《Genjitsu no Kyoukai》 Prologue: Ends and Beginnings First FF on RR, hopefully I figure out how to do the tables correctly. I''m trying to write in a "webnovel"-esque style. Let me know how much I fail. Heuheuheu. ~ Don''t mind my constant edits. I get OCD when I see my coding going awkward.
¡®It hurts ¡­ Why did it have to turn out like this?¡¯ A dark-haired youth clutched his chest as though in a futile attempt to keep the steady stream of blood from seeping out. ¡°Geh ¡­ Nhg! ¡­ Uh ¡­¡± He could only let out a series of unintelligible cries. At his second attempt to form a word he felt a surge of liquid clog his airways. His body shuddered violently before coughing up the blood blocking his throat. His body leaned heavily inside a large metal pod. Though his sight was becoming blurred, he took a last glance at the capsule. A spark of electricity entered his view before fading back into the stillness. The pain from moments before seemed to slowly dim into a gentle numbness. ¡®¡­ ¡­ Was this your revenge ¡­ Asuka-nee?¡¯ He felt a sudden chill envelope his body. The light in his eyes faded away as they dilated. And he died.
?Labyrinthus? A distant and mysterious land which prospers due to its enrichment. It is a kingdom full of magic. This magic, also known as magus, could be harnessed ... Tsuchiya Sora stared at his computer screen with a seemingly apathetic gaze. He was watching the trailer for the newly released and highly anticipated VRMMORPG, ?Magica Artis Online?. Though his facial appearance shown otherwise, Sora¡¯s eyes displayed an eager glow that was normally hidden behind his detached visage. ¡°Sora. Go get ready for school.¡± An older man entered his room before making a swift and abrupt exit upon glancing at Sora¡¯s computer screen. By the time Sora had turned his head his father was already gone. His jaw locked bitterly at how quick his father had been to leave. Disregarding the neglectful treatment, Sora would have liked more than an arbitrary command. His desire to watch the trailer was instantly doused. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have even bothered with this ¡­¡± Sora, with misguided disappointment, shoved his criticisms onto the game as he powered down his computer. After taking a moment to diffuse his chagrin he reaching for his school uniform. ¡°You¡¯re going, right?¡± Immediately upon entering the kitchen he was questioned by a young man with a similar appearance to his own, besides being two years older than himself ¡ª his brother, Tsuchiya Arata. The brothers¡¯ mother worked silently at the stove, as though neither of the boys were in the same room. ¡°I¡¯ll be in the area. Whether I want to or not.¡± ¡°Drop the attitude. Don¡¯t you think you owe at least this much to her?¡± Sora felt his stomach drop. He knew this conversation was only inevitable considering the date, but it wasn¡¯t something he wanted to deal with so early in the morning. ¡°... I¡¯m going ahead.¡± ¡°What? Sora! ¡­ Haa. Just make sure you¡¯re there! Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be forgiven if you¡¯re not!¡± ¡°Aniki.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°No, nevermind.¡± Sora swallowed his words before leaving the house. He spared a glance at his mother through the gap of the door before it closed, but she kept herself busy just as she¡¯d been doing. ¡®He would only get mad if I told him ¡°Happy Birthday¡± right after firing a warning at me.¡¯ He convinced himself so as he trudged on to school. Though his parents were prone to taking a latitude approach with Sora, they were being especially indifferent with him today. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do about it anymore.¡± Sora ruffled his hair in attempt to rid himself of the pent up frustrations he held against his parents. Though he realized that it was merely their sorrows emerging, he had to tightly hold down the urge to blame them for their negligence in the last four years when it came to dealing with their youngest son. ¡°Isn¡¯t there something I could do?¡± His question hung in the air, but there was no one there to respond. ¡°Alright, everyone! You¡¯re all free to look around the exhibition hall. Just make sure you¡¯re back here in two hours for the bus. If you miss it, you¡¯ll have to make it back to the school on your own.¡± A man spoke before a large group of high school 1st years. Despite his rugged and burly frame, his collared shirt gave him a neat and professional appearance. He was the computer science club advisor. Along with the other members of the computer science club, he was on a school trip to an expo that demonstrated the latest findings and designs of modern computer technology. ¡°Oi, Tsuchiya!¡± A tall and lanky male pulled Sora away from the crowd. His dark brown hair was cut sloppily, as though he¡¯d done it himself. He also wore a thick pair of glasses which also testified to the boy¡¯s lack of instincts in fashion. He was Mori Hideo, a boy who sat besides Sora during class. Though they weren¡¯t simple acquaintances, Sora wasn¡¯t sure if it was accurate enough to call Hideo his friend. Having the same interest in games, they were able to make a connection. However, neither Sora nor Hideo had attempted to improve their relations outside of the topics of gaming or school. ¡°They¡¯re having a demonstration with the upgraded Virtual Reality capsule! It¡¯s a streamlined custom pod for ?Magica Artis Online?! We¡¯ve got to go now!¡± As Hideo mentioned the name of a very familiar VRMMORPG, Sora couldn¡¯t help but feel as though his nerves were struck. But Hideo was far too excited for Sora to have the heart to interrupt him. ¡®And I promised Aniki I¡¯d at least watch it anyway ...¡¯ ¡°Are you that interested in ?Magica Artis Online?, Mori?¡± ¡°Eh? Obviously! It has a deceptively generic storyline about racial wars, but it¡¯s going to be the first real virtual reality game! It¡¯s different from the other VRMMOs. Those were just three-dimensional shooters. ?Magica Artis? is real. Everything about it is interactive. What isn¡¯t exciting about an interactive world? It¡¯s practically the definition for virtual reality. I even heard that there are even six secret special class jobs that you can only get through serial quests. Ahhh ¡­ I hope I can at least get a hidden job!¡± Sora tried not to look taken aback at Hideo¡¯s extended advertisement. ¡°Aren¡¯t you excited about it, Tsuchiya? You like MMORPGs still, don¡¯t you? You wouldn¡¯t still be in the computer science club if you weren¡¯t interested.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m not interest. It¡¯s just hard to wrap my head around.¡± It wasn¡¯t much of an excuse, but it was a partial truth. Hideo grabbed a pamphlet as he took a seat in the nearest free row. ¡°I guess I can see where you¡¯re coming from. Something like this seemed impossible after that accident. The ARYA corporation was supposed to release this four years ago, but the head developer¡¯s daughter died on the same day that they were doing their stage tests and the development was set back.¡± Hideo¡¯s eyes darted around nervously as his voice dropped down to a whisper. ¡°There was even a rumor that she was the one testing the pod until it broke down and it resulted in her death. The media was all over it, if you could remember. They said the developer was too impatient to bring in a tester and used his daughter instead. I thought ?Magica Artis? was going to be a dropped project at first. It¡¯s a good thing it never came to that, right? It was probably just jealous slander from a rival company anyway. They really don¡¯t have any tact! Apparently ?Magica Artis Online? was supposed to be a gift for her birthday. Damn! If that¡¯s really the case, the world lost a girl gamer! What a waste!¡± In his half-hearted frustration, Hideo failed to notice Sora¡¯s paling complexion. He¡¯d heard the story before. The image of a bright eyed girl flickered in the back of his mind. - Hurry up, Sora! Don¡¯t you want to watch nee-chan make gamer¡¯s history! An exuberant young boy ran his hands across the controls which regulated the pod the young girl nestled herself into. - It¡¯s ready, Asuka-nee-chan. The child readily powered on the pod. - What should I name my character, Sora? - Umm, dunno. ¡®Nee-chan¡¯? The girl broke out into a fit of giggles. - No way, that¡¯d be weird! Okay, never mind. I¡¯ll just go with Asuka. The girl nestled herself more smugly into the capsule and rested her head. She had entered the game. The young boy dropped his face into his hands as he watched her impatiently. He wondered what type of character she would make. Letting his thoughts distract him, he failed to notice the loose electric sparks that flitted erratically across the cords. Was it supposed to do that? The young boy didn¡¯t understand the implications of what faulty cords could do. Shouts echoed from outside the room. - Stop! Sora, don¡¯t! Asuka! Get out of the pod! Nooo! A man had stormed into the room; his face was stricken with terror as he screamed at his son and daughter. The lights flared brightly and a loud buzzing echoed spontaneously. The young boy stared on blankly in confusion as the capsule was lit ablaze and the smell of burning flesh was seared into his mind. ¡°Tsuchiya?¡± Sora flinched as his mind was brought back to the present. His crumbling expression had begun to worry Hideo. ¡°... They¡¯re starting.¡± Sora forced Hideo¡¯s attention back towards the demonstration capsule. An assistant sat in the pod comfortably as it hummed to life. A screen displayed the vivid images of the world of ?Labyrinthus?. But Sora¡¯s thoughts were elsewhere. His parents, with no one to blame, could only manifest their sorrow in the form of alienating the child who pulled the switch to Asuka¡¯s death. They spoke to him when it was required, but otherwise he had practically become a stranger to them. At first he¡¯d done all that he could to regain their attention, even if it meant creating mayhem uncharacteristic to his personality. But nothing worked. They wouldn¡¯t even look at him, much less scold him. Sora himself knew that an eleven year old child should not have been the one to carry the burden alone, but if not he then who? The laissez faire policy eventually took its toll on Sora, who¡¯d since then become a jaded teen. There were many times when he wished he could just hit the reset button, but life stubbornly clung onto the harsh truth which was reality. Sora wandered away from the exhibition hall to gather himself after the first demonstration of the ?Magica Artis? capsule, also known as the ?EXIMO?, was completed. They were setting up additional capsules to let the audience experience ?Magica Artis Online? with their own senses. Even from outside the hall Sora could hear the surprised exclaims of the lively crowd. ¡°Alright, we¡¯ve got the ?EXIMOs? set up. We¡¯re going to start choosing names from those who were here for the first demonstration. If you¡¯re called get up here quick. If you¡¯re too slow we¡¯re going to have to find someone else to take your spot.¡± Sora easily recognized that voice. ¡®Aniki¡¯s the MC? ¡­ He¡¯s going to get angry if he doesn¡¯t see me.¡¯ Sora, as promised, strode back to the ?EXIMO? demonstration. Though he was buried behind the mob, Arata discovered his location with ease. ¡°Would Kato Masaki, Nakamura Shigeru, Hirano Kyoko, Tsuchiya Sora, and Mori Hideo come up?¡± Sora took a step back the moment he heard his older brother say his name, but his brother¡¯s constant stares and his own curiosity pulled him onto the stage. Two others, besides himself, were members of the computer science club. Sora recognized the girl Hirano Kyoko, a member of class 1-C, from the class besides his. As Hideo walked up to his capsule he sent Sora a wide and elated grin. Sora could tell that he was being silently overwhelmed at having been chosen. ¡°When you¡¯re ready, we¡¯ll start up the ?EXIMOs? and you can each make your character.¡± If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Arata nodded with approval as Sora entered the pod. It was a suspiciously snug fit. Sora knew that the pod he was in had been made specific to his proportions. Clearly, Arata was abusing his authority as the chief designer¡¯s eldest son. Why else would his name have been called when there were dozens of others that could have been chosen? ¡°Are you five ready? We¡¯re turning it on!¡± Arata¡¯s voice faded into the distance. Sora felt his conscious being pulled away as though he were falling asleep.
Welcome to ?Magica Artis Online?.
