Toulette, Renauss Kingdom.

10:57 pm, 15 th Peniel 1091.

Syèl bit down on tasty beef jerky as he examined a roadside mile-marker. A smile spread on his lips as he realized there were only a few miles left until he reached his destination. As the halben resumed his walk, he realized he should have seriously considered purchasing a mount. The funds from bounty hunting were burning holes through his pocket as, because he did not require staffs to cast his spells, he really did not have much to spend on.

Syèl sighed. There was no use regretting the decision now. And on the bright side, walking did have some perks. It boosted his Endurance and helped raise his overall Stamina, though not by much. Plus, bandits were more likely to attack a lone target, giving the halben plenty of test subjects for his various spells.

While Syèl fantasized about possible future victims, an odd sight on the road gave him pause. An old man in dirty robes was collapsed in the middle of the path, with a walking stick in front of him.

Syèl observed the old man. When he noticed there was no movement, he clasped his hand together and offered a quick prayer to the deceased then moved on. It was none of his concern who bit the dust.

Grab!

“What the Fuck!” Syèl yelled in shock the corpse’s bony right hand suddenly shot out and grasped his ankle. The corpse’s cold touch ignited a deep trauma within the young man and sent his heart racing. “Stay dead!” the halben screamed, fear apparent in the midst of false bravado as a giant fireball forming on his right hand.

The old man, sensing the heat, suddenly raised his head and shouted, "I'm not dead!"

"The fuck you aren’t!” Syèl violently rebutted and almost instantly shot the fireball as he looked at the old man’s terrible visage.

The old man was extraordinarily bony and sported terrifyingly wrinkled skin. A pair of exaggeratedly large eyes with half-opened eyelids gave the face a comical, yet scary disposition. It just appeared unnatural.

Zombie grandpa grabbed the ankle with his other hand as he scolded the halben, "What are you, a baby?!"

"No! I know what a zombie looks like” Syèl yelled, but proceeded to stomp on the old man with his free leg. "Let me go!"

"S-stop hi-hitting me!” the old man protested. “I'm not a zombie!”

"That's exactly what a zombie would say!" Syèl countered, and proceeded to increase the intensity of his kicks.

Zombie grampa seemed to have had enough, as he suddenly screamed with more strength than a dying man should have."Fool! Zombies can't talk!"

Syèl stopped and looked at the gramps with a doubtful gaze. "You sure you're not a zombie?"

"I am not!" Zombie grandpa sat up, crossed legged and laid his walking stick across his laps. "Youth these days are so rude."

Syèl coughed and put on his most serious face. "What happened to you, old man?" To be honest, he knew all along, but he had to kick the old man for causing him to remember something unpleasant. Not that he would ever admit that.

"Don't you go pretending like nothing happened!" the old man scolded then broke into a fit of coughs.

Syèl’s brows furrowed. "You alright, old man?"

"This is nothing. The burden I carry as mayor of Neverun is much heavier." The old man looked up at the halben and meekly added in a vulnerable tone, "...A meal would be nice."

Syèl pulled out a beef steak he had been saving for later from his inventory and handed it to the old man. The mayor accepted the tender meat and bit down on it, pleasure apparent in his creepy grin.

The mayor let out a sigh of bliss then looked at the halben from the corner of his eyes. "How about a drink to wash it down?"

Syèl sighed, took out a bottle of juice from his inventory, then handed it over.

The mayor downed the drink in one gulp and belched like a Milgeki Walrus. "Ah, that's the stuff. I also need some coins to get to the next town and beyond."

A vein popped in Syèl's forehead. "How much do you need?"

The mayor smiled, rubbing his hands together. "You seem like a rich lad. Could you spare me five gold coins?"

"F-five?!" Syèl currently had ten gold coins from bounty hunting after spending the rest of his earnings on rare armor for mages. This man wanted to fleece half his savings?

"Don't be stingy now." The old man urged, with the creepiest smile Syèl had ever seen.

