re the only players left."

    "Okay okay, Shes-mooooooo!" Ryan responded, laughing all the while.

    Shesmu hurriedly jumped into the portal, prompting the duo to laugh even more. They soon joined after him.

    Shesmu came out of the portal and found himself in a cave. The blue portal was still open behind him. After a few seconds, both Leo and Ryan came out.

    "A cave, huh," Ryan commented. "I wonder if there are traps around. Ya know, Indiana Jones style."

    "Dammit Ryan, don''t jinx it!"

    Just as Shesmu was about to answer Ryan''s musing, a new party phased through the portal. A boy and a girl of teenage appeared. The boy had brown hair that matched his eyes, while the girl had long purple hair with ruby eyes.

    "Master!"

    Once the cursed words had been uttered, dread clutched at Shesmu''s heart.

    "It''s master, isn''t it?! I knew that our fates were intertwined!"

    The boy lunged at Shesmu for a hug¡ªa hug that Shesmu wasn''t really looking forward to. With a sidestep, Shesmu dashed backward and hit the boy''s nape with the back of his palm.

    "Ouch! That hurts, master!"

    "Ryuji! Are you hurt anywhere?"

    The purple-haired girl sat on her knees and caught Ryuji''s hands, her eyes showing concern. She then looked at Shesmu with fierce eyes and bellowed, "You! You had the opportunity to become the great hero Ryuji''s master but turned it down. Now you have the gall to injure him! Death is but a slight punishment for such a transgression!"

    "Woah!" Ryan exclaimed. He then turned towards Shesmu before continuing, "Are they your friends?"

    "Goddammit Ryan. Don''t feign ignorance on me here."

    "Hehe, sorry, had to do it." Ryan scratched his head while laughing sheepishly.

    With one swift motion, Ryuji stood up. He gave the purple-haired girl a hand.

    "Sakura. You cannot say that to the great master Shesmu-"

    "How did you know that?"

    "Huh?"

    "How did you know my name?"

    Shesmu''s eyes were cold. He knew for sure that he didn''t divulge his name to Ryuji and Sakura. Ryuji saying his name so casually alerted multiple red flags on Shesmu''s mind.

    "You''re the great master Shesmu. Of course I''ll know your name."

    Hearing this, Ryan teased Shesmu. "Great master Shesmu, huh? Is that what you''re calling strangers?"

    "Ryan, please." Shesmu didn''t have time to joke around. "What do you mean by the great master Shesmu. As far as I know, I never held that title."

    "You were Ryuji''s hero," Sakura cut in. "I don''t know what his fascination is with you, but Ryuji has been following you since your days in Demon Heart."

    "Umu! Ever since the great war between The Steel Army and Dawn''s Resonance, I have been following master religiously, doing my best to learn all of his techniques!"

    "Huh¡­" Shesmu had mixed feelings of disappointment and awe clashing in his heart.

    Both Leo and Ryan grinned from ear to ear while looking at Shesmu. Their stares embarrassed him.

    "Hoo, tell us more about the great master''s epic adventures. Shesmu is too proud to ever tell us anything about that!"

    "Oh goddammit Ryan," Shesmu immediately cut in, his face blushing from all the embarrassment. "Let''s get going already, I want to climb this tower now."

    Shesmu hurriedly marched forward within the cave, while Ryan and Leo laughed their hearts out.

    "So, when did you guys start roleplaying?" Leo asked Ryuji and Sakura as they followed after Shesmu.

    "Ehm, we''ve been doing it for a while," Sakura responded. "In every game we play, we always rp as the knight in shining armor and the damsel in distress."

    She then looked at Shesmu''s back with poisonous eyes and seethed. "Well, that''s until a certain rude swordsman decided to butt in and ruin everything!"

    "Haha," Ryan laughed. "Well, Shes can be brash sometimes. But he is a good boy."

    "Haha, yeah, he is well-intentioned," Leo added.

    Hearing everyone talk about him behind his back frustrated Shesmu. However, he didn''t say anything. He knew that the more he would talk, the more they would tease. As such, he just gritted his teeth and hurried his steps.

    Both Leo and Ryan noticed Shesmu''s rapid pace and couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "See, he''s almost cute, isn''t he?" Ryan commented.

    "Dammit, I never thought in my life that I would hear Shesmu and cute said together," Leo added before focusing on Ryuji. "Hey Ryuji, we were for real before. I want to know more about Shesmu, he never speaks about his past."

    "Oh, really?!" Ryuji asked in excitement.

    Sakura facepalmed and shook her head before muttering, "You just opened Pandora''s Box, guys. Now, he won''t stop talking until his vocal cords fail him."

    Ryan heard Sakura''s whisper and a sense of dread overwhelmed. However, before he could dwell on that horror, Ryuji started his speech with a booming, high-pitched voice.

    "Well, if it''s stories about master Shesmu, then we should definitely start with the war between Dawn''s Resonance and TSA. The one where The Steel Army was 100.000 member strong, against the measle 20,000 of Dawn''s Resonance. But with Cain''s strategic genius and master''s extraordinary ability to turn the tides, they were able to hold of¡­"

    Once Ryuji started talking, there was no stopping it. No matter how Leo and Ryan tried to hint for him to stop, all of their efforts were met with failure. In the end, they just accepted their fate while Sakura shrugged and made a grimace that said "I told you".

    The two parties made their way through the cave, dodging all kinds of booby traps and fake floors until they finally reached an opening. The entrance gave way to an absurd view. The floor in front of them was split into black and white tiles, like a chessboard.

 43 4D Chess

    The two parties looked at the black and white terrain in front of them in surprise.

    "What is this supposed to mean?" Leo asked.

    "Not sure, maybe it''s some kind of strategy game," responded Ryan as he made his way through the entrance.

    However, before their doubts could develop any further, an interface appeared in front of them.

    [First Floor]

    [First Trial]

    [Stand on Aida''s light and glory is your call. Deviate to Lavador''s path and divine punishment shall befall you]

    "We should stand on just the white tiles. The black ones are bad." Ryan cut to the chase and explained the words of the trial perfectly. Shesmu was surprised by his quick judgement.

    I guess it wasn''t too difficult of a riddle, Shesmu thought. But still, good job, Ryan.

    "Wait, how do you know it''s the black tiles that are the bad ones?" Leo asked in confusion.

    "The way it was worded makes it seem that way." This time, it was Sakura that responded. "Although, that''s definitely a good question. There is nothing that confirms that the white tiles correspond to Aida, whoever she is."

    Ryan scratched his chin for a second before saying, "Well, guess there is only one way to find out."

    And he jumped on the white tile.

    "See, nothing happened."

    Ryan''s temerity left both Leo and Sakura slack-jawed.

    "Dammit Ryan, you really have no chill dude!"

    "Wow, your friend really is the "do first, think later" type, huh," Sakura said while looking at Leo.

    Leo scratched his head at Sakura''s diss. "Ehh, he usually isn''t this way." He then focused back on Ryan before looking at what was behind him. "Well, at least we now know for sure that the white tiles are safe. That leaves one issue¡­ how are we supposed to deal with those guys in these conditions?"

    Everyone''s eyes drifted towards where Leo was staring at. Red furred wolves roamed the chessboard, while a huge monstrous wolf boss stood right in its middle.

    "That''s one big doggo!" Ryan exclaimed. "You think it would let me ride it?" He asked Shesmu excitedly.

    Shesmu shook his head at Ryan''s ridiculous question before saying, "Inspect it and you tell me."

    Both Leo and Ryan followed Shesmu''s direction. They looked at the Boss and used their skill on it, when Leo''s face grew paler.

    "Wh-What is that number?!!"

    Ryuji and Sakura got curious from Leo''s shout. They both used Inspect on the huge wolf and their eyes widened.

    "One-One hundred thousand HP?!!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Isn''t that way too strong for us?!"

    Sakura gulped before responding with a calmer voice, "No, maybe it''s not as insane as we make it to be. All the player parties are going to fight against the boss, so there''s a chance."

    "Yeah, there is always a chance." Ryan looked at the boss seriously before shrugging and breaking a smile. "It''s just that we have to deal with an OP boss while making sure to stay on the white tiles."

    "Ahh, that''s gonna be a problem¡­" Leo said before joining Ryan on the white tile he was standing on. "But either way, we still have to deal with it. So let''s give it our all."

    "That''s true." Ryan shrugged in response.

    While the two were talking, Shesmu looked around the whole field. Other than the hundreds of monsters spread out over the chessboard, there were also many cave openings, just like the ones Shesmu and his friend came out of. He could see many players standing at the edge of the board, hesitating to jump in.

    Since the white tile on which Ryan and Leo stood was already full, Shesmu jumped on another one before saying, "Okay everyone, let''s focus now on killing all the mobs. We don''t want them swarming on us while we try to take care of the boss."

    "Ohh, as expected, Master! Great thinking!"

    "Dammit Ryuji, stop praising his every action, will ya?"

    Ryuji laughed awkwardly at Sakura''s rebuttal while Ryan scratched his chin thinking.

    "You know what would be a good idea? Everyone needs to join in the mob clear."

    He then looked at all the players in the field before shouting at the top of his lungs, "Everyone! Listen to me!"

    The world turned silent after Ryan''s scream. Every pair of eyes on the chessboard focused on him and only him.

    "Dammit Ryan, you''re bringing unwarranted attention," Leo cursed under his breath.

    Ryan didn''t pay him any heed and continued with his speech. "The white tiles are safe, the black ones are not! Please make sure not to step on them."

    He paused for a few seconds, waiting for everyone to check the veracity of his claim. Once everyone entered the chessboard, he continued, "What we need to do now is to clear the board from all the mobs. Only then can we fight the boss!"

    Sound of murmurs swept across the field like waves in the ocean, when a burly man with a booming voice shouted, "What the little kid had said is right!"

    The man wore a half plate armor and a big bronze shield. He took a few steps in front of his party before continuing, "We cannot afford to deal with the mobs while fighting the boss too. If we do, we will be wiped out!"

    "You''re right. Let''s kill those sons of bitches!"

    "Damn right!"

    Leaders of various parties voiced their support before springing into action. Looking at this sight, Shesmu couldn''t help but smile at Ryan. The aura he was emitting was truly that of a leader.

    "Nice speech you got there." Shesmu patted Ryan on the back while grinning.

    "Hehe, I''m not the party leader for nothing."

    "Oh, yeah. That''s true, you''re the party leader. I kinda forgot about that."

    "Oh dammit, Leo. You didn''t have to do me like that!"

    Leo laughed at Ryan''s expense while Shesmu couldn''t help but let out a small chuckle.

    "Guys, shouldn''t we start fighting too? Those guys are taking the lead."

    Sakura''s statement ignited the competitive spirit in both Ryuji and Ryan.

    "Oh no, we need to start fighting too! We can''t let them best us!"

    "I''ll be damned if they do. Hey Shes, let''s see who can kill the most mob between the two of us!"

    "Why does everything have to be a competition with you."

    However, while Shesmu''s mouth said one thing, his action told otherwise. He immediately jumped from one tile to the other, leaving Ryan behind.

    "Hey, that''s not fair!"

    "Fairness is something only the weak complain about! Hahaha!"

    While the two of them dashed from one white tile to the other, Leo stood behind them flabbergasted before following after them.

    "Hey guys, wait for me!"

    Sakura looked at the trio running around the chessboard and couldn''t help but sigh.

    "Sigh, they''re really behaving like kids, aren''t they? And here I thought Shesmu would be a bit more mature, guess even he has a childish side to him. Right, Ryuji?"

    Sakura looked at her friend only to see his eyes shining like the brightest star.

    "They''re so cool!"

    Sakura followed Ryuji''s gaze only to see Ryan and Shesmu teleporting everywhere. Flashes of green and black painted the scenery, before the red of the wolves'' blood took over.

    "I guess they are," She responded. "Here, let''s go help out too. I''ll be support as usual."

    "Thanks, Sakura," Ryuji said.

    "Don''t mind it."

 44 Restriction

    Shesmu looked at the red wolf in front of them and used Inspect to find out its stats.

    Red Wolf

    HP: 1000/1000

    Ryan dashed in, eager for a fight.

    "Let me test the power of this new set. I have been dying to try it out!"

    With a silver flash, he disappeared from everyone''s sight before reappearing behind the wolf''s back flying. He raised his dagger and performed an aerial Slash Cancel on the monster''s nap. The red wolf''s Hp quickly depleted before it fell on the ground dead.

    Ryan was also about to land when he noticed the color of the tile he was about to fall on. It was black!

    "Argh!"

    An electric shock stunned Ryan for a second. Arcs of lightning zapped away at his body before dissipating. All the while, a red number appeared above his head.

    -200

    The damage from standing on the tile took out around 20% of Ryan''s HP. After the stun duration wore off, he quickly rolled out of the black tile into the safety of the white terrain.

    "Hey, Ryan, are you alright?"

    Leo hopped between the white tiles before finally reaching Ryan. The latter took Leo''s hand before saying, "Thanks dude. Yeah, I''m alright."

    Shesmu hopped from one tile to another before reaching the duo.

    "Oh, so there is a stun function. We should keep that in mind when fighting the boss later."

    "Yeah, you''re right," Ryan responded. "We don''t wanna get stunlocked into oblivion."

    "Mister Ryan, are you alright?" Ryuji ran as fast as he could to catch up to Shesmu''s party.

    "Mister Ryan?" Both Ryuji''s worried eyes and his usage of the word "Mister" surprised him. "Ehh, yeah, don''t use that. Just Ryan is fine."

    "Yeah, Ryuji. Don''t use that, in fact, stop calling me Master too. You can call me Shesmu."

    "Ehh, yes, Mast-Mas-I mean, Sh-Shesmu."

    Even though it took a few tries, Ryuji was finally able to say it right. Looking at this side of him, Shesmu found it a bit less annoying, and kind of cute. At the end of the day, it was just a little kid that met his idol, he couldn''t fault him too much.

    Sakura followed after Ryuji. Seeing him call Shesmu by name, she was about to say something in response before she stopped herself. She looked at her childhood friend and smiled.

    With Ryan now standing up, he undusted his silver wolf coat and unsheathed his dagger.

    "Shes, I''m up one wolf over you. Don''t fall behind too much or it won''t be fun!"

    Ryan once again took the lead and jumped from one tile to the next. All the while, Shesmu sighed before looking at his comrades.

    "Well, since this turned into a competition, let''s make use of it and kill as many of these wolves as we can."

    "Sure, that would be fun," Sakura responded.

    "Oy! If master-I mean, if Shesmu wants it, I''ll kill as many of these monsters as they come!"

    "That''s the spirit!" said Leo.

    Shesmu''s gaze lingered on Sakura. It seems like she was no longer upset. He shrugged her off earlier as just another always angry, always complain person, but it seems like she had a much gentler side to her.

    Now, if only that would translate to skills too¡­

    Shesmu''s first impression of the duo wasn''t the brightest. He was concerned whether they''ll be able to take care of themselves.

    "Okay then. Well, let''s start fighting," Shesmu concluded the discussion before unsheathing his sword. His eyes scanned the battlefield, looking for places with a high density of monsters. He located a pack of five and ran towards them. He jumped from one white tile to the next in a zigzagging motion.

    Looking at the incoming Shesmu, the wolves bared their fangs and claws. Shesmu unleashed his ki. Black and green energy clashed within his sword leaving a rainbow of terror as Shesmu jumped high in the sky. His ki formed a trailing arc before his blade cleaved the first wolf''s head, splitting it in half.

    The tile on which Shesmu was about to land was black. Looking around him, all of the other tiles were occupied by red monsters. Shesmu clicked his tongue before using his Dash skill. He appeared above the wolf that was at his right and slashed his nape open.

    "Awoo!"

    The wolf wailed and howled, but it didn''t stop Shesmu from plunging his deep into its chest.

    He looked up to see the rest of the wolves growling. The three readied themselves before pouncing at Shesmu with strength.

    "Demon Slash!"

    The dark energy took over the Cambione''s Blade and Shesmu slashed at his enemies. A long and wide black crescent of energy engulfed the incoming wolves, before splitting them in half.

    "Wow."

    Shesmu looked around at the direction of sound only to be greeted by Ryuji''s glittering eyes. His expression was that of pure, unbridled adoration. Somehow, that made Shesmu cringe.

    "Master you''re too good! That was insane!"

    By that point, Shesmu gave up on making Ryuji stop calling him "master". He just shook his head and said, "Stop looking at me and focus on your own opponents. You don''t want to hold us back, do you?"

    "Shesmu is right, Ryuji. Focus on the wolf in front of you!"

    Ryuji was facing a level 10 wolf, while Sakura stood behind him as support. He raised his sword high, his eyes the epitome of focus. Green energy overflowed from his blade before he roared with might and slashed.

    At the ground.

    Shesmu fought hard the urge to burst out laughing.

    "Careful Ryuji, run!"

    Sakura shouted in warning towards Ryuji, but the latter couldn''t regain his balance. The wolf jumped on him and bit at his arm.

    "Damnit." Sakura gritted her teeth and summoned her staff.

    "Shuma meru!"

    An orange magical circle with elvish runes appeared in front of Sakura''s staff. A basketball-sized fireball materialized from it before launching towards the growling wolf.

    "Awoo!"

    The fireball exploded in the face of the wolf, burning its fur in the process. The wolf jumped away from Ryuji''s body in pain.

    "Thanks, Sakura."

    Freed from the beast''s claws, Ryuji stood up using his sword as support. The wolf was on top of a black tile, so Ryuji couldn''t attack it. Sakura understood his predicament and as such she waited. She waited until the wolf could no longer, and pounced at Ryuji.

    "Rava meru!"

    A magical circle, this time violet-blue appeared in front of her. Lightning flashed from within before streaking towards the jumping wolf.

    The beast was stunned in midair before falling flat on the ground. Helpless and defenseless, even Ryuji was able to slash it to death.

    Throughout the whole fight, both Shesmu and Leo watched with bated breath. With the wolf finally dead, Leo couldn''t help but exclaim, "Good job! You both did great, that was a marvelous fight!"

    Shesmu disagreed. Sakura carried that fight like a champ. However, just as he was about to voice his opinion, Sakura''s expression stopped him dead in his tracks. She was smiling.

    Shesmu understood not to talk from that simple hint. If she was satisfied, there was no reason for him to say anything.

 45 Out of Gas

    By the time both Shesmu and Ryuji finished their fights, Ryan had slain his way through the chessboard, killing fifteen wolves.

    "Hahaha, Shes! Stop goofing around and start killing, I won''t be waiting for you!"

    Ryan dashed towards a pack of wolves, a grin plastered on his face. He disappeared from everyone''s sight before pouncing from the shadows. His cloaked blade pierced through one of the wolves'' chest, killing it instantly.

    Ryan threw his dagger towards another wolf, but instead of hitting it, the dagger flew above it. In a silver flash, Ryan disappeared before reappearing above the wolf. He took hold of the flying dagger before slashing the beast''s nape open with a spinning move. The wolf had fallen dead on the ground.

    By the time Ryan landed on the white tile, three wolves were pouncing on him from all directions. His only escape¡ªthe black tile behind him. He gritted his teeth before summoning a mass of shadow from every corner. He was engulfed in a ball of darkness. The moment the wolves reached him, he exploded in a mass of gloom, pushing all of the beasts back. Once the mist of black cleared, Ryan appeared, and above him was a shadowy silhouette with a cross made of white orbs decorating its chest. It was the same one Shesmu had seen in the character creation phase. Just this time, it was holding a scythe.

    With a swing of its weapon, the shadow harvested the lives of all three wolves. By the time their head rolled on the ground, it dissipated in a black mist.

    "Huff, puff"

    Ryan fell to the ground, exhausted. He was sweating cold bullets and his pupils were dilated. Looking at his state, Shesmu couldn''t help but mutter under his breath, "You damn idiot. Why did you summon your shadow so early?"

    "Hey Ryan, are you alright?"

    Leo ran towards his friend the moment he fell. The latter took his hand as support and tried to stand before falling once again, his legs failing him.

    Shesmu made his way towards Ryan before saying, "Check your status, is there something wrong?"

    "I have this debuff: Weakened. It stays active for¡­ a whole hour."

    "Damn, that''s a lot? Was that from the technique you just used?" Leo asked in surprise. He was already shocked by the summoning of the shadow, but things just kept piling up.

    Shesmu clicked his tongue. "You''re done for the round then."

    "Yeah," Ryan scratched his head. "Seems like it will be your win this time."

    "Really dude, why does everything have to be a competition with you."

    "I don''t know, I guess it''s just more fun that way."

    A joyful smile was plastered on Ryan''s face, making Shesmu smile too. He chuckled and said, "I guess you''re right. It is more fun that way."

    Shesmu then turned around before saying, "Well, you rest here. We''ll be clearing the floor before coming back to pick you up."

    "Ehm, Shes, can you stay for a bit? I just wanna talk about something."

    Shesmu heard Ryan''s unusual request and stayed silent for a bit. He had an inkling on what Ryan wanted to talk about.

    He then turned around and responded, "Eh, sure. I''m guessing it will take a bit of time." He looked at Leo, Ryuji and Sakura before he continued, "You guys can use this chance to learn some battle tactics. Leo will be your tank while you guys support him."

    "Sure, let''s do that, guys. Sounds fun," responded Leo. He then turned around and looked at his two new companions before cheering even more loud. "Guys, let''s show Shes that we''re not just pushovers okay? Let''s do it!"

    "Yes! Mister Leo!"

    Ryuji matched Leo''s volume while Sakura just smiled and said, "Well, it does sound fun. I''m in."

    The trio made their way towards the packs of wolves with Leo taking the lead, while Shesmu sat down next to Ryan and looked at them from behind.

    "So, what did you want to talk about?" He finally asked.

    Ryan stayed silent for a couple of seconds before saying, "You asked me before why did I love competitions so much, right?"

    "Yeah, and you said that it was because it was fun."

    "Yeah, it is fun." Ryan''s thoughts trailed off as he looked above, at the red rocks covering the ceiling of the cave. "But that''s not why I''m competing with you, Shes."

    Shesmu didn''t respond. He waited for Ryan to gather his thoughts and listened.

    "I-I hate to lose. Especially when it''s someone I consider my equal, I cannot stand losing to them. I will do anything in my power to win."

    "So, do you want to challenge me again?" Shesmu asked half-jokingly. He did respect Ryan''s abilities, but his current self wouldn''t be able to beat Shesmu.

    "You can''t imagine how much I want to do that," Ryan responded. "But no. We did agree to fight only after the tutorial, right?"

    "Well, it''s good that you remember the promise. I''ll keep my end of the deal, you''ll get the fight you so desperately want after we complete the tower."

