《Somnus Rift : A Welcome to 'Unreality'》


 Introduction

    They will start in Lvl 1 until they reach Lvl 99 or max. There will be a quest. "Defeat the Bugged Ones" The Quest to destroy the bug and go back on reality. Amane thinks that this quest is very easy but he''s wrong. They need to defeat the Gate keepers and other monster to enter the Place. they will fight a NPC (A Little Girl (Mage) and A Guy (Assassin and Warrior)]


    Entering the game: They would be asked what their class(Paladin, Hunter, Assassin, Mage, Blademaster) and race would be(Angel, demon, human, elf) and gender(male, female)). Your appearance on the game would be depending on your physical attributes in reality. The main characters would be nine people. The story would go on about how they would be meeting(except for the Virtual Building). They would later on be only one party striving hard to live inspite of the bug. PS: they''d go on a quest together and one would die and wouldn''t respawn


    They''ll have this "spirit guardian" who''ll watch over them in the game. The color of the spirit(whisp-like creature) is the same as the color of the wristbands they have.(Shizukana: black, Amane: red, etc.) This "spirit guardian" is the one who''ll orient them at the start of the game. Spirit guardians have different forms/-appearances. (Shizukana''s spirit guardian is like a princely warrior named "Laxel", Hyoukyou''s a little, strong demon named " Xaxotheole-fanalath", and Akira''s a beastchild who claims itself as the "child of the wind" but have no name). After quite some time of playing the game, they''d notice that they''re the only ones who have spirit guardians. They''d also find out that players''ll only have those spirit guardians one they defeated a certain high-leveled monster¡ª which they haven''t encountered yet.

 Chapter one : So-called Denlinquent

    The red-haired senior high schooler was walking down the hallway of Vanguard Academy while holding his worned out backpack. He felt eyes staring at him, watching his every move. "T- The delinquent guy is here" "Geez... He''s scary..." "Shhh. Don''t look at him. He''ll punch you." "Hey, isn''t he the one who beated up that senior last year?" "Yeah. H-he''s very disrespectful, they say." "Shh, keep your voices down. He might hear and beat you two up. Ya want that to happen huh?" Those were whispers that hung in the air from the gossiping students. He tried his best to shrug off their comments as he walked past them, quickly heading directly to the gates. The guy was known as Amane Hitsugaya, from Section Six of the third years. An orphaned gamer and reader. Students fear his masculine, delinquent look ever since they saw him beat up a senior from almost a year ago. They never knew his side of the story as they only saw one side of a coin. Since then, no one dared to make friends with him. "Reality is always torturing me..." He muttered under his breath as he heaved a deep sigh, entering his all-time favorite internet cafe. He sat in his favorite spot and got lost in playing a MMORPG he''s been into for quite some time now. "Gah..." He groaned in frustration as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Why the hell can''t I win a single PVP!? I''m on the max level and I know warriors can beat assassins! Why the hell can''t I!?" He shook his head, obviously annoyed at his defeat. Then he saw the clock. It''s reads 12:52pm, time to go back to school. He calmed himself down as he put his payment at the counter and went back to the Academy. Students are avoiding his gaze, not even wanting to be anywhere near him. He reached for the door of the Room 9 as an exclaim pierced his ears. "Hey delinquent guy!" It was the high-pitched voice of Laura Kirigaya. Their annoying, flat-chested class representative. "Where have you been!?" Same old crap for him. "Me?" He frowned. She always acts like that whenever he''s late. "Yeah, you''re the only guy here." She crossed her arms. "I''ll ask you again. Where have you been!?" "It''s none of your business." He replied, irritation in his tone. "I-I''m not scared of you, Hitsugaya-san." She let out a nervous chuckle, trying to hide her fright. "Y-you can''t frighten me." He fell silent as he furrowed his eyebrows. "You can''t answer me ehh?" "I said it''s none of your business!" He raised his voice to scare her, obviously annoyed. "If you come near me again, I''ll rape you!" Damn, that didn''t sound right!, He mentally cursed himself. Just then, her eyes widened in fear and disbelief. "W-What? D-did you¡ª" "Ohh, so you''re not only delinquent but a lolicon huh?" The raven-haired girl butted in. Crap! My reputation in this school is getting worst, Amane thought, clenching his fists. Laura, as the crybaby she is, teared up and hugged the raven-haired girl. "Shizukana-san.." "Don''t take her seriously" The raven-haired mouthed to Amane. "Just go back to your seat." "Huh?" Amane uttered, heaving a sigh before heading to his seat at the back of the classroom. He looked at them from the distance. "It''s okay" Shizukana smiled at her only friend in the classroom, Laura. "He doesn''t mean it. Stop crying please?" That raven-haired girl is Shizukana Shitto, a lazy student. She has the brain but she only have one study habit; she doesn''t study. In spite of that, she was ranked second in their class. Amane percieved her as the cutest and prettiest in their class, though she doesn''t see herself pretty. She wasn''t really that type of girl one would notice; or maybe, she just doesn''t want to be noticed. And, even if she tried her best to comfort her friend, Laura kept on crying. That drew the attention of all their classmates to them. "I''ll tell Oniichan about this! Remember!" Laura shouted to Amane as she cried on Shizukana''s shoulders. "Scary." Upon hearing what''s the fuss is about, their classmates hesitantly glared at Amane, making a big deal about a petty thing like they usually do. He''s pretty sure the commotion in the classroom would be known to the whole school again. He didn''t want to be in detention though. But sure enough, thosed naked pairs of eye made him feel embarrassed about himself. He clenched his fists as he averted his eyes from Shizukana and turned his attention to the window beside him. "Good grief." He muttered under his breath, avoiding what seemed as if a million glares.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

 Chapter two: Drifting to Somnus

    "There''s no escape from reality but death. Some people just don''t understand that", the raven-haired girl heaved a sigh as she mentally told herself, adding final touches into the four-winged dragon in what seemed as if a fantasy world she just drew.


    "What we see in our dreams, what we hear¡ª everything in our fantasies.. Is simply a fragment of our reality made better the way we want it to."


    She looked up at the frighteningly blue sky, hearing the wind''s gentle whisper at the rooftop. She held tightly onto the her drawing but careful enough not to crumple it. She didn''t want the wind to blow it away, although she herself is likely to be flown away. She closed her eyes and finally uttered those words she never dared to say.


