《Arc - An OP Isekai LitRPG - Stubbed!》


 Chapter. 1: Resolution of Survival

    Synopsis:


    <blockquote>


    Summoned to another world, Arc must become a hero¡ª or die trying.


    Arc was an ordinary young woman from Earth trying to make it through college when she found herself in a frozen wasteland, armed with nothing but a spear, and hounded by monsters. It is a trial given to her by the System to become a Hero¡ª a hellish training for her to undergo for reasons she does not know.


    And when she finally escapes, she emerges with only a single goal: to find answers on why she was summoned here. And if someone gets in her way?


    She¡¯ll make them regret it.


    </blockquote>


    Chapter. 1: Resolution of Survival


    Hell?¡ª I was in hell.


    I was panting, my heart was working overdrive in order to keep me running. My legs screamed after every step as they felt like giving up at any given moment.


    I was never athletic?¡ª always preferring to stay inside and paint, I was an art major, a lazy one at that. Exercise was never really a priority in my life, I never thought it would be a priority, but I was wrong?¡ª


    The white beast behind me shrieked, trying to rip me to shreds.


    I gritted my teeth, expecting the twisted monster to catch up at any moment. Yesterday had been a normal day, with art studies and practices?, it ended uneventfully, until?¡ª I found myself in this white snowy hell. Plains of white, dead grass and trees, and a wretched creature that immediately attacked me?¡ª


    Over five minutes had passed and the thing wasn¡¯t letting up.


    I looked behind only to see the incarnation of hatred, a beast of white fur and red eyes that resembled a wolf. An animal that was more aggressive than anything I knew of; one seemingly driven by primal hatred. Why was it attacking me? Why did it have a personal grudge against me?!


    ¡°What the fuck is your problem?!¡± I screamed jumping over a fallen tree.


    The dead tree exploded right behind me as I stared in horror, my question resounding in the air never to be answered until a screen flashed in front of the wolf.


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    ¡°What the fuck?!¡± I cried before focusing on running; what was?¡ª and another screen flashed before my vision with a chime.


    [ The Arctic Wolf is the starting enemy for your training as a Hero. ]


    My eyes skimmed over the words? before screaming out loud¡ª ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense!¡±


    I ran into a forest of dead trees. What were the floating screens?! Was I in some kind of game?! Nothing made sense, not even how rabid the beast behind me was?¡ª


    And another screen appeared.


    [ Arc. You have been chosen as a Hero by The System due to your talents. You have been summoned to E????????r???????r???????????o???????????r????????????????? in order to maintain the E????????r???????r???????????o???????????r????????????????? and purge the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n??????????.


    You are currently undergoing training. ]


    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± I panted.


    What System? What Hero? Error, Error, Unknown? Training??¡ª ?! What the fuck!


    I wove in between the numerous dead trees, trying to run away from the rabid beast chasing behind me. My eyes darted, trying to find the best path for me to take, but at that moment, I heard the breathing of the best behind me on my neck, and the explosion of wood.


    My heart skipped a beat as I immediately swerved in a different direction, nearly tripping. Why was it so relentless¡ª I heard the roars of hatred coming for me¡ª Where had the wolf even come from? It appeared mid-air!


    I ran from the beast as it tore through the forest¡ª


    ¡°I¡¯m going to die?¡ª¡± There was no other way about it. It was only a matter of time. ¡°I don¡¯t want to die!¡± I cried, running.


    And at that moment, a new screen appeared.


    [ You have received Tier: F. Weapon: Training Spear.


    Show your resolve to become a hero or die trying. ]


    A small light fixture appeared from thin air as a black spear manifested before me, floating at the same speed I ran. My mind spun?¡ª Show resolve or die? Was there no other option? I heard the wolf chasing after me, it was an impossible situation, but now?¡ª now I had a weapon.


    I hesitated, but I still reached out for the spear as I held it in my hand. I didn¡¯t want to die, I didn¡¯t want to fight either, but running wasn¡¯t getting anywhere, and the more I ran the more tired I felt. I didn¡¯t want to fight, but I literally had no other choice.


    Gritting my teeth, I spun around to face the wolf, only to see it already jumping towards me?¡ª I raised my spear, almost by instinct as I thrust into the jumping beast. The black blade of the weapon pierced the shoulder of the wolf as it squealed.


    The weight of the monster made my arms tremble as I somehow sent the massive white wolf onto the ground, shrieking in pain. I didn¡¯t understand how I had enough strength to do so, how I still had breath even after running for so long, but it didn¡¯t matter now.


    I drew back my spear as adrenaline pumped through my veins, immediately driving the weapon into the wolf¡¯s neck. Somehow managing to pull it back before dodging the claws of my adversary, driven by nothing by instincts I side-stepped yet again as I stabbed forward?¡ª


    The Arctic Wolf shrieked as its crimson blood splattered, and at that moment another screen flashed.


    [ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]


    I drew back the spear deep breaths as I stared at the limp white beast¡­ It was dead. I sighed, I had managed to kill it, and I was now safe. My eyes wandered around the vast white land and decayed forest.


    Just how did I get here?


    I stared at my surroundings for a few moments, before another screen flashed before my eyes.


    [ You have acquired a Skill: Frenzied Whirlwind. Tier: F. ]


    [ Well done. Intensity has been increased. ]


    Skill? My mind paused?. I didn¡¯t understand what that meant?¡ª and what did it mean by intensity? I stared at the screen for a few moments, before a flash in the distance distracted me. I turned and?¡ª more flashes of light appeared around me. All spawning new enemies into the world, the same kind of hate-driven beast I had just killed?¡ª


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    ¡­


    Dozens appeared in my surroundings and I paled.


    There were so many of them. My mind almost stilled as I stared at my surroundings. They had practically come from thin air, the same kind of hate-driven beasts as the one I had just killed. Except, there were dozens instead of one.


    Was this what it meant by Intensity?¡ª


    And they growled as they immediately took notice of me. My mind spun as I immediately turned around gripping my spear in fear. I couldn¡¯t fight so many at once. There were far too many of them, if they caught up to me I would be done for.


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    My heart raced as I jumped over a dead tree, the growls of the numerous Arctic Wolves resounded in my ears as I made my attempt to escape.


    The forest in my surroundings blurred as I quickly exited it, with the wolves following closely behind me. Rabid and full of hatred. I ran for my life as the symphony of death chased after me. There had to be something.


    A way to escape?¡ª


    And my eyes saw a rock formation in the distance, one that resembled a cave. It was far away, and it wasn¡¯t a guaranteed way to escape, but the snarls behind me kept me from thinking as I focused on running. I just had to escape?¡ª


    I was tackled, rolling through the snow as I tussled with an Arctic Wolf. My heart raced?¡ª


    ¡°Fuck off, get away?¡ª fuck?¡ª¡± I cursed slamming and kicking it. My spear stabbed into its shoulder as I managed to kick it away. ¡°Gah?¡ª¡±


    It scratched my leg as I finally managed to kick it away. I scrambled making distance between me and the wolf??¡ª and another wolf tackled me as I hit the cold hard ground with a grunt. It went directly for my neck as I raised my spear and made it bite into its shaft.


    The Arctic Wolf pressed down as I struggled to fight with its strength. The growls rushed as I rolled with the wolf, finally managing to break its grip and drawing back my spear before stabbing it in its direction. Nicking its leg as it snarled, and at that moment, by sheer instinct, I side-stepped as a wolf narrowly missed me.


    I backed off only to hear growls behind me, and that¡¯s when I realized, I was surrounded?.


    Fuck?¡ª


    A deep bellow shook the land as my heart instinctively felt primal fear?¡ª what was that?¡ª and the land shook. Trees inside the forest fell, as a shadow towered over the sky. Almost every single wolf in unison shivered as they all turned, and at that moment I saw it.


    An impossibly large being of white fur and animal features, imposing with red lights for eyes?¡ª


    And it stepped forward as its step seemed to dwarf the land, immediately slamming down?¡ª blood and entrails, snow and dirt exploded as two wolves not too far away from me were stomped out of existence in just a single moment.


    What is?¡ª


    [The Overlord: Tier: ???]


    And another screen flashed.


    [ The final opponent of training, training will come to an end once The Overlord has been defeated. ]


    I had no time to even try and understand what the screen just said as It stomped once more, killing another wolf in an instant. Snarls and growls drew me back to reality as I turned around and ran. All of the Arctic Wolves in my surroundings shrieked as they spread in multiple directions.


    I ran in the direction of the cave as all the wolves spread out, panic blaring through the atmosphere as my mind blared warnings in all directions. I ran with all I had, the panicked shrieks in my surroundings echoed as I rapidly closed in towards the cave.


    However, I was not alone as another Arctic Wolf chased after me, its ragged and desperate breath sent shivers down my spine, as it sped up before it?¡ª jumped.


    I ducked, barely avoiding its tackle as it landed with a burst of snow.


    The Arctic Wolf immediately turned to attack me once more, frenzied and panicked, its fur standing on end as it took a step towards me¡ª and it exploded. An icicle of ice appeared along with an explosion of snow as I heard the roars of the Overlord in the distance.


    I craned my head only to see a silhouette with flashes of lights moving, hearing distant slaughter?¡ª


    My heart skipped as I turned around and ran towards the cave.


    Those few seconds were grueling, seared into my mind as I was terrified beyond reasonable belief. But eventually, I made it inside before going down the ice ravine it was connected to, once I heard calm, that was when I finally relaxed.


    I was¡­ safe.


    I stared at my shaking hands, at the spear lying next to me, and there was only one thought in my mind after all of that.


    ¡°What the fuck is going on¡­¡± I stared at the icy ceiling. ¡°I was just doing fucking anatomy practice out of all things, and now I am in this frozen hell?¡ª what even is the System anyway?! What is this hero thing!?¡± I cried in anger.


    I didn¡¯t understand it. The flashing screens?¡ª were they the System like a videogame or something?¡ª no, ignoring that; what. What even was happening, what was this training thing?¡ª what was this place?


    And at that moment, a screen appeared.


    [ These are the training grounds for you, Arc, to become a Hero in order to maintain the E????????r???????r???????????o???????????r????????????????? and purge the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n??????????. ]


    I snorted. ¡°Fuck off¡­¡± And a sigh left me. ¡°I just want to go home¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand what was going on, or what the purpose of things was, however, I didn¡¯t want to deal with this bullshit.


    [ You will remain in this place until your training is finished. Great talent resides within you. ]


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    I was stranded in fantasy land. I didn¡¯t want to fight anymore, I didn¡¯t even want to kill that Arctic Wolf, but I had no choice, and for some reason, I didn¡¯t even fucking hesitate to stab it. For some god-forsaken reason, I even had a vague instinct of what to do. The impression of its death was practically nothing in my mind.


    I could sleep and forget about it.


    I closed my eyes. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t have been able to run for so long, nor have that much strength. It took me a moment to calm down before I stared at the fallen spear on the ground. Right now, nothing made sense to me; I wasn¡¯t this strong or physically gifted in the past.


    Why now?


    [ Because you are a Hero candidate. Great potential resides within you. You have learned a skill, it should come in second nature to use it, so long as you desire it. ]


    I scowled. ¡°I said to shut up!¡±


    But even then, the words of the floating screen resided in my head. I had been able to run for so long because I was a Hero candidate? And then there was the skill I quote on quote ¡°learned¡±. I remembered that notification. But still¡­


    Second nature?


    I slowly stood up and grabbed my spear. I didn¡¯t want to believe the floating words, but I still prepared a stance and focused for just a moment?¡ª Frenzied Whirlwind?¡ª and during that instance, I could imagine the skill for a moment. A series of fast and lethal thrusts of the spear, I just had to?¡ª


    Do it!


    I lunged with my spear forward as my muscles tensed, and at that moment a familiar feeling overtook my actions as I followed it; stabbing multiple times in quick succession towards the air, and?¡ª the feeling ended as soon as it came. The skill ended just like that.


    I stared at the air in silence.


    ¡°What was¡­ that?¡±


    I was¡­ I didn¡¯t?¡ª things didn¡¯t make sense right now. I shook my head. Even if I accepted everything I had just been told in full stride, there was still a huge problem?¡ª


    What am I even supposed to do now?


    I didn¡¯t want to die in this place. I was stuck in a cave, the twisted Overlord thing was still above ground, I was?¡ª


    And at that moment a growl entered my ears. I looked towards the curve of the tunnel, where an Arctic Wolf immediately ran towards me, baring its fangs.


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    I raised my spear as I prepared myself to receive the pouncing beasts, but at that moment more roars joined it, as two more monsters rounded the corner.


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    [Arctic Wolf. Tier. F]


    Fuck?¡ª I stabbed forward, making the Arctic Wolf squeal, and without giving me respite, the two other monsters pounced on me. Forcing me to draw back. My heart was rushing once more as I took deep breaths, my arm was still in pain from the injury earlier?¡ª


    I didn¡¯t want to die.


    And the wolves attacked again as I was pushed back. It was three against one, my mind whirled, panicking for answers as I somehow dodged and ducked between the attacks?¡ª


    I had to use the skill?.


    Otherwise, I was going to die?¡ª


    And a wolf pounced as I prepared the spear, this time following the familiar motions? as something inside of me engaged, my arm muscles tensing?¡ª [Frenzied Whirlwind]?¡ª I stabbed multiple times forward in an instant, piercing through the torso of the wolf numerous times as a screen flashed.


    [ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]


    Then, the two other wolves pounced on me as I drew back. One missed and the other one managed to scratch my arm as I grunted. Holding my spear before thrusting once more?¡ª


    I stabbed onto the closest wolf drawing blood, before reeling my spear and?¡ª [Frenzied Whirlwind?]¡ª


    Stabbing multiple times through the wolf?¡ª


    [ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]


    I panted watching the now-dead wolf on the ground, I felt more tired than ever. Meanwhile, the last remaining Arctic Wolf pounced on me as I attempted to dodge, but I was sluggish as it managed to slash at my arm, drawing a grunt from me.


    Just once more?¡ª


    My body was screaming at me to stop, and yet I raised my spear anyway, ignoring all protests. If I stopped now, there would be no tomorrow; there would be no nothing. The wolf snarled as I prepared my spear and it rushed?¡ª


    [Frenzied Whirlwind?]¡ª


    I stabbed thrice onto the wolf before the skill ended from pure exhaustion. The beast yelped as it drew back bleeding, but I marched forward with labored breaths as I used all my remaining strength with one final stab.


    [ You have defeated: Arctic Wolf. Tier: F. ]


    And it died¡­


    I collapsed on the ground as another screen appeared before me.


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ Levels are a window to growth, granting you attributes and the capacity to be stronger. ]


    [ Certain milestones will grant bonus rewards as well as Skills to aid you in battle. ]


    [ As a Hero your attributes have been automatically distributed in an optimal manner. ]


    I stared, glazing over all of the text, as I barely registered its meaning past being stronger. After, a long sigh of relief hit me. Despite everything that had happened, I was still very much alive.


    My mind wandered back to the initial chase, the confusion I felt upon getting to this frozen land, and finally, at the Overlord?¡ª


    The final opponent of training.


    I still didn¡¯t understand what the System was, or if I could even return home, but right now, there was a simple resolve in my mind.


    I¡¯m going to kill the Overlord.


    Slowly, I stood up and reached for the spear impaled on the Arctic Wolf, drawing it from its body with a splatter of blood.


    I¡¯m going to live no matter what.


    Author Notes:


    <blockquote>


    Thanks you all for reading! I will be posting a bunch of chapters today, and from there on 5x a week! Or at least that''s the plan. I''m pretty excited about Arc, and had a blast writing it.


    I want to extend a special thank you to MelasDelta, author of Amelia: The Level Zero [Hero] and Salvos for helping me with feedback and constructive criticism and beta reading during the writing of Arc, as well as simply being and amazing friend and mentor throughout my writing journey. If you haven''t read their works, I highly recommend them!


    </blockquote>

 Chapter. 2: Passage of Time

    I didn¡¯t know how long had passed.


    With a grunt, I used [Frenzied Whirlwind], my spear blurred and stabbed numerous times through the last of the Elder Arctic Wolves, and then, drawing back my spear I used one of the many skills I had learned¡ª


    [Fatal Surge]!


    My spear blurred, and immediately pierced a fist-sized hole with a burst of blood through the Elder Arctic Wolf as it unleashed a dying screech.


    Blood trailed down my arms and spear. My ragged breath echoed through the ice caves along with the dying breaths of the beast before me.


    And then, the notifications came.


    [ You have defeated: Elder Arctic Wolf. Tier: E. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    ¡­


    [ Processing... ]


    I stared at the notifications for a few moments, it was the first time I saw the processing one, but I decided it wasn¡¯t worth thinking about it. The more I tried to understand The System the bigger of a headache it became.


    I turned to my corpse-filled surroundings. Around twenty Elder Arctic Wolves laid on the ground, dead. Numerous stab wounds filled their bodies. Unlike Arctic Wolves, they were bigger and stronger, more ferocious too, and could even unleash frost spikes.


    I still hardly understood where I was aside from being in a different world, one with an underground cave system and a gigantic final boss roaming about on the surface. The System was still as mysterious as ever to me, its purpose unknown, its information nonsensical.


    But even then, through all of my headaches I had learned a few things here and there. The System was similar to a video game, and I even had a status.


    [ Status: Hero. Name: Arc. Level: 38. Tier: E. Attributes: Unavailable. ]


    Tiers seemed to indicate strength, F being the lowest, and now I was a Tier stronger, which was E. The difference between them was massive as well. As soon as I became E Tier, the F Tier Arctic Wolves became a bit of a joke?. In a way, it was an easy way to gauge strength. The other things in the status were a bit useless.


    For example; attributes got distributed by the System itself. Sure, I always felt different after every level up, most of the time in different ways, from agility to awareness to just raw strength, but there was no way for me to know what my actual attributes were.


    And even though I had seen magic firsthand, I still hadn¡¯t been able to use it, so if there was an attribute for it, I wouldn¡¯t know. I could also bring up a skill list but it was about as helpful as the status: useless.


    I shook my head and knelt down not intending to think about things any longer. I began to dismember the corpses of the numerous monsters with a knife I had received as a reward a while back.


    Rewards from the System included weapons, clothing to even potions, however, there was a common theme; it always gave me things I needed.


    Thankfully, I had grown much stronger and much more experienced at fighting, so potions were rarely rewarded, however, one thing that was never rewarded was: food. There was no way to cook it so¡­


    I shook my head, in the end, the only way to get out of this place was to defeat the Overlord. And I would do just that. But first things first?¡ª


    My stomach growled.


    I focused on collecting the meat.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I found myself sitting down on a wolf pelt, eating raw meat as I stared at the walls. Its taste was not one I could describe, but its texture was slimy and rubbery. There were various carvings on the frost around me that I had made with a knife in my spare time, most of the time they depicted landscapes. They helped me stay sane for the most part, but they also reminded me of the past.


    ¡°To think I was an art student, huh¡­¡± I stared blankly at the walls. ¡°Now I am stuck becoming a Hero or whatever.¡±


    I laid back as I turned to the frosty ceiling.


    ¡°This sucks.¡±


    Being honest, I was growing fond of the feeling of constantly growing stronger and becoming better, but at the same time, there was a constant dread and pressure to survive. As far as returning home, I didn¡¯t know if it was possible but I still held hope.


    I stared at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity before I shook my head and let out a deep sigh. My situation was depressing.


    I couldn¡¯t remember what normal food tasted like anymore, and if by some miracle I returned I still had no family to turn to. It was a bit complicated, but they hadn¡¯t been in my life for a while now, so if I returned; ignoring how I would solve my disappearance, nothing much awaited me.


    I finished eating as I simply just grabbed my dagger and picked a random unused spot on the walls. Right now, all there was to do was wait and rest. The System and its monsters, in my experience, were random, so there was no use in worrying about them. At least, I had grown numb to that worry after a while.


    And so, I busied myself carving on the ice.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    [ Processing finished! ]


    I blinked to the floating screen in my vision, as I was immediately reminded of the reality I was in, and that I was stuck in a desolate land. My mood went from okay to just plain bad. Still¡­


    What had the System finished processing?


    [ Congratulations Arc! Your performance during training has been evaluated to be extraordinary and therefore training will be expedited. ]


    I blinked while reading the message. ¡°Expedited¡­?¡±


    There was some excitement, that meant that I wouldn¡¯t be here for as long as I was meant to be here, right? Things would go faster. But my excitement immediately turned into horror as the next screen appeared within my vision.


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    [ Monsters have been upgraded to D Tier! ]


    ¡°W-Wait!¡± I stammered dropping my knife. ¡°D Tier?! Isn¡¯t that?¡ª doesn¡¯t that mean that?¡ª¡±


    And a deep roar echoed through the cave system and I shivered. I hurriedly stood up and reached for my spear as I held it tight.


    I hardly understood the laws of this world, but if I had learne danything, it was that the difference between Tiers was¡­ I didn¡¯t know how big the gap was, but the notification was bad news.


    And at that moment, from afar in the distant tunnels, I saw it?¡ª


    [Lesser Alkline Wolf. Tier: D]


    My eyes went wide seeing the azure-furred monster.


    Were all the monsters in this place wolves??!


    The Lesser Alkline Wolf immediately met my gaze and rushed in my direction with growls of anger. And within his maw, there was magic. The air glittered like stardust as frost gathered at its maw, the sight made me shiver as I prepared to dodge, and it fired?¡ª


    A blast of ice was sent in my direction as I hurriedly moved out of the way. In an instant, the ice wall behind me was blasted with flakes of frost as it turned into a deformity of ice spikes. My head craned in the direction of the Lesser Alkline Wolf who was already pouncing towards me?¡ª


    [Quick Step]!


    With a swift dash of a Skill, I got out of the way and I brandished my spear. I wasn¡¯t planning on dying just yet?¡ª [Frenzied Whirlwind]!


    My spear stabbed numerous times into the side of the wolf as it let out a miserable shriek of pain, drawing blood in an instant through punctured holes, then drawing it back once more my muscles tensed?¡ª


    [Fatal Surge]!


    And I punched a fist-sized hole through the Alkline Wolf with a burst of blood. The beast shrieked in pain as frost mist gathered around it and before I could react ice spikes were shot my way.


    I dodged, but one still grazed my side making me grunt in pain. Immediately, the warmth of blood spread down my ribs and I let out a breath.


    ¡°Fuck.¡±


    The monster not letting go of its opportunity, immediately pounced in my direction as I dragged myself out of the way, and this time, I felt it?¡ª I saw it?¡ª all of my instincts screamed?¡ª opportunity. The azure beast flew through the air as I readied my spear and tensed my muscles, following a feeling?¡ª


    [Ancient Blow]!


    My spear blurred and pierced through the neck of the Alkline Wolf, drawing back my spear I followed with another skill?¡ª [Frenzied Whirlwind].


    I stabbed numerous times through the Alkline Wolf, I grinned knowing that I could soon finish this?. So what if it was D Tier? I had more battle experience than some feral wolf. I was better and more intelligent, there was no reason for me to lose?!


    Drawing a deep breath, my whole body tensed?¡ª


    [Immediate Impalation]!


    And the spear vanished, clashed against the wolf as I felt its ribs break and its organs split, the spear went halfway into the wolf as it screeched before being violently pulled back with a burst of blood.


    The beast quivered and then, the air glittered. All my instincts blared danger as I watched with wide eyes.


    [Quick Step]?¡ª  Ice spikes exploded around the Alkline Wolf with a mist of frost. I was immediately blasted and thrown back.


    I cursed feeling the burning pain on my stomach as I dislodged a single ice spike from there. Then I turned to the Alkline Wolf which was wobbling as it stared at me, frost gathering at its maw.


    It was over.


    I raised my spear?, my arm muscles tensing¡ª [Throw of Death]!?¡ª and the spear was launched. Blurring through the air, it immediately hit the wolf through the head with a burst of blood and gore, bits of bones flew through the air as the spear impaled the monster onto the ground.


    And finally, the notifications came.


    [ You have defeated: Lesser Alkline Wolf. Tier: D. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    ¡­


    [ You have acquired a Skill: Ice Creation. Tier: D. ]


    It was finally dead. I sighed in relief. I had killed a D Tier monster.


    I stared at the notifications, finally landing on the skill. That sounded like magic. But before I could try anything another notification came.


    [ You have received Tier: E. Potion: Health. ]


    And a familiar flask dropped onto the ground with a flash of light. Without hesitation, I grabbed it and drank its tasteless liquid as my wounds immediately began to itch and slowly regenerate. Then, I focused on what was important.


    I had gained a skill.


    And just like all others, it had a familiar feeling. A very cold one, almost imaginative. I followed it and immediately found ice forming in my hand, one that I could shape according to my desires and was much harder than regular ice. Within seconds I found I could even make an ice spear in no time, it was natural to me.


    I blinked.


    ¡°Is this¡­ magic?¡ª¡±


    And familiar bellows shook the cave as I turned towards the distance. My wounds were almost healing when I saw three of them.


    [Lesser Alkline Wolf. Tier: D]


    [Lesser Alkline Wolf. Tier: D]


    [Lesser Alkline Wolf. Tier: D]


    I would survive this challenge.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I continued to slay the Lesser Alkline Wolves that came my way, at first it had been hard to deal with them in groups, but as I grew more used to Ice Creation everything became gradually easier, even after my adversaries became stronger.


    Impaled right through.


    [ You have defeated: Alkline Wolf. Tier: D. ]


    Stabbed by dozens of ice spears.


    [ You have defeated: Alkline Wolf. Tier: D. ]


    Frozen to death¡­


    [ You have defeated: Alkline Wolf. Tier: D. ]


    I tried all ways I could think of to kill them, all to learn magic.


    ¡­


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I learned more skills as I grew stronger.


    [ You have defeated: Alkline Wolf. Tier: D. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have acquired a Skill: Weak Death Frost. Tier: D. ]


    ¡­


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Then, those skills helped me reach new heights.


    A dozen of dead Elder Alkline Wolves surrounded me, they had all died gruesome deaths, frost flaking off their bodies with artifacts of ice jutting out of them. Dried blood littered the ground, and in the middle, I stood victorious as I stared at the System notification.


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have ascended to D Tier. ]


    ¡­


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I faced monsters I had never seen before; twisted abominations of snow and ice, elementals, hybrids, yetis, but I killed them all. Every battle was hard fought, but even after everything I survived.


    Blood trailed down my body as I was on the border of passing out. A single sword of ice hung from my hand, and around me there was multicolored blood, remains of purple snow, and flakes of blue ice.


    Dead monsters.


    [ You have defeated: Erima Yeti. Tier: C. ]


    [ You have defeated: Lesser Ice Elemental. Tier: C. ]


    [ You have defeated: Lesser Apparition. Tier: C. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ Skill Weak Deathfrost has become: Lesser Death Frost. Tier: C. ]


    ¡­


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I continued to grow.


    Before me laid a gigantic monster, one that was twice as tall as me and stood on four legs with crystal-like horns. Akin to a moose of ice. Blood pooled at my feet as I stared at the notification in front of me.


    [ You have ascended to C Tier. ]


    [ Skill Ice Creation has become: Greater Ice Creation. Tier: C. ]


    ¡­


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And it didn¡¯t stop there as I clawed through the Tiers. Struggling for my life with every single encounter and growing stronger.


    [ You have defeated: Ice Elemental. Tier: B. ]


    [ You have defeated: Ice Elemental. Tier: B. ]


    [ You have defeated: Ice Elemental. Tier: B. ]


    ¡­


    [ You have ascended to B Tier. ]


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And slowly, I adapted to life here.


    I sat in the commodity of my ¡°home¡±, a small isolated cavity that was filled with monster furs and ice furniture that never seemed to melt. It wasn¡¯t much, but I had a bed and had found comfort in this frosted hell.


    I didn¡¯t know how long had passed since I had gotten here, but day by day I was growing stronger, overcoming new challenges and slowly getting closer to my goal.


    To defeat the Overlord.

 Chapter. 3: Freedom

    I couldn¡¯t remember what home was like.


    And perhaps, it didn¡¯t matter. So long had passed that my life before getting to this place was a blur at this point. However, I still wanted to leave this place, this land of frost, and see what was waiting for me out there. I knew this place like the back of my hand after all, and it wasn¡¯t very big with a thick mist signaling the end of it.


    I couldn¡¯t leave this place, wherever I was, it was akin to an isolated small snowy region, any attempt at going past the border was met with an invisible force that I couldn¡¯t break or go past.


    The only way to leave this place was to kill the Overlord. And after so long, I was going to finally do it. I had grown so much stronger, the System stopped sending monsters not too long ago, and now, my preparations were coming to an end.


    I had trained, refined my skills, learned the intricacies of my magic abilities, stared death in the eyes more times than I could count, and finally, I could see the fruits of my suffering. Now I had gone past superhuman and was stronger than I could have ever imagined.


    [ Status: Hero. Name: Arc. Level: 148. Tier: S. Attributes: Unavailable. ]


    Tiers. A representation of strength. The culmination of all the levels of a being, and the divider between the strong and the strongest.


    And now, I stood a single step away from the next Tier. There were no monsters that could help me cross it, no training that would make me stronger, there was only one thing that would help me now.


    Killing the Overlord.


    And once I did that, I would be free. Everything would come to an end; this long-lasting nightmare, this¡­ everything.


    I closed my eyes for a moment and stood up, my surroundings were lined with felt and carefully carved ice furniture, a proper living space that I was now leaving behind.


    So much had changed even while being here. I touched my now-white hair for a moment before shaking my head and walking down the tunnel.


    "Everything has come to this," I whispered to myself. "All my struggles will finally be rewarded."


    The time without monsters was spent observing and testing the Overlord with traps and random attacks, and now, I was more than ready.


    I walked down the icy cave walls, parting from the place I had called home for a very long time and heading towards the exit of the underground. On my way there I saw things of the past; dried blood, bones of monsters, and even my first weapon; the training spear.


    I made my way past everything as I quickly found the upwards slope of the cave, and soon, I found myself on the icy plains. A place I rarely if ever visited, because after all, the apex predator was here?¡ª


    I side-stepped and the ground exploded next to me as a pillar of ice struck deep into the snow. A small smile appeared on my face as I turned to look at the shadowed figure in the distance, magic already gathering at its hands.


    A furred body like a yeti, a head reminiscent of a horse with the horns of a moose, and bright red eyes. It was none other than the final boss of practice. My last opponent.


    [The Overlord: Tier: S]


    ¡°Missed me?¡± I asked with a wide grin as I heard a roar in the distance.


    Frost gathered at my fingertips as a ghastly sword of ice appeared, mist everflowing from its surface as I jumped towards the Overlord, shattering the ground beneath me with an explosion of ice.


    Hundreds of meters were crossed in an instant, and just as I was about to arrive the Overlord launched another pillar of ice in my direction. I swung through the air. Immediately slicing it in half with a spin, numerous skills were used in tandem as the two pieces of ice fell to the ground.


    My body elegantly spun as I carried into yet another crescent slash?, the ice sword sparkling with magic¡ª [Ice Aura], [Death Rend], [Haunting Sharpness]?¡ª Many more skills piled on top of one another as I swiped.


    With a flash, a torrent of blue blood exploded from the Overlord as it let out a deep bellow of pain. I landed on the ground with a roll as the sword of ice was dismissed into non-existence.


    This was everything I could have desired and more.


    With a flick of my fingers, [Ice Creation] erupted a pillar at the feet of the Overlord instantly making it lose balance as the gigantic beast screeched. But at that moment, I saw magic. The air turned to a beautiful static as I froze for a moment.


    The temperature dropped below freezing, and in an instant, a blizzard erupted. Ice shards flew through the air, instantly cutting my skin and cheeks as I smiled, blood dripping into my mouth as I flicked my fingers, calling forth the perfect skill.


    ¡°[Frost Purge].¡±


    And everything returned to normal in a single second as the Overlord unleashed another roar, magic coalescing around its body as I simply smiled.


    I had prepared. I had spent hours if not days looking through all my skills and practicing, looking for the most destructive and effective skills to use against the Overlord. And now that it was before me, there was no way for me to lose. A loud laugh escaped my mouth.


    ¡°I have anticipated this for so long!¡±


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    I raised my hand into the air as I could feel my magic draining, the temperature above me shifting as I used one of my strongest skills.


    ¡°And now, I am finally going to reap my reward! ?¡ª[Judgment of the Ice God]!¡± My thrill-filled voice echoed as I brought my hand down.


    The air ruptured, and a spear the size of a building fell from the sky, impaling the Overlord with a burst of blue blood and a terrifying screech of pain. The gigantic S Tier final boss of this place thrashed on the ground as I basked in its misery.


    ¡°Soon, I will leave!¡±


    And at that moment the Overlord roared, a primal roar that shook the land, and before I could react a pillar of ice impaled me as I was sent flying through the air. I hit the ground with an explosion of snow, rolling through it as drops of blood fell from my mouth. I looked down only to see chunks of ice falling from my body.


    It was a skill called [Armor of Perma-frost], also S Tier, but it had been practically cracked right through in a single attack. It was insanity, but I began to laugh. I expected no less from the Overlord. It could kill me in its next attack for all I knew, but the thrill of battle kept me from panicking, I had anticipated this, I had anticipated everything.


    After a moment, I got back up and saw the Overlord looking at me in the distance, the beast had a gaping hole in its chest from my previous attack.


    Its eyes had turned yellow as it locked onto me, and with a growl the entire place became enshrouded in a blizzard of razor-sharp ice flakes. And then, in front of me, figures of ice began to appear. Familiar monsters made out of ice, except these ones seemed much stronger.


    [Apparition of the Overlord. Tier: S]


    [Apparition of the Overlord. Tier: S]


    [Apparition of the Overlord. Tier: S]


    ¡­


    Dozens surrounded me, but it didn¡¯t matter. I simply summoned a sword of ice and muttered under my breath. I had prepared for this day for so long, even before monsters had stopped coming. Long before practicing my other skills, I already knew how to deliver the killing blow. In a whisper I called.


    ¡°[God Step].¡±


    The world blurred around me as I immediately appeared next to the Overlord. The beast immediately turned to me to stomp me, but before it could do that, I jumped into the air. The snow burst beneath me as I immediately faced down on the Overlord.


    This was everything I had prepared myself for.


    The mighty being that had once terrified me was looking up at me with beady eyes, its horns shone as I heard a deep growl.


    This was my reward.


    I saw more magic than ever before gather as I called out every single skill I knew to make my blow more powerful.


    [Ice Aura]¡ª [Haunting Sharpness]?¡ª [Blessing of the Ice God]¡ª [Gift of Frost]¡ª


    The list continued on as the sword of ice shone with a radiant light, the Overlord gathered more magic than ever before as it prepared its attack, but it was useless as I muttered my strongest skill.


    ¡°[Stasis]...¡±


    And for a moment, time itself froze.


    This was¡­


    I swiped¡ª


    My freedom!


    Time resumed and a scintillating light flashed through the landscape. Everything around the overlord exploded as the ground was carved into a large ravine, and then blood burst from the creature¡¯s neck as its colossal head slid off from its body.


    The Overlord tumbled back.


    Dead.


    I landed on the ground with deep breaths.


    Suddenly, everything around me became quiet as the climate itself cleared and I saw the sun for the first time. However, I didn¡¯t care about it much as I began to shed some tears.


    ¡°Yes!¡± I screamed.


    I fell to the ground, my magic almost completely exhausted from that.


    It was over.


    And then, the System notifications came.


    [ You have defeated: The Overlord. Tier: S. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    ¡­


    [ You have ascended to the Tier of Heroes: SS. ]


    [ As a boon all your skills have been upgraded to SS Tier ]


    ¡­


    Even though those weren¡¯t supposed to be the main news, I couldn¡¯t help but pause. As soon as the notifications appeared, I felt better; well rested almost. Not only that, but all my skills became infinitely more strong?¡ª


    And then, another screen flashed.


    [ Congratulations Arc. ]


    [ You have become a Hero and can now fulfill your duties of protecting E????????r???????r???????????o???????????r and maintaining the E????????r???????r???????????o???????????r????????????????? and purging the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n??????????. ]


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I forgot you did¡­ that¡­¡±


    The text continued.


    [ You have officially become a Hero and are now crowned as the Heroine of Frost. ]


    [ You have completed Hero Practice in a record time of: 5 Years, 134 days, 22 hours, and 20 minutes¡­ ]


    Reading the text made me feel sick to my stomach as I digested what it had just said.


    ¡°So¡­ long¡­?¡± For a moment I felt empty. ¡°I¡¯ve been here for¡­ Five years? Five years of constant fighting, five years of suffering to stay alive¡­¡±


    It was¡­


    I didn¡¯t know how to feel.


    I really didn¡¯t know how to feel.


    Even now, I hoped that the things it was saying were a sick joke, but the System continued disregarding my feelings.


    [ Having completed practice you can now go to E????????r???????r???????????o???????????r????????????????? and fulfill your duties. ]


    At that moment a black hole appeared just a few meters away from me. I could see swirling particles of magic inside, almost like a portal. And at that moment, I knew that was the exit. That was, freedom.


    I already knew I wasn¡¯t going to return home, and well, I didn¡¯t really care. I didn¡¯t have anything to return to, and perhaps even better prospects awaited me in this new Error place. But still, the fact that I had spent half a decade just killing shit, consumed me.


    What happened now?


    The duties I had were basically glitched text, with no information about them. So that meant that once I left this, I would be¡­


    Free.


    I was stronger than ever too, so I had to be able to fend for myself in case of danger from monsters. Perhaps¡­ the five years hadn¡¯t been a waste. I stared at my surroundings, at the land of frost with a scarce dead forest surrounding me.


    For five years I called this place home.


    But now¡­


    I smiled somewhat bitterly, it was a mixed bag. ¡°I want to see what this world has to offer, and maybe find a home.¡±


    Though, even though I said it out loud I understood it was going to be hard. Because even if I didn¡¯t want to admit it, these five years had been¡­ enjoyable. Not the torture, but the constant fighting was something that made me happy in a strange way. I wasn¡¯t going to go seeking out battles, but if one occurred, I definitely wasn¡¯t going to shy away from it.


    The realization made me laugh.


    ¡°I really changed.¡±


    I shook my head before standing up and walking towards the portal. I paused right in front of it as I looked back to the land of frost.


    ¡°I¡¯ll miss this home.¡±


    And then, I stepped into the portal.

 Chapter. 6: Absurdities

    Guide her in this world¡­? Ceylon hardly understood what Arc meant. She couldn¡¯t even agree to something so cryptic, still she hesitated.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Arc smiled. ¡°As I said, I don¡¯t know anything about this world, so you¡¯ll help me with that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything¡­?¡± Ceylon paused. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible?¡ª¡±


    And she recalled something, otherworlders were¡­ a thing. It was nothing more than an ancient legend that heroes were summoned from another world in order to fight by the System itself. So maybe¡­


    ¡°Are you a hero?¡±


    Arc answered with a small frown, offended by the question. ¡°Why would a hero make an offer like this?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Ceylon shrunk back.


    What was she even doing?


    Ceylon slowly untensed. She was throwing away her only opportunity to claw out of her family situation just out of curiosity. It wasn¡¯t even whether Arc was trustworthy or not, that was out of the question. She had been saved twice at this point, and for little to no reason.


    At this moment Ceylon needed all the help she could receive, and she already owed her life to Arc, so even worrying about whether the young woman in front of her had ulterior motives was pointless. And so, Ceylon made her decision, nodding with a small smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll guide you.¡±


    The white haired young woman smiled, proffering her hand. ¡°Good.¡±


    Ceylon grabbed it, this time not shying away from its ice-like feeling as she slowly stood up.


    ¡°Thank you¡­ Arc.¡±


    * * * * *


    I stared at the noble girl, she looked almost relieved as she dusted her dress off just a bit.


    ¡°So, now you can tell me, what do you need help with?¡±


    And Ceylon tensed, stopping mid action before her shoulders dropped. ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated, but I do think I owe you an explanation.¡±


    ¡°I mean if you don¡¯t want to share it¡¯s okay, just tell me what to expect,¡± I tried easing her, but she just shook her head.


    ¡°I believe that honesty is important.¡±


    Ceylon hesitated as she began to walk forward, lightly gesturing for me to follow after her. I saw her ignore her injuries as she began to speak.


    ¡°I come from a very well off family, with my father having the nobility title of Earl. Which is about middle to high nobility,¡± she explained. ¡°Normally that would guarantee a prosperous and fulfilling life, but¡­¡±


    Her fists tightened.


    ¡°The King just passed away of old age, and with no successor in line for the throne, everyone is vying for the position of king. Unlike other countries, here in Draliz, our positions are determined by assets and wealth. It¡¯s not abnormal for higher ranked nobles to assimilate the wealth of lower rank nobles through underhanded means.¡±


    And a very loud sigh left her.


    ¡°As my father is an Earl our family would normally be untouched, even during such a chaotic time with little to no order, the problem is a Grand Duke decided to target our house¡­¡±


    I nodded. ¡°So, he wants to assimilate your family?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± She gritted her teeth. ¡°However, he plans on doing it by wiping any trace of Arlow in the first place. He just wants our assets. Our lands constantly get attacked, our distant relatives have long been assassinated, and just now there was an attempt on my life.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°That is why I was sent on a journey to seek help from a mysterious figure. One who calls themselves the Hermit. A person that has multitudes of feats to their name, and hopefully¡­¡± She placed her hand on her chest. ¡°I can ask for his help.¡±


    ¡°All to avoid this Grand Duke, which is¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the highest rank below the King.¡± Ceylon sighed. ¡°If there is a terrifying figure backing us, he wouldn¡¯t dare lay his hands on us.¡±


    And at that moment, I saw a small tear come from her eye. Truth be told, I had heard her cry in the forest, I had heard her mutters and sobbing. The situation was¡­ bad. But thankfully, I was here and could do something about it. Perhaps, I was offering help too readily, but I was fond of Ceylon for simply being the first person I had an actual real interaction with.


    She also seemed to have a lot of burdens thrust upon her without choice, and I could relate to that. I never chose to train for five years or become a hero, but here I was.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you get to the Hermit.¡± I nodded. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Though,¡± I began. ¡°Aren¡¯t you too young to be traveling alone?¡±


    Ceylon shook her head with a small smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m a fully grown adult, eighteen to be exact.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. ¡°I thought you were younger.¡±


    Ceylon let out a small laugh as we continued walking.


    ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡± And then she turned to me. ¡°I have to ask now. How old are you, Arc?¡±


    I thought for a few moments, deciding to add the years spent in training. ¡°Twenty four.¡±


    Ceylon let out a small surprised breath. ¡°I thought you were younger.¡±


    I smiled for a moment. ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡±


    ¡°You should, I¡¯d say you would look younger than me with different clothes,¡± Ceylon chirped.


    I thought about it for a moment. ¡°Maybe one day¡­¡±


    The atmosphere became a relaxed silence as we walked together before finally Ceylon decided to say something, but it wasn¡¯t something I expected.


    ¡°I have a random question Arc, why are you so cold?¡± I paused for a moment before she clarified. ¡°I mean that in a literal sense.¡±


    I wryly smiled. ¡°Do you want to know?¡±


    She nodded eagerly as I let out a small breath.


    ¡°I suppose I owe you a small story.¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And I began to explain that after learning a certain amount of frost and ice related magic my body just became different, and that included my temperature. I also mentioned the changes to my hair and eyes, which made Ceylon confused as she noted that magic shouldn¡¯t do that, but I shrugged and simply continued to tell her about things.


    How cold was natural to me, that almost no temperature bothered me from the little I had experienced in terms of warmth.


    I let out a deep breath. ¡°I suppose things are just like that for me, I can control it to some extent but I don¡¯t think I can have a warm touch or anything.¡±


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ceylon slowly nodded. ¡°That is quite¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I can relate to having to deal with circumstances you are not prepared with, and the burden you¡¯re carrying. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not easy for you either.¡±


    Ceylon paused and slowly nodded. ¡°It¡¯s not. Thank you Arc, I¡­ appreciate that.¡±


    I stared at her for a moment, it was¡­ fulfilling to have conversations and learn more about each other. Ceylon was a kind girl, not really the image of noble that I had in mind?¡ª then again, it my perception was definitely skewed since earth wasn¡¯t medieval.


    ¡°So, how far away is the closest town?¡± I asked.


    Ceylon pondered for a moment. ¡°Maybe two days away at this pace?¡±


    ¡°I see.¡± I stared at the stars above us. ¡°Do you want to get there in just a few minutes?¡±


    Contrary to expectations, Ceylon shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean, but even if we could shorten the trip to a few hours, I¡¯d like to take this time to relax. At the same time, if the Grand Duke doesn¡¯t see me arrive at the next town in the following days, perhaps he¡¯ll determine the assassination to be successful.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°And well, maybe not the best thing to say but I¡¯d like to get to know you better.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s take our time then.¡±


    * * * * *


    Ceylon expected a lot of things from this two day journey, after all, she was going to spend so long with the person helping her, someone who was quite mysterious to her. More than anything, she hoped for guidance and to find the situation enriching.


    Ceylon didn¡¯t know how strong Arc was, however, she was certainly sure that Arc was at least B Tier, and even though they weren¡¯t the strongest. B Tier individuals were strong. They were considered commanders in armies, they would take on important solo missions for the country, they would be the elite of the elite.


    The general populace was the lowest rank after all, though those that stepped beyond were still generally E Tier, and it just got rarer from there.


    And yet, Ceylon wasn¡¯t entirely sure if Arc was B Tier, it had been too easy for her to defeat the C Tier mercenaries, so perhaps, just maybe, Arc was¡­


    A Tier.


    Generals of whole armies. Celebrities. Fabled adventurers with dozens of achievements under their name. Most A Tier individuals were well-known throughout the Kingdom.


    Ceylon swallowed.


    If Arc was A Tier¡­ What kind of experiences would I get traveling along with her?


    She couldn¡¯t wait!


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Ceylon stared at the sight before aghast.


    She expected a lot of things, but this¡­


    Arc was sitting on a log in front of her, and she was eating raw meat. Ceylon just stared as Arc gave her a weird gaze.


    ¡°Are you not going to eat?¡±


    Ceylon broke out of her stupor. ¡°Raw meat?! No!¡± she cried as she looked at the four legged dead monster. ¡°Also don¡¯t Linue¡¯s have poisonous meat and their fluids have a paralysis effect? Even being touched by one could be dangerous, and you are¡­¡±


    Ceylon watched as Arc munched on the raw meat of the animal.


    ¡°Just eating poison and paralysis reagents¡­¡±


    Arc shrugged in response. ¡°It must not be poisonous if I can eat it just fine.¡±


    Ceylon watched more as her stomach churned at the gross sight. Linue were considered cute monsters, but the one before her had been torn apart as if ravaged by a terrible beast.


    ¡°Are you not going to cook it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any way to do so,¡± she replied simply.


    Ceylon opened her mouth and promptly closed it again watching what was unfolding in front of her.


    This was the experience she was so excited about¡­?


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And the oddities didn¡¯t end there. Just a few hours later of traveling they were ready for bed, and¡­


    Ceylon blinked looking at Arc lying down on the grass.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have camping equipment¡­?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± she replied uncaringly.


    Ceylon paused as she slowly laid on the moist and filthy grass. Then she turned to the stars above as confusion filled her mind.


    Was this how strong people lived¡­?


    Still, somehow she managed to fall asleep just from how exhausted she was.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Ceylon woke up only to turn and immediately freeze.


    [Linue. Tier: D]


    [Linue. Tier: D]


    [Linue. Tier: D]


    Three. Three Linues were attacking Arc with their paralytic licks. Ceylon couldn¡¯t do anything as she watched the three merciless monsters go for the kill, but at that moment, Arc awoke with a yawn and a small chuckle.


    ¡°Stop licking me¡­¡±


    After a moment, all three monsters ran away, and Ceylon just blinked.


    She was fine after all of that¡­?


    And Ceylon just fell back on the grass, disbelieving the absurdity of the situation.


    ¡°Hey are you okay?¡± Arc called concerned, but she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to respond as she stared at the sky.


    Just¡­ what was going on?


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Thankfully the day continued as normal without weird occurrences. They walked for a few hours until?¡ª Ceylon¡¯s stomach growled.


    Arc turned to her in concern. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to eat something? Look, I found these berries in the forest.¡±


    Ceylon looked at the palm of the young woman¡¯s hand only to see frozen purple beads. She recognized the berries Arc was talking about. They were all over the Black Forest, but at this point Ceylon didn¡¯t have the energy to overreact anymore. Instead, a single sigh left her.


    ¡°Those are poisonous¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Arc asked with some surprise. ¡°They taste pretty good, better than raw meat at least.¡±


    Those words made Ceylon just shake her head with exasperation.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand, it¡¯s like¡­¡± And she just stopped. ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like?¡± The white haired woman raised her brow. ¡°I can take your criticisms.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it¡¯s just savage I guess¡­¡± Ceylon said hesitantly. ¡°I don¡¯t understand how you can sleep on grass just fine, ignore monster attacks and eat poisonous food and still be uncaring of it. I can understand resisting it, but you¡¯re even enjoying this¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Arc shook her head looking at the sky. ¡°I am just used to not having these things, so all of this is new to me. Hence I enjoy it.¡± She scratched her head. ¡°Sorry it bothers you.¡±


    Ceylon listened for a moment. ¡°Right, you said you didn¡¯t know anything¡­¡±


    But after a few seconds Arc¡¯s statement resounded louder and louder in her mind. Why was she even bothered by the absurdity of the events? No one had been harmed. And she wasn¡¯t even the victim¡­


    At the same time even if she was hungry she expected to not eat anything for these two days; it¡¯s not like she was jealous of Arc¡¯s eating habits, so¡­


    What was she getting bothered about? It was childish, and more than anything immature and truly ungrateful.


    Ceylon reprimanded herself before calling out.


    ¡°Arc.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± The white haired woman replied with her usual carefree tone.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for judging you over all of this, it¡¯s just new to me and I guess I just¡­¡± Ceylon trailed off before shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    There was a brief silence as Ceylon felt a pit of her stomach, but then she got a reply.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Arc smiled. ¡°I have enough common sense to understand that it¡¯s a bit absurd that I eat raw meat, and the fact that I¡¯m eating poisonous things doesn¡¯t make it any better.¡± She threw a berry in her mouth. ¡°So it¡¯s okay to be a bit bothered. Don¡¯t worry about it, Ceylon.¡±


    Ceylon paused, feeling a sudden sense of warmth. Perhaps it was because whenever she made a mistake in the past she would be harshly punished, but instead she had just been forgiven. It was something new to her, but feeling the warmth on her chest truly made her happy.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± She turned back to the road. ¡°Let¡¯s continue our journey then?¡±


    Arc smiled. ¡°Sure. How about you tell me a bit more of the town we are about to arrive in?¡±


    ¡°Ah I don¡¯t know anything about this town in particular¡­¡± Ceylon sheepishly smiled, and after a moment she quickly picked herself up. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you about towns in general!¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s hear about that.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so first is the town walls¡­¡±


    And Ceylon quickly began to explain everything she knew regarding towns.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    The day came to an end rather quickly, and this time Ceylon slept on the grass without being bothered. And when she woke up, she saw a familiar bizarre sight.


    [Linue. Tier: D]


    [Emenue. Tier: C]


    [Linue. Tier: D]


    ¡­


    Five. This time five Linues were attacking Arc, and this time, there were two evolved variants. It was a sight that would¡¯ve scared Ceylon to death just a day ago, but now instead of being mortified, or even panicking at the sight of the monsters. She laughed at the amount of monsters surrounding her companion as she herself groggily awoke.


    There were just too many of them!


    There was confusion, a lot of confusion from Arc and Ceylon got to enjoy all of it. But, soon they all left after realizing their attacks were pointless.


    ¡°They keep multiplying¡­¡± Arc murmured and Ceylon chuckled in response.


    ¡°You must be quite delicious for them.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡± Arc sighed. ¡°I guess so¡­¡±


    Ceylon smiled and stood up, offering Arc a hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go then? We should arrive today.¡±


    There was a pause and some hesitation from Arc¡¯s side before finally, she grabbed it with a small smile.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    * * * * *


    And that day, at night, we arrived at the town. We stood before the guard as he looked at us for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°You¡¯re forbidden from entering Ranedale.¡±


    I blinked, and Ceylon¡­


    ¡°What?!¡±

 Patreon Launch!

    Heya all!


    The Patreon for Arc (An OP MC Isekai LitRPG) has officially launched today! I am currently offering 15 chapters ahead for $10 patreons and 3 chapters ahead for $5 patreons, but I''ll most likely increase the tiers in the future.


    Now this may seem kind of out of nowhere, and I understand. Why would you even patreon me? Well aside from the chapters ahead, you can also support any art I commission just like this one! It''s a character sheet of Arc, our wonderful MC that everyone likes. It shows some of her soft facial expressions which I really like! I think Miko/MikoShi did a wonderful job at it.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    </a>


    Anyway, the story just came out and it''s the start of the month so no better time to sub!


    And as a little gift, y''all can read chapter 13 for free:


    Chapter 13: Bittersweet</a>


    Read 15 chapters ahead and support me here:


    Azrie is creating Webfiction | Patreon</a>

 Quick Announcement + Some Art!

    Heya all, I''m super excited to mention that Arc is officially 20 Chapters ahead on Patreon</a>! I spent a lot of effort and energy in order to increase it all at once! So by this I mean, there are now an extra five chapters at once, rather than having to slowly wait for me to build it up, they are there right now!


    Anyway, I know not everyone is interested in that so I figured I''d show some more art of Arc, some of it is Midjourney, but there is also a sketch from Miko (the artist of the character sheet) which I really like as well.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    So, for those that aren''t interested, it can be considered an art gallery. I''m just super happy to offer 20 chapters ahead so early, and for those worried for the chapter, it comes out a minute after this one is live.


    With all that said, check it out:


    Azrie is creating Webfiction | Patreon</a>

 Arc Meme Ad Contest Announcement!

    Heya all, as I said in the latest chapter, I''m working on something pretty special. And as a thank you for y''all''s amazing support and Arc''s success as a fiction, I''m excited to announce a contest for Meme Advertisements, or meme ads for short. As some of y''all have observed, there are quite a lot of user advertisements in the site, and I thought it''d be fun to host a contest for whoever makes the best meme one!


    The prize pool will be $100, and the top 3 winning ads will be ran to promote the fiction!


    The prizes are as follows:


    <blockquote>


    First-place winner - $50


    Second-place winner - $30


    Third-place winner - $20


    </blockquote>


    Multiple submissions are allowed! However, you can only win once!


    Winners will be chosen by myself and two other judges, based on factors such as; how loyal it is to the fiction, how funny it is, as well as how much potential it has as an ad. The submissions will be made via my Discord!


    The rules are relatively simple:


    1 - No NSFW or explicit ads


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    2 - Must be relevant to the story and a meme


    3 - The ad must be 300 x 250, or any resolution that fits a 6:5 aspect ratio (or is close to it).


    Be aware that failure to comply with these rules will automatically invalidate the entry, though that doesn''t mean there is a high barrier for entry, you can even draw some stick figures so long as they are funny, because it is ultimately a meme advertisement contest!


    Submissions will be closed on the 3rd of September, so there''s plenty of time to enter! A decision will be made by the 8th of September, and payment to the winners will be made by the 10th unless some complication arises. Payment will be made via PayPal and through an intermediary to avoid exposing sensitive information.


    As for those that are a bit lost on what a meme ad is, here are some examples of meme ads that Arc has!


    Once more, submissions will be made via my Discord</a> and can only be made through it in the specific channel called ''Arc-meme-contest-submission'', do not DM me submissions. Here is a discord link:


    Discord: Azrie''s Nameless Den</a>


    Thank you all for the support this far, if anyone has any questions I will be answering them in the comments below!

 Quick Announcement: Patreon Chapter Inconsistency

    Heya everyone, sorry for the unexpected announcement.


    It was recently brought to my attention that my Patreon is a few chapters behind.


    I love the success that Arc has received, and I strive to make things right in a fair way. So I want to clarify that, the schedule will not change, but I will work extra hard to restore the chapters on Patreon which kind of slipped due to life circumstances among other things.


    And well, I also want to take this space to thank you all for the amazing submissions over on discord, they have been fantastic. For those that are unaware, I am hosting a contest for Meme Ads in order to bring the communtiy together, and for everyone to have fun as well.


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The submissions are made over on my discord here:


    Discord: Azrie''s Nameless Den</a>


    And for those that are a bit lost on what I''m talking about, here is the announcement with all the details!


    Arc Meme Ad Contest Announcement!</a>


    Thank you all for your support and for taking the time to read this as well!

 Arc Ad Meme Contest Results

    Heya all sorry for the delay, it was a bit hard to make a decision and also had some life stuff going on!


    The Arc Ad Meme Contest has come to an end and it was pretty funny, I even saw a meme that I had to delete due to personal reasons even though it made me laugh a lot. That said, the person had multiple entries and was informed of the reason for deletion, so no harm done :). This is my first time hosting a contest in RoyalRoad or anywhere really, and it was a lot of fun to see the submissions. I look forward to doing more in the future.


    That said, I''ll try to give a much larger window to announce results because it was hard to coordinate judgment and other things. But I hope y''all enjoy the results as much as me!


    Without much more to say, here are the top prices:


    #1 winner: vincent/vincto - $50!


    </a>


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    #2 winner: RX_13 - $30!


    </a>


    #3 winner: hunter8k - $20!


    </a>


    There were a lot of submissions, so it took a while to decide but thank you all for participating. Worth mentioning that some memes did not fit the size requirement but were funny.


    Here are some honorable mentions, in which I''ll be giving out a discord nitro to their submitters!


    And that is all! Thank you all for participating!

 Quick Announcement + Book 2 Very Soon!

    Salvos is finally going to have a paperback and hardcover version of its book released!


    It''s something I''ve been wanting for a long time!


    As a lot of you know, or hopefully all of you, Salvos inspired me to write again after having quit for literally years. And not only that but the series has my favorite female lead of all fiction! I''d say even media. And if it weren''t for the author, MelasDelta and his fiction, Blair, Sybil, and Arc wouldn''t exist so that''s how impactful it was to me. Hence why I wish to share these news! Plus I know there are Salvos readers here too!


    Since it''s going to be through Kickstarter, it will have the highest quality it can possibly have, more details will be out later since this is just the pre-release but I''m so fucking excited so check it out.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    Salvos Book 1: An Epic LitRPG Fantasy Novel</a>


    The official launch for the Kickstarter will be the 17th of October. I hope everyone can give it a follow since it helps the Kickstarter algorithm even if you don''t plan on backing it, it will go a long way and help the fiction reach the support it needs.


    Thank you all <3


    </a>

 Chapter. 59: Start of Book 2: Dragons

    So much had happened since I came to this world. I had enjoyed a leisurely day before meeting Ceylon, the girl whose life I saved and also required my help to save her struggling noble family. She was an innocent person who had helped me in strange ways, ways that I had struggled to process until now.


    But now that she was missing after setting off with Regis¡¯karr ?¡ª the dragon whom I had fought to death on a whim and later turned out to be the Hermit ?¡ª I realized it. Her presence made me calmer or rather less likely to act on my own, but now that she was not here I had gone and done my own thing. I was an impulsive person, but without her around it was even more noticeable.


    I had fought Jake the Weapon Master, the man that dared to use my ice spear against me, and instead of killing him I had chosen to give him another ice spear in hopes he would challenge me again. I too had fought the Heroine of Spiders and defeated her SS Tier spider after surpassing my previous limits, but I guessed that was just my nature in battle. I could¡¯ve died but I kept fighting out of enjoyment.


    I enjoyed battles.


    In the end, I learned my strongest skill [Frost, Stasis, Eternity and a Prophecy], an incredibly long name for a skill, yet so incredibly strong. The Heroine of Spiders had been employed by me and taken under custody by Jake.


    Though, that had been the good outcome after fighting a hero, the bad one was the Hero of Shadows whom I had killed only to learn later he was still alive.


    I didn¡¯t know what would come from it, and it was always in the back of my mind, unknowing of what would happen. As for the Hero of Flames? ?¡ª I didn¡¯t know if making Ceylon¡¯s family the new rulers of Draliz would put me in his bad side, but if it did, then I was going to deal with him too.


    And after, I arrived at the Maw of Dragons all because Regis¡¯karr had been sent by the dragons to recruit me. I agreed with the intent to squeeze their worth, mainly get stronger via a blood ritual, but in the end it turned out to be an attempt to kill me or subdue me by the Dragon of Frost, who used arcane magic to make up for his weakness.


    However, it hadn¡¯t been enough, and in the end I won.


    I won and declared myself the new Dragon of Frost in spite of just being a human, and then became the queen of the Grand Dragon Elders through force. And now, we were here.


    I was on top of Malz, the Dragon of Shadows whom I had fought nearly to the death after she challenged me, and for some reason had asked to accompany me in my journey, but that decision had remained to be made. Now, we were heading in a direction across the ocean, a place far away from the Maw of Dragons, to one of the supposedly many entrances of the Forgotten Places.


    Places where the corruption resided, places that represented the vestiges from the age of oblivion?¡ª the time where heroes were summoned to protect the System. From my understanding the corruption originated from the System, and now due to it I was here in this world. With no actual purpose other than my own goals.


    I wasn¡¯t planning on dealing with the corruption of the System, or even fixing it, for it seemed to be completely out of my reach, so my only reason for visiting was to grow stronger. In order to protect myself from future threats; whether it was the Hero of Flames or someone else. It was all to have the strength to make my own future, even if said future was just finding a place to call home and making a living there.


    So here I was, on a journey with the other dragon elders to the Forgotten Places. A full day had passed, and now the second day was coming to an end. By the first day we crossed the Great Sea, the largest stretch of water in all of Arlas, and where the Maw of Dragons resided, then we passed by a different country; the Miri-Sunre Republic, which well I didn¡¯t bother to ask much about.


    From what I saw however, it seemed to be a desertic country with sandstone buildings that reminded me of the east of earth. Architecture was nice at least. Still, given the journey had a few more hours left I decided to call it a day and instructed all the dragons to land in the nearest place for rest.


    Without complaints all seven dragons veered off towards the desert in the night, and minutes later we landed. The Dragon of Earth erected barriers on all sides, creating a pyramid; seemingly having more common sense than Regis¡¯karr. Then, once that was done, we all settled as I touched the sand at my feet.


    It was an odd experience. I had touched sand in the long distant past, but the sensation was so foreign that I just stood there as my feet sank for a few moments before finding footing. The dragons settled around and finally, the Dragon of Earth turned to me, he had seemingly gained the position of second in command over all this time which I didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Dragon Queen of?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Arc is fine,¡± I interrupted, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. It wasn¡¯t the first time I was addressed like this, but the waters had calmed with the dragons now. ¡°You don¡¯t need to call me Dragon Queen of Frost every time you address me.¡±


    He blinked before nodding. ¡°I understand humans are¡­ different, I will try Miss Arc. As for ourselves we still will prefer you call us by our titles.¡±


    ¡°Right, I will. Thank you Dragon of Earth.¡±


    He nodded this time with a small smile. ¡°I understand that we are still adapting to these changes, but we respect your strength, and while we are still skeptical we do hope you stay true to your word.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I paused awkwardly. ¡°I was truthful when I said I was no tyrant, my only request for now is to go to the Forgotten Places. As for what I expect, I just expect loyalty as for betrayal¡­¡± I shook my head. ¡°Well we both know what happens in that case.¡±


    The Dragon of Earth nodded in agreement. ¡°Very well. As I wanted to say initially, we all will rest for the night unless you have a specific request from either or all of us.¡±


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, I want to do my own thing for today.¡±


    ¡°Alright, farewell Arc.¡± With those words and yet another nod of acknowledgement he turned around and went with the rest of the dragons.


    Meanwhile I just stood there, then took a step and was immediately distracted by the sand before deciding to just walk towards the human-sized entrance and appreciate it later. And that was when Malz out of all people called to me.


    ¡°Arc, can I come along to where you¡¯re going?¡±


    I blinked as I turned only to see the human form of Malz which again had a rather modern style of clothes, and I didn¡¯t note it before but her lipstick was black?¡ª was she goth? I was surprised for a second before I noticed she seemed nervous.


    ¡°You can,¡± I nodded.


    She somewhat lit up as I began to step away, and soon after we left the pyramid of earth, I wanted to ask.


    ¡°Dragons can choose their physical appearance right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah we can, do I look weird?¡± Malz asked somewhat confused and with a hint of nervousness.


    ¡°Not exactly that, it¡¯s very¡­ your clothes remind me of my world I guess,¡± I said, shaking my head. ¡°I find it peculiar that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is¡­¡± Her voice turned a bit quiet before a sigh left her. ¡°I copied the clothes from the Heroine of Darkness, who is now well¡­ deceased¡­ It¡¯s a very long story and from times long forgotten, but I guess I do it to honor her.¡±


    ¡°Honor her?¡± I raised my brow. ¡°I thought dragons didn¡¯t get along with heroes.¡±


    There was a brief pause as I also took in how the sand behaved as I stepped on it. Then after a moment she spoke.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t but things happened and in some way or another we kinda connected¡­¡± Malz shook her head, her voice almost quivering. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, it still saddens me to this day.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­¡± I nodded, feeling out of place ¡°Sorry for making you think about that.¡±


    Malz chuckled somewhat awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s fine really, curiosity rarely kills anyone.¡±


    I thought for a few moments, staring at the stars before finally just making a decision. It was out of my comfort zone by a long shot, but I felt like she needed to hear it. I turned and smiled at her.


    ¡°For what it¡¯s worth though, you look great in those clothes.¡±


    Malz paused, completely frozen as she just slowly nodded. For a moment I thought I saw her blush but it was hard to tell under the night, then after a moment she looked down.


    ¡°Thank you, that¡­ means a lot.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I turned away. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    And I began to walk. She stood there for a moment before breaking out of her reverie.


    ¡°Ah yeah.¡±


    I took the time to just appreciate the sand, because again, it was unfamiliar yet familiar to me, I simply just messed with it and also noted how I could even turn it into solid ground if I let my feet get cold enough. It was odd, but entertaining to me. However, I found Malz strange.


    She was different. Or treating me differently. Then again, she had changed her way of being as soon as she learned how long, or I guess little I had spent in training. Though, talking to her right now about it was weird.


    At the same time I didn¡¯t really know what to expect from her.


    ¡°Malz, I¡¯ll be going to a town, do you want to come?¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course!¡± She nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t get to visit human towns often if at all!¡±


    I smiled and offered her my hand. ¡°Grab it, so we can go.¡±


    She nodded with a smile and took a hold of my palm, then a moment later I used [God Step] as we vanished from our spot. Next we stood behind a sand dune extremely near our destination, it was a small town of the republic.


    Malz blinked. ¡°That is an incredibly impressive range for [God Step], so your boon is really that?¡±


    ¡°Is it that hard to believe?¡± I asked as I stepped over a sand dune.


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± she pondered. ¡°I guess not, you¡¯re quite amazing after all.¡±


    ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Finally, I got a view of the town, it was completely different to what I was used to. There were still the walls for sure, but they were all made of sandstone, the architecture was quite different too and was full of various carvings.


    For a moment I worried about language barriers before realizing that I could speak with Ceylon and Malz just fine, and with all the dragons really. So I brushed it to the back of my mind and walked.


    ¡°I know a bit about the Miri-Sunre Republic, do you want to know about it?¡± Malz gently asked.


    ¡°Sure I guess, could be helpful,¡± I said, shrugging.


    ¡°Well, for starters people are very independent here, and from what I know resentful too? Strength is kind of glorified you see, so it¡¯s a bit¡­ well wild. Just warning you I guess.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± I cocked my head still walking forward as Malz trailed behind. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Well, my information is outdated by a hundred years or so, so maybe don¡¯t think about it too much?¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°I guess so?¡±


    The conversation died down as we approached the town gates, there was a small line but nothing too overwhelming, though it however seemed to go into town rather than stay outside. So we just queued, unknowing of what was happening, most people in line were dark skinned barbarians or adventurers dressed in rather fancy armor, and without exception we received nasty glances.


    Oddly enough there was not a single woman in line, then again there weren¡¯t many female adventurers so I didn¡¯t think much of it.


    Time passed, and after a few minutes Malz and I found ourselves standing in front of a tall burly guard with shoddy armor and bulging muscles. The man stared us down trying to intimidate us but nothing came of it. All while people and locals surrounded us.


    Malz stood next to me, but I seemed to be the main target of attention, and then the guard spoke.


    ¡°So what is your reason to visit Lan-Ronar?¡±


    ¡°Food I guess? Want to try the cuisine?¡± I said unsure.


