An Overgeared Fiction(VRMMO Theme) [Saharan Successor]

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 29 - 'Malakai' makes his appearance
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With Mathias climbing down the platforms, getting past the ladder that caused him most of the troubles, he finally managed to find himself on the ground once again.
"Phew, I think I could make any assassin proud with my parkour skills in the game." said Mathias taking a deep breath as he calmed down his adrenaline.
Looking in the direction of the parishioners and Archbishop, he chose not to disturb them more than required and instead walked down toward Jeanne, who waved at him to get closer.
As he was walking in her direction, Mathias could hear her laughing, barely containing her amusement.
"What is so funny? Hey, cut it off. Stop laughing like you are some crazy woman."
"Hah, such a good scene. You should have seen the old man's expression when he saw you hanging on the Dome, priceless. Nonetheless, you finished the cleaning as you promised me."
"Jeanne, you better protect me. That old man, I feel he will beat me up."
*Giggling* "Unfortunately, I am still weaker than father Julius. My divine powers dwarfs in comparison to his own. I'll tell you a small secret, dad was supposed to be the Pope, but for some reasons unknown to me, he never made that final step, ascending to the throne."
"I see. That's really some interesting information about old Julius."
"I can tell you more, but you better follow me back to my office. Right, while we are at that, I will give you the reward I promised you for clearing the Dome."
Then, with Jeanne getting up from where she was standing, they took their leave, moving toward the secluded zone of the Cathedral and later turning for her office.
Along the way, they encountered some priests and players that joined the Church that followed behind the priests.
They completely ignored Mathias, like how he, too, reacted. He had his own path while they made their own.
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Minutes later, Jeanne unlocked her room in the Cathedral and welcomed Mathias inside before making her way inside.
"Make yourself comfortable. I have to search for those potions."
Nodding, Mathias noticed an additional couch inside her room that wasn't there when getting to meet her. Getting on the seat, he watched her back as she was searching around her office.
"Intermediate Potions, the Potions... Where have I placed them?? There should be a box down here. Maybe it is here."
Saying that, Jeanne lowered herself even more, in doing so, making Mathias feel awkward for the show in front of his eyes. He later heard the treasure huntress call out with excitement.
"Found them. While my body turned like this, it seems my memory and other girlish aspects morphed my mind. You know how they say it about women. They know to find anything from their house. Maybe they are smarter than men? Lucky me, I guess." said Jeanne, getting herself straight while placing a box containing 20 flasks holding a red liquid that symbolizes life.
"Ahem, I doubt it is related to that. Intelligence is something universal that can be inside of a woman or man, alike. Statistically, men are the ones having a bigger intellect." commented Mathias from where he was seating, making Jeanne gaze at him with a curious expression.
"You think so? But I feel that compared to when I was a man, my thinking process is faster. While influenced by some stupid feelings I can't explain, compared to the past, I feel there is progress in that regard."
"Maybe it is something related to the curse. Or it can depend on your surroundings and lifestyle. For example, constantly reading, training your mind, exercising, and so on might have an effect. I am not a professional, just stating some things from books I've read."
"Interesting thinking you have Mathias. Now, come here and pick up your reward. I told you I would give only 10 of those flasks, but I changed my mind. Women, right? Changing on the wimps of the moment."
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[Because of a high affinity with Jeanne, she changed the reward of the quest 'Cleaning the High Dome' giving you 20x 'Intermediate Health Potions']
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Mathias, who got on his feet, stared at Jeanne's face with surprise and asked her, uncertain.
"Are you sure, Jeanne? Don't they require a lot of money to buy?"
She smiled warmly at him, shaking her head, before brushing her long blonde hair behind her shoulders.
"Do you need me to force you? Just take them without worrying about my money. I make more money than you can imagine just being the Bishop of the Cathedral."
"Fine, fine. I will no longer complain. You are the boss here. Also is bad manners, refusing the goodwill of others when they are sincere."
"Indeed. Don't be shy around or think you will be indebted to me. *Giggling* I am not weird like Gabrils, having the interest of binding people to me, placing debts on people I heal or help."
With her cheeks going a bit pink, she also said. "Also, aren't we friends? It is only normal for friends to help each other."

Nodding his head, he noticed Jeanne turning a bit embarrassed, but he didn't put a lot of thought into it. Picking up the box with flasks, he brought it to his inventory bag, making Jeanne gaze at him with surprised eyes.
"Wow, isn't that Dimensional Magic? Can you teach me that?"
"I doubt I can teach you anything as I am speaking to you. Still, do you have magic talent?
As he asked Jeanne that, he took a look at the potions he gained and what they did.
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[Intermediate Potion]
This is a potion that has been formulated with five or more herbs.
Restores 1,500 health.
The cooldown time is 20 seconds.
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'Ohhh, this one is perfect. Having such things when fighting the thieves and bandits in the future will come in handy. Sigh, I feel I am just profiting over her kindhearted intentions. I will need to pay her back, regardless of what she thinks.
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Nevertheless, after hearing Mathias question about her magic talents, she extended her delicate white hand and created a small flame in her hand, showing Mathias some of her magic talent.
"Impressive. To think you are also talented with magic, you remind me of my friend."
"Ohh, a woman?" asked Jeanne, gazing intensely at Mathias, who felt that one straight to his heart.
'Wait, don't tell me, you are a possessive one? We only know for about one week…"
"Well, that is right. Anyway, that conversation in that regard is unnecessary. Can you show me what else you can do with your magic?"
Jeanne changed her gaze back to a tender one along with Mathias' request to see her perform the magic she knew.
"It is not much. When I was younger, I wanted to become a mage, but since that curse kicked in, I lost my focus on the magic path, and with Father's Julius guidance, I studied and learned the divine power. Is a system closely related to the magic system."
Saying that, she created some small ice shards in her hand, and after one minute, she created a gust of wind that blew gently at Mathias's neck.
"Hey, are you playing with magic just now?" asked Mathias, feeling that Jeanne was teasing him too much with the wind spell she knew.
"Oh my. Why do you ask that? I am not doing anything to you."
Ending that, she blew another gentle wind toward his ears and neck tickling him.
She messed around with him until Mathias got enough and, using his arcane magic, placed a primal barrier around his face, shining around his face with a white-purple barrier.
"Wow, what is that? White-purple magic form? I never saw it before, not even with the great mages I ask for spells when visiting dad. Also, sorry for teasing you."
Mathias looked with serious eyes at Jeanne, and ending his primal barrier that consumed about 20% of his MP, he told her.
"It is fine. I understand that you are mostly alone, and having someone around to spend time with might feel like a new experience. Not that I blame you or anything. In fact, I am impressed by your magic talent. I would have taught you my magic if I was a tiny bit more talented."
"I see. I am glad you are not angry with me. You still haven't responded to my question. What is that magic you used, the white-purple one."
Gazing at Jeanne's curious face, which started getting closer and closer to him, he placed his finger on her soft lips before saying with a mysterious tone.
"It is a secret. When I truly master it, I might tell you."
Being stopped in place by Mathias' bold move, she took a shy step back and said to him while pouting. "Friends don't hold secrets."
"What you are doing is blackmailing. Are you sure a priestess is allowed to pull such schemes? What if I tell the goddess?"
"Hey, that is blackmailing. Argh, fine, I will not pester you with that question. What will you do for today? Do you have plans?" asked Jeanne, a bit shy, after stopping from annoying Mathias with questions about the arcane magic.
"Nothing much for today. I would probably go to a corner somewhere and start writing for a reader of my story and later start training my spear."
"You are also a spearman? Not only a magician?" asked Jeanne, surprised by this new information about Mathias.
"Can you stop? It is not like it is unheard of for a spearman to use magic. "
"I don't know. You are the first one I heard about. No, wait, there is Lord Kirinus, who also combines magic with his spearmanship. Lord Kirinus is told to be the strongest spearman reaching a higher level even compared to Duchess Dehakel Rachel. But I believe you will also reach their levels as long as you work hard. There's this saying of Father Julius, 'You can achieve anything as long you work hard for it.'."
"The old man isn't wrong at all." commented Mathias with a calm voice, pondering a bit on the two persons Jeanne mentioned, Kirinus and Duchess Rachel.
"Indeed, father Julius has quite the way with the words. But, let's not detour from what I wanted to ask you, please. If that part of your schedule isn't as important, will you join me not too long after to go somewhere in the city?" asked Jeanne with a serene expression on her white face.
"Where exactly?" inquired Mathias, feeling cornered by a predator.
"Secret. All I can tell you is that we will have fun."
'I doubt she is an easy woman. So it isn't that. Hmm, it piqued my curiosity for sure.'
"I see. Then, if you don't have any more work to do, we can go now, less, that old man comes after me, trying to squash his problems with me."
*Giggling* "You are worrying too much. Father is a good person. It is an underestimation calling just good. He is one of the holiest men of this era. As for when we can go? Right now. Come, follow me to my house."
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Getting out of the Cathedral, Mathias, who followed Jeanne close by, started asking himself questions about where she actually lived.
'Isn't this the wealthy district, where only people with status or money could buy a residence here?'
The houses on the alleys couldn't even be compared with the periphery residences. It was like comparing a wolf with a chihuahua. It was the same species but totally different worlds.
It was precisely what Mathias thought at that moment but told more pathetically.
"Mathias, is something wrong? Just a bit more, and we reach home."
"Ahh, no. I am fine. I just didn't expect you to live in this area of the city."
"Hehe, working as a priest really pays well. There's all sort of clients coming to my doors, from black knights to red knights, wealthy nobles, and so on."
Soon Mathias could see Jeanne walk slowly after getting closer to a two stories high building, and to his expectations, she opened the gate of the entrance and stepped inside the courtyard.
Keeping his silence, Mathias gazed calmly at his surroundings. He noticed that the courtyard was maintained, with grazed green field, while the house was simply a medieval-style mansion.
"Welcome to my home, Mathias." said Jeanne with a smile after she opened the door, welcoming the young man inside her house.
Getting inside after she entered, he checked his surroundings since entering the hallway of the house.
"This one is a gift I gained from Duke Rigal for curing his ill son, a cute child nonetheless. Unfortunately for him, his mother died in childbirth while his father is constantly busy with the administration of Gelder Duchy and also defending the frontier against the other races in the North."
"He will be fine. As long the boy is patient, and his father manages to build up a relationship with his son, they will be fine." commented Mathias as he stepped forward, following Jeanne that was leading him in her main room.
The main room was fully equipped with furniture of ornament and masterfully crafted. At the center was a round table where two expensive armchairs were placed.
"Make yourself comfortable. I will go change my clothes, and after that, we will go to the location secret to you."
Before she dashed toward the upper level of the mansion, she looked at Mathias that went to sit on one chair with an embarrassed expression as she told him.
"It will take a bit since I also have to clean myself. So don't get angry if I take a while."
"Sure, don't worry. I am good with waiting."
Then Jeanne, not wasting any further time, climbed the staircase toward the first level of the mansion, leaving Mathias to stare around the main room.
"This house makes me feel weird. It's like I am one of those millionaires, relaxing in a million-dollar house. However, the truth, I am staying in a single-room apartment. That's the saddest truth. Even the people of this world can live better lives than us, outlanders."
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[Ding! You received a friend request from player 'Malakai']
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"Who?? Don't tell me is that bum who managed to enter the game?" pondered on who this 'Malakai' could be, and without waiting much with the notification windows popping up, he pressed [Accept].
Then from nowhere, a ringtone started ringing in his ears that made him get on his feet, visible scared to heck out of him.
"Motherfucker. What's this? Hah, hah. I almost got heart failure."
Another window appeared in his face, similar to how a call went, with the system asking him for [Answer/Decline] with the specific green and red colours scheme.
"Sup, Matei. This game is awesome. I feel like I am tripping on LSD. Everything around me looks so real." said 'Malakai' or how Mathias knows him, Vlad, after Mathias accepted the call.
"Lower your tone, you bastard… My ears are hurting right now. So, what's with that name, 'Malakai'? Do you even know what it means?"
"Dah, obviously. It's from those old ass religious texts, the Bible. It means Messenger."
"Okay, congrats, you did your homework. So, what's the name theme, something you want to achieve in this new world, to tell the world?"
"Bro, I tell you, this name will scare the crap out of kids once I get big. I want to become an assassin, so when people mention my name, I will become synonymous with the Messenger of Death." replied Vlad with a serious voice that also had Mathias take him seriously.
"It seems you are dead serious. So, where did you spawn? Eternal or Gauss? Let me guess, Eternal?"
"Bastard, do you read minds or something? Indeed, I spawned in the Eternal Kingdom, straight to Reinhardt. Now I am looking for quests, but they are so damn rare. Whenever I ask those NPC's for quests, they just move away from me. Isn't this a bug or something?"
"Idiot. Haven't I told you that this game isn't like those shitty games of the past. Maybe in those games, you could get quests without much hassle, but here? You have to work for everything, even the smallest quest."
"Fuck. Then how do you get your quest, Matei?"
"Simple, I behave like a human being and treat those people of this world as equals. Try it, curse me all you want if it doesn't work. But I assure you, it will work. I have a theory in mind. This is the intended way to play this game, connecting with the NPC's finding their life stories. Is like reading a book when you listen to those NPC's talking, sharing their grief, troubles and happy moments."
"Ohh. You haven't told anyone this info, right?"
"Why should I? I am not some Saint to help those stupid kids who can't figure out the game. I mean, you can play the game however you like, playing for the levels and going for hunts or simply going with the flow."
"Man, listen. If this method works, let's keep it our secret. Wouldn't we be able to raise in levels as fast as those crazy gamers if we play for quests?"
"Vlad, I don't care, just go enjoy the game. A last reminder, train the body movements of the attacks until they flow like a reflex. Once we start the live version, we'll have the advantage over other players."
"Yes, brother, thanks for guiding this noob. Last question, in what stats do you think I should focus?"
Hearing Vlad's question, Mathias lowered himself down on the luxurious armchair and pondered.
'Should I troll him? No, since we might play together, let's help him out.'
"Vlad, think, what does an assassin need?"
"Attack power to DPS idiots, kill them in one blow or two if I really suck, and agility to escape if the situation gets nasty?"
"Indeed, so there you go, your answer. Spec into Strength and Agility, have them balanced out to a 1:1 ratio if you can. Nevertheless, don't forget to put some points in the Intelligence stat too. You will feel the pain of being a literal idiot in the game when you don't even have an MP to use your skills."
"Now, I will close the call. I got some business inside the game to do. Leave a message if you want help, don't call me. I almost had a heart attack because of that stupid ringtone going in my brain." mentioned Mathias, with an annoyed expression on his face, before moving to close the call.
"Thanks, bro. Worry not, I will call you after notifying you with a msg."
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[Call ended]
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"Such goofball. To think he would try the assassin route. Interesting."
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As he finished his talk with Vlad, only some minutes passed, and now fully knowing that Jeanne would take her time to prepare, he took out the canvas from his inventory and soon after started to fill the empty spots with color.
The small table next to the armchair became a workshop to him, and slowly but surely, the kittens began gaining life under his careful hands.
About an hour went by, and the body of the silver kitten took life, with only the remaining 10% of his body.
It was when he was about to shift on the orange-coloured kitten that he heard an embarrassed cough from behind him.
"Ahh, you finally finished your preparation? What took you so long?"
Slowly he turned his head to glance at Jeanne, and suddenly when he had his head fully turned, he said with a surprised voice.
"By Mother Teresa's name, who are you? Did you barge into my friend's house without permission?"
Surprise could be sensed in his tone, a bit overwhelmed by the sight his eyes took in. Placing his canvas from his hands down, he started inspecting this gorgeous woman in front of him.
She was wearing a pair of black trousers that fit perfectly with her long toned legs, along with some hunting heel boots. Those boots were similar in style to his own, just that they were probably crafted for women, while her upper body simply left him shocked.
A white buttoned shirt revealed some of her cleavage, while her lips held black lipstick, making them more luscious than ever. The eyes were left untouched, revealing her natural hazel eyes, but a slight touch of makeup was still there around her cheeks.
Her long, straight blonde hair was left cascading down her white shirt.
"Cut it off. Stop staring at me like that. Don't tell me, you are one of those perverts on the streets?"
"Well, well. I can't even be surprised nowadays?"
"That's too much. I look bad, right? I still try to wear manly clothes, but they don't match with my body. It is also a bit tight on my chest." said Jeanne, a bit shy, seeming to walk back to her room to change herself.
Then Mathias grabbed her hand, stopping her from dashing off, later calming her down.
"What are you doing? I might be a really patient guy, but one hour was enough, don't you think? Also, you are looking good in those clothes, you truly do."
"Really? Don't you find me distasteful?" asked Jeanne, with her voice trembling a bit.
"Not at all, you are really gorgeous. Hah, you will understand once we start walking on the streets, you will feel how envious those ladies can truly be of you." said Mathias with an evil smile as he released Jeanne from his grasp, knowing that she calmed down a bit.
"I don't know. What if they recognize me and start looking down when they see me at the cathedral."
"Haha, I barely recognized you, and you think some fools will do it? Let's go to this secret location you've been trying to go to, and you will understand."
Grabbing her hand, he moved her a bit around the main room, but as Jeanne made a step while she was wearing her heeled boots, she lost her balance and started panicking, grabbing on whatever she could before landing.
"Ahhhh, help me!" cried out Jeanne as she landed straight on Mathias's chest.
Seeing herself on his chest, she almost began crying from embarrassment as she apologized.
"Sorry, sorry. I can't believe I can't even walk properly using those shoes."
"Argh. It is fine. Calm down, before going somewhere, we'll practice walking wearing those shoes." said Mathias while patting her head from where she was holding onto his clothes.
Along the way, he also felt her body curves and gifted body but kept his cool, not giving to degeneracy and taking advantage of her.
"Mathias, I can't imagine being a woman was so hard." confessed Jeanne, as she calmed down, being helped a lot by Mathias's touch.
"Well, wait until you give birth to a child. It is said is 100 times worse than being kicked in the balls."
She looked with big eyes from where she was standing on his chest before trembling a bit in fear.
"It is still too much for me to comprehend. Can you please not mention the fact that I will have to do that in the future?"
"Is all good. Can you stand up, or do you need my help?"
"I will try, but to be safe, stay beside me." mentioned Jeanne, as she began pushing herself up using Mathias chest as support, slowly but surely getting on her feet.
"Well, this is the first step. Now, let's walk outside." said Mathias after getting on his feet and moving to walk toward the hallway.
Meanwhile, Jeanne, who tried to keep her balance, looked at Mathias and said with a pleading voice.
"Help me out, I am stuck here." she tried to fish for his arms, where later she hooked onto his arms tightly and slowly starting to make progress to outside.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 30 - The Hippodrome
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Holding onto Jeanne's soft arm, Mathias walked her outside of the house, with some struggles since she was so clumsy that it made her think something strange.

'Come on, it isn't that hard to walk on high heels, not that I tried, but I guess it is similar to ice skating. I need my patience now and also to keep my hands in check.'

Getting out of the mansion, Jeanne took a deep breath whispering to Mathias with an embarrassed voice.

"Can't I just go take my normal shoes?"

"Well, you could have done that, but now? No. Let's train you to be more like women, starting with walking on high heels."

"Arghh, it is easy to tell this from the sideline." pouted Jeanne while holding onto Mathias, afraid she would drop on her face.

"First, we will try to keep our balance while walking some steps forward." said Mathias, not buying into her complaints, as he left her standing at the courtyard road alone.

"Y-You, come back here immediately. I think I will lose my balance and drop down."

"No, you won't, so let me see you walking. Chop-chop, do you want to spend all day here?"

"I don't mind." mentioned Jeanne while smiling at Mathias, who facepalmed himself.

"Okay, okay, I will try." said Jeanne, figuring that she jumped into this situation on her own by trying to check on Mathias if she wasn't hideous wearing women's clothes.

Minutes passed, and with a lot of struggle, she managed to make some steps without losing balance. Then feeling encouraged, she went further, trying to walk normally, point where everything went down the drain hole.

"Ahhhhh, I am losing balance!" cried out Jeanne, slowly but surely losing her balance, lucky not breaking her ankles.

Yet before she landed on the ground, Mathias appeared behind her, holding her up. She was surprised to see that Mathias got so fast to her from where he was, and looking around herself, she noticed that his legs were releasing black feathers that disintegrated when touching the ground.

"Phew, that was close. Please, don't get reckless to try things I haven't told you. How are your legs?" asked Mathias, exhaling a deep breath at Jeanne's ears.

"I am good. I think I got the gist of things." said Jeanne while blushing a bit.

"You think? Hah, okay, we will check it in a moment, but before that, calm yourself."

Jeanne nodded her head while her cheeks were still rosy. Slowly after her break, she was left once again alone with Mathias watching her like he was a fashion creator watching his models walking on stage.

She started with balanced and steady feet, walking patiently, and with Mathias telling her to increase the rhythm of her walking, she kept her calm and did as she was told.

Her start was good, but slowly she seemed to get tired and lose her balance again.

"We will repeat again, don't get discouraged." said Mathias, who was behind her, to keep her safe from falling and losing courage.

Lowering her head while being held up by him, she felt a bit better seeing her progress.

It was only after 30-45 minutes of patience that Mathias no longer was there to help her.

"I can finally walk on the heels. To think I could do it. Mathias, are you some Sage to be able to teach me this fast?"

"No, not at all. I just have some experience skating on ice. The major problem with those, or in our case, high heels, is the balance of the feet. Ahem, do you want to hear an interesting thing?"

"Yea, I am all ears." responded Jeanne, wanting to hear what Mathias had in store for her.

"You think heels are made for women, correct?" At which Jeanne nodded her head and so made Mathias chuckle, confessing to her.

"That is a wrong conception. The heels were designed at first for men, specifically for warriors who would want to have a better balance while riding their horses and for aristocrats who wanted to appear taller and show off their status."

"Really?? Wait, if I think about it, it makes a bit of sense. This means women copied this style from men? But why, these heels are so stupid, why would they choose to harm themselves?"

Laughing seeing her perplexed expression, he walked to her and grabbed, placing his arms around her waist, he told her.

"That's most likely the case, but I have no clue as to why. However, maybe it is because they want to stay at the same level as the men? Or maybe it makes their legs more beautiful. In each case, I could agree. So, are you ready to go to that secret place?"

"Yes, by the Goddess, how much I wanted to go there, but because of my status as Bishop, and because of my hideous appearance, I couldn't make my way there. Now with this new look, I am confident no one will notice or know me."

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Prepared mentally and physically, Jeanne started walking on the wealthy part of Sagletius, side by side with Mathias, who was wearing the 'Cidarian' set along with the 'Saharan Hunting Boots'. The people always had their heads turned at Jeanne, making her uncomfortable, saying worried to Mathias.

"Do they stare at me because I am ugly?"

"Not at all. Remember what I told you before you wanted to dash like a wounded deer?"

Then with what she said, she remembered what he told her, and it seemed to change her expression a bit, turning her even so brighter.

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As they walked, he could see a building similar to the Hippodrome that had him gaze like an excited kid that saw a superhero. It was him who led Jeanne toward the building, grabbing her hand.

"What happened with you, Mathias? Do you know the place already? I thought you outlanders don't know much about our customs. Ahh, I'll lose my balance."

Before she could even say anything, Mathias grabbed her in his carry, and while looking around the gathered people mainly wearing Green, Red, Blue and White clothes, he said with full excitement.

"The Hippodrome. By the Lord, I can finally see it with my two eyes in his glory!"

"Calm down! We are making a scene, and we will be thrown out." shouted Jeanne that was in his carry, feeling embarrassed by how childish Mathias turned out to be at this moment, later pinching on his cheek.

"Arghh, what was that for? Wait, I got too excited now. Sorry." excused Mathias while placing Jeanne down, right when they were about to enter the entrance of the ancient-looking stadium, which was in pristine condition.

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Jeanne walked first toward the guard standing at the entrance, followed by Mathias, and after she took out a golden medallion with a gryphon head imprinted on it.

"My lady, my lord, you can enter inside and take your respective seats at the lord's lounge." said the guard respectfully after staring at the medallion and later at Jeanne and Mathias, who were wearing beautiful clothes similar to nobles.

Jeanne did a lady bow, while Mathias also played along with the noble act, nodding his head with slight arrogance.

When entering inside the Hippodrome, Mathias asked Jeanne with an intrigued tone, still wondering what that medallion was.

" What is that medalion?"

"Ohh, nothing much, just the sign of Duke Gelder that represents his authority in the Empire. I can use this medallion for sitting at the Lord's lounge. We. *Giggling*. Aren't you happy you can see from up-close the races?"

"Are you still asking me? Do you want a kiss or something for doing me such a favour?"

"No thanks. I am good without any." said Jeanne, weaving her hand playfully at Mathias.

Not long after this, they got to their seats really close to the ground itself, sitting side by side on some free chairs decorated in a lavish-styled marble stone with a soft leather cushion.

Mathias looked around himself, gazing at the upper floors of the Hippodrome, where the commoners started making their way down. While to his level, on his right side was the box of the Imperial Family.

On that designated lounge, there was seated Juander and three boys of ranging ages, from the smallest that seemed to be 9-11, to the oldest one that appeared to be 18, while the middle one seemed to be in his 16.

Apart from those boys that were next to him, there was also a beautiful woman that was in her mid-late twenties giving a smile as she was telling something to Juander that he couldn't hear. Yet, Juander didn't even talk back and left the woman to talk.

'So this is your family, Juander. But why are you so detached? Don't you have a beautiful wife sitting next to you, and from whom it looks, caring for you?'

As Mathias was staring at Juander with a curious expression, the latter feeling someone observing him, he turned his crimson eyes and gazed back.

Juander stoic expression suddenly shifted a smile, followed by a lingering surprise.

"Interesting. Don't tell me he sneaked inside? I doubt the Red Knights would let people pass so randomly to the noble lounge. Regardless, enjoy this evening, young man."

"Dear, with whom are you talking?" asked the woman, confused that Juander, who mostly remained quiet when they would go out in public, suddenly talked to himself.

"With my younger self, Marie. Now stop disturbing the boys and me because the chariots will soon appear."

She bit down her lip, wanting to say more, but with the younger boy touching her leg, she calmed down. After that, she turned her head around. Looking at the various lower nobles attending the race this weekend, she noticed a woman with blonde hair standing side by side with a man that seemed to talk with excitement in his tone.

'Hmm, those two, I have never seen them before at any noble events. Whatever, I don't like that woman because she seems to be on par with me when it comes to beauty.'

'I'll solve her before she could get Juander enticed.'

Thinking that, she looked at one of her maids at the back of the imperial lounge and made her a sign while pointing at Mathias and Jeanne.

Nodding her head, while bowing and kissing her hand, the maid went out of the lounge, moving outside of the Hippodrome.

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As the schemes, without much reason, were staged by Marie, Jeanne, who was for the first time at the Hippodrome, asked Mathias about all sorts of things, while he could only speculate from the historical references.

"That statue row at the center of the track is called Spina. Its role is to delimit the track acting like a barrier, where chariots are supposed to race around."

"Those statues, I have no clue about them, but that Obelisk caught my attention." mentioned Mathias staring at the obelisk, the first time even for him.

Jeanne, who also stared intently at the statues, noticed some that felt familiar and informed Mathias.

"Those are statues from the different races of the Empire. Look, that hammer is probably from the Dwarfs, those giant dragon teeth are from the Draconians, the Wardrum is most likely something from the Orc Tribes."

"I see. Good to hear about it. Get tight on your seats. The chariots are coming."

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Slowly as Mathias envisioned in his mind when writing his story, four chariots were making their way to the arena, going for a starting line, a point where everyone in the Hippodrome started cheering. A whole building where 250.000 people were present made Mathias shiver in excitement.

"Can you feel it, Jeanne?" asked Mathias to Jeanne's ears, barely audible because of the noise.

"Yea, it is nosy as if a dragon descended upon us." confirmed Jeanne feeling overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

Slowly the cheers ended, turning the Hippodrome quiet. Everyone was looking toward the Imperial Lounge, especially the chariot racers.

Going along with the procedures nominal for any Imperial House member, but with him being the most senior, Juander opened the races after addressing the public and wishing them an enjoyable watch.

When the racers got the start from Juander, they did their magic, whiplashing their two horses harnessed at their chariots.

From the silence from not too long, the people roared back to life, cheering for their favorite team, whites, reds, greens, and blues.

"Mathias, for whom do we cheer for? Should we go with the Reds? They seem to be ahead of the rest."

"I am blue for life. LET'S GO BLUE!" said Mathias with a loud voice to Jeanne, so she could hear him, before roaring getting on his feet, shouting for his team.

Jeanne didn't go overboard as Mathias, however as the crazed fan was the sole person on the noble lounge to chant like a commoner for his winning team, everyone could hear him, especially the Imperial Family.

"Brother Roland, since when did the nobility of Saharan drop so low to chant like some peasants?"

"I have no idea, Dulandal. However, it's a bit comical, don't you think. It makes me also want to tag in with the rest of the people and cheer. Still, that guy is delusional. The reds will win all day long."

"Do you want to make a bet, brother? Who will win?" asked Dulandal, his older brother Roland.

"Nah, go make one with that crazy noble. I don't have any money on me since I didn't expect much to happen today."

"Fine, watch and learn. You will understand how easy it is to make money. You can join if you want to see the action up-close."

"Haha, after you, little brother. Sorry father, we will go out a bit. Hope you have a nice watch. Also, you too, Marie." said Roland, while bowing toward Juander, who just waved his hand, saying with a calm voice.

"You are already big to do as you wish without having my approval. Still, don't make a scene if you lose, understood, Dulandal?"

"Yes, father. Don't worry, I am not a sore loser."

"Not yet." replied Roland, laughing behind his brother's back.

"You!! Come, let's go, brother."

Then, Marie, who was holding onto the youngest prince Edan, told him with a motherly tone. "Go along with your elder brothers, Edan."

"Yes, mother." said the young boy, who dashed toward his elder brothers that exited the Imperial lounge.

Seeing his sons interact with each other, not treating themselves cold, especially the eldest he made with his true love, Aria, left a melancholic smile that soon vanished with Marie's touch.

"Dear, let me get in your embrace."

Not caring much, he allowed her to sit in his lap, snuggling on his chest and looking at his stoic face. She asked him with a tender voice.

"Juander, why do you like those boring races? There's nothing fun in seeing some peasants whiplashing horses to run around that abomination at the center of the stage."

"I see, then if you didn't like it, maybe you shouldn't have come."

"That's harsh dear, isn't it obvious why I attend this boring event?"

"Yea, I got it. Now keep it lower. I want to see my Blues win."

"Blue, like what that peasant kid roars like there's no tomorrow?" inquired Marie, feeling the name that stuck in her mind following Mathias chants, like he was an ultras.

"Indeed, so better not come with your excuses to get on the bed when I am spending my free time."

Hearing Juanders response, Marie kept quiet as she placed her head on his chest. However, her inner monologue was something intriguing and dark at the same time.

'It is bizarre. He usually would accept all my demands and would fiddle on my fingers. Having sex whenever I wished, but now? It's been about 5 months, and I didn't even get a chance to see him eye to eye.'

'Juander, you are mine and only mine. Don't tell me you are cheating on me? Only I can do such a thing! Could it be, he found about Asmophel and me, about the schemes I played against Duke Piaro?'

'No, no, there's no way he could find out. I did everything to have you, everything, even killing that whore Aria. There is no chance you will slip by me until I have Edan's crown secured.'

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Meanwhile, outside of Marie's crazy and dark thoughts, Mathias calmed his enthusiasm a bit when seeing the Blues in the second position on the 2nd lap, feeling that they would have a chance to take the overall first ranking of the race.

Nevertheless, Dulandal's voice could be heard traveling in his direction.

"Hey you, the lower noble seated next to the blonde girl. Do you want to make a bet with me?"

Turning his head after hearing such proposal, he saw a silver blonde-haired young man with blue eyes, looking to be around the same age as his younger brothers, while being accompanied by another young man with the same colored hair, but having green eyes, and a smaller one that seemed to be only 9 or 10 years old whose hair was black.

"Do I know you? Usually, I don't bet, especially with strangers."

Jeanne, who turned her head from the race, noticed the three princes, and after almost tripping off because of her heels, she got safely to him later, whispering to his ears.

"Those three are Prince Roland, Prince Dulandal, and Prince Edan."

"Indeed, gorgeous. Still, to think someone from the Empire doesn't know us is a bit insulting. Well, what can we do? I told father I will not make a commotion here." commented Dulandal, hearing what Jeanne said to Mathias.

"Ahem, thanks, Jeanne. Still, it is not like I should mind them too much." whispered Mathias straight to Jeanne's ear, and this one couldn't be heard by the 3 princes, ignoring the prince a bit.

"Now that you know us, do you dare to bet against me on who will win the race?" asked Dulandal with confidence in himself.

Looking at Dulandal with his green eyes attentively, he later threw a simple question back.

"Overall scores or individual races?"

"Hmm, so you know about it. Let me think. Let's do it overall since it's more enticing and more fun to see your face when the race is over."

"Overall, you say? Interesting. How much do you bet?"

"One thousand gold." said Dulandal with a smile on his face, while Roland chuckled at the back.

"I have only 700 gold on me. Do you still want to bet with me in that case?"

"Tsk, you really are a lesser noble. Fine, since I am royalty, I will not fuss too much on a 300 gold difference."

"Wait, Mathias, I took my money bag with me. I can give you the rest of the 300 gold coins. Here, take them." ended Jeanne saying to Mathias while taking a pouch from the pocket of her trousers and giving Mathias the required gold coins.

'Not needed, I could have scammed this kid of his money. Nevertheless, this is still risky because the Blues don't seem to be as legendary as in Justinian's era.'

"It seems I have all the required money. Overall score bet it shall be." said Mathias extending his hand to seal the bet.

Dulandal was taken by surprise by this strange gesture, looking perplexed at Mathias, but going with the flow, he grabbed his hand, sealing the handshake.

"Good, you guys come next to my seat since people seem to be avoiding me. Haha, I'll better have you close by so you don't run after all this bravado." invited Mathias, the young princes, to sit next to him and Jeanne.

Dulandal nodded his head and walked next to Mathias while the rest of the princes sat closer to their brother. They kept their quiet when the chariots reached the 3rd lap of the course, and things seemed to end quickly, with the red team being victorious.

"That's it! This is one win out of 3 for me. No way my Red's losing this race." commented Dulandal with confidence.

Mathias remained quiet without saying much. However, the Hippodrome's Red Team fans were cheering intensively, only turning quiet after 15 minutes had passed and the second round of races were played.

After preparing their chariots and strapping the horse harnesses, they followed suit with the Emperor's signal, starting the second race.

The people erupted in cheers and chants, only the noble lounge this time was quiet because Mathias was watching the race with a serious face, the problem on his mind? Money was at play this time."

The race started slowly since the Hippodrome was large, big as a sizable park, a 230 meters track from point A to B. The sound of the horses neighing as they were whiplashed by the races resounded in the area, as two teams were fighting for the first place, the Reds and the Blue's, with 3rd place being for the Greens 4th for the Whites.

Two laps passed like this, with Red and Blue being shoulder to shoulder, and this time even Dulandal and Roland kept their quiet when staring at the track.

"Come on, guys, take the win." said Dulandal, gripping his fist with emotion in his tone.

"No, watch, this is my blues win. The horses entered in synchrony with one another, and the blue racer lowered the center of gravity with greater mastery, removing the weight on the horses." commented Mathias, who was observing everything that was happening on the Hippodrome with keen eyes.

Dulandal snorted, not wanting to accept this, but when the third lap arrived, he saw the Blue Chariot detach from the Red Chariot, the horses neighing, and the racers roar that entered in a dimension of their own accompanied the cheers of the public.

"NOOO, what happened!? They were winning." cried out Dulandal after the Blue team won the race.

Meanwhile, Mathias grasped his fist to celebrate his favorite's victory. The same could be said for Juander, who only said while nodding "Good."

"This is the last race. Prepare your money, Mathias." said Dulandal, awaiting the 4 horse chariots to arrive, the final showdown of this chariot race.

"Bah, the same could be said for you, Prince Dulandal. Four horse chariots are totally different from the two-horse chariots."

Minutes passed, and after 15 minutes, the chariots, having harnessed four horses each, made their appearance, waving their hands at the public and bowing respectfully to the Emperor.

Getting ready and having the emperor signal, the race began, quieting every spectator in the tribunes. Everyone was waiting with their breaths captured for who the winner of the race would be.

Compared to the two-horse quicker starts, the four-horse chariots were chaotic and had a slow start.

Things seemed to be good, with the Green and Whites distancing from the Reds and Blues, but as there were about to switch directions, turning, the green and white chariot collided with each other, which had everyone on the Hippodrome get on their feet, and shout from the top of their lungs.

"SHIPWRECK!!! THE GREENS AND WHITES ARE OUT!"

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Mathias, who saw this and noticed the panicking of the Blue chariot racer, could only curse out loud, not caring about the young prince Edan or the rest of them.

"Motherfuckers, they sabotaged the race with this shipwreck. Now what?"

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 31 - Alley of Desolation
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"Motherfuckers, they sabotaged the race with this shipwreck. Now what?"

Saying that, as he was staring intently at the track, he noticed that the chariot driver slowed down his horses and started passing the obstacle course that was brought about by the green chariot and white chariot.
"Good, there's still a race going on." commented Mathias getting back on his seat after seeing the blue chariot safely escape from the trap.
Dulandal, who was still on his feet with his brother Roland, looked toward the red driver, who was making his way out of the shattered pieces of the chariots collided with one another.
"Perfect, now go, you aren't that far from the blue one."
Looking at Dulandal, who showed his supporter side for his favorite team, he gave a smile before turning his gaze at Jeanne that was thoroughly captivated by the Hippodrome and the chariot race.
'There are still 3 more laps to go before the finish. Lucky kid, the reds seem to be as professional as the blues. We will soon erupt into the tense feeling of suspense.'
"How is it, Jeanne? Your first Hippodrome attendance and race?"
"Shhh, we will talk after the race is over." said Jeanne while placing her finger on Mathias's lips, shushing him.
Feeling confident on the Blues, the chariot drivers also responded to his faith, reaching first place on the first lap, while the reds were close by, following after their behind.
'This feels like a football match where both teams are on 1-1, and it's going at the last minutes of play. However, there is a difference. The atmosphere here amplifies this anxiety even more.'
Thinking that minutes passed, and the racers were once again back at the shipwreck, with the blue slowing down to pass. Yet, at that moment, the red chariot kept a higher speed when entering the turn, and by what Mathias could call it, sheer luck bypassed the obstacle.
The audience erupted in cheers, mostly the red supporters, with one even louder next to him holding a prestigious title, Prince Dulandal.
"Yess, that was marvelous overtaking. Hah, bite the dust, blue one."
Still, Mathias chose to keep quiet, but his emotions were boiling his insides, accumulating more and more, until he woke himself in the third lap where the red chariot had a decent lead forward.
The Hippodrome was getting quiet with the coming of the last lap. The red supporters had a smirk on their faces, basking already in the victory of their favorite, barely containing their arrogant words.
With the horses galloping at top speed and with the red chariot having the lead, the driver followed suit approaching a safer route to detour the obstacles doing what the blue driver did three laps.
However, the horse's neighs coming from his back made him panic and shout.
"You fool, are you looking to shipwreck with me here?"
"That's out of the question. I am just taking the win from you. Since you got comfortable in the first place and abandoned the high-risk stratagem."