    "Reality is boring.."


    She hesitantly told herself, contemplating about her drudging life. "And I hate boredom."


    "Yeah," She heard a cute, distinctive voice.


    "You''re right, Shizukana-san" She opened her eyes and looked beside her, startled.


    "L-Laura?!" She exclaimed.


    "What are you doing here?"


    "We''re friends, right?" Laura smiled at her.


    "Let me stay here for a while"


    "O-okay" Shizukana said, forcing a curve on her lips.


    "Hey, is that a dragon!?" Laura beamed as she took the drawing from Shizukana''s hands.


    "Whoa, it looks cool!"


    "Thanks, I guess." Shizukana shrugged.


    "Is that what you''re here for?"


    "No," Laura cannot hide her excitement as she took out something from her pocket.


    "I''m here to give you this!" She waved the metallic, black wristband¡ª or what seemed as if. It was just her size and with the words ''Somnus Rift'' carved in cursive on its surface.


    "That''s..." She faked a smile, not wanting to show her apathy about the little gift.


    "Cool, I suppose " Laura took Shizukana''s right hand and wore the black wristband on her. As soon as it locked, Shizukana felt what seemed as if electricity running through her veins. Startled, she quickly retrieved her hand from Laura.


    "Ehh?" Laura tilted her head to the left.


    "You felt it too, did you?"


    "F-Felt what?" Shizukana averted her eyes as she held her right hand which is weakened by the sudden jolt of that electricity earlier.


    "The electricity, the spark!!!" Laura beamed.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "I felt it too when Oniichan wore my wristband on me!" She excitedly showed her right hand with a purple wristband on it.


    "Me and Oniichan have these wristbands" She giggled.


    "And since we have three, I saved that one for you"


    "I-I see.." Shizukana smiled a bit.


    "Uhh.. You play online games?"


    "Yes! I like saint and big bro likes swordsman!" She beamed again. "How about you Shizukana-san?!"


    "Mage." Shizukana smiled a bit just as they heard the bell rung.


    "Ahh, it''s already 12" Laura sighed.


    "Let''s go back Shizukana-san!" Laura stood up and gestured her to follow, heading downstairs from the rooftop.


    "H-hai.."


    Shizukana nodded as she kept her sketchpad and followed after Laura as they head back to their classroom. It was another lifeless afternoon for them. Regular classes with the same old, soft-spoken teachers they always found boring. Just right after the afternoon class ended, all of them went home directly as they felt raher exhausted. Sounds pretty typical, yes, but it was rather harsh. Their eyelids are already falling shut as they walked home. Amane just then arrived on his little flat. He noticed the empty ambiance and concluded that his aunt wasn''t yet home from work. He just heaved a sigh and went to his bedroom. There, he found a little box wrapped with red wrapper with a little cute ribbon on top and a note that said:


    "Here''s a little gift for saving me back then : )" He picked the box and observed it carefully. Who would give him such thing?


    "Oh, Amane you''re home" said a distinctive voice from behind him. He turned around and saw his aunt leaning on the door frame. A fastidous, adequate maiden in her early 40''s who never had a child nor a husband but wished she did. Blame her fickiness.


    "A girl from your school dropped by here earlier and gave me that" she teased, winking. "She told me to give it to you"


    "Who is she?" Amane frowned by his aunt''s teasing whilst still trying to fight sleepiness.


    "I haven''t got her name but she got an eyepatch on her left eye." Her aunt chuckled, pointing at her left eye. "Anyway, dinner is in the ref, just heat it in the oven okay? I''ll be going to a business trip, it''ll probably take me three days there." Amane just nodded while yawning.


    "Got it"


    His aunt smiled and waved goodbye before shutting close the door, leaving him alone with the box. Curious, he quickly unwrapped it just to find another fancy box filled with fantasy-like designs. There''s no descriptions, instructions or such. Only two words were written; Somnus Rift. He frowned and opened it. There, he found a red metallic wristband with the same but cursive words carved at the surface. He smiled, though he doesn''t understand why a girl would give him such thing. But one thing he knows is that a gift is a gift. And so, he wore it on his right hand. As soon as it locked, he felt a sudden jolt of electricity ran through his veins for a second. Startled, he stared at the wristband and gulped. It felt so real¡ªbut no, he doesn''t believe it. No, it could''ve just been his imagination. It''s probably just because he''s hell tired from all that happened at school today and his mind is imagining things that don''t happen. Yes, that''s it. There can''t be electricity in the wristband. Maybe he''s tired. Yes, he''s hell tired from today. He lied down on his messy bed. He just needed a rest. Yes, rest. He shut his eyes close. Yes, that''s right, he''s doing it right. He slowly drifted to deep slumber unknowingly moments after. It was a dreamless sleep surely¡ª one he rarely gets. He opened his bloodshot eyes. As he did so, he found himself in an old, abandoned building. One he never saw before. "Where am I?" He quickly stood up as he scanned the area. Nobody else is there. He can feel the damp air getting through his nose just as he found this little rusty window. He walked to it and slowly opened it. He noticed the eerie surroundings. "Trees.." He told himself as he looked at what seemed as if a forest outside. "Just trees." "You''re finally awake" a deep, manly voice said behind. He quickly turned around to see this thick, manly figure clothed in a long, red cloak.


    "W-Who are you?" He asked, hesitant.


    "I''m Toshiro, Your guide and master." He noticed a little smirk curved on the lips of the man called ''Toshiro''. "You''re linked" Words betrayed Amane as he felt a clot in his throat. He got so many questions in his head he can''t verbally say. Silence filled the air momentarily until Toshiro spoke with which filled Amane with doubt, confusion, and a little understanding about the situation.


    "Welcome to Somnus Rift"


    -To Be Continued

 Chapter three : Welcome to Somnus Rift

    Amane turned his attention to his wristband.


    Somnus Rift... Am I ...dreaming...?, he thought to himself.


    "No time to waste, young man. State your name." Toshiro swiped some air upward with his right hand as holograms of screens appeared, surrounding the two.


    "Amane.." He replied. "Hitsugaya Amane."


