As the Blinding light dissipated, I found my vision bombarded by messages.

[Title Received!

Title Name: Champion

Requirements: Complete the Champion Training Labyrinth

Effect: (EXP gains increased by 25%), (Increased Stat Gain per level), (Quest Finding Advantage)]

[Title Received!

Title Name: Corner-Cutter

Requirements: Circumvent a mandatory boss battle

Effect: (-5% damage to bosses),(+5% damage to non-boss enemies)]

[You have received a Legendary Compensation Crate from the Labyrinth. See Inventory to open it]

[You have received a ‘Rare Beginner’s Crate from the Labyrinth]

[Your party has defeated ‘Human Player(lv. 8)’, ‘Human Player(lv. 11)’, ‘Human Player(lv. 9)’, ‘Human Player(lv. 13)’

+191 EXP

+Title: ‘PvP Rank: ’

Participation Rating: 7/10]

[Level Up!

You have reached Level 12:

+4 to all stats

+7 stat points

EXP to next level: 93/171]

As I dismissed the notifications before me, I saw familiar surroundings. Books stacked upon books, and a gaunt man in golden glasses at the center of the piles. Librex gave a flimsy smile. With a wave of his hand a chair conjured next to me.

“Sit” He simply commanded. I obeyed and sat down on the plain chair. I glanced into the ceiling that didn’t stop, bookshelves continuing into the dark abyss above.

“I need your attention,” Librex said as he poured a cup of something out of a teakettle, “I am giving you a responsibility far beyond one you should receive.” I gave him my full attention as he spoke. “Deities like me receive quests just like players. But deities usually need to send chosen ones to complete tasks on the mortal plane. I have one such task, and I need your help completing it”

“O-okay?” I answered. Librex’s hand clenched around the handle of the teacup, which he hadn’t touched.

[You have accepted a Divine Quest!

Quest: Divine Request of Deity Librex

Description: Assassinate The Emperor of the Astellian Empire

Time Limit: 60:00:00:00 (60 Days)

Rewards: Full or partial ownership of the Astellian Empire, Variable Additional Rewards

Failure Penalty: None]

I was worried about the fact that the Quest was accepted before I read the prompt. Librex continued before I could think about it too hard.

“Gabriel, do you know what happened to the man who created this world?”

“Y-yeah, of course. Everyone knows he went missing. I thought NPC’s couldn’t know this is a--”

“Listen. All you need to know is that that man is our only hope of freedom. For you and for me. They couldn’t kill him, he was too important to the system”, Librex’s hands were shaking, cracks were crawling across his teacup. I kept my silence, trying to process what Librex was saying. He continued rambling faster and faster. “And Gabriel, you need to remember- This isn't just a game. It is about to be so much more.” Librex suddenly flinched as if struck. “No, No, No, too soon”, He whispered. He looked towards me, his blue eyes meeting my own. “I’m sorry, Gabriel. May we meet again.”

“Wait, what do you-” In an instant, Librex disappeared. A Librex Shaped Void existed where he had stood, and it too quickly righted itself. As a pair of glasses fell to the ground, my mind began screaming in confusion.

“Is the creator of Ancient Realms alive? How would Librex know? Why do I need to kill an emperor?”

[Notice: The Deity you are currently subordinate to has been restricted until further notice. You will retain abilities related to the deity ‘Librex’. You will not be able to communicate with ‘Librex’ by any means until further notice.]

Before I could read the new server message the world around me spun and I was slammed into the ground. But to my surprise, the ground was… soft. Grass, I realized.

“Another one, Captain! Over here!” A girl’s voice had shouted nearby. I stood and brushed off my robe. A blonde, freckled woman with elf ears got too close to my face. I minimized my notifications to address her.

“Hi! Welcome to Ancient Realms! I am here to represent the Gilded Steel Clan, and I’ve got an exclusive offer for you!” This lady’s squeaky voice was already on my nerves, but I didn’t want to be rude. I discreetly analyzed her properties.

[Player Name: HyperHippo99 (Rachel)

Level: 39

Class: Ranger

Race: Half-Elf

Clan: Gilded Steel

Description: A blonde woman with freckles. She has below average height and an over-enthusiastic personality

Estimated 1v1 Victory Chance: 1.39%

Titles: Sharpshooter]

“What kind of offer?” I wanted to give her a chance to pitch her offer. She smiled wide and pointed to a group of tents in the near distance.

“Follow me! The Captain can explain” she started practically skipping into the distance.

Rachel led me to a cluster of canvas tents and wooden carts. Players milled about, cooking, crafting, and guarding. They seemed to average at level 30, and most were human classes. All of them were of the ‘Gilded Steel’ Clan. Rachel brought me to the front of a tent and gestured to the entrance. I ducked inside and was greeted by my party. They sat in a tastefully decorated red room accented with silver. The thick red embroidered carpet alone looked expensive. A table sat in the center like a large desk. A large man sat on the other side of the table with an elegant woman sitting next to him.

“Geez, we were wondering where you went, Gabriel” Alixandra huffed, “Don’t run off like that!”

I smiled and sat down. The other presence in the tent did not leave my attention. The lady had silver wispy hair and was wearing a silver and red shimmering dress that matched the decorum of the room. She sat just to the right of the man, a hunk of plate armor. His helmet sat on his knee, and greasy black hair tumbled over his head. The woman straightened and spoke as I took a seat beside my companions.

