《Legend Tales: Fallen Hero》 Prologue - The Fallen Hero Year 948 of the Holy Era Late Winter The Demon King marches from the Dark Continent with his demon army towards the Kingdom of the Holy Light. Year 949 of the Holy Era Early Spring The Demon Army arrives at the borders of the Kingdom of the Holy Light. They were intercepted by an unknown party until support from the kingdom''s soldiers arrived. The Holy War has begun. Year 949 of the Holy Era Late Autumn The Demon King was defeated by the leader of the unknown party. He was hailed as a Hero. As a reward, the Hero will be married to the princess of the Kingdom of the Holy Light. Year 950 of the Holy Era Early Spring The Hero and the Princess were married. It was such a joyous event. The entire kingdom celebrated. Year 950 of the Holy Era Late Spring Tragedy struck. The Hero betrayed the kingdom and killed his wife, the princess. He went on a rampage and killed more than 1000 soldiers before fleeing to the Dark Continent. Year 999 of the Holy Era Autumn News of the return of the Demon King has spread in the Kingdom of the Holy Light like wildfire. It was treated as groundless rumors by the Church of the Holy Light. Year 1000 of the Holy Era Autumn The Demon Army has once again arrived at the Kingdom of the Holy Light. They successfully infiltrated the kingdom''s border defenses. Year 1000 of the Holy Era Late Autumn Half of the kingdom was burnt to the grounds. The identity of the Demon King leading the army... was the traitorous Hero. Year 1000 of the Holy Era Winter The final battle between the forces of the Church of the Holy Light and the Demon army is taking place in the capital city of the kingdom. Inside the palace throneroom... There were seven figures inside the majestic hall. One of them was a man clad in black armor and wielding a sword. Four were armored women with sword and shield on each hand. Two were robed figures, the old king and the pope. King: "Why are you doing this, Hero? Have I ever wronged you to incur such wrath?" The Hero only smirked as he looked at the four armored figure in front of him. They were all ready to make a move at the command of either the king or the pope. His eyes were focused specifically on the woman with the shortest distance from him. Pope: "He is not a hero anymore, your majesty. He has betrayed the kingdom and reformed the demon army. But before all that, his biggest sin was his murder of his own wife! Truly, the title of Demon King befits him more than the one he defeated." The King could only grimace as he remembered that fact. He looked at the murderer of his daughter and was filled with emotions of grief and rage. Hero: "I can''t believe that the King I once respected has been fooled by the church this much. Open your eyes, King! Have you forgotten the face of your own daughter!" King: "I will not listen anymore to your senseless babble! Kill him, and let us end this pointless war!" With that command, the four armored women moved forward and surrounded the Hero. Two of them casted spells, while the other two protected them. Hero: "Tch." He made a dash towards a pair and struck with his sword. His blow was powerful, pushing the heavily armored woman who raised her shield and knocking her back towards the other one casting the spell. The two crashed against the wall as shockwaves reverberated inside the hall. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The other pair had finished their preparations and a magic circle appeared under the Hero''s feet. Glowing chains appeared from the ground and bound his entire body, disabling his ability to move. With that chance, the successful pair charged at him with their swords. Gritting his teeth, the Hero broke through the chains, leaving burn marks all over his body. The chains were made of the holy element causing him to take damage. King: "He really has become a demon." Only demons who have dark attributes can be damaged by holy spells and objects. The injured Hero widely slashed his sword stopping the advance of the two and sending an invisible force from the tip of his blade. A blade of wind flew through the air and struck the shields of the two female warriors. He raised his free arm and casted a spell, causing the area around him to emit a shockwave of dark enery, destroying the magic formation beneath him. Pope: "This has gone long enough." The Pope which has been standing at the sidelines had been quietly chanting a spell. The space above the throneroom ripped open as holy light descended. Hero: "Gaaaaahhhhhrrrrggggg!" His skin burned and his body weakened as he was showered by the holy light. He fell down to his knees. Using his sword to support himself, he tried to stand back up. As he did, the four figures had already recovered and casted spells. Lances of holy light appeared from their hands and flew towards him from four different directions. Pope: "This is the end, former hero." The shower of holy light disappeared. As the hero began to fall, he caught a glimpse of the pope with a smile on his face. It was a smile that saying that he had succeeded in his plans. Filled with rage, the Hero used his dying strength and made a mad dash towards the Pope. The four figures in turn dashed at him to stop him. Right before he could strike the Pope, one of the armored figures had appeared in between them and blocked his strike with the shield. Then a sword stabbed right through his chest. Hero: "It''s been a while." Armored Figure: "..." Hero: "I''ll return. I swear I will take you back with me!" The Hero kicked the figure and fell back, with the sword still sticking through his chest. With a smile, he took an item from beneath his armor. The Pope''s eyes widened. Pope: "Stop him!" The Hero raised the item. It was a Phoenix''s Heart. It grants the user the ability to reincarnate. The time, place, and form is unknown. It was a risky gamble, but it was his last desperate move. Hero: "Wait for me, Alena!" He crushed the heart and fiery flames surrounded his body. In an instant, nothing was left of him. After hearing the Hero''s declaration, the King''s eyes suddenly cleared. The fog in his mind was lifted as he looked sideways at the figure that protected the Pope. It had been 50 years, but her face and figure had not changed. King: "Princess Alena... How can this be?!?" Pope: "Tch!" The Pope casted a spell on the King to remove his memories of the princess'' appearance, but the King tried to resist the spell causing his mind to break. He fell on the floor with vacant eyes. On the 1000th year of the Holy Era, the