"Goodbye." Syèl turned to leave, but chills ran up his body as those bony hands grabbed his ankle again. "Will you cut that out!"

The old man ignored his protest and raised four fingers. "Four gold."

Syèl decided to play his game. "Five Large Silvers."

"Three gold."

"One"

"Two gold."

"One."

"Two gold."

"One."

"One gold-fifty, and that's as low as I am going,” the old man declared with a harrumph.

"Deal. One gold-fifty it is." Syèl handed him a single gold coin and fifty small copper coins.

Grumbling, the mayor pocketed the coins. "Hmph, youth these days. No respect."

"Yes, yes,” Syèl replied with a frustrated sigh. “I'll be leaving now."

"Wait! I have one more request to ask of you," the mayor begged.

Syèl rubbed his face, exasperated by the old man. "What do you want?"

"You look like an adventurer that can hold his own in battle,” the mayor stated. “My village has been overrun by Cockatrice. Could you help me chase them away?"

Syèl decided not to let it slip he was already heading there. "What's in it for me?"

"You would be doing a good deed for helpless citizens of the same country," the old man righteously stated.

Syèl yawned, feigning boredom. "Not interested."

"Okay okay! There is a trapdoor in the temple behind Alure's statue,” the mayor revealed. “Legend has it, a great source of power is hidden inside. Accept my request, and I will give you the key if you succeed."

New Quest: Slay the Cockatrice

Slay the Cockatrice

Fodam, mayor of Neverun has pleaded with you to rid his town of the vile beasts known as cockatrices. You can choose to either slay or chase them away.

Remaining monsters: 28

Rewards: +200 Fame, Key to Alure's Crypt.

"I’ll accept," Syèl said.

"Thank you,” the mayor said then pointed down the path. “Neverun’s just a little way down the road."

"See you later, old man." Syèl waved as he left. He paused and turned around to see if the geezer had resumed his journey. "You've got to be kidding me." Syèl face-palmed when he saw Fodam once again sprawled out on the floor.

‘Damn scammer!’

Silverwood Forest.

10:57 pm, 15 th Peniel 1091.

Kashi and Leila notched arrows onto their bows as they glared at Blade and his guildmates. Kashi counted twenty-three combatants, ten of which were mages. Since this was virtual reality and not a computer game, the daeben’s fighting experience and might be enough for him to take on the warriors. However, all the skills and experience could not protect him from a collective mage bombardment – not yet at least.

While Kashi considered which way they should run, Kira walked out from the cave. Her presence caused an instant reaction among the assailants who balked at her size.

"Kira! The mages!" Kashi took advantage of the momentary pause shoot down three of warriors. It did not kill them, but as they staggered from the impact, Kira dashed through their middle and lunged at the mages behind them.

The mages launched ice spikes and fireballs at Kira, but the majority of the spells harmlessly bounced off her fur. It appeared she had obtained great resistance to fire and ice from absorbing the essence of the Spriggan Lord. Growling, Kira plowed through a mage with brute force and gouged on another helpless mage.

A warrior attempted to strike Kira from behind, but an arrow tore through his arm, causing him to scream in agony.

Blade glared at Kashi. "I may still forgive you if you stop now."

"Come!" Kashi challenged as both he and Leila dashed forward.

Blade swung his spear in a horizontal arc to hit both archers.

"That's not how you use a spear," Kashi scolded as he somersaulted over Blade.

Leila saw the incoming attack and stopped her charge, then shot an arrow that stabbed through Blade’s feet to the ground. [Paralyzing Shot] pinned the target to the ground and prevented movement. The time taken to remove the arrow depended on the strength of the archer and the victim.

Leila dashed past the paralyzed Blade, sharing a similar plan as the daeben: take out the small fry before facing the stronger one.

Kashi landed behind Blade and was immediately forced into blocking an incoming strike with his bow. The daeben frowned and kicked his attacker in the stomach. The force sent the assailant sliding backward, which allowed the daeben to complete his retaliation by turning the man into a pincushion.