    He frowned. ¡°So it is not to find a man?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I blinked.


    ¡°A man, to marry,¡± he explained exasperatedly. ¡°Are you even from around here? You seem very weak.¡± He frowned.


    At that moment I felt Malz tense, but nothing happened as she continued.


    ¡°Any man around here could dominate you, you lack a lot of muscle, you clearly are a low value woman?¡ª¡±


    And a shadow hit, the guard¡¯s torso dented and in a blink he went flying, dust and tiles of sandstone flew into the air. I blinked as I realized that Malz was standing in front of me, her fist hanging in the air.


    ¡°She¡¯s not weak, nor low value, nor anything,¡± she hissed at the cloud of dust. ¡°Say that again and I will kill you.¡±


    Her voice echoed through the small plaza, everyone was looking at us in surprise, clearly not expecting the sudden aggression. A commotion had started without me wanting it to, and now all attention was on us.


    This is bad¡­


    And then, contrary to my expectations every single observer broke out into cheers.

 Chapter. 60: Chosen One

    What even was going on?


    I saw the people in the surroundings shriek in excitement, all cheering for Malz out of all people, and meanwhile, Malz. My temporary dragon companion. Stood there, as she returned to standing straight, confusion flashing through her face.


    ¡°Eh?¡±


    Meanwhile, one of the men to the side called.


    ¡°Damn girl you¡¯re strong!¡±


    ¡°Strong?¡± A woman to his side asked. ¡°She¡¯s stronger than you!¡±


    And at that moment arguments erupted as Malz slowly backed, ending up next to me. She seemed nervous, almost uncomfortable.


    ¡°I know that it was impulsive to do that¡­¡± she began in a whisper towards me. ¡°But, what are we supposed to do now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t even understand their reactions¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because of what I said earlier¡­?¡± Malz asked quietly. ¡°Maybe their way of being hasn¡¯t changed?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Hey girly!¡± A man called towards me.


    I turned only to see a bald bearded burly man, one with half an armor and a big club. He was walking slowly, looking down on me as the passerby made way for his wide frame. His condescending gaze was enough to tick me off, but I simply stared back until finally he stopped before me.


    ¡°So, you must be stronger than the other missy if she¡¯s your follower.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°She¡¯s not my follower.¡±


    He raised his brow and turned to Malz. ¡°Are you not her follower?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ complicated¡­¡±


    I blinked surprised by her reply, but the man turned to me once more.


    ¡°Well there you go.¡± He grinned. ¡°I challenge you to a duel, and if you lose then I want you to become my wife.¡±


    My brain stopped for a moment, making sure I registered what had just been said to me. Finally, as the gears turned inside of my head all I could do was let out a confused sound.


    ¡°Ha? What?¡±


    ¡°What scared?¡± He smirked, stroking his beard. ¡°Normally I wouldn¡¯t force anyone to duel me, but with a beauty such as you.¡± His lascivious gaze made its way through my body, I shivered in disgust, my body tensing as he licked his lips. ¡°I¡¯ll make an exception?¡ª¡±


    I punched. My fist dented the armor, his chest caved in and?¡ª the man went flying with a cloud of dust. He hit multiple people in the crowd and kept going, pieces of armor were flung into the air before finally he hit a building, sending a shock through the ground.


    A sigh of relaxation left me as I stared at my somewhat trembling hand. That was annoying. My eyes closed and?¡ª there were no cheers, just an eerie silence. Enough for me to feel like I had done something wrong. My eyes opened and saw people looking at me, their expressions weird, almost unsure of whether what I had done was good or not.


    Finally a man pointed at me, his lips trembling.


    ¡°She has¡­ she has defeated the strongest warrior of Lan-Ronar!¡±


    Huh? However people still didn¡¯t cheer, almost conflicted about what had just happened. I looked towards the rubble and failed to see the man?¡ª had he been S Tier or something? Then finally, someone spoke up.


    ¡°S-She must be the Chosen One!¡±


    ¡°The Chosen One?¡± I asked in confusion.


    What the fuck was even going on now?


    People broke out into whispers, Malz seemed unsure of what was going on as she stood there, just taking the situation. The sand of the desert blew through the town as more and more people gathered asking what was going on; and once it was filled in to them they too would also stare at me with a mix of amazement and nervousness, engaging in gossip with the other people.


    I took in the situation, so did my companion, before finally she spoke.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best we leave, we shouldn¡¯t get involved with the locals?¡ª¡±


    ¡°The Chosen One¡­¡± A hoarse voice echoed through the air, interrupting everything. ¡°Is said to be a stranger, a foreigner from a faraway land whose strength is incomprehensible, and more than anything¡­¡±


    People from the crowd began to split as I saw the burly man from earlier gripping onto his chest, his mouth bleeding and his back hunched, all while he was glaring at me.


    [Bludgeoneer. Tier: A].


    ¡°Is a woman¡­¡±


    The Chosen One is a woman?


    I blinked. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Malz be considered the Chosen One too?¡± I pointed at her with my thumb. ¡°She¡¯s more than strong enough to raze the entire town should she want to.¡±


    My words sent a commotion across the people, all except for the burly man that was staring at me. Then slowly he shook his head.


    ¡°You are stronger than her are you not?¡± I heard his voice clearly.


    ¡°I am but?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Then that means you¡¯re the Chosen One,¡± he said simply. Then a moment later someone arrived with a potion and handed it to him. After drinking it, the man continued. ¡°It¡¯s all in the prophecy, in the sacred texts.¡±


    I blinked as the people in the surroundings slowly quieted down, looking at the burly man who was the strongest warrior. The entire time his gaze was fixated on mine, before finally he shook his head.


    ¡°If you¡¯d be willing to hear us out we will host a banquet with all of the town¡¯s finest cuisines.¡±


    He said lowering his head. My ears perked at what he just said.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a single request so if you would?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll agree.¡±


    There was a pause in the air as the man looked up to see me.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even finish?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I agreed to listen to the request, and if the food is good enough and the request is easy enough then I will agree to it.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°If that¡¯s not fine, then we¡¯ll just leave?¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine!¡± He hastily interrupted. ¡°We will begin preparations far away, you¡¯ll just have to wait an hour or two. We will provide a place to stay until then.¡±


    I nodded, and we went along with things, all while the ¡®strongest warrior¡¯ began to bark orders at the other residents of the town.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And so, Malz and I found ourselves in a home. She was sitting on a bed staring at the sandstone ground while I lazed around on a chair, laying back. Finally, after a minute of being alone, she spoke.


    ¡°That was really strange.¡±


    ¡°It is but, free food I guess.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Though I do not understand what is going on nor anything about this country, so it makes no sense to me.¡±


    ¡°I mean, I know they take strength as the most important thing ever, so it doesn¡¯t surprise me that we are treated as very important people.¡± Then she shook her head with a sigh. ¡°However, this whole prophecy thing and Chosen One thing seems very strange. Are you sure it¡¯s something we should get involved in?¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s too hard we can just leave,¡± I explained looking at the ceiling. ¡°It¡¯s not like we owe this people anything, I only came here to explore a bit before going back. There really isn¡¯t anything to feel bad about, the town has been thriving for probably many decades, us coming or leaving won¡¯t suddenly make a difference.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡± Malz decided to lay on the bed. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not used to this human stuff.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± I mused, before recalling. ¡°Why did you punch that man anyway?¡±


    She jolted from her bed, looking at me with a frown. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I punch him?¡±


    I paused, turning to her. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°He was disrespecting you, his remarks pissed me off.¡±


    ¡°Right, but they were made towards me, not you know¡­¡± I trailed off. ¡°You.¡±


    Malz frowned. ¡°I respect you, letting you be disrespected in front of my eyes is like letting myself be disrespected.¡± She shook her head before lying back on the bed. ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so hard to comprehend.¡±


    Her words stung a bit, I didn¡¯t know why but she seemed upset, so in the end all I could do was apologize.


    ¡°Sorry, though next time don¡¯t do something as extreme.¡± I sighed. ¡°It will cause trouble.¡±


    There was no reply before I decided to continue.


    ¡°Sorry again, I appreciate you standing up for me.¡±


    There was a brief silence before a sigh left Malz. ¡°It¡¯s fine, and yes it is extreme, I''ll keep that in mind.¡± She flipped to look at the ceiling. ¡°Let¡¯s just change the topic.¡±


    ¡°Right, what do you want to talk about?¡±


    Malz thought for a moment before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it for some time, but¡­¡± she turned to me. ¡°How come you consumed the flesh of the Dragon of Frost and look exactly the same? Every single draconic human in history has manifested scales, slitted eyes, and some even a tail, but you¡­ you look the same.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. ¡°It was all thanks to my SS Tier skill, I just stopped any¡­ external changes I guess? Forcefully froze them?¡± I asked myself somewhat confused about what had actually been done. ¡°This lasted until the blood had been fully digested by my system.¡±


    ¡°So, you still gained all the effects from the blood?¡± She asked, raising her brow skeptically.


    I smiled. ¡°Of course, want to give it a try? We can do arm wrestling.¡±


    Malz blinked slowly standing up, she seemed more curious than ever, she sat down in front of me across the table and smiled.


    ¡°Our physical strength should actually be pretty similar now then.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    If I was honest, I didn¡¯t know how much the biotoxin had changed me. It changed my body and tried to make me something else, it tried to make me not human. But I prevented that, and even right now I didn¡¯t understand how much I had changed internally but I felt largely the same, perhaps slightly more energetic now.


    I knew that perhaps, little had changed, as for how my physical strength compared to Malz in the past? I was supposed to be weaker just based on feeling alone. So, in the end, I tempered my expectations as she raised her pale white arm towards mine.


    And we locked hands.


    ¡°So on the count of three?¡± She asked.


    I smiled. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Three¡­¡±


    My body tensed as I continued the countdown, gripping her hand.


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    We met each other¡¯s gaze, and at that moment the door burst open. A man came in.


    ¡°The preparations are done?¡ª¡±


    ¡°One?¡ª¡±


    And we both used all of our strength at the same time, in a single moment Malz¡¯s arm was swung to the far left and slammed?¡ª the table and wall next to it instantly shattered, an explosion of dust blowing through the room.


    And I blinked as Malz pulled her arm back, massaging it with wide eyes.


    ¡°Huh¡­¡± I began. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t even a contest.¡± Malz chuckled, and then, she began laughing.


    All while the man stood there, completely lost on what had just happened. He looked at Malz, then at me, his lips quivering as he spoke very slowly.


    ¡°C-Chosen One, the ceremony is ready¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I blinked. ¡°Thank you, we¡¯ll be right there.¡±


    The man nodded and slowly left the room, which now had a collapsed wall. Then, Malz and I shared a glance before she spoke with a small smile.


    ¡°You are now stronger in every single way than me.¡± She met my gaze. ¡°Should I say as expected of you?¡±


    ¡°Unsure.¡± I stood up. ¡°For now we should go eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Malz nodded.


    And with that we left.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    The banquet was nice, the food was amazing. We ate a variety of meats and breads with lots of vegetables. They were nice. And Malz, seemed to enjoy the food as much as I did, her face lighting up with nothing but happiness with everything she tried.


    Though, her appetite was¡­


    ¡°I want more of this meat!¡±


    More than me. In the end, most of the banquet food was consumed by her alone, something that mortified some people, and other people just nodded in approval. Sometime later it came to an end, though I still made sure to much on some skewer of unknown meat as everything ended.


    Finally, the so-called strongest warrior came to me, uneasy as he spoke.


    ¡°My name is Si-Arik, and I¡¯d like to request for you to come.¡±


    ¡°Sure, can Malz come along?¡± I gestured towards her as I took a bite of the meat.


    He nodded.


    And with that we left, Malz took several skewers along which she idly munched as we walked. I didn¡¯t know where we were going but eventually, we reached what seemed to be the very center of the town, where a monolith stood.


    Si-Arik? (?) stood there, touching its surface with his rugged hands. His physique towering over mine as I simply watched him run his hands through the hieroglyphics, then after a moment he spoke.


    ¡°It is said that long ago, primordial beasts roamed the land??¡ª¡±


    ¡°What is your request?¡± I asked, interrupting.


    He sighed and turned to me. ¡°A beast of old slumbers and is soon to wake. When that happens, the west of the republic, or possibly the entire republic will be in danger.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°We wish to wake it, and for you to fell this terrible beast.¡±


    He turned back looking at the monument. Meanwhile my brain processed.


    A primordial beast? Weren¡¯t those SS Tier? I blinked feeling suddenly excited. That meant I could get some levels and a good fight out of it, no? I smiled.


    ¡°I know the request is a hard one but?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± I interrupted.


    Si-Arik turned in confusion, meeting my gaze.


    ¡°Pardon?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± I met his gaze with utmost seriousness. ¡°Awaken it right now, I don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    The man shivered and hastily left to make preparations, all while my heart drummed with steady excitement.


    I couldn¡¯t wait.

 Art: Book 1 Cover

    Heya all, I hope everyone''s New Year has been good so far! I shared this not too long ago on Patreon and I figured I should share it too.


    As you all can see the book has a new cover, and I''m super excited for everyone to see it, so here it is in its full glory!


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Typography: Me. Art: Chomong

 Chapter. 126: Ceremony (Part 8)

    I had died¡­


    I found myself in a world of white, a world that I hadn¡¯t expected I¡¯d ever return to. To my left lay the defeated Overlord, and to my right lay a spear that was dug into the ground. It wasn¡¯t any normal spear however, it was instead the training spear. I was¡­ back at home.


    And then before me laid the all familiar portal that I had seen before to leave. I didn¡¯t really understand what was happening, but part of me wanted to remain in this place. Except, that couldn¡¯t happen, I had people waiting for me, whether it was Ceylon, Malz, or even Regis¡¯karr.


    I had to return.


    I stared at the icy plains one last time, and in comparison to the past they felt dead and unwelcoming. A land that couldn¡¯t foster life or see the birth of it, and somehow I had lived here for five years. It was the place I had called home, but now I wasn¡¯t so sure if I could call it that. It was more like a nostalgic thing¡­


    And I shook my head.


    Thinking about this was useless, I had a place to return to. I smiled, trying to grab onto the training spear only for my hand to phase right through.¡±


    ¡°A shame.¡±


    Then I crossed the portal.


    [ From the Depths of Frost has been used. ]


    [ From the Depths of Frost has entered a cooldown of: 9 Years, 364 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes¡­ ]


    [ You have leveled down. ]


    ¡­


    4 levels lost. Now I was level, 171.


    I opened my eyes only to see a very deep blue. Then, I pushed?¡ª the ice around me broke as I emerged into the grand hall where the ceremony was being hosted. People gasped and the atmosphere around the room became tense as everyone warrily backed off, all of their gazes were terrified of me.


    Though I paid it no mind as the relaxation allowed my mind to connect all of the dots I needed rather easily. Everything I needed to understand on how to shut down the Hero of Flames was now at the forefront of my mind. Thankfully, I just had to modify the skill or things would¡¯ve turned out a lot differently.


    A deep sigh left me as I stepped onto the carpet and made an ice spear.


    ¡°[As the Sculptor of Ice, I Will Make The End Of Your Life Glorious¡­]¡± I began.


    At that moment the Hero of Flames appeared, fire around me ignited and at that moment I slammed my spear down.


    ¡°[And It All Begins Now.]¡±


    At that moment the flames snuffed. The people around screamed. And I lifted the spear, spinning it between my fingers. The Hero of Flames blinked, and with a step forward I swung the butt of my spear, hitting him across the face.


    He landed on his back, blood splattering from his mouth as people gasped.


    ¡°Hero of Flames, it is time for you to pay the price of attacking my companion.¡±


    I stabbed the spear on the ground, and people began to mutter amongst themselves.


    ¡°That man is the Hero of Flames?!¡±


    ¡°I never thought I¡¯d die from the fight of two heroes.¡±


    ¡°They both look like complete opposites¡­¡±


    I ignored the comments and allowed the Hero of Flames to stand up, and guard himself. He was gnashing his teeth in anger as he looked at me. I knew I was going to need to fight him a second time, but this time I was sure of my ability to win.


    I stepped forward and the Hero of Flames threw a punch at me, but I stepped to the side and with my already coiled fist I hit him in the stomach, making him spit blood as he backed off, looking at me with a deep frown.


    ¡°You know, your identity could¡¯ve remained a secret if you never killed the Hero of Shadows, Arc.¡± He growled. ¡°But you insisted on being insane, and now you¡¯ll kill me too?!¡±


    I nodded. ¡°In retrospect, I should¡¯ve negotiated things, however the reason I¡¯m killing you isn¡¯t due to incessant insanity. If it was that; you would be dead. You tried to kill Ceylon, and that is why I¡¯m now going to murder you.¡±


    ¡°To care that much for a mere? girl? She doesn¡¯t even have a class!¡± he screamed and tried to swing at me.


    But once more I evaded and this time punched him in the ribs as he was pushed back again. I followed up with a left hook across his face as he was made to take multiple steps back, one of his teeth flying across the room. Then, with another step I swung upward hitting him on his jaw.


    He fell back, bloodied as he was forced to stare at me with an indignant look.


    ¡°Well she has a class now,¡± I said simply. ¡°Now that she had to worry about her life that is.¡±


    ¡°And what does she mean to you?¡± he hissed, standing back up.


    I blinked and then, I thought about his question except, a different question popped in my mind in reply.


    What didn¡¯t she mean to me?


    Ceylon was the first person I met when coming to this world, and also perhaps the first person in my life that I had actually formed a connection with. Sure, the connection was odd and weird, but I didn¡¯t care about any of that. I certainly wouldn¡¯t hesitate to call her my sister. So, how was I supposed to act given the Hero of Flames had almost killed my sister?


    From that perspective, all the resentment I currently felt was justified. In fact, I had to be angrier, she was pretty much the only family I had left. And some, red haired dumbass that thought he could play God tried to take it away from me.


    It made me so unbelievably angry. And now, this same person thought he had the right to even ask why I cared?


    "She means everything to me." I punched.


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    My fist hit his forearms as he blocked, but he still winced from pain.


    "Unlike you, I don''t have any family to return to." My fist made him take a step back.


    "Unlike you, I don''t care for petty power." My punch broke his guard.


    "And unlike you, I am not a little bitch!" Finally, my knuckles struck his face and broke his nose.


    He pulled back holding his face as everyone stared in horror. Whispers traveled through the hall, some were about why we were fighting with our fists, others questioning and wondering what I was saying, and finally some who just wanted out.


    But I didn''t care. I didn''t care for anything as I decided to let go of all restraint. I immediately rushed and kicked, hitting his ribs as they broke. The Hero of Flames was launched to the side and hit a pillar.


    I used [Quick Step] and immediately appeared next to him. Then I grabbed him by his scalp as he looked at me shocked and I spoke.


    "You have no idea how much I''ll enjoy this."


    Then, I slammed his head against the pillar as blood splattered.


    * * * * *


    He had fucked up.


    That was all that was in his mind. The bursts of pain numbed him to an extreme degree. In all his years and encounters with heroes, Arc was a first.


    He had never met a hero with such a personality or priorities and now that he knew how wrong he was the entire time he couldn''t help but regret it. Did he have to make an enemy out of her? No, he definitely did¡ª she would''ve never agreed to any negotiation even if he hadn''t attacked her companion.


    But at least perhaps a compromise could''ve been reached¡­ that''s what he believed at least. Now however, it was too late for any of that.


    His head was banged before he was thrown across the room. He hit the ice pillar in the middle and found himself looking at a frozen hand, it was of a woman''s. He knew what had happened, but somehow this time it hit different. A sense of regret started deep within him. Then he turned only to be punched across the face as he realized that this was the weight of his mistakes bearing down on him.


    And worst of all, he probably could¡¯ve reached some agreement with Arc before he attacked her companion, but he had forever burned that bridge.


    Still after all of that, even while feeling regret he still felt angry. He had tried so hard to conquer Draliz, and now all of his efforts were down the drain. That mere thought angered him beyond belief; all plans had been going smoothly until she had shown up and killed the Hero of Shadows.


    That was when everything began to go downhill.


    And so, Jaye, unable to accept things, tried to fight back against the beast that was Arc, the Heroine of Frost.


    * * * * *


    I continued to beat up the Hero of Flames even as he screamed and ferociously tried to fight back. He clawed at my skin, but it did nothing but turn it red with marks as I kept beating him. My physical strength clearly overpowered his as people stared at us in horror.


    I imagined it was like watching two monsters fighting one another, one was desperately fighting for their life with anger while the other mercilessly beat it up. And I reveled in it, I thrived by slamming him against the wall and kicking him across the room, by breaking his arm and pinning him to the ground only to keep kicking him.


    It was blissful, and while I wasn¡¯t proud of it, I was glad to be doing it in revenge for Ceylon. She had had to fear for her life due to him, and now I was going to make him pay the price. And I made sure to unleash all of my anger.


    His attempts at fighting back slowly diminished and by the end of things, he stood panting before me, a bloodied mess as he stared at me. There was no fear within his eyes, only a resolution as he spoke.


    ¡°Can I ask a favor for after I die?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± I raised my brow. ¡°Round two is going to start soon.¡±


    He shook his head and met my gaze. ¡°The Hero of Shadows, kill him when you meet him. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s no longer human. Finish things for me.¡±


    I grabbed my spear from the ground and turned to him. Most of the nobles by this point had stopped looking from the merciless beating that was happening.


    ¡°I was going to kill him anyway.¡±


    He smiled to himself. ¡°Good, then I can rest in peace.¡± He closed his eyes before speaking. ¡°Make good use of my levels. Also, be careful of the keeper of order, run as soon as I die¡­¡±


    He trailed off and fell to the ground.


    I blinked as blood began to pool beneath him. His breathing calmly stopped as a heavy silence descended upon the hall. I grabbed my spear readying myself, and then a notification came.


    [ You have vanquished the: Hero of Flames, from the world. Tier: SS. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    ¡­


    I gained nine levels in a single moment.


    But I didn¡¯t pay that any mind, but rather¡­ there was no revival skill? I relaxed for a moment as I stared at the now dead Hero of Flames. Things had ended just like that. I had beat up the Hero of Flames to death with nothing but my fists, and with that, everything came to an end.


    And yet somehow I felt disappointed.


    Also the things he said at the end were¡­ weird. I blinked and a moment later I felt a presence appear behind me. Was it the Hero of Flames? I turned and stabbed my spear only for it to instantly shatter into a thousand pieces. My eyes widened as I saw a lumbering figure, easily over two meters tall looking down at me.


    ¡°Arc, your actions through and through have been found to be reasonable,¡± he began.


    And I backed off warrily, the whole atmosphere had turned tense and chilly in a single moment. All of the nobles had been seemingly frozen in time and the color had drained off the world.


    What was?¡ª


    [???. Tier: ???]


    The screen flickered a moment later, disappearing off of existence right after. Then, the man took a step towards me as I backed off even more.


    ¡°However, you¡¯ve consistently killed incredibly strong heroes; heroes that are considered to be the defense of the world of Arlas, which is why you now have a special mission to even the tables of power.¡±


    ¡°A special mission to even the tables¡­?¡± I asked nervously.


    What even was going on¡­ I continued to back off. This man was¡­


    I didn¡¯t want to accept it, but his outfit and sword gave it away, I knew who it was. I couldn¡¯t believe such a person would show up. It was the Hero of Arla?¡ª


    ¡°Relax, it¡¯s not like you can reject it anyway,¡± he said simply, interrupting my thoughts.


    And at that moment, my entire vision went dark as the world around me disappeared. Fading into nothingness. I found myself falling in a void as screens began to flash and disappeared out of existence.


    My vision blurred before finally I caught the sight of one.


    [ Levels cannot be gained in this place. ]


    What was?¡ª?


    And I managed to see another screen.


    [ Danger lurks everywhere. ]


    I spun all around, growing dizzy as I struggled to see the flickering and twisting notifications. It was an all familiar effect, it was something I didn¡¯t want to accept, but as I saw the final notification I finally realized it.


    [? ?A?n?d? ?i?t?¡¯?s? ?w?h?e?r?e? ?t?h?e? ?c?o?r?r?u?p?t?i?o?n? ?r?e?s?i?d?e?s?.? ?]?


    And I hit the cold hard ground as I found myself in a chamber of smooth stone amidst the darkness. Some of the rocks in my surroundings flickering in and out of existence, the world around me seemed broken and distorted. The dangerous corruption surrounded me, and as I stood up, I couldn¡¯t help but lock up in shock.


    I was surrounded.


    [?C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]?


    [?C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]?


    [?C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]?


    ¡­


    Surrounded by broken beings, and then, one charged. I prepared my ice spear but before it could reach me it exploded?¡ªsquashed in an instant. A gigantic claw had broken through the ceiling, collapsing with flakes of corruption and through the hole of the ceiling I saw it. A gigantic being whose mere presence was a flickering mess. A being that could kill me with a single hit. A being that was corrupted beyond belief.


    [????T????_?????i???s????t????e???_???? ???_???h?????_????n?????g????T????i????e????r???:???? ????N????a????N?????]????


    Then, the voice of the Hero of Arlas echoed his words making my blood run completely cold.


    ¡°Your mission is simple, survive the Forgotten Places.¡±


    And all of the corrupted monsters attacked.

 Chapter. 127: Epilogue: The Birth of a New Ruler

    Ceylon cried. She cried for the loss of her friend, but her tears did not last as she quickly realized that Arc should still be alive. All of the heroes she had seen had the capacity to resurrect ?¡ª the capacity to revive.


    Why would Arc be any different?!


    She immediately turned, the Dragon of Water and Malz were still out in the lake, but as far as Ceylon could tell they were no longer in danger. And so, she rushed to seek out Arc. She went down the long halls of the second floor, and made a line towards the stairs of the first floor. She didn¡¯t know where Arc would be reviving, but finding her companion all started with leaving the castle?¡ª


    And people gasped.


    Ceylon¡¯s heart skipped a beat as she finally reached the bottom floor, and with a cracking sound she saw. Arc?, her companion, breaking out of the ice in the middle of the hall and she was. The sight made Ceylon happy, but before she could rush towards her friend the Hero of Flames appeared?¡ª two walls of flames prevented anyone from going forward and then Arc spoke.


    ¡°[And It All Begins Now].¡±


    The flames snuffed and what followed was¡­ a vicious beating. One where Ceylon got to hear Arc express a myriad of emotions she had never seen before. And it was liberating to hear. Ceylon was surprised and rather than being mortified at the one-sided beating she felt a sense of vindication. It was the same man that had once tried to kill her.


    And now, that same man was getting a dose of his own medicine. Whether it was getting punched in the face, in the ribs or in the chin?¡ª it was all equally satisfying. Ceylon continued watching, ignoring the progressively horrified reactions of the nobles, until finally the fight came to an end.


    Finally, with a parting monologue the Hero of Flames died. Arc stood there, which Ceylon found confusing?¡ª wouldn¡¯t there be yet another fight to come?¡ª? And at that moment it happened.


    A tall person showed up behind Arc, a red armored man with horns on his head. His stature easily towering over Arc. Ceylon paused; feeling danger like never before, she immediately recognized him.


    Then he began a monologue, one about judging Arc¡¯s actions, one where Arc had no wrong except for killing strong heroes, and one that made Arc increasingly warry. Ceylon had a bad feeling, until finally the man made his ending statement and?¡ª Arc disappeared through a crack in the air itself.


    Ceylon¡¯s heart dropped.


    That wasn¡¯t¡­ that wasn¡¯t supposed to happen.


    Ceylon immediately tensed and looked around only to see the Hero of Arlas standing there, staring vacantly at the spot from where Arc had come from. Before finally, saying something to himself about Arc¡¯s mission. And his words, his parting words made Ceylon realize that Arc was in danger.


    She? wanted to kill that man?¡ª but¡­ She couldn¡¯t. She was a mere D Tier individual, and that man was¡­ that man was?¡ª


    ¡°How interesting.¡± He turned in her direction, meeting her gaze.


    Ceylon shivered, but the man continued speaking without care.


    ¡°You can move while everyone else has been paused.¡± He began to walk in her direction and Ceylon?¡ª ran.


    She ran for her life but a moment later she crashed against the man, the Hero of Arlas had appeared before her. She fell on her butt, staring upwards in horror as the man craned his head to look down.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Arc¡¯s companion even in the System classification.¡± He looked up, pondering with his hand at the bottom of his helmet. ¡°Interesting, I wonder what will happen to your class if Arc were to die.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t die!¡± Ceylon protested.


    The man paused and looked down. ¡°Well, regardless of whether she dies or not, she will help to save Arlas. The Forgotten Places are a threat to the world after all, if she can survive down there then she¡¯ll be a great asset. And well if she doesn¡¯t survive¡­¡± The Hero of Arlas tilted his head. ¡°She¡¯ll join the corruption.¡±


    ¡°Join the¡­ corruption?¡± she asked, nervously.


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    ¡°That is right, she¡¯ll become a husk of what she once was. Just like that other hero. And in exchange, she shall receive great power.¡±


    Ceylon wanted to ask how that was even an exchange, but the Hero of Arlas shook his head and walked past her.


    ¡°Well that is all child, my mission is to protect Arlas; as for whether you¡¯ll hate me for it. Well, it is just part of my burden.¡±


    And with those words, the man disappeared as the air flickered ever so slightly. Ceylon frowned, and a moment later the nobles began gasping.


    ¡°The Hero is dead!¡±


    ¡°The Heroine of Frost is gone!¡±


    ¡°Did I see another man before she disappeared or did I imagine things?!¡±


    The hall broke into mutters as Ceylon let out a long breath, and a moment later two familiar people arrived in a blink. They were none other than Malz and the Dragon of Water.


    ¡°Where is Arc?¡± Malz was the first to ask.


    Ceylon¡¯s heart ached as the realization finally settled in. ¡°Arc is¡­ in the Forgotten Places¡­¡± A sigh left her. ¡°The Hero of Arlas sent her there.¡±


    Malz gasped and the Dragon of Water¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°So Arc might not be any longer with us¡­¡± He touched the collar. ¡°So I¡¯ll remain with this thing around my neck?¡±


    Malz turned to him, frowning. ¡°It¡¯s either that or I¡¯ll beat the shit out of you, in fact either you allow Ceylon to give the collar mana so she becomes your new owner or I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    The Dragon of Water blinked. ¡°I could do that if the initial deal is fulfilled, I had requested Arc to give me an item of Draliz¡¯s treasury. So it is only natural for her successor to finish it?¡ª¡±


    Malz raised her hand, making a spear of shadows as the Dragon of Water backed off, he evidently didn¡¯t have the mana to fight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the item.¡± Ceylon sighed. ¡°So, come here.¡±


    The Dragon of Water slowly knelt before her, Ceylon didn¡¯t know what she was even doing. A slave collar could only have one type of mana within at a given time, the only way Arc¡¯s mana wouldn¡¯t be there is if she died?. Ceylon grabbed an ice crystal from her pocket.


    Then again I just had to wait until she returned.


    And it cracked.


    If she did?¡ª And Ceylon paused. Arc had to return. She just had to.


    She immediately touched the slave collar injecting her own mana into it as the ownership was changed. Ceylon took a deep breath.


    All she herself had to do was keep everything in order until then.


    She just had to.


    ¡°So, what happens now?¡± Malz asked, now evidently more relaxed.


    Ceylon looked at the destroyed hall, at the fearful nobles, and at her lost family as she made her decision.


    ¡°I¡¯ll rule Draliz; that is what will happen.¡±


    Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if she could do it alone, but with the guidance and help of the two dragons it was very much possible.


    She was going to make sure Arc had a good Kingdom to return to.


    * * * * *


    Numerous heroes heard of the new selection of Draliz, and a lot of them looked forward to seeing who had been victorious in overtaking the country. However, some didn¡¯t care about that.


    A hero deep in the mountains laughed to himself, the selection of the new king being a great step in furthering his goals.


    ¡°Now all I have to do is wait for that item to arrive at my doorstep.¡±


    It was a hero whose name hadn¡¯t been heard of in centuries, but soon he¡¯d be making his return. And it was all just a matter of time.


    Elsewhere, a heroine sat in a jagged ice cave. It was none other than the Heroine of Water, she stared at the ice stakes she had received a long time back. She was close to figuring out how to turn them into water until?¡ª


    They shattered; the entire cave shattered at once.


    ¡°The Heroine of Frost has died¡­?¡± She frowned. ¡°No, that is not possible¡­¡± And then there was silence.


    After minutes if not hours of rumination, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder what had happened, that was until she received a magical letter. And upon reading it, she made a decision.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to visit Draliz.¡±


    * * * * *


    Deep in a forest, two dragons talked. One brown and one red one. They were none other than the Dragon of Flames and the Dragon of Earth.


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a good idea? He normally doesn¡¯t get involved with anything,¡± the Dragon of Earth said hesitantly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be enthused to help, after all, someone as feral as the Dragon of Nature would be a great subject of research for him,¡± Regis¡¯karr said simply.


    ¡°But do you think there is no other option? To ask the Dragon of Taboos?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, but to save my kin I¡¯ll do what I must.¡± The Dragon of Flames breathed.


    And then, a silence settled between them as none of them had any other good alternatives to stopping the impending war.


    * * * * *


    And in the world down below, things changed. The corruption finally took hold of a hero, corrupting them into nothing but the embodiment of hatred themselves, and elsewhere another hero fought to avoid a similar fate.


    That hero was¡­


    The Heroine of Frost.


    End of Book Two

 Book 2 Cover

    Heya all, the art post I mentioned is a bit late but it''s here. I hope y''all like the book 2 cover as much as I do. I have an idea for book 3''s but it''s not in the works yet so this is all I can show for now. Typography made by yours truly. Thank you all for reading this far, and hope the art is nice.


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    Artist: Chomong C

 Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book — is now in Kindle Unlimited

    Heya all!


    Thank you all for reading Arc, it''s a rather unique story so I do appreciate every single reader!


    I am happy to announce that Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 1</a> is officially available in Amazon Kindle Unlimited</a>!


    Thank you all for supporting the fiction so far, it wouldn''t have been possible without y''all reading it. Consider checking out the book, it has been edited and formatted, if you enjoyed it maybe give it a re-read or a rating? The book just launched so giving it a buy, a rating, or even just downloading since its enrolled in KU helps it massively. Seriously I mean it, even dropping it a review would be so helpful, one does not need to buy the book in order to do so, so please consider it.


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    Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 1 (An OP MC Isekai LitRPG)</a>


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 Chapter. 128: Start of Book 3: The Forgotten Places

    I had fought a corrupted chimera, had problems with the dragons as their ruler, and one became my servant ?¡ª the Dragon of Wind, Faral ?¡ª while another ended up as my slave: the Dragon of Water. All of this happened while visiting the Republic of Miri-Sunre, and upon returning I had confronted the Hero of Flames when he tried to kill my companion. Not long after that, I met Meika?; now Faral¡¯s apprentice.


    I had fulfilled everything I wanted to fulfill.


    The selection of the new king had come to an end, and Arlow were the new rulers of Draliz. Though in order to do so I had to kill the Hero of Spirits, and unfortunately there was an unwanted casualty in the form of Iris Orow; an innocent person who had sacrificed herself to ensure the Hero of Spirits died.


    Then, after defeating him, I had to fight the Hero of Flames, who didn¡¯t seem to have an extra life. And well, I had died once in the process, consuming my revival skill. He had given me a warning, a warning that I shouldn¡¯t have ignored. But I did, I didn¡¯t blame myself for it ?¡ª not like I had time to do so anyway, because immediately after he died I had encountered the Hero of Arlas. He was the keeper of order and he had¡­ punished me.


    He had sent me to a god forsaken place which I was now currently in. The Forgotten Places, where the corruption resided, and where I found myself surrounded by monsters stronger than me.


    It had all happened so fast that the only thing that passed through my mind was:


    Fucking survive.


    I used [God Step] and the ceiling broke apart, the ¡®Twisted Thing¡¯ had destroyed it in a single blow, killing multiple of the Error Chimeras. But even then, somehow and in some way where I emerged on the other side of the room I felt it. A sickening feeling that was spreading starting from my cheek.


    I touched it only to feel my skin flaking, being nibbled at by an unknown thing that wanted to consume me. I had already been touched by the corruption¡­? I hadn¡¯t even been hit by jackshit?¡ª and the entire chamber shook, all of my senses blared as I threw myself to the side only for a gigantic hind leg to break through the ceiling.


    Once more, corrupted debris was thrown all around me, tainting and spreading to the untouched surfaces, and then, the gigantic corrupted being before me roared. It was the strongest thing I had seen in my life and it seemed to be getting ready to fight something. And I didn¡¯t want to find out what the fuck it was.


    But unfortunately, luck wasn¡¯t on my side for the fucking gigantic thing charged?¡ª the chamber was split in half, torn apart as rocks flew all around me. I protected myself with ice but it still got corrupted from being touched. I still didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but it didn¡¯t seem like I¡¯d have the chance because?¡ª


    A dozen of corrupted projectiles came my way as I kicked up an ice wall. It immediately got bulldozed right through by a corrupted chimera and then?¡ª it charged?¡ª bashed me before I could even blink.


    I felt my arms nearly break as my body shattered through numerous chamber walls. It was as if they were made of paper, but truth be told every single one was harder than any surface I had ever felt. My back felt like breaking by the second wall, but then came the third, the fourth, the fifth?¡ª sixth, seventh?¡ª and I hit the eighth wall with a thundering sound.


    My vision blurred as I barely managed to stand up, ice collapsing around me from my [Armor of Perma-frost] shattering. My breathing was rugged, and my entire body was trembling with throbbing pain. I coughed up blood as I stared ahead into the piercing and corrupted darkness. And then?¡ª it came.


    I dodged and a chimera charged through the wall. Somehow, and in some way, I felt that every single chimera I had seen here was much stronger than the one I had fought, which meant?¡ª


    The chimera threw a punch and I kicked?¡ª a pillar of ice hit, but it immediately shattered into nothing but fine dust as it barely pushed my foe back. My eyes momentarily went wide as I immediately made an ice spear and used [Quick Step].


    The world around me blurred and I immediately appeared on the chimera¡¯s side. Its mere aura of corruption was enough for me to feel an instinctual shiver, but its reaction time made it all that more terrifying. The chimera had already begun to turn on me, twisting its arms as I immediately called one of my most useful skills?¡ª


    [Repulse]¡ª and I thrust.


    The spear splintered into pieces from impacting the chimera. And with a harrowing screech it was sent flying, breaking through chamber walls as I finally gained a moment of respite. Though I still summoned another spear and began to enhance it for combat.


    My entire body was in pain, the ruins ?¡ª the Forgotten Places ?¡ª felt dark. It was like being deep underground, and yet somehow they had a minimal amount of light emanating from the particles of corruption; it looked like a tainted space that I shouldn¡¯t have been in. But due to circumstances it was where I found myself.


    My mind raced, thinking about a lot of things but in the end I only had two conclusions. One was that I needed to survive, and the other was; I needed to get the fuck out as soon as possible. It was a place that couldn¡¯t house life, or sustain it for that matter. It was a place that I didn¡¯t want to be in.


    And this was supposed to be a mission?? Absolutely ridiculous. Even the tables of power? I couldn¡¯t even fucking gain levels here! I could still hear all of the stupid roars from all the various beasts, and there was also?¡ª


    I summoned a spear and at that moment a dog-like creature broke through the wall.


    [???L???a???b??? ???R???a???t???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???.


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    My eyes flashed with surprise before my enhanced spear immediately pierced through the thing¡¯s neck. Even then, I felt the resistance it put up was ridiculous as I immediately called a different skill.


    [Wrath of the Ice Queen].


    Dozens of ice stakes exploded from the ground, drawing a pained screech as corruption was shed. For a moment I thought I saw blood but decided to pay it no attention as my muscles tensed and I used two skills in tandem.


    [Skullpiercer]¡ª into [Ancient Blow]!


    My spear blurred and with a flash of light, it pierced?¡ª going through the ground and the Lab Rat¡¯s head as if it were butter. The ground exploded and a small shock traveled throughout the ground.


    And a moment later, I got a notification.


    [ You have vanquished the: [???L???a???b??? ???R???a???t???.??? ??? from the world. T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S??? ]???


    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    It wasn¡¯t as difficult as I had expected, but I could still see the thing¡¯s Tier?¡ª perhaps it just wasn¡¯t corrupted enough?¡ª?


    And the walls shattered, a chattering sound echoed as I turned only to see a whole horde of them.


    [???L???a???b??? ???R???a???t???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???


    [???L???a???b??? ???R???a???t???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???


    [???L???a???b??? ???R???a???t???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???


    ¡­


    I immediately used [Quick Step]. The Lab Rats had immediately jumped in the spot I had been in?¡ª they crashed against each other sending flakes of corruption streaking through the air. The corruption was like an infection, and I didn¡¯t want to take any part in it so: I ran.


    I ran through the ruins, evading the Lab Rats as they pursued after me and the numerous other dangers I encountered. It was?¡ª too much for me. I had been slammed through walls, nearly died and even broken my arm, but somehow and in some way I had managed to persevere in search of safety.


    Safety that had a chance of not existing in this place. I had more than enough mana, but everything here was so much stronger than me that it felt pointless.


    Everything was a threat to my life. And I meant literally everything?; from the random pebble that had been launched across the room and cut my skin? ¡ª infecting it with the corruption? ?¡ª to the arrow traps and random pipes running through some places.


    But even then, I still ran; all in hopes to survive.


    I slid through a broken down chamber door as the wall behind me broke, a chimera of error chasing after me.


    I had used every single movement skill I had and even then it wasn¡¯t enough, the thing was gaining on me. I didn¡¯t know how long I had been running for. I was sure it was hours at this point. Somehow and in some way I had evaded death but my luck was running out.


    I was now in a place that mostly resembled a hangar, even the door I had slid through was made out of metal. However, that didn¡¯t matter, nothing mattered as I focused on running, a sense of dread filling me.


    Was this it?


    Was this how I was going to die?¡ª?


    The door behind me exploded.


    The corrupted chimera had arrived, I looked behind only to see everything that was coming for me. At least six corrupted chimeras were behind, and in the far distance I saw dozens if not hundreds of other twisted abominations. And far in the distance, I saw a single gigantic claw?¡ª a Twisted Thing.


    The sight gave made me feel despair as I continued to run deeper into the hangar-like place, there were some lights?¡ª as if electricity was present. But I paid it no mind, instead focusing on running?¡ª


    The entire place was like a different world ?¡ª surely there would be some type of shelter, right? Right?!


    I ran through the halls of some interconnected building to the hangar, there were lights on?¡ª reminiscent of light bulbs but emanating a ghastly blue light instead. I didn¡¯t understand what was going on, but I rushed my way looking for something.


    I arrived at some stairs only for the top ones to be completely collapsed?. I could hear the footfalls of death following close behind followed by ever increasing stronger tremors, and so I headed downstairs.


    I continued in a spiral until I arrived at a basement, it was oddly clean a few pieces corrupted material here and there?¡ª except for the tubes lining the walls and pillars of the grand room I found myself in. Every single one of them was filled to the brim with corruption, I paused for a moment to admire it before another tremor made me snap back to reality.


    The atmosphere, the lack of comprehension, and how close to death I was made me feel a sense of fear that I had never felt before. And so I continued running through the grand basement, it seemed to have no end as the monsters that had been following me began to pour into the expansive room.


    The containers of corruption began to break as a tidal wave of corruption began to form right behind me. A sense of impending doom filled me as I saw the end of the room, a pair of open metal double doors were at the end, and next to them there was a gigantic container that had been broken through, a trail of corruption going into the room the doors led to.


    Was this the end?


    Tears began to form and then I heard a voice?¡ª a broken one that somehow and in some way filled me with some warmth.


    T?o? ?y?o?u?r? ?r?i?g?h?t?.


    My eyes snapped only to see the light of a flashlight intermittently blinking within a small doorway. I didn¡¯t know if it was safe, but did I even have another choice? I immediately turned right, moving away from the pair of double doors, and when I was almost at the entrance I heard an explosion come from behind.


    Danger filled the room and at the corner of my eye I saw it.


    The most corrupted creature I had ever seen.


    ?[?????????????????????????¡ª????????????????????¡ª??????????????????¡ª???????????.???????? ?????????T??????????i????????e???????r????????:??????? ??????????????¡ª?????????]?????????


    No name, no tier, no nothing?¡ª and a tentacle of darkness came from the distorted figure. I dashed?¡ª it hit and I landed past the door, letting out a painful scream.


    The door slammed shut as I thrashed on the ground. I looked down only to see the source of my incredible pain.


    I lost my leg.


    From the knee down, it was missing. Flakes of corruption emanating from it. I continued crying in pain and the lights turned on. I once more heard the same distorted voice from earlier, this time clearer and very much obviously speaking to me.


    ¡°R?e?l?a?x?,? you¡¯re safe now.? ?L?et¡¯s ?r?e?m?ove? the ? corruption ? before it¡¯s ?t?o?o ?l?at?e.?¡±


    Through my tears I followed the voice only to see a man in tattered armor, a black aura already covering his being.


    ¡°W-Who are you?¡ª¡±


    And [Appraisal] went off, informing me of the man¡¯s identity. My eyes immediately grew wide as the temporary relaxation I felt turned into sheer terror.


    [?H?e?r?o? ?o?f? ?A?r?l?a?s?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?S?S?S?]?.

 Chapter. 129: Who is Real

    I immediately backed off, my legs thrashing on the ground as I hit the wall with very deep breaths. Before me was a man in tattered red armor, some corruption already flaking off his being, but the part that terrified me the most was what the system had said.


    He was¡­ the Hero of Arlas?¡ª the keeper of order?¡ª the man that had sent me to this place.


    I stared daggers at him as I prepared [Frost, Stasis, Eternity and a Prophecy], but before that I couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Why did you help me?¡ª why did you help me after bringing me to this place?!¡±


    There was a pause in the man before he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯ve been in this place for centuries, what are you even talking about?¡±


    ¡°Centuries?¡± I asked, frowning on the edge of losing my mind. ¡°What kind of bullshit are you spouting?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Heroine of Frost, let¡¯s treat you first and then, we¡¯ll talk.¡±


    My frown deepened but I chose to drop the topic, the man was clearly corrupted to some extent, his voice constantly distorting. His response was¡ª well, it meant he either lost his memories or he was telling the truth?¡ª from what I could tell at least.


    ¡°How do you suggest I treat?¡ª¡± I groaned feeling a sudden spike of pain. ¡°The corruption?¡±


    ¡°There is only one way to treat it.¡± He let out a breath. ¡°And that is to remove the corrupted parts.¡±


    My eyes widened. ¡°Self¡­ mutilation?¡±


    ¡°No, more like removing the rotten part of a fruit by cutting it out. But unfortunately, this is only a temporary measure.¡± He met my gaze. ¡°So you should get started on that."


    I blinked. I wanted to argue with him but the small sizzling pain I felt was hard to ignore. Even then, I still didn¡¯t know if I should trust him. In fact, there were a bunch of reasons to not trust him, from his identity to him being corrupted, to being someone I met in the Forgotten Places. But in the end¡­


    I gritted my teeth from the pain.


    ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to trust me, but do it for your own good.¡± He sighed. ¡°Lest you¡¯ll end up like me, but in a much worse state due to your Tier.¡±


    I wanted to once more?¡­ argue. But I decided against it and instead tried to do something different from what he suggested. I took a very deep breath.


    ¡°[Frost, Stasis, Eternity, and a Prophecy].¡±


    Our surroundings became blue in a single moment. The Hero of Arlas blinked, staring down at me. And then, I commanded the corruption?¡ª the injuries to stop in place. A moment later all the pain stopped, even the flickers of darkness froze in place as a long breath left me.


    ¡°Impressive skill,¡± he said. ¡°But that is only a temporary solution, though the corruption seems to be much slower to act on you?¡ª¡± And he paused. ¡°Oh, you have the blood of the dragons in you. How interesting.¡±


    ¡°Now we can talk.¡± My eyes narrowed as I sat upright. ¡°It is clear to me that you can kill me at any moment if you so desire. So, what is your goal?¡±


    ¡°My goal?¡± Surprise was evident in his weird voice. ¡°With you? None. Visitors are rare here, and someone as strong as you especially so?. So I figured I should help you.¡±


    I frowned, not getting a satisfactory answer?¡ª not for me anyway.


    ¡°So you¡¯re SSS Tier, but also corrupted.¡±


    ¡°That is correct, yes.¡± He nodded. ¡°Any other question?¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand anything; what was happening, if to trust the person, if he and the keeper of order were two different people somehow?¡ª nothing. Finally, a sigh left me as I figured that getting angry about things was meaningless.


    ¡°What are you doing down here?¡±


    ¡°Fighting the corruption, or failing at it.¡± A sigh left him. ¡°It¡¯s not a force that can really be stopped. One day, Arlas will be consumed whole.¡±


    ¡°So, SSS Tier isn¡¯t enough?¡±


    A broken laugh left him. ¡°This thing transcends SSS Tier. Of course not.¡±


    I stared for what felt like forever before finally I shook my head and decided to relax. The door hadn¡¯t even been so much as attacked once it was closed. I closed my eyes as minutes ticked by, the Hero of Arlas patiently waited for me to say something, but eventually he decided to make his own question.


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    ¡°So any other questions or have you decided you¡¯re going to die?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to die if I can help it.¡± I shook my head.


    ¡°Well, then you should really purge that corruption now.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°It really isn¡¯t as easily dealt with as you think.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡ª ugh.¡± And I groaned from an unnerving pain on my leg and various parts of my body. The sensation of being eaten away had returned, even though my skill had a very long time to go.


    ¡°I told you.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Well, if you decide you want to live and heed my advice you can come find me.¡±


    With those words he walked down the hall, letting me be as the excruciating pain became worse than ever. The wounds weren¡¯t being? corrupted any faster, but the main was worse?¡ª it was as if the thing was incessant on breaking my skill so it could just destroy my body.


    A groan left me.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I ever lost a limb in training.¡±


    Then after a few moments of knowing what to do I relented. Deciding to trust the man that had saved me.


    ¡°From eating raw meat to self surgery?¡ª how fucking insane is this world.¡± I gritted my teeth and made an ice knife. ¡°I really can¡¯t believe I¡¯m gonna do this.¡±


    A deep breath left me and I stabbed into my own flesh, suppressing a scream as I used my active SS Tier skill to minimize the pain. And after a moment I began to carve my own flesh, getting rid of the corruption all over my body.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    By the time I finished I was a panting mess, pieces of red and black surrounded me as blood pooled on the ground. My flesh was slowly regenerating, but I knew I certainly wasn¡¯t getting my leg back.


    A sigh left me as I poked all the chunks of corrupted flesh into a corner, the whole process had been bloody and borderline nightmarish?¡ª but somehow I pushed through it. My emotions were a mess, part of me felt like being angry, the other felt like screaming out of frustration and a very small part of me honestly felt like crying from helplessness.


    This entire place was fucked and it was only a matter of time before I died?¡ª no.


    I took a breath. I wasn¡¯t going to die. I really wasn¡¯t going to fucking die in such a backwards place. Even if my entire body got corrupted, and I lost sense of myself, I¡¯d still make it my main mission to kill the keeper of order.


    ¡°This is so stupid.¡±


    I grunted and stood up, an ice foot in replacement forming as it quickly was enveloped by new fabric. Restoring my appearance as if nothing had happened. Though, now I lost sensation on one leg.


    A sigh left me, I looked practically uninjured save a small slit of red on my cheek, but in spite of my appearance I was in deep pain. I took my sweet ass time to walk down the hall, taking in the different piping running along the wall, the electricity like light, and the rather laboratory-like appearance the entire place had.


    White walls, high ceilings, and random closed doors with broken keypads on them. Being honest, if I was told this place was a post-apocalyptic earth I would¡¯ve believed it in a heartbeat. In the end, I decided to not ponder about things and make my way forward.


    Finally, after a minute or so of walking I stepped down the stairs and found myself in a large room. At the center a table with a map spread on it, and to the sides some couches; and on one of them the Hero of Arlas sat.


    He stood up.


    ¡°So you decided to live and are all patched up?¡ª¡± He paused looking at my leg. ¡°Almost.¡±


    I snorted and sat down on one of the couches.


    ¡°Enough of that, do you know why I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°Here as in; the world below?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, the world below; where the corruption resides; the Forgotten Places; however you want to call it.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Hm.¡± He pondered, hand on his chin. ¡°I do not know, you¡¯re the first person I actually get to speak to since coming here, most are long gone by the time I see them.¡±


    ¡°Well, given what I experienced I guess it¡¯s not surprising.¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short, a guy named the keeper of order sent me here.¡±


    ¡°Okay, and?¡ª?¡±


    ¡°And, he wears a new version of your armor and he¡¯s also known as the Hero of Arlas. Does that ring a bell?¡±


    And at that moment the world turned gray. I couldn¡¯t see the man¡¯s expression but at that moment I felt an underwhelming amount of bloodlust emanating from him. It wasn¡¯t even directed at me and yet I started to sweat; and it vanished as soon as it came.


    Then, he nodded.


    ¡°I see. So things are like that on the surface.¡±


    I raised my brow. ¡°Are you not gonna do something about it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you the real Hero of Arlas or an impostor?¡± I asked, my eyes narrowing.


    And in a blink a gigantic sword was pressed against my neck, its blade clear of corruption showing an unbroken edge.


    ¡°Do you want to find out?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I said simply, moving the blade from my neck with my hand. ¡°I was just asking.¡±


    He shook his head, the sword was nowhere to be seen as he turned around, beginning to walk towards the map in the middle of the room.


    ¡°Anyway, do you have any idea of how I can escape this place?¡±


    ¡°Leaving?¡± he asked, before shaking his head, not bothering to look back at me. ¡°You can forget about that, you don¡¯t have the strength to do so. There are stronger beings than the Twisted Things out there, a good example was the tentacle monster that took your leg.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What if you escorted me?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be able to leave still,¡± he said coldly.


    ¡°Why?¡±


    This time he finally turned to me, and removed his helmet. I saw a middle aged man, he looked normal except for a line of corruption running through his cheek.


    The atmosphere turned weird, there was only silence as he met my gaze. I stared back for what felt like an eternity, anticipating his response until finally, he spoke shaking his head.


    ¡°Because in order for you to leave this place a part of you has to be corrupted.¡±


    My heart skipped.


    ¡°There is no coming out ¡®alive¡¯ for you.¡±

 Chapter. 130: Hero of Arlas

    Chapter. 130: Hero of Arlas


    A sense of dread filled me. ¡°Does that mean¡­?¡±


    ¡°It means that unless your being suffers from some form of corruption you won¡¯t be able to leave this place.¡± He shook his head turning back to the map. ¡°You have three options, have a corrupted system and¡­ lose your strength?¡ª become a corrupted existence, or find something else.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean find something else?¡± I asked, frowning.


    All of the options seemed to be fucking awful. I didn¡¯t want any of them, but still: I held hope that the third option was something that could be¡­ good. If corruption could even have that connotation in the first place, and so I waited as seconds passed.


    ¡°Well, the corruption is unpredictable. So long as you possess a quality of yours that is thoroughly and fully corrupted then you should be able to leave this place.¡±


    ¡°So, if somehow I manage to let¡¯s say?¡ª get a fully corrupted leg and somehow keep it under control I¡¯d be able to leave?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I suppose so, yes. But just your leg; the part has to encompass your whole being?. Your soul for instance. Your system. Your body?¡ª all of them are a large part of who we are.¡±


    I didn¡¯t say anything, while I didn¡¯t exactly believe in the existence of the soul or anything like that, but I saw his point. And that realization just made me sigh in exasperation as I turned to him.


    ¡°And what part of you is corrupted?¡±


    ¡°My body,¡± he said simply.


    ¡°And are you weaker or stronger now, also how are you still alive after so much time?¡±


    ¡°Those questions aren¡¯t ones you should be asking. But as for your questions; physically stronger, simply alive due to my Tier.¡±


    ¡°Figured,¡± I lamented staring at the ceiling.


    Truth be told, I felt apathetic, maybe from knowing I was kind of fucked or maybe because I was still very much injured and waiting for everything to heal; I didn¡¯t really know the exact reason but it didn¡¯t matter much.


    ¡°How come monsters don¡¯t get into this place?¡±


    ¡°Corruption doesn¡¯t attack corruption, all of the entrances are coated in it. Fortunately or rather sadly, the corrupted beings have pretty much no mind to realize that their target escaped for good.¡±


    ¡°Huh¡­¡±


    The corruption was pretty¡­ fucked up in general. Creating truly mindless monsters that seemed to attack anything that wasn¡¯t corrupted?. That was¡­ The idea of being corrupted seemed a lot more terrifying now.


    Though, the man seemed unfazed as he relayed me that information.


    I knew the Hero of Arlas or whatever was trying to fight the corruption and failing, so the better question was:


    ¡°So, are you never going to go back up to the surface?¡±


    ¡°No, besides I think I know how to cleanse this area of the corruption,¡± he said thoughtfully. ¡°I just need to attack its heart.¡±


    ¡°Right. I assume I really can¡¯t help with that, right?¡±


    ¡°Not at all, you¡¯re too weak; even if you¡¯d be considered one of the apex predators of the era of oblivion, here you¡¯re¡­ average at best.¡± He shook his head.


    ¡°Ha, thanks for the compliment.¡± A dry laugh left me.


    Then there was some silence as I relaxed. However, it didn¡¯t last long for the Hero of Arlas spoke once more.


    ¡°If you want to do something, then you should explore the area: I¡¯ve personally made it safe and turned it into my living quarters. Just don¡¯t open any locked doors without asking me. I¡¯ll treat you as a guest?.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    And with those words, I stood up listening to what he had recommended. To be honest, I still had a myriad of questions but I decided to not ask them yet. As generous as the Hero of Arlas had been, I seriously doubted he had an infinite amount of patience ?¡ª especially given how some of my questions had seriously pissed him off.


    So, I made my way out of the room and moved onto the other hall.


    I didn¡¯t really know if this person was the true Hero of Arlas, or the opposite. But I was more than willing to bet that it was probably him, and the keeper of order?¡ª well¡­ I had no idea who they were, but clearly the Hero of Arlas knew something about it.


    As for getting it out of him?


    ¡°Yeah right.¡± I sneered.


    I walked with a slight limp, due to the fact that I wasn¡¯t used to not feeling much when touching the ground with my feet. But well, I couldn¡¯t exactly lament the loss of my limb. Though¡­


    I felt the gash on my cheek that was slowly being filled.


    ¡°The corruption really is something else¡­¡±


    Unsettling thoughts filled my mind before I shook my head. In the end, I decided to not think about things and ended up exploring around. The first room that I found open seemed more like a study, a room with a flickering light that oversaw a desk. Dozens upon dozens of notes were spread throughout, some neatly organized and some rather messy.


    Though when I grabbed one of them, I couldn¡¯t read it at all.


    And so, after staring at them for a few moments I ended up wandering elsewhere. I understood very little about what kind of place was the Forgotten Places, or why was there running electricity but I figured I¡¯d ask the Hero of Arlas at a later time.


    For now¡­ well I didn¡¯t know what to do for now.


    I ended up wandering around to take my mind off things. Room after room, I saw various things, from experimentation tables with dead specimens to samples of malformed flesh that didn¡¯t seem to have corruption on it.


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    And by the end of things, I found myself before a half open door, a green light residing behind it. I didn¡¯t know what to expect but when I opened the door, I paused.


    [?F?u?m?i? ?P?l?a?n?t?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?S?S?]?.?


    [?F?u?m?i? ?P?l?a?n?t?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?S?S?]?.?


    [?F?u?m?i? ?P?l?a?n?t?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?S?S?]?.?


    ¡­


    There were dozens of¡­ corrupted plants. They didn¡¯t attack, in fact they just looked like plants. There was no weird flicker, there was no¡­ anything. I walked up to one of them, staring at it for a moment in bewilderment before finally I decided to touch upon its leaves.


    Its surface was smooth?¡ª


    ¡°Impressive is it not?¡± the Hero of Arlas asked, leaning against the wall.


    ¡°Can you not appear out of thin air next time?¡± I said half annoyed before looking back at the plant. ¡°What part of it is corrupted?¡±


    ¡°Well, the entire thing is actually corrupted.¡± He shrugged walking up to one of them and caressing a leaf. ¡°I¡¯ve been experimenting for some centuries now.¡±


    ¡°I thought you intended to purge the corruption off the world?¡±


    ¡°That was the original plan,¡± he said looking at the plant. ¡°But once I realized how monumental the task became I began to look for other ways?¡ª for life to thrive. The¡­ civilization that caused the corruption had a vision of a greater power.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I let him continue.


    ¡°And the corruption was a side-effect of it. However, instead of purging it they believed that they could implement it. Enhance beings with it. And they weren¡¯t wrong.¡±


    ¡°Except?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Except the failure rate is over ninety-nine-percent and it must be before the lifeform is born. These forty plants or so were the product of a century of experimentation. I went through thousands of failures to achieve this.¡± He shook his head. ¡°So in the end, you or I assimilating with it?¡ª the chances are zero. It¡¯s a malevolent force.¡±


    I pondered for a moment before deciding to ask. ¡°Where does the corruption come from?¡±


    ¡°The System?¡ª is what you¡¯d like me to say, but that¡¯s not the case, or not exactly.¡± I raised my brow as he continued. ¡°The corruption is¡­ something from another world. These ruins, the other ruins?¡ª all of the ruins in the world are in an actual different world. We are in a different world Arc.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°When did I even tell you my name?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Some of the ruins here are thousands of years old. The corruption stems from a broken System, a System that broke down and since then it has acted like a parasite to all of these places and Arlas is next in the list. The reason our system can interact with the corruption is due to that; they are interlinked but one is distinctly different.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡­¡± I thought for a moment. ¡°They are like oddly compatible but one is glitched beyond belief so it?¡ª¡± and I paused realizing he didn¡¯t understand what I was saying.


    ¡°Yes, it is ¡®glitched¡¯,¡± he agreed. ¡°Therefore it¡¯s bugged out and makes beings stronger while also stripping them of something else. Though¡­¡± He tilted his head. ¡°It¡¯s been hundreds of years since I used such language. So Earth is still in the twenty-first century?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± I agreed with some pause. ¡°Anyway, how do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°I have a skill that lets me see various notes about you including your leveling history. I have to say, you¡¯d probably be stronger than me if you had the same opportunities I had.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°A shame.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ thanks.¡± I awkwardly shifted. ¡°So, why can I only leave if I¡¯m corrupted then?¡±


    ¡°That is¡­ complicated. You¡¯d be considered an invader by the corruption, while currently the System considers you an attacker?¡ª attackers cannot really run away.¡±


    I blinked, processing what he had just said.


    ¡°That is the stupidest thing I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± I said flatly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot more complicated than that but that¡¯s the best summary I can give you. But yeah, if I were you I¡¯d make myself comfortable here. You¡¯ll spend a very long time here given your lifespan.¡±


    I snorted. ¡°I want to grow stronger, I¡¯ll figure out the whole ?¡ª whether I can get out or not situation later.¡±


    ¡°Grow stronger¡­¡± He frowned thinking. ¡°That is difficult. Aside from creating new skills the only other way is to get corrupted, or discover already corrupted relics from these other worlds. Though those will try to corrupt you as you wield them.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s possible for me to learn SSS Tier skills without the aid of the system?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, absolutely impossible.¡±


    ¡°Well that sure is nice to hear,¡± I said sarcastically.


    ¡°SSS Tier skills are given the aid of the System itself; you cannot force the System to give you aid. No one can,¡± he explained. ¡°There is a limit to how strong you can grow in this place before you¡¯ll hit an insurmountable wall.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He met my gaze. ¡°I¡¯ve grown fond of you Arc, especially because I can see the life you¡¯ve lived in Arlas. It¡¯s not a malicious one?. Which is why I¡¯d like you to live a full life here, even if you most likely won¡¯t see Ceylon or anyone else ever again.¡±


    I frowned, but he continued disregarding my evident anger.


    ¡°I think you should just learn to enjoy life here. Given the fact there are so many ruins and not everything is corrupted, it is possible to live a normal life, save the perils outside.¡± He sighed before looking at me with a lot more seriousness than before.


    ¡°I guess what I''m saying is, forget about it and make a new life on your own?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± I scoffed. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll listen? If you think I¡¯ll just sit here and be happy, you¡¯re dead wrong.¡±


    He frowned. ¡°It¡¯s a path that has no victory?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Fuck. You,¡± I spat.


    His frown worsened. ¡°It¡¯s?¡ª.¡±


    ¡°No, didn¡¯t you hear me? Are you delusional or something? I asked with utmost annoyance. ¡°Let me repeat it: go fuck yourself?¡ª¡±


    And my danger senses kicked in as I took a step back, a sword flash slicing the skin of my neck as a trickle of blood poured out. In a single moment, the room became colorless as he stared at me, holding his greatsword.


    His eyes narrowed as my body instinctually shivered.


    ¡°Drop it, you won¡¯t get out of this place. Give up and I¡¯ll let you live.¡±


    For a moment I paused, but then I thought back about what I had told the dragons during our argument after my first argument about corruption. If your ideals and principles are on a lower hierarchy than your life then there;s nothing to respect.


    It makes you all worthless.


    It was an extreme line of thinking, but in this case¡­


    I smiled, and made an ice spear.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to kill me then?¡ª¡±


    And he moved.


    I reacted in an instant, raising the shaft of the spear to block the next sword hit and?¡ª the spear shattered. In a single moment a gust of wind passed through the room as blood was drawn. The edge of the sword barely touched my skin, stopping just before cutting past it.


    A bead of sweat dropped as surprise flashed through my face.


    ¡°Drop it,¡± he said simply.


    A sigh left me.


    ¡°You already know the answer.¡± I shook my head.


    And the sword was removed. ¡°Fine then, you can stay for as long as you want here, but as soon as you depart there is no coming back. After that, I don¡¯t want to see your face ever again.¡±


    I frowned as he walked out of the room.


    I touched the injuries on my neck and?¡ª they were barely anything. Akin to paper cuts. He never intended to kill me in the first place but¡­


    It had still been fucking terrifying.


    I felt my body shiver with cold sweat before I laughed.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    In the end, I stayed for a few days just relaxing and mentally preparing for what was about to come.


    There was no coming back.


    And¡­ that was fine. I had gathered as much information as I could from the Hero of Arlas in spite of his cold attitude. Until finally, I felt confident enough to depart.


    I stood before one of the many exits and just as my hand touched upon one of the levers, he appeared behind me, speaking.


    ¡°If you¡¯re trying to find relics, then your best chance will be going south towards the Ruins of the Gods, you should remember that place from my map.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that one of the most dangerous areas?¡±


    ¡°With danger comes payoff.¡± He shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s all the advice you¡¯re getting from me.¡±


    With those words he disappeared.


    I stared before making a decision, and minutes later I departed from the southern entrance in a quest to either die or grow strong enough to survive the Forgotten Places. And I was sure of it:


    I was going to survive no matter what.

 Chapter. 131: Salvation

    My time in the safe-zone wasn¡¯t spent all relaxing or asking random questions; it was spent learning how to survive. Whether it was from gathering information or just thinking about my experiences and the knowledge I had learned and finally I had reached a plan.


    The first thing that happened when I exited was¡­ silence. Outside of the grand building there was just an ashen plain of nothingness. The lights nearby illuminating the nearby surroundings and the rest was a dark gray darkness with white winds. I watched the surroundings for a few moments before setting off on my journey towards finding relics.


    And hopefully I¡¯d find them at my destination:


    The Ruins of the Gods.


    A place of a different ancient civilization, one that had ?¡ª according to the Hero of Arlas, Uwell? ?¡ª attuned themselves to a greater power. As for how they fell to the corruption? He didn¡¯t know either. Based on what I understood however, S Tier and SS Tier levels of strength weren¡¯t a rare thing in that world.


    And that was also why I had high hopes of finding something that would allow me to properly fight the corruption there.


    I journeyed for what felt like an hour before I heard the first screech of something?¡ª in a single moment from within a distant building a single corrupted being rushed out at lightning speeds.


    [???G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???.


    Guardian Watcher, SS Tier? I stared at the cat-like thing, not particularly caring about the roars from other beings in the distance. Instead, a single thought passed by my mind:


    It was probably just as strong as the Lab Rat, which was perfect for me.


    With a smile I made an ice spear and the thing let out a distorted screech that buzzed in my ears. This time, having a plan of action I immediately raised my hand and used one of my strongest attack skills.


    [Judgment of the Ice God].