    "Very well then." Toshiro nodded as Amane''s name registered in the screens. He snapped his fingers and motioned Amane to turn around, which he instantly did.


    Amane found assorted kinds of weapon lined up all over the building which wasn''t there before. Long-ranged, meele types, bows, guns, various types of blades, and some he didn''t recognize.


    "Choose your weapon, Hitsugaya." Toshiro commanded. "Only one. I''ll give you time."


    Amane was enticed by what the building has to offer. His eyes caught interesting weapons he only saw in pictures, games, and television before. It was a paradise of weapons right in front of his eyes. And although it took him hard time to choose¡ª his eyes was then locked momentarily at a big, shiny double edged axe with a long black handle made up of sturdy wood and some curves that served as its design. It could''ve been just a simple axe to anyone''s sight but it meant more to him as it resembled the axes he used to equip on online games back then. He found himself grinning as he picked it up at ease, feeling it''s weight upon his arms. Such a heavy weapon always suited him best


    "As expected." Toshiro spoke up as he registered the weapon into Amame''s information, thus making his class a.... "Warrior."


    Amane''s eyes sparkled like a little kid who has gotten a new toy for his birthday.


    Warrior huh?, Amane grinned as the thought of what he can do as a warrior entered his mind, but on the other hand it kept bugging him.


    "Any questions?" Toshiro crossed his arms impatiently at Amane''s silence.


    "What really is this place?" Amane finally spit out. "Why am I here?"


    "This world is called Augeia. A once peaceful place ruled by King Adis but is now conquered by monsters and creatures from nowhere." Toshiro heaved a deep sigh before hesitantly continuing. "You''re here.. As a trainee"


    "What? Why me? I mean.. Is that--" Amane''s sentence was cut by Toshiro.


    "I won''t be entertaining questions anymore." Toshiro''s voice is now hard and he spoke rather fast. "Let''s move on to your training"


    "Training? What the--" Amane was about to ask, but was startled by a hologram screen that popped in front of him.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ''You received a beginner pack.'' The text says, along with two choices; ''equip'' and ''ok''


    "Equip that, and we will begin." That was Toshiro with his authoritative voice now.


    Amane, without hesitations, then chose equip. In that instant, his school uniform changed into an old trousers and a white vest which made him look as if a typical young adventurer.


    It left him amazed of how Somnus Rift works.


    "This is cool!" He turned his gaze from his clothes to the cloaked man as a grin spreaded across his face. "These are mine right? Right?!"


    "Yes," Toshiro spoke. "But just a little advice, begginer packs are obviously for newbies. Upon reaching the Level 10, you shall BUY your own pack. It would help with your defense and help you move at ease. But be sure to pick the right pack for your class."


    Amane attentively nodded. "Got it!!"


    "Good, now let''s begin." Toshiro snapped his fingers and they were teleported to the battelfield.


    Trees, grassy hill¡ª all around them was green, exclude the frighteningly blue sky that stretches out without clouds.


    Amane can''t help but be amazed over and over again by this level of fantasy as he turns his gaze all around the place.


    "Listen!" Toshiro shouted, catching Amane''s attention back. He then cleared his throat and continued. "Since you chose the warrior, you need to defeat some monsters, there will be a chance where they might give you an item¡ª or by luck, a goddion, the money equivalent here. And so you know that the warrior is tanker type. A physical damage doesn''t affect you, but magical damage is your weakness. Try to attack that goblin mage."


    Amane turned to see a creature with unnaturally green, mossy skin and a wood staff on hand which he recognized might be the mage Toshiro was talking about. It sent jitterbugs up his spine as he gulped.


    "B-but I''ve never experienced hands-on fighting with a creature like..." He pointed at the goblin. "...that."


    "No more buts. It''s just your first try and yet you''re giving up? Let me tell you, this fight is fighting to survive; if you don''t, you''ll die."


    "D-die!?" He exclaimed.


    But I don''t want to die yet... I just wanted to escape the reality I''ve been suffering from, he thought to himself.


    "Yes. Now go forth." Toshiro''s voice trailed off as he vanished to thin air.


    Just then, the goblin noticed Amane and casted a fireball towards him.


    He moved away to dodge and ran towards the goblin.


    It started chanting a spell in an unknown language, pointing the staff to its attacker. But Amane just in time jumped and swinged his axe to its head forcefully, making the goblin fall flat to the ground face first. It didn''t move at that instance, so Amane concluded it''s dead.


    "Hah!," Amane shouted boastfully. "That was easy!"


    But then the goblin glared up at him with it''s gleaming yellowish orbs.


    "Ou vas-yio hasha Kerio Xaxotheole. Ar kowe ya lyere!" uttered the goblin with all its last strength left, in the same unknown language as disgusting lines of thick, green saliva rolled down from the edges of its mouth. Amane could''ve mistook it for a spell, only if the goblin didn''t laughed its last breath out before him. It''s dead, but its words rung in his ears.


    He tried to shrug it off s screens popped up out of nowhere again. He should probably get used to that, anyhow.


    ''Head blow lvl 1!''


    ''Sword smash lvl 1!


    Then it showed a meter bar getting field up 3 times.


    ''Congrats! Your link is level 3!''


    And then his stats showed his ''luck'', ''agility'', ''dexterity'', ''intelligence'', ''strength'', and ''health points'', automatically got distributed points.


    Next screen shows that he received a long sword, heavy armour, and a hundred goddion from the battle.


    He could have been bursting in happiness by now, but something kept on bothering him.


    ''Ou vas-yio hasha Kerio Xaxotheole. Ar kowe ya lyere'',


    What could that possibly mean?


    -To Be Continued

 Chapter Four : Hopeless, aimless

    Amane fell to his knees in pain as he felt a sudden sting on his left shoulder, which he then held as blood trickled down. He didn''t knew what hit him. Yet his eyes widened in fear as he saw a huge shadow of what seemed as if a beast enveloped his. His heart pounded at the realization that his attacker was just right behind. He could hear its unearthly groans and breathing that sent jitterbugs of fear up to his spine. It''s. Just. Hell. Behind.


    Although hesistant, he slowly turned around just to find a ten feet tall, muscular bull standing on two feet with a big bloody axe on its hand. Its eyes were void that even just a gaze upon it could make him feel so lost. It''s oddly frightening.


