“Dammit!” Khrx roared into the air. “Stop cutting me off!”

“Huah!?” someone fell over, crashing into a heap of dust.

“Huh?” Khrx blinked and looked around. He was lying down in a box. The ceiling was dimly lit, brown with cracks in it. “Where am I now?” Khrx muttered as he sat up. A lizardman wearing a trench coat was lying on the ground, the lid of a sarcophagus beside him. Murals and inscriptions decorated the walls around him. There were no windows, and the only source of light was a stick filled with fire on the ground. A passageway extended into the darkness behind the fallen lizardman. “A tomb?”

“G-g-g-ghost!” the lizardman shouted in Rokean as he picked up his fallen torch. He scrambled backwards, shattering clay pots with his tail. “Wait. Wouldn’t zombie be more appropriate? Z-z-z-zombie!”

Khrx’s eye twitched. “You’re exploring a tomb, but you’re afraid of ghosts? What’s wrong with you?” he asked as he climbed out of the sarcophagus. He was still wearing his teddy bear onesie. “So this is [Resolution], huh? What a dusty place. It really doesn’t seem like a game, though.”

“Y-you’re alive?” the lizardman asked. “Perhaps, are you…?”

Khrx waited, staring back at the lizardman.

“No?” the lizardman asked. “You aren’t?”

“Has everyone turned into an idiot!?” Khrx asked. “Finish your damn question!”

The lizardman flinched and fell over again. “S-sorry! My name is Isaac,” he said. “During a prayer, I heard a voice telling me to come here at this time. The voice said I’d find the meaning of life if I did. And, and at the end of the ruins, I found you. Did God send you to me?”

[Quest acquired!]

[Isaac the lizardman is experiencing an existential crisis! Teach Isaac the meaning of life.]

[Rewards: Dependent on the results.]

Khrx stared at the rectangular box floating in front of him. He cleared his throat and placed his hands on his hips. “You seek the meaning of life?” Khrx asked as Isaac stood up and dusted himself off.

“That’s right,” Isaac said, his eyes lighting up.

“The price is a weapon!” Khrx said, extending his hand.

“Just a weapon?” Isaac asked, his beady eyes blinking. “I was ready to give up my soul.” He rummaged through his trench coat. “But I do have a weapon.” He pulled out a dagger and placed it into Khrx’s hand. “Will this do?”

[Crappy Dagger]

[Rating: Trash]

[Only an impoverished beggar would have a weapon like this. If you try hard enough, you might be able to cut a block of cheese.]

[Requirements: 1 STR, 3 DEX.]

Khrx’s eyes widened at the requirements. “What the hell!?” he shouted as he tossed the dagger onto the ground. It shattered into pieces. “I can’t even wield a crappy dagger!?” He raised his head and glared at Isaac. “No meaning of life for you!”

“W-wait!” Isaac said and rummaged through his trench coat again. He pulled out a bamboo pole and a dart. He held them in his palms, offering them towards Khrx while lowering his head. “How, how about these?”

Khrx grabbed the pole and dart, two rectangles appearing in the air.

[Okayish Blowpipe]

[Rating: Common]

[Starter weapon for young lizardman hunters. Even a child can use this.]

[Requirements: 1 DEX.]

[Paralyzing Dart]

[Rating: Uncommon]

[Dart coated in a frog’s toxic venom. Can paralyze an elephant for five minutes.]

[Requirements: None.]

“The hell is an elephant?” Khrx muttered. He nodded at Isaac and kept the dart and blowpipe in his hands since his onesie had no pockets. “Take me out of here and I’ll tell you the meaning of life.”

“O-okay?” Isaac blinked and nodded. He whispered to himself as he shone the torch down the dark passage, “There’s no way someone this cute could be trying to use me, right? Surely, he must be sent by God.”

Khrx pretended not to hear even though his ears automatically swiveled towards Isaac’s mouth. He followed after the lizardman, inspecting the passage on the way. It seemed like no one had used it in years: dust had accumulated like snow, their steps leaving footprints on the ground, but Khrx’s tail swept it all away as he walked. “Such a dreary place,” he said and sneezed, wiping his nose with the back of his finger. “It needs some magma.”

“Some what?”

“Some magma,” Khrx said.

“Like the melted rock?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. You have quite the vivid imagination, special child.”

Khrx’s eye twitched. He lunged forward and chomped on Isaac’s tail. “Teach you to disrespect me!” he growled into the lizardman’s scales.

Isaac turned around and stared at Khrx. He blinked. “Are you teething?”

