《Server Goes Offline》 Prologue ¡°Myo-ssi, I got you your coffee.¡± ¡°Thank you San-ssi.¡± I took long, palatable sip of the coffee, gulping down till it was all gone. I have only 2 days until the deadline for the new project.. am I going to be able to finish it in time..? Ping! My phone lit up, and a notification popped up on the screen. It was for the game, ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯. Eternal Realm is a famous and well-liked game, acknowledged by various streamers because of its unique gameplay and its interesting spin on generic features such as re-enchanting and character attributes. As a result, the game gained a massive audience, that would share their tips about defeating difficult bosses, or discovering glitches within the game, which would get patched within a week. I¡¯ve played this game for 3 years, continuing on even when the fanbase had diminished by a half after a year. [cerao103: Thank you for suggesting a new skill for the game ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, and I would like to implement into the game.] The skill I requested was haemokinesis. Since I was young, I was obsessed with fiction where characters could manipulate blood with their mind, and I was fascinated with the idea of conjuring up weapons made of blood. I thought it would be interesting for my favourite game to include an ability that I hadn¡¯t seen in most games. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. [damsoyiu: Thank you creator-nim, I¡¯m enjoying the recent update, is there anything the community can expect coming up that you¡¯d tell me?] I put my phone down, focusing back onto my work and avoid getting caught by my boss, who usually patrols at random times. Ping! Another notification popped up on the screen. [cerao103: Glad to hear you¡¯re enjoying the new update, with the question you asked. I have something major coming up soon, that I hope you¡¯ll enjoy.] Something that I¡¯ll enjoy? Besides from creator-nim including haemokinesis, what would I enjoy? A new map? More quests? [damsoyiu: Thank you, I¡¯m very intrigued at what could be coming up soon. I¡¯ll be intently waiting for the major announcement.] I smiled once I finished the sentence, I mean more updates for my favourite game? It meant that I had something to do after work. [cerao103: You¡¯re welcome, I thank you for dedicating your time to playing this game for 3 years. I¡¯ll make sure to give you a gift.] .. Huh? Server? Is this a.. game display? Am I going insane? I should limit my game time. But.. it looks.. very familiar. Loud screams bellowed from the office, I whipped my head to the noise. ¡°Do-Does anyone here see that-that floating display box!?¡± ¡°I see that too..!¡± So everyone else can see it too? This display looks like an exact replica from ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, but that can¡¯t be right. Why would the game I play become a part of real life? Myo Dae: Age: 24 Height: 184cm Class: Warlock Sponsor: __ Art: Haemokinesis .. Is that my character file? How do I have Haemokinesis-? .. This can¡¯t be the major update that creator-nim was talking about. From the fiction books I read, all the items you had from the game should have transferred to the real world.. so why do I have nothing?! I tapped the Ability ¡®Haemokinesis¡¯. It was obvious that the power had to come with liability.. it is overpowered but.. Does that mean the game, ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯ is becoming real?
¡ª Objective: Defeat 50 Monsters; Before the end of the week, failure to do so will result in death. Hasn¡¯t the game¡¯s difficulty increased by a lot?! The penalty is death?! This just got a whole lot harder. Origins (1) 3 years ago ¡ª I was a social outcast in University. It wasn¡¯t like I intentionally wanted to be left alone, but since I joined in the second term, everyone had already been allocated into friendship groups. And it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t try to interact with others, I¡¯d be lucky enough for them to respond back when I waved or said hello. It was just how this University worked, no one connected with anyone outside of their friendship group unless they were forced to. So I would be alone for the next 3 years, and I believe this helped me to be comfortable by being myself. Although I don¡¯t think this was good, being isolated definitely did not ¡°help me in the long-run¡±. Once I had graduated from University, I had nothing to do. I spent hours of my life trying to find a sales company that would take me in, I regretted that I hadn¡¯t done any work experience. My application was more likely to be rejected, everyone in this industry had greater qualifications compared to me. A 21 year old, who had freshly came out of University.. someone would surely accept me in their company.. So I spent an hour scrolling on my feed until I stumbled upon a strange game teaser. ¡°Eternal Realm..¡± I mumbled, getting onto my computer. I searched on multiple forums online to check the reviews. [l0saer2: Eternal Realm recently came out, any thoughts on the game? I personally enjoy it, I¡¯m excited for the future of the game] [user1302193: eternal realm is really good, the mechanics and class system is generic, but it has a good spin on the enemies of the world and is a breath taking world. it¡¯s a really good RPG!] Most of the reviews for the game were positive, it was there that I decided to download the game. [Welcome to your new adventure traveller! Before starting in the game, please enter your details and username!] I filled out my email and thought of a username. [Please do not put your real name as your username! This is for safety regulations!] In the display, I put the user ¡°damsoyiu¡±. I clicked confirm. I clicked confirm. [Welcome to your new adventure, DAMSOYIU! Would you like to start the tutorial?] I clicked no, it¡¯s way more fun to play the game without understanding anything. In a way, it helps you learn gameplay quicker in my opinion. There¡¯s customisation? I clicked yes. All the characters features were adorable, and I settled on a casual avatar. Silky, fine, jet black hair that slightly curled on the ends with purplish hues, exuding a carefree and sharp energy. The clothing was generic, almost an exact copy of all those main characters in those common adventure games. A thin, black cloak extended out from a black tunic. - Warrior - Archer - Mage .. That¡¯s actually not a lot of classes. I¡¯ll rule out warriors, a lot of people prefer melee weapons which I¡¯m exactly not a fan of in a game. It just seems very generic. That only leaves a mage or archer.. - Summoner - Sorcerer - Necromancer - Illusionist - Warlock - Cleric There¡¯s a.. SUB-CLASS? These all seem like.. decent options. I¡¯ll rule out cleric, I¡¯m not a huge fan of healing.. there¡¯s always a lot of conflict surrounding healers in a party. I¡¯m hung up on Warlock and Sorcerer.. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. I pondered over the option for a while, uncertain on which one would suit me better. [Before proceeding with the game, there is a chance to become sponsored by a mythological deity or hero. Keep this in mind, on the game¡¯s website there are multiple sponsors. You are only allowed to choose one, so choose wisely.] Sponsors? That¡¯s an interesting take for a game.. I¡¯m assuming the sponsor allows you to use similar abilities from them. damsoyiu: Species: Human Class: Warlock Sponsor: __ Art: ___ Ability: ___ Once I spawned in, I explored the safe zone. There was a shop there for beginners, considering that the prices for weapons and potions were cheap. It was 100 coins for a potion of levitation, or for a 2* weapon it was 250 coins. Another interesting area of the safe zone was a trading hub, where most of the prices felt.. inflated. The economy of this game was definitely out of my reach. The thing is that the game has only been out for a week and a 6* weapon costs 250,000 coins..?! How is anyone affording the price of that? The final area of spawn that I enjoyed was the refinement area, where you could enhance your weapons to be stronger. After exploring most of spawn, I decided I should check how large the map was, and fight some monsters to level up.
¡ª Objective: Defeat 50 Monsters Reward: 500 coins A display window popped up, but I barely had time to read¡ª I got killed in the first five seconds of leaving the safe zone! Matter of fact..! I got killed multiple times, by a user under the name miseoynn! Over.. and over again. I died by the same user, miseoynn..! With soft, poufy, pale grey hair cascading down his face, he had a playful expression that infuriated me more than anything else. He wore a large oversized sweater, paired with a thin, long, fairy-like cape. It was in the colour of white, it reminded of a doupeng, or traditional chinese wear. Although, it didn¡¯t help the fact that this bastard wouldn''t leave me alone the moment I stepped out of the safe zone!! damsoyiu: WTF!? miseoynn: whoopsie, my hand slipped >_o How the heck does your hand slip multiple times, dumbass!? damsoyiu: Why the hell are you killing me T_T miseoynn: lololol, ur asking me why i¡¯m killing you? its a killing game, is it a crime to kill??? miseoynn: js quit now!! lmfao~! r u tryna get my attention, srry!! im not going to boost a dead weight like u! keep whining loserrr ^_^ How does this guy type so fast?! damsoyiu: I JUST joined, I don¡¯t know who you are?! miseoynn: lmfao, if ur not used to get killed js get a new hobby lil bro! (^~^)/ LIL BRO..? YOU¡ª! It¡¯s only been a minute since I¡¯ve joined and I¡¯ve been spawn killed 8 times! By YOU. I need to calm down. l0saer2: can you guys not send this in world chat. His in game character freeze, and another party invite was sent. are you ignoring my party invite on purpose, u f*cker? be grateful that i actually invited u. hurry up and accept it. >_< This guy.. he thinks he can threaten me in whispers? I don¡¯t have to listen to him! I walk out into the monster zone, and he starts tailing behind me, continuously bombarding me with multiple whisper messages and party invites. I finally caved in and accepted the party invite. I clicked yes. miseoynn: Species: Samoyed Class: Berserker Sponsor: Miyamoto Musashi (Kensei) Art: Nit¨­ Ichi-ry¨± Ability: Keen Instinct, Genius Mentality, Instant Edge.. [Hidden] Hidden? Seems like you can private information you don¡¯t want other users to see.. interesting. miseoynn: i can finally talk to u without talking in server-chat. god, ur pretty stubborn aren¡¯t u~? damsoyiu: What is wrong with you. miseoynn: are u acting dumb on purpose? damsoyiu: Fix your lame attitude, I don¡¯t have enough patience for people like you. miseoynn: lmfaooo, have fun rage quitting~! .. You¡¯re bound to meet some weirdos online, but this guy is the worst! Who the hell even is this weirdo!? I groaned, touching my temples. I should ignore him and focus on fighting. Venturing outside of the zone, I realised that as a warlock.. you mostly focus on dark spells to kill mobs. Using the beginner sceptre, I defeated the beginning slimes with , a spell that released an sonically, dark blast. ¡°I¡¯ll just take a break from gaming for a bit. I¡¯m tired..¡± I sighed heavily, leaning back into my chair. I returned back to my phone, scrolling on the game forum for ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯. [hikaorea: Isn¡¯t the number 1 player in this game annoying?] A comment under it read: [uioriio: i agree, who tf js goes on a killing rampage, no wonder people quit this game.] [puwash: Are you guys talking about miseoynn? That guy is trouble, haven¡¯t you heard the rumours about him?] Rumours? I.. don¡¯t think I should find out, finding out about a stranger¡¯s personal life feels.. iffy to me. I¡¯ll try play the game later.. ¡ª I played for 9 hours on the weekend. I practically celebrated once I hit level 125, I was almost halfway until the maximum level, 300. I¡¯ve learnt multiple spells, but I still haven¡¯t earned a sponsor.. .. The inbox limit for this game is 100.. who the hell is spamming in my inbox..!? hey.. I apologise for spawn-killing you.. i didnt mean to! i was just having fun, and flaunting how powerful i was. can you forgive me..? i¡¯ll be a good guy, i promise! All my mail is filled with this user spamming this exact message in my inbox..! I scrolled on the game forum, trying to piece my thoughts together clearly. [miseoynn: heard u all were talking s**t bout me, why dont u fight w ur weapons n not w ur words?] .. He was arguing with the people on the post? Why was he apologising to me then? I looked back up to my monitor. are u TRYING to p*ss me off? accept my friend request plz!! u didn¡¯t accept it the whole time u were online. miseoynn: no way u acc have a life damsoyiu: I have a life. What do you want? miseoynn: i want u to accept my apology msg i sent plz!! :,( damsoyiu: The 100 messages you sent seem insincere. I¡¯m not sure I want to. miseoynn: .. stfu. PLZZ js do this 4 me~! T0T damsoyiu: .. What¡¯s in it for me? ^^¡± miseoynn: u f*cking piece of sh*t.. i¡¯ll give u 10k coins. He can easily throw away 10,000 coins!? This must be an advantage of being the number one player of the game.. damsoyiu: Hand me over the coins. miseoynn: woah, woah, woah buddy. how do i know that ur not going to scam me rn?? damsoyiu: You think I¡¯d scam? miseoynn: u¡­ fine. damsoyiu: Aand, get scammed. miseoynn: U F*CKER. U PROMISED ME PLZZZ.. damsoyiu: I don¡¯t remember saying I promise, I just told you to hand me the coins ^^ He froze immediately, possibly shocked about the situation he had put himself in. Besides, I wasn¡¯t actually going to scam him, I was just having fun messing around with him. damsoyiu: Just kidding with you, let¡¯s trade again. miseoynn: eh? what 4 :? damsoyiu: .. Do it before I change my mind. miseoynn: kay kay kay, accept it!! miseoynn: .. r u trying to tell me i¡¯m broke? js take the coins u noob. damsoyiu: That¡¯s why no one likes you. miseoynn: im jk, im jk!! plzzz PLZZZ T_T miseoynn: .. err r u sure u don¡¯t want anything..~? >.> damsoyiu: Yeah, I¡¯m ok. He began to circle around me. miseoynn: u sure u ok O_o? damsoyiu: uhh, yeah I am. miseoynn: hmm.. r u rlly ok damsoyiu: .. Yeah? Why? miseoynn: notthinnggg¡­ >_< He¡¯s just running away..! haihaii, had to leave vry quickly bcz im moving somewhere else! ty 4 sending me back the coins i gave but like.. ik ur a newbie so.. just take em. kay? <50,000 coins> .. So that¡¯s why he sprinted away. He sent me 5x the amount of coins he originally gave me.. Agh.. he¡¯s offline as well! I¡¯ll just give it back to him when he comes online again. Origins (2) ¡°Number 205, please come to the office.¡± I stared back at the number in my hand. 205 I stood up and walked over to the office. There I met the interviewer, who proceeded to ask me various questions about the job that I forgot to preparedbeforehand. ¡°Thank you for answering, Myo-nim. You may leave now.¡± I bowed, leaving as quiet as I could. I definitely failed that interview. I failed it so bad. ¡­ I fumbled with the keys to my apartment, and collapsed onto my bed. ¡°That¡¯s going to be the 6th failed interview..¡± I mumbled, staring towards my monitor. Should I play? I sat on the chair, and started up the game ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯ on my computer. It had an update, what great luck. The update took 25 minutes to fully get installed. ¡°My inbox isn¡¯t full this time, good..¡± I murmured, clicking onto my friend¡¯s list. ¡°He¡¯s online?¡± I clicked on my chat with miseoynn. miseoynn: we both logged in at the same time, is it fate? we¡¯re meant to be!! >~< damsoyiu: Don¡¯t joke like that. miseoynn: wtvs. damsoyiu: I¡¯m going to unfriend you. miseoynn: NO, WHAT !? THAT¡¯S SO UNFAIR PLZZZZ T~T A flurry of pleading emojis spewed into my chat. After a while, he got down on one knee and held up a ring. What? This game has a marriage feature? Also, that was so out of the blue? damsoyiu: Are you into men? That''s the only reasonable answer as to why he sent me a marriage request.. miseoynn: NO. this is the only way i can get you to stay with me. hear me out, u and i gain benefits if we¡¯re married. damsoyiu: .. What benefits? miseoynn: 25% extra exp for a whole week, 50% chance of rare boss drops, and ur str n¡¯ spd increase by 1.2%. .. That does sound really.. really promising.. I could level up faster, and gain rare mob drops? That''s a good deal.. all I have to do is to get married to this guy. miseoynn: U TOOK TOO LONG, THE RING BROKE... damsoyiu: I guess we can¡¯t get married then. miseoynn: whoopsie.. myb i lied. i may.. or may not have 24 other rings in my inventory. ^_^ If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. damsoyiu: You had 25 rings..? How much did they cost all together..? miseoynn: if i calculate right.. 