    Shesmu grinned while looking at Ryan. His teasing made Ryan grin back. Their eyes wandered over towards the trio of Leo, Ryuji, and Sakura. They were fighting tooth and nail against the horde of wolves.

    With the unnatural terrain, Leo had a hard time adjusting. However, through swift movement, he was able to bash the wolves to gain their aggro before tanking their attacks using his Ki-enhanced shield. Whenever Sakura would throw a fireball or a thunderbolt, he would focus on the target of the spell so as to not lose its aggro. That way, the party kept rotating through their skills like a well-oiled machine.

    Well, that is if we exclude Ryuji.

    Leo would worry about Ryuji messing up the aggro if the latter was able to land a hit. Every time he swung his sword, it would either be too slow and the wolf would dodge, or it would just miss completely.

    "Seems like Ryuji really isn''t made for the sword. It''s almost as if it''s too heavy for him. Maybe he should switch to the clearly superior class and join the rank of the assassins?"

    Ryan''s teasing made Shesmu roll his eyes and chuckle. "Yeah, right. And become a glass cannon that can''t do anything alone?"

    Their banter soon turned into laughter. By the time he was done laughing, Ryan turned towards Shesmu and said, "You know the real reason why I wanted to talk, right?"

    The sudden change of mood took Shesmu by surprise. However, he didn''t show it in his face. Instead, he stayed silent, a faint smile on his face.

    "You know, Ryan, opening the pandora''s box is going to bring only hardship and suffering."

    Ryan chuckled in response. "Of course I know that. You think with all the hints you dropped, I wouldn''t have picked that up by now."

    He then looked at Shesmu for a few seconds. The latter stayed silent¡ªhis expression serious.

    "Dammit man, what''s making it so hard for you to just spill the beans already¡ª"

    "It''s because of your headaches," Shesmu finally said. "It''s because of your headaches that I didn''t want to say anything. Now, do you really want me to continue?"

    However, Shesmu''s question fell onto deaf ears. Ryan was already consumed by his thoughts, no stimulus from the outside could break his trance.

    "My headache," He muttered. "I only got headaches when¡­"

    A look of understanding dawned upon his face.

    "I see."

    As he uttered those last words, Ryan''s body fell off balance and he fainted on the ground.

    "Ryan!"

 46 Helmet Strategy

    "Ryan!"

    Shesmu''s cry alerted Leo and the duo fighting their way through the pack of wolves. This sudden distraction gave an opportunity for the beast to attack. They swarmed Leo from every direction and maimed him.

    Noticing the danger Leo was in, Shesmu was enraged. He teleported towards him and with one swing of his sword, killed the whole pack of wolves in a wave of dark ki.

    None of his teammates had any time to fawn over Shesmu''s performance. They all gathered around him, their eyes worried.

    "Shes, what happened?" Leo asked.

    "Yeah, you really scared me with that cry. Did Ryan die or something?"

    Sakura''s assumptions made Ryuji jump in worry.

    "No way, right? Did Ryan really die?!"

    "No."

    Shesmu walked towards Ryan''s body, leading the way for his party. They soon got to see their friend unconscious on the white tile. It was as if the world around him was bleached.

    "No way," Leo muttered. He then ran straight towards Ryan''s body, checking on him. "What happened to him?" He asked again.

    "He fell unconscious, with no warning whatsoever. He just randomly fainted."

    "That''s¡­ very weird," Sakura commented from the side. "Does he have a habit of randomly fainting?"

    "No," Leo responded before looking down at the floor, deep in thought. "Actually, maybe it has to do with whatever happened to him this morning."

    "Did Mister Ryan faint this morning too?"

    "Yeah, he did." Leo looked back at Ryan in worry before continuing. "It just happened randomly. He had this massive headache as if his head was splitting in half. I had never seen him in that much pain. He then fainted on the couch as we were waiting for Ashes of Gods to be available for download."

    "Wait, then why has he been playing until now? Shouldn''t he be resting?"

    "He should have been, right?" Leo couldn''t help but show a self-deprecating smile as he responded to Sakura''s question. "I told him that multiple times, but he insisted that he was fine."

    ??Leo." After staying silent throughout the conversation, Shesmu finally spoke. "If you want, you can go check on Ryan IRL. I''m assuming you know his house personally, no?"

    "Yeah, you should do that," Sakura added. "No one here is gonna hold you accountable for this kind of thing. So don''t worry about us and go."

    Leo didn''t respond immediately. His face showed a myriad of emotions. He bit his lips, clenched his fist, and said with a solemn voice, "I know that this is selfish of me, but I want to stay until the end of the round."

    "Why though?" Sakura was surprised at the unexpected response.

    "Sakura." Shesmu''s was loud, louder than anyone who had spoken before. His sudden outburst gathered everyone''s attention and scared Sakura. "This is Leo''s own personal decision to make. If he wants to stay until the end of the round, then so be it."

    "Thanks, Shes," Leo responded in a faint voice.

    Seeing that the decision had been finalized, Sakura clenched her head in defeat.

    "Aghh, you guys are so weird."

    "Really?" Ryuji''s question surprised her.

    "What? Don''t you think it''s weird? Their friend is unconscious and they don''t check on him immediately."

    "Well, without Mister Ryan''s shadow, this is Mister Leo''s only time to prove himself," Ryuji said with a smile.

    Hearing him answer as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, Sakura sighed in defeat.

    "Agh, are all men selfish like that?"

    Ryuji laughed at Sakura''s rhetorical question before Shesmu started his speech.

    "Okay everyone. Without Ryan, we have lost much of our DPS. This means that the fight with the Boss will be that much harder. Leo will of course be our tank, while I''ll work as an offtank for now. Sakura, you''ll be providing us with support."

    Shesmu then looked at Ryuji, trying to think of what role to give him.

    "Ryuji. Before we fight the boss, you''ll be handling monsters on your own. I want you to stop doing those wide swings that never hit their target and focus on clean, efficient slashes, understood?"

    "Yes, master!"

    "Okay, good."

    Shesmu''s eyes drifted towards Sakura. Now that Ryuji was to fight alone, and as such the two would be separated, he wondered how she would respond. Surprisingly, she didn''t show any sign of rejection of the idea. In fact, she followed after Shesmu and Leo with a big smile on her face.

    Shesmu focused back on the chessboard. Looking around, he found that all the parties were slowly working their way towards the boss, killing every wolf pack on their way. The Boss on the other hand stood in front of the portal, closely guarding it.

    While Shesmu was looking at the state of the game, Leo went towards Ryan and carried his body on his back.

    Shesmu looked at Leo incredulously, to which Leo simply responded, "We can''t let him stay there, now can we?"

    "How are you going to fight with him on your back?"

    Shesmu''s question snapped Leo back to reality. There was no way he could do his job as a tank with Ryan on his back.

    "Give him to me," Shesmu said. "I''ll put him somewhere safe."

    Leo handed Shesmu Ryan with caution, making sure as to not to drop him. Shesmu carried him on his back before saying, "Okay, let''s go."

    He then jumped from one tile to the next, Leo and Sakura following after him. The party then fought one pack of wolves after the next. With Leo as the tank, none of the beasts managed to go through him. He was able to effectively use his Ki to enhance his shield against the attacks from the wolves'' fangs and claws. Meanwhile, Shesmu would decimate them with his sword techniques, while Sakura would either burn them or stun them through her magical spells.

    After killing a few monsters, Shesmu noticed that Leo was absent-minded. His eyes looked ahead but they didn''t focus on anything.

    "Leo, is something the matter?"

    Leo snapped back to reality and looked at Shesmu. "No, nothing really."

    "I see, well, just make sure not to half-ass anything." He then killed the last wolf in the pack before making his way towards Leo.

    "I did not mind you not checking on your friend''s health right away because I knew that this matters to you. But if you''re gonna half-ass it, then better log out now." Shesmu then waited for a few seconds, letting his words sink in Leo''s mind.

    "If you want the spotlight, if you want to prove yourself, then you need to put every ounce of your being out there. Leave nothing inside, show everything to the world. Show them all your worth!"

    Before Leo could get a chance to talk back, Shesmu''s attention already drifted elsewhere. He focused on a pack of wolves and led the way towards it.

    Leo looked at Shesmu''s back in surprise before he tightened his hand on the hilt of his sword. He then ran towards the pack Shesmu was eyeing and took over the latter. He charged at the leader of the pack with a diagonal slash, leaving a deep wound next to its neck. The pack''s aggro was fully on him. He dodged and blocked their attacks, countering every pounce or swipe with a move of his own.

    "I didn''t need you to tell me that." Leo didn''t turn to look at Shesmu, his attention was fully on the beasts in front of him. "The moment I made my decision, I was already fully prepared!"

    Shesmu looked at Leo''s back with a smile. The usually timid Leo didn''t stand in front of him. This one was more reminiscent of the Leo Shesmu knew.

    He followed after his teammate and attacked the pack from the right flank. With a flurry of attack, Shesmu killed one of the wolves, turning much of their attention towards him.

    While the pack was focusing on either Shesmu or Leo, Sakura stood in the back and chanted her spells. Lightning bolt after fireball decimated the beasts, leaving them like sitting ducks for the warriors. The party wiped the pack and moved to the next.

    Soon enough, they had slain their way through the chessboard. They all leveled up in the process. Both Leo and Shesmu reached sixteen, while Sakura hit the level 15 milestone.

    At the same time, Ryuji was also able to level up to 14. However, more importantly, he was finally able to hit his targets consistently. Shesmu smiled while looking at his improvement. He knew that the only way for him to improve was to go through the trial of blood and fire, and not be pampered by Sakura like he was used to.

    With all the monsters dead, all the parties surrounded the boss. A golden circle was surrounding it. However, before anyone could cross it, a silver-haired man led his party to the forefront and said, "Everyone, before we fight, I have a few things I want to say."

 47 Golden Gauntle

    "Everyone, before we fight, I have a few things I want to say."

    Arthur looked back at the boss before saying with a smile, "Like I thought. Seems like it won''t budge from its place until we cross the circle." He then looked back at the parties of players. "Before we fight, we have to agree on a few strategies so that we don''t run around like headless chicken when we face the boss."

    "And what are these strategies that you propose?" A bulky man holding a warhammer asked.

    Arthur looked around before saying, "Well, first of all, we have to change our party compositions. We need to have a party of tanks, another for off tanks, consistent DPS, mages, priests, and assassins. That way each party has only one task to focus on."

    "Yeah, that''s a fair judgment." A man clad in a black cloak made his way from the crowd and said, "My name is Nebula. I lead a party full of assassins."

    A party of seven men and women all clad in a black cloak showed itself.

    "We can one-shot the boss from 15k HP if you make it drop that low."

    "Great," Arthur responded, a smile beaming from his face. "That would help a lot for when the Wolf King enters its Berserk mode."

    The bulky man from before stepped up too and said, "My name is Hector. Our party is fairly balanced, with healers, mages, assassins, and a swordsman. I am the tank. If I understood you well, you want us to separate and each of us to go into a team of his own class, right?"

    "That''s exactly correct," Arthur responded. "At the end of the day, once the fight starts, the way everyone will be positioned will make it more favorable for each class to have a party of its own."

    "You''re right. Everyone, you heard him, let''s have each class make its own party. Those of you who are tanks, come towards me."

    Leo looked at Shesmu in hesitation, looking for his opinion on the matter. Shesmu nodded at him in agreement and said, "You can go. The strategy is well-thought-out."

    Once Leo received Shesmu''s agreement, he walked forth towards Hector. The latter smiled at him and said, "Welcome to the team, buddy."

    "All mages, come here!"

    This time, it was Sakura that made the announcement. Her sudden shout scared the hell out of Ryuji who couldn''t help but fidget at all the attention they were given.

    Seconds passed and no one made any move towards Sakura. Seeing this, she seethed before bursting out once again, "What are you waiting for you all? You want me to point at each one of you before you make a move?!"

    Hector laughed at Sakura''s hostile nature before saying, "Robin, come help our little friend here out."

    A black-haired woman wearing a purple robe made her way towards Sakura before saying, "Hey, nice to meet you. What''s your name?"

    "Sakura," She responded. "And nice to meet you too."

    After Robin joined Sakura, a mage from Arthur''s party joined them too. And then came another one, and another, until all the mages gathered around Sakura.

    "Okay guys and gals, let??s show everyone what our magic is truly capable of!"

    All the mages cheered after Sakura''s pep-talk. Shesmu couldn''t help but smile at such a turn of events. However, his face soon turned serious as his eyes focused on Arthur. The sword in his sheath made it clear that they will end up on the same team.

    "Okay, great! Since the tanks and the mages have already gathered. It''s time for us warriors too."

    The underlying meaning behind his words was clear. All warriors should gather under him. If it was anyone else, the warriors might have had some qualms about it. However, Arthur had already cemented himself as a figurehead of the parties of players challenging the Tower of Might. As such, players gathered around him without any protest.

    Shesmu put Ryan down, far from the golden circle, before following the crowd. He saw no point antagonizing Arthur at this stage. In fact, this was a good opportunity. Arthur was now the focal point of everyone''s attention, while he could look at his actions and analyze them from the shadows. The moment he would slip, Shesmu would pounce at the opportunity.

    Every class soon made its own party. Shesmu was about to accept the party invitation from Arthur when he remembered Ryan. If he were to dissolve the party, he would have a hard time inviting Ryan back¡ªespecially considering the contents of the next floor. As such, he rejected Arthur''s party invitation.

    Surprisingly, he didn''t bring up the topic with Shesmu. The only thing he did was give him a glancing look before focusing back on the boss in front of them.

    "Everyone, the preparations are complete. Give it your all!"

    "You bet we will!"

    "Let''s fuck him up!"

    Arthur chuckled at the crudeness of his fellow players before making his way towards the boss. Once everyone crossed the golden circle, a white light emerged from the ground. Golden energy erupted from the perimeter of the circle before making a golden dome that surrounded all the players.

    One of the priests tried to touch the dome only to be pushed back by an electric shock. His HP was reduced by 200 points while his hand was charred from the electricity.

    "Damn, we''re forced to fight within this circle," someone from the crowd said.

    While everyone''s eyes were on the poor priest, Shesmu was focusing on Arthur. He was showing an expression of true concern towards his comrade before he masked it with a more stoic face.

    "Everyone, don''t focus on the golden dome. I want everyone''s eyes to be solely on the boss! As long as we follow the strategy, we will win!"

    However, the boss wasn''t one to wait for him to finish his speech.

    "Awoo!"

    With a mighty howl, the boss jumped in front of the players and showed them his terrible fangs. The hot air coming from its breath almost scorched their faces.

    "Tanks, charge!" Hector''s order signaled the start of the fight.

 48 First Rotation

    The team of tanks charged at Hector''s order, including Leo. They raised their shield high and braced themselves for impact. The tyrannic Red Wolf King raised its paw and swiped at them. Leo enhanced his shield with ki to brace for the impact, and what an impact it was. Even with his enhanced shield, he was pushed to the edge of the white tile he was standing on.

    "Ahh!"

    The screams foreshadowed the horror that befell his teammates. Leo looked around to find half of the frontline decimated by the swipe of the Floor Boss. They all sat on their butt atop black tiles, shocked and stunned. Looking around, the only one that wasn''t affected by the Boss''s attack was Hector. He stood proud, shield raised and enhanced, waiting for the wolf''s next attack.

    Leo gritted his teeth and shouted, "Everyone! Back on your feet!"

    No longer did he show his usual meek and passive attitude, the Leo that stood now in front of the boss was a fierce warrior. A lion in human clothes.

    Hector glanced at Leo and smiled, "You heard him you maggots! If I see any of you sitting on your butt and not raising your shield, I will take care of it personally that you never raise them again!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Everyone''s morale was raised. In one synchronized motion, all of the fallen tanks stood up, raised their shield, and charged at the Red Wolf King.

    "Priests, heal the injured warriors! Swordmen, follow after me!"

    Arthur''s orders came in swift and quick. With his orders sent, the leader of the priests spearheaded the healing efforts and cast the first spell. Torrent of light beams followed after his, healing the injured tanks and rejuvenating them.

    As for the swordmen, they followed after Arthur who led them towards the right flank. As he ran towards the Boss''s side, he didn''t waste any time and shouted his next set of orders.

    "Assassins! Hold the left flank! Mages! Stay next to the priests and wait for Hector to give you the okay to fire!"

    "Understood," Sakura shouted back while Hector nodded in acknowledgment.

    The group of assassins didn''t respond but their actions showed their intent. They followed after Arthur''s orders and held the left flank. They were ready to pounce at any moment''s notice.

    With all of the preparations complete, Arthur started the attack. He covered his sword with a golden aura before jumping high in the sky and thrust his sword at the Red Wolf King''s chest.

    "Awoo!"

    Multiple colorful sword flashes followed after the wolf''s cry of pain. Swordmen of all kinds slashed and hacked at its whole body. Soon, it grew so frustrated that it turned around to face the army of warriors before the latter backed out in unison.

    The moment it showed an opening to the tank team, Hector shouted, "Attack!"

    He raised his warhammer high in the sky, green ki overflowing from it, before hammering at the Boss''s exposed ribs with all his might. The other tanks all followed suit. They enhanced their respective weapons with ki before attacking the defenseless wolf.

    Frustrated and angry at the pesky humans fighting it from all sides, the Red Wolf King''s eyes were set ablaze. Fire erupted from every part of its body, creating a wave of flames that engulfed the tanks team.

    Leo braced himself against the AOE attack and covered his body with his shield. The protection it offered saved him from much pain, but it couldn''t spare him from all of it. Parts of his right arm and lower body were burned, making him lose HP continuously. None of his teammates were doing much better, with the exception of Hector who stood proud as always, unscathed by the flaming attack.

    Leo was surprised. However, that surprise soon turned into understanding as he saw Hector''s whole body covered in green ki. So ki can be used like that, too? Leo thought. That explained how Hector was able to not be affected by the Boss''s earlier attack too.

    Meanwhile, the warrior party was barely able to escape from the wave of fire''s radius. Once the AOE spell was dissipated, they made their way back towards the wolf. Shesmu, who stood amidst the party, used his Inspect skill on the Boss to check on their progress.

    Red Wolf King

    HP: 91,256/100,000

    They shaved off almost 10% of its HP. Not bad for one rotation of spells. Plus, the mages haven''t even gotten in, yet.

    Shesmu''s thoughts didn''t stop him from following after his party and fighting the wolf king alongside them. However, whenever he attacked the Boss, he made sure so as to use only the most minimum amount of Ki needed. That way, he doesn''t mess up the wolf''s aggro.

    After multiple rotations, Hector finally ordered, "Mages, attack!"

    "Finally, thought we will die from old age before we got to." Sakura looked at her teammates and said, "Guys, let''s show them what we''re made of. Rava Meru!"

    "Rava Meru!"

    Bolts of lightning illuminated the cave. The sparks from the thunderbolts hit the wolf king with full force, stunning it.

    Arthur wasn''t one to miss an opportunity. The moment the Boss was stunned, he dived right in, followed by his band of warriors. Both the tanks and the melee DPS hacked away at the Boss with all their might, injuring it even further. By this point, only about 40% of its HP was left.

    The Boss had had enough. Frustrated, angry, and wrathful at the humans that toyed with it to death, it cried to the heavens in a ghoulish howl.

    "Awooooo!"

    It jumped right above the frontline, leaving all the tanks flabbergasted and bared its fangs at the priests and the mages.

    Shesmu looked at this catastrophic turn of events and was about to charge right in when his eyes glanced at Leo. Unlike everyone else, he wasn''t surprised, he wasn''t fearful, his face was serious and fierce.

    Leo dashed right in front of the Red Wolf King, standing tall in front of it. The latter looked at him before raising its paw high in the sky. Its claws were clad in an armor of fire and with the power of a speed truck struck down at him.

    The power of the impact was enough to destroy the white and black floor. Debris flew everywhere and a cloud of dust covered where Leo was supposed to be.

    Seconds passed but for the onlookers, it felt like hours. Soon enough, a silhouette became visible from within the dust. Leo didn''t move an inch from his place. He stood in front of the wolf king like a lion eyeing its prey. His shield was covered in enormous amounts of Ki, while his legs were reinforced with whatever he had left. Looking at his state, Shesmu knew that Leo has used every ounce of Ki he had in reserve to block that attack.

    "Good one, boy. That''s the spirit of a fighter!" Hector had a proud smile on his face. He looked at Leo like a father watching his son grow. He then teleported next to him.

    "Maggots, what are you waiting for? Come help your brother out!"

    "Yes sir!"

    Hector''s voice commanded respect and authority. The moment he barked out his orders, all of the tanks followed right after him and stood as a wall between the Red Wolf King and the backline.

    Now was the final stand.

 49 Goliath Falls Harder

    With the tank team standing as an unflinching wall between the Boss and the backline, the latter charged with all of its might to break their defense.

    "Mages, warriors, tanks, I want you to use every last bit of your energy here! Burst this damn thing down!"

    Arthur''s order unleashed the fire of rage within all of the players. With this order, they were finally able to show off all of their strength. Warriors pounced at the wolf king, with their spears, swords, and hammers covered in ki. Shesmu followed suit without hesitation.

    It already took all of his self-control to stop himself from facing the Boss alone after it reduced his friend to such a sight. Now that he was given the opportunity to relieve the frustration in his heart, he wasn''t going to let it pass by.

    He covered himself in dark and green ki before he flew towards the wolf like an eagle. He unleashed a flurry of thrusts and slashes, each hit using the momentum generated by the last one and creating even more of it. He ended his barrage of attacks with a final slash.

    Cross-slash!

    Two crescent-shaped energy attacks merged into each other creating a black cross of ki. The overflowing energy overwhelmed the Red Wolf King, leaving it deeply injured. A terrible gash formed within its chest, leaking torrents of blood on the black and white board.

    That display of skill, might, and power left everyone in awe. They all looked at Shesmu as if he was a beast in human skin. However, Shesmu didn''t care. In fact, he grinned in front of that attention. His eyes darted towards Arthur. His face was dark, hostile, fierce, like that of a wounded beast. However, he soon masked his true emotions behind an easy-going, always smiling face.

    "Brilliant," Arthur shouted. "Everyone, don''t lose this opportunity. Attack!"

    All of the mages raised their staffs and grimoires high in the sky before chanting in unison.

    "Shuma meru!"

    Dozens of fireballs materialized in front of the group of mages before launching like missiles towards the Boss. The spells exploded in the wolf king''s face, forcing it to take a few steps back.

    "Warriors, don''t stop attacking! This is our chance!"

    Arthur led his team one more time to fight against the beast. With him leading the charge, both the tanks and the warriors pushed their lungs to the limit as they slashed and hacked with abandon. Until the king awakened.