    In a single moment, the ground exploded?. A harrowing screech of pain echoed and I immediately used [Quick Step], casting [Skullpiercer], [Ancient Blow], and [Deadly Impalement]. My spear blurred and with a flash of light it broke through the ground, an explosion of rock and dirt shaking the land.


    After an initial shill cry all that was left was a short silence that was cut by roars in the distance. The Guardian Watcher was dead.


    [ You have vanquished the: G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.?????? from the world. T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S??? ]???


    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    I stood in its wake, looking down at its distorted and broken corpse before my hands shifted, being encased in claws of ice as I knelt, and without a second thought I began to tear its corpse apart.


    My clawed hands dug into its chest, ripping the corruption apart as the ice began to be eaten away, but without a second thought I continued, stretching its skin and its corrupted parts as thinly as I possibly could. I discarded unnecessary stuff, such as its inner flesh that had yet to be corrupted, and what could be used I stitched together with ice threads. Making what was essentially a deformed corruption mantle, but when I raised it I frowned.


    ¡°It¡¯s nowhere near big enough¡­¡±


    Then, the roars arrived and I turned only to see a pack of Guardian Watchers.


    [???G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???.


    [???G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???.


    [???G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.??? ???T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S???]???.


    ¡­


    I blinked, in the distance I could hear screeches of different monsters heading in my direction. The Forgotten Places had this thing that any fight would draw more and more attention, but to be honest I didn¡¯t really care. Instead, I immediately used my SS Tier skill.


    The world turned blue and a moment later hundreds of spears pierced through the Guardian Watchers.


    Before, I had been hesitant to use any strong skills, but now¡­ it was different.


    I immediately flicked and [Frost Lightning] fell on the group, hitting them all at once. Then, using [Wrath of the Ice Queen] once more, the group was all pierced and finally I finished coldly.


    ¡°Die for my goals.¡±


    And [Judgment of the Ice God] was used. An earth shattering explosion occurred, and notifications began to come once more.


    [ You have vanquished the: G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.?????? from the world. T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S??? ]???


    [ You have vanquished the: G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.?????? from the world. T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S??? ]???


    ¡­


    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    Without hesitation, I kicked?¡ª all of the corpses were launched my way and covering part of my body in ice I grabbed them all along with the already ¡°processed¡± one and left through the use of [God Step].


    Deciding to continue doing what I intended to do elsewhere.


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    In a blink I found myself in the corner of a building and then, I made a wall of ice, encrusting some of the corpses into it as the ice immediately began to corrupt.


    Then, one by one and through rotating them I began to make multiple pieces of cloth, breaking their bodies apart as I made a crude full body cloak. Once it was done, I took a very deep breath.


    If I wanted to go unseen, I didn¡¯t have any other choice.


    I could hear roars coming for me in the distance given the ice walls no longer had anything in them. All of the monsters were coming in my direction now.


    A sigh left me as I encased my body in the ice armor of the Hero of Frost, and then, I draped the corrupted cloak over myself. A moment later, I was draped in corruption, from head to toe and then, a dozen of familiar beings entered the room.


    [?C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]?


    [?C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]?


    [?C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ?T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]?


    ¡­


    There was a silence as they looked towards my direction, weird distorted sounds came my way and then?¡ª they turned around and left. I looked down only to see my whole body flaking, I could feel the ice continuously being corroded as a deep breath left me.


    My heart was rushing and it didn¡¯t start to calm down until they turned around.


    It had worked. The plan of coating myself in corruption had worked.


    I walked out of the building turning towards the ruins in the distance, they resembled a group of broken down pyramids with rhombuses for the tips. They were none other than the Ruins of the Gods, one of the most dangerous areas according to the map provided by the Hero of Arlas.


    And now? I was free to roam them to scavenge for artifacts.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    The first thing I noticed was my inability to use [Quick Step] or [God Step] with the cloak on, though I didn¡¯t pay it much mind as all I did was explore the first small pyramid, I saw a few monsters called the Guardians of Error; I supposed they were the equivalent of the Chimeras, but aside from giving me a passing glance they completely ignored me; mindlessly wandering around instead.


    And so, I had the chance to admire the different things I saw, from broken down ornamental pots to nigh unrecognizable carvings on the walls?¡ª the whole pyramid was barren, at least the first one?¡ª the second and much bigger one was the same and the third one and biggest one was?¡ª also the fucking same.


    I shook my head, it was as if the place had already long been ransacked clean. I was now leaving the third pyramid, and all that remained was a small black pyramid at the back of the ruins. This one was completely covered in corruption, and the likelihood of it having anything inside was low. Had the Hero of Arlas given me wrongful advice so I would die?


    I frowned now more annoyed.


    I guess I¡¯ll just explore the last pyramid.


    A sigh left me and I stepped onto the barren land, walking through it without a care in the world. Unlike the other pyramids this one was quite far, but as I approached it I noticed something interesting?¡ª it had lights. Small parts of the pyramid were illuminated. Did it mean that the technology of the old civilization was still working?


    If I remembered correctly, the hideout made by the Hero of Arlas was in that situation. Which also meant?¡ª the likelihood of finding artifacts was much higher. I smiled and the ground quaked, calling my attention. I turned only to see a Twisted Thing in the distance, looking in my direction.


    I shook my head and continued my walk before I heard it roar. Once more, I turned and?¡ª it was sprinting at full speed towards me, the land shaking from its power. My eyes widened and I immediately began to run.


    Attacks of corruption immediately came my way, as the thing rushed at supersonic speeds. Dozens of flashes of black surrounded me and one?¡ª struck me. I yelped feeling a cut go through the cloak and my arm, and then as I saw the Twisted Thing was less than a hundred meters away I made my decision.


    My eyes widened and I removed the cloak, immediately using [Quick Step] as the thing jumped. In a single moment I appeared near the entrance of the pyramid and the Twisted Thing hit the ground, a shockwave traveled through the air as I was sent flying right into the innards of the place.


    I hit the corrupted wall, my armor shattered and I coughed up blood as the door in front of me closed with a banging sound. Green lights turned on illuminating my surroundings dimly.


    ¡°That¡¯s too fucking strong, no?¡± I groaned.


    Pain spread through my arm as it began to get eaten away by the corruption. The first thing I did after getting up was remove my jacket before making an ice knife and carving away the corrupted flesh in my arm.


    I grunted as I walked through the empty halls of the pyramid. The walls were full of corruption, the doorways were fully open as I saw various rooms in the place. Though once more, it seemed to be mostly empty, and as I was losing hope I saw stairs that led to a basement.


    I finished removing the corruption and immediately went down the stairs, unknowing of what I could even find. This time, I was more nervous than ever given the concentration of corruption around the place. But I carried forth walking down to what seemed to be a closed door, next to it there was a single button. One that was?¡ª slightly less corrupted.


    A breath left me, the door was untouched by the mass of darkness, instead remaining a bright red with yellow symbols stamped all over it. They seemed to be almost?, unsettling. What could even be here?


    I paused, poking the button with a stick of ice, and then with a small alarm the door opened.


    I found myself looking at what seemed to be a large room, white light coming from the ceiling. The ground was nothing but dirt, but the walls were corrupted. I stepped inside, and the door behind me closed, startling me as I took a breath.


    That is bad¡­


    And a voice spoke. One I couldn¡¯t understand. It made a long winded introduction that somehow made my nerves rise further, and after a moment and excitement from the voice I heard a door open. One to my left.


    I turned only to see a being of pure corruption walk right out.


    ?[?????????????????????????¡ª????????????????????¡ª??????????????????¡ª???????????.???????? ?????????T??????????i????????e???????r????????:??????? ??????????????¡ª?????????]?????????


    My heart dropped.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    I made an ice spear, and before I could blink a tentacle whipped, I screamed as it hit my sides, sending me clashing against the wall? and?¡ª I broke through it. The corrupted wall couldn¡¯t resist the shock as it was torn right through. The bones in my body practically shattered as I whimpered on the ground.


    Was this how I died?


    The pain was immeasurable, but even then I tried to run using my arms crawling through the space as I heard the looming footsteps of the monster I had just stumbled upon.


    Deep down I felt like crying out of frustration; I didn¡¯t regret my choices but the fact that it was impossible to leave this place made me want to scream. However, even then I still tried to escape.


    I wanted to live.


    I wanted to live oh so fucking desperately.


    And then, as I turned the corner I saw it.


    It was a spear, wreathed in corruption and the System notification told me everything I needed to know. I was staring right at it.


    ????[???????????S???o???''???l???a???s???''??? ???S???p???e???a???r???.??? ???T???????????????????????????????????????i???????????????????????????????????????????????e???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????r???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????:??????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡ª???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????????????????????????????????????????????????


    I was staring at my salvation.

 Chapter. 132: Interlude: State of Affairs

    Ceylon had undertaken all of the responsibilities of ruling Draliz on her back. Sometimes she listened to the Dragon of Water¡¯s advice ?¡ª whose collar had now received Malz¡¯s mana instead out of precaution fearing her D Tier mana wouldn¡¯t be effective ?¡ª and other times she listened to Malz.


    While, in the past, Ceylon didn¡¯t know what to make of the Dragon of Shadows, but right now; based on everything she had experienced, a very strong impression had formed in her mind. Described in a single word, it was:


    Dependable.


    The Dragon of Shadows was dependable, but more than anything she was loyal. Ceylon was sure of it. While Ceylon didn¡¯t fully understand why Malz was loyal to Arc, it didn¡¯t exactly matter. Not right now. While they were both worried about the danger Arc was undergoing, all they could do was focus on protecting Arc¡¯s hard work.


    And it had been surprisingly¡­ hard.


    Since the election two weeks ago and since then there had been two revolts, not only that but certain businesses had gone on strike for petty reasons. Unfortunately, Draliz revolved around business, and with it came alliances. And now, people were trying to cause unrest in order to bring scrutiny to the effectiveness of the new ruling family of Draliz.


    Thankfully, Malz and the Dragon of Water had been available to deal with everything effectively; even if a little violence had been required. Though, Ceylon did find it funny. In the past she was so against things like this but now¡­


    ¡°Well if it¡¯s for Arc it¡¯s fine¡­¡± And then she sighed. ¡°Though it really has been two weeks since she disappeared¡­ I wonder if she¡¯ll be returning any time soon.¡±


    Ceylon shook her head, she was in a grand opulent office in the castle. This was meant to be her father¡¯s office, but after she placed her foot down she had essentially taken control of the Arlow family. All of her hard effort in the past had been rewarded in one go, and yet she didn¡¯t feel an ounce of happiness.


    In the end, all she cared about was her friend¡¯s whereabouts, hoping more than anything that she¡¯d return home safe.


    ¡°I hope she is,¡± Malz added, a long sigh leaving her. ¡°All of this human stuff is boring.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you could go do other stuff?¡± Ceylon asked hesitantly.


    She was afraid of Malz not being around, but she wasn¡¯t Arc. Even after these two weeks, they hadn¡¯t grown that much closer. She exactly couldn¡¯t expect Malz to stay around just for her?¡ª


    Malz scoffed. ¡°Yeah and disappoint Arc? Hard pass.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ thank you.¡± Ceylon nodded, and then chuckled awkwardly. ¡°I guess we both really like Arc? I certainly wouldn¡¯t be bothering to run the country if it wasn¡¯t for her¡­¡±


    Malz raised her brow. ¡°You like Arc?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ceylon agreed without hesitation. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Well naturally, but¡­¡± Malz frowned, looking all over her. ¡°Well why do you accompany Arc?¡±


    Ceylon paused, confused. Then, she scratched her cheek. ¡°Well, Arc saved my life and has done so much for me. I think it¡¯s only natural for me to try to repay her to the best of my ability. Plus, she has also done so much for me emotionally.¡±


    ¡°Done things for you emotionally?¡± There was an increased curiosity in Malz¡¯s tone.


    ¡°Well like, helped me deal with my family hang ups; helping me process feelings¡­ that kind of stuff. Though I, uh, thought she saw me as something else and I rejected her?¡± Malz tensed, Ceylon chuckled. ¡°Turns out she didn¡¯t feel anything of the sort for me or anyone really¡­¡± And she began to trail off. ¡°I just see her as a big sister I guess?¡­ I like her a lot¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± the Dragon of Shadows tensed. ¡°Did she truly mean anyone?¡±


    ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t ask.¡± Ceylon tilted her head. ¡°Why? Are you curious?¡±


    Malz frowned and then shook her head. ¡°I guess I¡¯m not surprised.¡±


    With that, the Dragon of Shadows stood up and left the room, leaving Ceylon bewildered.


    * * * * *


    Malz walked out of the room and into the hall. She was the Dragon of Shadows. A figure that was feared in history, and one that had a legend behind it, and in spite of all her life experience she felt¡­ weird. She didn¡¯t understand what she was feeling. It was like a burning feeling of annoyance. The words ringing in her mind.


    Arc had never really felt that way for anything or anyone. It was something that Malz actually didn¡¯t feel all that surprised about, even if it had come out of nowhere. It was¡­


    Why did she even care?!


    She stomped on the ground crossing her arms in annoyance. Arc wasn¡¯t even around, she was in the forgotten places, and yet Malz was just worrying about this instead. Something that? should¡¯ve been quite obvious to her already!


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    ¡°Ugh,¡± she groaned. ¡°I really should get my priorities checked.¡±


    Malz pinched the bridge of her nose. She did care about Arc¡¯s interests, however she cared way more about the heroine¡¯s safety.


    A sigh left her.


    ¡°Hopefully Arc will return soon¡­¡±


    And then, when she was about to head back into the room she heard hurried footsteps coming in her direction. She turned only to pause. A man was coming, it was just an ordinary man ?¡ª a worker of the castle ?¡ª however, in his arms there was a rather small box. As soon as he spotted her he seemed to heave a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Thank the System that I found you, Lady Malz.¡±


    He came to a stop in front of her as she raised her brow. The man let out a very long breath as he pushed the box in her direction.


    ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°They are letters from neighboring kingdoms, they all arrived at once and¡­¡±


    ¡°And¡­?¡± Malz pressed.


    ¡°They are from heroes.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    An assembly was called.


    Malz ?¡ª while skeptical if every single letter was of a hero ?¡ª still took the necessary procedures and informed Ceylon of what had happened, and shortly after the Dragon of Water had been called over. Now, all three sat at a small round table within the ruler¡¯s office, in front of them there were at least ten letters.


    ¡°What¡­ could they even want¡­?¡± Ceylon asked.


    ¡°That is¡­¡± Malz trailed off. She didn¡¯t really know.


    Meanwhile, the Dragon of Water was just sitting there with a frown on his face. At first, neither of the two noticed, but soon Malz took notice of it and decided to ask.


    ¡°Dragon of Water, do you know what this is about¡­?¡±


    ¡°I may have an idea¡­¡± he said with a frown. ¡°And I do not like it.¡±


    Ceylon raised her brow, now evidently panicked.


    ¡°What is it? You can¡¯t just not say it?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± He tapped his chin in thought. ¡°The Hero of Flames was evidently interested in Draliz even after Arc had ruined his plans, the Hero of Spirits, the Hero of Necromancy even?¡ª so many heroes are interested in Draliz, so it might be due to that.¡±


    Malz blinked and immediately frowned. ¡°So you¡¯re saying that other heroes might be vying for Draliz already?¡±


    ¡°There is a chance.¡± The Dragon of Water¡¯s frown worsened. ¡°There is also a chance they want something else. We haven¡¯t opened the letters.¡±


    Ceylon seemed to be quite alarmed as well, but she quickly composed herself as she let out a breath. ¡°Right, we should take a look at them first, before making any assumptions.¡±


    They all nodded, and soon the letters began to be read out loud. And all of them, made mention of the Hero of Flames and expressed their congratulations towards finally ruling a nation. It was¡­


    ¡°But the Hero of Flames is dead¡­ do they just¡­ not know?¡± Ceylon asked, fidgeting.


    ¡°Possibly,¡± the Dragon of Water agreed, sifting through the letters, absentmindedly re-reading them. ¡°However, there is also something else that I¡¯m noticing; all the heroes are on friendly terms with the Hero of Flames. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll do anything if they learn of his demise but¡­¡±


    His face darkened.


    ¡°It is for the best that no rumors escape Draliz.¡±


    Malz and Ceylon grievously nodded.


    ¡°Though that still leaves the question: why did the other heroes want Draliz? That is not something I fully understand,¡± the Dragon of Water said.


    They both frowned.


    ¡°That is something we can figure out at a later time, maybe,¡± Malz suggested. ¡°I suppose there are more pressing matters to attend to, such as¡­ replying to the letters.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Ceylon nodded.


    And the Dragon of Water just stared for a moment before closing his eyes.


    It was evident that both people had forgotten; it¡¯d be weird if the Hero of Flames didn¡¯t reply back. So now, they had to reply to the letters, and the question was¡­


    What does one even reply to that?


    ¡°If only Regis¡¯karr was here¡­¡± Ceylon sighed. ¡°I assume he¡¯d be helpful.¡±


    And then, there was just silence. They all knew where the red-dragon had gone off to. At least, Malz knew; she didn¡¯t really know if the Dragon of Water was in the know, but given she never even bothered to ask his name it¡¯s not as if she¡¯d suddenly try to make sure he understood the situation.


    ¡°I think, perhaps we should write a generic reply. Perhaps something casual,¡± Malz suggested. ¡°While we don¡¯t know what type of relationships the Hero of Flames had, we can just mirror the tone of each letter individually.¡±


    ¡°So something like: ¡®thank you, it was really hard¡¯?¡± Ceylon asked.


    ¡°I suppose so, yes.¡±


    And then there was a pause, the Dragon of Water seemed mostly uninterested, but Malz was nervous and so was Ceylon. So after a few moments of deliberation, Malz added something.


    ¡°We can probably take a week to send the letters back¡­¡±


    Ceylon immediately nodded.


    ¡°So, at least we have a week to come up with the responses.¡± A sigh of relief left Ceylon. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ hopefully Arc will be back before anything goes wrong?¡ª¡± And she shook her head. ¡°No, we shouldn¡¯t cause any problems for her return.¡±


    ¡°I do agree with that.¡± Malz grabbed a piece of paper and a quill from the desk, grabbing a letter and beginning to read it carefully.


    The Hero of Mist? She had never heard of him before. But the tone seemed quite amicable, they owned a very small country it seemed. From the sounds of it, the Hero of Flames was considerably stronger than him too.


    ¡°Writing a response shouldn¡¯t be too bad¡­¡±


    Malz sighed. She did want to take the approach of: ¡®worst case scenario we¡¯ll just kill them.¡¯ But unfortunately, while she was confident in even killing two weak-ish heroes at once, ten or more was an impossibility.


    So in the end, she started writing.


    She slowly wrote, picking each word carefully. And when she finished the first sentence, the door slammed open. The same man from before was panting.


    ¡°It¡¯s an emergency!¡± he called.


    Everyone turned to him in curiosity, but also there was also tension in the air from what was already happening. And the fact that the man was absolutely panicking, it made everyone present worry.


    ¡°The?¡ª t-the.¡± He stuttered.


    ¡°The?¡± Malz asked, frustrated.


    And the man screamed.


    ¡°The Heroine of Water is demanding to see the Heroine of Frost!¡±

 Chapter. 133: The Price Of My Life (Part 1)

    The spear was just a few meters away, and yet it felt so far. My entire body was aching in dull pain, but now; now that I felt like I had a way to get out of this, I no longer felt dread, instead an intense sense of desperate urgency replaced it.


    I grunted in severe pain, trying to get my legs to work but it was futile. I didn¡¯t know how, but breaking through the wall had made me lose all control of my lower body. And so, I clawed across the ground, all of my muscles aching as I strained them to drag my worn down body. The injury I had received from the Twisted Thing along with this one had been too much.


    I gritted my teeth hearing the nearby distorted footsteps. The air began to flicker, static echoing in my ears as I moved my mana across my body. And then, with a slam of my palm and ice block hit me. I was propelled forward, landing past as ice enveloped my legs, forcing them to listen to me as I slowly stood up.


    I had to live.


    I gritted my teeth using an ice staff to move forward towards the ice spear.


    I had to get out of this place alive.


    I nearly fell over as I arrived at the pedestal where the weapon was.


    I had to see Ceylon again.


    Its corruption was so strong that being nearby made my skin hurt, but knowing what I had to fight made me resolute. I enveloped my arms and hands on ice, and I grabbed the spear. I immediately felt as if needles pierced through my hands, as I let out a suppressed cry of pain. But a single nearby footstep gave me all the resolution I needed as I gripped it tightly and?¡ª flicked.


    The ground shattered as a distorted cry resounded, a flickering tentacle flew through the air and hit the wall, cracking it. I turned seeing the corrupted being standing before me.


    ?[?????????????????????????¡ª????????????????????¡ª??????????????????¡ª???????????.???????? ?????????T??????????i????????e???????r????????:??????? ??????????????¡ª?????????]?????????


    While I was sure this thing was a different one from the one I met in the basement?¡ª namely this one being smaller. It was still just as corrupted, it¡¯s mere presence made me fearful for my life, but right now I suppressed that feeling to the bottom of my heart as I tightly clenched into the blackened spear.


    It was so corrupted, so beyond the limits of the world that the spear was nothing but a dark abyss, somehow lightly illuminating its surroundings with its presence. Flakes of darkness flickered in its immediate vicinity, lightly corrupting anything that it came in touch with, but at this moment, I didn¡¯t care. My hand was actively burning as I held it, but even then, I only cared about one thing and one thing only.


    My eyes were fixated on the corrupted being, and a moment later it screeched. A barrage of tentacles came my way and without hesitation I used one of my many spear skills?¡ª [Frenzied Whirlwind].


    The spear blurred, and with flashes it pierced through every single tentacle, the air breaking as the beast screamed unleashing a broken sound. But I didn¡¯t care. I used [Quick Step], appearing behind it and through gritted teeth and holding it by the bottom of its shaft I called.


    ¡°[Deathblow]!¡±


    I swung??¡ª the ice coating my hands shattered as the spear collided with the broken being. The wall instantly shattered as the thing was thrown away like a ragdoll, a painful screech resounding through the air as the ground quaked.


    I watched the hole in the wall, corruption permeating it as I took a very deep breath. The spear within my hands was¡­ strong. Somehow or in some way it enhanced every single attack I made, but at the same time?¡ª I flinched feeling a burst of pain on my palm. I switched hands only to see my hand fully coated in darkness.


    ?¡ª using this spear was power at a price.


    And tentacles exploded from the wall. I turned; switching back to my dominant hand and braced myself, making sure to still protect my left hand with ice. And then, a moment later the incarnation of corruption showed back up with a terrible roar. I flinched, fear gripping me for a moment before I tightened my hands around the spear?¡ª the pain sobering me up in an instant.


    The corrupted being screeched and?¡ª charged. I frowned, my gaze narrowing and then I immediately used my first skill??¡ª


    ¡°[Blessing of the?]?¡ª ouch.¡± I flinched, pain shooting through my whole being before the breaking of the ground in front of me snapped me out of my stupor. My eyes widened and I braced myself, lifting the spear up. And the being?¡ª punched.


    My arms trembled in severe pain and I was sent flying back, hitting the wall dully. Pain flaring throughout my entire body as my consciousness drifted. I watched the black shadow of corruption begin to rush in my direction, and in spite of my protests my vision became increasingly more blurry.


    I had to hold on¡­


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I had to fight for my life¡­


    lest I was going to die¡­


    And at that moment, my vision went black as I lost consciousness, succumbing to my injuries. I found myself in an eternal abyss with no end, all I could see was a large expanse of floating particles of nothingness. They ebbed and flowed ?¡ª up and down ?¡ª side to side; their directions seemed to change every so often; they weren¡¯t erratic, nor were they fast; they were rather slow and methodical.


    It was a peaceful sight; almost too peaceful; peaceful enough for one simple thought to pop into my head:


    Did I die?


    Last I remembered the corrupted monster was coming my way and now I was¡­ here. My thoughts did not last, for something interesting happened: the abyss parted. A white line emerged, and then: it expanded. The block of white traveled far and wide, reaching every corner of my vision and then for the first time I felt a physical body. I stood there, and the sound of dropping water called to me.


    I turned only to see a blue sphere, it was no bigger than a fist. For some reason, I instinctively recognized it, it was mana?¡ª my mana. But also, it was the mana I had first started with when I first came to this world? Then I watched as the world around me shifted?¡ª as the white expanse changed as if indicating the passage of time, and with it the sphere also changed.


    It grew, bigger and bigger ?¡ª it quickly became the size of a small house ?¡ª until finally I saw a gigantic shadow topple in the distance: the overlord died at this point in time and with it; the sphere doubled. And it didn¡¯t stop there, I watched it slowly grow until I saw a small mountain in the white canvas and with it?¡ª it expanded once more.


    At this point it was probably over one-hundred meters in diameter. And then it remained static for a few seconds before I saw something that instantly made me frown: corruption.


    It started with a small dot, and in a single blink the entire sphere became a black mass of writhing darkness. My eyes widened, having a small realization.


    If the mana sphere represented me then that meant?¡ª


    And I groaned in severe pain. I opened my bleary eyes only to see the shadow of corruption about to pounce on me, and with a grunt I slammed my hand. A pillar of ice erupted to my side and knocked me just in time for the monster to arrive?¡ª slamming the ground where I had once been.


    I rolled with heavy breaths as I stood up, using the corrupted spear as support. I stared at the rising cloud of dust with a frown. I could feel it inside me; the mana sphere that I had seen in my visions. It was much smaller comparatively, but its vastness was very much evident and just like in the visions, part of it was¡­


    Being nibbled at by the corruption.


    I frowned, calling back to the moment I tried to use the System¡¯s magic on the spear. It had hurt. I turned to the corrupted object in my hand; perhaps I was wrong, but I was sure that it was responsible for the corruption being present on my mana. And that was¡­ infuriating. I didn¡¯t know what exactly it meant for me, but I was sure of something: best case scenario my mana capacity would be permanently reduced.


    I gnashed my teeth.


    There were so many things I was angry about, so many damn things that I didn¡¯t have control over in this damn forsaken place; so many damn things I just did not fucking comprehend. So. Many. Things. It was beyond frustrating; it was infuriating. At this point I felt like I had reached my breaking point.


    Back in training, I had a steady goal and things were relatively predictable, but here? None of that was the case. The ice encompassing my left hand cracked and in a single second, I swung. The ground shattered, corruption flaked on the air as the monster screeched? on the ground before me. It had happened in a blink; I had reacted by sheer instinct.


    I had no room in my mind for anything. Anything other than beating the fuck out of the corruption monster.


    There was no room in my mind that it was much stronger than me in every single way, but right now I had something that allowed me to fight on equal footing. With a swipe, I swung the monster upwards, shattering my surroundings by the sheer strength of the hit and then I stabbed?¡ªpierced forward. [Skullpiercer] was used as a harrowing screech echoed through the air.


    Then, I swung ?¡ª slammed the wretched thing onto the ground before doing it again, and again, and again. It tried to attack me with tentacles, but they were quickly cut down by the blade of the spear and my skills.


    At this moment I didn¡¯t care for anything other than making the corrupted beast suffer. I stomped on the ground, an ice pillar hitting the monster. I removed my spear from its throat as it was launched towards the ceiling, and then holding it in my hand I pulled my arm back, tensing it with all my strength.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± I tilted my head.


    There were no thoughts, there was only instinct.


    ¡°Right?¡ª [Titanic Strength], [Deadly Impalement], and?¡ª [Throw of Death].¡±


    My hand blurred, and in a single moment the room exploded with corruption. The ceiling shattered as a multiple meter wide hole was punctured through the ceiling. The pained cry of the monster echoing in the distance as I took a deep breath.


    This was just the beginning.


    ¡°[Armament Recall],¡± I said in a whisper.


    I flinched for a moment before I felt something coming towards me?¡ª the spear broke through the ceiling and landed on my hand, the ground shattering as flakes of corruption contaminated everything like a deadly infection. And of course, I was no exception, but I didn¡¯t care as I simply stepped forward.


    [Quick Step].


    In a single moment I appeared before the vast gray sand within a large valley. The corrupted pyramid was next to me, and where I stood was where the Twisted Thing had landed. Then, a moment later an object fell from the air, the sand in front of me exploding. I watched in silence as the dust cleared, and finally the corrupted being stood up.


    Half of its body was missing as it stared at me, and then it raised its arm.


    Corrupted gibberish echoing through the air. I sighed and kicked?¡ª an ice pillar hit it from behind, throwing it towards me and I stabbed forward with my spear piercing it through the chest.


    ¡°You think I¡¯d let you use a skill?¡± I shook my head. ¡°Though not like normal laws apply to you.¡±


    Then, it lowered its hand as tentacles of corruption exploded all around me. With a sigh I threw the monster away, sending it crashing towards the black pyramid as more and more tentacles emerged all around me. Hundreds if not thousands of them.


    ¡°Bring it on then¡­¡± I breathed. ¡°I don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    And the tentacles attacked.

 Chapter. 134: The Price Of My Life (Part 2)

    I swung the spear and sent the monster flying across the land, breaking through one of the pyramids.


    My mental state was rapidly deteriorating, I was well aware of that. If I was being normal, I would¡¯ve long run away as soon as I acquired the spear. But something in me had snapped. And now. I didn¡¯t give a shit. I didn¡¯t care for what was happening; what the Forgotten Places were, what would happen to me, or whether I was corrupted or not. All that mattered to me was making the corruption suffer.


    Or more specifically: make the monster that had attacked me suffer.


    I was tired. I was tired of this entire place; I hadn¡¯t even been here for that long. It wasn¡¯t the constant danger; I had gone through that during training. It wasn¡¯t the prospect of being corrupted either. The main reason I was tired was because of all the circumstances compounded together. There wasn¡¯t anything I could specifically point at, but rather it was all just wearing down my mental state.


    And after reaching this point, I had stopped caring. My body was beginning to get corrupted, my mana was corrupted, my hand would probably be gone sometime soon, and yet¡­ I didn¡¯t give a shit. Instead, I hit the ground with the spear. It immediately shattered ?¡ª breaking apart like spider webs as corruption shot out in all directions.


    I still hardly understood how the spear actually worked, I could feel an intrinsic ability in there, but it was so muddled that it was hard to even try to draw it out?¡ª plus it was corrupted. Though not like that mattered, I was willing to use any tool at my disposal. Was I being rash? Yes. Was I perhaps going to die like this? Yes. Was I going to try to recover after? Also yes. But right now, the recovery, the fact that I was being rash, or perhaps even die didn¡¯t exactly matter to me.


    Instead, I focused on feeling the spear, on listening to it as I stabbed the numerous tentacles. In a single moment, the corrupted things were destroyed and annihilated. Even as they multiplied and formed even larger tentacles I didn¡¯t care. I pushed forward, my hand gripping the spear harder and harder as the pain got worse and worse.


    The corrupted monster came back at breaking speeds, and yet I dodged him. It was all driven by instinct, I could feel my strength increasing by the second as I punched it in the face and drove a knee into its stomach. The pain spreading across my entire body. Very slowly, parts began to ache as I slammed the wretched thing into the ground.


    My spear blurred, breaking through the tentacles and even cutting a limb off the beast. And as I continued to use the spear, the more I tried to draw its skill, one thing quickly became evident. There was a  desire emanating from within it. A single emotion that wanted to come out. It was:


    Wanting to be more.


    More than a corrupted tool, more than something whose strength depended on the amount of corruption, more than something that brought harm to its users. It was¡­ interesting. The harder I gripped the more I felt in line with those feelings; remorse, apprehension and when thinking of unleashing its skill I was filled with dread.


    It wanted to be more, but instead it had been reduced to a corrupted tool. And to some extent, I also wanted to be more. I wanted to not be consumed by the corruption, but as I saw the motes of darkness coming from my being all I could do was grit my teeth.


    What choice did I even have?


    I stabbed at the monster, piercing what would be its heart. A burst of corruption exploded upon the land as I drew back, and all the monster could do was screech in response. It tried to swing its arm at me but I stopped it with my hand and twisted?¡ª there was a crack, the sound it produced was muddled and the corrupted scream didn¡¯t help.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I didn¡¯t know what the being had once been, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was stronger now than it had even been in the past. And yet, here I was, fighting it and winning. I gritted my teeth as I drew back, slicing through its neck with a crescent swipe, and then I spun and did a backwards kick.


    I felt something within it break as it was sent flying through the air. At this point motes of corruption were coming from every part of my being and yet¡­ I didn¡¯t know how I felt. In fact, I didn¡¯t feel that much different than before. Though, perhaps it was best to not think about it.


    A sigh left me as a corrupted voice resounded in the background, and a moment later a torrent of corrupted darkness exploded. I saw light?¡ª white corrupted light gathering in the distance as danger filled my surroundings, and at that moment I realized that I had to put an end to this.


    I took a deep breath, drawing the skill from the spear as I pulled my arms back in position for a thrust. My arms tensed, and my mana tapped into the corrupted spear as I instinctually shivered, it scurried within getting tainted by the darkness until finally?¡ª I reached the deepest part of the spear, where a great power resided.


    A flash of light came with an echoing voice.


    [???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????E???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????v???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????e???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????r???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????l???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????a???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????s???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????i???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????n???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????g??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????L???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????i???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????g???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????h???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????t???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


    It was so corrupted that I didn¡¯t hear what it meant, but that didn¡¯t matter as a moment later I screamed in anger.


    ¡°[World Piercer]!¡±


    And the spear blurred with corruption. A flash of corrupted light engulfed the surroundings as it destroyed everything in a straight line. I saw buildings explode, the sand itself was wiped, and the whole world went silent as multiple system notifications came.


    [ You have vanquished the: ???????????????????¡ª????????????????????¡ª??????????????????¡ª???????????.???????? .?????? from the world. T??????????i????????e???????r????????:??????? ??????????????¡ª?????????]???


    [ You have vanquished the: G???u???a???r???d???i???a???n??? ???W???a???t???c???h???e???r???.?????? from the world. T???i???e???r???:??? ???S???S??? ]???


    [ You have vanquished the: C?h?i?m?e?r?a? ?o?f? ?t?h?e? ?E?r?_?o?_?.? ? from the world. T?i?e?r?:? ?_?_?]


    ¡­


    And the notifications continued as it listed how [World Piercer] had slain dozens of corrupted beings in a single attack. Before finally, the final notification came.


    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    ¡°So that¡¯s the end¡­¡± I spoke with a whisper as I sighed. ¡°And?¡ª ugh.¡±


    I groaned from pain, dropping the spear on the ground as my hand hurt worse than ever. The pain was so damn bad that I found myself kneeling down. I stared down at the ashen ground as I groaned.


    "I guess that''s the¡ª gah!" I panted. "Price to pay for using it, huh?"


    I laughed to myself, gritting my teeth from time to time. I didn''t really know where things would go from now, or what to even do. I had now found a tool to fight the corruption.


    I flipped onto the ground, lying on my back as my surroundings came to a deathly silence. Now, I only had one thing in mind:


    "What do I even do now?" And I flinched from the pain.


    "There is nothing you can do.." The Hero of Atlas appeared, looking down on me.


    I raised my brow. "What do you mean?"


    There was a silence before he spoke in a grave tone.


    "You''ve been corrupted, Arc, and it''s past the point of no return already."

 Chapter. 135: The Price Of My Life (Part 3)

    I blinked, a shiver traveling through my body before it became a like a wave of calm and relief. Finally, after a long breath I gave him my answer.


    ¡°I know. I just need to figure out how not to lose myself to it.¡±


    There was a silence, the Hero of Arlas stared at me in silence for what felt like an eternity. Before finally, he shook his head. I couldn¡¯t see his expression due to his helmet, but to some extent I felt like there was an air of disappointment.


    ¡°Out of all the things you could¡¯ve found¡­¡± He knelt grabbing onto So¡¯las¡¯ Spear, he stared at the corrupted object. ¡°You found probably one of the most corrupted relics I¡¯ve laid my eyes on.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s what allowed me to kill that thing.¡±


    ¡°I suppose so, but to¡­¡± he trailed off. ¡°Want to be something greater¡­ this spear is something from a civilization that played with corruption and failed at taming it. Using their failures you expect success?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an expectation.¡± A sigh left me. ¡°I have no other choice. For as long as I breathe, for as long as I can see, for as long as I can¡­¡± I grabbed onto my chest, the palpitations of my heart traveling through my hand. ¡°Feel¡­ I¡¯ll continue trying to get out of this place. I shall return to my¡­ home.¡±


    I closed my eyes as the pain in my body began to spread.


    ¡°In the end, that is my only desire. Before I became a hero I had no family, so having one now, even if it¡¯s just a sister¡­¡± I closed my eyes. ¡°I cannot fail.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    He pondered in silence, before speaking up again after a minute of the both of us sharing our presences.


    ¡°I hope you know that I¡¯m disappointed.¡±


    I breathed. ¡°I know that?¡ª¡±


    ¡°But, I also have another piece of advice. I didn¡¯t know mana itself could be corrupted, but yours has already started its process. While I do not know of what the effects of having corrupted mana are, I think there is a chance your wishes may come true.¡±


    ¡°The effects of corrupted mana?¡± I paused. ¡°That is?¡ª¡±


    ¡°That is for you to find out,¡± he interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ll get going now.¡±


    He turned away, giving me his back.


    ¡°This may be the last time we speak. So, good luck, Arc.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    And with a gust of wind he left. Ashen sand exploded all around me as my mind immediately raced for answers. What the Hero of Arlas had said, set off quite a lot of stuff in my mind. My mana was corrupted, and its effects were¡­


    In fact, I didn¡¯t even understand what it represented but I had a feeling I had seen it before with the Dragon of Frost.


    I raised my hand, black flakes coming from it, signifying that it clearly was long gone. I could still use it, though the corruption was slowly going up my arm and ultimately it would take my entire body. Though, I paid no attention to that, instead I focused beyond my flesh and onto the power coursing within me.


    The twisted and corrupted one that I could also manipulate.


    I rubbed my fingers together as a piece of blue ice was formed. It was a simple ice cube, except it had flakes of corruption and it gave a completely different aura.


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ arcane magic might be the answer¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t even know where to begin with it, since I understood that it was a power outside the System. I didn¡¯t know if it was exactly the power of the corruption since it seemed distinctly different, but at least I knew one thing. Arcane magic brought corruption with it, but considering it was also something that seemed stable, perhaps it was the answer I was seeking for.


    ¡°To be something more, huh?¡±


    And at that moment screeches resounded in the distance, signifying that I had to leave this place for good. Shaking my head I covered my already corrupted hand with ice and grabbed the spear. Its name was Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, as for how it was created, or who Sol¡¯as was, I didn¡¯t know.


    With the use of [God Step] I left in search of a safe space.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I didn¡¯t know how long I spent, but eventually I found a place where I could rest my mind.


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    It was a small building, it wasn¡¯t even of a civilization I recognized. It was a mix between modernity and magic; it¡¯s magic consisting of runic symbols, however it worked. The doors would seal upon flicking a switch, it had a form of warm orange light and multiple rooms. One of them seemed to be a study.


    The walls were decaying, but I still sat on the oddly shaped chair as I stared at the ceiling, my body was all bloodied from scraping the corruption that I could; the visible one anyway. My injuries seemed to be healing much faster than usual, though my leg showed no signs of coming back and my hand¡­


    I hadn¡¯t amputated it, but I was definitely considering it. Though, having my dominant hand be made out of ice was¡­ an uncomfortable concept so I held off from it. In the end, I had chosen the painful process of skinning my entire forearm plus whatever corrupted muscle there was?¡ª and now I was waiting for everything to heal.


    ¡°I¡¯m safe¡­¡± I sighed.


    I had been in the building for more than an hour now, and it hadn¡¯t clicked until now. Finally, my heart calmed, and my more rational mind took over.


    I am¡­ fucked.


    That was the first thought that crossed my mind, and the only one for sometime. It repeated, banged?¡ª bounced inside my head repeatedly, before finally I managed to shift to something more productive, and that was¡­ doing something about things.


    Realistically, only my arm was corrupted. My body had been; reinforced by the corruption but it didn¡¯t seem to be in a constant state of decay. The problem was my mana. It was constantly being nibbled at, constantly consumed, and the feeling was rather alarming.


    ¡°On one hand I can do this¡­¡± Within my left hand a bird of ice appeared. ¡°And on the other¡­¡± And within my right hand another bird of ice appeared, except it was a deeper shade of blue and it emanated flakes of corruption.


    I placed both of them at the table, just staring at them. The corrupted bird seemed almost unrefined and a lot less detailed, yet I also knew it was considerably more sturdy. It was a product of corrupted mana, while the other one came from my normal mana. I didn¡¯t know the consequences of having corrupted mana but, I had to at least figure something out.


    And so, I closed my eyes playing with the corrupted mana within me. I recalled recent memories; the memories of my battle against the Dragon of Frost and taking a deep breath I pointed my hand at the door.


    ¡°Arcane Magic: Everfrozen.¡±


    Ice blasted forward before doing absolutely nothing. It almost felt like just telling my ice to go forward rather than making any sort of spell. Shards of corrupted ice pelted against the wall and that was all that happened.


    The sight made me let out a breath.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯d be that easy.¡±


    I stared at the ceiling, and just as I was about to pinch the bridge of my nose I changed hands, fearful of my corrupted appendage.


    Things were hard. I wasn¡¯t even sure of what happened once I learned Arcane Magic, but I had a feeling it wasn¡¯t as simple as just learning it. There was probably another step to it and as for what it was¡­ I really wasn¡¯t sure.


    I shook my head and turned to the papers at the desk. Their language was not one I could understand, though oddly enough the letters within it immediately reminded me of something.


    The circle that I had seen in the sky while fighting the Dragon of Frost.


    The letters were the same as the symbols within the circle¡­


    I immediately began to shift through the numerous papers until I found one with a graphic, it was a circle reminiscent of the one the Dragon of Frost had used. I stared at it for a few moments, and then I decided to use my mana to emulate it.


    First was inscribing it in the air, and¡­ nothing.


    I quickly realized that I understood nothing about what I was looking at, so even if I was onto something I couldn¡¯t even use it. I assume Arcane Magic was reminiscent of the normal magic of the system; where at least you had to understand what you wanted to do in order to use it.


    Except, if I didn¡¯t know what the inscription was actually meant to do, it¡¯d be near impossible to use it.


    However, I still decided to gather every single paper I could find that featured any inscription in relation to the magic circles. It was a small step towards what I was seeking, at least that¡¯s what I felt was the case.


    Finally, as I picked up a paper off the floor I paused reading a bloodied writing.


    ¡®This is my salvation¡­¡¯


    It was written in dried blood, its color nearly black indicating its age. Except, the thing that astonished me was that¡­ I could read it.


    The Hero of Arlas mentioned that he hadn¡¯t seen anyone, so how come someone had managed to¡­ write in this place?


    My mind spiraled for a moment before I quickly began ransacking the entire building in search of more hints.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Though in the end¡­


    I stared at the bloodied paper.


    There was only this¡­


    A sigh left me as I looked at the stack of papers by my side. It was small, maybe a total of thirty; all of them had some form of illustration. While I still couldn¡¯t really understand anything I felt that it was a start.


    However, the main thing that interested me was the bloodied page. I had to find more of them, or rather I had to follow in the footsteps of the person that did it. And it was clear to me that they had left this place. As for whether they lived or died after, I wasn¡¯t particularly sure, but I had to at least find out where they went.


    And hopefully, they had found out a way to deal with the corruption.


    A deep breath left me as I stowed all of the papers away in my jacket, binding them into a pocket at my back to avoid losing them. I looked at my arm for a moment before shaking my head.


    I was on a time limit.


    I took the insides of the building, and a few minutes later, I headed for the entrance. I grabbed the corrupted spear, its presence leaving a permanent corrupted mark on the wall, and then I opened the door and walked outside. I made sure to take note of the architecture of the building. I needed to find more notes from the civilization, and also, I needed to find where the man had gone.


    Finally, after a few minutes of memorization I left in search of new information.


    * * * * *


    Elsewhere, the Hero of Arlas stood before a gigantic structure. A monolith of corruption, his great sword glinting as he took a deep breath.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s time to cleanse this area¡­¡±


    And then, he attacked the heart of the corruption, beginning to cleanse the corruption for the first time in centuries.

 Chapter. 136: The Price Of My Life (Part 4)

    I traveled through multitudes of ruins. Though, in one of my travels I encountered a Twisted Thing, and I realized that even with the spear I couldn¡¯t fight it. It had taken a single hit from it for me to almost pass out. So in the end, I had to run from it. Even though So¡¯las¡¯ Spear gave me confidence it certainly wasn¡¯t enough to kill everything. Though, if I still couldn¡¯t fight a Twisted Thing¡­


    What was it fighting?


    When I came here, one of those monsters was fighting something, and to this moment I still had no idea what it was. But it was clear to me that I was still very far away from being at the top of the food chain.


    Was the Hero of Arlas strong enough to fight anything in this space?


    I wanted to say yes instantly, but my mind told me that that possibly wasn¡¯t the case. At least, not without a great struggle. In the end, I felt kind of stuck. I had explored multiple ruins and traveled probably hundreds of kilometers, and I had yet to find a single clue in regards to the bloodied paper.


    I was sure days had passed already, and I was beginning to think the man had died before achieving anything great. And the thought honestly made me angry, I thought I had found something worthwhile, but I had been mistaken. To top it all off, the pain on my hand was getting worse, so I had at best another week before I had to amputate it.


    ¡°How stupid.¡±


    I grunted, kicking the door to some ruins open. Around me lay the corpses of numerous corrupted beasts, and after taking a cursory glance at the corruption floating into the air I stepped into the building.


    This one was dilapidated ?¡ª fallen apart, but it still belonged to the civilization that I was looking for. So far everything had been fruitless except for the ever increasing stack of papers with graphic images that I had.


    I wasted no time rummaging through the different rooms of the dark building. Some were empty, some had nothing more than a chair and a desk with nothing else, some resembled labs, but little by little I managed to find papers that could be of use in the future. And then finally, just like many times before, I arrived at the final room.


    It was an office; like many I had seen. Except it seemed to have a dead plant in the corner which I found interesting. Corruption had nested itself in one of the corners while the others were dusty and moldy. It was a rather normal sight.


    Still, it was impressive that so many of the buildings were still standing. Of course, some had long collapsed to the passage of time but based on my observations, at least a good seventy-percent of them remained.


    I went through this room like any other, and just as I was about to leave I decided to look towards the corrupted corner. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I would soon suffer the same fate, or maybe it was just a simple observation ¡ª I didn''t really know ¡ª but it allowed me to see another paper.


    Part of it was fused into the corruption, which was enough to catch my attention. It was also rather hard to see so I missed it when I entered the room. After another second of curious wonder, I approached it and snatched it.


    Part of the paper had been torn from grabbing it, the corruption keeping it. However the two-thirds of paper that remained were enough to make me pause. It had writing in it¡ª it wasn''t bloody, but it was something I could read.


    ''Research is tiresome, but I think I''m close to figuring this out¡­ why am I even writing this? It''s not like anyone will see it. Though it is comforting to know that this will exist even if I die¡­''


    The page was¡­ full of ramblings, but it gave me hope. The man hadn''t died. It was a bit weird to think I was relying on someone ¡ª a mysterious figure no less ¡ª to figure something out. However, it was all due to the fact that I couldn''t be bothered to spend months, or even years to figure it out by myself. It was too much. If I did all that, by the time I returned, I¡­


    And I shook my head, a long sigh leaving me.


    "Well, this is a start."


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    With that I stowed the paper, and before leaving I made sure to double check the entire building but I couldn''t find anything. I also took the time to go through all previously gathered papers. And to my surprise I found one that had more writing in it, except¡­


    Well it was just some arrows pointing at a diagram with the word ''this!'', nonetheless I still placed it with the new paper. Though I did take a pause, all to think about where I had found the previous paper.


    It took about an hour as I retraced my steps in my head from the previous day, but eventually I realized where I had found it. It was in the South East, and oddly enough I had also come from the South East; the place where I found the original note.


    Which means¡­


    "I should keep going North West."


    Of course there was a possibility the man just went to follow any of the other cardinal directions and I wouldn''t know. In fact there was a possibility he still died after writing this last note and there was nothing more to find. Or even a possibility that he succeeded but his research and everything had been taken by the corruption. But even then, I just chose to follow the pattern.


    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.


    "This really is¡­ hard¡­"


    I looked at my blackened hand, and shook my head. I didn''t want to lose my hand too. I could live with not having a leg, but¡­ an arm? I didn''t know.


    There was only so much I could do with ice, I could walk and run somewhat normally but when it came to fighting, my movements would become sluggish due to it. I could only split so much attention to make my ice extremity move properly.


    But a hand? An arm?


    It was too much.


    My eyes narrowed as I opened the door. I looked at the vast ashen sands and at the entirety of the forgotten places.


    "I gotta hurry."


    And I set off.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I lost track of time, I didn''t know how many days or weeks passed, the only thing that kept me remotely aware was the corruption permeating my hand and forearm. Its spread had slowed, especially after I had grown more aggressive during the corruption cleansings. But even then, it was still advancing.


    However not everything was bad, I had found notes, numerous of them throughout my travels. Some were still written in blood while others just used normal ink. I read through every single one and slowly pieced things together.


    I didn''t know how the man had ended up in the forgotten places, or even who he was, however I still learned a lot. One was; he was trying to learn what each of the runes meant, believing that this ancient civilization had created something born from the corruption. Another thing was; he would explore multiple places, making testing laboratories and other things for his research. Not much remained of all of that, but through one of the notes I had found out he had a base. And to top it all off, I knew its general direction.


    And now, I was heading there.


    I didn''t know what I expected. The lab seemed to be north, going over some completely corrupted terrain, the direction I was going seemed to constantly climb in altitude. And before long, the view to my surroundings spanned hundreds of kilometers, allowing me to see a large part of the Forgotten Places. I could see hundreds of ruins, all different sizes. Dozens of Twisted Things towering over the landscape. And off in the distance I saw something that I hadn''t noticed before:


    A towering pillar of corruption. And it was gigantic. Its sheer aura distorted the space around it, its light enough to illuminate its surroundings.


    Seeing it gave me pause but when I saw a Twisted Thing literally generate from it, I decided to look the other way. Whatever the pillar was, it wasn''t something that I could deal with.


    Shaking my head I continued uphill through the harsh terrain. Until eventually I saw a grand building. It resembled a pyramid but it was in rectangular shape and it also had towers flanking its sides.


    That was my destination.


    Upon reaching it, I found myself before a grand door of unknown material, odd runes lining it. I stared for what felt like forever, but eventually I decided to try something. I placed my left hand and pushed my mana forth only to be¡ª zapped. I flinched, feeling part of my mana get corrupted yet again.


    My eyes grew wide, having a conjecture.


    "Don''t tell me¡­"


    I placed my corrupted hand and pushed¡ª the mana flowed into the door uninterrupted, filling the runic symbols for close to a minute. They were shining in a deep blue color, before finally, they flashed.


    With a loud clack, the door began to open upwards, the rattling of chains resounded as it lifted. And within, warm lights turned on.


    Then I paused ¡ª froze as I saw a giant standing in the middle of the room. A mass of corruption that was dozens of meters tall. My eyes widened, feeling an immediate sense of dread.


    ?????????????????????????¡ª????????????????????¡ª??????????????????¡ª???????????.???????? ?????????T??????????i????????e???????r????????:??????? ??????????????¡ª?????????]?????????


    This thing was¡­ strong.


    And it turned towards me.


    "Hello," it said, its corrupted voice echoing. "I''m Asok."

 Chapter. 137: The Price Of My Life (Part 5)

    Chapter. 137: The Price Of My Life (Part 5)


    My mind whirled ?¡ª spun in utter confusion as I just stared; baffled and tense. I braced myself with the spear, looking at the corrupted being at the end of the room as if I had just gone insane. The room itself had blotches of corruption strewn about, as if it had been attacked and whipped all around. Meanwhile, the corrupted being, Asok, looked me up and down and then nodded.


    ¡°I can understand your¡­ reaction.¡±


    I really hadn¡¯t misheard. The voice was corrupted, but rang clear for my ears to hear, and the mannerisms from the monster were¡­ clearly human. Needless to say, I was stupefied. I opened my mouth, trying to say something but in the end all I could do was make a question:


    ¡°What¡­ are you¡­?¡±


    The being paused, staring at me before it placed its hand on his chin. It rubbed, corrupted flakes going into the air before nodding.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I was once a human but¡­ now I¡¯m this,¡± he gestured. ¡°I¡¯d like to say I¡¯m fully sentient, but there are times when¡­ the world becomes black and when I wake up there is destruction everywhere.¡± He tilted his head. ¡°I think that¡¯s an accurate descriptor.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ so you turn into a mindless beast sometimes?¡±


    A chuckle echoed. ¡°Based on my research; yes.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    My mind was still processing what the fuck was happening. I was still very much reeling from the shock of meeting a corrupted being that was¡­ alive. Or, whatever it was. I didn¡¯t really understand it.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he interrupted, ¡°what brings you here?¡±


    I stared. Should I answer¡­? My thoughts ran wild for a few moments before I sighed.


    ¡°I found some papers with writing on them, they led me to this place.¡± I shook my head, showing my corrupted hand. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find a way to stabilize the corruption, more specifically corrupted mana; I want to turn it all into arcane magic.¡±


    Asok, the monster, stared at my hand for a few seconds in silence before it turned to look at the ceiling.


    ¡°How interesting¡­ so my research led you here.¡±


    I paused.


    ¡°So¡­ you¡¯re the man that left the notes behind¡­¡± I didn¡¯t really know how to feel; if his research had ended up turning him into a corrupted monster with sentience, then¡­ this was the last path I wanted to take.


    ¡°I am, yes. My research should be able to help you, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± I raised my brow.


    ¡°If you were to fail in the process you¡¯ll become a being just like me. Neither human, nor corrupted, but an inbetween. Even though I¡¯m essentially immortal, this is not a fate I¡¯d wish upon anyone.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°So you¡­ are a failed experiment?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m my own failed experiment,¡± he corrected. ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as you¡¯d think. I¡¯d try to explain it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still pointing that corrupted spear at me; a terrifying artifact may I add.¡± He gestured.


    I blinked, and looked down. I was gripping the spear with all my strength, and my left hand had started to bleed from holding onto the shaft for too long.


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I put away the spear, but most importantly, I dealt with the corruption on my left hand. The process was observed by Asok with utmost curiosity.


    ¡°What an interesting procedure, did you come up with it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°The Hero of Arlas did.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of him,¡± he answered in a beat. ¡°Is he also in this place?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How interesting.¡± He pondered. ¡°When I came to this world, there was no one; in fact, half of the ruins littering the outside didn¡¯t exist. Eons have passed since then, I¡¯ve watched civilizations come and?¡ª collapse.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what this place is?¡± I decided to ask.


    He took a breath, staring at the ceiling.


    ¡°Sort of,¡± he began. ¡°When I was young, my father told me that the runes were just the beginning, that this power was for us to take. When I was young, my mother told me that we¡¯d become greater than the stars ?¡ª through the new-found power our race would become eternal, like we were always meant to be.¡±


    ¡°But when I looked, there was no glory. No greater magic. No future. No destiny. Just a dying world, devoid of the brilliance it was never meant to hold?¡ª what a thing? To look forward to a future that never existed.¡±


    I stared.


    ¡°When the tragedy came upon us, and when the last star died, my father told me that this place is where worlds come to die. Overtaken by the power of ruin, the power of the corruption that befell our predecessors, and the progenitors to come.¡± He shook his head. ¡°There was never glory, only an eternal damnation for our sins, for trying to tamper with the laws of nature themselves.¡±


    ¡°But you still did¡­¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ lucky, I was the only person to live out of my entire race. And to some extent, I succeeded, but unfortunately, it takes a lot more to break nature itself.¡± He turned to me. ¡°This endeavor you¡¯re after, it is very much possible, but it also requires impossibility.¡±


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    I tried to piece together what he was saying, but in the end all I could do was let out a long sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°There is far too much to explain¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°What is your name? I¡¯ll reintroduce myself, I¡¯m Asok, the Golden Researcher.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Arc¡­ the Heroine of Frost.¡±


    ¡°Interesting title,¡± he mused. ¡°You seem to be a lot stronger than me back then, so perhaps you¡¯ll be able to do it. However, there is not much time left, so please follow me. I want to be able to help you to the best of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I stared as he began to walk towards one of the many doorways.


    I still¡­ didn¡¯t really trust him. I wanted to do so, but¡­ it was hard.


    ¡°Why?¡± I called. ¡°Why did you suddenly decide to help me?¡±


    He paused. ¡°There is no greater joy for a scientist like me to succeed in their research. And even though I don¡¯t know your reasoning, who you are, or why I should even help you or trust that you won¡¯t kill me, one thing is for certain: I see you as a way to absolve myself of my own failure.¡±


    With those words, he entered the room, leaving me there standing. Once more, I was confused, but this time, I decided to take his words at face value. The man seemed¡­ tired to some extent. He spoke with a hint of regret and nostalgia all throughout. Perhaps he wasn¡¯t telling the truth, or maybe he was just telling a half truth, but I decided that¡­ I¡¯d trust him? ?¡ª as much as I could.


    Grabbing So¡¯las¡¯ Spear, I followed him into the room.


    Much to my surprise, he began to gesture to papers, telling me to grab this and that. Not bothering to explain or do something else. And once I was done picking up a pile, he moved onto the next room.


    This process continued for what felt like an hour, all of the papers being gathered in a single office-like room at the end of the building, its door fortified and coated in corruption for an odd reason. Though, when I asked him, he said it was for my safety.


    And once we ransacked the building, he told me to follow him outside. He moved up the mountain without words, before jumping onto the roof of one of the towers of the building. I, of course, followed, though much more tense than before.


    He looked over the barren and ruined landscape; at the vast graveyard of worlds that laid before us.


    ¡°It is said that this place had once been the World of the Eternals, but they pushed their System so much that it malfunctioned.¡± He breathed. ¡°And this is the result of that. Every other world that has any relation with a seed of the original System suffers the same fate.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I nodded. ¡°I knew some of that.¡±


    ¡°In order to overcome the corruption, we must take it and modify it; turn it into what it once had been. You called it arcane magic, we called it true magic. It¡¯s what was originally used in the World of the Eternals.¡± He looked ahead. ¡°In all my research, it¡¯s the only form of stable corruption, or¡­ so I thought.¡± He shook his head. ¡°I tried to acquire a body of such a time but this was the result.¡±


    ¡°Right, I don¡¯t want that?¡ª¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ll have to.¡± He turned to me. ¡°Your hand?¡ª your whole body has been tainted. Sooner or later, you¡¯ll be consumed by the corruption even if you amputate yourself. Like a cancer that won¡¯t ever stop.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Not only that, but it will interfere with the arcane magic. Turning your mana into¡­ the arcane shouldn¡¯t be difficult, but the other process requires¡­ great resolve and unwavering will. Something that I thought I had, but that I ultimately didn¡¯t have enough of.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°That is why I¡¯ve gathered all my research notes, so you can learn and be able to initiate the process of becoming something greater.¡±


    I stared as he turned to look at the vast distance. He had no expression, for he was just a man-shaped corrupted thing, but even then I felt a sense of longing.


    ¡°I really hope you succeed with all of the information there. You should go now, make sure to read the red paper first.¡±


    ¡°Go?¡± I blinked. ¡°Red paper?¡±


    ¡°It is starting. I won¡¯t be conscious for much longer?¡ª¡± he grunted, a corrupted screech resounding. ¡°Good luck?¡ª¡±


    A groan left him. I stared for a moment, and then?¡ª corruption exploded. Like a torrent of everything, it went flying everywhere as my eyes widened. I had to get out.


    [God Step]¡ª and it didn¡¯t do anything.


    My eyes widened in horror as I saw the true shape of Asok, his body had split apart into a mass of tendrils, the corruption emanating from it quickly began corroding the ground and taking it. I immediately turned only to feel danger?¡ª I ducked.


    A whipping noise exploded in the air, the space it had touched above me flickered after the fact, but I had no time to think as I immediately rolled. Three whips striking the place where I had once been.


    My heart-rate immediately increased ten-fold, feeling the danger permeating my surroundings. It was akin to a Twisted Thing, but somehow, stronger.


    What¡­ kind of failure must he have experienced to end up like¡­ that?


    My eyes widened, and I blocked?¡ª the spear let out a horrid noise as I was sent flying towards the mountain. Dust exploded, the dirt caved and I coughed violently in pain, but I still quickly recovered as I dodged out of the way.


    I didn¡¯t want to fight?¡ª what if Asok regained consciousness? I still had so many questions to ask him.


    And so, I slid down the mountain, numerous tendrils coming for me as I repelled them with the spear. My hands moved on their own, and my mind processed every sign of danger as I either crushed it, dodged it, or managed to make the hit not be as bad.


    I quickly rolled downhill, arriving near the building as a tentacle struck my shoulder?¡ª I screamed feeling the bones immediately turn to dust but I still ran. I ran ignoring every hit and somehow managing to dodge the lightning fast attacks. Somehow, it was rather slow for its strength, which I used to my advantage.


    I quickly made my way into the building as the tentacles struck the edges of its entrance. Markings just like the ones inside being left. And then?¡ª a tentacle exploded beneath me, latching onto my ice leg and breaking it off.


    I tripped, rolling across the ground as the mass of tentacles quickly entered the building.


    Fuck. I grabbed onto the spear my mana entered as I flinched. I didn¡¯t want to do it again? but¡ª


    And I screamed.


    ¡°[World Piercer]!¡±


    The spear blurred in my hands, and the tentacles, even Asok vanished as a screech resounded. I gritted my teeth and turned around, limping towards the door. I didn¡¯t know if it had died or not?¡ª


    And another corrupted screech echoed, my heart skipped and my ice leg grew in a blink. Then, with a jump, I leapt into the room and slammed the switch with my arm. The door immediately swung down. A shriek resounded, and three amputated tentacles landed on top of me.


    I blinked, and the door rattled with hits for a few moments before it grew silent.


    A sigh left me.


    ¡°What the fuck was that¡­?¡±


    I shook my head and pushed the tentacles off, also got a change of clothes and treated my wounds. My shoulder was absolutely obliterated, but it would hopefully recover in a few days. And so, nursing myself the best I could, I finally took the room I was left in.


    I looked at the long desk, which took most of the rectangular shaped room. It lined the wall, filled to the brim with notes and papers. There was a single chair, and to the right there were shelves while to the left there seemed to be equipment.


    ¡°What did he even mean with red paper?¡±


    I began to go through the papers, my heart still beating, until finally I found a literal red page. Its color closer to pink, but the writing in it was clearly visible. It¡¯s title was:


    How to Ascend.


    I read through a complicated ritual, one that required a myriad of knowledge in preparations and stuff I didn¡¯t understand, but the last part made me pause.


    ¡®The final step is:


    ¡®Die a glorious battle against the corruption and fight it in the afterlife, destroying the wretched energy that is trying to overtake your body. Only then, will ascension be possible.¡¯


    It was¡­ insanity.

 Chapter. 138: Interlude: Shadow of the Past

    The Heroine of Water.


    A terrifying figure that Malz didn¡¯t actually know much about. Of course, she knew enough. She understood that she was just as strong as the Hero of Flames empowered by his ultimate skill, if not stronger. Someone they couldn¡¯t afford to anger; or even fight for that matter, and yet¡­


    She was sitting in front of them. The Dragon of Water seemed as relaxed as ever as the heroine scanned his entire existence, though the same couldn¡¯t be said for Ceylon. Who, while looking composed, was most definitely a mess inside. Malz on the other hand, she was just nervous. Nervous about what could potentially happen.


    The Heroine of Water was a beautiful woman, her hair was a deep black, sheening blue under the light. Her eyes were a piercing royal blue that commanded respect, though a scar did run through her cheek to her ear. It was almost unnoticeable. As for her attire, it was as simple as a tunic.


    ¡°I see that you can control the water in other beings,¡± she said towards the Dragon of Water. ¡°Are you interested in sparring?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The Dragon of Water shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to sign up for a death-sentence just yet.¡±


    The Heroine of Water shook her head.


    ¡°Disappointing.¡±


    Then, she turned towards Malz. Her piercing eyes meeting her golden ones.


    ¡°Dragon of Shadows, I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be so quick to find love again. It¡¯s been only a century or two, no?¡±


    Malz frowned, lightly gritting her teeth. ¡°That is quite the accusation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mere speculation.¡± She waved dismissively. ¡±I¡¯ve grown bored. All of the strong heroes are in hiding, except for one.¡±


    Malz¡¯s eyes narrowed and the Heroine of Water continued.


    ¡°The Heroine of Frost.¡±


    There was a silence, before Ceylon was the one to speak.


    ¡°So you want to fight her for entertainment?¡±


    ¡°That is correct,¡± the woman nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard from rumors that the Heroine of Frost seems to smile during fights, so I¡¯m sure she shares the same sentiment. Of course, the bet would be our revival skill. I do not know why she has chosen to forego this meeting but you should pass the message along.¡±


    She moved her hand, as if swiping dust away.


    ¡°Go on, I don¡¯t have all day.¡±


    Malz crossed her arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite disrespectful to come and command us just like this, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± she mused, ¡°but it is to be expected if you¡¯ve ever heard of me. Or maybe you haven¡¯t, I don¡¯t care. Just pass the message.¡±


    With those words she stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be in town for two weeks, should she be a no-show, I shall take matters in my own hands.¡±


    ¡°Take matters in your own hands?¡± Malz raised her brow.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll kill you.¡± She pointed. ¡°And you too.¡± Her hand pointed at the Dragon of Water. ¡°And lastly, you, Ceylon.¡±


    Ceylon paused. There had been no introductions so far, so it was rather unexpected for her to know Ceylon¡¯s name. Malz frowned.


    ¡°And you think I¡¯ll let you get away with it.¡±


    The Heroine of Water let out a dry laugh. ¡°Of course, not. In fact, I hope you put up a good battle.¡±


    Then she stood around, walking towards the door in order to leave?¡ª and Ceylon stood up. The Heroine of Water turned with curiosity, as Ceylon gritted her teeth.


    ¡°Have you never gotten in trouble with the keeper of order by doing this?¡±


    ¡°Of course I have,¡± she grinned. ¡°We fought and I was let go off with a warning. Why do you think I¡¯m being so civil now?¡±


    And she left the room. Going on her way to her waiting place?¡ª or so Malz thought. In the end, they were just left there to ponder their next move. Though Ceylon seemed¡­ unstable. She was shaking in her spot.


    ¡°Malz, can you make it so she can¡¯t hear?¡±


    Malz blinked. ¡°Sure.¡±


    With the flick of her fingers, a dark barrier was erected encompassing the three of them. And finally, Ceylon began to speak through gritted teeth.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfair, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Her fists tightened.


    ¡°Arc got punished and sent to the most dangerous place in the world, while these people get away with a slap on the wrist?¡ª I¡¯m sure there are other heroes that have also just been given a warning.¡±


    ¡°And yet, she¡¯s made to suffer. She¡¯s made to suffer for following in what she believes and dealing with those that dared to cross her path. She¡¯s made to bear a punishment that she doesn¡¯t deserve. All in the name of a rotten mission that the Hero of Arlas believes in.¡±


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Ceylon closed her eyes, her voice cracking as Malz and the Dragon of Water just looked and listened to what she had to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s so rotten and I hate that I can¡¯t do all that much about it. All I can do is pray for Arc¡¯s safe return¡­¡± Ceylon began to cry. ¡°Perhaps, if she never met me, she wouldn¡¯t even be in such a situation. She just wanted to find a home, and yet because of me?¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Malz interrupted with a sigh. ¡°Knowing Arc, blaming you isn¡¯t even in her mind, and it won¡¯t ever be. You shouldn¡¯t feel responsible, Ceylon. Maybe if I was stronger I could¡¯ve killed the Hero of Flames myself and spared Arc, but¡­¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Ceylon asked.


    ¡°But it¡¯s pointless, and based on what you¡¯ve said I have a feeling that the Hero of Arlas was specifically targeting Arc.¡± Malz frowned. ¡°So even if I had killed the Hero of Flames the end result would¡¯ve been the same.¡±


    ¡°Well, there is no way to know that,¡± the Dragon of Water said. ¡°But, I do think that it¡¯s fruitless to bear a weight that shouldn¡¯t be there in the first place.¡±


    Malz looked in silence as Ceylon took in both of the things that were said, and finally the tears slowly stopped as she hung her head.


    ¡°It¡¯s just depressing¡­¡± A sigh left her. ¡°I never thought that the inner workings of the world of Arlas would be so¡­¡±


    Her sentence hung in the air for a second, before finally, she closed her eyes.