25 million coins! 1 ring costs 1 million. ;P .. That¡¯s so many coins he spent just to get married.. what the hell..? miseoynn: wowww, do u rlly hate me that much? i¡¯ve already wasted 2 million :,( [Welcome to the new lovebirds! Enjoy multiple benefits and continue to level your couple meter for extra benefits!] miseoynn: we¡¯re married now!! >_< damsoyiu: How nice.. miseoynn: wtv, i need you to lvl up quicker so we can fight harder bosses. ur lvl 125, and i¡¯m lvl 300. ill help u lvl up. im the no.1 player, so that¡¯s my good deed! damsoyiu: Alright, lead the way. ¡®miseoynn¡¯ lead me to.. the final boss of the game? damsoyiu: Uh, isn¡¯t this the final boss in the game? Like the strongest? miseoynn: yeah, i thought you¡¯d gain more exp this way. damsoyiu: How do I even access to it? You have to be the maximum level to fight it. miseoynn: its a bug because we¡¯re in a party, so you can access it now. let¡¯s just fight it. ¡ª miseoynn: heh, im glad i have the sponsor from miyamoto, i cleared the debuff for both of us. damsoyiu: It¡¯s pretty beneficial. miseoynn: i do think that this boss is buffed.. it should be nerfed. the debuff is insane. damsoyiu: I thought the number 1 player wouldn¡¯t care about that. miseoynn: majority of the fanbase agree with me! D:< After playing the boss dungeon for the 50th time, we decided that was enough. I checked my inventory and noticed I had a new item. I hovered over it, widening at the rarity. It was legendary! Real question is.. what do I do with it? Maybe I''ll ask on the game''s forum. miseoynn: what lvl r u at now? damsoyiu: I¡¯m capped at level 150 since I have to do an ascension quest.. but I¡¯d be level 176 or something? miseoynn: great job newbie ^^ do ur ascension quest. damsoyiu: I have to ask, what¡¯s up with your stats? You have the base HP for a berserker, did you not invest any skill points into HP? miseoynn: yup yup! its sooOoOO much more fun, i put all my skill points into speed and atk~! i love beating the meta, and being a glass cannon is exciting! ^-^ damsoyiu: Sounds fun.. miseoynn: yup! hurry and lvl up so we can grind together and stuff. acc, r u in a guild? damsoyiu: Nope, most guilds don¡¯t accept people under level 200. miseoynn: well since i¡¯m generous n stuff, why doncha join my guild? :3 I clicked on the guild above his head. [Electra] Guild Requirements: Must be above level 200! Competitive guild, must take part in PVP leaderboards, and guild tournaments! Join if you¡¯re not a noob X3 damsoyiu: .. I just checked out your guild. It also needs people over level 200. I¡¯m going to do my ascension quest. miseoynn: WAIT NO. this is a SPECIAL offer just 4 u!! ur my hubby >_< damsoyiu: .. I¡¯m actually going to kill you. miseoynn: ?! WHY DID U LEAVE?? damsoyiu: I¡¯m doing my ascension quest without having you interrupt me. miseoynn: WHAT? I DONT INTERRUPT!! miseoynn: 2UIQDIAUWHIDUHA I shut his chat. Hopefully that shut him up for good. It was surprisingly easy to complete my ascension quest, maybe it was the training from completing the game¡¯s final boss with miseoynn. I had actually hit level 180, not 176 like I had predicted.. looks like my math was off by a bit. I clicked off ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, going onto the game forum. I sent an image of the legendary item, and asked what this item could do. After a while, I went to go take a power nap. I woke up drowsy, and checked my phone which was bombarded by notifications. ¡°What the hell..?¡± I murmured, scrolling onto the game forum. ¡°Why¡ª WHY DO I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE REQUESTING FOR THE ITEM I SENT??¡± I said, shocked. Most comments said something along of the lines of; [puwash: YOOO I NEED THAT MOUNT!!] [qupolia: how much are u offering for it?] I scrambled onto my desk and logged onto ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯. [MARRIED] miseoynn: i saw ur post online! im assuming ur being flooded with trade requests? [MARRIED] miseoynn: oh kool, we got the title thingy. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: I didn¡¯t think it would turn into such a big issue.. I regret posting about it online.. the legendary item ended up being a mount. However, you can only access it through the newly-wed benefits, but it¡¯s hard to get as there¡¯s a 1/22500 chance.. even with that chance, you could still get a common, uncommon, rare, or epic. But I reallyy don¡¯t want the mount. I mean, it¡¯s cute? It¡¯s a white swan, and has multiple hearts coming out of it. I just don¡¯t think I need it. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Do you want the item? [MARRIED] miseoynn: WHAT?? UR JOKING. [MARRIED damsoyiu: Nvm then, forget I offered anything. [MARRIED] miseoynn: WAITWAITNOPLZ. .. What the f*ck? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: I think you added too much..? [MARRIED] miseoynn: lets js say i¡¯m doing charity or wtvs.. js accept it ^^ [MARRIED] miseoynn: .. ur srs about this..? why is a newbie giving free stuff to me!? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: .. Look I¡¯ve gotten enough coins from you. [MARRIED] miseoynn: are u stupid? later on, it gets more expensive to upgrade, enhance and refine. it¡¯s at like lvl 205 where u learn it. ur lvl 180, so you¡¯re gonna need to grind for coins now. Wait. That¡¯s right! Unlike any other RPG, Eternal Realm is notorious for its stupidly annoying enchanting system! To make the game harder, the developers implemented a feature called re-enchanting. For example, if you got a duplicate of the same item, you could combine both of them, to ascend it to the 2nd tier, and then you¡¯ll have to upgrade it again. However! You now had to be careful whilst upgrading, as it would now be possible for the item to break or reset back to no tier! This impossible feature has gotten so many people mad in the forums.. but they¡¯re the same exact people to gamble on the chance of getting a 5 tier weapon!! [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Do you have a 5 tier weapon? [MARRIED] miseoynn: .. technically? i have 3 6*, 4 tier weapons, and duplicates of em but im too scared to upgrade it. T_T Fair enough.. imagine grinding all that just for the weapon to break when refining it at the final tier. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Huh, I thought you didn¡¯t want the mount for free? [MARRIED] miseoynn: OH. right. erm.. i want it but i dont want it 4 free. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: .. Are you insane? [MARRIED] miseoynn: we¡¯re married!! i have to do this 4 my hubby wubby~! I appreciate the gesture.. but I despise the way he talks.. [MARRIED] miseoynn: YAHOOO!!! glad to trade with ya ^_^ [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Welcome..? I logged out, and fell back onto my bed. Origins (3) 2 years later ¡ª ¡°Myo-nim, have you completed your part on the recent project?¡± ¡°I have it right here San-nim.¡± ¡°Ah! You¡¯re a life saviour Myo-nim, Sajang-nim would have killed me without it!¡± I patiently, more like anxiously, waited for work to finish. The clock ticked at 10pm, and I immediately clocked out of work. I had completed my part of the recent project, and only had to rely on my co-workers for their parts and get paid a massive sum! I scurried my way back home. Once I arrived home, I stretched for a bit. I sat at my desk, and logged onto the computer. I booted up the game ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, like I usually would do once I had free time, or I felt bored. I¡¯m level 300 now.. I couldn¡¯t really believe it.. this took me 2 years.. And I somehow managed to finally upgrade ¡®Soul Sceptre¡¯ to the fifth tier without it breaking.. what godly luck do I have?! I think I nearly fainted once I got it to the final tier. Grinding for coins was the most exhausting process throughout the game, and the EXP between the levels are massive.. It was even more painful between 200-300, since the EXP gaps increased significantly. damsoyiu: Species: Human Class: Warlock Sponsor: __ Art: Bael¡¯s Invocations Ability: Nihilistic Delusion, Demonic Duplication, Hell¡¯s Whispers.. .. Huh. I just realised I¡¯ve never received a sponsor.. that¡¯s embarrassing considering I¡¯ve played this game for 2 years. How was miseoynn able to get a sponsor within a week.. AND become the number one player? He¡¯s still the top player after 2 years! Oh? Speak of the devil, he¡¯s finally online. Has it been 2 weeks since I last saw him online? I think so. What is he going to say now? Something vomit-inducing? [MARRIED] miseoynn: lol sorry for being offline recently, something came up in real life. .. I don¡¯t really mind? Everyone has issues in their day-to-day life, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d hold him to a different standard compared to others. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: That¡¯s fine, I¡¯m just glad you¡¯re okay. [MARRIED] miseoynn: do u know what the meaning of life is? I faltered slightly, hovering over my mouse before typing on my keyboard. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Wouldn¡¯t the answers be varied depending on who you ask? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: But.. I believe the meaning in life is to have fun in everything you do. Even if the outcome isn¡¯t what you expect, you should make the most out of it. I waited for his response. [MARRIED] miseoynn: huh, fair enough.. He sounds distant.. this pretty unusual. For the past 2 years, I would say that we became great friends especially because we talked to each other daily, or as frequently as we could. But I truly don¡¯t know anything about him. I somewhat know his age? I remember that he said that he was ¡®definitely¡¯ younger than me, and I¡¯m 23. But that¡¯s all I know. Although.. I can¡¯t say anything either. I haven¡¯t told him anything about me either, besides from my age since he kept begging me for it. [MARRIED] miseoynn: aw wait. i gtg, cya. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: That¡¯s alright, see you later. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and began to scroll on the game forums. [hikaorea: Did you guys see that exposed video on miseoynn?] Huh? [uioriio: yeah, who knew that happened to him lmfao] [puwash: ngl i think he liked it] I looked back up at my monitor. [MARRIED] miseoynn: sorry, i left. [MARRIED] miseoynn: please respond back. Huh? Is it just me or is he typing more frequently then he normally does? I can¡¯t produce a response back without being spammed 3 messages by him. Why is he apologising so much? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Are you okay? [MARRIED] miseoynn: srry, yeah im ok. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Alright.. He¡¯s seriously acting stranger than usual. I knew I wasn¡¯t thinking too hard on it. Hang on, is it related to what I had just seen on the forums? That¡¯s.. concerning then. I should report it before I go to bed. [MARRIED] miseoynn: sorry.. im in the dumps rn. something bad happened to me last week and im still.. y¡¯know. Something bad? I¡¯m very curious.. but I can¡¯t expect him to open up easily considering we basically know nothing about each other. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: It¡¯s alright, at least you¡¯re okay? This is awkward. I¡¯ve never had an ¡®awkward¡¯ conversation with miseoynn before. Normally we¡¯d spend hours chatting about nonsensical things or whatever had happened in our life.. but today he¡¯s acting different. [MARRIED] miseoynn: im really srry damsoyiu, i gtg. That¡¯s strange. He just logged on.. Maybe I¡¯ll just have to give him some more space. ¡­ It¡¯s been a week and I still haven¡¯t seen him. There¡¯s no trace of him, it¡¯s like he¡¯s disappeared from of the face of Earth. I¡¯m starting to think that he¡¯s trying to avoid me. I made sure to report the post in the forum that discussed about miseoynn¡¯s real life. How did that post even make it through the moderation team? I travelled back to spawn to upgrade my equipment. Wait is that¡ª? A familiar avatar I had seen.. I had definitely seen before frequently stood far away. But something was off.. was it the fact that the user had a different username then before? damsoyiu: Is that you miseoynn? moonnsiye: who tf is that. I blinked. What? Are you kidding? damsoyiu: Do you think I¡¯m stupid? moonnsiye: no clue who you are pal. .. This is so clearly him. Is this his alt..? If so, why is he on his alt? I furrowed my eyebrows, hovering over the keyboard. moonnsiye: what r u in love with this person or smthing? I squinted. ¡°Did he seriously say what I thought he said?¡± I rubbed my eyes. ¡°.. He did.¡± I laughed slightly, unable to comprehend what was going on. ¡°This bastard..¡± damsoyiu: Fine, stay like that. I teleported out of spawn. ¡°Is he seriously going to be like this?¡± I grumbled, killing ghouls out of frustration. ¡°This is his fault.¡± I muttered but my voice lacked the bitterness from before. Look who¡¯s online.. I clicked on his chat. [MARRIED] damsoyiu: moonnsiye was you, right? [MARRIED] miseoynn: ?? [MARRIED] miseoynn: no?? .. He¡¯s actually acting dumb. I regret feeling bad earlier. [MARRIED] miseoynn: i got the sorrow n whatnot out my system, seems like i just needed to recollect my thoughts! He smugly put his hands onto his hips, displaying a pleased expression. That¡¯s definitely the miseoynn I know. [MARRIED] miseoynn: soooo.. what did you get up to these past 2 weeks? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Nothing much? I was mostly upgrading my equipment. [MARRIED] miseoynn: .. did you miss me? ¡­ Is that what he wants to ask me? Is this genuinely serious? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Figure it out yourself. [MARRIED] miseoynn: THAT¡¯S WHAT YOU SAY AFTER I¡¯VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG?? [MARRIED] damsoyiu: Yeah, why not. I laughed a bit too loud, I couldn¡¯t contain my laughter. Things would continue being normal. But.. I wish I would have focused on why he was so nervous. Game Start (1) Reminiscing was fun.. but I currently have no time to think back. Our world has turned brutal suddenly and I have to come to terms with the unnerving truth that I¡¯ll have to kill monsters.. or people with my new ability is eating at me. I roamed outside, observing where the monsters could potentially come from. Grrmmnhh.. A distant rumble emerged, and my eyes focused on the direction it was coming from. A small window popped up. <100 Monsters Incoming> My eyes widened, is that- A portal opened up, I couldn¡¯t believe it. The portal shrunk, then expanded. Legs started to emerge from it, and one creature came out. Then, several more appeared. Their appearance, I couldn¡¯t even begin to describe it. It was nothing like how I had remembered in ¡°Eternal Realm¡±. It was sized eerily like a human, but its features were melting off. An incision was made on the side of its mouth, and its jaw was unhinged abnormally. It rocked side to side with every sluggish move it made. Blood.. no. A tar-like substance dripped from its wound and mouth, with bones protruding out of the stomach. Such an incapacitating, nauseating smell.. you could visibly see the insides due to the substantial gaping wound, I felt ill when I realised what I was looking at, this creature had decaying, almost rotten organs. It groaned, like a wounded animal, as if it was replicating the sound. It was done perfectly too, the pitch, the frequency. I couldn¡¯t believe it. It was coming straight at me. Quickly, I turned around and ran. My chest throbbed excessively, as if it was empty. Or so I thought. I looked down to assess the pain, my stomach had ruptured. In its place was a hand. The hand was scarred and rough, with each of its fingers sized differently. A dirty green stained the fingertips, and the veins on the hand pulsed irrationally. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Crrk! The hand started to twist, and every fibre of my being felt agony, and pain. My heart squeezed, and pressure overwhelmed me from head to toe. I turned to see who the perpetrator was. It was the same creature I had just ran from. I had to act fast, before I would take my last breath. And no way in hell would I die without fighting. Chomp! .. Gulp! A continuous cycle of chomping and gulping commenced, as I began to digest the creature¡¯s hand. It was the worst thing I had tasted, experienced even. The creature whined, exactly like an animal. It tried to escape, but it had firmly lodged itself inside my stomach. A thick, gooey, black substance leaked from the missing pieces of flesh and I eagerly ingested each drop. I felt rejuvenated, this situation was strange but I couldn¡¯t resist. Was this the reason to why I didn¡¯t mind drinking a monster¡¯s blood, or what should be it¡¯s blood? If that¡¯s the case.. can I replicate objects? A sword manifested in my hands, with the blood coating my hands. I struggled to rotate, especially when the bones of the creature cracked everytime I moved. I looked down, and immediately felt ill. The bones in its arm were protruding outwards. The sword burned bright, as the sparks enveloped my hands. I put my left food forward, and held the sword adjacent to my face. The flickering flame of the sword scorched, and strangely it barely hurt. In fact, it didn¡¯t hurt at all. With a rapid swing, I aimed directly towards the upper region of the creature. Schwing! The creature couldn¡¯t react in time, a clean, pristine slice separated the creature in half, with the upper half of the creature sliding off. I felt like gagging, but the fight still wasn¡¯t over. More creatures emerged from the portal from a far distance. Schwing! I sliced the arm off the creature¡¯s body. Urk! I heaved, my abdomen throbbed badly as I pulled out the hand from my stomach. Quickly, the injury healed. Was this from consuming blood? <1/50 Monsters Defeated> Right.. I might as well try my best to kill the rest needed now.. ¡°A-aaAAHH!!¡± I shifted my footing, focusing on where the sudden noise came from. A little girl stood there, shivering and crying. Her face was covered in snot and tears, and my body tensed. It didn¡¯t matter, she was in danger and there was no sign of an adult around her. I need to save her. This feeling overwhelmed me, and my heart pounded violently at my chest. I had never felt this pain before, it was so intense. "Hide, I''ll fight them. Once I say it''s safe, you can come out." She nodded, shaking in place, "O-Okay, I''ll count on you.." She ran, shivering and stumbling with her moves, eventually she went far enough to where I could barely see where she was. This was perfect. [Hidden Skill Activated!] My muscles spasmed, whilst my vision cleared up. The world seemed so much brighter, as if I could observe the world in a four-dimensional space, drift away from my consciousness, or warp spatial dimensions at will. My fingers danced across the blade with such perfection and accuracy, I had trouble comprehending that it was me. As if an other-worldly external force was puppeteering my movements. I flickered over to horde that was rapidly approaching. They had similar key features from the previous creature I had struggled against. With that same thick, gooey, tar-like substance oozing from their gaping wounds. I gripped the handle of the sword, feeling the wrath of a deity exploit my natural, predatoral instincts. Each footstep I took echoed, ringing in my ears as I approached the crowd with a still-like composure. A formidable pressure sheathed me like a sword, and a creeping, maddening bloodlust started to corrupt my mind. How many creatures are in that horde? I don¡¯t have time to question that anymore. There¡¯s no turning back now. It''s life or death. Game Start (2) A wet, moist sound of the sword slicing against the abhorrent, malformed flesh resonated throughout the battlefield. Swoosh! One was sliced in half. Swoosh! Another was impaled in the head. Swoosh! Another was beheaded. <4/50 Monsters Defeated> Blood surged, pouring out endlessly from the creature¡¯s open wounds and raining onto the battlefield. It continuously flowed like the ticking of an alarm, it seemed to never end. You could mistake it for rain, ¡°blood¡± rain. I avidly smirked as my heart beat tripled, pounding vigorously in my chest. Ba-thump! It went rapid, enhancing my senses. I could hear, smell, touch, see, and especially taste far beyond anything normal. Or what you could consider human. An unhinged bloodlust consumed me, gripping at my throat. My mind cleared, only thoughts of bloodshed and tyranty remained. I found myself moving without thought, a burning, bright sensation ignited from the blade. As if it was channeling the predecessor¡¯s legacy, and determination to continue the fight. slashed unmercifully, driven by the thought of murdering and was unwilling to be sheathed until each creature in the field was slaughtered in its sight. <23/50 Monsters Defeated> My movement faltered, and my heart beat squeezed firmly, mania started to consume my reasoning at an alarming rate. I profusely began to sweat, clenching at my stomach to lessen the excruciating pain thumping in numerous waves. To lessen the burning, aching agony that stirred up every time I inhaled. Even respiring felt like I was digesting boiling magma. There was only way to satiate this feeling, and perhaps quench this aching thirst. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I scanned for the freshly-severed bodies, focusing on where their open wounds were to stop me shaking from the pain inflicting onto me. I found it. There was a clean slice on a creature¡¯s forearm, with the contents I needed spilling out. A revolting smell oozed from the gash and its taste would definitely be enough to make me retch. But what other choice did I have? I hunched over, taking a large gulp. I impatiently sipped the remaining substance, tilting my head to savour each last sip I thought I¡¯d take. The helplessness faded, and I began to forget about the hysteria I previously endured. It eased my symptoms. I gritted my teeth and casted a glance upwards. Another horde of creatures were rapidly approaching. Instinctively, I reached for the cursed blade beside me and I was intent on massacring the rest of the creatures that would be summoned from that portal. Was the sword beginning to corrupt me? Several fables that recounted this remarkable sword all told the same, which went along the lines of; ¡°Every time this sword is unsheathed, someone must perish. With an unavoidable strike, this sword will leave its eternal legacy on its foes¡±. I stood up, with an unshaken resolve. I raised towards the swarm, its flame gleaming intensely. ¡°Perish under my blade.¡± I hoarsely declared, my heart pounding violently out my chest. I firmly gripped onto the handle, swiftly I stormed across the field, targeting opponents that were isolated. Schwing! The blade lit aflame, descending in the form of an arc in a quick motion. The surrounding air silenced after the cataclysmic strike was performed. <25/50 Monsters Defeated> The hunt¡ª rather massacre, began. An exhilarating feeling overwhelmed me. <27/50 Monsters Defeated> More. More. MORE. Schwing! The thunderous strike of the blade against the creature¡¯s flesh sparked a fire in the pit of my stomach. Reverberating in my head was the continuous piercing sound of the muscle against the unyielding edge of the blade. The rush, the thrill! My eyes quivered with each swift movement made, how long had it been since I had indulged in fun? I couldn¡¯t stop, this was just like a game! A small display window popped up, suddenly faltering my movements. My initial focus had dissipated, and now I was focused on what the display said. <50/50 Monsters Defeated>
¡ª Objective: Defeat 50 Monsters; Before the end of the week, failure to do so will result in death. I sighed of relief, I had managed to avoid the death penalty. However.. there¡¯s still 50 monsters left, the wave stated that there was¡ª <100 Monsters Incoming>¡ª So, where are the rest of the monsters? I nervously glanced around the wreckage, the land was strewn with fallen debris which was a result of the monsters. The once warmth atmosphere turned eerie, and desolate. The world seemed to have dimmed, and it must have been the outcome of the creatures that are crawling. ¡°It¡¯s safe to come out.¡± I yelled, as my heart rate returned to normal. I felt tired, I could barely move without feeling sore with my vision being blurred. The sword form faded, leaving only the beads of blood. I started to feel heavy and weak. Was I that drained from the fight..? I quivering slightly, rocking back and forth out of consciousness due to numbing the air felt, it was cold, very cold. I glanced over, and noticed a small silhouette of a girl appearing from the rumble. ¡°Y-you looked so brave!¡± She marvelled, her eyes gleamed brightly. Even brighter then the flames awakened from ¡°Where are your parents?¡± I was curious, but deep down I had expected the worst. ¡°A-ahm.. she-she ran away to go get help but..¡± She quivered, casting her gaze downwards. I hope she did.. and didn¡¯t abandon her to survive herself. ¡°A-aaAAH! Y-Yu Mirae!¡± A sudden wail jolted me from behind, I tensed up as I steadied my position. I turned around. It was.. her mother? ¡°I-I was looking all over for you.. my poor baby..¡± I witnessed the mother run to her child¡¯s aid, her fingers brushed her hair as she embraced her tightly. It seemed like she¡¯d never let go. This strangely irritated me, and I couldn¡¯t figure out why. Maybe because I witnessed this scene all alone. Game Start (3) I shrugged off the anxious feeling building up in my pit of my stomach. Why do I feel so shaken? Even when I have people in front of me, I¡¯m still alone. ¡ª I struggled moving, clutching at my side. The sun slowly set in the horizon as the stars flickered, matching the rhythm of a heartbeat. They were dispersed like a splatter of paint, it was like the sky was a canvas, being illustrated in a different colour perpetually. I approached the nearest building, it was dilapidated. I¡¯m surprised that it survived the rampage of the creatures. The paint peeled off from each of the corners, exposing the brick behind. The colours of the brick varied, from top to the bottom the hue was mahogany and ochre. An ¡°eyesore¡± was the perfect word to describe what I was in. It was in ruins, which was obvious to see with a singular glance. Especially with the fallen rumble, which I presumed had come from the ceiling, that had created an uneven pile on the floor. I should explore. I thought, glancing towards the sky. The sun had fully set, casting the world in a shadow. Whilst staring out at the open horizon, a gleam caught my eye. Under the rumble, there was something. Similar to how the game, Eternal Realm, operated, special objects gleamed with a bright, gold star. I was witnessing the same mechanic in real life. I heaved the top wreckage off with all my remaining strength. My breathing hitched, I was exasperating desperately for a pinch of air. My body ached, as I continued to pull each grainy debris off this mysterious item. I yanked the final debris off, and saw.. potions? The potions weren¡¯t damaged, there wasn¡¯t a single scratch on the glass rim. That shocked me considering how dusty the surrounding area I was in, how was it kept that pristine? The liquid inside was discoloured, but flickered a cerulean hue. There was a strange symbol on the bottle, which looked similar to a tornado. I jolted as a display window popped up. <4* Aeolia Times> I clicked the description. [Just like the beings in the Aeolia times, this potion will ensure a safe landing by releasing a surge of wind. Be cautious of the fury that may be contained under the concealed zephyr] .. That wasn¡¯t terrifying at all. I shuddered at the thought of the fury, how windy was Aeolia? If I recall, the island was ruled by Aeolus, the son of Hippotes, and was the ruler of the winds by Zeus. Didn¡¯t he interact with Odysseus? I can¡¯t exactly remember what happened, but I don¡¯t think it was positive. ¡°Four star potions.. this could be handy.¡± I quietly repeated, deciding on what I should do. Although, according to ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, any loot could be an advantage as all items served a boost for the user. Seeing how this world has become ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, I might need this. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Quickly, I stored the potions into my pocket. <4* Aeolia Times was stored> <+ Luck!> A gust of wind blew at me. More luck? That could be useful. Suddenly, I convulsed. Something was rising out of me. I stumbled in my movement, momentarily kneeling on the floor. I retched out my insides, I clenched tightly onto my shirt. A dense, lumpy tar-like substance regurgitated out of my mouth, coating the ground below me in an indescribable fluid. I need to lay down. Struggling to move, I dragged my heavy body against the cold concrete floor. I leaned against the wall, drifting in and out of conscious. ¡ª Ruffling of fabric rang in my ear. ¡°Another survivor.. I assumed most had succumbed to the attacks from the creatures.¡± This person¡¯s voice was sultry, with a velvety cadence that seemed to emphasise their mellow tone. I had a hard time trying to remain still under the pressure of their formidable gaze, it made my hairs stand on their end. ¡°You¡¯re alive, aren¡¯t you?¡± The articulation of their voice felt condescending, and an even more overwhelming weight incapacitated me. I parted my eyes. ¡°Ah, so you are awake.¡± Long lustrous black hair whisked around her, glimmering in the moonlight. The tips of her hair swirled an golden hue, which complimented the dark raven knitted sweater that firmly fitted her body. A harness sat diagonally across her body, with another supporting the underside of her chest. Another harness rested on her waist, with a holder containing golden arrows. Her face showed no imperfections. Was she sculpted by a god? I stared back to her eyes, or what I thought was her eyes. She was wearing black shades and I could see myself through the reflection. I wasn¡¯t the best looking person, but lord. I looked like an incest compared to her breathtaking appearance. Hair that cascaded down the face whilst rough hair fibres surrounded the exterior of the head. The hair exhibited the plain colour of ebony, with the end tips turning purple¡ªwait purple? That can''t be right.. my hair should have fully be black? My eyes also exuded the colour of¡ª Wine? .. Wait¡ª wait. When did my eyes turn purple? I swore that my eyes were¡ª well should have been dark brown? She took off the black shades, unveiling her grey-coloured eyes. They shimmered like stars in the sky, and seemed to possess integrity. She felt reliable, someone I could trust or lean on. She had unusually long eyelashes that fluttered gently. Her eyes could recite a fable, the deepness of them could lure and entice me to pry further¡ª .. Hold on. What am I thinking right now? I ignored my pestering thoughts and focused entirely on the woman in front of me. ¡°Yu Haeun, you?¡± She asked euphonious, her voice scratched the back of my skull. She stretched her left hand towards me, radiating confidence through her gaze. ¡°.. Myo Dae.¡± I felt compelled to take her hand. Grrmnhh! The sky crackled, tearing the world apart with a cataclysmic lightning storm that pressurised the tectonic plates to dramatically shift, shaking my body. A force pulled me upwards, and I was gradually up on my feet. Yu Haeun: Age: 20 Height: 172cm Class: Hunter Sponsor: ?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É? Art: ?¦Ï¦Ö?¦Á¦É¦Ñ¦Á .. Is this her file? What is that ability? Is it in an ancient language..? ¡°Seems like you¡¯re a regular citizen.. you don¡¯t have an ability right?¡± She said, before pausing for a bit. ¡°It doesn¡¯t show in your character file if you do.¡± I was surprised at her honesty, it was refreshing for a change. ¡°Abilities? What are those? Are they superpowers?