Sora heard the computerized voice of a woman. His surroundings were painted completely black. He waved his hand, only to realize that it was blended into the background as though it wasn¡¯t there. It felt as though he were a soul floating without a body. Please select the species of your choice. Without warning a vast amount of images flared brightly before his eyes. Sora tapped on the image right before him.
FAY
This species consists of several races. Including many variations of the (currently playable) elven, fairy, and spirit races. They are one of the more delicate species that live primarily in forest areas. They are known to isolate themselves from the other species and even each other. Blessed with grace and wisdom from their birth, many Fay tend to be arrogant. The Fay primarily focus on long range magic attacks. Though they have low stamina, they make up for it with their high speed and evasion. Fairy and Spirit races have a special ¡°flight¡± ability.
Sora inadvertently felt the excitement that had been dulled by his father as he browsed through the large assortment of species that ?Magica Artis? had to offer. After another few minutes of deliberation Sora finally decided on the DAEMON species. He recalled scanning the forums; it was clear that the daemon species was going to be popular amongst the ?Magica Artis? players.
Please select your gender.
Sora quickly tapped on male. Though it was possible to choose a gender opposing your original, studies recommended choosing your original gender to avoid the slightly detrimental psychological effects.
You may alter your appearance to your liking or opt to have it randomized.
Sora found it more interesting to be surprised by the looks of his characters, so he chose to have it randomized. The last MMORPG character he made ended up being a burly old man, to Sora¡¯s complete amusement.
Please select your avatar¡¯s name.
He let loose a small sigh. Normally he would spend hours considering the perfect name that would suit his character. Though Sora occasionally forgot, he was in front of a crowd of people waiting for him to enter the game. He didn¡¯t want to keep everyone waiting for him. Sora realized one fact. ¡®I¡¯ll be one of the first to make an account for ?Magica Artis?. I have plenty of choices.¡¯ He was a member of the daemon species. They were creatures that thrived on darkness and death. It didn¡¯t take him long to find a suitable name after he concluded this. Thanatos. The name of a god of death in Greek mythology. Though it could be ironic, considering his circumstances, Sora frequented many MMORPGs with the handle. Knowing that ?Magica Artis Online? pulled many of its legends and species from numerous lore around the world, including Greek, Sora was temporarily worried that the name had been taken to be used as a NPC or boss-monster. However, his fears were quickly dispelled when the screen continued.
Welcome to the world of ?Labyrinthus?, Thanatos. Your appearance and race have been randomized. You will now be teleported to your homestead.
The lights surrounding Sora gleamed brightly. The world of black flashed and the ground beneath his feet assembled from trillions of pixels. The world felt as though it were shaking violently. Being honest, Sora found himself extremely uncomfortable. He made a mental note to mention the distressing loading screen to his brother afterwards. ¡°Eh?¡± A muddled gasp left his lips. The convening world abruptly fell to pieces as Sora felt his conscious being pulled back to reality. He felt a suffocatingly heavy impact to his chest as he was roused. The pod was shaking forcefully and the power had gone dark. Loud, deafening booms jarred his eardrums. ¡°W-wha ¡­ ?¡± ¡°Tsuchiya! Are you still in the pod? Get out now! It¡¯s an earthquake!¡± Sora heard Hideo¡¯s voice from a few capsules over. The building of the exhibition hall had partially caved in, blocking his view of both the frantic mass of people and the other capsule testers. ¡°Sora! Sora, are you okay?! Please answer! Sora!¡± Over the crowds screams he could hear the frantic shouts of his brother. ¡°I¡¯m ... o ¡­ kay?¡± Sora called out much softer than he¡¯d intended. He tried to take a deep breath, preparing to shout back, but his throat refused to function the way he desired. ¡®I can¡¯t move ¡­ Why can¡¯t I move?¡¯ ¡°Sora!¡± Arata¡¯s cries were riddled with despair, yet Sora could still not find the energy to call back. Only then did he finally realize that part of the building¡¯s steel framework was lodged into his chest. Confusion and panic had desensitized his pain with adrenaline, but once he¡¯d identified what was wrong, his nerves sent the signals of agony directly to his brain. ¡°Thi ¡­ s ¡­ bad. Nhg!¡± His face grew paler and he words became fainter with every moment that passed. His consciousness felt dull. It had been one of the slimmer beams that that run him through, but he couldn¡¯t be comforted knowing this. It would have been impossible to lift it even if he¡¯d been in peak condition, much less with at least a lung perforated. With a tremendous amount of effort, Sora managed to pull himself out of the ?EXIMO? after drawing himself backwards as he tried extract his body from the fallen beam. It was far too heavy and Sora was sure that the beam was pinning him to the pod. ¡®It hurts ¡­ Why did it have to turn out like this?¡¯ Sora couldn¡¯t help but question whether or not he should feel guilty for the death of his sister. His parents had blamed him, but he¡¯d been a mere child. Was it fair? Part of him wanted to disagree with all his might, but another part of him deeply regretting pulling the switch that day. To compensate for her death, what could be more fitting than one reminiscent of her own? Sora couldn¡¯t be sure that his parents wouldn¡¯t let this thought cross their minds. In his pain, he wanted to blame them for having neglected him for the last four years. ¡®Am I really going to die like this?¡¯ He grew more terrified, but was equally frustrated that there was nothing he could do about it. ¡°Please! Has anyone seen my brother?! He was in one of the pods!¡± Sora could hear Arata appeal to anyone who was willing to listen to him. ¡®He sounds really upset. An act?¡¯ Arata hadn¡¯t isolated him as his parents had, but he never missed a beat in mentioning Asuka every time he found fault in Sora¡¯s actions. ¡®In the end, you¡¯ll blame me too. Asuka-nee was your twin sister, after all.¡¯ Though he felt that Arata also accused him for Asuka¡¯s death, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to think that the desperation in his brother¡¯s voice was fake. He didn¡¯t want to admit it to himself, but that fact comforted him. ¡°Geh ¡­ Nhg! ¡­ Uh ¡­¡± Sora was grateful that the sound of his gurgled wheezes were too restrained to reach Arata. He choked on the liquid that ran up his throat as he tried to call out to his brother one final time. ¡®No use, huh?¡¯ The brief memory of his sister waving at him appeared. ¡®¡­ ¡­ Was this your revenge ¡­ Asuka-nee?¡¯ For the second time in half an hour Sora felt his consciousness dragged away from his body.
¡°Thanatos~ Are you awake?¡± A sickly sweet murmur grabbed his attention. ¡®... Where?¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re a good boy, aren¡¯t you? You haven¡¯t even cried yet. Ah! Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re already in your rebellious stage~¡± The saccharine voice continued without a care. ¡®She¡¯s talking to me, right?¡¯ Knowing so didn¡¯t make it any less awkward. He couldn¡¯t help but feel as though he was being coddled. ¡°Guh ¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t form words. Even his body wouldn¡¯t move as he desired. It was different from before, when he lacked the energy to move his body correctly with his organs shutting down one by one. It was as though he was unfamiliar with how his body worked. He slowly recognized that his eyes had been shut the entire time. Sora¡¯s eyes fluttered open in response. He darted his eyes around only to see a cloudy reflection of a small figure in a mirror. ¡®A baby?¡¯ As his eyes adjusted, he could was able to register the features of the reflection. Across from him he saw a young infant with a black fuzz as hair and large multicolored eyes of a lavender-coral mix. Sora instinctively knew that a child of such a small size couldn¡¯t have been born any longer than a few hours. Newborn children were often found cute, but the child before him seemed to have a different appeal. The baby was, for lack of a more suitable word, beautiful; but to the point that it could be considered more eerie than enviable. Curiosity and fascination held him captive momentarily as he reached out towards the child. In response the mirrored appearance reached out as well. Sora froze, as did the baby. Though his mind registered what he was seeing, he couldn¡¯t believe it possible. He recalled his most recent memories. He had been trapped beneath building debris after an earthquake and died after some of the metal framework punctured his chest. ¡°Thanatos? You¡¯re so cold! Come here~¡± The woman he¡¯d heard lifted him into her arms before swaddling him in a thin blanket. She rocked him gently, speaking to him in a soft tone. Sora had no choice but to come to terms with what his mind had already confirmed. ¡®... Why? That baby is me?! How is this possible?¡¯ Familiar words echoed in Sora¡¯s mind. He knew where he was, but he still found it much too difficult to believe.
Welcome to the world of ?Labyrinthus?, Thanatos. Your appearance and race have been randomized. You will now be teleported to your homestead.
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Chapter 1: The Black Rune Yeah, I can see the little mess up with the coding in the Status Window. It might take a little while for me to find out where it needs to be fixed, exactly. I was supposed to post this yesterday with the prologue, but hadn''t realized I was missing part of the chapter, so I had to rewrite it.
Despite how overwhelmed he had felt on the day he was reborn, time continued to move. He was no longer Tsuchiya Sora. Four years had elapsed since then, but he still lacked an explanation as to why he had been reincarnated into ?Magica Artis?. He was able to recognize several facts: he had been reincarnated as Thanatos, ?Magica Artis? held the same features it had as a game, no one besides himself recognized that ?Magica Artis? was a game. Thanatos swiped the air with his middle and index fingers. Brring! As a bell chimed a large and detailed window immediately came into view.
Status Window
Name:ThanatosRace:Phantom Daemon (Rare Deviant)
Title:None
Fame0Alignment0 (neutral)
Level3ClassNone
Hit Points110Mana Points75 (+30)
Stamina11Vitality10
Strength13Intelligence15
Dexterity26Agility33
Wisdom15Luck0
-
Physical Attack33 (+10)Physical Defense40 (+6)
Magic Attack45Magic Defense60
Equipment
Silver Dagger (5-10 Phys Atk)
QualityCommonDurability58%
RequirementsLevel 1
Special FunctionsNone
A normal dagger made from silver ore. Though the materials used to process the dagger are valuable, its creator was mediocre.
-
Cotton Tunic (6 Phys Def)
QualityCommonDurability94%
RequirementsLevel 1
Special FunctionsNone
A tunic made of cotton. It is commonly worn by novice adventurers.
-
Cotton Muffler (+30 MP)
QualityUncommonDurability100%
RequirementsLevel 1, 15 AGI, 15 INT.
Special FunctionsIncreases mana recovery by 1%.
A stylish red scarf. Although it is not particularly rare, it is a good item to have for beginners.
-
RuneNone
Skills
Skill Name:Skill Type:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
[Dagger Skill] SeverActive(Basic) 577.87%
  • Triple slash skill using a dagger. (15-30 dmg)
  • Gives a buff: +2% chance of hitting a critical. (Lasts 3 seconds)
  • Costs 5 mana or 2 hit points (3 second cooldown)
-
Skill Name:Skill Type:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
[Dagger Skill] Hemorrhage CatalystActive(Basic) 232.9%
  • Skill that forcibly bleeds out opponent. (10-13 dps for 5 seconds)
  • Reduces natural HP recovery rate. (-1%, stacks 5 times)
  • Costs 12 mana. (15 second cooldown)
-
Skill Name:Skill Type:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
[Racial Skill] Intuitive GazeActive Buff(Basic) 282.06%
  • Allows user to view target¡¯s information and vital point(s) without a scroll. (Vital points are only displayed with equal or lower leveled opponents.)
  • Boss monsters, NPCs, and party members are exceptions to the skill level cap.