    The Boss''s HP fell below the 20% mark, signaling the activation of its berserk state. Fire emerged from below the floor, covering the boss in a ball of flame. This agglomeration of fire rotated with mindblowing speed before erupting in a pillar of hell. Tongues of flames lashed at anything and everything while a shockwave of hot air pushed the players away. All but Shesmu, who slashed the shockwave like it was made of paper.

    The Red Wolf King that emerged from the pillar of fire was worthy of his name. Its claws were golden and sharp, its paws had flames raging on top of them. Its previously orange fur turned into white with stripes of bright red decorating it. The beast was the definition of elegance and lethality.

    Looking around, Shesmu found that all the players were stunned under the effects of the black tiles. Even the assassins whose sole mission was to one-shot the boss at the end of the fight were on the ground, scrambled.

    "Assassins, rise up! This is your moment!" Shesmu''s shout was calm, but it hid behind it an undeniable authority.

    While the band of the cloaked players was trying its hardest to organize itself, neither the Boss nor Shesmu stood idle. The wolf king took in a deep breath and gathered fire within its mouth.

    Shesmu, on the other hand, looked at his reserves of Ki. It was already half empty. Guess this is my final shot, he thought. He poured all of his energy, both black and green within his sword, leaving only a minimal amount to coat his feet with. His blade was overflowing ki flames, bursting in every direction. Shesmu closed his eyes and by the time he opened them, the flames were gone. The only thing left was minuscule shine right at the tip of his sword.

    He smiled before looking at the boss¡ªIts breath attack was almost complete. Right at its launch, Shesmu jumped at the wolf like a cheetah. The momentum he was carrying was mind-boggling. He faced the breath of fire like a madman, thrusting his sword forward.

    Like David facing Goliath, Shesmu''s unremarkable blade pierced through the Boss''s attack as if it was butter. He kept pushing forward until he reached the wolf''s mouth, and cut through its back.

    "Awoo!"

    The blade burst into green and dark flames, pushing the wound in the king''s nape wider.

    "Now!" Shesmu shouted, and the band of assassins answered his call.

    One by one, they appeared on top of the Red Wolf King''s nape, slashing at its wound with their daggers cloaked in shadows. Until finally, the Boss''s head fell on the ground.

    Congratulation, You have slain the First Floor''s Boss

    [May you who followed on Aida''s light reach eternal glory]

    Congratulation, you leveled up

    Everyone looked at the notification they received and the floor grew silent. Silence before the storm, as the cave erupted with cheers.

    "We did it! We finally killed it!"

    "Yes! This fight was so damn hard! Goddamn!"

    Hector looked at his fellow tanks with a wide smile on his face.

    "You did great, maggots!"

    "Yes, sir!"

    He then looked at Leo who was still recuperating within the broken ground. The latter was grinning from ear to ear after that adrenaline-pumping fight, Hector couldn''t help but smile at him too.

    Leo raised his head but didn''t look at Hector, instead, his eyes focused on the direction of the wolf king. Hector couldn''t help but follow his line of sight before his own eyes landed on Shesmu. Everyone, in turn, focused on the latter.

    One after the other, they clapped at him. It soon turned into a torrent of claps, that even Shesmu couldn''t help but look up and face all the players. He was weary, bloodied, and out of breath, but he still smiled.

    "That was marvelous!"

    "You did great, my man!"

    Hector walked towards Shesmu while laughing. "You guys really have the best team around. First, your tank makes the best save of the century, and then you show off this hard. You should leave some of the spotlight to us too, no? Hahaha!"

    Shesmu chuckled at Hector''s joke before looking at Leo behind him.

    "The spotlight is something you have to take by force, right Leo?"

 50 Little Breath

    Shesmu walked towards Leo with steady steps. Every time his feet would touch the ground, they would leave a bloody trace behind them. Once he reached Leo, he offered his hand as support to Leo. The latter smiled before taking it.

    "How was it?" Shesmu asked, his eyes proud of Leo. "How did standing in the limelight feel?"

    Leo scratched his nose and laughed in response. "It felt good¡­" His eyes drifted to the ground, and he paused for a few seconds before continuing. "When I was standing there, in front of everyone. I had this undying fire raging within my chest. It felt like I could do anything. At that moment, I wondered if that''s how you and Ryan always felt."

    "I don''t know about Ryan, but for me, knowing that everyone''s expectations and hope are on my shoulder only brings me more strength." Shesmu smiled at Leo before continuing. "So yeah, in that sense, we''re very similar."

    "You two really made one hell of a scene out there."

    "Woah! Master and mister were so cool!"

    Shesmu turned around to find Sakura and Ryuji making their way towards them.

    "Master, that last fight, I have never seen anything like it before!"

    Shesmu smiled at Ryuji and said, "You did great too. You have definitely improved since before."

    "D-Do you really mean it? Master!" Shesmu''s praise made him teary-eyed. The latter couldn''t help but back out when looking at Ryuji''s expression.

    "Goddammit Ryuji, can you drop the master already?"

    "Yeah, that''s a futile effort. You should have understood so already by now," Sakura said before turning back her attention to Leo.

    "But forget about that, shouldn''t you guys be more worried about Ryan." She then looked around before continuing, "Also, talking about him, where is he?"

    "I put him outside of the golden circle before facing the Boss," Shesmu responded. He looked in the direction of where he put Ryan''s body only to find that the golden dome that surrounded the players just a few moments ago no longer existed.

    Leo looked at Shesmu before saying, "It''s time for me to go, Shes."

    Understanding that Leo was about to log off, Shesmu hugged him and said, "You did great."

    Leo was surprised by the sudden hug, but his surprise turned into a smile before he responded, "Thanks."

    "Aww, look at you too. Aren''t you the cute little couple."

    Sakura''s teasing made both Shesmu and Leo uncomfortable. They quickly separated and avoided eye contact.

    "Hahaha, you guys are just too great. This is too funny."

    Somehow, Shesmu felt that even though Ryan was unconscious, his spirit still lived on in that little devil. He gritted his teeth while Leo coughed a few times to change subjects.

    "Anyway, off I go guys. Bye."

    Leo waved his hand at his friends before muttering, "Log off."

    "Bye, mister!"

    "Bye-bye, Leo."

    Shesmu looked at Leo''s flickering figure and smiled before saying, "Bye, Leo. Until we meet again."

    Leo''s body shone with a thousand colors before dissipating with the wind. Once he logged off, Shesmu''s heart was filled with complicated emotions. The past hours he spent with Leo and Ryan were truly a bliss. Something that he would never take for granted, especially since he was already stripped off them once before.

    Riding this train of thought, Shesmu couldn''t help but think about his wife. Sophie, where are you now?

    "Aww, are you missing your little friend, already?"

    Sakura''s mischievous looking face snapped Shesmu back to reality faster than anything could. Ryuji stood behind her, silent but with an expression of surprise and bewilderment.

    "We need to make a party."

    Shesmu invited both Ryuji and Sakura, to the dismay of the latter.

    "Hey, why do you get to be the party leader? Why not join my party?"

    "Well, first of all, because you''re a little brat. But also¡­" Shesmu''s eyes drifted towards the unconscious Ryan. "How are we supposed to invite Ryan to your party?"

    "Oh." Sakura''s expression switched from that of an annoying brat to a more serious one. "Yeah, sorry about that."

    Ryuji accepted Shesmu''s invitation, and Sakura did soon after. The trio walked towards Ryan''s body, and on their way, Ryuji asked Shesmu different questions.

    "Ehm, master. Is it possible for you to tell me how you were able to pierce through the Boss''s breath attack with your sword?"

    "Sure." Shesmu unsheathed his sword to demonstrate. "The way I did it was that I coated my sword with all of the Ki that I had in reserve, then focused all of it in a single point, right at its tip."

    All the while Shesmu was explaining, he demonstrated his steps using the sword he unsheathed. From the gathering of the ki to its concentration right at the tip. He then waved off his sword and dissipated the energy concentrated within it before putting it back in its sheath.

    "That process gave my blade enough power to pierce through the Boss''s attack. But that''s not all, I also used some of my leftover ki to coat my feet with it. That gave me enough power to cover the distance towards the wolf king."

    "Ohh, so that''s how! As expected of master! Not even a day has passed since the opening of the game, and you''re still able to fight at such a high level."

    "High level, huh."

    Shesmu cringed at the mention of high level. He couldn''t help but compare his current self with the feat of his past and sigh in defeat.

    The party finally reached the unconscious Ryan. Shesmu carried him on his back before looking around at the chessboard. By that point, almost everyone had already gone through the portal to the second floor. Only Arthur''s party was still talking next to it.

    The latter looked at Shesmu, and their clash of eyes was thunderous. Tension rose in the air before Arthur broke eye contact first. He entered the portal and led his team to the second floor.

    "What''s going on between you two?" Sakura asked Shesmu as she looked at the two swordsmen''s faceoff. "Do you have some past beef or something? I have seen you clash eyes at the main fight against the Boss too."

    "Is Arthur master''s enemy?"

    Shesmu just shook his head and said, "It doesn''t matter for now. I still don''t have any evidence against him, so anything I say doesn''t have currently any backing or value."

    "Huh, so you think that he is the disguised monster?"

    "Really?" Ryuji was surprised at Sakura''s assumption.

    "Well, it''s not something that really matters for now. We just need to wait until he loses his patience and starts enacting his plans."

    Plus, it''s not as if we''re going to meet him on the second floor. So there is no reason to worry about that.

    With those thoughts, Shesmu led his team to the portal. It was now time for their second challenge.

 51 Back to Reality

    The elvish society''s contribution to magic cannot be understated. As a race that breaths and lives mana, that prides itself more than anything about its ability to manipulate it, the magical advancements they pushed had consequences that could be felt even millennia after. And even though the thousand years war had destroyed most of their records, the little that survived was able to usher an age of prosperity that could be felt until today. As such, it only stands to reason that the magical incantations are spelled in Elvish. ¡ª Introduction to the History of Magic, by the scholars of The Holy Empire of Men.

    ----------

    Cling!

    The lid of a capsule opened up and white cold smoke escaped. A naked tall figure, well built and blond-haired slowly stood up. His blue eyes shone with a resolute light.

    Knock! Knock!

    "Enter, Milia."

    A maid of short stature opened the door and looked at the barely lit room.

    "Lights On," the man whispered.

    The light bulbs shone a bright green and illuminated the room.

    Milia snuck into the room, her silver bangs hiding her face. She felt shy looking at the man''s half-naked body.

    "Master Leo, your clothes have been readied." She then put Leo''s clothes on a sofa facing the TV. "I''ll go and prepare lunch for you."

    "No need," Leo said as he put on his pants. "I''ll be visiting Ryan in a short while. Just leave my clothes here and call Albert."

    "Understood, Master Leo."

    Leo wore his shirt and made his way out of the room, followed swiftly by Milian. From his usual smile, Leo''s face turned serious.

    "Master Leo? Is something the matter?"

    Leo paused for a second to look at Milia before bringing back his smile. "No, no problem at all."

    However, while his mouth said one thing, his mind thought another. Ryan¡­ hope you''re alright.

    He then walked through the corridor while Milia just stood dazed, looking at his back.

    "Oh, no. I should call Albert immediately."

    While Milia was contacting Albert, Leo thought back to everything that happened this day.

    Leo and Ryan stayed up all night preparing for Ashes of Gods'' beta release. There wasn''t much information online, and the few leaks that circulated the internet they already knew. However, there was still one way to prepare for the release: Playing Demon Heart.

    For months, Leo and Ryan would meet up and play Demon Heart all day. Throughout this time, they got used to the various strategies pertaining to MMOs specifically. Before, they played either single-player or fighting games. Thus, their understanding of teamwork was very lackluster.

    For the full duration of their training, they watched all sorts of guides on the internet. Every time a top guild would release its walkthrough of nightmare tier dungeons, they would watch it repeatedly and analyze it. This way, they were able to slowly build up their theoretical understanding of the game. In practice, their implementation would be best described as wacky.

    Knowledge that worked at the highest level of play doesn''t necessarily translate to anything useful for normal casual players. At first, Leo and Ryan didn''t even know the optimal spell rotations for their respective classes. So, focusing on high-level strategies did them more harm than good. But as time went on, their hard work paid off. By the time Ashes of Gods was about to be released, both Leo and Ryan were no longer a burden to their raiding teams, but a force to be reckoned with.

    Finally, on June 26th, Leo and Ryan kept grinding with their party until 3 am before calling it a night. Leo woke up later that day in Ryan''s room at 9 o''clock. After having breakfast, they were supposed to start playing Ashes of Gods at the same time.

    However, Ryan had a headache that morning. It came out of nowhere, and Ryan''s immune system was heavily boosted by nanobots. Needless to say, Leo was worried. In this day and age, where illness barely exists, pain became a rarity.

    Out of concern for his friend, Leo asked him to just rest for the day and they would play tomorrow. He then went back to his house, leaving Ryan on his bed. However, barely three hours after, he received a call from Ryan saying that he was alright. They hopped on their Dreamscape and launched Ashes of Gods. Even though they missed the release by a few hours, they were still hyped about being one of the first to test out the game.

    The moment Leo entered, he was awestruck. The blade of grass tickling his feet, the cold spring breeze and the bright sun shining from a distance. Leo couldn''t believe what he saw. He never thought that such a technology was possible, but here it was. Emulating everything the real world had to offer, and even more.

    The rest was history. Leo made his character, contacted Ryan, and met Shesmu in the same breath. A true to god pro player. One that he had watched the guide of, a man who by all means was an indirect teacher for him. However, he didn''t show any of the arrogance of a celebrity. In fact, he was most welcoming. Even when Ryan''s banter would turn rude, he would never take offense and just think of a clever way to get back at him.

    "Where are you going, young man?"

    The familiar, high pitched feminine voice stopped Leo''s wandering mind. He grumbled and turned around, prepared to face his most annoying enemy.

    "Mom, I''m going to Ryan''s house."

    "I haven''t seen you since yesterday morning. Were you playing games for all that time?!" Leon''s mom???s voice turned into an even higher pitch at the end, showcasing her erupting anger.

    However, Leo didn''t let her words affect his emotional state. He just looked at her calmly, even apathetically, but said nothing.

    Leon''s mom stomped her right foot in anger, looked up to the ceiling, and raised her voice even higher.

    "Ah! I just wish you were like your brother. Look at him! He is already a senior executive at Omega9. He is selling those games that you like so much to you and people like you. While you stay here wasting time, he is out there making money!"

    At the mention of his brother, Leo bit his lips and looked down. He then looked up at his mother, his eyes resolute.

    "My brother has nothing to do with anything I do. He is his own person. Mom, I''m going to Ryan''s house now. Take care of yourself."

    Leon''s mom didn''t respond, and he didn''t expect a response either. Once she entered her naggy state, there was no reasoning with her. Understanding that, Leo just walked off the main entrance and closed the door behind him. Standing next to the entrance of the garden, an old man welcomed him with a bow.

    "Albert, we''re going to Ryan''s house."

    "As you wish, young master," the thin old man replied. He was dressed in a black butler suit. His hair was grey and his face was gentle. Whenever Leo would look at him, his worries would dissipate. Albert just had that kind of healing aura around him.

    "Oh, you''re not putting your Ravs on today, Albert?" Leo asked in surprise.

    "Ah, I just took them off for a moment, young master. They''re in the car. Sometimes, they make my eyes itchy so I have to take them off," Albert answered with a smile.

    "I understand. Your health first, Albert."

    The two then made their way to the mansion''s parking lot where a stylized sports car stood. Violet, purple, and sky blue were the main ingredients of this masterpiece. An aerodynamic design, a slick-looking front to back, and doors that opened vertically.

    "Young master."

    Albert bowed in front of Leo, waiting for him to enter. He swiftly complied. Albert entered right after and with that, they took off.

    "Albert, I also left my Raveons in the car last time. Do you have them?"

    "Yes, young master."

    With a dull "clitch", a case went out from the back of the front seat. Glasses that shone with a green neon light stood on top of it. Leo picked them up and wore them, but the view in front of him didn''t change.

    Leo moved next to the window and watched the scenery outside. They quickly entered the city and with it, a futuristic outlandish view greeted them. Tall skyscrapers, robots everywhere, and cars entering underground tunnels like wormholes. However, most surprising of all were the people walking around in the streets. More precisely, what was surrounding them.

    Stylized clouds raining torrents, faces with hearts instead of eyes, and a myriad of different emoji-like caricature stood next to each and every person. Shops had mermaids flying from their doors to the open sky, showcasing their clothing fashion; anime characters eating a thousand different foods in front of restaurants and a thousand other fantasy-like views filled the city.

    Leo looked at all of this with cold eyes. He was already used to it. This culture of extreme extravagance. However, maybe out of curiosity, he asked Albert, "Hey, Albert. What do you think of Augmented Reality, and the Raveons that boosted it? It must feel weird, living in this world where everyone shares everything to everyone."

    "Haha, young master. While I did live in a world where none of this new stuff existed, it doesn''t mean that I can''t accept it. But, what do you think, young master?"

    "I think it''s fake," Leo replied bluntly.

    "Haha, young master." Albert smiled gently. "Sometimes, people like to have those lies surround them. It makes them feel more secure."

    The rest of the journey was uneventful. Leo didn''t speak much, he just looked at the window lost in his thoughts, while Albert kept silently driving.

 52 There Goes The Party

    Shesmu and his team entered the portal when all light died out. They stood within all-engulfing darkness, with no stars and no moon to guide their way.

    "What''s going on?" Sakura asked, fidgeting in worry.

    Ryuji was the total opposite. He looked at the darkness surrounding them in awe. "Woah, what''s this place? Is this where we will have our second trial."

    Shesmu, on the other hand, was calm. He already knew what the trial would be about, and as such couldn''t help but worry about his teammates. Will they be able to handle it?

    A blue screen appeared in front of everyone''s eyes, stopping Shesmu''s train of thought.

    [Second Floor]

    [In loneliness you shall stand.

    With the power of your heart, you shall fight.

    Your wisdom, your cunning shall guide your path.]

    Ryuji''s body glowed with a thousand colors, surprising both him and Sakura.

    "Ryuji!"

    Sakura jumped to take hold of him, but he was long gone before she could do so. In the end, she only grasped at air. Her worry consumed her, and she looked in shock at Shesmu, trying to find answers. However, before the latter could say anything, he was already teleported. She too, in turn, disappeared from the total darkness.

    Shesmu appeared within the middle of a jungle. He didn''t even have the time to worry about Sakura, as his vision was blinking with a red hue. He looked at the top left of his view and found that his HP was reduced to 1.

    [Those who hold the sword live their life at the brink of death. Lifeforce, in the end, is but another form of energy. Use the life of your enemy is your own sustenance, and thrive!]

    So this time it''s a lifesteal test. But really, 1 HP? Did they have to be so extreme?

    "Roar!"

    Shesmu''s thoughts were stopped midway by the roar of a tiger. It pounced from behind the trees at Shesmu.

    The latter Dashed out of its way and appeared above it. He charged his sword with Ki and swung at its back. The moment his sword pierced the beast''s back, Shesmu utilized his Ki to invade the creature''s body and pulled at its energy.

    A green thread made its way from the tiger''s blood into Shesmu''s sword, and then into his being. He could feel the energy going through his ki paths and into his heart. Shesmu''s Hp bar slowly regenerated, from 1 HP to 20.

    Like I thought, this way of doing it really isn''t that effective.

    However, Shesmu didn''t stop. He dodged and slashed the beast time and time again. With each hit, he would recover a bit of his HP, until the creature had finally fallen.

    Congratulations, you have discovered a new skill!

    Lifesteal

    Lifesteal(passive)

    Level: 1

    With each hit, recover a tiny amount of HP through stealing your victim''s life force.

    Shesmu checked his stats to see how much HP he had recovered.

    Shesmu

    HP: 141/1600

    Ki: 2980/3000

    If I have to rely on lifesteal to get back all of my HP, I''ll be here all day. Deciding that playing by the rule wasn''t his best option, Shesmu opened his inventory to use his leftover HP potions. However, the moment he made the command to open it, he received a notification.

    [Error! Inventory cannot be opened in this instance!]

    "Tch," Shesmu clicked his tongue. "I guess that leaves me with only one option."

    He closed his eyes and focused on the Ki core within his stomach and chest. Ki traveled through the ki paths and into his heart, joining in with his remaining lifeforce.

    Slowly but surely, Shesmu''s HP recovered while his Ki reserves dwindled. It took three-quarters of his Ki to fill up his HP bar to the max. Once it did, he received a notification.

    Congratulations, you have discovered a new skill!

    Lifeforce Conversion

    Lifeforce Conversion

    Level: Max

    Due to the compatibility of Ki with the laws of life and death, it is possible for those who mastered this skill to change their Ki into lifeforce, effectively healing them from any injury.

    Shesmu closed the notification before looking around. The trees, shrubs, and grass stretched in all directions. He scratched his head before wondering out loud.

    "Now, I wonder what I''m supposed to do."

    Ryan was no longer with him, but that didn''t surprise Shesmu. He knew that this was a very individual test, so him being alone was natural. What worried him was what kind of test did the system assign to Ryan. Did it automatically let him pass? Or did it give him an exam he was doomed to fail?

    Either way, Shesmu couldn''t do anything about it. The only thing he could do was pray that fortune was on their side and that Ryan skipped the trial.

    Shesmu focused back on his current situation and tried to recall his past life''s test. It''s been so long that his memories of such a time were blurry at best. However, he could still remember that he used his minimap a lot in that test.

    As such, Shesmu opened his minimap. He could see a golden dot five kilometers away from his location. To reach that destination, he had to cross a river, a valley, and finally reach the ruin in which the golden dot resided.

    Just as Shesmu was about to make his way towards his destination, a mighty roar shook the forest. Sound of humps and thumps reached ever so closer towards Shesmu.

    Without waiting for the perpetrator to show up, Shesmu ran with all of his might in the opposite direction. Soon enough, the beast showed itself. It was a gigantic gorilla that towered over the trees. A quick inspect told Shesmu everything he needed to know about it.

    Golden Gorilla (Clan Chieftain)

    Level: 72

    HP: 250,000/250,000

    Not only was its HP more than double that of the Red Wolf King, but its level was also much higher. If this beast were to even scratch Shesmu, he would die ten times over.

    What the heck is going on here?!! Is the system broken? Why is it making me face a level 72 this early?!!

    Shesmu''s complaints had no ears to land on. He could only curse his luck and run as fast as his legs could push him. He soon found the entrance to a cave. Knowing that the beast couldn''t possibly fit within it, Shesmu entered it.

    By the time he took a few steps inside the cave, there was no more light to guide his way. However, Shesmu didn''t care by then. He just sat on the ground and caught his breath.