    ¡°... shit.¡±


    Malz just stared before her head hung low. ¡°I guess they are.¡±


    Meanwhile, the Dragon of Water was just staring with his arms crossed, displeasure evident on his face. Finally, after a second of two he spoke.


    ¡°Regardless of that, we should focus on the situation at hand.¡± His words got the attention of both of them. ¡°How will we deal with the Heroine of Water? We certainly can¡¯t count on Arc returning for that. And even if she did; she might be grievously injured when she does. So we¡¯ll still need to deal with it.¡±


    Malz frowned as did Ceylon.


    ¡°Is there anything that can be done, even?¡± Ceylon asked, her face grim.


    Malz frowned, she had to think about it, the Dragon of Water seemed to be thinking. Though, ultimately he said nothing at all. Meanwhile, she thought of all the powerful figures she was aware of. There was the problem of the rebellion with the dragons, so she couldn¡¯t turn to them, and the heroes were¡­


    Every single hero that could be called her friend was now dead. As far as powerful humans¡­


    Then she remembered.


    ¡°Right, Faral hasn¡¯t been around but perhaps we could ask for her help.¡±


    ¡°It might not be enough to deal with the Heroine of Water,¡± the Dragon of Water interjected.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    And then there was silence.


    Malz wasn¡¯t completely aware of how strong the Heroine of Water was, so she couldn¡¯t actually comment. But part of her refused to believe that the Heroine of Water could fight three Grand Dragon Elders at once, it sounded like an impossibility. But the Dragon of Water seemed convinced of it¡­


    ¡°Is she really that strong?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°I do think she has a fifty-fifty on coming out on top against three average SS Tier individuals, however, if it was just that I wouldn¡¯t reject the idea.¡±


    ¡°Then?¡± Malz raised her brow.


    The Dragon of Water met her gaze. ¡°There is a very real possibility the Heroine of Water is strong enough to make all of my skills ineffective including my SS Tier skill.¡±


    Malz blinked. ¡°Is that even possible¡­?¡±


    ¡°I mean, every element can be controlled, so when two people control the same element they can influence each other¡¯s skills to some extent. Though, with some elements it''s a lot more rigid than others, and in this case water is the most easily influenced,¡± the Dragon Water explained.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    In the case of shadows, it was¡­ rather easy, but the time Malz fought the Hero of Shadows she had thoroughly humiliated him, so she never actually noticed it.


    ¡°So¡­ do you have any ideas?¡± Malz asked.


    In response the Dragon of Water pondered about things. He did so for what felt like an eternity, Malz even dropped her skill fully sensing the presence of the Heroine of Water disappearing. And it wasn¡¯t until a couple of minutes of silence that he spoke.


    ¡°I think if I¡¯m granted the item I requested, I may be able to do something.¡±


    ¡°The item?¡± Ceylon asked.


    ¡°The Scepter of Past Visions,¡± he said. ¡°I know someone that would help us in exchange for it¡­¡±


    ¡°Who is this someone?¡± Malz raised her brow, now puzzled as she looked at the Dragon of Water who seemed rather awkward.


    ¡°It¡¯s a hero.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t get along with heroes?¡± Malz asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s the only hero I get along with.¡± The Dragon of Water coughed. ¡°He¡¯s the Hero of Humans.¡±


    Ceylon blinked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of him.¡±


    Meanwhile, Malz froze, instantly gritting her teeth. ¡°The fucking Hero of Humans? He¡¯s still alive?!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The Dragon of Water¡¯s simple reply enraged Malz even further. There were so many things to hate about that man, from a fake sense of self righteousness, to actual desecration of life. The only reason he had even been put down is because dozens of heroes had banded to kill him?¡ª and now turns out he¡¯s still alive?


    ¡°You¡­¡± Bloodlust permeated the room as Malz looked at the Dragon of Water. ¡°You dare to suggest he helps us?¡ª no, forget that. You dare to befriend him after everything he¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t done anything that has affected me.¡± The Dragon of Water shrugged.


    ¡°You?¡ª!¡±


    ¡°Stop,¡± Ceylon interrupted. Malz stopped mid attack. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he did, but I think we should listen to the Dragon of Water.¡±


    Malz gritted her teeth. ¡°The Hero of Humans is the man that killed my soulmate. He¡¯s the man that killed the Heroine of Darkness.¡±


    Ceylon froze and the atmosphere grew tense. But Malz didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°Even knowing this you chose to have a connection with it instead of telling all of the Grand Dragon Elders¡­¡± She wanted to kill the Dragon of Water. ¡°You deserve to die?¡ª no, you will die. All of us wanted him dead.¡±


    The Dragon of Water meanwhile was staring back defiantly. ¡°So you will kill me and then deal with the Heroine of Water on your own? Oh, and with Faral? Great idea.¡±


    Malz stopped herself.


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying I cooperate with him, out of all people?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m saying: there are no other options,¡± the Dragon of Water said coldly.


    Malz felt rage building up inside of her, but the prospect of losing everything Arc had worked for made her stop. She could kill the Dragon of Water in the future, and she could focus on trying to also kill the Hero of Humans in the future, which left¡­ the situation at hand.


    Finally, after a few calming breaths she opened her mouth.


    ¡°Dragon of Water, I order you to use your connection to the Hero of Humans in order to defend Draliz, your goals should not have any animosity towards Arc, her achievements, or her companions. The price for failing on this; is your death. Should the Hero of Humans fail to do that, you can consider the order failed.¡±


    At that moment the collar on the Dragon of Water¡¯s neck shone and tightened. Ceylon breathed a sigh of relief. And with that, everything was concluded.


    Though¡­


    Malz closed her eyes.


    She really dreaded this arrangement.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And in the morning, the Dragon of Water set off with the Scepter of Past Visions.


    Ceylon seemed hopeful whereas Malz only thought about how to kill the dragon and the hero.

 New Story Announcement: Amber the Cursed Berserker

    Heya all, for the unaware I have a new story out. It''s a co-write between MelasDelta and I! As you all probably already know, MelasDelta''s work, Salvos, inspired me to write again so I''m super excited to bring this to y''all. Anyway, I can confidently say the fic is great and has quite a lot of words with long chapters, but not only that it''s a LitRPG Isekai with a Berserker female MC. The worldbuilding is just great and the story is action-packed so I heavily recommend for everyone to check it out.


    Give it a follow and consider giving it a rating!


    Amber the Cursed Berserker | An Isekai LitRPG</a>


    <blockquote>


    What doesn¡¯t kill Amber only makes her stronger.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Without any warning, Amber is transported from her dingy student apartment to a fantastical realm with magic, monsters, and a universal System. However, even though she is forcibly ripped from her home and thrust into a dangerous new life, for the first time ever, she finally feels free.


    There are no cheats for her. There are no gods to guide her, and some would even laugh in her face. But the pain, the hardships, and the challenges only give her strength. As the first Cursed Berserker seen in over a hundred years, Amber welcomes the world of Vir with a smile on her face.


    And she will not be satisfied until she is the strongest.


    </blockquote>


    </a>


    Amber the Cursed Berserker | An Isekai LitRPG</a>

 Chapter. 139: The Beginning of the End (Part 1)

    Chapter. 139: The Beginning of the End (Part 1)


    What the fuck?¡ª


    And the whole chamber trembled from a hit coming from the outside. I winced. Asok was still outside, acting like  a monster. Which also meant, I was stuck in this chamber. My mind whirled for a few moments before a dull pain spread through my stomach, a sickening hunger that I had been suppressing for a while now.


    I shook my head and ignored the sounds coming from the outside, instead turning towards the papers once more. More specifically towards the red paper, the paper with the steps of ascension to become more as it marked.


    Based on what I understood, the so-called ascension was the process of becoming more. It was the process of attuning myself, or rather; changing the corruption within my body to be something greater. This process included making my corrupted mana into what the arcane magic was, but the thing was.


    I had to also change my body itself, and risk failure; risk becoming just like?¡ª


    And the outside trembled.


    Him. A mass of corruption, one that is self aware and immortal, but one that is also cursed to have bouts of hysteria in which they are mindless. It was something that I didn¡¯t want, the real question was:


    Did I really have to undergo the full process?


    He had described the corruption like an incurable cancer, and he had also essentially suffered from it. It was pretty much a terminal illness that I¡¯d continue to suffer from until I essentially engaged in a death battle with it; as the paper put it. However, it wouldn¡¯t be killing me any time soon given the Hero of Arlas was still very much alive, at least that¡¯s what I thought.


    The question was:


    Did I want to try to deal with everything in one fell swoop, or delay the inevitable for later?


    That; I didn¡¯t know. First though¡­ I turned to the pile of papers. I had to learn how to separate my body and the mana for the so-called ascension. Oddly enough, there was no mention of the soul; which the Hero of Arlas had mentioned. Though maybe, the reason Asok was mostly conscious was because his soul had gone untouched? I didn¡¯t really know.


    ¡°It seems that I¡¯ll have to do a lot of research¡­¡±


    I wanted to sigh, unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t even leave this room and see what was happening. All I could do was go through Asok¡¯s notes and hopefully find something. According to him his title was the Golden Researcher; if that was the case, then perhaps all of his information would be a great benefit.


    However¡­


    Looking at some of the pages one thing was clear; I was an art major, not a scientist. So understanding things was going to be tough. But at the same time, I didn¡¯t really have much of an option if at all.


    Now the real question was¡­


    ¡°Where to start?¡±


    Taking a small breath I began to read through the research notes, all to piece together the path to my salvation.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    At first I didn¡¯t understand much of what I was reading or looking at. Whether it was mathematical formulas with letters, the abstract concepts that I couldn¡¯t even begin to comprehend, or the sheer volume of information.


    All of it was very overwhelming.


    ¡°According to the Third Law of Reality; foreign magic cannot be introduced into a new System, for it encompasses all magic, and yet the Corruption might as well be foreign, therefore breaking the law itself¡­¡±


    Some of the notes were about piecing what the corruption exactly was, which at first I thought would be useless but seeing the dots slowly be connected with the already existing knowledge that Asok had was rather interesting.


    And well, I did learn a thing or two, such as each System implementation seemed to have a different goal and purpose, and Arlas¡¯ was¡­ I didn¡¯t quite know, but the concept of heroes seemed to be unique to it. As for stopping the corruption, or the initial System that propagated it; it seemed like a tall order that was impossible to fulfill.


    Though Asok in his notes seemed to have a different idea.


    ¡°If I took a System and made it isolated; somehow conquered the magic of the gods¡­ Wouldn¡¯t all of this corruption, all of this ruination, all of this misery immediately disappear? What a dream, to resurrect my predecessors, to give birth to my progenitors and be the forefather of a new era.¡±


    Which¡­ I also found interesting.


    There were hundreds of notes, if not thousands of them. Some made sense, some were too detailed for me to understand and some bordered on gibberish, but slowly I managed to find some information, the first was that:


    The corruption couldn¡¯t taint a being that wasn¡¯t touched by the System to begin with; it was an impossibility.


    Which, theoretically speaking, if I were to be disconnected from the System I¡¯d also be free of the corruption. Though Asok did theorize that while the gained powers wouldn¡¯t be lost; magic would be exponentially more difficult to use to the point it might be impossible due to the complex processes behind its existence.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    In one of the pages he went in depth about what magic actually was, but unfortunately it wasn¡¯t something I could understand. However, I did know that this went beyond any broken video game logic that I was applying in the past. Ignoring that; it was one of the ways I could theoretically cleanse myself of the corruption after leaving this place.


    He also mentioned that destroying the greatest source of corruption could cause a great shock throughout the ruined System that could potentially lead it to restore its functions even if temporarily, something that I took note of.


    Among the information I found, one of the most important things was; I managed to fully understand why ascension worked in the first place.


    ¡°By getting corrupted, one is replacing the current System with the Primordial System of old. I theorize that if one were to become incredibly corrupted, through cleansing said corruption one would become ¡®pure¡¯ ?¡ª sending a shock through the System and restoring and becoming what was once the peak of existence ?¡ª the Eternals. Now the problem is¡­ how does one cleanse the corruption to begin with?¡±


    That was the beginning of a series of notes in which Asok slowly realized that there was an element he was missing; even if a body got corrupted it didn¡¯t make sense for the mind to do so given the System had no bearing over the brain of the individual as dictated by the so-called First Law of Reality: free will is not interfered with.


    It all concluded that the System also tried to take that over.


    It was the so-called soul.


    And it was the reason one had to die in order to Ascend; and fight the corruption off. Though¡­


    If I did that wouldn¡¯t I be a fully sentient mass of corruption?


    I shuddered at the thought, the amount of disconnect I¡¯d feel from my body would probably be insane. Not like I didn¡¯t feel it to some amount already ?¡ª sometimes I wouldn¡¯t recognize myself in the mirror ?¡ª so something like that¡­


    ¡°Not something I can accept¡­ though.¡± I took a breath. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯m still missing part of the puzzle.¡±


    I sighed looking at the red paper, before turning to all the notes on the page. I didn¡¯t quite understand why through everything ascension was described as becoming an Eternal; I doubted wiping the corruption of my soul in one single impact would suddenly jolt my entire body into becoming better.


    That said, not everything was helpless. I had managed to mostly piece together how arcane magic was made. Though¡­


    ¡°I still need to corrupt all my mana and shatter the corruption at once.¡±


    I sighed.


    According to Asok in his papers; it wasn¡¯t a hard process, but the problem was it hardly went in-depth about it, all because it was a waste of time in his eyes; ascension would achieve it along with the entire being.


    Which meant I hardly understood a thing. I did understand that arcane magic brought corruption with it due to it being connected to the original System; which was corrupted as shit. However, I did not understand why becoming an Eternal would suddenly remove this penalty, and also I did not understand how arcane magic even worked to begin with.


    Though, if my mana got corrupted¡­ what happened after?


    I wanted to go ahead and do it, but I wasn¡¯t able to really use any of my normal skills with the corrupted portion of my mana. If all of it got corrupted; given I couldn¡¯t use arcane magic either, wouldn¡¯t I be kind of screwed?


    The thought itself made me frown, it was something that I didn¡¯t know how to deal with. I turned to look at Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, an artifact that was undoubtedly something great and wanted to be greater, but ended up corrupted beyond belief.


    Though unlike it, I didn¡¯t want to be something greater, in fact, I wanted none of that. In fact, all I wanted, all I desired was to leave the Forgotten Places and return to Arlas, but unfortunately the opportunity was an incredibly hard thing to grasp?¡ª


    And at that moment an invisible shockwave passed through the forgotten places.


    It was as if a massive change had occurred; the entire world trembled and then there was silence before everything shifted ?¡ª screams resounded, the lights flickered, and the corruption on Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear began to flake as if vanishing.


    My eyes widened for a moment.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡ª¡±


    And another much stronger scream resounded close to the door, my heart skipped from the unnerving noise coming and then, I heard my name.


    ¡°Arc!¡±


    Nervousness crept upon me, my hairs standing on end as I decided to open the door only to see¡­ A man convulsing on the ground. He was wearing torn down clothes, his hair was graying and he was entering his late age. A pool of corruption that was quickly disappearing surrounded him.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Was that¡­


    ¡°Arc,¡± he called. ¡°The corruption; if you read the papers, it has been¡­ one of the greatest sources has been shattered, which means?¡ª¡±


    ¡°The System has been reset,¡± I finished for him. ¡°But I thought it was just a theory?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a reality.¡± He groaned. ¡°But, how?¡±


    I paused, and a moment later I remembered the words of the Hero of Arlas.


    ¡°I know how to cleanse this area of the corruption. I just need to attack its heart.¡±


    ¡°Did he¡­ shatter the heart?¡± I paused.


    ¡°Is this he, the Hero of Arlas you mentioned? No matter.¡± Asok grunted. ¡°Congratulations, you¡¯re free of the corruption, bad news is we are in grave danger.¡±


    I immediately turned to my hand, only to see it was¡­ as pristine as ever. As for my mana?¡ª it was still corrupted. Then there was also.


    ¡°What do you mean grave danger?¡±


    ¡°The corruption.¡± Asok coughed. ¡°It always seeks to corrupt, which means this entire place; this entire section of the graveyard of worlds, will be consumed once more by corruption; it¡¯s a prime target¡­ and this time, neither of us will survive?¡ª¡±


    Then he broke into a coughing fit, as my mind processed what was being said. Then I turned to him.


    ¡°Asok, help me learn arcane magic so I can return to my world. That is my only desire.¡±


    He blinked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? You¡¯ve been cleansed?¡ª a part of you needs to belong to the Primordial System in order to be able to leave.¡±


    ¡°My mana is still corrupted,¡± I interrupted. ¡°If you want you can come with me.¡±


    The man paused, contemplating what I had just said. The gears in his mind turned before he nodded.


    ¡°I will help you, but I shall remain here.¡±


    I paused as he shook his head, turning towards the laboratory.


    ¡°I shall wait for you in this forsaken place as an Eternal, finally succeeding in my experiments. After all, you will eventually have to return due to the corruption building up within you.¡± He flashed me a smile. ¡°With that said, we have quite a lot of work to do.¡±


    He rolled up his sleeves.


    ¡°The apocalypse awaits us after all.¡±

 Chapter. 140: The Beginning of the End (Part 2)

    Chapter. 140: The Beginning of the End (Part 2)


    With those words, Asok began to immediately pace around the rather broken down building, grabbing notes he hadn¡¯t pointed at before, and even swinging by the room I was in to grab some of the papers there. And that¡¯s when I saw Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, or what its true form was.


    It didn¡¯t look like a piece of black matter anymore, not at all. Instead, it was the complete opposite of the blackened stick it was once. It was an elegant spear with a deep blue color and light blue accents, its blade glinting to the light with ornamental designs and a small crystalline sphere at its top.


    [Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear. Tier: SSS].


    As expected, it was an SSS Tier artifact, though Asok commented that it was a weaker weapon now which?¡ª didn¡¯t surprise me, and as soon as I grabbed it I understood what he meant. The intrinsic skill of the spear was simply no longer there. It did have an intrinsic skill called [Piercing Fury] which based on what I understood ?¡ª the feeling it gave me ?¡ª all piercing attacks would bypass the opponent¡¯s armor.


    It was strong, but in comparison to [World Piercer], not so much.


    After that, Asok took me alone into a room with a blackboard, or; what resembled one. After turning on the orange light, he immediately began to spread some of the papers on a table, and after a single cursory look through all of them he nodded.


    ¡°Just as I remembered.¡±


    Then turning around, I watched as he drew a glyph on the blackboard with his finger. His scribblings shone in golden light, contrasting with the black material of the board. I raised my brow, slightly lost on what he was doing, before he wrote the word, ¡®life¡¯ below the glyph. Finally, with that done he turned to me.


    ¡°As you know, magic has an alphabet of special characters that have assigned meanings, I¡¯ll be teaching you the alphabet that pertains to the Primordial System.¡±


    I blinked as he continued to explain.


    ¡°With that, you should very easily be able to use what you call Arcane Magic. Only problem is that corrupted mana does not produce Arcane Magic, but at least it allows you to learn it.¡±


    Hearing him, I couldn¡¯t help but tilt my head.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me that if I learn the entire magic alphabet of the Primordial System I¡¯ll be able to use Arcane Magic? How do I even use magic glyphs along with it?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by how?¡± Asok frowned. ¡°How did you learn magic then?¡±


    ¡°Well, for starters I was summoned into what was essentially hell.¡±


    ¡°What is hell?¡± Asok raised his brow. ¡°And what do you mean summoned?¡±


    I paused seeing his reaction. I forgot that Asok was essentially an alien so expecting him to be on the loop was a bit insane on my part. Though, still, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh.


    ¡°Hell is a place where people that commit bad deeds go after dying,being condemned for their actions for all eternity. It''s a religious thing, but ignoring that; it could be considered a nightmarish place, or the word can be used to denote the concept of nightmare, it can also be used to say things are good¡­¡± I tilted my head as Asok slowly nodded. ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m saying I got sent to a living nightmare, taken from my world to that place; and after getting out of this so-called training, I ended up in the world of Arlas.¡±


    Asok still seemed to be processing information, but I decided to continue.


    ¡°The world I came from had no magic whatsoever, it had technology run by electricity; it resembles some of the inventions from civilizations around. But nothing is exactly the same. You could say my first contact with magic was when I found myself in the training area designated by the System.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°But still to have learned magic you?¡ª¡±


    ¡°The System gave me the skill to do ice magic, and I was able to do it instinctively; there were no glyphs, there was no nothing.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°So, in short, I don¡¯t know how learning these glyphs will help me if I don¡¯t know how to apply them.¡±


    Asok raised his brow and spoke with a normal tone. ¡°Could you show me some of your ice magic?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    With that, I flicked my fingers and a bird of ice appeared, one which immediately started flying around the room before it disappeared into a cloud of mist at my command.


    He raised his brow. ¡°Well that sure is beautiful magic, but the glyphs are there,¡± he pointed.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Just look.¡± And with those words, I watched as Asok flicked his fingers and¡­ a bird appeared; sure it was a lot more crude but it still did the same and disappeared into mist. ¡°I can copy it because I saw the glyphs. They are there.¡±


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    He flicked his finger again, and the same bird appeared, then with a tug of his hand he grabbed at the air and?¡ª the bird exploded. I stared with utter confusion as he clapped his hands and a projection of magic appeared in the air, showing hundreds of complicated symbols intertwined with each other.


    ¡°That¡¯s the magic of your System; while I don¡¯t know how to read it I could still copy it; though I¡¯m quite certain the only reason it¡¯s so complex is because you made the bird from scratch rather than it coming from a skill.¡± He nodded. ¡°Which is a commendable thing; the fact that you¡¯re so comfortable with the basics of your magic to be able to create new things from it.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°In fact, only the greatest masters of magic were able to do that, and very few could do it with multiple elements.¡± He smiled. ¡°No wonder you¡¯ve been able to survive here for so long.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°What about you, how many skills can you create?¡±


    ¡°I can create skills of any element of course; not for nothing was I given my title. Though?¡ª it¡¯s a fickle thing, in the end, even with the hopes of my entire civilization on my shoulders, I couldn¡¯t do it.¡± He shook his head. ¡°So, it¡¯s not really a competition or anything.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, ignoring any kind of praise I have for you, the predicament is¡­ worrisome. Glyphs are imagined in our heads in order to cast magic you see, but if you aren¡¯t really imagining the glyphs then?¡ª you can¡¯t really use magic of the Primordial System. Not unless you get to experience it in the first place.¡± He frowned. ¡°So I guess, in short: there is nothing I can do to help you.¡±


    My heart skipped and then a moment later I spoke?:


    ¡°What?¡ª¡±


    ¡°But,¡± he interrupted, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be a researcher if I didn¡¯t like solving problems. I do think our systems are fundamentally different, so I can¡¯t help you too much, but I think that a good starting point would be showing you magic of the Primordial System; except that part itself is hard. So for now, I¡¯ll teach you the magic alphabet of the Primordial System.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And just like that I spent a couple of hours in an extensive lecture with Asok, where he explained the meaning of each glyph in detail. Even though it was enough information to make the regular person throw up, I actually managed to digest all of it to a decent degree.


    Though thinking about it I had also managed to go through Asok¡¯s notes just fine. I didn¡¯t consider myself super smart or anything, so I just assumed it was due to my Tier rather than anything. Which I supposed was part of being essentially a superhuman.


    After that, he made a few surprise questions and upon answering them all; we were done.


    ¡°Well that was easy wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­?¡± I asked, confused. ¡°Now what?¡±


    ¡°Now¡­ nothing, I can¡¯t help you right now with any of that. You need to get a feel for yourself, and there is nothing I can do for that.¡±


    I blinked, immediately frowning. ¡°What¡­? Didn¡¯t you say that your forte is problem solving?¡±


    ¡°Yes I did, which is why I¡¯ll still try to help you figure out a way for you to get a feel. But I can¡¯t do it with the tools at my disposal.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    I watched as Asok touched the blackboard and all the writings disappeared, meanwhile my emotions were in disarray as I stared at him. He ignored the papers he had left at the table and headed to the door.


    ¡°Come on, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go?¡± Now more confused than ever, I asked. ¡°To where?¡±


    ¡°There is a whole world outside, remember there is no more corruption,¡± he mused as he headed towards the front door of the building which was currently closed. ¡°Which also means, well¡­ you¡¯ll see.¡±


    I didn¡¯t really know what he was talking about but I still followed after him as he continued talking and walking towards the door.


    ¡°The apocalypse is coming so we won¡¯t have much time to really explore, but I think we should still be able to find something that will help you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still lost on what you¡¯re talking about?¡ª¡±


    ¡°And if we can¡¯t find something,¡± he continued without regarding me, ¡°then, you can just figure it out on the edge of death. Though I do want to say something.¡±


    He stopped at the entrance and turned to me.


    ¡°Just in case I don¡¯t have the chance to say it later; in order for you to ascend your mana it must be fully corrupted first.¡±


    I nodded in understanding.


    ¡°And then, you need to for lack of a better word shatter it with a great stimulation from within. Like an awakening.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ what must I do?¡±


    ¡°Simple: use arcane magic and if it¡¯s strong enough it shall lead to a qualitative change. And that might be the hard part for you. I don¡¯t mean this from the sense of; having to experience arcane magic but from the strength part?¡ª oh.¡±


    He paused.


    ¡°You have used arcane magic before.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Have I?¡±


    ¡°You did when I lost my mind; the attack from the spear was undeniably true magic; or arcane magic as you call it. So, I believe you should be able to figure it out if your life depends on it.¡±


    ¡°Right, but what do you mean by strength? How strong does the magic have to be?¡±


    ¡°Oh, right.¡± Asok nodded. ¡°It¡¯s very simple, it just needs to reach the Omega Tier?¡ª the Tier that your spear has.¡±


    ¡°The Tier of my spear?¡±


    I turned to Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear only to see its Tier once more.


    [Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear. Tier: SSS].


    ¡°That sounds¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to say it¡¯s impossible but if you aren¡¯t already in that Tier?¡ª which you aren¡¯t, then I really hope we can find an artifact that possesses true magic of that Tier.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Otherwise you shall never be able to use magic again.¡±


    I blinked and then he opened the door, and contrary to my expectations I saw a blue sky, I heard noise and once my eyes readjusted I saw¡­


    Civilizations.


    Myriads of them, all rebuilding as if they had just gone through the apocalypse.


    All of the corrupted beings had reverted to what they once were¡­

 Chapter. 141: The Beginning of the End (Part 3)

    Chapter. 141: The Beginning of the End (Part 3)


    It was something that never crossed my mind. The corruption was gone, and with it, the world reverted. I stared at the azure sky, and while in the far distance I could see blotches of darkness it was hard to imagine the desolate wasteland this place had been. Instead, it looked like a world that was just now beginning to flourish.


    The dilapidated ruins that littered the space bustled with life of  different shapes and sizes, some were human, others resembled anthropomorphic animals, and there were some that were just beasts. It was a dazzling sight that I never thought I¡¯d be able to witness; something reminiscent of dreams, but somehow it was there, all for my eyes to see.


    I stared for what felt like forever before Asok turned to me.


    ¡°What, did the space eat your consciousness?¡± He shook his head and waved. ¡°Come on now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    He treated it as such a normal thing that I couldn¡¯t help but nod and tread along. Though my eyes remained glued at the different species in the distance and at the seemingly quick bond that seemed to be happening between the inhabitants. But even though I wanted to stay and observe, I couldn¡¯t for Asok had other plans in mind.


    We weaved through various streets and passed by numerous creatures; some didn¡¯t regard us, some stared at Asok, some at me, some at both of us and some only at Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear. Interestingly enough and maybe unsurprisingly there was no existence below S Tier, SS being the norm.


    However, even then I was quite certain I was stronger than the large majority of beings I had seen, which just went to show how damn strong the corruption made things in the first place. The fact that everyone here had been a mindless corrupted monster, and had probably almost killed me was something that I found hard to digest. But it was even harder to comprehend that everyone seemed to be getting along just fine as if they hadn¡¯t awoken from a deep slumber or something.


    I could overhear conversations, somehow still able to understand their languages for the most part, and one thing quickly became clear; everyone seemed to remember their time as a corrupted monster and one being even stared at me with a shameful and apologetic look. Which; well it seemed like they recognized me.


    Things were strange, and that feeling wasn¡¯t helped by what I continuously witnessed from Asok, which was a seeming familiarity with everything around. While he didn¡¯t talk with anyone more than necessary, he didn¡¯t waste much time as he passed by different kinds of ruins just checking and asking about various artifacts.


    Though unfortunately, whether I understood the conversation or not, I could deduce that the answer was no. Sometimes it seemed like an annoyed no, and sometimes it seemed like a saddened no. It was a bizarre experience that didn¡¯t get any better from all the stares we were getting.


    While a lot of beings were busying themselves with their duties, Asok and I were essentially just wandering around and begging for their stuff. This cycle continued for what felt like an hour until?¡ª I paused.


    I stared at a familiar red-armored man in the distance, he had his arms crossed as he looked around. Asok did not miss my reaction as he immediately turned to me. And raised his brow.


    ¡°Space got your consciousness again, or what?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that.¡±


    Before I knew it he was already looking in the direction of the armored man. ¡°Is that the Hero of Arlas you spoke about?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Alright, well I do want to have a talk with him too, so, let¡¯s go.¡± With a wave of his hand, he began to walk in his direction.


    It felt weird following Asok everywhere; given I was just completely lost in this situation. That said, I was also curious about what Asok had to say to the Hero of Arlas. Even though I had met him like a day or two ago, he had proved to be incredibly helpful?¡ª and I didn¡¯t know the Hero of Arlas all that well, so there was that.


    It didn¡¯t take long before the Hero of Arlas noticed our presence. The first thing he did was look at me for a few seconds, before turning to Asok as he arrived before him.


    ¡°You seem to know me,¡± the Hero of Arlas spoke, his voice clear of corruption.


    ¡°Arc told me about you, and I want to ask?¡ª what did you think you were doing when you did all of this?¡± Asok spoke in a hushed whisper, though multiple bystanders still overheard.


    The Hero of Arlas took a breath. ¡°This is just the first step in liberating this world?¡ª¡±


    ¡°This world cannot be liberated,¡± Asok spoke sternly. ¡°You¡¯re just creating suffering by trying to cleanse it.¡±


    The Hero of Arlas paused, and stared at the man. ¡°You must be that¡­ corrupted thing in that lab?¡ª every time I went there you were mad, but somehow I found more and more notes.¡±


    This time I blinked. ¡°You knew about him and didn¡¯t tell me?¡±


    The Hero of Arlas shook his head. ¡°I believe I would¡¯ve sent you straight to your death.¡±


    ¡°Ha?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m that corrupted thing,¡± Asok interrupted, ¡°and if you¡¯ve read my notes you should know I¡¯m fairly knowledgeable in regards to this entire place.¡±


    And then, they began to go back and forth.


    The exchange continued for half a minute before I decided I had enough.


    By this point, the argument was growing as other beings began to gather to look at us?¡ª it was a strange experience that I didn¡¯t want to partake in, and so I interrupted by sending a cold gust of wind to the both of them before the next reply came.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°How about we go to a more private place?¡±


    Asok paused, and the Hero of Arlas simply nodded. While I wasn¡¯t privy to the general sentiment of the people, I was already feeling gazes of hostility from others. And well: if I had to choose between walking away and being lost, or interrupting the argument and sticking by, the latter was more favorable.


    And so, we left the scene as different beings stared at us, unknowing if it would have ramifications or not later?.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    And it did.


    It had ramifications.


    In fact, as we were on our way to the lab; which was far from all the other settlements, we found ourselves confronted by a group of chimera-like beings. One of them had the head of a lion, a different one resembled a cheetah, and the last one was closer to a horse but feline still; they all had the body of a man, the tail of a snake and furred legs.


    [Chimera of Mountains. Tier: SS].


    [Chimera of Temples. Tier: SS].


    [Chimera of Jungles. Tier: SS].


    In fact; I was very sure they had once been Chimeras of Error.


    One of them was already baring their fangs looking at Asok.


    ¡°You dare try to argue we don¡¯t deserve a second chance at life?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying, I¡¯m saying that we are all doomed and have to experience that feeling a second time,¡± Asok responded, evidently annoyed.


    At that moment, I saw the atmosphere turn into unbridled bloodlust and the Hero of Arlas was?¡ª looking the other way, clearly not intending to step in. But, at the same time, I did feel like Asok was about to get murdered right before my eyes. And so as the chimeras bared their fangs, I readied myself.


    ¡°You will die?¡ª!¡±


    And the first chimera pounced?¡ª the shaft of Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear clinked against the claws reflecting them back, and without hesitation I moved forward, a myriad of skills going through my mind. Body enhancing skills such as [Titanic Strength], weapon enhancing skills such as [Gift of Frost], [Death Rend], [Ice Aura], and lastly a technique skill to seal the deal?¡ª [Deadly Impalement].


    Sol¡¯as Spear blurred, and with a burst of blue it impacted?¡ª


    In a single moment a squeal resounded with an explosion of ice, and in the distance a mountain exploded. The ground shook and a deafening silence settled onto the place; one that was broken by a system notification.


    [ You have vanquished the: Chimera of Jungles, from the world. Tier: SS. ]


    Just like that, an SS Tier being had died. I flicked the spear, chunks of frozen blood splattering to the ground as I looked onward to the chimeras. They stared at me and the next moment, the two remaining chimeras shrieked and ran in a panic.


    In a single attack I had killed the Chimera of Jungles. I stared in the distance as the two beings ran downhill, the Hero of Arlas didn¡¯t say a word but Asok whistled.


    ¡°Well that sure is terrifying.¡±


    I shook my head.


    To be honest, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d kill them in a single hit. Part of it was certainly Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, but also, I was sure I had grown stronger; I had become a lot more efficient at chaining my skills, and a lot more reactionary. I was sure I could¡¯ve done the same job with my ice spears, even if I had to throw in a second hit with [Throw of Death].


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s go.¡± I gestured as I began walking.


    ¡°Arc,¡± the Hero of Arlas called, making me turn around.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    He met my gaze ?¡ª or at least it felt like it through his helmet ?¡ª and gave me a subtle nod. ¡°I never expected you to survive, let alone be able to thrive in this place. You have humbled me.¡±


    He finished by lightly lowering his head at me.


    ¡°Right¡­ I appreciate your acknowledgement, but I don¡¯t have any need for that.¡± I waved dismissively. ¡°Let¡¯s go so we can continue you two guy¡¯s argument.¡±


    ¡°There is no need,¡± he spoke before turning to Asok.


    There was a moment of silence as they regarded each other.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know your name?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Asok, the Golden Researcher.¡±


    ¡°My name is Uwell.¡± The Hero of Arlas coughed. ¡°As I wanted to say. Asok, the Golden Researcher, I understand where you¡¯re coming from, but I¡¯m on my own mission. And I plan to assemble all of the forces gathered here and make them fight the corruption.¡±


    ¡°We both know full well it¡¯s a fruitless endeavor!¡± Asok said immediately.


    ¡°Well, what is the other option? Not fight?¡± Uwell asked. ¡°I plan on trying to give them freedom. Even if it¡¯s the slightest of chances, I shall continue on this mission until there is no more of this corruption.¡±


    ¡°The Primordial System is not something that can be fixed, no matter how long you try?¡ª¡±


    And the Hero of Arlas shook his head. ¡°Whether I have to fix it or destroy it?¡ª it doesn¡¯t matter. I have an eternity to do so.¡± He extended his hand and some corruption flickered. It was in broad daylight, and the Hero of Arlas was still¡­ corrupted even if his voice was no longer.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Asok blinked. ¡°You still?¡ª¡±


    ¡°No matter how many times I must destroy the corruption, or how many times I must give hope to the people of this ruined world, I shall continue on my duty.¡± He shook his head. ¡°And I hope, you can help me with it, Asok, the Golden Researcher.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s a doomed thing¡­¡± he said weakly.


    ¡°So?¡± The Hero of Arlas. ¡°So long as hope exists, there is a chance. Whether this attempt is successful or not; it¡¯s the first of many. One must suffer in order to bear the fruits of success. Will you help me, or will you get in my way?¡±


    He said as he summoned his longsword.


    Asok blinked before sneering. ¡°You don¡¯t scare me.¡±


    Uwell immediately pointed his sword and Asok sighed.


    ¡°But I will help.¡±


    The Hero of Arlas nodded, and in a blink the sword disappeared. There was a silence before the man turned around and looked towards the town.


    ¡°Then, let us build a civilization to withstand the corruption; let us be the candle that illuminates the everlasting darkness.¡±


    Meanwhile, listening to his final words and having listened to this conversation I understood something.


    Uwell¡¯s plans were insane.


    Then he turned to me.


    ¡°As for you Arc, I shall help you in your endeavor to return back to Arlas, which is why I will give you this.¡±


    I paused, seeing him take out a runic dagger and before I could even react Asok gasped.


    ¡°An Artifact from the World of Eternals...¡±


    I stared at the dagger for a few moments before the Hero of Arlas nodded.


    ¡°Fight with us until your departure, corrupt your mana, and become a wielder of the arcane like you desire, but remember. Do not endanger Arlas with it upon your return.¡±


    He presented the dagger.


    ¡°Will you accept?¡±


    I took a very deep breath and then?¡ª snatched the dagger off his hand.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll accept, you think I¡¯m an idiot?¡±


    He told me that as if I had any option to begin with!

 Takedown Notice Book 2

    Book 2 will be stubbed on April 7th


    Heya all, a bit sudden but I hope there is plenty of time to catch up to at least start of book 3 given how short it is. I''ve had some other commitments that have affected Arc''s release schedule, but Arc will resume on the 10th of April or so, hopefully. It will be at least one chapter a week, but I''ll try to do more.


    So without saying much more, I would like to say that Arc, Book 2 will be enrolling in Amazon Kindle Unlimited program.


    For the unaware this means that Book 2 will have to be taken down to comply with the exclusivity terms, this means that Chapters 59 to 127 will be removed, and only 10% of the book will remain up.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    For those that have read up till the latest chapter, well there is no worry, but to those that have this fiction bookmarked I suggest catching up soon! Anyway, check it out! Thank you to everyone that read the fiction up till this point!


    Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 2: An OP MC Isekai LitRPG</a>


    </a>

 Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 2 — is now in Kindle Unlimited

    Heya all, Book 2 Arc has just released on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited</a>!


    Thank you all for supporting the fiction so far, it wouldn''t have been possible without y''all reading it. Consider checking out the book, it has been edited and formatted, if you enjoyed it maybe give it a re-read or a rating? The book just launched so giving it a buy, a rating, or even just downloading since its enrolled in KU helps it massively.


    Seriously I mean it, even dropping it a review would be so helpful, one does not need to buy the book in order to do so, so please consider it.


    Also- Book 1 is discounted to $0.99, so consider checking it out too!


    Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 1</a>


    Anyway, check it out!


    <blockquote>


    All hail the new Dragon Queen of Frost!


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Having just dealt with the pesky Dragon of Frost, Arc declares herself the new ruler of the dragons to snuff all her problems at the core and seek the entrance to the Forgotten Places, the place where the corruption resides, all to grow stronger.


    Except, her position as a ruler isn¡¯t as stable as it first seems, after all, dragons are solitary beings that rule themselves, apex predators of old that hardly see change. From the Dragon of Water having his own schemes over Draliz to the Dragon of Wind refusing to acknowledge her as the new dragon ruler.


    And that isn¡¯t the end of the problems, the Hero of Flames appears with his own designs, threatening something she holds precious. Other heroes make their move, some with force, and some with more subtle means, but they all desire the same thing:


    To rule over Draliz ¡ª the country Arc wants and calls home.


    With so many people vying over the position of ruler of Draliz, and Arc at the center of it all, she is given two choices:


    Run and save herself from this mess or fight.


    And Arc has already made her choice.


    Fight for the new life she has built.


    </blockquote>


    </a>


    Arc the SS Tier Heroine Book 2: An OP MC Isekai LitRPG</a>

 Chapter. 142: The Beginning of the End (Part 4)

    Chapter. 142: The Beginning of the End (Part 4)


    And after I agreed to Uwell, the Hero of Arlas¡¯ offer, time began to pass. Asok focused his endeavors in helping and educating the ¡°townsfolk¡± while sometimes checking on me. The Hero of Arlas focused on strengthening unity and making sure we had an ¡°as one¡± mentality. Meanwhile, I focused on messing around with the dagger I had acquired.


    Sometimes, I wondered why I hadn¡¯t called the Hero of Arlas Uwell from the beginning, but thinking about the fact that the impostor sent me here; I guess it made sense to think the statue was of the impostor?¡ª well, if I was honest, maybe the Hero of Arlas down here was the imposter, but he had been rather kind to me, so ?¡ª to me at least ?¡ª he was the real one.


    As for the dagger, it had certainly been a boon, but it was also undoubtedly not what was expected. Of course, I didn¡¯t expect the Hero of Arlas to hand me an SSS Tier Artifact from the world of Eternals or whatever it was called, but this dagger was¡­


    [Ceremonial Dagger. Tier: B]


    It wasn¡¯t even S Tier. However, in spite of that, it was undoubtedly something of great help. The skill within the dagger was an interesting thing, it essentially was able to cut a hole in space; sort of like a pocket dimension if I had to describe it. When wielding the dagger with mana, I could feel whatever object I stored inside move according to my relative position.


    So if the stored item was put in the north direction at about a meter in height and a meter away from me it would always be there, no matter where I traveled. It was a neat thing. Though I had only spent the first day experimenting with the skill, the rest was truly feeling how it worked.


    At first, I could¡¯ve sworn it was no different than using the regular skill of an Artifact. It just came instinctually and instantly. There was nothing to learn, nothing new to try to test. It was something that stumped me but after a few hours of tinkering and slowly using the skill I decided to ask for Asok¡¯s help. Namely in helping me see the runes he spoke about.


    He graciously agreed and provided a lot of methods, and it wasn¡¯t until the second day that I finally managed to see them for the first time. And indeed, they were there. I could see the runes that meant, space and cutting all over the magic particles, the method he suggested was?¡ª there was no method he just ended up going elsewhere and bringing me a monocle, an A Tier Artifact.


    And with it, I tried to understand only to realize that it was essentially fruitless. Even seeing the glyphs on my own ice just made me all the more confused rather than help me. So instead of that, I went back to tinkering and it wasn¡¯t until the third day that I felt something. It wasn¡¯t even a feeling that I could ascribe to something, just a niggling sensation that the magic being used was slightly different, not by much but definitely different.


    Something that I noted was; no matter how many times I used the Ceremonial Dagger¡¯s ability there was no corruption to be seen which?¡ª kind of weirded me out? But upon asking Asok he said that the corruption would only appear if the magic was Alpha Tier or higher ?¡ª my Tier or higher.


    While I was doing all of this, the preparations for the war continued as the corruption loomed over the horizon with each passing day. It was obvious that a great attack was coming, contrary to expectations the army of corruption was slowly accumulating rather than charging towards us all at once, however it was obvious that the final battle was imminent.


    That¡¯s why I focused all of my efforts in trying to understand this new magic, and on the fifth day I had a realization.


    It was just like Asok said.


    World Piercer had a similar feeling to using the dagger, but at the same time the feeling was so subtle from using regular magic that it was hard to even tell if I was just imagining it or not based on my memory.


    But even then, I had truly dedicated myself to studying the skill of the dagger, only sleeping and eating once during the entire time period I had, but in the end; all I was left with was a very vague distinction between the two magics. And now, it was the final day, the dawn before the battle.


    The light of the sky was setting into an orange hue ?¡ª there was no sun for some reason but I never thought about it ?¡ª and I had been made to go to the final gathering I hadn¡¯t actually left the lab until this point, so I was blown away when I saw a fortified city, one that was laced with magic protections from different kinds of Systems.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the time to admire the hard work that was put into withstanding the corruption, it was a straight trip to the gathering point following Asok. Even though quite some time had passed, his demeanor and appearance remained practically the same; somewhat impatient and logical to the core, just a cranky old man ?¡ª if I was honest I liked him more as a corrupted monster; he seemed infinitely more patient.


    We found ourselves seated at the plaza, with hundreds if not thousands of beings present, and Asok and I had the front row towards the raised platform at the center. There was an audible mutter present and I even overheard some of the people asking who I was given they hadn¡¯t seen me before, but I just ignored it and messed with the Ceremonial Dagger until the time came.


    Minutes of Asok tapping his foot on the ground passed, all while I kept stabbing holes into space with the dagger, looking like a crazy person. But eventually, the surroundings became misty as if a dome of cloudiness was cast, and all of the natural light focused on the stage. Then, from within the veil, a figure walked onto the stage.


    It was none other than the Hero of Arlas.


    He looked at all of us, glancing at everyone present as he began to speak.


    ¡°A week ago, we were but strangers,¡± he said. ¡°But now, we are comrades, all united to achieve one simple goal¡­¡±


    He trailed off as if to take a breath, before speaking bluntly.


    ¡°To eradicate the corruption.¡±


    The crowd went completely silent and the Hero of Arlas continued speaking.


    ¡°Today we are here as comrades in arms, as brothers, as sisters, as a group of warriors that have a shared goal. We are all of different origins, and I understand that it can be hard to see each other as companions, and for those efforts I want to thank you all.¡±


    He lowered his head at all of us, there were some mutters but nothing I could understand amongst the jumble of words.


    ¡°Today we rest, and tomorrow we will fight. Based on information from the scouts, the other strongest warriors and I, have taken measures to ensure we come out victorious from this battle. I¡¯ll let each of them explain.¡±


    With those words he backed off and then, another figure emerged. This one had the body of a man and the head of an eagle, but the thing that surprised me the most was his Tier.


    [Chimera of Skies. Tier: SSS]


    It was an SSS Tier existence.


    Their voice resembled an ordinary man as they began to explain how people would be segmented and which fighters would go where. Essentially divided everyone into groups according to what their magic or usefulness was. Finally, after explaining what group he¡¯d be leading he left.


    Next was a winged woman that also had the head of an eagle, but their body resembled a bird-human rather than an amalgamation of something. She had white feathers and golden eyes, black accents sparkled within her coat.


    [Goddess of the Wind. Tier: SSS].


    Stolen novel; please report.


    She explained her part. Though before she left, she stared at me, or more specifically at Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear which I had laid on my thighs. Then, something that resembled a gigantic wolf arrived.


    [Guardian of the Red Forest. Tier: SSS].


    They also spoke in detail about what they were going to do before leaving and giving way to a different being.


    The next to come resembled a gigantic dog with rather ferocious claws.


    [Guardian of the Dark Ocean. Tier: SSS].


    After came what resembled a female dark elf.


    [Dominion of Darkness. Tier: SSS].


    And finally after, came a bird. Its wingspan was multiple meters long, and lighting flaked from its feathers.


    [Nightmarish Thunder. Tier: SSS].


    After saying his part, the Hero of Arlas returned. I was surprised there were so many SSS Tier beings around, and from the looks of it almost everyone present was surprised given the murmurs. Asok though ?¡ª he seemed as bored as ever.


    ¡°The corruption oppressed everyone for too long, but now that we have our combined forces we can fight back, we can survive and free this accursed world. Tonight is where we celebrate our victory.¡±


    His voice boomed, and for the first time, people cheered. To some extent I even felt emboldened, but unlike others I didn¡¯t feel anything by what he was saying, which was weird.


    Asok snorted and whispered only for me to hear. ¡°Using a skill to boost morale even after I told him it was a violation against the First Law of Reality.¡±


    So that¡¯s what it was.


    Asok crossed his arms, clearly annoyed, all while everyone else seemed to cheer. And soon the entire plaza was re-arranged, food and drinks were brought out, and a party began. No idea how it was managed; but all the food seemed fresh¡ª though sadly there was almost no meat, but the food was as varied as it was exotic.


    I got to try a lot of things and if I was being honest?¡ª only about half of all the available food was edible for humans, and I only liked about one eighth, but it was certainly a unique experience that I engraved in my head.


    At some point, I was beginning to enjoy myself, that was until I got a tap on the shoulder. I hadn¡¯t even been able to sense the person, but when I turned, there she was.


    [Goddess of the Wind. Tier: SSS].


    The SSS Tier eagle lady, her gaze already digging onto me.


    ¡°Can we talk?¡± she asked.


    Asok glanced her way.


    ¡°Privately,¡± she added coldly after flashing him a look.


    Asok gave me a weird look and whispered an apology to me. I contemplated my options for a second before sighing.


    ¡°I hope you know that killing me will probably anger the Hero of Arlas.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of that,¡± she scoffed, crossing her arms. ¡°Are you going to come or will I have to drag you against your wishes?¡±


    I paused, before nodding in disappointment. A moment after, I stood up and I followed the woman to a back alley. I, of course, brought So¡¯las¡¯ Spear with me, since it seemed like her object of interest and the whole reason this was even happening in the first place.


    Finally, once we were away from everyone¡¯s ears, she turned to me.


    ¡°You¡¯re Arc, and you intend to return to your world, the Hero of Arlas told us as much,¡± she said bluntly before crossing her arms. ¡°I am definitely jealous that you have something to return to, but that is not why I¡¯ve brought you here.¡±


    I paused once more.


    So the Hero of Arlas told her about me?


    I suppressed a sigh, still holding the spear. ¡°It¡¯s because of this, right?¡± I asked, moving the SSS Tier Artifact.


    ¡°Good, glad you noticed my ire.¡± She nodded and extended her hand. ¡°Hand it over to me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± I answered bluntly. ¡°I need it.¡±


    She shook her head, I could sense some disappointment and some amusement on her part


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that. Fortunately for you, I am no bully.¡±


    With those words, the woman extended her hand into the air, and white streaks of wind coalesced ?¡ª formed around her hand. Then, with a small flash of light, I saw a sword with a white blade. Golden ornaments lined its blade and guard. And after using [Appraisal] on it, I saw what it was.


    [Alfina¡¯s Sword. Tier: SSS].


    ¡°It¡¯s quite the winning trade, the ability of this weapon is much stronger than Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear,¡± she began. ¡°What it does?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I refuse,¡± I interrupted.


    The woman paused. ¡°Are you even listening?¡ª¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how strong that sword is when it''s corrupted, but I got to experience the corrupted version of Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, and given the impending battle, I¡¯d like to use something I¡¯m familiar with.¡±


    The woman frowned, and I continued, this time expressing sympathy.


    ¡°However, I understand there is probably some emotional attachment on your part, so I¡¯ll be transparent here.¡± I took a deep breath. ¡°About half of my mana is corrupted by this point, which means I cannot even fight for that long; and if I fail to use magic of the Primordial System, then I will one-hundred-percent die after it gets fully corrupted.¡±


    I let out a breath, and after a second of silence I spoke, my voice becoming nothing but a sad whisper.


    ¡°To be honest, I really am not sure if I¡¯ll survive. So if I die, you can take it then. I hope you can¡­ understand my case.¡±


    I closed my eyes, I was¡­ shaking. The lack of progress these past few days really put a massive dent on my confidence. I didn¡¯t even dare to open my eyes, I must¡¯ve looked pitiful?¡ª and then she began to laugh.


    ¡°You really just sounded just like him, putting on a strong front while you¡¯re actually terrified.¡± I opened my eyes only to see her shaking her head with a chuckle. ¡°Though, I can¡¯t blame you for feeling like that. The corruption is¡­ a terrifying thing after all.¡±


    She sighed.


    ¡°Why did you have to say¡­ all of that? Couldn¡¯t you just have been bitchy or something?¡±


    A groan left her.


    And then there was some silence as the woman began to pace around, clearly in her own thoughts. I didn¡¯t quite understand what was happening, but after a minute of ever changing expressions, she seemed to come to a final decision with a nod.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll tell you a bit about myself:


    ¡°When I was born, my world was headed to ruin.


    ¡°When I acquired the power to protect those I cared about, they had all died.


    ¡°And when I ascended, only a single person remained amidst the ruins.


    ¡°That person was Sol¡¯as.¡±


    A bitter sigh left her.


    ¡°I was born into an already corrupted world, though I also know about you. I know you were sent to this place against your will and that you were also summoned to your own world against your will, otherworlder.¡±


    I blinked.


    ¡°You have my sympathy for that.¡±


    She felt the blade of her sword with her feathered fingers before letting out a breath.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m thinking, but truth be told. There is no future here. Not for a single second do I believe we shall come out victorious against the corruption.¡±


    There was silence as she continued to caress the blade. Then, after feeling its length, she met my gaze.


    ¡°But you on the other hand, I believe in you.¡±


    ¡°Ha?¡± Needless to say I was stupefied.


    What was she on about?


    ¡°I saw your battles, the Hero of Arlas showed them to all six of us commanders, apparently he can see the occurrences of his world even down here. We saw your growth, and we saw your downfall. At first we were annoyed, outraged even that he requested to let you act independently due to your goals, but after seeing who you were there was unanimous agreement,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°So what I¡¯m saying is that, even though I don¡¯t know you, I believe in what I saw.¡± She closed her eyes, her words wavering. ¡°There is no future for us, but there is a future for you, which is why:¡±


    She opened her eyes and met my gaze once more, this time a lot more resolutely and with conviction in her voice.


    ¡°I want you to preserve my sword, and I want you to preserve Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear ?¡ª the marks of our existences.¡± She presented the sword, kneeling. ¡°Use both of our powers to return, and preserve our legacy.¡±


    I blinked as she looked at the ground.


    ¡°Please,¡± she pleaded.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I grabbed the handle of the sword as I saw tears fall to the ground. ¡°I will preserve you and your lover¡¯s legacy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    After I took it, she remained there for a few seconds, but eventually, she stood up and met my gaze. There was some uncertainty in her gaze before she spoke.


    ¡°I really hope you can show our glory to your world.¡±


    I nodded and she lightly smiled, her golden beak somehow radiating light.


    ¡°I shall get going now. Please survive.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get a chance to reply as she vanished. All I could do was stand there as I stared at my newly acquired SSS Tier weapon.


    It was completely and totally undeserved, but I was certainly going to take any power I could get given how strong the corruption was.


    Tomorrow I was going straight to the jaws of death after all¡­


    I shook my head. ¡°To believe the Hero of Arlas invaded my privacy yet again.¡± I clicked my tongue before lowering my voice. ¡°Though if it helps me, I guess it¡¯s alright¡­¡±


    My whisper was heard by no one, and after a few seconds of silence I stored Alfina¡¯s Sword into the Ceremonial Dagger¡¯s pocket space. After that, I headed back, too preoccupied wondering how many stories were in this place.


    Whether it had been Asok¡¯s or Alfina¡¯s, they both shared a sense of incredible sorrow. I didn¡¯t¡­ want things to end like that for me.


    Hours later the day ended and the following morning, the preparations to fight the corruption truly began.

 Chapter. 143: The Beginning of the End (Part 5)

    Chapter. 143: The Beginning of the End (Part 5)


    The morning after could be considered a beautiful day, a beautiful orange twilight enveloped the sky and the atmosphere was quiet. If it weren¡¯t for the blotches of inking darkness that were beginning to cover the sky, it would¡¯ve been a beautiful thing. But instead, there was nothing to be appreciated, there was only tension as everyone gathered at the city walls.


    Some people were staying behind, and providing support, whether it was medics that had been instructed on how to temporarily treat the corruption, or ranged support in order to snipe targets from afar. Then, there were people assigned to supplying the battalions with resources, and armor replacements.


    Though that didn¡¯t matter too much, the large majority of the people were going to fight in the frontlines, including Asok for some reason. I had watched how he had filed his body with carved runes, his blood flowing before he put on the special armor everyone had been given, and upon asking him all he had to say was:


    It¡¯s part of ascension.


    Meanwhile, all I could do was stand there baffled, wearing the black armor I had been given. The situation was very much obviously tense, and Asok didn¡¯t seem to care too much. Then again, in his guide to Ascension it basically required him to be swarmed by the corruption and somehow come out on top.


    ¡°Are you really that confident in succeeding this time?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not, but¡­¡± He smiled. ¡°If I¡¯m going to go through the process again, I better be more confident than last time.¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    And just like that a quietness settled in as different battalions began to step forward. The battle was already about to begin. I hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep, and I was honestly nervous; nervous of knowing that today was the day I would probably die. And I was also feeling a slight tinge of dread; the corruption was probably going to kill everyone here, which meant if I survived I¡¯d probably be the only survivor.


    My plan was to acquire arcane magic and then immediately flee from the battle and go to one of the many exits the Hero of Arlas had marked for me on map Artifact. So I wouldn¡¯t even be sticking around to see the final result.


    It was¡­ nerve wracking.


    A deep breath left me as the army entered its battle positions. I watched the conglomerate of different beings and beasts move forward, though I turned upon hearing walking footsteps coming in my direction.


    And there, I saw him. A man in red armor with a draping cloak, a helmet with cracked horns adorned his head, and his statue was impressive at over two meters tall, or six foot seven. He was walking towards us, Asok ?¡ª not failing to show his distaste ?¡ª frowned, but I simply waited.


    Finally, after a few moments he arrived. The Hero of Arlas stood before me and regarded me with a nod.


    ¡°We won¡¯t have time for chatting after this. So, I figured I should come here now instead of never speaking.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I didn¡¯t really know what to say, and my expression must¡¯ve been really weird because he continued.


    ¡°I heard what happened last night, Alfina told me,¡± he said simply. ¡°I assume you must be upset about the invasion of your privacy.¡±


    I immediately frowned. I had briefly thought about the implications of his omnipotent vision last night, and it actually bothered me to no end.


    ¡°Yes, and you better stop taking looks at me when I go back to Arlas.¡±


    He paused. ¡°I could accept that so long as I don¡¯t see you causing havoc.¡±


    ¡°Also no spying on my companions either,¡± I added.


    There was a silence before he spoke again. ¡°This is not a negotiation.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just basic respect,¡± I corrected, now frustrated. ¡°So I hope you can do that.¡±


    There was a silence before he nodded, which was actually a relief.


    ¡°I¡¯ll accept your humble request, though that¡¯s not the reason I was here.¡±


    ¡°Right, what did you want to talk about, Mister Uwell?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to call me ¡®mister¡¯, Miss Arc, I¡¯m not even a thousand years old yet.¡± He shook his head and I immediately felt uncomfortable. ¡°Let¡¯s just call each other by our names.¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°While I do regret that our encounters have been bittersweet for the most part, I¡¯m glad I met you,¡± he said, his tone sincere. ¡°You¡¯re the first person I had the chance to talk to in a very long time, and while it was against your consent, seeing your story was touching.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°So, I appreciate you for that Arc. But you¡¯ve also taught me that willpower does go a long way, and I shall take that lesson to my grave.¡±


    I still processed his words as he finished, and finally after another second of thinking, I managed to produce a reply.


    ¡°... I¡¯m glad you appreciate me¡­ Uwell.¡±


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    He nodded hearing my awkward voice.


    ¡°Anyway that is all I wanted to say. I believe you have what it takes to leave this forsaken place. So I wish you all my luck in your endeavors, this will be my parting gift.¡± He nodded and extended his hand towards me. ¡°[Blessing of Arlas].¡±


    I blinked as a light enveloped me, and while I felt a small surge of strength hardly anything changed.


    ¡°Now that man should have no such power over you.¡±


    With those words, he turned and began to walk away, all while my mind whirled. That man? Who could he even?¡ª and I paused.


    ¡°Who is the other Hero of Arlas?¡± I called.


    ¡°That is for you to figure out.¡±


    And with those words, he left, waving farewell.


    I stared as he went to the frontlines, planning on leading the charge. Just like that, I was alone with Asok.


    ¡°I do have to say, it¡¯s nice that you won¡¯t be sent here ever again by that clone. I saw how it happened?¡ª¡±


    And I interrupted with a sigh. ¡°He showed you too?¡±


    ¡°He showed me and the other commanders, that¡¯s about it,¡± Asok said, his tone somewhat apologetic. ¡°Though I did ask to see the two fights you took before that too.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± I urged.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised you just¡­ made a new skill to essentially murder that person. I¡¯ve never seen that before, its level of complexity is also¡­¡± Asok trailed off.


    ¡°Also¡­?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not something I can replicate¡­¡± he admitted sheepishly. ¡°I think it shows complete mastery over your System.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°The Hero of Arlas told me how heroes work and I think you truly embody what it means to master ice.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No matter how much mastery there is, I¡¯m still far too weak for this place.¡±


    ¡°That may be the case, but you have to understand this. Out of the thirty something civilizations in the space that was freed, there are only six individuals of the highest Tier, seven if you include Uwell.¡± He shook his head. ¡°That means that, on average, only one being every ten thousand years ascends to that kind of power. And I¡¯m certain that your ability is up there with those kind of people.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°That is encouraging. I wonder how it¡¯ll help me survive this?¡ª¡±


    And Asok slapped my back, I tumbled forward from the strength he used. My eyes widened and I turned only to see him frowning.


    ¡°Just take a god damn compliment Arc, at least do so from your friend here who will most likely be dead in a few hours.¡±


    I paused. Friend?


    And for a moment I remembered how readily Asok had helped me throughout this whole ordeal, regardless of the hour, regardless of the time, even when I stepped into his room while he slept he woke up just to answer my questions. Then, I remembered how he¡¯d smile every time he saw me for the past few days.


    I closed my eyes. ¡°Right¡­ sorry.¡±


    ¡°Even if you don¡¯t consider me your friend, at least consider me a teacher or mentor figure.¡± He shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t be so?¡ª¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re my friend Asok,¡± I said with a breath. ¡°Sorry for acting like that.¡±


    He smiled. ¡°Good, then don¡¯t be so stressed. Then I¡¯ll say it again. Out of every person I¡¯ve ever personally met, you¡¯re the most talented I¡¯ve seen.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    He nodded and extended his clenched fist towards me. I reached my hand only to receive a crude pendant with a stone in the middle, [Appraisal] offered no return to what I was looking at.


    ¡°What is?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift from me,¡± Asok said. ¡°I figured it might help you, I don¡¯t know if I was successful in creating it, only once it¡¯s corrupted should the result be seen. But even if it doesn¡¯t work, consider it a token of my friendship.¡±


    I blinked and slowly nodded, deciding to put it on. Asok nodded and then turned to look at the horizon.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting soon.¡±


    I followed his gaze as I went to stand by his side. And off in the distance I saw the blotches of corruption finally begin to grow, and in no time I saw gigantic and towering beings. Then, from within the dark and dreary shadows, I saw a gigantic one loom overhead.


    I stared, it was too far for [Appraisal] to go off but the amount of corruption emanating from it was truly terrifying.


    ¡°As you can see, this place is the end of all worlds, and that.¡± He pointed. ¡°That must be an Eternal¡­¡±


    His voice came to a whisper as I understood the gravity of the situation. But just as I was beginning to get nervous I heard more footsteps behind me. Once more I turned, and it was none other than the dark elf woman, one of the commanders.


    [Dominion of Darkness. Tier: SSS].


    She was slowly walking towards us, and then extending her hand towards her side a spear of darkness appeared.


    ¡°[Darkness of the World, Bless Me].¡± With her calm voice she became enveloped in shadows as I felt danger all around me, and then she began to slowly jog in our direction before running, Asok and I stepped aside, and she ran past us aiming her spear. ¡°[Use the Shadows to Carry My Will, The Will of a¡ª]¡±


    She took one final step as the ground shattered and she called in a whisper.


    ¡°[God].¡±


    And the air broke, a trail of darkness enveloped the world before it exploded over the horizon with a resounding boom that made almost everyone take a step back. A shockwave traveled through the land and the elven woman before us smiled.


    ¡°[Therefore You Must Die].¡±


    And she clenched her hand before an even more powerful explosion occurred. I stumbled back, my eyes widening as I realized that the entirety of the horizon had blown up into darkness.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t think I can replicate that either¡­¡± Asok whispered.


    Then the woman screamed. ¡°Charge!¡±


    Her voice boomed through the battlefield as our entire side began to charge forward. We were surrounded, like a candle in the darkness, but even then we were going to fight instead of waiting for the darkness to snuff us.


    I didn¡¯t charge, neither did Asok, and neither did she.


    Instead she turned to me, I saw her purple-toned skin, her golden eyes, and her fanged smile that she gave me.


    ¡°Arc, if we meet again on even strength, let us spar.¡±


    Her voice came out with utmost sincerity, but before I could even give her a reply she turned around and charged with everybody else.


    Finally, Asok spoke, calling my attention.


    ¡°Well, what are you waiting for? Let¡¯s join in the fun before it¡¯s too late.¡± He smiled, and after I nodded he disappeared using one of his skills.


    And then, I was standing alone.


    A sigh left me as I grabbed Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear from my back.


    It is happening now¡­


    For better or for worse¡­


    This nightmare is coming to an end¡­


    ¡°And¡­¡± I took a breath before smiling. ¡°I¡¯m all for it.¡±


    [God Step].

 Chapter. 144: Interlude: Collective Challenges

    Chapter. 144: Interlude: Collective Challenges


    ¡°It¡¯s been almost two months, are you sure you don¡¯t want to return to Arc and explain your mistake?¡± Jake asked in the background.


    And Giselle gritted her teeth as the Erebus Spider went off in the background. It was much stronger than the Emera Spider even at the same Tier, and the only reason it existed was because of the mistake Jake, the Weapon Master had just mentioned.


    Oh, how she wished Arc had never tasked him out of all people to keep her in check, because he was damn annoying. The two apparently met by chance, Jake wanted to kill someone and Arc protected them, and apparently Arc decided to give him another ice spear and later hired him with SS Tier weapons!


    Her plans to raze a nation were no longer in motion, all because Arc had intervened, and now she was stuck in servitude. Giselle hated every second of it, but more than anything she dreaded her next encounter with the Heroine of Frost.


    She could imagine it, a disappointed small frown.


    ¡°So you hit SS Tier instead of your spider?¡±


    It was all because she had had to fight some undeads back when the things with the Hero of Necromancy happened ?¡ª who was now dead by the way ?¡ª and now she was stuck desperately trying to fix her mistake.


    The Erebus Spider tore down the trees, it tore through the monsters of the forest, it razed its surroundings as its venomous acid sprayed with a whistling hissing, melting the scales of its target. The target, of course, roared in all of its mythical glory and with a swiping motion purple flames enraptured, sending the Erebus Spider flying.


    ¡°So?¡± Jake asked behind her.


    ¡°Of fucking course not!¡± Giselle screamed and swiped her hand towards the Erebus Spider. ¡°[Command of the Spider Deity: Limit Break]!¡±


    In a single moment webs shot from the flying spider. In a single moment it stopped in its tracks as its entire body creaked. With its thorned limbs it pulled itself forward, its wretched figure prowled towards its enemy as if it were prey, except?¡ª


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you pushing the Erebus Spider too hard?¡± Jake absentmindedly asked. ¡°I mean you¡¯re trying to get it to kill a dragon out of all things.¡±


    Giselle looked back at the purple being that was rising from its spot, it was littered with wounds, but nonetheless it was a mythical creature.


    [Dragon of Mystical Fire. Tier: SS].


    Then the dragon turned and fired a deluge of purple in their direction. Giselle snorted and kicked as spider limbs were put in front, meanwhile Jake grabbed a staff from the air and slammed it down. A dome erupted and the flames hit?¡ª they dispersed and burned the forest around them and a moment later the spider arrived, tackling the Dragon of Mystical Fire.


    ¡°You know that your spider might die, right?¡± Jake pointed. ¡°It¡¯s still very much an S Tier being.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to die, and if it is then you can interfere with the fancy ice weapons you got,¡± Giselle scowled, more annoyed than anything.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve forgotten, but they shattered almost a month ago.¡±


    Giselle paused. ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean that Arc has kicked the bucket?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve talked about this; if you wish to seek proof that Arc is dead we can go looking.¡± Jake crossed his arms. ¡°And before you say: ¡®What¡¯s stopping me from killing you then?¡¯ Well, we already had that conversation too.¡±


    Giselle paused for a moment remembering that conversation.


    ¡°Well if you kill me and Arc is still around then what will happen to you? We can go find out if she¡¯s around, I heard rumors she was seen during the selection of the king of Draliz.¡±


    In the end, she had an irrational fear towards things. She didn¡¯t want to test her luck with something as insane as seeking Arc and then finding out the results. Not yet anyway. She at least needed her spider to be of SS Tier so that if Arc was alive she could at least say:


    ¡®Hey, I fucked up, but look I fixed it!¡¯


    And that¡¯s why she had to do something about it. They had heard rumors about another Hero being in this forest; it was called the Jade Forest and it was in another continent. Though instead, they stumbled upon a dragon and now they were beating it up. It had attacked them first after all, saying something along the lines of:


    ¡®Hero scum! You must be connected to the traitor!¡¯


    Thankfully, now that she was SS Tier she had a greater ease in producing SS Tier spiders, so now that meant that it was just a matter of time before she could present something to Arc in order to make up for her mistakes. And now all she had to do was ensure her spider came out victorious?¡ª


    ¡°[Flames Of The Beyond].¡±


    And an explosion of purple occurred, sending the Erebus Spider flying. Giselle sighed and turned to Jake who was already getting two spears belonging to primordial beasts.