    Rather recklessly, he stood up looking too small against the opponent. He activated his two new skills and carelessly lunged with one hand his just-equiped longsword to the bull''s chest¡ª which, sadly, seemed to inflict it no damage and instead broke the weapon''s blade into shattered shards of worthless metal. All that''s left is the handle. He realized then that he was aimless, hopeless in this fight as the bull flinched a bit and then aggravately picked him up as if a garbage and trashed him away in rage towards the far woods. Things just went by too fast and before he knew it, he felt his whole body weakened as his back hit the hard trunk of a sturdy tree, sending dreadful jolts of pain towards his insides¡ª but worse is that he felt the back his cranium cracked by the impact. He fell, flat to the ground as if the goblin he mercilessly took the life earlier. His blood was starting to pool over him. Every inch of pain consumes him as loud, heavy thuds of the bull''s footstep shakes the ground as it slowly approaches. He wanted to get up, but he feels so weakened to do so. He wanted to fight, but he lost his strength and the will to. It''s way too powerful for a newbie. He''s hopeless¡ª because he was aimless. If he knew it would be this hard and painful, he could''ve just retreated back to his insipid life. But it''s too late, there''s no turning back. His eyes was wide as tears swelled up, mixing with his own blood as the foosteps get louder and nearer. No, he cannot die here. Not now. He still aspires to explore this new world. This couldn''t just be a free taste. He needed to live.


    A screen popped up then right in front of his eyes, his tears made it blurry but he managed to make out the words written as two objects fell to the grassy ground stained with crimson.


    ''You received a health elixir and a katana''


    And then,


    "IT''S A BOSS FIGHT, LOOK OUT FOR ITS WEAKNESS!"


    It was from a player, too, named Hyoukyou.


    Whoever that player was, it is a godsent angel that came down from heaven to stir up hope inside of him as he gathered all his last strength left and desperately drank the health elixir. He felt energy ran through his veins at that instant, he felt so alive and he felt the pain no more. The crack in his cranium seemed to be gone, too. By that, he took the katana and stood up. Why cower in just his second fight in this game anyway?


    His opponent, seeing him recovered, growled in anger and charged towards him.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    He just stood there, rather confidently, as his eyes searched for the bull''s weak point. Then he noticed that the black fur in the bull''s chest was mixed with dirty crimson¡ª it was the part that he hit earlier!


    A little smirk curved upon his lips, moving aside to evade the bull''s attack as it desperately tried to strike him over and over but only kept on an awful streak of misses. Amane toyed the bull as he counterattacked, waiting for the right time to catch it off guard. He can''t help but smile at the thought that the ''boss'' was hopeless and desperately aimless. Every second sips away the energy of the bull¡ª especially the wound on its chest that kept on bleeding in addition to the damages caused by Amane. This went on for what felt as if forever as they both screamed their battlecries.


    And then there it came¡ª they were both exhausted but the bull was the one severely damaged. He took that chance, gathering the strength he still had even while panting so heavily and wanting to collapse, he charged and then eventually pin his blade on the same spot on the bull''s chest. It hopelessly grunted before it finally succumbed to its end.


    Screens appeared as a sign of his victory. He reached the fifth level and received the bull''s axe as his trophy.


    "You are indeed amazing, young man" a familiar voice spoke . "Very few survived this intensity of training."


    Amane turned around. Ah, yes of course. It''s just Toshiro. Who else could it be?


    "Very few survived? What do you mean by that?" He can''t help but ask as the world slowly blurs into hazy images in his sight.


    "They were weak, unlike you; you''ve proved that you really are one of the chosen nine to save Augeia from the vanquish of evil. My, you''re exhausted, let me take you to the safe haven."


    That was the last words he heard before he felt his body fell down to the ground and the world finally fade to black.


    It was refreshening, though, he felt as if he had been in this place before¡ª or that he lived here for lifetime already. As if a part of him was born to be here. He slowly opened his red orbs, acclimating to the surroundings. A white ceiling, ah, yes. This might be the safe haven.


    "You''re finally awake" a distinct voice of a woman said.


    Does everyone needs to ask that every single waking moment in this game?, Amane thought before turning his gaze from the ceiling to the woman beside him.


    That stunning hazel iris and an eyepatch on her left eye greeted him. Her auburn hair was down to the small of her back. He felt as if he had seen her somewhere before.


    "Are you okay now?" Said she with a hint of genuine concern in her voice. That''s cute.


    "Uhh.. I guess am fine."


    "I''m happy you''re here too, it''s been a while."


    "H-huh? Have we met before?"


    "I''m the girl you saved a year ago.." she had that sweet smile curved on her lips. "My name''s Doyou Hyoukyou... Just call me Hyoukyou."


    Wait.. that eyepatch..was she also the one who gave me the wristband?, Amane can''t help but think.


    "I''m Hitsugaya Amane. How did you got here?"


    "I-I don''t know either... I just slept... And then I woke up in this weirdly amazing place... And a girl named Azranea greeted me.. and... and trained me."


    "Same as what happened to me.. were you the one who dropped off the writsband to my place?"


    She nodded shyly. He smiled.


    "What''s your class?"


    "Assassin."


    He was stopped for awhile. It was an assassin who defeated him on the PvP before. The one he despised the most. He shook his head, it was the girl he saved so he doesn''t have to worry.


    "H-Hitsugaya-san, did I say something wrong?"


    "Ah? No, no, sorry I was a little spaced out."


    "Are you sure you''re okay?"


    His reply was a nod.


    "Azranea-chan told me to create a party with you..."


    "P-party?"


    She smiled and nodded.


    "Alright..."


    "Let''s get stronger together, H-Hitsugaya-san!"


    The way she acts was awkward but that makes her rather... beautiful? All he knew was he can''t help but smile, his cheeks heating up as he patted her head.

 Chapter Five : Role of Support

    "I''m here, my lord" uttered the tall, fair man holding a book in his hand as he bowed before his master.


    "Are you ready?" said the man seated back on his gloomy throne, his face was scarcely seen for darkness enveloped the room.


    "More than I ever was, my lord"


    A smirk was formed in his lord''s lips.