    By the time he was done resting, he looked around him. Darkness surrounded him from all directions. He covered his hand in Ki before flaring it like a flame. The green light illuminated the surrounding.

    Shesmu''s eyes took a while to adjust to the new light, but once it did, he was horrified. Thousands of small little beady red eyes looked at him¡ªand they were hungry.

 53 Ravage

    Shesmu used Inspect on the unknown creatures. They were parasite rats, level 35. From his past knowledge, Shesmu knew that he stood no chance against them.

    As such, he ran.

    He coated his legs in Ki and dashed out of the cave. Fortunately, the golden gorilla wasn''t there to greet him, yet. However, Shesmu couldn''t spare the time to breathe a sigh of relief. The thousands of rats, hungry for flesh and blood ran after him like an ocean wave.

    In a moment of epiphany, Shesmu thought up a way to flee from those little pests. The trees. If he were to jump from one tree branch to the other, they would have much less of a chance of catching up to him.

    With those thoughts in mind, Shesmu jumped up a tree branch. He took a few seconds to gain his balance before he jumped towards another tree, and then another. As time went on, Shesmu became more proficient at branch jumping and could do it easily.

    Did I lose them?

    Shesmu looked back only to have his expectations subverted. The rat army ate the trees. It was as if a Feller Buncher was going through the forest, cutting down trees left and right. Just that they were much faster and much more horrific.

    What the fuck is this test?!!

    However, Shesmu''s misfortunes were only beginning. A mighty roar came from behind the trees, and the golden gorilla that Shesmu thought already left, appeared once again.

    The golden beast jumped high in the sky and landed in front of Shesmu, scaring the latter shitless. Is this the end?

    Even though the situation was grim beyond measures, Shesmu kept his calm. He focused on the gorilla''s eyes. It wasn''t looking at him, the only thing that was in its vision was the army of rats behind him.

    It was then that Shesmu saw hope. There was a way out of that situation, he just needed to play his cards right.

    He didn''t move. He knew that if he did, while both parties surrounding him stayed stagnant, he would become the center of attention immediately.

    And soon enough, the gorilla made the first move.

    "Roar!!"

    With a mighty roar, it jumped high above Shesmu and into the pile of overgrown rats. The moment it did, Shesmu ran like there was no tomorrow. He coated his feet with as much Ki as he could possibly, and launched himself out of the two monsters'' fighting area. He ran like he never did before in this timeline.

    Meanwhile, the golden gorilla was being assaulted from all directions. They sunk their poisonous fangs into its flesh, making it drip purple blood. No matter how much it flailed and jumped, the rats stuck on it like parasites.

    In the end, the golden gorilla had had enough. It gathered an outworldly amount of golden energy into its fist and smashed the ground.

    The shockwave disturbed even Shesmu who was hundreds of meters away. He turned around only to see debris flying everywhere. Trees, dirt, and rocks were catapulted like they were caught up by a tornado. And one of these rocks flew right into his face.

    Shesmu could only hear buzzing in his ears. He couldn''t see, nor feel anything around him. However, even though his vision was blurry at best, he could still make out the red in it. Whether that was the red of his blood or signal from the system that his life was in danger, Shesmu didn''t know.

    [You died]

    [Those who hold the sword live their life at the brink of death. Lifeforce, in the end, is but another form of energy. Use the life of your enemy as your own sustenance, and thrive!]

    The same notification Shesmu saw when he first entered this stage appeared once again in front of his face. After his death, Shesmu was sent back to the same place he first spawned in.

    "Roar!"

    Shesmu already expected the tiger''s pounce, and as such, sidestepped it with ease. He unsheathed his sword and slashed at its exposed neck, leaving a deep gash in it. The tiger whimpered in pain, but Shesmu didn''t stop. His flurry of attacks pierced and slashed at the tiger''s flesh, slaying it.

    Once he killed the beast, Shesmu knew he had to get out of his place fast, lest the golden gorilla reappear. Looking at his minimap, Shesmu knew that he had to cross a river and a valley before finally reaching the ruins. And that''s where his goal resided.

    Shesmu closed the minimap and focused all of his attention on running as fast as possible. As expected, the golden gorilla had appeared where he previously stood. However, instead of chasing after him this time, it took the opposite path. It went in the direction of the rat cave.

    Shesmu sighed in relief before cursing within the depth of his mind. Who in godmother''s holy land thought that giving a test full of Tier 2 beasts to a Tier 0 would be a fucking good idea. Talk about game motherfucking balance.

    On his way towards the river, Shesmu encountered multiple beasts. Overgrown cobras, two-headed lions, packs of thunder horned rabbits, all kinds of lethal creatures that were way beyond his level. However, he survived. Either by running, hiding, or fighting, Shesmu did whatever it took.

    Battered, and exhausted from all the fighting, Shesmu put his hands on top of his knees to catch his breath. He looked at the river. Its stream was strong, too strong for him to cross. But even if he could, Shesmu wouldn''t dare touch the water.

    A steel eagle soared atop the river, looking for a prey, but little did it know that below it were the predators. The moment it flew low enough, a pack of piranhas jumped from within the water took hold of it with their jaws. Their teeth bit so fast at the bird''s flesh that by the time the piranhas went back into the water, the eagle was but a pack of bones.

    Shesmu looked at this scene and crossed the cross the river idea from his mind. He took a look at his minimap and found that there was a bridge to cross the river upstream. Looking at its direction, Shesmu found that the river was passing through a small canyon, while the bridge connected at the top.

    As such, Shesmu made his way to the top of the canyon and stood in front of the bridge. It was time to cross the first obstacle.

 54 Even Worse

    Shesmu starred at the bridge with suspicion in his eyes. With the number of dangerous situations he was suddenly thrown in within this exam, he refused to believe that this was but a simple bridge.

    ''What will it be this time? A primordial three-headed phoenix ready to roast my ass medium-rare?!''

    Shesmu knew that whoever made that test was enjoying watching him suffer. As such, he walked back into the forest in search of bait. After looking around for a few minutes, he finally found a rogue tiger, roaming the jungle.

    It was a level 20 beast, much higher than that of Shesmu. However, compared to the rest of the maddening creatures living in there, the tiger was like a little pup. Shesmu easily took care of it and carried its slain corpse on his back.

    After he made his way back to the bridge, Shesmu found a location far away from it but where he still had a clean shot. That way, whatever he awakened, he would have enough of a head start to run away from.

    Shesmu carried the corpse of the tiger on his hand. He coated his arms, waist and legs in Ki before spinning and throwing the tiger right onto the bridge. The body of the beast fell on the wooden bridge with a loud thud, shaking the whole structure.

    However, for a few seconds, nothing strange happened. No beast from the shadows, no demon king opening a portal on top of it just to mess with Shesmu. It was just a normal bridge that was shaking from the impact of the throw.

    Shesmu took a few cautious steps forward when he stopped dead in his tracks. A beast of immense proportions slithered from below the bridge and coiled around. It was a Titanoboa. A gargantuan serpent whose strength could kill a dozen Shesmus with a snap of its jaws.

    It ate the tiger in one bite. The tiger that weighed and measured as long as Shesmu, it ate with one bite. Shesmu didn''t even think before turning around and running as fast as he could. He coated his legs with as much Ki as was physically possible and ran with dozen meter strides.

    The bridge cracked and bellowed due to the tension of the boa''s coiling before it snapped in half. The serpentine beast looked with narrowed eyes at the direction from which Shesmu threw the tiger.

    A woman''s upper body appeared from the top of the titanoboa''s head. It had a sickly grin plastered on her face. She put her hand on her cheek before saying.

    "Ssss, escape from me, you thought?"

    A shiver ran down Shesmu''s spine. He didn''t know what caused it as he wasn''t the type to crack under pressure, but he didn''t mind it. Now was not the time to be distracted.

    There was only one-way Shesmu could think of to run away from the situation he found himself in. The gorilla, I need to find it.

    With those thoughts in mind, Shesmu jumped atop one of the higher trees he could find. He looked around in a hurry before he found the golden beast. It was fighting with something Shemsu couldn''t make out. But seeing how it stood right next to the rat cave, Shesmu could deduct that it was fighting them.

    "Ssssss, the fast monkey, aren???t you?"

    Hearing a sharp, high voice behind him, Shesmu turned around. The fear he felt in his heart before turning into an all-consuming dread. He made a mistake.

    Dammit, it wasn''t a titanoboa, it was a titanolamia!

    A quick inspection told him everything he needed to know.

    Titanolamia (Terror of the Jungle)

    Level: 95

    HP: 280,000/280,000

    Shesmu dreaded the beast''s special title more than its level. If it had one, that meant it was one of the strongest creatures in the area. And now, she was focused on only one task¡ªkilling him.

    Shesmu jumped from one tree to the other with great speed, not daring to look back. All the while, the titanolamia slithered through the trees like an all-consuming machine. Wherever she headed, trees would flatten, monsters would be crushed and dirt would be uplifted. It was the ultimate plowing machine.

    The two made their way through the jungle, with the lamia following closely behind Shesmu. Any time it would come close to biting him, he would jump out of the way. Any time it would go past him to block his way, he would Dash right through it.

    Like a shepherd dog guiding the sheep, Shesmu was able to make the titanolamia follow after him until they reached the battleground of the golden gorilla.

    "Ssss, your plan, I fully understand. Fight with the gorilla, you want me do. But so easy isn''t life, and according to your plans, it shall not go."

    "Roar!"

    With a mighty roar, the golden gorilla jumped in front of the titanolamia. Battered, wounded and exhausted from its fight with the army of rats, it stood tall in front of the terror of the jungle. However, its eyes showed its underlying fear, and the couple dozen rats stuck to its legs, biting to their heart content, didn''t help either.

    "Ssss, a dumb little creature, aren''t you? Face me, you dare?!"

    The lamia screeched at the golden gorilla, her face the true definition of madness and terror. It contorted in ways not humanly possible. Only a devil from hell could show such a sight

    The lamia''s screech made the gorilla cower and whimper. The army of rats fell back, fearing the terror of the jungle. However, right as the lamia thought it gave up, the golden beast roared back to show its might. Maybe not to the serpent, but definitely to itself.

    It opened its palm and on it was a golden stone. A rock too big for any normal human grasp, but looked like a small pebble in the hand of the gigantic beast.

    "Ssss, How?!! Evolve in front of me, are you trying?!"

    While the monsters were duking it out, Shesmu ran away as fast as he could. No matter how the end of their fight looked, he was too weak to have any say in it.

    By the time the titanolamia found out his disappearance, he was already long gone.

    "Ssss, brought me lots of trouble, fast little monkey." She then focused on the golden gorilla in front of her. "Ssss, how am I to deal with you, now I wonder?"

    Shesmu could hear and feel the tremors of the titans'' fight from next to the piranha river. The bridge was already broken, but Shesmu didn''t despair. He coated his legs and arms with as much Ki as he could before he took a long distance to prepare his jump. He ran straight towards the bridge, making his strides bigger after each step. By the end, he put all of his energy into his legs and jumped high in the sky.

    He felt like a bird soaring through the sky as he jumped above the canyon. The twenty meters jump felt like an eternity. But birds had to fall and deers had to run, whatever goes up must go down. Shesmu fell on his butt on the other end of the bridge. He stood up, turned around, and looked back at the bridge. The first obstacle was finally cleared.

 55 Horror

    After jumping through the broken bridge, Shesmu made his way through the other side of the jungle. His next goal was the valley. He glanced at his minimap and found out that he was close¡ªbarely a kilometer away from it.

    Shesmu passed through the shrubs, trees, and grass. As he inched closer to the valley, the density of the trees lessened, while that of the shrubs and grass grew. All the while, a fog permeated the air. The damp and hot climate of the jungle changed with a chilly, frosty breeze.

    The fog grew even further, turning into an all-encompassing mist. Soon, Shesmu could no longer see farther than three meters past his nose. There was no way Shesmu could fight in such a climate. He coated his eyes with Ki and his field of vision grew. His eyes could then pierce through the thick veil of the mist ever so slightly.

    "Papa!"

    A voice screamed next to his ear. Shesmu turned around, his heart pounding in his chest. That voice, he knew it¡ªit was Eva. Shocked, scared, and unbelieving, Shesmu''s mind turned into high alert mode. Deep down he knew, he knew that there was no way for his daughter to be there, that it was only a part of some sick trial. However, while his mind understood that concept, his body didn''t.

    The mist contorted in various ways as if the threads of fog were the limbs of an abyssal creature. Those threads soon took shape, horrifying ones. Skulls, hands, bodies, and limbs made of mist all danced within the fog. They screamed and howled, and their cries only turned sharper when they passed next to Shesmu.

    A body of mist, small and short, much like that of Eva, stood in front of him. He couldn''t help but look with intent at her face, as her eyes, ears, and nose formed, as she gave him the same smile she did a thousand times before. But that was a time long gone, her face contorted into an unnamed shape. Multiple eyes gouged out of her cute little face before the latter split open too. Threads of mist emerged from her skull like barbed tentacles, before they pierced Shesmu''s heart.

    The world blacked out. Shesmu lifted his heavy eyelids with all of his might. The world around him was blurred. Orange, yellow, and grey merged into an abstract art-like scenery. Shesmu blinked a couple of times to get used to the new light. He could feel through his hands the coarse texture of the sand. As he stood up, Shesmu realized he was back in a very familiar place. This was the land of dreams¡ªno, of the cruelest nightmares.

    "Omega Nine!" His scream shook the realm. The wrath that flared within Shesmu''s heart could burn gods to ashes. Shesmu knew what the trial was trying to do, and he didn''t like it one bit. He closed his eyes and summoned the ki within his core. He then pushed it through his paths and into his brain.

    "Huh?"

    It didn''t work. The ki stopped dead in its track, right as it reached Shesmu''s brain. It was as if there was a barrier standing between it and Shesmu''s mind, blocking it from ever entering.

    Shesmu clenched his jaw and fists. He walked through the ruined city in silence. He no longer cursed neither the gods nor the devs. He walked steadfastly towards his inescapable destiny.

    Shesmu made his way towards the cathedral that stood tall above the city. He didn''t know why, but something told him that his goal lied there.

    The ruined city was vacant¡ªno beast, no corpse, no blood. Even ghosts didn''t inhabit the falling buildings.

    Shesmu finally reached the cathedral. Much like the rest of the city, it was ruined. However, it still kept some of its former glory¡ªtowers that pierced the sky, halls that spanned half the street, giant statues of wolves and lions made of gold. One tower in particular stood in the center of all. It was the highest. A human stood chained at its top, sleeping in peace.

    Skin amber like honey, she stood like a doll chained atop the tower. Shesmu clenched his fist¡ªit was his daughter, Eva.

    "Are you playing with me?" Shesmu understood what he needed to do, but he couldn''t accept it. "Is this a sick game to you? Playing with people''s hearts like that?!!"

    "Roar!"

    A dragon flew from behind the cathedral, stopping Shesmu''s monologue. It soared high in the sky, before landing right in front of him. It screamed and barred its terrible teeth at Shesmu. However, he didn''t budge. It gathered flames within its jaws before breathing hellfire upon Shesmu, but to him, they were as soothing as a summer spring.

    He walked through the inferno and passed by the mighty dragon. Once he did, the beast turned into a wisp, as if it was but an illusion.

    Shesmu entered the cathedral and climbed the stairs of the main tower. The few slits on the wall were his only guide in the cold, dark tower. Finally, Shesmu reached the end of the stairs. The tower opened to a plaza through a small door. He entered it before looking back at the tower¡ªit stretched a dozen meters still above the ground. His daughter was there, glued to its top with chains of steel.

    The sleeping beauty opened its eyes, and they were black. Both her originally green irises and its sclera were now dark as night. Her mouth opened inhumanly wide, and multiple sets of shark teeth decorated it. She screeched and flailed, her hands turning into barbed tentacles. The steel chains shook with her flailing before snapping, one by one.

    She jumped from the top of the tower and landed on the plaza on all four. She then pounced at the unbudging Shesmu. Her tentacle hands pierced his guts and heart before she sank her teeth in his neck.

    "Welcome back, Eva." Through the pain and suffering, Shesmu hugged his daughter¡ªas deformed as she was. "I''ll definitely get you back. No matter what happens, I''ll definitely get you back. That, I promise."

    Eva''s horrifying face softened for a second. Her face went back from the cruel monstrosity to that of his loving daughter. Before changing again.

    Eva''s face opened like a mouth, the inside of her head decorated with a set of fangs. She bit Shesmu''s head before working her way through his whole body, eating it in one gulp.

 56 Outside The Box

    Terrible hands, elongated creatures, and deformed beasts¡ªall made of shadows¡ªwere painted on the mist like it was a canvas. Screams, howls, and children''s laughter merged into a cacophony of horror. All the while, Shesmu walked.

    He knew that no matter the creatures wanted to harm him, they couldn''t. They weren''t on the same plane after all. But even if they could, he didn''t really care. The only thing that was playing in his mind was the images of his daughter. Not the horrifying ones of the trial, but those of his past life. All the moments they enjoyed¡ªhe, Eva, and Sophie.

    There was nothing he wished for more than to go back to that life. Even with all of its problems, hardships, and trials, he wasn''t alone.

    Once his thoughts reached that place, the image of Ryan and Leo flashed within his mind¡ªstopping him dead in his tracks. He bit his lips and looked down at the ground.

    "In the end, just what should I do?"

    There was no answer to his question. The only feedback the world gave him was the screeches and screams of the ghostly creatures roaming the mist.

    The creatures soon became less and less apparent, their screams and shrieks but dim background music to Shesmu''s ears. The fog turned less dense, and he could finally see what laid behind it.

    Walls made of grey rocks, a castle in ruin, and a door that led to a room underground. Light shone from within the basement, indicating that it was still in use. Shesmu walked down the stairs with caution¡ªmaking sure as to check where he put his feet on, lest he activates a lethal trap.

    Once he reached the bottom of the stairs, Shesmu received a notification.

    [Welcome to the ruined dojo, mighty traveler. Life and death are but the two shores of the same river¡ªand that river forms an unending circle in these ruins. May your wisdom guide your steps, and may your heart guide your path.]

    The room was full of traps. The floor was around two meters below the stairs, and it was full of deadly spikes. The only thing Shesmu could step on was a set of wooden poles planted all over the floor.

    Dammit. Now that I lost the reflexes of my past life, can I even clear this?

    Shesmu pressed his lips thin and puffed his chest. He could do it¡ªif he believed in it, there was nothing he couldn''t do.

    "Well, no matter if I could or not, I will give it my all," he said aloud.

    He jumped on top of a pole with one foot and used both his arms to gain balance. However, as he flailed around, an arrow flew from the wall and into his chest.

    Shesmu couldn''t react. By the time he saw the arrow, it was already lodged in his chest.

    Great, we''re off to a fantastic start.

    He gritted his teeth and took out the arrow. Fortunately, it didn''t pierce his heart, else he would have died right then and there. Shesmu coated his eyes with Ki and looked around the room. He could see the blade of a giant ax peeking through a slit in the ceiling. There were also multiple magic circles engraved on the walls.

    Shesmu memorized the location of the spells in his mind before jumping to the next pole. He landed on it with one foot, and before he could even gain his balance, it moved sideways. The sudden movement made Shesmu lose his balance and fall on top of the spikes.

    [You died]

    This was the second time Shesmu died within this timeline¡ªand they were both in the same trial. Needless to say, he was pissed.

    Shesmu spawned on the last step of the stairs. He jumped once again towards the first pole. This time, he was expecting the arrow and was able to block it with his padded sleeves. He took it out, threw it at the spiked floor before jumping at the second pole.

    The moment he landed, he tilted his body to the right, the same direction in which the pole moved. As such, he was able to maintain his balance, even atop the moving surface.

    Shesmu looked at the third pole and hesitated. It could move in any direction, or there could be another trap entirely¡ªhe didn''t know. However, he steeled his heart and jumped.

    The moment Shesmu landed, the pole went down. In one swift motion, he jumped towards the next pole before the first could hit the ground.

    Once he landed, one of the magical spells activated. A pillar of flame burned from the side and towards Shesmu. The latter unsheathed his sword and coated it with a layer of ki, before slashing at the flaming spell.

    The pillar of flames split in two, leaving Shesmu standing between the two tongues of fire. The spell stopped after a few seconds and Shesmu focused on the next pole.

    He jumped on it, and the moment he landed, a gust of wind pushed him back while the pole went forward. Just as he was about to fall down, Shesmu coated his waist with Ki to strengthen his core and pushed his body forward.

    The pole stopped moving and the wind stopped blowing. Shesmu had reached the end. The only thing left was to jump on the wooden floor, right at the end of the room, and walk through the door.

    As such, he jumped¡ªand the moment he landed, his feet sunk. The wooden floor turned into sticky dirt. Another one of the spells activates; a thunderbolt. It stunned him in place, leaving him helpless as the ax stuck in the ceiling fell on him.

    [You died]

    Shesmu was beyond pissed. Goddammit. If you''re gonna be like that, then I''m not gonna play by your rules either. He spawned once again on the last step of the stairs, but this time, he didn''t jump towards the wooden pole. In fact, he focused all of the ki within his core on his feet. He then jumped¡ªhis target: the wall.

    The wooden wall cracked and bellowed under Shesmu''s force. He rotated his body and pivoted to face the door. Shesmu launched towards his target with mind-boggling speeds. Arrows, flames, spells, and axes all flew by him, but no dice. He soared through the door like an eagle before landing in a corridor with a spin on the ground. He had finally passed the test.

 57 Masco

    Shesmu made his way through the dark corridor. Much like the outside of the castle, it was ruined. Rotting wood, crumbling rocks, Shesmu wondered how the basement didn''t collapse under its own weight.

    At the end of the corridor was a door to the right. Shesmu''s minimap indicated that it was his target. Light shone from within the room, and Shesmu quickly found its source. An altar was positioned in the middle of the chamber with a magical circle drawn on top of it. The circle glowed with a golden hue.

    Shesmu walked towards it when a notification appeared in front of him.

    Congratulation on completing the second floor''s trial

    [May you, who has proven wisdom, prudence, and strength of heart, carve your path through the horrors of this world.]

    Shesmu teleported from the ruined castle and into a plaza. The sudden light blurred his vision. The plaza''s white, marble floor reflected the sun standing high in the sky.

    "Oh, you''re finally here."

    Sakura was making the sleeping Ryan sit down, back on the door of a palace. Shesmu''s eyes worked their way up the giant and impressive building, before looking back at Sakura.

    "Was he here when you came?"

    She looked back at Ryan with a smile before saying, "Yeah. He was unconscious on the floor when I arrived, so thought might as well let him sit on the door."

    Shesmu looked at Ryan for a few seconds then said, "Thank you for that."

    "Don''t sweat it. More importantly, how did the trial go?"