Hitting the horses with power until their neighs could be heard even by the top lounge spectators, their increased the speed, even more, detouring the obstacle in such a manner the chariot was about to collide with the walls of the Hippodrome.
"Faster! FASTER!" shouted the blue driver to his horses while whiplashing them.
In the process, his chariot looked to be drifting away from the walls and also dodge the shipwreck made by whites and greens.
"That crazy bastard!!! He did it!" said Mathias getting on his feet when he saw the blue driver overpass the red one.
Nevertheless, he could see his hands gushing with blood from the way he grasped his horse's harness. Emotions inside of him finally took over his calmness, and he got to the fence to cheer for the blue one. To his surprise, even Jeanne got on her feet to join him in cheering for the blue one.
"Arghhh, those stupid whites and greens had to sabotage the race! Otherwise, the red one wouldn't have lost." said Dulandal with a hateful tone when thinking of how the whites and greens collided with one another at the start of the race.
"Young prince, keep watching to the end of the race. Show sportsmanship, even if you hate to lose. Such a race is never over until the end."
Dulandal gazed at Mathias with surprised eyes and shited his attention back on the track, where he saw the red driver also push his horses to their extremes, with his hands also splattering on the ground.
"Bastard, I will not lose like this! After leading the entire race? For you, a sneaky rat to take the win home. RUN MY HORSES! RUN!"
Slowly the red chariot started getting closer to the blue one that they were almost shoulder to shoulder.
Those chariot drivers took the breaths of everyone in the large Hippodrome, with only their four horses, chariot, and their mastery in the art of commanding the horses. However, this still wasn't enough to stop the young prince from shouting and creating a chain reaction.
"So this is what you meant by saying to keep watching. LET'S GO REDS!" shouted Dulandal with enthusiasm before his voice was drowned by the rest of the people.
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From this intense race, the winner could be seen, reaching the finishing line, where the blue one finished first followed to seconds later the red one.
"Curses!! After all this preparation and investment in the horse's training and new chariot, I still lost. Ahhhh, I am so pathetic right now." said the red driver, grasping the harness of the horses with only a hand while the other one was dripping blood.
"Otrinus, this is life. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you win. You were close to beating me, and for an upcoming racer, this is glorious in itself. Raise your head. You will have your chances to shine in the future, at least when I retire from racing."
"Shut up, Heraclius! I don't want to hear your soothing words and especially about you retiring. You will retire when you lose against me!" shouted Otrinus, the red chariot driver, full of emotion.
Heraclius, the driver of the blue chariot, laughed out loud while waving at the public and later shouting toward Juander.
"My Emperor, we the proud Blues are still victorious and keeping our oath to you!"
The people in the tribunes looked at the Imperial Lounge where only Juander and Marie were inside and focused on Juander, who was on his feet applauding.
"Heraclius, you shall still remain the Champion of the Hippodrome after this victory. I shall await your next performance in three months."
"I will not disappoint, Your Majesty!" shouted the blue racer before doing one more round with his chariot saluting everyone in the tribunes and later turning toward the chariot exits.
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At the same time, he was doing his saluting, Mathias patted Dulandal shoulder. After seeing him bitter for the loss, he said to him.
"You don't have to give me your pocket money. I am satisfied enough with how the race went to not care about that bet."
Dulandal looked at Mathias after doing a deep breath calming the red aura that came from his body, later shaking his head he said.
"A loss is a loss. Don't take pity on me, here let me give you the money for the bet."
Saying that, he took out a bag from his pocket that seemed heavy from the first glance. Passing the bag to Mathias, the latter received a notification from the system.
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[An outstanding achievement has been done by the player]
[You have won a bet against Prince Dulandal of Saharan Empire]
[Rewards: 1000 gold & 500 Reputation Points with Saharan Empire & Affinity with Dulandal raised by 5]
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Taking the bag, he placed it in his pocket before sending it straight to the inventory, and with a calm voice, he told Dulandal and the other princes.
"I doubt we will have the chance to meet again, but it was a pleasure seating next to you, Dulandal, Roland, little Edan, and also seeing your passion for the races."
Taking Jeanne's hand, he bowed at the princes who also bid their farewell to him and later departed from the Hippodrome.
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Dulandal had a bitter face while Roland was laughing at his expenses, making the latter shift his gaze on him and retort.
"Stop laughing, Roland! You saw it too, how that shipwreck messed up my chances of winning. The reds would have won if not for that."
"I guess you are right. Even I have nothing to reproach to the chariot driver after seeing them bleed for their own victory. Let's get to father and wait for the citizens to depart before taking our leave." said Roland with a calm voice, later turning his head at the kid with black hair and appearance reminiscent of his mother, Marie.
"Edan, did you like the race?"
"Yea, it was fun, especially the shipwreck." replied the young prince with a quiet, timid voice to his eldest brother, Roland.
Like this, the three returned to the Imperial Lounge and noticed Juander staring at them with a smile while at his back was Marie that had a fake smile.
"It seems you had your own fun experience, sons."
"If you call losing money a fun experience, your sense of humor is off the charts, father." said Roland in a joking tone that had Juander chuckle a bit.
"Haven't I told you about Heraclius? Until he retires, he will remain unchallenged. Nevertheless, the young man Otrinus riding for the red team also pleased me with his talent. When he gets to Heraclius age, he might be an unbeatable champion."
"Tsk, at least it was a close race. Bask in victory, father, because my reds will soon take the top spot." declared Dulandal, which had Juander smile at him, before turning to walk from the lounge.
'It seems he changed a bit after coming back. I can hear some humbleness in his tone when addressing his defeat. Sigh, but what will I do with Benoit? Since Aria's death, he started distancing himself from his brothers and even me with each year.'
'What should I do, Aria? I don't wish to see our sons walk the wrong path.'
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The sky darkened with the time the citizens attending the race left.
Mathias also managed to make his way out together with Jeanne, escaping from being pushed around by the crowds.
Getting out, he saw some fights start between the Red team supporters and the White and Green, who in their eyes sabotaged the race, rather quickly turning the atmosphere violent.
"Let's not linger here too much. I don't want to be hit in the head by some crazy person."
"Ahh, but why are they fighting with one another? It wasn't the fault of the whites and greens for the reds lose. It was clearly an accident." said Jeanne with a perplexed voice, wanting to find reason with the situation at hand.
"Tell that to idiots with their testosterone spilling up their balls. They couldn't care less about your opinions, worse you might get picked up for siding with their enemies, so you better lower your voice and start not acting like a Saintess with people that clearly don't deserve kindness." remarked Mathias, grabbing unto Jeanne's hands, and moving out from the escalating conflict.
She didn't put up much resistance, as she found his words reasonable, aligning with what Julius taught her in the past about human nature being a conflicting concept like darkness and light.
With the sky getting darker with each minute, the people walked up to light the lamps on the alleys. Everything seemed normal after moving away from the Hippodrome. Yet, with the two walking side by side, entering an alley that had some people lighting the lampposts, something seemed off. It was only those plumbers.
As he entered inside this alley, he suddenly heard a notification window popping up, calling out something unexpected to him, while his surroundings also started being closed off.
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[You entered the Dungeon 'Alley of Desolation' and have been affected by the following restrictions.]
[Jeanne level changes from level 135 to level 25, and her skills will be changed accordingly to her level]
[Clear Dungeon Condition: Survive for 15 minutes. Kill all the enemy in sight]
[Dungeon Clear Reward: [3] levels and a random reward based on the reward the NPC's received to target you.]
[Dungeon Clear Failure: [-3] levels with 50% for Jeanne being kidnapped or killed.
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"Mathias! Something is wrong with me! I can't feel my powers! Has Goddess Rebecca abandoned me!?" cried out Jeanne feeling herself weakened by the effects of the instance they have entered.
He panicked for a slight moment when reading the notifications and hearing Jeanne that was crying out while also drawing Ragnius out from his inventory and gazing straight at the 4 plunders on the lampposts that revealed their faces wearing a creepy smile.
"It was truly, as the Mistress has told us, that you will come around this zone. Perfect, we can finish the mistress quest even faster."
Mathias saw them take from their waists daggers and swords, point where his body tensed up and with a forced calm, he said to Jeanne.
"Jeanne, please calm down. You were not abandoned by the Goddess. Think what spells you can use and help me out fight against those bandits that want to harm us."
"Ahhh, yes. I will try remembering what abilities I can use."
As she said that, Mathias, who unleashed 'Raven's Movement' dashed toward the unknown people without even caring about what story they had to tell and why they targeted him.
Along the way, he opened his Status Window and pushed everything onto STR, STA, and only a sole point into AGI, increasing slightly his power.

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Name: Mathias / Class: Beginner
Level: 11(3700/8700) / Title: none
Health: 1054/1054/ Mana: 296/296
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Strength: 55(+6) / Stamina: 40(+4)
Agility:24(+2) / Intelligence: 55(+18) /
Stat Points: 0
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Once he arrived at them using Corvus's signature movement speed, it had the killers slightly surprised. Then he swiftly followed with a basic spear strike on one of the 4 guys, an attack that was dodged timely but which revealed the names of these guys, along with their level and HP gauge.
[Irenaeus– Lv.25], [Medrod – Lv.25], [Doruk – Lv. 25] [Aubert – Lv.25]
'Who would send such high-level NPC's to kill Jeanne and me. Don't tell me that even those NPCs got their levels set to Lv.25, just like Jeanne?'
"Impressive attack speed you got there, noble bastard. Also, for some reason, you use Crow's unique footwork. Could it be you are related to Welf family? I doubt you should be dead along with the rest of the Duke Welf's family."
"Hmph, you ask me questions, for a killer, you sure got guts."
"What can I say? I am a curious person by nature. If it wasn't for her request, I wouldn't even be bothered to kill two insignificant noble kids." said the one called Irenaeus, that seemed to be the leader of this group, the one Mathias attacked first.
"Boss, stop wasting time on cheap words. Let's end them faster before the Red Knights spot us. We have 15 minutes to act."
"Aye, don't worry, this boy, while looking decent, is just a brat." commented the leader of the assassins before dashing toward Mathias and slashing with his sword.
Mathias reacted fast as he entered the [Middle Guard], blocking the fast attack that pushed him back toward Jeanne while also dealing a considerable amount of damage.
[You have suffered 75 damage.]
"Mathias! I know what spells I can use." said Jeanne, running toward Mathias and holding him by his back.
"Go on, tell me what you can do, so I can plan ahead. Those people are dangerous. I doubt I can take them on my own."
Jeanne, who panicked from the start and had her arms trembling at Mathias's back, listed the spells she could use.
" I can use 'Holy Fire' an ability that can hurt people using divine power, 'Holy Nova' an ability that can hurt all of them and heal you if you enter the area of the attack, 'Flash Heal' who can heal you for a considerable amount and 'Holy Shield' that I can cast on you and me which will protect us for harm."
Seeing the killers going straight for him and Jeanne, he walked toward them while entering [High Stance], saying to her with an assuring voice.
"Cast on me 'Holy Shield' and on yourself, and slowly conserve your mana since it might take a toll on your resources."
"Yes, Mathias. Please be careful. [Holy Shield]"
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Then after casting her divine spell on Mathias first, a bright white shield enveloped Mathias that looked closely like the [Arcane Barrier]. Taking a split second to look at the buff description he received, he noticed that it was a powerful buff.
[Holy Shield]
A divine shield that absorbs most forms of damage sent to the blessed person.
Shields the user for 50% of the incoming physical damage and magical damage.
Shields the ally for 90 seconds
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'This is perfect. Isn't she powerful even for an Lv.25 NPC, or were those some of her spells in her arsenal?'
While being helped by the protective buff, even though he was still low-level, he knew that his attack power was comparable to a level 20-30 user or even bigger, and his defense was also assured by [Ragnius], [Saharan Hunting Boots], and [Direwolf Handler's Gauntlets'] that he gained from the Dire Wolf hunt in the Empar Forest
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[Direwolf Handler's Gauntlets']
Rating: Rare
Durability: 110/110 Defense: 37
Attack Speed: +2%
Accuracy: +3%
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The attack speed itself was, as the killer remarked, fast, and so, Mathias lowered his spear and unleashed the 'Sweeping Thrust' attack that used a light fast sweep attack dodged by three guys, but one that didn't estimate the range of Mathias spear accurately, was hit.
[You have dealt 154 damage.]
"Move away from his spear Doruk!" shouted Irenaeus to the one who didn't manage to block or dodge Mathias's attack.
Gritting his teeth, Doruk followed Mathias's thrust that went toward his heart with incredible momentum.
[Target blocked 'Thrust' attack, you only dealt 30% of the hit]
[You have dealt 73 damage to Doruk.]
"Good, you aren't so stupid as I thought." commented Irenaeus from the safe range, later dashing back to Mathias and unleashing a two-attack strike that flowed smoothly towards his stomach.
Mathias misestimated his speed and couldn't enter his guard stance. A weakness of the spear was showing itself to him when he was supposed to perform flawlessly, now with Irenaeus entering his range, bypassing his spear and also moving toward his blindside.
'Fuck, I can't bring Ragnius back and block. I have to dodge at least one strike with 'Raven's Movement'."
Yet it was then that Jeanne took off her shoes, sprinted toward his back, crying out with her angelic voice.
"[Holy Fire]!"
Instantly from her hands, a white light bolted in Irenaeus' direction, who was wearing a wicked expression while attacking the defenseless Mathias.
The light traveled faster and hit the killer before he could harm Mathias, pushing him back and setting his chest ablaze with a white fire.
[Your party member Jeanne hit the spell [Holy Fire] successfully, dealing 360 holy damage.]
"Phew, I did it just in time. Thanks the Goddess for my inspiration."
Irenaeus used his sword to remove a piece of the leather plating that was set on fire, later glaring hatefully at Jeanne and remarking coldly.
"Guys, we focus on that whore. She seems to be a Rebecca's Daughter or at least a candidate."
Mathias regrouped himself and unleashed a [Piercing Rain] on the wounded enemy that barely got on his feet and tried to hit him back as a counter.
"Bastard, you really got something against me?"
"I would be dumb to not target you, the weakest of the bunch." remarked Mathias in a cold voice as he sent the [Piercing Rain] attacks.
[Enemy blocked your attack.]
[Enemy blocked your attack.]
With two successful blocks of the 3-combo attack skill, one managed to bypass his block and accurately hit his stomach.
[Critical]
[You have dealt 430 damage to the target.]
With that hit connecting, he saw the rest of the guys dashing for him and Jeanne, point where he used sent a kick on Doruk balls, that hit him for mindboggling [100 damage].
"MOTHERFUCKER! YOU DIRTY BASTARD! HOW ARE YOU A NOBLE!?" roared in pain Doruk as he kneeled on the ground, looking with pure hatred at Mathias as he used Ragnius to jump toward Jeanne and take over her protection.
"Well, I am not really a noble." said Mathias to himself, looking sharply at the killers.
Taking the [High Stance] as those killers approached him, this image of Mathias protecting Jeanne was akin to a Tank protecting his healer in RPGs.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 32 - Minutes of impasse
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With Mathias being in the [High Stance], he said to Jeanne, looking vigilantly at the killers approaching him.

"Watch my back, and for now, don't worry about my health. I have the flasks you game me. Use your attacking abilities from time to time, but sparingly because Mana is the most important resource for casters."

"I know, Mathias. Even though my powers regressed, I still know how to fight."

"Good, then let's start. Focus your spells on that Doruk guy when you see an opening. I will kill that guy first. Remember Jeanne, we need to stay alive for 15 minutes, and we will be safe."

Nodding her head at him, Jeanne started increasing the holy aura around herself, gathering her divine power to unleash her spells.

At the same time, Mathias stepped forward to control the range using his spear, trying to keep the killers at bay.

"Attack from all sides, boys. His spear is limited only to one person. I will keep him busy. Yet, don't forget the plan. Kill the bitch first."

Preparing himself to welcome the killers, he started by delivering some feinting jabs that had the killers guessing, with exception to their leader Irenaeus who, when Mathias attacked, instantly brought his sword ahead and blocked Ragnius.

Nevertheless, when the two clashed, Mathias noticed the system warn about the HP loss caused by the force impact between the weapons.

[You have suffered 120 damage.]

[You have dealt 124 damage to Irenaeus.]

When he saw Irenaeus shift in his expression and the twitching of his muscles, he reacted faster and sent a leg kick received fully by the leader, making him withdraw some steps back.

[You have fit the kidney zone successfully, causing an internal wound, triggering 'Bleed' debuff. The damage dealt is 320.]

"Bastard, you really are a dirty person. You follow no rulers even in a fight." said Irenaeus, hatefully getting on his feet while gnashing his teeth in anger.

Mathias didn't comment anything, and taking the chance of having the leader wounded, he used 'Raven's Movement' to propel himself faster toward the guy called 'Medrod' who was wielding a dagger.

As he was sprinting toward Medrod, Mathias placed Ragnius on his shoulder, preparing a swinging strike. Like a madman, he unleashed the swing strike that made it look like a famous fantasy character wielding a spear.

Medrod stopped his advances, immediately moving his dagger in the direction Ragnius' blade was going to hit.

[You have dealt 205 damage.]

'The guy managed to take away from my attack power with his block. No problem, I have the Blessing of Atlas with me. I don't have to worry about that annoyance and keep fighting.'

The killer Medrod quickly dashed at him after taking the strike, and from out of nowhere, there was a wind coming from his legs that made him faster.

"Guiding Winds." called out Medrod, who in seconds appeared beside Mathias, weaving his dagger to strike him down.

'This is what you were waiting for, killer?'

Taking his left hand off Ragnius shaft, seconds later, in his empty hand, a bastard sword appeared, something he received after killing the bandits when Fayrene was apprehended in the past.
****************
[Saharan Sword]
Rating: Rare
Durability: 120/167
Attack Power: 95-186 / Attack Speed: +2%
The weapon most beloved by the men of the Saharan Empire. It symbolizes the years of technological progress since its conception from their founding fathers, conferring the wielder a tiny fragment from the Leviathan known as the Empire.
** This weapon has been crafted by an Intermediate Blacksmith Master.
* Open's the Basic Sword Mastery when using the sword for the user, granting the following skills [Slash], [Thrust].
****************

"That sword? It can't be. That's Gern's sword. He disappeared two weeks ago along with his team." mentioned Medrod with a surprised voice, but nevertheless, he still moved to stab Mathias's side.
However, before he could do such a thing, Mathias activated his 'Raven's Movement' that increased his movement speed by 10%, agility by 3%, and dodge chance by 2% and with a cold gaze, he moved faster than Medrod and stabbed the bastard sword in the stomach of the killer.
[Critical]
[You have dealt 332 damage to the target.]
Yet as he stabbed him, the killer didn't back down, and with a twisted expression, he also stabbed Mathias on his ribs cage area.

[You have suffered 460 damage.]
The pain sensors were kicking in and started basking Mathias in a hellish sensation, but without saying much, he gritted his teeth, and with a cold expression, he was bringing Ragnius back in position.
"DODGE THAT ATTACK. THIS GUY IS CRAZY!" shouted Doruk, who was rushing to help his teammates.
"It is late. You think only you can be killers and stab others, hit others without feeling a response?"
As Mathias said that coldly, he used the Ragnius butt that contained a small blade and instantly stabbed the shaft into the killer's right eye, making him scream in agony, before being sent by Mathias' kick away from him.
[Critical]
[You have caused 630 damage and inflicted the 'Bleeding' debuff on the target Medrod.]
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"Now Jeanne, cast the HOLY NOVA!" shouted Mathias toward Jeanne, that was preparing her divine power for a spell.
Hearing Mathias say that she opened her hazel eyes shining with white light, and from her body, a golden white shockwave was released, moving at light speed toward the killers and Mathias.
[Your party member Jeanne cast the spell 'Holy Nova' dealing 165 damage to Irenaeus, 195 damage to Aubert, 275 damage to Doruk, and a Critical hit of 420 on Medrod.]
[You have been healed by 125 after entering the area of Holy Nova.]
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The killers grunted in pain while Mathias moved toward them and also checked on his HP and MP bar, which were sitting at a decent level.
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Health: 524/1054 / Mana: 191/296
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Meanwhile, he also checked on the NPC enemies sitting at 65-85% HP, with Doruk and Medrod being the lowest and Iranaeus and Aubert being the ones with the most HP.
'From the looks of the damage I have dealt, they have about 5500 HP to 7500 HP respectively. Such a hard fight. At least I have to kill that Medrod or Doruk, who is the lowest at probably 4376 HP, afterward it will be far easier for me to manage the other two.'
It seemed that Mathias made up his mind, and while rushing toward Modred to deliver another strike, he was intercepted by Irenaeus, who called out with an angry voice.
"[Fierce Slash]"
Barely entering the [Middle Stance] to block what he could block, he felt the brunt of the attack on his hands, which almost looked broken.
[You have suffered 320 damage.]
"I played enough with you, damned brat. Do you take my gang for easy targets that you could possibly believe you could take us down? Foolish kid. I will see you crawl at my feet after 5 minutes, and later I will let you watch as I rape your woman."
Being pushed away by Irenaeus, he also saw Aubert follow up with his dagger to stab his back, but he used Ragnius to properly himself and sent a high kick dealing [20 dmg], crashing the killer's momentum, and later with enough space taking a flask that he drank immediately.
[You have restored your health to maximum capacity.]
'Second round has come. If worse comes in my way, I will use all my potions and find a way to stash other potions for the big quest.'
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With that thought in mind, he moved to attack Irenaeus, who was surprised by the reinvigorated Mathias, who seemed to be healthy again.
"You even got your hands on some healing flasks. If this doesn't call nobility, I don't know what it is." said the killer blocking Mathias's spear thrust.
Following his blocked attack, Mathias drew his spear back, and using a basic attack targeting, he had him react and step back, and responding to his assumptions, he stepped quickly forward, activating 'Raven's Movement' and pierced his shoulder, razing his flesh, after switching his movement.
Gritting his teeth, the killer stepped forward Mathias's range despite being spotted and prepared for countering.
"[Falling Sword]!"
As the killer cried out, his sword slashed with a lightfast that bypassed Mathias blocking stance, hitting him with a naked [700 damage] opening his chest.
"This is the end." said Irenaeus, pursuing Mathias, who stepped back and had a contorted expression from the pain he was fighting.
Yet before his sword hit Mathias, Jeanne's angelic voice was heard, crying out [Flash Heal] that later sent a flash of light that hit Mathias, which closed his chest wound instantly.
[You have been healed by 500 points.]
As the light came, and Irenaeus' sword was shoot to his heart, he brought once again Saharan Sword in his hand and stabbed the killer in his stomach, distancing himself in the brief stoppage Irenaeus took.
Dealing 140 damage with the sword was plenty enough for someone like Mathias, who entered in a survival mode. Everything that could help him fight off those killers was on the list.
"Slut, you think you can always stay safe? I got you." said Doruk, who reached with his sword, Jeanne, who was looking sharply at him, while extending her hand.
'[Holy Fire]!"
[Your party member Jeanne dealt 430 damage.]
"ARGH, annoying slut. Even if you burn me, I will still end you regardless of what Irenaeus wants to do with you." bellowed Doruk as he swung his sword for Jeanne's body.
Mathias dashed toward Doruk, but he could only watch as Jeanne casted once again the [Holy Fire] that made it look like Doruk was engulfed in flame. However, his sword was still seen, moving to end Jeanne.
"[Holy Shield]" cast Jeanne the holy shield again and prepared to take in the hit since she didn't have a lot of mobility to escape from the predicament.
"[Tiger Tremour]!"
It was at that moment that Jeanne's shield collapsed under the sword strike and was later brought to the ground.
[Your party member, Jeanne, has suffered 310 damage.] -> Health: 605/915 / Mana: 1850/3000
Her body got all messed after she landed on the ground, but nevertheless, she didn't panic and kept spamming [Holy Fire] like something snapped in her mind.
Mathias could see in his party window that Jeanne was coming to 125 MP for each Holy Fire spell that she casted, yet, Doruk's sword still came for her as he stabbed her stomach, causing another hit on her.
[Your party member, Jeanne, has suffered 260 damage.]
"You want to end me!? MY LIFE JUST BEGAN IN THIS CURSED FORM! HOW CAN I DIE WHEN I DIDN'T EVEN ENJOY MY LIFE AS A WOMAN!? I HAVEN'T EVEN FOUND MY LOVED ONE!"
"HOLY FIRE!"
Mathias's mind also snapped, dropping into a chilling calm, after seeing that he was still distanced away from Jeanne to do something for her, and like a maniac, he put all his strength into Ragnius, later throwing it like a javelin.
"HAHAHA, THIS IS YOUR END WHORE! I HAVE ENOUGH OF YOUR TINY FLAMES THAT CAN'T NO LONGER BURN ME. DIE, AND SEE THAT BITCH REBECCA!"
Nonetheless, he heard a sound akin to an arrow flying in his direction, to the point where he rushed to end Jeanne, but before he could do it, Ragnius hit Doruk straight in his heart, cutting his life and brain activities instantly, dropping on the ground like a zombie.
[Congratulations, you have defeated Doruk, a high member of the Black Spades gang.]
[The feat you have achieved is first among players, and calculating the worth of the enemy you have faced in the Dungeon, you gained the following rewards.]
[Reputation inside Saharan Empire raised by 50 after killing a wanted criminal]
[25.000 experience earned]
[10 gold earned]
[Black Daggercap Trousers]
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[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen]

He didn't even bother by the notifications as he cleared them instantly before taking a quick look at the leggings he received from the system for the gang member death and found that they were better than his Cidarian leggings. Point where he swiftly changed them.
***
[Black Daggercap Trousers]
Rate: Rare
Durability: 120/180 / Defense: 85
The protective leather leggings for most high members of the Black Spades Gang of Saharan Empire. Crafted masterfully from different beasts leathers by an advanced master tailor and taking in some of the attributes of the beasts the leggings were made from.
* 2% Critical Strike Damage (from the black leopards encountered in the Gravermark Heights)
* 5% Armour Defense Boost (from the Brutalis Bears of the Rolling Forest)
Condition of use: none
****
With Doruk turned into gray light, vanishing from where he was impaled by Ragnius, Mathias quickly arrived next to Jeanne and picked her up in his arms, also giving her 10 healing flasks while saying.
"Jeanne, take those flasks and drink them whenever you are hit by those bastards. Also, recover your mana a bit as I fight those guys. We have 10 more minutes to fight against those bastards. Converse all your resources, for when those guys get close to you, attack them mercilessly."
However, as he said that, he heard the sound of running and quickly placed Jeanne on her feet, and with Ragnius in [Middle Stance], he blocked Irenaeus, who cursed them both.
"Pathetic shit, you will pay for ending that useless idiot."
"[Falling Sword]!"
Seeing the same type of attack, Mathias drew his spear back so that he almost grazed Jeanne with the shaft back blade and unleashed his most powerful attack.
"[Piercing Rain]!"
Suddenly the gang leader saw himself assaulted by three attacks that followed one another in seconds.
Abandoning his attack, he entered a defensive stance similar to [Long Point] and blocked the first spear thrust, while the other two connected perfectly with his arms.
Pushed back, he ordered his men to attack him simultaneously with him placing Mathias on a back foot, not knowing which side to defend until he decided to ignore Medrod, Aubert, and instead focus on Irenaeus, who was hitting him the hardest.
Taking both of those killers' attacks with his body, he saw his health drop once again to 50%-55%, but he just ignored them and unleashed another [Piercing Rain] on Iranaeus, that all three connected, taking the killer unprepared for his demented response.
[You have dealt 190 damage.]
[You have dealt 208 damage.]
[Critical]
[You have dealt 440 damage]
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From nowhere, with those strikes connecting, he received another notification from the system that announced to him that [Piercing Rain] reached Lv.3. Not minding the notification too much, he also unleashed [Sweep Thrust] targeting the two closer to him, Medrod and Aubert, who were readying for their last attack on Mathias.
When the 'Sweep' took them down, he glared at Medrod, stabbing Ragnius straight for the killer's chest, yet not fully ending him.
Later receiving a notification concerning [Sweep Thrust] reaching Lv.3 alongside the [Piercing Rain].
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[Piercing Rain] - Lv.3
Rate: Common
Unleashing a rain of attacks against your enemies with a three-attack combo in rapid succession, dealing 95% of his physical attack power for each strike.
Skill Mana Cost: 35 MP
Skill Cooldown Time: none
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[Sweep Thrust] - Lv.3
Rate: Common
One of the basic attacks of a spearman shows your efficiency in using the spear. A diamond-shaped sweep movement that has an AOE range attack that deals 65% of your physical attack power and the thrust that deals 104% of your physical attack power.
Skill Mana Cost: 35 MP
Skill Cooldown Time: 25 seconds
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'Hmm, an increase of 2% is decent for a basic. It comes in time with this level up, after I got them to Lv.2 when drilling the skills.'
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Minutes passed, and there were only 5 more minutes to go before the Dungeon would be cleared automatically, and Mathias was left with only four more healing potions, while Jeanne had about three more potions since those killers started to refocus on Jeanne, whose HP dropped faster than Mathias and was easier to take down, comparable to the spear-wielding maniac.
Fending off most of their attacks and dealing his own part, having Irenaeus at 55% HP, Medrod at 20%, and Aubert at 38%, he also switched targets focusing on Aubert and Medrod in his quest of taking them down.
With his [Stamina] being blessed by Rebecca herself, he was doing fine in that regard, but something he never expected to be bothered about was his item's durability that dropped considerably whenever he would block the attacks of the killers.
Ragnius suffered the brunt of those blocks, entered in the low margin of durability, seating at 99/450, while the [Cidarian Shirt] was even lower, sitting at 35/150.
"Just 4 more minutes Jeanne, and we will be okay. Place another shield on us, and stay close to me, okay?" said Mathias with a mentally exhausted voice,
Jeanne followed Mathias's instructions and used [Holy Shield] on them, making her sweaty and tired expression, getting slightly pale.
'I know it is hard for you too. But we have to survive this ordeal. You have to survive this. I can't have you die without doing anything. Not struggling even a tiny bit for your fate is the sign of the weak.'
Iranaeus and the other killers had marks of slowing down, but nevertheless, kept their aggression on the two, forcing Mathias to block Iranaeus's attack, and counter Medrod and Aubert, dealing basic damage to them.
"I hate this guy! He even took my eye and still doesn't want to die. Boss, there's only 4 more minutes, and the Red Knights will come after us. This disturbance can't be unnoticed."
"I know, shut up and do as I say. I will separate the spearman for the whore, while you attack and strike her down. She is low on mana and only has about 3 flasks from what the spearman gave her. YOU BETTER NOT FAIL ME AND THE MISTRESS." snapped Iranaeus at the two guys.
"Understood, boss. I'll rather die than have the Mistress disappointed." said Aubert, grasping his long dagger.
Medrod gritting his teeth, glaring viciously at Jeanne and Mathias agreed with the plan,
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Then from nowhere Irenaeus dashed toward Mathias, appearing in front of him, dodging his spear thrust, and moving to kick him on his side, sending him flying, and when he appeared in front of Jeanne, he saw the angelic woman's hand releasing a bright light from her hand, and not standing more next to her, he dodged in time following Mathias, keeping him busy.
"Hah, hah. My abilities are really limited in this form." panted Jeanne, who was low on mana resources, but lucky was full HP.
Before she managed to assist Mathias, that was stopped by Irenaeus, Medrod and Aubert appeared in front of her already in their attack sequence.
She retreated a bit, letting the divine shield absorb most of the damage, before she sent out a low kick, hitting Medrod in his balls and with her right hand pocking Aubert in his eyes.
"ARGHH! DAMNED WHORE, YOU ARE AS DIRTY AS THAT SPEARMAN WHO TOOK MY EYE!" cursed Medrod, stopping and grunting in pain from having his jewels shattered.
The same could be said for Aubert, who was trying to open his eyes but not being able because of the sudden eye poke from Jeanne.
She took a safe distance and unleashed two [Holy Fires], one for each, buying time for herself and Mathias.
However, her mana slowly depleted using this tactic, and Mathias couldn't help her either because he was pushed around by Irenaeus, who said coldly.
"You better take your farewell from that slut. Because she will soon die, you can only entertain me as we fight."
Looking at the Dungeon timer that showed three minutes, he frowned, searching for a way out of this predicament.
It was in that moment that he was distracted that the gang leader stabbed his sword into his body, destroying the [Cidarian Shirt] that ran out of durability, dropping his HP to 20% in the process, and making him take another flask out and drink it, constantly being at full HP, not risking a second hit.
Minutes passed, reaching the two-minute mark, and the killers increased their assault on Jeanne, who by now could only spam [Holy Shields] and [Holy Fire] until she finally couldn't no more.
"Run, Jeanne. They are also exhausted. There are only two minutes."
"Hahaha, well said piece of shit. Go on descend into despair as your lover dies at our hands."
Mathias looked at his MP resources that were half, and in a do-or-die moment, he channeled all his mana coming straight from his core into his arms.
'I need the Missile right now to take down one guy, and along with Ragnius, I will pin the other one. After that minute, I will pray to God that she stays alive."
Iranaeus saw the aura around Mathias change, following the advent of a white-purple light coming from his heart as he kept him in check.
Thirty seconds passed, and as his men caught Jeanne and pinned her down, looking with their bloody faces at Jeanne, like demons, he could see from Mathias's chest a white-purple sphere shape.
With an unfocused gaze on his eyes as he used Ragnius to block Iranaeus attacks, but then when the Mana Core released its apex of accumulated power, he noticed Mathias's eyes start shinning with the same white-purple light that the perplexing sphere on his chest was giving off.
Iranaeus suddenly felt the dangerous mana on Mathias's body, and using his remaining mana, he unleashed his finishing ability.
"[Falling Sword]!"
[You have suffered 950 damage.]
Fighting the pain, he found an opening to escape from Iranaeus encirclement, and dashing toward Medrod and Aubert that stabbed their swords into Jeanne limbs, he threw Ragnius like a javelin once again, and with his arms empty, he pushed everything from his mana core, toward his right arm, and following the incantation of the Archmage that he was playing in his mind he quietly said to himself.
"Arcane Missile"
"KILL HER, GUYS! KILL HER AND DODGE THE ATTACKS!"
Hearing Iranaeus shout, they got disturbed and turned toward him, but what entered their eyes was Ragnius dark-red blade for Medrod and a projectile made from a vibrant white-purple light that was going for Aubert's heart.
Not even having enough time to react, and kill Jeanne, both of Mathias's attacks hit their mark. Ragnius devouring Medrod's head while the missile created a hole in Aubert's heart.

[Congratulations, you have defeated Medrod, a high member of the Black Spades gang.]
[Congratulations, you have defeated Aubert, a high member of the Black Spades gang.]
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[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
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"NOOOO! DAMN IT, YOU INCOMPETENT FOOLS!" roared Iranaeus, furious, charging to end Mathias in the remaining minute he still had.
Mathias placed his stat points quickly without much thinking, and seeing a new skill appearing to his character, he focused on casting that spell, which made his life easier compared to praying for the skill's success and on luck.
"[Arcane Missile]"
"[Arcane Missile]"
Sending two missiles in the killer's direction that moved like rays of light toward where he aimed, he, in the process, consumed almost all of his MP but was satisfied to see the damage caused by the spell.
[Enemy doesn't have magic resistance, making you deal double the damage]
[You have dealt 320 damage]
[You have dealt 320 damage]

Looking at his timer, it was 14:26, only 30 more seconds to go.
Retreating toward Jeanne, he quickly helped her drink a flask that recovered her wounds and helped her out.
"Hang in there, Jeanne."
"I am tired, Mathias." said Jeanne with a weak voice, grabbing into his back and resting her body.
"Just a bit more."
With his [Mana Core] burning, he felt a unique ability unlock from nowhere where for one minute he could activate this ability, where his mana recovery would happen regardless if he was fighting or not.
The time thinking seemed to take for an eternity, with Irenaeus charging to kill them both, and as it reached the final 10 seconds, Mathias could only block, trying to keep the killer busy with his [Sweep Thrusts] and evasive movements using his [Raven's Movement].
"Die, DIE ALREADY, YOU DAMNED ZOMBIE!"
[5]
[4]
[3]
Irenaeus moved to unleashed [Falling Sword], but as the movement sequence was happening, the seconds passed having Mathias saw his surroundings change once again.
[Congratulations, you have cleared the dungeon 'Alley of Desolance']
[You have gained [3] levels along with 500 reputations in Saharan Empire and 'Title' Syndicates Nemesis' & 'Midnight Abyssal Armour' ]
[Your party member Jeanne level has returned back to level 135]
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It was at that moment that he felt a chilling sensation at his back as Jeanne's hands grabbed hard on his skin.
"You shall pay for this, brute! Taste the Goddess Wrath. "[DIVINE WRATH]!"
Mathias could see a blinding light pass by next to him and touch on Irenaeus, who later was vaporized.
[Your party member Jeanne has killed the leader of Black Spades Gang of Saharan Empire]
[You have gained 50% of the EXP from the contribution of the fight inside the Dungeon 'Alley of Desolance']
[3.750.000 experience acquired.]
['???' Seal has been obtained]
['Black Spades' Cloak has been obtained.]
['Irenaeus Journal' has been acquired]
[300 gold has been acquired.]
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[Your level has risen]
[Your level has risen]
[Your level h…]
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[Your level has risen]
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With his notification pop-us getting crazy after this encounter, he later felt Jeanne support her body on his back, but it wasn't just that. She simply went to sleep for tiredness.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 33 - Assaulted by bane or by luck
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With Jeanne supporting herself with his back, he slowly went to the ground while holding Jeanne in his arms, and with a tired expression, he looked at her bruised arm and the wounds that barely closed up in her legs and body.

Getting to the ground and holding her in a cradle position, he stroked her face before giving a long sigh.

"This world is more fucked up than I could imagine. To think there could be someone that would want to hurt Jeanne and me when I didn't even encounter too many people."

He went into contemplation as he was recovering from the fight, and moments later, he heard some noise coming in his direction. With the footing sound of a group of people, it got him alerted, rising on his feet with the sleeping Jeanne.

"Hurry up, men, we saw the marks of the Black Spades around this area, search everything." called out the voice of a girl in a high voice that was responded to by the voices of men.

Mathias, who was on his feet, started walking to distance himself for another possible enemy, but just seconds into this, he saw a young lady with red-colored knight armor, who had long dark blue hair, and was gazing with her golden eyes at Mathias, seeming to inspect something.

"You, why do I feel you are familiar? Have I seen you before? Argh, anyway, have you seen 4 people wearing black clothes moving past here? Those are dangerous killers lurking in the shadows of the Saharan Empire that we Red Knights are bound to eliminate."

When hearing this young lady say that, he stopped, with Jeanne in his hands, shaking his hand, choosing not to divulge that he and Jeanne ended those killers inside the Dungeon.

"My lady, I have no knowledge of such thing. I haven't encountered them."

Ending saying that he stepped to walk past her, but the blue-haired young lady took out her sword and placed it in front of Mathias's path.

"Sorry for my blunt approach, but you are lying. Those wounds on you, the irregular breathing, all signs of tiredness, along with the lady in your hands who also show marks of being wounded, are my leads to believe you are lying."

It was moments later that a group of 6 knights, wearing similar red-colored armor like the blue-haired young lady, appeared surrounding Mathias from all sides, calling out to the blue-haired girl.

"Lady Vaintz, is this person one of the killers?" asked one knight looking at Mathias with vigilant eyes.

Mathias wasn't panicked, but he felt a headache going in his head as it looked like he was one of the killers.

"Don't act, guys." called out the blue-haired girl, still glazing at Mathias, whose expression turned serious.

Later after settling the knights, she asked Mathias again.

"Will you tell me what happened here? Or do you wish I take you to the prison and later talk?"

"Sigh, girl, can you give me a breather. Don't be bossy with me when you have 0 evidence that I am one of those bastards. Do you want to know the truth? Come get your ear closer, and I will tell you."

Hearing Mathias's unexpected response, those knights took our their arms, ready to strike, but Lilian stopped them in place. Lowering her sword, she moved toward Mathias, who was taller than her and stopped right in front of him.

"You wish to know the truth? Indeed, I killed all of them. Satisfied?" claimed Mathias before asking her with a cold, sarcastic tone right in her ear.

Lilian took a step back after hearing what he said, yet it took some time for her to contemplate before she told him.

"Confirm it, and I will let you leave without keeping you here any longer."

Nodding his head, Mathias shifted how he held Jeanne in his arms, securing his grip with only one arm before with the freed arm, he took out ['Black Spades' Cloak] that he threw at Lilian.

"Here, this is what I got after I killed Irenaeus, their leader. Does this suffice? Also, those trousers I have on me are from the guy called Doruk."

Lilian, who received the cloak, gave it a stare with her golden eyes that shined a bit and later turned to look at the bare-chested Mathias, moving her gaze at his pants. Only after 30 seconds did she nod her head, turning to toss back the cloak and adding while moving from his path.

"Sorry if my approach was offensive, but the problem with those criminals lurking in Titan and Saharan is a delicate one, and we can't let any of them escape until they are brought to justice. I will remember this deed of yours of helping the Red Knights keep in check the criminals creating a hard life for the citizens of Saharan. Tell me your name." inquired Lilian, with a calm expression, stopping after walking from his face.

Mathias wasn't bothered by this young knight's inquiry and simply said as he departed toward Jeanne's mansion.

"Mathias."

.

Leaving Lilian and the other knights, who were talking about what Mathias just did with surprise.

"My Lady, what has that person confess?" asked one of her knights, who had the name Kent, while beside him, the knights Kamiyan, Fulito, Rove, and the other three gathered around Lilian.

"That he killed every one of those criminals after he was ambushed."

The young knight, Kent, looked surprised as he stared at his leader, Lilian before he asked.

"But how? Irenaeus is among the most notorious criminals for being shrewd and not risking his life."

"I don't know Kent, but I can confirm that the cloak belongs to Irenaeus. Nevertheless, let's move to the Garrison and report back to Captain Limit."

"Yes, Lady Lilian." responded the Red Knights as they moved with fast speed in the direction they came from, the Garrison of the Knights.


Making their way out of the alley, it looked like there was not even a sign of a fight being taken in that part of the city, and after 10 minutes of walking, Mathias found himself in front of Jeanne's mansion but being blocked by the closed door.

"Sigh, it seems I have no choice. It is what it is. I doubt Fay will be fine if I start bringing people she doesn't know into her house, especially women. Where could she sleep? On my counter, let's not be kidding here." concluded Mathias, as he held Jeanne with a hand, and with the left hand, he started to touch Jeanne around in the search for the keys to the mansion.

Getting his hand in her trouser pockets, he felt the warm sensation, and subconsciously he groped her leg that made her give out a sound, taking his time before bringing the keys out.

'Wait, what am I doing?? I am not such a man to profit over the weaknesses of girls.' lamented Mathias in his head before taking the keys from Jeanne's trousers.

Opening the door, he looked around the familiar house, and thinking where to place Jeanne in his carry, he walked to the upper floor, walking toward an opened door, and once there, he saw a clean private room that contained a large bed, enough to rest four people on it.

There was an opened garderobe next to a human-sized mirror, where many dresses and various clothes rested on an armchair.

'Wow, those dresses look like something Fay would create, but still lacking compared to her sketches. All of them would fit Jeanne and most likely look marvelous on her. Mental blocks, I guess, once she shatters the blocks imposed on herself, she will be happy wearing all of those dresses.'

Then, as he turned to place her softly on the bed and go sit on another armchair to watch for her safety, she moved her arms and dragged him with her on the bed, hugging him like a pillow.

'Ahh man, aren't I fucked up? Jeanne, what are you doing girl, are you sleeping or what?' thinking that, she snuggled unconsciously with his bare chest, touching his chest aimless, and also pressing her chest to his sides.

This stimulation he felt was probably sending even his real weapon on fire.

In this manner, Jeanne slept soundly, having dragged Mathias along with her, capturing him in her embrace and being worked as a pillow substitute.

Meanwhile, Mathias just had his eyes closed and was meditating to not do something he would regret later on, even though he was stimulated to the brim.

'Little guy, you better stay in check. This isn't the right time for you to shine, so bugger off.'

Drifting his thoughts to his achievement, he turned to his character status windows that showed he was Lv.25 with 99% exp and unable to level up to 26, where he was welcomed by many stat points he had to distribute around his stats.

'Hmm, maybe I should not be stubborn and try experimenting more into doing a balance between INT and STR along with the support of the AGI because I need to move fast if I want to use my solo playstyle. Every bonus to my attack speed, movement speed, and dodge rate is welcomed.'

Pondering as he watched the stat windows, he started adding points using his mental feature, controlling the cursor of the window with his mind and was satisfied with the proportion of how his stats looked.

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Name: Mathias / Class: Beginner
Level 25 (28.899/28.900) / Title: Syndicates Nemesis
Health: 1028 /Mana: 412
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Strength: 80(+8) / Stamina: 50(+5)
Agility: 60(+6) / Intelligence: 114(+17)
Stat point: 0

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'My stat buff will also run down in a couple of days. Nevertheless, my 'Arcane Missile' should hit even harder now. Right, let's check the skill stats and all the items I gained. Better find a distraction while this priestess makes herself comfortable.'

Browsing his skills, he stumbled on the new addition to his arsenal, Arcane Missile.

The moment his eyes focused on the skill description, he thought out loud that he thought he even woke Jeanne.

"No way, this is broken."

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[Arcane Missile]
Rating: Epic(Growth)
The most ancient spell dating from the first world and loved by so many arcanists. After so many eons of enhancing this spell and reworking it from its basic form, under the mythical archmage who sundered fear in even Gods and Dragons, it reached its final version.
It boasts tremendous power but consumes a lot of resources.
It deals damage with a variety of chances but always being in the range of 1x -2x your current magic power to the target.
It also ignores the enemy's magic resistance, and once the magic missile wounds the target, it has a chance of 10% to proc Critical Strike DMG.
Resource Consumption: 200 Mana. (Will change according to the user Mana Core and resources)
Skill Casting Time: According to the user control (1 - 120 seconds)
Skill Cooldown Time: 5 seconds.
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'Ohh man, it is even a 'Growth' spell, meaning like Ragnius, who is at 35% EXP currently, I can grow it to the next level, make it the same as 'Raven's Movement' a [Unique] rated skill. Those arcane spells really are no joke. I better learn everything before the reset happens. I have this guess that I can replicate them when the live version kicks in.'

'Let's see what is the new update to the Mana Core, since it seems I received a new skill there too.'
Closing the window for the skills, he turned to passives, where he could see the [Basic Spear Attacks] and [Basic Spear Mastery - Lv.3], but passing those, he went directly for the [Mana Core](C) that gave a unique effect light, compared to the other skills and passive.
Entering that section, he looked at the basic stats he gained from the Mana Core along with the last update that occurred to it.
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[Mana Core]
Rating/Grade: Rare/(C)
A modified and enhanced mana core that was awakened with uncommon methods long forgotten in history

* Passively increase Intelligence by 4%
* Increase spell damage, spell hit rate by 2%, magic spell casting by 2%, and your focus by 5% of not failing your spells
* The mana increase will adjust to your level [150MP bonus]
* (Activable Buff) - 'Mana Hunger'
* Effect: Unique Passive
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[Mana Hunger]
Type: Activable Buff
Using the accumulated mana in the Mana Core, you can start your mana regeneration in combat.
Buff Time: 60 seconds.
Buff Cooldown: 20 minutes
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'So this is what happened when I activated that buff from the notification. This explains how I could regenerate my MP even outside of combat. This buff will come up nicely in my sleeves, an Ace of sorts.'