    "Good, do not ever fail this mission."


    "Pray tell me my lord, have I ever failed any mission you gave me?" the man smiled confidently.


    His lord''s empty chuckle filled the room.


    "Why, of course not! You''re my only secret weapon."


    The man nodded.


    "I shall be leaving now, my lord, I shan''t be lingering in your throne room anymore for it is only yours to stay in."


    "Nay, soon you can be standing here beside me as we conquer Augeia together!"


    As the lord and servant conversed, Hitsugaya and Doyou was then in search for additional members in their party.


    It was when they were attacking another goblin mage when he noticed that Hyoukyou Doyou''s moves were almost as fast as lightning. He can''t help but remember the assassin that defeated him back then which boiled up anger inside of him.


    Assassin? Why did she chose assassin? I''m okay with anything but assassins!!, Amane thought as he forcefully crushed the goblin''s skull to the ground with his old axe, its dirty crimson blood scattered all over.


    "Hitsugaya-san, what''s the matter?" that was Hyoukyou''s sweet, soothing voice. Maybe she could make a difference, maybe he needn''t be angry at her for choosing assassin. He shook his head at her.


    "N-Nothing''s wrong, d-don''t worry!" he flustered.


    Just then, a loud explosion filled the air. Smoke rose up not so far away from where they were. They quickly headed to the source of explosion as a distinctive high-pitched cry reached them.


    "Somebody help me!!!" screamed the approaching frightened girl. Chasing her were two slow enormous ogres with spiky bloody bats in their hands.


    Without hesitation, Hyoukyou glided and leaped to a tree, springing from it to get close enough to one of the grotesque creatures. Her hazel orbs momentarily turned violet as she emitted a dark aura and took one down with a continous shadow attack using daggers on each hand, avoiding its slow counterattacks with her extraordinary speed and thus chopping the creature into little pieces.


    The other one growled and took for the frightened girl, swinging its bat up and forcefully swinging it down to crush her. Her scream lingered in the air as she waited for the impact¡ª which never came.


    Hyoukyou just in time had ran the fastest as she can and took the ''swinging time'' as an opportunity to push the girl away. The bat landed on the ground, shaking it and destroying the area it hit. The ogre growled again at the two girls, its mouth reeked stinky breath that smelled that of a hundred dead rats.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Amane took the chance and jumped off from the tree he climbed when the ogre was preoccupied, vigorously aiming for the skull of the ogre. It took no hint until it fell to the ground with its head split in two and bath in its own blood.


    The bodies then dispersed into thin air.


    The girl huddled over next to Hyoukyou, encaptured by the performance of the two. Hyoukyou stood up and dusted her clothes, offering her hand to the girl which gratefully took it and stood up too.


    Screens popped up. The girl reached up to Level 9 and the two up to Level 10. Hyoukyou''s skill, "Dancing Shadows" was leveled up as Amane''s "Culling blade" improved too.


    "T-Thank you for saving me! I owe you one." The girl bowed at them.


    "No proble--" Amane dropped his sentence as he recoiled, recognizing the petite girl in a saint outfit.


    Damn, Laura!? What in the actual hell is she doing here!!?, Amane told himself in disbelief.


    Laura gaped at him for a moment both in shock and anger.


    "Y-You! What are you doing here huh? Hitsugaya Amane!!" She yelled, pointing her staff at him.


    "That''s my line!!"


    "You know each other?" Hyoukyou popped in.


    "If I were you I''d stay away from him, fair lady! He''s dangerous. He once tried to rape me in front of the class!" Laura exclaimed.


    "What!?" Hyoukyou couldn''t believe the words she just heard, she crossed her arms against her body and turned his gaze to Amane.


    "Did you really.."


    "No!" He quickly responsed, feeling heat surging up to his face as he looked at her and then back to Laura, this time pointing his axe at the petite girl.


    "You! What the hell are you saying! I''m not that kind of man!!"


    Hyoukyou chuckled at the two.


    "Well, I don''t believe Amane is that kind of man either."


    "Listen, fair lady, once he gets to see you everyday he''ll eventually take interest with your body!" Laura covered herself, glaring at Amane. "Look at his gaze at me!!"


    "Nobody would take interest with your abnormally thin body!" Amane was boiling in anger trying to defend his side of coin at the scene Laura was making.


    Hyoukyou shook her head and took a deep breath before speaking.


    "I don''t know where you two are coming from but her body isn''t abnormally thin. It''s just petite--"


    "See, told you jerk!"


    "--and I don''t believe Hitsugaya-san is a pervert neither a jerk. He even saved me from being sexually harrassed by that senior last year."


    "Ugh! Whatever, I''m Laura Kirigaya. A saint who''ll defeat the darkness with Maria-sama!" She confidently uttered.


    "But you can''t even save yourself." Amane mumbled under his breath, withdrawing his axe. Laura didn''t seem to hear.


    "Maria? Who''s she?"


    "I don''t know, I met her when I woke up in this place. She trained me and.... and..." She dropped her sentence as her confidence seemed to lower, too. "Nah, I miss An-chan...I hope An-chan is here too."


    She almost seemed as if a little kid as she hugged her staff, pitying herself as she started to walk away.


    "Where are you going?" Amane questioned.


    "To anywhere you cannot go!!"


    "How about joining our party?" Hyoukyou suggested.


    Laura stopped dead in her tracks for moment and turned around childishly and stared at Hyoukyou.


    "We still lack members anyway and I heard that saints are useful in the battlefield." she smiled and stared expectantly at Amane.


    "They can heal and support the Carry while fighting." Amane added. "We still have a slot for one. What do you think, Kyou-chan?"


    "Kyou-chan?" Hyoukyou took a moment to take in that nickname. "Oh right, let''s get stonger together ne Amacchi and Laura-san!"


    Amane smiled at the sound of his new nick, sending a party request to Laura.


    "Whatever." Laura rolled her eyes at Amane yet accepted the request. "Working with you makes me sick but I have no choice! Maria-sama told me to join in any party anyways.


    ''Laura Kirigaya joined your party''


    "Our first mission is to visit the nearest village called Kaizan. We need to get more information about this world. We still need to know what really is going on." Amane in his authoritative tone.


    "You''re right, Amane."