¡± ¡°Hmm, seems like you haven¡¯t received one yet. I¡¯m sure you can gain an ability, but I¡¯m uncertain on how.¡± She pressed her hand against her lips, clearly immersed in her own thoughts. ¡°Do you have an ability?¡± She faltered slightly. ¡°Indeed so, but I haven¡¯t figured out all of it¡¯s potential skills.¡± ¡°Well, what can you do?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve figured out I have a special bow, with golden arrows. I can also travel on the arrows.. surprisingly.¡± Aren¡¯t arrows flimsy? The arrows must be enchanted in some way¡ª ¡°?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É?¡± Isn¡¯t that Ancient Greek? ? is self-explanatory, it symbolises the letter A. I can¡¯t distingush the next letters, but the last two ¡°¦É?¡± means ¡°is¡±. .. I¡¯ll make sure to take a book from the bookstore.. if all the libraries aren¡¯t demolished that is.. I¡¯m glad that my obsession with mythology in my teens is greatly benefitting me right now. Thanks younger me. Grrmmnhh¡­ A similar sound resonated throughout the globe, another wave was starting. <1 Elite Enemy and 150 Monsters Incoming> ¡°Another wave.. the first one only started a few hours ago. You¡¯ll be in danger, let¡¯s evacuate quickly. I¡¯ll handle the monsters.¡± It was only then I realised she had a bow on her back. She pulled it from behind her, gripping onto the arrows that sat in the holder at their waist. A portal materialised out of thin air, containing the most grotesque creatures. She readied her position, keeping her feet apart. Attaching the arrow to the string, she raised the bow towards the open area. With clean precision, the first monster that appeared disintegrated, as the arrow pierced through the creature. A bubbling fire sparked inside the wound, quickly spreading to the rest of the swarm. Getting a closer look, I noticed that all her arrows contained a different coloured tip, the arrow that fired had a reddish-orange coloured tip. ¡°That¡¯ll buy us enough time to escape.¡± She fired another arrow, this time it stayed still. Ominously still. ¡°Hang on tight.¡± Suddenly, I was pulled onto her. It felt unreal, the arrow seemed to hold the weight of two people.. and was strangely larger than usual. ¡°Wait--what?¡± ¡°¦Ï?¦Ê¦Ï?¡± She whispered, it was barely audible but it was enough for the arrow to immediately glide over the air in a quick motion. I tightly held onto Yu-nim, feeling embarrassed but more comfortable and secure in the position I was in. Soon enough, we had arrived at.. a forest? Specifically, an oak forest that overlooked the mountain range, with subtle wet pastures on the left side of the forest. ¡°What the¡ª? How did we end up in a forest? I specifically said home..¡± She muttered under her breath, before slightly hesitating. ¡°It must be because of Artemis..¡± Artemis? THAT Artemis? The goddess of hunting, the wild, animals, nature, and children?! THAT Artemis? I nearly fainted on the spot. ¡°Are you alright?¡± A sweet, soothing voice melodiously brought me back to reality. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I nervously stated, as my heartbeat eventually recovered back to a normal rate. I need to get used to her face.. before it kills me. Dwelling of a Ghost (1) ¡°This is nowhere near the settlement..¡± She muttered under her breath, she sounded.. irritated. ¡°We¡¯ll have to navigate through the forest.. ¦Õ?¦Ò¦Å¦É?¡± ¡°The forest ends in about 21km.¡± She said, analysing the best route to trek. ¡°I can shorten the route down to 11km, it¡¯ll be a dangerous route though.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t we use the travelling arrow again?¡± ¡°I only had one, to gain another one I have to spend 1000 coins.¡± Well.. all abilities need to have a disadvantage. Especially her, she¡¯s sponsored by Artemis! ¡°Let¡¯s start to walk then.¡± I suggested, to which she nodded. ¡ª 5 minutes had passed. Trekking the forest¡¯s terrain was difficult, there were multiple vines that gripped onto you when you barely grazed past them. ¡°How are you?¡± She asked me a question. ¡°I¡¯m.. fine.¡± Even though the spiky plants stung me, this pain was nowhere close to the excruciating agony I had felt before. This moment made me reflect on how grateful I was for the life I had.. prior to the world becoming the game I was fond of. ¡°Any goals you have? Anything you look forward to?¡± She asked again. Goals.. that question stumped me. Being thrown into a scenario where the game you played became reality felt surreal to me, it was hard for me to understand and come to terms with. My prior goal was to defeat 50 monsters.. but now I¡¯m lost until the second main quest comes my way. What should I do? How did our world merge with a game? Was this what creator-nim meant by ¡®a gift¡¯? I didn¡¯t ask for this! ¡°Are you alright? You¡¯ve been zoning out since I asked. It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t want to answer.¡± ¡°No.. it¡¯s okay. I was just thinking..¡± I trailed off, immersed in my own thoughts. I came to a conclusion that I would definitely complete in the future. At all costs. ¡°I think my main goal is to survive.. and to find out how our world became a game.¡± ¡°Game?¡± Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Shit. I forgot that it was impossible for others to know or realise that the world was merging with a game that had practically become unknown unless they were intuitive. I¡¯m an idiot! ¡°Although a game makes sense due to the character files, I would never think that our world would turn into.. an apocalypse.¡± She nervously laughed, possibly to lighten the mood. I didn¡¯t know what to say. This might have been my fault. I would have to keep that a secret. ¡ª 2 hours had passed. Our conversations varied in topic. It could be about work life, domestic life, or even friendships. Sometimes it would be silence, even then I would have fun in it and relish in the moment. How long had it been since I had talked this freely with someone? ¡°We made it out, let¡¯s take a break.¡± She said, wiping the sweat off her forehead. ¡°Agreed, let¡¯s go under the shade.¡± Quickly, we sat under the tree¡¯s shade, relaxing to steady my rapid heartbeat. Maybe I should have done more exercise. ¡ª 5 minutes had passed. I began to feel drowsy and I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes awake. It was like an external force invoked a spell on me. And I couldn¡¯t resist even if I had tried. I succumbed to the darkness. ¡­ Muffled sounds resonated throughout my body.. throughout my core. It felt like an out-of-body experience, but I could barely move or budge. ¡°Myo-nim, where are you¡ª¡° All the noise had faded to black regardless, I had no time to process. Maybe this is the relaxation I needed. ¡ª It felt like it had been awhile since I had last opened my eyes. The night welcomed me when I looked up, the stars twinkled in a pearly hue. My sensations felt numbed.. and that¡¯s when I realised. Yu Haeun was gone. ** ¡°Myo-nim, where are you going?¡± When I woke up, I noticed that Myo-nim was strangely walking into the fog. Which was strange for two reasons, Myo-nim had his eyes closed and our surroundings were enveloped by a thick, dense fog. I had only relaxed for a few minutes whilst he napped, how quickly did this occur? This didn¡¯t make sense. Regardless, it looked like Myo-nim was sleepwalking. I walked over to him and tried to shake him awake. To no avail. Like a lifeless zombie, he continued to tread a straight path. That¡¯s when I noticed it, my eyes widened at the sight. An ominous structure I hadn¡¯t seen before using ¦Õ?¦Ò¦Å¦É?. It was like it had never existed until this moment. The air felt heavy, clammy cold and thick with a sickening smell of death. In front of an eerily mansion stood an eroded gate, that hung off its hinges. Strewn across the yard were trees, some were stood up. With skeleton-like branches protruding from its brittle skin, they were positioned like a cross. Whilst some were laid out like a pile of remains. The residence beyond was towering and colossal, monopolised by a strange sense of dread. Spikes on top of the gloomy, somber mansion acted as its teeth, which had creeped me more than anything I had seen. I felt incapacitated, wanting to gravitate to explore more of this place. Immediately, I snapped out of it since I had to look out for Myo-nim. However, he was headed in a direction I didn¡¯t expect. Towards the same exact building I dreaded. ¡°Snap out of it, where are you going?!¡± I yelled with a hoarse voice. He continued to walk like he was an empty shell of a human or as if he was.. An illusion. It was only when I registered it, everything went dark. The world spun quickly, to the point I felt sick. I was tricked. How could I have let this happen? ¡ª Objective: Discover the one behind the Illusions Reward: 100 coins ** ¡°No signs of Yu Haeun anywhere..¡± I nervously bit my thumb, exploring the forest indepth. ¡°Where could she have gone?¡± Returning back to where we had rested, I noticed a distinct print in the grass. It resembled.. an animal? Perhaps she followed the trail as well? If I see nothing when I follow this path, then I¡¯ll search somewhere else. With no other clues, I closely treaded the path in hopes of finding a slight trace of Yu Haeun. ¡°The prints end here..¡± I mumbled, looking up. I think I almost fainted on the spot. How could I have not spotted this from far away? A formidable, substantial mansion spawned from thin air, isolated from the forest as if we were in a different domain. An army of thin, wilted trees were scattered across the yard, acting as its battlefield. I don¡¯t think Yu Haeun would have gone in, she seemed cautious to me and I doubt she would have not been wary enough to not enter inside. I took a step back, to re-trace my steps before I abruptly stopped. The void was behind me. How was this possible¡ª? Until I came to a possible conclusion. This was definitely a domain, or something along those lines. I had definitely seen something like this from ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯, this would most likely be caused by an extremely powerful supernatural or illusionist.. let¡¯s hope it¡¯s the latter. Yu Haeun must have been dragged, or gravitated by the supernaturals into the house. I¡¯ll only find out when I go inside. Navigating my way throughout the strewn trees, I had made it to the front of the house. With a deep breath, I stepped on the porch and a major fatigue overwhelmed me. ¡ª Objective: Discover the one behind the Illusions Reward: 100 coins .. Hah.. an illusionist. At least it isn¡¯t caused by something more powerful.. but an illusionist can still cause trouble.. I heaved my weak body towards the door, opening it slightly. I almost hurled, collapsing onto the door. I barely kept myself up, the only item supporting me was the knob of the door. I yanked the door open with the remaining little strength I had. I fell forward into the first room of the house. Observing it, I realised that the interior seemed to be significantly smaller than the exterior. Don¡¯t tell me that was an illusion as well.. ¡ª Objective: Find ¡°Yu Haeun¡± before the Illusionist does Reward: 500 coins Time: 1 hour .. What? Two sub-quests..? The second one has a higher reward than the previous one. Yu Haeun must be in danger. Dwelling of a Ghost (2) I slowly regained my strength so I gradually lifted myself off the dusty floor. The interior of this house was small, there were 3 main entryways and a staircase leading to the upper floor. Where would I be able to find Yu Haeun? And before the illusionist? They can easily trick me into areas far from where she could be. I should assess the situation carefully, and think of it like a turn-based or detective game. Each step matters, and each fatal error I make could cause Yu Haeun¡¯s downfall. Where do most people hide? Closets.. Under beds.. in a compartment? The most logical area to search should be upstairs. I treaded cautiously up the stairs. Hang on. Can¡¯t I just use my ability? A bloodied paper and pen manifested in my hands. I¡ª I didn¡¯t think of this. Does the ability just choose for me..? ¡°What am I supposed to do with this..?¡± I mumbled, confused with the objects given to me that trickled throughout my hands. A glowing, radiating golden aura swaddled me and my mind cleared up. I was suddenly overcome with excruciating agony, my mind burst with heaps of knowledge seeping out of each crevice. I fell onto my knees, gripping onto my head. I uncontrollably shook, my mind was swarmed. I was transcending the realm of ¡®human¡¯, I couldn¡¯t stop my tears from flowing out. I was profusely sweating, gasping for even the most minimal air. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I¡¯m going to die. I clutched at my neck, grasping onto the wall of the house for extra support. I don¡¯t want to die. Not yet! The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The pain ceased immediately, and the grip on my thought alleviated. I was now in a state of ¡®Enlightenment¡¯. I could understand, I was aware of all intellectual movement. All other senses fogged up as my mind cleared immensely. The inners of the house were shifting, corresponding to the illusionist¡¯s will. I now knew what was real or fake. The pen autonomously moved on its own, scribbling the name ¡°Yu Haeun¡± on the Scribe¡¯s Palette. Her name illuminated a golden hue, contrasting the colour of red from the book. <¡°YU HAEUN¡± must be thinking of you to discover her current location> What? Well, now what..? Should I start shouting her name until she starts thinking of me? When will that be? I¡¯ve only met her a few hours ago, why would she possibly be ever thinking about me? ¡°Yu Haeun!¡± I yelled repeatedly out of desperation until my voice went hoarse and dry. I can¡¯t have her die yet, She¡¯s useful. <¡°YU HAEUN¡± has been located> A golden trail twisted throughout the hallways, navigating towards the bedroom at the final room. I quickly followed behind the glow, hoping to find Yu Haeun at the end of it. The panting seeping out of my mouth resonated inside my head. This way, that way, this way! I thumped against the wall. A dead end? That can¡¯t be possible.. the golden trail goes through the wall..? I intricately searched the surrounding area for a button, or a contraception that could push the wall aside. Suddenly, I stepped through a wall, not the one intended, but I still managed to slip through it. I landed face first into a room that definitely wasn¡¯t here before. This must have been caused by the Illusionist. Drip. I touched my nose and looked back at my hand. Blood was leaking out of my nose in large amounts. I frantically scrambled to wipe off the blood, staining my cheeks in blood. Once getting up, I quickly dusted off my clothes. In the midst of cleaning, I noticed that under a desk, a yellow star glimmered brightly in the dark. That must be the only way to open the wall. I stumbled towards the star, feeling under the desk for a button or a lever. Slamming my hand, I managed to hit the button. Crrrkkkk¡­ The ground shook violently, as something heavy pulled itself across the floor. I returned back to the hallway where the obstacle had moved itself into the gap in the left-side of the wall. <5 minutes remaining: Ibis¡¯ Final Wisdom> A chill ran down my spine and my forehead was covered in sweat. This feeling could be compared to hypothermia. There¡¯s bound to be consequences if I use this skill for too long.. maybe I¡¯ll be killed over and again. I laughed at my own pity. But there¡¯s no time left to lament over my suffering, I needed to find Yu Haeun. I quickly ran down the hall, tracing the golden trail until it went inside a room. Specifically a bedroom. ¡°Yu-nim?¡± I said, a bit worried. ¡°Myo-nim?¡± A voice called out and I instantly felt relieved. My feet gave up and I immediately melted into the floor, collapsing onto my knees. ¡°When did one of your eyes turn golden?¡± What is she talking about¡ª? Hang on. Golden? That must be caused by using .. I told her I didn¡¯t have an ability as well.. ¡°Must be from the Illusionist. I had a hard time trying to find you after all.¡± ¡ª Objective: Find ¡°Yu Haeun¡± before the Illusionist does Reward: 500 coins Time: 1 hour I glanced over to the display window and sighed of relief. ¡°Makes somewhat sense.. your eye isn¡¯t golden anymore.