'Okay, now let's see what that title I received and items are all about. I hope the leather chest piece I got from Irenaeus is good.'
Titles: Syndicates Nemesis (Unlock? Yes/No)
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'Sure, let's see what the game has in store for me. It sounds nice from just the sight of it.'
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[Syndicates Nemesis]
You proved yourself by killing the notorious criminals of the 'Black Spades' in doing so, exterminating one of the gangs of Titan, who made a hell for some people. However, their alertness and ruthlessness will increase more with the disappearance of the 'Black Spades'.
As supporting power, their nemesis should be able to move faster than them, have a stronger resilience and higher strength to overpower them, and an intellect that could scheme and plan ahead of them, in so ending their rule.
* Be aware, they will find you suspicious at sight, but you will also find them easier in a sea of people.
* Stamina: + 50 / Agility: +50 / Strength: +50 / Intelligence: +50
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'Wow, I didn't expect this from killing those bastards, so many stat points for killing a rat group. It means those guys were really notorious, and as that girl, Lilian Vaintz, mentioned, Saharan has a problem with criminals. Wait…. If I haven't read it wrong, doesn't it feel like I put a target mark on my head?'
'Ahh no, not again, another unnecessary trouble. Still, it fits hand in hand with my main quest of killing the Clark Gang in Wallmor District.'
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Settling his thoughts on that aspect, he moved to check the new items.
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[Midnight Abyssal Armor] (1/3)
Rate: Unique(Growth)
Durability: 170/550 / Defense: 375 / Movement Speed: +2%
* Attack Power increased by 10%
* Magic Power increased by 10%
* Dodge Rate increased by 2%
* Dark Elements Attack Resistance: 25%
* 150% increase in Magic Recovery effects.
* You will see into the realm of 'Death'
An armor with a mysterious past moving hand by hand, at the expense of the ones killed. Shrouded in mystery as to why this happens, for its wielders to die, no one would ever know because they would die before finding the answer.
The materials used to create such armor are veiled by unknowns and uncertainties.
Condition of Use: Killer of the Former Wielder
Once you find all the set pieces, the Debuff will be removed.
Debuff: There is a 50% chance of dropping this item when dying against a player in solo combat.
*** [Bound Item] ***
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'My God, another one. What is this? Is this a curse shoved into my hands, a bug? Such a weird and, at the same time, tempting item, abyssal indeed. It says I need the rest of 2 pieces to not lose those items.'
'Sigh, last surprise for today, let's see the cloak.'
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['Black Spades' Leader's Cloak]

Rate: Epic

Durability: 53/95 / Defense: 15

* Strength: +25
* Agility: +25

*Critical Strike Damage: +2%

* Dodge Evasion Rate: +1%

The cloak of the 'Black Spades' Syndicate, Irenaeus, symbolizes the mark of his rule under the Saharan Underworld and his prestige as a killer and assassin.

Condition of Use: Leader of Black Spades Syndicate

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'Finally, a sign of normality for today. What if there's no more 'Black Spades' Syndicate? Can I use it without meeting the conditions?'

With a curious expression, he dragged the cloak to his inventory toward the character item interface, and it went without alerting him of anything.

On his bare upper body, a cloak appeared in Jeanne's face, where the priestess moved around until the cloak was out of her way and settled back with Mathias' chest.

"Would you look at that? She really is a heavy sleeper. You know, it would have been worse if you were snoring, but it is not like I can't get used to it." commented Mathias out loud, looking at Jeanne's face.

Like this time passed with Mathias closing his eyes and relaxing in the bed, preparing his thoughts for his book and how he could finish the book for Juander in an efficient way copying it.

It was about one hour since he settled quietly in the bed, letting Jeanne sleep peacefully, that the latter slowly opened her hazel eyes while yawning cutely, only to be greeted by Mathias gazing at her in a serene expression.

"Where am I? What happened after I used all my divine power?" asked with a tired voice Jeanne, standing calmly next to Mathias without freaking out like how an "isekai" scenario would be between the female protagonist and male protagonist.

"You vaporized that Irenaeus and afterward went to sleep. Some Red Knights, led by a blue-haired girl, Lilian Vaintz, appeared and questioned me, believing I was one of those killers, but everything has been sorted out. Anyway, how are you feeling? "

"Tired and without much divine energy in my body. But I will be fine, in about one week. What about you? To be honest, you left me speechless in the manner you fought against those criminals."

"I am an outlander. I live for such moments, also don't look at me as if I am your savior or glorify what I did. You only have one life, while I can die for how many times I want."

"I learned that from dad, about the "cursed ones" or another word for you, "outlanders". However, you guys still feel the pain and endure that process. I can't put myself to understand what you feel. Sigh, let's not talk about that. Pain and all the dark elements. What was next in the story?"

"Nothing impressive and worth telling… Fine, don't give me that stare. I haven't done anything indecent to you, I took you home, had to search around for your keys, placed you to sleep, and now we are in this situation we are right now. You really are a heavy sleeper."

"Right, and why is your upper body naked? Have you thought of doing something indecent?" teased Jeanne, but only being mocked by Mathias later.

"I'll rather keep my hands at home since I don't wish to let you fall into Yatan's graces. I still need my priestess to bless me."

*Giggle* "Sure, sure. Gladly, but when my divine power recovers. I will welcome you to the Cathedral whenever you can make your way inside."

Taking some of her hair that dropped on his body, looking at the shining golden strands, he saw Jeanne react a bit shily, moving her eyes off him.

"I'll be fine now if you wish to go home. Don't forget that you still have to clean around for some more days."

Nodding his head, Mathias got away from the bed and placed [Midnight Abyssal Armour] on himself, covering his upper chest, which instantly wrapped around himself, morphing according to his body until it looked to be perfectly matched with himself.

There were dark green mist and black mist being released by the armor, which had Jeanne looking with a sharp gaze at the armor.

"This armor, wasn't this something the leader of the killers was wearing? I thought I also vaporized everything on his own using my [Divine Punishment]."

"I have no idea. I just woke myself up with this armor in my dimensional bag. That's how we outlanders get our gear and other mischievous items. By defeating enemies, monsters, and so on."

"Mathias, you should be careful with this armor. I can feel an evil lurking inside."

Shifting his gaze at the armor that made his edgy inner side shout like an excited little boy, he reverted back to Jeanne, responding to her calmly.

"It will be fine, Jeanne. Take care of yourself, and have a sweet night. See you tomorrow."

Jeanne smiled at him and took her farewell, and once Mathias was out, she started moving around the bed.

"Arrogant dummy. I look forward to our next meeting." saying that Jeanne got up from the bed, raising on her feet, and taking off her clothes that she felt were too tight on her, later revealed the body of a goddess that would make any woman jealous, not lacking in any aspect.

Going to the mirror only wearing the lingerie, she revealed a bright smile, saying to herself.

"He should be the one from father's stories. The Red Prince who will arrive to take the hands of the Saintess from the nightmare of agony and pain."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol.1 - Chapter 34 - Feelings Shared & Malakai's Hurdles
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By the time Mathias returned home to [Night Fay Tailorshop], the clock was already 22:15, making his entrance slowly, like a timid cat, he stumbled on Fayrene, who was working on the dress at the light of lamps.

"I have returned home, Fay."

Stopping from sewing, she turned herself at him, only to notice he was no longer wearing the Cidarian clothes she handed him. Also, she could feel that his mana was stronger than before.

"Don't tell me, you went into the wilderness again to hunt dangerous monsters?" inquired Fayrene, with a curious expression on herself.

Moving toward the counter and taking a seat on a chair, he started by telling her and taking the Cidarian Leggings out of his inventory.

"Fay, I am sorry. I couldn't keep my promise."

Seeing him apologize in such an unexpected manner, she walked toward him and looked at the leggings he placed on the counter.

She could see the sharp weapon marks on them and all sorts of tears. They were almost destroyed.

"Sorry."

"What happened to you, Mathias?"

"Sigh, you know I really hate keeping secrets from you. Take a chair, come closer and listen to my story. This day was wild even for my standards."

Fayrene turned her head at the dress she was about to finish, and with a simple nod, she walked to take the workstation chair and move it closer to the counter, where Mathias was seated with a sad expression.

"I am all ears. Go on, tell me what happened to you. I am a good listener."

Then, Mathias, after Fay got ready, started telling her about his day, how he began his day, encountering Juander, his proposal, along with Jeanne and her request to have her accompanied at the Hippodrome.

"Wait, wait. Take me slower. Is Bishop Jeanne a woman? Also, His Majesty was looking for you? Because of your story? Unbelievable."

"I told you, Fay, this day of mine was strange. That is correct for both, Jeanne, while being born a boy is now a woman because of a curse."

"Poor Jeanne, is she fine with that curse?"

"She doesn't show instability in her mind, she even changed her clothes to a women's, so I can take it as a sign of identity acceptance."

"Mathias, if she ever starts feeling bad, acting all rough and being irascible, tell her that I can help out." offered Fayrene, with a slightly awkward tone, to which Mathias understood what she meant.

'Menstruation, the nemesis of women. I'll be sure, tell her, since I am neither a woman nor a gynecologist, to give my opinion on such a subject.'

"If she wants help and you want to meet her, I don't mind letting you two get to know each other. Ahem, as for Lord Juander, to tell you the truth, I have never expected that he would be interested in my story. Do you believe in such an event?"

Fay just shook her raven hair while looking with a shocked expression at him. She approved with him.

"You should also write one book for me too. If even his Majesty is interested in your book, it means there's something about it."

"Fay, I have about 450 pages to write. I might like to write, but I am not that sick in the head."

"I'll help you out. I can write it in your stead once you get tired."

"Are you sure you are willing to take such a pledge with me? I am warning you, my story is not for the light-hearted." added Mathias, gazing at Fayrene's violet eyes that showed curiosity.

"Understood, not a problem. What have I not seen."

"Fine, we will start working on the book after ending the dress. Also, when you finish listening to my story, you will have to keep the dress with you."

This remark had her a bit confused, but once Mathias began describing the Hippodrome, she got all excited, listening with attention to all of his details. The races, and the prince who came to him, had her get on her feet and wonder.

"You meet three princes and even stood next to them, shoulder to shoulder??"

"There's also a bet with Dulandal." completed Mathias, reminding her about the bet with Dulandal.

"Aha, I remember what you said, and for much of it, I couldn't quite pick my head when you mentioned that sum." asked Fayrene, looking weirdly at Mathias, who simply said the number of money bet at the Hippodrome.

"1.000 gold. I won all that money. In total, I have right now 2000 gold."

Yet, slowly her smiling expression shifted when he mentioned the next event.

"But next came the end of my relaxed time because I encountered a group of criminals from the 'Black Spades' Syndicate that tried to have me and Jeanne killed. For whatever reason and from whose orders were they acting, I don't know, but I have some leads that can guide me in that direction."

Taking a break to calm down Fayrene, who probably remembered about her encounter with the thugs, he only briefly told her about the outcome without going into the gory details.

"Phew, you should have told that from the start. Will you be fine with those bandits trying to look for you?"

"I can manage it, however, to keep you out of this mess, since they might target you to get at me, I might have to move."

When Fayrene heard that, she felt her heart hurting a bit, only asking him with a quiet voice. "You will no longer come to see me?"

"No, don't worry. If I move houses, I will come to check on you. Don't I still have to teach you how to calculate and the other mischievous things?"

Fayrene gave a bright smile as she nodded but then saw Mathias, whose expression turned a bit sad as he pointed at the Cidarian Leggings.

"Fay, regarding the clothes you gave me, only the Boots and Leggings survived their attack. The shirt was destroyed."

As he said that, looking down, a bit disappointed for breaking his word, he later felt her hands tenderly grabbing his face and hearing her sweet voice.

"You were sad about this? That some criminals who attacked you destroyed the clothes I gave you?" Still, with a lowered face, he heard Fayrene say with a higher voice.

"Look at me when I talk with you, Mat."

Mathias felt that Fayrene tried to raise his face and look at her own, point where he sighed and didn't resist.

"Good. Now listen here, you dummy. Maybe at first, I told you those clothes were intended for my brothers to wear, but since you used them for three months, I can't even ask them back because you did so much for me. You helped me with the project, buying my materials, and also bringing food and other things from your hunts and many special things that I can't tell you.

Did they get destroyed? So be it. Did they serve their purpose of protecting you from cold and harm? They did."

Gazing at her eyes, Mathias, whose face was in Fayrene's hands, started laughing out loud, taking her by surprise.

"Hahaha, to think I would consume so much over such a thing. I am really an idiot sometimes."

*Giggling* "Indeed, you are a dummy, but you are my dummy." said Fayrene gazing with an affectionate expression, as she moved to embrace Mathias.

Taken by surprise by Fayrene's action, he also wrapped his arms around her, raising her up to sit in his lap. They stood like this for some minutes, in silence, until Fayrene asked with a timid, quiet voice.

"Mat, do you like me?"

While embracing her, he looked at her face, close up, and asked her, with a smile.

"I don't know. Do you like me, Fay?"

"I don't know, but do you like me, Mat?"

It was a back and forth, while those two were snuggling, it was until Fay gave up and responded first to the question.

"I do. Will you accept me as I am, with my good and bad side?" replied Fayrene with an embarrassed expression that tried to escape the serene gaze of Mathias.

Then, when she tried to look away, she felt his hand touch her face shift her face toward his own, and what responded to her was a kiss on the lips that made her get scared and struggle away from his embrace.

"I will. Will you accept mines, with all my bad side?" replied Mathias after breaking off the kiss, with his cheeks turning a bit rosy.

"You dummy, of course." responded Fayrene, with her white-milky skin turning red before she moved her head to kiss Mathias.

Responding to her desire, and also his own, no longer caring about what the future the live version might bring to him. Yet when things seemed to escalate, Fayrene panicked and said to him.

"No, not that. I am not ready."

He stopped from fondling her body, releasing her from his grasp. She distanced a bit from him, arranging her clothes and hair, before saying to him, with a quiet voice.

"We still can't do that. That is for the future."

"Ohh, do what?" asked Mathias with an evil smile, teasing Fayrene.

She tried to respond, but whenever she would open her mouth, she would turn even more embarrassed and having had enough of the situation entered, she complained before dashing off to her private room.

"You like teasing me, you jerk? Fine. I will teach you a harsh lesson in the future."

Remaining alone in the main room of the building, after seeing Fayrene move like a scared cat to her hidden place, while he savored his small victories. Still, with the feeling of her body in his hands, he stood in a relaxed position in the chair and only commented.

"I don't care about what consequences the reset will have. Maybe everyone is wrong, and it will not be a wipe of everything. Sometimes you have to force fate into giving what you desire. Shouldn't this be 'Satisfaction'? Morpheus, you better listen to me, you jerk. If you destroy what I have built this far with Fay and Jeanne, I ask you, will I be 'Satisfied'?"

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After calming himself, he went straight to continue his work on the Tapestry, and as this was happening, he received a new message from his friend, Vlad, that sounded exciting.

&Malakai: Bro, after I approached some chick who was having some trouble with carrying bags and offered to help her, and also talking along with her, I received some quests, and they are even rare difficulty.

&Mathias: Congrats, this is why you were quiet all day?

&Malakai: Obviously, I had more quests from the lady I helped. She is an artist in Reinhard and was having trouble carrying her new supplies. She is even hot, around 24-26 if you ask me, that Fayrene of yours."

&Mathias: Behave like a human, or you will get rejected if you pursue her with the mindset they are just puppets with lines of words integrated.

&Malakai: Indeed, I'll send you some screenshots of the artwork she did in her studio. It's like I've seen the second coming of da Vinci right in front of my eyes.

Shaking his head at the words his friends were saying in the messages, he continued his work, which was 40% complete, but then not long after his whisper window was spammed by Vlad's pictures of this artist he stumbled and helped, along with her artwork, that was indeed impressive.

&Malakai: Isn't she a good artist? Her name is Isabel. Anyway, we'll talk tomorrow at work. I'll also have to find a place to sleep in Reinhard.

&Mathias: Good luck, try a tavern.

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Malakai, or how his real name was, Vlad, chuckled at his friend's words and looked around himself at the illuminated streets of Reinhard.

"He probably is busy writing his story or doing some boring menial things." guessed Vlad what Mathias was doing when he talked with him.

Passing by the streets of the Eternal Kingdom capital, Reinhard, he felt its atmosphere even at night, with people still out in the open.

"Ohh man, this world feels so real. Even the NPC's here have a personality, and like Matei said, they tell their own story, and just listening to what they have to say will pick up your interest."

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A blonde young man, wearing some simple linen clothes, visible a change compared to the former rags he had that he bought with the money he received from Isabel, the artist of Reinhard, moved toward the city's periphery in a search for some taverns.

"She told me to visit her tomorrow because of another request. This means she has another quest for me. Hehe, I'll also have to ask around the tavern for some assassins who are willing to offer their teachings." noted Vlad, arriving quickly at the periphery and spotting some tavern signs in the distance.

"If I was in Titan right now, I would probably be walking for 15 minutes from the center to get to the periphery. Here we go. I have about 5 gold coins with me. I hope it will suffice."


Entering the tavern packed with people of all sorts, from some who wore clean, wealthy clothes to those who were wearing rugs. Not caring much, he went straight to the innkeeper, taking a seat with other customers.

"What should it be, young man?"

"One beer, please." responded Vlad, looking at the innkeeper, a middle-aged man with a long braided beard.

"That would be 10 silver coins for the mug."

Nodding his head, Vlad took out 10 silver coins from his inventory and placed them on the counter, at which the innkeeper swiftly took them, later filling a mug with beer.

"Anything else, young man?" asked the innkeeper, staring at Vlad.

"Well, there is another request. It does not concern the booze. I am looking for an assassin trainer. Do you have any information about a trainer in the art of assassination?"

"That… Are you sure, kid? Let me think…" whispering to himself, the innkeeper said, barely audible.

"Should I disturb His Excellency? He told me not to let anyone check on him but this boy. I can make some good money from him. Fine, I'll check on the master."

Then moving his gaze at Vlad, he told him with a sereious voice, making him contemplate if he should buy into it.

"I have, but information costs money."

Vlad nodded his head and took out from his bag 200 silver coins, placing them on the counter, later looking at the innkeeper who tapped on the counter, signaling him that he wanted more.

'Fine, fine. Here, maybe 500 silver coins will make you sing.' thought Vlad while he placed another 300 silver coins that were scooped by the innkeeper.

'Now, what? Wait, where are you going?? Damn, don't tell me I got scammed by an NPC?' wondered Vlad, when he saw the innkeeper walk away from the counter and walk in another part of the tavern.

Only after 10 minutes with his gaze on the empty beer mug, was when the innkeeper came back telling him with a serious voice.

"Walk the path I took and when you get to the door, knock on it and wait to be invited inside. A reminder, don't do anything stupid."
Getting from his seat, and passing the other people seated next to him, he heard them talk to themselves in the passing.

"That kid will surely get himself killed."

'Hmph, stop talking shit, you idiots. Even if I get killed by whoever is there, I don't care, as long as I get some skills.'

Arriving in front of the door after climbing down the stairs like it was some cellar, he knocked on the door and started the waiting game.

Minutes passed and about 30 minutes passed and Vlad was still at the front door, boiling, he sent a whisper to Mathias complaining he encountered a bug because he waited for 30 minutes without getting a response.

&Mathias: Just have patience, you got anything better to do? Who knows maybe it is an hidden assassin with weird tastes, but the rewards will be in proportion to the time you wait.

&Malakai: Matei, I am bored to hell. Is like I froze up in front of this door. Tell me, how are you doing?

&Mathias: I am doing a tapestry.

&Malakai: Like that old school stuff or the newer version?

&Mathias: New version, I have no clue how to do that old communist stuff that grandfather still has from his parents.

In such a manner, Vlad occupied his time, talking with Mathias, until Mathias cut him short, telling him.

&Mathias: Vlad, we will talk tomorrow. Just go to sleep or something while you wait. The innkeeper specified to only knock once and wait for the guy to let you in. Those are the key words.

'Yea, sure. It has already been one hour since I have been standing here. Come one, let me in, you motherfucker. How much do you want me to suffer here, waiting like an idiot?'

There was a response from the room, after 30 more minutes passed, saying with an old voice.

"The one who knocked on the door, enter."

Vlad, who was lying down, supported by the wall, fiddling with some gold coins, doing coin tosses and poker moves, finally sprouted up and instantly opened the door.

'Let's see who is the crazy bastard who had me wait almost two hours.'

Then to his surprise, he could see an old man with a golden name 'Bayek' beside an office while the room looked like a meeting room. This old man had short white hair, an eye patch, and also missing an arm, with scars on his face and neck, and probably all over his body.

"Greetings, sir. Thank you for allowing me inside."

"Haha, sure, kid, you are welcome. I thought of letting you wait for more time but seeing that you are an outlander, this will suffice. Your people are impatient, heartless, without emotions, so I just threw a test for you to see how you would react."

"I understand. Sir, can you teach me how to become an assassin?"

"Ohh, you want to follow that path, even if you might turn like me?" asked the old man while showing Vlad's about his scars and eye-patch and missing arm.

"Well, I might not turn like you, battle-scarred, because I am an outlander. However, I really wish to take that path."

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"Don't you say it? If I take you as my disciple, what will you offer me?"

"I don't know. Do you need anything in particular?"

The old man stared with his black eye at Vlad and chuckled like a madman before turning with severe eye at him.

"Kid, I don't take disciples. I, the Shadow Master, will forever be alone. However, I still can't reach transcendence and break my shell's limits.

If I teach you little outlander and you prove to have a greater potential than me, I want you to help me break my limit."

"Sir, I don't know what you are talking about, but if you stay alive until I get stronger than you, I'll be damn if I don't help you reach your limit."

"Haha, not so fast. You picked my curiosity, but this doesn't mean I will take you as my disciple. There are still more hurdles I want to place you in and test you. Will you accept it, boy?"

[Shadow Master Bayek is checking if you want to take the quest, 'Assassin Qualifications'.]

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************************************
[Assassin Qualifications]

Difficulty: Secret

Shadow Master Bayek is willing to give you a chance in learning some of the basic assassin skills. However, for that, you will have to pass specific tests he will ask you to complete.

Quest Clear Condition: Clear all of Bayek's tasks

Quest Reward: [Basic Assassin Skills] & advancing the questline [Shadow Master Disciple]

Quest Failure: All possible quests from Bayek will be retracted.
******************************************

[Accept/Decline]

"Hehe, that's what I was looking for, old man. Bring it on. Let's see what you wish for me to do."

[You have accepted the quest]

After getting Vlad's acceptance, the old man started to laugh with a maniacal hint before gazing sharply at Vlad with his black, abyssal eyes.

"Tell me your name, kid."

"I am called Malakai, old man."

"Good, keep in mind, kid, I am Bayek. Follow me. I will take you to your testing ground." said the old man, with a cold voice. Getting on his feet from the office he was sitting behind and getting a cane in his only arm, he started to walk toward the room's exit.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 35 - The Shadow Breath

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Malakai followed after the old man, who had the entire tavern turn silent at his sight, especially the three guys who still were at the counter, by now drunk. Their expression was shocked, whispering with each other.

"That brat, the crazy old man didn't kill him."

"Shut the fuck up idiot, I don't want to be killed by the old man for talking behind his back." said another drunkard to the one who mentioned Bayek.

.

Exiting back to the outside, where the dark sky was illuminated by stars and a moon, he heard the old man stretched his right arm and back.

"This night sure is nice. Follow up, kid. I will take you to my testing grounds."

Malakai could only agree with the old man and follow up until minutes passed and he was still walking. It seemed that old Bayek was taking Malakai closer and closer to the Royal Castle, without the guards stationed vigilantly around the surrounding zone to notice.

Vlad gazed with curious eyes around himself, and he could see a large shadow at his feet and Bayek's.

'The old man can manipulate shadows, just as his name mentioned? Crazy, those guys can't even notice me as we pass by their face.'

Making a turn, not entering the royal district of Reinhard, distancing once again, he reached an open garden with different sized trees.

Standing at the center of the garden, he heard the old man tell him.

"I want you to complete a path in a specific timeframe. Climbing every single tree one by one and finishing everything in fifteen minutes before returning to where I am sitting right now."

[First Hurdle: Climb the trees of the Reinhardt Garden as per Bayek's instructions]

[If you fail to complete the hurdle, the quest 'Assassin's Qualifications' will be failed]

'High risk, high reward. I can't expect more from a crazy old man who left me wait for about two hours at the front of his door.'

"Start whenever you want. I will start counting your time after you make the first move with climbing intent."

"Understood. You don't care if I take my time to plan out, correct?"

"Whatever. Maybe I will go to sleep on the grass."

"No need. I'll start soon," commented Malakai, who walked towards a zone with trees that were close to each other.

Opening his Status Window, he started to distribute his 30 free stat points he gained from leveling to Lv. 4 after finishing Isabel's quest of carrying her painting materials, canvas, and other mischievous things to her shop.

He had in mind what Mathias said to him, but with this opportunity he gained from this crazy old man, he couldn't let it go, and in doing so, he strengthened his stats according to what the situation demanded, stacking everything in agility and strength.

**********
'Status Window'

Name: Malakai / Class: Beginner
Level:4(260/2100) / Title: none
Health: 175/175 / Mana: 24
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Strength: 15 / Stamina: 10
Agility: 25 / Intelligence: 12
Stat Points: 0

************

Looking around the location and at the trees that were each about 10-20 meters with a focused expression, he got set, readying his mind and body while also doing a cross that had the old man look at him with interest.

'Always do a cross at hard times. If there is a God in the world, maybe he or she will listen to me.'

Then from nowhere, he burst, rushing toward the first tree and quickly using his strength and mobility to get to the top. Bayek started counting in his mind each second, starting with a cold look on his face.

Malakai, when getting to the top, looked down a bit before starting to climb down the same way he climbed. One minute passed, and he cleared one tree, following up with the adjacent tree, that he climbed and got off with the same vigor, taking him about one minute.

Like this Malakai, who had to clear about 20 trees of the garden, exploded with every bit of energy he had, and when he was at the 10th tree, he looked at the quest timer that showed 9:47

'Fuck. fuck. I will fail the quest in this manner. I need to get crazy and pray I don't break my bones.' thought Malakai noticing he was out of time pretty quick.

Old Bayek, too, had a disappointed face when he saw that Malakai was bound to fail, saying to himself.

"It seems the gods don't want to show any favor with me and really abandoned me. I can't transcend my human limits, nor can I find someone to take me to the human limits. Disappointing, this life sure is disappointing. In about 15 years, I will also lose my spirit and die off, returning to dirt."

However, as he watched Malakai get on the top of the tree and quickly climb down when the young man was at the mid part of the tree, he suddenly released his grip, dropping down with great momentum on the ground.

"Ohhhh, that's more like it." commented Bayek when he saw Malakai use his hands that began being grinded by the trunk of the tree, splitting his hands up and covering his descend in a bloody mark.

"FUCK ME!! THIS HURTS SO BADLY! I CAN'T STOP NOW. I GOT 9 MORE OF THOSE BLASTED TREES!" cursed Malakai, who got on his feet, dashing back to the next tree, while the notification windows was starting to go red in his face.

[You are affected by the 'Bleeding' losing 1% of your maximum HP]

[Stamina:75/100]

Not caring about the notifications, he climbed the trees while losing 1 HP each second. He climbed up the tree fighting the pain and getting on the treetop, later using the same strategy to release himself while using his palms to cut off the gravity force.

Quickly minutes passed, and old Bayek watched every single movement Malakai did since the moment he approached the hurdle in a desperate mode.

Malakai was on the 18th tree and still had about 2 minutes before his time would run off. His HP also reached a low end because of his constant bleeding, barely being able to feel his hands from the pain he suffered.

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[Health: 78/175]
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'Just a bit more, come my body, we can do it. If my brain and body can endure this pain, this means that I shouldn't collapse now.'

Dropping on the ground, he swiftly got to the last tree after doing the climbing of the 19th tree. The time was also not really on his side as he roared in pain when getting to climb the final tree.

[14:15]

"JUST A BIT MORE!" growled Malakai in pain, as he reached the top of the tree, and seeing that his time was [14:32], he did a final touch before jumping off the tree at about 14 meters and landing on the ground.

[You have suffered 60 damage from the fall.]

[You suffered the debuff "Broken Bones'. You can't move until you heal up your wounded leg]

"ARGHH, I BROKE MY LEG. MOTHERFUCKER! THIS PAIN IS EXCRUCIATING." screamed Malakai in pain as he laid like a dead fish on the ground.

Soon, he saw the old man appear next to him and stare down at him with his abyssal eyes.

"Have I passed, old man?" asked Malakai, trying to sound as calm as possible.

"Hahaha, what a crazy kid. He isn't even trained and still used such a maniac manner of climbing the trees. Even jumped the tree to complete his task, ignoring death and any possible outcomes. Marvelous, a truly spectacular performance, brat." laughed the old man with a happy hint on his tone while staring at Malakai that was gritting his teeth, fighting off the pain.

[Health: 5/175]

"Have I passed or not, old man?"

"Indeed, you have passed my first hurdle."

[Congratulations, you have cleared the 'First Hurdle' gaining the following rewards [2] levels, affinity with Bayek +2, Agility: +15]

His body was enveloped into the level-up effect, and he could feel that his body was cleared of the debuffs he suffered and that his broken bones also healed.

Slowly getting up on his feet after leveling up, he faced Bayek, who had a creepy smile on his face.

"Follow me to your Second Hurdle." said old Bayek coldly, walking ahead toward another part of Reinhart, followed closely by Malakai, who kept quiet, until he saw that they went back to the zone of the Royal Castle, point where they entered inside, undisturbed by the guards.

Looking down at his feet, he could see his shadow being gigantic, covering a 20 meters radius around himself.

Old Bayek walked casually in this royal district that was heavily guarded by guards, and not too long, was welcomed by the sight of a building that looked like a garrison.

"Old man, are we entering inside?" asked Malakai with a quiet voice, not wishing to attract unwanted attention to them.

"Yea, we will use their training ground for the Second Hurdle. Don't worry, kid, I will put down my Shadow Realm on that training ground, so we are not disturbed."

Saying that, old Bayek grabbed Malakai by his clothes, and from nowhere, they appeared in the center of a training ground filled with dummies and all sorts of paths.

"There is no problem for us being here, right, old man?"

"Even if there was a problem, they can't do nothing to stop me. Wiesbaden should be glad I stay in Reinhart."

"Who is that?"

"The king of this nation. Anyway, this matters less, kid. Your second hurdle is to fight against my shadows and pick up the basic assassination skills."

"Don't I need a weapon, old man?" asked Malakai when seeing Bayek envelop the entire training ground into a wave of blackness that turned the floor into something akin to an eclipse.

Bayek later turned at Malakai, who was checking if he needed a weapon, and nodding his head, he created 4 humanoid shadow figures that came from his big shadow and later created a shadow long dagger that he tossed to Malakai.

"Use this. It should suffice for the Second Hurdle."

Picking up the dagger, Malakai inspected the stats of the shadow dagger he received.


********************************************
[Shadow Dagger]

Rate: Quest Item

Durability: 1/1 / Shadow Damage: 1

Item created by Shadow Master Bayek using his own shadow power. The item doesn't hold much meaning to him, only that it is the weapon used by the possible candidate to receive his powers.

Condition to use: Only if Bayek wills it.

************************************************

Malakai watched as every one of those smokey black figures walked around him with weapons in their arms, and following their movements was old Bayek's cold voice who told him what his second hurdle was.

"What I want you to achieve in this Second Hurdle is to learn every single technique I throw at you. I want you to be like a sponge that takes all the water it would be imbued with. If by the end of this night you fail to learn everything I plan to show you, I will take it as you are failing the hurdle, losing all qualifications to become my disciple."

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[Second Hurdle: Learn every technique shown by Bayek]

[If you fail to complete the hurdle, the quest 'Assassin's Qualifications' will be failed]

.

"This means when the light starts showing up, and if I haven't learned by then what you showed me, I failed the hurdle, correct?"

Old Bayek nodded his head, only saying to him before letting his shadows attack him. "That is correct, so you better don't disappoint me, kid. I have big expectations from you."

[You have accepted the quest]

The moment he took a defensive stance with the shadow dagger, the quest was automatically accepted without him saying anything. He saw one shadow among the 4 dashes toward him, using a specific dagger stance.

Yet, thinking he was prepared for the challenge, he saw the shadow disappear from his vision and appear right in front of him doing a cross strike with its dagger that later sent him flying, hitting a practice dummy.

[You have suffered 1 damage.]
[You have suffered 1 damage.]

"I haven't seen how he appeared, but the strike, it looked like a cross attack holding a lot of force." said Malakai getting up on his feet after being sent flying.

Standing there, he tried to mimic the shadow making that attack, but as he tried, he got attacked once again, by the same time attack, being sent flying again.

"No, no, it looks different. There's something inside each attack. But what is it?" asked Malakai, who saw the same shadow move toward him, moving its long dagger around.

In such way, time passed for Malakai, who was entering a hellish training, being constantly sent flying by those shadows who showed all short of different attacks, from the cross-shaped attack that had a knocking back effect, to the flurry of attacks that was a combo of 5 swift dagger strikes that targeted vital organs or zones where there were nerves centers.

Looking at the clock, it showed 00:25, and he still hadn't learned a single skill that shadows were demonstrating over and over again. Still, he wasn't discouraged because he got the starting movement of the attacks but failed short to deliver like the shadows.

Old Bayek made a chair out of his shadow and stood there watching Malakai as he was trying to mimic the skills he was showing using his shadows.

"Could it be? He isn't as talented as I thought at first? No, no, let's way for more. There are only 4 skills he needs to learn from me to pass the second test, [Lost Cross], [Swift End Cut], [Eviscerate], and [Backstab]."

"So far, I took him slowly, so he could get the easiest ones, the cross, and cut. Kid, you still have 5 hours. You better start increasing your rhythm of assimilation."

About two hours passed since the second hurdle started, and Malakai finally, after much pain and sweat being dropped on the ground, unleashed the two attacks he managed to comprehend.

[Congratulations, you have learned the skill 'Lost Cross' and 'Swift End Cut']

"Ohhh, it was about time I nailed those skills after wrapping my head and smashing it onto those practice dummies."

**************************************
[Lost Cross] - Lv.1

Rating: Epic

Swing your weapon into a cross shape, dealing 108% of your physical damage with a 5% chance of knocking back the target of the attack.

Skill Condition Usage: Requires dagger or sword type weapons to be activated

Mana Consumption: 150 MP

Skill Cooldown: 60 seconds

**************************************

[Swift End Cut] - Lv.1

Rating: Epic

Using five fast, nimble attacks using your weapon to pierce the vital points and organs of the enemy, bringing an assured end to your enemy. Each strike does 98% of your physical attack damage, with a 5% chance of activating the debuff "Bleed'.

Skill Condition Usage: Requires dagger or sword type weapons to be activated

Mana Consumption: 125 MP

Skill Cooldown: 60 seconds


***************************************

Malakai's expression turned sour when looking at the mana consumption those skills were consuming.

"I can't even use those skills for a second time because of my lack of mana? But hey, those skills are strong. When I bring this up to that jerk, he will for sure be pissed and salty."

Old Bayek noticed Malakai's achievement in succeeding in learning and using two of his skills, and with him only having four more hours before the sun would start rising, he also increased the intensity of his shadows who constantly pumped him down.

Especially when it came to the skill [Eviscerate] and [Backstab], delivering those skills was an art in itself, which required something outside of just the movement.

"Nonetheless, if you don't have it in you, those attacks can't be understood. You might see them as a pierce of dagger inside your stomach and drawing back, but there is something more into it."

"Tsk, maybe I should have gone to that nasty mansion filled with inhumane emotions." commented old Bayek from the sidelines, seeing how his four shadows were using [Eviscerate] and [Backstab] on the young man who screamed in pain from all the agonizing attacks he was placed in with the increased rhythm of the shadows.

Malakai looked with red eyes at the shadows, who were mercilessly stabbing him on his front and back without him being able to do anything. He wondered how come he wasn't dead by those nasty attacks, but the truth was old Bayek shadow technique was so advanced that he could turn intangible shadows into the tangible matter.

In such a manner, he could also attack Malakai without actually splitting him up.

One and a half hours passed since old Bayek placed Malakai into the training for [Eviscerate] and [Backstab] and the young man's gaze was cold, with a hint of madness into it as he was looking at the shadows which moved to attack him once again.

With boiling madness and only bad intentions in his heart, he also moved to attack those shadows, no longer caring about learning something from them.

Dashing at one shadow, he moved to stab it like how he was stabbed in his guts, chest, and all over his body. Once the dagger made contact with the shadow, he gazed coldly at the shadowy black puppet and drew his dagger out of the puppet's body with the nastiest mindset in his life.

When seeing this old Bayek raised from his shadow chair and looked at Malakai, who looked with an indifferent expression at the shadow puppet he almost bisected, and from nowhere as he manipulated his shadows to gang on him, he shifted his position getting to the back of another puppet that he stabbed straight where the spine was.

"Well, well. What a little monster. So the kid has it in him."

Malakai, who ended the second puppet, still looked indifferent at the shadow puppet who dropped on the ground, moving toward the other two, who he used an improvised attack, sending a leg kick to the back knee of one puppet, dropping it on the ground, and being alone with only one puppet, he dodged an [Lost Cross] before delivering a [Eviscerate] that dropped on the ground the shadow.

Shifting his gaze at the one that still moved, he dashed fast at its back, and jumping on him, he delivered a [Backstab] straight to the back of the neck.
Assaulted by the notifications of him learning the [Eviscerate] and [Backstab], he looked vigilantly around himself, visibly entering a survival mode. Malakai calmed down when hearing the round of applause from the old man who was walking toward him.

"Marvelous, little Malakai. Truly Marvelous. You weren't bullshiting me when you said you wanted to become an assassin. Do you recognize that feeling you had when you attacked my puppets?"

"Annoyance, hatred, indifference, coldness, wishing to deliver pain, and end their life."

"That is the essence for assassination, little Malakai. At the start, you didn't have those in you, or at least they didn't show up to the surface. Because of that, you couldn't understand the true core of [Eviscerate] and [Backstab]. So, those four skills are my basic assassination skills, the ones I developed in my long 65 years long life."

"Does this mean I passed the second test?" asked Malakai, taking a deep breath, looking around himself, where only darkness surrounded him.

"Theoretically, yes. But, I want to test you with just a brief part of my Shadow Lord skills. If you manage to understand this skill, I will show you. I shall take you as my disciple and guide you in becoming the second Shadow Lord after your master, me, Bayek of Shildari."

"The same time span?" inquired Malakai, only to see the old man give him a wicked smile.

"Indeed, so you better open your eyes if you want to become my disciple without having to take the third and fourth hurdle."

[Update: Shadow Master Bayek changed the conditions of the Second Hurdle, adding another clause, which, if the user passes, will gain the class [Shadow Master Apprentice].]

Bayek looked at the shadow puppets on the ground, and extending his right arm, they were sucked back into his body.

"Done with the cleaning of those puppets. Listen well, little Malakai, this following ability I will show you is the catalyst of all my abilities, I call it [Shadow Breath]."

Malakai looked at old Bayek as he started to slowly do a breathing exercise with his eyes closed that didn't look like much to Vlad, until he noticed the old man shift his intensity, breathing with stronger breaths, while around his body shadowy smoke began being released slowly.

Then, after those shadows were released, he stopped his breathing exercise and stopped breathing altogether, standing in front of Vlad's eyes as if he was dead.

'Old man, do I have to die to get those abilities or what?'
Then as Malakai hypothesized what Bayek was doing, he saw him open his abyssal eyes that were releasing dark smoke-like light that was filling the surroundings and also touched Malakai, who sensed coldness from those shadows.

"You have to embrace death and move deeper than what the simple human has ever gotten. We Shadow Lords tap into a mystical realm to gather the shadows of the world and use them as we choose to. To enter this state, you have to stop your breathing and submerge yourself until you feel your life is moving past you, getting so close to this mythical realm that I don't know what it is and how to explain it to you."

Malakai dropped to the ground and took a meditative stance, unlike old Bayek, who just sat on his feet and was breathing with ease. He tried the same technique as the old man, but when he reached the part of stopping his breath, his reflexes kicked in, not letting himself die.

"I can't do it. My reflexes block me from not trying to breathe."

"Try more. If an old man like me who is close to death managed to stop his breath until tapping into that power, a maniac like you could do it for sure."

"Old man, do you want to hear something?"

"Huh?"

"You are the crazy fuck here for creating a suicide technique, not me. Nevertheless, I will try it."

Old Bayek released a crazy laugh while Vlad focused on his breathing, the first sequence, before blocking at the non-breathing aspect.

Like this, the two old man and the young man kept cursing one another, Vlad for finding Bayek's technique dumb, and the old man cursing Vlad's disrespect on his technique.

When he should be in bed by now and preparing for the next day of work on Monday, he was trying to clear his quest by learning the [Shadow Breath].

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 36 - Developers holding a Meeting
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As Malakai was doing his quest, somewhere in a medium-sized office building in Seoul where time was 10:15 AM, a woman reading the reports made by the super AI, Morpheus, out of nowhere, received a notification in red mark.

[Quest <S016> got cleared by a player.]

When the woman doing her regular reports saw this alarm from Morpheus on her screen, she instantly reacted by getting her glasses off and double-checking the alert.

"No way. This must be a bug, a level 25 player or lower can't even pass the quests. I need to call Cheolho immediately."

Quickly grabbing her phone, she called out the main developer of the game and the company's CEO, Lim Cheolho, who responded right away, with a puzzled voice.

"Did something happen, Nahee? Don't tell me Morpheus started bugging?"

"That's what I fear happening, Cheolho. Morpheus says one among the beta players cleared the quest S016, the content added by Karl, about the Shadow Master."

"No way. Someone becomes 'Shadow Master Apprentice' while playing the beta? It's only been one month. Wait, I'll make my way right away to the office. Also, prepare a call for every developer."

"All 32?"

"Yes, this one is urgent. Don't worry about them being angry at you. Once they get to the meeting, they will understand.

I hope it isn't a bug and just the hard work of a player. Anyway, we should start planning for the live release of the game while the ball is hot." said Lim Cheolho over the phone, while Yoon Nahee, the head of 'Satisfy' operation team, was taking notes in her notebook.

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Soon, in about 20 minutes, inside a meeting room in the office building of S.A. Group, Lim Cheolho, along with another three Korean Developers, were sitting side by side, facing a big screen with many windows for about 29 people.

"Lim, what's with this sudden meeting? Did Morpheus failed and overclocked burning out?" asked one developer that had a heavy Russian accent.

"Is not that Fyodor? This meeting is about telling you guys that someone cleared out an SS quest and grained a Unique rated class, Shadow Master."