    "I''m going to find my An-chan here on this world." Laura casted purification at the team and their health points and mana points were restored.


    "Let''s go!"

 Chapter six: Assassination Arc

    "Kaizan Village" the huge signage stood big at the entrance. There were small unknown symbols carved under it, which is quite hard to make out. Kaizan, a place which seems as if a mixture of both rural and urban city in Earth, is a safe place for the players to rest and buy their needs. There seems to be only a few players, though, since the game is just pretty new.


    "Woooooaah!" Laura said, taking in the simple beauty of the place as she clinged unto Hyoukyou''s hand. "Is this Kaizan!?"


    "Looks like our world," Amane uttered, looking around. "I guess we can ask them about this place"


    "Azranea told me this place is full of stuff. We can buy new weapons, armory, consumable item like potion and antidote, accessories and more. It will be useful in our adventure." Hyoukyou explained, smiling at Amane. "I earned 500 goddion earlier. I think i can buy something using that¡ª"


    Laura grabbed her hand, eyes gleaming as she saw a costume shop with various clothes displayed on the glass window. She excitedly dragged Hyoukyou into the shop.


    "Welcome to the costume shop!" A middle-aged woman in a trendy outfit greeted them as they entered. "We offer the best costumes suitable for all classes~"


    Laura happily roamed the shop, looking for a saint costume. She saw different kinds, quality, and rarity but her attention was caught by a white saint dress adored with gems and laces. Wings with violet highlights at the end of its feathers were attached to its back. The description of the item states that its name is "The Fallen Angel", an item which gives buff¡ª anyone who wears it wouldn''t be affected by any spell.


    Laura picked it, her heart beating fast in excitement and joy, but a screen popped up.


    "Not enough gold. This item costs 500000 goddion."


    and another,


    "This item is not suitable for you. Level up your link into lvl 50 to be able to buy this item."


    Her heart skipped a beat as she fell down to her knees, tears forming at her big round eyes.


    "WHAT!!?"she exclaimed. "B-but I want to buy that item.


    "It''s alright," Hyoukyou comforted her. "Someday you''ll be able to meet the requirements for your item of choice."


    Amane just then entered the shop after talking to some people on Kaizan.


    "Those people aren''t anything like us." He said to the girls. "They were just NPC''s. They know nothing ahout our world. They know only about this world, Augeia. They don''t call themselves human, but a "Nomalise".. I don''t know what that means though. Anyway, they said that the ''Demon King'' is currently lurking around either Re:Homilia, a place of Nomalises(humans) and Elbes..the equivalent of Elves here."


    "A quite complicated system with its own culture and language eh?" Hyoukyou tilted her head a bit. "Well, I guess our next stop is Re:Homilia then."


    "Re:Homilia?" Butted in the black-haired stranger in a black suit and a katana on the right hand. "Sounds interesting, are you planning to go there?"


    "W-Who are you?" Amane asked. The three of them turning their attention to the stranger.


    "I''m known as the Dark Swordsman" He flashed a little smile at them. "I''m Katsu. Katsu Kirigaya."


    "An-chan!!!!!" Laura beamed, glomping at her brother.


    "Laura?" Katsu smiled sweetly, patting her little sister''s head. "You''re here too. You picked saint huh?"


    "Yep!" She responded, "I really like this class!"


    "Katsu Kirigaya?", Amane asked, his eyes widening a bit. "Y-You''re Laura''s brother?"


    "100 % yeah." Katsu nodded proudly. "I''m a pro gamer and Laura wants to be like me as well. We have beated countless players on "Dragon Tail". Y''know, the most famous game as of today. I''m on the max level there, Laura is still on lvl 90."


    "I guess you can hang around with us then." said Amane.


    "Would you like to join our party?" Hyoukyou invited, sending a party request to Katsu. "We still lack members, you see, and I think Laura would want you in too."


    Laura gasped and expectantly stared at her brother, making puppy eyes.


    "Pretty please, with whipped cream and cherry on top?"


    "O-Of course.." He flustered, accepting the request.


    "I suggest we take a rest for a bit..." Hyoukyou yawned.


    "There was an Inn two shops away from here, we can rest there." said Amane, heading outside. "The rent''s pretty cheap too."


    The others followed Amane as he went out and headed to the big, comfy inn decorated with roses at the front door. The smell of roses clung to the air as they entered. Inside was a lounge with a little store and round tables for dining, and a counter with a middle-aged innkeeper writing down at the log book. The innkeeper greeted them with a sweet smile as he saw them¡ª a childish saint clinging unto a black-haired swordsman, and a masculine redhead warrior laughing along with a beautiful petite assassin. Ah, such two sweet couples.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "Would it be two couple rooms?" he clapped her hands merrily as they approached.


    "C-Couple rooms!?" The four exclaimed in chorus, flustered.


    "W-We aren''t couples!" Laura yelled, embarrased.


    "Oh," The innkeeper''s face fell as a realization dawned at him. "So you all aren''t... on a double date then?


    "W-We''re a party..." Hyoukyou explained.


    "Oh, my bad!" The innkeeper laughed nervously. "We have an unoccupied group room with four beds, would you like to take it? We''re having a 50% discount promo for groups...and also to reconcile! ehehe..."


    "Discount huh?" Katsu looked at the three. "We can save a money if ever."


    They exchanged glances and nodded at each other.


    "How much would it be then?" Amane asked the innkeeper.


    "20 goddion for each," He replied. "meaning 80 goddion in total."


    "We''ll take it."


    Amane, Hyoukyou, Laura and the new member Katsu then headed to the ''group room'' they rented. The door seems pretty normal but the inside was a dandy place with brown wallpapers, four single bed, a metal shelf containing numerous books, and a decent bathroom.


    The four put their weapons down and rested for a while.


    They woke up refreshed and decided to grab some snacks on the store at the lounge to fill their empty stomachs.


    "The food here is just like ours." Hyoukyou chuckled before nibbling at a donut.


    "This burger is good!" Laura exclaimed in delight, nomming on the burger. She then offered some to Katsu who had been silent since they woke up. "Would you like some, An-chan ~"


    "N-no, I''m good." He politely refused, looking away from her.


    "Is there anything wrong, Kirigaya-san?" Hyoukyou asked as he noticed the pale expression on his face.