¡± She said, covering her mouth. ¡°Yeah..¡± I wearily said, my voice becoming dry. A violent urge to cough gripped at my throat, instinctively I threw up my insides. Blood splattered against the floor, and leaked from the corners of my mouth. I only used the ability for a few minutes, why¡ª? S¨¥th? The proclaimed ¡°trickster¡± out of all the other Ancient Egyptian gods? ¡ª Objective: Discover the one behind the Illusions Reward: 100 coins I noticed both me and Yu Haeun glanced over to the display box. ¡ª Objective: Defeat the God of the Desert, S¨¥th Reward: 10,000 coins ¡°Are you kidding me¡ª? S¨¥th? That¡¯s a god! What human is capable of killing a god?¡± She said, afraid of the upcoming battle. She was right. There were multiple instances of mortals being able to forever wound a god, but an instance where a mortal kills a god? Unless you¡¯re a demi-god, or a god. That¡¯s deemed impossible! That¡¯s when it hit me. It can be possible, a feature of ¡®Eternal Realm¡¯ allowed for it. You could spend coins to gain useful attributes from your sponsor to use for a limited time. In my case, instead of a sponsor I have to spend coins towards the owner of the object I possess. Since the owner of the palette and pen is Th?th, there¡¯s a slim possibility of me gaining access to Horus. The one who slayed S¨¥th in the Osiris Myth. Dwelling of a Ghost (3) ¡°Do you remember the fable on how S¨¥th was defeated?¡± I asked, clutching at my stomach slightly. ¡°Somewhat.. didn¡¯t S¨¥th and Horus get into conflict because S¨¥th usurped, and in the process killed his father Osiris?¡± She picked me up by my shoulders, lifting me up whilst I slumped onto her. ¡°Exactly.. in the end Horus managed to overwhelm S¨¥th through¡ª¡° .. Wait I can¡¯t just say that to Yu Haeun. The way S¨¥th was defeated by Horus was.. by ingesting his semen. This was done by secretly putting it on S¨¥th¡¯s meal, this being lettuce-leaves. ¡°How did Horus defeat S¨¥th?¡± No. I¡¯m missing even an bigger key fact. S¨¥th wasn¡¯t killed by Horus, he was only thwarted. In the end, Horus split their leadership over Egypt in half, where Horus ruled over the fertile lands whilst S¨¥thh ruled over the barren desert and foreign lands. But this all depends on the version of the Osiris Myth.. Horus is the best shot I have in defeating S¨¥th. ¡°Horus didn¡¯t.. exactly defeat S¨¥th, but he¡¯s the only one that can rival against him.¡± ¡°Right.. so how exactly are we going to summon Horus?¡± She was right, how were we going to get Horus to help us? Can you help me? Can this help me succeed..? Right, I shouldn¡¯t doubt him. Th?th was never one to be dishonest. Similar to before, a pen and palette summoned in my hands stained in the colour of red. I coughed further splattering a pool of blood underneath me. My heart thumped loudly in my chest, amplifying the amount of pressure I felt. This was a consequence of using an ability whilst not having enough blood. ¡°What the¡ª? Where did the pen and palette come from?! Why are they in blood?¡± I could barely make out her frantic speech, concentrating fully on writing in the palette. <¡°HOW TO SUMMON HORUS¡± is within you> What? Did Th?th lie to me? How is the answer within me? That¡¯s when I realised. My heartbeat pounded quicker, to the point I could feel my heart pulsing in my throat. ¡°Yu¡ª¡° Fuck, it hurts. I¡¯m in pain, fuck. ¡°Yu-nim, are¡ªis my eye golden?¡± I could barely look up and make eye contact, it hurt to make slight movement. I needed to quickly do this. ¡°Y¡ªYeah? What does that mean?¡± She said confused, until a sudden realisation dawned on her. ¡°No way, you¡ªyou¡¯re not asking me to gouge out your eye, right? That can¡¯t be the way to summon Horus..¡± Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. I could only nod, it pained me to talk. My vocal cords felt strained, or pulled from my body. ¡°If this is the only way.. I don¡¯t really want to do this but..¡± She hesitated, looking down at my shrivelled form. ¡°I¡¯ll try to make it quick.¡± She pulled an arrow from the holder on her belt, this arrow¡¯s tip was dyed blue. A sense of terror struck me, as I watched the arrow descend closer, and closer towards me. It won¡¯t hurt, it won¡¯t hurt at all. I repeated continuously, more so to affirm it to myself than anything else. I could hear the optic nerves being detached. An extreme, sharp agony overwhelmed me, my eye was ripped out from the socket. My vision immediately went blurry, until it went bright, immensely bright. Excruciating bright. I was sensitive to the light, it hurt. It was stinging bad, very bad, like an inflammatory headache, it continued to ache non-stop. I tried to scream, but I couldn¡¯t, I physically couldn¡¯t. My body felt distorted, when will the pain stop? When will it stop? When will it stop? It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. Nothing. Emptiness. A fog. It enveloped me, I could only properly look forward at Yu Haeun. My eyes seemed to water, but only one could. My left eye was gone. Was this what phantom pain felt like? Maybe it was from reaching omniscience, but I could detail most of the fable of Ancient Egypt.. the eye gouged out from me was, The Eye of Horus. The room began to lighten up, this must be because the Eye of Horus was seen as a symbol of the moon. ¡°What do I do now?¡± She shook, holding onto the arrow that¡ªthat had my eye. Even I didn¡¯t know what to do, Th?th had completed the first part of the puzzle but.. actually summoning Horus? His worshippers could only dream, how would this work? Maybe.. we have to offer the eye to him. ¡°Yu¡ªgod¡ªah.¡± My voice came out dry. ¡°Offer the Eye of Horus to him, like in a rite.¡± I splattered more blood. ¡°Understood, please don¡¯t die.¡± She said, seemingly worried for my health. That made me happy. ¡°Horus, please hear my prayers.¡± She prayed, putting her hands together. A noise squawked, and I slowly flickered my glance towards the open window. It was a falcon, specifically Horus as a falcon. The falcon squawked, fawning its left wing in front of its face. ¡°Can you help us against S¨¥th?¡± The falcon¡¯s eye twitched slightly, it was then I noticed that the falcon was missing its.. left eye. ¡°I offer you the Eye of Horus, a good deal right?¡± I could vaguely see her slightly smirk once she finished speaking. The falcon stilled for a bit. I glanced over towards Yu Haeun, and she glowed brightly. She must have got a temporary ability.. I wish I could watch for a bit but.. I¡¯m going to pass out¡ª ** A golden sceptre materialised in my hands, I quickly flickered my gaze over to Myo-nim. He¡¯s asleep.. looks like I¡¯ll have to fight on my own. ¡ª Objective: Defeat the God of the Desert, S¨¥th Reward: 10,000 coins Way to remind me again. Yu Haeun: Age: 20 Height: 172cm Class: Hunter Sponsor: ¡°?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É?¡± x [TEMP] ¡°Horus¡± Art: ¡°?¦Ï¦Ö?¦Á¦É¦Ñ¦Á¡± x [TEMP] ¡°pr-??¡± I tapped on ¡°pr-??¡±. What? Is that a hieroglyphic? I have no clue what this will do.. The falcon fully covered its face with its wings. My breath hitched, with this skill I¡¯m able to kill a god? There has to be a consequence right? A rough squawk bellowed from the falcon. .. When will I ever get a chance to kill a god? An exciting tingle travelled throughout my body. Ignoring the argument between ?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É? and Horus, I glanced over to the sceptre, that glowed a golden hue. Could this be enough to kill a god? A rush of air quickly brushed past me. ¡°What the¡ª?¡± A sudden urge to move washed over me, and I reacted with my instinct. Swwshh! My eyes flashed quickly, a was-sceptre sliced where I had originally stood. The house was split cleanly. If I don¡¯t dodge in time, I¡¯m dead. I¡¯ll definitely be dead. I had already made my choice, even before the consequence was stated. ¡°I agree!¡± I yelled, ducking quickly to avoid the upcoming slice. Shiiing! That would have beheaded me if I wasn¡¯t fast enough. My senses felt heightened, a prickly sensation full of elation covered my body. The sceptre fused suddenly, attached to the top of the sceptre was.. a cobra. However, this cobra had a strange disk inside of it. It resembled the sun. I could finally see him, he was rooted in place. Fear swallowed him whole, why was he so afraid of r?w? Who is r?w? Taking advantage of his sudden fear, I rushed to use the sceptre. A rain of arrows stormed towards S¨¥th. Suddenly the arrows snapped, the.. the arrows from ?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É? snapped..? I looked towards S¨¥th and an unnerving sense of death radiated from him. A roaring, tumultuous laugh crackled out of him. A quick slash aimed at my stomach, I barely managed to dodge in time. A small cut formed in my abdomen. I focused on where the attacks could be coming from. What? I almost laughed, I was so bewildered I couldn¡¯t process the next slash. Swwshh! I was shrouded in a shield, and I watched the god¡¯s head twitch slightly. Maybe that was a bad idea, I let my guard down too quickly. I should focus on dodging and striking at the perfect times. I observed S¨¥th¡¯s movements, finding the perfect time to interfere and strike. There. He jumped quickly, aiming towards me with his Was-sceptre. I blocked it with the golden sceptre I wielded, it made a loud thrash when colliding together. As fast as I could, I pulled out the dagger from the back pocket of my trousers. This must do a lot of damage, Hephaestus was known for his weaponry, there¡¯s a reason why he was an excellent blacksmith. He was determined. Which is what I will be! Rapidly, I stabbed S¨¥th in the neck. Making sure to dig the blade deeper inside, until the tip reached the other side of his neck. A sharp pain pelted against my abdomen, forcing me to spit out saliva. I flung across the room, bashing my head against the closet¡ªno.. wardrobe. I couldn¡¯t tell, the room kept shifting and bending at S¨¥th¡¯s will. Once again, a sonorous, thundering noise erupted from S¨¥th¡¯s mouth. He cackled louder, pulling out the blade from his neck. That¡¯s when he flinched, he couldn¡¯t believe it. He was actually bleeding. How could a god bleed in the face of a mortal? Was most likely what he was thinking, I saw the fear in his face. A sinister smirk displayed on my face. I got him right where I wanted him. Dwelling of a Ghost (4) Hephaestus was the god responsible for everyone¡¯s weaponry. He made many iconic weapons and objects, such as the girdle from Aphrodite or the armour used from Achilles. But there was something special about him, that no other blacksmith could do. His weapons were able to kill gods. Not in the way you expect, the weaponry couldn¡¯t be that powerful. All of Hephaestus¡¯s weapons were seen as plain, they weren¡¯t represented as shiny or golden. They were represented in the bland colours in order to let a god¡¯s guard down, or an unsuspecting victim. This would give you enough chance to strike, the first strike ensured that the God would detach from the immortal plane. Once the dagger was removed, so too was their god-like connection. I lured S¨¥th into thinking this was an easy battle. However, this god-like connection is only severed for 15 minutes, this means that I have a small frame-window to fight. Worse yet, he still remembers his experience, knowledge, and he can still wield the Was-sceptre so he¡¯s still a difficult challenge to fight against. At least I can damage him now. His enhanced skills should also be reduced, hopefully. I just had to observe¡ª Instinctively, I turned around extending the golden sceptre to shield me. ¡°What the¡ª?¡± I blurted, surprised at his quickness. ¡°Thee didn¡¯t think removing my connection to the gods would support thee?¡± A wide smirk played on his face from each corners of his face. I need to quickly predict his movements before he kills me¡ª! Above. I slashed above me, managing to hit S¨¥th. But it barely made a scratch. Is r?w the Sun God? If so.. he had a destructive aspect to him that was able to destroy the world.. and he had the power to create it again.. no wonder S¨¥th is terrified. I jumped backwards, barely escaping S¨¥th¡¯s ruthless assault of attacks. Clashing spectres, I thought of an idea. This would summon a bright light created from the sun¡¯s fire, this would be enough to kill anybody. A bright light enveloped S¨¥th, to which I thought he disintegrated but.. He actually absorbed the light!? ¡°Continue to feed me strength.¡± He hissed, smirking widely. If r?w¡¯s power supports him.. I¡¯ll have to use the opposite. The moon. The golden sceptre changed form, the tip of the sceptre looked like an eye, in the size of a lunar moon. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. A dark, shadow-like blast manifested from the lunar moon ontop of the sceptre. I aimed directly towards S¨¥th, who looked bewildered at the sceptre¡¯s changing form. As soon as he got hit, he crashed against the wall. The room stopped shifting, this is definitely a sign of S¨¥th weakening! ¡°I slipped up, that¡¯s the only chance thee will get.¡± Horus spoke again, why is he so adamant on me aiming for his testicles? I looked up, where a Was-sceptre was a few seconds away from slashing me in half. I managed to counter with the sceptre I was holding, but I began to grow weak. Should I seriously follow Horus¡¯ advice? He was the one able to fight against S¨¥th. I was certainly being drained, I have to end this fight before it ends up using all my lifespan. The sceptre transformed again, merging the two forms of ¡°r?w¡± and ¡°j??¡±. The cobra from before sat on top of the lunar moon, whilst balancing the sun above. I tapped yes. The sceptre glowed brightly, a flame erupted from the top. How was the flame not burning me? I¡ªI should be burnt but strangely.. it felt soothing and calming more than anything. ¡°This is your only chance to step down.¡± I said sternly, trying to rile up S¨¥th so he would slip up and make a fatal error, allowing for me to utilise him. He smirked. ¡°O, Thee bring it.¡± Dashing forward, our sceptres clashed quickly. The thudding of the metal crashing together caused sparks to form between the two of us and a blaring noise to resonate throughout my body. A sonically charged blast exploded from the sceptre, and I knew exactly where to aim. Lowering the sceptre downwards, I aimed for S¨¥th¡¯s private parts. Shiing! The blast blew off his private parts, specifically slicing off his testicles. I grimaced at the sight, why was Horus so adamant on this? I was suddenly overwhelmed by S¨¥th¡¯s cries. Wow. He was incredibly upset. I almost snickered at Horus¡¯ description, he sounded so stern whilst being passive aggressive. I glanced over towards S¨¥th, as he continued to sob. ¡°Sorry, are you okay¡ª?¡± ¡°I ADMIT DEFEAT!¡± .. Was it that easy? No way, Horus was actually telling the truth the whole time? <5 minutes left before S¨¥th becomes a god> ¡°You admit defeat?¡± ¡°Yes, I do admit defeat! No more.¡± He wailed, staring at the absence of his lower half. ¡ª Objective: Defeat the God of the Desert, S¨¥th Reward: 10,000 coins It was seriously that easy?! That can¡¯t be..? I glanced over to the falcon stood by the drawer. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was talking about S¨¥th or me at the last bit, but I didn¡¯t mind. The fight was over. I collapsed, catching my breath. It was only then I began to feel pain. It was the adrenaline that made me continue fighting and now that the battle was over, I could relax. A piece of me seemed to disappear, which felt eerily weird. Yu Haeun: Age: 20 Height: 172cm Class: Hunter Sponsor: ?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É? Art: ?¦Ï¦Ö?¦Á¦É¦Ñ¦Á I was definitely back at normal. I might actually miss that ability. I glanced over to where S¨¥th was originally limping and realised he had also disappeared. It was like they were never there. ** Waking up was a pain, my body ached badly and my eyelids felt too heavy to actually open my eyes. ¡°Myo-nim?¡± A familiar voice said with a worried pang. I immediately opened my eyes. Well, one of my eyes. The other was surrounded in a bandage. ¡°Yu-nim?¡± I said, surprised. Then I was surprised at our surroundings. I was in a hospital bed. The walls were painted an eerily white, like a bizarrely strange white. Wherever we were reminded me more of an asylum with how bright and vivid the walls were, then a hospital. I couldn¡¯t recall what had happened before. Like, there was gap in my memory. I could only remember having my eye gouged out.. then I succumbed to the darkness. It had felt soothing. ¡°What happened?¡± I said, groggily. Touching my head to ease the headaches I was feeling. ¡°Long story. To shorten it, I fought S¨¥th by gaining a temporary ability from Horus. I managed to defeat him, but not kill him. You should have also gained 10,000 coins?¡± She said, smiling. I checked my coins. Huh? I checked the coins history. ¡ª> 500 coins received from completing ¡ª> 10,000 coins received from completing ¡ª> 25% Reduction - Did not participate overall ¡°I received most of the coins but it got reduced due to a lack of participation..¡± I said, groaning slightly. ¡°At least you got some in the end, right?¡± She smiled. ¡°How long have I been out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s..¡± She frowned. ¡°It¡¯s been a week.¡± She frowned even more. .. So everyone who hadn¡¯t completed