  • Costs 30 mana. Lasts 5 minutes. (10 minute cooldown)
Special:??^??/>?!??%?
Naturally, several points of his status confused him. Most especially his ¡®special¡¯. The data appeared corrupted, so he had no way of knowing what it read. ¡°Thanatos?¡± ¡°Mother?¡± Mia, his mother of this world, had a youthful and stunning appearance. Her long plum colored hair was straight and silky. Her skin was smooth and had a natural pale glow that didn¡¯t appear sickly. Her body was slim despite her generous chest. Her eyes were a soft lavender that would captivate even the most unresponsive of men. If one examined her carefully, they would be able to notice her black tail that she had wrapped around her waist. While Thanatos thought that worded descriptions of her were overly flamboyant, he understood that her appearance was only a natural occurrence; she was a daemon known as a succubus. Even without her devil-gifted beauty, Mia¡¯s natural abilities as a succubus would have been enough to acquire the admiration of others ¡ª though they were currently sealed. ¡°Thanatos, you¡¯re making that face again. Is something wrong?¡± ¡°Ahh. No. I¡¯m fine.¡± Thanatos gave her a weak smile. Despite his efforts, his parents had already detected an abnormality in their young son. Unlike other children his age, he rarely laughed or smiled. He had little interest in playing or even interacting with others; the times when he did play with others always seemed forced. There were still a few children who were persistent in trying to break his shell, but once they were to give up there would be no one left. His father was unconcerned by his son¡¯s demeanor, daemons weren¡¯t playful creatures that strove to be socially active, but his overprotective mother was constantly worried. At Mia¡¯s troubled face Thanatos felt a pang of guilt. Although he had to often remind himself, she was as much his mother as the one from his previous life. ¡®If I keep acting like this, won¡¯t she come to dislike me?¡¯ As soon as he thought this, an expression of loathing from a woman familiar to him appeared in his mind. Mia¡¯s face suddenly overlapped with the woman. Thanatos cringed internally. He didn¡¯t want that. A loud slam pulled Thanatos back from his train of thoughts. His father had entered the house noisily. ¡°Boy. We¡¯re heading into the forest once I¡¯ve sharpened my weapons.¡± His father, much unlike his mother, had an intimidating appearance. Standing at a towering height, not many could claim to be taller than him. He had short, cropped red hair and narrow yellow eyes. His skin was darkly tanned, as though he spent many hours in the sun. Though he couldn¡¯t quite be considered bulky, his body was toned enough to dishearten those who wished to challenge him. Although his mother could appeared quite human-like when she hid her tail, his father wouldn¡¯t be able to hide the black horns that protruded from the sides of his head or the large black wings on his back. His features as an archfiend daemon only strove to further daunt those around him. Thanatos couldn¡¯t help but somewhat envy his father¡¯s looks. Most of his own looks had been inherited from his mother. It was difficult to argue that having an attractive appearance was a bad thing, but Thanatos wanted the lesser of two evils. While his father also garnered attention from those around him, it was the type of attention that warned others not to approach him. Conversely, those who saw Mia approached her without tact. It was the type of attention that needlessly pulled others towards you. He could only be thankful that the birth of daemons differed from that of humans. He was born from a succubus and and archfiend, but he was neither a succubus nor an archfiend. With as many different daemons as there were, it was only natural to think that it was random. This wasn¡¯t true, which Thanatos learned after questioning his mother. There was an actual science that dealt with aligning ancestries. Being a full-blooded noble race was an exception but, as succubus a was considered a low-rank daemon, Thanatos was excluded despite being the son of an archfiend. ¡°Fyre? Are you taking Thanatos already? You just got back.¡± ¡°We¡¯re leaving in a minute.¡± Whether he was briskly responding to Mia or alerting Thanatos was unknown. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯re leaving. Mia.¡± She nodded reluctantly. ¡°Don¡¯t push him too hard. And both of you be careful.¡± With her good wishes, Fyre and Thanatos left to the Wyrm Forest.
The entrance of the forest was dark and brooding. From the rumors in town, he¡¯d come to know that the Wyrm Forest was teeming with high leveled monsters. Thanatos had once asked one of the gossiping storekeepers what the level range was, but the man didn¡¯t seem to have any real concept of levels and was never able to reply. They didn¡¯t traverse too deep. For the last few years his father and mother took Thanatos to different areas near their house to train. Though he never explained why, Fyre seemed unnaturally fixated on making his son strong despite his young age. Daemons as a species were known for their capabilities to fight, but even Thanatos knew that his parents were pushing the envelope. This would be the second time Thanatos had come to the Wyrm forest. The first time had been when he was at the extremely tender age of two. During his last visit he had been told to repeatedly strike a tree with a dull dagger. After a while Thanatos was able to gain his first dagger skill. Thanatos could tell that Fyre was looking for the same rock maple tree that was littered with shallow cuts. ¡°Strike the tree 20,000 times. You have three hours.¡± Thanatos paled instantly. Seperately, he believed he could endure either condition. But both requirements at the same time would be daunting. Thanatos wasn¡¯t sure his body would be able to keep up with the stress. He needed almost twice the amount of time his father had given him, even excluding the issue of endurance. Brring!
Avaliable quest
Special Training Regimen
Grade???
Completion requirementsFinish 20,000 strikes within 3 hours.
Rewards???
But one glance at Fyre told Thanatos that refusal was completely out of the question.
Quest accepted.
With a flick of his wrist, Thanatos pulled out his silver dagger. Holding it inversely, Thanatos began to strike the tree at several times per second. Additionally, he comboed the [Dagger Skill] Sever every 3 seconds in an attempt to compensate for the lack of time he was given. Thanatos could tell that spamming sever was Fyre¡¯s aim. Though this was the first time his father had given him such an aggressive condition. Normally his training brought him the the limits of his endurance, but Thanatos knew that this was be beyond what he¡¯d done so far. It was as if Fyre was becoming impatient. What his father was becoming restless over, he couldn¡¯t even begin to guess. As Thanatos continued striking the tree, he felt his limbs stiffen tiredly. Unlike when ?Magica Artis? was a game to him, he could clearly feel pain. His breathing had becoming increasingly ragged and his throat had run completely dry. He had long since lost count of how long or how many strikes he had left; but, as long as his father patiently watched him, he knew that he hadn¡¯t completed the task given to him. Had Thanatos been in his old body, he knew that he wouldn¡¯t have lasted even thirty minutes, despite having been more matured than his current body. Even knowing this gave Thanatos little comfort. If he had been given stats as Sora, he surmised that they would have gone far into the negatives. ¡°Keep going.¡± Thanatos flinched at the sound of his father¡¯s voice. Fyre had noticed Thanatos¡¯ distressed expression and had interpreted it as resignation. He was rapidly reaching his limit but, at his father¡¯s words, he stubbornly persisted. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was a curse or a blessing that sever could be used by expending HP as an alternative to MP. Though he was grateful that his mana reserves had a moment to replenish, it was extremely unnerving to feel his life slowly being whittled down by his own hand. A headache was forming, but ignoring it seemed to worsen it. His father was the first to identify the reason. His satiety levels had reached their limit. After going through his sack, Fyre tossed Thanatos a fruit the size of a fist. Though the daemon species had higher satiety tolerances than others, Thanatos would die if he were neglect the minimal amount of nourishment. ¡°Eat. But continue.¡± Thanatos often lacked words, but Fyre was even more restrained. He simply said what he felt needed to be said and not a word more. With his free hand, Thanatos bit into the fruit. It was overwhelmingly sour. Thanatos had the impression that he¡¯d just bitten into a lemon that had been soaked in vinegar for several hours. His face crumpled unwillingly as he made efforts to swallow the acrid fruit. After much needed self-encouragement, he finally downed it.
Your satiety levels have risen. Satiety: 100%
As a result, his satiation level was maxed. He supposed the intense acidity was simply an offset for the fruit¡¯s ability to completely satisfy hunger. Even as he finished the fruit, he continued striking the tree. He only wished it would recover his health or mana as well. He kept switching between his HP and MP, but he knew that his recovery rate wasn¡¯t fast enough to completely make up for his consumption. His willpower weakened once more. But even then, his father simply watched on.
You¡¯ve used the [Dagger Skill] Sever. 2 HP have been used. Hit Points: 12/110
Three seconds passed and Thanatos used sever through his hit points again. The moment his HP reached 10, his vision was spotted with black dots. His breathing stopped and an intense dizziness took over him. Regardless of his will, he collapsed on the spot. Fyre¡¯s expression stiffened as he watched his son fall, but he made no movement to catch him. After a few brief moments, Thanatos reawakened. He noticed that his HP had recovered above 10. ¡°Are you awake? You haven¡¯t finished 20,000 strikes yet, Thanatos.¡± Thanatos looked down apologetically. What could he do at this point? He wouldn¡¯t be able to finish 20,000 strike in such a short amount of time with his current endurance. At this point, even getting back up would cause him difficulties. ¡°Are you conceding then?¡± Fyre¡¯s low whisper seemed to freeze the air. He wanted dearly to stop, he wanted to rest; but his father¡¯s soft words gave him pause. If he looked up, what face would his father be making? Thanatos trembled visibly. He hadn¡¯t glanced up yet, but he didn¡¯t believe the contempt and disappointment in his imagination was much different from reality. Spurred on by his terror and anxiety, he quickly shook his head no. He stifled a whimper as he forcibly pulled himself from the ground. Frustration had him teetering on the edge of tears. He could only use his fear as a means of strength to continue striking the tree. He began again. This time, Thanatos used sever with more regard to his recovery versus his consumption rate. If he held back his consumption too much, he wouldn¡¯t be able to finish within the three hours. If he spent too much, he would collapse again. Though he pulled himself into an acceptable pace, the minutes seemed to stretch on. Perhaps Fyre had said three hours was his limit, but didn¡¯t abide by it. The likeliness was low. While Thanatos could not reason why the time he was given was so short, it was definitely made with a reason in mind. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Unsure of what to think or do to lessen the mental burden, Thanatos tried to still his thoughts. Overthinking what he was going to do would only pressure him more. Eventually a light ringing pulled him out of his state of concentration.
[Dagger Skill] Sever has reached basic level 6. Skill is at 0.01%
Quest completed.
¡°We¡¯re done.¡± ¡°Done ¡­?¡± Thanatos fell to his knees in exhaustion. Being done didn¡¯t mean that he succeeded. ¡°Did I finish in time?¡± ¡°... You finished it within acceptable boundaries. Good work, Thanatos.¡± Relief enough to make his eyes water washed over him. He was drained and weak, but succeeding did give him a good level of satisfaction. A heavy sleepiness fell over him. He felt as though he had exerted the amount of energy he would use in a month compacted into 3 hours. Even while his breathing hadn¡¯t recovered itself completely, Thanatos¡¯ eyelids were drooping. ¡°Hold on, Thanatos. You¡¯ve earned something.¡± ¡°Huh? Earned?¡± Thanatos was frustratingly tired, but Fyre didn¡¯t seem ready to let him rest just yet. He did remember that this was part of a quest, but the reward was ambiguously written as question marks. ¡°That¡¯s right. I planned on giving this to you if you succeeded.¡± Pulling Thanatos¡¯ small palm out, Fyre dropped a hexagonal-shaped badge into his hand. A strange insignia was carved onto its surface. ¡°It¡¯s a rune. You know of runes, don¡¯t you?¡± Thanatos nodded calmly, but his face was unable to contain his surprise. Runes were rare stat modifiers. When equipped they were used to tailor specific stats to a user¡¯s desire. Unlike most MMOs, stats awarded from leveling up were determined by what monsters were fought or which quests were completed. Although it heavily restricted free usage of stats, it countered users who didn¡¯t put much effort into increasing their own character¡¯s level. Power-leveled characters, as a result, would be far weaker than those who took the time to fight monsters or complete quests at the same level. Runes, when equipped, increased stats regardless of how a character was leveled. Thanatos knew of five ranks: standard runes (white), uncommon runes (green), rare runes (blue), unique runes (red), and mythical runes (gold). But the rune Fyre had given him was black. He didn¡¯t know of any black runes. ¡°You can equip that now. Don¡¯t let anyone see it. Especially Mia. She¡¯d just make a fit.¡± Thanatos nodded warily as he balanced the black rune onto the back of his left hand. It glowed momentarily and sunk into his skin.