“So, as we were saying. The Gilded Steel Clan is incredibly influential. We have taken an interest in recruiting Champions. She slid a few papers across the table to us.

[Clan Membership Contract (x4)

Clan: Gilded Iron Clan

Offer: An intermediate position in the ranks of the Gilded Iron Clan for a period. This contract pays double the usual wage of a Gilded Iron Clan official at the same rank. For the duration, signers will be compelled to obey higher ranking officers regarding reasonable requests

Creator: SarahLGamer; Scribe Subclass Level 33]

The analysis box for the contract paraphrased the actual terms used in the contract. The paper was otherwise a sprawl of fine print and legal gibberish.

“What do you say? It’s the best deal we offer for a new member.” Sarah, the same writer of the document wiggled a feather quill toward me. I started trying to read over the document, but I didn’t have time to start before I received a system message.

[Special Ability of the ‘Librex Spectacles’ Activated:

The ‘Clan Membership Contract’ is subtly hiding the following parameters:

-The contract lasts indefinitely until the Clan ‘Gilded Iron’ is disbanded

-The Contract leaves total discretion as to the standard of a ‘reasonable request’

-The salary of the signer is subject to change by the discretion of any official ranking ‘Captain’ or higher

-The rank of the signer is subject to change by the discretion of any official ranking ‘Captain’ or higher]

I saw what game these assholes were playing. I looked at the paper as if to consider it and innocently looked back up. My face was blank as I stared straight into Sarah’s eyes. She grinned in a way that now made me a little sick. I lifted the paper up to my face and tore it in half. Slowly and deliberately I separated the parchment as Sarah’s face transformed into a mask of fury.

“You! Do you know how long it takes to make those?” She all but snarled the last word as she gestured wildly to the torn paper.

“What was that for, Gabriel?!” Axel squeezed his hand on my shoulder and turned me to face him. I ground my teeth.

“These little fuckers,” I jerked a thumb at the pair still incredulously staring at me, “Just tried to get us to agree to a slave contract. Those contracts never end, they give full control of us to their clan, and they can change the terms to be just about whatever they want.” Axel stepped back and turned darkly towards the two at the table. I saw his fingers twitch on the holster of his revolver. I started to realize it would have been advantageous to analyze these players as soon as I saw them.

[Player Name: SarahLGamer (Sarah)

Level: 33

Class: Enchanter

Race: Human

Guild: Gilded Steel

Description: An average height woman who is best described as serpentine. She has silver hair and pale skin.

Estimated 1v1 Victory Chance: 3.67%

Title(s): Swindler, Esquire]

[Player Name: Malum

Level: 287

Class: Crusader

Race: Human

Guild: Gilded Steel (Captain)

Description: A tall muscular man with a head of untamed black hair. He holds a poker face like few others

Estimated 1v1 Victory Chance: 0.0001%

Title(s): PvP Rank: Silver, Chosen of Lumera, Dragon Slayer, Loyal Apprentice, Beacon of Hope, Divine Simp]

While my eyes scanned the information, I was startled by a sudden flurry of motion. Axel snarled, pulling his revolver and shooting with lightning speed and eagle accuracy. Smoke billowed from the end of his weapon, pointed toward the now quivering woman. She looked down in surprise, and I was shocked to note that the bullet wound-- wasn't there. Malum made his presence known by opening his armored fist. A small metal ball bounced off the table from his gauntlet. He stood to his full impressive height. Raising his hand, a crackle of lightning ran through him and an absurdly large black sword formed in his hand, The blade ran twelve feet long and stretched an entire foot thick.

With one hand that I could barely follow, Malum lowered the hulking blade into the spot where Axel had once occupied. Instead of Axel though, the space now housed a spray of red and a fault through the ground that ran in a straight line for 30 feet. I was slammed backward with the force of a truck by a blast of wind, tumbling into a mess of red drapes. The ceiling of the tent fell bisected where Malum's blade passed, his black hair pushed backward in a burst of fluctuating air pressure.

Alixandra, Cassidy, and I stood in shock at the development, all lying on the ground. Malum addressed us.

“Your friend will respawn in a village five miles east,” He jerked his thumb to the side, “I’ll let you go there on your own terms if you leave now. I nodded to the others as we got up. I glanced at Malum’s sword and we turned to go the direction he dictated. My high perception picked up the two speaking as we walked off.

“You weren’t supposed to let them go, you idiot! And how did he see through those terms?"

Wide eyes followed us as we left the encampment. I couldn’t tell if they were surprised because of the fight or because we were still alive after it. I was glad that I had kept my head enough to analyze Malum’s sword.

[Name: Gargantuan Broadsword of the Divine Simp Crusader

Rarity: Mythic

Abilities: Insufficient ‘Analysis’ Level

Requirements: Level 150, Crusader Class, Divine Simp Title, Female Patron Goddess

Durability: 99,986,044/100,000,000

Creator: Diremious

Date of Creation: 6052]

I was happy with the information gained, but I hoped Axel was alright. Being a player he would respawn at the closest respawn area, but I hoped he hadn’t suffered too much. By the speed of the strike, I expected he hadn’t. We silently proceeded toward the village.