must be dead.. A pain struck me at my abdomen. ¡°Are you okay? Do you need anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, I just feel a bit ill..¡± ¡°Right.¡± She hesitated. ¡°Do you have an ability?¡± She sharply said, leaving me to two choices. Lie or Tell the Truth. .. There was no point hiding it now. She witnessed me using haemokinesis, and even gouged out my eye. ¡°Yes. Sorry for lying in the beginning, I was being weary.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable. Let¡¯s stay honest from now on?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with that.¡± I solemnly promised, glancing over to the IV line inserted into my arm. ¡°Oh right, when I arrived at the hospital there was no one here. I assumed everyone had evacuated.¡± She looked out into the horizon with a pitiful look. ¡°I scanned you to see your vitals, it showed you had low blood circulation. So, I cleaned your arm and inserted the IV into a vein. There should be a lot of blood flowing into your body now.¡± I was surprised, where did she learn this from? ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± Could there be a blood bank then? ¡°Yu-nim, where did you get the blood bag?¡± ¡°I was roaming the hospital and found a room that should have been storing the blood bags.. however..¡± She sighed slightly. ¡°That was the only one there.¡± ¡°I see.. well I might want to explain the situation to you.¡± She looked confused, but intrigued to hear. ¡°Essentially, I need to have blood in order to continue using my ability.¡± ¡°Oh, so like a vampire?¡± I paused for a second, and bursted into laughter. ¡°Kind of.¡± I said clenching my stomach to stop myself from laughing harder. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± She said, incredibly puzzled at my strange reaction. It¡¯s been a while since I laughed so hard. Survivor (1) Resting for a while, I was fully replenished by the blood bag. My eye had recovered, which surprised me. "Your ability covers for extreme removals as well?" I didn''t have a quick response. I didn''t know myself. "It seems so." That explained why my stomach injury had healed quickly, it could only be done by having a high enough blood supply. Walking out of the hospital, Yu Haeun and I decided to seek other people who had survived from the Main Quest. Although, it wasn¡¯t looking well. I had barely passed by one single person, the once-bustling city became a ghost town so fast, to me it only felt like a day had passed. I had slept for a week. How many people died? I didn''t want to think, if I pondered on it for too long I would feel sick to my stomach. I was beginning to develop survivor''s guilt. "I think the settlement was this way.." She said, looking beyond the horizon. "Are you not able to use that ability you had before?" "Well, we''re in the city. That ability only works when we''re in a type of meadow and pasture." That makes sense, Artemis was the Greek Goddess of the wilderness, not cities like Tyche or Athena. "Let''s continue going the direction you said, and if it''s wrong.. we''ll have to camp somewhere else." "Good plan." The thumping of my shoes against the concrete resonated, and the silence was definitely immense. I didn''t seem to mind it anyways. ¡ª 17 minutes have passed "Ah, there''s a faint path ahead." She said, pointing it out. "You''re right, that could lead to other people." We hurriedly followed the path which was marked by the rocks, indicating a form of a "path", since it wasn''t exactly one. At the end of the path, it lead to.. a tree? "What? What was the point of this path¡ª?" "Wait." I said, realising something. Is this the tree of Yggdrasill? The sacred tree? It''s stated that the branches of Yggdrasill supports the heavens, whilst it''s roots support Earth. Creating a cosmic balance between Heaven and Earth. In ''Eternal Realm'', the tree of Yggdrasill was used as a portal, when you enter the small opening inside the tree, you would enter in another realm. This is where new monsters would appear for you to attack but.. We''re looking for a settlement, we might not be strong enough to see the other side. I am very curious however.. "Why did you say wait?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. She said, pausing to wait for my answer. "Nevermind, I thought I recognised this area." "Actually, I''m pretty sure the settlement was beyond this tree.. it has gotten bigger the last time I saw it.." "That''s strange." It definitely was, how could the world tree expand in size? Could someone be living within the tree? "Let''s continue forward." She said, bringing me back to my senses. "Right." We continued to walk forward. During our walk, a sudden display window popped up.
¡ª Objective: Get into teams: Maximum amount is 5 Time Limit: 1 day Reward: 10 coins I gulped nervously. "Get into teams? Isn''t this easy..?" "Yeah, want to get into teams?" "Of course, let''s also try to find 3 other people to get a full team!" "Alright.." I wasn''t nervous about
, I was nervous about the next quest after that.. it was any beginner''s nightmare. This quest was based on the guild system.. You would have to battle another guild and steal the other''s flag and return it to your base to win. "You should be the team captain, Myo-nim." "Huh? Me?" I pointed at myself, shocked at her proposal. "You led me pretty well when we were trapped in that house, if it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t have known what to do." I felt pretty flattered but embarrassed. "Wow, you''re welcome?" I don''t know how to take compliments very well. "You''re welcome! Don''t put yourself down too much." She wholeheartedly laughed, which actually soothed me. She''s a great friend. ¡ª12 minutes had passed "I see it ahead! Let''s see if there''s anyone there¡ª" "Hang on." I paused, the air felt different the moment I had seen the camp. A sense of dread washed over me. "Do you see that?" She shook her head, and I pointed towards the house. "There''s blood splattered on the windows." I watched her expression drastically change, she nodded. "What should we do then?" "Stay alert, whoever caused this could still be here." We walked calmly towards the house, being overly aware of our surroundings. "Wait¡ªcan''t their blood be used for you?" She whispered, to which I replied back shocked. "They could, but why would you suggest that¡ª?" "It''s for you to live, it''s survival of the fittest after all." I sighed greatly, but she was right. I needed that to survive from now on. Slowly, we made it inside the house. I locked the door behind us and we searched the house for any clues, but mostly for supplies. I checked the drawer inside the kitchen and found.. a 6* BOW? The bow was golden with vines wrapped around it, it pricked me slightly and caused an aching sensation. The yellow and green colour blended well together, and the bow looked aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This might fit Yu-nim. "Yu-nim, I need you down here!" "Hold up, I''m trying to get something.." After a while, she came back down with clothes. "Why were you getting clothes?" "Have you not seen your own clothes? They''re covered in blood." I looked down at myself. She was right.. I sheepishly looked back up at her gaze. "So, have any complaints?" She folded her arms. "No ma''am." I took the clothes from her. "Right, why did you call me down?" "Oh, I found this 6* weapon and it''s a bow. I figured you could use this as a replacement." "Sure, ?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É? was adamant on taking this bow." She took the bow from the drawer, replacing it with her previous bow. "This material feels nice, thanks for handing it to me." "You''re welcome." "I''ll continue checking downstairs, go change upstairs." She said, walking out of the kitchen into the living room. I headed upstairs, with every step creaking. Inside the bedroom, I went to change but¡ª It was only then I realised the outfit choice. .. Why does it feel like Yu Haeun wants me to dress as a vampire? The long coat was dark and elegant, in the shade of black and purple. Underneath the coat, was a blouse with the collar high up the neck. The trousers were tightly-fitted, and it also came with a cape. Are we seriously trying to make me dress as a vampire? I sighed heavily, taking off my blazer. I decided to mix up the outfit, putting on the long coat and the tightly-fitted trousers but I kept my current blouse. I glanced over at the mirror. .. I look so plain and exactly like a vampire. A loud crash shook the room I was in, it sounded like it came from downstairs. My shoes heaved on the steps as I rushed down the flight of stairs. "Calm down¡ª!" I witnessed Yu Haeun shielding herself with the bow I just had given her. Two blades clashed against the bow and the owner of it was.. an extremely handsome individual. His face seemed to be from a different realm compared to the world now, he was so handsome that I would regret if I ever grazed his face. His features felt etched on, how could someone have such a sharp jawline? I couldn''t take my eyes off him. His hair parted slightly with the colour of sepia gleaming brightly, and the strands flowed with every move he made, framing his face in perfection. His eyes were carved from a precious jewel, the colour of aureate radiated brightly like the sun, it was irresistibly charming with how sharp his gaze was. Compared to his looks, his glance felt calculating and yet drew me in further. He was an elusive beauty. He would definitely break the determined beauty standard in Korea, in any country¡ª Wait. He''s fighting against Yu Haeun?! "Any help here Myo-nim?!" She continued to clash weapons and she gradually managed to turn her body enough to kick him into the wall. I rushed down to pick up Yu Haeun. "What happened?" I asked, carrying her arm. "There was a secret passage from the living room that I had discovered and checked out. When I returned, this person was stood strangely in the middle!" She said, inhaling heavily. "I asked him where he came from and out of nowhere he charged at me!" I glanced over towards him and he gradually picked himself up from the wall. "How did you two manage to survive
?" He said, in a lowered voice. "We shouldn''t tell him, he''s not trust-worthy..!" She whispered in my ear. "We both killed 50 Monsters from the portals that spawned across the city." I said, examining him further. Yu Haeun looked at me dumbfounded. The silence could be sliced by a knife with how tense the situation felt. "Who are you?" I asked, plainly out of curiosity but to test a theory. "Smart, but I''m not stupid." He smirked with a playful expression. "Is this going to be a two versus one? How.. gross.." Yu Haeun began to approach but I put my hand out in front of her. "It''ll just be us two." I stated calmly, "Yu-nim, supply me with you know what." She nodded, and quickly scurried outside. "Just us two now, don''t act so cocky." I grinned widely, to which he squinted his eyes in disgust. "Another over arrogant fool? I''ve seen enough already." He rolled his eyes, smugly folding his arms. He''s already starting to piss me off. Survivor (2) I glanced over to the blades he wielded. "What''s your sponsor?" "Why would I tell you that?" He had a neutral face displayed, unwilling to show an ounce of emotion. "If you believe you''re going to kill me, why not tell me your sponsor?" "I''m not one to underestimate my opponent." I gritted my teeth. That was the right move. "Let''s be responsible here, why do we need to fight?" He glanced over to the window. "Can you come to the conclusion on how everyone in this camp died?" My breath hitched, no way. No way? He couldn''t have possibly killed everybody in this settlement. It just seems so.. immoral? My voice shook, vibrating deep within my skull. "Did you kill everyone here?" "Isn''t it strange how humans count as ''creatures''?" Could someone like this really exist? Can dignity be thrown out the window so easily? How can someone be willing to throw someone else''s precious life with no remorse? "I don''t understand what you mean, this isn''t explaining the reason as to why you''re fighting us." A sonorous laugh bursted from the opposite side of the room. It seemed like it pained him to laugh with how hard he was gasping for air. "Killing anyone who''s an obstacle with
is a valid reason." "Why can''t we team up then?" He glanced over to me. His gaze pierced through me, as if he was reading the inner thoughts of my soul. it was striking and frankly. It was terrifying. "What makes you unique from the others? Why shouldn''t I kill you right here?" I contemplated on that answer, what does make me different compared to anybody else? If I couldn''t answer that simple question, how would I be able to progress? "Because I¡ª" I took a step closer. "¡ªAlso know the future of this world." I was a single step away from him, keeping direct eye contact with him for as long as possible. His gaze faltered slightly. I gambled on the potential that the man standing in front of me had played the game "Eternal Realm" before, he had to have played the game at some point as it lined up. How could he have wiped out the entirey of a settlement if he hadn''t had some sort of knowledge about the world we''re currently living in? Could have there been a chance that he hadn''t played the game before? This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Yes, definitely. But it was the excitement, the rush from risking it all. It was the risk that allowed for me to bet it all. And I had gained a reward. I hoped. "Another player of "Eternal Realm".. how many of them have I stumbled upon?" "Right.. two." He said, glancing over to his blade. I took a step back in fear. "There were no survivors." The edge of the blade danced around my jaw with the tip grazing against the jawline, as if he was carving a sculpture. But I wasn''t a sculpture! I backed slightly, retreating against the wall opposite him. "If you''re not willing to talk then.." A trident manifested inside my hands, the blood stained my hands. I marvelled at the sharp material, and the look of the three prongs protruding from the main base. "The only option I have is to fight." I gazed across the room and met the cold stare from the man across the room. His eyes had widened initally but he had quickly reverted back to normal, as if he was keeping up a facade. Lord Shiva? The God of Destruction? Well not exactly destruction, he was more like the God of all Ends. All things had to come to an end to bring balance and renewal, the lifespan of a human, the lifespan of an animal or the lifespan of a star. All things would eventually come to an end. This was Lord Shiva''s responsibility, his duty to bring all life or things to their end. He was always accompained by the , which even had their own significance. The first point represented creation, the second point represented preservation, and the third point represented destruction. This helped keep law and order, and are commonly thought to have resembled the common life of organisms. "Interesting, a blood weapon? Even this isn''t implemented in the game." Right, I had forgotten. From what I know, as a gift, creator-nim had given me an