Unidentified Rune: Acceleration (Black) has been equipped.
  • Growth rate of the stat STR has risen.
  • Growth rate of the stat INT has risen exponentially.
  • Growth rate of the stat DEX has risen.
  • Growth rate of the stat AGI has risen exponentially.
  • Growth rate of all skills has increased.
  • All EXP received has been reduced by 80%.
  • Cannot be healed by other players.
  • Boss Agro has increased by 20%.
Thanatos stared blankly at the window pop-up. Normally runes increased stats by a specific number upon level up, but his rune increased the ¡°growth rate¡±. Even with his previous knowledge of the game, he was unsure of what it meant. His EXP had more than halved as well. He could handle more boss agro, but being unable to be healed would be detrimental to anyone. Thanatos wasn¡¯t sure over whether the rune would be of much use as it would a disability, but he was nonetheless thankful to his father for giving it to him. If it became too much of a problem, it was only a matter of unequipping it. Thanatos sighed in relief as fatigue took over. In a matter of seconds, he¡¯d fallen fast asleep.
¡°What happened?! I told you not to push him too hard!¡± ¡°He¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Can he even move? You call that fine?!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Where are you going with him?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Take him to his bedroom. When you¡¯re done, come back here. We¡¯re not done talking yet, Fyre.¡± Through his semi-consciousness Thanatos could hear his parents arguing. He didn¡¯t want to worry Mia, but knowing that she furious for his sake was reassuring. Though the thought of his new parents one day forsaking him didn¡¯t completely leave his mind, he could at least rest his doubt for the moment.
¡°Thanatos? You¡¯re there, aren¡¯t you? We¡¯re going to play!¡± He heard an excited voice shout from outside his window. When he glanced outside he saw a young girl slightly older than himself. Everything about her screamed fierce. Her flaming red, pixie cut hair and crimson colored eyes were strikingly noticeable against her darkly-bronzed skin. She was an asuri daemon, which were known to hold positions among the high class demon nobility. Her name was Baramuh. ¡°Valkein and Troph should be waiting!¡± While he would argue otherwise, they were existences that could be called his childhood friends. While others eventually grew tired of Thanatos when he rejected offers to play, these three were different. Two weeks had passed since he¡¯d received the black rune from this father. According to his mother, during the time he was recuperating, three children would visit and constantly ask whether he was better yet. Fyre persistently ignored them, so Mia had her hands full trying to explain that Thanatos still needed more rest. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go.¡± After being cooped up in his bed for two weeks, even he was willing to play along. He also felt obligated to listen to their demands for the moment. There weren''t many children willing to wait two weeks for someone to fully recover. Thanatos let his mother know that he was going outside, to her complete and utter joy, and left towards town with Baramuh. It was slowly growing darker outside, but the young girl didn''t seem to mind as she fiercely took strides towards the town. Two boys met them at the gate. Both were older than Thanatos by several years. In fact, Thanatos was the youngest of the four of them. This often led to the four coddling him, especially Baramuh, but after a while they only did it to tease him. It was apparent that being treated like the baby of the group irritated him. ¡°Did you wait long? Eh? Where''s Troph?¡± Baramuh spoke to the shorter of the two boys. He was called Valkein. Like Thanatos, he had an extremely eye-catchingly attractive appearance. But, while Thanatos had a few delicate features, he was unmistakably a boy. With Valkein it was difficult to make the call. His skin was a rosy pink that went too well with his silver locks and moonlit eyes. His long hair was plaited to one side of his head to form a long braid that reached past his chest. A silver tail rested easily at his waist. He was an incubus daemon, the male counterpart of a succubus. If one wasn¡¯t careful, they would mistake Baramuh as the boy and Valkein as the girl. ¡°Nope. Not at all. I only left the orphanage five minutes ago. Troph will be here soon. He was helping one of the younger kids.¡± Thanatos hadn¡¯t realized it initially, but having a family as a member of the daemon species was rare unless you were born into a noble family ¡ª such as the Asura. This was especially true with children of succubus/incubus, who often fornicated with many different partners. Mia herself had been abandoned to survive on her own until a young woman took her in. Mia had told Thanatos that she believed the woman was human, but soon realized that the woman hid flaming wings. Unlike Fyre, she seemed perfectly capable of hiding her wings. But in the end, the woman disappeared once Mia was able to take care of herself, leaving her with a charm bracelet that could seal her urges and abilities as a succubus. Her biggest disappointment in life was that she never learned anything about her foster mother before she was gone. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± A reverberating whisper came from a tall boy that had come from the town. He was Troph, the oldest of the four. Unlike his companions, Troph didn¡¯t have a stunning appearance. In fact, he was quite the opposite. He had no features. He was a body with ghostly white skin. He had no face or hair. He was best described as a white colored mannequin. He was a doppelganger daemon. With his ability, he could mimic the appearance and voice of others. But, unfortunately, his timid personality barred him from using his skills as a doppelganger. ¡°Thanatos, you''re here too? Are you feeling better?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah. Yes, I''m fine now.¡± ¡°Hehe~ Isn''t that great! What would we do without our youngest?¡± Baramuh promptly intruded on their conversation as she pulled Thanatos into a tight hug. ¡°Let go, Baramuh!¡± Being treated like a child by a mere six year old girl was simply too much for Thanatos to bear. He tried to pry her off, but as her strength was much higher than his was, it ended up as a failed attempt. ¡°Don''t tease him too much. He''s a tsundere, you know.¡± Valkein also seemed eager to join in. ''Why does that word exist here?'' ¡°Come on, you two. You''re going to make him angry ...¡± Troph whimpered as though he wasn''t sure over whether he should be saying so in front of Thanatos'' face. ¡°I got it, I got it.¡± Baramuch finally released Thanatos. ¡°But now that we¡¯re all here, let¡¯s decide on what to do. We didn''t just come out here to stand around! Oh! I got it! Lets have a race to see who can reach the fountain the fastest. The losers will do whatever the winner wants.¡± Baramuh impatiently proposed an idea. Her acting skills were a bit abyssmal. Each of the children could tell that she had an objective in mind. Thanatos didn''t know why she bothered mentioning that they should ¡°decide on what to do¡± when she already made her decision on what they were going to do. ''But, if she''s making it a reward for winning, she must want to do something that the rest of us might not agree on.'' Brring!
Avaliable quest
Race to the Fountain.
GradeE
Completion requirementsReach the fountain.
Rewards10 EXP. Additionally, winning will gain you a favor.
A low grade quest appeared. Quest grades were lettered from SSS (S3) to E, depending on the difficulty. SSS was the highest, while E was the lowest. Safe to say, this quest was at the bottom of the totem pole. ¡°Okay.¡±
Quest has been accepted.
¡°Really, Thanatos?¡± Despite Troph¡¯s reluctance, Thanatos¡¯ assent sealed their decision. With he, who rarely agreed to be part of their activities, joining meant that they had a rare chance to attempt to open his tightly bound shell. ¡°I¡¯ll do the countdown.¡± Valkein chimed in an easy-going voice. But Thanatos, Baramuh knew better. Valkein was probably the most competitive out of all of them when there was something to gain. ¡°I won¡¯t let him win.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be the most worried? I¡¯m the girl! What if he makes me do something weird?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to say it like that ¡­¡± Without giving much attention to his friends¡¯ whispers, he began the countdown: ¡°... Seven, six, five, four, three, two ... ¡­ one!¡± His short pause caught Baramuh off guard. She started prematurely but, after realizing she had gone early, pulled back. It was precisely what Valkein had wanted. As she pulled back the countdown had already reached one and the three boys darted towards the center of town. ¡°Ah! Unfair, you cheaters!¡± Thanatos could barely hear her shouts as he ran ahead. As a phantom daemon, who boasted of their incredible speed, Thanatos had the advantage. Valkein clicked his tongue uncharacteristically. He had expected to trick both of the two youngest ones with his small stunt. Brring!
Due to actions agility has risen by 1.
Thanatos made a rare smile. Raising stats without leveling took an extraordinary amount of time, effort, and patience. Feeling empowered by the small increase in stats, Thanatos went into a full sprint. Valkein was falling further and further behind him, while Baramuh had just passed Troph up. Wind brushed passed as he avoided collisions with innocent pedestrians making their way through the town. After several minutes at this taxing pace Thanatos was caught by a surprise. Brring!
Due to actions agility has risen by 2.
¡®Eh? ¡­ No way. That was too fast!¡¯ After continuous efforts one was able to increase their stats, but after a few measly minutes was simply too fast. Even had he been running to the point that his throat burned and all the energy in his body expended, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to increase his stat after a few minutes. Taking advantage of the deceleration caused by shock, Baramuh took the lead at the last moment. Thanatos reached the fountain after her, a short half a second behind.
Quest complete. Gained 2 EXP.
¡°Serves you cheaters right!¡± She exclaimed joyfully in her victory. Behind Thanatos came Troph. Then an exhausted Valkein who, unfortunately, lacked endurance despite his trick. ¡°Since I won we¡¯re going to Myriad Prairie. The monsters there are weak, so I won¡¯t have to worry about practicing the magus skill I learned yesterday.¡± Thanatos snapped out of his reverie. Myriad Prairie was a novice area that had mobs that only reached level 5. The matter of safety shouldn¡¯t be a cause for concern. Normally daemons didn¡¯t enter areas with monsters until they were at least 6 years of age. Thanatos himself was the only exception that he knew of. ¡°What type of magus did you learn, Baramuh?¡± ¡°Berserker magic. When I use it, I won¡¯t get tired, even if I fight a lot.¡± Thanatos was able to tell that it was a racial magic buff which increased both vitality and endurance. ¡°Haha, sounds interesting, I¡¯ll join you.¡± ¡°I won the race, Valkein! All of you have to come anyway!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going today, then I won¡¯t join.¡± Thanatos interrupted their dialogue before he explained himself. ¡°Since we left late, it¡¯s going to get dark soon.¡± Whether anyone realized or not, he was still a mere four year old. Even Troph, the oldest, was only ten years of age. Baramuh gave him a disappointed look. The time he¡¯d spent outside, from when Baramuh picked him up to the end of their race, was half an hour. It wasn¡¯t nearly enough time to satisfy the young childrens¡¯ desires to adventure and have fun. But they also realized that forcing Thanatos to play would only be running counterproductive in the long-run, so they were forced to concede. ¡°Fine! We¡¯ll do this tomorrow! You¡¯ll go if we decide that, right, Thanatos? I won the race, so don¡¯t try to sneak out of it.¡± Baramuh was annoyingly persistent about her victory, but Thanatos didn''t plan on breaking his promise. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Come by tomorrow and I¡¯ll go.¡± In all honesty, Thanatos didn¡¯t really think his father would care if he came back late. But he wanted a chance to re-examine the rune his father had given him. After saying his farewells to the others he went back home. He eyed his father, who was sitting near the entrance of the house. Thanatos stood at the doorway, trying to think of the best way to ask a question. ¡°What is it?¡± Fyre hadn¡¯t needed Thanatos to say anything to know that there was something that he wanted. ¡°... Could you teach me about magus?¡± He hadn¡¯t said anything at the time but, when Baramuh had told him that she¡¯d learned berserker magic, he found himself a little jealous of her. He knew [Dagger Skills], but knew no magic of his own. ¡°Magus, huh ¡­¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Come with me tomorrow night. I¡¯ll take you to someone who might be able to teach you.¡± ¡°... Alright.¡± Thanatos, who hadn¡¯t expected a positive answer, was glad he mentioned it. He hid a small and rare smile as he fled to his room. He felt that he was finally getting adjusted to speaking with others, especially his parents.