Khrx released Isaac and frowned. There wasn’t even a mark on Isaac’s tail. “Gah! This body sucks!”

Isaac scratched his head as Khrx crossed his arms while pouting. “Shall, shall I continue?”

Khrx nodded, and Isaac continued forward. Soon they entered a room with a raised altar in the center. There were dried brown stains running down the sides of the altar and pooling on the ground. “Hold on,” Khrx said and rubbed his eyes. He stared at the walls filled with pictures and hieroglyphs. “Is that…? Which language was that? Oplynesian? No…. Geyption? Not quite. Srian’Asy? Hmm. Zatec!” He ran up to the wall and brushed away some dust. “Yes. It’s definitely Zatec.”

[Quest acquired!]

[Quite the historian, aren’t you? You’ve discovered an Ancient Zatecian sacrificial altar! If only there was a nearby lizardman to sacrifice to the Sun God. Hint hint, wink wink. Who knows what sort of blessing the Sun God will bestow after receiving his first sacrifice in several millennia?]

[Rewards: Unknown.]

Khrx sidled over to Isaac, causing the lizardman to raise an eyebrow and distance himself. “Allow me to teach you the meaning of life,” Khrx said with a smile. “Have a seat.” He gestured towards the altar. Isaac furrowed his brow, but he listened and sat down after dusting off the stone. Khrx cleared his throat. “The meaning of life is love.”

“Love?”

“Right,” Khrx said. “People live to love and to be loved. Why do people do what they do? For love.” Khrx nodded, his ears bouncing up and down. “I have a love of my life. She’s called Fufu, but someone kidnapped her. Now, everything I do is to get her back. I have a clear destination in life. How about you? Is there someone that you care about, that you’d do anything for?”

“I, I think I understand,” Isaac said, his eyes widening. His expression crumpled as his face fell. “But it’s hopeless. The woman I love is already married. But I still love her!”

[Quest complete!]

[You’ve taught Isaac your meaning of life! Everyone’s meaning is different, but yours has resonated with Isaac’s soul.]

[Rewards: 2 Achievement Points]

Another rectangle appeared after the first one.

[Congratulations!]

[You’ve unlocked the leaderboards.]

[Would you like to register your name? Y/N]

Khrx pressed Y, the green button. The rectangle expanded into a board, highlighting one line: 18 – Khrx’Lrvnjl (2). The seventeen places above him had (2)s and (3)s next to their names, but there were no names below him. Khrx’s eyes narrowed. “Eighteenth place? I should be first!” The screen flickered, and his name moved down a spot to nineteenth as first place was replaced by someone with a (10) next to their name—Lukroix Adveign Desrigard. Khrx shouted and punched the screen, causing it to disappear. “Fufu thief! How dare you play games instead of taking care of her!?”

“P-pardon?” Isaac asked.

Khrx glared at Isaac. “You said the love of your life was already married to someone?”

Isaac’s expression hardened. “That’s right.”

Khrx nodded. “Then I don’t feel bad.”

“Huh?” Isaac asked. His eyes widened as something pricked his thigh. He tried to speak, but his throat swelled up, his body stiffening.

Khrx pulled the [Paralyzing Dart] out of Isaac’s leg and laid the lizardman down across the altar. He rummaged through the lizardman’s trench coat and pulled out a dagger.

[Non-Crappy Dagger]

[Rarity: Common]

[Not a crappy dagger, but not a good dagger. Even a child can use this to cut things.]

[Requirements: 1 STR, 1 DEX.]

“For the Sun God!” Khrx said, raising the dagger over Isaac’s exposed chest. His arm plunged downwards.

“Halt!” an angelic voice rang out from above. “This was a test!” But a second later, the voice screamed as blood spurted into the air. A winged woman descended from the ceiling, flying through a portal. “I told you to halt! Halt means stop! What the hell!? Are you deaf!?”

“Huh?” Khrx asked and raised his head. He blinked at the approaching angel.

The angel grabbed him and lifted him into the air, causing the knife to fly out of the lizardman’s chest. A fountain of blood spurted out, splashing the ceiling. “Did you really think a kind god would ask for a sacrifice!?”

[Quest complete!]

[The sacrifice was a complete success! The evil Sun God has arisen from his slumber. Millennia ago, the current god knocked the Sun God off his throne. The Sun God was starting to lose hope after the Zatecs and their language was completely lost to history. But the Sun God has returned thanks to your efforts! After years of ruling peacefully, the current god now has a powerful contender for supremacy. The world is sure to be thrown into disarray as two gods vie for power! The Sun God favors you greatly. In fact, any god would favor a creature as adorable as you.]