ability no one else could receive. This was haemokinesis and it meant that even people who had played the game before wouldn''t be able to predict the abilities I have in store. How perfect. "Maybe there''s some things you haven''t figured out." The corners of my mouth twisted, I was starting to feel the adrenaline pump throughout the body. A cold aura surrounded him, as he approached in a calm matter. Quickly, he charged towards me extending his two katanas. I blocked the first attack with the trident, watching as he rotated the katana on his right hand to the side of my body. I managed to dodge in time by twisting my body around him. I struck diagonally across his body, and met against his blade. The clashing of the weapons together created sparks that slightly burned my hand. Suddenly, he unleashed a powerful attack, overpowering me completely. What the¡ª? I backed off and his foot met my stomach. I flung against the wall again, forming cracks behind me. Where did this strength come from¡ª? Is it from his sponsor? "How unfortunate, I thought you''d be able to put up a better fight." He spoke soullessly, looking down at me. His blade was inches away from me, I was going to die. If I didn''t do anything, I would die. "Min Seo." I stared up, squinting my eyes. He finally told me his name.. I waited for this. A few more seconds and the edge of the blade would pierce my flesh. The ''s three prongs burned brightly, a slight touch from it could burn you from the inside out with it''s extreme heat. Reacting quickly, I had managed to knock one of his blades away from my face. He almost fell out of balance, managing to stay on his feet but fell back to keep a good enough distance. The blade on the floor began to disintegrate to the surprise of Min Seo. "How interesting." He spoke, analysising the trident I was wielding. Min Seo: Age: 21 Height: 189cm Class: Berserker Sponsor: [Hidden] Art: [Hidden] What the¡ª? Hidden? How are you able to hide your sponsor and art? I had slightly lowered and the prongs began to crumble the floor below me. I almost slipped underneath, pulling the trident up and rushing to the side of the room. The destructive nature of the clearly presented itself, every surface, every object, everything would be oblierated in it''s path. Any obstacle would definitely evaporate in Lord Shiva''s way, which is why it''s weapon must obey the same law. "Seems you''re not so used to the weapon." I glanced over. A murderous bloodlust consumed me, an ominous feeling enveloped me. This was exciting, the destructive element of this trident and given me a thrill I had never felt before. Destroying everything in my way? Haha! I began to laugh slightly, a tickling sting built up in my throat, forcing me to laugh even harder. He looked over at me confused but he seemed.. worried? I slowly approached, with a formless form. An unpredictable move, I gambled on the opportunity that he couldn''t foresee my next action. Shiing! I ducked under his blade, quickly jumping in the air to strike above. "Way to leave yourself open, I''ll give you a death mid-air." He spoke, aiming above. I predicted this. I weaved myself sideways slightly, striking at his blade all the way to his arm. His eyes widened, as the trident began to burn the blade away. Before it reached him, he shook me off, flinging me to the ground. I managed to only be injuried on my side, with a slight slit down my hip. If I didn''t react to his attack above in time, I would have died. "Huh.. both blades are gone." He said, glancing at his hand. He should be defenseless. Suddenly, he grasped his hands together.. as if he was holding the hilt of a sword. Is this some secret technique¡ª? Swiftly, he danced within my trident''s range which I should have been able to swing in time.. But¡ª I was too slow.. he was incredibly fast! I couldn''t predict his next move. I had to rely on instinct. I moved on impulse, extending to.. An invisible sword? "How is that impossible?" He didn''t pay me any mind, he continued to slash. Barely able to defend, he almost struck me three times. It was technique that striked three main points, the neck, and both shoulders with only one strike. I deflected the first two strikes, but the third pierced my left shoulder. Shit. I was bleeding pretty badily, but I couldn''t think on it for too long because he''d was getting ready for his next relentless slaughter. He suddenly swung infront of him, I moved forward to slash¡ª Instinctively , I shielded downward. A loud thud resonated, and I could see the specks of flame glint when the collided with the invisible weapon. These are all techniques from different swordsman, Sandanzuki was from Okita S¨­ji, whilst Tsubame Gaeshi was from Sasaki Kojir¨­. A blow of air alleviated my grip on the , and I firmly leaned back to firm my position. I watched in fear, he raised his hands up in the air. It looked like there were wings on each side of him. Perhaps this was my mind declaring my loss and his victory, if I was hallucinating him as an ''angel'', I had definitely died. In every timeline, in every universe, there was not one where I could see myself win. Will my journey end here? No! It can''t, it can''t! Survivor (3) An electric current rushed throughout my body, I felt fresh, revived even. The trident''s flame turned blue, a sign of how concentrated the flame began but the coldness and sadness that comes with death. I managed to block the invisible attack with the trident. I felt a soul help ground my position and attack, it directed forwards in confidence. [Myo Dae was confident he could defeat Min Seo, but an anxious feeling was building up in the pit of his stomach] .. What the hell? Am I being narrated right now¡ª? My eyes widened as a clash suddenly happened, my hand had immediately directed towards the invisible sword without my knowledge. Perhaps I do feel nervous.. He charged forward and I had managed to deflect most attacks, I had to find an opening, a gap or something! [Myo Dae''s pupils expanded in size, with an amaranthine glow radiating from his eyes. His heart had pumped thrice the regular beat, with his muscles pulsing uncontrollably] My eyes were glowing? Actually, that explains the sudden hunger to win against him, the sudden urge to devour my opponent. [Min Seo stared back at him, contemplating the next move. He slowly began to believe that "his" death might not be in his best interests] I faltered slightly in my movements, can the narrator reveal other people''s thoughts? Isn''t this overpowered? I could predict his next move, the ability helped me sense better. A strike at the neck, left shoulder and right shoulder. I blocked the next quick attacks, trying to inch the closer to him. Rapidly, a foot collided against my stomach to which I threw the trident at him. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He should have been hit. I stared back up and saw that he had narrowly missed it, it had slightly grazed him in the neck. "Hah.. that was close.." He touched his neck to feel the rough patches of skin from where the trident had barely passed by. The gravitated back into my hands, it was loyal. He had barely dodged the second one, he hadn''t anticipated that the trident would return to it''s user. That was his first mistake. An exciting pulse of energy ran throughout me, I had to commit one blow, one singular blow that would annihilitate him before I would suffer strenuous injuries from his blade. I didn''t want to kill him before.. but something in me had shifted. I couldn''t pinpoint where this feeling was impending from, where it came from. Was I always like this? My pierce quickened, I slashed directly towards his vital organs. Each attack was skillfully blocked, but I continued the slaughter until I became fatigated, but I wasn''t becoming tired just yet. [Myo Dae''s bloodlust could be smelt from afar, an stenching smell of death seemed to seep from each crevice, each scar, each slit. It was becoming to feel so nauseating for Min Seo to handle] Shit, shit. I lowered my grip onto the trident, grasping onto the sides of my head to soothe the sudden pain. My head feels like it''s being sliced open, I feel like I was being ripped from the inside out, as if something inside of me was crawling out. What the hell is happening? I didn''t feel human, more like an empty shell of one. [Myo Dae''s eyes felt devoid of nature, was he merging with the destructive tendencies of Lord Shiva? He was bound to destroy everything and everyone he''s known or loved, why would Lord Shiva''s incarnation be any different?] His eyes narrowed slightly looking at my incomprehensible form. [Min Seo began to think if Myo Dae was actually a demon inhabitating a human body. He couldn''t comprehend on why Myo Dae would go to such lengths to fight against him] I glanced over. [Min Seo pitied him] Pity? Why would you even pity your opponent? I thought you were ruthless. I struggled against the unbearable pain, the aching agony striking me throughout my body. I stood up once more. "I''ll give you a swift death." He said seemingly keeping his calm composure. Ah, that''s right. He''s not ruthless, he''s only putting on an act. Blood trickled down my abdomen. Even if I wanted to escape his attack, there was no chance I would be able to avoid in time. I''m dead. I looked down and.. something invisible had certainly penetrated me. It was vomit-inducing due to the sword being invisible, I could clearly see my insides. My vital organs, the soft tissue, the bones. Everything had fractured, if I didn''t die by this blow I would have definitely died by the massive loss of blood. I.. didn''t want to die yet.. Cold air pulled out from my body, which clearly meant the sword was removed. I succumbed to the darkness that gripped onto each fibre of my being. ** [Min Seo did not enjoy murdering ¡ö¡ö. In fact, Min Seo did not enjoy murderering at all] [Each death brought great anguish to him, he would mourn each single one] [Yet this is the price Min Seo has to pay in order to survive this world] I slumped over his body, the wound clearly severe. I had taken another life. It was simple as that. But this was different, compared to the others that had faced my blade, this one was willing to challenge me, to oppose me. Was this because of her? If he was in love, why was he so willing to throw his life away? It just didn''t make sense. [Similar to the other routines, Min Seo cried, tears flowing out of his eyes like a stream, and he made no attempt to clear them away] [This is the only way to face his wrongdoings, to clear his sins] I noticed at the side, the trident had stopped it''s destructive nature, the prongs no longer burnt the floor underneath it. He was now dead. After a while, I gathered strength to pull myself up. I have to escape before she appears. I would also have to find a new sword. I smashed the window and pulled a grapple from my pocket. Narrowing my sight, I spotted a nearby building. There. The watchtower. The grapple had managed to hook itself perfectly on the edge of the tower, and gradually I was lifted off the ground to the tower. I landed safely but a golden arrow had almost slipped into my skull, I had luckily ducked in time. It was her. [Yu Haeun was bursting with rage, she felt pain, anguish and most of all, sorrow for her friend''s death. After filling four bags of blood, she had returned to the cabin to help Myo Dae] [Stumbling upon his body, she felt responsible, liable for her friend''s death. Yu Haeun was guilty, she blamed herself for her friend''s death¡ª] [¡ªI must kill him] I won''t kill her yet. A little pressure on your back is needed. That''s right, continue to hate me. Your gaze is great, this is the gaze needed in order for me to become stronger in the future. "We''ll meet again." I walked away, disappearing into the upcoming fog. [Yu Haeun gritted her teeth, she made sure to remember his features well. She would make sure that he would only die by her hands. Yu Haeun would make sure to avenge Myo Dae] Reborn (1) "Lord Shiva, why are you alone again?" "Vi??u, I destroy everything I touch. How can I get rid of this power?" Vi??u sighed, before laughing slightly. "O Shiva, that is your role as ''The Destroyer'', you must take pride in it. One day, you will be worshipped." [Worshipped Shiva was, he would be world renowed and his fame grew to such a substantial size, another religion was founded after him. This was Shaivism] [This didn''t help this undeniable feeling, was Lord Shiva destined to destroy everyone he loved or known? It seemed like he would find out sooner or later] ... [He had killed Rudra] It was an accident, he swore. Violence had occurred between the two, Rudra was exactly like Shiva, they both had violent tendencies, they thirsted, hungered even for bloodshed. Bloodshed created from their hands. These benevolent gods had gotten into an argument, Shiva asked for a peaceful resolution to the disappoint of Rudra. These two would battle, with Shiva taking the win in a brutal battle ontop of Mount Kailash. He didn''t want to do it, he swears he never meant it. If he didn''t, he would have definitely died. Each blow made on Rudra made him shiver with tears, he wept quietly, if Rudra had seen him sob pitifully, it would have made him laugh. How could the God of Destruction shed tears in battle, matter of fact in front of his opponent? The fight was over.. but this wasn''t what he wanted. He never wanted Rudra to die. No one would believe him, no one would believe that the "destroyer" didn''t wish for him to die. This was his journey as "The Destroyer", it''s expected for him to "destroy" everything in his path. He didn''t want this, he didn''t want to kill people he loved. It was here, his violent ways softened. He vowed that he would never return to violence, if more of his friends, lovers, or companions would die at his hands. He would make sure to keep a part of Rudra along with him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. This ended up being the golden ornaments that were adorned on Rudra''s head. They would now be bestowed ontop of Lord Shiva''s head, purely for him to remember the loss he had to endure to become what he is now. [This was the destiny Lord Shiva had] [It would be the same in every timeline. The one thing Lord Shiva had to do was persevere. Persevere even if it hurts, persevere even if he''s lost, persevere even if he''s dead] [All eyes are on you] [So, his incarnation was bound to suffer the same fate, eternal destruction before he met his untimely demise] [Lord Shiva pitied the man he sponsored. He had the fighting spirit, he had overwhelming charisma] [The only problem was that Myo Dae couldn''t control the destructive aspects that came along with , it caused him to be corrupted, plagued by carnage] [Shiva would not let his incarnation suffer the same fate] ** [His eyes opened up, Myo Dae wondered how he was alive, he had clearly died right? It didn''t make sense, he assumed that this was an ability from Lord Shiva as this was the only logical answer] So noisy. I had indeed woken up, the wound was still present, gaping even larger then I had previously remembered. I frantically clutched onto my stomach and I realised that.. It didn''t hurt anymore. I was bewildered, surprised that such an enormous wound didn''t seem sore nor excruciating to touch. I could move freely, but it irked me more as I could see my insides. How.. revolting. I''d vomit at the sight but I needed to prevent it as I''d be able to see the grimy fluid ejected from my stomach out my oesophagus. That made my body shiver at the thought. I gripped onto the sides of the wall, escaping outside the cabin and spotted a familiar face from afar. "My¡ªMyo-nim?" I heard a voice cry out. Her face was riddled with tears, she sprinted towards me. Her arms surrounded me and I flung back onto the ground, coughing and quivering non-stop. "You''re alive¡ªWait. How are you alive?" She said, her face scrunched up slightly. I don''t know, I wished I did.. my best guess was that I was revived by Lord Shiva''s ability. "I¡ªI''m not sure." I firmly said, looking down at my large wound. Wait¡ª? It was gone. My stomach had fully recovered, when did the flesh, vital organs, even bone form together? How did it happen without my knowledge? I couldn''t dawn on it for too long.