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Chapter 2: Raising the Flag I''ll post tonight and proofread tomorrow. A friend of mine also said I should give the MC a love interest. What do you guys think? Romantic subplot? Yay/Nay?
¡°Take this, lowly creature!¡± Baramuh roared, laughing confidently as she swung a large bastard sword the size of her own body. Energy gathered at the tip and she cleaved a [Marr Rodent] monster in two. She used her preferred skill of choice, [Two-Handed Sword Skill] Defense Rift. It was an attack skill that ignored 20% the target''s physical defense. Segments of fractured data flickered around the monster and it disappeared. Thanatos sighed at her excessive attack. The monster''s HP had been blinking red when she went in for the kill. Any regular swing of her sword would have easily concluded the fight. She had a habit of using unnecessary MP. A lesson he learned the hard way two weeks ago. ¡°Baramuh ¡­ Didn''t we come here to practice your magic? You haven''t used it once yet.¡± But what was more troubling than that was her obvious reluctance in practicing her [Racial Skill] magic buff. She scratched her cheek sheepishly as she grinned. ¡°Ahh, yeah. Well, I kinda realized ...¡± Valkein and Troph also noticed that she wasn''t using her berserker buff. ¡°That skill is boring!¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°Don''t look at me like that! I don''t need to use it because all the monsters are so weak! We should have gone somewhere with better monsters!¡± ''You were the one who wanted to come here.'' Thanatos didn''t say his thoughts aloud. She was a six year old girl. It would have been more difficult to believe that she wanted to diligently level all her skills early. ¡°Should we go deeper? Baramuh isn''t wrong. These monsters are easy for us with our strength.¡± Valkein reasoned coolly. The [rodent] mobs were only level 1-2. Thanatos quickly examined the levels of the party. Baramuh was at level 12, Valkein was at level 7, Troph was at level 2, and he was at level 3. Though his skill levels were higher than the others, he had little experience in fighting against monsters. Whereas Baramuh, as a member of the Asura clan, fought against monsters on a regular basis. The levels of the monsters in Myriad Prairie ranged from level 1 to 15. Although he remembered several of the monsters, it was impossible for him to recall the layout of the area. Thanatos knew too little of the prairie to move in full confidence. But if he decided to go back, he knew that the trio would move forward even without him. ''¡­ And I guess I did promise.'' ¡°If we go in with enough supplies, I don''t think it''ll be a problem.¡± Troph rummaged through his bag for a moment in response. ¡°We haven''t used any of the potions Baramuh''s parents gave her ...¡± Thanatos, being honest with himself, knew that there was little chance that he would level at this rate. He wasn''t sure he''d be able to test the black rune correctly if he wasn''t challenged enough. He only hoped he wasn''t being overconfident thinking this. ¡°Yes! Let''s go then! Maybe we''ll get to see a Toxin Beetle around here!¡± Baramuh said as she sheathed her large sword along her back. Thanatos watched her with an uncomfortable expression. Toxin Beetles were Myriad Praire''s boss mob at level 15. ¡°Stop raising avoidable flags.¡± ¡°Eh? Flags?¡± ¡°...¡± Thanatos shut his mouth and turned his head away after his slip up. ¡°You''ll get yourself hurt if you go too crazy.¡± Valkein interjected as he dropped a brotherly hand onto her head; he was warning her to keep her arrogance in check. She pouted, but didn''t lash back at him. After traversing deeper for another half hour they were able to find the [sprout] mobs. They varied from level 7-9. Though he and Troph were much lower leveled, Baramuh soaked most of the aggro with her passives and taunts. If Thanatos were to give each of the party members roles: Baramuh would be the frontline bruiser tank, Valkein would be monster debuff support, Troph would be the scout/item management support, and he would be the DPS and DOT attacker. He wouldn''t call it perfectly balanced, but it wasn''t too bad. Initially Thanatos was worried about what kind of mental strain he would undergo fighting monster with his own body, but he soon discovered that Fyre and Mia had conditioned his mindset well. ¡°[Racial Skill] Deities'' Zeal!¡±
[Racial Skill] Deities'' Zeal (Basic) Lvl 1 has been activated.
[NPC] Baramuh''s HP and MP recovery has increased greatly. [NPC] Baramuh''s STA and VIT has increased by 5. Party receives +3% HP and +2% MP for the next 2 minutes.
Thanatos rushed towards a sprout, narrowly avoiding its vine whips. At range, [Sprouts] had the clear advantage, but in close combat they were relatively easy targets. He activated his [Dagger Skill] Hemorrhage Catalyst to initiate his attack. His silver dagger slashed in rapid succession as he comboed with the [Dagger Skill] Sever. Skills were activated several ways: by voice, manual movement, or through a skills window bar. Thanatos opted to use manual movement. While voice was much easier to use, manual movement would be faster once a skill''s initial movement was mastered. The skills window bar no longer an option once he had been reborn into ?Magica Artis?, as it no longer existed. He used to use voice activation, but felt oddly embarrassed afterward and promised himself not to use it if he could help it. The sprout retreated at Thanatos'' aggressive onslaught, but Thanatos wouldn''t let the monster reset its hit points. He manually struck the mob with his dagger while stacking his bleeder skill. Its HP bar began glowing red as its remaining hit points grew dangerously low. Once he saw this, Thanatos made a swift retreat. His bleeder skill was sure to finish it off, but aggro mobs had a 10% chance of going berserk once its HP entered the red zone. This time, no such thing happened, and the mob dissolved into fragmented pixels. ¡°Nice work, Thanatos!¡± Thanatos used [Racial Skill] Intuitive Gaze to keep track of each of the party member''s leveling progress. Troph had already leveled to 3 and Valkein had gained at least 5% with the last few mobs. ''Even though he''s several levels higher than me, he''s getting EXP faster.'' He knew that his rune was the cause of his restrained experience points. On the other hand, he noticed that his skills were increasing much faster than usual. He''d also gained +1 STR sometime during the last bout. That was the tradeoff he was given for his slow leveling. He was beginning to think differently of the black rune. ¡°Open status window. View currently equipped rune.¡± Brring!
RuneUnidentified Rune: Acceleration (Black) ¨C 0.05%
¡°Huh?¡± Thanatos noticed that there was a percentage next to the rune now. ''¡­ Were runes supposed to level up?'' He didn''t recall such a design being built in. Not knowing made him nervous, but he couldn''t help but feel excitement down to his core. If it turned out that his father had given him a rune capable of growing stronger, it was certain to be valuable. The four of them kept at a furious pace until afternoon. Soon, they managed to clear a section of [Sprouts] before the monsters had a chance to respawn. ¡°Even these guys are really easy to deal with.¡± Baramuh, who was taking most of the damage, had already managed to level up to 13. Valkein gained three levels and even Troph, who wasn''t involved in the actual battle gained another two levels. Thanatos watched his EXP bar warily. He was doing most of the damage, but he''d only leveled once. He thought it would be difficult, but 80% of his EXP was more than he had anticipated. He finally managed to reach 90% again, but it was taking too long despite his contributions in the fights. His distress would have become apparent were it not for the stat increases and skill levels he had received. Both his STR and DEX had risen nicely while his AGI increased at an incredibly abnormally fast rate. He''d also managed to level both of his [Dagger Skill]s. Even without much experience, he had gained a lot from their party hunt. ¡°Let''s go in more. These guys are so weak.¡± Thanatos felt a tinge of irritation at Baramuh''s continued insistence to find stronger prey. If this had truly been a game, it wouldn''t have taken him a second to agree. But ?Magica Artis? was no longer a game. It wasn''t virtual reality. It was just reality. He wanted to level as well, but not if it meant putting them all in danger. ¡°Stop being so impatient. Getting stronger is something that happens over time, not all at once.¡± He spoke calmly as he sheathed his dagger. ¡°We only have a few potions left. And once it gets dark, we won''t be able to get back easily.¡± Thanatos found his own reasoning obvious. There was no point in growing stronger if you were going to die for it; but he failed to realize that logic had no place in a child''s argument. Baramuh ignored his words and stuck out her tongue as she taunted him. ¡°Aren''t you just scared? Stop being a coward!¡± Thanatos couldn''t say that her words didn''t provoke him, but constantly telling himself that she was just a kid managed to keep him from retorting. ¡°Wait a minute, Baramuh! Thanatos is right. We should leave while there''s light out.¡± ¡°Haha, you''re getting cocky again. If it''s like this, you''ll definitely die young.¡± ¡°I even promised one of the kids I''d help him with shopping. We shouldn''t stay so late.¡± ¡°Even if it was a reward for winning the race, aren''t you being too crazy about this?¡± Thanatos was glad that they were of the same opinion of him, but he paled at their horrible timing. He looked over at Baramuh in a hurry. She was a prideful girl. Being rebuffed by all three of her friends so suddenly made her feel as though they had turned on her. Perhaps her teasing Thanatos could have been played off as a joke, but because both Troph and Valkein denied her so seriously it was no longer an option. ¡°Then you wimps could go back by yourself!¡± She screeched angrily before stomping off. Her face had been red and rigid. It was the face of a girl choking back her tears. Soon she was completely out of sight. ''Damn ¡­'' Thanatos sighed internally. Even without seeking Troph''s or Valkein''s opinions, he trailed off after her. Valkein shrugged his shoulders while laughing as beckoned the anxious Troph to follow. ¡°We have to be careful. We really did run low on potions.¡± ¡°We''re not staying. We''re just going to drag her back.¡± Thanatos had an edge of impatience in his voice. ¡°You''re being so forceful, Thanatos. Usually you don''t talk at all.¡± Valkein commented as he dropped his arm onto Thanatos'' shoulder. ¡°Personal space ...¡± Thanatos mumbled uneasily as he twisted out of the older boy''s grip. Valkein let loose a laugh at Thanatos'' obvious reluctance. Myriad Prairie''s initial area had a long stretch of short grass, which made it easy to navigate. As one went further, the longer the vegetation and grass grew. Soon it obstructed their entire view. Baramuh hadn''t been far ahead of them, but they had no way of knowing which direction she had gone. Ten minutes had slowly gone by when they finally heard a faint rustling of grass. Thanatos pulled out his dagger and moved forward as quietly as he could. Valkein, much taller than him, peered over the grass. ¡°The prairie stretches out again over there. Ooh, I can see the prideful princess now.¡± After leaving the field both Thanatos and Troph could see her as well. Baramuh was several yards ahead of them, her gaze faced upward with her back facing their direction. ¡°Baramuh! Lets go already! We can''t stay here!¡± Troph stumbled over to her and tugged on her sleeve.