    "It went well," Shesmu swiftly responded. "I mean, I''m here, so¡­ The trial couldn''t have gone too bad if I''m standing in front of you."

    Sakura chuckled at Shesmu''s response. "You''re right, that was a bit of a dumb question."

    "Woohoo! Congratulation esteemed guests of the golden generation. Lester, here to serve you. Woohoo!"

    A short talking fluffy panda opened the door of the palace and greeted the party of five.

    "Please, follow me inside. Woohoo! We''ll shortly prepare the stage for your third challenge. Woohoo!"

    "Is this¡­ a panda?" muttered Sakura.

    "Yes, a talking panda," responded Shesmu with a straight face. He entered the palace door while Sakura stood shocked for a few seconds. She soon woke up of her reverie and followed after the two.

    The first thing that greeted them was a table full of food and drinks, while on the back of the room a team of musicians was playing a calm tune.

    "Woohoo! We have prepared for our guests a welcoming party. Your hard work shall be rewarded. Woohoo!"

    Lester then made a gesture with his paw, and next to him a roulette appeared with a poof.

    "Woohoo! However, before you shall dine on this feast, let us play a little game. Woohoo!"

    Oh, this part finally came.

    "Woohoo! The roulette is split into 64 different areas. Each area corresponds to a different game. Depending on what comes out, the challenge that you shall face in the third floor shall be determined. Woohoo!"

    By this point, both Shesmu and Sakura''s attention was on the roulette. With a flick of his paw, Lester spun it.

    The disk spun and spun until it finally landed on area 34.

    "Woohoo! And the game you will play shall be¡­ The Deadly Cave Challenge! Woohoo!"

    Huh, so this will be the final battle.

    Lester''s announcement didn''t receive the hype that was expected. Both Shesmu and Sakura looked at the panda who still had his paws high up in the air in a weird pose with unimpressed eyes.

    "Cough, cough. Woohoo! Anyways, the challenge will be set in a cave as indicated by the name. The goal is to go through the cave branches and reach the target that is on the other side. This challenge is fifty men one, which means that you need fifty participants before the game can start. Woohoo!"

    The panda then paused for a second before a smirk covered his face. "Woohoo! One more thing, in the deadly cave, there are a lot of lethal traps and cunning monsters, so please proceed with care. That''s it for my explanation. For now, I''ll let you enjoy the meals specifically prepared for you. Woohoo!"

    With a poof, both Lester and the roulette next to him disappeared.

    [The challenge for the third floor has been set]

    [Numbers of participant needed: 47]

    "A fifty-man challenge, huh. This seems like the perfect place for the monster to start its killing spree."

    Shesmu agreed with Sakura''s deduction. This was the best opportunity the monster could have ever hoped for.

    "We need to make a plan," he murmured under his breath. He looked at Sakura and said with an urgent voice, "We need to make sure not to split up."

    "What do you mean? Why?" Sakura stood confused at Shesmu''s logical jump. She couldn''t understand where his conclusion came from.

    "If we split at any point within the game, the monster will pick us apart, no matter it''s outward identity."

    "But what if it''s not a choice?" Sakura asked. "What if we were forced to split by the trial itself."

    "That would be the worst-case scenario." Shesmu scratched his chin deep in thought, before looking up at Sakura, his eyes flashing with a brilliant light. "But that''s when plan B will start."

    * * *

    While Shesmu and Sakura were talking within the palace, Leo was in his purple sports car, driving down the street.

    "Young master, we have reached Ryan''s house."

    Calling it a house was an understatement¡ªit was a mansion. The steel gates opened automatically for Leo''s car to enter. They made their way through the beautiful garden before parking the car in the parking lot.

    Leo opened the car''s door and went outside while Albert stayed in his seat. Leo then made his way to the main door of the mansion.

    "Master Leo, we''re pleased to have you visit us."

    Maids clad in full suits greeted Leo and bowed. One of which promptly opened the door and led him inside.

    "Has Ryan shown himself yet?" He asked her in a hurry, hoping that Ryan woke up in the time he spent in the car.

    "No, Master. I was under the impression that Master Ryan had an appointment with you."

    "Yeah," Leo responded absentmindedly. "You''re right."

    The two made their way through the main hall when a stunning beauty appeared upstairs.

    "Hey, Leo. It''s been just a couple hours and you''re already back? I thought that you and Ryan would spend the night grinding Ashes of Gods."

    Her silky dark brown hair reached to her waist. Her emerald green eyes could see through Leo''s soul. And her black dress fluttered as she made her way down the stairs.

    "Oh hey Sophie, how have you been doing?"

 58 Gathering Back

    "Ah, that was hard!" Ryuji complained to the skies before looking at the palace in front of him. People toed and froed the lavishly decorated main gate, chianti cups in their hands, and talking and laughing with their companions. If not for their attires, he would have thought that these players were nobilities.

    Ryuji entered the palace and looked around. Everyone was eating and drinking all kinds of high-end food while soft music played in the background.

    "Hey, Ryuji, you finally came. Come here."

    Knowing Sakura''s voice, Ryuji turned around until he found her gesturing for him to come with a smile. Shesmu stood next to her, a cup of wine in hand.

    "Ah, master, Sakura. How was you guys'' trial?"

    "That''s what I should be asking! I got scared to all hell when we were separated, but since you''re here, I''m guessing you passed."

    Ryuji scratched his head in embarrassment at Sakura''s expectations before he said in a timid voice, "Well, I did die a couple of times¡­ Okay, maybe more than a couple of times. But I had to fight a horde of skeletons that didn''t want to die. They just kept reviving over and over again. In the end, I just ran past them as fast as I could to reach the goal."

    Sakura chuckled at the imagery Ryuji painted in her head. "Seems like you had it tough too."

    "What about you?" Ryuji asked her. "How did the test go for you?"

    Given the chance to complain, Sakura didn''t miss the opportunity. "You can''t believe the bullshit I had to go through. The moment I teleported from that dark place, I was on an island where it rained lightning. Yes, it rained fucking lightning. Bolts just struck the ground like they were raindrops. And guess what the test wanted me to do? It wanted me to control it."

    "Woah, can you now control lightning?" Ryuji had a starstruck face at the thought. His eyes glittered like precious stones as he looked at Sakura.

    "Ah, no way. I don''t know how I was able to pass the test, but after dying to the lightning so many times, I was able to survive one bolt. I felt a zapping in my head and then the notification came. I''m honestly still confused about what happened."

    "Seems like you attuned yourself to the lightning element," Shesmu clarified the situation. He listened attentively to the two''s conversation, and he was surprised when Sakura talked about the island where it rained lightning. To think that you were sent to Thunder Island, what luck.

    "Ohhh, does that mean that Sakura can now control lightning as she wants, master?"

    Shesmu shook his head at Ryuji''s assumptions. "I don''t know, Ryuji. I just started playing this game like you two. But if I had to guess, maybe she can now control it better than before." Shesmu focused his attention on Sakura before he continued, "Either way, it''s something only you can answer."

    "Huh, let me try something." Sakura closed her eyes and put her hand close together. However, her fingers did not touch. She muttered inaudible things under her breath while her eyes stayed close. Soon, a zap went from one index to the other.

    "Ohh, nice! So you can control lightning now, right, Sakura?"

    Sakura scratched her head before saying, "Well, a little bit. And you don''t need to call out my name every time you''re talking to me, you know?"

    "Ah, sorry, just a habit."

    "Don''t worry about that," She then looked at Shesmu, "more importantly, what about you? What was your trial?"

    "Nothing too crazy," Shesmu responded. "I just needed to pass through some obstacles."

    "Huh, I would have assumed that you got the hardest test out of all us, seeing how the system seems to have tailored it to each and every single player."

    Shesmu heard Sakura''s response and looked around the room. Soon, his eyes focused on a burly man making his way towards their group. It was Hector.

    "Hey Hector, seems like your party has also just finished gathering up."

    Hector turned around to look at his party before he responded to Shesmu, "Well, it did take some time. What about you guys, where is Leo?"

    "He had something to do IRL." Sakura was the one to first respond. "He had some problems he needed to fix so he logged out early."

    "Oh, I see. That''s a shame. I would have loved to talk with him. As a tank, he is top tier."

    "Of course! He is master''s friend after all!"

    The wave of cringe that surged from within Shesmu''s depths could drown an entire city.

    Hector chuckled awkwardly while Sakura sighed in disappointment. "Hey Ryuji, you know, Shes would really appreciate it if you stopped calling him that."

    "Oh?" Ryuji looked in confusion at everyone''s various reactions.

    Hector coughed twice to change the subject before he asked in a low voice, "Well, more importantly, how is you guys'' search for the hidden monster? We still have no idea who it could be since it didn''t seem to have made any move yet."

    "Well, Shes had his suspicions, but-"

    "But they were just suspicions, that''s it." Shesmu cut Sakura halfway through her speech. "I don''t think that listening to suspicions is the best idea. I think we should just look at the game objectively, predict what possible moves the monster could make and take precautions against them. And once it finally takes the bait, we can then surround it and kill it."

    "Sounds like a good plan," Hector responded. "Let me bring my teammates in and we can start brainstorming."

    "Sure, let''s bring them in." Shesmu nodded at Hector. The latter made his way back to his party, while Shesmu focused back on his own.

    "What do you think?" Sakura asked. "I know that you have your suspicions fully placed on Arthur, but that doesn''t mean that there isn''t a chance other people are too. Hector, no exception."

    "Ehh? Hector, the monster? But he seemed like such a good person."

    Ryuji''s complaints made Sakura grit her teeth.

    "It''s just a hypothetical!" She said annoyed.

    "That''s definitely a possibility," Shesmu responded. His eyes then drifted towards Arthur''s party before he continued, "And I know that I would definitely be biased in my judgment, so why don''t we split the task? I focus on Arthur''s party while you focus on Hector''s. That way, no one''s emotions get in the way."

    "Sure, that''s a good idea. I can do that."

 59 Hin

    Much like the Dark King of the Elves¡ªthe one who is attributed to the fall of the Great Monolithic Elvish Empire¡ªthe Holy Empire of Men''s demise is ascribed to the Mad King. And while his devilish portrayal and the blame he received at the time were unfair, he was still at least partially responsible for the fall of the empire. This is especially true when you look at his egalitarian philosophies that cast the metaphorical fireball that burned the thousand-year-old dynasty to ashes. It''s from within the ember of that fire that the many human nations that we see today arose¡ªall of which had blatantly opposite philosophies to that of the Mad King. And this knee-jerk reaction has never been realized in a more extreme fashion than that of the Stals¡ªmore precisely, the Pliyx Stal. Their philosophy of might is right and the strong eat everything comes in complete opposite to that of the Holy Empire which¡ªat least in its final years¡ªguaranteed equality of outcome. ¡ª The Fall of The Holy Empire, by the historians of the council of Men.

    -------------

    "This is Robin, Maeveric, Mars, and Ghostmoon." Hector pointed at a mage, priest, swordsman, and an assassin in order of the name. All of his party nodded in greeting to Shesmu''s.

    "Nice! This is the party that took all the spotlight on the first floor?" Robin exclaimed. Her dark purple hair and flamboyant personality reminded Shesmu of his friend Fate.

    "Nice to meet you all," Maeveric greeted. His white robe matched his everlasting smile. Somehow, Shesmu felt the same aura emanating from him as that of Shin¡ªone that showcased the calm before the storm. "Hector told us that we''re doing some kind of little alliance to corner the hidden monster."

    "Well, it''s not really an alliance." Hector scratched his head. "We''re just trying to brainstorm."

    "That''s fine and all, but won''t having this little group of ours make the other parties suspicious?" Mars cut in just as Hector finished. "It''s clear that whoever makes the first move in this situation will be the one to be the most suspicious."

    "That¡­" Hector scratched his head. "Yeah, you''re right."

    "Completely agree with you Mars," Maeveric added. He then looked at Shesmu with a smile. "Plus, doesn''t it stand to reason that the actual hidden monster will want to make the first move. That way he gets to control the flow of the conversation."

    Maeveric''s eyes lingered on Shesmu''s. The latter understood exactly what was going through Maeveric''s mind, but he didn''t let it bother him. Shesmu knew that this kind of confrontation was inevitable.

    "Hey, are you all a bunch of pussies?!" Sakura interjected. "If we all just stay passive and not do any proactive move, the monster will just stay hidden until the fights start and then use its chaos to make his moves. What do you think is easier? Thinking of countermeasures to the monster here while we''re drinking whiskey and splurging on cake, or when we have twenty thousand skeletons coming from all directions all dying to take a bite of our asses?"

    Shesmu chuckled at Sakura''s imagery. Hector followed after with hearty laughter, and soon everyone was laughing at the same time.

    "Gotta say, this little girl really has a sharp tongue, I like it."

    After the laughter settled down, Shesmu continued from where Sakura left off. "Like Sakura said, we can''t be just passive. I know that some of you don''t trust me, and that''s good¡ªI don''t trust you either." Shesmu''s face cracked into a smile. His eyes looked at Maeveric who laughed in response. Robin and the rest of the party also followed suit.

    "It''s not that we don''t trust you," She said. "It''s just that it''s good to keep caution up."

    "Yeah, I totally agree with that," Shesmu reassured. "It''s important to keep a certain level of caution up at all times. But enough of that, let''s actually talk about what you guys would do if you were the monster. Let''s try to get into its boot and see what we can come up with."

    Hector scratched his chin for a second before he said, "Well if it was me, I would probably want to be the center of attention¡ªthe middle of the group. That way, I build up trust with everyone, and then I can lead them to whatever trap I have stored."

    "I wouldn''t be so sure, Hec," Maeveric retorted. "With everyone''s caution and suspicion sky high, it would make more sense to lay low and let other people try to take the lead and fail, before finally making its move. It''s much easier to attack someone with suspicions than defending them after all."

    "Both arguments are fair," Shesmu responded. He then looked at Sakura on his left. "What do you think?"

    "Well, it''s kinda hard to know what it would do, because we have no idea what it could do. Like, I don''t know whether it could shapeshift or fly or create illusions. We have no idea about any of that."

    Good observation. Shesmu looked around at Hector''s party. They were all staring down, deep in thought.

    "If it could create illusions, we''re basically doomed," Maeveric stated. "I don''t see any way out of that situation."

    "Well, we don''t know for sure that it can do that," Robin said. "It''s just a hypothesis."

    Hector heard both of his teammates'' opinions before stating his. "Either way, it''s a good idea to keep in mind what kinds of abilities the monster has access to. That way we''re not caught by surprise later."

    Everyone nodded at Hector. There was a moment of awkward silence where no one knew what to say before Shesmu broke it.

    "Well, that''s only one way to look at it. There is another one." Shesmu''s words brought the whole party''s attention on him.

    "Oh, and what''s that?" Maeveric asked.

    "What motivates its actions? What does it want to do?"

    "Well, obviously it wants to kill us all," Hector responded. "I think that goes without saying, no?"

    "I think I understand what Shesmu is hinting at." Maeveric''s voice was solemn. He no longer had a smile as he looked down at the floor, hand on his chin. "Let''s assume for a second that you were not the monster, then what it would want to do is to definitely kill you first."

    Shesmu smiled at Maeveric''s conclusion while Sakura looked at him in worry. She pulled at Shesmu''s sleeve before whispering, "Is it fine to talk about this kind of thing? We''re not even sure if they don''t have the monster within them."

    Shesmu didn''t respond right away. In fact, his eyes never broke contact with Maeveric.

    "Yes, right now, I''m undoubtedly the monster''s number one target. Of course, that''s if I''m not the monster that is," Shesmu chuckled at his own joke before continuing, "I''m not sure if it would want to kill me first, but it definitely wouldn''t want to miss an opportunity where it can."

    "Can''t we use that to our advantage?" Robin asked. "If we use you as bait for the monster, even if we do not catch it, we will at least know what kind of abilities it has."

    "Ehh, aren''t you asking a little bit too much, Robin?" Hector intervened. He then looked at Shesmu before giving a small bow. "I''m sorry for my teammate''s loose tongue. Hope you took no offense to that."

    "No, it''s all good." Shesmu shrugged with a smile. "In fact, that''s the idea I was going to propose, so don''t feel sorry about it."

    After Shesmu responded to Hector''s party, he whispered at Sakura without looking at her, "When I go out later, follow me. And don''t make it obvious."

 60 Bait & Switch

    "What we should do is create a fake opportunity for the monster to kill me, and once it takes the bait, we catch it red-handed," Shesmu explained, leaving Sakura perplexed at his earlier whisper.

    While Shesmu and Hector''s party were ironing out the details of their plan, Sakura turned around towards Ryuji saying, "You''ve been awfully silent. That''s not quite like-"

    When She turned around, Ryuji, who was supposed to be next to her, was nowhere to be seen.

    "Where the hell did this guy wander off to?"

    Sakura looked around only to find Ryuji taking food off the tables like a storm. Cakes, meat, ice cream, nothing could survive his deadly rush. By the end of his journey, Sakura could swear that he put on twenty pounds of fat. His stomach was bloated out of proportion, leaving Sakura not knowing whether to be disappointed or surprised.

    "Well, I think that''s it for the plan. We can discuss more details once we actually know what the trial will be like," Shesmu concluded.

    "Yeah, I agree with that assessment," Hector replied. He then put his hand for a shake. "It was great talking with you, Shesmu. Let''s do our best on the battlefield."

    "Yeah, let us do so." Shesmu accepted Hector''s handshake before the latter went back with his party to the table on which they sat on before.

    Shesmu made his way through the palace chamber and into a corridor. He entered a toilet before letting out a sigh. He opened the tap, refreshed his face, and stared at the mirror.

    "Hey, are you good?"

    Sakura''s voice woke Shesmu up from his reverie. He turned around to look at her before making his way out of the toilet.

    "Yeah, I''m good. It''s just that I don''t like social gatherings too much."

    "Yeah, tell me about that," Sakura replied with snark. "I haven''t seen you talk that much since the moment I met you."

    Shesmu didn''t respond to Sakura''s teasing, making her uncomfortable. Looking for a way out of the awkward silence, she said, "So why did you bring me all the way here, couldn''t we talk at the table, since Hector''s party left?"

    "I''m waiting for a certain someone," Shesmu replied. "But forget about that, you asked me before whether it''s good to trust Hector''s party? I''m not trusting them, I''m giving them an opportunity. If the monster is within them, then the betrayal will be easily predictable."

    "Oh, interesting. So, you''re putting multiple baits at the same time." Sakura''s expression turned serious before she continued, "But you can''t leave yourself too vulnerable, else everything will be for naught."

    "I know that, but that''s the risk you gotta take if you wanna win against that bastard."

    Once again, an awkward silence ensued between the two, one that Sakura broke with a question. "What about that person you''re waiting for? Who''s that?"

    "You''ll meet them soon enough." Shesmu looked up as a man-made his way to the corridor. Clad in a black cloak, black hair, and black eyes, the man was the definition of the ninja look.

    "Speaking of the devil, here he comes," Shesmu said with a smile.

    Sakura looked around, anxious, before she blurted out, "Hey, isn''t that¡­"

    "Yeah, Arthur''s very own assassin." He then looked at the assassin before continuing, "You made a signal for me before to come here. So here I am, what do you want?"

    The assassin was visibly uncomfortable due to Shesmu''s aggressive tone. However, the latter didn''t break eye contact with him. The assassin looked away before saying in a meek voice, "Arthur-Arthur has been acting strange ever since we entered this tower. It''s as if he is not the same Arthur anymore."

    "I see, then why did you not bring that up before? If you suspected him of being the monster, why not tell it to everyone and decide how to go from there."

    "No, you don''t understand." His voice was higher than before. Fear was clear in the assassin''s eyes as he talked. "If I were to be wrong and Arthur was the same, then not only would I be suspected to be the monster, I would also-I would also be expelled from the guild."

    Shesmu listened to the assassin''s speech before he asked, "What''s your name? You haven''t told me that, yet."

    "Axel."

    "Axel, good name," Shesmu responded. He then smiled as he asked, "So Axel, what you want me to do, is to take that burden for you, isn''t that right?"

    Axel didn''t respond to Shesmu''s question. He just looked away, avoiding any kind of confrontation.

    "Sure, I can do that for you." Axel''s face brightened. It was as if the king decreed his pardon.

    "But under one condition." And his face darkened once again.

    Shesmu didn''t care about Axel''s emotional rollercoaster, he just stated his condition. "I want you to report to me every move Arthur makes. If he turns around twice when he takes a nap, I want to know. If he cleans his ass with his left hand instead of his right, I want to know. Do you understand me?"

    "Yes-yes, sir." Shesmu''s tone left no room for negotiation.

    "Here, add me as a friend. That way you can report to me at any time."

    "Right away, sir."

    [Alex sent you a friend request. Do you accept?]

    [Yes | No]

    Shesmu answered affirmatively in the depth of his mind. In the corner of his vision, Alex was registered in his friend list, before it disappeared seconds after.

    "Great. Let''s do our best, the both of us, to catch the imposter red-handed. I''m counting on you." Shesmu smiled at Alex, making the latter feel awkward at the change of tone.

    However, he still smiled back at Shesmu and responded with more enthusiasm than before, "Yes, sir. We will definitely catch him."

    Alex made his way towards his party while Shesmu stood in his place, silent.

    "Well, that was weird," Sakura commented. "But damn, I didn''t know that you could be this scary and aggressive."

    "The situation called for it, so I had no choice." Shesmu shrugged.

    "That said, I wonder why this guy decided to talk with you. Are you suspicious of him?"

    Shesmu stayed silent for a few seconds before he said, "Suspicion is natural. While the story he told us about Arthur being different can be convincing, the most likely scenario is that he is being used by Arthur to spy on us. He probably told Alex that I am the monster and that he should infiltrate our ranks."

    Shesmu''s voice became more excited the more he talked. A savage grin, not akin to anything he showed before, was plastered on his face. "But it doesn''t matter what he wants to do. The more they play close to me, the better it is. That way, I can control the ebb and flow of the battle as much as I want."

 61 The Top 10%

    "Woohoo! Hello everyone, my name is Lester! The number of participants seems to have finally reached 50. We can now start the Death Cave challenge. Woohoo!"

    Lester''s appearance scared all the players. They, who had not seen the mascot before, were surprised at the sight of a talking panda.

    "What''s that?"

    "Is that a talking panda?"

    "Doesn''t it look a bit too thin to be a panda?"

    Ryuji joined the party with a mouth full of sweets. Looking at the expression of bliss in his face, Shesmu couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "Seems like you really enjoyed yourself," he said.

    "A little bit too much." Sakura shook her head and sighed at the sight of Ryuji.

    The latter took his time swallowing all the food in his mouth before saying, "Dude, you should really try out these little cookies they have. I have never tasted anything so sweet."