Bow in hand, Kashi charged into the guild’s center, ducking low when swords almost sliced him. He got into a handstand and kicked a few warriors in the face, then dropped low and swept their legs off the floor.

Puchi!

An arrow stabbed Kashi’s hand and broke his balance. The daeben glared at a group of archers a few meters away that were already releasing another volley. He back-flipped away from their onslaught, right into the path of warriors who had been waiting for him.

Having learned from their previous failures, they swung low and high in an attempt to cut off his avenues of retreat. However, Kashi jumped, spread himself flat, and rolled in the air, effectively passing through the gap between their swords. He landed behind the warriors, feet spread out with one hand behind his back, and the other supporting his body.

"Stay still!" the warriors cried as their partners surrounded and swung down at him. Several cries of pain rang out as arrows pierced through their hands. The source of the missiles was unknown as Leila had quickly hidden in the forest while the warriors had their focus on Kashi.

‘A true archer,’ Kashi inwardly praised.

Impressed by Leila, and not willing to be outdone, Kashi delivered a helicopter kick to the warriors’ chins around him and sent them flying.

Once the warriors fell, Kashi dashed at full speed towards the archers who had no time to react because of his extraordinary Agility. Kashi delivered an upper-cut to the closest archer, buried his fists in her guts, then kicked her into her fellow archers.

A frustrated war cry rang out behind Kashi, and he turned around to see Blade swinging his spear down at him. "I said that's not how you use a spear!" Kashi roared as he took a step into Blade's open guard. He grabbed the spear with his left hand and palmed the spearman in the chest, sending him crashing into a tree.

Kashi brandished the spear he had wrestled from Blade, and made a show of twirling it around him, then held it diagonally behind him. The edge of his lips curled up in a snarky smirk and motioned for the warriors still standing to come at him.

Enraged by the daeben’s smugness, the warriors charged at Kashi with their weapons held high, and he treated them to some of his spear-play.

"When holding a spear, you hold it with both hands, making sure the pointy bit is closer to your left hand, assuming you're right-handed." Memories of a similar scenario, except with Razznik on the receiving end of the lesson floated through Kashi’s mind as effortlessly dodged the guild members' swings. With a small smile, he continued the lesson. "For a basic attack, step back on your right foot while pulling the spear to your right side, level with the ground, then rotate your shoulders counterclockwise, allowing your hands to follow the swing, then..."

Kashi did as he instructed, then thrust the spear forward and down, stabbing a surprised and frustrated adventure, then repeated the motion on several other, rotating his hips counterclockwise to add more force. Surprisingly, despite dropping the warriors one after another, very few actually died.

"That concludes today's lesson,” Kashi said after the last warrior collapsed then tossed the spear back at Blade. "You cannot rely on the system to carry out your attacks if you do not even know the basics."

Blade caught the weapon, surprise, fear and newfound respect in his eyes.

"Do you still want to go?" Kashi asked.

"No. I know when I'm beaten," Blade clasped the spear to a holder on his back then raised his hands in defeat.

"Good. Kira, you can stop now," Kashi called, and Kira reluctantly jumped off the mage she was about to snack on. Unfortunately for the mages, Kira was not as kind as the daeben. They had lost seven of their ten, compared to 4 warriors and 2 archers who had perished among the thirteen warriors and archers.

Blade looked at Kashi with a complicated expression. "I'll give you a fair warning for not killing me. Nyte, Asha, and our boss are nothing like me. As strong as you are, you cannot possibly beat them."

"We'll find out eventually, won't we?" Kashi left the defeated guildmembers, accompanied by Kira and Leila who came out of cover. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem,” Leila remarked. Her gaze was filled with curiosity and interest as she gave the daeben a once-over with her eyes. “More importantly, where did you learn to fight like that?"