    ¡°So I guess this is not our last stop?¡± Jake asked playfully.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not!¡±


    And at once, both began to use their strongest skills on the Dragon of Mystical Fire.


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    * * * * *


    Malz had been in her room for a few days now. Too preoccupied with her thoughts to even care about helping Ceylon with the letters in regards to the Heroes, and it was all because of her past, it was because of Mysa, the Heroine of Darkness.


    That day, all of the memories came back, things that she had buried deep in her heart had come in full force. And, whether she wanted to admit or not, Malz felt a deep sense of sadness, of course, she felt anger, but without the Dragon of Water here or the Hero of Humans, she just felt¡­ drained.


    Mysa was¡­


    What wasn¡¯t she?


    Malz didn¡¯t think too much about her, she hadn¡¯t for some time, it was too painful. She remembered the day they met as clear as day.


    She had been injured, hurt, and a hero stumbled upon her. But rather than killing her, she said.


    ¡°Huh, how about I nurse you to full health and I fight you on fair terms? You¡¯re a Grand Dragon Elder after all, I¡¯d like to honor you or befriend you even.¡±


    She remembered asking if she was stupid, but all she did was cross her arms.


    ¡°You know, in kindergarten I wrote dragon rider as my dream job.¡±


    And that was just the stupid of many interactions that led to their friendship, and eventual¡­ partnership.


    Malz¡­ missed Mysa, she was a goofball but she was capable of being serious, witty, confident and even vulnerable. It was¡­ she¡¯s never met someone like that since. And it was all because of that man.


    Malz gritted her teeth.


    ¡°The fucking Hero of Human?¡ª¡±


    And her door was knocked. Her thoughts immediately stopped, as she made an effort to calm down sensing who was at the door. Finally, after about five seconds of silence, she spoke calmly.


    ¡°You can come in Ceylon.¡±


    There was a pause before the door opened, and there she saw the noble girl of the Arlow house and the current ruler of Draliz. Ceylon, a girl with golden locks for hair and piercing blue eyes, though right now rather than displaying her usual confident appearance, she looked awkward.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Malz asked, she was in her bed.


    Ceylon hesitated before sighing.


    ¡°It¡¯s you, you haven¡¯t even opened that door in five days now, let alone do anything.¡±


    Malz immediately shifted. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking.¡±


    ¡°Is it about the Hero of Humans?¡±


    Malz was about to instantly answer a ¡®yes¡¯, but she couldn¡¯t lie. Not to Ceylon at least, Arc¡¯s closest companion.


    ¡°Not quite.¡± Malz sighed and readjusted in her bed to look at Ceylon. ¡°It¡¯s about my¡­ deceased wife...¡±


    ¡°The Heroine of Darkness?¡± Ceylon asked.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s about Mysa.¡± She nodded. ¡°She made me promise to try to find love again, but with everything coming back to me¡­¡±


    Malz didn¡¯t want to say it, but she couldn¡¯t even think about Arc at the moment, it was¡­ too much for her. Sure she liked Arc, but aside from the fact that Arc was akin to a wall when it came to those type of feelings, it was also just too fast for Malz to like Arc. But she still did before everything, now however she felt guilt.


    Maybe it was her desperation to fulfill Mysa¡¯s will that she opened her heart so much to the prospect of finding someone else, she didn¡¯t know. But right now, she felt like a betrayer, she felt guilty, she felt gross with her entire existence.


    She wasn¡¯t like this¡­ not before she met Mysa, nor when she was with her¡­ she wasn¡¯t like this until the last decade.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s like reopening old wounds.¡± Malz sighed, finishing what she was saying. ¡°And it either makes me sad or angry.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Ceylon sat at the foot of the bed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can¡¯t¡­ imagine what that must be like, but you know I can offer an ear; I can listen. It¡¯s the least I could do after you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Malz turned to look at the ceiling. ¡°I have a feeling it¡¯ll just make me sadder, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°And maybe that¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine to hold attachment for things, but it¡¯s also important to move on.¡± Ceylon looked at the ground. ¡°I read that in a book once, I used to¡­ read novels in secret instead of studying in the past¡­¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyway.¡± Ceylon shook her head. ¡°I guess what I¡¯m saying is, you can appreciate Mysa without feeling¡­ this way,¡± Ceylon said carefully. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be¡­ sad about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ sad.¡± Malz shook her head. ¡°Or I am, but it¡¯s¡­ different. I don¡¯t know how to explain it. I know Mysa is gone, it¡¯s just, it¡¯s just¡­ why must that fucker live? He shouldn¡¯t be alive. He shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Malz gritted her teeth in silence before letting out a breath.


    ¡°I suppose the closure I once had is no longer there anymore. Mysa is dead and I want to fulfill her will, and for as long as the Hero of Humans is alive I cannot do that.¡±


    A sigh left the Dragon of Shadows.


    ¡°If I do it like that, it makes me feel like less of a hu?¡ª dragon.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ then don¡¯t. Focus your energy on dealing with the Hero of Humans, even if it¡¯s asking Arc for help in regards to it when she returns.¡±


    Malz paused. ¡°Right¡­ maybe¡­¡±


    And then, there was silence. It extended for multiple minutes, and at some point Ceylon began to fidget, but Malz paid it no mind. Instead, she focused on thinking about what Ceylon had said. To some extent it was like feeling in a limbo but also, it was like going back to how things were before she met Mysa.


    Of course, now Mysa was in her heart now and the fact that the Hero of Humans was still alive greatly ached her. But, at the same time she couldn¡¯t spend her days feeling sad, she had to continue living even if it was with the constant annoyance in her head.


    Finally, she sighed and began to get up.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s reply to those hero letters.¡±


    Ceylon paused before nodding.


    Truth be told, Malz still felt a deep sense of sadness and disappointment within herself, but she felt like she could do it.


    * * * * *


    Elsewhere, the Dragon of Water finally arrived at his destination.


    It had been a five-day long flight, but now he was here, standing at the entrance of the cave. And from within the darkness, stepped out a man with toned features and gray hair, and upon seeing the Dragon of Water, his sculpted face immediately lit up with a smile.


    ¡°So you got it?¡±


    The Dragon of Water nodded as he produced a water bead that exploded to show a long black staff with runes all over its surface. At the top, a ball of crystal resides.


    ¡°I got it.¡±


    ¡°Good hand it over?¡ª¡± And the man paused, looking at the collar on the Dragon of Water¡¯s neck. ¡°You got it at a price didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°That is correct.¡± The Dragon of Water nodded. ¡°Which is why we need to talk, Master.¡±


    The man paused but sternly nodded and waved the Grand Dragon Elder inside.


    It was time for the Dragon of Water and the Hero of Humans to engage in a negotiation neither of them wanted to have.


    The Dragon of Water sighed.


    It was all due to the terms Malz had given him¡­

 Chapter. 145: The End of The Nightmare (Part 1)

    Chapter. 145: The End of The Nightmare (Part 1)


    Through and through, the Forgotten Places were a hellish place. A place where life wasn¡¯t meant to survive, a hostile place that had seen the end of hundreds of civilizations, a cursed and rotten place. And it was the place I had been unfairly sent to, all in the name of a stupid mission. All because I had fought to achieve my goals¡­


    I was sent to an accursed land, one that was unfit to even be called anything but a cemetery, one that was long ruined; and, here, here is where I was sent to fight in order to regain my freedom once more¡­


    Here, where worlds came to die. Here, where civilizations collapsed. Here, where the great plague of the System resided¡­


    But now, all of the struggle was going to pay off or come to an end, whatever the outcome was, everything was going to be over soon.


    The nightmare was coming to its grand finale¡­


    And I had front row seats to experience it.


    The sounds of war echoed in my ears, corruption exploded all around me, cries and broken shrieks filled the atmosphere. A grand battle raged all around me, and of course, I was one of the participants.


    Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear tore through a Chimera of Error as its dying shriek joined the hundreds of others. Then, tensing my muscles I used [Frenzied Whirlwind] and instantly stabbed dozens of times. Corruption streaked, contaminating the air and yet, we unceasingly charged. Dozens of skills went off every single second, tearing through the ranks of the corrupted forces.


    I knew it was just beginning, which is why I didn¡¯t push myself, but I still didn¡¯t hesitate to use skills as needed. Whether it was [Judgment of the Ice God] or [Deadly Impalement], and it was all because the armor we had all received for battle wasn¡¯t any normal armor, but a high tier Artifact.


    It was of SS Tier, and it provided the wearer a considerably increased mana regeneration, not only that but the armor itself had self-repair. It was a perfect armor to wear in this bloodied battlefield, however aside from those capabilities it had the capacity to reject the corruption to some extent. It was an armor that Asok had helped develop in these past few days, and the entirety of the army was wearing it.


    Which is why, we pushed, bathed in the splashes of corruption as they slid off our armors, reveling in our mighty push. I slashed, I stabbed, I gouged through numerous enemies and by that point I was beginning to feel it; the fervent desire to win that came from the army of civilizations.


    They had been corrupted for so long, and now, with a second chance at life they were going to stop at nothing to fight their fate.


    We were in the Forgotten Places, we were fighting for hope where planets came to die; and in this graveyard of worlds, the army wanted to come out victorious. And so, they pushed, and I, of course followed along.


    My mana, the more I used it, the more corrupted it became; and I knew that eventually, I was going to have to use arcane magic ?¡ª I was going to need to breakthrough in order to be able to escape this place.


    And so, following the intensity of the battle, my nervousness increased accordingly. Nevertheless, I didn¡¯t falter, tearing through enemies ?¡ª even though they would¡¯ve given me so much trouble when I first arrived, thanks to Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, that wasn¡¯t the case at all. Instead, they were killed in a mere exchange of blows.


    The army pushed onward with an unrelenting perseverance that broke through any of the corrupted beings in the frontlines. It was a one-sided slaughter that showed no signs of stopping. It was the proof of the greatness of the past, proof of the glory that each of these civilizations once held, and now, it was shown in full splendor.


    The corruption was destroyed through, the army was like an unstoppable force that showed no signs of ending. And it wouldn¡¯t be ending, not any time soon, not until the corruption was eradicated and a new beginning came.


    The morale was high, the fervent emotions ran wild, and the spirit burned bright, that was until a very deep bellow shook the land. It sounded as if it were from a primordial beast, making a ripple of tension tear through all of our spirits. And soon, the source was revealed; its gigantic figure rose as if it had been in deep slumber, except we all knew what it was.


    [???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.???????????????????   ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


    :???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????????????????


    The [Appraisal] window flickered, struggling to even give any kind of information, but there it was: the thing that Asok had called an Eternal. A gigantic being hundreds of meters in height, and it was angry. Corruption was beginning to concentrate around it, forming circles and runes of flickering and broken magic.


    Danger filled our surroundings in a single moment, the air completely stopped flowing as an oppressive aura overcame us all. A whisper-like echo lingered in the atmosphere, words of old that weren¡¯t meant to be understood but that sentenced us all to death equally, a dangerous curse that would kill us all if it finished?¡ª


    The world went white.


    A thunderous clapping resounded.


    And then a resounding scream ensued.


    A moment later, the world cleared and I saw the flash of a lighting strike, it had been as big as a mountain and the smoke and destruction had already come before it visually struck. A shockwave swept through the battlefield as I had to stab Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear on the ground to remain in the position.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Then, as the wave of wind cleared I heard a resounding chirp from the sky, it had come from Nightmarish Thunder, the SSS Tier bird. I watched it fly with its majestic wingspan as yet another smite of thunder came, hitting the Eternal once more into the ground. And with the thunderous clap, came an explosive cheer as the spirits were lifted once more.


    The corruption was swept, pushed away as if it were mere trash from that point forth. It was so one-sided I had stopped using skills as anything I fought would be hit by multitudes of other skills, and that sight, even if it was for a moment, made me believe that we were going to conquer the corruption.


    But fate had other plans¡­


    It all started with bellows in the distance, ones that resounded deep in our hearts and in our minds, and soon the fear became more than just instinctual as from the horizon in every direction emerged an eternal. Creatures of corruption began to manifest in the battlefield, each stronger than the last, and that¡¯s when the true reality finally came: The corruption was like an endless plague.


    It was unending.


    It was relentless.


    And more importantly¡­


    It was unfeeling.


    From every direction in the horizon, corrupted beings I had been scared of appeared, Eternals following.


    ?[?????????????????????????¡ª????????????????????¡ª??????????????????¡ª???????????.???????? ?????????T??????????i????????e???????r????????:??????? ??????????????¡ª?????????]?????????


    [????T????_?????i???s????t????e???_???? ???_???h?????_????n?????g????T????i????e????r???:???? ????N????a????N?????]????


    [???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????.???????????????????   ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


    :???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????]???????????????????


    ¡­


    The clamor of the army immediately died as an eerie silence settled upon us looking at the beasts in the distance. Then, one of the Twisted Things stepped forward and black and white light gathered at its maw, concentrating in a single spot, and before anyone could react it shot.


    In an instant, part of the army exploded. My heart skipped a beat and?¡ª another part of the army exploded, then another?¡ª three explosions occurred in an instant as screams of pain echoed. And just like that, the tides of battle shifted. Elsewhere, a corrupted being charged and broke through the ranks, in a different place the same thing happened, and I immediately sensed danger.


    I blocked with Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and my arms trembled in pain as corruption tainted the spear?¡ª and I was sent flying across the battlefield. I broke through rocks and piles of dirt as the world spun around me, but I quickly recovered as I raised my spear. With a blur of darkness, a stomp came that hit the spear and exploded the ground around me.


    I grunted finally getting to look at the corrupted being, it resembled the fully corrupted person I had seen the first day I arrived here, it resembled the thing I fought with Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, and it resembled Asok, except it was much stronger; it¡¯s figure was a lot more malevolent, and its corruption was a lot stronger.


    ????[???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡ª???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡ª???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡ª???????????????????????????????????????????????.??????????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????T???????????????????????????????????????????i???????????????????????????????????e???????????????????????????????r???????????????????????????????????:??????????????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????¡ª???????????????????????????????????????]???????????????????????????????????????


    It was akin to a corrupted devil, with a tail and protruding horns, and its strength was?¡ª I felt my arms creak as I grunted?¡ª


    ¡°[Frost Lightning].¡±


    The corrupted being looked up, and a moment later a white smite came from the sky. The whole world turned white, and I immediately used [Quick Step], disappearing from my spot in the ground. The world blurred around me, and I appeared only to see and hear destruction and desolation.


    The army was already beginning to fall, strong beasts were in all of our surroundings, and my hands?, Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear ?¡ª they were showing signs of corruption. I frowned and then, immediately used [Stasis], and [Frenzied Whirlwind] one after the other.


    My mana got slightly more corrupted and the corrupted being appeared before me?¡ª it froze and was stabbed dozens of times as I sent it flying with a broken screeching sound. I relaxed for a moment but then I blocked?¡ª


    A tentacle of corruption struck and drove me to the ground, I rolled and a slash of corruption narrowly missed?¡ª in a single moment danger erupted all around me, I immediately stood and had to guard as a hit of corruption struck, then I side-stepped as another slash missed, filling the air with its darkness.


    In a single moment I found myself surrounded by corrupted humanoids of distinct features, all of them just as corrupted as each other, and all of them with the strength to absolutely demolish me. And they were all looking at me as if I was new-found prey.


    Where had they come from?¡ª? Like fuck if I knew.


    The army was struggling, screams of death resounded every second, though even then I could hear the same screeches of dying corruption accompanying them. However, I didn¡¯t have time to worry about things, instead I stared at the group of corrupted beings and a moment later they all rushed.


    All of my survival instincts told me to run?¡ª but to where?


    So I gritted my teeth and made my choice, as I initiated the process of fully corrupting my mana.


    ¡°[Frost¡­]¡± Where the world became mine.


    I ducked through a series of tendrils as a tide of frost swept through all of us.


    ¡°[Stasis¡­]¡± Where time stopped.


    The attacks slowed as two slashes of corruption missed me.


    ¡°[Eternity¡­]¡± Where things became everlasting.


    I stepped out of the way as a beam of deadly corruption narrowly missed me.


    ¡°[And a¡­]¡± Finally what connected it all¡­


    All at once, the beings attacked but it was too late as I finished?¡ª


    ¡°[Prophecy].¡±


    And ice exploded all around me, sending the corrupted beings flying. I felt part of my mana immediately corrupt. The atmosphere cooled as I spun Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear within my hand, and then, with a smile I dug into one of the sleeves of the armor and took out a shining ice crystal.


    Naturally, I had prepared for this fight, and it was finally time to put things to use.


    I knew that this wave was just the beginning of what I was going to need to fight. But in the end, deep down I knew: I¡¯d win.


    Not because of confidence, but because I had to in order to return to see my friends and my only family in this world.


    I had to see Ceylon again.


    And I shattered the crystal as the beings showed up once more.

 Chapter. 146: The End of The Nightmare (Part 2)

    Chapter. 146: The End of The Nightmare (Part 2)


    In a single moment, chains of lightning and grand spears fell from the sky, the ground was torn open from the barrage of attacks. The booming sound resounded, along with the splattering of corruption, and yet I didn¡¯t dare let my guard down even as my vision became flashes of white and mounds of frost.


    This was just the beginning?¡ª


    And I parried. A spark mixed with corruption flashed as my hand trembled in pain, I pulled back only to see the first corrupted demonic being that had attacked me. Part of its shoulder was missing but other than that it seemed perfectly fine. For a moment I felt annoyed, annoyed that it had been hit by at least ten [Frost Lightnings] but it also made me realize truly just how wide the gap between normal power and the power of the corruption was.


    Still even then?¡ª


    I dodged as a strike of darkness missed me. Another corrupted being walked out of the smoke, this one had a single horn and a tail, but I paid it no mind as I focused on dodging another attack.


    ?¡ª even then, I¡¯d get out of this place alive.


    I grunted, blocking another attack as its power made my arms ache. My feet slid across the ground, breaking it as my leg threatened to crack. I really hated this status quo. I hated how all my hairs were standing on end, I hated how I could hardly focus on other things, and I hated having to forgo all thoughts just to simply survive.


    [Deadly Impalement].


    My spear pierced through one of the corrupted humanoids, it screeched before I used [Repulse]¡ª The corrupted being was blasted?¡ª sent flying dozens of meters away in an instant. Then, I turned and used [Repulse] yet again, swatting another of the corrupted beings away. And just like that, I had gotten rid of two of the corrupted beings, though?¡ª


    Sparks flew.


    Unfortunately?¡ª


    I dodged.


    There were still four other corrupted beings?¡ª


    I ducked and kicked, using numerous body enhancing skills at once as my shin nearly snapped the leg of one of the beings?¡ª with a screech it lost balance before I stabbed with Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and used [Repulse] again. The corrupted thing went flying and that left three corrupted beings with me.


    However, that was still?¡ª I grunted managing to deflect a hit?¡ª three of them. I slid back, the ground losing grip at my feet as my eyes narrowed. Before me, there was a being with a long tail and a conically shaped head, another one had claws for hands and the last one had spikes for all limbs. And they were all eyeing me with all their bloodlust.


    My eyes momentarily wandered to the background where I saw the corruption pushing the army, I saw allies be turned into masses of darkness only to be killed seconds after by those that were still alive. I watched as some were killed in an instant, their bodies being bisected at multiple points. And I witnessed as some froze in fear and got other people killed by being a bother. I observed the army collapse in real time.


    The sky was quickly being tainted by the mantle of darkness surrounding the land, signaling how quickly things were coming to an end. Except for the land we stood on and took, everything else was corrupted, it was like an unrelenting plague that would never stop until all was consumed?¡ª no, that¡¯s exactly what it was, and that was also the reason everyone was so fearful of the corruption, but even then?¡ª


    I saw a gigantic tornado of wind sweep over the battlefield, killing thousands of corrupted beings in a single moment.


    Even then, there were those that refused to kneel to the corruption.


    I watched as Alfina flew through the sky, her magic slicing and killing thousands of corrupted beings at once, I watched as different SSS Tier beings tore through the corruption effortlessly, and I knew not everything was lost. At least not for now. That was also why I had to push harder and be stronger.


    I turned to receive an attack from the corrupted demons, one of the attacks hit the shaft of the spear and pushed me back, another made me duck and the one with spikes made me squiggle out of the way?¡ª then a shadow streaked, exploding the earth next to me as a slash of darkness was aimed at me?¡ª I managed to use [Perfect Parry]. One of the demons was back? And a salvo of shadowed projectiles came.


    Ice wrapped all around me and an explosion of darkness engulfed me, sending me flying away. I rolled, flakes of frost falling to the ground as enemies filled my surroundings. My body ached in light pain as I began to stand up; I couldn¡¯t do it, not relying only on Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and my preparations?¡ª


    And one of the demons pounced, all my instincts pushed me to act as mana flared through my muscles; my left hand tapped the dagger at my waist before pushing, all the while my right hand let go of Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and reached into the pocket that had just formed into the air?¡ª it all happened in a split second as I grabbed onto the weapon within.


    The monster reached and dozens of skills went off in my mind all at once?¡ª


    [Quick Draw]¡ª! and a flash of scintillating light ripped.


    The air broke. The being screamed. And the ground behind for hundreds of meters was cleaved in half by the white ripple. Like paper tearing, the corrupted monster split in half chunks of it flying as a deep breath left me. The sound of sharpness lingered in the air as time seemed to stop, and then, a system notification came.


    [ You have vanquished the: ?¡ª?¡ª¡ª from the world. ?Tier: ¡ª ]???


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    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    And just like that one of the six demonic beings that was attacking me died. I fully stood up, Alfina¡¯s Sword shining with a golden glow. At first I didn¡¯t want to use it, but what kind of choice did I even have? Its innate ability was something called Sharpest Edge; if strong enough, cutting attacks will critically injure adversaries.


    It was strong.


    The corrupted monsters around me hissed at what had just happened. Their humanoid bodies slightly distorted but I shook my head. I knelt and grabbed Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear with my left hand. I wasn¡¯t left handed, but I still stood up, deciding to dual wield both of the weapons.


    Then a moment later another of the monsters paused, I turned, [Titanic Strength] and [Bone Breaker] were activated as I lunged with my spear forward. It blurred and hit right through the shoulder of the corrupted being that came my way?. The monster screeched as I threw it off balance. Then, my right hand tightly gripped onto the sword and numerous skills activated.


    [Death Rend]!


    The sword flashed with a golden burst and cleaved the impaled monster in half. The ground split open with an explosion. Corruption flew across my vision as yet another notification called my attention.


    [ You have vanquished the: ?¡ª?¡ª¡ª from the world. ?Tier: ¡ª ]???


    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    That makes two.


    I let out a small grunt as another part of my mana was corrupted, Alfina¡¯s Sword would expedit that process which was why I hadn¡¯t used it earlier, but right now I had to?¡ª


    I gripped my sword tighter as two corrupted monsters pounced at once.


    Win?¡ª


    A flash of light passed and sliced the arm of one of the monsters, it screeched in pain and another monster took its place, sending an attack my way. I ducked under it, with a frown.


    Even with the sword things were annoying?¡ª


    And an explosion of corruption engulfed me. I backed off, managing to block some of it but I still sustained injuries. Part of my shoulder and my side was missing, my crimson blood dripped onto the ground only to be consumed by the corruption, and around my injuries the black all-consuming curse was already present.


    My eyes narrowed and without hesitation, I wrapped my right hand along with Alfina¡¯s Sword around the spear tip, then I instantly covered it in ice and switched my grip, making a makeshift spear in a single moment. It wasn¡¯t durable at all, but?¡ª


    [Deadly Impalement] and [Death Rend]!


    The spear stabbed into one of the beings and immediately flicked with a flash of gold?¡ª the sword ripped from the torso of the monster as another flash of deadly sharpness flew across the land.


    A system notification came but I paid it no mind as I used [Quick Step] and appeared behind the monster whose arm had been cut off. Without hesitation I thrust the spear and used [Haunting Sharpness]. It ripped into the corrupted monster as my mana continued to be corrupted, and behind me one of the two remaining monsters lunged towards me.


    Its spiked limbs were aimed at me but I did not panic as I shifted the grip within my spear, and with a powerful tug I used the same skill as before?¡ª


    [Quick Draw] into [Death Rend].


    With a half circle of light flashed and tore through the corrupted being that was headed straight at me?¡ª and the ice snapped. Alfina¡¯s Sword flew, making a crescent arc that slashed through everything, and at that moment the last monster attacked me. It appeared right behind me, and punched?¡ª


    I parried with Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and I was sent flying, but I smiled.


    [Armament Recall].


    Alfina¡¯s Sword flashed and?¡ª zipped through the air. Beheading the final monster and shattering the ground with a beautiful cutting arc.


    I came to a stop, as Alfina¡¯s Sword landed on my hand, and just like that?¡ª


    [ You have vanquished the: ?¡ª?¡ª¡ª from the world. ?Tier: ¡ª ]???


    [ You have vanquished the: ?¡ª?¡ª¡ª from the world. ?Tier: ¡ª ]???


    [ You have vanquished the: ?¡ª?¡ª¡ª from the world. ?Tier: ¡ª ]???


    [ You have purged part of the U??????????n???????????k???????????n???????o??????????w?????????n?????????? ]


    ¡­


    ?¡ª everything had died.


    I let out a small breath and shook my head, about seventy-five-percent of my mana was corrupted at this point. Soon, I¡¯d be a bit fucked. My eyes turned to my surroundings where the army seemed to finally be pushing back?¡ª of course casualties were there still but now more than ever the corruption seemed to be struggling.


    The darkening of the sky had stopped and now, it was time for our counter attack. Of course, now than ever I understood that we were going to lose, but even then I wanted us to win this battle even if we lost the war.


    It was a testament to the existence of everyone here, and I was planning to help for as long as I was able to??¡ª


    And a roar shook the land.


    I turned only to see the corrupted Eternal rising up, magic circles filling its surroundings as it seemed to be slowly raising its hand in no particular direction. Though, it didn¡¯t matter as I watched the two wolf-like SSS Tier beings attack with skills that could easily destroy a continent. One was a gigantic tsunami of water, and the other was a rain of sharp-red petals that seemed to kill everything it touched.


    It arrived at the Eternal and the eternal, now with its corrupted hand raised clicked its fingers.


    The attack vanished.


    The sound disappeared.


    The earth trembled.


    And a gigantic magic circle scribbled itself onto the sky.


    In just a single moment, the tide of battle changed for the worse.


    The corrupted inscriptions of the circle were all flashing with indomitable power. Then, as another SSS Tier skill flew it activated. There was no grand explosion, no spell that instantly killed everyone, there was only a wave of corruption?¡ª


    The gigantic storm disappeared in a single moment and darkness came.


    The corruption swept through everything, the sky became dark once more and the land became what it had once been. Then, it passed through me as well?¡ª Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and Alfina¡¯s Sword immediately became masses of corruption, all of me became coated in corruption as I screamed in pain and then, with a skittering sound I saw it.


    The corrupted chunks of the monsters were producing tendrils, threading and crawling towards each other, and as soon as the first one fused? all of them came like magnets, gluing themselves together as I struggled on the ground to get rid of the corruption that was coating me.


    I didn¡¯t know how long it took, or how much it hurt as I simply followed my instincts until I was able to get a clear view of things, but when I raised my bloodied head and body to look I saw something.


    It wasn¡¯t a corrupted mass, but a lion-like being with an aura of corruption, its darkened body completely visible.


    [Corrupted Eternal Lion. Tier: Unknown].


    It didn¡¯t have a sign of corruption in the inspection until?¡ª the window flashed again and flickered before completely breaking, leaving nothing but a garbled mess of text in my vision.


    That¡¯s when it clicked.


    The lion was the most corrupted thing I had ever seen.


    And my mana was¡­


    I had 20% left.

 Chapter. 147: The End of The Nightmare (Part 3)

    Chapter. 147: The End of The Nightmare (Part 3)


    The throes of death echoed in my ears, corruption buzzed in the air, and the land was nothing but ruination. In the background, the army quickly fell as I even saw the Nightmarish Thunder fall off the sky and plummet to the ground with the sound of a crying bird. White noise filled all my senses as my eyes slowly wandered down to look at the corrupted lion.


    It was like an actual monster, not some corrupted twisted thing, but something with an actual form?¡ª it was gray, I could see its fur and various shades filling it and its eyes were crimson and clear. Around it, however, there were flickering strands of corruption and distortion, as if it was electrified except they messed with reality themselves.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was looking at a stable form of corruption or something beyond what normal corruption was, but the hostility I felt told me one thing and one thing only.


    It was my enemy. And¡­ it was probably going to be the last thing I fought here.


    I took a deep breath as I stood up, pain shot through my hands as I gripped onto the Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and Alfina¡¯s Sword, both of them were corrupted now, and I was¡­ I looked down at myself. My whole body was bloodied and my skin was barely just now regenerating, I wore nothing but a torn shirt and torn pants, my ice leg was completely exposed as were all my other extremities. Asok¡¯s necklace was barely holding onto me, tangled onto my torn shirt; its crystal corrupted but not spreading its corruption.


    I was¡­ in very bad shape.


    Corruption was nibbling at random parts of my body, and the others were so injured that to a normal person it¡¯d be a miracle that I was still standing, but even then, I refused to listen to my body and pain. I was fine. I was alive and that¡¯s all that mattered. I was going to get out no matter what, no matter the cost.


    I gripped onto the corrupted weapons tighter as their dark aura enveloped my arms. The lion before me stared into my soul, its head lowering as it adapted a stance that made my hairs stand on end. I saw the corruption around the lion flicker before it?¡ª exploded.


    A tide of corruption blasted in all directions as I heard screams of agony, and it circled around me, trapping me inside with the incarnation of corruption itself. An ocean of broken shadows surrounded me, and in front of me laid: death?¡ª


    A flash of darkness passed and I instinctively blocked, I felt my leg nearly crack as my feet dug onto the ground, Alfina¡¯s Sword and Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear rattling with black sparks as the claw of the lion loomed over me. Its strength was enough to make my arms feel like giving up at any moment. I gritted my teeth as the ground beneath me began to break.


    If it wasn¡¯t for numerous skills going off and the fact that my body was partly corrupted I?¡ª


    The lion raised its other claw and my eyes widened as I immediately used [Quick Step]¡ª the ground behind me shattered with a burst of corruption, the swipe of its claws unleashed three slashes that went past the ocean of darkness and immediately exploded something beyond; screams of corruption and agony filled the air.


    I sucked a breath and then?¡ª the monster came in a blink. My eyes widened and I ducked, a wave of corruption swept above me.


    What was I even doing¡­?


    My thoughts lagged for a moment as the monster changed its stance and slammed down, I rolled out of the way?¡ª an explosion of corruption sending me rolling further than I wanted. I stabbed both weapons into the ground to avoid going into the wall of corruption as I bled from scrapping myself.


    Seriously¡­ I slowly stood up. Just what was I even doing?


    My mind was¡­ slightly confused, but also bothered. I was fighting the strongest enemy of my life and I was being defensive, I was letting it push me around without fighting back much. If things continued like this?¡ª


    Three slashes of darkness came, I side-stepped in-between two gaps as they slashed past me and into the corruption.


    Things couldn¡¯t continue like this.


    It was just like in training, just like with the Emera Spider¡­ I was simply being fearful¡­ but unlike before, this time it would get me killed.


    Which was why¡­


    The monster pounced at me and I used a skill?¡ª [Perfect Parry]!


    The lion tumbled and I gripped both weapons tightly, my muscles tensing


    I had to fight back.


    With the power of two skills at once, Alfina¡¯s Sword and Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear flashed and they cleaved and stabbed into the corrupted lion. The monster shrieked and raised its claws but I immediately pushed it away with [Repulsion]. It was thrown away before its claws embedded deeply on the ground and came to a stop, it gazed directly at me as it let out a roar.


    The corruption around us distorting before multiple salvos of projectiles were shot my way,


    * * * * *


    Flickering,


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    The Hero of Arlas watched as his vision seemed to flash in and out amidst the tide of corruption, his sword was driven by nothing but sheer primal instinct.


    Distortion.


    He observed as objects seemed to not remain a constant shape, slashing through numerous monsters at once. His vision was clouded by nothing but non-descript shapes of darkness. Unfortunately, things weren¡¯t going his way, but this was expected.


    Corruption.


    He watched as his vision began to clear and he saw the flickering masses of darkness that distorted; that¡¯s what they were and he?¡­ slashed. His sword destroyed his adversaries as he pushed through.


    The army was¡­ he didn¡¯t think about it as he slashed and then?¡ª he paused turning in a direction and seeing a wall of corruption. He knew that behind it, there was the woman that every commander supported, Arc, and she was fighting something that¡­ perhaps he himself would struggle to take down.


    But he wouldn¡¯t interfere for he saw greatness within her. Greatness that only the commanders had seen, but even now it was right there.


    His gaze made it past the darkness, past the veil, past the corruption and there he saw her fighting.


    Hundreds?, no?¡ª thousands of projectiles were aimed for her life, and without hesitation she swiped?¡ª dodged?¡ª broke through all of them as she rushed towards the wretched monster of corruption.


    Uwell watched as she did something that no human was able to do, he watched as she used dozens of skills at once to arrive before her opponent and in a blink two flashes of light occurred before corruption splattered in two directions, of course it wasn¡¯t enough but she wasn¡¯t going to be outdone because she was.


    And another golden slash passed slicing the monster in half?¡ª it collapsed into two before tentacles of corruption burst and fused it together and in a single moment the corruption around exploded tenfold.


    The Hero of Arlas closed his eyes.


    She was Arc, the woman who gathered the support of all the SSS Tier beings that ever existed, the woman who defied all odds, and more importantly she was¡­


    She Who Survived The Damnation of the System.


    And he turned away as the monster increased further in power.


    * * * * *


    What did I fight for¡­?


    For fun?


    Most of the time.


    For survival?


    Rarely.


    To return home?


    In the past I didn¡¯t, but now?¡­


    Now I fought to return home.


    I fought to see the only human I¡¯d consider my family. I fought to see Ceylon. And I wasn¡¯t going to stop at nothing¡­


    Even if my muscles tore?¡ª


    I avoided an attack.


    Even if my body gave up on me?¡ª


    My leg cracked.


    Even if my soul ceased to exist?¡ª


    Corruption nibbled at my body.


    I¡¯d survive!


    The spear stabbed deep into the monster with a burst of blue?¡ª ice exploded as it was thrown away from me as it unleashed a deep cry of pain. I lost count of how many skills I was using, but none of them were fancy. Even if my mana was constantly being nibbled at, I was going to defeat the corruption before me.


    The Corrupted Eternal Lion let out a deep roar as its body crackled with corruption.


    If I was fighting this thing some months back, I surely would have died. Whether it was getting out of the tutorial, or after defeating the dragons, or even when I had first acquired Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, but? unfortunately for it I had learned.


    I was different now.


    I had learned from every single fight I took, and I understood what my strengths and weaknesses were?. Alfina¡¯s Sword was thrown into the air and I gripped the spear tightly as my hands were made to bleed.


    Corruption crackled all around me as the monster whipped with tendrils of corruption towards me, but they were quickly destroyed as I moved towards it in a delicate dance, and the monster roared.


    Deciding to attack me itself.


    I side-stepped one of his claws and jabbed the spear into its shoulder.


    I had to get the perfect attack, but even though I was able to find openings I wasn¡¯t able to find the true opportunity.


    I evaded once more as I realized that once more, I was going to need to borrow from my experiences; the only attack that had truly taken me by surprise in all of this time¡­


    I closed my eyes.


    I saw an image of Jake the Weapon Master as I attacked him, biding his time for the perfect moment, his feet digging onto the ground.


    The lion raised its claw and struck.


    [Energy Absorption]!


    I grunted as I felt a heavy burden be placed onto my entire body; wounds ripped open as I gritted my teeth. The lion disappeared.


    His eyes wandered looking for the right time, looking directly at his goal as the next strike came and that¡¯s when he moved the spear and?¡ª


    [Perfect Parry]!


    Its double-clawed attack was parried, the ground all around me exploded with corruption from its sharpness as the Corrupted Eternal Lion was thrown off balance.


    ?¡ª I smiled, just like he did as my mana tapped into Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear, my muscles tensed, going deep as I felt the desire to be more, the desire to overcome everything, the desire to be unrivaled?¡ª


    And I stabbed forth, using [Deadly Impalement] at the same time.


    ¡°[World Piercer]!¡±


    White corruption flashed, engulfing the monster in front of me. The earth trembled. The tides of darkness parted, allowing me to see a completely dead battlefield with an army of corruption surrounding me, SSS Tier skills flying often as only the commanders remained.


    Things were far from over¡­


    A small sigh left me as I raised my hand, and caught Alfina¡¯s Sword as I prepared myself for battle.


    Only 5% of my mana remained¡­


    I shook my head only to pause as the dust cleared, and from pieces of corrupted flesh the Corrupted Eternal Lion reformed before my eyes. I frowned, as I realized that this was going to be my final adversary, whether I wanted it or not.


    I fused Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and Alfina¡¯s Sword once more, this time using corrupted ice as I prepared myself.


    The monster met my gaze and for the first time, I heard the voice of the corruption.


    I will claim you. Make you one with us.


    My surprise lasted for a moment before I smiled.


    ¡°Oh, you can have my mana alright, so long as it gets me out of this hellhole.¡±


    Then, the incarnation of corruption attacked.

 Chapter. 148: The End of The Nightmare (Part 4)

    5% mana¡­


    Things were¡­ My fate was¡­ This entire adventure is¡­ ?Insanity. It all was. I was insane. I knew that, all my logical senses told me that; they told me to give up; to run; to look for another way. I, however, also knew that this was the only way, and so I gave it my everything to make it work. I wanted to get out and I also wanted to fulfill the expectations that had been placed on me.


    I was an artist, then named a hero, but more importantly, I was Arc.


    I was a human being, with emotions and ambitions, and I couldn''t let it all end here. The ground cracked and I moved to the side as a slash of darkness narrowly missed me. It exploded everything in its path with a single touch, empowered by a plague that consumed things and enhanced them.


    [Ancient Blow]. The spear blew a hole through the monster.


    And it was that very same plague that I was trying to conquer. It constantly nibbled at my body, at my existence at myself and even what drove my powers ?¡ª my mana.


    I didn¡¯t know if I was going about things in the right way, or if I was going about things in a way I shouldn¡¯t. I had fused Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and Alfina¡¯s Spear together with corrupted ice, it felt more sturdy than ever, but at the same time, I didn¡¯t know if it was the right thing or not?¡ª and maybe, it didn¡¯t matter?¡ª it definitely didn¡¯t matter.


    All that mattered was that I survive.


    A tendril of corruption tore part of my arm, instantly tainting it with darkness.


    The only thing that mattered was ascending my mana.


    [Frenzied Whirlwind]. The spear tip blurred, Alfina¡¯s Sword punctured multiple holes through the monster as it screeched.


    Which was why, I had to?¡ª


    And a tendril hit me.


    I was sent flying as I felt multiple bones nearly break within my body, the ground around me burst open as it caught me. My entire body felt?¡ª misshapen, it felt?¡ª I coughed blood as I felt my bones begin to re-arrange, maybe it was due to how corrupted I was at this point but it quickly healed enough for me to slowly stand up?¡ª


    [God Step].


    The tentacles exploded the spot where I had just been, I appeared right behind the monster as I used two skills in succession.


    [Haunting Sharpness] and [Death Rend]!


    The spear made a crescent flash of corruption that sliced through the monster and went past?¡ª tearing a ravine through the ground as the landscape malformed. Parts of the monster splattered as it was cut but it immediately reattached itself together as I frowned.


    Now 4%...


    I sigh left me as I evaded, then I jumped away. For a moment, everything felt so distant as I thought back on my life so far.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    ¡°Hm¡­¡± I stared at the white piece of paper. ¡°That¡¯s right, this is my canvas.¡±


    With a smile and a crayon in hand I began to draw, my tiny arms going over the page in the middle of a class in kindergarten. Other kids too would draw, but unlike them I wouldn¡¯t get distracted and of course I had a goal in mind. This drew the attention of others but not something I paid it mind. They asked what I was drawing, and I answered that it was a tiny part of my grand project.


    ¡°What project?¡± a girl asked.


    ¡°The project to draw an entire world, of course.¡±


    In response they laughed, but little did they know I was serious in my endeavor.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Back then, things were simpler, and yet my ambitions were grander. Of course, there was a kid like illusion of belief, but even then, I wanted that back. I wanted grander ambitions. I wanted to get out of here, but I wanted something¡­ more.


    My breathing was rough, and that was to be expected? given I was absolutely exhausted and my mana was essentially useless. But even then, I dodged and attacked back, pushing the Corrupted Eternal Lion back even if it was just a tiny bit. Even though I was fighting actively, my mind was still elsewhere.


    Where had that spark gone¡­?


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    ¡°To create a world I need a plan.¡±


    I sat on the grass beneath a tree, watching other kids play during their recess time. While others at the age of thirteen worried about making friends, I had my own agenda. I pondered, feeling the grass against my legs.


    ¡°Writing is a great way to do that, but I want to paint it, I want to see it; of course I do love books but it¡¯s just not the same,¡± I spoke to myself. ¡°However, should I use a single canvas to paint the whole picture, or small ones that can capture snippets of its essence?¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Well not like it matters, I have plenty of time to figure it out. And once they see it¡­¡±


    I thought of my parents.


    ¡°They will be blown away.¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    They weren¡¯t¡­ but even then?¡ª ignoring that hangup?¡ª where had that spark gone?


    With a terrible frown, I charged forward. Tentacles of corruption shot my way like a volley of arrows. I made myself as small as possible as I sprinted forward, lightly shifting my posture with each passing attack. Some missed and some lightly brushed me, drawing blood upon contact and yet I charged on.


    My senses were sharp, but I still thought, I thought about what I had lost, I thought about what I was missing and finally, more memories came to me.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I modified the clay sculpture before me, it was past midnight; the only time I could really work. I was trying to make it as detailed as possible. I imagined how the inhabitants in another world would look, and in the end I chose humans that were taller and slimmer; the gravity in my world wasn¡¯t as strong after all.


    ¡°I had to know and understand every detail, after all, as the creator I should be able to represent each of its inhabitants,¡± I grabbed a sketchbook and flipped through its pages, ¡°every, single, one.¡±


    The pages contained animals, they had people, creatures of fantasy, even plants. Some were rough but as the pages went on the more detailed they became.


    ¡°Once I¡¯m done, I should be able to make my visions come to life, no matter the medium. Mom and dad gave me an earful not too long ago and said it was a fruitless endeavor, but they¡¯ll change their mind once they see my vision. I¡¯m sure of it.¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Even after I was beaten down, time and time again I didn¡¯t give up. Even after I was disowned I didn¡¯t give up, I showed my teachers my vision, the few friends I had, even strangers on the internet ?¡ª some found it odd, some loved it, and some said that I was being delusional, but it didn¡¯t matter for I focused on what mattered.


    Maybe it was a mechanism to forget about the abandonment from my family, but I never strayed from my goals. Not until I had no choice but to mostly forget about things during training, when I had to fight for my life, so had training robbed me of that spark?


    Of course not.


    More gashes were torn on my body as I rapidly approached the Corrupted Eternal Lion, and with a powerful roar, corruption exploded around me as I used [God Step] at the perfect time. My figure vanished and the ground behind me exploded.


    I appeared mid air, holding my weapon up high as I slashed down, two skills at the same time once more. The slash of corruption tore down and the monster shielded itself with tendrils?¡ª they tore apart as the slash reached its body, carving into it. The monster screamed from the impact and I landed past it as a deep breath left me.


    3%...


    The hellish training, the tutorial, the world of frost; it hadn¡¯t robbed me of the spark. Blaming it for it would¡¯ve been stupidity; wallowing in my misery. I had more than enough time to work on my project, and yet while at first I kind of did, I also trailed off and slowly lost that spark. Eventually, my thoughts wandered to other things.


    I didn¡¯t know if it was because I deemed it no longer a priority or something else, but matter of fact was that I had strayed, I had moved away from that dream. And perhaps, after this I would too, but for now, I wanted that spark back. I wanted to reach for impossibility. I wanted to regain what I had lost, and in order to do it I had to¡­ give it my all.


    Just like back then, when I staked it all on my dream. Now I too would stake everything and it was all for the same dream. I still wanted to create a world, however now I was taking a different approach.


    In order to create I had to destroy first.


    A small memory came back to my mind but I quickly dismissed it. I wanted to destroy the Forgotten Places, it was an impossible feat?¡ª it was impossibility, but once I did?¡ª once that was done, I was sure I¡¯d be able to create the world I envisioned.


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    I turned towards the monster and immediately tilted my head. A tentacle narrowly missed me and struck behind me. I flipped the spear and cut through the tentacles. They flew across my vision as the Corrupted Eternal Lion roared in anger, but I was unfazed as I simply looked at it.


    It was such a small opponent compared to my goals.


    And yet I was struggling¡­


    I felt a small amount of anger as the injuries on my body became nothing but a hindrance in my eyes. My mentality did a rapid shift as I began to think of the incarnation of corruption before me as nothing more than a stepping stone.


    My mana was essentially non-existent, but did that really matter?


    Not having the support of my parents certainly didn¡¯t matter to me in the past. Any rejection went from one ear and out the other. And right now, low mana was nothing more than a rejection, in the end, just like when I was young I felt that no matter what happened I¡¯d achieve my goal.


    To aim for impossibility.


    That¡¯s what I wanted. The beast was nothing but an obstacle in my eyes for my greater goal. It was just a setback, akin to accidentally tearing the paper when erasing or spilling water on my watercolor drawing. It was just a small nuisance to me. And like a nuisance, I swatted and cut its tentacles away.


    I moved forth and the monster let out another roar; I used [Quick Step] and the ground where I previously stood exploded with a pillar of corruption. It shattered as it was consumed by the plague that infected this land, but I didn¡¯t pay it more than a single glance as I used [Quick Step] again.


    I immediately landed right next to the beast and one of its tentacles?¡ª hit?¡ª punctured through my stomach but even as my blood splattered I raised my spear and I used [Ancient Blow] into [Frenzied Whirlwind]. The spear stabbed dozens of times, blowing holes through the beast as it roared, and then with the final hit I used [Repulse].


    The Eternal Corrupted Lion went flying like a ragdoll, it rolled across the ground splattering corruption as it let out an indignant cry. It came to a stop when its claws dug into the ground and it looked back at me. My steps had a light shamble, and I clearly was quite injured, but I paid it no mind.


    My injuries didn¡¯t really matter. For as long as I could move I knew nothing would stop me. And so, my unsteady steps turned steady as I ran towards the corrupted beast. It stared at me for a moment, I didn¡¯t know if it was amused, judging me, or planning its next move?, but a moment later it charged at me. Each of its meaty steps breaking through the ground, and I too charged towards it.


    It was something that I would¡¯ve considered a suicidal charge not too long ago, but now nothing of the sort even crossed my mind. My feet broke through the ground with each of my steps, corruption empowering my body and essentially the only thing keeping me alive. And with it, I would tear it apart until nothing of the Forgotten Places places remained.


    In a second, we met each other and I slid below the Corrupted Eternal Lion before stabbing into its belly and using [Repulse] the monster screamed as it was thrown into the air and I jumped, landing a fury of cuts and blows as I kept my mana usage to a maximum efficiency, I didn¡¯t have much so I had to make it count?¡ª


    My foot touched its body mid-air and with the use of [Quick Step] I appeared above it, my other leg raised up-high as I did a downwards kick. [Titanic Strength] made the monster immediately launch towards the ground with an explosion of dust and debris. Then, wielding my spear, I shifted it within my grip and pulsed my mana.


    ¡°[Haunting Sharpness] into [Death Rend]¡­¡±


    And I fell down, slashing with a flash of white light.


    2%...


    The light consumed the beast, destroying it apart as it let out a scream but I didn¡¯t stop there. As soon as I landed I turned towards its regenerating figure and used [Frenzied Whirlwind] stabbing multiple times throughout its body, puncturing it multiple times in a single second as I felt the ice around Alfina¡¯s Sword and Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear begin to crack.


    The monster roared in pain and spikes of corruption exploded all around it. One nicked my shoulder, another tore part of my side and a different one went straight up through my thigh. My blood trickled down as I used [Repulse], sending the monster away. It was a useful skill for running, but this time, I wasn¡¯t using it to run.


    I held the spear, craning it behind me as I prepared for a throw. Understanding how much I could do with it came as naturally as breathing water, and so?¡ª numerous skills went off in a single moment before I called?¡ª


    ¡°[Throw of Death]!¡±


    The spear left my hand and with a burst of corruption it hit the Corrupted Eternal Lion, tearing it apart with a burst of corruption and magical ice. Then, I raised my arm.


    [Armament Recall].


    The spear flew through the air, spinning and when I caught it, my mana dropped.


    1%...


    I gripped my spear as I saw the Corrupted Eternal Lion reform once more, except this time its form was unstable and the corruption around its body seemed to be flickering as if threatening to fade out of existence. Then I readied myself for one more exchange and I?¡ª stumbled.


    I blinked, getting brought back to reality as I realized my vision was nothing but a blur, and my hands were incredibly shaky, and judging by how weak I felt I had a realization.


    I¡¯m dying¡­


    I turned to the monster that was beginning to prepare a charge, and readied myself anyway. The memory from before coming back to me in full force.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    ¡°Do it Arc,¡± my mother whispered into my ear.


    ¡°I don''t. I can''t¡­¡±


    Today was my fifteenth birthday, and I was shaking. My hands were trembling holding a kitchen lighter, its small flame already lit and threatening to extinguish at any moment.


    ¡°Didn''t you say you wanted to be the best? My parents made me do it with my reports, books, and even calculators too,¡± my mother said, holding my arms and slowly moving them down.


    ¡°They said: ¡®In order to appreciate anything we must understand loss, we must destroy what we hold dear, only then will we be able to truly make something to be treasured,¡¯¡± my mother explained. ¡°I''m not doing this to hurt you but to teach you something.¡±


    ¡°B-But how can I trust you!¡± I stammered, the lighter in my hands shaking. ¡°Every time I try to open about this you-you, dad and you destroy it.¡± I held back tears.


    ¡°I won''t disagree, but.¡± She hugged me. ¡°Not once have we mistreated you on your birthday, in fact last year we got you an expensive watercolor set with the promise we''d never see it.¡±


    I gulped. She was right in the sense that they supported me to some extent on my birthdays but that was their only exception. Today was my birthday but still¡­


    ¡°Arc,¡± she began softly, ¡°it will be worth it I promise. If it''s not, I will always support you, right now I just want to teach you something. Nothing else, nothing more.¡±


    I nodded, somehow her sincere words pushing me over the edge as I slowly moved the lit lighter down towards the pile of drawings and art supplies. Then as soon as the fire touched it, it was set ablaze by the alcohol coating it.


    I screamed throwing the lighter away and I tried to run towards the pile to save something but instead my mother pulled me into a tight embrace and soothed me.


    I never questioned her weird lesson, since for the first time in years I felt that I received the motherly loved that I so craved. And when we returned home my dad handed me three bags with a smile, he said playfully to not let them see the contents after today.


    And later that night upon opening the bags I realized they had replaced everything that had been burned, some of my sketchbooks that I thought were in the pile were actually in the bag.


    As for the lesson?


    It did work, just as she said it would.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    It was the only memory that I truly treasured with my family, because it showed me that they too were human, even if weird. Unfortunately, I never saw eye to eye with them. Though I did wonder¡­


    What would they think of my current situation?


    I smiled.


    I was about to die after all.


    Though, well, no matter what, I¡¯d achieve what I set out to achieve, that was my resolution and confidence, others would think it was delusional but I didn¡¯t care as I used all of the body enhancing skills I knew and adjusted my stance?¡ª in a single moment the small sliver of mana that I had was consumed?¡ª


    0%...


    All of my mana became corrupted as the skills within my body remained active, and even in spite of that I gripped my spear tightly as I prepared myself for the end.


    In the end, I knew it wasn¡¯t possible for me to destroy the Forgotten Places, no matter how many lives, or how many attempts I had, but¡­


    ¡°I think I can paint its destruction,¡± I said, raising my spear. ¡°Just like this.¡±


    Alfina¡¯s Sword at the tip slowly tore into space, my corrupted mana going into the two weapons with nothing but an instinctual feeling. Meanwhile in the background, the corruption tore through everything as the world itself became shrouded in a pitch black darkness. I felt my life slowly draining from me as the being of corruption began its charge.


    A memory came.


    ¡°Sol¡¯as? That¡¯s a silly name, mine is Alfina, love to make your acquaintance.¡± Alfina said, extending her hand towards a blue-skinned man as the corruption tore their world.


    Then another.


    ¡°Spear is what I live for¡­¡± Sol¡¯as¡¯ said as he faced a gigantic being of corruption, an Eternal of some kind.


    And another.


    ¡°I¡¯m called the Golden Researcher, and in the end I couldn¡¯t even stop this¡­¡± Asok wept as he saw his world being torn apart by the darkness.


    A myriad of memories from the three individuals came to me, the path of research, the path of the sword, the path of the spear?¡ª I saw it all in a blink as I simply smiled. In the end, each and every one of them offered me a path forward, the crystal from Asok¡¯s collar shining before my eyes.


    [C?r?y?s?t?a?l? ?o?f? ?R?e?v?e?l?a?t?i?o?n?s? and Return. Tier: Unknown].


    That had been his gift to me.


    Salvation.


    ¡°But I want to forge my own path.¡± I smiled as the sword tore another hole through reality with a fast stroke. My arms felt so weak, but they danced, painting what I saw to be a masterpiece. I could see it.


    I really truly could see it.


    The end of the world was right before my eyes.


    The strokes sped up as the monster roared coming for me, and then?¡ª from the walls of darkness, a corrupted figure flew hitting the ground nearby. I immediately recognized it as Asok. Though I did not stop my movements.


    ¡°Arc?¡± he called in his corrupted voice.


    I smiled now having an audience. ¡°Witness my greatness. This is my masterpiece.¡±


    My muscles tensed and I stabbed forward tearing reality itself, all my corrupted mana flowing into the two weapons as the ice on them broke apart.


    ¡°World Ender.¡±


    And a torrent of white burst forth. The corrupted mana within me shattered. Reality itself shattered. Everything in front of me shattered.


    Like broken glass it exploded in a mixture of distortion and white flashes. The Corrupted Eternal Lion died without a sound as the corruption before me was erased. I saw the Eternal in the distance fall, missing half of its body, I saw a blue sky, I saw grass and I saw the world I dreamed of for a second.


    Then it all disappeared as I was left staring at a barren land with nothing but a black abyss as far as the eye could see. I stared for a moment in surprise before I collapsed to the ground, the battle raging around me.


    Then, from the border of my vision I saw the corrupted Asok get up and walk towards me. Without words he knelt before me and grabbed the small crystal on the necklace then, I sensed a smile in his voice as he spoke.


    ¡°This is my final gift to you, Arc.¡±


    He shattered it and I?¡ª we found ourselves in a cave.


    ¡°Welcome back to your world.¡±


    [You have entered the world of Arlas].


    I blinked as he stood back. ¡°Your body is no longer corrupted and I can¡¯t overstay so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    He plunged his hand into space and tore a hole of darkness into it.


    I blinked and looked down?¡ª I was all bloodied but he was right. Then, I realized?¡ª the entirety of everything that had happened as I immediately called.


    ¡°So you¡¯re just leaving?¡±


    He paused. ¡°I do have unfinished business after all, I¡¯m not done with my Ascension.¡± He gestured.


    ¡°Will you come back?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll remain down there and fight the corruption.¡± I immediately tried to stand up but my exhausted body did not allow me. ¡°When your legs allow you to, you can stand proud, that was the strongest attack that I have ever seen; you¡¯re strong. That is all, farewell Arc, I¡¯ll remember you even if my life comes to an end shortly after this.¡±


    With those words, he entered into the rift of darkness and corruption as it slowly closed, though his voice echoed in the air.


    ¡°Use the power you¡¯ve attained for your happiness, you deserve it.¡±


    And the rift closed as I just stared at it, a mixture of relief and grief washing over me.


    It was over.

 Chapter. 149: The End of The Nightmare (Part 5)

    Chapter. 149: The End of The Nightmare (Part 5)


    ¡°He¡¯s not here¡­¡± Regis¡¯karr said with a grave tone.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­¡± The Dragon of Earth looked with narrowed eyes. ¡°The Dragon of Taboo lied to me about their whereabouts for¡­ centuries?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps¡­ it¡¯s to be expected.¡± Regis¡¯karr shifted. ¡°We never really know what the Dragon of Taboo is up to, perhaps he deceived us so we don¡¯t catch a glimpse of their wretched experiments.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡± The Dragon of Earth. ¡°He¡¯s a mysterious one, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if he kept some slaves around. The occult is quite the terrifying element.¡±


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if the Dragon of Taboo is out torturing someone, what should we do now?¡±


    The Dragon of Earth looked at the empty cave and let out a very long sigh.


    ¡°I do not know.¡±


    * * * * *


    The Dragon of Taboo stirred from her sleep. Something?¡ª something? was very wrong?¡ª very very very wrong. All her senses told her that something was incredibly wrong. Normally, nothing disturbed her where she resided but now an ominous feeling disturbed her to her very core.


    The energies of the world had shifted.


    They had moved. The once calm world Arlas had stirred for a moment, as if screaming for something to stop?¡ª something that shouldn¡¯t be in this world had come to it. The last time it happened was a little over three weeks ago when the world of Arlas screamed as it was tore?¡ª something had left the world then.


    It was an anomaly, something that rarely ever happened, the Dragon of Taboo took notes of every time it happened. The first time she had been able to properly sense it was most recent, just a few months ago. Then, sometime after, after the Dragon Queen had been elected?¡ª they went to an entrance of the Forgotten Places and opened it.


    That time, she felt the same feeling of invasion. Which meant¡­


    Something had crossed from the Forgotten Places.


    The Dragon of Taboo jolted straight, this was bad.


    She immediately turned around and headed to assess the situation, it had happened ?inside of her cave ¡ª something from the Forgotten Places was here. And she¡­ judging on how the world felt at the moment, she was sure that she could fight it. While she kept to herself in almost all cases, she was still an SS Tier combatant, and regarded as one of the strongest ones at that. Death wasn¡¯t something she was unfamiliar with.


    Immediately she turned serious and headed deep into the cave, her heart steadily beating as she prepared herself to fight the corruption of the world of Arlas. Soon, she began to feel a presence and it felt normal, almost familiar ?¡ª was this some trick of the corruption?


    She wasn¡¯t well informed about it, but she prepared her SS Tier skill and walked into the room with a burst of speed.


    ¡°[Death is?¡ª]¡± And the Dragon of Taboo paused looking at who was before her.


    It was a girl, blood was still pooling on the ground and next to her lay a black and blue spear. The girl herself had pale features and one of her legs was made out of ice, aside from that her clothes were absolutely torn; resembling nothing but rags. At her neck, was a necklace with a half broken gemstone.


    And she¡­ had a tear running down her cheek?


    More importantly¡­ What?


    ¡°Dragon Queen of Frost¡­?¡± The Dragon of Taboo asked, in absolute shock.


    * * * * *


    ¡°Dragon Queen of Frost¡­?¡±


    I raised my head, being met with a blue dragon, tattoo-like patterns running throughout their body. They felt familiar but their voice did not ring a bell. I hadn¡¯t even noticed their presence until they called out to me.


    [Dragon of Taboo. Tier: SS].


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I wiped a tear off my eye remembering something. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing here? Aren¡¯t you one of the elders?¡±


    The Dragon of Taboo stiffened and immediately nodded. ¡°Y-Yes, but¡­ why are you here? Dragon Queen of Frost? I sensed¡­ corruption, did you fight it off?¡±


    ¡°Fight it off?¡± I blinked, then shook my head. ¡°No, it just left where it had come from. Probably never to be seen again,¡± I said grimly.


    ¡°Right¡­ I shan¡¯t be concerned about the corruption then. You are¡­ very injured, please allow me to treat you.¡± He bowed.


    ¡°Injured?¡± I asked, looking at my body.


    I was lightly bleeding but I was just fine. Asok had said that my body was no longer corrupted and yet from what I could tell, I was still just as durable as I had been throughout the battle?¡ª no, I could feel it, I was actually stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I shook my head.


    That said, my mana was¡­ I didn¡¯t have a lot of it but it was present. Though it felt distinctly different. A lot more concentrated and powerful? I couldn¡¯t really tell, but then again I had succeeded in my endeavor.


    So I can use arcane magic now? I looked at my hand for a moment before the Dragon of Taboo spoke up.


    ¡°Nonsense, you¡¯re a guest of mine. You¡¯re in my cave, besides it¡¯s the least I could do for the Queen of Dragons.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I raised my brow. ¡°Also you can just call me Arc.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ Arc is fine¡­ okay¡­¡± The Dragon of Taboo suddenly turned weird before shaking his head. ¡°Very well, Arc please follow me.¡±


    With a nod, the dragon turned and made me go up a path of rocks. It took less than a minute before I found myself in a rather large cavern. Oddly enough, there were some bookshelves filled, some furniture and even a closet and a normal bed to sleep in. The cave was divided into what I¡¯d call two sides?¡ª a human side and a dragon side.


    ¡°Please make yourself at home,¡± the Dragon of Taboo said before it went towards the Dragon side, it had a lot of things I didn¡¯t understand and weird shaped objects.


    I nodded and chose to sit at the couch as the Dragon of Taboo worked in the background. I placed the spear to the side as I just observed my surroundings.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Arc, can I ask how did you lose your leg?¡±


    I blinked and looked down at the extremely cracked leg of ice.


    ¡°I lost it in the Forgotten Places, as for how I ended up there¡­¡± I closed my eyes feeling momentary anger before sighing. ¡°You can ask the Hero of Arlas that is on this side. Or the one in the Forgotten Places works too, though he didn¡¯t answer when I asked him.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ were?¡ª you survived the Forgotten Places?!¡± The Dragon of Taboo freaked out as I heard something break. ¡°Ah¡­¡±


    ¡°I guess I did.¡±


    A sigh left the dragon. ¡°Well, what is this about two Heroes of Arlas?¡±


    ¡°I wish I knew,¡± I said somewhat despondently.


    ¡°I see.¡±


    And with that, our conversation ended. I felt like the Dragon of Taboo was¡­ strange. They felt completely normal to be around?¡ª though I didn¡¯t question their lair. However, they did not speak a single word to me the last time I met them which was odd to me. And the reason I thought was strange is because sometimes he would tense up when talking.


    But, well, I didn¡¯t judge him. I was grateful enough that he just welcomed me just like that. Instead, I took the chance to relax and look at the rocky ceiling. My mana was still regenerating and it seemed to be rather slow so perhaps it¡¯d take a full day for it to come back.


    I really did it though¡­


    I grabbed the spear and paused.


    It wasn¡¯t Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear¡­


    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± I blinked and [Appraisal] went off.


    [Arc¡¯s Spear of Legacies. Tier: SSS+]


    Sol¡¯as Spear and Alfina¡¯s Sword are gone¡­? I felt my heart drop before another System notification came.


    [ Since this weapon is named after you, you can see it¡¯s unique abilities. ]


    Then, the System continued.


    [ Skill: World Ender. Tier: SSS+ ?¡ª Effects: Unknown ]


    [ Skill: Division. Tier: SSS+ ?¡ª Effects: Divide Arc¡¯s Spear of Legacies into: Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear. Tier: SSS and Alfina¡¯s Sword. Tier: SSS ]


    [ Skill: Form Shift. Tier S ?¡ª Effects: Shift the form of the weapon towards one of the weapons Arc¡¯s Spear of Legacies is made out of. ]


    I blinked and sighed in relief.


    ¡°So neither of you are gone,¡± I said to myself looking at the spear.


    My spear¡­ the spear resembled Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear in being blue, though it had black ornaments of wings and depictions of gusts of wind running throughout its entire length. Its tip resembled a sword tip rather than a spear tip too and it was a very pale white. It clearly was a mix of the two weapons and it had been named after me.


    ¡°So I can use World Ender without problems¡­ though is it a system skill or an arcane magic skill¡­?¡± I pondered in confusion. ¡°Well I can test it out later?¡­¡± And I paused thinking of the destruction it had caused. ¡°Or maybe not?¡ª¡±


    The footsteps from the Dragon of Taboo interrupted me, he was coming my way now holding in his maw what seemed to be a crude stick with a bunch of ornaments attached. He stopped before me, much to my curiosity as he dropped it to the ground and grabbed it with his claw.


    ¡°Now¡­ I¡¯ll heal you, please do not move,¡±


    I nodded. And a moment later a purple light enveloped me. It felt¡­ warm. And it disappeared as soon as it came. I blinked, feeling a surge of strength all around my body. Meanwhile, the stick within the dragon¡¯s claw broke apart. I looked down at myself only to see that I no longer had a speck of blood on my body? not even my clothes had blood ?¡ª though they were still torn. Even the ice around my leg had been restored.


    ¡°Sorry, at this moment I cannot recover your leg. I need a high grade health potion for that which I do not have at the moment.¡± He bowed apologetically.


    I blinked. ¡°No need to apologize, this is¡­¡± I stood up lightly moving my limbs and feeling no pain, ¡°great actually. All my fatigue is gone too.¡±


    The Dragon of Taboo nodded, closing his eyes. ¡°Glad you¡¯re pleased, Arc.¡±


    I nodded and turned to him. ¡°Thank you Dragon of Taboo¡­¡± and I paused, having a random thought. ¡°Do you prefer to be called by your name or title?¡±


    The Dragon of Taboo completely paused his mind processing. Then after a second it answered, though its voice was¡­ trembling.


    ¡°You can call me whatever you want to call me, but I¡¯d prefer if you called me by my name¡­ Lily¡­¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Lily¡­?¡±


    The Dragon of Taboo shrunk. ¡°Yes¡­¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a¡­ girl¡¯s name?¡±


    I saw the Dragon make itself smaller as it answered again. ¡°It is¡­¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re a¡­ woman?¡± I asked, confused.


    ¡°Yes¡­¡± Lily answered.


    And for a moment there was just complete silence. My mind processed the entirety of our interactions and my interactions with other dragons.


    ¡°I thought Faral and Malz were the only two women.¡± I tilted my head.


    The Dragon of Taboo panicked and immediately lowered her head in shame. ¡°Sorry! I didn¡¯t mean to deceive you?¡ª¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s okay,¡± I interrupted sensing their¡­ persona falling apart. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Thanks for curing me Lily.¡±


    Lily, at my words, seemed to relax as a long sigh left her. Then she looked at me. ¡°Is it alright if I change to my¡­ human form? I actually only use this form to sleep every now and then, mostly when I decide I¡¯m too exhausted to¡­ deal with the world,¡± she said meekly.


    ¡°Sure, go ahead.¡±


    I watched as the Dragon of Taboo nodded and a moment later they were enveloped in purple light and a woman?¡ª or rather girl stood before me. She was a head shorter than me and had a deep violet hair that didn¡¯t go past her neck. Her clothes for me would be described as: casual fantasy clothes.


    Black pants, a wine colored skirt over them and a light pink blouse. Then she shuffled awkwardly.


    ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t interact much with¡­ people on a personal basis, so I hope you can overlook any¡­ weirdness I may display,¡± she said awkwardly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I probably have to go anyway.¡± I shook my head and grabbed my spear as I began to walk towards the other tunnel inside the cave. ¡°Ceylon and the others are waiting for me.¡±


    ¡°Right, allow me to accompany you,¡± she said in a hurry. ¡°Draliz is actually¡­ about a week away by flight for me so I think you may need my help.¡±


    I paused. ¡°Wait, just how far are we from Draliz?¡±


    ¡°About¡­ four continents away¡­?¡± The Dragon of Taboo guessed.


    ¡°Right¡­ please come with me then. I¡¯ll require your help.¡±


    Lily nodded and we headed for the outside of her lair. Though while doing so I couldn¡¯t help but wonder.


    Were Asok and Alfina doing alright?


    * * * * *


    ¡°The scientist stayed behind,¡± Alfina said with a frown.