Kingdom of the Holy Light has fallen. Chapter 1 - Unexpected Return Chapter 1 Unexpected Return The sun was yet to rise, but a sound could be heard loudly echoing outside the town of Lewick. For the people of this town, the sound was a regular part of their daily lives. West of the town, a river flows from the North. Intense heat could be felt coming from a stone building beside the river. It was the blacksmith''s workshop, the source of the rhythmic sound. On the front yard of the workshop, a figure was swinging a sword under the cover of the darkness of dawn. His upper body was naked and covered in sweat. Faintly visible steam rose as the cold morning air made contact with his skin, testament to how worked up he was. As the sun rose, its warm light spread throughout the town. A bell rang, and the town seemed to have come alive. People went out of their homes, some carrying empty wooden buckets. They went to the wells, some to the river, to fetch water for their daily use. One of them was a small girl wearing a simple brown shirt. The shirt was too big for her, and it would have been mistaken for a dress if not for the loose sleeves that reached past her elbows. She yawned as she walked towards the river while swinging the bucket. Seeing the girl heading for the river, the figure training outside the blacksmith''s workshop, Valecore Edin, called out to her. Valecore: "Reylerie, watch where you''re going!" Hearing the familiar voice, the girl turned her head and waved at him with a big smile on her face. Reylerie: "Brother, good morn---!" She tripped before she could finish her greeting. Valecore grabbed the scabbard on the ground and sheathed the sword, hung it on his belt, and ran towards the girl kissing the ground. When he reached her location, she had already sat up, tears threaten to spill from her eyes. Valecore: "There, there." He took out a small towel from the pouch that hung on his waist and used it to wipe the dirt on her face and clothes. A gentle smile has formed on his face as he did so. This was a common daily occurrence, but Reylerie never seem to learn her lesson, and Valecore always had to take care of her, the duties of an older brother. He helped her fetch water from the river and brought her home. Valecore: "We''re home." Reylerie: "We''re home!" The two made their greetings in unison as soon as they entered the simple wooden house, their home in Lewick. ???: "Reeey! Leeee! Rieeee!" A voice echoed inside the house along with stomping footsteps. A woman came out of the kitchen, still wearing an apron, and wielding the deadliest weapon in this household - a kitchen knife. It was their mother, Valerie Edin. Valerie: "How many times do I have to tell you not to take clothes from the laundry basket! And it had to be your brother''s shirt of all things!" Reylerie: "But I like brother''s scent." She lifted the collar and took a sniff as if to demonstrate. Valerie: "Take it off, right now!" As the two argued, Valecore made his way to the kitchen carrying the bucket of water, but he was blocked by Valerie. He raised an eyebrow in confusion as he did not know what he had done to merit his mother''s displeasure. Valerie: "Sword." Looking down, Valecore saw the sheathed sword still hanging on his belt, then made an awkward smile. He handed the bucket of water to his mother and ran out of the house. It was part of the rules that no one was allowed to carry a weapon deadlier the kitchen knife into the house. He ran all the way back to the workshop by the river, and entered without knocking at the door. A muscular man was hammering a piece of red hot metal. It had already taken the shape of a sword. He then wrapped it in an insulating material and set it aside to cool. This blacksmith was Valecore and Reylerie''s father, Corey Edin. Corey: "Ya both got scolded again, didn''t ya?" He took the towel hanging on the stool and used it to wipe his sweat. Valecore: "Yes. Mother was swinging as always." Corey: "I never knew she''d love that piece so much she''d bring it with her ta sleep if I dont stop her." Father and son chuckled at the thought. was one of the few masterpieces made by Corey. It was a kitchen knife he made for his wife''s birthday the previous year. Since then, she had spent a lot of time in the kitchen just to have a reason for holding the knife. Corey: "You can leave it there on the table." He knew why his son had come back to the workshop. With a wry smile, Valecore did as he was told. They left for home after Corey locked the workshop. This was a common daily occurrence. For them, there was nothing out of the ordinary with these actions. Even if they repeat the same things every single day. Even if every word they had said today, was the same words they had said yesterday, or the day before, or weeks before that. * * * * * * * * * Night had fallen long ago, and the townspeople of Lewick were fast asleep. The town was located near the Northern border of the Kingdom of Arcum, South of the Snowcap Mountain Range. Aside from the occasional adventurers who traded and bought supplies, there were no other outsiders who goes to this remote town. And that was how they were struck unprepared by something they least expected. The rain had began to pour. Valecore awoke with a strange feeling. He was sleeping in the workshop, taking turns with his father every other day. As he looked at the window facing the town, his eyes widened in shock. The town was ablaze! The pouring rain does little help in putting out the fire. And the sound of combat could be faintly heard. Raiders! Panic-stricken, Valecore grabbed one of the swords on the table and rushed outside. His clothes were immediately drenched by the rain. Valecore: Why would raiders come here? As he was about to run to the town, an arrow whizzed past him. Looking ahead, he found two figures slowly walking towards him. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Figure 1: "Hey, hey. You''re this close already and you still can''t hit?" Figure 2: "It''s raining, dude. The hit rate decreases with weather conditions." Figure 1: "Don''t make excuses. I can hit him just fine even in this rain." Figure 2: "That''s because you''re higher level than me, and you pumped all your points to DEX." Figure 1: "Naah, man. I''m just that skilled." Valecore knew that those two were part of whoever attacked the town. They were dressed in good quality leather equipment and wielded strange ornamental bows. Valecore: Based on their appearances, they shoud be adventurers. But why are they attacking the town? As he tried to move forward, another arrow flew past him and grazed his cheek. He winced in pain. Figure 1: "Gah! That was almost a headshot!" Figure 2: "Haha! You missed!" Figure 1: "I grazed him! Didn''t you see the damage?" The two were still leisurely talking. Seeing it as an opportunity, Valecore tightened his grip on the sword and attempted to dash towards them. But what greeted him were quick successive arrow shots. Figure 1: "Gyahaha! Run little bug." Figure 2: " really has low accuracy, huh?" The two shot arrows at an impossibly fast rate. Valecore knew that adventurers are strong in combat and can not be outmatched by normal people like him. He did his best to dodge and fall back, until he was cornered at the river bank. Figure 2: "This NPC is really good at dodging, huh?" Figure 1: "Gyahahaha! Let''s be serious this time. !" One of the raised his bow and light gathered around his hands. This was a , abilities Valecore heard about that adventurers were adept at using. A huge red dot appeared on Valecore''s chest along with many smaller dots scattered around. He somehow knew that he couldn''t escape. An arrow will pierce one of those dots without fail, no matter what he try to do. Valecore: Am I going to die? Father... mother... Reylerie! "Raaaaaaaaaaaa!" He dashed towards the adventurers before him, hoping for some sort of miracle. But, alas, miracles don''t exist in this world. The arrow flew towards him and hit a red spot. The force was strong enough to lift him off of his feet. He was knocked backwards a huge distance, rolled on the ground, and fell into the river. Figure 1: "Oh, shit!" Figure 2: "Epic fail, man! You only hit the shoulder." Figure 1: "It was a critical hit, but it didn''t empty his HP bar." Figure 2: "He fell into the river. Got nature-killed. No EXP for us. You suck, man." Figure 1: "It''s the fucking rain''s fault." Figure 2: "That''s what I said earlier." The two figures kept their leisurely conversation as they went into the workshop, taking anything they think is worth something. * * * * * * * * * Morning had arrived, and the tragedy in Lewick was plain to see. There were burnt corpses and buildings everywhere. The ground was painted red and black by blood and soot. Inside one of the ruined buildings, a figure was kneeling down and hugging three black lumps in his arms. He was wailing while shouting curses at the sky. It was Valecore. He had survived from barely drowning in the rushing river, carried downstream by the powerful current due to the rain. Wounded and exhausted, he made his way back to the town only to find the tragic sight. He held hope for his family''s survival, only to be heavily struck by the truth. He was the only survivor. Hugging what remained of his family, he cursed at the heavens for this tragedy. He cursed and cursed and cursed until his throat hurt from screaming. He spat blood, but he didn''t care. All he wanted was revenge. This morning was supposed to be a common daily occurrence. But none of that remains. He could never get it back. His sister wearing his shirt and carrying a bucket in the morning, tripping due to her clumsiness. His mother swinging around her favorite kitchen knife while scolding them. His father continuously hammering the red hot metal, providing a regular percussion that every people in the town were familiar with. None of that remains. Valecore: "Grrrraaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrgggghhhhhh!!!!!" Letting out a bestial howl, Valecore swore in his heart to get revenge. Revenge for everything taken away from him. He felt an indescribable pain throughout his body. This was not pain caused by the loss of his family, and neither was it pain caused by his injuries. He felt as if his blood was boiling. Something inside him was changing. Alena. A name appeared in his head, but immediately faded away. He spent the rest of the day burying the remains of everyone in the village, then salvaging whatever he could from the remains of the town, he prepared to go on a journey to seek those who must be punished for what they have done. * * * * * * * * * ???: "Hmm? Something''s strange." A man wearing thick-rimmed glasses stared at multiple monitors in front of him. Suddenly, windows popped up informing of errors in the system. Immediately, he picked up the phone and dialed a number. Voice from the phone: "For fuck''s sake, do you know what time it is? This better be important." Man with glasses: "Kane, I''m getting these reeeeeeally wierd errors right now, you better come over here right now and check this out." Kane: "Players hacking again?" Man with glasses: "Uhh, it''s kind of similar to a hack, but it''s coming from an NPC." Kane: "What!?!" ____________________________________________________________ [End of Chapter 1] Chapter 2 - Start of a Long Journey Chapter 2 Start of a Long Journey Valecore walked along the river flowing south. The sun was already beginning to set, and it would be dangerous to go through the forest at night. He was also looking for the sword he dropped when he fell into the river. After a few minutes of searching, he found it lodged between two rocks at the bottom of the river. It was a lucky find, since the blade was just at the right angle to reflect the light of the setting sun. He took off his clothes and dove into the lake to take the sword. When he surfaced, he found a small animal digging through his clothes. It was a horned rabbit. Valecore: "Shoo!" The horned rabbit scurried back into the forest, but his shirt got stuck on its horn and was dragged away. Taking the sword with him, he quickly got out of water and dashed after the rabbit. He lost sight of the animal, but he found his shirt lying on the ground. He took it and found that there was a rip. The rabbit''s horn probably ripped through it after running at a fast speed while dragging it around. Valecore: "Now, it''s useless." He returned to the riverbank, gathering twigs and dry leaves along the way. He then made a campfire and lay down beside it. The warmth coupled with his exhaustion and injuries easily brought him to sleep. * * * * * * * * * A girl was lying on the bed beside me. She said something, but I couldn''t pick up the sounds. There was a ringing noise in my ear, but I knew that what she said had filled me with great joy. I then lifted the blanket that covered our bodies, revealing her beautiful naked body. I gently place my hand on her stomach. Yes, she said that she was with child. My child. Suddenly, everything around me stopped moving, and shattered like glass. I was standing in