The air stirs ominously. A sweet smell permeates and stings your senses. Beware! You sense danger.
Thanatos froze. Windows didn''t appear for no reason. ¡°Get away from there!¡± Thanatos violently yanked the two of them back, but he knew that he''d been too late. The ground shook and collapsed inward as a beetle the size of a rhinoceros dug itself to the surface. Its hard shell gleamed with bright green and purple colors.
You''ve encountered Myriad Prairie''s Area Boss, [Toxic Beetle] Dyltheia!
Without giving the children much room to be shocked, it charged towards them. ¡°Baramuh! Get its attention! I''ll try to weaken it!¡± Valkein was the first one to act. He yelled a short series of chants to debuff the Dyltheia''s attack and defense power. Baramuh nodded as she pulled out her bastard sword. ¡°Over here, you over-sized bug!¡± She slashed at its shell, but it didn''t even bother to turn to her. Its attention gathered to only one person. Dyltheia lifted its own shell to reveal its wildly beating transparent wings. It openly charged at Thanatos, who had just enough agility to avoid its attacks, even if barely. ¡°What are you doing, Baramuh?! Its attacking Thanatos!¡± ¡°I don''t know what''s going on, it''s ignoring me!¡± Thanatos knew that it wasn''t her fault. He glanced down at his hand and the black rune embedded on the back of it glimmered. It was one of the disadvantages of his rune. Bosses aggroed onto him easily. He quickly channeled power to his eyes.
[Racial Skill] Intuitive Gaze has activated.
His vision flickered momentarily and he saw a detailed bar appear over the beetle''s body. Unlike with regular monsters, even if a boss was higher leveled than he was, he could see its information.
Monster NameDyltheiaMonster CategoryArea Boss
Level15
Hit Points400Mana Points25
Stamina40Vitality35
Strength25Intelligence5
Dexterity20Agility10
Wisdom5Luck10
-
Physical Attack75Physical Defense140
Magic Attack15Magic Defense20
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ''Its endurance and strength are high, but I''m fast enough to avoid its attacks ¡­'' Thanatos clicked his tongue. It was very weak against magic attacks because of its low magic defense. It was unfortunate that they didn''t know any magic attacks. ¡°It''s going to stay on me.¡± He avoided another attack and kept his sentences short. ¡°The rest of you guys should focus on attack.¡± It was a lopsided strategy, but with the aggro on him, he wouldn''t have many opportunities to attack. If there was something he got out of this, it was the light ringing he heard every few times he dodged Dyltheia''s charge.
Due to actions AGI has increased by 1.
The victory seemed small, but Thanatos felt lighter and faster with each point his stat was increased by. Baramuh slowly chipped away at the boss'' health as her face darkened. She was clearly disappointed in the fact that she couldn''t pull the aggro. ¡°Dodge!¡± Thanatos tried to get her attention as Dyltheia''s hind leg attack strayed in her direction. Even as he shouted he knew it would reach her too late. Baramuh received a direct attack and was hurled off in the distance. After hitting the ground with a loud thud her body rolled into the long grass, out of sight. ¡°Baramuh!¡± Troph ran off in her direction, leaving only Thanatos and Valkein with Dyltheia. With their attacker out of commission, their chances of defeating the boss mob grew slimmer. Its HP was at a fourth of its original, but they were pinned up against a wall without someone to finish it off. Dyltheia lifted itself into the air and dropped down towards Thanatos. He let out a pained cry as he lunged out of its path. ''Its under body was highlighted! A weak point!'' Thanatos was glad that Intuitive Gaze had still been active. ¡°Lower its speed, Valkein!¡± Thanatos dashed towards Dyltheia while relying solely on his agility. He was small and a difficult target for the large beetle to keep track of. Sliding low, Thanatos managed to reach its underside. Smoke that looked like dust scattered everywhere. Without another moment''s hesitation he struck out with the [Dagger Skill] Hemorrhage Catalyst. Dyltheia''s limbs twisted violently in pain. It reacted instinctively and dropped its body onto Thanatos. With a shout of surprise, he tried to roll out of the way. But he was a moment too slow. ¡°...!¡± Thanatos stifled a cry as he felt one of his legs being crushed. His eyes watered in pain and his HP was cut down to one-fourth instantly. Dyltheia lifted itself slowly before moving forward. ¡°Thanatos! Get out of the way, its going to --¡± Valkein''s warning was cut off when Dyltheia let out a deafening battle cry. It twisted around and charged towards the fallen Thanatos, who realized that he had also been poisoned by the beetle. ''There was gas under its body ¡­'' It wasn''t a fatal poison, but it crippled him, leaving him helpless.
You have been paralyzed. Movement has been restricted by 50%.
Dyltheia drew closer, looking more menacing than ever before. ''I''m going to die? Again ¡­?'' ¡°Like hell!¡± He let out a frustrated cry as he dragged his body out of the way. Dyltheia charged by him, narrowly missing, but Thanatos knew that he wouldn''t be able to avoid any more rushes. For a short second, as the boss passed by Thanatos, its underside was left exposed. He didn''t think he would get another chance. Thanatos gripped his dagger with both hands and stabbed into it. Dyltheia, who had been in a mad dash, couldn''t stop in time to realize that it was extending the gash by rapidly moving forward. There was an ear-splitting shriek and Dyltheia fell, turning into a mass of disappearing pixels. He hadn''t expected the last attack to finish it off.
You have leveled up! STA + 3 VIT + 2 STR + 1 INT + 2 LCK + 4
By achieving a great feat all stats have been increased by 1.
You have received the title [Novice Slayer] for defeating an Area Boss.
[Dagger Skill] Hemorrhage Catalyst has reached basic level 4. Skill is at 0.24%.
Due to actions agility has increased by 3.
Due to actions intelligence has increased by 2.
Received [Toxic Shell]. Received 3 medium potions.
Silver Dagger''s durability reached 0 and broke.
Thanatos didn''t move. He didn''t know if he was lucky or unlucky. Lucky that he survived or unlucky that he had to fight in the first place. Twice in the last two weeks he had been forced to his limits. ''I''m really weak.'' He turned his head to examine his crushed limb. Players'' injured or damaged areas recovered to normal after combat, at least, in appearance. But Thanatos'' leg was clearly broken. The bleeding was minimal, but it was bent at an awkward angle. Gazing at it made him feel nauseous. ¡°Are you alive?¡± Valkein had rushed over after confirming that Dyltheia had been defeated for certain. ¡°...¡± ¡°Thanatos?¡± ¡°...¡± ¡°T-thana--!¡± ¡°Alive.¡± ¡°Uwah! Don''t just lie there when I''m asking if you''re okay!¡± ¡°What happened to Baramuh and Troph?¡± ¡°Ahh ¡­ They''re both okay. Baramuh''s unconscious, but she''ll live. Here''s the last potion.¡± Valkein dropped a small vial of red liquid into Thanatos'' outstretched palm. He slipped the the potion into his mouth and the effects were instantaneous. With a light glow surrounding him, his leg fully recovered along with his health. Thanatos looked up towards the sky. It was dark, but not so dark that they wouldn''t be able to make it back because of their lack of vision. He voiced this to Valkein. ¡°Okay. Me and Troph will take Baramuh. Can you take any of the monsters that appear by yourself?¡± With a short nod Thanatos lifted himself from the ground. ¡°Thanatos! Are you okay? Valkein took a potion and left, so I didn''t know what happened.¡± Troph looked at him with an expression of admiration. ¡°You really finished that monster, right? That''s amazing ...¡± ¡°It is amazing that you destroyed Dyltheia. Even though you''re weaker than it, you won.¡± Thanatos, Valkein, and Troph all turned their heads as an unexpected voice. A male youth with startlingly red hair and blue eyes appeared from the tall prairie grass. He had a small pair of dark horns along with black webbed wings. Thanatos recognized his features. This teenager was an archfiend daemon like his father. Thanatos quickly unsheathed his dagger despite its broken state, but the archfiend didn''t seem to pay it much attention. ¡°But little guys like you always think that you''re invincible. I don''t blame you.¡± He watched Thanatos and the others with a set of curious eyes. ¡°You have to admit thought, that battle could have gone much smoother. What do you think you were missing?¡± Valkein and Troph glanced at each other, rather speechless, but Thanatos kept his eyes on the man with a narrowing gaze. Thanatos could pin exactly why, but something about the man grated his nerves. ¡°Baramuh couldn''t get its attention.¡± Valkein stated with a frown. ¡°So you think she needed to be more skillful in getting Dyltheia''s attention?¡± With a sigh Valkein shrugged. He honestly didn''t know where this question was heading. ¡°Who know? We defeated it and that''s the only truth, right?¡± ¡°... Magus.¡± ¡°¡°¡°Eh?¡±¡±¡± Everyone was caught off-guard when Thanatos suddenly answered. ¡°Dyltheia was weak against magus because of its weak magic defense, but none of us know any attack magus.¡± The man whistled, seemingly impressed by Thanatos'' observation. ¡°So you do know about its weakness. So? How about it? I can teach you magic. You''d be surprised at what I can do for you.¡± ¡°Eh? Why would you do that?¡± Troph was the first to question him. ¡°There''s no deep reason to it. I just think if you''d known attack magus, you would have had a much easier time fighting.¡± He shrugged lightly. ¡°If I know something and you don''t know it, but want learn it, I don''t really need any other reason.¡± Thanatos flinched, finally realizing why this man irked him. He was like Arata, his older brother from his previous life. He was confident in his abilities, almost to the point that he could be considered arrogant. But this never stopped him from acting out the benevolent king. He was as quick to point out flaws as he was to hand out compliments. His wits were sharp, but it was precisely because he was so intelligent that it never occurred to him that he could be wrong about anything. ¡°My name is Samael. I suppose I don''t look it, but I''m actually an accomplished instructor.¡± Normally one wouldn''t believe his words because of his age, but if there was one thing to know about daemons it was that ages often lied. No one in their right mind would expect that his mother was in her late eighties, but she was. Thanatos'' head began to ache. If he didn''t leave now he was sure to be late going back home. ¡°Eh? Wait! You''re leaving?¡± ¡°... I''m busy.¡± With his last words he walked away. Valkein and Troph, unsure over whether accepting his offer to teach them was something they could accept gave him a short farewell and followed behind Thanatos, with the unconscious Baramuh on their backs.
When he reached home, Mia was the first to greet him. ¡°You are late! Did something happen?¡± Even if she didn''t make such a concerned face, Thanatos was unwilling to be honest with her. ¡°We got a little lost because it was getting dark.¡± Mia''s expression dropped slightly. She knew he was lying. The state of his clothes and equipment made it impossible to not know what really happened. ¡°As long as you''re alright.¡± She bent down to stroke his head before pulling him into a small embrace. Thanatos twitched at her touch, but didn''t pull away from her. It was warm. ¡°Your clothes are a mess. Follow me. I know something that would look perfect.¡± She released him, clapping her hands as she spoke. He trailed after her, several steps behind as he was led to his father''s closet. From within she drew out a black child-sized overcoat. ¡°Go ahead, try this on.¡± ¡°Ah ¡­ Okay.¡±
Stealth Cloak (15 Phys Def, 10 Magic Def)
QualityRareDurability100%
RequirementsPhantom Race, AGI 35, INT 15
Special FunctionsReduces monster aggro by 25%, +10 AGI.