¡ª Objective: Each Team Captain will have a bounty that will periodically reveal their location. Top three teams with the highest headband count will have a chance to obtain: Time Limit: 5 days Reward: 1325 coins Just my luck. When I was momentarily dead, a day had passed. A headband emerged ontop of my head, and had helped wipe the sweat that accumulated on my forehead. Oh, right. I never stopped the ability. Is it possible for you to remove the trident for now? I nodded, knowing the consequence if I did do this. My mind felt wrong, it continued to swirl and scrunch. I gripped onto Yu Haeun''s shoulder for strength. "Are you okay?" She asked, concerned for my health considering I looked very pale. [Myo Dae would have to struggle with the withdrawals of rebirthing, especially since the deity''s connection was severed momentarily. I''ll be fine, Myo Dae thought, more as to convince himself then anything else] Way to expose me narrator. <1 hour before the location of all team captains are revealed> "We should find somewhere to hide or find more supplies, we''ll go once you''re alright." She nodded, analysing our surroundings. "I''m fine now, let''s travel." [Yu Haeun hesitated slightly, possibly contemplating whether or not to call out Myo Dae''s bluff. In the end, she decided to keep her conflicting thoughts to herself] She''s really perceptive, it''s almost scary, terrifying. Completing this main quest wouldn''t be hard, considering fighting isn''t needed. This quest is based purely on speed and sneaking up on unsuspecting users to steal their headband. But, I have to look out for Min Seo. The one without morals and would eliminate each opponent in the path he carved for himself. The man that was powerful enough to kill me in one blow, he feels like a force to be reckoned with. The next time I see him, I''ll make sure to show him a piece of my mind. I won''t be that weak guy you first met. [Myo Dae was determined to meet Min Seo again and perhaps he would, but it would be a while until they next meet] [Myo Dae began to feel annoyed at the narration, why were they so noisy? Why wouldn''t they shut up? The narrator told Myo Dae that he should stop worrying and actually focus on reality] This is so annoying, why am I being dissed by the narrator?! Reborn (2) After rummaging throughout the settlement, we figured we had taken most of the supplies. This wasn''t a lot. Yu Haeun had four bags worth of blood and took some food supplies she found in the tents. I had managed to find 3* weapon, which was a gun. This was the third last tier, and that were the only useful supplies we found. I downed one of the blood bags. It had a salty and distinct metallic taste that clung to the sides of your mouth and down to your throat, it was a taste that would be very difficult to remove. It tasted bad, very bad. However, I couldn''t resist gulping. The thickness and consistency was smooth but sticky, like honey. The stickness of the fluid did irritate me, I almost coughed and choked as I eagerly devoured the whole bag. I felt rejuvenated and warm slightly but I met the concerned gaze of Yu Haeun. "It feels strange seeing you.. drink blood." "Sorry¡ªI got carried away." I scratched the bag of my head, I seemed to forget that she hadn''t seen me drink blood. We decided to journey far to gather our thoughts considering we were the only two in our group. If we were to survive, we needed a plan. A plan to not die. Most teams should be violent at this time, if they''ve survived
, there''s no telling what could theoretically happen. Although, humans are very unpredictable, maybe some fear the thought of killing again, or some relish in the act of violence. The main thing is to expect the unexpected by preparing all the different choices beforehand. ... ¡ª55 minutes later [Myo Dae and Yu Haeun traversed the infinite planes of the world and only 5 minutes remained before the locations of all team captains would be revealed. Luckily, they had come up with a well-versed plan, Yu Haeun would defend Myo Dae perfectly as long as the meadows was nearby, and Myo Dae would be the one to steal headbands] My frustration grew even more, why was this narrator reciting my own plan towards me? "You look pretty stressed over there, it''s okay. We''ll be fine." She laughed, nudging my shoulder slightly. I hoped we would be fine, but her reassurance boosted my confidence. "Yeah, I shouldn''t be worried that much." I was definitely overreacting, we both should be strong enough to fight against a couple of teams or stealthy enough to snatch headbands without them realising. I suddenly started glowing. A white outline surrounded me, and I could feel the essence of light energy seeping out from me. "Can you see that?" She pointed in the distance, you could see the glowing outline through the.. ground? This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. In fact, you could see the glowing outlines anywhere. The lights together looked like the car lights at nightime on the road, there were so many that I felt overwhelmed. How many people were able to survive
? There were so many team captains so.. "Something''s wrong." She spoke. "Those aren''t people, these are surely avatars." She could be right, it wouldn''t make sense if everywhere I looked was coated in the glowing colour of white. Someone must have been using their ability to trick others. If that''s the case then¡ª "Move¡ª!" I moved my head in time and barely dodged the bullet, it grazed past my neck into the nearby tree. Lodged into the tree was a 7.62 x 51mm caliber bullet, this specific bullet was known to be the most effective sniper rifle cartridge. There was someone here. If they had one of the most effective cartridges, they must be skilled or have an terrifying sponsor. Proclaimed as the or as by his fellow comrades, he spread death throughout his reign as a military sniper. By the time he had met his end at the age of ninety-six, he had claimed the lives of over five hundred enemy soldiers during the numerous conflicts such as the Winter War or World War II. This asserted his record of having the highest number of sniper kills in any large-scale war, or in general. Even scarier was the fact that it was stated he killed an average of five enemies per day, with one of these days receiving him the highest daily count of twenty-five enemies killed. There were various other sniper sponsors in the game, "Eternal Realm", but scares me more then anything else, his ability to shoot from far away without a scope is insane. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Get your act together!" She swung me up and carried me into her arms. .. I was lifted into a bridal position.. Are you kidding me? I looked like a literal princess! A dumbfounded expression played out on my face, as she sprinted back to where we had originally started. I noticed colossal, gigantic waves sweeping the hills.. and chasing after US? "Go quicker!" I yelled out in fear. "Do you think I''m not trying?!" She yelped back, with her voice strained badly. She was panting severely, I could see her frigid breath as her eyes analyzed the situation. Her eyes narrowed whilst looking somewhere, I couldn''t see as I was being shook repeatedly due to her frantic speed. How are we going to survive this..? ** I couldn''t believe my eyes when I saw Myo-nim emerge from the cabin. I thought I was hallucinating at the beginning, I had seen his dead body and the large gash in his abdomen. "My¡ªMyo-nim?" I called out, I had to confirm if this voice was real, if it was my mind playing tricks on me. A wearily smile played on his face and I knew what it meant. He had survived. I sprinted towards him, surrounding my arms around him, throwing him down onto the cobbled road. We would have a long discussion about how he had come back to life and the plan to succeed against
with the most headbands. ¡ª Making it on a large, towering hill, we concluded that we should make base here. It was there that I witnessed Myo-nim devour the blood bag. That¡ªThat was terrifying. He was exactly like a vampire! Which was cool, but it was still mortifying to say the least. I could sense it too, the atmosphere seemed to thicken as if there was something or¡ªsomeone watching from afar. "Move¡ª!" I nudged him slightly to the left. Sharply, a metal projectile passed quickly, piercing itself into the stump of the tree behind us. Someone was out to kill us, specifically kill Myo Dae and steal his headband. I felt nature rumble from afar and the ground felt as if it was being split in half or into multiple plates. Something gigantic, something enormous was making it''s way directly towards us. I glanced over to Myo Dae, waiting for his signal but he seemed to be.. zoned out starring at where the bullet had come from. I was irritated. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Get your act together!" I swooped his legs up, managing to pull him into my arms. I made sure he was in a comfortable position and ran. I looked behind me, it was.. a WAVE? I ran like a madman, with adrenaline pumping throughout my body forcing me to charge forward with tremendous speed. I was more concerned with my stamina, Myo-nim.. unfortunately.. was extremely heavy. It was a challenge just to carry him.. but sprinting with him?! This is impossible! "Go quicker!" That struck a nerve, and immediately my blood pulsed. "Do you think I''m not trying?!" I yelled, exasperated whilst continuing at a fast pace. I glanced over and could finally see the mysterious assailant. It was.. a woman holding a sniper. She was clearly overdressed. She was in winter gear, with a heavy and soft coat practically enveloping her, concealing her identify. Her features seemed distorted, but there was one word that could describe her. "Stunning." I mumbled under my breath. I realised I had said it out loud, hoping that Myo-nim didn''t hear me. Thankfully, it seemed that he didn''t as he was in a dazed.. or scared state. I cleared my throat. "Myo-nim, can you pass me an arrow?!" "Yeah!" He scrambled to my side, picking out an arrow. "Which one?" "Just pick one!" He mumbled slightly, picking out an arrow with a red tip. "¦Í?¦Ì?" I had to slightly adjust Myo-nim''s position to throw the arrow near the tree. The arrow turned into a thread, wrapping itself around the tree whilst a flame erupted from the tip of the arrow, swallowing the tree in flames. That was.. overkill. I couldn''t see where she was.. even if she was in the flame.. but let''s hope she''s not dead. Adjusting Myo-nim''s position again, I whipped my head around to see the wave and it was gone. Perhaps the ability has a certain cooldown? That''s strange.. those were considerably-sized waves. What sponsor could give something like that? < ¦°¦Ï¦Ò¦Å¦É¦Ä?¦Í smirks at ?¦Ñ¦Ó¦Å¦Ì¦É?> Poseidon? .. We might be fucked. I glanced back down to Myo-nim. It seemed like he knew too considering his face went dark, riddled with terrifying fear. His pupils widened and he was struck with a sense of dread. "Let me down." I put him down as he looked around to comprehend the situation. "We have to find the one sponsored by Poseidon before we get swallowed by the waves." He said, putting his hand to his chin. I nodded, this would be the best course of action. "I''ll be the distraction whilst you find who it is using your ability." He said, to which I nodded once again. "Alright, don''t die again." He snickered slightly, with his cheeks flushing. "I''ll make sure not to." I sprinted away from him, finding an abandoned shelter nearby. I hid and waiting until I saw someone. It was useful that I didn''t have a glowing outline, and so I could still see where Myo-nim was since his outline gleamed through the wall. I''ll wait for the signal. Conquest (1) I told Yu Haeun to fight from behind the sidelines and use me as a distraction. I clenched my fist and observed my surroundings carefully. If I don''t react in time, I''ll die and I sure as hell won''t die. It hurt the first time and it''d suck to experience it again. A substantial tide that gradually grew in size started to swallow the hills and was charging towards me. [Myo Dae, even though he knew the consequences of his actions, decided to journey forward using the only ability he knew, Haemokinesis] [Myo Dae was rather disappointed with the choice, not necessarily in a bad way, but more in how Lord Shiva would help separate the seas. He obviously wouldn''t show it, it''d be rude towards the Benevolent God who gave time to sponsor him after all] Lord Shiva again.. let''s see if the destruction won''t consume me. How fun, this person already has an overpowered sponsor, Poseidon. You might as well flood the entire country while you''re at it. I gritted my teeth slightly, I''ll have to part the wave somehow. I assumed this would help in parting the seas but¡ª I could control the whole wave¡ª?! I swirled the trident around, which notioned for the wave to turn around at whoever was summoning these infinite, towering waves. I swerved the trident down, slamming it onto anyone in it''s raging path. Hearing shrieks and cries, I knew that the assailant had either perished or managed to barely survive the wave. Feels really bad on my conscious.. but I have to remind myself that these people had tried to murder me a few minutes ago. [Myo Dae reassured himself, trying not to blame himself for his own selfish actions, he didn''t need to kill them. Why not give them an injury instead?] A blood vessel on the side of my head pulsed. Who does this narrator think he is?! My thoughts were quickly interrupted, as another tremendous wave was coming my way. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. I used the trident to control it however.. it wasn''t working?! [Myo Dae failed to realise that the size of the wave determines the easability of controlling it] So that''s it. No, I can''t just give up so easily! I''ll have to figure out another way. What is he laughing at¡ª? My limbs suddenly move on its own.. what the¡ª?! Am I dancing?! I felt immense bliss, happiness displayed on my face as I danced to my heart''s content, as the waves suddenly parted on it''s own through the trident''s actions. [The art of battle can be interpreted as a dance. The rhythmic movements, the way the body flows whilst the opponent anticipates their next move, hoping to find a weak point in their moves] [Therefore, Lord Shiva is known to be one of the most powerful primordial gods as he was known as "The Cosmic Dancer"] Ah, no wonder. [Myo Dae pretended as if he knew the story behind Lord Shiva, he did not] Alright, this is seriously getting annoying! I slightly puffed my cheeks, pouting at the narrator''s commentary. I remained focused on avoiding the wave''s fury, if I was swept once I would have died or sustain severe injuries. I can''t risk my life again. I raged through the waves. Separate, go through, separate, go through. Separate, go through, separate, go through. Separate, go through, separate, go through. ... An endless cycle, it went on for so long that I had began to grow tired. [Myo Dae began to grow bored of their antics, he had fought for so long against their bellowing, surging tides. Why couldn''t this person stop fighting like a coward?] I panted heavily, my grip tightening on the trident. How long have I been evading the waves? Is this their true intention? To get me tired enough for them to fight me head on? It would be smart if it is. I swiped away the saliva trickling out of my mouth. [Myo Dae paused, was this truly Lord Shiva suggesting this? It would be nonsensical, an individual whose responsibility weighs on him but he continues to smile. An individual whose known for their overwhelming positivity to mankind] [This was not the Lord Shiva Myo Dae knew] [But did he have another choice?] No, I didn''t have another choice. Risk being tired and washed away by the waves, leading to my demise. Or.. risk taking an offer by an unknown deity to survive? It''s obvious what anyone would choose. I accept your decision. .. What? Protagonist? What kind of protagonist is weak..? So the unknown deity was Rudra.. "Ack..!" A violent sting pierced my neck, my throat felt like it was closing on itself, I was on the verge of choking to death. "Please.. I¡ªUgh..!" The immense joy I had felt once I had activated had been completely erased, how can someone feel this amount of bloodlust? This amount of anger and outrage against the world? Wasn''t Rudra a worshipped god? How can he be so enraged..? [Myo Dae had to grasp the full potential of his new art in order to win, but it was difficult to actually understand the potential of the art. Myo Dae had to find a way to accept the bloodlust that came with the art to utilise it] That was obvious but it''s easier actually stating the plan rather then trying to complete it. I felt sick even acknowledging these grotesque and horrific depections in my head were actually things I was thinking of due to the hidden art. How would I magically accept these twisted thoughts? Unless you lacked morals, this was impossible. Ding! Huh, was that from my phone? That can''t be right, I have different notifications for my phone. A display window popped up, and I focused my remaining attention toward sit. [Yu Haeun: Take deep breaths! The next wave is coming quickly! I''m trying to locate where the perperator is residing, but there''s surprisingly atleast 12 people nearby this area. I''ll keep you updated if I find where they are!] I smirked slightly seeing the chatlog, staying true to the game "Eternal Realm", it seemed this game also had a feature to text others. I took a deep breath, trying to clear my muddled and depraved mindset [In everyone''s life, they would learn the hard way that their first enemy will always be them. This was what Myo Dae had lived by] [In order to defeat his opponents, he had to overcome this technicality to survive] Right. If I overcome this immoral and sinful feeling, I''ll become stronger, I''ll be able to conquer the only person I''ve lost to. I need to devour this emotion and make it MINE! With my eyes alone, I''ll perceive this whole field and take you on freak-wave! A cunning grin played on my face, why shouldn''t I cherish this feeling if I''m going to devour it? Is this how it feels to lose your morals?