    Sakura looked at the handful of cookies Ryuji was holding before she said, "Nah, I think I''m gonna pass on that."

    "Even more for me then."

    Ryuji kept stuffing his mouth while Lester explained the content of the challenge.

    "Woohoo! Congratulations to everyone who has made it this far. You have already reached past 70% of the average contestants. You can be proud of yourself. Woohoo!"

    Lester''s announcement created a fuss within the players.

    "What does he mean? There shouldn''t be any other group of players that reached the tower before us."

    "Maybe he means the NPCs? I heard that they use this place as a rite of passage before they stop being an apprentice."

    "Hey, Lester was your name, right? If we pass this floor, what percentage would that make us?" One of the players in the crowd asked.

    Lester scratched his chin a little bit and looked up before his face beamed as he reached the answer. "Woohoo! That would push you to the 90%." His smile then turned sinister, his eyes full of poison as he continued, "That is if you do pass, that is."

    A suffocating silence engulfed the palace chamber. Everyone''s eyes were focused on Lester and Lester alone. That''s until the silence was broken by a loud gulp.

    Ryuji gulped down all the cookies he had on his hand before washing it over with some apple juice. "Damn, those cookies are really good. You really should have tried them, Sakura."

    Sakura''s cheeks turned beet red. "Now is really not the time, Ryuji."

    Confused, Ryuji turned around and looked at Lester. "Oh, a panda?"

    "Woohoo! My name is Lester, at your service. Woohoo!" Lester responded to Ryuji with a bow.

    "Ah, how weird. A talking panda? I have never seen anything like that."

    While Sakura was embarrassed at being the center of attention along with Ryuji, Shesmu just smiled. He looked at Ryuji and said, "Ryu, Lester said that only 10% of the contestants passed this stage. What do you say to that?"

    Ryuji''s eyes opened up at Shesmu''s statement. "Oh? Only 10%? So if we pass this trial, we''re one of the best in the world, no?"

    "Yep, exactly."

    Shesmu''s response made Ryuji grin from ear to ear. "Then we definitely need to win." He then looked at Lester with a puzzled expression. "But I have a question for you, talking panda Lester. What''s the highest floor ever reached?"

    Ryuji''s question surprised Lester. For a second, he dropped his cutesy act and grinned manically at Ryuji. "Heh? You think you can reach past the highest floor ever reached? Interesting. Sure, I can tell you that. The highest floor to have ever been reached is the tenth, and only one person has ever reached that far."

    "Master, we definitely cannot lose here!"

    With as much enthusiasm as Ryuji''s shout, Sakura punched his head.

    "Ouch, that hurts."

    "Yes, as much as the cringe I have inside. Goddammit, Ryu, you really be embarrassing me sometimes."

    All the sudden turn arounds made Shesmu no longer know how to react. In the end, he just shrugged and let the situation progress however it wanted.

    "Your party really has all kinds of nutjobs, Shesmu." Hector made his way towards the latter and gave him a pat in the back. "If I didn''t know any better, I would have tried to poach all of them."

    "That''s because you only look at the stylish shoes and not at the child labor," Shesmu responded. "They can be annoying as hell too."

    "Hey, what did you say, Shes?!"

    Sakura''s angry shout made Shesmu raise his hand and back out. "Nothing, nothing, it was just a joke."

    "Yeah, it better be," She replied with a humph. The interaction between the two made Hector chuckle, while Ryuji was just looking around confused, with a hand full of candies he got from who knows where.

    "Well, I''ll let you guys be. See you on the other side."

    "Cya," Shesmu responded.

    With everyone''s attention still focused on them, Shesmu couldn''t help but look back at Lester. The talking panda coughed twice to make himself the center of focus once again.

    "I assume that was the last question. Woohoo! Now it''s time for the third trial!" He brought out a small wand from the chest pocket of his black suit before chanting an incantation no human ear could decipher.

    With a poof, a small portal appeared behind him.

    "Woohoo! The portal behind me will send you to the location of the third trial. Be careful once you are there, you wouldn''t be able to respawn inside the tower like you could on the second floor. If you die, you''re out of the game! Woohoo!"

    Players one by one made their way to the blue portal. Arthur''s team, the assassin''s, Hector''s team, Shesmu could recognize many figures from the players that marched forward. Even the redheaded Blake was still not out of the challenge.

    Shesmu looked around the palace room before his eyes landed on Ryan.

    "Oh, almost forgot you," He whispered. He made his way toward Ryan, picked him up, before turning around towards the rest of his party.

    "Okay guys, let''s go."

    "Okay, master."

    While Ryuji replied joyfully, Sakura was hesitant. "Eh, can you wait a second." She then turned towards the panda. "It''s just that I have one last question for you, Lester. How many floors are there in the tower?"

    "Hmm, isn''t there ten?" Ryuji asked.

    "Woohoo! That''s just the highest floor any contestant has reached," Lester responded. His eyes then turned dark as his mouth formed into a grin. "The actual highest floor is twenty."

 62 Mind Flay

    The party entered the portal, and in a flash of light, disappeared from the palace room, leaving Lester alone.

    "Seems like master is really enjoying himself," the panda said. His grin turned ominous before he continued, "Either way, with how many players already died, he is already strong enough that they stand no chance against him. Ah, I can''t wait to watch them die. Woohoo!"

    Lester took out his magic wand, and with a short incantation, poofed out of the chamber.

    Meanwhile, Shesmu and his party stood alongside the rest of the players. In front of them were three cave routes.

    Dammit, is this a joke? We''re forced to separate this soon already?

    Sakura was in no better state than Shesmu. She was shocked at the sudden turn of events. She looked at him with hesitant eyes before whispering, "Guess it''s already time for plan B."

    However, before Shesmu could say anything, a notification appeared in front of him.

    [By three they come]

    [At three they fall]

    [In all three, you shall march and crawl]

    "Seems like we''re forced to go in all three directions." Arthur stepped forward and stood in front of all the players. "From the way the notification was worded, it seems like we''ll need to split. Maybe there are things we need to gather in all three cave routes or something of the sort."

    "Dammit, he is taking control of the situation," Sakura whispered under her breath. She bit her thumb and her face twitched in nervousness.

    "Don''t worry about it." Shesmu''s words were firm. He looked at her and said, "Your job isn''t to focus on Arthur. Your job is to make sure Hector''s party is clean."

    Sakura stayed silent for a few seconds, trying to control her anxiousness before she nodded her head. "Okay. My bad, shouldn''t have stepped in your job."

    "It''s okay." Shesmu''s attention was back on Arthur. Now that he proposed for everyone to split, murmurs spread out the parties like wildfire.

    "Sure, we can split up. We already did so on the first floor so it''s no problem to do it now too. But how are we going to split?" Hector asked in his iconic deep voice. His voice was the group''s voice. Shesmu didn''t know when, but at some point, Hector gained the respect of all the players.

    Okay, now I should propose the mega-party-

    Shesmu''s thoughts were interrupted by Arthur''s response. "Well, first, we need to make a super party."

    Shesmu''s jaw hung slightly agape. It took a few seconds for his mind to register Arthur''s words, but once they did, dread overcame him.

    "How?!" Sakura voiced out Shesmu''s thoughts perfectly. Her voice was low enough that only Shesmu and Ryuji could hear her.

    "What''s going on, is something the matter?" Ryuji asked. He lightly touched Sakura''s shoulder to make sure she was alright.

    "I''m okay, Ryu, it''s just that our plan¡­"

    "Don''t worry about it," Shesmu cut in. "Like I said, your job is Hector¡ªmine is Arthur."

    "But-"

    "No buts. If we can''t trust each other to be self-reliant, then this whole thing is done." Shesmu looked at Sakura straight in the eyes and emphasized each word, so as to make sure that she understood what her role was.

    "Okay, whatever, you do you. I''m not helping even if I see Arthur transforming into a mega cobra and eating you all."

    Sakura humphed and looked away, while Shesmu chuckled and focused back on Arthur. After his declaration, murmurs spread through the crowd like a wave.

    "Okay guys, I know what you''re wondering about. Why would we need a super party? Well, one thing I have been thinking about since even before entering this tower, ever since the guide told us about the monster within us, is how would we deal with a situation where we''re separated."

    Arthur slowed his talk, he gazed at every player and continued with a deeper tone, "I don''t need to tell you this, but the moment we''re separated is when the monster has the highest chance of killing us. If I was the monster, I know for certain that I wouldn''t miss this opportunity."

    Hector cut Arthur midway with a question, "So you want us to make a super party so that we limit the movements of the monster? That way, if he tries to actually kill us one by one, the party which he chooses to go with can tell us about it through telepathic communication?"

    "Exactly," Arthur responded. "What I would hate the most is for us to just separate and not know anything about what''s happening with the other groups, only to go out of the other side and see that a party has already been fully decimated."

    "W-wait, we can use telepathy in this game?" A blue-haired player asked, hesitant.

    "Yeah, this game really doesn''t do a good job of explaining its mechanics," Hector laughed. "Just think "Menu", go to the communication tab, and you''ll find it somewhere there."

    "Oh, thanks a lot."

    "You''re a lifesaver, dude. I kept looking for something like this since I started and couldn''t find it."

    Many players voiced their appreciation of Hector''s tip. Shesmu grimaced and thought, Well, this game was never one to handhold you.

    Arthur coughed twice to bring back everyone''s attention and said, "Okay, guys, I wouldn''t be so shameless as to take the party leader''s position. Whoever you guys want to be the leader, just say it."

    Arthur''s statement triggered a wave of recommendations from the players.

    "I think the buff dude would be a good leader," one of the players said. "Hector was your name, right?"

    "Yeah, either Hector or the sword guy from the first floor. I don''t mind either."

    Similar recommendations kept pouring in, making Shesmu smile. He looked at Hector and said, "Seems like the people have talked. You''ll be a great leader."

    Hector scratched his head in embarrassment and said, "And here I was going to throw the job at you. You sly little bastard."

    "I haven''t said anything." Shesmu shrugged. He looked at the rest of the players and continued, "If you have a problem, take it with them."

    Hector shook his head and looked at the players with a smile. "All of you bastards, come here give me your name so that I add you to the party."

    Players came one by one and Hector added them to his mega party. Soon, it was Arthur''s team''s turn. This time, he didn''t make contact with Shesmu. He just passed next to him like he didn''t exist, told his name to Hector, and made his way back to where he stood before. Alex, who strolled right behind him, was fidgeting nervously and sneaked some glances towards Shesmu¡ªones that he ignored.

    It was then Shesmu''s party''s turn. Sakura entered the mega-party, but just as Shesmu was about to, he remembered Ryan that he was carrying on his back. He was so light that at some point, Shesmu forgot he was carrying him even.

    "Ehm, sorry Hector, but I can''t join the mega-party." He gestured towards Ryan on his back and said, "Gotta stay in the same party as him, or things might go out of wack later."

    Hector scratched his head and said, "That''s fine and all, but what happened to him? You never really told me."

    "Long story, dude. Even I don''t know exactly. But, just in case he does come back later, I wanna stay in the same party as him."

    "Sure, I''m fine with that. But wanna add me as a friend at least? That way you can contact me if things ever go wrong."

    Shesmu scratched his chin for a second and mindlessly said, "Sure, I can do that." His eyes opened wide as if he was just enlightened.

    "Hector, I need to tell you something. I have an idea."

 63 Bonding

    "Okay everyone, since Hector got to lead the party, I think it''s only fair that it''s me who chooses who goes in which group. Anyone have any problems with that?"

    Shesmu''s statement was loud and clear. No one dared to voice any complaint after he spoke.

    "Okay, I''ll take that as a yes." Shesmu gazed around before saying, "Okay, I want Hector''s party to merge with the assassins. And you, Blaze."

    The redheaded swordsman was surprised to have his name be spoken out of nowhere. He looked around for a few seconds before he pointed his finger to himself.

    "Yes, I''m talking to you. Blaze, I want you to join Hector and the assassins'' along with Sakura."

    Shesmu looked at the latter and gave her a subtle nod. She understood his meaning and nodded back too.

    "And now for the second party, I want to be a little bit spicy." Shesmu turned around to look at Arthur in the eyes. "Arthur, would you guys mind making a party with me? It will be only your party with me on top."

    Shesmu''s statement made everyone look at his with surprise and shock. Even Hector couldn''t help but tap him on the shoulder and say, "Aren''t you going a bit too crazy here? You guys will barely have half of our numbers."

    "Yeah, you may be super OP but you can''t flex this hard. You never know what you can find on the other side of the cave," a player from within the crowd voiced his concern.

    Shesmu didn''t pay either of them any heed, his eyes were focused solely on Arthur. The latter stayed silent for a few seconds before he smiled and said, "Sure, let''s do that. With you in our party, I am sure we will do great." He then looked at his teammates and said, "Plus, my teammates are chubs either. They can definitely hold their own."

    "Well, if neither party has any problem, then who am I to say anything." Hector raised his hands in defeat. "That means that the rest gets to make their own group."

    Since the rest of the players were more than thirty, they all laughed in joy. They knew that with their number, no matter what trial awaited them in the cave, they could pass through it easily.

    "Hey, what the fuck are you thinking? Why are you letting yourself alone with the man that you suspect the most? Don''t you know the meaning of fear?"

    "What did I say before, Sakura? You really like making me repeat myself. I deal with Arthur, you deal with Hector. That''s the deal, right?"

    "Eh, master, does it mean I don''t get to stay with you?" Ryuji''s voice surprised both Shesmu and Sakura. He had stayed silent for so long that they almost forgot his existence.

    "Dammit Ryu, you scared the shit out of me."

    Shesmu looked at Ryuji and patted his head. "Sorry Ryuji, we will have to separate for now. But it will only be temporary, we will get to play together later, okay?"

    "Okay, master, that''s a promise!"

    Shesmu smiled at Ryuji''s childish behavior before focusing back on Arthur''s party. They all stood calmly behind their leader, not saying anything. All but Alex that was looking around anxiously.

    Shesmu made his way towards the group and said, "Hey guys, pleased to meet you."

    "Hey, swordyguy!" The pink-haired lady high fived him. "You really have guts making us challenge this cave alone, but I like it! Also, why do you have an unconscious guy on your back?"

    "Haha, don''t make Shesmu too uncomfortable, Julia." Arthur scanned his teammates with his eyes as he introduced each and everyone of them. "So, this is of course Julia. This is Lancelot, Alex, Mordred, and finally Tybalt."

    Shesmu followed Arthur''s motion and looked at each of his teammates before saying, "Pleased to meet you all." He then glanced at Ryan on his back before answering Julia''s earlier question. "For Ryan, he just fell unconscious on the first floor. I''m not sure if he logged out or what''s happening. I''m carrying him around just in case. But either way, forget about that, let''s have some fun together."

    "Good talk! I''ve been having tons of that," Lancelot laughed. "That last individual trial was crazy¡ªdied three times in it. I didn''t expect it but this game is pretty damn hardcore."

    "Oh don''t bring up that last trial," Julia complained. "I''ll be having nightmares about that for years to come."

    Lancelot''s face beamed with a recalling look. "Oh yeah, you were eaten by-"

    "Don''t say it!"

    "-by frogs¡­"

    His last words were said in a low voice, but it was high enough for everyone to hear. There was an awkward silence for a bit before the whole party burst out laughing, while Julia sighed in defeat.

    While everyone was laughing in joy, Hector made his way towards the group. "Eh, I''m sorry to cut in your fun guys, but we need to assign each group''s cave. Ours took the middle one, and the other group took the left''s, are you guys fine with the right one?"

    "It''s all good, Hector," Arthur responded. "Either way, we have no idea what lays in any of them."

    "That''s true. Anyway, good luck guys."

    "Good luck to you too," Everyone responded.

    Hector''s eyes lingered a bit on Shesmu before he broke contact and made his way back to his group. After a few moments, they entered the middle cave, following after the leftmost one.

    "Seems like we''re the only ones left," Arthur commented. "Shall we go?"

    "Sure. Lead the way, Arthur!" Julia exclaimed with an overly excited voice.

    The group followed after Arthur and made their way through the right cave. While they were walking, Julia snuck next to Shesmu and said, "Hey, how was your second trial? Got any embarrassing stories to tell?"

    "Yeah, yeah, I''m interested too. Tell us!" The dark-robed Mordred added fuel to the fire. Soon, everyone was looking at Shesmu with glittering eyes. All but Alex, that stood within the shadows like the typical assassin.

    Shesmu scratched his head and said, "I really don''t have any, guys. I just had to fight a couple of monsters, go through some obstacles and that''s it."

    "Eh, and here I thought you would have the craziest stories of us all." Julia couldn''t help but look disappointed. "Seems like our theory that it scales with the performance you showed on the first floor is out of the equation now. With how insane you and your tank went on that fight, you should have had the hardest trial imaginable."

    Shesmu just shrugged at Julia''s complaints, while the other players backed away a bit, giving Shesmu a little bit more private space.

    "Oh, talking about your tank, where is he?" Lancelot asked.

    "He had to log out. He had some problems IRL."

    "Ah, that''s a shame. And here I wanted to talk with him a bit. I''m still confused about how he was able to block that last attack from the boss. If I get to do that, I would be the best tank in the game."

    Shesmu gazed at Lancelot''s buff form and chuckled. He could easily imagine him wearing a full plate mithril armor and wielding an enchanted lance and a big shield. That would be the only way he could give his name justice.

    The party''s walk through the cave was uneventful. There was no monster, no traps, no magic spells¡ªjust eerie silence.

    "Eh, guys, don''t you think that it''s a bit too calm? Shouldn''t we have to fight some monsters or something here?" The white-robed priest, Tybalt asked in confusion.

    "Oh, don''t jinx it, please," Julia retorted with a grimace in her face.

    Unfortunately, her worries came true. The moment she said those words, Alex started coughing. Shesmu turned around to find his skin had become purple. He was poisoned.

 64 Trapped

    The veins on Alex''s neck turned purple. Soon after, the rest of the party started coughing as well.

    "On your stomach! Go down on your stomachs!"

    Everyone unconsciously followed after Shesmu''s command. After he crawled on the ground, they all imitated him. After a few fits of coughing, the situation became calm once again.

    "What was that?" Julia asked. She looked around at her teammates to find that everyone''s skin was back to normal.

    "Shesmu, how did you know that we should go down?" Arthur asked in a curious tone. He was surprised by Shesmu''s quick actions and decisiveness.

    "Yeah, how did you do that?" Julia added. "We actually would have wiped if you didn''t tell us to crawl."

    "It''s just that I remembered the notification," Shesmu responded. "You know, it told us that in all three we shall walk and crawl. I guess that the other parties have something similar going on."

    Julia laughed and said, "But that could have meant anything. You really are a betting man. If you got it wrong, it would have been the end."

    Shesmu just smiled and didn''t reply. He looked around, made sure that everyone was good to go, before crawling on the ground. Even with Ryan on his back, he was still able to keep up a good pace.

    "Let''s go. We can''t waste time here."

    The party followed after Shesmu''s lead. This time, it was Arthur that approached him and crawled next to him.

    After a few moments of awkward silence, Arthur coughed twice and said, "Hey, Shesmu. You''re really perspective and you don''t succumb to pressure easily. Were you a pro player before?"

    Shesmu looked at Arthur for a few seconds, before he chuckled. "Well, something like that. I''ve been playing Demon Heart for a while now. What about you? You seem to be the natural born leader type, were you in some guild before?"

    "Ah, a guild? Well, a small one. We''re all just friends."

    Julia giggled from behind Shesmu and said, "We always told him to go and find some bigger guild to play with, that he would be good as a leader in any game he played, but he never listened. In the end, look at him now, broke and without a girlfriend. This is just sad."

    "Oh come one, don''t say that."

    Arthur''s reaction only made Julia laugh even more. With tears still in her eyes, she pointed at Arthur and said, "You should see the look in your face. I haven''t seen something that screams "I''m a victim" more than that."

    Shesmu just shook his head at the two''s antics before focusing back on what was in front of him. He could see in the distance that the cave forked in two directions.

    "Damn, do we need to split up once again?" Julia asked. She started biting her thumb before Arthur answered.

    "Not necessarily. Let''s get there first and see what''s happening before we reach any conclusion."

    The party crawled its way to where the cave forked before Shesmu suddenly stood up.

    "Hey, what the fuck are you doing?" Julia almost screamed.

    Shesmu took a deep breath before saying, ??See, there is nothing wrong with the air?"

    The players stood up one by one cautiously. They took a few small breaths at first before their eyes widened in surprise.

    "How? How did you know?" Julia stood right in front of Shesmu''s face, a bit more and she would have choked him.

    Shesmu took a few steps back to give himself space before he answered, "I didn''t. I just assumed that with the cave forking in two directions like this, the earlier trial must have already ended. You know, video game logic. Plus, even if I was wrong, this doesn''t seem to be the type of poison that would kill you instantly."

    "You''re actually crazy," Lancelot commented from the side.

    "This is not just crazy, this is insanity. I thought before that you were a betting man¡ªscratch that! You''re just a lottery player. Do you have some gambling problem IRL?"

    Arthur chuckled at Julia''s joke. "Guys, don''t bully Shesmu too much. He is the only reason why we made it this far." He then focused back on the cave fork, more precisely, the right side. "Plus, seems like there is a room or something there."

    Shesmu followed Arthur''s line of sight. He saw light coming out of an opening in the cave.

    "Well, it''s basically telling us to go and check it out," Tybalt remarked. He then looked at all of his party members before he continued, "What do you guys think? We should check it out?"

    "What do you think we should do? Just leave it be?" Julia answered Tybalt''s question with a rhetoric question of her own.

    The latter just shrugged at Julia''s unwarranted hostility, while Arthur tried to calm the situation down. "Let''s keep it cool guys. No need for arguing."

    The party marched as one towards the room. Once Shesmu entered it, he covered his eyes with his arm from the blinding light.

    Once adjusted, Shesmu opened his eyes and looked at the new scenery. The first thing that jumped right in front of his face was the giant clock placed on the wall in front of him.

    The room itself didn??t lose to the clock in size. It was gargantuan. Statues covered the majority of the chamber¡ªstatues of all kinds of beasts. Dogs, coyotes, foxes, wolves, lions, and tigers, every named and unnamed beast had a statue dedicated to it.

    The party walked amidst the statues. Their eyes were captivated by the diversity of species represented.

    "Guys," Arthur''s voice brought back from their stupor. "I think I found what we''re looking for."

    Shesmu followed Arthur''s line of sight. There was an altar in the middle of the room, and implanted within it was a crystal of red, blue and green.

    "You know, the moment that you take out that crystal, shit will hit the fan," Julia said in a flat tone. This was such an overused trope that she couldn''t believe that it would be part of the trial.