    "You mentioned Re:Homilia earlier..." He uttered, looking at Amane. "Are you planning to go there?"


    "Yes," said Amane with a determined look painted on his face. "I need to found out the truth about this game. Why we turned out like this. We must know this mystery."


    "Indeed."


    "Toshiro told me that the chosen nine are the only people who can save that Augeia. We are four here. So we need to find the five more members of the ''chosen ones'' to be part of this party."


    "I see." Katsu nodded. "I finally understood why we are given the choices for the before they trained us; Assassin, Warrior, Saint, Necromancer, Swordsman, Archer, Sniper and Crusader. You have a master right? I have mine as well. Her name is Kagura. A well-trained and strong swordswoman . What is yours, Laura?"


    "Her name is Maria. A cute healer."


    "She''s cuter than you, I guess" Amane butted in.


    "SHUT UP!" Laura yelled.


    "How about yours, Miss?"


    "Azranea. She trained me hard." Hyoukyou replied.


    "A saint, a warrior, an assassin, and a swordsman. We make a great team." Katsu said, "But we still need other classes and then we''d go to Re:Homilia."


    "Mind counting me in?." An unfamiliar voice spoke.


    They turned around to see a brunette in her early teens, wearing a gothic black dress, a staff embedded with skulls on her left hand, and an old black book on her right. Her small pretty face could''ve been innocent, if not for her sleep-deprived eyes that blends along with her gothic outfit.


    "Name''s Akrilaem," She introduced herself to them as a crooked smile curved in her small pale lips. "A necromancer."


    "S-scary..." Laura trembled as she hid behind her big brother.


    "What do you want?" Katsu guarded her little sister as she faced the necromancer.


    "If you want to go to Re:Homilia, I suggest you get blessings from the Ancient Elbes in Nanadaias first." She uttered, gazing at Amane. "Am I not right?"


    "Nanadaias..." Amane uttered under his breathe, remembering what the natives said to him earlier. "The Place of Elves?"


    The necromancer nodded.


    "I''ve been there." She forced a little smile to her lips. "I''d like to help you all out."


    "I-I don''t think we can trust her." Laura stammered, expectantly looking up her big brother as she tugged on his suit.


    "We still have a slot for a necromancer." Hyoukyou said, gazing at Amane. "She''d be pretty helpful in the battlefield."


    Amane heaved a sigh, hesitantly sending a party request.


    "I think we could consider," He said, glaring at krilaem. "But one wrong move, and you''re out."


    "What a threat," She let out an empty chuckle, accepting the request. "But no one here knows Augeia better than I do."


    A message suddenly appeared amidst them.


    "New mission: Assassination of Ogre King.


    Reward: 3500 goddion each player


    Description: The Ogre King must be killed before it attacks Kaizan"


    "3500 goddion?" Katsu said, smirking. "I could buy a rare item with that. Let''s take it, leader."


    "Leader?" Amane frowned. "Well, alright, this''d be our first party mission then"


    "And away we go!" Katsu grabbed his sword and dashed outside.


    "Wait, An-chan!" The little saint yelled as she went after her big brother.


    "Let''s meet at the dense forest, Doyou and Hitsugaya." Akrilaem said before vanishing.


    Amane turned to face Hyoukyou.


    "I know you didn''t have enough rest earlier because Laura kept on bugging you." Amane said, smiling as he picked up his axe and started walking "If you want, I can offer you a hand or a piggyback ride."


    "N-No thanks" Hyoukyou flustered, following him.


    When the four arrived at the forest, Akrilaem was already there, waiting for them.


    "You''re late." She uttered, before turning her back on them. "I already found the source of the ogres"


    "We''re late because you used teleport and we just walked" Amane said under his breath.


    "That''s a good news then" Hyoukyou smiled at the necromancer.


    She smiled back.


    "But I''m not certain if the ogre king is there though"


    "Then leave that to us" Katsu said, preparing his sword. "Just show us the way."


    "B-But An-chan..."


    "Everything will be alright Laura."


    "Alright, follow me." She uttered as she lead the way.


    A couple of minutes later, they saw ogres going out from the heart of the forest, their heavy steps shaking the ground, making it feel as though there is an earthquake.


    "They''re numerous." Hyoukyou clenched her daggers, preparing herself to attack.


    "B-But we''re still on a low level" Laura protested, as if backing out.


    "Yeah," Katsu''s eyebrows furrowed as he observed the grotesque creatures.


    "We might still be on a low level but we need to deal with it." Amane said, determined to complete the mission.


    "You''re all fussing about." Akrilaem rolled her eyes. "What if we all go and attack ''em now?"


    "A-An chan, if we''re done on this mission...Will you buy me a new outfit?" Laura heaved a deep sigh, trying to condition herself to fight the ogres.


    "Sure Lau--" Katsu''s sentence was cut as he dodged and slashed an arrow that almost hit him.


    "This mission is mine!!" Shouted a female, holding a bow with another arrow aimed at them.


    "Wha--"


    She shot another arrow as a warning.


    "Back off losers!"

 Chapter Seven : Assassination Arc (II)

    "Sure Lau--" Katsu''s sentence was cut as he dodged and slashed an arrow that almost hit him.


    "This mission is mine!!" Shouted a female, holding a bow with another arrow aimed at them.


    "Wha--"


    She shot another arrow as a warning.


    "Back off losers!"


    "That was close, miss, you almost hit my sister!" Katsu glared at the woman as he tightened his grip to his sword.


    Amane and Hyoukyou went in front of Laura defendingly, while the new necromancer just vanished.


    "If you want to pick a fight with one of us," He pointed her sword to the girl. "That will be me."


    "Swordsman?" She raised her eyebrows, chuckling as she shot another arrow aimed at his forehead.


    Katsu moved away to evade the shot and dashed forward to the archer.


    "Back off, loser, I need to accomplish this mission alone!" She casted a spell and aimed an arrow to the sky which multiplied before falling to the ground, some even wounding Katsu yet the he just ignored it until he was close enough to the long-ranged archer.


    "That''s my line!" He yelled as he managed to unarm the archer of her bow.


    The archer''s eyes widened as she stumbled backward. The swordsman pointed his sword towards her neck arrogantly.