front of a huge stone tablet. There were inscriptions on it, but I couldn''t understand them. I place my hand on the engraved letters, and I knew that this was a record of all the rulers of this continent, all their names, their abilities, their achievements, and their deaths. At the lowest part of the tablet, there was enough free space to add another name. I touched it, and whispered something. New engravings appeared. Valecore the Fallen Hero Demonic Corruption No achievements * * * * * * * * * A strange feeling woke Valecore. His entire body was hot, almost the same as when he was cursing at the heavens. This time, it wasn''t as painful. Valecore: "I think I just had a wierd dream." The campfire was starting to lose its heat. He sat up to fetch more fuel to add to the fire, and something rolled down from his chest. Valecore: "Huh?" It was a white lump of fur that looks vaguely familiar. It twitched and unfurled itself, revealing a rabbit with a two inch horn on its head. Valecore: "You again?" The rabbit turned towards him with its red eyes. In the darkness, it felt a little creepy. It didn''t move from its spot, waiting for Valecore to make the first move, as if analyzing him if he were friend or foe. With a sigh, Valecore stood up and ignored the rabbit. He was tired, and his shoulder wound still hurts. He did not want to spend useless energy to catch a rabbit. He went to a pile of dry wood he had stocked up as extra fuel for the campfire, and took a few branches to feed the fire. The heat in his body had already died down, and the campfire had been replenished, yet he lost all semblance of drowsiness. It was still dark. He looked up at the sky to see the moon shining brightly. It was a familiar sight, but he can''t remember viewing the moon like this when he was still in the town. Valecore: "Where have I watched the moon like this before?" He felt a very faint pain in his heart. He knew he had friends who watched the moon with him, but he can''t remember their faces nor their names. A small smile crept on his face, warmth feeling his heart. Those friends must be really dear to him. A small rustling sound came from beside him, and as he turned to look, he saw the horned rabbit settle down there. It just sat there looking at the fire, as if telling him not to mind it. With that, once again, Valecore felt the world of dreams calling to him. * * * * * * * * * The news of the raiding of the NPC town, Lewick, spread like wildfire in the Kingdom of Arcum. A Merchant-class player that arrived there yesterday evening to buy cheap weapons, armors, and supplies were shocked to find the entire town burned down and a makeshift graveyard right beside it. Inside the Golden Lion pub on the Metal-crafters district of the capital city of Arcum, Cellicina, there were four adventurers sitting side by side in front of the counter. They had heard about the news from the female barkeeper NPC. Janica: "I can''t believe this! Who would do such a horrible thing?" She was the party''s leader. Equipped with heavy armor, a shield and a longsword, her class was Warrior. She had been playing the game, Legend Tales Online, since its release three months ago, and this had been the first time she had heard of such news. She knew it was possible to kill the NPCs, but it was common sense not to do so. Most quests are obtainable from NPCs. Quests provide the largest amount of EXP one can get at a certain level, not to mention gold, items, and equipments. It was much more efficient to do quests than grind mindlessly. Dead NPCs do not respawn, thus losing the chance to get a quest from them forever. Marilane: "Calm down a bit, leader. You''re scaring Anna." She motioned towards the barkeeper who had a slightly terrified look. Janica made an apologetic bow, then faced the girl wearing loose robes sitting to her left. Marilane was a Mage. She had played the game a little bit later than Janica. The two met when Marilane was being ganked by PKs, and Janica, who was already among the top players at that time, rescued her. Janica: "How can I calm down so easily? I''m pretty sure that players were responsible for that!" She said that in a lowered volume. Prezz: "It''s true that players where the only ones capable of thinking and doing such a thing, but normally they won''t do it without reason." Kanis: "I think it''s probably a quest." Prezz and Kanis were twin brothers. They always played together, and started about the same time as Marilane. Prezz was a Cleric, while Kanis was a Hunter. Janice: "What sort of atrocious quest is that? Sheesh, it feels like there''s something going on behind the scenes." Marilane: "I think you''re not far off with that. Last night, I saw bits of rumors in the forums. Apparently, a major event is about to happen." Kanis: "What sort of event?" Marilane: "I don''t know. There''s not much details, but players from the opposing faction mentioned that the emperor was secretly building an army." Prezz: "Now that you mention it, I''ve heard rumors from NPCs in the church about the King not following their advice to make peace relations with the other faction." Hearing that, Janica frowned. The other three knew what she was thinking. It seems like a war was about to happen between two major factions of Legend Tales Online. * * * * * * * * * Before the sun rose, Valecore had already woken up. This was due to his daily routine of waking up early and training with the sword. Because his left shoulder was injured, he only used his right arm. He scattered the remains of the campfire and covered it with soil. This was to reduce the chances of anyone knowing that someone was here. He can''t remember where he got this knowledge, but he knew he had to do it. Proceeding through the forest, he gathered berries and fruits and placed them in the rucksack he salvaged from town. Strangely, the horned rabbit followed him. Although it had stayed close to him last night, now it was hopping at a distance behind him. He ignored the rabbit and continued his walk through the forest. When the sun was about to reach its peak, he arrived at a small village surrounded by the forest. He had gone to this place before. Once a month, he would travel with his father to this village and trade with them. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. All the people in this village were women. But they can''t be looked down on because they are all powerful warriors. With exotic brown skin, pure white hair, and devilish red eyes, their true strength was disguised with their beautiful appearance. Corey had always warned his son never to provoke any of these women. Taking notice of the stranger, one of the warrior women wielding a spear approached him. Warrior woman: "What do you need?" Valecore: "I have come for the oracle." The woman inspected his appearance. She checked inside his bag, touched him through his clothes, and even inspected his weapon. With a confused look, the warrior woman decided to take him to the small hut found at the back of the village. He followed her lead. He looked back to see if the rabbit had followed him, but it was out of sight. They arrived in front of the hut. A curtain with distinct tribal patterns covered the entrance. Valecore had met the oracle the first time he came here with his father. Back then, she had made a prediction stating that one day he would come back alone of his own accord. ???: "Who goes?" Warrior Woman: "State your identity, stranger." She whispered to him after the voice came from inside the hut. Valecore: "Valecore Edin. Son of Corey Edin, blacksmith of Lewick." After a few seconds of silence, the curtain opened. The warrior woman left and went back to what she was doing before. Valecore entered the hut. He drew his breath at the sight of the beautiful woman lying down on her side on a majestic carpet. This was not the first time he had seen her, but he still thinks that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Unlike the warriors of the village, this woman had pearl white skin and ebony black hair. Her eyes were red like the others. She emitted a calming aura. The beauty of her face was beyond description. Every line, every contour, from her head to her toes were perfect. Her neck were decorated by golden chains embedded with colorful jewels. Her body was draped with a thin robe that did nothing to hide her figure. Thanks to the dim light, the skin beneath the robe was faintly hidden. She was the Oracle. Oracle: "We meet again, young man." Valecore: "It has been a while, fair lady." The Oracle smiled with her bewitching lips, and motioned for him to sit on the carpet she was lying on. Valecore did as was told, and he sat down with his legs folded beneath his thighs. It was a formal sitting posture. He did this to distract himself from the seductive charm in front of him. The Oracle, seeing through him, slowly lifted her upper body to sit up, then leaned forward and draped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Oracle: "You have grown." The scent of the alluring woman wafted through his nose, and he felt her hand touching all over his body. Valecore: "I have been training." Oracle: "To impress me?" Looking back, Valecore indeed seemed to have started training with the sword after going to this village for the first time. He was not sure if that was the real reason, though. Oracle: "No matter. So what have you come here for. I did predicted you would come back alone, but I am sure it is not for the same reason." Valecore: "First, tell me how you predicted that I come back alone of my own accord?" The Oracle paused, then looked at him. Her eyes seemed to have changed color for an instant. Oracle: "How much do you know about this world?" He was slightly taken aback. He had never left the town of Lewick aside from visiting this village. Seeing his lack of response, the Oracle continued. Oracle: "This world may be for us to live our lives in, but the course this world will take relies on the hands of the adventurers." Hearing the term ''adventurers'', Valecore nodded. Oracle: "The adventurers are not from this world. They came from a distant place unknown to us. They came to this world to enjoy themselves in the freedom of their actions. They are neither good nor evil. They are existence that rules over themselves." Her beautiful eyes once again observed him. Every now and then, he would notice the momentary change in color of her eyes. Oracle: "Unlike adventurers, we are bound by an invisible hand. This I had realized over time. I could understand a lot of things and see things that others couldn''t. I thought I was all-powerful." She had a self-deprecating smile on her face. Oracle: "I could not leave this hut." The statement shocked Valecore. How could she not leave? Only a curtain separates this place to the outside. Oracle: "You will understand someday." She once again lay down on the carpet and motioned for Valecore to do the same. Oracle: "Spend some time with me. I have not met such a dashing man such as you for quite some time." Tempted, Valecore did as he was told. * * * * * * * * * It was morning the next day. Valecore woke up feeling refreshed. The Oracle was still sleeping beside him. They had done the act the entire afternoon yesterday, with her taking the lead. After that, he fell asleep. He stretched to find out that his injuries were already gone. Valecore: Did she treat my injuries while I was asleep? Now that his entire body was in great condition, he went out to find that most of the warrior women were already awake. Some of them were training alone, others were sparring, and the rest were doing chores like cooking and laundry. He went to the training area and found a wooden dummy no one was using. He then practiced striking at it with his sword. Valecore: It''s hard! He was surprised at the hardness of the wooden dummy. Looking closely, only the outer parts were made of wood. It was metal inside. He remembered bringing similar looking objects with his father before. Valecore: So they had bought this stuff from us, too. Some of the warrior women saw him, and they invited him to a spar. Sometimes with weapons, sometimes unarmed, the results were all his defeat. They were insanely strong. Their strength did not come from raw power, but from their versatile usage of techniques. After the training, he had taken a bath alone behind the Oracle''s hut to find some of the younger villagers peeking at him. Oracle: "They are still young and untrained, and so they are curious about what they don''t have in this village." The Oracle was leaning through an open window at the back of the hut. She had a huge smile on her face as she watched him wash his body with greedy eyes. He had brought the food prepared by the warriors into the hut. There was enough for him and the Oracle. Oracle: "What do you intend to do from now on?" Valecore: "I will seek those who had wronged my family and friends and do to them what they had done to us!" Oracle: "Let''s say you have successfully completed that goal. What then?" He remained silent for a while. He gave it thought, then remembered a name. Valecore: "There are things I don''t understand about myself. I will seek the truth." The Oracle smiled. She pulled something out from beneath her robe. Oracle: "Take this. It is something that I should give to the lucky adventurer who would have been guided to this place by either you or your father. But with the situation as it is, I think it is enough that this rest on your hands." It was a strange round object with a solid bottom half and a crystal top. There was some sort of liquid inside, and a floating arrowhead. When he turns it around, the crystal stays in the same position. Oracle: "That is something that can guide you to a place that may provide a clue to what you need to do. Even I do not know the exact details." Then with a longing look, the Oracle leaned forward and kissed his lips. Oracle: "Open your eyes, this is the last thing I can give you. Once you do, it will be a long time until we can meet again. I hope that we do." When she pulled back, a searing pain pierced through Valecore''s head. He shut his eyes, unable to withstand the pain. Then, he felt his entire body lose its sense of balance. Finally, the pain receded and he opened his eyes. He was back in the forest, the village nowhere in sight. ____________________________________________________________ [End of Chapter 2] Chapter 3 - Fated Crossing, Missed Chapter 3 Fated Crossing, Missed Inside a room full of monitors and system units, two figures were present. One was lying on the foldable mattress on the floor, the other sat on the chair in front of the monitors. Both had wrapped their bodies in thick blankets, testament to the cold air coming from the installed air-conditioning units. Kane, the person sitting in front of the monitors, looked down at the figure on the bed. He was sleeping soundly, a pair of glasses folded right beside his pillow. He was Alec, his co-worker. The two were assigned to monitor any changes in the systems of Legend Tales Online, the newest virtual reality MMORPG of the century. It came out three months ago, and almost all other VR players have moved to this game. Legend Tales Online boasts a world bigger than that of reality. It had multiple continents ruled by multiple factions. Although players could join any of these factions, the current trend was to join the two major factions, the Kingdom of Arcum and the Empire of Raiou. The game boasts its Independent AI System, making it a controversial topic on mass media. The full details were not provided to the public and all they knew was that the in-game AI can perform very realistic actions similar to real humans. Of course there were obvious flaws since complete replication of humanistic behavior is impossible. If each and every AI in the game were able to do this, no hardware would be able to handle the amount of data processing. That''s where the Core comes in. The Core served as the "God" of the game. It''s an AI that observed the game, and made decisions depending on what the data it had gathered. It automatically detects any anomaly in the system and if it deems it harmful, it will purge it. It can choose specific NPCs and give them freedom of action and in-depth decision making skills and emotions, turning them into actual human-like characters. It has the final decision on everything. It can shut the game down if it wants, a function called "Apocalypse." Kane had rushed here yesterday early in the morning due to Alec''s call. They had observed the strange data that was obviously out of the place in the system. It was the corrupted data of a NPC, but the Core did not make any actions to purge it. Suddenly, Kane''s eyes widened. The information scrolling down on the screen was something he had seen before. It was the activation of a quest. He started typing on the keyboard, copying the data and transferring it to a different monitor. He then kicked Alec''s head to wake him up. Alec: "Tch. That hurts. Couldn''t you be a bit gentler when waking people up." Kane: "Hurry and check this out. Cross reference it to the quest database." With a confused look, Alec stood up and wore his glasses, then started operating in front of a different monitor. Alec: "It''s a quest for the founding of a new faction. Is our NPC planning to make one?" He said that in a joking tone, but when he looked at Kane''s serious face, his expression froze. Alec: "Hey, hey. Don''t tell me...?" Kane: "That''s how it is. What''s the activation requirements for the quest?" Alec: "Hmm... A player must acquire a guide from the town of Lewick to find the hidden village of the Oracle. If the player meets the requirements, which is not mentioned here, the Oracle will hand out an item to trigger the faction-making quest." Kane: "Unknown requirements... that means the Core will decide on the spot." The two became silent. They were already shocked at what they had found out yesterday. NPCs in Legend Tales Online can get experience just like players, but most of the NPCs have a very low EXP cap. Most of them can only reach a maximum level of 5, while others can reach the same level as players do. The high-leveled NPCs were usually the hired soldiers of the factions. The NPC that they were tracking originally had a maximum level of 5, but after the data corruption similar to a hack happened yesterday, his level cap disappeared. Which means he can level up indefinitely. The real problem was his continuous gain of experience. He was gaining small amounts of experience every second, just like how humans learn every passing moment. Kane: "Where''s this Lewick town?" Alec: "Searching... hmm... it''s on the Northern border of Arcum. Hmm!?!" Noticing the surprised expression, Kane was curious and looked over Alec''s shoulder. It was a forum post about how Lewick had been raided by an unknown group and all the NPCs were killed. Alec and Kane looked at each other. The NPC they were tracking should have been from Lewick, because the guide for finding the hidden village must come from that town. If all the NPCs were killed, then this quest should have been impossible to start. Alec: "A survivor?" Kane: "This is getting more and more confusing." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. The two sighed as they imagined how much work they still had to do. * * * * * * * * * In the forest North of the town of Khoria, a figure was crouching behind a tree. Heavy armor covered the figure''s body, a sword and shield on the back. She was Janica. After the conversation with her party in the Golden Lion pub, she decided to visit the town of Lewick to see it with her own eyes. The others were not interested and chose to stay in the capital to do solo quests. She then used the portal system to reach the closest town to Lewick, and walked the rest of the way. She had resupplied in Khoria, and was now on her way to the rumored town. Behind the tree, Janica readied her self and gripped the sword sheathed on her back. She had seen a figure appear from the distance out of nowhere, and the thought that it might be a PK with stealth ability such as the Assassin raised her caution. The figure, after standing for a some time, started to walk South. He was Wearing simple clothings, equipped with a sword, and had a rucksack on his back. Janica: Warrior? Merchant? She could not determine his class using his appearance. He had a blue marker over his head. In Legend Tales Online, a blue marker meant a player, white for non-hostile non-players, and red for all hostile units. He walked past a distance away from her, unable to detect her presence. She watched the blue marker disappear from her view and radar. As she stood up, a white figure with a white marker over its head appeared beside her. It was a horned rabbit. It stared at her for a while, then continued hopping to the same direction the man went to earlier. The scene caused her to pause for a while. Janica: "That was just a coincidence, right?" She was referring to the horned rabbit following the male player. Suddenly, she hit her forehead after realizing that the horned rabbit she saw was a rare animal. She had seen the posts on forums that horned rabbits have a small smooth blunt horn on the head. The rare ones have sharp horns similar to that of a unicorn. She let out a sigh after realizing that she had let a possible rare pet go. Janica: "Nothing I can do about it. I have other things to do." With a determined look, she continued walking North to the town of Lewick. * * * * * * * * * Gone! The village disappeared into thin air! With the lingering feeling of the Oracle''s lips and scent, a voice echoed in Valecore''s head. Open your eyes... His vision became blurry, and undefined lines scattered in front of him. A familiar heat filled his body and subsided as soon as it appeared. In a few seconds, his vision cleared.
Name:Valecore EdinLevel:8
Race:Human (Incomplete Demonification)Class:None
Titles:Fallen Hero, Demon King
Stats
STR:???AGI:???
VIT:???DEX:???
WIS:???INT:???
Skills
Demonic Corruption Lv.1
A blue translucent panel covered in static hovered in front of him. It stayed in front of his view even if he changed where he was looking. Although it was a surprising thing, his heart was calm. It was as if he knew that this was something not that out of the ordinary. He remembered the Oracle''s words. Open your eyes, this is the last thing I can give you. Valecore: "Is this what you gave me?" Not knowing what to do with it, he decided to continue with his original plans. He needed to find a town where he can gather information. Ignoring the panel blocking his view, he focused his eyes on the things he could see through the translucent panel and proceeded walking South. ____________________________________________________________ [End of Chapter 3] Is the pace too slow? Chapter 4 - The Hunt Never Ends Chapter 4 The Hunt Never Ends The sun was about to reach its peak. The heat of the sun did not affect the figure clad in heavy armor, nor do the cold breeze from the snowcapped mountains make her shiver. She just stood still, the remains of a tragedy in front of her. Slowly, Janica moved forward and walked through the dirt path between the ruins of several burnt buildings. She stopped right in the center of what once used to be a simple town and closed her eyes. Just by blocking her view, she could imagine how the town would have looked like if the distaster had not struck. The townspeople doing their daily tasks, children playing on the streets, men struggling with heavy labor, women doing household chores... She opened her eyes, and the sight once again filled her with disgust and contempt towards those who had done such an atrocious act. She went to the makeshift graveyard. Janica: "There must be a survivor." Otherwise, there was no one who would have buried the corpses of the NPCs who died. Players will not do such an act. It was common game knowledge that corpses disappear 24 hours after death. Looking to the river, she found a small building with stone walls and a waterwheel. Janica: "A workshop?" She went inside the building to find broken tools and burnt furnitures. The waterwheel was barely visible from the inside through the broken wall. She checked the items on the ground and found common metal tools like pickaxes, hammers, saws, and also weapons and armors. When she walked towards the non-functional furnace, the stone floor made a strange sound as her heavy metal boots landed on a slightly raised slab. She crouched down and knocked on the slab. It was hollow inside. Finding a thin blade among the scattered tools and weapons, she used it to pry the slab open by inserting the thin blade through the gap on the edges. The slab was removed removing a small space underneath. Janica: "A hidden storage..." There was a long object wrapped in a thick cloth, and a sealed envelope inside the hidden space. There was a simple note on the back of the envelope: "To my son, Valecore Edin." A slight headache caused Janica to almost drop the items she was holding. She checked the time and frowned when she saw that it was already past noon. Hurriedly, she stored the items into her inventory and logged out. Sitting up on the bed, Janica took off the gaming helmet, revealing a beauty with long silver hair, pale blue eyes, small pink lips, well-defined nose, and soft white skin. She stood up from the bed, and took off her thin nightgown, exposing a figure that could make people worship her as a goddess. She stood there naked for a while, bathed in moonlight through the glass window, thinking about the town and the things she found. Janica: "If there''s a survivor, that person may know who this Valecore Edin is." There''s also the chance that he was the survivor, but the odds of that was low, she thought. She then remembered the strange player she saw in the forest. There was also a possibility that he was the one who buried them, although that would make him even stranger. As she thought that, the slight headache returned, a bit stronger this time. There was a pitcher of water and a glass on the side table by the bed. She pulled the drawer and took out a bottle of medicine. She took a pill and gulped it