    ¡°Leave him be, we cannot rescue him not against¡­ that.¡± The Dominion of Darkness looked at the distance as five Eternals attacked what remained of the land. ¡°Even two of us commanders died.¡±


    Alfina sighed. ¡°Indeed we did, but at least Arc got out, and that attack.¡± She smiled. ¡°Was fucking terrifying.¡±


    ¡°It truly was,¡± the Hero of Arlas said by the side. ¡°She is truly something else, I can¡¯t believe she survived. I think all of us saw her fight.¡±


    ¡°We did,¡± the Nightmarish Thunder agreed on the back.


    ¡°That said.¡± Alfina sighed. ¡°We cannot be here any longer, plus we are all¡­¡± she trailed off looking at everyone, exhibiting blotches of corruption. ¡°Injured.¡±


    ¡°Indeed we are,¡± the Domion of Darkness sighed before turning to the Hero of Arlas. ¡°Okay, how are we going to save this world?¡±


    ¡°First we will find shelter and recover you all.¡± The man said as he turned away.


    Alfina looked at him and?¡ª he was completely uninjured, oddly enough. Then again, she knew the man always carried some form of corruption within him, she had sensed it as soon as she awakened from her eternal slumber.


    ¡°Then, we¡¯ll continue by assaulting another pillar of corruption, hopefully we can keep growing our force of those at the peak of strength.¡±


    The elf scoffed. ¡°So give a bunch of civilizations hope just to take their fighters? Quite the funny thing you¡¯re suggesting, though?¡ª it¡¯s essentially what happened with us so can¡¯t complain.¡± She shrugged.


    ¡°Is it really wrong if we fight giving it our all every time?¡± The Guardian of the Red Forest asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, which is why I¡¯ve chosen to follow Sir. Uwell.¡±


    ¡°I just pointed out it was quite funny,¡± the Dominion of Darkness said. ¡°I have no choice but to follow, though¡­¡± She looked at the sky. ¡°Even if I had a choice, I think I¡¯d still follow through this.¡±


    Alfina smiled. Only five of them remained, but they had grown to become friends. It was an adventure that she thought she¡¯d never experience again. Just like her adventure with Sol¡¯as.


    ¡°Let us go.¡± The Hero of Arlas gestured as they began their endless journey to purge the corruption.


    Alfina nodded though in the back of her mind she couldn¡¯t help but think about Arc, the person she had chosen to entrust Sol¡¯as¡¯ Spear and her sword to. She was sure they were in safe hands. She turned to look at the grand abyss that had been formed by Arc¡¯s attack.


    I hope we can meet again.


    And then, she joined the others.

 Arc book 1 is now out in AUDIBLE!

    Heya all Arc book 1 is now out in AUDIBLE!


    <blockquote>


    Through hellish training, Arc became a hero¡ªreaching the pinnacle of strength in the world of Arlas.


    Arc was an ordinary young woman from Earth when she was summoned to an icy hell where she fought for her survival in the name of training to become a hero.


    Now, after defeating the Overlord itself and achieving the status of hero, she leaves with the goal of enjoying her freedom. She arrives at Arlas, a fantasy world with magic and monsters, a world with numbers, tiers, and classes, a world governed by the System that summoned her.


    She is not alone. There are other heroes, masters of their element, warped individuals who have escaped their own hell. And they have their own agenda, from taking over the world to even killing other heroes.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    But Arc isn''t any hero; she''s the one who mastered the element of frost, the element of ice that can even freeze the sense of time itself. And when confronted with an incomprehensible task of broken letters¡ªto fulfill her duties as a hero for the broken System¡ªshe makes her decision.


    To live a normal life, fight whoever comes her way, and ignore whatever the delusional System says. As for the heroes? She will fight them, too, if they dare to stand in her way.


    </blockquote>


    </a>


    Arc: The SS Tier Heroine Book 1</a>


    I''m quite excited actually, I really liked Rachel''s performance in the audition and she felt like a great fit for Arc, so hope y''all enjoy this audio as much as I did. Very happy to finally have the book out in this format!

 Chapter. 150: Letting Go

    Chapter. 150: Letting Go


    I walked out of the cave with Lily following after me, and I was immediately hit by the blinding sunlight. The golden rays shone upon my body as I raised my arm to block some of it. It was warm and nice?¡ª it was almost a foreign feeling to me. The sky in the Forgotten Places ?¡ª when it was present ?¡ª was pleasant, but this was completely different.


    I had almost forgotten this feeling. I smiled


    ¡°Hey, um¡­ Arc,¡± Lily called to me as she reached me.


    I turned to face her, she was looking at me all over with confusion and bewilderment in her expression.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I asked.


    She tensed for a moment before nodding to herself. ¡°I just wanted to ask how¡­ what¡­ what happened to you?¡± And she shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t mean it literally, but you are¡­ you¡­¡±


    ¡°Me¡­?¡± I tilted my head.


    ¡°You still feel like a dragon to some extent, but something about you has¡­ changed,¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°You feel¡­ different, your presence feels weak but when I look at you with one of my skills¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    She looked at me all over, her eyes lightly shining with magic, before she finally spoke. ¡°Well, I see¡­ death.¡± A sigh left her. ¡°I see how easily you can kill me.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°It just wasn¡¯t there before, so I wanted to ask what exactly happened¡­ you¡¯re still SS Tier, you haven¡¯t reached the fabled SSS, so what¡­ changed?¡± Lily asked, more hesitant than ever. I could see she was shaking.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I turned to look towards the forest we were standing on. My eyes looked at our surroundings full of nature and devoid of danger. ¡°My mana ascended down there, but it seems that part of me also did. I think.¡±


    ¡°You¡­ think? What do you mean by ascended?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll explain in a bit, for now how about we go to the nearest town?¡±


    Lily blinked. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a bit far, I¡¯ll take you there.¡±


    With a nod she distanced herself away and took her dragon form without any hesitation, and then gestured for me to get on her back. Evidently inviting me to use her as my steed. I, of course, took the offer without hesitation and a moment later, she took flight.


    ¡°Why do you want to go to the town, don¡¯t we have to get back as soon as possible? Also the nearest place is actually the capital city, Zurm, we are in the continent of Lithar in case you¡¯re wondering.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just hungry,¡± I explained simply, holding my spear between my hands. ¡°Also out of curiosity; Regis¡¯karr told me that for a dragon to do this it¡¯s?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind,¡± Lily said simply. ¡°I¡¯ve read plenty of books and I don¡¯t believe in the so-called draconic pride. In the end, for some humans it¡¯s a dream come true, for others it''s sacrilege and for me it¡¯s the equivalent of just letting someone get on my back as a human so I can carry them. It¡¯s just an action.¡±


    ¡°Huh I see.¡±


    ¡°More importantly, do you think you could indulge me and tell me about this ascension¡­? As much as I hate to admit it, I''m deeply curious about what you experienced.¡± And she tensed. ¡°If that¡¯s okay¡­¡± she said in a whisper.


    I nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you then.¡± I looked at the passing clouds. ¡°Not like I have anything else to do.¡±


    And so I began to regale my not-so-epic tale of constantly running away inside the Forgotten Places. I told her how I met the Hero of Arlas down there and how he wanted me to live down there permanently. Though Lily tried to ask again about the keeper of order but I just said I didn¡¯t know and continued talking. I told her how I could only leave by having a part of me fully corrupted, and how after corrupting my mana I decided to go down that road and try to learn arcane magic?¡ª


    ¡°Arcane magic?!¡± She flapped her wings wildly, our world rocking. ¡°That thing is wretched?¡ª¡±


    ¡°So anyway, I set out to learn arcane magic and found the notes of a scientist.¡±


    I ignored her reaction and continued telling her about how I met a corrupted being that could speak and had sentience. I told her about Asok. At first Lily was confused but I began to explain the process of ascension, but more importantly where corruption came from and what the Forgotten Places actually were.


    After that, she just quietened and I finished by telling her the process of ascension and what the process of ascending mana entailed.


    ¡°I see¡­¡± She nodded lightly. ¡°You know, fighting corruption in the afterlife sounds ridiculous, but the way you¡¯ve explained it to me¡­ huh¡­ our world is doomed isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± I mused. ¡°Thousands of civilizations have been felled by it, SSS Tier heroes included. But that time is very far away, so I¡¯ll just enjoy myself.¡±


    Lily nodded again. ¡°I¡¯ve heard heroes come from another world, would you like to return to your world if it¡¯s not in the Forgotten Places already?¡±


    I thought for a moment, I thought of my family and my experiences before training, and I arrived at my answer.


    ¡°If I could bring Ceylon along, yes. If not, I don¡¯t see the point.¡±


    ¡°I see¡­ you must really treasure Ceylon then.¡±


    And with that our conversation ended. Half an hour later we landed on a nearby forest, it was less than five minutes away from the capital though the Dragon of Taboo assured me that she had used a spell to ensure our secrecy, which I kind of appreciated ?¡ª I didn¡¯t really care at this point, but it was thoughtful of her.


    And with that, we headed towards the capital of Lithar, Zurm. According to Lily there were a bunch of dwarves and beastkin around which I hadn¡¯t ever met so that piqued my curiosity. I did however make sure to stow the spear inside the pocket dimension of the Ceremonial Dagger.


    Though¡­ when I did it¡­


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°What is that¡­ dagger¡­ that thing¡­ shouldn¡¯t exist in our world¡­ it shouldn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Is what Lily had said, but she calmed down after I explained its origins. It was a weird thing. And now, after getting inside the city? ?¡ª with Lily¡¯s help since I lost my adventurer¡¯s badge ?¡ª we wandered around looking for a restaurant. I also took in the architecture which was rather nice, as for dwarves and beastkin¡ª they stopped being a novelty after I saw like twenty of them.


    ¡°Lily, do you mind paying for my meal? Thank you for using your identity as an adventurer to get me in, I never thought you¡¯d be registered as an S Tier one.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind paying.¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯m glad I could be of help.¡±


    Then she reached for her pockets and paused. After that she patted them and fiddled, and finally she stuck her hand into a separate dimension. Her expression went from slight worry to horror, finally after another second she looked at me.


    ¡°I seem to have forgotten my¡­ money, let me go get it?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll just find a way to get some,¡± I said simply.


    With that, I dragged Lily around. First I asked about some sort of arena where one could compete but nothing of the sort existed. Then I asked for money but I immediately got looked at as a beggar due to my clothes. And to be honest, that was fair, but I couldn¡¯t be bothered to restore my clothes?, and so we headed towards the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    I opened the double doors much to the amusement of everyone and dragged Lily along which caused a huge mess of whispers?¡ª again I didn¡¯t care. Finally we stood before the counter.


    ¡°Lily, can you take the fastest monster subjugation that pays well? We can complete it real quick.¡±


    Lily was a shaking mess but slowly nodded. ¡°... I¡¯ll try¡­¡±


    After that she went to the receptionist and after rewording herself a lot, we got an answer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but the only request that meets your requirement has already been taken by a party, they are right now with the Guildmaster.¡±


    ¡°So we can just join their party?¡± I asked, deciding that Lily was out of her element at this point.


    Sadly, the Dragon of Taboo had some form of social anxiety, that or perhaps she was just a massive introvert forced way out of her comfort zone?¡ª both were probably true. And so, with a small amount of remorse and giving her a small apology I decided to take matters into my own hands and head for the Guildmaster¡¯s room, much to the panic of the receptionists.


    * * * * *


    Zalbor couldn¡¯t wait, they had just taken the subjugation of an S Tier monster; a hydra, it was. of course a mere fledgling an adult hydra was easily SS Tier, but even then?¡ª Zalbor couldn¡¯t wait. He had been adventuring with his team for over two decades now, and finally they were all going to become S Tier adventurers.


    To top it all off, the hydra was present in the city¡¯s dungeon. The entire place had been sectioned off and an emergency request had been called. And that¡¯s how they; the Black Fang had gotten the job, being the only qualified people at the moment.


    The briefing from the Guildmaster had lasted thirty minutes and it had just ended. Now, it was time to set off, and today they would achieve their dreams of becoming S Tier.


    Zalbor smiled to himself, he had long surpassed the expectations of his old man and the entire tribe but he yearned for more. The other two people in his party seemed happy too. First was Zara, a panther-cat-kin, an attractive woman of yellow fur and the healer.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go to a brothel tonight,¡± she said, smiling to herself.


    And the other person was the mage, Nithal, an eccentric bookworm, he just nodded.


    Meanwhile Zalbor had other plans, there was a woman he had been eyeing for sometime she was Lily, the S Tier adventurer, people rarely saw her and a lot of people doubted her strength. But Zalbor wanted her, he wanted to make her his, and once he reached S Tier he would ambush her and claim her.


    At first, just like his other wives, he was sure she¡¯d be unwilling but given enough time she¡¯d be completely his, just like all others. Zalbor grinned and?¡ª heard a commotion outside the door.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t interrupt!¡±


    ¡°Arc, please be patient!¡±


    ¡°Someone stop the girl!¡±


    And the door banged open as a¡­ homeless-woman walked in. Zalbor¡¯s eyes widened?¡ª she was attractive. His mind went into overdrive seeing her torn clothes and pale skin, she even had an ice leg?¡ª a unique thing?¡ª he liked unique girls. All his thoughts ceased as he had to stop himself from immediately doing something, but much to his surprise she was the first one to speak to him.


    ¡°Oh, you must be the leader of the Black-whatever, will you let me join in your quest-thing? Lily will come along, she''s S Tier.¡±


    ¡°Eh?!¡± A woman yelped in the background and Zalbor turned only to see Lily in a rather¡­ vulnerable state.


    He had never seen the woman so panicked before and at that moment he realized that this was the opportunity of his life.


    ¡°Of course!¡±


    * * * * *


    Huh that was fast.


    Though I smiled as I turned towards the three receptionists that entered the room.


    ¡°Well now I¡¯m part of their team so¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter right?¡±


    They blinked, and finally one of the women sighed. ¡°I guess not.¡±


    And she left, before the other two left completely defeated. Lily seemed awkward just standing there but it would be over soon enough. Finally, I turned to look at the man that had accepted me and his party. There was a dwarf with a staff, a stone at its top. He wore robes and a hat. Then there was a beastkin woman that resembled a cheetah on robes and a staff too, and finally there was the warrior who resembled a black wolf in armor.


    Beastkin stood on two legs and had largely human anatomy except for having a head most similar to an animal. It was peculiar to me. After taking note of everything, I smiled.


    ¡°Well what are we waiting for, let¡¯s go do this request-thing.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what you¡¯re taking on?¡± the woman behind the desk asked in a grumble.


    [The Elementalist. Tier: S]


    She was an elf. She looked young and pretty with golden hair but her frown was something else, she was essentially glaring daggers at me. She was the Guildmaster it seemed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, but I don¡¯t think it matters,¡± I answered.


    ¡°It''s a hydra!¡± she hissed.


    ¡°Well, is it SSS Tier?¡± I asked, raising my brow.


    ¡°What? What kind of nonsense are you speaking, girl?¡± The elf shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s an S Tier hydra, I don¡¯t mean to offend you but you have absolutely no preparation and it seems you¡¯ve already lost a leg for doing that.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Wait, you''re making a big deal out of an S Tier? I think I can kill that pretty easily, you know?¡±


    The elf scoffed. ¡°Then I¡¯d like you to see.¡± She turned to the man. ¡°Zalbor, she cannot join your party if she doesn¡¯t prove her strength. I¡¯ll personally see to this.¡±


    The man tensed. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    Clearly he wasn¡¯t paying attention, he had been ogling me the entire time, it was clear he didn¡¯t know what was going on?¡ª well he would also look at Lily too. The other party members however, seemed annoyed. The dwarf huffed and the healer?¡ª


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just leave without her! This is a waste of time anyway!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zalbor said firmly. ¡°I want her in our team.¡±


    ¡°You just want to fuck her,¡± the healer spat, ¡°fine.¡±


    And with that, the quarrel between the teammates of the Black-whatever had been settled, though that still left the Guildmaster elf. She turned to me, clearly bothered.


    ¡°Not getting cold feet now, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I replied casually.


    She stood up. ¡°Good, then let us go.¡±


    ¡°To where?¡± I raised my brow.


    The elf smiled. ¡°To see the hydra of course.¡±


    ¡°Do I get paid if I kill it?¡± I asked in confusion.


    The Guildmaster scoffed. ¡°Worry about surviving first.¡±


    WIth those words she walked out of the room, ignoring the panicked Lily as I heard her voice echo.


    ¡°Follow me, Miss-its-just-an-S-Tier.¡±


    Huh.


    Well that is convenient.


    And so I followed, making a mental note to apologize to Lily once all of this was said and done.

 Chapter. 151: Stella

    Chapter. 151: Stella


    Stella, that was her name that was the name that had been bestowed upon her by the Guardian of the Forest, the majestic Dragon of Wind. That said, centuries had passed since she left Ivyfall, she did hope her fellow kin were doing great, but Stella felt like she had to spread her wings, and that¡¯s how she became an adventurer.


    She saw joy, but for every moment of happiness there were two of sadness, three of grief and five of despair. It was a miserable experience, but one she deemed necessary for her to grow. After many years, she attained S Tier, she had gone through so many teams and so many friends, however, she never sought power, instead she had one goal and one goal only.


    And that was to be a guiding star for new blood.


    To be a Guildmaster of the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    That way, she could control things and ensure no unnecessary deaths occurred, that way the ignorant would remain safe. She had hundreds of memories of boisterous young blood overestimating themselves and then dying. That was what she wanted to prevent and that was what she actively prevented now.


    She clenched her fist with anger.


    And that was what she was preventing right at this moment.


    A woman?¡ª a homeless woman was trying to say that she could take on a hydra. Normally, Stella would¡¯ve said a flat no, but given the fact that she had free time she decided to teach the woman a lesson. The hydra¡¯s strength had been assessed, it was S Tier but barely. Stella could easily take care of things if things went awry, and Lily was around too so that¡¯s why she made her decision.


    She would let the white-haired woman realize how powerless she was against true power and then save her ass. That way, she wouldn¡¯t overestimate herself ever again. Stella was tired of it; of the pointless deaths, and while just saving one life wasn¡¯t going to change the world, if she kept at it, eventually she was sure she would make a grand difference.


    This woman was just one of many she had saved and would save, and one of many that she¡¯d go out of her way to teach a lesson.


    Perhaps I¡¯ll invite her for a meal after all is said and done, Stella thought, I¡¯m no tyrant after all¡­


    She closed her eyes for a second before resolving herself. She carried herself forward through the city of Zurm, drawing the gazes of the cityfolk. Her appearance always drew attention, few knew of the elves, but now all eyes were on her; she was the Guildmaster of Zurm¡¯s adventurer branch after all, and she had made a name for herself due to her values.


    Ultimately, she hoped that the sights made the woman scared, everyone was looking and pointing at her, but when she turned she seemed uncaring and unbothered. Not even nervous in the slightest. Stella assessed the rest of the people coming along, first was the Black Fang party; the leader was looking at the woman, and the other two seemed bothered. Then there was Lily who looked panicked.


    Stella found the situation weird but just shook her head and continued to the city dungeon. There things would be different.


    Still¡­ what kind of artifact is that ice leg? Stella wondered, she could sense great magical energy within it, whereas the woman had¡­ essentially none. Perhaps the woman was more than just talk, but Stella was completely sure that the hydra was something that the woman couldn¡¯t tackle.


    She wouldn¡¯t be dressed like that otherwise¡­


    In the end, Stella decided to stop thinking about it and just act. And so, thirty minutes later with her authority as the Guildmaster they went into the dungeon at the end of the city. Dungeons themselves were rare, and those that had civilization around them were a lot rarer, it was the reason that Zurm was the capital of the nation.


    The dungeon itself supported the economy of the city with its monster materials, which was also the reason that the hydra presented a huge emergency. Hence the emergency request, it however, also presented Stella with the perfect opportunity to personally teach the woman a lesson. In terms of overestimation, she didn¡¯t think she had met someone as deluded as this homeless girl.


    So, with great excitement she guided everyone towards the bottom-most floor of the dungeon. The 10th floor. As soon as they arrived, they heard a venomous and aggressive hiss. The room was illuminated by crystals and at the end of it, resided a twisted figure in an offensive stance, multiple heads moving like snakes as it looked dangerously at everyone.


    Stella smiled, turning to the woman. ¡°Now you see the difference in power?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡­?¡± The white-haired woman tilted her head. ¡°I mean, maybe it could kill me if I stood still and let it attack me for a couple of hours.¡±


    Stella blinked but the woman continued.


    ¡°Anyway, do I get money if I kill it?¡±


    Stella sighed. She truly was homeless. Finally, she decided to indulge the woman a bit.


    ¡°Yes, but if you are going to attack it, it must be from where we stand.¡±


    The woman blinked and stepped in front of Stella. ¡°Huh, okay. Good opportunity to test what changed since I got out of that hellhole.¡±


    Hellhole? Stella felt confused but watched the woman raise her hand to the air, and?¡ª immediately tilt her head.


    ¡°Hm¡­ Arcane magic isn¡¯t all that much different from normal magic after all.¡±


    Stella heard her weird mutterings and had enough, she couldn¡¯t even sense a speck of magic on the woman.


    ¡°Will you stop playing around?¡ª¡±


    The woman brought her hand down?. ¡°Frost Lighting.¡±


    The world boomed and everything went white with a thunderous explosion. Stella closed her eyes on instinct, but not a split second later there was just silence and that¡¯s when she decided to open her eyes only to see destruction.


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    Everything in front had been turned into a frozen wasteland, and the room had been expanded dozens of meters forward. The hydra was nowhere to be seen, only a frozen red splotch was in its place. Stella just stared with wide eyes, the ice was¡­ the ice around was charged to the brim with magic but sometimes it would also be devoid of it.


    What the fuck happened?


    She turned only to see the woman thinking with a hand on her chin. ¡°Interesting, I guess I can thank the fake Hero of Arlas for that? Well, I¡¯ll try to kill him if I see him again.¡± And she shrugged.


    That reaction was enough for Stella to lose her mind.


    ¡°W-What did you do?!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± The woman tilted her head. ¡°I just used a skill on it?, if it can be considered a skill at this point.¡±


    ¡°W-What¡­¡± Stella stuttered, unable to know what to make of things.


    She turned only to see the entire room looking with surprise?¡ª except for Lily, the girl just sighed for some reason. It was an odd reaction. She knew? Stella turned back to the woman in a hurry.


    ¡°Who?¡ª what are you?¡±


    The woman blinked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m Arc, sorry for the lack of introduction. I¡¯m the Heroine of Frost.¡±


    Stella felt her brain stop.


    She looked at Arc, the Heroine of Frost. She had heard of what happened in Draliz, even through rumors. And now the woman was here. But¡­ Her eyes wandered around Arc and her attire. Why is she dressed like that?!


    ¡°Anyway, with that out of the way, could you please pay me? I need money to get food you see, I¡¯m quite hungry. Food was quite non-existent in the Forgotten Places.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Stella processed. She had little idea of what was happening, but given the lack of animosity of the woman she decided she had to capitalize on it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see that you get your payment, it might take some time to confirm the hydra is dead due to it being reduced to a puddle of blood.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright, let¡¯s do that then.¡±


    Stella suppressed a sigh of relief as she decided to guide Arc, and¡­ Lily too to a place to eat, leaving the adventurer group behind.


    * * * * *


    I truly didn¡¯t care about my identity anymore. In comparison to what I went through in the Forgotten Places all my worries seemed a bit meaningless. It was a bit of an existential dread. I of course was worried about Ceylon so I planned to arrive to Draliz in a week¡¯s time at the latest. But for now, I truly needed food.


    We traced our steps back in the dungeon, though the adventurers were left behind which was helpful. I moved my magic slightly and my ice broke?¡ª a scream resounded through the dungeon. The man that was¡­ looking at me like a predator was hopefully not going to be able to do that to anyone anymore.


    ¡°What?!¡± The Guildmaster turned.


    ¡°It seems the creepy adventurer suffered an accident.¡± Lily smiled. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that great.¡±


    The Guildmaster turned to Lily. ¡°You can sense it¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they have a healer so he¡¯ll be fine. We should get food for Arc,¡± she said smiling.


    The elf paused. ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ve heard nasty things about that man so I suppose that so long as the rest of his party is safe then it¡¯s okay.¡± She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡±


    And with that, we left with the Guildmaster. She took the time to introduce herself as Stella to me and offered to buy me clothes, an offer which I declined. I did take the chance to ask her if everything was fine in Draliz, she mentioned two revolts and businesses on strike sometime ago but apparently they had been taken care of and it all seemed fine now according to her. After that, she brought us to the most luxurious restaurant in Zurn. Something I appreciated. We even got a table isolated from most people. Finally, after I made my order to the waiter that looked at me weirdly, Stella spoke.


    ¡°Arc, how did you meet¡­ Lily?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I intruded in her cave by accident,¡± I explained. ¡°I had just gotten out of huh¡­¡± I spaced out thinking about Alfina and Asok. ¡°I had just gotten out of the Forgotten Places and I met her there.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying the Forgotten Places.¡± Stella sighed. ¡°You mean the place where the corruption resides?¡± she asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Yeah that one,¡± I said simply. ¡°The Hero of Arlas threw me in there after I killed the Hero of Flames?¡ª well fake Hero of Arlas, there is a Hero of Arlas in the Forgotten Places too.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯m finding what you are saying hard to believe. Also you trust Lily with all of this?¡±


    ¡°Sure, why not?¡± I asked. ¡°Also, I¡¯m just telling you stuff, I have no reason to lie about it. I almost died and lost my leg there, I also almost got corrupted too.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    I paused thinking. ¡°Oh, and I got this dagger, and I also got a spear and a sword if you¡¯d like to see them, though¡­¡± I frowned. ¡°Attempt to steal the spear or sword and I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± The elf shrunk. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯d like to see everything.¡±


    ¡°Alright, first this is the dagger.¡± I pulled it out from my waist. ¡°It¡¯s kind of whatever but I¡¯m using it to store my spear at the moment.¡±


    She stared at the dagger. ¡°I can¡¯t really sense mana from it.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s because it has a different kind of mana,¡± Lily said with a small frown. ¡°It¡¯s not something that belongs to this world.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Stella nodded.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± I dismissed. ¡°Now I¡¯ll show you the spear.¡±


    I pushed mana into the dagger and tore a hole into space, much to the amusement of Stella and the waiter that was passing by ?¡ª the man jumped but quickly recovered ?¡ª then I put my hand in and took out my spear. The head came out first and Stella?¡ª


    Jumped from her seat.


    * * * * *


    It happened on reflex.


    Stella was a few meters away now, and she was looking at the object that was being pulled out of space. Arc gave her a weird look but said nothing. However, what¡­ what the fuck was that spear?


    Its mana was so dense that it felt as if she was staring at a weapon of mass destruction. It was something that¡­ she had never seen before. What¡­? At that moment, Stella felt compelled to trust everything that Arc had said?¡ª


    ¡°Do you still want to see the sword and spear?¡± Arc raised her brow.


    Stella let out a breath. ¡°No¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    And with that the spear vanished back into space. Stella took a moment before deciding to sit down, Lily seemed unfazed and so she turned to her.


    ¡°Lily, doesn¡¯t any of this bother you?¡±


    Lily jumped. ¡°I mean¡­ it did but I¡¯ve come to accept it¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­¡± And the girl shrunk.


    ¡°It¡¯s?¡± she asked but Arc shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve put Lily through a lot in the past few hours, please don¡¯t press her,¡± her tone was casual but it was enough for Stella to just back off.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    And a minute later the food came as Arc began to eat.


    * * * * *


    I felt a bit bad for what I put Lily through, I really did. I was sure she got anxious because she didn¡¯t want to expose the fact that she was a dragon, so I¡¯d make sure that didn¡¯t happen. The elf seemed afraid of me and that was okay, everything was pretty okay at the moment.


    Though perhaps I should register as an adventurer again?


    I looked at the elf and changed my mind. I didn¡¯t want to stay in this place for too long. What if the adventurer I hurt tried to do something to me? Of course, I wouldn¡¯t die or anything but it¡¯d be annoying.


    And so I decided.


    I¡¯d stay the night and leave the next day. I had to get to Draliz after all. That said, knowing everything seemed to be fine I decided that I might do sightseeing.


    Today was fun.


    I smiled and took the first bite out of my food as I failed to suppress my joy, making both of the people present confused.

 Chapter. 152: Casual Interactions

    Chapter. 152: Casual Interactions


    Late at night, Zalbor screamed and cried. He had been healed from his injury but, unfortunately without a very expensive potion he wouldn¡¯t be getting his manhood back. That? thought alone filled him with so much dread and grief that he struggled to process it. He screamed until his throat grew hoarse, he cried until his tears ran out, and he punched walls until his fists bled, before finally, he remembered everything.


    The woman, the white-haired homeless woman, the one that had called herself the Heroine of Frost?¡ª she¡­ she had been the reason for his suffering!


    Zalbor¡¯s mind raced and thought of multiple ways for revenge, though unfortunately he didn¡¯t know where the woman was staying so instead he made use of his contacts to track her as soon as the sun rose.


    He was going to get his revenge¡­


    Zalbor grabbed at his groin with anger.


    One way or another he¡¯d hurt the woman.


    * * * * *


    Sleep had been quite nice, a long while had passed since I had used a proper bed so it was an enjoyable experience. Sleep in the Forgotten Places was¡­ okay at best. Now, though, it was time to leave. I wouldn¡¯t be staying in the city of Zurn for much longer. However, after grabbing breakfast with Lily I realized I had yet to obtain my payment for the hydra. And so, we headed for the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    The city itself was quite nice, though I did feel like people stared at me a lot, and more than anything they were eyes of pity. While I could surmise the reason rather easily ?¡ª looking homeless? ?¡ª I didn¡¯t really care for trying to restore my clothes just yet. Plus, I didn¡¯t even know if I¡¯d be able to make them just as easily given the way my magic had changed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about it later.¡±


    With those words, I entered the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, this time I made Lily stay outside. Stares immediately came my way, some recognized me and gave me amusement, others just looked at me with confusion, but I paid it no mind as I reached the counter.


    ¡°It¡¯s you¡­¡± The woman behind the counter frowned.


    At that moment, I sensed someone run out of the building in a hurry, but I paid it no mind as I raised my brow.


    ¡°I suppose that is a fair reaction, don¡¯t worry though I¡¯m just here for payment.¡±


    ¡°Payment?¡± The woman sneered. ¡°What payment?¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°The one for killing the hydra?¡±


    And she chuckled. ¡°You? Killing the hydra?¡±


    Her words were loud enough for other people to hear, and because of that, I heard chuckling behind me too. Indeed, it was a ridiculous prospect to these people, but now I just found the situation annoying.


    ¡°Just tell Stella, she¡¯ll fill you in.¡±


    The receptionist immediately turned serious. ¡°You can¡¯t just request to see the Guildmaster like that?¡ª¡±


    ¡°You!¡± a scream echoed. ¡°You, I¡¯ve finally found you, girl who claims to be the Heroine of Frost!¡±


    I turned around only to see the creepy man from yesterday, he was looking at me with bleary blood filled eyes?¡ª primal hatred in his expression. I wasn¡¯t dumb, I knew why he was here, however I didn¡¯t care. So, I corrected him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t claim to be the Heroine of Frost, I¡¯d show you my status if I could.¡± I crossed my arms. ¡°I¡¯m level 180 or something.¡±


    My words caused people to look at me strangely, but the wolf man couldn¡¯t care less as he strode to me unsheathing his sword. The reaction causing a wave of susurration to spread through the guild.


    ¡°The leader of the Black Fangs wants to kill that woman!¡±


    ¡°She looks so weak and yet claims to be that strong, ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t even moving, is she frozen in fear?¡±


    I didn¡¯t really pay it any mind as the man continued.


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± He raised his sword. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you, you whore!¡± His sword began to shine in a purple light. ¡°Regret this, [Abyssal Slash]!¡±


    At that moment a blast of purple light came my way and it hit me?¡ª wood from the floor exploded everywhere around me as people in my vicinity screamed in a panic. Then, a second later the smoke cleared and?¡ª people gasped.


    ¡°She¡¯s unscathed.¡±


    ¡°How?!¡±


    ¡°That makes absolutely no sense.¡±


    I shook my head and turned back to the now pale receptionist.


    ¡°Well with that out of the way, get me Stella or my payment?.¡± I paused before deciding to clarify. ¡°The payment would be preferable.¡±


    The man behind me was panting in anger. ¡°You dare ignore me?!¡±


    I paid him no mind, and finally I saw the door upstairs open. Meanwhile the man sprinted at me in a frenzy?¡ª though I didn¡¯t really care. Instead I turned to see the elf who looked over the balcony.


    ¡°Just what is going on?¡ª¡± Her eyes widened in horror. ¡°Be careful!¡±


    ¡°[Death Slash]!¡± And his sword collided against my back only for it to explode?¡ª like glass shattering, dozens of pieces of frozen metal flew everywhere.


    ¡°I¡¯m here for my payment,¡± I said simply.


    Stella just stared at me, absolutely mortified, meanwhile there was a heavy silence in the guild. It was a bit annoying.


    The man behind me growled. ¡°You!¡±


    He grabbed my shoulder and turned me around only for him to scream as his hand was frozen. A sigh left me as I looked down at his pathetic figure before I decided to put him out of his misery. Plus he was being annoying too and getting in the way of me getting my money. He was at my feet, holding his hand in pain, and I simply lowered my hand? ?¡ª index against my thumb ?¡ª and I flicked.


    A squeal resounded along with a cloud of dust straight out of the guild, then came a heavy thud.


    ¡°There,¡± I turned around to look at the mortified Stella. ¡°I¡¯m here for my payment, Ms. Guildmaster elf, Stella.¡±


    My words seemed to do the trick, after hearing them she tensed and slowly nodded.


    * * * * *


    Stella felt¡­ exposed.


    The woman, Arc, knew of her race¡­


    It was the first time it had happened, and she didn¡¯t even know what to do now. Or rather?¡ª how to deal with the fact that she knew. Stella was already preparing the money, a pouch full of platinum coins ?¡ª more than the yearly wage of a large part of the population.


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    Still¡­


    She had sensed a blast of mana right as it happened, and when she exited her office there was a large gash inside the hall. The destruction going past Arc and past the receptionist?¡ª yet the receptionist had been protected by Arc¡¯s body. Not only that but she had taken the blade of an A Tier warrior point blank and came out unscathed¡­


    And the woman knew her identity¡­


    Stella shuddered a bit at that but quickly made her decision as she opened her drawer and grabbed a black adventurer tag with golden engravings.


    Perhaps it was wrong of her to do this, but she hoped that giving the woman a secret identity would buy her silence.


    * * * * *


    After about five minutes of waiting, I was called into the Guildmasters office. People had been whispering about me the entire time and as soon as I left it turned into full on discussions. Mostly rumors they had heard about me prior and wondering about my appearance. Now though, Stella sat before me.


    ¡°This is your payment.¡± She said, sliding a pouch towards me. I could see it filled to the brim with silver coins that shone in a blue hue. ¡°Two-hundred platinum coins.¡±


    I smiled and grabbed the pouch before tearing a hole with my dagger and throwing it there. Then, as I was about to stand up Stella continued.


    ¡°I have a request, or a favor to ask of you.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You know what I am, right?¡± Stella asked, shifting uncomfortably.


    ¡°An elf?¡± I asked, puzzled.


    She nodded with a sigh. ¡°So I didn¡¯t mishear you. I¡¯d like to ask you to never mention my race to anyone, most people don¡¯t know of our existence really.¡±


    I blinked. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I hope that can remain a secret; the wrong people hearing about our race could spell the end of us. Last I heard, our guardian the Dragon of Wind isn¡¯t present in Ivyfall.¡±


    I paused. ¡°The Dragon of Wind is the guardian of your race?¡±


    She nodded again. ¡°Which is why I¡¯d like you to keep it a secret,¡± she said, sliding a black tag with golden accents to me. ¡°Consider it a token of gratitude.¡±


    I grabbed the tag only to see that I was now registered as an S Tier adventurer.


    Name: Arc. Registered in: Zurn Branch. Tier: S


    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll keep it to myself,¡± I agreed and accepted the tag.


    I didn¡¯t know what I was going to do with it but?¡ª


    ¡°Actually, is there another favor I can ask for?¡±


    Stella paused, and nervously looked at me. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Could you write a recommendation letter for me to become an adventurer?¡± I asked. ¡°Given I was already an adventurer before that, and I got a new tag I got an idea.¡±


    Stella paused. ¡°Right, I¡¯ll do it, may I ask what the idea is?¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s simple, I¡¯d like to get an adventurer tag of every rank?¡ª you know like a collection?¡±


    ¡°A collection of adventurer ranks¡­?¡± the elf processed. ¡°Sure¡­ just¡­ don¡¯t expose me for helping you, I could¡­ lose my job for this¡­¡±


    I smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, no one will believe me anyway.¡±


    ¡°RIght¡­¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    Ten minutes later, I walked out with a personal letter in my pocket dimension as well as an adventurer tag. Lily seemed a bit flustered when she saw me but approached me anyway.


    ¡°Are we leaving the city now?¡± she asked quietly.


    ¡°We are leaving, yeah, our next stop is the next continent and the capital of uh¡­¡± I trailed off trying to remember. ¡°Artonis or something.¡±


    ¡°Right, so our next stop is the continent of Syrk and the main capital of its biggest empire; Arthosin,¡± Lily nodded.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    And with that, we left the city and went on our journey.


    The first hour was peaceful, but eventually, Lily, the Dragon of Taboo, broke the silence. Curiosity evident in her voice.


    ¡°Are you not worried about getting hurt?¡± She asked before continuing. ¡°You could¡¯ve avoided the attack but you let it hit you. Why?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± I was looking at the clouds. ¡°My instincts told me it didn¡¯t matter so I just paid it no mind. I doubt you pay any attention to the wind hitting your skin when outside?.¡±


    ¡°I guess I don¡¯t, but do you truly trust your instincts that much?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± I nodded, my tone solemn. ¡°It¡¯s what kept me alive in the Forgotten Places for so long. Though, even before I left Arlas, I don¡¯t think the attack would¡¯ve hit me thanks to a skill. Now, well I¡¯m really not sure if the skill is even in place or not.¡±


    ¡°You said your mana ascended,¡± Lily stated. ¡°And I can sense that the way you use magic is different from everyone else, but you still have access to the system do you not?¡±


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    [ Status: Hero. Race: A?s?c?e?n?d?e?d? ?D?r?a?c?o?n?i?c? ?H?u?m?a?n?. Name: Arc. Level: 180. Tier: SS. Attributes: Unavailable. ]


    ¡°I do but now I have a race category that seems to be slightly corrupted.¡± I tilted my head and proceeded to open my skills which looked the same as last time I did. ¡°Everything seems alright.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried using normal magic?¡± Lily asked.


    ¡°Hm¡­ no I haven¡¯t.¡± I thought for a moment before I turned to look at our surroundings.


    We were currently flying over a vast ocean, I had no idea what it was called and I didn¡¯t bother to ask about it. Instead, my eyes darted around and found?¡ª nothing.


    ¡°Is there anything that I can test magic on?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, we are in the Sea of Death, so, most certainly,¡± Lily said without a pause. ¡°Just give it a minute, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see something.¡±


    ¡°Sea of Death?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Is it the most dangerous sea in all of Arlas or something?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡±


    Huh¡­


    And as predicted by Lily, two minutes later I saw a familiar beast, except much bigger and it had rugged scars.


    [Grand Killer Martal. Tier: S]


    Oh, like the bigger version? I pointed my hand at it. Should be a bit helpful. I didn¡¯t really know what to expect, but after taking a breath I spoke following my instinct.


    ¡°[Judgment of the Ice God].¡±


    Contrary to my expectations it felt like arcane magic and a gigantic spear blasted the poor beast. An explosion of blood and gore occurred, one that went almost a hundred meters into the air as a sigh left me.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Lily began. ¡°Slightly felt like normal magic but also not really.¡±


    ¡°Yeah I don¡¯t know.¡± I looked back at the sky. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out stuff before reaching Draliz I guess.¡±


    ¡°I hope so.¡±


    ¡°What will you do when we get there?¡±


    My question put the dragon in deep thought, as there was only silence after. The wind passed through my hair as I enjoyed the view and sights I could see. The other continent was already in view?¡ª Lily had called it Syrk, it seemed to have plains as its main biome.


    Finally, after another minute of silence Lily spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, perhaps hole myself up in a room for a few days before returning home.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    There was another silence, though this one lasted about five seconds before she spoke again, this time making a question.


    ¡°Do you¡­ judge me for that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t. I can tell that all of this?¡ª everything I¡¯m doing is not for you. So.¡± I thought for a moment. ¡°Sorry for dragging you through Zurn, and for what¡¯s left to come.¡±


    My apology made the dragon nod, and then say something I didn¡¯t expect.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I met you.¡±


    And then, there was silence as we flew for the rest of the day and slept somewhere in a forest.


    * * * * *


    Navis was having quite the boring morning. Ever since he had moved to Arthosin his job had become quite boring and slow; and well it made sense given that most of the promising warriors joined the army in the capital. Which left the Adventurer¡¯s Guild with¡­


    His eyes looked across the hall at the shoddy dressed people.


    The scraps.


    He sighed and then saw someone enter through the door. A woman who? ¡ª for lack of a better word ?¡ª has seen better days. She had an ice leg too. The sight made Navis sigh. The state of adventurers in the capital really was poor. She walked up to the counter with a small smile, an odd dagger at her waist.


    ¡°Hey so, I¡¯m here to become an adventurer.¡±


    Oh it¡¯s worse than he thought. He watched as the woman grabbed a dagger from her waist and tore into space. What the?¡ª The sight made him completely pause as she stuck her hand into the void space that had just opened. Then she pulled a letter?¡ª fuck¡­


    ¡°So, Stella, the Guildmaster of Zurn in the other continent wrote the recommendation letter,¡± she said, simply sliding it over.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± Navis looked at it only to see a golden seal.


    Only for the Guildmaster to read¡­


    He looked at the shoddy woman and accidentally blurted his thoughts out loud. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    She blinked. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m the Heroine of Frost.¡±


    Navis paused and quickly apologized, ¡°Sorry, that was very rude of me.¡± He did not register what the woman had said. ¡°I¡¯m just impressed, people as capable as you are rare here.¡± He smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back with the Guildmaster.¡±


    And with that, he headed upstairs with the letter, knowing that he now had a very long day ahead of him. Something that was quite exciting.


    Perhaps with her help the adventurers can become prominent in Arthosin once more.

 Chapter. 153: Arthoris and the Empire

    Chapter. 153: Arthoris and the Empire


    The man had left to go seek the Guildmaster, Lily was? doing her own thing on the forest outside the city this time around. We found a cave in the early morning and I told her to rest there, at first she was against it but after pushing it towards it she acquiesced with a smile. And so, I was alone here in the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    The city I was in was¡­ odd. That said the gate guards had immediately let me in as soon as they saw my adventurer badge ?¡ª that was nice. The city itself was medieval like any other, pretty architecture, but the amount of soldiers was quite the sight. At some point I was even stopped for questioning but after thinking I was crazy they left me alone.


    After that, I came to become an adventurer yet again. I had revealed my identity to the receptionist I was speaking to, which perhaps had been a bad idea?¡ª what if that made me get an S Tier badge instead of an A Tier one? That would suck.


    A sigh left me and a minute quickly passed, some of the people present had been talking about me the entire time, and finally someone decided to approach me. I prepared myself for a lecture or something annoying, but instead the man spoke simply.


    ¡°Do you want to join our adventuring team, miss heroine?¡±


    I turned and looked at him, he seemed to be rather¡­ average. ¡°Not really, no.¡±


    ¡°Huh, a shame. You know, heroes are forbidden in the Empire of Naz, given our emperor is a hero he doesn¡¯t want others around.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°So a control freak? Interesting.¡±


    The man shrugged. ¡°Your choice.¡±


    I shrugged in response and turned around. It¡¯s not like I was going to spend a while here. The man grunted but I suddenly thought about it.


    ¡°What¡¯s the emperor¡¯s element?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Glass.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The conversation ended and I was left to ponder about the strength of the Hero of Glass. To be honest it¡¯d be a bit annoying if he came for me, I wasn¡¯t in the mood to kill a hero ?¡ª I didn¡¯t want to see Mr. Hero of Arlas right now after all ?¡ª but it was nice to know.


    I shook my head and soon the Guildmaster was racing down the steps, he immediately tensed as he saw me. He was an old man of great stature and burly body, balding and only white hair at the sides of his head. With utmost seriousness he approached me and handed me back the letter, and also?¡ª


    ¡°Wait, don¡¯t you need to run a test or something?¡± I raised my inspecting the adventurer¡¯s tag he showed me.


    Name: Arc. Registered in: Arthosin Branch. Tier: A


    The man shook his head. ¡°The letter was enough to convince me, Miss Arc.¡± He let out a breath. ¡°Stella spoke very highly of you.¡±


    ¡°Huh, right.¡±


    He gestured to give it to me, but just as he was about to do it. He let out a breath.


    ¡°That said, I have a favor to ask of you, if you truly are that powerful.¡±


    I raised my brow. ¡°What is it?¡±


    There was a pause as he met my gaze before he sighed.


    ¡°There is a dungeon that is a threat to the city, but the guards refuse to act and the emperor will only act once the monsters attempt to besiege the city.¡± He closed his eyes. ¡°I¡¯d like you to deal with the problem, I¡¯m unfortunately not strong enough to¡­ do so.¡±


    He gripped his hands in anger and I raised my brow.


    ¡°Sure I guess, can you treat me to the most expensive restaurant in the city after?¡±


    He paused but ultimately nodded.


    ¡°Very well, let me prepare.¡±


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    The man left before I could tell him to just tell me the location of the place. Though at least he returned like five minutes later, clad in armor. After that, he insisted on coming, so an hour later I found myself standing in front of a tunnel. Having learned all about the dungeon in the meantime.


    ¡°This is the place.¡±


    ¡°Huh, I see.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°So you said it¡¯s a tunnel that goes completely straight and doesn¡¯t veer off whatsoever?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­ I did.¡± The Guildmaster nodded.


    For a moment I thought about using World Ender on the crevice but decided that causing mass hysteria on the city was a bad idea. There was no need to do that if it could be avoided, though still¡­ I didn¡¯t quite have a skill that fit what I wanted to do, did I?


    I pondered for a moment standing before the cave.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it makes a difference being fully connected to the System or not.¡± I sighed. ¡°Magic does feel similar enough.¡±


    The Guildmaster next to me paid no mind to my dialogue.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll just do it I guess.¡±


    I took a step forward and I thought about what I could possibly do, and I remembered a scene from a long time ago. My first real attack since coming to this world. That seemed fun enough. I raised my hand, palm facing the sky and blue trails of wind started to come together. The air dropped several degrees as mana gathered at a single point, a small bead of ice came together and a second later it was done.


    It dropped at the palm of my hand, it was a crystalline bead with a slight tinge of blue. It shone in the sunlight and the Guildmaster was looking at it with curiosity.


    ¡°Well this should be it.¡± I placed it on top of my thumb. ¡°Go or whatever.¡± And I flicked.


    The crystalline bead flew through the air and into the cave, hitting the ground with a very light thud.


    Everlasting Glaciation.


    And the crystal exploded?¡ª a wave of ice blasted towards us but was stopped by my mana however, the other blasted through the cave. In a single moment the crevice in front of us turned into a frozen wasteland, everything in its path completely and utterly frozen. A wave of cold wind swept through the surroundings as the man blinked.


    This attack, unlike others, caused no flashy explosion, no screams or raining blood. In the end, all that remained was just a frozen cave entrance.


    ¡°Did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Well I¡¯d be surprised if anything in there is alive.¡± I shrugged. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go inside to see if it¡¯s done.¡±


    With those words I began to walk forward.


    ¡°Right¡­¡± The Guildmaster hesitated but followed after me a moment later.


    * * * * *


    Adrien in all his years as a Guildmaster had never seen anything like this. He had seen the world, and yet this level of power wasn¡¯t something he had ever actually witnessed. Stella had sung praises about Arc, she truly had, even claiming Arc was already in the fabled SS Tier, the Tier of heroes. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    At first he didn''t believe it, but now¡­


    He looked around in the crystallized cave, light came from the blue flame on the woman¡¯s hand, and was constantly refracted by the surrounding crystals. Everything?¡ª all of it was frozen. Monsters in the middle of fighting with each other, sleeping, or even eating?¡ª all of them had been turned into unmoving statues of white. The place had been a dungeon minutes ago, but now it felt like it was the tunnel to the afterlife.


    It was cold, it was lonely, and more than anything, it was unfeeling.


    Adrien looked around as they ventured deep into the cave, before they ended up in a large room where a gigantic wolf monster was frozen. The monster seemed to be attacking, its large looming claw hovering over a cowering fluffy figure?¡ª it too was frozen. However, after a cursory glance at the room he looked back at the wolf monster.


    It was massive. Easily over two stories tall, and yet it too had died.


    ¡°Well, it seems it got the job done.¡± The woman shrugged.


    Her words were enough for Adrien to shiver. Such power. He turned back to the monster. For a brief moment he thought it was a Fenrir of the Cold, an SS Tier monster that appeared only in books but¡­


    There was no way the woman had defeated it just like that even if she was in that Tier herself. He shook his head and looked at her departing figure. Still¡­ she¡¯s a true monster¡­


    He had never seen that kind of power?¡ª though he was sure heroes were on another realm altogether?¡ª maybe. It didn¡¯t make sense that the woman was stronger than a hero, but somehow, the possibility didn¡¯t leave his mind.


    ¡°Oh, right. Given Stella only wrote one recommendation letter, could you write me another one for the next capital on the way to Draliz?¡± she asked casually.


    ¡°Right¡­ I could get fired for¡­¡± She looked at him, raising her brow, and Adrien immediately changed his mind. ¡°Nevermind, just keep it a secret¡­¡±


    She nodded and Adrien sighed following after her in silence. Minutes passed as they backtracked through the frozen dungeon of death. They were near the exit now.


    On one hand I¡¯m happy she dealt with this¡­ Adrien looked at her. On the other hand, I''m glad she¡¯s probably going to leave for the other guild relatively soon¡­


    Her strength¡­ terrified him.


    He shook his head and Arc stopped, looking at the entrance where a figure stood. Adrien looked up and completely froze.


    ¡°Oh, what brings you here?¡± Arc asked casually.


    It was¡­


    ¡°Mr. Hero of Glass?¡±


    * * * * *


    A man in ornate white armor was standing before me. The armor had no curves whatsoever and yet it could be considered a beautiful piece of art. It reflected light with the colors of the rainbow all over the cave, and the man was looking straight at me. Of course, the [Appraisal] result was there.


    [Hero of Glass. Tier: SS].


    He stared at me for what felt like ages before he shook his head. ¡°Why are you here, Heroine of Frost?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m on my way back to Draliz,¡± I replied simply. ¡°I was there but then the Hero of Arlas showed up, and I was sent to the Forgotten Places, after I exited I found myself on that other continent.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°Whose name I forgot.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to believe that?¡± he huffed.


    ¡°Well, I got a dagger from the Forgotten Places,¡± I said, grabbing it and showing it to him. ¡°That should mean something.¡±


    ¡°It just looks like a dagger.¡± He crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°Based on what I heard from my guards, you told them essentially the same thing and also said you were here to become an adventurer a third time, which¡­¡± The Hero of Glass looked at the Guildmaster. ¡°Does seem to be the truth.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°I heard you killed the Hero of Flames?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I beat him to death yeah, fist fought him,¡± I explained casually. ¡°Then he warned me of the keeper of order but alas, I didn¡¯t listen.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    There was silence after that. The Guildmaster was shaking on unsteady feet, looking in horror at the both of us. Until finally he managed to back off from me, muttering the words, ¡®hero¡¯ and ¡®of frost¡¯. Finally, after a few seconds of silence the Hero of Glass spoke, frustration evident in his voice.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m known for killing any hero that steps into my empire. The last one was fifty years ago.¡± He shook his head. ¡°And yet, in spite of that reputation, here you are.¡±


    ¡°I only found out this morning, when I was already in your empire,¡± I replied, not particularly reacting to what he was saying. ¡°I came to this world¡­ not too long ago.¡±


    ¡°I see, and in spite of that you¡¯re strong enough to murder the Hero of Flames, most interesting.¡± He placed his hand on his chin before turning to me. ¡°Give me a reason not to fight you.¡±


    His voice rang cold.


    ¡°Well I don¡¯t really feel like killing you and making the Hero of Arlas show up, so¡­¡± I thought before shrugging. ¡°Maybe don¡¯t fight me if you regard your life and revival skill?¡±


    And he just stared at me. A second turned into multiple and then, he began to laugh as the Guildmaster squeaked behind us. I watched as the Hero of Glass laughed at what I had just said.


    ¡°Alright, I see. Not a threat I assume.¡±


    ¡°Not really no.¡±


    He looked at the ground, crossing his arms again. He began to tap with his shoe, seemingly brooding in thought.


    ¡°I have a reputation, you know? One that I have to maintain.¡± He shook his head. ¡°But at the same time I get the feeling that you may be stronger than me. What level are you?¡±


    ¡°Level 180 and my race is Draconic Ascended Human or something, it has a bit of corruption.¡±


    ¡°Right, so we are the same level.¡± He faced down. ¡°What is your name?¡±


    ¡°Arc.¡± I pondered. ¡°You know, I can just leave the country right now, I¡¯ll just go pick up Lily if that¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°I do want you out today, the longer you stay the more annoying it¡¯ll be.¡± He sighed. ¡°Alright, how about you use your strongest attack on me?¡±


    I paused, staring at him.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t hurt me enough I¡¯ll take your head for being too weak. A challenge worthy of a hero.¡± He made a fist. ¡°I think that is only fair.¡±


    ¡°You either are serious or think you¡¯ll easily kill me.¡± I sighed. ¡°How about we solve it in a simple manner? If I beat you in arm wrestling I get to leave.¡±


    ¡°A mage wanting to compete with me?¡± The Hero of Glass looked at the ceiling before laughing. ¡°Interesting, alright, Arc. if you beat me you can have my friendship!¡±


    ¡°Not what I was asking for but, sure.¡±


    I could almost feel him smile through the visor, but I paid it no mind as he stomped and a beautiful pair of ornate chairs and a table were made. I stared at them for a few moments before taking a seat.


    ¡°Do you do sculpting? Your glass is quite pretty,¡± I complimented, placing my hand on the table.


    ¡°Here and there.¡± He sat in front of me and quickly locked arms with me. ¡°But you don¡¯t get to know about any of that unless you win this, Arc.¡±


    His words brought a smile to my face.


    Well now I certainly wanted to win.


    ¡°Ready?¡± I felt his hand locked with mine as he gripped.


    I met his gaze through the visor, his eyes were golden.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± I smiled.


    ¡°Alright, on the count of three,¡± his voice was as serious as it could get. ¡°Three¡­¡±


    His hand tightened around mine.


    ¡°Two¡­¡±


    I could feel the muscles behind his armor tense with strength, and I readied myself, deciding to be serious about this.


    ¡°One¡ª¡±


    And we both used our strength, in a single moment my hand overpowered his and slammed past the table?¡ª glass shattered everywhere as a horrendous crack resounded along with a grunt. The Hero of Glass went flying across the room as he hit a cave wall, shattering the ice and beyond as I blinked. The room was full of blood now?¡­


    The Guildmaster screamed and went to run before a booming voice called?¡ª


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    The smoke on the side cleared and I watched the Hero of Glass kneeling, blood littering his surroundings, his long blonde hair was tied back and his voice was closer to androgyny now more than anything.


    ¡°You¡­¡± he chuckled, ¡°really are quite something, you know?¡±


    He lifted himself as I saw his face and it was?¡ª attractive for lack of a better word, golden eyes stared at me with and his expression held nothing but a smile. Yet he was all bloodied and his armor had shattered.


    ¡°How about you marry me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    And he sighed. ¡°Are you into women then?¡±


    ¡°Even if you were a woman I wouldn¡¯t marry you,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°A shame.¡±


    Finally he stood up, and turned to the Guildmaster who was quivering in fear.


    ¡°You, go to the Ministry and say that I have granted the nobility title of Grand Duke to Arc, the Heroine of Frost!¡± he demanded. ¡°If anyone opposes, I''ll see that they are dealt with.¡±


    Adrien quivered. ¡°I can¡¯t do?¡ª¡±


    And a tablet shaped crystal was tossed in his direction, he barely caught it as the Hero of Glass spat.


    ¡°Now go.¡±


    The man nodded and ran off. I stared at his departing figure as I spoke.


    ¡°You know, I needed him for that letter¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get your letter. I just wanted alone time with you.¡± He shook his head.


    I raised my brow. ¡°Alone time to seduce me?¡±


    ¡°No, I actually wanted to say¡­¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°That I¡¯m a huge fan of your work.¡±


    I blinked, and he continued with admiration in his eyes, much to my surprise.


    ¡°I have one of your ice sculptures, it¡¯s wonderful! You have to be one of the best sculptors in the entire world!¡±

 ANNOUNCEMENT: Amber the Cursed Berserker Book 1 — is out now in Kindle Unlimited!

    Heya all!


    Next chapter will be tomorrow but I have big news!


    MelasDelta and I are super excited to announce that Amber the Cursed Berserker Book 1: An Isekai LitRPG </a>is now officially available on Amazon</a> Kindle</a> </a>and Kindle Unlimited</a>!


    I do want to thank everyone for supporting me and reading Arc. It wouldn''t have been possible without y''all.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I know that not everyone has read Amber, so I think this would be the perfect time to check it out; book has been edited and formatted.


    I''d like to ask for everyone''s help! The book just launched so giving it a buy, a rating, or even just downloading since it''s enrolled in KU helps it massively. Seriously I mean it, even dropping it a rating would be so helpful, one does not need to buy the book in order to do so!


    Thank you all again for your support! Again, next chapter tomorrow!


    I do also want to thank my best friend MelasDelta for giving me this opportunity, and for teaching me so much about writing along the process. Well, there is a lot to thank him for, from the cover to publishing, to even the reason I''m writing in the form of Salvos, so shoutout to him as well.


    Anyway, check it out!


    Amber the Cursed Berserker Book 1: An Isekai LitRPG</a>


    Here is the cover art too! Typography by yours truly.


    </a>

 Chapter. 154: Iridescence, Refraction, and Glass

    Chapter. 154: Iridescence, Refraction, and Glass


    Taylor was excited, in fact, she was over the moon. She wasn¡¯t quite sure about revealing her secret just yet, after all if the word got out there would be rebellion all over the empire. The fact that their ruthless emperor was actually an art loving empress. But, for now, she didn¡¯t worry about any of that. Instead, she beamed at the woman before her.


    ¡°Seriously, I mean it!¡±


    And Arc had even complimented her glass making skills!


    ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± She raised her brow. ¡°Thank you?¡±


    Taylor chuckled as the armor of glass reformed, she didn¡¯t feel too confident on the illusion artifacts at play ?¡ª at least not in the presence of a hero. Still¡­ Taylor looked at Arc, the ice woman who was ill-dressed.


    She is¡­ terrifyingly strong. She frowned. Nevermind the fact that I let her win, even if I tried, my arm would¡¯ve snapped in half.


    But ultimately, the hero had no enmity for her so she pushed all her worries aside. Instead, she reveled in the fact that Arc was now a guest in her empire. She didn¡¯t want to fight at all, actually?¡ª as soon as she had heard of Arc¡¯s name, it had taken all her willpower to not start fangirling right then and there.


    As for asking for her hand? She didn¡¯t really mean it at all.


    Still, my defeat was seen by the Guildmaster¡­ troublesome.


    Taylor shook her head, much to the amusement of the Heroine of Frost. ¡°So, I want to make an invitation to you, given you¡¯re quite the artist,¡± her faux voice rang. ¡°Would you be interested in touring my personal art gallery?¡±


    Her tone was as casual as ever, but her heart was racing. She watched as the Heroine of Frost thought for a moment.


    ¡°You know what? Sure.¡±


    Taylor smiled. ¡°Very well, also are you interested in clothing?¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll get to that when I get to that,¡± Arc rejected in a blink. ¡°But if you want to give me luxurious food I won¡¯t refuse.¡±


    A date? I thought you just rejected me, Is what Taylor wanted to say out of amusement, but instead she just agreed to the request.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it.¡±


    Unfortunately, the world of Arlas was unforgiving in Taylor¡¯s experience, so she couldn¡¯t exactly talk or do as she pleased, though she was still an emperor so she still got to enjoy her life. Even then however, she had to exercise quite the restraint with Arc, because deep down she really wanted to befriend the woman.


    ¡°So, why become an adventurer multiple times?¡± Taylor asked, summoning two crystal platforms. ¡°Stand on it, it¡¯ll take us to the palace.¡±


    Arc did as told, and then replied. ¡°Well, boredom I suppose.¡± She shrugged, crossing her arms. ¡°I spent god knows how long in the Forgotten Places, now I¡¯m returning to Draliz in a slight rush but also trying to do a bit of sightseeing I suppose.¡±


    ¡°So you won¡¯t be staying long.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I won¡¯t.¡±


    Taylor nodded and decided to ignore the topic of the Forgotten Places entirely, while she was inclined to believe it, she also wanted no part in knowing about that wretched place, let alone touching it. She had long achieved her goals, and wanted nothing to do with problems that didn¡¯t concern her.


    Given the conversation died after Arc¡¯s reply, she decided not to say anything and just let the glass platforms carry the both of them to the palace.


    * * * * *


    The Hero of Glass was somewhat strange to me. They had spoken about killing heroes in their territory, but I hadn¡¯t actually felt enmity from them a single time. In fact, they seemed more hostile towards the Guildmaster than me. Something I took note of.


    Though, eventually, I decided to not focus on that and instead turn to the aerial view of Arthoris?¡ª the city I had arrived to like two hours ago. Its architecture was quite beautiful to me, the buildings had intricate carvings and were generally made of stone with brick roofs. Multiple cathedrals were sprinkled throughout, all in a gothic medieval style. And finally, I saw the castle slash palace. It resembled yet another cathedral but it was two times the size and about ten times as intricate.


    Stained glass filled every window with glorious depictions of battles or even landscapes, they had an iridescent-like quality to them that I found captivating.


    ¡°Impressive is it not?¡± the Hero of Glass asked.


    ¡°It is¡­¡± I agreed, looking around.


    Finally, after a few more minutes we landed on the courtyard of the building. Guards from all directions turned to look at me and the looks I received were¡­ of pity? I raised my brow at that but the Hero of Glass explained it curtly.


    ¡°They think I¡¯m going to personally execute you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I see.¡± That certainly explained it.


    With those words, he stepped forward and into the palace. We crossed long halls with red carpet and white walls, passed by grand rooms, and even passed the throne room that was littered with guards. Before finally, we arrived at a single hallway with two guards, the Hero of Glass passed and I?¡ª


    Had spears shatter at my throat, the guards pulled out daggers to attack me but the Hero of Glass grunted, glass stopping the guards physically from doing anything else.


    ¡°She¡¯s with me, and make sure everyone in the palace knows that she? ¡ª no matter if its twenty years from now ?¡ª is a guest of honor and will always be one.¡±


    The statement sent shock through the guards who hurriedly nodded and knelt before him.


    ¡°Come now.¡±


    And with that, I found myself following after the Hero of Glass once more. The hallway we were walking through was lined with more of the wonderful stained windows, the sunlight that poured from the outside was colorful and shifted with each passing second? akin the glittering of coins. However, after admiring it I decided to speak.


    ¡°So you¡¯re a tyrant and yet you aren¡¯t hostile towards me,¡± I said simply.


    The Hero of Glass stopped in his tracks and turned to me, I couldn¡¯t see his eyes but his armor shimmered in the hall.


    ¡°I am a tyrant,¡± he agreed. ¡°But not because I¡¯m callous, I do this for reputation, I do this to protect myself. With my reputation no hero dares to try to provoke me and I can live life, even if part of it is a charade ?¡ª a large part of it,¡± he corrected, shaking his head.


    ¡°Huh, I see.¡± I tilted my head. ¡°So you¡¯re rather normal?¡±The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, if it was any other hero I would¡¯ve immediately used one of my SS Tier skills to end them,¡± he grunted and turned, beginning to walk away.


    I raised my brow.


    ¡°But I¡¯m the exception?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the simple reply.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    A second later, I followed after him.


    In the end, I decided to just go with whatever was happening. I didn¡¯t exactly judge the Hero of Glass or anything, and the art interested me, so I wasn¡¯t going to anger him for no reason; which is why I didn¡¯t even ask why I was the exception.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    He showed me anything artistic related he had, from various paintings, old sculptures to even fossils in his possession. Some were used as decoration and some were stowed away in storage rooms, but the Hero of Glass made sure to go through everything at least from what I could tell.


    Then finally, we stood before two large ornate double doors.


    ¡°This is where I keep the things most important to me,¡± he said simply, and then he opened the doors.


    I immediately spotted one of my ice sculptures at the entrance, light shining over it. This one was the depiction of a very large tree, it stood over three meters tall, each leaf intricately sculptured with dew on their surface, some even had worms and some were half eaten. The bark too had small holes and there were even birds nesting on its branches.


    I remembered the sculpture; it was actually the tree I used to sketch under back on Earth.


    ¡°Your work is truly¡­ something else,¡± the Hero of Glass let out a breath and stepped into the room.


    I followed after him, my eyes saw beautiful paintings lining the walls, I saw sculptures lining the hall, but my eyes ultimately stopped at the end of the room. Ignoring everything else I immediately walked in the direction, the Hero of Glass said nothing following after me.


    And finally, a few seconds later I reached what I was looking at.


    It was the sculpture of an eastern dragon. An orange light shone over it, and it sparkled like the stars, the floor itself too was filled with refracted light?. It was something beautiful, and it was a sculpture made out of glass. There were even geometrical shapes inside of the dragon, some purple, some green, some blue, however the glass wasn¡¯t dyed, it was all due to how it refracted the lighting.


    I stared at it as the Hero of Glass stood by my side.


    ¡°I could never make something like that,¡± I finally said. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I like it a lot.¡±


    There was a moment of silence, I heard some form of rushed breathing before the Hero of Glass finally spoke.


    ¡°Thank you, your compliment means a lot to me.¡±


    I stared at it. ¡°Do you have more?¡±


    The Hero of Glass nodded and stepped past the sculpture and towards a corner of the room where a single door resided. He opened it and walked inside, I followed. What greeted me was another hall, this one had a single window at the end of it that allowed all the light in. And inside the room there were dozens of pedestals, each holding a sculpture, a glass sculpture.


    The sight¡­ took my breath away.


    It was¡­ beautiful.


    And I, of course, admired each one of them, eventually asking about their creation to the hero who was surprisingly happy to answer.


    Hours passed and finally, we finished with the last sculpture.


    ¡°Consider yourself lucky, you¡¯re the first person to lay eyes on this room aside from me,¡± the Hero of Glass said before chuckling to themselves. ¡°No, rather, thank you for being here Arc.¡±


    They placed their glass hand on my shoulder as I stared at them in bewilderment.


    ¡°You¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met in this world that is as passionate with art as me. I am grateful for that,¡± their voice was like a whisper.


    I was caught off guard by the burst of sincerity, but smiled anyway.


    ¡°There is an ice sculptor in Draliz, he has a workshop in a city called Rivas, perhaps you could swing by. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love to see your sculptures.¡±


    ¡°Is he your friend?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± the Hero of Glass agreed. ¡°Is Draliz the country you rule?¡±


    ¡°Technically,¡± I agreed, shrugging. ¡°My companion¡¯s family rules it, but¡­ I¡¯m the one backing them,¡± I explained.


    ¡°Companion huh, like a concubine?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, just my little sister.¡± Before he could ask I elaborated. ¡°My family back on Earth sucked, so I consider her my family now. I don¡¯t care too much about her parents though, neither does she.¡±


    The Hero of Glass nodded.


    ¡°If you¡¯re interested in a wife I know just the right person for you,¡± he said as he began to walk out of the room. ¡°Her name is Taylor and she is quite strong, perhaps I could set a date for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in that stuff,¡± I dismissed.


    ¡°A shame. So about the luxury food, anything in mind?¡± he asked as I followed after him.


    And I, of course, asked for literally every single delicacy his empire had to offer, much to his amusement.


    * * * * *


    She is quite fun.


    Taylor smiled, they had actually continued talking even as Arc ate, and she found herself enjoying the woman¡¯s company. Unfortunately, even if Taylor wanted Arc, the woman didn¡¯t feel the same way about anyone ?¡ª she even mentioned the Dragon of Shadows acting like that towards her.