    "Yeah, it''s a little bit too obvious for a trap," Lancelot added.

    "So what do you guys think we should do?" Arthur asked, trying to get everyone''s input.

    Shesmu scratched his chin for a second before saying, "Well, why not actually look around in the room to find clues before we do anything stupid?"

 65 Heartfel

    Shesmu looked around the room before his gaze rested back on the clock. Both of its arrows were unmoving and pointed at two and a half.

    "Okay, just take out the crystal," Shesmu finally said.

    "What do you mean, just take out the crystal?" Words couldn''t describe the outrageousness in Julia''s face. "Did you forget about everything we just said? Do you need me to repeat it to you?"

    "Calm down, Julia," Arthur said. "I''m sure that Shesmu has something in mind."

    "Yeah, we can''t really just ignore the man that saved us twice," added Lancelot.

    Shesmu walked towards the clock before pointing at it.

    "This clock, it probably won''t run until we take out the crystal."

    "And? What does it matter if the clock runs or not?" Julia''s impatience was clear from her tone.

    "Well, think about it," Shesmu responded. "What did the notification at the start say?"

    "Oh, I understand now." Arthur''s face beamed with a look of enlightenment. He looked at Shesmu with a smile before saying. "This is not a killing game, it''s a survival one. We just need to stay alive for 30 minutes."

    "Bingo." Shesmu winked. "Now, let''s start this game so we''re done early."

    "Okay then." With those words, Arthur walked towards the altar and took out the crystal.

    The sound of a crash and rumbling startled the party. They looked back at the opening of the room in which they entered and a door of steel fell down from the ceiling to block it.

    "Damn, that almost gave me a heart attack," Julia complained. But before she could say anything more, she was cut by the sound of barking and howling.

    The statues of a wolf, a coyote, and a dog turned to life, and they were not happy. They growled, barked, and howled before pouncing at the party of players.

    "Don''t kill them all!" Shesmu shouted. "Leave one of them alive."

    Even though Alex was the least comfortable looking of the group, he was the first to react. The moment Shesmu issued his orders, he dashed behind the wolf and stabbed its nape. With a twist of his hand, his dagger cut through the beast''s muscles and tendons¡ªkilling it instantly.

    Julia was not to be outdone. She unsheathed her rapier and received the pouncing coyote head-on. She thrust with precision at the beast''s throat, piercing it. The tip of her blade poked out its nape, dripping with blood. The coyote''s claws couldn''t even reach Julia''s face before it fell down on the ground, lifeless.

    Rapier user, huh. That''s rare. Shesmu stood by the sideline while Arthur''s party took care of the beasts. Alex, who had just killed the wolf, set his sight on the dog. He ran with all of his might, dagger ready to strike.

    Damn, he is tunnel visioning. Shesmu put Ryan on the ground before dashing towards the dog. He blocked Alex''s hand just as it was about to pierce the beast''s chest. He turned and positioned himself behind the dog''s back and put both of his hands in a chokehold around the creature''s neck. He pressed the blade of his arm on the dog''s throat and put all of his weight on its back.

    The beast whimpered and cried for a few seconds before it lost all consciousness.

    "Good boy. Take a rest, won''t you?"

    "Why did you not want me to kill it?" Alex asked, his voice hiding a tone of hostility.

    Shesmu didn''t respond right away. He kept scratching the dog''s back before he slowly looked up at Alex.

    "By three they come, at three they fall, in all three you shall walk and crawl. Tell me, what do you think that means to you?"

    Alex took a deep breath to calm himself down. His expression that was clouded with worry and suspicion cleared.

    "We already understood the last two. We needed to go in all three directions, and we needed to crawl to pass through the poison cloud. "At three they fall", we just need to wait until the clock hits three. For the first part, I don''t know."

    Shesmu nodded at Alex''s words before looking at the rest of the party. "What about you guys? Any idea what the first verse could mean?"

    Everyone stood silent thinking when Arthur spoke up. "I think I understand what you wanna do. The first verse is probably talking about these statues right here."

    Everyone looked around at all the statues surrounding them. All of them looked so lifelike as if they would come pouncing at them at any moment.

    "These statues, they turn into living creatures three by three," He continued.

    "Bingo," Shesmu responded. "So, what do you think we should do? Just kill them as they come or¡­" Shesmu''s eyes drifted back to the dog in his hand. "Keep them unconscious until the time passes."

    "You smug little bastard." Julia smirked at Shesmu''s deduction abilities. She walked towards him with wide steps and scratched his head with her fist.

    "Dammit, Julia. That fucking hurts."

    "Teach you a lesson on not flexing too hard next time." Julia laughed at Shesmu''s misery. Everyone soon joined in the laughter and sat next to him.

    Time flew by as the party talked and joked around, telling stories about their past misadventures. When the arrows of the clock hit three sharp, the room quacked and rumbled. The steel door opened, leaving way for the party to escape the death trap.

    "Seems like it''s finally done," Arthur said. He stood up and led the way to the door, the crystal still in his hand.

    Julia stood up right after and said, "Well, I guess it''s time."

    She skipped her way towards Arthur and tapped at his shoulder. "Hey, Arthy, can you show me that crystal, please? It looks so beautiful."

    Arthur was surprised at the unexpected demand, but he still gave it to her. "Sure, here you go."

    Julia looked at the crystal with amazement. "Woah, it really is beautiful. Even more gorgeous when you look at it from so close."

    She nodded and said, "Hmm, I like it." She then showed the most innocent smile to Arthur, "Now, you can die."

    And she pierced his heart.

 66 Saint-Sa?ns 1874

    Julia''s beautiful smile stood in contrast with the blood that painted her face. Arthur coughed blood with a look of disbelief in his eyes. However, before he could voice out anything, he fell on the ground¡ªdead.

    "What the fuck are you doing? What kind of fucking joke is this, Julia?!" Lancelot marched towards the two, his shield in hand.

    "Lancelot, no!" Tybalt screamed, making the latter turn around at him.

    That split second was all it took for Julia to do her job. She smirked and pounced at Lancelot, her speed much higher than anything she had shown before. She plunged her rapier deep within Lancelot''s throat, making him gag and cough torrents of blood. Neither his shield nor his armor could save him from that split second mistake he made.

    Tybalt raised his staff in an attempt to heal his tank, but a quick inspection told him the latter was already dead. Mordred also started chanting the lightning spell, but before he could complete it, Julia appeared behind him. Her rapier went through his back and went out through his gut. Blood and pieces of intestines fell from her blade.

    With a quick draw, she took out her rapier from the human sheath and made her way towards Tybalt with a spin. Like a dance of death, the players fell like thorny black roses on the ground.

    Shesmu stood unbudging until his eyes clashed with Julia. She pounced at him like a feline, but Shesmu knew that it was a feint. Just as she closed in on Shesmu, she disappeared like an illusion. Shesmu turned around and parried Julia''s slash with his sword. The force of the parry made the latter lose control of her weapon. Shesmu took a stance and pierced her chest with his blade.

    "What the fuck is going?!!"

    Alex''s cry and Julia''s fall happened at the same time as if they were in sync. Throughout the whole fight, he was paralyzed. He didn''t know what to do.

    "Things-things weren''t supposed to happen like that!"

    "Oh, and how were they supposed to go?" Shesmu asked while checking on Julia''s body. The multicolored crystal was still in her hand. Fighting with only one hand free? How little do you think of me?

    Alex stood flustered at Shesmu''s question before he retorted with one of his own. "Weren''t you the one who told me Arthur was the monster? Then what the fuck is this?! Now everyone is dead!"

    "Ah, guess sometimes people do make mistakes." Shesmu scratched his head before looking at Alex. "Why don''t you come here? I have something to tell you."

    Alex cautiously walked towards Shesmu. The latter put his sword away to ease the tension. When Alex reached in front of him, Shesmu gestured for him to come down, as if he was going to whisper something.

    Once Alex kneeled down to Shesmu''s level, the latter pierced his stomach with his hand. They were empowered by Ki.

    "Shhh." Shesmu put his index on Alex''s lips. "Next time, think of a better plan to fool me."

    Alex fell down on his knees, blood and gore dripping from his stomach. Soon, his HP reached zero, and he died with eyes open wide.

    With every player dead, Shesmu took a deep breath and stretched his muscles. "Well, that was a whole lot of work for a one day job."

    Just as he said those words, the bodies of all of Arthur''s party turned into grey smoke and converged into one point.

    "Guess I talked too soon." Shesmu scratched his head before standing up with a jump. He then activated telepathic communication and said, ''Hey Hector, let''s start with the plan. Also, care for poison gas, you have to crawl.''

    The smoke soon took corporeal form. White hair, ruby-red eyes, and a purple dress. The little girl floated above the ground holding a gigantic black scythe in her hand. The grin plastered on her face was that of a child who just found a new toy.

    "How did you know?" She asked. "How did you know that Alex was the monster too?"

    "Is that what you first ask? Shouldn''t you be introducing yourself first?"

    The little girl chuckled at Shesmu''s fearless attitude. "You''re right, my bad. Where were my manners? I go by different names: The old man of Summerrise, the little girl of the new age. But I guess the name that everyone knows me by is Lavador, the primordial chaos."

    "Ohh, scary scary. How come a personage such as yourself, a primordial, is here in this remote place," Shesmu asked with a smile. Even though he knew the answer, he figured that he needed to at least play the part.

    "This is just a little hobby of mine," She responded. She looked at her body and played with her dress as she continued, "Plus, this is just an avatar that is calibrated to the level of the participants. We, primordials, cannot physically interfere with the world after all."

    She focused back on Shesmu and asked with a more serious tone this time, "But enough of that. Tell me, when did you see through my plans?"

    "You know, you made three critical mistakes in this whole run. But if you wanna know when exactly I started suspecting you, it was from the very beginning," Shesmu responded. "Since Arthur took center stage before we even entered the tower, I knew that he had something to do with the monster. I wasn''t exactly sure whether he was the monster or not, though."

    "Oh, and what confirmed your suspicions?" asked Lavador with interest.

    Shesmu scratched his head and answered, "You say that, but you already know. All the little hints, all the minor acts of hostility, the clashes of eyes. All of that led me to one conclusion, that he was not the monster. It was clear to me that Arthur was just a pawn in a much bigger game of chess, and that whoever the monster was wanted me to keep suspecting Arthur."

    "Hoo, so that was your line of thinking, huh. Interesting." Lavador smirked. The smile on her face told tales about the sick enjoyment she was getting from this battle of wits. "That was indeed my plan, to lure you into thinking that Arthur was the monster and lead you into a goose chase that would never pan out. But that alone couldn''t have told you that I was controlling the whole party.???

    "It was your second mistake that gave it away," Shesmu responded simply. "When you sent Alex to talk to me, that''s when your whole plan unfolded like a book in front of my eyes."

    "Oh, and how is that?" She asked.

    "That whole story about Alex coming to me because he was suspicious of Arthur was clearly horseshit. What you wanted me to believe is that Arthur sent Alex to check on me under the pretense that I was the monster. You see, the problem with that whole story is that if Alex was suspicious of me, then why weren''t all the other party members suspicious as well? Weren''t they a little bit too cozy with a person they believed to be the monster?"

    Lavador chuckled at Shesmu''s reasoning. The chuckles turned into laughter and they then soon turned into crazy hysteria. "Hahaha, you''re too good. You''re just too good. A shame that you''ll still die anyway." Her maniacal laughter dissipated leaving place for only a cold uncaring voice. "Now, before I kill you, tell me what was my last critical mistake."

    Shesmu shrugged and responded, "That was the fact you let me in your group. That was how I was able to confirm my suspicion about the group, and that was the move that rendered all of your meticulously crafted plans to nothing."

    "I see. Lesson learned. Thank you, Shesmu of Pliyx Stal."

    Shesmu looked around with a smile on his face. Somehow, his eyes naturally landed on Ryan. He was still laying on the floor.

    "I wouldn''t be so confident, Lavador."

    The girl looked at Shesmu with surprise before she chuckled. "What again? Do you have some other trump card up your sleeves that you still didn''t show?"

    "Something like that." Shesmu beamed a smile. And just as he said those words, the sound of tapping from outside the room took Lavador''s focus. Shesmu also turned around to look at the door. His friend, Hector, had arrived, and with him a party of players.

 67 Chaos

    "So what brought you here? I thought that you and Leo were playing Ashes of Gods," Sophie asked Leo as they walked up the stairs.

    "Well, that¡­" Leo scratched his head before continuing, "When we were playing, Ryan just suddenly fell unconscious so I came here to check on him."

    "What?" Leo''s sudden revelation shocked Sophie. "You should have told me that earlier, couldn''t you have just sent me a message?"

    Without waiting for Leo''s response, She bolted up the stairs and ran towards Ryan''s room. Leo followed after her.

    Ryan''s room was full of figurines and custom toy weapons. Every wall had a game or anime character poster on it. Next to his bed was a custom Dreamscape. It had a gold and black color scheme, as opposed to the green and blue of the normal ones.

    Sophie typed on the holographic keyboard of the capsule. After a few seconds, she backed out and looked at Leo with wide eyes.

    "What''s going on, is something wrong?!" Leo''s heart almost burst from the tension.

    "No, no." She shook her head. "It''s just that¡­ are you sure that he fell unconscious?"

    "Yeah, why? I have seen him fall on the ground and not wake up with my own eyes," Leo replied with confidence.

    "I see¡­" Sophie bit her thumb and averted her eyes before she focused them back on Ryan''s capsule. "It''s just that, whatever state he is in right now, he is at least conscious enough to manually refuse the system shutdown."

    * * *

    Lavador was surprised at Hector''s entrance. "Hoo, so this is your trump card. You really never cease to amaze me."

    "Shes!!!" The high pitched scream almost deafened Shesmu. He knew that there was only one person who could speak with such a voice.

    "Weren''t you the one who talked mad shit about not interfering with each other''s business? What is this bullshit?!!"

    "I''m interested too," Lavador cut in. "Were you so confident in your ability to find me in this run that you told Hector''s party to stay put and not do anything?"

    Shesmu turned around to face the death scythe girl. "Something like that," he said with a smile. "Like I told you before, I''m a betting man, you know?"

    "Anyway, seems like your deduction was right on point, Shes." Hector made his way towards Shesmu along with the rest of the party.

    "For real, when Hector told us to wait at the entrance of the cave, I was shocked," Maeveric added. "But oh well, seems like your bet had paid off in the end, so I won''t complain."

    [From the Shadows it emerges, Lavador''s Avatar

    Clad in both light and dark, given a form of deceit

    With you blade you shall decide who emerges victorious

    For the 67 damned souls of the tricked lie in your hands.]

    "Hahahaha," Lavador''s cackling started weak before turning more deranged and powerful. Her maniacal laughter put an aura of pressure on the players. They all unsheathed their weapons and readied their stance.

    "Goddammit Shes, we''ll have a long talk after this." Sakura seethed, but she didn''t press the subject further. She joined the rest of the party and started chanting her fireball spell.

    "Shuma Meru!"

    However, this time, instead of just throwing the fireball immediately, she put more mana into it, making the spell bigger and bigger. She then rotated the fireball and gave it immense tork before launching it towards Lavador like a missile.

    "Child''s play." Lavador slashed Sakura''s fireball into two with her scythe, shocking the latter in the process.

    She disappeared from her spot and appeared right in front of Maeveric. Her scythe was raised high, ready to reap his life. However, right when it was about to cleave off his head, her scythe clashed with a shield.

    Hector stood between Lavador and Maeveric, Ki overflowing from his shield.

    "Do not falter!" His voice boomed throughout the room. "Fight methodically."

    Shesmu then appeared right behind the little girl, green and black clashing within his sword. He thrust it in Lavador''s back. However, instead of flesh, it only pierced through smoke.

    She looked back and grinned at Shesmu, before teleporting. She appeared above Blaze, wings sprouting from her back. The right one was black as shadows, while the left one glowed with the brightest light. Her scythe was glowing red, a red that only grew more prominent with Blaze''s blood, as she pierced his heart.

    She dashed one again. This time, she stood behind Sakura. However, the moment her scythe was about to contact Sakura''s flesh, she stopped.

    "Guh."

    Blood gushed out her mouth while the tip of Shesmu''s blade poked out of her chest.

    She turned around to look at Shesmu and gave him the same grin as before. "So you figured it out already."

    With a flap of her wings, she flew towards the ceiling of the room. She looked down at Shesmu and her grin turned even more crazy, even more insane. Her cackles turned into crazy laughter, sending shivers down Shesmu''s spine.

    "Oh, you''re too good. You''re like a pack full of surprise. Ah, I can''t wait until you grow, killing you would be such a delight!" The way she said those words were almost sexual.

    Shesmu shrugged off the feeling of creepiness and said, "Everyone, damage her only when she is about to attack. That way she can''t dodge!"

    "Oh no, you don''t." Her words were like the god king''s decree. Shadows and ice formed at the tip of her scythe, merging to become black ice. With a swing of her scythe, a wave of black ice froze every player on sight.

    "What''s this?!" Hector struggled to even voice his words. All of the other players couldn''t even budge a finger.

    Shesmu rotated his ki around his whole body, unfreezing it bit by bit. However, by the time he could escape his cage, all of his comrades were already dead. Their heads rolled on the ground, their gut spilled, even the always cheerful and high energy Sakura had all of her limbs broken.

    "Seems like you''re all alone, little Shes." Lavador licked the blood off her black scythe. The look on her eye was more disturbed than anything Shesmu had ever seen.

    She tapped Shesmu''s head with the back of her scythe, and he fell to the ground face first. It felt like his body was ten times heavier.

    "Gravity magic?" He muttered out.

    "Bingo, my little friend." Lavador winked. She then raised her scythe preparing for a strike as she continued, "Sweet dreams. I can''t wait until I get to fight you another time."

    Shesmu closed his eyes waiting for his death. A death that never came. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see what''s happening only to find an assassin blocking Lavador''s scythe with his silvery dagger. His silver coat fluttered with the air currents, and his dark black eyes pierced into that of the little girl.

    Ryan had awakened.

 68 Deus Ex Memoriam

    Lavador backed out with a jump. She looked at Ryan''s figure, and even though he had such a small frame, she couldn''t shake off this feeling of pressure he emitted.

    "You, I don''t know you."

    Ryan didn''t respond. He looked at Shesmu with a smile and said, "Shes, it''s been a while. King of the underworld, remember?"

    Shesmu looked up to Ryan. His shoulders were higher, his face more serious and mature. He was gazing at Shesmu with eyes that felt familiar, yet distant. "Y-you''re..."

    Ryan nodded before he looked back at Lavador with a serious expression. "As for the dollar store angel...."

    Shadows from all around the room gathered around Ryan before he was engulfed in a ball of darkness. And from that darkness, a shadow emerged, standing atop Ryan while holding a black scythe.

    "Hoo, so by the time you were unconscious, you mastered your shadow manifestation. How interesting. That alone would put you with the upper Tier ones."

    Ryan''s shadow screeched like a phoenix before it curled up into a ball of shadows. A gorgeous scythe emerged. Black and red complemented each other perfectly, while white skulls decorated its back. Ryan spun his weapon with one hand before putting it over his shoulder, in a fight stance.

    "That-That''s impossible. You shouldn''t even have enough ether to manifest your shadow weapon. Don''t tell me, you''re connected to the field?!???

    Lavador''s expression wasn''t one of despair or shock, but that of pure unadulterated joy. She flapped her wings to fly high before she dived towards Ryan with mind-boggling speeds.

    The two scythes clashed. Both Ryan and Lavador were in a standoff of epic proportions. She followed her slash with a flurry of attacks, forcing Ryan on the defensive. Her face was like that of a child who had just found a new toy.

    "Hahaha, you guys are the best. First was Shesmu and now you, this has been just one pleasant surprise after the other. I feel spoiled!"

    Ryan kept blocking all of her attacks with ease. Just as she raised her scythe preparing for a strong attack, Ryan engulfed his left hand in shadows and clenched at her face. She screamed and howled as shadows seeped into all of her orifices. With one vertical slash, she broke the standoff, making Ryan back out with a backflip.

    "Huff, puff," Lavador caught her breath while clenching at her face. "What the fuck was that?"

    Ryan didn''t say anything. In fact, he just turned into smoke and disappeared. Lavador looked around to see where he teleported to, but she couldn''t find him. The whole room was silent and calm¡ªtoo calm.

    The corpses of all the players budged and moved like they were filled with maggots. They liquified into a disgusting black ooze. The black oozes merged and formed a giant creature. One that had terrible teeth and predatory eyes¡ªthousands of them.

    "Hahaha!" With her laughter, the world broke into shards. Ryan was back where he was, and the corpses were left intact. "You dare be so brazen as to try to trap me, the primordial chaos, into an illusion? How fascinating!"

    Ryan didn''t respond to Lavador''s threats, he just unleashed on her a flurry of attacks, each strike faster and stronger than the last. Soon, Lavador could no longer keep up blocking with only her scythe. As such, she used her wings to parry Ryan''s attacks.

    The two fighters were locked in a standoff. Neither of them wanted to give an inch to his opponent. Every slash Ryan would make, Lavador would parry with a slash of her own. Every strike Lavador would attempt, Ryan would block with the stem of his scythe. Their movements were seamless and graceful, like two dancers playing off each other.

    Black energy gathered within the tip of Lavador''s scythe. She slashed vertically, creating a black energy crescent that Ryan could barely dodge. She used the time she bought with her attack to make some space between them.

    She looked at her body and couldn''t help but give a deprecating smile. Her wings were battered from the constant clashing. Her dress was also ripped in various places. However, none of that mattered. A wave of dark energy swept through her, cleansing Lavador. Her injured wings were healed, her torn dress was as good as new.

    She looked at Ryan and grinned. "I see. So that''s why your attacks can injure me. Your mastery of the shadows has reached this far. How absolutely fascinating!"

    Neither Lavador''s compliments nor her crazed laughter could reach Ryan. He looked at her with cold eyes and muttered, "Dark Domain." And darkness engulfed the world.

    Lavador could no longer see anything anymore. It was as if she was staring at a black screen, in all eight directions.

    Ryan slashed at her back, and her only response was a cackle. He once again slashed at her, and her reply was a laugh. The more Ryan struck her, the louder and more deranged her laughter became, until it climaxed in a full-blown maniacal fit.

    "Hahahaha, a domain even? How romantic, to try to trap me in darkness? I was born in it, molded by it. Absolute Light!"

    Her left wing glowed in a blinding light. White slowly corroded darkness like bleach, until the whole domain broke like a piece of glass.

    Lavador''s laughter died down. She looked at Ryan with deranged eyes and a crazy grin. "You know, chaos isn''t about darkness alone. Darkness alone is boring. It''s about Justice and Injustice, good and evil, sadness, and happiness. It''s about knowing how to use all of these to orchestrate the most magnificent spectacle possible!"