down with water. As the pain receded, she walked towards the window and looked outside. The bright moon illuminated the entire city. She was in a unit on the 50th floor, the top floor, of the condominium. From her vantage point, she could clearly see the wall dividing the city into two areas, the upper-class and lower-class residences. She chose to stay here because of this view. Past the wall, a slightly bigger structure compared to the others around it was barely visible from where she was, if it was a normal person looking. Janica''s enhanced vision captured the sight with clarity. The structure was an orphanage, and its lights was still on even during this time. Janica: Some of the children probably woke up crying again in the middle of the night. She knew because she had been there before. More than a century ago, she woke up in a hidden room beneath that place without any memories. It didn''t bother her that she couldn''t remember, but what took her attention was the uneasy feeling of "It''s not yet time, but it is approaching." The young clergyman who worked in that place took care of her, and taught her about the current world and society. Although she couldn''t remember, she knew that before she had lost her memories, she lived in a completely different world. Normally, Janica was quiet and had no expressions on her face, but living in the orphanage for a time allowed her to adapt to society and develop a facade. She learned how to interact as appropriate to the situation and conversation. However, when she was alone or on a job, she reverted to her true self. Her job... was to hunt. Without memories, all she had was a sense for combat. She could feel herself lacking something, causing her to be unable to fully release her capabilities, but this didn''t hinder her from her job as an assassin. She took this job because she felt some sort of pleasure in taking down the modern demons of society. Her job offers mostly include the assassination of leaders of corrupt organizations. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Her inability to fully unleash her strength frustrated her for a long time now, but three months ago, a game allowed her to finally feel free of these constraints. After looking back at the past, she went to the bathroom to take a bath. She took a shower, then soaked at the tub. Her appearance had remained unchanged all these years, which was unnatural. This didn''t bother her, but the fact that other people will notice lead her to the decision of transferring from the orphanage to this condominium unit. The young clergyman who took care of her back then had died of old age. The orphanage still remained as its funds still continued to flow in. Janica was providing those, using the money she earned from her job. After the bath, she changed to her hunting outfit, a black full body suit that does not reflect light and covered her from head to toe. Her figure was accentuated by this suit. A short blade was sheathed on the back of her waist. She walked to the balcony and jumped without hesitation. * * * * * * * * * Valecore was hiding behind a tree at a distance, observing a party of travelers take down a group of wolves in the forest. Valecore: They really are powerful. He watched them use their skills to easily defeat the beasts. Valecore: Hmm? Skills? The blue panel was still present in his field of view, and upon thinking about that word, he finally noticed it. Valecore: Skills... Demonic COrruption... I have a skill? Am I... a traveler now? It was strange for him. He had never heard about a normal person becoming a traveler before. He only believed that only travelers could learn skills, which was in fact not true. The Oracle he met before had skills, and the soldiers of the kingdoms also possess skills. Valecore, being a normal person in a small obscure town, had no way of knowing that. Looking back at the travelers, he strained his ears to hear their conversations. They made weird hand movements as they talked, while some of them began looting the corpse of the wolves. Whatever they took seemed to disappear to thin air. As the party left, Valecore sat down behind the tree trunk. Valecore: "Was it like this?" He tried copying the strange hand movements of the travelers. Whenever his fingers touched the blue panel, the static would decrease in intensity. It started to feel solid under his touch. He felt that it was a weird feeling, but he continued with his experiment. After a while, he managed to successfully ''hold'' the blue panel and swiped it to the side, making it disappear from his view. He panicked slightly, but when he was able to make it reappear, he sighed with relief. He thought that he lost his qualifications as a traveler without that blue panel. Once more, he swiped it to the side and stood up. Looking ahead, he found the small rabbit. It was looking at him with those red eyes. He tried approaching it, but it ran away and hid behind a tree. Valecore: "How long will you keep on following me?" Of course, it did not respond. He shrugged and started to walk away when an idea suddenly popped in his head. The rabbit sensed and heard his receding footsteps. It jumped out from behind the tree it was hiding and hopped towards the direction that the footsteps disappeared to. As it passed by a tree, a figure suddenly jumped from behind, catching the rabbit. Valecore: "Finally caught you, you white little lump." The rabbit struggled in his grasp until finally it gave up. Noticing the sharp horn on its head, Valecore remembered that normally, the horns weren''t that sharp for their species. There were also faint red lines running on its skin beneath its white fur. For a moment, he thought he saw those lines slightly increase. Valecore: "Now, what to do with you?" As he began pondering, the sound of grass being stepped on came from behind. He swiftly turned around to see a figure holding a bow with an arrow knocked and ready to shoot. His thoughts swirled with rage as he remembered the night that his town was burnt and the two figures firing arrows at him. Before he could think of what to do, the figure spoke. ???: "Hey big brother, do you mind selling that rare pet to me?" ____________________________________________________________ [End of Chapter 4] I''m starting to feel the limits of my grammar and vocabulary skills. Took me a while to finish this because I was debating myself whether I should already expose hints of Janica''s identity or not. Oh well... I don''t really feel good about this chapter, but I hope you guys like it.