"No wah, someone managed to clear my old man's quest?? There's someone so crazy enough to clear his quests?" inquired a man whose name on the call was Karl.

"Indeed Karl, this is your creation, so you explain to us, at what level was someone supposed to clear this quest?" asked Cheolho, with a calm voice, at one of his core co-workers.

"I don't even need to take out my spreadsheet to tell you about old Bayek crazy personally and conditions. Technically, there are two paths to encounter him and gain his interest.

The first path, you have to be a citizen of Reinhart, Eternal Kingdom. At the first three starting years of the game timespan, his locations would vary depending on his moods. I integrated his personality, but by now, he should have been to 'Jackmaw Tavern'.

So to get on with this path, you have to be a Beginner who wants to become an assassin. These are the main conditions, being a naked beginner without any skills. Getting to the tavern, you have to bribe the innkeeper who has a 5% chance of recommending you old Bayek."

"Cut it short, Karl, it's 3 AM on my time here." said a guy called Yanis over the conference.

"Tsk, jerk. Technically, if the innkeeper recommends old Bayek's and you enter inside his room uninvited, you are dead, simple as that. The condition to be invited is to wait from one hour to about eight hours in front of his door, knocking only once. If one would knock more times, the outcome would be their death. Still, getting to meet him is not like you will be given a chance to take on his hurdles."

"Ahem, there are five hurdles like the 12 labours in the mythic story of Hercules, each harder with every passing. However, the setting would be that every hurdle would be adjusted to the level of the player."

"Wow, Karl, you really are messed up in the head to make such a character." called out Yanis, with a sarcastic voice, before quickly being replied by Karl.

"Ohh, but thank you."

Lim Cheolho tapped his finger on the office table and called Nahee inside along with every data on the one who cleared the quest.

"We will watch the person who cleared the quest and see if it was a bug or not. After that, we will discuss something else related to the future of the company."

As he said that, he had Nahee play out the entire 3 hours of game time, Malakai had to take the hurdles. The video started by showing a young man with blonde hair walking toward the tavern Karl was referring to, a level 4 player, who surprisingly had linen clothes.

"Ohh, the kid doesn't even have a skill yet he had money to buy clothes? What's this. Yoon, can you add more detail?" asked another developer, the woman standing a bit distanced from the four developers on the Korea side.

"I haven't downloaded that part from Morpheus, but this Malakai, or what his real name is, Vlad Ene, a Romanian player. He just started the game today and only cleared one quest that required him to carry the materials of NPC B-891 'Isabel'. In doing so, he earned himself seven gold that he spent on buying new clothes, and with the remaining, keeping for himself."

After some silence, the developers had the video of him getting to the innkeeper and asking for information about assassin trainers. Swiftly enough, they played most of it at fast speed, especially when he had to wait in front of the door.

Only after he got there meeting the old man did they slow down.

Soon Malakai's hurdles entered their eyes and watched with shocked eyes as this young man started using extreme ways to climb down the trees, bleeding himself dry. The piece of resistance was when he jumped off the tree.

"This boy is a kindred spirit of mine. Haha, he actually thought the same as me when I put myself in the position of quest clearer." laughed Karl with a hint of being a bit crazy in the head.

"There is no bug here." commented Lim Cheolho, who watched everything with great attention.

Then the second hurdle came where they watched with attention as Vlad was pummeled down, beaten and tortured, pain wise and mentally wise.

Karl once again began applauding like a madman when he saw Vlad deliver the [Eviscerate] and [Backstab], later saying to the confused developers.

"Those skills require the stat [Killing Intent] being opened, but because of the realistic clause we have introduced to Morpheus, any person who enters a state of mind similar to the Stat concept and description will be able to achieve that."

"No bugs thus far. The kid in question here has to be a genius to figure out all of these, or simply a maniac." commented Lim Cheolho, who played the video forward, where the old man congratulated Vlad, and later their dumbfoundedness came along.

It was about three hours of old Bayek strangling Malakai until the young man would start foaming and drop on the ground and repeat for so many times that some Developers left their seats, doing whatever.

"Man, this kid is really something. I might be crazy, but I for sure can't endure the old man sending me to hell for so many times." commented Karl, seeing everything unfold.

It was until when the sun was about to start rising up that Malakai looked to be in a serene state, releasing black smoke from his body, making the old man laugh like there was no tomorrow.

"That's it, little Malakai. Embrace the shadows."

"Fuck you, old man. When I get to help you get to transcendence, I will return the favor a thousandfold."
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The devs who heard Malakai comment chuckled to themselves, especially when one said.

"Kid, there are so many variables in this game that it is unknown if that old man will live for more than two-three years. No offense Karl, but the way you set the crazy old man, is leaving him slowly dying, losing his potential and powers, heck you even crippled him."

"Say what you want about my creation, but the class is among the hardest to control we have built. It starts at Epic but has the potential of reaching Legendary."

"Fuck, the game balance. Isn't it broken if the kid already got an Epic class this fast? Yoon Nahee, how many people got classes that are above the common rating among the 10.000 beta testers."

Nahee used her tablet to get to some documents, later mentioning in a stoic manner.

"There are 1167 players with rare classes and only 6 players with epic classes."

"Only six? The rate is still high for only one month."

"Lim, I guess you wanted to talk about the game balance and how easy it is for players to get their classes?"

"Indeed, the intent for the beta stage was to test some murky systems, such as the sleeping system, stamina system, the intimate system, and loot system. Everything has been fixed where there were bugs. Now we really got nothing to fix in those areas. As for the other areas, Morpheus is running checks 24/7, and there are no errors for bugs and uncertainties.

All we have to do is increase the rate for the experience so players would level harder after level 25, drop down the probability for players receiving higher-rated classes to a low, since we want a long term game, not something like the other competitors on the market." said the CEO, to his colleagues who built the game with him from the ground up.

"Sounds good. We should agree to these changes now since we signed that we developers will not interfere with the progress of the game when the game turns online for every player." said a developer, Andrade, before the other developers had their say.

They quickly reached a consensus at a vote that passed, with all 33 developers agreeing to the changes proposed by Lim Cheolho.

They discussed when to end the beta version, which was set to happen in three weeks global time at a vote that passed with a majority.

"It is better to have it closed in two weeks. Think. How much advantage do you want the beta players to have over normal players? They are already enjoying themselves too much."

"Don't worry, we will set the shuffle this time. So all the information they might have hoarded to themselves would be useless. The chances of them spawning in the same location is 0.5%" commented Lim Cheolho, who calmed the spirits between his colleagues who had a debate about the ending, even though they already voted.

"Fine, it is good we thought of every possible outcome while using Morpheus."

"We'll also do a clean reset to every player. This implies every item, title, class, reputation owned on their character by the user will be deleted. Affinity with the NPC's will also be cleared and reset."

Finally settling down on every aspect of their plans for the live version and ending their conference, Lim Cheolho told Nahee to prepare for the announcement and increase their promotional campaign worldwide that generated more than 200 million unique IP address users visiting their website.

In no time with the head of operations at work, the game received the general message telling them about the ending of the beta version, which had all beta players stop from what they were booing, scaring the living heck out of NPC's.

The customer service team also was entrusted with the task of sending an email to every beta player announcing to them about the beta ends.

The forums were set ablaze with the posts of beta players who received the emails and who posted the world message. The ones who were the happiest were the ones who didn't receive the beta access but were for sure people to tag in and play the game.

Such a case was for a young asian man from Seoul who was watching the news about Satisfy with excited eyes.

"This is my lucky chance to make money and gain fame. I don't have anything else but this game to try. Still, I need the money to buy the capsule. I'll wait until they tell the live version releases, then I'll buy the capsule on the same day when the prices of the capsule are not too high."

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Different time zones had their own reaction to that news, but the old mother continent, Europe, was shrouded by night, and people were sleeping, except those working night shifts and addicted gamers.

When morning came to Romania, Mathias started his day in his usual style, nothing exaggerated. He didn't even check his emails since it was something he used to do after getting back from work.

Getting to work, everything went ordinary, with the exception of an encounter with a nudist in the hallway that tried to get back to his room that was locked automatically when exiting his room, but that was the exception. Following that, he took his lunch break at 12:30 and getting outside on a bench, soon another person arrived.

This person had blonde hair, features just like Vlad. The only aspect that changed about him were the dark circles under his eyes.

"What happened to you? You haven't adjusted your capsule settings to warn you when it is time to sleep." asked Mathias, eating his sandwich.

"I couldn't. I had to clear a quest and also had a running with an old motherfucker who tried to kill me so many times. But guess what."

"What?"

"I got a class after this quest with that crazy old man."

"Ohh, mind telling me what you got?"

"Shadow Master Apprentice. An epic class that is also a growth one."

"Congrats, you really stepped on some shit yesterday that you got already a class. I myself still don't have a class, but I got unique skills and epic skills."

"I do too, but I can't use them. I don't have enough mana. Only the first shadow skills I can use it, using my new system, Shadow Energy."

Continuing to munch on his sandwich, he let Vlad also eat without asking him too many questions.

"Try to learn everything by heart. I have this feeling in my heart that when that reset comes, we will lose everything, activate skills, and so on. Figuring the technique itself will probably give us a chance to relearn what we lost."

Vlad nodded his head while taking his phone and showing him his email that got opened with the S.A Group mail.

"Here, read it yourself. Aren't you the descendant of Mother Miranda?"

"Bah, your jokes are out of touch. Let me see."

Saying that Mathias began reading the email that stated the circumstances of the beta players and what would happen to them, where he said with a hateful and sad voice.

"Those bastards! They will delete everything I built with my Fay and Jeanne and the rest of the NPC's I interacted with."

"Don't tell me, you got so deep into the realistic aspect of the game that you hooked up with one of the NPC's?" asked Vlad with a surprised voice.

"Is there a problem? Can't I like the women there? There are so many guys simping for their 2D arts, while I can't feel anything about a girl that feels more human than those girls here?"

"Hmmm, you got a point there. Isabel really felt like a genuine real woman. I could feel her emotions. Just like you mentioned, they have their own lives and stories. Especially that fucking old man, who strangled me so much that he probably took pleasure seeming me spasm on the ground."

"Not interested in your relations with old guys."

"You… Jerk, what are you implying? Do you think I enjoyed getting choked? You sick person. I am a women's lover all day, all night."

"Fine, let me stay in silence until the break is over. I have to think what I should do with them."

"I mean, you have anything else to do? Just be patient. If you have a high affinity with them, it means you know them by now. It will be easy approaching them for a second time, winning their hearts."

"It's easy talking from the sidelines. What if I never meet them again? You probably are happy escaping that old man and scamming him of his skills."

"Hehe, I take this reset as a blessing in disguise. Bro, Saharan is my next place. I don't ever want to have an encounter with that sick old man."

"Yes, sure. Let me think." reading as he was eating, Mathias found something skeptical that he later debated with Vlad.

"Vlad, listen here. They say here that the items deleted will be those on the players. Are you finding what I think I have found in this message?"

"I don't know, doesn't it simply imply that all your items will be deleted?" getting his phone back to read the email, he saw Mathias point on the "on your body".

"If I am not overthinking this too much, doesn't this implies that I can make an item and not hold it on me instead of giving it to an NPC?"

"No way, they might have thought of that. Still, you have your chance. You are probably the only weirdo who writes inside the game and also built a high affinity with some babes in that world. Right, do you want to hear a fun fact I read from the forum, from a Saharan beta player?"

"I am all ears."

"The men of Saharan can have three legal wives. If I ever meet the developer of the Saharan Empire, I will give him a kiss like Brezhnev. A fantasy world for any man, making yourself feel like a king."

"Buzz off, stop being a creep. Also, how do you even know about those old people, is like more than 70 years since they passed?"

"Ahem, it doesn't matter. That Saharan Empire, I started loving that place even more than I expected when finding that. You know, sometimes it is better to escape from the constraints of your societies and those standards set by billionaires and rich people. Wasn't that back in the day, in history, there wasn't so much fuss about this aspect? As long you could maintain your family and keep your wife's happy, there was not much fuss. Now we can't even touch women properly that we get accused of all sort of blatant lies."

"That's why I like them. They are simple women with colorful personalities and unique takes on life."

"Damn, lucky bastard. I'll have to find a cute girl there too, either being her a player or NPC."

Reaching the end of their break, they departed to their separate stations, Vlad being a barman while he was a cleaner.

 

[trips]

I'm officially addicted to this Overgeared fanfiction and this might help me pick up Overgeared again from where I left it at chapter 400. Seriously I can't wait to see when he gives the Emperor the finished book or how he'll reconcile with the fact that he'll lose everything he had with Fay, his cool spear and techniques and essentially everyone he has met so far in Satisfy. That's going to be heart wrenching to read. Great story and character work especially.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 37 - Completing the Moonlight Dress
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After finishing their work around the same time, those two took to get home. Vlad was lucky to be relatively close to his home, in about 10 minutes of walk, yet Mathias had to take the metro, which had a variable timeframe, and also walk home for another 10-15 minutes.

Stopping to make some shops to buy some vegetables and necessary foods, he returned with full hands back to his apartment and cooked some food that he served after showering himself and changing his clothes into something comfortable.

The next thing Mathias did was to check his email and also entering his books files, with books he has read so far, clicking on the ones he promised Fayrene teaching her since finding out from Vlad that he could access the recordings while being inside the game. Mathias only had to move the files he recorded in the capsule recording saves.

"To think there would be such a feature inside. Well, the more you know, I guess." jeered Mathias at himself for not knowing about that feature.

Using the new discovery, he began recording his own book to the point he was posting online, followed by the rest of the books that would help Fayrene in her future. Later he linked his laptop with the capsule and accessed the recording file as per Vlad's instructions, following by uploading there all the recordings he took.

Afterward, he worked out, and only that did he jump in the capsule. It worked perfectly in his mind because he could relax his muscles while playing the game.

Loading in the game, he woke himself welcomed by Fayrene, who was reading a book where he usually was standing.

Walking toward her and giving her a warm embrace from behind, she placed the book down and touched his hands.

"Welcome back." said Fayrene with a tender voice while caressing his hand.

"I am home. How was the first day I was away?"

"Well, quite boring. I even stopped from finishing the dress because I was waiting for you. Aside from this, I was reading some medicine book."

Still with her in his arms, he asked with a curious voice seeing the book. "You really thought about my little heart, but it wasn't needed. Ohh, what is the book talking about?"

*Giggling* "We worked for so long on the dress. Would I look like a heartless partner?

As for the book, it talks about beneficial flowers for the human body, magical plants that might be useful in alchemy, and other paths of magic." responded Fayrene with a cheerful voice, patting on his hand as if inviting him to sit next to her.

"Come here. It might interest you because you are an adventurer. I would probably not stumble upon them since I am afraid of going in the wilderness."

Breaking his embrace, he went to sit beside her, shoulder to shoulder and reading the book's content, at the page, she was currently.

[Dusk Lily -

A flower that can symbolize maybe things, from resistance to suppression to patience and following many characterizations, can charm any person with a taste for beauty.

It also holds the mana of the world inside, being a valuable ingredient in alchemy and enchantment.

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Following a description of the location the flower could be encountered, he noted down in his mind the place of those flowers that were new even for him.

Fayrene noticing that Mathias finished reading, turned the page without saying anything else, arriving at a plant that was called [Brightleaf]. This plant was growing only in the places surrounding the Rebecca Churches since they needed the divine light of Goddess Rebecca, holding divine energy and being helpful in curing curses and healing in general.

Both of them nodded their heads, seeming to understand the information about this plant, and this time it was Mathias who turned the page, not saying much or ask her anything concerning the plant.

The third plant he stumbled was called [Okra] and was told to hold mana like the [Dusk Lily] but unknown to the book's author, who was the most energized plant.

Page by page, flower and plant alike, the couple was in their own small world, learning about different things and how they could use those respective plants in alchemy and general use.

When they got to a plant called [Flower of Luck], both were amazed by the description of the flower. Fayrene started to read out loud at a slower pace the description of the flower that had a sketch for how this flower could appear for them.

"Flower of Luck with his sister twin Flower of Fate, are found in pair and are a unique apparition in the world, theorized to be formed by the energy of the world taking on two aspects, Luck and Fortune. They can be found anywhere in this world, from the hardest place to access to the most common one. Fate and luck know no bounds. Once the fated ones encounter the twins, they will feel their calling."

"Wow, there can exist such a flower in this world? Its appearance is also basic as if it was some simple garden flower." commented Mathias while looking at the drawing with keen eyes.

"Indeed, but I think it is just a story. There can't be such concepts as Luck and Fate. Don't you think so, Mat?"

"Fay, why do you say so? You don't believe in fate and luck? What if I say it is fate that the two of us meet? Would you believe it? Also, aren't I lucky to study with you the magic tome?" throw Mathias back a question with a calm expression while Fayrene enters a pondering state.

After a minute or so that he let her think in silence, she nodded her head and smiled brightly at him. "If this is fate, then I am thankful to it for throwing you in my life."

"Awww, how sweet. Where have you learned those deep lines? Come here, you little succubus." said Mathias while taking her in his embrace and cradling her a bit before planting a kiss on her forehead and lips.

"See, if you wouldn't be in my life, probably I would still be sleeping on the streets and most likely die of hunger. If my delicate lover wouldn't be here for me, how would I have spent my time? Writing like a possessed ghost or going to hunt monsters like my brethren."

"I also love you, Mat. But let's not get too entangled. We will have a long time to do that in the future."

"So mature and well-spoken. Then let's see what else this plant book has for us, and afterward, I think we should get going and finish the dress, and we will see what else we will do."

"Yes, dear." replied Fayrene, placing her head on his hard chest that was wearing a simple shirt where she could feel his warmth and heart, unlike the malicious [Midnight Abyssal Armor] that had even her on the back footing when approaching him wearing that armor.

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Like this, they managed to read the book while discussing some plants that Mathias encountered when going to Empar Forest, but reaching a conclusion, they could be only used for poisons and some remedies.

"I should bring some of those plants next time I go to the forest, you heard, we can make it into a lotion that would keep the skin clean and also have a chance of cleaning wounds, such as scars and burns. Would you want to give it a try, Fay?"

"That… I am still not prepared to show you my arm. Please be patient with me, Mathias. I just fear you will leave me once you see my arm." mentioned Fayrene in a weak voice while grabbing her right arm, where Mathias did the same, caressing it tenderly.

"Understood, but you know I love you regardless of any imperfection or creature you are hiding under your sleeves." said Mathias having her chuckle in his embrace, nodding her head a slight bit.

"I plan to go to the forest once again in 5 days to check on that beast who ended me and search for the healing plants. Then we will make the lotion and see how you feel at that time, okay, dear?"

"Still, Mat… I don't know, but you are right. I hope I am prepared at that time. Besides, I have a request for you. Can I join you this time in your adventure inside the forest?"

"Wait, wait, that's quite fast, Fay. Are you sure about this? I am going there to hunt, not sightseeing."

"Pleasee, I learned the basic spells of the master. I can protect you and myself." asked Fayrene while staring at his face with puppy eyes.

While Mathias was contemplating if he should let Fayrene join him in his plans of revenge against the Mutated Bear, he kept hearing her insisting, which produced a small smile on his face.

"Fine, but you better listen to everything I say when it comes to fighting those beasts. Don't forget to continue your training and to rest before we go. This time I will go in the morning."

"Understood, Mat. I also need to experience combat using my spells. This is the most efficient way to learn better your spells. You need to keep me safe." said Fayrene pleased while planting a kiss on Mathias's lips.

"Aye, my Grand Arcanist." replied with a sailor's accent responding to his captain.

*Giggling* "Let's see what we have left for the dress. Most likely, I stressed you quite a lot with my project."

Ended Fayrene saying as she got away from Mathias's embrace, moving toward the mannequin she bought at Mathias's insistence, followed by the latter, who was still amazed after all these days that he did something for its completion.

Getting the tools required for the last touches, the couple began working in harmony, and then after about one hour of menial work, Fayrene stopped from sewing and beamed with a wide smile.

"This is it. My creation. No, it is our creation. Are we going with that name, Mat?"

Mathias also smiled, being influenced by Fayrene happiness along with a unique feeling of accomplishment, even though he was only doing some simple things on the dress itself.

"Yes, love, that name is perfect for this dress that would fit perfectly with your figure."

"I see. Just wait a bit more if this is what you wish. Moonlight Dress, it is indeed matching with my sketch and idea."

After Fayrene confirmed the name of the dress, he received a notification from the system that remarked on the rating of the dress.

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[Congratulations, you have worked and assisted Beginner Tailoress level, Fayrene into creating the epic rated item 'Moonlight Dress']

[Fayrene cleared the requirements to advance to Intermediate Tailor level, gaining rewards in the process.]

[Congratulations, you have cleared the quest 'Assist Fayrene in her tailoring work', gaining the following rewards: (+1) level & Beginner Tailoring Technique]

'Sure, sure, it is unimportant right now. Fay is the star here, not my rewards.'

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He could see her body surrounded by white-purple light as it looked like she was leveling up, similar to a player. This made him open his eyes wide open and contemplate what he discovered.

"Are you okay, Fay? Everything is fine with you?" asked Mathias, seeing that she was still enveloped by these bursts of light similar to leveling up.

It looked like she cleared a quest of her own, leveling up.

"Yes, dear. I am feeling refreshed. Now, wait a bit, and don't peek in my room." answered Fayrene, taking carefully in her arms the dress from the mannequin before walking to her private room.

"She sure didn't joke when she mentioned her revenge on me for teasing her. Hah, but it is fine. As long she is happy, I am fine. Now, let's see what this tailoring technique is all about."

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[Beginner Tailoring Technique] -Lv.1
Equipment items can be made from various fabrics and leather materials. If a tailor would craft armor, he could only craft leather armor and cloth armor.
There is a very rare probability of producing rare-epic rated items
*When rare items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +2, and reputation throughout the continent will rise by 10
* When epic-rated items are produced, all stats will permanently rise by +4, and reputation throughout the continent will rise by +20
[Gaining the Tailoring Technique also opens the Dexterity stat. Gaining 10 points as starting reward for the finished work]
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"Ohh, this is quite interesting. I can get stat points for completing a piece if it's rare or epic. Chances of getting them are abysmal, however, there's no need to reject a free bonus for when you actually do the tailoring with the intent of getting nothing."

"Also, there is dexterity. I wonder what it does?"


Seeing the stats he would get, he looked at his stat points and saw that he was still level 25 even after the bonus level reward. Yet, using this chance, he began placing his free stat points in the right places.
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[Status Window]
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Name: Mathias / Class: Beginner
Level 25 (28.899/28.900) / Title: Syndicate Nemesis
Health: 2040 /Mana: 568
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Strength: 155(+16) / Stamina: 100(+10)
Agility: 136(+14) / Intelligence: 164(+45)->209 / Dexterity: 10
Stat point: 0
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'This looks better than I expected. Everything seems to be reaching a 1:1 ratio. Still, to be as efficient as possible, I need more mana to use my skill and spam 'Arcane Missile'. This time when the live version comes, I will focus on Intelligence, since 'Raven's Movement' and the spear skills eat a lot of my resources.'

As he was planning for his future, minutes passed, and Fayrene still had to make her appearance. However, not long since her presence started feeling missed that she walked out.

A beautiful woman with raven hair, little makeup on her face without touching her violet eyes, and lips made her presence felt wearing the dress they have worked for so long.

Walking timidly toward him, Fayrene held her right arm protected by the dress sleeves, she later asked with an awkward tone.

"How do I look? How does the dress look?"

"Both of you are gorgeous, yet the one wearing the piece makes the cloth. Well, well, we really did a fantastic job with the waistline and upper level." said Mathias as he studied Fayrene from top to bottom, visibly pleased by what he was seeing.

This dress was simply magnifying Fayrene's looks and features, and he, as her partner, was in his own world.

"I see you really don't want to take your eyes off me. Do you like the dress so much that you wish to wear it?" asked Fayrene in a teasing manner, with slight embarrassment as Mathias got closer, taking her left arm and raising it.

"Wait, what are you doing? What if the dress is ripped? Stop jesting, you dummy." mentioned Fayrene before she felt a pleasant, ticklish sensation.

"Don't worry, love, I am just doing some checks." said Mathias as he touched Fayrene armpit and later caressing that weak spot of the body that made her do a small moan of pleasure.

"What was that for?" asked Fayrene before Mathias moved his arms slowly following her body line, passing her cleavage by brushing his hand a bit and then reaching her stomach area, which he caressed.

"Truly great materials. The silk fabric feels so delicate to touch. Have you tried? Here, so you don't think I am just a pervert." reminded Mathias, taking both of Fayrene's hands into his own and placing them on the dress fabric.

"Hmmm, it really is not bad fondling. You like it a lot, little imp?" asked Fayrene, staring at Mathias's eyes with her own violet before sticking to him and wrapping her arms around his back.

"Ohh my, little succubus, are you sure you are ready?" asked Mathias with a wide grin that made Fayrene seem afraid, but unlike her fears, Mathias just caressed her back before telling her in a warm voice.

"Don't worry, I am not one of those animals who think with their lower tool. When you are ready, I will not force you to do anything without consent."

Thinking to herself with closed eyes and with hands that trembled at his back, she told him with a quiet voice barely audible. "When I will show you my arm, and we confront it together. I hope you will be the same."

"Sigh, silly, you know my answer already."

"I know, I am still afraid to face myself and look in the mirror."

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Like this with a calming of emotions, the two separated with Fayrene bringing the magic tome to sit at the freed workstation wearing her casual clothes that she changed back and Mathias who was at the counter doing the canvas that was about 60% completed.

He noticed a change with the addition of the Dexterity status. Even though it was a small number of only 10 points, it still was enough for Mathias to notice.

'This new stat most likely has an effect on hand-eye coordination, something that I feel can't be missed from a tailor or, in fact, any producer or objects.' thought Mathias to himself as he saw his hands complete the tapestry, with each part more visible than the other.

Hours passed, and he heard Fayrene call him out from the kitchen, the point where he stopped from his work to fill his hunger.

"Fay, I was thinking of something since I got more money than we actually need."

"Yes, Mat, what happened with the money? Didn't you give me more than I wanted?"

"That's what I wanted to add. I think we should go to look for some magic equipment, mostly for you, since I don't need it that much."

"No. I don't want to spend your hard-earned money on this. I can use my own powers to protect you and myself." said Fayrene after clearing her mouth with a dissatisfied expression.

"Fay, think of it as an investment. The stronger you are, the safer I will be. The stronger you are, the better I will feel, knowing that you will be safe. I also have an unpaid debt to someone."

"Arghh, fine, you devil. You really have your way with words and convincing me."

"I know you the best, after all, maybe, your parents might beat me." said Mathias while chuckling, at which Fayrene also gave a warm smile, nodding her head a bit and winking at him.

"Isn't your head grown big, and nose like the lying wood marionette, Pinocchio from your stories?"

"Haha, you wouldn't want that, dear. You will only be able to see my nose."

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Finishing their meal, the couple went out toward the blacksmithing shop Mathias bought Ragnius. Besides trying to look for some magic equipment for Fayrene using his 1700 gold funds, he was also preparing to repay a part of the debt to the owner for taking Ragnius at a scamming price.

Nevertheless, Ragnius and the rest of his gear that suffered from his fight with 'Black Spades' Syndicate required repairing that a blacksmith could offer.

Once outside, holding their hands together, Fayrene with slight embarrassment when noticing how the people looked back at her, while Mathias simply ignored them, focusing on Fay and at the possible suspicious men.

Since gaining the title 'Syndicate Nemesis', he never went outside of the house to check its features, but only after they reached 'Nelmon Blacksmith Shop', he saw some men around the corners of the alley with names being marked by a red star.

"There are rats around." commented Mathias while increasing his hold a tiny bit on Fayrene's hands.

"Those bad guys? Are they around here?" asked Fayrene, a bit scared.

"They are around, but let's act casual since there wouldn't be a reason to be targeted."

Nodding her head, the couple entered the shop together and were welcomed by the young boy that Mathias encountered in his first visit to the shop, Ralph, who was standing with a bored expression on his face.

With the shop being empty of customers, the boy raised his head when noticing Mathias walked inside with someone else and greeted him from the counter.

"Big brother, you came back! I am so happy. How might I be of service today? Ahh, is the big sister here your wife, big brother? She is gorgeous."

This time it was Fayrene who placed some strength in her grasp, as if telling Mathias, "You better watch what you say.".

"Heh, you have keen eyes, little Ralph. But she is not yet my wife. You can say we are close, just like when your father and mom meet together." explained Mathias after getting in the front of the counter and flickering the boy's forehead softly.

"Understood, big brother. I wish you good luck with the big sister then. Did you come to buy my father's equipment or to repair them?"

"Both. However, little Ralph, can you go and call your father? I have something to talk about with him."

The young boy reacted quickly by nodding his head and rushing toward the back of the shop, calling out his father.

"Dad, the big brother I sold the spear returned back. He wants to talk with you about something!"

"Finally! You are exempted from doing the equipment forging until I put you on notice. Now go to the back while I do the talking with this young gentlemen." said a loud voice of a man, where later the one Mathias wanted to meet appeared.

A person with a gold-framed name, called Nelmon, was the owner of the shop itself. He was a man with a well-built body, with black hair that suffered the passage of time, holding some white strands of hair and a long black beard.

Before the man could say something, and it seemed he had quite a lot on his chest from his expression, Mathias took it ahead, bowing at the person, confessing to you.

"Sir, I am in your sons and your own debt for allowing me to walk off with your treasure. This time I returned to pay back a small part of this debt."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 38 - Buying Magic Equipment & Clark Gang Encounter

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"Sir, I am in your sons and your debt for allowing me to walk off with your treasure. This time I returned to pay back a small part of this debt."


Nelmon was surprised by what Mathias just mentioned and asked with a calm voice.

"You were chosen by the spear, correct? This is the reason you couldn't return the spear back then?"

"Well, you could say so. Ragnius is using me, but I also use him in return. He still needs a lot of growth to return to his former state." mentioned Mathias as he took Ragnius from the inventory and showed it to Nelmon.

"Ohh, I see a change in the spear. How did you manage to do this young man?" inquired the blacksmith, touching the spear that remained quiet.

"I can't feel its heaviness, coldness, or burning sensation to the touch."

"That is because Ragnius ego is in a slumbering state. Anyway, sir, I came to pay back my debt in gold, to repair my equipment, and also if it is possible to search for magic equipment for my partner."

"No problem, just call me Nelmon. You say you are looking for magic equipment? I might have something from the dwarf's masters and some of my creations in the back." mentioned Nelmon as he introduced himself to Mathias, who returned the gesture along with Fayrene.

Then the blacksmith took them to his equipment collection that shocked Mathias and Fayrene. From all sorts of armors and weapons, this storage room contained everything a player would desire.

Getting ahead of himself, Mathias also brought out [Midnight], showing it to Nelmon and asking him, as the latter looked with big eyes, moving to touch the armor.

"Sir Nelmon, by chance, have you ever encountered something similar to this armor piece?"

"This is familiar. Where have I seen it in the past? Right, that Syndicate leader, Irenaeus, came to me to repair it. Young man, how did you get your hands on this armor, don't tell me you stole it from that person?"

"Worry not, Nelmon, 'Black Spades' are done for since I killed their leader. I gained the armor after ending Irenaeus. Could it be that you saw something similar to this armor?"

"I doubt, even in my time as a disciple to Lord Antrino, did I ever see something similar to this. But I have this feeling that something is hidden inside the armor. Hah, but let's not talk about grim things and get back to business.

The lady can tour around and search for the magic equipment she desires while you will follow me to the forge. Ahh, another thing, the magic equipment is ordered in a confusing manner, my apologies from the start."

Fayrene, who was beside Mathias, nodded her head softly before telling the blacksmith.

"Lord Nelmon, you are worrying over nothing. Thank you for letting me inside your collection of equipment."

"Heh, for nothing, young lady. Let's go, Mathias, see what we can do for Ragnius."

.

Leaving Fayrene alone in the shop, she turned around herself before Nelmon's son, Ralph, came toward her, saying with a silly grin on his face.

"Big sister, do you need my help? I am quite good at searching in dad's treasure troves, maybe because of my luck."

Fayrene turned toward Ralph, and with a soft smile, she ruffled his hair, making a sign with her left-hand fingers to gather his attention. Then after gaining his attention, the young boy could see some white-purple light coming from her right hand.

Like he was in a story that his mom would tell, he saw Fayrene spread out the white-purple light around the room, enveloping it, and with a raise of her hand, the gears she noticed that were holding affinity with mana started raising up, levitating in the air.

"Wooow, big sister, are you a mage? This is awesome! Can you teach me some spells?" asked the young boy with an excited voice while Fayrene just chuckled, patting his head.

"When you grow up, I might teach you some spells. But now you are too young. Magic, while it can do many wonders and awe the eye of people, can also bring harm. You don't want to harm your friends and parents, right?"

"Fine, I will ask you again when I am older, big sister. To tell you the truth, I don't really like the job of a blacksmith that my father wants to put me into. I want to explore the world and learn more things. Magicians were always something I dreamed I could become."

Hearing the young boy that reminded her of her little brothers, she tapped his head and took him with her around the equipment she raised, and while checking the magic gear, she talked with Ralph.

"Let me ask you something, little Ralph. Do you hate blacksmithing?"

"No, not really. I quite enjoy it when I craft my own things. I just don't like when father puts me to do unnecessary work."

"I see, then you shouldn't get dejected and quit doing this. Also, if you still are serious about wanting to learn magic, when you are 16 and your parents allow you, I can teach you magic. In four years, I should be able to teach people my magic after becoming an Intermediate Arcanist."

"Thank you, big sister, Fayrene. I will remember this. You better become famous, so I know where to find you."

"Me famous? Haha, how cute. If you would want to find me, you better search for my future husband, Mathias. He will become greater than you can imagine."

"Ohh, is big brother planning to become the general of the Empire or a noble?"

"Who knows what's in his mind, but he will for sure achieve something great if he puts his mind into it. I'll make sure of this." said Fayrene with a smile on her face as she was looking for the magic equipment.

It didn't take long for her to fancy a dark staff that was giving off a dark blue aura and held great mana inside.

"Hah, I hope this staff isn't expensive. Should I look for Mat's staff? Well, since he hasn't returned, I might just do that."

Continuing her search in the treasure trove holding the black staff in her left hand, minutes by then, Mathias and Nelmon returned back with casual expressions on their faces.

"Fay, did you find something to your liking?"

She turned her body to two, holding in her hand staffs of different sizes with some in Ralph's hands, and said with an awkward voice.

"I found mine, but now I was searching for something for you. Come, let me show you what I picked."

Mathias shook his head while laughing at her and the situation she was in. However, he went to check those staffs that ranged from rare and epic grade items, but one stuck the most to his eyes. It was an epic item that had a peculiar passive.

A staff made from a dark green wood, unknown to him, with a small head of a snake holding in his eyes some green crystals giving off some mana, so their name, 'Mana Crystals'.

*****************

[Cursed Serpent Staff]

Rating: Epic

Durability: 399/399 / Magic Attack Power: 270

* Intelligence will rise by 100 points.

* Magic casting speed will increase by 10%.

* Every time a spell is cast, there is a small chance for the hit enemy to suffer some random debuffs.(bleed, fear, slow, lower stats)

* Magic critical chance is increased by 5%.

* Magic critical damage is increased by 30%.

User restriction: Practicant of Magic

********************

"Good one. If I get something for myself, this staff will do the job. How much does this staff cost Nelmon?"
"I don't know, is something I bought from Talima at a bargain. Still, I have to feed my family in a way, so I'll give it to you for 400 gold. How does it sound?"

"We got a deal. Now let's see how much you want for Fay's staff. Can you show me what you picked, dear?"

"Sure. There you go." said Fayrene, handing the magic staff she picked, the black one with dark-blue aura being released, and the moment Mathias touched that staff, he felt a chill run down his spine.

*********************************************

[Chaos Star]

Rating: Rare(Growth)

Durability: 749/749 / Magic Attack Power: 197

* Intelligence will rise by 20%.

* Magic casting speed will increase by 30%.

*When unique magic is casted by the user, there is a chance of giving off chaos magic, causing chaos attacks dealing 200% of your own magic spell power.

* Magic critical chance is increased by 5%.

* Magic critical damage is increased by 70%.


The staff is made from the core of a meteorite, highly energized after colliding with Middle-Earth. It holds the pure form of mana in its body but needs to be nurtured to reach its pinnacle.

Made by an unknown great magician.

User restriction: Practicant of Magic

**************************************************

Fayrene saw Mathias's expression when he was looking at the staff, and with herself being confused along, she asked.

"Is everything fine, dear? Should I pick another staff?"

"No, no, I was just thinking of something. Sir Nelmon, this staff, did you steal it from somewhere too?"

Nelmon looked at the staff and walked to grab it in his hands and inspect it. Following that, he put a contemplating expression before not long he released an "AHHH" sound as if being surprised by what he remembered.

"Yes and no, this is something I got from Michael, the Soul Sword, to repair his sword. He told me the story of how he got this staff, about some ruins he stumbled on but who was blocked by some invisible barrier. He couldn't go past that point, only finding this staff in the mud."

"I see, well glad to hear you know where this staff came from."

"No problem, Mathias, if you want, I can introduce you to Michael and ask him more details." said the blacksmith before passing the staff back to Fayrene.

"There is no need for that. I got to meet and be acquainted with Michael. Anyway, how much for Fay's staff?"

"Hmmm, let me think since I got it for nothing as if that guy had no use for the staff. Well, since it has a growth potential, I will sell it for 600 gold. Good enough, young man?"

Mathias didn't ponder much on the prices, finding them agreeable, and taking from his pocket 1250 gold placed in a bag, he handed them to Nelmon, who didn't expect such a fast transaction with Mathias.

Taking a look inside the bag, he saw more money than he asked for and wanted to return the extra. Yet he was stopped by Mathias, who said to him with a smile.

"Don't rush to return the additional sum of money. This is just a small part I will give you for Ragnius and the fees for repairing my weapons and equipment. It might seem a small sum, but I will try to pay you back."

"This… Young man, there is no need." said Nelmon, but after being rejected, he could only sigh and remark.

"Fine, I will not stop you. However, come with requests back, so I don't seem like I am profiting over your kindness. I am an Advanced Blacksmith Master who can build many things when it comes to metallurgy."

"Understood. Maybe you will see me more often with requests in the future, but for now, that's all I will require from you. Still, if you get your hands in some mysterious items, be sure to check on Fay and me. We are at the Nightfay Tailorshop." said Mathias as he moved to handshake the callused blacksmith's hands before tapping the head of his son, Ralph.

Fayrene didn't know how to act when she heard how much money was spent for those two staff, but she trusted Mathias and his judgment and didn't intervene.

Lowering all the magical items using her mana, she ruffled Ralph's head, telling him to remember what they talked and after biding her farewell with Nelmon, she exited the shop holding Mathias's left hand with her right.

" I still have money to spend, Fay, so don't get consumed by this fact. Money is something you use to invest back, be it equipment or buying other necessities you require, helping out the ones close to you."

"Sigh, I know what you mean, just that I still have to get used to spending such an amount of money. The most money I would have after selling most of my creations would be 100 gold coins. Yet here we are lavishing in such large sums of money."

"Haha, this is nothing. I might be the richest among my brethren as we speak, but do I look like a rich person?"

"Not at all."

Like this, the two walked back to their home, but unknown to them some thugs followed behind them with a shrewd expression and perverted smiles when watching Fayrene's back, and when the couple entered an alley slightly isolated leading home, the thugs acted and encircled the two.

"Give us all your money and possession, and we will let you live." said the one in charge of this team, bringing a bastard sword, seeming to threaten Mathias and Fayrene.

Mathias didn't expect his encounter with the thugs to happen so fast, as he thought to himself the possibility of the title being the major factor.

'It could be the 'Syndicate Nemesis' who draws those thugs as corpse flies to the dead bodies. However, it could be a coincidence of them seeing Fay and me exiting Nelmon's shop thinking we got money. Hah, let's see if I can resolve things nicely.'

Holding Fayrene's hands and getting her closer to him, he gazed at the leader of the thugs and asked.

"I only have 50 gold on me. Will this suffice, mister?"

When the thugs heard Mathias inquire, they started laughing like monkeys, and along with the leader's disapproval, Mathias gave Fayrene a look while whispering to her.

"I tried to solve it nicely. Don't get scared if you start seeing blood, okay?"

"I will fight too, dear."

"Okay, follow my lead."

As Mathias said that, he extended his right hand that started giving off white-purple light, and with a sarcastic tone, he questioned the thugs.

"You don't want to take my money to save your lives? I even offered a pretty good price, 10 gold for each life. Sad, but not so much. You just make me want to target you rats more and more."

"Little shit, what did you just say? You think you can end us. We even wanted to spare your miserable life and just take your woman to enjoy her slutty body for a bit."

Then with the rest of the thugs drawing their weapons, Mathias could see their names, HP, and level, which were around 19-22 with HP that gauged at 6000 HP. Compared to the thugs he fought long ago, which were Lv.15 with about 2000-3500 HP, those ones were quite strong.

As he was channeling his mana for 'Arcane Missile', he also equipped 'Midnight' and all the rest of his armor pieces, from the trousers and the cloak, also with the staff strapped on his belt, he noticed that the effects were still there.

********
Name: Mathias / Class: Beginner
Level 25 (28.899/28.900) / Title: Syndicate Nemesis
Health: 2040/2040 /Mana: 768/768
********

"Harsh words being thrown about for someone who is about to see the Gates of Tartarus."

"Arcane Missile."

Saying that from his hand, a missile was propelled straight to one thug's body, sending them flying hitting the walls of a building.

[You have dealt 888 damage to the target.]

Meanwhile, Fayrene also sent her own missile flying toward another of the five thugs, causing a considerable amount of damage that had Mathias question if he saw it well.

[Your party member Fayrene dealt 557 damage to the target.]

Then, not waiting for themselves to be hit by the couple, shouting some curses, they dashed to strike Mathias and Fayrene.

Fayrene, who was next to Mathias, used her own spell to protect herself, calling out in a severe voice. "[Arcane Barrier]"

At the same time, Mathias took out Ragnius and entered a defensive stance, blocking some of the damage he received.

[You have suffered 220 damage.]
[You have suffered 134 damage.]
.
[Your party member, Fayrene, suffered 80 damage, with most damage being absorbed by the skill 'Arcane Barrier']
.

****************
Fayrene Status Window:

Name: Fayrene / Class: Apprentice Arcanist
Level: 22 / Titles: Arcane Explorer / Mana Blessed / Exquisite Tailoress / Holder of Supreme Core/
Health: 1160/1260 / Mana: 1800/2200
.
Strength: 30 / Stamina: 90 / Agility: 50 / Intelligence: 371 / Dexterity: 85
*****************************

Seeing this notification, he looked at Fayrene stats and saw that she was still fine, and after handling the first attack phase of the thugs, he dashed toward the one leading the thugs gazing coldly at them as he unleashed his spear skills, attacking rapidly with three spear strikes. (A/N: He could see only her HP and MP, just like in an RPG, that status is just for you readers. Mathias still doesn't know how good Fay is actually)
.

"[Piercing Rain]"
.

[The first attack has been entirely blocked.]
[You have dealt 267 damage.]
[You have dealt 167 damage.]
.