    Lavador''s left wing glowed with blinding light, while her black wing grew even darker. The two auras merged to create a corrupted light.

    "That, you''re not wrong." It was the first time Ryan acknowledged Lavador. He spun his scythe in the air before he dashed towards her.

    Lavador launched the beam of corrupted light. Blinding white covered in an aura of purple and darkness. Ryan easily slid past the attack and slashed the little girl''s neck open.

    Her head flew high in the air with blood sprouting everywhere. Droplets fell on the ground like they were petals of a dark rose. Even as she died, Lavador still had a smile on her face.

    With her death, the gravity spell that was put on Shesmu was lifted. He stood up and walked towards Ryan. The latter turned around and smiled at him.

    "That was fun for a finale, huh? Well, this timeline''s me, please take care of him."

    Shesmu nodded and said, "That goes without saying."

    With Shesmu''s confirmation, Ryan looked around at the room aimlessly. He had a peaceful smile on his face as if he had just resigned to something.

    "Then, I guess that''s farewell. Take care of Sophie."

    Ryan''s body glowed in all colors of the rainbow before he turned into particles and disappeared. He logged out.

    Shesmu looked around at the room. The corpses of the players had already disappeared, and the only thing left was rubble. All of the statues of the beasts were destroyed by the fight between the two.

    Other than that, the only thing left was silence. Somehow, Shesmu enjoyed that silence. With everything that happened, with all the nonstop mental and physical stress, a bit of silence was something he desperately needed.

    He sat cross-legged for a few minutes and enjoyed a moment of rest. One he had not had for what seemed like a long time. From all the fights in the Forest of Beginning to the nonstop action of the Tower of Might, it felt like a long time had passed.

    At long last, he slapped the ground and stood up. "Guess it''s time for me to go as well."

    Log out

    And with that mental command, Shesmu disappeared as well.

 69 Volume I: Epilogue

    After Shesmu logged out, it was already midnight. As such, he went to sleep. By the time he woke up, the Beta had already ended.

    Seth, prepare me a British Breakfast.

    Understood, Mark.

    Shesmu opened the curtains of his room. The warm sunlight eroded his grogginess. He then turned on his PC and opened Ashes of Gods'' webpage. The live game was announced. The release date will be July 15th, two weeks from then. Shesmu smiled and thought, This time, Allan would join us too. The squad is already forming back again.

    This train of thought led him to Ryan. One thing he didn''t expect was for Ryan to be the King of the Underworld. That''s one surprise he didn''t see coming. Plus, he did talk about Sophie. Were they related?

    Somehow, Shesmu felt lost. His interactions with the King of the Underworld were minimal at best. Everything he knew about him was from hearsay. Moreover, Sophie never talked about a Ryan, and neither did her family.

    Shesmu''s confusion only grew further, but he knew that the only way from him to clear them up was by talking with Ryan. Talking about that, I never got their contact info outside of the game. How stupid could I be?!

    Mark, your breakfast is ready. Do you want me to serve it right now?

    Seth''s telepathic voice cut Shesmu''s train of thought. He stumbled for words for a few moments before he finally replied, "Yes, please do."

    A hole appeared in the desk, and from it, a plate full of food ascended. Fried eggs, mushroom, buttered toast, and bloodwurst, all of which accompanied with a warm cup of milk tea.

    Shesmu was feasting on his breakfast when he received a notification from his messaging app. The name of the contact was Ryan.

    "Hey, idiot, do you know how hard it was to find your contact info?!"

    That was his opening message. Shesmu chuckled before replying with a comment of his own.

    "I''m sorry. I wasn''t the one who just fell unconscious and had to be carried on my friend''s back for four fucking hours, only to wake up with a ghost possessing my body."

    The two''s banter kept going back and forth until Ryan gave Shesmu a world ID to join. Shesmu copied the ID and typed it on the Dreamscape console keyboard.

    The capsule opened and Shesmu jumped right in. The world turned dark before he was teleported to a night beach. The full moon reflected off the dark ocean while the waves crashed on the sand.

    "Yo!"

    Shesmu turned around to find Ryan behind him. He was wearing a light green jacket, and warm, fuzzy, brown pants.

    "Achoo!" Shesmu scratched his nose. "You little shit! You put yourself in warm clothes and you invite me here with only a sleeveless shirt. Are you trolling me?!"

    Shesmu clenched at his arms and hurried out of the beach, while Ryan laughed his ass off. He just kept looking as Shesmu ran barefoot on the cold sand towards a hatchet by the side of the street.

    Ryan walked after Shesmu and brought out the keys, while the latter was shivering in the cold.

    "You sure took your time, goddammit."

    "Well, well, well. Life is better taken slow, no?" Ryan replied while trying his hardest to stop himself from bursting out laughing.

    "Yeah, yeah, tell me that when your eyes aren''t literally laughing in my face. Just open the damn door already."

    Ryan opened the door with a chuckle. The moment the keylock clicked, Shesmu burst in without waiting for Ryan. He immediately made his way to the fire to warm up his hands.

    "Hope that laughter was worth the wait. Just what sick shit went through your mind when you made the parameters of this world. It''s fucking freezing!"

    "Haha, don''t worry, it was definitely worth," Ryan replied as he sat down on the couch. "As for the temperature, it''s at minus two."

    "You psycho," Shesmu muttered. He then joined Ryan on the couch and continued, "So, how was your meeting with your future self? You guys got to talk?"

    "Yeah, we did." He then looked at Shesmu with a cheeky smile. "And, between everyone I imagined my cousin to fuck, I never would have ever thought it was you. So that''s where you got your always serious attitude from, you got it from Sophie!"

    Shesmu''s eyes opened wide at the revelation. "Wait, Sophie is your cousin?"

    "Crazy, right?" Ryan replied. "But I guess you never got to know that before. I guess you never got to meet me."

    Shesmu stayed silent at Ryan''s solemn tone. He struggled to find the words to say. "Did he get to talk to you about that?"

    "No, we didn''t talk about real life. We only talked about the game, about his adventures, about his friends, about his enemies. The only thing he told me about real-life was to live my life as I please. Talk about fucking cliche, right?"

    Those words spoke to Shesmu as much as they spoke to Ryan. Being stranded in this timeline, shackled by the ghosts of his past, Shesmu longed for that feeling of freedom. A feeling that would seldom come.

    "For you, you wanna be reunited with the friends of your past life. Leo was one of them, right? That''s why you have such a soft spot for him."

    Shesmu nodded Ryan. Everything that he lost, he would do everything in his power to gain back.

    "It must be great, having a clear goal like that. For me, I wonder what I should do."

    Shesmu looked at Ryan and said, "Didn''t your future self already tell you? Just live your life as you please, don''t overthink things."

    Ryan was surprised by Shesmu''s answer. His expression of surprise, however, soon turned into that of a smile. "I guess you''re right. I guess I should just do what I want, and I''ll find my goal on the journey to get there."

    Ryan then had a moment of realization, surprising Shesmu. He wondered what conclusion the little kid could have reached to make such an expression.

    "Oh, actually, I found my goal." He looked at Shesmu with a cheeky smile. "From now on, my goal is to become your wingman! I won''t rest until I get to see my niece!"

    The disappointment on Shesmu''s face could not be described by words. "Please give me back the concern I wasted on you.??

    Ryan laughed until his eyes teared, making Shesmu smile too. "Hahahaha, that was a good one. But this time for real, what do you think about making a studio, where me, Leo, you and any friends we bring into the group live all together. Wouldn''t that be fun?"

    Ryan''s suggestion surprised Shesmu. Well, I was already planning on bringing Alan to my house. I guess making a studio wouldn''t be too bad.

    "Sure, I don''t mind that."

    "Great!" Ryan beamed at Shesmu''s positive response. He stood up before he continued, "Okay then, I''ll make a messaging group later where we can discuss the logistics of the place."

    Shesmu scratched his head before interrupting, "Why not just come to my place? It''s big, the internet is good, and I''m alone there most of the time."

    "That sounds like a terrific idea! Especially the part where you''ll have a bunch of creepy dudes in the house when you bring Sophie home after a good night at the bar. There wouldn''t be any awkward moments at all!"

    Ryan''s straight face didn''t betray the sarcasm in his voice at all. Shesmu could only shake his head at his antics.

    "Do you wanna take the house, or do you wanna spend 600k on a mortgage that would take 30 years to pay off?"

    "Haha, I''m just joking." Ryan finally broke character. "But are you sure about it? I would feel bad if I just get to stay at your house rent-free."

    "You''re fucking fourteen, don''t fucking talk to me about rent."

    Shesmu''s words were final. He stood up, looked at Ryan, and said, "Is there anything else you wanna talk about?"

    "Nah, not really. Just see you in two days."

    The two bade their goodbyes and logged off.

    * * *

    Meanwhile, in a realm high above the clouds, islands floated. Water fell from one island to the next in streams that seemed never-ending. The ground had a pinkish texture, while the grass was abnormally green.

    On top of the highest island was a magnificent castle. It was made of the whitest marble and decorated with the most exotic stones. Diamond blue, amber, black, and ruby red merged to create a piece of art. Anyone who could see the structure would have their breath taken away.

    Inside the castle, Gabriel was carrying a stack of paper that reached above her head. She put them on a desk and heaved a sigh, their weight almost broke her back.

    On the other side of the desk was a little boy. He had both of his legs resting on the desk while snored under the comic book that covered his face. Not even the thunderous sound of the stack of paper slamming on the desk could wake him up.

    "Cough, cough." Gabriel''s attempts to wake the boy up were left unanswered. Understanding that there was only one way to get his attention at that point, Gabriel walked up to his ear and screamed, "Yaksha!! Wake up!!!"

    The boy lost his balance and almost fell from his chair. He looked at Gabriel with a disgruntled expression and complained, "Do you always have to do that when you come?"

    "It''s not my fault that your sleep is deeper than an elephant struck with a drugging shot." Gabriel shrugged at Yaksha. Now that he no longer had that comic book covering his face, she could finally see it. He had light neon green hair that matched his deep blue eyes. A half magical circle tattoo covered his right cheek.

    "Well, either way. These are the reports of the day."

    Yaksha looked at the immense stack of paper and gloom covered his face. He could swear that the heap of reports was taller than him.

    "Noooo! Please don''t make me do that. That''s too many reports!"

    Gabriel puffed her cheeks in exasperation. "This your job, you know. You can''t just push all of your work to me."

    "But you already went through all of these reports yourself, can''t you just tell me what''s important?"

    Gabriel sighed at Yaksha''s pleading look. "Sure, but this is the last time."

    "Yay! Thank you!" Yaksha jumped in joy.

    Gabriel sighed and cast a spell. A holographic image of the world materialized in front of the two.

    "The way all of the countries responded to the arrival of the players were different. Fortunately, most of them were positive. Those that were hostile to them have been marked in red. Once the live game goes up, it won''t be possible for the players to start in there."

    "Boring~" Yaksha yawned at Gabriel''s explanation. "Did nothing interesting happen?"

    Gabriel clenched her fist in anger at Yaksha''s attitude, but she calmed herself down by taking a deep breath.

    "Well, we had some abnormalities all over the world in terms of players. Some had reached level 25 by the end of the beta, some were able to discover the world''s secrets, but the most abnormal one of them would be this one."

    Gabriel handed Yaksha a paper. In its top right corner was a picture of Ryan fighting Lavador.

    "This is player DepressedRyan fighting the Avatar of one of the primordials, Lavador."

    "Heh," Yaksha smiled. "How did a player that hasn''t been playing for more than a day get to fight the avatar of a primordial? And for him to beat it even."

    "Yeah, that''s why he is the top of our list. From analyzing his fight, it felt like I was watching a Tier IV player fight. No, with how high his connection was to the ether field, Tier V isn''t a stretch either."

    Yaksha''s attention was taken by a player that could barely be seen in the image. He pointed at him and asked, "And this guy, who is he?"

    Gabriel looked at the player Yaksha was pointing out before she answered, "That is Shesmu. He is also one of the abnormals."

    "Hmm, I see. Okay, that''s it for now. You''re dismissed." Yaksha dismissed Gabriel with his hand before putting his legs back on the desk and resting.

    "Ehm, what do we do about the abnormals?"

    "Just leave them be. In fact, encourage them to do whatever they want. It will be more interesting that way."

    Gabriel put her hand on her forehead and shook her head. "As you want," She ended up saying before leaving the room.

    After Gabriel left, Yaksha took the report about Ryan and looked at it once again.

    "So you ended up coming back, didn''t you, Mark?"

    Right at the top of the wall, Yaksha leaned on with his chair, his name and title were written in gold.

    Yaksha The Aspect Oversee

 71 Meeting

    "Ehm, Mark?"

    "Yes?" Shesmu replied to Allan while looking at the two boys standing outside the door. They were Ryan and Leo. The latter was scratching his head in embarrassment while the former was grinning from ear to ear.

    "Since when did you start inviting people to your house?"

    "Since now!" Ryan exclaimed as he burst through the main door.

    "Ryan, that''s rude!" Leo stretched his hand to catch Ryan but to no avail.

    "Haha, don''t worry about it, Leo. This house will be our studio now, so just think of it as your own." Shesmu put his hand over Leo''s shoulder and led him into the house.

    The two made their way into the living room, leaving Allan standing next to the door looking at them. "Hmm, interesting. Didn''t expect the stoic Mark to make friends so easily."

    He then walked towards the three friends with a grin on his face. "I''m guessing that you guys are tired from the flight. When is your stuff coming by the way?"

    "The capsules and our clothes will come later today. Ryan kinda forgot about it until we took off and I barely understood what was happening until we were halfway through."

    Allan chuckled at Leo''s response. "Aren''t you supposed to be the older one? Ryan is just running around with you wherever he can."

    Just as Leo started awkwardly laughing, Ryan cut in, "Forget about that. Tell me the name of the main system of this house, I want to drink something!"

    "That would be Seth," Shesmu responded.

    Ryan grinned in response and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey Seth! Bring me some bottle of champagne, it''s time to party!"

    "Understood," The deep voice of Seth responded.

    "Ehm, no," Shesmu flatly replied. He focused his attention on Seth and continued, "Seth, Ryan is underaged, make sure his requests conform with federal laws."

    "Understood, Mark."

    Even Leo couldn''t help but look in shock at Ryan. "Ryan, what the fuck are you saying? You''re fourteen!"

    The latter pouted and looked away. "Who cares about that, huh? It''s just to party, and I just wanted a sip!"

    "Yeah, tell that to the FBI when they use your asshole as a bottle opener for that champagne you so wanted." Shesmu looked at Ryan with disappointed eyes. "Or even worse, they use mine."

    Allan couldn''t help but let out the chuckle, the dissonance between Shesmu''s serious face and what he was saying gave the situation a layer of absurdity that made him weak.

    "Goddammit, Mark. Only you can say that with a straight face." He looked at Leo and Ryan and said, "But you''re right, we can''t just sit idle until your capsules come. You guys want to play some Gompa Stompers?"

    "Gompa Stompers, what''s up with that dumb name?" Ryan had an unimpressed look on his face, making Allan flinch somehow.

    "Hey, I wasn''t the one who named it. Plus it''s a fun game, just trust me. Just download it in your ravs and you''re good to go." He then looked at Shesmu and asked, "You have a room big enough to play?"

    "Well, there is the gaming room. We just need to take out the capsule and put a couch instead and we''re good."

    Shesmu led the way to the room while Ryan hopped next to him, leaving Allan and Leo behind.

    "You really have a hard time taking care of Ryan, I don''t envy you. Is he your little brother?"

    The latter scratched his head and answered awkwardly, "Well, not really. But I do see him as my own brother though."

    Leo''s eyes lingered on Ryan''s back before Allan put his hand over his shoulder and scratched his head.

    "That''s great, it''s great to have someone you can call brother. Now let''s go, I have some cool moves to show you. That way we older brothers don''t get left behind, right?" Allan winked at Leo before they followed after Ryan and Shesmu.

    * * *

    "Okay, so me and Allan will just give you a quick rundown of how to play. You both installed it, right?"

    "Yeah, just get on with the explanation already," Ryan replied with a full mouth. He was munching on some chips with an aggravated face, still angry at his denied request. Leo on the other hand just nodded and laughed awkwardly.

    "Okay then." Shesmu opened the game, and his vision suddenly changed. The world around him turned cybernetic, with blue and white dominating the color palette.

    Looking at Allan, he saw the name "Cain" written on top of his head, with a green aura surrounding his body.

    "Challenge, Cain."

    Cain''s aura shifted to red and a notification appeared in front of Shesmu''s face saying: Your challenge has been accepted, Let the duel begin!

    A plethora of character choices appeared in front of Shesmu, making him drown in the number of options. He scanned with his eyes the character icons before he whispered, "Choose, Tha''lab."

    A white light engulfed Shesmu''s whole body. Once it dimmed out, he transformed into a new being. A dark blue cloak covered his body, fluttering with the wind. His piercing dark eyes gained an amber taint. His full, brown hair grew, turned orange, and two fox ears peeked out from its strands.

    He stretched the dark gloves on his right hand before taking a fighting pose, ready to strike.

    Allan, on the other hand, was clad in a dark robe, holding a staff in hand. At its top was a crescent-shaped crystal that shone with yellow light.

    "Okay, so Allan took the lunar mage while I took the fox. He is a long-distance character that wants to play safe and poke from a distance, while I want to go into close quarters and overwhelm him with superior power and speed, understood?" Shesmu looked at Ryan and Leo sitting on the couch and explained. His voice was serious, as it was usually the case when he talked about gaming.

    Ryan stopped munching on his chips and looked at Shesmu. "Oh, interesting. How many characters are in this game, and how many classes?"

    Shesmu hummed and looked down before responding, "Well, there are like at least 70+ characters. As for the classes, there isn''t really a system like that. But if you wanna categorize them, I guess you could have heavy-hitters, long-range pokers, and combo-strikers. The names are pretty self-explanatory."

    "Hey Mark," Allan interrupted. "I think that''s enough for a verbal explanation. They would get a much better feel of how everything works once they see us fight."

    Shesmu focused back on Allan and dropped his loose attitude. "Okay then, at the count of three."

    Shesmu took a low stance as he counted down. Silver and blue energy overflowed from Allan as he waited for the fated moment. Their eyes were laser-focused on each other, the world around them melted into the background.

    "Zero!"

    Shesmu pounced like a cheetah, his hands growing claws and fiery orange energy overflowed from them. Allan, on the other hand, stayed stationary. His staff gathered lunar dust carried by a gust of wind. That small breeze soon turned into a storm¡ªand before anyone could notice¡ªa tornado.

    The two clashed for half a second before both of their abilities were nullified. The moment Shesmu landed on the ground, the floor below him shone with a bright light. He jumped out of the incoming danger, barely dodging the pillar of red light. He floated high in the air, looked down at the direction of Allan, but instead of him, silver light was the only thing he could see.

    A magnificent explosion. Allan chained one spell after the other, pushing Shesmu higher and higher into the air until he crashed on the wall. He fell down to the ground, debris scattered all around him.

    "He shat on you, man!" Ryan laughed his heart out before he choked on the mouthful of chips he was munching.

    "Dude, chew your food before talking smack." Leo patted Ryan''s back. His expression was that of worry mixed with amusement.

    Ryan coughed twice before thanking Leo. "But damn dude, I haven''t seen a read like that in ages. Holy moly. He played you like a fiddle."

    Allan chuckled while Shesmu groaned as he stood up. The latter shook the dust off his cloak and looked at Ryan with a wry smile, "Well, isn''t that the in-depth analysis. Wanna try your luck with Allan and see how you fare?"

    Ryan''s face flushed red causing Leo to burst out laughing, making him even more embarrassed.

    "Nah, I''m a little bit tired. Why don''t you both fight and I stay with Leo about big brothers'' stuff." Allan winked as he walked towards Leo.

    "Oh, nice!" Ryan exclaimed. "This will be revenge for last time, you better be prepared!"

    Shesmu shrugged at Ryan''s declaration. "Are you sure you want to make this your revenge match? At least in Ashes, you had some familiarity with the game. This one, you''re just first timing."

    "Oh? And are you going to try hard against a fourteen-year-old? I didn''t know you were this much of a gentleman, Mister pro player."

    "Oh, that I will. Didn''t you know that us pro players are like really super tryhard? You would have known if you were a pro too."

    Allan chuckled at the two''s banter as he sat down next to Leo on the couch.

    "Hey, Leo, what types of snacks do you prefer, salted or sweet?"

    "Ehm, I guess I like salted more?" He answered after some hesitation.

    Allan smiled at his answer before saying, "Hey Seth, can you make us some briwats? Ehm, also..." He stopped and gave Leo an inquiring look. "Do you have an allergy to nuts or chicken?"

    "No, not really, why?" Leo asked in confusion.

    "Nah, nothing. I was just making sure you could taste the best snacks this world has got," Allan answered with a chuckle. "Seth, just bring two portions of them goodies. One filled with chicken and the other in nuts. We have a guest today so make sure they''re good, aye?"

    "Understood, Master Allan."

    Allan stretched his back on the couch and looked at Leo. "While Seth is making those, tell me, how did you guys meet? Mark just left me in the dark."

    Leo''s eyes glazed over at Shesmu, he and Ryan were still fighting with vigor, before he looked back at Allan. "Honestly I met him through Ryan. The two were fighting for some reason, and that''s how we met."

    "Hmm, I see." Allan''s gaze drifted towards the ground, not looking at anything in particular. He stayed silent for a few seconds before he asked, "So, what role do you play?"

    Leo was confused at the sudden change of subject, but he responded nonetheless, "Ehm, I''m a tank. Why?"

    Allan chuckled at Leo''s answer. "Ah, I knew it. It''s just that all the good tanks I have talked with were really sweet and reserved outside of combat. Seems to be a common trait."

    "Ehm, thanks for the compliment, I guess? But I''m not really that good. At least compared to them." Leo looked back at Shesmu and Ryan. Even while playing that random game, they still showed high dexterity and an insatiable drive to win. Or at least that''s what Ryan showed, Shesmu was just toying with the latter.

    "Don''t compare yourself to them." Allan''s switch of tone was swift and clear. He gave Leo a serious look before he leaned back on the couch, looking at the ceiling. "The only person you have to compare yourself to is yourself. Have you grown? Did you become better? Those are the only questions you should ask."

    Hearing his serious speech, Leo couldn''t help but chuckle.

    "Hey, why are you laughing!"

    Allan''s flustered face only made Leo laugh harder. "I''m sorry, I shouldn''t laugh. But you''re right, the only person I should compare myself to is myself. Thank you."