    Arc was interesting, she was the Queen of the Dragons, the ruler of Draliz, and had also escaped the Forgotten Places. Taylor had ultimately decided to ask and¡­ the adventure was bizarre but she didn¡¯t sense a lie so in the end, she just listened.


    For the first time since coming to this world Taylor felt like she had made a friend.


    The dinner eventually came to an end, and the time of departure for Arc arrived. She had just received the recommendation letter and adventurer¡¯s badge from the Adventurer¡¯s Guild.


    Now, they were standing in the middle of the forest.


    ¡°You should come visit some time,¡± Taylor said.


    ¡°Maybe, or maybe you could also visit and bring some of the sculptures,¡± Arc smiled lightly before pausing. ¡°Wait since you¡¯ve killed heroes in the past did the keeper of order not come?¡±


    ¡°He came but didn¡¯t say much.¡± Taylor shrugged, now just being herself with Arc.


    ¡°So a slap on the wrist, meanwhile he tosses me into a hellhole.¡± Arc sighed. ¡°Annoying.¡±


    Taylor chuckled at that which got her a small glare from the woman, but ultimately Arc shook her head. And began to step into the forest. The sight made Taylor a bit sad, but ultimately Arc had to leave. As for seeing her again? The chances were slim. So it was farewell more than anything. There were multiple continents between them after all.


    Though, Arc stopped in her tracks and turned.


    ¡°You know, my magic has changed so I don¡¯t know how well it will work, but talking with you has made me feel human again so...¡± Arc tossed her a crystal.


    Taylor caught it with one hand, it was a rhombus shaped ice crystal, however it was dark blue in color.


    ¡°If you¡¯re ever in trouble just break it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you but I can take care of myself,¡± Taylor said, still stowing it away. ¡°So, this is our farewell, Heroine of Frost?¡±


    The woman paused. ¡°I hope not, but now that I think about it I never got your name. What is it?¡±


    Taylor hesitated, she thought about keeping up an act, making it up, but ultimately she decided on doing something she never thought she would do. Perhaps their friendship ?¡ª if it even was that ?¡ª had just started but Taylor was¡­ tired of the monotony, she was tired of keeping up an act, of keeping her interests to herself; she was tired of everything.


    She wanted a change of pace.


    ¡°My name is Taylor,¡± she smiled as the armor broke apart and took off three rings from her hand. Her appearance shifting to her original one. Her long golden hair flowing to the wind. ¡°And perhaps, we can be more than just friends if you¡¯re interested in that date I offered.¡±


    Of course, she wasn¡¯t serious. She just found it funny to keep asking after being rejected. She didn¡¯t mean it a single time, even when referring to herself in third person.


    Arc stared at her for what felt like forever before finally letting out a chuckle.


    ¡°No date, but if you come to Draliz I¡¯ll consider making you an ice sculpture.¡±


    Taylor paused before grinning. ¡°Very well, if you come visit here I¡¯ll consider making you a sculpture myself.¡±


    Their gazes met and after a few moments Arc turned around.


    ¡°See you Taylor, I¡¯ll look into sending letters ?¡ª I¡¯ll label them as something important so they don¡¯t get ignored.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to do the same.¡±


    And with that Arc disappeared into the forest.


    Taylor stood there for what felt like forever before leaving.


    She was an emperor, a so-called tyrant, but aside from using brute force she rarely killed people. Perhaps her path wasn¡¯t something that everyone agreed with, but today she had made a friend. And she was¡­ happy.


    * * * * *


    ¡°Who was that?¡± Lily asked as we began to take flight. ¡°I could sense them, they were¡­ powerful.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they were the Hero of Glass, or¡­¡± I decided to keep what I saw to myself. ¡°I befriended them. It was a fun day.¡±


    ¡°W-Wait, you befriended the Hero of Glass!?¡±


    I smiled. ¡°And it was really fun.¡±


    Moments later, Lily began to bombard me with questions and talk about the infamy of the hero but I paid it no mind as we rode into the night. That said, I was going to need to rush through the reminder of the adventurer tags to get to Draliz, I couldn¡¯t afford to spend that much leisure time after all.


    Still, I had fun.

 Chapter. 155: Breaking a Leg

    Chapter. 155: Breaking a Leg


    I had enjoyed my day with Taylor quite a lot. It felt¡­ like it grounded me to reality, if I had to put it. I had escaped the Forgotten Places, and I was back in Arlas ?¡ª I still didn¡¯t really care about my identity or other things. But in some way, I felt better, things that didn¡¯t matter to me before started to matter to me now.


    For instance, a small part of me wished I could¡¯ve dragged Taylor along with me. Of course, I understood that she was an emperor, or¡­ empress. I also understood that we solely bonded over art and nothing else so it wasn¡¯t like she was my best friend or anything, but I was looking forward to seeing her again.


    Another thing that I now suddenly cared about was¡­


    A sigh left me. ¡°Alright, better late than never.¡±


    We were still flying over the ocean.


    It was time to make clothes.


    My clothes were made out of ice. Thin threads woven together to create them, and of course, they had been torn in the Forgotten Places. If I was honest, given my magic had changed a bit, I was unsure about my skills when it came to more delicate things like this. However¡­


    I looked down at myself. My shirt was ripped apart, showing my sides and part of my shoulders. My jacket was nowhere to be found?¡ª probably corrupted somewhere. Maybe a corrupted armor artifact? That would be cool. My pants too were ripped to shreds, and a broken necklace hung from my neck. My ice leg was completely exposed and I actually didn¡¯t even have boots, so my working leg was barefoot.


    Finally with a sigh, I decided to take off my pants. Lily said nothing and finally, I saw my naked legs, more specifically looking at my left leg. I saw the connection of the ice to my flesh, it was¡­ a weird sight. It didn¡¯t look bruised or anything but¡­ I also didn¡¯t dare to remove the ice to see how the stump looked.


    ¡°Lily, I think as soon as we are back in Draliz, I¡¯ll ask you to help me get my leg back.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± She nodded. ¡°You know, when I met you during our dragon reunion, I was a bit scared when you killed the Dragon of Frost so I didn¡¯t interact with you much.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    ¡°But you know, these past few days with you have been nice.¡± She nodded to herself. ¡°You¡¯re nice, Arc.¡±


    I smiled.


    ¡°Hopefully that wasn¡¯t too weird to say¡­¡± she continued in a whisper.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t.¡± I looked at Lily. ¡°Thank you for all the help.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yeah.¡±


    Then there was silence as I went back to running my hand over my leg, feeling the pale skin and the ice. A small sense of dissonance coming along with it. Normally I ignore it, but¡­ it was such a weird feeling.


    I shuddered and decided to focus on making new clothes, it was a bit more tedious to restore my current ones ?¡ª or so I judged. Still, in the past making clothes wasn¡¯t a hard process but it still took a bit of concentration, however now with my new magic I was not looking forward to doing it.


    I took a deep breath and began to weave ice threads. At first it was a bit messy and the texture didn¡¯t come out uniform but after an hour of adjusting I found I had brand new pants which I quickly put on.


    Each article of clothing was honestly a slight struggle given the different textures but I grew more proficient at it the more time that passed. First were the boots, then were my two shirts which I quickly wore and finally came my jacket. The jacket itself was easy enough, the felt on the other hand took me about two hours.


    But after that, I had shiny new clothes that felt softer and better than ever. Arcane magic was truly something else in terms of quality ?¡ª perhaps the sole reason the keeper of order had sent me there was so I could have better quality clothes; so benevolent.


    Though once I see him again I¡¯ll rip his leg off, see how he likes it.


    Now fully dressed I closed my eyes, relaxing under the familiar yet new sensations of my arcane magic woven clothes. I was sure that if people were aware of its nature they¡¯d scream at me for using such rare magic to create clothing, but I didn¡¯t really care. And so, I reveled in wearing clothes.


    That said, the thought of me walking around in torn clothes and spouting what was essentially nonsense to people was¡­ kind of amusing. I was done doing that ?¡ª doing that in torn clothes anyway.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    I knew I said until Draliz, but¡­


    I wasn¡¯t too keen on Ceylon seeing that I was missing a leg, and after the night I had grown extremely aware of my leg, so. I was now in the most prestigious alchemy shop in whatever the city I was in was called, Lily was present too though she wasn¡¯t too comfortable.


    I had already passed by the Adventurer¡¯s Guild, getting a B Tier badge and a recommendation letter for the next city. At first the Guildmaster had been skeptical but after freezing a monster in time for about ten minutes he said something along the lines of ¡®M-Monster¡¯ and ¡®N-Never come back!¡¯ and handed me everything I asked for.


    I mean, was it such a big deal? I guess¡­


    Finally, the line in front of us moved and I was now in front of the store clerk. He had small round glasses, formal attire with a vest and a weird looking hat.


    ¡°What do you require, miss?¡±


    ¡°Your best Health Potion,¡± I said simply. ¡°I mean the best one.¡±


    He watched as I cut into the space pulling out the sack of platinum coins I possessed. He stared at it for a second before nodding and telling me to follow. Soon, we found ourselves in a decorated waiting room, wood and felt surrounding us, expensive looking alcohol lined the shelves in our immediate vicinity. Meanwhile at the center were two leather sofas and a coffee table.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    ¡°You know¡­¡± Lily awkwardly began. ¡°There is a chance the Health Potion¡¯s quality isn¡¯t high enough for the task¡­¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± I sat on one of the sofas. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Lily sat next to me, evidently nervous as she spoke in a low voice. ¡°B-But if you don¡¯t buy it they might get upset¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I need it to get my leg back,¡± I explained. ¡°If they take issue with their potion not being good enough to do that?¡ª¡±


    And the door opened as an old man walked in. His white hair was combed back, and he had a monocle and what resembled a suit. He immediately met my gaze and sat in front of us before opening the suitcase in our direction.


    ¡°These are our highest quality potions.¡±


    I stared at the different shaped vials with red and orange-ish liquid. Each of them was A Tier and the last one was even S Tier, but with a single look Lily sighed.


    ¡°They are not good enough,¡± I said simply.


    ¡°Not good enough.¡± The man raised his brow. ¡°Any of these are enough to bring even an S Tier adventurer from near death. What do you want it for?¡±


    ¡°To recover a lost limb.¡± My tone remained the same but the man frowned.


    ¡°The S Tier one should be able to? recover that too?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough¡­¡± Lily began. ¡°I understand that for a normal person all of these are enough, even an S Tier adventurer or that the last one is enough for an SS Tier hero, but if this is all you have then it won¡¯t be sufficient,¡± she said, letting out a shaky breath.


    The man blinked, looking at her. ¡°We do have one more, but it¡¯s price is?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is it above three-hundred platinum?¡± I asked.


    He turned to me surprised. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then bring it,¡± I sighed.


    The man closed the suitcase and stood up with a nod, taking the potions along with him. Once more, we were alone in the room. Lily made small chat, which I indulged; mainly asking if I ever had alcohol, since she was interested in trying it but I couldn¡¯t provide her an experienced answer. Finally, a few minutes later the man came back with a vial that resembled an hourglass.


    White lines ran across the length of the glass and the liquid inside was amber.


    [ Health Potion from the Hero of Potions. Tier: SS ]


    I blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ is the Hero of Potions still around?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s dead,¡± the man answered, setting it on the table. ¡°Its price is two-hundred-and-fifty platinum. Is this potion satisfactory?¡±


    Lily nodded. ¡°It is very satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll buy it,¡± I said, placing multiple stacks of coins on the table. Once I was done counting, I turned to Lily. ¡°Can you do it now?¡±


    She paused. ¡°Right, I can but¡­ you have to reopen the stump, sorry I didn¡¯t tell?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I turned to the old man who was now confused. ¡°If I stain the sofas and stuff, are there cleaning fees?¡±


    ¡°Five platinum yes¡­ why?¡±


    I ignored his question as I put five more platinum coins on the table, my left leg following soon after it. Then, I grabbed my dagger and cut into the air, taking out my spear and splitting it into the two weapons that assembled it. I grabbed Alfina¡¯s Sword and looked at my leg.


    The man looked at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°Wait what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡ª¡±


    And with a burst of mana I swung my sword down with a thunderous sound.


    * * * * *


    Blood splattered as Chester looked with absolute horror. The leg flew across the room as the sword was placed to the side. W-What was?¡ª His mind struggled to parse anything as he saw the woman¡¯s expression hardly change. Even her companion seemed to be stunned.


    Why would she chop off her own leg?!


    Chester gasped looking at the leg of the woman?¡ª it was dripping blood onto the ground that seemed to be freezing from the blood¡­ His mind parsed the sight, the longer he stared at it the less it made sense to him. And then there was the bleeding open wound, he could even see?¡ª


    Suddenly he felt like gagging as the woman spoke.


    ¡°Lily, the wound will close again if you wait too long,¡± she said with annoyance.


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡±


    She hurriedly grabbed the legendary potion and smashed it against the table as if it was nothing but trash?¡ª the glass exploded and yet the liquid didn¡¯t splatter. Instead it floated towards the woman¡¯s leg and almost seemed to reform itself into a new leg.


    The purple haired girl seemed to be muttering something under her breath before finally she clapped her hands.


    With a shining and harrowing pulse of light?¡ª the room became a deep purple and a grunt was heard. Then, a second later it all cleared and Chester looked ahead only to see the white-haired woman moving her leg like a child. The sword she had used was long gone.


    ¡°No more ice leg.¡± She turned to her companion. ¡°Thank you, I appreciate it a lot.¡±


    The purple haired woman nodded very slowly. ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡± she said quietly.


    Meanwhile Chester could only stare as the white-haired woman stood up and grabbed the leg that was flown across the room and?¡ª she removed the piece of clothing and the boot from it, sliding the loose cut clothing over her new leg along with the boot.


    What¡ª and a moment later the damage to her pants had been repaired. She looked the same as when she came to the room, no sign of the blood?¡ª aside from the now stained floor. Chester just stared, the only possible explanation coming to his mind.


    ¡°Are you a hero¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± She nodded and smiled. ¡°The Heroine of Frost, and thank you I wouldn¡¯t have been able to get my leg back without your potion.¡±


    Then Chester watched as she grabbed the ice leg?¡ª which somehow was a viable prosthetic.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this, not too keen on my leg being used as an ice cube or whatever else,¡± she said casually.


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Chester then engaged in farewell with the two ladies before they left the room. But, the entire time he was still processing the events that had unfolded, and even after they left he could only think about the sight of the woman cutting her leg off.


    Sure, he had found out it was mostly ice but?¡ª she had cut through flesh.


    Then, he leaned back and just stared at the ceiling as his mind refused to process what he had just seen. Never, in his sixty years in this business had he seen anything like it.


    Perhaps it¡¯s time for retirement¡­


    * * * * *


    After that, we left the city and continued onto our next destination. Flying over vast forests.


    ¡°You know, that was pretty uncomfortable,¡± Lily admitted.


    ¡°I figured.¡± I gave her a small smile. ¡°Is there anything you¡¯d like as compensation?¡±


    The beating of her wings was interrupted ever so slightly as she hurriedly shook her head. Speaking in a hurried tone.


    ¡°No?¡ª there is no need to compensate me, I just wanted to¡­ complain I guess¡­ vent?¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡± I slowly nodded. ¡°That¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°You know, I just don¡¯t like feeling like all eyes are on me. It feels like every action I take is being judged. It is not until I get to know a person that I stop feeling like this,¡± she sighed. ¡°I think¡­ I don¡¯t know how I feel about it.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ I think it¡¯s okay,¡± I said looking at the sky. ¡°We cannot really change ourselves at such a fundamental level. Perhaps we can avoid acting on our emotions, but even if you put on a mask you¡¯ll still feel like that deep down.¡±


    ¡°That is true¡­¡± she agreed quietly.


    ¡°But it is also what makes us unique, at least that¡¯s what I think.¡± I shrugged before lightly smiling. ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think you should care too much, you are you, you are unique, and that¡¯s why you are Lily, not someone or anything else. And for what it¡¯s worth, I think you make great company, Lily.¡±


    The dragon shuddered, nearly losing the ability to flight as she hurriedly nodded.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Hours later, we arrived at the next Adventurer¡¯s Guild, this time to get a C Tier badge.

 Chapter. 156: Collecting Badges

    Chapter. 156: Collecting Badges


    It was a good day for Brent. Today he was going to become a C Tier adventurer. He had just gotten his Class Advancement, becoming a [Shadow Stalker] it was considered quite the rare class. Due to it, he felt more than just ready to undergo the test to attain his C Tier badge. Most people would''ve normally felt nervous but certainly not him.


    He did, however, wish he lived in a different part of the world. There were Adventurer''s Guilds that would issue the new badge just from seeing his level through an appraisal stone. Unfortunately, it didn''t work that way in the Loa Theocracy. However, he didn''t let any of those things drag him down, he had aspirations of traveling the world one day after all. If he resented this, then how could he adapt to other cultures?


    And so, with his head held high, and his twin daggers on his hips. He strode into the guild, where he immediately saw a woman leaning against the counter and looking at the ceiling. She seemed distracted and wore rather strange clothes, but even though they were strange Brent felt like they suited her. Still, she may have been an adventurer or civilian waiting for a request to be processed.


    Ignoring her, Brent strode to the counter where he greeted the familiar figure.


    ¡°Melany,¡± he smiled at the blonde woman. ¡°You know why I''m here today don''t you?¡±


    The woman nodded, her demeanor professional.


    ¡°Your C Tier promotion correct?¡± she asked and Brent nodded. ¡°Very well, you will be taking it along with that woman, Arc, a Frost Mage.¡±


    Brent blinked and looked towards the white haired woman. She didn''t even turn their way but he supposed he was fine with that. However what he didn''t expect was for the Guildmaster themselves to show up.


    ¡°I''ve read your letter of recommendation Arc,¡± the old man stated. ¡°Which is why I''ll be conducting your test today.¡±


    Recommendation letter? Brent felt¡­ confused and nervous. Never did the Guildmaster conduct the test, it was supposed to be a qualified examiner.


    Then, Melany informed the old man of the development and soon he turned towards Brent.


    ¡°I''ll be conducting your test too, boy.¡±


    He sheepishly nodded and then watched as the white haired woman finally decided to say something. Her tone was rather uncaring and casual.


    ¡°By the way, I want to register as an adventurer two more times today, so I¡¯d appreciate if your test doesn''t take too long.¡±


    Brent paused. Register two more times?!


    The Guildmaster in return laughed. ¡°Young people are so eager, but do not be silly, you can only register once. Well, that doesn¡¯t matter too much. Let us set off.¡±


    In turn the woman nodded and followed after the old Guildmaster, while Brent was stuck processing whatever was happening. However, as soon as the two people left the building he realized he was going to be left behind. So, he rushed to chase after them, not having time to question Melany about what was going on.


    Still, the white-haired woman, Arc the Frost Mage, had been present for quite some time it seemed. And it was because of her that all of this was happening¡­ Brent¡¯s eyes narrowed looking at the woman: Who was she? And what was going on? Such questions went through his mind as he stepped outside.


    The Guildmaster smiled and summoned a wooden staff that he promptly tapped on the ground.


    ¡°[Cloud Ride].¡±


    Brent¡¯s eyes widened as solid mist formed beneath their feet, and a moment later they floated into the air. He struggled to not fall as they immediately began flying towards the forests outside of the city.


    ¡°This is a bit slower than the Hero of Glass¡¯ platforms,¡± Arc commented.


    The Guildmaster chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just a humble S Tier, certainly cannot compare to a hero. But to think you have met that ruthless emperor, what was the experience like?¡±


    ¡°Very pleasant,¡± the woman smiled. ¡°I enjoyed my time there, and plan to visit again. It finally made me feel like myself again after quite some time.¡±


    ¡°An interesting tale you propose, who might you be?¡± the old man asked.


    Brent also looked towards the woman who blinked and pointed at herself.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m the Heroine of Frost.¡±


    Brent¡¯s eyes grew wide as the information he received rebounded in his head. It hit like a hammer and for a moment he felt lightheaded. What¡­? Was all he could think of.


    The Guildmaster laughed in response. ¡°So a hero wants to become a C Tier adventurer? Not something I expected.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m joking,¡± the woman chuckled.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the old man nodded sagely. ¡°Heroes are much different to you, they tend to be unfeeling and only care for power; there is also the fact that I cannot sense an ounce of mana on you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that is because my magic became arcane or something, I still don''t quite get it still.¡±


    Brent kept tabs on the conversation, and finally he realized that the woman was just insane. That she was just completely delusional and probably barely C Tier. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t have [Appraisal] but he was just sure of that. Even the Guildmaster wasn¡¯t taking her seriously, he hadn¡¯t been the entire time. Perhaps he was only bothering with this due to the recommendation letter.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see some of your magic,¡± the Guildmaster finally said after a few seconds, pondering before pointing at the forest they were quickly arriving at. ¡°As an adventurer, you are meant to be efficient at killing monsters. This place is crawling with them, so show me something efficient.¡±


    The woman tilted her head, and that¡¯s when Brent had a realization. Perhaps it was from her expression, or how she seemed lost but¡­


    She¡¯s just a phony. He bit his lip, now bothered at himself.


    She had no clue what she was saying, let alone doing. He felt as if he was wasting his time here, however, he had to remember himself that he was only here to become a C Tier adventurer, not to concern himself over some crazy woman. And more importantly, he took to heart to not be so quickly trusting again just because of bizarre circumstances.


    She¡¯s just insane, after she is done I¡¯ll get my turn and then I¡¯ll go home and forget about all of this. Brent nodded to himself.


    Finally, the woman decided to ask what she seemed to have in mind. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Should I be worried about killing too many or anything?¡±


    The Guildmaster chuckled at that, and a moment later all the clouds gathered as a much larger platform was formed. Brent felt awed, it felt as if walking in the sky as he looked at his surroundings, however neither of the other two people seemed to care much about that. The Guildmaster joined Arc¡¯s side and began to speak.


    ¡°In this vast forest, there are thousands of monsters, of course you shouldn¡¯t be concerned. However, you should understand your limits, so do not push yourself,¡± his voice sounded genuine.


    ¡°Oh, no worries I won¡¯t damage the landscape irreparably or anything,¡± she said, in an obvious happy tone. ¡°Well I know just the right skill.¡±


    It was beginning¡­


    Brent immediately turned to look at what the Frost Mage was doing. The woman had extended her palm in no direction in particular. And a moment later, Brent felt a chilly wind pass, then more and more.


    ¡°Oho.¡± The Guildmaster stared.


    Brent saw mana itself condensing above the woman¡¯s palm, all into a shining blue ball. For a moment, he doubted himself; that all his thoughts against the woman had been wrong, that he was a fool at not realizing who she was?, however that ended as soon as it came. A small white bead dropped onto her palm.


    ¡°Is that your spell?¡± the Guildmaster asked, evidently more curious than ever.


    Brent also stared intently at the white bead. It looked¡­ lame and inoffensive. So much for that, he thought. Just when he was about to stop paying attention the woman nodded.


    ¡°Part of it, the next part is this.¡± With rather impressive dexterity, she shifted the ball from the palm to the tip of her thumb and moved her index finger behind it, ready to flick it. And that sight, that ridiculous sight, snapped something inside of brent.


    ¡°You¡­ flick your spell?!¡± Brent lost it. That was the stupidest shit he had ever seen but the woman didn¡¯t say anything and flicked.


    The bead flew a few dozen meters forward before it began to fall. The Guildmaster just stared, and Brent crossed his arms. Finally, after about five seconds he realized.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t do anything??¡ª¡±


    And the forest exploded. The world below became a white hell as everything became coated in ice. The Guildmaster let out a gasp and began trembling, and Brent¡­ froze. Because nothing made sense, not the woman¡¯s craziness, nor the feeling she gave off, or even that attack.


    It was just a bead and yet¡­


    And finally, his brain reached the only reasonable conclusion:


    It had to be a dream.


    It just had to¡­


    His breathing quickened as he looked towards the horizon only to see the expansion of frost cover the entirety of the forest. He looked behind and the city walls seemed unaffected, so did the rivers?, however, everything else was frozen. It¡­ didn¡¯t make sense.


    It just didn¡¯t.


    And in response he began laughing.


    * * * * *


    I looked towards the adventurer that came along and he seemed to be losing his mind. Which¡­ I felt a bit odd about. I did wish people took me more seriously when I explained stuff to them and yet at the same time I couldn¡¯t be bothered to actually ensure they took me seriously. Well, I didn¡¯t care too much about what the adventurer thought.


    Instead I turned to the old man that was the Guildmaster. He was just looking at the surroundings with wide eyes, his mouth agape as his voice trembled?¡ª the man was speechless.


    Did I overdo it? Well I did, but at the same time I didn¡¯t really know what else to do. I guess I could¡¯ve pretended to be normal?


    I pondered for a second before deciding to prompt the Guildmaster.


    ¡°So, did I pass?¡±


    The man turned towards me, his mouth still wide open as he looked me up and down, and finally he managed to gather his wits.


    ¡°You¡­ you are¡­ the Heroine?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes I told you,¡± I interrupted. ¡°Anyway, I was wondering about a recommendation letter.¡±


    ¡°... of¡­ Frost¡­¡± he finished.


    The man kept looking between me and the landscape and that¡¯s when I realized that I had indeed shown off a little bit too much. I however, needed a letter of recommendation so showing off was a necessity ?¡ª or so I felt. Maybe being more assertive would get things done faster? I wasn¡¯t completely sure if I was being honest.


    Lily was waiting for me in the forest ?¡ª a different forest ?¡ª however, I didn¡¯t want to make her wait too long. So in the end, I grabbed the adventurer and the Guildmaster and used [God Step].


    * * * * *


    Brent barely registered being grabbed, but a second later he found himself standing before the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. He didn¡¯t understand what was happening, he at this point was certain it was a dream so he just smiled and saw as the Heroine of Frost turned to the Guildmaster and gave him a tap on the back.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re at the guild now, could you hurry with the whole, ¡®it¡¯s actually the Heroine of Frost¡¯ shock? I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry.¡±


    Brent began to laugh and a moment later, nausea like never before hit him as he collapsed on the ground throwing up.


    * * * * *


    I ignored the adventurer and after pushing the Guildmaster into the building he seemed to finally break out of his stupor. That was when he finally turned to me.


    ¡°So a recommendation letter for D Tier?¡± he asked, disbelievingly.


    ¡°Yep.¡± I nodded.


    ¡°But why? Why would you want to register multiple times?!¡±


    I tilted my head. ¡°Because I want to, I suppose, might as well finish what I started.¡±


    The man blinked at that and seemed completely confused. ¡°What?¡ª that doesn¡¯t?¡ª that¡¯s just a whim!¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± I agreed. ¡°So, will you get me the letter and the badge? I don¡¯t really have all day.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes momentarily widened before he sighed. And went off to his room. The receptionist gave me weird looks, but I paid it no mind. A short minute later, the adventurer I brought here stumbled into the guild and gave me a weird look.


    ¡°Is this really a dream?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±


    He nodded and went to sit down, then, he laid his head on the table and proceeded to sleep. I found the interaction rather weird, but paid it no mind. Shortly after that, the Guildmaster handed me my adventurer¡¯s badge and recommendation letter.


    ¡°While, I hope you can one day reveal to me the secrets of your magic?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I can tell you how I did it,¡± I interrupted.


    The man shook his head. ¡°I also hope to not see you again. You¡¯re the first hero I¡¯ve ever met, and thank you for being so friendly, but this is not for me.¡±


    I blinked, and he bid his farewell before retreating to his study again.


    Huh, well I guess that¡¯s that.


    I turned to the adventurer¡¯s badge.


    Name: Arc. Registered in: Brenith Branch. Tier: C


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    After that, I proceeded to obtain my D Tier badge by giving the next Guildmaster my recommendation letter and promptly showing him my collection of adventurer badges. The interaction went in a rather weird way.


    ¡°So, you want to collect all of them?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± I agreed.


    ¡°Awesome, sure I¡¯ll get you one, honor to meet you, Heroine of Frost.¡±


    The Guildmaster seemed like a woman in her thirties and was rather happy to meet me, she had even invited me for a meal which I had to unfortunately decline given I had yet another badge to get. She had offered to get me another one but that felt like cheating so I departed after that.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    The last Guildmaster was a man and unlike the last one he was¡­


    ¡°Monster, just take it! Take it, stay away from me!¡±


    He seemed to have [Appraisal] and had been able to see I was a hero pretty much immediately. So in the end, I attained all my badges by the end of the day. It was a fun experience. I had made a string of frost and threaded them all into it. And now, I twirled all of them in my finger as they clinked against each other. A grand total of six adventurer¡¯s badges. Now, I was riding Lily.


    ¡°So, I take it today, you had a lot of fun?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I did.¡± I nodded. ¡°What about you, enjoying relaxing lately.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I think I want to stay by your side from now on, at least until we get to Draliz,¡± the dragon answered. ¡°It gets pretty lonely in the forest, I guess.¡±


    I thought about it for a moment and nodded. However, I felt a bit sad to remind the dragon of one thing.


    In the end, I wanted to see Ceylon¡­ I smiled.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave you, Lily but we are going straight to Draliz now, only stopping for food,¡± I explained gently.


    ¡°Eh?!¡±

 Chapter. 157: End of a Journey

    Chapter. 157: End of a Journey


    During the journey, we stopped to enjoy local cuisine. I had quite a lot of platinum coins to spare so I made sure to order everything. Much to Lily¡¯s surprise.


    ¡°Arc, are you sure you can eat that much? Also people are looking at us¡­¡±


    Lily was just as awkward as always, which I didn¡¯t mind. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I replied. ¡°And yes, I can eat that much, but a lot of the food is for you too.¡±


    My explanation was left in the air as I watched the dragon freeze, her eyes widening by the second as she blinked a couple of times.


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, surprised.


    I found her reaction rather weird, but after thinking about it, it was the first time I was inviting her food. She hadn¡¯t exactly been around for eating¡­ And I paused.


    ¡°Do you need more food?¡± I asked, concerned. ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten in¡­ days.¡±


    Lily blinked before fervently shaking her head. ¡°I can go months without eating, this isn¡¯t a big deal, so no¡­¡±


    I stared at the dragon for a moment. I didn¡¯t think Lily could get any more¡­ kind¡­ thoughtful¡­ precious? I wasn¡¯t quite sure, but her gesture made me feel another level of appreciation for the dragon.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± I declared.


    She tensed. ¡°I can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°You are treating yourself as my slave or something,¡± I sighed.


    ¡°Well you are the¡­¡± she trailed off.


    ¡°The¡­?¡±


    Lily had shrunken in her seat at this point as she continued in a whisper. ¡°You¡¯re the Queen of Dragons¡­ the Dragon Queen of Frost.¡±


    She took a breath, and continued before I could stop her.


    ¡°While I¡¯m not a slave it is my duty to serve you, that is why my needs or other things are a low priority. Which is why, it¡¯s fine if I don¡¯t eat, and it is also why I greatly appreciate the food you¡¯ve ordered for me¡­ Arc.¡±


    Her voice sounded resolute at the end, and I was a bit confused before I felt a momentary sadness as I sighed.


    ¡°Lily, I may be the self-proclaimed ruler of the dragons, and you may be technically a dragon under me, but none of that matters right now. Not with my wishes, and not in how I see you,¡± I explained.


    ¡°How you see me?¡± Lily seemed confused. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, what do you see me as, Arc?¡±


    ¡°A friend,¡± I sighed.


    And the dragon before me paused. She began to lightly shake and then slowly nodded.


    ¡°That is why, you can¡¯t act like a servant or anything, if you have requests or needs you can voice them.¡± I closed my eyes.


    ¡°I will¡­¡± I heard Lily¡¯s voice, being somewhat hesitant. ¡°It will be hard, but I¡¯ll try. Considering I do not have money, do you think you could continue paying for my meals then¡­?¡±


    It was hard to hear her, but I nodded. ¡°Of course, thank you for helping me travel to Draliz.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah.¡±


    I opened my eyes only to see the dragon looking at the table, a small smile present on her face. That was enough to make me feel at ease. Moments later, numerous waiters arrived and placed food on the table, shortly after, more tables were moved to accommodate the other dishes.


    There were easily over two dozen of them, and Lily seemed to pause as people got from their seats and went to stare at who ordered that much food.


    ¡°Arc, remember how you told me to voice my needs¡­?¡± she asked shyly.


    ¡°Yeah¡­?¡±


    ¡°I require more¡­ less¡­ people staring at me.¡±


    Her words made me laugh a bit, and in the end, after talking with the staff I erected an ice curtain that prevented people from peering at the dragon. And finally after that, I turned to the numerous dishes, from roasted meats, to salads and soups. I felt like everything was there, and my heart lightly raced at the sight.


    Lily also seemed eager but reserved.


    ¡°I ordered for you too, remember that.¡±


    ¡°How do I know which one is mine¡­?¡± she asked apprehensively.


    ¡°Just eat whatever you like, if we lack anything I¡¯ll order more.¡± I smiled.


    Lily blinked and slowly nodded before she began to slowly help herself to the food. And soon after she started eating I did so too, making sure to enjoy myself in the process.


    ¡ó ¡ó ¡ó


    The journey continued as we stopped for food every so often. Lily, slowly growing used to being a friend and not a servant. And towards the end of it, the dragon seemed a lot more comfortable.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°You know, I never imagined food could be that good!¡±


    ¡°Did you never travel around and try different kinds?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± she answered. ¡°I mostly kept to myself in my different lairs, only going to the city for whatever I needed; my meals consisted of whatever street food there was. Street food is good, but¡­ it doesn¡¯t compare to what we tried.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± I agreed immediately.


    All of the restaurants we had gone to had been prestigious, and the only reason we were accepted is because of our status as S Tier adventurers. However, they were expensive too. I had spent half of my platinum coins in the process.


    ¡°I really appreciate it, you know?¡± Lily said.


    ¡°Yeah, I appreciate you helping me with all of this too.¡± I looked at the passing ocean.


    The dragon nodded. ¡°We are almost at Draliz now, what do you think you will do when you get there?¡±


    ¡°Mostly see what I missed out on, check that everything is okay. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was hoping you¡¯d let me stay for some time¡­ I want to see what your life is like, if you don¡¯t mind¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± I answered immediately. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d also like to try to figure out how long you spent on the Forgotten Places,¡± she said quietly.


    I nodded. ¡°That¡¯d be interesting too, do you think time flows differently there?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite certain time is different in the Forgotten Places,¡± she stated. ¡°Though given how screwed that place is, I do not know if time varies inside of it.¡±


    She did have a point, given it was a literal graveyard of worlds with forces that transcended the world at play.


    ¡°How did this world gain a connection to the Forgotten Places anyway?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I do not know, but my theory is that the era of oblivion quite literally tore the System apart and allowed corruption to seep in. Powerful barriers were erected to keep that corruption away from the rest of the world and I believe they turned into portals to the Forgotten Places,¡± she explained.


    ¡°And yet, I learned that the corruption comes regardless of what one does, everything that has a seed from the original System will end up haunted by it.¡±


    ¡°I remember you said that, but I do believe the reason we have such a strong connection with that world has to do with the era of oblivion, as for the specifics? I¡¯m not aware of those.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°But let us not think about the fate of our world,¡± Lily said. ¡°I think the only salvation we can find is severing the System from this world, after all.¡±


    That certainly sounded like a grim thought, but I didn¡¯t actually agree or disagree with her.


    ¡°When do you think we¡¯ll arrive at Draliz?¡±


    ¡°Morning, feel free to sleep if you¡¯d like,¡± she said.


    I shook my head. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you company until we arrive, thank you for helping me with this journey.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ yeah¡­ thank you, Arc.¡±


    And with that, we continued riding into the night.


    * * * * *


    The sun is high.


    The water spirits are in unrest.


    A frenzy is coming¡­


    The Heroine of Water closed her eyes, the sun was now filtering through the window, and it was time for her to act. She actually, kind of dreaded all of this, playing the tyrant, coming in and threatening people?¡ª no, it wasn¡¯t a play, for she had to follow through with her words should the request not be fulfilled. She dreaded that part, hated it, but at the same time if she wanted to keep meaningless heroes from coming after her, she had to keep the reputation she upheld.


    Still, she didn¡¯t want to kill the Grand Dragon Elders, especially not Malz. Part of her, felt for the woman. But in the end, she had a word to upkeep. And so, the Heroine of Water got on her knees and began to pray. She prayed for the lives she was about to take, she prayed that they would run enough for her to ¡°give up¡± the case, and inwardly she condemned her actions.


    She had grown numb to killing a very long time ago, but she found that praying still made her feel¡­ human. As weird as that was. She was a monster and she lived the life of a monster, she didn¡¯t justify herself, only her interactions ever felt human.


    Finally, after thirty minutes she stood up and closed her eyes.


    In the end, my only fulfillment is fighting, otherwise, there is no reason as to why I came to this world¡­


    It was her life purpose, she had ventured into the Forgotten Places multiple times already, she had fought hundreds of heroes, and she had lived centuries. In the end, that was her only reason to still exist in this world. Then she scoffed.


    ¡°Plus the time I tried to put an end to things the Hero of Arlas showed up.¡±


    Life was suffering. That was what she had concluded. Of course, she didn¡¯t mop around or feel sad about it; it was more like a numb thought. Finally, after dressing herself, she turned into a puddle of water and disappeared.


    * * * * *


    Meanwhile, elsewhere the Hero of Humans waited near the castle of Vaelith, his eyes closed as he channeled his power. The staff had been brought to him, so now simply came unleashing it all. Next to him, stood someone familiar, a man in wraps and weird clothes, a long hat and a slave collar around his neck.


    ¡°She is coming,¡± the Dragon of Water stated simply.


    ¡°Of course she is.¡± The Hero of Humans shook his head. ¡°And, I¡¯ll fulfill my end of the bargain as promised. Thank you for your service, Ruvaar.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me, I¡¯m glad I could be of use.¡± Ruvaar, the Dragon of Water knelt. ¡°May this fight be an easy one.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully.¡±


    And at that moment, the Hero of Humans sensed the Heroine of Water inside of the castle. Then, a second later he opened his eyes and he was facing her. The woman paused and a wild smile appeared.


    ¡°And here I thought you had kicked the bucket, this shall be an entertaining fight.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re even more crazy now.¡± The Hero of Humans sighed and met her gaze. ¡°But do not worry, I¡¯ll make sure to give you a fitting end.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    The Hero of Humans met her gaze, and immediately called the power of those that had fallen, his arm bulged with strength as he punched.


    ¡°[Realmbreaker].¡±


    The Heroine of Water stepped to the side, visibly dodging the punch and?¡ª she threw up blood as her ribs and shattered, before she was thrown at supersonic speeds?¡ª walls broke and a second later the Heroine of Water was blasted out of the city.


    A moment later, he arrived on the plains next to the city as a hole exploded. The rumbling enough to cause mass hysteria inside the walls of Vaelith. He just had to kill this wench, and all would be good in the world. His power had now been restored. Then he could continue with his plan of killing all of the heroes in the world.


    Best of all? The Hero of Arlas agreed with his actions.


    The Hero of Humans smiled before he felt his heart explode, unfortunately, his body had water, and he grunted as he began to use another skill. Thankfully, the Hero of Spirits had quite the useful skills.


    ¡°[Spirit Remnants of the Past?¡ª]¡± And he threw up blood. ¡°[Bring Terror to the Land Once More].¡±


    And at that moment his body exploded into chunks as the start of a terrifying fight began. One that could easily destroy all of Draliz.

 Chapter. 158: The Heroine of Water

    Chapter. 158: The Heroine of Water


    The Heroine of Water grinned from ear to ear, her body was mangled but it was quickly being restored. She didn¡¯t even care that the Heroine of Frost was a no show, because now, someone much better had appeared. The fabled Hero of Humans. A legendary man who had, for lack of a better word, pissed off the entire world at some point.


    She immediately grabbed at the air and twisted. Numerous skills and synergies going on at once; they had been her efforts for centuries and now?¡ª


    The man¡¯s chest was ripped, and his heart was flown out of his body.


    It was time to put them to the test.


    She didn¡¯t have any super flashy area of effect skills like the other heroes, in fact; she¡¯d be a bit hard-pressed razing a city to the ground without the right conditions. But what she didn¡¯t have in all of that, she had in lethality and?¡ª


    A blast of light came from the skies and hit her. She gritted her teeth through the pain as her body was burnt to the bone and then she fell to the ground as a bloodied mess. The light kept blasting her, burying her deep into the ground as she raised her almost boney-arm, only her tendons holding.


    [Pressurized Canon].


    And a thin thread of water emerged and cut through everything. The Hero of Humans was bisected as the beam of light stopped, the forest behind had thousands of trees felled and even the mountain in the far distance was affected. A couple of kill notifications went through her head as she gritted her teeth.


    Her flesh actively reformed as she wobbly stood up. What she didn¡¯t have in flashiness she had it in survivability.


    She watched as the Hero of Humans reformed himself like a gross mass as he laughed, a palm on his face.


    ¡°My god, I cannot wait to kill you.¡±


    ¡°So you can use my skills? They are pretty good aren¡¯t they?¡± she asked with a smirk. ¡°Maybe you can finally put me out of my misery.¡±


    ¡°Maybe so, but it¡¯d be a lot easier if you¡¯d let me.¡±


    And she waved her hand as the Hero of Humans began to asphyxiate. Water was such an odd element to her, nothing she ever did was actually¡­ visually water for the most part, and yet water was present in a large part of the world. Unfortunately, the monsters of the Forgotten Places seemed to not have a lot of it?¡ª otherwise she¡¯d probably be living there.


    After all, fighting was all she had.


    The Hero of Humans met her gaze and she felt a bang in her head, blood burst from her nose and her ears. For a moment she felt dizzy before she re-stabilized herself. And she blinked as she saw a spear of darkness hurled towards her.


    In an instant, it hit, sending her crashing into the forest.


    * * *


    Ceylon found it hard to breathe, she didn¡¯t know why. It simply was happening.


    The Heroine of Water had come for her life¡­ and the Hero of Humans; the very same man that had killed Malz¡¯ partner was fighting her off; protecting them. Protecting the entire capital city of Vaelith, protecting what belonged to Arc, and even protecting Malz. It was¡­ hard to process.


    Ceylon swallowed looking out of the castle window towards the forest that was being torn apart, where the two heroes fought.


    Over the past few days Ceylon had come to understand Malz, to hear more about her, and one thing was for certain. The Hero of Humans was a despicable man. As for the Heroine of Water? She was also awful, but nowhere near as bad as the Hero of Humans. In her opinion both heroes were¡­ terrible people. Not much different than the Hero of Flames or the Hero of Shadows¡­


    Then again most heroes are terrible people¡­ Ceylon balled her fists. But Arc is different.


    For a moment, Ceylon wished her sister was here, even if it was hard to imagine Arc as that, but realistically speaking. Even if she hated to admit it, Arc was¡­


    Ceylon watched as blood splattered across the forest, both heroes absolutely tearing their bodies apart.


    Arc probably is not a contender in this battle. Maybe it was unfair, maybe it was because she had been missing for so long now, but Ceylon just found it hard to imagine Arc being able to fight on the same stage where that brutality is commonplace. After all, unlike them, Arc could only freeze her wounds at most. She couldn¡¯t just regenerate her entire body from the ground up like them.


    But still, she wished Arc were here¡­


    Maybe it was because she didn¡¯t know either of the two heroes, but right now, Ceylon felt¡­ scared. She was trembling watching the fight, on one hand she wanted to hope that the Hero of Humans would win, since he was their protector, but on the other hand¡­


    As soon as he is done with this, who knows what he¡¯ll do¡­ He may even go after Arc¡­ Or maybe that was an impossibility considering the nature of Malz¡¯s order for the Dragon of Water, but either way Ceylon was¡­ worried. The Hero of Humans was most definitely worse than the Heroine of Water, but if she became the winner of this fight, then, the heroine would put an end to her life.


    ¡°Is the only option for the winner to be completely and totally exhausted so they can be killed¡­?¡± Ceylon asked disbelievingly.


    ¡°It indeed is,¡± an angry voice replied by her side. It belonged to none other than Malz, the Dragon of Shadows.


    The black haired woman with pale skin and black clothing seemed, angry, and Ceylon could understand why, but at the same time, there wasn¡¯t much they could do. And in fact, Malz shouldn¡¯t interfere. Not now¡­


    ¡°That fucker is using Mysa¡¯s skills¡­¡± Malz gritted her teeth.


    Ceylon slowly nodded, seeing a spear of darkness being hurled. ¡°Even then, you have to hold on and wait for the perfect opportunity¡­¡±


    At that she got a slow nod in return, and they both continued to watch the battle.


    In the end, Ceylon wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but she hoped for two things. For everyone to be safe in the end, and¡­


    For Malz to get her revenge.


    That was all she could hope for. As for what she could do? She could only watch as the battle of epic proportions unfolded. After all, all of this was outside of her control.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    As much as she hated to admit it.


    * * *


    ¡°So, what made you return, hmm?¡± the Heroine of Water asked, licking her bloodied lips.


    The Hero of Humans laughed. ¡°I heard that a troublesome woman was going to get my friend killed, so I came to his aid.¡±


    ¡°Friend? You? Come up with a better joke.¡± She snorted, side-stepping a cut through space that blew part of the forest. ¡°You have to be the most bloodthirsty hero in history, you can¡¯t have friends.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± The man grinned. ¡°He¡¯s more like my pet, but as a good master I can¡¯t let a hardworking pet like him die. Not so easily. Besides, the lure of acquiring your abilities is¡­ strong.¡±


    The Heroine of Water rolled her eyes at that. She may have been a maniacal monster that killed for the sake of upholding her word, but this guy was way worse. His goal was to kill every single hero in the world so he could use their skills. The only reason she killed was to make her life easier, she derived no enjoyment from it, but this guy?


    This guy is the worst¡­ and yet I¡¯m smiling. She chuckled to herself. It was silly really, but then again, her only purpose in life was fighting, and here, she was fulfilling it perfectly. Though I guess it¡¯s time to become even more serious.


    The Heroine of Water immediately reached forward and pulled. The Hero of Human¡¯s eyes widened and he was immediately flown towards her, all while she modified the water within her body and punched.


    She felt numerous bones crack and even the man¡¯s spine as he was flung across the forest, tearing apart the environment. Then, she dug her hands into the ground, most of her attacks weren¡¯t flashy unless she was in the ocean; that was a fact of her element, but at the same time¡­


    Water is present in most living beings.


    The Heroine of Water pushed herself as the ground dried, the plants around her died as water began to pool around her feet, the trees themselves started to turn into dust, and then she whispered.


    ¡°[Slice].¡±


    At the same time the Hero of Humans appeared behind her wielding a scythe and?¡ª he exploded, the water sliced him into pieces as his remains went flying. Unfortunately, it seemed since the last time she fought him, the number of heroes at his disposal had increased drastically, which meant¡­


    The Hero of Humans regenerated not too far away from her.


    ¡­ he was going to be a pain to kill. But at the same time, that made the battle all the more enjoyable. This was it. Maybe even it was going to be her end, but she didn¡¯t care about that, all she cared about was giving it her all.


    ¡°Bring it on!¡± she cackled as she clapped her hands. ¡°[O¡¯ Water, I Command You To?¡ª]¡±


    A spear of lightning went through her chest, blowing apart part of her body as she grinned, finishing the incantation of her SS Tier skill.


    ¡°[Destroy This Damn Pest]!¡±


    The forest?¡ª exploded. Thousands of trees were cut apart as droplets of water flew across the air at lightning speeds, like a sharp particle storm that cut everything in its path, and needless to say, the Hero of Humans wasn¡¯t spared as his body was destroyed.


    She laughed as her own body was cut by her own attack, her heart was rushing in exhilaration. And there was more from where that came from, a whole lot  more and she was going to use it all. She chuckled, bringing her hands together as she began to whisper.


    ¡°[O¡¯ Water, I Command You To¡­]¡±


    And then she sensed a presence behind her as she simply smiled, holding back her words.


    ¡°To think you¡¯ve made multiple SS Tier skills. How marvelous,¡± the Hero of Humans said, now in an ethereal form that was unaffected by the water. ¡°I want them.¡±


    So he has something like this too¡­ The Heroine of Water immediately changed the ending of her skill.


    ¡°[Bring Ruination to the Realm].¡±


    With this, even the current pesky form of the Hero of Humans wouldn¡¯t be trouble. In an instant, the droplets exploded? and she was?¡ª


    Blasted as her body was torn apart, the Heroine of Water groaned in pain as she hit some distant mountain. Her mind foggy, and confused as she heard a cackle echo in the background.


    ¡°You¡¯re not the only one that has changed.¡±


    Of course?. Many more heroes had died, so that meant that the repertoire of abilities that this man had at his disposal was in the hundreds, if not thousands. But that made it all that much exciting.


    And so, the Heroine of Water stood up, her body regenerating as she recovered, only to see the Hero of Humans aiming hundreds of weapons at her, they all floated in the air and each of them looked like a priceless treasure, from swords, to halberds, spears and even maces. It was an attack she recognized, because she had killed the hero that wielded it.


    That said, it was also an incredibly dangerous attack, but not without its drawbacks.


    ¡°If that didn¡¯t kill me in the past, what makes you think it¡¯ll do so now?¡± she asked the Hero of Humans who simply smiled in response.


    ¡°Because this time, I¡¯m the one using it.¡±


    At that, she blinked as the weapons turned a pitch black darkness and danger filled her surroundings. The Heroine of Water took in a deep breath and braced herself as the Hero of Humans lifted his hand into the air and spoke.


    ¡°[Judgment].¡±


    At once, all the weapons came for her as she braced herself and the Hero of Humans flinched from the recoil caused by the attack, and she herself simply crossed her arms as she whispered for her only SS Tier defensive skill?.


    ¡°[Deity of Water: Protect Me].¡±


    Following her words all of the water in the vicinity gathered and the weapons of darkness, hit.


    A loud bang echoed across the landscape and everything exploded as the Heroine of Water was sent deep underground, her whole body breaking apart as she screamed for the first time during the battle. The area of impact was uprooted in a diameter of hundreds of meters, trees went flying, and even the sky was plunged into darkness momentarily as the world shifted.


    * * * * *


    And all over Vaelith everyone witnessed it, they had known two heroes were fighting and the city had been in a state of emergency, but now, it was different. For it felt like the world was ending. The first person to notice was a child, a mere girl that didn¡¯t know what was going on, and to her, it was something else.


    ¡°Mommy, it became night all of the sudden!¡± she exclaimed, in happiness. ¡°It¡¯s so cool!¡±


    However, her mother, on the other hand, blinked in horror, and so did the other people in the shelter.


    ¡°Only god can help us now¡­¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we supposed to be under the protection of the Heroine of Frost, where is she?¡±


    ¡°She is dead, and now, we too shall die¡­¡±


    And the girl couldn''t help but realize the gravity of the situation and what the night sky represented.


    * * * * *


    Everything hurt, the world was nothing but darkness; a deep abyss the Heroine of Water had only seen at the edge of death, and for a moment, she thought she was going to die, but her regeneration quickly kicked in. Or so she thought, because what flashed before her eyes gave her pause.


    [ Water of Life has been used. ]


    [ Water of Life has used one of two charges.


    Next charge in: 49 Years, 364 days, 23 hours and 59 minutes¡­ ]


    For the first time in a century, her revival skill had been triggered, which meant; she had actually died. And that unsettled her, but also greatly motivated her to try harder. Perhaps if she started using everything at her disposal the entirety of Vaelith could be destroyed, especially if she started to call upon the water of living beings; it was something she avoided doing in most scenarios and most situations, but this one¡­ it appealed to her.


    She was a monster, one whose only purpose was to fight, and while she tried to be humane when she could help it, there were times where it simply was an impossibility.


    This is one of those times.


    The Heroine of Water breathed as water exploded in all directions, emerging from the cocoon of water that was her resurrection spot. Unlike other heroes, due to the uniqueness of her skill she would always resurrect on the same spot she died, which in her opinion was a great thing.


    She raised her hand as she turned to see the Hero of Humans who was?¡ª thrown into the air by a gigantic black dragon and chomped down, causing him to scream in pain. Something that caught her off-guard because?¡ª


    The Dragon of Shadows had joined in the battle.


    And she was here for revenge.

 Chapter. 159: The Hero of Humanity (Part 1)

    Chapter. 159: The Hero of Humanity (Part 1)


    ¡°Wait!¡±


    Ceylon¡¯s voice landed on deaf ears as her hand lingered in the air, unfortunately she had been too late. She had a feeling that things weren¡¯t as they seemed, that the Heroine of Water wasn¡¯t dead, but unfortunately Malz hadn¡¯t listened. And now, she was gone.


    Ceylon swallowed, now alone in the castle as she watched Malz return to her dragon form and immediately assault the Hero of Humans, while she couldn¡¯t quite place her finger on things, she had a bad feeling about this. The battle didn¡¯t need to be interfered with; not yet, but at the same time, it was now too late for her to do anything.


    ¡°That is unexpected,¡± a voice entered her ears, a familiar one.


    Ceylon turned only to see the Dragon of Water by her side, watching the battle. While his presence would have been calming a few weeks ago, now it unnerved her. And for good reason, the Dragon of Water had befriended the man that killed Malz¡¯s betrothed.


    ¡°To think she still feels so strongly.¡±


    At that, Ceylon frowned, feeling anger. ¡°Of course, she would. That was the person she gave her heart to!¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s been two centuries,¡± the Dragon of Water said simply. ¡°I do not understand it, that¡¯s all.¡±


    At that, Ceylon gritted her teeth, but that was all she could do, it¡¯s not like she could attack the Dragon of Water and do something to him, and it¡¯s not like she could order him either; after all, Malz was ultimately the owner now. And while she could try to order him, Ceylon didn¡¯t dare to do so, after all, if she did¡­


    The Hero of Humans will come after me too¡­ Ceylon gulped as Malz was thrown across the landscape.


    Technically speaking, the Hero of Humans had to protect them, but considering there was no clause about what happens if he was attacked by those he was supposed to defend; the answer was simple.


    He can kill those that attack him.


    She gave the Dragon of Water a side-glance. Was this your plan all along? she wondered. To get Malz killed? To ruin what Arc has done? For a moment, she felt intense hatred for the dragon, but she remembered the circumstances in which the Hero of Humans had been called. And given the nature of the order Malz had given the Dragon of Water ?¡ª that his goals should have nothing against Arc¡¯s interests ?¡ª this only meant one thing.


    This was an unintended thing; Malz in danger was completely unintended. Because if he so much as thought about it, he would¡¯ve been obligated to fix the possibility.


    ¡°Order the Hero of Humans to spare Malz,¡± Ceylon immediately said.


    ¡°Unfortunately, that is outside of my control; my deal with him has been made and¡­¡± He took a pause before continuing. ¡°He does not listen to me, for I am merely his pawn.¡±Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    At that, Ceylon frowned, but it didn¡¯t seem like the Dragon of Water was lying; that said, his response still made her angry. However, there was nothing she could do to make him pay or¡­ was there?


    Malz in the past had given him the order to listen to her, as if her own words belonged to Malz. Which meant, there was still something that could be done.


    Immediately, she turned to the Dragon of Water and made her command.


    ¡°Dragon of Water, I command you to fight the Hero of Humans in order to save Malz¡¯ life,¡± she said simply. ¡°You must continue fighting until she is out of danger.¡±


    At that, the Dragon of Water paused, his eyes going wide. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious?¡ª¡±


    And the collar caused him pain as he was forced to act.


    * * * * *


    The Heroine of Water had expected the Dragon of Shadows, Malz, to join the battle eventually; after all, even she understood the desire of revenge. In fact, she understood it deeply. Because once upon a time, she had cursed the System; the thing that had ripped her from her normal life and her loving parents. And while that was a feeling that she no longer felt ?¡ª a feeling that she had to remove because it made her weak ?¡ª she still understood what Malz was feeling.


    Which is why instead of getting angry that her great battle was interrupted, she instead felt a slight sense of happiness. After all, someone was getting vindicated; someone was experiencing what she had yearned to experience a very long time ago. And so, the Heroine of Water simply watched as the Dragon of Shadows got her revenge.


    Of course, the dragon stood no chance at killing the Hero of Humans, which is why she was going to have to step in, but for now, just for this moment she allowed the dragon to let her emotions out without any interference.


    As for killing the Dragon of Shadows?


    It didn¡¯t matter, not until the Hero of Humans was dead, and as for after?


    I can probably make an excuse, she thought.


    While her reputation was everything, killing the Hero of Humans properly would basically make anyone overlook her ¡°mercy¡± if she were to apply it. And while she felt unsure right now, it was most likely what she planned on doing.


    She closed her eyes.


    After all, I¡¯m not a monster by choice.


    Finally, she opened her eyes only to see the Hero of Humans being tackled by a different dragon, the Dragon of Water, something that only filled her with confusion. After all, hadn¡¯t he been the one to bring the Hero of Humans over? And she wasn¡¯t the only confused party, the Dragon of Shadows also seemed shocked based on her draconic expression; as for the Hero of Humans, he was pissed.


    ¡°Ruvaar, you dare betray me?!¡±


    ¡°It is not something I wish to do!¡± the Dragon of Water bellowed, anger in his voice. ¡°This damn collar, I must ensure Malz is safe from danger.¡±


    The Heroine of Water smiled, feeling amusement, it seemed that the situation had gotten a lot more interesting.


    ¡°You want me to spare her and that way you¡¯ll stop attacking me?¡± he asked, now annoyed.


    ¡°No, you must not attack her at all,¡± the Dragon of Water declared.


    At that, the Hero of Humans paused, regaining his bearings.


    ¡°That is?¡ª¡±


    And he was blasted by a beam of purple light coming from Malz, before she shouted, casting two SS Tier skills at the same time,


    ¡°[My Crown, My Reign & My Darkest Behest], show the terror that is the [World of the Abyss]!¡±


    And a black dome enveloped everyone as the Heroine of Water grinned, now this development was truly exciting.


    A small chuckle escaped her as the Hero of Humans screamed in pain.


    I might not need to interfere afterall, she thought.

 Chapter. 160: The Hero of Humanity (Part 2)

    Chapter. 160: The Hero of Humanity (Part 2)


    The Hero of Humans couldn¡¯t believe it, Ruvaar, his most loyal servant had betrayed him? No, that wasn¡¯t quite right. It wasn¡¯t betrayal, it was closer to a side-effect of his loyalty. His loyalty had driven him; or rather had made him end up enslaved, and yet he still fulfilled his mission to the best of his ability, and to some extent it was incredible he had even managed to accomplish it.


    By all measures and accounts, the Hero of Humans had to praise the Dragon of Water, and to some extent he did, but the current situation¡­ made him angry to no end. His servant had been forced to betray him, and it was all due to?¡ª


    [True Vision].


    The Hero of Humans looked past the darkness, and saw the blonde haired girl that was the ruler of Draliz. Ceylon Arlow.


    ?¡ª it was all due to her.


    For a moment, the Hero of Humans was about to put an end to her life right then and there, but if he did that then the Dragon of Water would die. His most loyal servant; the only person that kept him company all these years would die just like that. That simply wasn¡¯t something he could accept.


    So that left the other option.


    Killing the owner of the collar, and then he could kill the despicable girl, Ceylon. That would be his retribution. After all, he had fulfilled his deal, and yet he was being punished for it. All over a two century grudge. It was complete and utter?¡ª


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± the Hero of Humans bellowed as he was struck.


    In an instant, he covered an unfathomable distance within the black space as he landed rolling, everything hurt. And to make things worse, the stupid skill of the Hero of Spirits had ended. It was only a matter of time but he was going to kill this damn dragon once and for all, he knew that not killing her back then was a mistake.


    He tried to stand up, only for darkness to sweep and cut his legs as he grunted, falling back on the ground. He clutched onto his staff, peering into a vision of one of the greatest heroes of humanity, and immediately muttered.


    ¡°[O, Life, Grant Me Thy Strength].¡±


    In a single moment all his wounds were healed as he began to shine in a golden light, and then he immediately turned and spotted the Dragon of Shadows, or more specifically sensed her, for she was hidden within this black void they currently resided. Much like other living beings, it too had life, and with this skill, the Hero of Humans could sense it.


    He immediately took a breath and used one of his skills¡ª [God Step].


    The Hero of Humans vanished from his spot and immediately appeared elsewhere inside the void as he gripped his staff and swung?. In an instant, a loud bang echoed accompanied with a pained screech, and for a moment the void itself shook, threatening to fall apart.


    Just one more.


    He took another breath, [God?¡ª] and a voice echoed.


    ¡°[Supreme Water Control]!¡±


    At that moment, the Hero of Humans felt his body twist and his bones break; shattering apart. The incredibly strong skill immediately erased any of his control over his body as he gritted his teeth, he wanted to blame the Heroine of Water for this, but he knew she wasn¡¯t the one doing this. No, it was none other than¡­


    ¡°Ruvaar!¡±


    ¡°Remember, I have to protect her at all costs!¡± his servant said. ¡°Just let her attack you until she exhausts herself, else I¡¯ll keep having to intervene!¡±


    Ruvaar¡¯s words greatly grated him, his advice wasn¡¯t bad, but all this time he had spent hiding away from the world. And now, now that he had gotten his power back he had to hide away once more? It was unacceptable! The Hero of Humans felt indignation and anger as he bellowed.


    ¡°You people think an extra SS Tier being can stop me from killing the Dragon of Shadows?!¡± he screamed. ¡°You are all dead wrong?¡ª [Great Control of Life]!¡±


    His voice bellowed throughout the land as the Dragon of Water froze mid-air, his skill being completely overridden as he turned towards the direction where the Dragon of Shadows had been, but contrary to his expectations he was unable to sense her this time.


    What?¡ª ugh!


    And a beam of purple light hit him from underneath, going through his body as he regenerated. Then, he turned in the direction only to not sense anything, and then it happened?¡ª again. Another beam perforated his body as he screamed, and then again, and again, and again. Hundreds of purple beams came at him from all sides as he gritted his teeth.


    What is this?


    And at that moment, the Dragon of Shadows¡¯ voice echoed. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t prepare against you? You thought I was but a mere fool? Think again, scum.¡±


    Along with a growl, a purple explosion engulfed him as he was sent flying. This didn¡¯t make sense, he couldn¡¯t feel the Dragon of Shadows at all now. What was this nonsense? What were these cheap tricks?!


    That wasn¡¯t nearly enough to stop him!


    ¡°Youuu¡­¡± He gripped his staff as he hit the butt into the ground. ¡°[Use My Life to Unleash Hell]!¡±


    It was a new skill, one belonging to the Hero of Flames, but it was the most fitting. In an instant, fire erupted everywhere, consuming the black void as the temperature rose by hundreds of degrees. The beams of purple continuously hit him, but he simply brushed them off as he continued to increase the temperature, hearing grunts of pain.


    ¡°In the end, none of you are my rival!¡±


    And a tidal wave of water came from the Dragon of Water, Ruvaar, but it was incinerated all the same. Part of him wanted to shout to him that it was useless, but he knew that it was outside of the dragon¡¯s control. What mattered right now was killing Malz, what mattered now was killing the Dragon of Shadows. Because if they died, Ruvaar would survive.


    And so he lifted his staff into the air, preparing yet another skill.


    * * *


    Ceylon swallowed, her heart racing more than ever before as she stared at the dome of darkness within the forest. It looked so calm, and yet the shockwaves of what was happening inside kept traveling throughout the land. At this point, even the civilians of Vaelith were no longer watching?, for they had hidden away in bunkers. Now, only she, the ruler of Draliz and a couple of knights were watching.


    And everyone was aghast, after all, the shockwaves were enough to threaten the architecture of the city, and if it weren¡¯t for the work of mages some buildings would¡¯ve long collapsed. And the thing that unsettled Ceylon the most was the fact that the power of the battle still kept on escalating.


    She bit her lip, murmuring, ¡°Will things really be fine?¡ª¡±


    And fire exploded on the surroundings of the dome as the forest began to burn, even the dome began to shake as Ceylon blinked. That wasn¡¯t good, far from good, but what made her pale wasn¡¯t the fire, but the white light that she saw.


    ¡°That is¡­¡±


    * * *


    The Hero of Humans slammed his staff on the ground, using a skill of the now defunct Hero of Stars.


    ¡°[Supernova].¡±


    And at that moment, the world went white, as the dome of darkness, burst. Like a bubble it ceased  to exist as the dragons present went flying through the air, and one of them in particular the Hero of Humans focused on. Immediately using [God Step] to appear before them.


    In a blink, he found himself standing before the pathetic and bleeding Dragon of Shadows, walking towards her ever so slowly with a grin on his face.


    ¡°In the end, you made a grave mistake, lizard,¡± he said.


    At last, retribution.


    Finally, he was going to put an end to this terrible joke.


    ¡°Any last words?¡±


    At that the Dragon of Shadows groaned, before glaring at him in her pathetic dragon form, before spitting. ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    ¡°Hah, if that¡¯s what you want then so be it,¡± the Hero of Humans took one long step to arrive at her head, and then conjured a sword of light. ¡°Goodbye then, lizard.¡±


    He stabbed down and at that moment a glint of light passed, the Hero of Humans blinked before he felt some pain and then?¡ª his body slipped, cut in half as his eyes widened. And at the corner of his eye, he saw her. The woman wearing a blue kimono, the hero with blue eyes and a single small scar, the hero with a dead gaze who was now smiling from ear to ear.


    ¡°Water bitch!¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°What, you think I¡¯m going to let you end this so easily? Nop.¡± She flicked her fingers as the Dragon of Shadows began to shine. ¡°Far from it.¡±


    The Dragon of Shadows blinked. ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°Neat right? Heals all injuries and restores skill cooldowns,¡± the Heroine of Water grinned.


    At that, the Hero of Humans screamed. ¡°You think this will be enough to stop me?¡ª¡±


    ¡°[Supreme Water Control]!¡±


    And he started to asphyxiate as the water within his body was controlled, once more, it belonged to none other than Ruvaar. Then, before he could even react he saw the Dragon of Shadows grin and whispered.


    ¡°[My Crown¡­]¡± This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    She instantly used both of her SS Tier skills as another dome of darkness was made. Lastly the Heroine of Water also grinned, clapping her hands.


    ¡°And now, it¡¯s time for round two, where I also join into the fun.¡±


    With those words she reached forward and pulled, pulling his heart out as he screamed in pain.


    In a single moment the tide of battle had changed. Now, once more he was surrounded by darkness in a domain, once more he was at the mercy of being controlled, and now he had to deal with a second water user as he gritted his teeth.


    In just mere seconds he was once more on the losing end. But was this really it? Was he this weak to lose against these people? He didn¡¯t think so. He couldn¡¯t be this damn weak. He was the damn Hero of Humans, the hero of his own damn race, the one who shouldered all of humanity and used their power.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t lose here.


    The Hero of Humans gritted his teeth as he slammed his staff.


    ¡°[Great Barrier?¡ª]¡±


    And his SS Tier skill exploded like a bubble as he was sent flying, it didn¡¯t seem good enough, but no matter he had many more.


    ¡°[All Protector?¡ª]¡±


    Once more he got the same outcome, but the Hero of Humans kept on fighting or trying to; time and time again his skills were shattered. Whether it was blasted by purple light, or his body being controlled, or even his heart ripped out. Despite his attempts, all he felt and all he could do was be hit by the whirlwind of attacks coming his way.


    It seemed like none of his skills were strong enough, and now his current active skill, the one granting him his survivability was about to come to an end.


    The Hero of Humans was blasted as his mind whirled, losing composure.


    Am I really going to die here? Even if he used other skills to stay alive, the same thing would happen. He would just be stuck in an endless loop of getting beat down.


    Is this really it? It all seemed hopeless.


    Will I die here?


    Right now, he had no options other than riskier skills, skills that could potentially kill him, but at the same time. At the same time; between being defeated like this or risking things¡­ between running away once more and triumphing¡­ between being undeserving of being the Hero of Humans or not¡­


    The choice was clear.


    * * *


    The Heroine of Water was laughing. She derived so much pleasure from seeing such a strong opponent in such dire situations. The Hero of Humans looked like he was on the verge of losing it.


    And she couldn¡¯t get enough of it. But unfortunately, it was now time to deliver the finishing blow. Even though the fight hadn¡¯t been fair, she had enjoyed herself. In all honesty, she couldn¡¯t believe it took so many heroes to take the Hero of Humans down in the past. But she supposed that it went to show how much she had grown.


    Or how weak he got.


    She looked at the kneeling hero that was painting, barely gripping onto his scepter.