    "You must know the name of the man who brought you to your death," He smirked as he raised his sword in attempt to slay her. "It''s Katsu Kirigaya."


    "An-Chan!"


    "Kirigaya-san!"


    "Katsu!"


    He swung his sword down aimed at the selfish archer''s neck yet it hit a broad steel shield held by a huge, manly figure in white hooded cloak. He recoiled, surprised.


    "God Smash!" yelled the hooded man, pushing his shield against Katsu that caused him to be thrown a meter away from the two, leaving his hp be halved. The archer regained her composure and picked up her bow, aiming another arrow at the swordsman.


    "Who is brought to death now, loser?" The archer smirked, releasing the arrow at Katsu. Hyoukyou instinctively threw a dagger which cut the arrow in half, causing it to miss.


    "I won''t let you kill my brother!!!" Laura cried, casting a healing spell at her brother at the same time producing an almost blinding light which stopped the three from fighting. The ogres took notice of the light, and started heading to their direction.


    "Gah, such a careless brat" Akrilaem grumbled before uttering a spell to hide them from the ogres.


    "Khhh two on one?" Katsu glared at them, clenching his sword. "That''s not fair."


    "Stop." Laura went amidst the three. "We don''t need to fight here. We don''t need to kill each other!"


    "You can go now, I don''t need your help." said the archer, gritting her teeth to the hooded man.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    "Be grateful I''m here, or else you could''ve died." The hooded man lended a hand to Katsu, helping him to stand up. "I''m sorry for my actions Ms. Saint and Mr. Swordsman. My name''s Akashi Ichinose, a crusader."


    "Akashi Ichinose...." Amane recognized the name. "Wait, aren''t you my classmate?"


    Akashi looked at Amane, amused and shocked.


    "From section six of the third years?"


    "Hitsugaya Amane." Amane said, nodding.


    "The pervert lolicon who had beaten up a senior and started a commotion by picking on our class representative?" Akashi chuckled.


    "Hey, that''s not a nice way to remember me! And I''m not¡ª"


    "He''s not anything near to what you described, good sir. In fact, Hitsugaya-san actually saved me from that senior jerk." Hyoukyou butted in.


    "I understand." Akashi nodded, "My apologies for the stereotype."


    "It''s alright." Amane flashed a little smile. "Laura is our classmate too."


    "I almost didn''t recognize our class representative eh" Akashi turned to Laura. "My apologies for hurting your brother."


    "Nah, it''s alright now" Laura replied.


    They all turned to look at the archer slowly sneaking away.


    "Hey, where are you going?!" Laura yelled which startled the archer.


    "Ah hehe.." The archer turned to look at them, scratching the back of her head with her free hand. "I-It wasn''t like I''m running away or something¡ª"


    Katsu shot a deadly glare at her.


    "Tell us your name."


    She frowned.


    "Gah, shut up you insolent fool. I hate your voice" She heaved a sigh, touching the bridge of her nose. "For formalities, I am Aki--- I meant, Sagiri."


    "You look sooo familiar." Laura narrowed her eyes as she stared at her. "What''s your whole name, Sagiri-san"


    Sagiri gulped, averting her eyes.


    "S-Sagiri Akihiro."


    "Oh, I thought you''re the golden arrow" Laura sighed in disappointment. "You look so much alike to Akira-senpai, except for the hair eeehh"


    "Who''s Akira-senpai?" Sagiri faked a cough, hiding a little smile.


    "Akira is a popular, skilled, and a such a beautiful archer from our school. She won countless medals since she was a kid" Hyoukyou said dreamily.


    "Wait, Hyou-chan, you''re also from Vanguard Academy!?" Laura exclaimed.


    "Yes, from the first section of the third years." She chuckled. "I''ve always admired Akira-senpai from the distance though."


    "But I heard her personality is the exact opposite of her appearance." Amane popped in. "A demon that hides behind an angelic face, I''ve witnessed it m--"


    "Gah! Why the hell are we all chit-chatting here?" Sagiri blurted out, frowning. "I''ll be going now."


    "Wait Sagiri-san!" Hyoukyou stopped Sagiri just right before she turns. "It''s dangerous to pursue this mission alone. If you may allow, we can add you to our party since we still don''t have an archer. "


    "I think I have no choice then." Sagiri heaved a deep sigh, observing the numerous ogres roaming about.


    "You too, Ichinose-san" Hyoukyou sent party requests to the two.


    "Sure. I guess I''d be useful as a tanker and initiator." Akashi smiled.


    The two accepted the party request and they all moved sneakily past the ogres with Akrilaem uttering spells to keep a ''moving barrier'' to hide them.


    They reached the Ogre Kingdom shortly. A gigantic bastion with an enormous entrance ''hidden'' inside an old huge tree and tall dense trees to hide the kingdom itself.


    There seemed to be no one guarding at that moment and they could freely roam. Strange. The inside was the typical of a castle¡ª but pretty much larger. Its walls were mossy and the carpet was green. Vines crawl up all around, which created an eerie ambiance.


    "So this is the kingdom of ogres" Amane said with glimmering eyes, roaming around the hallway but making sure his allies were still on sight.


    "Yes, the place where the throne of their king lies upon." Akrilaem said in reply to Amane. "I still can''t fathom how these ugly creatures choose their ruler though."


    "You''re Kirigaya Katsu, right?" Akashi uttered, putting his mace on his back. "I apologize for my actions earlier. I didn''t really intend to hurt you. Truth be told, I don''t wish anyone to get hurt."


    "I don''t mind it, I went a bit out of control earlier." Katsu accepted the crusader''s apology. "If there''s anyone to apologize, it shouldn''t be you. Instead, that wom--"


    Sagiri overheard the conversation and walk past between the two, still with a gritted teeth, obviously not wanting to swallow her pride.


    "Wait..." Katsu stopped dead in his tracks. Not by Sagiri walking past them, but because of a strange feeling of being watched. Everybody turned their attention to him.


    "What''s wrong, An-chan?"


    "I think... we''re surrounded--"


    His sentence was cut by the shaking of the ground followed by the grotesque creatures with gleaming pink orbs and stout slouchy composure cornering them from their current positions.


    - To Be Continued