Keeping his attack straight on them, he noticed that Fayrene fired another two missiles, successfully hitting two of the guys dashing toward her, thinking she was easy prey, in so, causing them [487] respectively causing the double damage of the spell, dealing a massive [1046].

Seeing all of these notifications from the system, he was about to smile, proud of Fay's achievements, but this feeling was shattered by the curses of the thugs, who swore at Fayrene and himself.

He was fine being made all sorts of words, but hearing all of the nasty words addressed to Fayrene, touched a chord in his brain.

"Hmph, a bunch of pigs squealing before their end. Instead of cursing us, better focus on keeping your life."

"[Raven's Movement]"

Activating his movement speed buff, he stepped inside the thug leader range, and with an evil grin, he thrusted Ragnius inside of his stomach, causing a critical attack that also caused the 'Bleeding' debuff.

[Critical]
[You have dealt 660 to the target.]
.

Then as he checked the amount of health the thug leader was losing under the 'Bleed' debuff, about 2% for 15 seconds, he heard the sound of the sword cutting at him, that hit before he could react, in the same manner, another thug that was targeting him followed suit.

[You have suffered 167 damage.]
.
[You have blocked one attack.]

Blocking the latter's attack, he did a quick step back and using the accumulated attack speed he was currently, 7.5% speed in his attack, he did another [Piercing Rain] targeting the one he blocked and unbalanced, causing [187],[283] and [241] having the thug scream in pain and agony, while the other thug tried to counter him back.

The thug leader also didn't dawdle around doing nothing, choosing to assist his men, charging at Mathias with his sword-ready and murderous gaze.

"You will pay for this! You dare to hurt us, Glark Gang? You will regret it forever, in hell!"

To Mathias, those words were nothing but the barks of a rabid dog that tried to communicate with him yet failing miserably. Switching the manner he was holding Ragnius, opting for one hand, he appeared in front of them with his superior movement speed, feinting them so separate them, while his left hand was channelling the [Arcane Missile].

"Enough plays, you bastards. If Boss Clark finds that you incompetent fools can't even beat some little mages, what face will I have when going to the base?"

Then those two guys he faced, along with the thug leader, shifted their approach no longer, buying into Mathias's feints, going straight for his body. Despite their direct approach, Mathias's eyes shined with white-purple light, visibly energized by the mana, he dropped down with Ragnius and fastly unleashed [Sweep Thrust]

"Fuck this bastard held back! Dodge that attacks!" shouted the thug leader, but it was too late because he too was dropped to the ground by the [Sweep], and with an icy smirk on his face, he went and stabbed Ragnius to the guy who suffered his first missile.

[Your 'Sweep' attack has dealt 146 damage followed by a 'Thrust' attack, which caused critical damage to Antelmo, dealing 681 and causing 'Bleed'.]
.

Still with his spear in the body of the thug, having him well pinned to the ground, he moved his left hand that was shining with bright white-purple lights and released a powerful pressure down on the wounded thugs.

"I never experimented with what would happen if I unleash an ending attack while my enemy defenceless. Hope is a satisfactory result."

What Mathias just said had the thug leader raise his gaze at him as he was lowered with the left hand right on his mate's head, releasing an invisible pressure aura along with the white-purple light.

"Nooo, don't do it. You will suffer all the gangs of Titan's wrath if you kill him."

"Thanks for the warning, but I have no reason to stop here. I am your Nemesis, the one who ended Black Spades. In the future, I will end all of you and let the simple people of the city life free, unrestrained by your tyranny."


Ending saying that, and with his hand placed in the direction of the thug's head, he called with a frigid voice.

"[Arcane Missile]"

[Critical]
[You have dealt 2309 damage to the target.]

Then the man who had his head blasted screamed in the entire process, but from nowhere, his fragmented head started restructuring, which proved something to Mathias, after looking at the thug HP gauge that was sitting at 1584/5600.

"So you guys also are blessed in a way by Rebecca. Until all your health is removed, you will not die totally, with maybe a small chance of getting killed. So the last try."

With his mana gathered in his right hand, he swamped his grip on Ragnius that had the thug was pinned with his left hand, which still had some white-purple light similar to gunpowder being discharged.

"[Arcane Missile]"

"Arghhhhh!" cried the man who had his head blasted for the second time, and this time he was dead, turning into grey light particles that scattered in the world.

[You have killed the Clark Gang thug, Antelmo, after successfully triggering the instant death for the enemy because of reaching a low percentage of HP.]

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 39 - Learning the basic Arcane Spells
.
.
.
"So you guys also are blessed in a way by Rebecca. Until all your health is removed, you will not die totally, with maybe a small chance of getting killed. So the last try."

With his mana gathered in his right hand, he swamped grasped Ragnius that had the thug pinned with his left hand that still had some white-purple light similar to gunpowder being discharged.
"[Arcane Missile]"
"Arghhhhh!" cried the man who had his head blasted for the second time, and this time he was dead, turning into gray light particles that scattered in the world.
[You have killed the Clark Gang thug, Antelmo, after successfully triggering the instant death for the enemy because of reaching a low percentage of HP]
[You earned 14500 experience.]
[3 gold has been earned]
[You have acquired "Clark Gang Medallion"]
[You have acquired 10x "Silk Fabric"]
[You have earned 20 reputation with Saharan Empire]
.
Getting past the notifications, he drew Ragnius back from the ground and escaped from the attacks that followed suit, with the two thugs targeting his legs. He looked at his MP, who was in the most pathetic state since starting this instance and calmly said to himself.
.
Health: 1410/2040 / Mana: 23/768
.
"[Mana Hunger]"
.
The moment he said that, his mana core began pulsing and giving off white-purple light inside of his body, close to where the hearth was situated.
His mana began recovering in a rapid rhythm even though he was in a fight, his mana kept coming back, and thanks to the 'Mana Recovering' effect increased by 'Midnight' at a staggering 150%, his MP climbed up each second with 16 MP, doing a rapid recovery.
.
Turning his gaze at Fayrene, he saw that she was breathing a bit exhausted, but with both thugs being at 20-30% HP with her HP being still in the healthy gauge, being at 1030/1260 and with her mana being 650/2200
As he continued his fight, only using his basic attacks and hurting the thugs using his still sprouting skills, he kept himself dominant, blocking and dodging attacks.
"Stop running, you motherfucker!" roared the thug leader, feeling exasperated by how many times Mathias noticed his skills and moved out of range.
Hearing this, Mathias gestured an indifferent smile as he activated 'Raven's Movement' and stepped inside their range like a phantom with a spear and sword in hand, respectively, Ragnius and Saharan Sword.

"[Piercing Rain]" said Mathias, delivering his skill using only his right hand using extra Stamina, he had plenty because of Rebecca's good graces.
.
[Your attack has been blocked.]
[Your attack has been blocked.]
[You have dealt 271 damage to the target.]
.
With two attacks being blocked by the thug leader benefiting from how Mathias was holding his spear and was easily predicted, his last one managed to connect clean on his leg, making him cry out in pain, and soon with his stop, he noticed Mathias thrust his sword into his teammate stomach, eviscerating him.
[Critical]
[You have dealt 383 damage to the target.]
Successful in his endeavor, he was stabbed back by the thug who gnashed his teeth, enduring the pain, dealing [270] damage to him. This made Mathias also frown, gritting his teeth in pain, and before the thug leader could get to him, he drew back the sword and stabbed the thug right in his heart.
[You have dealt devastating damage to the enemy hitting the vital organ, causing 894 damage]
Following that, he sent a kick that caused [76] damage yet managed to distance himself from the one he stabbed, causing him the 'Bleed' debuff.
Stepping back, he began channeling 'Arcane Missile' and waited for all the 200 MP required to cast it.
"Ohh, no. You will not be able to pull that spell on me again! Die!"
Mathias took back the sword in his inventory and blocked it with Ragnius, receiving only 120 damage.
"Good attempt, but my growth is evident. I am not even that great with my magic spells, but I will get there with time. Practice and training is the king of all talents."
"[Arcane Missile]" said Mathias, sending flying a white-purple projectile toward the thug he sent backward with his kick that didn't even know from where the missile came from.
The speed of the spell was so fast that it was like a blink, and you were into Tartarus, agonizing.
[Critical]
[You have dealt 2309 damage to the target.]
.
'This is it, another one finished if this following combo lands.' thought Mathias seeing the thug only having 451 HP, activating 'Raven's Movement' and getting past the thug leader, arriving in front of his prey and unleashing a 'Piercing Rain' that turned the criminal into the gray light.

[Congratulations, you have defeated a respected member of Clark Gang, Taavi, and earned the following rewards]
…
Ignoring these notifications, he quickly saw another one concerning Fayrene, who managed to end one thug but with heavy losses of mana that made her 'Arcane Barrier' to slowly lose in energy, suddenly collapsing under the brutal attacks of the criminal who entered a final phase.
.
"Use 'Mana Hunger' Fay!"
"I don't have such ability! Don't worry about me. I will be fine since I have another ace up my sleeves that I have been holding, ready to use. [Arcane Barrier]!"
Shielding herself with the remaining 250 MP she had, Fayrene gazed with a slightly exhausted expression with a sweaty face, resisting the attacks of the criminal as she said to herself.
"[Envocation]"
Mathias would feel that the mana around himself and Fayrene's surroundings started to gather in her direction, beginning her own mana regeneration process. Each second Fayrene endured the thug assault, her MP would recover 105 MP.
Sensing that this woman in front of him started regaining her own powers back, he roared and smashed himself into the barrier that pulsed back, sending him backward, a reflection of his own attack.
With only 1940 HP left, he charged back, suffering another reflection that dealt 80 damage, roaring and cursing in a nasty manner Fayrene.
"Whore, you are shielding yourself so much even in bed? Come, let me see if you like my touch compared to that wimp of man you got. He will die anyway against the boss. If you surrender, I will let you off."
Fayrene, who had half of her MP recovered, heard all this nonsense which annoyed her, something the thug wanted, breaking her concentration on the shield. Nevertheless, he failed miserably because the way Fayrene gazed back at him with her violet eyes shining with a slightly darker purple light told enough.
Raising her hand as the thug attacked the barrier and 15 seconds later, she called out with a frigid tone that sent chills down the criminal spine.
"This is enough of your ramblings, brute. No one of you bastards can even compare to a strand of hair belonging to my Mathias. Say your useless comments in hell."
"[Arcane Blast]"

With that spell, inside the body of the thug, a rune of white-purple light formed before an intense ray of purple light charged in his direction, making contact with the rune before exploding it, turning the thug's body into gray light particles.
.
[Your party member Fayrene defeated the Clark Gang thug, Manel, earning the justified rewards.]
.
Ending the second thug, Fayrene looked exhausted at Mathias as she dropped on one knee, holding herself up with the staff.
"Thanks to the stars, I was able to execute the 'Blast' for the first time. I have to help Mat in his fight with the remaining mana I have."
As she said that, she used her remaining strength to get on her feet and start channeling her mana for a missile.
While she was doing this, Mathias, who was dueling the thug leader, kept his advantage, constantly having him guessing what he would do, attack with the spear, bring the sword and stab him from an unexpected spot, or use his magic.
"Hah, hah. You really are a pain in the ass fighting against." commented the thug leader, who was at 25% HP, bringing his remaining energy for the last push.
Mathias, who stepped inside his range using 'Raven's Movement' brought his 'Saharan Sword' and stabbed him on the stomach before escaping damage with his superior movement speed.

"Actually, I still have a long way to go. Once I master my powers, I could be synonymous with the Devil in regards to fighting. Yet, I said more than enough for a dead person."
With his body fully channeling his mana in all his hands, he dropped Ragnius and the sword to the ground, propping them vertically on the ground, and with the freed hands, he casted a double 'Arcane Missile' getting his MP once again to a low [145].
The mana was still refilling thanks to 'Mana Hunger', but its timer was also running up.
"So this is my end. I guess my luck finally ran out." said the thug leader who was struck by those two missiles.
"No! I will take you with me!" cried the thug leader, Ademir, who had only 5% HP, surviving the combo and charging at Mathias, who was empty-handed like a crazed person.
"Dieee!"
Mathias, who quickly placed his hands on Ragnius, heard that cry and gritted his teeth to bear the pain that was about to come. However, he heard the flying sound of something passing past his ears and later saw the thug leader being struck by the white-purple missile.
[You and Fayrene have defeated high member of the Clark Gang, Ademir]
[19500 experience has been acquired.]
['Letter for Clark' has been acquired.]
[15 gold acquired.]
.
.
"Phew, I made it on time. Mat, are you okay?"
Seeing the thug leader turning into gray light with a shocked expression, he could only smile bitterly, replying to her as she was enveloped into light similar to someone leveling up.
"I will be okay after some recovery. What about you, Fay?"
"Same. I am tired. I think a massage would be fine after getting back home."
"Anything for my Grand Arcanist."
"But, no perverted touches allowed." said Fayrene as she walked slowly to Mathias and supporting herself on him.
Wrapping his hand around her delicate body, which was sweaty, similar to himself, he walked home, chuckling and saying to her.
"Just a tiny bit."
She pinched his skin but didn't comment on his remark, from tiredness or agreement, she wasn't, but after the two got home, Fayrene told Mathias to help her bring some water for her bath."
He nodded to what she said while entering inside, and as they got home, Mathias walked uninvited to Fayrene's room and went straight to bed, faceplanted.
"Mat, what are you doing in my bed?" asked Fayrene finding Mathias in her bed.
He tried saying something, but because of the pillow in his face, it exited as only mumbles.
"Relaxing."
"Relaxing?"
"Ahha, tigredd." mumbled Mathias again, feeling so lazy he didn't even want to turn over and speak normally.
Fayrene nodded her head and got next to him spreading her arms and legs around that they were planted on Mathias's back and legs.
He mumbled something once again, but Fayrene just giggled before yawning, tired.
"We really should wash before we take a nap. Right, Mathias, you never told me you managed to learn 'Arcane Missile'. When did you do it? Also, that spell you mentioned, what was it, Mana Hungry? Mana Hunger? Ahh, yes, that one. What is that?
Mat, do you hear me?"
*Snore*, *Snore*.
It seemed like he snored, making Fayrene gaze at him sharply and jump on his back and laying on his back.
"I am talking with you, you imp. Fine, if you are so tired to even talk, I'll take care of you first." saying that, Fayrene began to braid his long raven hair.
'Wait, what is she doing with my hair? Braids? Hell no.' quickly thinking that he turned his body, picking Fayrene and letting her sit on his stomach while he was gazing at her.
"I learned that spell one week ago. I just wasn't able to cast it properly."
'Ehh, so he doesn't like it when I braid his hair? How adorable.'
"Congratulations, dear. I knew you would be able to do it."

"Obviously. Would I be a failure if I couldn't even learn those basic spells? Ahh, my bad, I think I am half of a failure since I only learned the missile." laughed Mathias sarcastically at himself while Fayrene was playing with his long hair.

"You should start reading the tome more often so when we go to the forest, you have the basic spells ready."

"That is my intent. Sigh, I will have you unbraid my hair if you keep doing that."

*Giggling* "If I remember."

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.
.

Spending their time recuperating from the fight, with Fayrene braiding some strands of Mathias's hair, they then took on themselves to bring some water from the fountain they built in the courtyard with some help from the citizens. Following by boiling the water, Fayrene was first to take her bath, cleaning herself from the sweat and dirt, also sealing the bathroom completely using her magic, so Mathias could never possibly enter and see herself.

She had everything prepared, along with a long white cloth fabric that she would wrap around her right arm. Taking a deep breath, she started to unravel the wraps on her right arm and reveal a burning scar running from her shoulder and ending straight with her forearm.

The wound seemed to have been healed, only leaving the scars as an aftermath of what happened in her inexperienced days, believing that arcane magic was some child's play.

Trembling when looking at the arm, she entered a wooden bathtub filled with warm water and closed her eyes, not wishing to see the arm as she cleaned herself.

Nevertheless, the only "defect" on Fayrene's body was that scar which was shaped like thunder strikes because the rest of her body was akin to a well-blessed woman, not missing anything that the creator didn't offer.

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When it was Mathias' turn to enter, he didn't change much of the water, combining Fayrene's water with newly boiling water as he cleaned himself.

"That trauma of hers, I need to fix it for good. I managed to see some of her scars as she walked away from the bathroom, and I saw no problem. Like it is a spiderweb, or maybe I didn't get the full image. However, I can't either force her and take off her bandages because it would simply aggravate her trauma."

Relaxing in the bathtub, raising his legs over as if he was in some jacuzzi, he received a message from his friend, Vlad, who seemed to whine about his old man.

&Malakai: Brother, this old man is creepy. He sent me to kill people, he called them "mission targets" that he was too lazy to complete and placed them on my shoulder.

&Mathias: What about it? You sound as if you suffered the worst injustice.

&Malakai: I already got killed by the target I am supposed to eliminate. That sadistic motherfucker wanted me to kill a level 295 NPC. I got wiped instantly from one of his spells. What was the name? Yea, Ashur, Great Magician Ashur."

Mathias, who was in the bathtub, started laughing like an idiot at his friends' misfortune, asking the latter in a sarcastic tone.

&Mathias: You couldn't put the 1 and 1 together to figure you were outclassed from the start when you heard "Great Magician"?

&Malakai: Fuck you! I contemplated on that after getting myself killed and sent to the afterlife. Anyway, this time I will squeeze the old man out of all his skills and make myself disappear. I'll go to the Saharan Empire before the reset happens, so I could get the main idea of what it is like."

&Mathias: Do you have money to take the caravan all that way here?

&Malakai: I'll use my skills to make myself invisible as I jump into a caravan. Anyway, what are you doing right now?

&Mathias: Literally, I am washing my balls.

&Malakai: Fuck you, you lucky bastard! Having it all nice and dandy. I even saw you hit level 25 from nowhere in only two days. We'll talk later, you bastard. Enjoy your nice days while you can. Maybe I'll even go to some witch to spread some bad luck on you."

&Mathias: Don't. You'll just get scammed.

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Getting out of the bathtub and cleaning the mess he did, he later turned back to his usual activities by starting to write on the book he was supposed to give Juander's while Fayrene was reading the Magic Tome where the workstation was located.

The two didn't disturb each other as they minded their own business, and with each hour it passed, Mathias could see he had about 30 pages of paper written down. Stopping for a while and looking at the stash of paper he placed on the counter, he noticed Fayrene standing next to him and reading his work.

"Did you got tired of the magic tome and shifted, reading my book?" asked Mathias with a sarcastic voice, while Fayrene just cutely nodded her head.

"No problem, I'll leave what I've written to you, so enjoy. If you find some mistakes, point them out. Right, where have you put the magic tome? I have some basic skills to learn."

"Back to my room, same place as usual. Now stop disturbing me. I really want to see what Petrus does in his early childhood." replied Fayrene, not taking her eyes off his work.

With Fayrene focused on his still uncompleted book, he walked to her room and taking a seat at her small table, he opened the magic tome that started to release gentle white-purple light with his touch, and slowly he turned the empty pages until he reached the [Arcane Missile].

Moving past what he already knew about the arcane missile, he turned the page and began reading about the [Arcane Barrier], taking a pen quil and empty page writing around formulas similar to what the Archmage was instructing him to do.

Minutes passed, and he was stretching his head trying to figure out the path to activate the skill until he contemplated the activation for the [Magic Missile], finding out that it required him to concentrate on guiding his mana according to the map drawn out by the master.

"Yes, it has to be similar. I just have to follow the nodes and burst out."

Saying that, he stepped out of the chair and began gathering his mana, turning his 'Mana Core' switch on as it also started to shine in his chest, and step by step, Mathias focused on bringing his mana toward 3 locations of his body, his mind, chest, and legs. Yet such a process proved out to be strenuous for him, failing 3 attempts that drained him of mana.

Another ten minutes passed, recovering himself from his drained mana, restarting his trail.

Gathering his mana in the specific points, he suddenly waited for them to stabilize and energizes. Only after one minute of waiting, as if he was a deadlifter he pushed his mana to the outside, turning out in a barrier shape.

[Congratulations, you have learned the spell 'Arcane Barrier']


"Finally! After one month, I finally understood the scheme to learn those spells. At least the basic ones, since I don't know how the advanced ones look like." rejoiced Mathias at his success, quickly opening his skill windows and taking a look at the description of the spell itself.

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[Arcane Barrier]
Rating: Epic (Growth)
An ancient spell dating from times immemorial when life was still in its first evolutions. A spell that uses the mana inside of you to shield you from harm and also cause damage against your enemy.
Shields you for five minutes of 25% of all incoming damage with a 10% chance of reflecting the damage absorbed by the shield against the attacker.
Skill Consumption: 250 MP (Will change according to the user Mana Core and resources)
Skill Cooldown: 5 minutes
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"Can't expect less from the Archmage skills. Once this skill grows to its limit, it will prove to be the absolute shield. Let's move and learn the rest of basic spells while I am still on the zone, and my inspiration is at its maximum for the spells."

As Mathias said that, while being surrounded by the white-purple barrier, he sat back on his chair and turned the page of the tome, he arrived at the spell 'Arcane Intellect' that was a buffing skill which would amplify his intelligence and also boost his spell damage.

Reading the Archmage description and usage for the buff, reminding Mathias of the high potential of this spell, he turned to see the map and figured out what nodes the spell targeted for the activation.

After another 30 minutes, with another sheet of paper inscribed with formulas and some sketches of a human body with different circles, as if it was a map, he marked with 'X' three locations of his body, all being inside his head.

"Well, I hope I don't blow my head by overclocking my brain in mana."
Giving a small laugh, he got away from the table, and with a serious expression, he started to gather his mana, bringing it from the 'Mana Core' and forcing it to move to his head.

Sweating a lot as he concentred his mana on two spots of his Cerebral Cortex, the Parietal Lobe and Temporal Lobe. He felt he had entered a state never experienced in his life. His hearing and vision started to fluctuate, where he also began seeing weird shapes, visions.

"Fuck, I am screwed."

As Mathias said that to himself, he started losing his balance, and so he wouldn't fail on the ground, he walked to Fayrene's bed and laid there with his eyes closed, experiencing something unworldly, before he quickly stopped placing mana on those brain spots and cutting his trip short.

Breathing haggardly, he felt his heart beating fast, slowly opening his eyes that were shining with a white-purple light.

"Phew, I thought I got trapped inside that realm."

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Taking a while to recover, he was still affected by the amplification of his senses using the mana and could hear Fayrene walking toward his direction.

"Mat, is everything alright? What happened to you?"

Raising his body from the bed and gazing at Fayrene, he could still see some weird geometrical shapes around the room, quickly shaking his head.

"I am trying to learn 'Arcane Intellect' but I stumbled into a block. My mind is connecting to some blasted realm."

"What realm are you talking dear? There's is nothing that would send you to a different realm when using 'Arcane Intellect'."

With big eyes staring at Fayrene, he began pondering if he hasn't mistaken the nodes.

'It could be another place in my brain, not that spot. Let's try again. Maybe I was wrong.'

"Hah, I'll try again. Let's see if I nail it without going to some crazy realms."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 40 - Completing Gabrils Quest

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Fayrene watched with curious eyes as Mathias was concentrating on activating the spell 'Arcane Intellect' while she was thinking to himself.

'I'll better not disturb him. I can't even teach him my way because I simply can do it after thinking about it. It just comes naturally for me, but Mat is different. He isn't really magically blessed, but he works hard to learn things which might make him a greater arcanist them me who can't do things effortlessly.'

She watched patiently while Mathias kept gathering his mana on his Parietal Lobe and Occipital Lobe, where slowly, a new sensation followed by his senses being improved.

Delaying his process, expecting something similar to a trip, he felt nothing of that sort and proceeded with the last step of the spell, concentrating all his mana on the Frontal Lobe where it was said to be the location of the third eye.

He had his eyes closed and could see what happened outside, but Fayrene watched the new change happening in Mathias with the apparition of a white-purple-shaped eye, like a rune, straight where his forehead was.

'He did it! He should teach me those methods so when I take my first disciples, I know how to approach those who lack in aptitude.'

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Mathias felt his mind refreshed, where all sorts of thoughts were in his mind, yet he could manage all of them.

[Congratulations, you have learned the spell 'Arcane Intellect', in doing so learning the three basic spells, 'Arcane Missile', 'Arcane Barrier', 'Arcane Intellect' opening the passive 'Arcane Mastery']
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[Arcane Intellect]
Rating: Epic(Growth)
Infuses the user with brilliance, drawing into the potential of the arcanist, increasing intelligence by 20% and spell power by 15%
Skill Consumption: 500 MP (Will change according to the user Mana Core and resources)
Skill Buff Time: 30 minutes
Skill Cooldown: 60 minutes
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[Arcane Mastery]
Rating: Rare (Growth)
Increases magic power by 10%, reduces casting time by 10%, and increases the intelligence by 2%
Type: Passive

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'Indeed. It was this combination of those three locations. I wonder where the combination of the Temporal with the rest of the lobe would lead me? A new dimension? Hah, I am still too inexperienced for that.'

'There's something hot on my forehead. What is that?' pondered Mathias as he touched his forehead, right where not too long the white-purple eye was located.

Opening his eyes that were shining arcane lights, the first thing seeing was Fayrene clapping her hands at him.

"You did it, Mat. With this spell, you learned all the basic spells of the master."
"Indeed, but there is one more spell that is shown to me, 'Evocation'. By the time we leave for Empar Forest, I'll have that settled. Hopefully."

"I believe in you, dear. I will be there to support you if you struggle with any spell."

Nodding his head, he turned to look at the clock that showed already 20:47 for the two. Not even being aware of how fast time flew inside the game, he asked Fayrene if she wanted to do something together.

"Let's play chess, Fayrene. I want to test the ability of the spell."

"Wouldn't that be cheating?" inquired Fayrene with a joking tone, where Mathias just chuckled, reminding her.

"You can cheat too. I don't see where is the problem."

"Hehe, you know you can't beat me after you taught me that game." chuckled Fayrene as she walked to take the chessboard Mathias crafted, followed by the pieces accurately carved, with black and white ropes being strapped on the specific pieces, while Mathias just shrugged his shoulders.
"It is okay. Do you see me whining about losing? Anyway, let's move the table to the fireplace. I'll bring the chairs." said Mathias, where the couple moved together with the table, and Mathias later brought the chairs from the front shop.

The two lovers sat at the table and prepared their pieces not long after starting the match.

Minutes passed, and Fayrene, who had a notebook recording all the movements of the two, looked at Mathias while saying to him.

"Check-Mate, dear."

"Pass the notebook. I want to see what mistakes I have made." said Mathias calmly, not flustered or upset that he lost to Fayrene at something he taught her.

Fayrene smiled lovingly at Mathias and passed the notebook, where the latter carefully read it before nodding his head, saying.

"Another one."

"Agreed."


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Like this, the couple played about 5 matches, with only 1 match being won by Mathias until they got enough and decided to wrap things up and prepare for sleep, mostly Fayrene.

Retreating with the Magic Tome in hand, he kissed Fayrene on her forehead as she went to sleep and took his time to read about the spell, 'Evocation' at the candle lights. The spell was something similar to 'Mana Hunger', only that from the Archmage words, it had a drawback.

"So this one consumes your energy to channel the spell. Meaning, it eats your own stamina, I guess. It might sound like a bad spell when thinking from the perspective of a player, but it's just my bias after suffering that defeat in Empar Forest."

"When you have no resources, so to speak, you will have to use even your stamina to fill it back. High risk, high reward I guess."

As Mathias was talking to himself, he closed the magic tome and moved to do something else, such as sketch another canvas, this one is for Jeanne. His quil moved swiftly on the canvas, with the 'Arcane Intellect' buff and his newly acquired dexterity, the image of a small angel and a small devil touching their hands together appeared on the paper.

[You created a decent piece of art. Dexterity increased by 1 point]

"I guess even Morpheus likes it. Thanks for the support, and wish me good luck. I hope she would like it because buying things for her wouldn't work."

Placing his hands at work, he created the outline of the two characters with the available threads, white and red. Slowly while everyone was sleeping, with the exception of the players inside the game, Mathias would be accompanied by Vlad, who would ask him random things, telling him about his adventures with the old man and how he reacted after telling him of his hardship.

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The day slowly came inside the game, but it was when he would have to log off and prepare for the next day of work. Placing everything in his inventory and returning the magic tome back to Fayrene, kissing her once again on her forehead, he logged out.

Eating something before going to sleep, he updated his novel afterwards, he looked into the comments his readers left, before he stumbled on some idiots who made him cancel the website, no longer bothered reading the rest of the comments of readers.

"It's not like I am paid to read some of you idiots as you try eating shit."

Checking his email and later the forum, he noticed that it was quite chaotic, with all sorts of threads of people excited to get inside the game. Closing that website and looking at the clock showing 12:15, he took his plates back to the kitchen and returned back to the laptop, watching some historical videos, before drawing the line, getting to sleep.

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A new day of work came, and nothing was out of the ordinary, just your average working day. Maybe a difference was that Mathias felt much more refreshed being able to sleep for one more hour in addition to what he was doing in the past.

Moving along with the passing of time once he entered back for his game time, Mathias went toward the Cathedral and started cleaning the building.

Once he got there, he couldn't spot Jeanne and some priests mentioning that she took a leave because of personal reasons, which were evident to him because she was laking divine energy.

Hours passed, and looking around himself, he could see that he just had a bit more to clean in the praying hall.

"It seems this is my last day of cleaning the church." mentioned Mathias, who had his long hair tied down, with the cleaning tools in hand.

The priests by now got used to him, seeing him all day long cleaning around the Cathedral with more carefulness compared to them. It was until some hours later that he gained the notification about his ongoing quest.

[Congratulations, you have cleared the quest 'Covering the chores of Gabrils'. To receive the rewards, return to Gabrils and report to him.]

"Finally. I'll never put my hands on brushes and mops to clean around inside here. It is enough. I do it for a living. No need to get crazy about it." commented Mathias as he looked around the cleaned praying hall with a half-smile, slightly satisfied but also frustrated with this quest.

Getting all the cleaning tools back to their respective room, it was a smooth process, however as he got to walk toward the exit of the Cathedral, he saw how the initial priests who didn't want to allow him inside in that Sunday, started to walk in their direction and encircle him.

"Well, well. Who we have here, the outlander peasant who is so good at bootlicking and cleaning the floor with his tongue that it even leaves me impressed."

Hearing that, Mathias just ignored him, pushing past him, but he was grabbed by the shoulder and stopped.

"Did I tell you to leave? Aren't we good friends?"

[You have suffered 100 holy damage.]

The moment Mathias was hit by that person in the stomach, his gaze instantly darkened and with his eyes starting to release arcane lights, he inquired with a cold voice.

"You want revenge?"

"You bet, I do. After I have been humiliated so much that day, only because of an insignificant outlander like you."

Not caring about that comment, he instantly brought Ragnius in his hands and also changed into [Midnight], which out of the ordinary, began to release dark smoke and also the dark green lights, which seemed similar to ghosts. Bringing the blade of Ragnius at the priest's neck, he remarked coldly.

"Bastard, if you wish to kill me so badly, you choose the wrong target. I don't even care if I kill you and have the Goddess get angry with me for my transgression. Even if I might fail to kill you this try, you will have to fear me all your life because I will be like a devil watching you from the shadows waiting for my time to strike you down and whoever might block my revenge."

Taking note of Mathias comment, the other priests looked a bit afraid, placing their hands on the ringleader, saying to him. "Brother, let's cut it off. Even if I am from a Count family, this doesn't mean I will be forgiven and not be banished. Worse, this outlander might be that crazy to target even our families. You know, they don't die."

"I think the same, brother. Let's not find trouble with the outlanders. You know how crazy they are that they don't even care about laws."

Mathias gazed at the ringleader, a level 100 priest Markos, and asked sarcastically.

"So, what will you do? Back off and leave me alone, forget all your problems with me or choose death?"

Gritting his teeth, the priest backed away, cursing with a low voice, as he moved to another part of the Cathedral. "Crazy bastard."

Being left alone, he took a deep breath, calming himself, bringing all his gear back in the inventory, and only after that did he exit the Cathedral, climbing the stairs down, after returning a bow to the front statue of Rebecca, welcoming all the parishioners.

Minutes later, he found himself in front of Gabrils shack, knocking on the door that was responded rather quickly by someone. Opening the door was Gabrils in some rag clothes, similar to what he was wearing when he started the game, who instantly beamed with a smile.

"Little Mathias, what a surprise. I thought it was that pesky old man, nagging me again for getting myself done by Yatan Church."

"Greetings Gabrils, how have you been lately?"

"Recuperating. By tomorrow I should be able to return to my simple duties. How about you, I guess you finished doing my tasks and returned for your rewards?"

"Not really. My intent was that at first but become of some parasites I no longer care about the rewards you might offer me."

"Ohh, what happened, little Mathias? Did someone inside the Cathedral upset you?" asked Gabrils as he welcomed Mathias inside his small shack that was still messy.

"Don't worry, I will not whine about my problems. Just that I wonder how some disgusting people managed to get to the level of priests?"

Gabrils heard that and pondered a bit before asking Mathias in a severe voice. "Were you annoyed by that group of dogs, led by Mak or whatever shit shitty name was? If so, don't bother too much. Soon they will be banished from the Cathedral. The old man is just drying their families of their money to expand the Church inside Saharan."

When Mathias heard that, he looked surprised by the plans of the Archbishop, which made him feel a bit better knowing that such parasite scum holding titles of 'Priests' wouldn't be able to push around their status.

"I see, the old man is really shrewd. He should dry those bastards for all their money. Later I'll take care of them."

"You'll get into a mess if you kill those dogs. They are from noble families. While not as important as the Duke Houses, some noble houses are wealthy, accumulating money for generations, now placing their younger generation into positions of power. Hah, I'll stop here because we will get into politics. Even though I am that old man's successor, I still hate doing politics."

Like this, the two began talking about casual stuff, Mathias telling the paladin about his endeavours in cleaning the church, climbing the dome and how the old man reacted as he was cleaning.

"Ahh, Jeanne really is cheeky nowadays. He placed you into a hurdle with the old man, but it will be fine. Jeanne didn't know that we were no longer supposed to not clean the high dome"

"It is fine. I can handle myself, she isn't to blame at all."

"Anyway, I heard you hit it well with Jeanne from the other boys who saw you together exiting the Cathedral and even getting to his office. Take care of Jeanne in the future. Tsk, I am still used to referring to Jeanne like when he was younger and came to the church, but now because of that curse, my head is all messed up."

"Ahem. Gabrils don't be like that old man. He said something like that too."

"Hehe, Jeanne is like my little sister, so I need to watch out with whoever she meets. What if some Yatan bastards start getting closer to her and corrupt her? She has a bright future ahead after embracing her new identity. Here, let me tell some things about her so you can have a smoother path to her."

Gabrils took a bottle of heavy liquor and two glasses, pouring some for himself and Mathias, later starting to talk about Jeanne and things she liked, from the fact she was talkative and how he could manage her to lower the nagging that might come in his way. To stories, she loved when younger. He shared like an older brother the things he found noteworthy, and in such a manner, the glasses were getting emptier.

"Gabrils, do you still remember that you send me to Fayrene?"

"The little magician girl that got her arm burned?" asked Gabrils, quickly remembering about Fayrene and how he sent Mathias to her to learn magic.

"Indeed, it has been three months since then. Thank you for your help, I can't even think of a way to repay you for that gesture. I even progressed, and we got into a relationship."

"Ohhhh, I didn't take you for a smooth talker that you got that little magician in your arms. How is she doing, especially her arm? She never came back to check on me since I healed her."

"Hah, her scars healed well. But she is still scared about how others would look at her. I have to approach this subject slowly with her, making baby steps in healing her trauma."

"Sigh, Mathias, I did everything I could to heal her, but because of a certain thing with her wound, I could recover everything in her arm."

"I understand you, Gabrils. There are still so many healing elixirs that can heal her arm. I will get something to treat her scars in the future."

"There might be some after all these legends and myths. Anyway, looking at your face, it seems to be pondering how Jeanne would react if she knew you are in a relation with someone else?"

"That… She probably might reject me. Even though I heard Saharan allows multiple marriages for men. This is still something new for me as an outlander. We have different cultures."

"Haha, just be open with her and tell her what you feel. Taking by what you have told me about her learning to walk on heels, the Hippodrome and those underground rats lurking in Titan, she might like you. Usually, she would ignore everyone that would approach her."

Listening to Gabrils mention that, he felt as if a stone was removed from his chest and downing another shot of liquor.

"I guess I'll have to find out what she actually thinks about me. But not now. I am still working on a gift for her."

"I see. A reminder to you, Mathias, if you make Jeanne wait too long and she starts suffering because of you, I might have to teach a lesson, beat some sense into you."

"Brother Gabrils, tomorrow I will go on a hunt inside Empar Forest. After I return from my adventure, I will bring my gift to her and ask her."

"Empar Forest? Where are you planning to go, Gravelmark?"

"Indeed, this is my plan, I want to see the starting point of the Saharan River."

"I never checked it out myself. But you have to journey out quite some days to reach it. There are also wild beasts lurking around, not that dangerous, but nevertheless, could still put you to trouble if you are not careful in your current state."

"Right, I still have to give you my blessing after hearing about your troubles. What big brother am I to not help you out?"

With a breath smelling of alcohol, he touched Mathias's hand and covering him in a white veil of light. He said a prayer, and suddenly right before Mathias's eyes, a new notification was brought out.

[You have been blessed by High Paladin Gabrils, getting your stats boosted by 20% for a duration of 2 weeks.]

"Bah, this is all I could do for you, little brother. Don't get yourself killed there, and if you have time, come visit me and drink something with me because I am surrounded by celibate priests who don't want to touch a drop of alcohol. Only the old man is my drinking partner, but it is not enjoyable with him."

Mathias chuckled, nodding his head, and after the sun started to lose in light, he moved back home, seeing Fayrene writing something at the counter, and when he got to her, he noticed she was copying his work.

"Welcome home, dear. I had nothing to do, so I decided to move faster and copy what you've written for the book. This one will be mine, and the other one is for His Majesty."

Smiling at her, he said with a joking tone. "Make some room for me. I got to start writing. We can't disappoint His Majesty, right?"

*Giggling* "Come, I got some sheets of paper ready just in case."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 41 - 'Mutated Bear Den' Dungeon
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With the two writing on their story, Fayrene reading his work and copying the new pages to add to her own, while Mathias was transcribing from the records he took outside of the game.

"How is it Fay, can you still write after so many hours?" asked Mathias, stopping and taking a breather, seeing his book taking form right in front of his eye.

"I'll be fine. I think I will write until my bedtime arrives, so until 23:00 you'll get me around, keeping you company." mentioned Fayrene looking outside, where night reigned.

Turning to look at his ingame clock, showing 21:25, he nodded his head and got back to writing on, reaching a number of 125 pages done by now.

In such a manner, the couple spent their nighttime talking around in the writing process, with Fayrene being curious about certain characters of the story.

"Mathias, is your story really inspired by the history of your lands?"

"That is correct. All the main characters of my story are inspired by those historical people, Petrus or how his name is told in the story Justinian, to Theodora, Belisarius, Petrus's uncle Justin. Every single character made their mark on history, and I just reimagine them telling the story from the newly awakened Petrus."

"Truly interesting." commented Fayrene, loving the story Mathias was writing, finding more things about him, and also about other subjects from politics, how to build a kingdom using unfathomable approaches, to how to manage an army or the beautifully told romance between the two main protagonists of the story, Justinian and Theodora.

Scratching his hair a bit, feeling embarrassed, he told her in a calm voice. "Thank you. I hope you will love the rest of the story."

"I will look forward, dear."

Both smiled at each other and once Fayrene went to sleep, he placed his manuscript in order and also Fayrene's, taking a look at her gorgeous calligraphy that made even his handwriting look hideous, and by no means was he known for a bad calligraphy when writing by hand.

"The writing of a person can tell many things about a person. It was something that even the ancients knew about it. She is truly an intelligent girl, and she is mostly self-taught, or her parents taught her. Still, the kids nowadays, most don't even know how to write properly."

"I really wish to meet them in the future and see for myself what type of people they are."

Done with his ordering, he walked to the workstation taking his tapestry, beginning his work on both pieces.

The kittens were as lively as one would get them. Their gaze could make you believe they were staring right at you from the canvas. On the other hand, the small angel and devil touching their hands facing each other was shyly also taking a form, with his careful handling.

"The kittens, I think I will finish them before we depart to Empar Forest. With this one, she will feel great courage facing herself and all the traumas and fears. The kittens will be there for her to warm her soul and mind.

Meanwhile, the angel and devil piece, I will have it done by the time I return from my adventure. This will accompany me in my confession, and I hope she receives it well. Arghh, wait, what if Fay will think I am cheating on her. I can't have this, I need to tell her. Even though this empire has laws allowing, not every partner is willing for this."

"I will not cheat on any of my future partners. Not under any circumstances. In case she doesn't wish for me to be with someone else, I will respect her wishes."

Confronting himself, not wishing to reach a point where he might lose both of them because of his possible lies. He made up his mind to confess to Fayrene about this and hear what she thought.

As he was doing the tapestry, feeling a bit clear-minded, he kept receiving Vlad's private messages, telling him about his sufferings with his old man and how hard it became for him to learn his skills.

Turning to look at his level, he saw that he even reached level 17, from yesterday's level 11.

From what Vlad told him, he went outside of Reinhardt to hunt some wild beasts and kept practising his skills there.

"That is good, getting your skills in check and having sound control over your body. Hah, it has been quite some days since I drilled my spear skills. I think I've done plenty with the spear. For now, I will focus strictly on the tapestry and writing the book."

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Time flew, and it was Friday where he intended to go to Empar Forest.

At work, his breaks would fly by so fast with him and Vlad talking around that even some colleagues got curious and listened to their talks and were staring weirdly when they found out they were playing the upcoming game 'Satisfy' that had a 5-star rating in all gaming publishers websites.

"Heh, don't tell me you guys are interested in getting inside the game when the live version kick in?" asked Vlad, one girl colleague and two other guys taking their lunch.

"I don't know, Vlad, isn't the game expensive? I didn't gather so much money lately since I moved out with my girlfriend in a new apartment, and we have to do some changes around." responded one of the guys, before with Vlad gazing at the woman in her early twenties, she also shook her head.

"Sorry, for now, I will just watch the news and some content creators. Maybe after the game grows more popular and it is safe for me, I will get in with you guys.

"Well, it's not like we can force any of you guys. Just stay tuned with the game on the news. The subscription count keeps skyrocketing since the announcement for the live version kicking in." said Vlad to the two guys and the girl, who giggled, looking at her hand watch, and returning back to her centralist position.

The two guys also left, leaving only Vlad and Mathias alone, with the latter asking.

"Have you managed to steal everything from the old man? There are 9 more days of game time."

"Bro, I think there's one more skill to go, and I got him clean. At least for the techniques, he told me I can learn because he most likely has greater skills. What about, have you managed to pick up all those spells and those two hot chicks? Sometimes I am really envious of you, knowing I have to resist the pain brought upon me by that crazy old man while you are on your honeymoon."

"Yeah, sure, stop your bs, it is not all honey and sweetness. What if I am busted, and all my progress is lost? Still, I choose to go all in and hope for the best."