    Then she smiled, raising both of her hands as she channeled her element.


    ¡°Goodbye?¡ª¡±


    And he screamed as he began to shine white, and the Heroine of Water blinked as her skill fell apart before her eyes, it was an attack she recognized.


    ¡°Shit?¡ª¡±


    * * *


    The Hero of Humans screamed as he raised his staff, using another skill of the Hero of Stars, this time, his strongest one.


    ¡°[Singularity].¡±


    And at that moment, the world began to fall apart. The darkness, the water, everything began to disintegrate as the world started to distort for a brief moment, before it retracted into itself and?¡ª exploded.


    A loud explosion went off as all his opponents were thrown in all directions, leaving them all near death. It was a massive explosion that broke the world itself even if briefly.


    The Hero of Humans was panting, rifts open in the air itself as mysterious energy whirled around. But that no longer mattered, what mattered was that he had won. And now, it was time for his revenge.


    In an instant, he appeared before the Dragon of Shadows, only to see¡­


    ¡°You¡­¡±


    Ceylon Arlow.


    * * *


    Just what am I doing?


    That was what Ceylon asked herself as she stood panting over a fainted Malz, her friend was bloodied and even though they were no longer in their human form, Ceylon felt nothing but kinship with the fallen woman. And that¡¯s why she was here, hovering protectively over the fallen dragon.


    She had made use of a teleportation artifact to reach the area as soon as possible, and while she had expected what happened next, she hadn¡¯t expected it to happen so fast. The Hero of Humans had come, and now he stood before her. He looked like a handsome middle aged man, however his expression was twisted with anger.


    I¡¯m going to die¡­ No?¡ª that was impossible, the Hero of Humans couldn¡¯t hurt her. So, Ceylon took a deep breath, meeting the hero¡¯s gaze as she spoke.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you kill her.¡±


    The Hero of Humans did not reply, as he simply waved his hand with a grunt and in a single moment, she was moved. Not aggressively, not brusquely, she was simply made to float away, causing her to blink.


    Then, he stepped forward and loomed over the dragon with a sword as Ceylon¡¯s eyes widened.


    ¡°Farewell?¡ª¡±


    ¡°No!¡± she exclaimed, and a ring on her finger flashed.


    In an instant she was teleported before the Hero of Humans as he brought his sword down. Ceylon squeaked, closing her eyes preparing herself for the pain, but no attack came. Instead, she was faced with an angry hero who spat.


    ¡°Move.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I won¡¯t let you kill her! And if you kill me the Dragon of Water will die!¡± she argued. ¡°Malz is not in a condition to fight you anymore, so spare her!¡±


    Upon hearing that the Hero of Humans gritted his teeth. ¡°You, just like her, are getting in my way, even though all of you needed protection from the bitch that is the Heroine of Water. All of you, just keep getting on my way.¡±


    His expression twisted, as he flicked and Ceylon was moved away, this time much faster.


    ¡°No more. I¡¯m done with that, I¡¯m done with people getting in the way of my goals,¡± he said grimly. ¡°If you continue, I¡¯ll kill you as well.¡±


    Ceylon gritted her teeth and teleported, but this time instead of standing before him, she instead appeared clinging to his leg as he immediately gritted his teeth.


    ¡°You don¡¯t give up do you?! I¡¯m telling you, enough!¡±


    And he kicked, sending her flying several meters as Ceylon landed on grass, rolling across it as she gritted her teeth. She couldn¡¯t let the Hero of Humans kill Malz. How could she face Arc after that? And more importantly, how could she live with herself if she allowed it to happen.


    She couldn¡¯t.


    Ceylon teleported, clinging to his neck trying to strangle the man as the hero let out a scream of frustration. Perhaps it was weird for her to do this, perhaps it didn¡¯t make sense for her to rise up to this challenge, but she needed to.


    It''s what Arc would¡¯ve done. And while at this point she didn¡¯t even know if Arc was alive, she still chose to follow her values.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let you!¡±


    ¡°You bitch!¡± He threw her to the ground as she coughed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just kill you both!¡±


    Her heart was racing, but she knew it was the right thing to do. And so, Ceylon dodged to the side instinctively as the Hero of Humans swept his sword, causing him to grit his teeth.


    ¡°Die!¡±


    He swung again, but missed. Once more, doubt settled in her mind, about whether this was the right thing to do or not, but regardless she committed to it. Even as her heart raced, and her sweat poured down, she did her best to dodge, even throwing herself to the ground as the Hero of Humans reached a new level of anger.


    Until, he screamed and used a skill.


    ¡°[Slash]!¡±


    And Ceylon blinked, as the sword went right through her heart?¡ª and her vision went white.


    She blinked as she found herself within a familiar place of light. The Lighthouse. Her skill to save her life had activated, which meant she would¡¯ve died right then and there. She took a deep breath, now conflicted. Her heart was rushing, and unlike Arc, she was no warrior, but yet, she knew she had to go back.


    Why?


    All this time she had been acting just out of duty, because it was the right thing to do, or because it didn¡¯t sit right with her, but more than anything else, she felt that if she gave up now, it would be akin to giving up on Arc.


    They had all been waiting for her return from the Forgotten Places ?¡ª if it even was possible ?¡ª she and Malz had worked hard to preserve Arc¡¯s legacy, so letting it disappear like that was¡­


    Unforgivable.


    Ceylon wouldn¡¯t forgive herself if she stopped trying, and she wouldn¡¯t forgive herself if Malz died either. Whether it was because she was doing it for Arc or herself, to her it was something that she couldn¡¯t let go of. Because she wanted to be able to face Arc with a smile when she returned, because she wanted to be someone deserving of respect, and because she was Ceylon; Arc¡¯s sister.


    She took a deep breath, and spoke aloud.


    ¡°I wish to leave the Lighthouse.¡±


    In a single moment, her vision shifted and she found herself standing to the side as the Hero of Humans raised a sword before the Dragon of Shadows, and at that moment, Ceylon acted. She summoned a spear from her Storage Ring, and while she doubted it would have any effect, she still moved.


    [Light Aura Coat].


    Her spear was coated with light as she rushed, and lunged. The Hero of Humans reacted by moving out of the way but the spear still scratched his arm as he glanced at her with unbridled fury in her eyes.


    I have to do this, for me, and for Arc. Ceylon bit her lip as she twirled her spear. She had once been a simple noble girl, one that was hopeless and ignorant of the world, but after meeting Arc everything had changed.


    She didn¡¯t want to go back to being hopeless!


    With a swift movement she stabbed the spear into the shoulder of the Hero of Humans as he flicked?¡ª In an instant, blood splattered and Ceylon staggered back as she screamed.


    What?¡ª and her eyes widened in horror as she saw her own arm on the ground, blood flowing out. This is¡­


    She cried in pain as she stumbled, and the Hero of Humans simply spat.


    ¡°Even by getting in the way of my goals I¡¯m allowed to kill you, let alone attacking me, so.¡± He twirled his sword. ¡°I planned on giving you a quick and painless death, but I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯ll make it quick, but painful.¡±


    With those words he slashed again, almost taking off another of her extremities as she screamed. Then, with a swift movement he stabbed his sword through her clavicle as she was driven to the ground, and the Hero of Humans smiled savagely, twisting his sword as Ceylon screamed from the pain.


    ¡°Now, this is retribution.¡±


    Seeing that, all the courage, all the resolution she had built up, immediately crumbled as she realized she was going to die. Her body was bleeding all over, she was missing an arm, and her other hand had almost been amputated. She really was going to die.


    The Hero of Humans grinned viciously. ¡°I really like that expression, but you are merely an obstacle for me to get true satisfaction.¡±


    With those words he raised his sword.


    ¡°So I¡¯ll just kill you now.¡±


    This is it.


    Ceylon looked at the looming sword as tears began to come out of her eyes. Maybe she shouldn¡¯t have stepped to save Malz, but this was her decision. She tried to look brave, but truth was, she was deadly afraid. She stared as the Hero of Humans prepared his blade, and then, he smiled swinging it.


    ¡°Arc!¡±


    She screamed and at that moment a gust of wind swept, and for a moment Ceylon thought her wish had been true, but instead she heard a squeak.


    ¡°So you finally stop playing dead,¡± the hero said coldly.


    Ceylon opened her eyes only to see a human Malz struggling within the grip of the Hero of Humans, as he grinned and then, he threw her. The now human dragon crashed against Ceylon knocking the wind out of her.


    It was over.


    Malz was injured beyond belief, all she could do was grit her teeth and glare at the Hero of Humans, meanwhile Ceylon simply felt despair. The Hero of Humans grinned and pointed his sword towards them. And finally, Ceylon accepted it.


    It was her time to die.


    She closed her eyes, as a blinding light went past her eyelids, it was the same skill that had ended Malz¡¯s skill in the first place, and now, it was going to end her life along with the life of her draconic friend.


    ¡°Die,¡± he began. ¡°[Singularit?¡ª].¡±


    And he paused, speaking warily.


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Hey, are you perhaps responsible for Ceylon¡¯s condition?¡± a familiar voice asked.


    And Ceylon froze. Could it be? She opened her eyes as her heart nearly stopped, because after so long her prayers had been answered. A familiar figure stood before her, having stopped the Hero of Humans by holding his arm. She was white like snow, she wore winter clothes, and something about her had changed, however, even if she had changed, Ceylon felt nothing but warmth.


    Because she had returned.


    Arc had returned.


    ¡°Because if so, then¡­¡± Arc continued as bloodlust filled the surroundings. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you and rip you by the limbs piece by piece.¡±

 Chapter. 161: The Hero of Humanity (Part 3)

    Chapter. 161: The Hero of Humanity (Part 3)


    I never expected for things to be perfect in Draliz, in fact, I expected some kind of mess. It wasn¡¯t because of not trusting Ceylon, so much so as just the fact that I had killed the Hero of Flames only to be vanished by the keeper of order; if word spread then there were bound to be heroes vying for Draliz. However, even if I expected some form of conflict, I never expected this.


    Malz fainted, the outsides of Vaelith completely torn and destroyed, and Ceylon¡­ bleeding and missing an arm. The mere sight made me beyond angry, and there was only one person responsible for this; there could only be a single one responsible.


    The person whose damn arm In was holding and the damn person that was about to kill Malz and Ceylon.


    [Hero of Humans. Tier: SS]


    A hero, the Hero of Humans. There was also another hero here, the Heroine of Water, but as far as I could tell she had had no play in Ceylon¡¯s current condition. In fact, she seemed to be picking herself up from some bad injuries when I passed by her.


    ¡°So, any last words?¡± I asked, restraining myself.


    ¡°You are¡­¡± the Hero of Humans blinked, before his eyes narrowed. ¡°The Heroine of Frost, but something is wrong with you. Are you perchance corrupted?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It seems you haven¡¯t heard me, I said:¡± I squeezed, breaking his arm. ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you.¡±


    At that the Hero of Humans groaned. ¡°So you dare get in my way too?¡±


    I ignored him and kicked, breaking through all his bones and sending him flying. I couldn¡¯t believe the audacity he had to even make conversation with me. But it didn¡¯t matter, I was going to fucking kill him. However, just as I was about to teleport in his direction, I stopped myself and looked towards Ceylon, who was now unconscious, before calling.


    ¡°Lily! Can you take care of their injuries?¡±


    For a moment, there was no response, but soon the purple haired girl that had been my companion for the past week appeared and gave me a nod before taking my two friends away, and just like that I was alone. I didn¡¯t want to destroy Vaelith or the surroundings further, but I was going to make a damn exception for this.


    I grabbed my dagger to take out my spear, when someone teleported near me. However, it wasn¡¯t the Hero of Humans, but the Heroine of Water instead.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re going to need help,¡± she said, now completely healed and with a rather casual tone. ¡°That man¡¯s ability allows him to access the skills of fallen heroes. Which means that, you alone stand no chance as a mere SS Tier hero.¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t need help, nor do I want your help. This is personal now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she pondered. ¡°You don¡¯t seem particularly strong, perhaps I came all the way here for no reason.¡±


    I ignored the woman¡¯s comment, she seemed eccentric like all the other heroes, and as for why she was here? I didn¡¯t care. Not right now, all I cared about was one thing, and one thing only. And that was killing the trash that had almost killed Ceylon. I turned my gaze as I sensed a skill going off.


    Then I lifted my arm and the Hero of Humans appeared before me, punching.


    ¡°[Realmbreaker]!¡±


    I caught his attack with the palm of my hand as a shockwave blew past me, freezing it was trivial. It was all so damn trivial. The Hero of Humans blinked, and I clenched holding into his fist before pulling and?¡ª headbutting.


    I broke his nose as I spoke coldly.


    ¡°I do not know why you wanted to kill Ceylon, but I don¡¯t care. All I know is that I¡¯ll make you pay for it?¡ª¡±


    And I kneed, breaking through his ribs before pulling back my free arm and muttering, coating my fist in a blue aura.


    ¡°[Blessing of the Ice God] and [Gift of Frost].¡±


    Then I punched as an explosion of ice went off in the surroundings, and along with it the Hero of Humans exploded into a frozen bloodbath. And as I stared at it, I continued.


    ¡°?¡ª which is why, now that I¡¯ve used up your revival skill, I¡¯ll give you a very painful death.¡±


    Following my words, the Heroine of Water blinked, her calm expression shifting to one of surprise. However, once more, I didn¡¯t care about any of that. No, only one thing mattered, and that was killing this bastard.


    * * * * *


    The Heroine of Water was surprised. No, it was better to say she was shocked. Shocked that the Heroine of Frost had taken a skill and completely and utterly brushed it off. As far as she was aware the frost element was able to freeze attacks, but to freeze an SS Tier attack?


    Wouldn¡¯t that require the Heroine of Frost to be SSS Tier?


    Yet¡­


    [Heroine of Frost. Tier: SS]


    That didn¡¯t seem to be the case at all, yet what had unfolded before her very eyes suggested that. Unless that had been the product of a skill? However, if that was the case then why was the Heroine of Frost so confident in triumphing against the Hero of Humans? Ignoring whether the heroine was aware of who the Hero of Humans was or not, the fact that she, the Heroine of Water, had informed her of the man¡¯s skill should have been enough to understand his power.


    Yet, in spite of knowing that, she didn¡¯t seem to care. And matter of fact, seemed extremely confident in killing the hero.


    In fact, he literally died just now¡­ she added in her mind. At the work of some kind of¡­ skill. It was weird to even doubt whether what she had seen was a skill; she had seen Arcane Magic before, but even then she wasn¡¯t able to tell.


    That said, she was seriously doubtful about whether the Heroine of Frost had actually killed the Hero of Humans, and that was for one simple reason: Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    He has too many skills at his disposal.


    And there was also the fact that there was no sign of his revival skill triggering?¡ª


    [The Hero of Humanity has died, rally to his aid!]


    ¡°It seems I spoke too soon¡­¡± The Heroine of Water swallowed, before looking towards Arc who was frowning. ¡°So, you really did kill him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± she scoffed, answering in annoyance. ¡°What¡¯s with this notification anyway?¡±


    The Heroine of Water took a breath, calming whatever weird emotions she felt towards the Heroine of Frost, and then, she began to explain.


    ¡°That notification is what makes the Hero of Humans so terrifying. As the Hero of Humanity, all the human race rests on his shoulders, which means that when he is in danger all of humanity will contribute a small portion of their power,¡± she said simply.


    ¡°Aha.¡±


    ¡°And when this process happens, he becomes comparable to an SSS Tier being,¡± she finished.


    Truth was, she wasn¡¯t particularly confident in taking on the Hero of Humans; while she was confident in being able to take away his first life. This part was, in her mind, going to be incredibly difficult. And for good reason.


    Fighting an SSS Tier being is¡­ She closed her eyes, remembering the past. Difficult.


    In the end, her plan had been to engage in a battle of endurance until the temporary buff ran out, but it seemed that the Heroine of Frost had other plans because she didn¡¯t so much as react.


    ¡°I see. Alright.¡±


    And with that, the Heroine of Frost reached for the dagger at her waist; a dagger with so little mana that the Heroine of Water couldn¡¯t even sense. But at the same time it reminded her of¡­


    One of the items I took from the Forgotten Places¡­


    Though she had no way to confirm it because, the Hero of Humans had finished reviving.


    [The Hero of Humanity rises to the challenge, now stronger than ever! May the evil that threatens humanity be vanquished!]


    And with those words, the sky went black as the Hero of Humans revived, and before the Heroine of Frost could finish using her dagger, there was a flash before she went flying.


    The Heroine of Water felt¡­ weird. She had thought that the Heroine of Frost would be defeated, but now she had a feeling that maybe¡­


    She stood a chance against the SSS Tier Hero of Humans.


    * * * * *


    The Hero of Humans was angry, but also in disbelief. He hadn¡¯t known much about the Heroine of Frost other than she should¡¯ve stood no chance against him. However, he did know she was supposed to be in the Forgotten Places right now; and that she should¡¯ve been dead because of it.


    But against all odds, she was here, and she was strong. Much stronger than he had anticipated; and worst of all? Even if he killed her, he would not be able to access her skills. He could just tell. Something was different about her, and something was weird; very weird. And while at first he was keen on finding out, now he simply wanted to do one thing and one thing only.


    To kill her.


    And it wasn¡¯t because of sudden hatred, but he could just tell that the grudge that the heroine held over her companion being hurt was something that could not be resolved through anything but death. At least not in the short term, and given how his revival skill had been used, every other solution had been thrown out off the window right then and there.


    ¡°To the death it is!¡± he growled as he summoned a spear of light, and lunged it across the landscape. ¡°[Deathray]!¡±


    With a flash of light, the spear flew across the landscape, illuminating everything in its path as if it were lightning. For a moment, the whole world went white before it struck the place it was aiming at, and then with a flash, a large beacon of light exploded into the sky as the earth was torn asunder.


    He didn¡¯t care if the place was torn asunder, right now he was acting in self defense against the Heroine of Frost that had killed him, meaning that Ruvaar would be safe; meaning that he could go all out! And that¡¯s what he was doing right now.


    [Flash Speed].


    He blurred as he sent the Scepter of Past Visions into his Storage Ring, and then he immediately took out a sword. However, it wasn¡¯t any sword but rather, it was an SS Tier item. More specifically, one belonging to the Hero of Smithing, and it was called the [Vanquisher of Humans] for it dealt triple damage towards human beings.


    It had once been used against him, but now, it was his preferred tool to kill heroes. And more than anything, he could turn it into an SSS Tier weapon simply by using the skill of the now defunct hero.


    ¡°[Blessing of the Smithing God],¡± he muttered.


    It was a skill that brought any weapon to the Tier of the wielder, and considering he had used his revival skill, the weapon was now SSS Tier. And it was what he was planning on using to vanquish the damned Heroine of Frost.


    In a single moment, he arrived at the deserted area of the explosion while it was still ongoing, and there he saw her. An armor of ice that was covering her body was falling apart, and this was the perfect opportunity.


    ¡°Perish!¡±


    And the Heroine of Frostraised a blue spear with white ornaments of wings and an elongated white sword tip, it looked incredibly fancy but?¡ª it didn¡¯t matter!


    The Hero of Humans swung with all his strength, hitting the shaft of the spear as the attack was blocked. Now, any SS Tier weapon would¡¯ve shattered from the hit, but instead, Arc simply went flying away, hitting the forest with an explosion. At this point, they were far from Vaelith, so he wouldn¡¯t be taking innocent lives.


    With another dash, he appeared before Arc who had the same unamused and dead expression as before; her expressions didn¡¯t change much, and that made him angrier as he swung. Arc, of course merely blocked.


    ¡°So you return from the Forgotten Places just to get in my way, huh?!¡±


    He used a skill this time as a light flashed, Arc blocked again but this time part of her shoulder was taken as blood splattered. [Deadliest Edge] was a skill that extended the edge of the sword past its physical manifestation, and it was what he was going to use to kill Arc!


    ¡°You think you¡¯ll be able to kill me?!¡±


    He slashed again, and made the woman bleed once more.


    ¡°You are but a mere hero of an element, one of many. Meanwhile, I am the one and only Hero of Humans, the hero of humanity!¡± he screamed, feeling nothing more than frustration. ¡°You are lucky I came in time to save your pathetic friends from the Heroine of Water!¡±


    He kicked her away as she stumbled back, though all she had was a frown present on her face. Then he slashed again, pushing her back.


    ¡°You are damn lucky that after I kill you, I¡¯ll only kill that pathetic dragon and that girl!¡±


    ¡°Lucky?¡± she asked, evidently annoyed.


    The Hero of Humans drew back and cracked her a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m merciful enough to not destroy Draliz for this.¡±


    Then he attacked again, and this time the Heroine of Frost raised a hand and?¡ª caught the blade along with it as blood splattered. However, contrary to expectations, the blade barely cut into her skin as she growled.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re the lucky one that I can¡¯t use my strongest skill to kill you already,¡± she squeezed as the blade made a weird sound, all while she glared at him. ¡°But don¡¯t worry, I just wanted to see how strong you were, I¡¯ll get serious now.¡±


    With those words, the sword?¡ª shattered.


    The Hero of Humans blinked and then he screamed, pulling his fist back.


    ¡°[Reconstruction]!¡± the sword reformed in his hand and he swung again. ¡°And?¡ª [Blinking Blade of Destruction]!¡±


    It was a skill belonging to the Hero of Swords, a man he had killed a very long time ago, and while he had only used it a handful of times in history this time was perfect for it. After all, the skill had a good property that few skills had?¡ª


    Being able to cut through any target of lesser rank.


    And the sword hit her spear as a loud explosion went off, but once more?¡ª the spear stopped it completely unscathed as the heroine simply smiled savagely at his surprised expression. Then, she flicked his sword away with her spear and muttered.


    ¡°[Stasis].¡±


    And the Hero of Humans froze as she smiled, glee evident.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand it do you? Even if you are SSS Tier, you cannot compare to the things I fought in the Forgotten Places. Nor does your strength compare to the one the Hero of Arlas possesses in spite of sharing the same Tier,¡± she said coldly as his mind reeled.


    She let go of her spear, planting it on the ground, for him to appraise as his eyes widened.


    ¡°In short, you never stood a chance. So how about we begin?¡±


    She grabbed her spear back as she cocked it back, preparing to impale him as she continued.


    ¡°Your execution that is.¡±


    And she thrust as the Hero of Humans felt horror for the first time in many centuries, all while he screamed at himself to move.

 Chapter. 162: The Hero of Humanity (Part 4)

    Chapter. 162: The Hero of Humanity (Part 4)


    Move, the Hero of humans told himself.


    All of his muscles trembled, as if held by an invisible force.


    Move!


    His mind whirled, dozens of thoughts passing through as he forced himself to try to do anything. He even tried to chant skills in his mind but they were rendered completely ineffective. His mana was frozen, his everything was frozen. He didn¡¯t understand it. He couldn¡¯t understand it.


    With just a single skill the Heroine of Frost had done this to him? Even though she was SS Tier?! No, she clearly was corrupted in some way, but even then he should be able to fight an SSS Tier being no problem. So, what was the issue? No, none of that mattered.


    Instead, his mind focused on the situation at hand, and the world slowed down as he saw the spear heading for him. Now, more than ever, he noticed the spear that she wielded. That thing? was not normal, and if it struck him it was going to put him in critical condition; and since he couldn¡¯t use skills he may actually die from it.


    Which is why, his mind blared as he screamed, feeling nothing but fear.


    Fucking move!


    If he could¡¯ve done anything, he would¡¯ve screamed out his skill but he couldn¡¯t. So all he did, all he tried for was to cast his skill in his mind all while urging himself to?¡ª


    MOVE!


    But unfortunately, it was useless as the spear went right through his heart. The control finally returned to his body as he collapsed on the ground, except?¡ª even now, his mana was¡­ frozen.


    ¡°You are merely a fake SSS Tier,¡± she said simply. ¡°As fake as the keeper of order.¡±


    ¡°The keeper of order?¡± he grunted, grabbing his chest. For some reason, he wasn¡¯t bleeding out as he expected, instead it was as if his wound was stopped in time. ¡°You think you can rival him?¡±


    She smiled. ¡°All I know is that I want to make him pay for sending me to that hell. Maybe I¡¯ll drag him to see the real Hero of Arlas, he seemed quite pissed when he learned about his existence after all.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying!?¡±


    The keeper of order was the Hero of Arlas. He had heard her say that before but this time he fully registered it, and he truly didn¡¯t understand what she was talking about?. That said, it didn¡¯t matter. All he knew is that right now he had to?¡ª run.


    The Hero of Humans bolted away, crossing a hundred meters in an instant, while his mana was gone his skills remained active including [Flash Speed], so he was going to use it to retrieve and?¡ª


    ¡°It seems you don¡¯t understand,¡± the heroine¡¯s voice resounded as he felt a sharp pain. ¡°You can¡¯t run either.¡±


    He tripped, losing his footing and rolled across the ground, before finally hitting a tree with a loud explosion. What happened?¡ª and he screamed as the pain got worse than before. Then when he opened his eyes he saw it?¡ª


    Both of his legs were missing.


    Then, after a beat, the Heroine of Frost appeared before him. ¡°So, with that out of the way, how about we continue your execution, eh?¡± she asked.


    Then, she?¡ª swung, taking away one of his hands as he realized a truth.


    If he didn¡¯t escape this, only one thing awaited him:


    Death.


    Because the Heroine of Frost was a monster.


    * * *


    Ceylon awoke screaming¡ª


    ¡°Arc?!¡±


    But what she saw was the ceiling of her castle as she blinked. Last thing she remembered was defending Malz from the Hero of Humans, and almost dying. She remembered losing her¡­


    Ceylon flinched in pain as she looked at her intact extremity.


    ¡­ arm.


    Had that been a dream that never happened? No, that couldn¡¯t be, it simply couldn¡¯t?¡ª


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re fine¡­¡±


    A sweet voice called to her and Ceylon turned only to see an unfamiliar girl. She looked younger than her and had a deep violet hair that was cut short. Her clothes seemed rather casual, and her presence was too, and yet? Ceylon was acutely aware that there was more to her than what met the eye.


    The girl let out a deep breath. ¡°Y-You know, I was so scared that you and Malz would die. After all, what would I tell Arc?¡±


    Ceylon blinked, hearing the girl¡¯s words before it finally settled in on her. What happened was real.


    Arc was back.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Ceylon asked immediately.


    At that the girl tensed. ¡°L-Lily.¡±


    At that, Ceylon made her decision. Given Lily¡¯s words there was only one obvious reasoning to draw; Lily was friends with Arc, and more than anything, she knew where Arc was at this moment.


    ¡°Please take me to Arc, Lily, I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    At that, the violet haired girl stuttered, ¡°E-Eh, I-I don¡¯t?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea,¡± a sharp voice cut off.


    Ceylon and Lily turned only to tense, and Lily immediately raised her hands as something powerful began to gather. For it was none other than the Heroine of Water who was leaning against a wall with her arms crossed.


    ¡°Relax,¡± the heroine said. ¡°I care not to kill any of you anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lily asked, practically growling. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t intend to fight, Dragon of Taboo.¡± The Heroine sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just here to take shelter, because I am¡­ afraid of what I saw.¡±


    At that last part, the heroine seemed hesitant but she still voiced it out, and Ceylon was now more confused than ever. Ignoring her surprise about Lily¡¯s identity, the Heroine of Water was¡­ afraid? As if sensing her confusion, she continued.


    ¡°Arc is currently fighting an empowered Hero of Humans, and not only is she winning but she is¡­¡± the heroine closed her eyes. ¡°Torturing him.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Ceylon remembered Arc¡¯s reaction and¡­ she wasn¡¯t surprised. That said, she wasn¡¯t going to advocate for that¡­


    ¡°Then I don¡¯t see why I shouldn¡¯t stop her,¡± Ceylon said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good idea because you got a whole city to manage, after all?¡ª there is mass hysteria due to our fight and Arc¡¯s fight with the Hero of Humans,¡± the Heroine of Water explained plainly. ¡°So you may want to deal with that. Plus it¡¯s also probably not safe to be around two SSS Tier existences in the middle of a fight.¡±


    And Ceylon paused, slowly nodding. While she disliked agreeing with the Heroine of Water, she also wasn¡¯t stupid.


    So she turned and the first thing she spotted was a still fainted Malz, meaning she was alone or¡­ was she? Lily was present.


    ¡°Lily, do you think you could¡­ assist me with a few things?¡±


    At that, the dragon tensed but hesitantly nodded. ¡°I can try¡­ I think¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to help too,¡± the Heroine of Water added.


    Ceylon blinked, but in the end, she didn¡¯t want to question the heroine, instead she simply distributed her plan of action.


    * * *


    I wasn¡¯t the most callous person out there, nor did I consider myself as such. In fact, even though I was acutely aware of the fact that I was far away from normal, I never quite considered myself something like a monster.


    All the heroes I killed in the past were out of self interest or because they were a danger to me or my companions. And right now, this situation was no different. The Hero of Humans had almost killed Ceylon, and that was enough for me. More than enough; except he also was going to kill Malz.


    And even now, he had continued to threaten my friends, and at this point, I had most certainly turned into what I would consider a monster. I was beyond pissed. Maybe it was because of my experiences in the Forgotten Places, because of the fact that I had struggled so much to leave in order to return to Ceylon, only to barely arrive in time to save her. But I was seething. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Some asshole, almost ruined the life I had yearned to return to? I understood that Ceylon would be gone one day, but right now, when I had nothing. When I had little to anything attaching me to this damned world. It was something that angered me beyond belief. No, it was more than just anger?¡ª it was hatred.


    ¡°You dare try to destroy everything dear to me, huh?!¡± I kicked, breaking his bones as he hit a tree. ¡°After I spent months in that accursed place, after I almost lost several limbs permanently, and after I almost got corrupted?!¡±


    I stabbed with my spear, gritting my teeth as the Hero of Humans screamed. I didn¡¯t know what I was doing. Part of me wanted to torture him, but part of me also wanted to just end his life. I didn¡¯t want to become a monster, but at the same time¡­


    ¡°You. Piece. Of. Shit!¡±


    I flung him across the landscape, sending him flying as I breathed heavily. I didn¡¯t know what to do, I didn¡¯t know how to get rid of the anger I felt. But at least, I knew I wanted him to endure the pain that Ceylon went through, so that¡¯s what I focused on.


    I appeared before the Hero of Humans as he grunted, hitting a mountain. Then, I raised my spear as his limbs regenerated, though he was glaring daggers at me, and for good reason.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I am, all that matters is that you made a terrible mistake,¡± I said grimly as I raised my spear and severed his arm again. ¡°And I intend to make you pay for it. I do not know what pain Ceylon went through, but rather than torture you, I¡¯ll make sure you lose one thing.¡±


    I met his gaze as his eyes seemed to tremble in horror.


    ¡°Hope. Just like you did to her.¡±


    My words hung in the air before I allowed him to use mana again. I was no tyrant, and I wasn¡¯t going to torture him, not anymore. Instead, I was going to simply kill him, all while he did his best to try to survive. Just like what he did to Ceylon.


    * * *


    The Hero of Humans knew that this was his opportunity, that this was his chance to do one thing. And that was to:


    Escape.


    It seemed that even now the Heroine of Frost underestimated him. She should¡¯ve killed him while she was able to freeze his skills, but instead her ability had run out. And while it would have normally been something that upsetted him, this time it was something closer to a blessing. Because if he escaped then that meant he could ask for the keeper of order¡¯s help to deal with this anomaly.


    The anomaly that was Arc the Heroine of Frost.


    That said, it seemed that escaping was going to be more than just difficult, but thankfully, he was no stranger to escapes. He raised the Scepter of Past Visions. Unlike before, he could now access the power of heroes he had never met. The power of heroes that had long existed before him.


    Such as the power of the Hero of Barriers?¡ª


    ¡°[Great God of Protection. Save me]!¡±


    He called out and a translucent barrier appeared to block a flying ice spear. In an instant, it hit and? the barrier?¡ª shattered. It exploded into thousands of pieces as the spear evaporated, but it was enough time bought for him, to use one of his own personal skills. It was a simple skill, but one he had used once to save his life.


    It had a simple function, to teleport to any human within a certain radius, and with it, he could make his perfect escape and get away from Arc for as long as possible. After all, even if she was this strong, few heroes had the means to teleport long distances, and he seriously doubted Arc was one of them.


    He grinned as touched his chest. ¡°[Retreat of Humanity].¡±


    And? nothing happened.


    The Hero of Humans blinked as Arc appeared and punched him in the face, breaking his jaw and sending him crashing against the ground with a loud explosion. He immediately recovered as he healed himself with one of his skills, but he was aghast.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You thought I¡¯d just give you an easy way out?¡± she sneered as she appeared, swinging a spear of ice. ¡°Of course, the fuck not.¡±


    The spear was blocked by a barrier as the Hero of Humans gritted his teeth. ¡°What are you talking about?¡ª¡±


    And she flicked him away with a deadly strike before continuing, ¡°I¡¯m saying that the only reason you can use skills is because I''m allowing you to.¡±


    His mind reeled for a moment before he scoffed. ¡°That is impossible, you can¡¯t do that on command!¡±


    He raised the Scepter of Past Visions and took his chance.


    ¡°[Great Teleportation? of?¡ª]¡± And he paused, feeling no mana flowing through his skill. ¡°You¡­¡±


    ¡°You were saying?¡± Arc appeared before him and?¡ª stabbed.


    His stomach was ruptured open as he spat a mouthful of blood. He wanted to deny her ability, but at this point it was a fact of the world. Arc was a monster. Whatever had happened in the Forgotten Places had changed her in an inconceivable way.


    Does this mean that only he is her opponent? He stared down with wide eyes. That I¡¯m completely powerless before her?


    Me?


    He couldn¡¯t believe it. He was the Hero of Humans. He was the chosen one to protect the entirety of humanity, and his powers allowed him to borrow from humanity in order to do so. He was undoubtedly the strongest hero or almost the strongest. There only existed one hero with a title stronger than him, and that was the Hero of Arlas. The hero chosen to protect this world.


    And yet, the heroine of damn frost was stronger than him?


    In such a way that I cannot do anything about it?


    No. He couldn¡¯t believe it. His mind couldn¡¯t process it. She was so overwhelmingly strong that he couldn¡¯t even escape from her?


    No.


    That wasn¡¯t possible.


    It couldn¡¯t be possible.


    It simply was impossibility.


    It was?¡ª


    ¡°BULLSHIT!¡± he screamed as he raised his scepter. ¡°[My life, My Soul, My Spirit; Burn For Me]!¡±


    In an instant, he felt an uncomprehending deep pain that took away his lifespan and his strength increased. He was no fool, he couldn¡¯t fight her, but to think he couldn¡¯t run either? No, nobody had that power over him.


    ¡°Do not look down on me!¡± The Hero of Humans pointed his scepter at the heroine, who still was before him, with her spear in his stomach. ¡°[World Slash]!¡±


    The Heroine of Frost teleported to dodge his attack, but it didn¡¯t matter. He dashed away and the Heroine of Frost appeared before him, and he simply smiled as blood?¡ª splattered. She stumbled back, missing a large part of her body; this was his chance, his chance to escape.


    [God Step].


    With that, even he would take some time to recover. So he used the chance to combo his skills in order to run. He took a deep breath. Now?¡ª His face was kicked and he fell back, his nose broken.


    What?


    Someone dared to interfere with him now? The Hero of Humans felt incredible anger as he opened his eyes and saw none other than the very same heroine he had almost cut in half. But she was no longer bleeding, instead part of her shoulder was white, like a birthmark, except¡­


    It was made out of ice.


    She had encased her entire injury with ice.


    ¡°Impossible¡­¡±


    There was no way she could recover so fast. There was simply¡­ no way.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible?!¡± He bit his tongue before deciding to just go for it. ¡°[Singularity]!¡±


    It was a skill that placed great strain in his body, but it didn¡¯t matter. The Hero of Humans chuckled as the grass at his feet began to disintegrate.


    ¡°I want to see you freeze that,¡± he said, chuckling as his nose began to bleed.


    In response the woman raised an eyebrow and?¡ª jabbed her hand forward, holding him by the neck, all while reality began to fall apart. Even the ice holding the wound together of the heroine began to flake, and soon, the world began to distort.


    Not even you can deal with this.


    When the skill went off, he would run. The Hero of Humans smiled with glee and the world began to contract into itself. Then, in a moment, it burst.


    Everything exploded.


    The world turned white as the Hero of Humans tried to make his escape only to be unable to move. Then it ended as he panted, and saw the Heroine of Frost looking at him, still holding his neck. She seemed injured, but not nearly as much as he would¡¯ve expected. In fact, it should¡¯ve killed her.


    How?


    The Hero of Humans couldn¡¯t understand it. Did that mean she could take everything he would throw at her? No, that simply wasn¡¯t possible.


    He gritted his teeth. ¡°[World?¡ª]¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± she said as his mana was frozen. ¡°You are the strongest hero I¡¯ve met, but unfortunately, it seems that you aren¡¯t strong enough.¡±


    The Hero of Humans blinked, and he stared at the heroine who let out a tired sigh.


    ¡°Honestly, I really wish you never attacked Ceylon, but it doesn¡¯t matter now. While I¡¯m tired of killing, it doesn¡¯t mean I can spare you,¡± she said simply before frowning. ¡°After all, you almost killed her.¡±


    With those words, her expression changed, remembering her anger and the Hero of Humans realized that this was the end. That she was done playing with her food. And now, he was going to die, with no possibility of escape.


    Was this his end?


    So much to die like this? Because I attacked a girl that got in my way?


    He closed his eyes as the heroine raised her spear, pointing it at his head. Right now, he couldn¡¯t even move. His whole body was frozen. He was being held by the neck like an animal that was about to be put down, and while he felt a myriad of emotions at this moment, there was one that was more present than any other one.


    Regret.


    He remembered his life and the good moments.


    ¡°He¡¯s such a brilliant child, is he not?¡± a woman asked his mother.


    ¡°But of course! My boy will be a genius!¡± his mother exclaimed.


    And he, as a child, smiled knowing he would accomplish great things.


    He remembered the bad moments.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, his lips trembling.


    ¡°Sophia, your fianc¨¦e, has been attacked, she doesn¡¯t have much time left. So come.¡±


    He rushed to the hospital, but by the time he made it, she had passed on. The love of his life was no longer in this world.


    And even the most terrible moments.


    He cried after the funeral, and just when he was about to take his life, the world changed. He found himself in complete darkness as a window flashed before him.


    [ Blake. You have been chosen as a Hero by The System due to your talents. You have been summoned to Arlas in order to maintain the world and purge the corruption??????????.


    You are currently undergoing training. ]


    The Hero of Humans remembered it all, from the name he had long shed, to what drove him to live a long time ago, and he realized how much of his life had been wasted. How selfish he had become, and how despicable he had become. And while he had the power to change things, he didn¡¯t, and now, it was too late.


    Yet, even now, he didn¡¯t want to die.


    His eyes opened as he saw the spear, and he cried, ¡°No!¡±


    But she swung the spear.


    ¡°Goodbye, asshole?.¡±


    He closed his eyes shut, and a metallic clink resounded, but nothing else happened.


    ¡°And another asshole shows up, great,¡± the Heroine of Frost growled.


    The Hero of Humans blinked, realizing he had been saved. The question was¡­


    Who?


    And a moment later, he saw it. A man in red armor was holding the heroine¡¯s spear shaft, stopping it from impaling his head. He had a long cape and a helmet with horns. And he was locking eyes with the heroine that was glaring daggers at him.


    ¡°Long time no see, Arc.¡±


    It was the Hero of Arlas.


    And he was here to save him.

 Chapter. 163: The Hero of Humanity (Part 5)

    Chapter. 163: The Hero of Humanity (Part 5)


    And here I thought I could relax after this bullshit, I thought, gritting my teeth. All things considered, the fake Hero of Arlas was strong, and while I wasn¡¯t confident in taking him on, I did feel like I could. Especially with the use of World Ender. However, right now I was not in perfect shape, and I knew the injury I got from the Hero of Humans was definitely going to make me lose our fight.


    So that leaves talking to him, huh¡­ It was¡­ very annoying. I glanced over at the Hero of Humans that I had dropped to the ground.


    ¡°So you are his pet?¡±


    At that, the hero frowned but said nothing, instead the reply I got came from the Hero of Arlas, the fake Hero of Arlas.


    He chuckled. ¡°Nothing of the sort, he is simply important for my plans to stop the end of the world.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes.¡± I feigned understanding filled with sarcasm. ¡°We don¡¯t want our poor Arlas to end up consumed by the Forgotten Places, it¡¯s not like there have been much stronger worlds that have suffered the same fate or anything. And it¡¯s not like our strongest hero is down there either trying his best, while you sit here pretending to be him.¡±


    At that, the keeper of order simply shook his head. ¡°There are things you don¡¯t understand?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cut to the chase,¡± I interrupted, losing all pretense of friendliness as my voice turned into a growl. ¡°You know that I don¡¯t plan on sparing this asshole.¡±


    Following my words, I gripped my spear tight and glared at the fake hero, my voice turning venomous.


    ¡°So, unless you plan to fight me and are prepared to lose a good chunk of this world, I suggest you back the fuck off.¡±


    At that there was a short silence as he stared at my spear, and while it was just a second or two, I could see him tense.


    ¡°I see,¡± he finally said. ¡°It seems that my gamble has backfired.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you.¡±


    I appeared before him and jabbed my spear into his chest, breaking through it before sending him flying with [Repulse]. In an instant he traveled through the forest, before crashing into the crater from the skill the Hero of Humans used on me.


    Then I turned to the Hero of Humans as he scrambled.


    ¡°P-Please, I¡¯ll do anything, I-I simply just want?¡ª¡±


    And I stabbed, puncturing through his stomach as I hissed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    He grunted and I continued.


    ¡°Fact of the matter is that, not only did you hurt Ceylon, but it seems killing you would piss the keeper of order quite a lot,¡± I said simply before pointing my finger at him. ¡°So, die.¡±


    [Judgment of the Ice God].


    There was a flash above me as the ice coalesced into an ice spear in a fraction of a second, and then, it?¡ª shattered. The keeper of order stood before me, shaking his head.


    ¡°It seems you misheard me?¡ª¡±


    ¡°Stasis,¡± I interrupted as he froze, and continued, this time directly looking at the Hero of Humans. ¡°Destroy.¡±


    At that moment, a dozen of ice spears exploded from the ground, impaling the defenseless hero that lay before me. Blood splattered, and his life¡­ came to an end.


    [ You have vanquished the: Hero of Humans, from the world. Tier: SS. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    [ You have leveled up. ]


    ¡­


    And with that, it was over.


    * * * * *


    The Hero of Humans attempted to plead but not scream came out, instead, there was simply a sharp burst of pain, and then there was¡­ darkness. Just an infinite void with ebbing particles, it wasn¡¯t what he expected for an afterlife, but part of him felt at peace.


    He was dead.


    All his responsibilities, his ambitions, his drive?¡ª they didn¡¯t matter anymore. And while most people would have felt sad, the Hero of Humans instead felt some level of relief that he would have never expected.


    At last, it was over. That¡¯s how he felt. He had been liberated from all responsibilities, good or bad; it was simply the end. And now, he could move on, truly move on from this life. Perhaps his consciousness would soon fade, or perhaps it would take a while, but for now it was simply: relaxing.


    He closed his eyes, and then, he heard a voice.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡±


    It was familiar, but the Hero of Humans thought he was imagining it. However, the next voice made him think otherwise, after all; it was the vicious cold female voice belonging to none other than the Heroine of Frost.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Hearing that, the Hero of Humans opened his eyes, and for a moment he saw nothing, but then, the void cleared. Like a haze that was being cleared, he saw the world in a misty veil, all from an omniscient view next to the Hero of Arlas, and he was standing before the Heroine of Frost.


    ¡°But you should care,¡± the Hero of Arlas said simply. ¡°After all, the less strength we have available to repel the end of the world, the more likely it is for everything you hold dear to be destroyed.¡±


    At that, the heroine frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out something.¡±


    ¡°Will you now? You may think you have hundreds of years left, but there really isn¡¯t that much time.¡±


    And witnessing this, the Hero of Humans came to a realization.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    He was still very much alive.


    The Hero of Arlas had rescued him in time. And while he should¡¯ve felt dread at having all his responsibilities, instead he felt exhilaration, because now he knew that revenge was only a matter of time.


    Now he had an opportunity to take everything that the heroine held dear.


    * * * * *


    This was strange.


    I frowned looking at the fake Hero of Arlas. I would have expected that killing the Hero of Humans would royally upset him, but instead he was trying to reason with me.


    ¡°Think about it, Arc,¡± he said. ¡°Do you really think that killing every hero that threatens you is a good idea? You¡¯re just making the inevitable worse.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have an answer to that, in the first place. I hadn¡¯t even thought about how to deal with the impending doom yet, considering I had only returned a week ago to this world.


    ¡°Will you kill the Heroine of Water now considering she was planning on murdering your dragon friends and Ceylon too?¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Was she?¡±


    ¡°The Hero of Humans was called to protect your city from her,¡± he said simply. ¡°If you kill every hero, you will only doom this world further.¡±


    My frown deepened. Learning that the Heroine of Water had been planning on doing that was¡­ upsetting. But now that Lily was around, I felt quite confident that she wouldn¡¯t try anything.


    Plus, he¡¯s trying to distract me, I added in my mind before focusing on the fake Hero of Arlas once more, it truly was strange. There was no anger coming from him, there was simply talking. He wasn¡¯t leaving either. It was odd. But I didn¡¯t let my thoughts distract me from the conversation.


    ¡°Do you really think all the heroes will rally together to save this world?¡± I asked. ¡°We both know how selfish they are; they simply won¡¯t.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°There are a lot of things you don¡¯t understand, but I won¡¯t waste any more time trying to convince you,¡± he said before turning around. ¡°After all, I have to plan.¡±


    ¡°You can always sever the System from this world,¡± I said simply.


    It was a solution, and in fact, it may have been the best solution. The System was what was going to doom the entirety of this world. But rather than even listen, he scoffed at what I said.


    ¡°Looks like you cannot be reasoned with.¡±


    With those words he began to walk away, normally he teleported when leaving; appearing and disappearing in a mere fraction of a second. But this time, he simply was walking away, something that made me frown immediately.


    Why?


    He was the keeper of order, always appearing and disappearing whenever he pleased, yet this time it wasn¡¯t the case. I stared at the fake Hero of Arlas as he continued to walk away, and eventually, I saw him raise his arm only to shake his head as I saw the mana in the air flicker.


    He can¡¯t teleport?


    It was ever so subtle, but I could tell. His skill had failed. Why? What could potentially cause a skill to fail? And there was also something else. He seemed¡­ tense. The more I focused the more I could tell his movements seemed far from calm, in fact I could sense each of his footfalls slightly shaking.  frowned before calling out to him.


    ¡°Wait.¡±


    The fake hero stopped on his tracks and glanced back.


    ¡°Did you change your mind?¡±


    * * * * *


    The keeper of order couldn¡¯t help but frown as he saw Arc¡¯s expression. The peculiar hero that had come to this world rather recently. She seemed dubious. Not angry, not full of hatred, but rather, skeptical.


    Had she discovered the fact that she hid the Hero of Humans? No, that was unlikely. His skill couldn¡¯t be sensed, let alone the pocket dimension.


    So what is it?


    Something felt¡­ wrong.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t change my mind,¡± she began, before she appeared before him. ¡°I simply am curious.¡±


    ¡°Curious? About?¡±


    She tilted her head. ¡°Why do you pretend to be the Hero of Arlas, and who are you really?¡±


    At that he frowned and shook his head. That¡­ was a long story. Did Arc deserve an answer? No. Nobody did. But if this was going to help her leave him alone, then giving her a vague answer didn¡¯t hurt. He turned around and began to walk away once more.


    ¡°The world needs a hero, Arc. If the heroes knew that the Hero of Arlas has been gone for centuries, they would rampage. It is because of me there is order, and it is because of this identity that I took that it is possible,¡± he said solemnly. ¡°As for my hero identity; that is something that you cannot know about.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    In the end, she didn¡¯t suspect a thing. And in the end, he truly bought enough time.


    A notification flashed in front of him, only one he could see.


    [The threat to humanity fades. The Hero of Humanity no longer needs aid.]


    And now, as he took a look into his own dimension, he could see it.


    [Hero of Humans. Tier: SS].


    Blake¡¯s Tier had finally reverted. Meaning that, there was no longer interference with his skills. With that, he could finally make his return, and be done in this place. Even though it had been hard, he had managed to rescue the Hero of Humans from the fiend that he had created.


    A smile settled on his lips as he prepared to use his teleportation skill.


    Good.


    Everything had gone smoothly, thankfully. Otherwise, his plans would¡¯ve been ruined.


    ¡°You know, I had been wondering what you were hiding,¡± a venomous voice reached his ears.


    The keeper of order tensed, and before he could react, a sharp pain went through his chest as Arc¡¯s spear went through his body. It hurt, bad, it was the damned object she got in the Forgotten Places, and probably the strongest Artifact in this world.


    ¡°Ugh.¡±


    ¡°Turns out, you couldn¡¯t teleport for a reason, and I want to find out why.¡±


    Arc smiled viciously before she muttered? the name of a skill, except, he couldn¡¯t sense its activation completely as he cursed.


    He dashed out of the way as a gigantic ice spear crashed on the spot where he had just been, all while he had a gaping wound on his chest. Worst of all, when he pointed at the girl, he couldn¡¯t do anything to her.


    After all?¡ª


    [This being is protected by the world itself.]


    He inwardly cursed at the Hero of Arlas as he prepared to use his escape skill, except his mana was frozen?.


    Shit.


    And then he saw it, he sensed it. A distortion in the air, he turned only to see Arc flicking her spear wildly, as rifts tore into the air. It was a skill he knew of, it was a skill that was well beyond SSS Tier, it was the spear¡¯s World Ender, and it was aimed straight at him.


    ¡°You know, on second thought, it¡¯s better if I kill you instead of finding out whatever it is you¡¯re hiding,¡± she said coldly as the attack began to reach its end. ¡°So, goodbye then?¡ª¡±


    At that, the keeper of order forced himself to use the skill he didn¡¯t want to use, but he had to, otherwise not only would he be responsible for unforeseen destruction, it would also heavily injure him. He clapped his hands, as Arc used her skill.


    ¡°World Ender?¡ª¡±


    [Gate to the Other Side].


    And a gaping hole of darkness swallowed the strike that Arc sent out, and at the same time the Hero of Humans was spat out from another hole as the keeper of order gritted his teeth. The worst outcome had happened, but he was faster?¡ª


    ¡°Stasis.¡±


    She spoke simply as he froze, and the keeper of order couldn¡¯t help but look as the Hero of Humans tried to back off.


    ¡°[God Step].¡±


    But with his mana frozen, the Hero of Humans also couldn¡¯t do anything. However, he too was an SSS Tier existence, for how long could Arc do this? Certainly not very long?¡ª [System Accelerant], he chanted in his mind as he was freed from his shackles. Instantly breaking through the heroine¡¯s Stasis skill.


    ¡°P-Please?¡ª¡±


    In an instant, he appeared before Arc as she swung her spear and blocked it, protecting the Hero of Humans, as he hit the ground, panicked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to kill him,¡± he said gravely. ¡°If you do?¡ª¡±


    Arc stomped, interrupting him as an ice spear appeared behind him and pierced through the hero.


    [The Hero of Humans has been slain by the Heroine of Frost!]


    Just like that, she killed the Hero of Humans. The keeper of order blinked in shock as she raised her brow mockingly at him.


    ¡°You were saying?¡±


    Hearing that, the keeper of order exploded in boiling anger.

 Chapter. 164: After So Long

    Chapter. 164: After So Long


    I braced myself for the worst as the surroundings turned dark. The sky itself went from a vibrant blue to a dead gray, the clouds themselves became a dark abyss, and the world flickered. It almost looked as if the world was beginning to get corrupted, and that wasn¡¯t all, the grass at my feet became gray and a heavy bloodlust enveloped me.


    If it wasn¡¯t for my experience in the Forgotten Places I would¡¯ve found it suffocating, and even now it made me tense as I raised my spear. I had definitely pissed the keeper of order in an unimaginable way, however, this was something I had to do. I knew that if I let the Hero of Humans go I would regret it, and I also knew that it would be tantamount to letting the keeper of order win.


    After all, he had already won once by sending me to the Forgotten Places, and now he got to save his subordinate? No. While it was certainly pride driven action, it was something I needed to do, and I was more than willing to face the consequences. So, I prepared myself to battle to the death.


    But first, I need to bring the fight as far as possible, I tensed staring at the keeper of order as I prepared to stake everything right here and now.


    However, he simply took an angry march towards me, speaking gravely; his voice shaking with anger.


    ¡°Youuu¡­¡± The ground rumbled. ¡°Do you have any idea of what you¡¯ve done? No?¡ª of course, you don¡¯t!¡±


    I frowned, but this time I didn¡¯t quip, I simply listened as he arrived in front of me and looked down.


    ¡°You¡¯ve doomed us all, even killing you doesn¡¯t fix anything; killing you fixes nothing. Fighting you fixes nothing,¡± he said, his cadence fast and anger palpable. ¡°But do not misunderstand, I want to kill you, Arc.¡±


    He gritted his teeth before turning around.


    ¡°And I can kill you.¡±


    Following his words I sensed a gathering of mana as I swung my spear, and blocked something. Blood splattered as a deep cut was made on my arm, and I simply frowned as he continued.


    ¡°However, that does nothing for me.¡± He scoffed, glancing back.


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll just do nothing?¡± I asked, frowning but confused.


    He shook his head. ¡°Just know that you¡¯ll regret ruining my plans.¡±


    I prepared myself for his next words, for his next threat, but contrary to my expectations he disappeared, and along with that, the world changed back to normal. I blinked, and realized that he had left.


    I couldn¡¯t sense him anymore, nor could I sense anything amiss. He was gone for good, at least for now. And while I was sure he would get back at me eventually, I didn¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t even worry. The time of his return didn¡¯t even concern me, because right now all I felt was a single emotion.


    Relief.


    A long tired sigh left me.


    ¡°It¡¯s finally over.¡±


    I could finally focus on the things that mattered to me.


    A small smile crept on my face as I turned to Vaelith, and excitement immediately filled me. I didn¡¯t care for the keeper of order right now, or anything else really, because right now I had a much more important task at hand.


    Meeting Ceylon.


    * * *


    Ceylon didn¡¯t know how this situation developed, or what she even expected, but her heart was racing. However, it wasn¡¯t because she was in danger, it wasn¡¯t because of the fact that the Hero of Humans was still out there somewhere, nor was it because of the proximity she had to the Heroine of Water.


    In fact, even though her situation should have made her nervous, it didn¡¯t. Even talking to the Heroine of Water and telling what to do to the monstrous hero did nothing to her mental state. And that was because of one single factor.


    Arc.


    Her sworn sister. It had been a month since she had last seen her, it had been a month since the keeper of order had sent her to the Forgotten Places, and while sometimes it was hard to believe she would survive. It happened. Arc had survived, and she had returned. And now, it was only a matter of time before they met.


    The situation made Ceylon feel hazy, weird almost. How had Arc changed? What would she say about the state of affairs? Would she be a different person now due to her experiences? All those questions made her feel some level of nervousness, but strangely not much. She simply was excited, deep down in her heart she felt that Arc hadn¡¯t changed.


    Even though she had only briefly seen her, the warmth that Arc made her feel was still there, and that was the reason for her excitement.


    And maybe, that was why she was shaking while sitting behind the desk at her castle. Right now, the Heroine of Water and Lily were out trying to calm the people while she herself prepared to make an announcement.


    Though, it wasn¡¯t quite an announcement so much as the plan was to go around the entirety of the city calming people down. However, that wasn¡¯t safe to do, not until the right time. And needless to say, this preparation time was invaluable for her to choose the best words to calm the crowds of people she would be visiting.


    Yet, her mind was simply flooded with Arc.


    Ceylon continued to shake as the time passed looking down at her table, and it wasn¡¯t until her door was knocked that she broke out of her stupor. She blinked as the Heroine of Water and Lily entered the room, though a sigh left the heroine.


    ¡°You should¡¯ve told me Lily was an anxious mess,¡± she said, annoyance in her tone. ¡°It made this whole thing a lot more difficult.


    Ceylon blinked. ¡°What?¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just shy!¡± Lily protested. ¡°Nobody told me the humans would scream at me.¡±


    At that, the Heroine of Water shook her head before turning to Ceylon. ¡°Well, good news is they are pacified, bad news is that they are afraid of me now, so you may need to change your speech a little.¡±


    ¡°Right¡­¡±


    Ceylon was at a loss for words, ignoring how casual the Heroine of Water was, and ignoring how she seemed to have gotten acquainted with the Dragon of Taboo, Ceylon was still processing.


    She had basically forgotten this duty that she had, all in favor of thinking about Arc, and now, she had to do something. But, rather than grow nervous, Ceylon quickly gathered her bearings; all she needed to do was pacify the people.


    ¡°So you threatened them?¡±


    The heroine shrugged. ¡°It was that or letting them attack me, so yeah.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    It was going to be a bit troublesome to explain the situation with the Heroine of Water, especially because she was sure some people were well aware that she was part of the destruction outside the city, but it was something that could be managed. However, first things first, was checking with her.


    ¡°Heroine of Water, would you be willing to¡­¡± Ceylon pursed her lips, thinking.


    The Heroine of Water raised her brow, and after a moment of deliberation Ceylon continued.


    ¡°Help fix the surroundings of Vaelith?¡±


    It was certainly a big request, maybe a dangerous one considering the heroine¡¯s reputation, but right now Ceylon was acutely aware that the worst the woman could do was say no, so she went for it, and after a moment, she got the answer she hoped for.


    The heroine nodded. ¡°Yeah, of course, why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll help reassure the people that you¡¯re on our side,¡± Ceylon said as she stood up.


    The Heroine of Water simply seemed to give a small nod of acknowledgement at that. Then, Ceylon turned to Lily.


    ¡°Do you think you could show your dragon form to the crowds of people?¡±


    At that, the dragon blinked but hesitantly nodded. ¡°I-If I don¡¯t have to talk, I think I can do it.¡±


    Ceylon felt content hearing that, so, she immediately headed out with two SS Tier existences in tow. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    It was time for her to be a proper ruler.


    * * * * *


    Heroes have really ruined this world. He sighed.


    His name was Wesley Stroude, and he had seen¡­ a lot in his century of life. He had once been a naive boy who admired heroes, he had once become an adventurer that was full of life, hoping to one day reach the peak that the heroes were, and he had once retired still full of hope. But now, after living for so long, and seeing so many things he knew better.


    Even in his youth he had known that heroes weren¡¯t like the tales he heard in his childhood, but it wasn¡¯t until after retirement that he saw a hero rampage and destroy a city?¡ª that was when he finally realized what they were.


    Monsters.


    After that, Wesley sought out a country with no heroes; Draliz. Later, he realized that there were heroes, just acting without showing. Namely the Hero of Flames and the Hero of Shadows, however that was enough for him, enough for him to be at peace.


    But thirty years later, something happened. A new hero appeared in the country, the Heroine of Frost, and she uprooted everything. Not only did she kill the Hero of Shadows, but she also ended up killing the Hero of Flames in the middle of the noble party; and then, she disappeared leaving the country in turmoil.


    ¡°And to make things worse, now the Heroine of Water wants to destroy us all,¡± he whispered, ending in a grunt. It truly was disappointing.


    The Heroine of Frost was supposed to be here, she was supposed to protect them from the awful fate, but in the end, she was a hero. A creature not bound by responsibility but by their own fickle desires, just like all others.


    And now, it was time for their fate.


    He sighed remembering the heroine¡¯s threat.


    ¡°Move and I¡¯ll execute you all, there is an impending announcement,¡± or so the Heroine of Water had said.


    Wesley closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable, and soon, it happened. He heard a wave of susurration sweep through the gathered crowd, marking the beginning of the end.


    A long sigh left him as he turned to the distance where¡­ Ceylon Arlow was approaching with the Heroine of Water?¡ª an unexpected sight, but an obvious one.


    So she¡¯s seized control of Draliz. Wesley shook his head and a moment later the young lady ruler coughed, speaking with an artifact.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be quick, since this announcement must be made multiple times,¡± she said calmly.


    He prepared himself for the worst as the young lady took a deep breath, then she continued, delivering the awful news.


    ¡°Arc, the Heroine of Frost, my sister, has returned and is currently fighting the Hero of Humans,¡± she said simply. ¡°Which means; we are safe.¡±


    What? He blinked.


    ¡°Not only that, but the Heroine of Water is apologetic of her actions and shall help with the restoration of the land surrounding Vaelith.¡±


    Huh? A hero, apologetic?


    At that, the completely unfazed heroine stepped up and coughed.


    ¡°As everyone knows, I¡¯m infamous for being a terrible hero, but today I regret my actions. So, even if it¡¯s a small apology, I shall assist in restoring this city. It¡¯s the least I can do after witnessing the Heroine of Frost¡¯s greatness.¡±


    Then she bowed, leaving the crowd flabbergasted. The monster had bowed to them, and everyone was too shocked to say anything. Then a moment later, the ruler continued.


    ¡°And I want to add that we will be hosting the Dragon of Taboo, one of the Grand Dragon Elders, and the dragon who assisted Arc in returning. Those that are injured can come to receive aid from them in the palace.¡±


    What?


    Her voice rang clear, yet everyone was confused, and it wasn¡¯t until there was a bright light behind the hero and the ruler of the nation that they paused.


    Wesley gaped as they saw a towering dragon looking down at them, and it looked so¡­ majestic. He blinked and then registered what the ruler had said.


    One of the Grand Dragon Elders will heal us if necessary?


    He gulped at the thought. A creature of legend would aid them¡­ and there was also the fact that a hero?¡ª one of the most infamous heroes in history?¡ª had bowed to them. To mere¡­ civilians.


    For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming, and he wasn¡¯t alone for everyone was just staring. And that was when the ruler finished her announcement.


    ¡°That is all, there will be a great compensation of one gold coin to every civilian as an apology from me.¡±


    One gold coin? That?¡ª was a lot. For a moment, he felt weird, then confused, and finally, grateful, and he wasn¡¯t alone for the entire crowd broke out into cheerfulness.


    ¡°Thank you merciful ruler!¡±


    ¡°We knew this was under control!¡±


    ¡°You protected the city!¡±


    In the end, nothing could have prepared him for what had happened; everything?¡ª his whole reality had changed. And it was all due to one person.


    It was all due to the Heroine of Frost.


    For a moment he was stunned, but he quickly realized that maybe¡­ not all heroes are bad.


    * * * * *


    Ceylon went all around the city as the atmosphere quickly changed to one of a parade. After all, the Heroine of Water was now on their side, the Dragon of Taboo would help the people and there was also monetary compensation.


    It didn¡¯t take long for her to be thanked before she could even do her announcement. It was weird. At some point, Ceylon felt like she was walking around only to do nothing, but she did find clueless people; people that didn¡¯t know what was going on, and that¡¯s when she did her job.


    But eventually, she ran out?¡ª it took less than an hour as the atmosphere of the city completely changed; as the streets were filled with a cheerful atmosphere, their presence too became obvious. From Lily being constantly pointed out as a strange girl following them, to people staring from afar, admiring the Heroine of Water.


    As for the heroine, well¡­ she was mostly quiet.


    ¡°What will you do now?¡± Ceylon asked her as they made their way through the streets.


    They were now making their way back to the palace, given the hysteria had been dealt with.


    ¡°Well, I suppose apologizing to Arc is in order, then I¡¯ll call for help to restore the land,¡± she said calmly. ¡°And then, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Right. Sorry for making you do this.¡±


    At that the heroine lightly shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m simply acting in accordance with what I saw. Though¡­¡±


    There was a pause as the Heroine of Water¡¯s eyes narrowed dangerously, at that, Ceylon tensed before a chuckle left the woman.


    ¡°It¡¯s also nice to not need to worry about my reputation,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ve grown tired of being a monster.¡±


    At that, Ceylon blinked, unsure of what to say, which caused the heroine to chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to feel human,¡± she said, ¡°I hardly ever feel it. After all, I had to shed my humanity to survive in this world. I wonder how long the Heroine of Frost will take to get to this stage? Though I certainly hope she enjoys her time as human while she can.¡±


    Ceylon frowned. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    The heroine turned and raised a brow. ¡°Someone of her power stature, cannot have a normal life, you should know as much, right?¡±


    Hearing that, her frown deepened, but the heroine simply continued shaking her head.


    ¡°Whether it is another battle maniac like me threatening their friends, or simply the passage of time. We heroes are lonely existences, whose only solace are each other, it¡¯s a sad thing really.¡± The heroine closed her eyes before turning to Ceylon. ¡°Though luckily for you, you won¡¯t be there to see it, because you will be long dead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡ª¡±


    The Heroine of Water shook her head. ¡°Relax, I bear no ill will towards you. You¡¯ll die of old age, or at the hands of someone else, I¡¯m simply stating a simple fact; eventually the Heroine of Frost will have nothing, just like me. And while I hope there is someone to console her then, it likely won¡¯t be the case.¡±


    Ceylon paused, taking in the heroine¡¯s words as they continued walking. They were hard to¡­ digest. They were shocking, but also they were things that had a grain of truth to it. And it wasn¡¯t like she herself hadn¡¯t thought about them.


    But¡­ why? Ceylon trembled. Why say something like this now?


    Suddenly, it felt hard to breathe, and her chest was tight. Such¡­ existential things were her fears, such¡­ thoughts were the things he avoided. Of course, she knew that eventually she¡¯d leave Arc¡¯s side, not of her own choice but because of the way life worked.


    However¡­


    ¡°You are wrong,¡± Ceylon said, tightening her fists as she steeled herself. ¡°I¡¯ll figure out a way, whether it is to extend my lifespan by leveling or something else. I¡¯ll figure out something.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t the first time she had wondered about such things, and one thing was for certain; she didn¡¯t want Arc to have no one again.


    For a moment Ceylon remembered the Arc she met, the awkward Arc who had nothing, the girl who simply made a connection with her due to circumstances. Arc had looked¡­ so lonely, so fragile back then. Sure, Arc was strong, she always had been. But Ceylon remembered her apologies, the way she awkwardly behaved, and she knew that that was loneliness.


    Eventually, someone was bound to change due to such feelings, often for the worse; and Ceylon didn¡¯t want that for Arc. She didn¡¯t want to leave Arc¡¯s side.


    ¡°I won¡¯t let it happen¡­¡± She gritted her teeth.


    ¡°That is cute,¡± the heroine smiled, breaking out of her own stupor. ¡°But unfortunately it is an inevitability, all heroes I¡¯ve known are lonely. Even those that achieve their own peace are still their only company, and are tyrants in some way, such as the Hero of Glass.¡±


    Then the woman turned to the sky.


    ¡°Such is the fate of us: heroes.¡±


    Ceylon had never pondered something as grand as the life cycle of a hero, but she had pondered about the future. She had pondered about many things, about her fears, about what she could do, and she knew one thing for certain: the fact that the words of the Heroine of Water grated her, and also made her feel something else.


    Panic.


    Because in the end, they did carry a grain of truth, but even then, Ceylon couldn¡¯t accept it?¡ª she wouldn¡¯t accept her fears.


    ¡°And who are you to decide Arc¡¯s fate?¡± she said, raising her voice as she began to shake. ¡°Arc is?¡ª Arc is my everything?¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± a calm voice said, touching her shoulder with a cool breeze. ¡°There is no use in listening to the insane heroine who tried to kill you, Ceylon.¡±


    At that Ceylon blinked as the Heroine of Water paused and lowered her head.


    ¡°My apologies, it seems I got carried away¡­¡± the heroine said in a low voice. ¡°I¡¯ll let you two be.¡±


    With those words, the heroine disappeared and simultaneously the world around them changed, and suddenly they were back in the castle as Ceylon¡¯s heart raced.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± the voice began, now more familiar, more sweet. ¡°This is not how I wanted to start but¡­¡±


    Ceylon immediately turned to see the familiar white figure?¡ª the pale woman who had saved her life numerous times and who she had grown closed to, and she seemed as awkward as ever, scratching her cheek in hesitance. But, Ceylon couldn¡¯t hold back, not after all this time. She leapt into her sister¡¯s arms, as her excitement poured over the edge, tearing up.


    ¡°Arc!¡± She cried, sniffling. ¡°I missed you?¡ª I thought you were?¡ª I thought you?¡ª¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    Arc hugged her back, as her voice turned soft.


    ¡°I¡¯m back now, Ceylon.¡±