[Rewards: 100 Achievement Points, Title: Apostle of the Sun God.]

“It’s over,” the angel muttered, dropping Khrx next to the stiff lizardman. “My mission…. I failed.” She grabbed Khrx’s shoulders and shook him. “Why!? Why!? Why!? I said halt!”

“Gah! Stop shaking me, you walking meal!” Tears formed in Khrx’s eyes as his vision turned white. Bile built up in his throat from the jostling, and he swallowed to prevent himself from vomiting.

“You!” the angel said, her movements ceasing. Her nails dug into Khrx’s onesie. “You.” Her voice fell. “You…” The angel blinked and bit her lower lip. “Why are you so adorable!?” Ignoring the blood on Khrx’s onesie, she hugged him to her chest, squishing him into her body. “I’m so sorry for yelling at you. I really am. Please, don’t cry.”

Khrx squirmed and struggled, but he gave up after realizing the angel’s strength was much greater than his. He couldn’t even speak because his face was buried in her chest. His body stopped responding, turning into a limp stuffed animal. The angel separated from him and held him up so that his face was on the same level as his. Her eyes were green, her hair blonde. A pair of pure white wings extended from her back, her body covered in a thin, white, feathery dress that exposed her shoulders and calves. Khrx tilted his head while staring at her wings. “Bird?”

“Angel!”

Khrx’s brow furrowed. “Like the fish?”

“You, you don’t know what an angel is?”

Khrx shook his head, still held up by the angel’s hands underneath his armpits. His legs kicked at the air, but he couldn’t reach the ground. “Can you let me go?”

“Oh, sorry,” the angel said and placed him on the ground. A second later, a wrinkle formed on her brow. “Wait!” She picked him up again before he could react. “Why didn’t you listen to big sister when she told you to stop?”

“B-big sister?” Khrx asked, his mouth falling open. “What qualifications do you have to be my big sister!? Do you know how old I am!?”

The angel frowned and placed him on the altar. The she pinched his cheeks apart, causing him to mewl and wave his arms in the air. “You’re a lot cuter when you keep your mouth shut,” she said, pouting her lips. The dead lizardman behind him caught her attention. “Ah! My mission!” She groaned and released Khrx, burying her face in her hands. “I really did it now…. I’m going to be the first angel to fall in hundreds of years.”

[Quest acquired!]

[Help the angel in distress! It was your fault she’s distressed in the first place. Shouldn’t you take responsibility as a man?]

[Rewards: 10,000 Achievement Points and a Legendary Weapon. Possible marriage route.]

Khrx pursed his lips and placed his hands on the angel’s shoulder. She raised her head, her teary eyes meeting his. Khrx swallowed. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No.”

[Quest failed!]

[You’re useless!]

Khrx’s eye twitched.

The angel sighed and patted his head. “I appreciate the offer,” she said. “If there was anything you could’ve done to help me, it would’ve been to not sacrifice this man. But once an action is done, no one can take it back.” She sniffled and stared up at the closing portal. Her feathers dimmed and grayed before turning black. “Woe is me. Falling at such a young age. Having no family to call my own. Even this adorable fellow rejects me as a sibling.” Her eyes darted towards Khrx before darting back towards the ceiling. “Alas.” She placed the back of her hand on her forehead and sighed. “If only I had someone with cute cat ears to accompany me in my suffering.” Her gaze flickered onto Khrx, and she closed her eyes when she made eye contact. She let out a heavy sigh, her whole body seeming to shrink.

“I’m leaving,” Khrx said as he hopped off the altar. “Bye.”

“W-wait! Can I come with you?”

[Fallen Angel Lorin wishes to become your companion. Do you accept? Y/N. Warning: you will attract the wrath of the current god if you accept.]

Khrx snorted and pressed Y. “I fear no gods!” he said and grasped Lorin’s hand. “We’re companions now.”

A smile blossomed on Lorin’s face, but a second later, her expression shifted towards one of horror. The ceiling was rent open, sunlight pouring into the tombs. Thunder crackled as black clouds filled the sky. Khrx stared up at the gathering clouds and gritted his teeth. Lorin screamed as white light flashed. With a massive boom, Khrx’s vision went dark.

[You have died.]

***

Awakening Cycle 1,072,362: Day 8.

Dear Diary,

I know I wrote you not too long ago, but I feel compelled to write you again. Today, I died. I’ve never died before in my many long years of living. It’s not a pleasant feeling. I’ll do my best to not do it again. If I had Fufu to accompany me, I bet I would’ve lived. I really hope she’s doing well.

Love,

Khrx