A specially created coat. It is made with feather light material that increases agility. It has many hidden belts and pockets.
As Thanatos looked into a mirror, he felt heat rushing to his face. Not because he was charmed by his own appearance, but because of the overjoyed and satisfied look Mia''s reflection showed him. Although Thanatos also thought the coat didn''t look bad on him, but it made him feel as though he had chuunibyou. ¡°I''m afraid I don''t have a new dagger but I do have something else for you.¡± Mia rummaged through the upper level of the closet, reaching for a box. She bent low enough for Thanatos to see what was inside as she opened it. Inside there was a coral-colored arm guard with many thin sockets lining where the guard tied around the wrist. Thanatos gave her a questioning look to which she received with an ambiguous smile. ¡°Hold out your arm.¡± Thanatos almost lifted his left arm, almost forgetting that Fyre had told him to keep the black rune a secret from Mia. He quickly lifted his right arm. Mia didn''t seem to notice his pause. She tied it onto his wrist tightly.
Mystic Shot
QualityUniqueDurability100%
RequirementsNone
Special FunctionsUses mana to exchange for hidden weapon needles.
A special stealth equip made as secretly as an inexhaustible weapon.
Thanatos'' hand shook as he read the window. It was a unique skill equip that could informally be considered a weapon. He pinched down on one of the slots and a fine needle appeared between his fingers. Upon closer inspection he could see that down the length of the needle were pointed grooves. He looked at his mother, oblivious that his face was displaying an eager restlessness. Mia chuckled, her voice ringing like the chimes of a bell. It was the first time she''d seen her son make such a childish face. ¡°Go ahead and try it outside.¡± Thanatos nodded and swiftly ran out the door. Once outside he touched the slots again and pulled out multiple needles. Then, simultaneously, he shot them forward. Each needle struck into the trunk of a tree silently, but glowed brilliantly after reaching its target. Thanatos pulled out the needle from the trunk to find that small chunks of tree bark stuck to the pointed grooves of the needle. He couldn''t help but grow pale. What would have happened had this been a person or monster and not a tree? After a while the needles faded into nothingness. It was a weapon that didn''t leave behind anything besides the damage it caused. ¡°Thanatos, do you like it?¡± ¡°Mother ¡­ It''s amazing. But where did you get it?¡± She put her index finger across her mouth. ¡°I can''t tell you where I get your presents, that''s a secret.¡± Thanatos blushed at his mother''s response, but didn''t question her any further. ¡°Come back inside now. You were going out with your father, weren''t you?¡± Mia''s smile seemed to fade a little as she spoke. ¡°Where is father? I didn''t see him inside.¡± ¡°He left a short while ago. He''ll be back, though. He promised, didn''t he?¡± After several hours, even Thanatos couldn''t resist, and he fell fast asleep long before his father returned home. Chapter 3: Summoning We''re finally moving to the main part of the story. If I''m being honest with myself, ch. 1 - 3 could be considered part of the "prologue" as well.
The next morning Thanatos left for town. He glanced at his left hand. The black rune was too apparent against his skin. ''I need a glove. A fingerless one to make it easier to use mystic shot.'' Thanatos passed by the stalls, giving them only quick glances. Mostly there were only odd trinkets and low grade materials. A bright reddish-orange feather grabbed his attention. It was one of the items being sold in the stalls. It was beautiful, but Thanatos didn''t want to spend too much time staring at an object he had no intention of buying. Especially with the shopkeeper keeping a close eye on anyone who approached his stall. An armor and clothing store was further down beyond the stalls. He heard the light ringing of a bell as he entered through the door. Normally he avoided entering stores on his own, but he couldn''t tell Mia to accompany him. He was only here in order to keep the secret he made with his father. There were racks of strangely-shaped armor plates. Many of them were for daemons who had alternate forms. Thanatos moved through the room quietly. From what he could see, he was the only one in the store. His eyes scanned the shelves for a simple pair of black gloves. He found a standard pair easily; they even added a small amount of physical defense. As he went to the counter a young woman greeted him. ¡°Hello, little one. Are you going to buy?¡± Though he normally disliked being treated like a child, he felt less anxious because of it at the same time. It made interacting with kindly strangers easier. ¡°Dad told me to get gloves.¡± He adopted a soft and shy tone as he dropped the gloves onto the counter. ¡°Oh? You did well coming all this way. It''ll be one white jul.¡± Thanatos knew that the price was supposed to be 3 white juls. Being a child did have its benefits. ¡°Really? I have that much. Here, onee-chan.¡± She laughed, apparently quite pleased with him. ¡°Make sure to get home safe. Don''t forget to give thanks for the summoning.¡± ¡°...? Summoning?¡± The young woman seemed surprised for a moment. ¡°Hm? You haven''t heard of it? Today the daemon elder clans summoned the continental warriors, the Magorum.¡± Thanatos was stunned. Continental warriors? Magorum? He was unfamiliar with the terms, but he wasn''t dense enough not to understand the implications. ''But that''s impossible ¡­ "Summoning"? But isn''t that ... If it''s true, then what exactly am I?'' He shook his head, pushing the thoughts out of his mind. Thanatos mentally struggled with himself. It was too soon to make wild assumptions. The summoning could easily be some historical event that took place on ?Labyrinthus?. He hadn''t bothered much with the story plot of ?Magica Artis?, after all. ¡°Little one?¡± ¡°Ah? Ahh ¡­ Thank you. I''m going to go show my dad now.¡± ¡°Alright. Please come again.¡± Thanatos rushed out of the store, while his heart beat uncomfortably. He had to keep reminding himself that it was just an assumption. ¡°Thanatos?¡± He twisted his head to see a white figure waving to him. It was Troph. ¡°Who is this kid, Troph?¡± A boy with pallid gray skin pointed at Thanatos. He appeared Valkein''s age, at around seven years. It was hard to determine with some daemon races. ''Is he a wight daemon?'' He made the assumption based on his skin color and substandard movements. ¡°He''s Thanatos. He''s a friend of mine.¡± ¡°Could he help?¡± At his question, Thanatos recalled what Troph had told Baramuh yesterday about helping one of the orphanage kids with shopping. He must have returned home too late last night. ''I guess he wasn''t lying.'' Thanatos had thought that it was a hastily conceived lie to convince Baramuh. ¡°Haa ¡­ Thanatos, you haven''t happened to have seen a phoenix feather, have you?¡± ¡°Phoenix feather?¡± He quickly recalled the brightly colored feather he''d seen in one of the stalls. ¡°It''s the feather of a beast species, the phoenix, a rare deviant of the bird race. It''s really brightly colored. Sometimes it''s red and sometimes it''s yellow. There are also orange ones.¡± Thanatos'' ears perked at the phrase ¡°rare deviant¡±. It had been on his status window. ''So it''s like an alternate version? Phantom must be the rare deviant of another daemon race ¡­'' ¡°I saw one a few weeks ago, but I didn''t have the money ¡­ I saved some from doing chores around the orphanage, but I can''t find it anymore ...¡± ¡°I saw it. It''s in one of the stalls further down there.¡± Thanatos pointed in the direction he had came from. ¡°Really?!¡± The wight child hobbled off with Troph trailing behind him. ¡°Let''s go, Thanatos.¡± Troph turned around and let loose a gentle smile while beckoned him to follow. Between his three childhood friends, Thanatos found Troph the most difficult one to rebuff. ¡°I like your new overcoat, Thanatos. It has a mysterious and cool style that really suits you.¡± Thanatos looked speechless for a moment. He truly didn''t know how to respond to such honest compliments. ¡° ¡­ Nn, thanks.¡± ¡°Did you get it from your dad?¡± Thanatos'' face darkened at the mention of his father. ¡°No, I got it from my mother.¡± Though he''d waited, as promised, his father hadn''t returned home that night. He tried not to put too much thought into it, but he''d been honestly disappointed. He asked his mother about Fyre''s whereabouts, only to have the conversation diverted. Thanatos was much more perceptive than other four-year-old children; naturally, he knew that she was trying to keep it a secret from him. Had something gone wrong? But why hadn''t they told him. ¡°What''s the matter?¡± ¡°It''s nothing ...¡± Thanatos did like Troph, but he wasn''t willing to share all his thoughts with him just yet. ¡°I found it!¡± The wight shouted as he asked for the old shopkeeper to sell it to him. The old man seemed to have a lot to say about the feather, to the boy''s delight. He listened with open ears, taking of what the old man told him. Apparently he had history with the feather. ''But then why would he sell it?'' Thanatos couldn''t understand the old man''s reasoning. But as long as the boy got what he was looking for, it didn''t really matter. After using all the savings he brought, he stumbled over to Troph and Thanatos. ¡°Thank you! I finally found it!¡± ¡°Why are you so excited about a feather?¡± Thanatos asked him as he glanced at the flame colored feather. The young boy smiled weakly. Thanatos could sense that it wasn''t for the shallow reason of: it looked really nice. ¡°My dormancy began 20 years ago.¡± Wights were peculiar existences, even amongst daemons. They were creatures that didn''t have births. Classified as the undead, they were born of daemon corpses that possessed strong affinity with magic. Their ¡°dormancy¡± referred to the amount of time they remained dead before reanimating. After reanimating, their body''s growth would reverse until they were completely reverted to a child-like form. The differences they had with zombies besides their dormancy were that their bodies did not decompose, due to their magic prowess, and that they had intelligence of their own. ¡°After I was re-animated, a phoenix saved me.¡± Wights were also unlucky existences. They were only born where the corpses remained, thus many were born in inconvenient places and revived only to die a second death. Thanatos felt a shred of sympathy for the boy. ¡°The feathers are the only clue I have for finding the phoenix that saved me ¡­ Can you help me find the others?¡± Brring!
Available chain quest
Gather the Phoenix Feathers
GradeA
Completion requirementsFind all 20 feathers and return them to the Wight boy.
RewardsEXP, title reward, & a rare accessory.
''What the hell ..!'' Grade B quests and higher were considered very rare and very difficult. Suddenly given a high grade quest, Thanatos didn''t know how to react. Even more so when it was a chain quest. Chain quest rewards grew exponentially with each quest, as did their level of difficulty. ¡°Please!¡± Repercussions associated with failing high grade quests were abnormally high but, as someone who lived in ?Magica Artis? ¨C not as a game, many of the consequences were invalidated. ¡°I won''t make any promises ¡­ But I''ll try.¡±
Quest has been accepted.