Kashi pondered on the question. He could not exactly say he had learned it from Razznik seeing as they were separate entities. "I inherited them."

Leila’s gaze dimmed a little. "You're from a family of athletes, huh?"

Kashi thought of Suzuki and Razznik. They were a sort of family, in their own messed up way. The daeben looked at Leila and replied with a shrug, "Sure... let's go with that."

Neverun, Renauss Kingdom.

10:57 pm, 15 th Peniel 1091.

Syèl walked under a wooden arch that announced he had reached Neverrun. The village looked as terrible as one would expect of a town overrun by monsters. Doors had collapsed off of dilapidated buildings, destroyed by either looters or monsters. The air, which at some point might have been filled with the sounds of the community had grown eerily quiet, the silence only broken by the occasional gusts of wind.

The town’s atmosphere was overcome by stark loneliness. Life seemed to have come to a halt in this part of the world. A fact only strengthened by several stone statues dotting the streets, which upon closer inspection, were revealed to be petrified humans and elves. The terrified expressions on the faces of the statues were unnerving. Judging from the direction of most statues, it appeared they were running away from or toward the same place at the time of their petrification.

Syèl meandered through the statues, careful not to touch them. Debris around some broken statues revealed they were not as strong as one would think. Facing something capable of this, it was no surprise the Renauss Kingdom’s warriors had been overwhelmed.

Syèl followed the road until he heard the unmistakable sounds of clashing metal and increased his pace. He jumped onto a building, then ran along rooftops, cutting the distance he needed to travel in half. A field came into view, and Syèl saw a flock of the strangest animals he had ever seen attacking a single target.

Cockatrices resembled 8-foot chickens that had spent their lives inside a fast food joint, snacking on the people that usually ate them. They were extremely fat, with large wings that allowed them to jump and hover in the air for a few seconds. Despite their size, Cockatrices were quick with their feet and could pierce through steel with their large beaks.

Syèl jumped onto a nearby silo for a better view.

The feathered beasts were focused on a Cerulian female wielding a 2-meter long katana. She was dressed like an English male royalty in blue trousers with a design Syèl could not make from so far away, and a long blue jacket on a white dress shirt. Her shoulder-length golden blond hair fluttered freely in the wind as she danced around the Cockatrices.

Syèl watched, impressed as the female swordswoman blocked a stab from a cockatrice’s beak, pushed it back, then beheaded it in a clean slice. As it fell, its brothers crowed loudly in anger, and green aura emanated from their eyes.

The girl darted around to dodge the beams. A cockatrice curled into a feathery ball and raced towards her. The young woman did not seem fazed by the attack as she simply ducked low and formed a ramp with her sword. The cockatrice rolled onto her blade, and she pushed upwards, launching it into the air.

Several others surrounded her and pecked at incredible speeds, but she parried all their strikes - even those from her blind spots.

"She's good." Syèl sat down, deciding to see how this played out.

"You're not going to lend a hand?" a strangely familiar voice asked.

"No, why should-!?" Syèl cut his words short and instantly whirled around, shocked by the fact that someone had managed to sneak up on him. His surprise only doubled when he saw who it was. His perfect memory did not allow him to forget a face. He recognized the lady in front of him as the blond girl with Suzuki he had met briefly at the mall in the real world.

What was even more surprising was the fact that this lady was the same person fighting down on the field. Syel confirmed this by glancing at the field, where, sure enough, the exact same woman was still fighting.

Syèl looked at the young woman and questioned. "How?"

The young woman sneered and swung her sword with chilling accuracy. Syèl barely had enough time to jump off the silo, and his eyelids twitched as he watched a significant portion of the silo slide off, cleanly sliced open by her blade.

The swordswoman jumped down and landed with beautiful grace. She raised her sword and charged at Syèl, who summoned [Blades of Blood] and parried her strike.

Syèl was forced to kneel as a result of her incredible strength. "Shit!" He cursed. ‘I may be in trouble.’