"Haha, that's how it should be. Stop worrying about what some "smart" people tell you on forums and what those gathered idiots tell around. It is up to the developers and Morpheus if they cut you. Hope for the best brother, I really want to see my new sisters and nephews." laughed Vlad, patting Mathias back, before getting up and walking along with his friend back to the hotel, resuming their work.

Following another 4 more hours of work, Mathias returned home, and after changing his clothes into something comfortable and eating, he checked his emails and posted another chapter for his story before closing the platform.

After that, he did his usual workout routine, and only after that, he jumped in the capsule to start his new adventure, returning to Empar Forest and getting revenge on his defeat against the mutated bear who took advantage of his weakened state.

Waking himself inside Fayrene's private room, seated on a chair beside her small table, he felt Fayrene arms wrapping around him, greeting him with an enthusiastic voice.

"Good morning, handsome. Welcome back. I missed you yesterday."

Taking her hand in his arm and raising her on his feet, he planted a kiss on her forehead with a warm smile on his expression.

"I am back, my Grand Arcanist. How have you been?"

"I've been preparing for our journey. I even bought from the market the potions with all the money you have given me. Hehe, you should have seen their faces. Everyone began talking respectfully to me to get to their stalls and take a look."

"Ohh, my arcanist got some arrogance on her face? Let me see."

As he said that, he looked at her face like he was doing an inspection, which had Fayrene gaze at him with her violet eyes, and with a kiss on her lips, he commented to her.

"No more arrogance on my arcanist, just a shy little girl."

"You tease me again, you jerk. Just now, you returned and began your antics, shame."

"There's no shame. My skin is quite thick, here touch it. See how thick it is. It is just enough to handle you. Arghh, fine, I'll cut it off." cried Mathias in pain after boosting a bit before Fayrene, who pinched his cheeks.

"I will grow a beard if you keep pinching my cheeks. Just so I teach you a lesson." chuckled Mathias as he was pinched by Fayrene, whose smile grew bright and sweet seeing him whine, faking his pain, yet soon she gave him a weird expression.

"Mat with a beard? You can grow a beard?"

"Indeed, I just cut it off every three days."

"No!! You better don't do anything stupid. A beard will make you look like a middle-aged person. Walking with you on the streets will feel weird."

*Chuckling* "I see. I never tried growing a full beard, so who knows, maybe after a long adventure of mine, you will see me return with one."

Making fun of each other in a loving manner, Mathias let Fayrene prepare herself, change her clothes for the hunt, while he too was sorting out the 15 [Intermediate Health Potion] and 5 [Intermediate Mana Potions], along with 10 [Beginner Mana Potions].

Preparing his plans for the hunt and also checking his status window, something he rarely did this weekend, and nothing was left for surprises because he expected his status to sit in a balanced state. He buffed himself with 'Arcane Intellect' so he could estimate how impactful it was aside from giving him the unique feeling of smoother brain function.

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[Status Window]
Name: Mathias / Class: Beginner
Level 25 (28.899/28.900) / Title: Syndicate Nemesis
Health: 2224/2224 /Mana: 956/956
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Strength: 155(+31) / Stamina: 100(+20)
Agility: 136(+27) / Intelligence: 264(+139)-> 403
Dexterity : 15
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"This is good. My stats look better than Vlad's by a lot. Especially the INT, but he sure beats me in regard to AGI while he is closely on par with my STR. Heh, it will be fun to see what he pulls out in the live version. As for me? I will probably try to get a fighting class."

Waiting for Fayrene to finish her last preparations, he saw her exit wearing an adventurer outfit, something similar to Jeanne, only that she was wearing boots similar to him, not flashing out some heels. The all-black outfit with her white shirt matched together with the raven hair and violet eyes.

"I am ready. Are you talking to yourself again, dear?"

"Professional defect. Also helps with my sanity. Come let's start our adventure while the sun still shines."

Nodding her head, she had a bag around herself tied on her belt full with potions and provisions, which made Mathias give her a look that she returned while asking, perplexed.

"What?? We will stay the night inside the forest most likely. We need food and something to make a sleeping place."

"You know I have the dimensional bag and got us covered, correct?"

"Ahhh, my, I forgot about that. Here carry my things then, since you are the grand arcanist."

"Hah, keep the potions to yourself. The rest hand it here."

Saying that, he placed the tools Fayrene gathered, placing them in his bag, and only after the couple journeys out, getting out of the Capital rather easy in the morning.

After a decent hiking with both talking, especially Fayrene, who pointed out that the way toward Empar forest where the crossover was situated and the path toward Grenhal Duchy was spotted. There behind the Gravelmark Mountains, was where her small village was located.

"Wow, you really journeyed out quite a lot from your village to Titan. Do you keep tabs with your parents and family?"

"Yes, I write monthly to my mother back home. She even knows about you from my letters." mentioned Fayrene with a shy expression on her face, which baffled Mathias, who didn't expect this.

"You've been talking about me since back then? Should I be happy or feel bad?"

"Maybe both because mother for sure told father about you."

Keeping quiet while holding Fayrene hand in his own, he entered the forested area, still walking on the principal road, where soon entered the dim forest.

The larger than life trees still shrouded the forest in a shadow, keeping the light away, only allowing a fragment. The moment he stepped inside, he activated 'Arcane Intellect', something that Fayrene followed suit.

From nowhere, Fayrene grabbed into Mathias and asked him with a trembling voice.

"Have you heard that? What was that sound?"

"Divebeak Owls. Quite annoying bastards, so be vigilant because they like to ambush people."

Saying that, he heard the branches shaking and bringing Ragnius into his hand, he focused bringing his mana ready to activate spells, and in 30 seconds he looked up at a group of 3 [Divebeak Owls] who descended for him and Fayrene.

"[Arcane Barrier]"

[You have suffered 60 damage.]

[You have suffered 75 damage and reflected to the attacking enemy 40 damage because of 'Arcane Barrier' effect.]

Not this time you annoying chickens, I am way more prepared than last time.

"[Arcane Missile]"

With the remaining mana he gathered in his right arm, he sent a missile that took down the last one to attack him, causing a massive hit.

[You have dealt 1350 to the target.]

At that moment, he saw their levels being 15, with 3500 HP. Way higher than the first time he fought in Empar Forest, killing the 'Divebeak Owl' that was only a level 7 elite.

'This means even those monsters increase in level as time passes. Or it depends on the leveling grounds? Maybe I was wrong, and those beasts were lurking around the forest all along.'

Fayrene also sent out her 'Arcane Missile' dealing 630 damage to the downed owl, and before the other two owls could get unto the couple to rescue their downed mate, Mathias dashed toward the owl and unleashed [Piercing Rain] and without being able to finish off the wild beast, Fayrene sent another missile just in time.

Health: 2089/2224 /Mana: 711/956

[You have defeated a 'Divebeak Owl' of Empar Forest.]
[12500 Experience acquired]
[Pristine Feather 4x has been acquired]
[Owl Talons has been acquired.]
['Divebeak Owl Eyes' has been acquired.]

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"We did it, Mat. We hunted one of these big owls."

"Focus, Fay." saying that he sent an 'Arcane Missile' in the direction of an owl that wanted to wound Fayrene.

Fayrene saw the white-purple projectile charging past her and hitting something that later gave off the sound of collision with the ground.

[You have dealt 590 damage to the target.]

Soon enough, she also channelled her own spell that hit double damage, causing [1254], making the wild beast shriek in pain, before Mathias arrived in front of the beast planting a leg kick straight in the owl's body, which caused [120] damage, before triggering [Piercing Rain] and ending the beast's life as it turned into the grey light.

With only one owl being in the sky, it released a shriek of hatred in the direction of the couple, but instead of attacking as most wild beasts would do, it turned around to get away from the front.

"Ahhh, it is escaping. What should we do, Mat?"

"Nothing much. Just let it go is not like we can catch it in the air. Let's get going and go deeper in the forest. Come give me your hand." said Mathias as he extended his hand to Fayrene's, taking off from this place they hunted.

As they walked deeper, their head a beastly roar which instantly had Mathias expression turn serious, holding Fayrene's hands tighter.

"It is that beast. Make no mistake about it. Let's move, Fayrene. I plan to see for myself what that beast is all about."

"Are you sure, Mat?"

Nodding his head, he walked toward the sound of the beast activating his buffs again, and as he walked, rapidly recovering his MP, about 12 mana per second.

Along the way, he encountered a group of wolves that were about level 14, which he cleaned relatively with ease, earning some materials for tailoring and alchemy.

Pushing ahead toward the beast's roar, Mathias found that he was about to exit the forest and enter into the section of the Gravelmark Heights. The elevation could be seen, and not far from where he stopped, the sound of flowing water could be heard.

"We exited the forest and entered the first section of Gravelmark Heights. The bear should be nearby, maybe inside a cave?"

"Slowly, Mat. What if the beast is stronger than you and me?" asked Fayrene, worried about the next endeavour they were about to pull.

"If the worst-case scenario happens, I will buy you enough time to escape and return to the first part of Empar Forest. I am a resilient person even when fighting. If I get myself done is because of lacking resources, not because of being bad skills-wise."

Fayrene understood what Mathias was referring to, and walking closer to him, with the sun already rising, signalling it was 12PM-2PM, soon found marks of trees being ravaged and with skeletons of different animals, and even humans.

"Stay here. I will check ahead." said Mathias after arriving at a secluded zone, hidden by the trees and high grass.

After that, he activated 'Raven's Movement' and dashed out toward a deeper part of the mountain, and guided by the corpse remains, he stumbled on a cave entrance that was irking with the smell of decay and death.

Silently making his way closer to the cave, he saw a notification window that alerted him with a red sign.

[You are about to enter the instance 'Mutated Bear Den'. Once you enter inside, you can't exit the instance.]

Mathias stopped immediately, double-checking the contents of the notification and backing off. He arrived back at Fayrene, telling her about the den, asking her if she wanted to continue.

"Fay, this is important. The den of that beast doesn't allow people to exit. I can't decide for you, I simply can't."

"Really? There is such a thing as a place I can't get away once I enter. This is strange. I never heard of such a thing while I was reading books and back home."

"This is something only I an outlander can tell and is certain. Once we get there, the only way out is to defeat the beast."

"Ahhhh, so frustrating. While I want to listen to you and keep myself from harm's way, I can't stand here all alone, knowing you might fight a powerful beast and lose your life. Also, Mat, you have to remember, the path I am walking will be filled with dangers."

"Sigh, that is indeed correct. You better have to experience such fights early on because who knows what the future might hold for us. I decided, is up to your choice if you will join me or stay here, do a prayer for me."

Fayrene held his hands and embraced him, saying with a confident voice. "Don't worry, my love, what kind Grand Arcanist will I be if I am afraid of some beast. My enemies are way greater than just some beasts."

Nodding, feeling more assured by Fayrene's confidence, he kissed her forehead before taking her hands and walking calmly toward the Den's entrance.
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[You are about to enter the instance 'Mutated Bear Den'. Once you enter inside, you can't exit the instance.]
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Stopping in place again with this notification, he turned his head at Fayrene and asked for her confirmation.

"Ready, love?"

"Yes, I used my assisting spells on myself already."

Then he stepped forward holding Fayrene's left hand, and along with the notifications of the instance, he spotted a tunnel-like system filled with rats that instantly reacted when noticing Mathias and Fayrene.

"Use 'Mana Barrier' on yourself, dear. I will take care of those pesky vermin."

With Ragnius in his hand, he dashed toward the 20 rats that were running after him, showing their teeth and also some green saliva. Yet, once he got closer to them, he dropped down and unleashed [Sweep Thrust], getting all of them in his AOE field.

[You have dealt 189 to all twenty targets around you.]

With this strike, he could see their levels which were level 10, with the health gauge balanced around the mark of 1000 HP. Enough for him to act, and following the [Thrust] of his spear which impaled 6 rats. Following that, he unleashed another two [Sweep Thrust], clearing this group of monsters and opening the tunnel path.

Fayrene walked closer to him, and seeing the flood of grey light released by the rats, she released a "Wow", before commenting.

"Mat, have you ever seen such rats? Also, you aren't hurt, right?"

"I am fine. Those spear skills don't even consume much from my resources anymore. As for those rats, gods know what kind of monstrosities they are."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 42 - The Kobold Vek

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Getting on from the Dens entrance, he walked deeper while slaying more pesky monsters that weres of low level compared to him, rats, spiders and snakes, they were all sources of materials for him.

The cave was full of skeletons, from those of humans to smaller humanoid skeletons, which made Fayrene stop in place and look carefully around the zone.

"You got any idea what those skeletons belong to, Fay?"

"Yes, those smaller ones could belong to Kobolds, Gnomes or Goblins. I don't know for sure since it is my first time seeing one, but the books I've read about the different races confirm this thought of mine."

"Kobolds, gnomes or goblins? There is such a thing here?"

"Yes, dear. There are so many more races than us humans existing here. I'll let you read the book about those races and how they look." explained Fayrene before following Mathias as he walked slowly forward.

Then it was only moments later that the putrid smell hit them hard, and the figure of a bear which was full of putrid wounds, looked sinister as he was devouring some small creature that was screaming in pain, shouting in a language Mathias couldn't understand.

"Curses, you damn monstrosity! You will never get away from the Dragon's Wrath!"

Mathias saw that creature that looked like a kobold from the fantasy books and immediately acted, taking advantage of the fight by sending an 'Arcane Missile' straight for the monster's body which propelled him away from the small creature he was looking forward to devour.

[You have dealt 486 damage to the target.]

"What? Has Father Asgorath come down to save me?" said the small-sized creature in his native language as he opened his lizard-like eyes that were of a red color, only to notice that Mathias arrived next to him, picking him up.

"Father of Dragons Asgorath?" inquired the kobold, feeling confused for who Mathias could be?

"Quiet little kobold, there is no time for empty talk." said Mathias, ignoring the mentions of the kobold that seemed in a state of shock.

Getting back to Fayrene with the red kobold, he took a potion that he placed in the crocodile-like snout, downing it.

*Cough* *Cough* "This divine taste? Elixir of Life!!!" coughed the kobold, later calling out using human speech, with his draconian eyes getting large.

"Yeah, sure, you wish. Tell me who you are and how you got trapped by this monster?" asked Mathias responding to the kobold with an overly sarcastic response.

"I can't tell you. It would risk my clansman's safety. However, my name is Vek. Thank you for saving my life."

"Don't worry, little guy, if you can't fight, stay out of this and hide under some rocks." said Mathias, as he looked at the kobold and later at the bear monster that roared in a crazed manner.

Mathias looked serious as he noticed the amount of HP this monster had, along with its level. Making him the highest level monster he encountered so far, after Irenaeus and his gang, which were downscaled because of the instance.

[Iljnoks - Level 30 - 38560 HP]

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"I can help you fight this abomination. Just give me a weapon. I am a Scout of my tribe. I have been trained by the Elder."

Then with the confession of the kobold, Mathias noticed a notification window asking to accept the party request from Vek, which he accepted without much fuss, revealing the kobobs level.

[You accepted the request of Kobold Scout Vek to enter your party.]
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[Vek - Level 30] > Health: 1940/2270 / Mana:670/670

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'This must be part of the instance, assisting the player who might fight this monster. So, I guess this kobold will be useful and might give more events if I keep him alive.' thought Mathias to himself, giving the kobold one 'Saharan Sword' and some normal-rated equipment he gained from killing the Clark thugs.

"Divine Equipment!! Saviour, I can't use such items." said Vek, whose eyes turned big the moment his lizard hands grabbed on the sword.

'Well, the sword rating is rare, which is the same as the one I use, granting him the basic sword skills.'

"Stop making a big thing of that equipment and put it on you so you can be of use in fighting this monster. Here it comes, Fayrene. Assist me from behind and keep in check your resources." said Mathias seeing the bear monster run in his direction with its mouth releasing green saliva.

His body was surrounded by the "Mana Barrier" he casted before the encounter began, and with Ragnius in hand, he struck first with a simple thrust going for the bear's large body before quickly doing a [Piercing Rain], making it seem like he was unleashing a 4 attack skill. Each of the attacks hit the bear with smaller damage which had Mathias confirm one thought.

[You have dealt 123 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 230 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 150 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 200 damage to the target.]

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'This monster has sufficient armor to defend against Ragnius damage. Even the magic attack did less than I expected.'

In that moment of contemplation, he retracted the spear, reading for another combination. The monster reacted fast and hit Mathias with his large claws sending him backward and shocked by the damage he suffered.

[You have suffered 770 damage.]

"My God, wouldn't this be a hit of 1500 something if I wasn't using the barrier and wasn't wearing Midnight and the rest of gear?"

Fayrene looked worried at Mathias, who was followed by the monster, and channeling her spells, she unleashed two arcane missiles, hitting the bear with a hit of [656] respectively [1312] which had it roar in pain, rushing for Mathias faster.

Being aware of the following monster, he activated 'Raven's Movement' and, using Ragnius's shaft, he raised up from where he landed, charging at the monster. With the bear's putrid smell reaching his face as he got closer to the bear, he made a swift move to get under its monstrous body and strike with [Sweep Thrust], cutting at its legs before escaping the collapsing bear.

Following his escape from what could squash him if he was slower, he stabbed with [Thrust] right on its stomach, failing to do a deep cut as when he was fighting ordinary beasts.

Following another [Piercing Rain] that dealt a total of [690] damage, he saw the bear trying to move his body and slash him with his claws even if he was down, yet he was far from his reach to get hit. Following this body movement, as the monster started getting up, the kobold also arrived to stab with his newly gained sword.

[Your party member Vek has dealt 378 damage to Iljnoks.]

"Get away from there, you kobold!" said Mathias, who noticed the bear turn his head moving to bite down Vek, which wasn't expecting that.

Mathias quickly dashed toward Vek, and, sending a kick to the kobold, he entered the range of the bear that slashed him, taking a big chunk from his flesh, causing him to suffer from agonizing pain.

[You have suffered 1235 damage.]

Gritting his teeth, he unleashed one 'Arcane Missile' straight on the bear's eye, blasting it from the socket and with the opened window, he retreated away in the direction he sent the kobold flying with his kick, giving him 5 health potions, and along the way, downing one himself, recovering 1500 HP.

[Health: 1719/2224 / Mana:426/956]

"Lord, thank you for saving my life. We, Kobolds, are relatively weak against hits from powerful enemies."

"I've seen it myself. My kick almost killed you. Ahem, even if you died, I wouldn't be so saddened since I didn't expect you to be so weak to attacks."

"Lord, it is fine. Better alive than dead." commented the kobold, Vek, as he downed one potion, refiling his health back to full.

"Vek, if you want to be of help, attack when you see openings I create inside the monster. Not like how you did. I retreat for a reason, fully knowing the monster will try to fight back."

"Understood, Lord. I will follow your plan." said Vek, as he grasped the 'Saharan Sword' watching tightly as the bear was charging after them with crazed eyes.

Yet, his lizard eyes soon got blinded by two white-purple projectiles that struck the monster's head. Failing to blow it, the bear was stopped for brief seconds before turning his face at Fayrene roaring, shaking the rocks on the ground.

"Now, Vek. Follow me and stick close to me."

Saying that Mathias charged at the bear and began his assault with [Piercing Rain] that caused a total of [849] damage after triggering a critical hit, and with all his strength in the following attack, he pierced deep in the monster's body with [Thrust] causing [712] damage and proccing the 'Bleeding' debuff which dealt substantial damage to the monster, similar to what one of his basic attacks would do, around [200-250] damage.

Along with his end sequence, Vek also struck with three sword attacks before retreating, following Mathias, who encircled the bear, attacking its body from long range.
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The fight continued with Mathias and Vek fighting from close range and Fayrene supporting them from behind until things changed dramatically. When the bear reached 40% HP, it started turning smaller in size and released a green aura from its body.

Checking his HP pots and MP pots, he had 4 HP pots remaining and 3 [Intermediate Mana Points] along with 6 [Basic Mana Potions] that he consumed as the fight continued and his resources expenditure grew bigger.

"Don't give him a breathing chance. Fay, let's attack from a distance with 'Magic Missile'!" shouted Mathias as he started channeling in both hands his spells, something Fayrene reacted quickly into channeling heir mana.

Then not long after he said that, 35 seconds later, four missiles flew in the direction of the monster bear that was morphing itself, getting smaller and sinister, later venting its frustration for not being able to kill Mathias, Fayrene and Vek by roaring.

[You have suffered 270 damage].

The moment that shockwave hit him, something that managed to bypass his barrier, Vek was also about to be blasted away from him, but grabbing him by the tail, he kept him safe.

"Lord! Look ahead, the bear dodged all the projectiles you and the Mistress have sent!" shouted the kobold pointing with his lizard hands toward the bear that moved with swift movements dodging the missiles and charging at Fayrene.

"Fayrene, start the barrage of missiles while I come to pick you up!" shouted Mathias with some alertness in his tone as he ran toward Fayrene with his legs constantly releasing black smokey raven feathers.

"I will try, love."

Conforming to Mathias the plan, Fayrene took a deep breath closing her eyes for a brief second, before opening them, releasing a radiant white-purple light and with the shape of her [Mana Core] being revealed even for Mathias.

It seemed that her core had exquisite details with all sorts of runes and with a clearer form and vibrant power that made his own core look like a frog, while Fayrene's was an elegant swan.

"[Mana Acceleration]" said Fayrene, activating one of her spells that increased her channeling speed on her spells, and in 10 seconds as she was retreating, distancing for the bear charging at her, she began casting 'Magic Missile' one after another until her face turned surprised, crying out.

"[Arcane Barrage]"

From her hands with the casting of that spell, three missiles were shot at the same time, a visible difference compared to the delay of each 'Arcane Missile'.

Mathias took a quick glance at Fayrene's resources and noticed she entered a dangerous range, with only [450] MP remaining and getting closer to the bear, he saw how he dodged two missiles and was hit by only one.

Fayrene noticed the bear getting closer and closer to her without a chance for her to escape, she faced head-on the monster channeling the remaining mana into two spells that she sent blasting on the bear's flesh before being attacked by a powerful claw attack which sent her flying hitting the back of the cave wall with her 'Arcane Barrier' shattering on the spot.

*ROAR* releasing another crazed roar, with blood and flesh dripping on the floor after all the attacks received.

It turned toward Fayrene, wanting to end her, but Mathias arrived and jumped on its back, getting on the air, and unleashing a powerful [Thurst] attack piercing the skull of the monster causing a critical hit.

[You have dealt 830 to the target.]

Trying to draw Ragnius from the monster's skull that didn't collapse even after a hit that could end anyone, he quickly began losing his balance as the monster was trying to shake him off.

*ROAR*

Giving off another powerful roar that sent off a shockwave hitting Mathias directly, suffering [460] damage, he was dropped down because of the knockback effect of the monster ability, losing his hold on Ragnius that was stuck on the skull.

Following his dropping, the bear sent a powerful claw strike that blasted his 'Arcane Barrier' the same as Fayrene's, sending him flying straight to her, almost crashing on her. Apart from this, he also suffered from the impact with the cave wall.

[You have suffered 1224 damage.]

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"Fay, how is your body? Did you get any bones broken?" asked Mathias, beginning to move his body and looking at Fayrene, who was on her knees.
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[Fayrene: Heath: 357/1360 / Mana: 50/2500]

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"No, luckily, my barrier was enough to block most of the impact of the beast and wall before shattering." said Fayrene as her lips began being colored in her blood before taking a health potion that recovered all her HP.

"How many potions do you still have?" asked Mathias, also taking another HP pot to recover his health, followed by drinking 3 [Basic Mana Potions], which recovered 300 MP each.

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"I've used most of my mana potions, having only one intermediate, with the rest being health potions. Don't worry about my resources, I still have my 'Envocation', which I hope will suffice until the end of the fight.

"We are close to ending this monster. Very close." mentioned Mathias, who got his 'Saharan Sword' in hand.

Fayrene also got on her feet, beginning to cast her mana recovering spell, which had her body be covered in a white-purple aura where her [Mana Core] began pulsing.

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"[Envocation]"

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Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the bear tried to get Ragnius off its head by shaking its head around violently, however Mathias planted it deep inside.

Vek, who saw as both Mathias and Fayrene got blasted by the monster, made up his courage, appearing closer to the bear and getting on its back.

"I have to get the Lord's weapon at all costs. Otherwise, my tribe will be endangered if this beast still lurks here."

Making his mind, he secured his balance by stabbing the sword on the monster's body he touched Ragnius's shaft, trying to get it off. The moment he touched the spear, he felt his hands going cold and heavy.

Gritting his teeth, he pursued the action while keeping his balance on the beast that dashed toward a wall with the intent of smashing Vek on the wall.
"Please come off! Father of Dragons Asgorath, I have to help those humans who are trying to fight this beast and save my people."

Praying to himself as he was holding Ragnius trying to get it from the head, he suddenly saw the image of a gigantic shadow with the outline of a being that made his scales raise up as if they were the hairs of a man who was scared of something.

The shadowy head of that being scoffed seemed to release some dark flames before Vek felt the vision ending and his moves being able to move Ragnius.

Taking off Ragnius, barely able to handle this long spear with his small-statured body, he jumped off the monster and sprinted toward Mathias and Fayrene, who were recovering.

"Lord!! I managed to get your spear back!"

Mathias was surprised by the display Vek put on trying to get Ragnius back, he nodded his head, receiving his weapon back, while asking himself.

'How could he move so freely with Ragnius? Did the ego slumbering inside Ragnius wake up?'

He didn't ponder much on this idea, instead turned his attention to the bear that roared in their direction, moving once again with murderous intent toward them, visible, only knowing this, to kill.

"Let's start the last round of fighting. Ready Fay? Vek?"

"Yes, Lord. I am ready. Your sword is really great compared to what I used so far."

"We can start, dear. My mana has recovered and still has some seconds to recover." mentioned Fayrene looking at Mathias and the kobold, Vek.

"Okay. Then let's move, Vek. Like we did so far, keep close to me and strike when you see openings."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 43 - The End of the Menace
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With a rally coming from Mathias, Vek saw these human legs releasing black feathers from his steps once again. He tried to keep up with him using his small yet agile body and some unique traits from the kobold ancestors, the dragons.

Mathias, grasping tightly on Ragnius' shaft, suddenly stopped to avoid an unexpected claw strike, later making Vek some hand signs with his left hand.

Vek understood the hand sign and split up with Mathias going on the opposite side of the monster and waiting patiently for Mathias next move. At the same time, Mathias that had all the aggro of the fight on him, began avoiding the strikes of the bear monster.

*ROAR*

Another roar released by the monster sent a shockwave in his direction, causing damage that made him enter a dangerous mark, having only 1430 health.

'I think after one more hit, I will drink another flask. I shouldn't waste any resources on this fight.'

Taking in the shockwave, Mathias pushed ahead, getting right in the face of the monster unleashing a combo formed by [Piercing Rain] and [Arcane Missile].

The first attack of the spear was dodged by the bear, who visibly tried to avoid getting hit, however, after escaping the first spear attack, the other two marked the resilient body, causing [176] and [267] before taking a critical magic hit that knocked back the beast.

[You have dealt 1591 damage to the target.]

Nevertheless, the monster bounced quickly and arrived in front of Mathias with red eyes, slashing with his bloody claws, taking him unprepared for such fast speed.

"[Arcane Barrier]"

Barely casting the spell on time, the white-purple light began enveloping him into a cocoon which oscillated a lot when being hit by the monster, which pushed him back. However, as his body was pushed by this strong attack, the barrier also released a shockwave that hit back the bear.

[You have suffered 1172 damage.]

[Arcane Barrier reflected 367 damage to the target]
Vek took advantage of the moment the monster was pushed back by Mathias's barrier and quickly did a flurry of strikes hitting the bear 5 times before retreating just in time, the monster hit the ground exactly in the position the kobold was attacking.

"Phew, I almost got hit by this beast."

As he was retreating, the kobold saw the beast roar in his direction, sending a shockwave that blasted him, hitting the cave's wall, making him grit his teeth in pain from the impact. From there, he saw 3 projectiles being sent by Fayrene instantly, which made the bear react by changing priorities and charging at her.

As the monster did that, it dodged all of the attacks, which had Fayrene look surprised, preparing herself by activating the barrier. Readying herself for the attack, she saw Fayrene appear behind the bear, moving with the quick steps of [Raven's Movements] and dashing underneath this monster, he made a spin attack, and once he dropped the monster down and escaped from its heavy body, he thrusted the spear which created a bleeding wound.

Roaring creating a powerful shockwave targeting Mathias, he just received a cold snort from the spearman who stabbed Ragnius on the ground, creating a beam to support himself before sending an 'Arcane Missile'.

[You have dealt 673 damage to the target.]

"[Arcane Blast]"

[Your party member Fayrene has dealt 1587 damage to Iljnoks]

Mathias heard Fayrene say that then seconds later, a rune appeared on the bear's body, which later exploded after colliding with a white-purple light cast at great intensity. Releasing another pained roar, the bear moved his hand to squash Mathias, who drank an HP flask to heal the shockwave damage received.

Once again, back to full health, he casted 'Raven's Movement' and took Ragnius from the ground, he escaped with only being grazed by the monster's claw, which caused a heavy wound on his side.

[You have suffered 634 damage.]

Fighting the pain sent by his pain receptors, he unleashed a [Piercing Rain], which the beast failed to dodge in time because of Mathias fast attack speed, which was 15% higher than normal after fighting for 10 minutes the monster, causing [197], [239] and [215] damage.

With only 75 MP left, he took a deep breath in his chest and casted [Mana Hunger], which began recovering his lost mana, slowly refiling him even in combat with the most needed resource, mana, increasing his mana by 37 per second, but this wasn't enough for what he had in mind.

With his clear green eyes, which began shining with white-purple light and with his 'Mana Core' starting to shine, he casted a spell which he struggled for so long to learn.

"[Envocation]"

[You have lost 25 stamina as a prerequisite of activating the spell. You reached a low margin of your Stamina.]

[Stamina: 35/120]

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[Envocation]

Rating: Legendary
Channelling the mana of the world for 10 seconds increases your mana regeneration by 950%.
Skill Consumption: 15 STA
Skill Cooldown: 30 minutes
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Not minding those warning notifications, he looked around himself, seeing his surroundings change right in front of his eyes with a veil of pure mana coming from the world making his way around. The mana core began spinning like it was a fusion reactor that received fuel to work at full capacity.

"Let's end this beast, Fayrene. Have you gathered enough for your mana?"

"After you, dear." responded Fayrene, who began channelling her mana, making her long shirt sleeves start to disintegrate under the effect of the arcane magic that was focused on her hands.

Mathias also began to channel his mana into his hands and, each second releasing one 'Arcane Missile' as if he entered into a special realm where the casting felt natural without any restrictions.

He just has to think of the spell in his mind and simply push out the mana accumulated in his hands.

*ROARR*

The bear monster was roaring madly, evading the missiles that kept being shot at him. In the first 5 seconds, he found himself successful but then after one missile hit him, his evasion rate dropped down.

Each second was a true hell for the monster who created on his own, a hellish life for other lifeforms of this Gravelmark Mountain.

After 10 seconds of activating and pressuring the monster down with his continuous casting of spells, he returned to a conservative state keeping the beast at bay with his spear attacks that placed the monster into a desperate state.

[Iljnoks - 4580 HP]

Keeping his distance and acting upon its primal instincts, the bear looked at the exit of the cave, and by releasing an enraged roar, suggesting his intention, almost as if he told them, "We will meet again, and when we meet again, I will end you." type of roar.

"You wish to escape? After all this work I put here? No chance, monster."

"[Raven's Movement]"

Activating his movement speed buff, he dashed toward the bear, but he noticed the beast also used a speed ability which boosted his own, unleashing everything he had in his arsenal to escape this encounter with Mathias, Fayrene and Vek.

"Fuck, he is faster than me? No way!"
Fayrene was focusing on casting her spell, but when she saw the monster escaping, her aura started to diminish until she heard Mathias shout at her.

"Keep channelling your spell. This monster will not escape."

Nodding her head, she began increasing the rhythm she was pushing mana in her hands, and while Mathias was running after the monster, Vek appeared from nowhere, jumping from a hole in a wall directly on the beast's back starting to stab its back.

*ROARR*

The bear was slowed down by this sneak attack of the kobold and sensing Mathias, it began shaking around, trying to get Vek off its back.

It was until it stopped moving, unleashing another beastly thunderous roar which created the biggest shockwave ever, which had Vek fragile body start erupting in blood with the sound of bones being heard even by Fayrene that gritted her teeth.

Mathias was stopped in place, anchoring down with Ragnius, and could only gaze as the kobold dropped from the beast back like a dead body.

"Stupid kobold, have I asked you to do this? You just killed yourself in such a manner?"

There was anger in Mathias's voice as he asked those questions to himself, and with a cold gaze returned at the bear which seemed to no longer try to escape, it released another mad roar which blasted at Mathias, almost sending him flying if not for his anchoring.


Then with the bear almost reaching where he was fighting the shockwave, he saw the monster raise its large claws with the intention to end him, similar to the past when he was exhausted after fighting the 'Dire Wolf'.

"Hah, you wish to end me? You despise me for trying to kill you, monster? That is called Karma, you damned monster, who told you to pick a fight with a crazy person?"

"[ARCANE MISSILE]"

"[ARCANE MISSILE]"

"[ARCANE MISSILE]"
Sending out three spells while he was holding with only one hand on Ragnius, looking like a flag post moving in the wind, it had the monster stop its momentum and dodge the attacks.

He found himself lacking enough mana to cast more missiles, even though his mana was still constantly recovering.

When the monster got in his face and attacked him, he released his hand from Ragnius and was instantly propelled by the shockwave, crashing into the wall of the cave and with his eyes wide open, he began laughing like he found the entire situation amusing.

"Hahaha, you think I will get myself killed when I am way smarter than you damned beast? You need more work to end me! Goodbye and see you next life. Next time only, I will suffice in killing you."

Saying that Mathias sent a bang with his fingers from where he was, fully knowing that Fayrene ended channelling her spell that she later sent as the monster was roaring toward him.

"[Arcane Orb]"

With a large orb formed by pure magic that illuminated the dark cave into a bright white-purple light, it quickly moved toward the monster, and once it made contact, it got disintegrated, turning into gray light, followed by the notifications of how much damage Fayrene has dealt with that spell and the notifications of the monster's defeat.

[Your party member Fayrene has dealt a hit of 5570 damage to Iljnoks]

[Congratulations, your party has defeated 'Mutated Bear - Iljnoks' ending the chaos and the instability he brought in the biosphere of Gravelmark Heights]

[All party members received the title 'Menace Hunter']

[You have received 300,905 experience]

[You have acquired 500 gold]

['Fallen Iljnoks Hat' has been acquired]

['Iljnoks Dagger Claw' has been acquired.]

[Blessed Weapon Enhancement Stone (5) has been acquired]
[Blessed Armor Enhancement Stone (6) has been acquired]

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[You can't level up]

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He simply couldn't level up even though he probably had enough exp to reach the highest level in the entire game, but this didn't mean that Fayrene was part of the rule since she was enveloped by the lights of levelling up.

From where he was inside the wall, he looked at the party status and could see that Vek was still alive with his HP back to the full because of his levelling up with the amount of EXP Vek received according to the contribution to the fight he placed. In doing so, he raised up to 32 from level 30.

Fayrene was different, along with Mathias were the ones dealing the most damage to the boss monster, and she was even the one doing the finishing blow. Her level raised to a whopping 35, from her equal level with his own, 24.

[Fayrene: - Level 35]

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"Congratulations, dear. You succeeded in casting the spell you have worked for so long and sacrificed so much." said Mathias, who started to get up from where he was to walk toward Fayrene, whose right-hand sleeve got disintegrated by the magic she channelled in her arms.

The scars on her arm were like thunder marks which released a white-purple light as if they were her magic veins.

Fayrene was still euphoric about her achievements and growth and didn't see that the arm she was so scared to show was revealed in full display. Only after the mana in her body started to calm did she discover about her arm being revealed.

"AHHHH!!! NOO! DON'T LOOK AT ME, MATHIAS!" screamed Fayrene trying to hide with all price her arm.

Nevertheless, Mathias arrived closer to her and embraced her, saying to her in a calm voice.

"Shhh, shhh. Calm down. Everything will be fine. I am not scared. Why should you be afraid of how you look when I don't mind it?" asked Mathias with a warm voice while cradling Fayrene in his embrace.

"I CAN'T! IT IS TOO MONSTROUS! GET ME THE BANDAGES!" cried out Fayrene while in his embrace, trembling a lot.
Still cradling her softly, in doing so, also hiding her arm from her, he caressed her back softly, asking her with a joking tone. "Where is the monster? I don't see anything deranged with your arm. Show me what is monstrous about it."

Feeling his warmth and hearing his calming words, she murmured to herself. "The arm is hideous. That is the monster."
Hearing her murmur, he continued with a joking approach. "Will it bite me? Tell me so I know when to put it in its place."

She cried out while hugging him, slowly she started to calm down while assisted by Mathias's calm and warm words, along with his stupid jokes.

Still having her in his embrace, he said to her. "You better don't run from me just because you are scared. Let me see for myself what is so hideous about the arm. Hah, to think it would make my Grand Arcanist so scared."

"I will not *Snif*." said Fayrene while hugging him before she was kissed on the forehead by him.

Breaking his hug after kissing her, he moved back, only after Fayrene allowed him, and took her right arm in his hand, which was still giving off some white-purple light from the scar, looking at it carefully.

While he was doing that, Fayrene had her eyes closed, trembling a bit.

He could see the scar of her first failed attempt at using the spell she just used, 'Arcane Orb', running from her shoulder straight to her forearm. This thunderous scar healed well, just as Gabrils mentioned, yet now they looked more like runes in front of his eyes.

'Gabrils sure spent a lot of his powers to close up such a wound, but this is all that matters, no infections, no dead skin, only the marks which look more magic than I expected. However, this is a fantasy world. The cures are all out there. Anything can be treated in a fantasy world, this is 'Satisfy' for God sake.'

"It has healed beautifully. Come open your eyes, Fay, and look at my face."

Reluctantly to open them, Fayrene did as Mathias told her, and once she met her eyes with the scarred right arm, her expression paled a bit, but when she looked at Mathias' calm expression, who didn't show any repulsion.

"Fayrene, you need to be brave. You can't always shut down when facing this event. Your arm has no problems, only this mark, but looking at it closely, it seems quite beautiful. Mysterious and magical. Don't you think so, Vek?"
"Lord, you are right. The Mistress is magically blessed. Even my ancestors, the Dragons, might lack compared to how pure her mana is. Yours is the same Lord, but still lacking compared to Mistress."
"Buzz off, I didn't ask you for that. Also, glad to see you are still alive and kicking."
"Haha, Lord, to be honest, I was just about to meet my ancestors, but suddenly I felt envigored."
"I see. Good for you, I guess. Now don't disturb me. We'll talk later." said Mathias waving his left hand at the kobold, who shut up and waited calmly seated on the ground, watching the couple with curious eyes.

Fayrene, who heard both Mathias and the kobolds who had his own unique perspective, she felt a bit better, but her trauma was still large, filling her with insecurities and fears, making her ask Mathias.
"Really? Are you not disgusted?"

Caressing the arm, he chuckled a bit. "Even if it was a monster, as you call it, I wouldn't mind it. However, this isn't the case here."

Feeling the tickling of his touch on the scars, she took her arms away and watched it carefully. With all the encouraging words Mathias told her, she started to see the arm in a different mirror.

"Thank you for being with me in these moments and also giving me the chance to test myself."
After saying that, she went back into his embrace and kissed him on the lips, following a passionate kiss between the two for quite a while. Vek started applauding the two, saying to the two.
"Lord, Mistress, you two really look well together. Right, I never asked for your name. How may I call you two?"
The two ignored the kobold as they continued kissing until Fayrene stopped Mathias, and with some cute coughs, she turned to look embarrassed at the kobold, asking him.
"Little friend, you asked something not too long?"
"Hah, you are still weak, my Grand Arcanist. The kobold asked us for our names. Let me introduce myself first. Vek, you can call me Mathias, don't go with the Lord this, Lord that. I am not even a noble."
"Tsk, you jerk, stop teasing me. Of course, I remember what he asked. Vek, I am Fayrene."
Hearing both of them introduce themselves, Vek, who was on his feet, walked closer to them and dropped on his knees, bowing hard to them, before saying with emotions in his voice.
"Lord Mathias, Lady Fayrene, you have my appreciation for killing that monster. You don't know how much it means for my tribe and me that the monster who created hell for us kobolds to disappear."
"Raise up, Vek. We didn't do this for your kobold clansmen. I have a history with this monster. He killed me when I just started adventuring in the wilderness."
"He killed you!?? Are you a ghost?"
Fayrene giggled when seeing how obvious the kobold was about outlanders, compared to her, who knew quite a lot from what Mathias taught and told her.
"Not really. Anyway, is your tribe living on this mountain, right? Do the small skeletons inside the cave belong to your people? This is also the reason you don't wish to tell us more about your tribe."
"That… Lord Mathias, you really are smart like an elf. I really don't wish to endanger my clansmen, but that is right. Those skeletons belong to the champions of my clan who adventured to slay the monster lurking inside this cave."
"I see. This means you are also one of those champions, not truly a scout, right?"
"... Indeed, Lord Mathias. My apologies for lying." confessed Vek, whose party information changed, turning to [Gravelmark Kobold Champion - Vek].
"Nothing to worry about. If doing so protects your people, it is understandable. We will not linger here anymore because I want to climb the mountain and see the Saharan River stream for myself." said Mathias as he held Fayrene right hand and turned to walk toward the cave exit.
"Wait! I can guide you to the stream. Let me do at least this for you, Mathias."
"Hmm, fine. You probably know this place better than me, so tag in."
With a nod of his head, Vek quickly dashed toward Mathias and Fayrene, taking the lead as he guided them, and along the way, he received a notification.
[Your affinity with Vek has risen by 15 after clearing the instance 'Mutated Bear Den' and requisite of not looking for Gravelmark Kobold Tribe]
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'So the cave had the entrance toward the kobold tribe lair. They are known for being able to dig in the mountains and build their homes underground. Quite the useful race for mischievous things, such as finding Metal Ores, building a canal system, maintaining it and so on. I'll look more on the web about Kobolds. Who knows if I will ever require their help.' thought Mathias to himself, as he walked after the red kobold, climbing the mountain, following the river's streamline.

As he climbed the mountain, he reached a levelled part of the mountain, which had a large lake waiting for him, with the surrounding area being decorated by jade-like greenfields, protected by the ancient trees that offered shade and a base for the land.
"Wow, this is so beautiful, Mat. I never imagined there could be a place inside a mountain with a lake and such scenery. Come, let's go to the lakeshore and relax a bit." said Fayrene while dragging Mathias with her toward the lake.
"Michael, you really didn't scam me. Even when being drunk, you could give me the correct location for a place worth spending years. Hey Vek, mind your business for a bit. Go sleep or whatever."
Hearing this, Vek nodded his kobold head and moved to the shade of one ancient tree and closed his eyes, rather quickly dozing off.
Mathias, who was dragged by Fayrene to the lake, didn't resist and soon found himself looking at the crystal clear water and taking inside his nostrils the fragrance of the water, which instantly had him say to Fayrene.
"This is a salt lake. Interesting, so this mountain is a salt one."
"A salt lake? Is the water really salty?" asked Fayrene, hearing Mathias say that, and filled with curiosity, she lowered herself to place her hand inside the water, later taking a taste which made her spit back to the lake.
"Bahh, so salty. Yaks, I will never try it again." spewed Fayrene, some saliva with a weird expression on her face.
Mathias laughed out loud, and taking his boots off his feet and raising his trousers to the knees, he placed his feet inside the lake and turned to look at Fayrene, saying to her.
"The temperature is quite good. Try it yourself."
Still skeptical about what she should do, in the end, she followed what Mathias did and took the boots off her feet and raised her trousers, revealing her delicate feet, which she submerged in the salty water.