Due to the passive nature of the quest, Thanatos didn''t see too much reason to refuse. Even if he did fail, the consequences a young orphan wight child could impose on him would undoubtedly be small. ¡°Thank you, Thanatos! I''ll introduce myself. I''m Diux.¡± After suppressing a sigh, Thanatos gave the boy a short nod as he acknowledged his introduction. ¡°Shall we go back?¡± Troph asked, seemingly pleased with the new turn of events. ¡°I''ll help you with Diux''s quest, Thanatos. We''ll find all the feathers together.¡± The three daemon children heard an excited shout come from the armor shop Thanatos had bought the gloves from. ¡°We''re the first ones here! Lucky~¡± ¡°Stop being so loud, you idiot. It''s embarrassing.¡± Two men left the building. The first one was a large man who had light plate-mail made of cheap metal. He had a long broadsword across his back, but no sheathe for it. The second man was robed with a shabby tunic and old cloak. He also held a simple wooden wand that did not appear much different from a thick makeshift walking stick. They had low quality equipment, but that wasn''t the mention worthy fact about them. They were humans. ¡°Don''t be such a spoilsport. Aren''t you glad that we found this town?¡± ¡°You''re getting too excited. This isn''t a starter town. There aren''t very many low level monster areas around here.¡± ¡°Come on! You saw the announcement board. There''s an event boss here! If you''re the first to kill it, you get a blue rune.¡± ¡°As if it''s going to be that easy. We''ll have to at least be level 100 to even compete with that event boss. Even if you play the game for 10 hours a day for two years, that''s difficult to do. The leveling system on ?Magica Artis Online? is the bane for all grinders.¡± ¡°Well, then the least we could do is get some information about him.¡± ¡°We''ve already been doing that haven''t we?¡± ¡°There''s got to be some people we haven''t asked yet ...¡± The man scanned around, looking for unfamiliar faces. ¡°Look, lets ask the kids over there. Hey! You three! I''ve got a question.¡± The larger man approached them. Despite his intimidating physique, it was clear that he was a sociable man. ¡°Are there any really strong NPCs around here?¡± ¡°Idiot. As if they''ll understand that. What he means is: do you know of any influential daemons around here? He''d probably be really strong. Perhaps the head of a clan or family?¡± The second man followed. Unlike the first one, he seemed to have an easily irritated personality. Since their appearance, Diux''s expression had became vacant, as though most of his emotions had been stripped of him. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°There was a rumor about a treacherous noble who became the head of his family through violence. After usurping the head position from his father, he began to kill off all those who opposed him. He grew his lands in search of power and became the most feared daemon in the north side of the continent. Because of his treatment, there have been many rebellions. But they were instantly quashed.¡± Diux made slow movements, as if his body had grown decades older in an instant. He scratched his face, seeming to scratch a nonexistent beard. Even Troph seemed taken aback by his friend''s reaction. He sent Diux a confused look, but the boy ignored Troph perfectly. ¡°It has been a while since I''d last heard of him. Many decades, in fact.¡± The two humans glanced at each other, they also had become confused by his wording. He appeared to be a child, but his words said otherwise. The mage shrugged. ¡°It''s very difficult to tell the true ages of some daemons.¡± Diux didn''t seem to pay much attention to their confused looks and continued. ¡°He had a fortress north of this town. Though I can no longer say if he remains there to this day. Now, his cousin is the head of his daemon clan. He temporarily took over once the evil daemon had gone missing. If you are going to question him, be wary. There have also been rumors that his cousin, too, was involved in the coup.¡± The wight boy turned his head towards the north. ¡°Many companies of daemons still search for him, despite how many decades it has been since he''d last been seen. I seek your aid, magorum. Would you help join the search for the vile tyrant?¡± Brring!
Available event chain quest
Find the Evil Daemon
GradeA
Completion requirementsDiscover the whereabouts of the noble.
RewardsEXP, 50 red juls, completion requirement for event quest.
¡°Haha, bingo. We hit the jackpot, Salmon-san.¡± ¡°My username is Si-mon! And even if we find the boss, we still won''t be able to kill him.¡± ¡°This is the first part though. It''s a chain quest. If we find him first, we can worry about leveling afterword!¡± ¡°Alright, whatever. We''ll go look for him. Do any of you know anything else about this evil noble?¡± They moved their glances from Diux to Troph until they finally landed on Thanatos. His face had become incredibly pale and his breathing shallow. His fists and jaw were clenched tight, as though he was desperately trying to keep something in. The two men didn''t seem to have taken notice of his rising panic. ¡°Woah! This kid is really attractive!¡± Si-mon immediately gave his comrade a look of utter disgust. ¡°Oi! Don''t take it the wrong way! I didn''t mean it like that!¡± Thanatos took a step back. ¡°Shut up, pedophile. It''s your fault that he''s scared of us. I don''t want to be paired with some child molester. They''ll think I''m like you.¡± The second man had misinterpreted Thanatos'' reaction. ¡°I''m telling you, it''s not like that! And he''s a boy! I like women!¡± His last shout echoed awkwardly. Everyone froze, unsure of how to respond. Thanatos was the first to move. Once both players were distracted, he bolted off in the opposite direction. Their conversation about him had fallen on deaf ears. Though he''d heard their words, his mind had already become blank. ¡°Ah! Hey, wait!¡± ¡°Tch. Disgusting.¡± ¡°Si-mon-san, I beg you! Please stop! False rumors about me are going to spread at this rate ..!¡± Their voices faded off as Thanatos ran further and further away. There was no doubt about it. They were players. People who played ?Magica Artis? as a game. People from his old world. He found his resurrection difficult to believe, but he eventually accepted it. He could accept it because he existed as Thanatos. He took on a new identity. He was no longer Tsuchiya Sora. But was Thanatos real? ?Magica Artis? had become his world. But was it just a mass of pixels and data that could be deleted or altered with a click of a mouse? ''Am I just data?'' When Thanatos asked himself this, he felt his body grow colder. His body became rigid, causing him to trip over himself. He landed onto the ground in a big heap before curling up. He was terrified. ¡°Why do I have memories as Tsuchiya Sora? Is it because I was Tsuchiya Sora? Was I made to have his memories? What if I am Sora? What about Thanatos? Am I not Thanatos? Thanatos might not even be real. I don''t even know if Tsuchiya Sora was real. This world might not even be real! Are neither of the worlds real?! Just what is ¡°reality¡± anyway?!¡± His whisper became an agonized cry. He shook his head furiously, not caring that his face was being stained by the dirt on the ground. ¡°... Stop!¡± It was as though a dam had broken. The questions and uncertainties he could not share with anyone of this world, that had been built up for four years, had finally burst through. He didn''t know the answer to any of his questions. He couldn''t stop himself from asking. He couldn''t even stop the questions from multiplying like a malicious cancer. ¡°What am I? ¡­ Who am I?!¡± His vision blurred just from his sheer panic. The system couldn''t even classify the state he was in or the emotions that were spilling out from him. Brring!
You are now in the state of panic.
You are now paralyzed.
You are now petrified.
You are no ¡­ w #??%`?}_???.
¡°Calm down, you dork. It''s not that hard. You''re Sora, but you''re Thanatos too.¡±
Thanatos'' eyes shot open. He was lying in his bed. ¡°Thanatos!¡± A familiar woman pulled him into a warm embrace. It was Mia. ¡°Are you alright?!¡± She pulled his face up, watching for any odd symptoms. He gave her a quizzical look. How had he been brought here? Mia seemed to understand the question his eyes were asking. ¡°I found you in front of the door. You were unconscious. I couldn''t tell what was wrong with you.¡± She wrapped her arms around him again. ¡°I was so worried! Thanatos ¡­ did something happen?¡± Thanatos flinched, his mind reeling back into an extreme state of panic. Without realizing it, his breathing had become hitched. He reflexively shoved his mother away from him and struggled against her embrace. In that moment of time, he didn''t even remember what he''d been frightened about. But that unseen fear began to eat away at his mind. ¡°No! ¡­ No!¡± Mia watched in bewilderment at Thanatos'' reaction, but quickly composed herself. At her child''s hysterical reaction, her expression changed into one of determination. Even against his will, Mia held her son. She didn''t know if it would work, but she wanted to reach him. ¡°You''re alright.¡± ¡°You''re okay.¡± ¡°I''m here for you.¡± ¡°You''re my brave boy.¡± ¡°Nothing here will hurt you.¡± Again and again, she repeated words of comfort: words she wanted him to know were nothing but true. Eventually his struggling stopped. His violent shaking continued, but Mia was glad that he wasn''t trying to push her away. ¡°I''m right here.¡± She brought his head to her bosom, letting him find comfort in her heartbeat. Mia wasn''t sure when it had begun or what triggered it, but soon Thanatos was sobbing. He clung onto her desperately, as though he thought she would disappear at any moment. He cried until his voice grew hoarse and his tears had run dry. By the time he was finished a throbbing headache had formed, leaving him completely exhausted. In the comfort of his mother''s arms, he fell asleep again.
By the time he had re-awoken, it was past midnight. His mother, though her face showed signs of exhaustion, brightened the moment she realized he was awake. ¡°Ara, ara. That was the first time I''ve heard you cry so hard, Thanatos.¡± Her voice was light and heartening. Thanatos lowered his head in embarrassment. He''d never cried so loudly before. Not even as Sora had he cried with such abandon. ¡°I''m sorry.¡± His voice croaked, still raspy from earlier. ¡°Don''t be. I know it may seem strange but ¡­ I''m really happy that you did.¡± She laughed easily, honestly telling him her thoughts. He could understand why she thought like this. He was a boy who rarely displayed emotions. Finally witnessing her child act as one might their own age, she was glad. ¡°I don''t know how I got in front of the house ...¡± Though he was talking to himself more than he was talking to Mia, she reacted instantly. ¡°You had this in your hand when I found you.¡± She handed him an object that had been lying on the table. Brring!
You''ve discovered a Phoenix Feather. 2/20
¡°...?!¡± It was a feather for the quest. He knew that it wasn''t the first feather. It was a second one. As he scanned his memories he remembered a hearing voice. A comforting voice, but the words were lost to him. ¡°There was no one there besides me?¡± ¡°No, it was just you. Do you know who brought you here?¡± Thanatos shook his head. Was this affiliated with the quest? He did not know. As though to interrupt his thoughts, the front door of the house opened and shut again. Thanatos'' eyes shot up, and he tried to pull himself out of bed. ¡°No. You stay right there. You still need some rest. I''ll go see your father.¡± Mia got up and strode out of the room. Though he could not hear what she was saying, he knew that she was hissing at his father. Another five minutes later, Fyre entered Thanatos'' bedroom. He didn''t make an excuse for himself, but Thanatos didn''t care. The entire night Fyre hadn''t returned, Thanatos had a horrible premonition. It could say in confidence that he was just glad that his father was fine. Another minute passed with the two silently watching the other. Fyre was the first to speak. ¡°Tomorrow I will be returning home. I''ll have you come with me.¡± Thanatos blinked, obviously confused. ''Home? This is already home.'' But like Mia, Fyre was able to read Thanatos'' unasked question with ease. ¡°By that, I don''t mean here. You will see once we arrive. There, you will learn more about magus.¡± Fyre clarified himself slowly. ¡°We aren''t going to be staying there for a simple day. It''ll be at least four years.¡± Thanatos stifled a gasp. Four years? That was no short amount of time. Why were they leaving for that long? ¡°Obviously, you have questions. But this isn''t a request, Thanatos. Magus isn''t the only thing you will be learning.¡± Thanatos was slowly beginning to understand his father. It was training. He was going with Fyre to train. Thanatos had always wondered why Fyre had put so much effort into making him stronger, but his father was never keen on answering him. ¡°Why?¡± Fyre gazed at him with powerful eyes. ¡°To make sure you''re ready.¡±