"Ohh my, ohh my, this feeling is quite pleasant." mentioned Fayrene as she was moving her feet in the water, holding Mathias hands with her right one, which was revealed basking in the sunshine.
Mathias started telling Fayrene about all kinds of random stuff while being accompanied by the music created by the flowing river stream not too far from where they were until he reached the part where he told her that the salty water might have a beneficial effect on her scar.
"Really?? This salty water help my scar? But I don't know how to swim. I can only stay with my legs inside." asked Fayrene, while Mathias just told her about the stories of older people in his country going to salt lakes to treat their illnesses.
"Here, I can also teach you how to swim."
With that, he took off his clothes, remaining with only his underwear, made his yours truly from some cotton fabric, making Fayrene turn embarrassed at this unexpected side.
"What are you doing?? Ahhh, put some clothes on you."
"Not a chance. I don't wish to scrub them of salt later on. See you later." saying that, he jumped into the lake, splashing Fayrene on her face and body.
"MATHIAS!!" screamed Fayrene panicking when she noticed that Mathias didn't return to the surface.
It was then that he appeared back, floating on his back and laughing at her while blowing his nose.
"Damn, this is saltier than I expected. Is something wrong, my Grand Arcanist? Did you get scared I would have gotten to the other world?"
"YOU JERK! STUPID! JERK!" shouted Fayrene from the distance, splashing some water in his direction but falling to reach him, until she stopped as if a lightbulb got lighted in her head.
Mathias's face turned sour when he noticed what this crazy lady of his tried to pull and immediately told her while waving his hands.
"NOOOO! Don't do it! You'll shake around the salt in the water, and it is bad for the environment. Be good. I'll teach you how to swim."
After he said that, he began to swim back to the surface and stop closer to Fayrene, awaiting for her courage to build up. While that was happening, he shouted toward the kobold, asking him something Fayrene had no clue about.

"VEK, WHERE IS THE BLACK MUD WHICH STINKS! I KNOW THERE MIGHT BE SOME AROUND HERE."
The kobold opened his eyes, and looking at Mathias, he walked toward another part of the lake, and later he returned with all his hands holding black mud, which scared Fayrene into retreating, asking with a disgusted expression, Mathias.
"What's that black mud? AHHH, what are you doing??"
"Mineral rich black mud is good stuff for the body. This is what I was thinking about when referring to the healing properties of the lake. Bring more Vek, hehe, we'll have the lady also tag in." said Mathias after getting on the surface, taking some of the mud from Vek's hand spreading on his body, before having Vek do his body.
[You discovered the healing properties of the Gravelmark Black Mud, receiving a rise of all stats by 15 points.]
'Hah, I have to get my hands on this mountain at all costs when the live version kicks in. Good that I know Lord Juander, it will be easy to approach him with an offer to buy the mountain once I have money.'

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 44 - Lady of the Lake?
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Mathias was fully covered in the mud, having some even on his face which had Fayrene gaze at him with a weird expression. She still had her clothes on her, but she also was interested in learning to swim, entering a crossroads of her mind.
"I will not cover myself in that mud. I will just join in to swim."
Receiving her answer, Mathias nodded waiting by the lake side, covered in the mud which started to make his body burn a bit.
"Go on my Grand Arcanist, I doubt you will want to scrub salt off your clothes, once it dries and you walk with so much on you, it will start getting icing."
Taking a deep breath, she began taking her clothes off, revealing her white-milky tender skin, getting covered only on her intimate zones with the undergarment.
She walked closer to Mathias, looking at him from head to toes, looking like people of the desert in the stories, while Mathias was also admiring her body giving off a wide smile before scooping some mud from Vek and spreading it on her scarred arm.
"You… Ahh, wait. This feels quite nice actually."
"I told you my love, but leave it to me. Is not like we are turning into some mud monsters. You'll feel way better after this. Vek, go fetch more of the mud."
"No problem, Mathias. I'll be back quickly." responded Vek, leaving for the mud pool close to the lake, and as he did that the sound of laughter and giggling could be heard.
Mathias covered all of Fayrene right arm in mud, before he moved toward her back giving her a massage, lowering all of Fayrene's tension which she began enjoying.
Later with Vek returning, Mathias covered Fayrene entire body in mud, making both laugh at each other for how stupid they looked.
Embracing each other as they were waiting for the mud to dry looking in the distance at the higher mountains, Mathias said to her.
"In the future, I hope I will buy this land and build a vacation house right here. We would be able to spend our time relaxing, and enjoying life."
"It almost feels like a fairy tale, spending time together like this with my most dearest person." mentioned Fayrene pressing her shoulder into Mathias and supporting herself on his body.
"This could be a honeymoon? No, I will take you in the most beautiful place this world has to offer for the honeymoon."
She pinched his skin a tiny bit, lovingly, feeling embarrassed, but she agreed with Mathias' intentions.
"Dear, we have to work hard for this. Only nobles can receive land in the Empire. I am just the daughter of some farmers while you, are also someone of common origins, especially an outlander. It would be even harder for us to claim this land our own."
He could feel her sadness while she was saying that, but with a caress on her back, he asked her calmly.
"Do you know the conditions to become a noble inside the Empire?"
"Well, from what I heard, you can buy the honorable title, but that wouldn't make you a real noble which can hold land. Only by serving as a Red Knight and serving the Empire on multiple conditions marking great achievements along with the recommendation of your superior, will you be eligible for a title."
[Ding!] [You managed to understand the prerequisite of becoming a noble of the Saharan Empire.]
*Whistle* "I think those nobles are just greedy keeping the commoners out of their ranks. A Red Knight you say? Serving in the army? If it is to get my hands on this land where I can spend my time with my most beloved, I will do it."
*Giggling* "I will be there to offer my heart for you to cry on once you see the cruel part of Saharan."
"My love, I will do it. So you better prepare all your clothes to become a noble lady."
"Hmmm, if my mother hears that you want to become a noble just for this, she will for sure scold me for not trying to stop you. But we are different, we want more from life and have to work hard to achieve that.
I plan to build a magic school where I will start teaching children magic, a downsized version of the Arcane, be they peasants like myself or nobles, but for that I also need to be recognized by the higher nobles."
"When you will find it hard, doing all you wish for to achieve, I will be there giving you my chest to cry on."
"So it shall be for an eternity, my love." said Fayrene as she went into his embrace, getting to his chest.
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Waiting for about 15 minutes, they walked toward the lake with Mathias holding Fayrene's right hand with a soft touch. He had to start slowly, getting her used to the water temperature before getting distanced.
"Ahh, it isn't that warm."
"Well, what do you expect, to have boiled water we washed ourselves in the tub? You'll get used to the temperature as you spend more time in it."
She was holding tightly into Mathias, feeling her legs start losing her stability which caused her to panic and move chaotically which could only lead to her getting head first into the water, and drowning.
"Hah, breathe slowly and calm down Fay. Aren't I right here?" said Mathias holding Fayrene up while moving his legs to keep his balance.
"It is too hard, I can't keep my balance." shuttered Fayrene who looked at Mathias standing floating without problem, holding her with a secured hold.
It was when Mathias got to her back, telling her to relax, that she felt herself being lowered, watching the sky and observing the birds flying above her.
She panicked, starting to move her arms and legs splashing herself and Mathias with salty water, but hearing him tell her calmly, as if he had no problem getting splashed.
"Breathe calmly and don't move your hands horrendously."
"Understood."
Saying that, she started to feel Mathias hands departing from her body, leaving her float on the salty lake, while he began swimming around her to keep a watch on her safety.
"I am floating on my own without drowning? Amazing! This feels so nice." implied Fayrene as she stopped from hitting the water with her hands and legs, getting calmer.
Arriving at her chest and moving to give her a kiss on her shoulder, he smiled telling her.
"This is just the start. You'll learn how to swim until we go home."
Hearing his confident voice, Fayrene also started feeling confident in her own abilities to learn, relying on Mathias abilities to teach her who she felt could be a great teacher if he ever wanted.
Minutes passed and Mathias was holding Fayrene's body in a plank position while he instructed her on how to kick with her legs and use her arms. She was unsuccessful which made her flustered and annoyed, but was always calmed by one gentle kiss on the lips.
"Don't get angry. It is not like we try reaching Mount Olympus from the start. You have to be calm and try to teach the body to execute those movements."
"That is right, Lady Fayrene, Lord Mathias is right on that." commented the kobold Vek, looking like a crocodile with only his snout sticking up.
Hearing Vek while she was slightly annoyed, she created a small arcane ball the size of a coin, which she sent in Vek's direction to make him go away. However, when she did that the ripples made by the water had her lose the balance she struggled so much to find, hitting head first the water.
When Mathias raised her up, she wrapped her arms tightly around him like a scared cat, at which Mathias commented to her looking in her violet eyes.
"Salty, right?"
"This is hell, not salty."
"Bah, stop being silly, love. This is what happens when you feel secure. A lesson learn while young I guess. Now let's start over. Ahh, wait I just thought of something important." stopped Mathias floating and also holding Fayrene in his arms as he looked with big eyes that started to shine in a white-purple light.
"What is it? Tell me, don't scare me while I can't even swim."
Looking in her eyes when commenting that, he shook his head chuckling before confessing to her.
"Have you ever thought of using 'Arcane Intellect' on yourself to speed up the learning process?"
While she was holding into his body, she looked shocked, before she said in a cute manner.
"That is right why haven't I thought of doing that, I am stupid nowdays."
"It can happen even to the most experienced, I also forget about the beneficial effects of the spell sometimes. Hah, probably even the master would forget about him having such a spell."
*Giggling* "From how he sounds in his writings, he is that type of old man to forget about certain things."
Casting the spell, the process begone smoother, making her much serene and quiet, listening to everything Mathias was saying with keen hearing.
"That it, my love. How couldn't my Grand Arcanist not be able to swim when even a baby can do it?" commented Mathias who watched Fayrene slowly but surely swim on her own.
When she heard him say that, she turned to splash him with water, which made him give her an evil smile. Taking a small dive, he began swimming like Vek, similar to a crocodile making Fayrene look around panicked.
She tried to run away, but the predator caught her too fast, appearing right in front of her gazing at her face.
"Scared?" asking that he planted a kiss on her lips, wrapping his tongue with her own and when he noticed her try to move her head because of how salty his lips and tongue was, he just laughed.
"This is called a salty kiss."
"Hah, you and your jokes. Can't you be serious once in a while?"
"Depends who is asking me? With my most dear, I can only show my warm, gentle side, with the unknown my neutral side, and the enemy can only see my ruthless and cold side." replied Mathias in a casual manner, swimming close to Fayrene, moving to ask her about something she even forgot had problems.
"How is your arm doing, Fay? Is there a difference after being wrapped in the mud and staying in the salty water?"
"Yes, I am more relaxed now showing my arm to you. Especially after you kissed it so many times. You pervert."
"Hehe, I've done my job right it seems. I scared the monster from my little arcanist."
She could only chuckle, and start swimming away from Mathias who let her do her own things, swimming toward Vek who was at the center of the lake basking in the sun.
"Vek, can I ask you something?"
"Sure thing, Lord Mathias. Do you want me to look after the Lady while you swim?"
"That is right. Thanks in advance for showing us this place. You might have heard about me wanting to buy this place from the Emperor of this country, if this might hurt your clan in this area just tell me and I will not follow this idea."
"I doubt my elder would be angry if he knew the person who killed that monster would want to buy this land. We by no means will disturb the humans who might move in this lands. My tribe is a peaceful one. I don't know about other tribes in other locations so I can't speak in their name."
"I see, then we will see in the future and if it is possible I also hope I meet your elder to assure him about the safety of your clan."
Nodding at what Mathias said, Vek began to follow Fayrene that moved closer to the surface, turning her head once in a while to see Mathias distance himself going deeper in the lake.
"I guess he also wanted to relax a bit, not watch over me all day. I am not such a clingy person, so I can understand his desire. We have to respect our intimate range. Don't you think so Vek?"
Getting his head up, the kobold did an awkward laugh, before saying to her. "Lady Fayrene, I am here to watch over you. It is dangerous if you slip, and by my ancestors you drown."
"Don't worry, but since you are here, let's talk. Staying here and swimming around can be boring sometimes."
Vek didn't have a problem and started talking with Fayrene who was curious about the kobold race, asking questions from the books she read, confirming and debunking certain myths about them.
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Meanwhile, Mathias was swimming toward the center of the lake, shifting his position into a plank, floating basking in the sun, closing his eyes.
As he was standing in the salty water, relaxing he noticed another notification ring in his ears which made him open his eyes.
[You have gained 1 Stamina point.]
[You have gained 1 Stamina point.]
[You have gained 1 Stamina point.]
"I guess this place is really a gold mine for players. Sigh, it is unlikely this place will not be claimed by some foolish person or some guilds trying to impose their wills around, so buying this land would just shut up those people, having the right to regulate this place to my liking and how the kobolds living here see fit."
Some minutes passed and an idea passed in his mind which made him open his eyes from the plank position and ask himself.
"If I was a developer and put such details into this place, they could have built it on top of some legends, like King Arthur Sword, Excalibur, given by Lady of the Lake. Bah, she would have probably died from all this salt."
Moving his legs to swim a bit, he pondered on the legends that could be related to lakes but each and every idea was debunked later, with him only saying sarcastically.
"No being is able to live in such salty water. Is like the Dead Sea from Israel."
"Well, maybe there is something on the other side of the lake? Let's check it out while the sun is still up."
With a target in mind, he started to swim in the opposite direction of the lake, and as he was distancing from where Fayrene was, he started to see some small shadows in the distance.
"What the heck? What's this? Some creatures inside the lake?"
Yet it didn't take long for him to discover what those creatures were when he heard the familiar sound of ducks.
"Well, that sure is disappointing." said Mathias as he looked at the ducks which started to disperse at first sight.
"Let's get out of here before I start baiting inside some monsters. I saw nothing here, so, continue with your lives."
Ending saying that toward the ducks scattering out of the lake, he turned and started to swim back to Fayrene who seemed to talk with Vek, holding an interested expression.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 45 - Without Masks
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It took him some time to get back, and by the time he got out of the lake, Fayrene was already standing on some cloths he spread on the greenfield.
From how she was standing basking in the sun, it looked like she was waiting for her body to dry from all the salt, however knowing from experience that it was something bad, he immediately shouted at her.

"Go in the river to wash the salt off you. Wait, we'll go in together."
She chuckled, and when he got off the lake, there was some mud on his body, yet once they got to the river stream, they helped each other take off the mud remaining on their body.
"Ahhh, so nice and refreshing." commented the two of them, taking turns in drying their body with the rugs Mathias had with him.
"To think those rags would come in handy at one point. I take my words back, dear. If it's useful, no need to throw it away." said Fayrene as she handed the cloth to Mathias.
He laughed, wrapping his arms around her slim waist, telling her.
"Do you wish to stay the night here? I can build something from this wood, a small camp where we can sleep. Yet until then, we will admire the moon and the stars in the sky."
"Dry yourself property, you dummy. I am not good at those menial things, but I can help you."
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In such a way, after standing watching the lake in each other's embrace, they got up, and Mathias walked toward some trees nearby, which he began cutting using 'Saharan Sword'.
It took some time for him to cut those trees, but it felt easier than he expected compared to doing it in reality.
Fayrene watched with curious eyes the movement he used to cut the trees, and when those trees were about to drop, she was scooped up by Mathias, leaving the zone as the tree fell down.
After doing this with some more trees, the two used their magic to drag the trees in a spot close to an old-looking tree which offered some shade and protection.
Using a strength unrecognizable to average humans in reality, he began sectioning the logs while Fayrene was tasked to clean the zone they picked for their home. She did it flawlessly using her magic and soon started supporting Mathias too.
Vek was there to help Fayrene and was surprised by how Mathias was methodically building the cabin.
"Lord Mathias, who taught you to build such houses?" asked the kobold, a question Fayrene too wanted to hear an answer.
Stopping from building the cabin, he gazed at Vek for a brief moment, as if he started remembering his younger days, before cracking in laughter.
"My grandfather taught me these crazy things. He told me it is something I am supposed to know if some unthinkable event would happen and I need a shelter. That old man is a treasure trove for me."
Seeing Mathias with such a bright smile while referring to his grandfather.
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When the night started encroaching into the mountain plateau, Mathias was on top of the cabin doing the finishing touches of placing branches on top, later placing them inside the moss he gathered from around the surrounding places.
"Finally. It isn't even that shabby for a first try. I am ready for a zombie apocalypse. Haha, damn, I better watch what I wish for." laughed Mathias, who was admiring his work.
Fayrene cleaned her forehead of sweat and walked inside the cabin that had sufficient space for the two of them. There was even a bed he made where they could sleep. Mathias turned at Vek and told him with a calm voice.
"Vek, you can return to your tribe. It is most likely they are worrying about you and probably might even think you suffered the same fate as the others. Fay and I will be fine here, so return home since we will stay here maybe one more day before getting down the mountain."
"Understood, Mathias. Ahem, so you know, my kobold tribe is situated in this mountain, and the entrance is in the cave where the beast was slumbering. If you ever need my help or my tribes, I promise you that we will respond to any request."
"Heh, I figured out that on my own, Vek. Don't worry, it will be a secret I will keep with me. Say my greetings to the Elder of your tribe, or rather anyone curious about me."
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With that said, he extended his hand to handshake Vek's small hand, which the kobold figured was a human gesture signaling goodwill, returning the gesture before he walked off the mountain in the direction of the cave.
There he began to take off some stones from a wall which revealed a kobold width entrance, which Vek entered, getting on another tunnel, walking on it until he got deeper in the mountain in a gallery-like environment.
Many buildings made from stone and wood could be seen in his draconian eyes, with many creatures like him, kobolds, walking around with pickaxes and all sorts of tools in hand, busy with life.
Yet, the moment he was noticed by the kobolds, they looked at Vek as if a ghost had arrived to haunt them.
"Elder!!! Vek has returned alive!"
Along with that shout, coming from many other kobolds sounding the alarm, on something similar to a mound, where a building was resting, an old kobold walking with a cane in hand made its appearance, looking at Vek with a wide smile.
"Vek, child, were you victorious in battle? Have you defeated that monster resting at your home gate?"
Vek walked toward the base of the mound bowing to the older kobold, saying to him.
"With the help of two humans, we managed to defeat the monster which slew so many of our own brothers."
The kobold elder looked surprised and later invited Vek to his residence, where he asked Vek of all the details.
Vek didn't shy away from telling him how he first failed to slay the beast from a single attack and was almost killed if not for Mathias and Fayrene's intervention. He showed him the gear he received from Mathias, especially the sword which captivated the Elder's mind.
"This sword belongs to those strong humans, right?"
"Indeed, it was something Lord Mathias gave me to help him with the fight. However, I was quite useless in the fight. I can only look ashamed of my performance."
"No, don't be ashamed, child, we kobolds are different from the humans who are blessed by the Dark Gods. They have banished our Dragon Gods, so, abandoning us kobolds in losing our blessings."
"Sigh, Elder, let's not go into myths again. What matters now is that Lord Mathias is unlike the greedy humans our ancestors have encountered thus far. He gave me all this strong armor and weapon without asking anything back. I just guided him to the lake on the plateau."
"I see, you did well, child. Befriending a human could always be a blessing for us peaceful kobolds. I have to meet this human lord myself, so I can offer him some meeting gifts. From the writings of my predecessor, humans are a greedy kind, and like this types of offerings, almost like our creators, Dragons."
"I don't think it is required, elder."
"Child, you are still young and have yet to experience the world around you. Humans are the rulers of these lands after they were constantly blessed by their Dark Gods. Regardless of whether this person is wicked or good, he knows about our tribe. I, as leader of the tribe, have to make a good impression, keeping him friendly to us."
"Fine, I will guide you, Elder." responded Vek, feeling defeated by the arguments of his elder.
"Don't think I am doing something unnecessary child, as a leader, I have to think for the future of the tribe. We can trade with the humans our resources in exchange for swords such as yours and sturdy armor capable of protecting our frail bodies."
"Understood, Elder. We will go tomorrow at the first hour of sunrise."
"Plenty of time for me to prepare the gifts." said the kobold elder to Vek, who rose on his feet and started to move to a location of his house, looking for something.
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On the other hand, Mathias built a fire in the firepit inside the cabin, and as it was going on, warming the couple, they were watching the night sky by the door.
Snuggling with each other, Mathias looked to be contemplating on something which had Fayrene also look at him.
"Is there something on your mind, Mat?"
"There are many things on my mind, but I just don't know if I should ask you or not. It is a sensitive subject."
"Why not? Just ask me. Is there something wrong with me?"
"No, no, that's not the problem. Sigh. How should I put it?"
"Put it together and ask?"
"If it was that easy. Fay, let me ask you, what would you think of a person who has feelings for two girls, equally beautiful and full of personality that might equally love him back?"
When Fayrene heard that, she removed her head from his shoulder, looking at him with a surprised gaze before settling down, gazing at him calmly and asking him.
"Depends on the women in question. Some are possessive, not wishing to let go of their man, not even for a day. Some are jealous, which would find quick reasons to break off the relationship. Do you want to hear my answer if I would be alright if you would see Jeanne?"
"You really have keen observation, Fay. Please tell me, would you be okay, or should I let Jeanne down with the hope she might find a better person in the future?"
"Better person? Oh, please, stop jesting. You really are sure Jeanne likes you in that sense, woman to male?"
"Indeed. I've told you about what happened at the Hippodrome. I will constantly be honest with you because I don't wish to be a lying scum. As hard it might be for me to look in her eyes and tell her I can't share back the feelings, I also don't wish to have your feelings hurt."
Fayrene started shaking her head and clicking her tongue before giving Mathias a stare which told many things.
"Should I be one of those girls holding into my partner with my teeth? No, I understand that a person like Bishop Jeanne wouldn't be bothered by some man if she didn't see something special in him. My Mathias might be an arrogant fool at times, but ignorant to people's feelings, he is not."
"Thanks."
"Quiet. I am thinking now. I am deciding your future." mentioned Fayrene, barely holding her chuckle when she said that.
The instant he heard Fayrene say that he kept his mouth shut and awaited her judgment like a good son, where he could only hope for Fayrene's agreement.
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"So Jeanne is a man turned into a woman because of a curse. She still might have some manly traits to her, which would make me believe she doesn't care about being too possessive, especially with the law of marriage instilled in the Empire. I might feel uncomfortable at first, but it is not like this dummy will be by my side all the time. I might need a sister to spend time around, and Jeanne would probably love it since I heard she is always alone."
Nodding her head as she processed all the information she knew about Jeanne from Mathias and outside sources, she turned her gaze at Mathias before saying to him.
"I will be the first wife. I don't care what sweet words she might court you with, but if I am not the first wife when we get married under the law of the Empire, I will get really angry with you."
"This means you agree?? You are teasing me, correct?"
"You dummy, I am an independent woman. While I truly love you, it doesn't mean I have to be possessive with you. You better tell her I am the matriarch of the family."
Hearing her say that, he dashed and scooped her in his embrace, raising her up and cuddling closer to her.
"You are the first, so it is rightful you are the first wife. Not even a noblewoman will not be able to take that from you. Hah, I feel like a stone was removed from my chest. Right, the present. This is the moment for the present. With this one, I hope it will manage to soothe your future anger and frustration."
Saying that, while holding her to his chest by the fireplace, he brought up the tapestry canvas he worked for quite a while, the two kittens staring in your eyes, placing the tapestry in her hands.
"Awww, it is those two little candies. You finished them. They are so cute and beautiful." replied Fayrene with a warm gaze as she looked at the art piece.
After some minutes, she leaned back to Mathias and kissed him on the lips.
"This type of gift is way more precious for me than some accessory. Ahh, I have to think of a way to have it with me at all times."
"I am glad you like the piece I have done for you. At first, it was just to show you how it would be to sew on a canvas, but now it changed its meaning totally."
"Hmm, I doubt. You probably liked me from the start. You were just shy to tell me." mentioned Fayrene looking at Mathias's eyes, who gazed back with a calm expression.
"Are you curious to find when it all started?"
"I am all ears. Our children would love to hear about how their dad began loving their mother." responded Fayrene while giggling, holding on his hand.
"Heh, you sure want to tell them that? If you really want it that badly. It was exactly when you sent your first spell hitting me. How could I resist that sad little girl, believing she was some monster."
"Hmph, let's forget about that incident." snorted Fayrene, displeased by that event being mentioned.
Laughing at her, making her look angry at him because of the reminder to reconcile her, Mathias started playing around with her right arm, tickling her, massaging her arm, and later kissing it.
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After eating from the food brought by Mathias, the couple went to bed in a sweet atmosphere, where Fayrene placed herself on Mathias's chest and later leaned on him, kissing his neck.
"Ahh, you succubus. Are we going to play that game now? You were so shy because of your gorgeous arm? That is truly unfortunate, but now, we have defeated the monster."
She nodded her head while Mathias started to work for his hands on her delicate body. Along the way, as he started touching Fayrene more sexually, making her moan in pleasure, the system notifications began going crazy in his mind, notifying him of some restrictions implemented by the developers.
'I can only do it once a month with my partner? Are they celibates or something, for not allowing players to do it more often?.'

He didn't let himself be disturbed as he was caressing Fayrene's body, whereas she had her eyes closed, trembling a bit.
"No, don't stop. You can continue until the end." said Fayrene with a barely audible voice, which fired up Mathias.
After teasing her nipples, kissing her all over the place, he lowered down, taking the last piece of defense from her body, and slowly he began to do his foreplay on her.
Only after she was ready did he finalize the process of sealing their relation, entering slowly so she wouldn't feel much pain in her first intercourse.
"Mat, you are mine. You better don't run away from me and take responsibility."
"Yes, my love, did you get used to the pain?"
"Noo, don't move yet." shouted Fayrene, placing her hands on his chest to stop him from thrusting furthermore.
Nevertheless, he ignored her remark, and after a while, Fayrene began moaning in pleasure, wrapping her arms and legs around Mathias as he was plumbing.
The bed he made seemed to collapse under the movements of those two, yet after 35 minutes of changing positions doing inside the entire cabin, with Fayrene reaching climaxes that she spasmed a bit, he ended this blessed atmosphere by pulling out and releasing on her body
"I love you, Mat. I don't think I can let you run away from me anymore." confessed Fayrene with a weak voice, as she looked at Mathias getting to sit next to her, gazing at her with an infatuated face.
"I love you too, Fay."
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Fayrene went to sleep in his embrace while Mathias began rewatching the recording of the fight with the bear monster, wanting to observe his mistakes in the fight and later note all of them so in the future he could work improving his fighting game.
Hours passed, and the fire inside the cabin seemed to need more wood. Yet Fayrene was clinching on himself that whenever he wished to leave the bed, she would bite him.
"Ahh, how can a sleeping person have such a precision?" asked Mathias in a whispering tone, gritting his teeth, looking at his chest, exactly his nipple who got in Fayrene's target.
"I'll teach you a lesson for daring to hurt my little boy next time." said Mathias looking at the fireplace and some wood he prepared beforehand.
Using his magic, he began to take each wood piece and slowly levitate them toward the fireplace, maintaining it without breaking Fayrene's sweet dreams.
[Your Stamina has risen by 1.]
[Your Stamina has risen by 1.]
[You have confused all your mana resources. It requires you to wait for more resources to use additional mana.]
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'This is enough wood for the fire. I'll place the remaining ones after my mana has recovered and then go back to my watch.'
After about 30 minutes of waiting around for his MP to recover and instantly using it to place the wood on the fireplace, he, at last, did it, receiving a new notification.
[Your Intelligence has risen by 1]
"This feels nice, warmth from all directions." mentioned Mathias to himself with a soft voice, looking at Fayrene, who was sleeping on his arm, at which he changed his position and wrapped his left arm too around her.
"My muse, even if I will go away from you and you might forget about me, this will not change what I feel for you or what you feel for me."
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Morning came to 'Satisfy,' and he still didn't log out from the game even though he spent about 5 hours inside the game where he, thanks to Vlad finding an unknown feature at least to him to the capsule system, where Mathias could access streams inside the game and the amount of time, waiting for the morning to come, he found a new activity of watching the streams of players, seeing how other players were doing compared to him.
From those who were low level trying to fight stronger monsters and getting themselves killed, to people forming parties and raiding bosses such as how he fought 'Mutated Bear Ilknojs', others trying crafting and menial jobs, yet from all those people he watched about 2 hours, he found something which made him stop and watch.
'These guys really believe the people of this world are just usual NPC's acting according to what the developers build inside, like how the old games looked. Sigh, how unfortunate and is only one more week of game time. Once the live version kicks in, those people will be blinded about leveling up, fighting each other for resources, and building their fame.'
'Ohh, there are people who behave like normal people with the inhabitants of this world? This would be interesting for the future, don't give up now. Atlas, you are on the right route.'

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 46 - Heavenly Cries

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Fayrene, who slept far more than her usual schedule, opened her eyes to find for her first time Mathias actually not vanishing in nothingness as if he was a character of her dreams.

She beamed with a wide smile, being greeted by Mathias, who turned at her, saying to her.

"Good morning, my sleeping beauty. How was your sleep in this cottage we built?"

"Perfect. Also, you didn't run anywhere all this time, it might be boring for you standing next to me without sleeping."

"You think so? Well, I did have my fun in counting your strands of hair and contemplating the fight with the bear monster."

"Dear, if you are tired, you can return to your land and return after you have rested. I can wait for you here in this beautiful place."

"Thank you for understanding me, Fay, but it is not the time for me to rest yet. Do you want to spend more time here and try to see the effects of the salty water on the scar? Maybe also look around for the plant which has healing properties."

"We can stay for as long you want here, dear. I am fine anywhere as long we are together."

Kissing her forehead and wrapping his left hand around her, enveloping each other like a cocoon, the couple suddenly heard the knocks on the cottage door along with the familiar voice of Vek.

"Elder, wait, what if we disturb the Lord and Lady? All the preparation would go for nothing."

"We have to trust in the benevolence of the human lord."

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Fayrene and Mathias looked at each other, asking what happened for someone aside from Vek to knock on their door.

"Dear, could it be the kobolds want us away from the mountain? From my talk with Vek, he told me his tribe is peaceful, respecting an oath of their ancestors to not hurt the humans." asked Fayrene getting off the bed and taking some clothes on her gifted body.

"I doubt. I think someone with authority from the tribe wants to meet us. Quickly change in some clothes if you don't want to get embarrassed." said Mathias while chuckling when seeing Fayrene look angry at him, getting inside her trousers and placing her bra along with the shirt which had the sleeves destroyed.

"I am done. You can respond to them, Mat."

Walking casually and dragging his trousers from the inventory on his body with his upper body, which was worked out, opened the door of the shack to see an 89 cm creature with gray-red scales, wearing a red-dyed robe, having some white hair-like tentacles going at its chest.

At the back of this old-looking kobold was Vek wearing the armor he received from Mathias, bowing his head at him in greeting.

"Greetings, human Lord, I am Morkl, Elder of the Kobold tribe residing in the place you humans call Gravelmark." greeted the old kobold, who looked up at Mathias, who was 1,80 meters with some worry in his eyes.

"My greetings to you too, Elder. I didn't expect any meetings after settling down here, but there are no problems if I get visitors. Enter inside." greeted Mathias while making a hand sign welcoming the two kobolds inside his cottage.

The old kobold felt much better when he heard Mathias' calm voice, feeling the intent in his personality, which wasn't aligned to an evil side. Entering inside, followed by Vek, he looked around himself, feeling this shack similar to a big mansion, and when the elder noticed Fayrene, he greeted her respectfully.

"Human Lady, greetings and my apology if I disturbed your moments together."

"No worries, you didn't disturb anything. Welcome Elder. Come, get a seat on the bed while I go prepare something for you three. Mathias, I will go take some water to prepare tea." said Fayrene as she took a small bucket Mathias made with the remaining wood he didn't have use inside the shack.

After Fayrene left, Mathias turned to look at the two kobolds, one older sitting at the edge of his bed and Vek having a bag strapped around his waist, which he took it off and handed to Mathias.

"What is this bag? Was there a need for this between us? Haven't I told you Vek, I am not looking to extort your tribe…

"Human Lord, please listen to me. It was my idea to reward you for saving Vek's life. Unlike our cousins in the other mountains and forests, we of the "الجبل السماوي" are peaceful kobolds living over this blessed land by hunting and foraging."

Mathias had a brief part that he didn't understand when the old kobold started with 'we of the' and seeming curious while nodding his head, agreeing with his story.

"The word you just used, I could understand it, what that meant?"

حسنًا ، لا يستطيع البشر فهم لغتنا".

"Elder, don't speak draconian in the presence of a human. Only learned elves might understand our speech. Apologies, Lord Mathias, my Elder isn't used to speaking with humans for a long time. He is 95 years old."

"It is fine. Have I sounded offended in any way? I was just curious. Anyway, let's see what you bought for me, and we'll talk afterward."

Feeling that the bag was quite weak to touch, he opened it to see a plant inside along with 2 pieces of jewels.

"The plant is?"

To which the old kobold looked calmly at Mathias saying 'دموع الداليا', however once he noticed he messed up again, he told him again in the common language of humans.

"Dahlia's Tears. I heard from little Vek that your wife is suffering from some scars which upset her. This plant is quite rare in the mountain, and only the ones gifted in magic among our tribe can sense it."

"Dahlia's Tear? This name is quite familiar on my tongue."

He started to ponder, returning his thoughts back to the book he read along with Fayrene, and after some minutes, with big eyes, he gazed at the old kobold and Vek.

"This plant actually exists? We planned to look for 'Ivory Bell' this morning. You heard about it, right?"

"Ohh, you know the names of the draconian translations in the common language. Indeed there is such a plant that has healing properties, but 'Dahlia's Tear' is an assured treatment. I have this plant from two generations of elders. It was nourished inside the fertile land of Gravelmark rich in mana for about 250 years."

*Hiss* "Elder, this gift is too much for me. The earnings, also, look to be worth a lot of money."

"It is just something we crafted using the gemstones and gold we gathered inside the mountain, accept all of them, Mathias. I just want to show my appreciation for helping us by ending that beast brought like a curse to my tribe. For years children of my clan lost their lives trying to defeat it. At first, they tried approaching the fight using numerical advantage, something ingrained in us, kobolds, but it failed, almost backfiring into guiding the monster our tribe."

"For such a thing, you gifted me such a precious thing such as the plant which might heal my loves, scars."

"Heal what scars, dear?" inquired Fayrene returning with the bucket filled with spring water.

Mathias closed the bag and let Fayrene place down the bucket and have the water boil before he walked closer to her, showing her what was inside the bag.

"That flower, why does it seem familiar? Dahlia... It is really Dahlia!! But how?? It was said to grow into magic rich lands."

"Young human lady, Gravelmark is such a place. I hope you get cured with this flower."

Her hands trembled, holding Mathias's hands, before asking the kobold.

"We can't let you go with your hands empty. Tell me, Elder, can we two help you with anything? Do you have trouble defeating monsters such as the bear?"

"No, we don't have such problems yet. However, I heard many voices of humans passing on the lower levels of the mountain and the forest, constantly shouting.

"Kill all the beasts and monsters. We have to grow faster and reach the rest of the pack. I fear for my tribe's safety if those human monsters would find out about my tribe's whereabouts. We don't wish to fight you humans, and I am aware we can't win against those human monsters carving their way in the forest. Now that I think about it, maybe it was a bad idea of killing the bear."

"Elder, what are you talking about?? So many of our brothers died trying to get that beast away from our home." said Vek, who didn't like what the elder mentioned.

"Sigh, Elder Morkl, some of my brethren are completely different from me. I can stay here calmly talking with you, but some of them would do as you heard them shout. Not seeing you different from a monster. Yet I know and understand you are not really dangerous. From my understanding, kobolds should hate humans and gnomes, acting all cowardly, but you are not the case."

"Is there any way to not be hurt by them?"

"Hmmm, let me think. I might be able to solve this problem of yours."

With the bag in hand, he walked to pick the tea boiler from the burning wood and brought some tea leaves that he dropped inside. Taking his time while patting Fayrene hands into calming her, he looked at the two kobolds who gulped their saliva.

Only after taking a sip from the tea did he continue talking, responding to the kobold Elder with his idea in a casual manner.

"You know, Elder, my brethren, have a big weakness. They abide by a system similar to the adventurer guilds. Do you know about it or want me to explain?"

"Please explain. We don't have contact with humans and have no idea about the outside." pleaded the kobold elder, bowing his head, making Mathias pass him a cup of tea, another one for Vek, and the last one being in a silver cup to Fayrene.

"The adventurers work according to quests. Simply put, they are contracts binding the two parties, the contractor and contractee, into an agreement. You have to do according to the contract, an example, kill certain beasts making hard for your community. Pick up some hard-to-find plants. Like this, you can do something similar, requesting my brethren to do tasks for you in exchange for some rewards."

"We only have to do this much?"

"Yes, and to act friendly and not seem like you are trying to cheat them. They are quite the petty kind."

"I see. By Asgorath, I can finally breathe at ease. You have my thanks, Lord Mathias, and whenever you need my Tribes help, just ask. We will be glad to respond."

[You have gained 15 affinity with Kobold Elder Morkl and gained the 'Honored' reputation with Gravelmark Kobold Tribe.]

[Kobold tribe members will not be scared to approach you.]

After the old kobold said that, he downed the teacup, raising on his feet, bowing to Mathias, and with a gaze at Vek, who also downed the teacup, the two kobolds departed from the shack, having Mathias see them off.

Entering back to the shack, Vek walked side by side with Morkl, who had a serious expression, talking in the draconian language, something only the two could understand.

"We gained a strong ally which will help our tribe survive. I have no regrets about giving the girl Dahlia's Tear. The intent was to have the chosen one of the kobold tribe eat it and evolve, gaining the fabled mana core, reaching closer to the ancestor dragons, but we waited for far too long. It was since our ancestors who searched for a new home encountered the human called Haycien who helped them settle down in this place."

"Wasn't that just a story about kobolds who could be born closer to dragons? Gaining wings and a strong magic affinity?"

"It is possible. I never doubted the ancestors' writing."

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Back to the shack, Mathias, who entered back, walked to the bed, which seemed to be cleaned just a brief moment ago by Fayrene. Taking a seat, he gazed at Fayrene, no longer holding his surprise, laughing happily.

"We managed to find it, love. Haven't I told you there is hope in healing the scars! There is always a returning gesture by the world whenever you do something good."

Fayrene looked excited but at the same time scared as she touched her scarred arm, and once she got next to Mathias, she felt his hand touch her ears tenderly.

"Just now, I noticed, dear. You don't have piercings for earrings."

"Because I never had money to buy such expensive jewels. Ahhh, it tickles, stop playing with my ears."

"What should I do? The kobold has gifted us a gorgeous pair of earrings."

"Sigh, I guess I have to do that too. Be gentle, okay."

Biting her earlobe teasingly, he said to her calmly.

"My love, it will be just like an insect bite. I promise."

Nodding and closing her eyes, Mathias took a set of needles and a bottle of alcohol and checking the earings, which were of simple built perfect for human anatomy, he prepared the needles.

Fayrene trembled a bit, but stroking her thigh, he made a long "Bzzzzz" sound, and a needle entered perfectly and in a balanced manner in her right earlobe.

"Did you start?" asked Fayrene not feeling any pain from the insertion of the needle in her ear.

"Yes, the right one is done. *Bzzzzzz*" doing the same loud sound, which distracted Fayrene, he did the last pierce too.

"Auch! That hurt a bit, you jerk. I feel some stinging pain."

"It will pass away in some seconds, don't make a scene about it."

"Jerk! Go pierce your ears and see how it feels before commenting that." added Fayrene to Mathias's comment, still feeling the pain of the needle piercing her earlobe.

Chuckling while giving her a kiss on the lips, he gazed at the piercings that didn't even ooze blood, and after telling her to stay calm, Mathias prepared the golden earrings, which had a beautiful pattern and balance.

Taking the needles, he used his dexterous hands to place the earrings in her delicate earlobes.

"Good girl, you didn't scream in my ears for feeling betrayed."

"It stings, but compared to the time I failed my arcane spell or the farm work I had to do, or all the needles I inserted in my fingers from clumsiness, this is nothing."

"My tough lady. I knew it would be nothing for you. Come, I brought your mirror with me, do you want to see yourself? To tell you in advance, these earrings make you feel more like an untouched flower."

"Ouchh! Hey, hey, that hurts." cried in pain Mathias, who got pincked right on his armpit zone by Fayrene, which really scared him a bit.

"Bring out the mirror."

"Did I say something wrong? Aren't you, my flower?" asked Mathias caressing Fayrene's back and waist before being sent off by Fayrene.

"You are greedy. Ahhh, bad boy, stop."

"Right on the job, my lady."

Only after the couple had their fun teasing each other did he bring the mirror from his inventory, having Fayrene close her eyes before placing the mirror in front of her.

With his signal, she opened her eyes to see her face, which was completed by the two golden earrings.

"Those earrings are really something I would see high noble ladies wear. Wouldn't they draw unwanted attention?"

"This will be something you would put on when we walk to festivals and events. Don't worry, we will visit the jeweler again to look for a new pair of earrings that wouldn't make those noble ladies too jealous. Okay?"

Nodding her head, she started to shift how she looked in the mirror, doing some posses like a model, revealing her legs, later unbuttoning her shirt to reveal some skin.

Mathias looked from behind the mirror, admiring his muse, and it seemed she was intent on railing up his little brother.

Casting 'Isolation' he told Fayrene with an evil smile.

"Show off your entire model poses. My eyes are only for you, dear."

"This is enough for now. Don't you know that if you boil the carrot too much, it will turn soft?"

"Heh, really? My, my. What indecent words."

"What's indecent? Boiling carrots? You are the only pervert here to actually think of something indecent."

"Sure, sure. You are innocent as a flower, only I am the devil."

"Exactly. Keep Dahlia's Tear inside your dimensional bag. We don't have all the ingredients for the ointment. What now? We completed our task without even adventuring inside the forest or mountain."

"I intend to laze around and sew the last piece."

Fayrene looked calmly at Mathias, not feeling dejected or cheated, especially after he showered her with his unconditional love and attention, healing her trauma. She only told him something which surprised even him.

"Show me what you are doing for my little sister."

"Little sister? Do you have a little sister that I don't know?"

"Haha, very funny. You fully know who I am referring to. Chop-Chop, I want to see from advance what you are doing for Jeanne." responded Fayrene, doing a sarcastic laugh, before looking sharply with her mesmerizing violet eyes.

"Yes, lady. Give me your thoughts." no longer feinting the subject, he brought the canvas where the angel and devil were touching their hands staring at one another, which was 75% complete.

"What a baddy. I already understand the symbolism of the piece. The little devil courting the pure angel into holding hands? My, my, aren't you the artist, Mat? She might feel disturbed at first, but she will get attached to it. Nevertheless, my gift is much better."

"Cough, that… I can't deny, yours is more detailed. It took me more time to create and also holds quite the story."

"That is what my ears wanted to hear from your sweet mouth. Can you give me my book?" cutely asked Fayrene, which made him not resist at all.

Taking the book Fayrene copied for herself from his bag, he placed the book in her hands softly while she moved to the bed, starting to read.

Mathias, on his side of the bed, spread out the threads and needles along with his sketch and canvas, starting to sew.

His work continued to progress rapidly, at which when the sun raised heating the lake, the couple took their time to spend time together, messing with the mud and swimming.

Once the night started to settle down on the mountain, Mathias, who had some candles next to him held by Fayrene, finally stopped from sewing, saying with a satisfied voice.

[You have finished a piece of art called <Timid Angel meeting a curious Devil> branching from the tailoring craft, gaining the following rewards.]

[You have gained 5 dexterity points and 3 intelligence points.]

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"At last, I also finished this creation of mine."

"Congratulations, my love. Your sewing skills have improved since I last saw you. It is clear as day that you have constantly been using the needles."

*Cough* "I have no other choice, and thanks for all the moral support and for not burning my work."

"I told you, Mat, I am okay with you trying to get Jeanne together. I never had a sister, and she will for sure need my help with things. Right, you better bring her home since I have to protect her from you, devil."

"Hey, I think I am not that bad? Right?"

*Giggling* "Yes, you are. Look at poor me. How will I meet my parents to explain to them, they will have a new daughter."

"Oh no, I feel like I dug my own hole underneath." said Mathias with a bitter voice after Fayrene started to tease him.

Yet, she put off the candles, placing them on the ground, and after that, he moved to Mathias, embracing him lovingly.

"If you think one relation is easy to manage, my love, I can only wish you good luck with a second one. Know that I will always offer you my shoulder when it is too hard."

"Little succubus, you found a subject to tease me with, correct? I remember you saying something about teaching me a lesson after I teased you the first time. Is that it?" asked Mathias as he brought everything back to his inventory, removing his shirt and getting Fayrene to his chest.

She placed an innocent-looking expression, asking back theatrically.

"Mee? Doing that? For what reason? No way. I will never."

Taking her right scarred arm and biting her delicate fingers, she still didn't admit, only after he turned her over, getting into a dominant position, that she turned into a meek girl.

He casted "Isolation" again, trying a crazy thought and moving along working on Fayrene's body. She also got excited, beginning to kiss him with more desire.

Looking at the enormous countdown timer which restricted his love activity, as he was eating and liking in the right places, getting her ready for the main course.

It was right when he inserted without receiving any errors or being stopped by Fayrene because of some possible tinkering to her character, he heard the heavenly cries in his ears, declaring his success.

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*Hallelujah* *Hallelujah* *Alujah*

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'Hahaha, I bypassed the system!! I no longer have to be restricted by some stupid worries that don't address me.'

He felt more excited as he entered Fayrene, and lowering himself, he kissed her passionately, wrapping his tongue inside her mouth, feeling her fresh mint breath from eating some mint.

Changing positions and shaking the bed while they were captured by their desire, when he was at the 20-minute mark and noticed he had only 10 minutes of the spell, he casted it again, consuming all his MP.

"Ahhhh, I can't. There's that feeling down there, dear!! It is coming!!" cried in ecstasy and pleasure Fayrene, seconds later cumming again, dripping her fluids at Mathias's base.

He too felt his limits appearing, and after sending Fayrene walking in other dimensions, he pulled out releasing on her chest and splashing her face a bit too.

Getting besides her, he wrapped his arms around her, and picked her on his chest, where he closed his eyes, feeling his mind clear, a post nut clarity so to speak.

'I can't abuse that spell and only do it with Fayrene when she wants and when the atmosphere allows.'

'What time is it? Let me see.' asking himself that question, he found to his surprise the clock showing 1:54 AM.

'Hah, so it is time for me to sleep.'

Staying 6 more minutes holding Fayrene in his arms, he noticed that she was still awake stroking his chest.

"My love, I will have to leave. It will not be that long, I left the two books, the one I've kept adding pages and yours. I will miss you too."

"Take care of yourself and goodnight, my love." the couple did a passionate kiss, and only after placing Fayrene back from his chest did he log out, turning into fragments of gray light.

"I need a baby to keep me busy when he is alone." said Fayrene with a shy voice, touching herself down and looking at how wet her hand was.

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Meanwhile, Mathias, whose gear was removed, got up from the capsule had a wide smile, pure as a child's one.

"Archmage! You are the man. Blessed be your long elfish ears for creating such a cheating spell. I will do everything in my power to meet you, even your ghost or a dead body if this is all you got left. I have to get in front of you and do a respectful bow to show you all the respect I hold for you right now. You even tricked the game system with this spell. I wonder what surprises does your book hold in store for Fay and me.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 47 - The whispers of a ghost
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With a sleep of about five hours, he opened his eyes like a possessed ghost and quickly moving to take a shower to refresh himself before taking his breakfast and jumping straight to the capsule, connecting back to the game.

It was already 15 hours since he disappeared from Satisfy, and when he connected back, he saw that Fayrene wasn't inside the cabin. He didn't panic since he could see in his party system that she was alright. In fact, she was at the lakeside.

Exiting the house after placing some clothes on his, he saw Fayrene wearing her adventure clothes with her black trousers raised to her knees and holding her feet inside the water. Walking toward her, he sat beside her, gazing at her as she was reading his book.

"Good morning, my love."

Fayrene, while she was reading, gave a sweet smile. Closing the book, she looked at Mathias, asking him with a warm voice.

"Hmm, I guess it should be morning for you. Are we going to start preparing to descend the mountain? I already tanned my skin a bit, which probably will make me unrecognizable with the neighbors."

"You got bored of the vacation?" asked Mathias, taking Fayrene in his arms, looking at her face.

"No, not at all. But you should be busy, correct? Taking care of the book, you are supposed to write for His Majesty, teaching me Mathematics and Economics and Business Management as you call them. Can we actually do this here when we are breathing our own air without getting intimate?"

Releasing a hearty laugh after hearing her comment as he was holding her on his lap, he agreed with some points of her.

"You are right, my love. We need to find our balance in the relation, which might take some while. Getting all sticky is just what those naive kids think. As for me teaching you those mischievous things, I can do it anywhere as long as I have an ear to speak. Nevertheless, it is better at home because you can take notes."

"We also have to craft the ointment, something we can't do here without some special equipment." continued Mathias saying to her calmly, taking in her presence fully.

"Have you eaten something?" asked Fayrene because she heard Mathias yawn a bit tired.

"Aye, I am ready whenever you wish to descend to Titan."

Staying for a bit more at the lakeside, until the clock showed it was 15:50 to which they got up, walking toward the cabin and checking if there was anything else missing. Mathias placed the rags the two used back to his inventory which was placed to dry on the ancient tree at the backside of the cabin.

"Love, should we leave our mark on this tree? You know, like how the kids used to do. I remember the girls in the village talking about them doing something like this with their lovers." asked Fayrene, who accompanied Mathias to the ancient-looking tree.

Looking at the tree's thick bark, which was left untouched by ages, he told her with a calm voice, picking up the rags they washed.

"If this is what my little lover wishes when she returns back home, she can boast to the other girls that she and her husband immortalized their love on an ancient tree."

*Giggling* "Exactly. I will not let those girls look down on us."

Chuckling at Fayrene's childish side, he took the 'Saharan Sword' and moved to inscribe his name and Fayrene's. "Should I also put that heart on it?"

Hearing Mathias says that with an evil smile, Fayrene blushed a bit before responding to his harmless question with a shy voice.

"Obviously."

With her confirmation, he did the heart surrounding their names. Yet afterward, he began inscribing a verse on the bark with Fayrene eying all the words he inscribed.

[Amantium irae amoris integratio est.]

"What have you inscribed underneath the childish mark?"

"Something from an old language of my world, which says the following "Lover's quarrels are the renewal of love." How does it sound to you, Fay?"

"Hmmm, this is the first time I heard of such a saying. Indeed, if a couple doesn't even quarrel once, could this be considered a love? As long we don't betray each other and support each other in hard moments, we will be fine. Yet what that person said is true."

"Hehe, it is so easy with you, Fay. We immortalized our love, got everything in my bag, all we got to do is go home and concoct that ointment." commented Mathias holding her hand staring in her violet eyes.

"Let's go, dear. My little home is waiting for me." said Fayrene after taking in the atmosphere as if she was storing in her mind this event.

Getting to walk away from the tree, a wind blew, which made Mathias hear something strange. Looking at Fayrene, she didn't seem to have noticed anything strange, so without stopping more than required, he continued down the mountain.

<I am here! STOPP! You have to pick me up from this blasted trap! STOP YOU LITTLE SHITS!>

<Hah, once again, I lost most of my energy to send my voice to the rightful male candidate. >

<How long has it been since I turned like this? 400 years? 600 years? No, it has been 800 years since I've been stuck here. My plan backfired on me so hard! Damn you, Zik. Do you think you can use my children and me as your slaves to fight the corrupt Gods and those Underdark Drows protecting the path to the exiled Gods? Not a chance, I, your Emperor, I am still in this world!>

<Sigh, I can feel my bloodline being diminished, losing their power with each year I am stuck in this cursed place.>

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<Too tired, this old man needs his beauty sleep>
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<I shall see a future candidate whenever my energy is recharged. See you in the next life>

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The words of this ghostly being were something that didn't reach Mathias or Fayrene, but from the base of the ancient tree, a small red, crimson light was released, slowly dying down like a dying star.

The return to Titan was smooth sailing. In fact, Mathias took advantage of his combination of speed and mana, and picking Fayrene in a prince's carry, he activated [Raven's Movement] starting to sprint.

"Yaaaa, my hair is dancing in the wind. Slower, dear. You will stumble on some beast and drop me on the ground?"

"Ahaaa, what did you say, love? I can't hear you because of the wind in my ears."

Fayrene moved her upper body closer to Mathias's ears, and after taking a deep breath, she shouted, scaring Mathias shitless.

"SLOW DOWN, YOU LITTLE IMP! DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF WE GET HOME WITH 1 HOUR OR 2 HOURS LATER?"

Gazing at her face while slowly decreasing his speed, he moved his hand around Fayrene to get a better grip of her delicate body, and as she began feeling better going in the forest with a slower speed, he told her.

"Ahem, it wasn't required to scream in my ears. Also, before you touch the ground, I shall be smitten by lighting."

"You don't have to be smitten by anything. Just move slowly and let me see the scenery around us."

With the slower speed that he was going, he had to use both of his mana refilling spells to keep his fast speed, yet as Mathias was constantly using [Raven's Movements], he saw the notification window potting in his face, which made him stop in place.

[Congratulations, your skill 'Raven's Movements' has leveled up!]

"What happened, Mat? Is there a beast ahead?" inquired Fayrene with a worried voice, looking at Mathias' surprised expression as he was checking the newly updated skill he was using daily in this entire month of game time.

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[Raven's Movement - Lv.2]
Rating: Unique
Skill Type: Active Skill
Skill Effect: Special Skill
A footstep that tries to emulate the way of a raven and the speed it would have in flight along with his cunningness.
During the cast and until the canceling of the ability, your movement speed is increased by 13%, your agility by 6%, and your dodge chance by 2.5%.
Mana Consumption: 10 MP per second. (Will change according to your MP resources)
Skill Cooldown Time: No Cooldowns.
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'Wow, the increases of stats sure are impressive. I expect no less from Corvus. Sigh, now that I think about it, maybe I should approach that guy like how Vlad does his old man. Getting trained in spear skills and all sorts of techniques. He is probably also a swordsman because of how he used the sword stances for his own spear.'

'Next time, I will approach him even if I risk getting killed. Wait, don't I have to give him a bottle of wine for losing the bet in the first spar? Indeed, then I shall use this chance to visit him if I find him.'

Turning to look at Fayrene after sorting out his thoughts, he shook his head, smiling gently at her, before continuing to hike on the forest with Fayrene in his arms.

"No, it is not that. I just got a revelation and improved my movement ability, the 'Raven's Movement'."

"Ohhh, the ability that releases raven's feathers on the ground. Congratulations, dear. Can you teach me that ability too? I believe I can learn it too, knowing how great of a teacher you are."

Hearing her words, his ego felt as if it was kissed right on the lips, starting to chuckle, something that even affected Fayrene, whose experience was similar to a rollercoaster.

"We shall see how talented you are in hand-to-hand combat."

"I can't wait. Thank you, dear."
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The journey out of the Gravelmark Mountain, followed by the 'Empar Forest', was smooth, with Mathias carrying Fayrene until his MP would dry out, then they would walk slowly, shoulder to shoulder.

"Phew, finally out of this forest. We didn't encounter any dangerous beasts. The 'Direwolf' also got scared by our presence and left, similar to the boars and the owls." commented Fayrene as she was holding Mathias's hand, breathing in relief when seeing the stone road leading to civilization.

As the couple was walking on the stone road back to Titan, they encountered a party of 4 people walking in the direction they were coming from Empar Forest.

"Hey dude, do you have any inside info about 'Empar Forest'. We are first-timers. Maybe you could help us with some guidance on what to expect." asked one guy that was in his mid-twenties to late-twenties with blonde hair, seeming to be American wearing leather armor and a longsword at his waist, followed by a black-skinned person, wearing the clothes of a knight, followed by two girls one having the attire of a magician and the other one having a bow in her hand with leather armor.

Both of their appearances were pleasing to the eye, but Mathias didn't bother much to stare at them, shifting his attention on the person who asked him for info, called Anjo. Fayrene too stopped, looking at Mathias to see what he would do and if this group was friendly.

"Sure, why not. What level are you guys?"

"Our level ranges from 14-16. We heard from the forum that Empar Forest is a good place for this range until getting to level 25."

"I see. The first part of Empar Forest should be easy for your party, you just have to be careful at the 'Divebeak Owls' who seems to have a ranging level from 14 to 25, there's also the Tusked Boars who seems to have gained in levels, getting to an 8-20 range. Direwolves are apex predators there along with bears."

The party looked at Mathias with big eyes, as he was detailing without holding much information to him, the spots where he hunted and the monsters he spotted while getting in and out of the forest, omitting the part of the Mountain. The right path, because from what Vek told him, the Gravelmark Mountain was filled with dangerous monsters similar to the 'Mutated Bear.'
"Wow, so much information. Don't tell me you are a first-day player and also got to MAX level?" asked the archer girl, Viviana.

Mathias turned to look at the young woman, and with a smile, he told her casually. "Secret."

"All I can say to you is good luck and have fun."

"Indeed. Thank you a lot for the information, Mathias."

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The party of players moved toward the Empar Forest while Mathias and Fayrene resumed their journey toward Titan, arriving back after 30 minutes seeing the imposing walls and gates of the capital city along with the patrolling Black Guards. Entering inside, not questioned by the guards, once they got back home, they dropped like dead fish on the single bed inside Fayrene's room.

"Hah, I missed this bed those three days!" exclaimed Mathias, while dropping face first in the bed, followed by Fayrene, who did the same but opposite to him.

"Hmm, you are right. No offense, but your building skills suck, dear."

"Not my fault. I don't live in the wilderness like my grandfather. The old man tried to corrupt me by teaching me all those things, but I let them pass on my ear. At least take the good part. The bed lasted all the rough moments."

"Hmph, don't make it as if it is my fault. Also, prize your elders for how long you have them. It is a saying of Mother."

"Indeed, you are correct, but I wasn't badmouthing my old man. Anyway, no worries, you will understand from where I am coming when you meet my old man, if he is still breathing." laughed Mathias, thinking about his grandfather and something he told him when he was a little brat.

<Little guy, I only have one wish after all these years I've lived, to relieve my life with better choices. I keep on holding tight on life, doing exercise, and keeping my body as young it could be, just to see the advancements of this world and reach a new world.>

'Old man, your time has come to smile. You probably saw the news online, but I will try to help you get one of those capsules.'

Relaxing after getting back home, the night came about rather quickly, having the two inside the main room of the building, when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

"A client? How rare." asked Fayrene, who was writing something on some pages, mostly numbers and functions with Mathias beside her with the quill in hand.

Casting a spell where an orb appeared in her hand, the image of a woman in her late-thirties was revealed, which left her surprised, as if she forgot she had a tailoring shop.

"Mat, go open the door while I clean the counter. It's been 3 months since I got a new client. I really look forward to what project we might do together."

Nodding his head, he watched Fayrene gather her paperwork and place it in a safe place, and only afterward did he walk toward the door and open it up.

"Welcome, madame. Please come inside." said Mathias with a calm voice, greeting the woman who had a mature figure, wearing simple clothes but who got some style to them, with brown hair cascading over her shoulders, while her stature was smaller than Mathias, about 1,71 meters.

The woman looked up at Mathias, who welcomed her and greeted him back calmly, and entering inside, walking toward the counter, she saw Fayrene, who placed a professional smile on her face, something Mathias taught her.

"Welcome, madame. How might my services help you?"

"Greetings to you too, young lady. I want you to help me out with a dress for a banquet that will happen in one month from now. I have Ascanius recommendations."

Fayrene, who heard that request and also Ascanius, the merchant who supplied her shop with materials, put a word for her own business, pondered for a bit, while Mathias closed the door and walked opposite to the mature lady in mid to late thirties.

"Madame, I suppose you are looking for something that would be unique for this banquet you will attend?" inquired Fayrene, starting to ask the client more questions so she could know what to work on.

"Indeed, it will be the birthday of a friend's son, and I can't look bad when meeting my old friends."

She went to her private room to get her sketchbook, leaving Mathias with the lady, who asked her calmly.

"Madame, are you by chance a noblewoman?"

"What makes you think so?" asked the woman, turning to stare at Mathias with her black eyes, wearing a small smile on her face, which in turn had Mathias shrug his shoulders.

"Good question. Let's say it is my 6th sense?"

"And who would you be in this shop?" asked back the woman, ignoring what Mathias implied.

This question made Mathias stay silent for some seconds while the two were alone, and with a small chuckle, he replied back.

"You can call me the administrator of this shop but at the same time a lowly worker."

Raising her gaze at Mathias's face, she nodded before turning quiet, and only after Fayrene returned with a sketchbook did she get to the counter where Fayrene began showing her some basic designs. Mathias was there too, and seeing these sketches, he thought to himself with an evil smile.

'I see, so you are keeping the good stuff for yourself. What a bad girl. Well, I would do the same, since this lady asks for the dress to be made in one month. I guess I will not see this part of the work. Nevertheless, I have some activity to do while waiting for the game to shut down.'

After some time where he just watched and listened to the two girls discuss the drawings, they returned to look at him after settling on the ideal dress, with Fayrene asking him gently.

"Dear, can you calculate the cost of the dress? I can tell you the amount of materials, but I am still not good with the numbers."

"No problem, isn't this the reason I am here?" taking his inkwell, quill, and paper, he started to list the amount of materials required for the dress, with the prices of the material, after some calculation which had the mature lady look strange at him, he declared the price.

"The total price of the dress would be 125 gold."

"Can we lower the price a bit? What about 100?"

'Hmm, she isn't a noblewoman? I guess I can lower a bit since I can juggle with the princes of work.'

"Sigh, madame, the material prices raised in the last month, and this project seems to require high-quality silk on the key parts. However, if you respond to my question, I might lower it."
"Sadly, I am not a noble. However, you were not wrong on one part, sir, my family used to be nobles, but just some lower nobility."

"I see, then let's go with 105 gold. You might ask why I even bothered to check on your status?"

"Indeed, why are you even bothered."

"Well, you see, my lady, I am quite the curious person by nature. I hope you didn't get offended by my inquiry, feeling it forced."

"Don't worry. Everything is good, no harm done to me or my feelings. I am fine with the price since I understand doing a custom dress isn't something cheap."

With everything said, the woman followed Fayrene next to the workstation, where she took a tailoring line starting to take her measurements, and only afterward did the lady depart from the shop, leaving Mathias and Fayrene to look at one another.

"I guess we have new work to be done. Should we start it now or keep it for tomorrow?" asked Mathias, taking a glance at the sheet of paper containing the measurements of the mature woman.

"Let's go back to the lesson. I am not in the mood to start working on a dress."

They went to talk again about different subjects, with Mathias being asked mostly questions by Fayrene, from why she should use certain formulas to calculate some problems to managerial and investment areas, all until Fayrene went to sleep, leaving Mathias with a kiss on the lips to go to sleep.

"Goodnight, dear. Take care of yourself while you are alone here and if you get bored, come to bed."

"You leave the door open to the wolf? My, my, how daring."

"Sure, I am a small little sheep. A sleepy sheep."

"Goodnight, my love. I will return to bed, don't worry."

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With the two separatings, Mathias, as he began writing the last parts of the book, getting closer and closer to the moment he was writing, along the way also talked with Malakai, keeping each other mind focused, not dying of boredom.

&Mathias: What are you doing?

&Malakai: I am preparing to receive a quest from the old Bayek. What about you?

&Mathias: Writing for Lord Juander's book, trying to keep my mind occupied as I am copying the book.

&Malakai: Damn, aren't you bored constantly writing? You should take a break and let your mind relax once in a while.

The conversation went all sorts of directions, from him talking about the kobolds he met and the raid he had done against the 'Mutated Bear' to him having to do another dress with Fayrene.

Meanwhile, Malakai was telling stories from his walks with the old man and how crazy the old man was, not caring about anyone or putting the king in his eyes.

&Malakai: "Yea, so there's this new information I managed to steal from the old man, about a place called "The Tower '' or so he calls it. When he mentioned that, he frowned hard as if he was angry about something. Think about this since you have nothing to do, and you are also a smartass."

&Mathias: "Well, I can always go to bed."

&Malakai: "Fuck you, no need to rub salt to my wounds getting stuck with this old man."

&Mathias: "Ahem, you can always try getting closer with that artist lady."

&Malakai: "No, it is too late, and I'd rather prepare for Saharan, so no need for distractions when we gang together. What do you think of the new info I got from the old man?"

&Mathias: "I have no clue, bro. It could be a powerful entity or organization who done your old man. I can't say for certain. But we will find out in the future. Better keep in touch with him when the live starts."

&Malakai: "Maybe."

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Getting to 92% of his book as he stopped talking with Vlad because of lack of subjects to discuss this day, he went outside of the house walking to the 'Raven's Pub' not far away from where he was staying. Once he got inside, he scanned the pub finding Corvus with his face dropped inside a large mug.

Arriving and getting to the innkeeper, he was welcomed inside with a professional line.

"Welcome, dear guest. How might I be of service? Ohh, you seem familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Obviously, Edmon, this brat came to the tavern 3 months ago, looking like some beggar asking something of Corvus. Now it seems he returned back after getting on his feet. Kid, can you give us some booze?" asked an elder guy who was seated at the counter with a mug in his hand.

Mathias looked at the guys at the counter, who began laughing, making fun of Edmon for forgetting him. Others saluted him, knowing him from his night walks.

"Fine, I will treat you guys with some beer since I am not that cheap." mentioned Mathias, placing 5 gold coins for Edmon while continuing to say to him.

"Innkeeper, can you help me out with the strongest spirit you have in your establishment?"

The innkeeper took the 5 gold coins with a shrewd expression where he was made fun of by the people at the counter, and while flickering them with his middle finger, he placed them some beer in their mugs, only afterward did he walk out of the station, moving to another location.


"Ahhh, it feels so good having free drinks. Thanks a lot, son. Also, no need to worry. Edmon will not scam you of your money. To tell you something, we got some dwarf merchants passing by not too long ago here, and Edmon took advantage of buying their strongest spirits."

"Stop giving me away, you morons." called out Edmon, who arrived back from his storeroom holding a green glass bottle filled to the brim with some spirit, placing it on the counter.

"How much would that cost me?" asked Mathias, looking curiously at the bottle.

"That would be 30 gold coins."

Not staying much at talk, he took from his bag 30 gold coins which had most of the people inside the tavern stare with big eyes at him, whispering with each other, some were curious about how he made his money, while others schemed to steal his money. Yet when he took the bottle and walked toward Corvus, who was at the back of the tavern, seeming to sleep, they all turned silent.

Mathias placed the bottle down on his table and took a chair from another table he sat opposite to him while saying calmly.

"Sir Corvus, I came to pay back my lost bet."

"Mrrhhm… Haven't I told you motherfuckers to not disturb me?" asked Corvus, who began moving his head from the large mug, only to meet his eyes with the dwarven spirit and Mathias.

"You are the kid holding Gabrils seal? Right, I remember you, so what's the meaning of this?"

"The lost bet. Haven't I bet that I will give you a strong spirit if I lost that exchange back then?"

"Hmm, ahhh, I remember. It is you little shit. Seems you grow a bit, but still a little shit to me. You know what, since you keep back to your word, I will check on your improvements and afterward go finish the bottle and take a nap."

[Ding!]

After Corvus mentioned all of those things, in front of Mathias's eyes, a quest was triggered with the name [Corvus Curiosity], which surprised him, not expecting anything from this person who didn't even care to teach him much of his skills in the past.

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[Corvus Curiosity]

Difficulty: A

Corvus, the first person to train you on the spear art, wants to check on your progress as a gesture of sincerity and for keeping the word given in the past.

Quest Clear Conditions: Spar against Corvus

Quest Rewards: ???

Quest Failure: ???

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"Sure, I see no problem in showing you my progress. Maybe this time, I will have some chance to fight you."

[You have accepted the quest]

"I doubt you will be able to do much. Anyway, how are your steps? Have you started getting the hang of the movement ability?"

"You will see in the spar, Corvus." said Mathias, as he got up from the table, following Corvus, who was holding the bottle, exiting the tavern and returning back to the courtyard having an ancient tree inside.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 48 - Nephthys Lament
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Corvus didn't say anything else, taking two long branches simulating a spear from the old tree, with one tossed to Mathias. After that, he took a relaxed stance, lowering the spear down while Mathias entered a middle-guard stance.

"Ready, boy?"

"Quick question before we start? Can I also use my magic spells?"

"You know magic? Sure, why not. As long as you entertain me, everything is allowed."

Nodding his head, he casted 'Arcane Intellect' on himself before he waited for his MP to recover to the full, and after one minute of waiting, keeping Corvus anticipating for what this young man in front of him had to bring, he saw as Mathias activated 'Raven's Movements' charging at him.

'Interesting, he reached the second step in the movement, and it has been almost 3 months since I showed him.'

Thinking that surprised, he looked into Mathias's green eyes while swinging the spear downwards, which he blocked easily. What followed in suit was Mathias changing positions and pulling 'Sweeping Thrust' on Corvus.

Stepping on the spear, Corvus blocked the sweeping movement pinning Mathias's wooden spear on the ground, where he followed with a leg kick wearing a smile on his face.

Yet, seeing himself unable to pull the spear from Corvus's trap, he released the grip, evading the kick, which had the spear master stare confused in the face of such an act. However, it was seconds later that his attention was pulled back to the sparring, with Mathias sending out two 'Arcane Missiles', which looked dangerous.

['Arcane Missiles' was evaded.]

[You have dealt 76 damage to the target.]

With the first spell being dodged easily, the second one managed to hit his stomach area, which had Corvus look shocked and also angry, saying to Mathias.

"That projectile stung me, little brat. Good attack, but I doubt you can keep fighting like this since you abandoned your weapon."

"Don't worry about me, Corvus, worry about yourself." said Mathias with fake confidence, where his mind was going overclock, trying to figure out a way to cause more damage to this spearman.

'To think my 'Arcane Missile' would do such a pathetic number is like I turned back to being a level 1 player. Nevertheless, I can see the difference from the first time I sparred against Corvus and now.'

Contemplating his situation, he was awakened by Corvus, whose step released some jet-black feathers containing some energy inside, and instantly he appeared in front of him, hitting him with a spear pierce that made him puke blood collapsing on the ground.

[You have suffered 2134 damage.]

"Ahh, I got over-excited and used my 'Dragon's Tail' attack. Still, I didn't put much strength on the attack, controlling my power. But I think I got the boy killed with this first attack."

Still puking blood, feeling his body screaming in pain after being hit by Corvus attack, he slowly raised on his feet, gritting his bloody teeth.

"I can continue the fight."

Saying that, he took a healing flask which recovered 1500 of his HP but did not wipe away the pain generated by the attack.

"Good, good. Come take your spear back and let's start round 2. This time I will try not to kill you from only one hit, even though we are using these sticks."

Giving Mathias the chance to take his spear back, he used his arcane to get his stick back, levitating it from the ground, entering back into a guard stance, looking at Corvus, who held an interested expression, before not long charging at Corvus activating 'Raven's Movements'.

Corvus let Mathias get to him, without bursting with his real power, and saw 'Piercing Rain' attacks raining on him, which he dodged using his steps, and when he saw Mathias go for 'Sweep Thrust', he seemed to be annoyed.

'Kid, you have to be unpredictable with the spear. Otherwise, you will suffer a real defeat which will shatter your confidence.'

Thinking that, he placed the branch down right in the direction of the sweep, but he noticed with his keen eyes that it was only a feint because ahead of him was a white-purple missile flying for his head.

'I even eat a feint from an amateurish brat? Haha, if brother Piaro would have seen this, I probably would have been laughed at for an entire year.'

Picking up his spear, he did a fast spin after jumping, slashing, and attempting to destroy the incoming missile. Yet, when he did that, and the spear made contact with the arcane spell, it burst, being destroyed, leaving Corvus without any weapon.

Mathias took advantage of this, and while appearing in front of him, he unleashed 'Piercing Rain', managing to craze Corvus's right arm one time, with the remaining attacks being parried with his own hands, countering back with a lightning-fast jab that stunned him.

[You have suffered 172 damage and are affected by the 'Stun' effect for a period of 2.5 seconds.]

'What happened? I didn't even see that attack. The discrepancy between the two of us is so great?'

Remaining in place, he could see Corvus release an evil smile, disappearing from where he was and appearing beside the tree, ripping another branch, and when he still had to wait 1 second, appearing back at him, saying to him.

"Good strategy of using your magic gifts to keep me guessing. You aren't stupid or a bad fighter. Nevertheless, the path ahead for you is a long and arduous one."

Saying that, he began to check Mathias's defenses and how his reactions were when placed under pressure, which had Mathias troubled, but in the end, surviving.

After many minutes of sparring where he consumed all his resources, from his mana to getting to the lowest point in his health, with haggard breathing, he heard Corvus say casually to him as he distanced away.

"You are good. Compared to the last time when I called you decent, your status evolved to good. I've seen what needed to be seen, and I will not make you feel worse by crashing you."

"Hah, hah, I take this as a compliment. I know I have a long way to go in my spear play or magic mastery. Thank you for taking your time to spar with me." thanked Mathias, bowing his head, feeling tired from all this sparing, which depleted even his stamina.

[You have cleared the quest 'Corvus Curiosity' gained the reward: Chance of learning new spear techniques]

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"Kid, I will teach you a new series of attacks. Since last time, I only showed some basic skills, and your set of attacks seems predictable. I will teach you only 3 attacks, but each one of those attacks holds potential that only the user can discover." mentioned Corvus after taking some distance from Mathias, holding the wooden spear at his side, waiting for Mathias to recover a bit.

Only after seeing Mathias focus on him, he plant the spear down, telling him with a serious voice.

"First of all, one thing needs to be mentioned before you learn this strike. You need to hold malice in you to get the best out of this strike. Malice looks like this, kid."

Ending that, he grasped the spear once again, and from his body, energy akin to the raven's feathers started being released, covering his hand in a tar color before picking the spear, which started to give off raven's feathers.

"This attack is called 'Nephthys Lament'. Better watch it carefully because I will not repeat myself more than 5 times."

Seeing Mathias nod, Corvus activated 'Raven's Movement,' and with a malicious gaze, he moved in the direction of the tree, where even from where he was, he could sense the pressure released by his body.

His eyes didn't shy away from Corvus, watching all his movements and recording what he was doing.

Corvus, who got to the ancient tree, thrusted the wooden spear inside the tree, creating a blast of wind, which in Mathias's ears, even a cry of a raven, was audible. What's more, he was shocked to see that this attack could create a hole inside the tree without the wooden spear being destroyed.

"Did you get it, boy?"

"Hmmm, not fully, but I have a question for you. Is the momentum you gain from 'Raven's Movement' required, or can it be bypassed?"

"It matters less. What I showed you is the basic movement for this attack. Once you start mastering the attack, you could do it like this too."

Answering casually, not mad about being questioned, like in the past, maybe he felt the question worthy of him, and with his arm being covered in that energy which looked similar to the energy released by the 'Raven's Movement' and after doing some quick steps toward Mathias he sent out his thrust attack which released a black wind blade in the shape of a raven.

"It is relative to your mastery. You don't need that over-the-top momentum, but for beginners, you need it, otherwise, you can't draw enough energy."

"So, the energy comes from the movement? Or is it something you have to obtain?"

"Try it, and you will find it. I don't like teaching people that much, but I give you this chance because we are acquaintances. Stop asking questions. You have 3 more chances at seeing this technique, afterwards, we will move to the next one."

"Okay, okay. Don't rush me. I will try it too."

Grabbing his spear, he activated 'Raven's Movement' and checked to see if he could pull the energy circulating in his legs, but he couldn't notice a single change in his body. Frowning after 2 minutes, he simply chose to attack following the same manner Corvus did, but it was just a fast thrust attack that did nothing.

"Watch again, and try to emulate. If you can sense that malice inside of you, then you will not have much luck."

Once again, Corvus made the same attack, which Mathias tried to emulate, failing short, watching Corvus do all the chances he had at hand for those attacks.

Even after all these tries, Mathias was still trying to pull off this attack until he stopped moving and closed to himself, ignoring Corvus' gaze. There he was pondering on all the information he got on this attack, and he was stuck on a simple concept, "malice".

'I need this malice, Corvus refers to. But I tried thinking about killing someone when making the attack, and there was nothing. Could it be that I am wrong? I don't have to be a psychopath to activate this skill. Right, this guy Corvus is not a crazy person, so it must be the other aspect of malice.'

'Do I need to get evil and want to bring pain and misfortune to my enemy?'

With his eyes closed, Corvus could see Mathias enter into a state of contemplation and take a seat on the ground, watching the full moon illuminating this courtyard perfectly. Opening the bottle of strong spirit, he took a mouthful, releasing a deep breath.

"Ohooo, this is a dwarven spirit. Those little fucks know their way with spirits and have a gift at brewing alcohol. Kid, you really outdid yourself, I was thinking of some cheap wine since it is hard to make money in Titan, but I was wrong."

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With an eye on Mathias and another one on the bottle, he kept drinking until he placed the bottle down, seeing some changes on Mathias. With the 'Raven's Movement' activated, he could see some weak energy around his main hand.

"That's it, kid. You really aren't stupid. Now let's see if you can keep the malice up and concentrate it on your spear."

It didn't take long that Mathias reached that step, drowning the wooden spear on the black feathers' energy, and with his eyes opened up shining in a white-purple light, he began charging toward Corvus and thrusting, releasing an attack similar to what Corvus demonstrated.

"Finally, I was preparing to go to sleep with the manner you progressed. How long was it 30 minutes? You still have a long way to go with this skill, but I can't look down on your learning abilities." mentioned Corvus getting up from where he was, destroying the attack sent by Mathias with ease.

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Looking at Corvus easily disposing of his newly learned spear attack, the notification window announcing his success confirmed him the newly learned skill.

[You have understood and learned the skill 'Nephthys Lament'.]

After placing the notification on the back of his head, he said to Corvus, a bit tired.

"This attack of yours consumes a lot of resources and does not allow me to use it as often as I would wish. Maybe two of those attacks, and I consumed all my mana."

"Sure, but it does the job, ending your enemies. It can be combined along with 'Piercing Rain' into an end sequence. Now, let's quickly get this done and show you the other two. They will be relatively easier than the first. Same like the 'Nephthys' you got only 5 showcases."

With Mathias focused on him, he heard the spearmaster hold the spear relaxed moving casually, before the aura around him intensified and with a faster step he planted his wooden spear on the ground and launched himself in the air, doing an aerial strike which when the spear collided with the ground, it created a heavy mark on the floor.

"This attack is called 'Bloodfall'."

Not letting Mathias place his questions, he moved to unleash the other attack he had in store for him, and after 'Bloodfall' he moved in another direction, starting to unleash an attack that comes from a thrusting sequence combining some spins and unpredictable attacks which from what he saw, it could target any vital spot.

"This one is called 'Treachery'."

"Now, I will leave it to you to try and show you other examples. It shouldn't prove troublesome for you. After all, you managed to learn 'Nephthys Lament' , one of my signature spear techniques."

Agreeing with Corvus, Mathias went to work, trying to emulate the spearmaster, taking him some time to get adjusted with the movements and the spear placement, and another 3 examples from Corvus, until he gained the notification of him learning, 'Bloodfall' and requiring him another showcase for 'Treachery' which even under 'Arcane Intelligence' influence it proved troublesome for him.

"Sigh, where are you blocking, kid? Is Treachery that hard for you?"

"It is tricky, as the name implies. I am stuck at the spins. I can't synchronize them."

"Hmmm, think of it as a whirlpool or a tornado. Once you have the image in your head, simply follow that instinct and move your body that way. Come on, kid, getting stuck on an insignificant problem?"

"I am not a genius, okay? Give me a break. I am trying my best and can't think of every single possibility if you don't wish to give me more details." said Mathias looking at Corvus, who was drinking the dwarven spirit, while he took a deep breath to calm himself.

Settling his emotions down, he activated once again 'Arcane Intellect.

After that, Mathias began to walk slowly ahead, increasing his rhythm by using 'Raven's Movement', and once he reached a desired speed, he began attacking using a central thrust, followed by a combination of strikes going low and high.

It was a weird movement, going from low to high, before spinning and raising his arm following the movement of the whirlwind and getting to the last part of the skill, he chained two strikes, ending it with a final thrust.

*Clap* *Clap* *Clap* "See, it wasn't so hard after getting the hang of all the movements of 'Treachery'." said Corvus from where he was, applauding and complimenting Mathias's execution of the skill.

[You have understood and learned the skill 'Treachery'.]

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"With this done, I can take a nap with clear consciousness. Do you still have some questions?"

Being low on stamina, he walked to sit not far from him besides the ancient tree, and after Corvus offered him the bottle of spirit, with a mouthful taken, which sent an impulse to his brain clearing this feeling of fatigue, he asked him a simple question.

"Corvus, who are you? I had some encounters with some people who recognized the movement speed, calling you Crow."

"The lowly rats like to call me many names, but I guess I can answer this question since you are an outlander and have no business with the upper echelon.

My name is Corvus Richard von Welf, of the prestigious Welf House, someone who lost his home and his family. Someone who was spit in the face by the Royal House even after my ancestors and family served them for such a long time. Who I am, is just the fragments of my former self after it got cracked, trying myself to keep hold of my madness of not trying to do something stupid."

"You are a noble?"

"I used to be a Duke... Since then, I've been homeless for about 2 years."

"You really have no other place to go or someone to call family?"

"Well, my elder brother Piaro is still alive, kicking somewhere, trying to recover from his wounds and maybe plan for revenge. I am waiting for him to recover before I help him in bringing down the Saharan House with the rest of the people who suffered from Saharan's Tyranny."
"Sigh, what happened for the Emperor to try to destroy a Duke House?"

"That motherfucker destroyed my family because he heard my brother was fucking his wife and was planning a scheme to dethrone him taking over the Empire having the support of that whore, and the other dukes. But that is a blatant lie where he had no evidence, only the words of a rat called Asmophel. ARGHH, my ravens inside the city told me he was still somewhere in Titan or Dewars, but no sign of him. So much I wanted to cull him and see him scream in agony and pain for everything that happened to my family and people.

I let my ravens search the entire Empire, spending my savings, yet, no sign of that traitor." said Corvus with a cold voice, with a lot of emotion inside, not minding Mathias's questions.

In fact, he felt much better sharing with someone else his story, someone who would look at him as if he was a traitor to the Empire.

"Asmophel? Is he someone important?"

"That bastard used to be one of the pillars of this rotten Empire with my elder brother, a Count. Hah, to think I used to call that bastard big brother is pathetic on my side. But these are my problems, kid. No need to bother yourself to even try to help me. If those bastards find out you are helping me, they will send out their hounds to hunt you down and everyone close to you."

"I can give you some money if you lack funds to keep living."

"Don't worry, kid. I am someone who can simply encroach inside a noble house I dislike and get all his money since I am an outlaw and no longer have to care about how the other nobility might see me."

Nodding his head, taking another mouthful of spirit, passing it back to Corvus, he asked him some casual questions, moving away from the harsh reality of this world's politics and conflicts.

"Corvus, can you tell me if I could take on Clark Gang as I am right now?"

"Clark? Ohh, those rats who think themselves important in the alleys. Don't try them yet. You still lack the power to take on Clark and his entourage. Don't ask me to get rid of them for you because I'd rather not. Those are useful idiots for me. Helping me hide away from the Red Knights' pesky eyes. Even though they used to be my elder brother subordinates, I wasn't a Red Knight choosing another path. Also veiling my presence from that fossil Chensler and that idiot Bain who is always beside that Saharan scum."

"I see, so I better not disturb the balance in Titan."

"Indeed, there was a guy who killed off 'Black Spades' creating a power vacuum that even bothered that creepy monster, the Grandmaster."

"Sorry."

"For what?"

"I was the one who ended 'Black Spades'. Well, not me alone. There was one more person who did the final blow to Irenaeus."

"You managed to stay alive against Irenaeus? A newbie like you? Impressive. How did you manage to pull it off?"

"They were weakened by Goddess Rebecca, which allowed me to fight them on the same stage."

Not fully understanding such an extraordinary case, he didn't follow up to question Mathias, just reminding him to stay put and not disturb the balance inside Titan if he had no power to follow up and fill up the void spot. Even if those thugs were extorting people, they were useful pawns in his grand scheme and didn't wish to lose them because outsiders didn't like how things went inside the city.

"Mathias, you have to grit your teeth in the face of injustices. Only kill those who deserve it, not idiots who think of themselves as some fantastical people, being able to do as they wish. Place them to sleep, but no more killing of the thugs. In the future, after you grow in power and have the power to replace those fools, I will even support you from the shadows, removing your track from Eclipse."

They didn't talk much after this, and Corvus, downing the bottle of spirit, bade his farewells to Mathias, leaving, not returning to the tavern, opting for another place, truly like a homeless man, while Mathias also walked back home, checking the newly gained attack skills.

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[Nephthys Lament -Lv.1]

Rating: Secret

A masterfully created spear or sword attack, based upon the prided swordsmanship of the Welf House, 'Supreme Swordsmanship' - 3rd Movement.

Deals 850% of your attack power to a single target ignoring the target's defense having a chance of dealing a 'Weakened','Desperation' or 'Bleeding' debuff.

You can change the trajectory of the attack using extra mana.

Skill Activation Condition: Have a spear or sword-type weapon.

Skill Stamina Consumption: 30 of your Stamina.

Skill Mana Cost: 750 MP

Skill Cooldown: 180 seconds

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"Wow, a finishing skill. I was lacking those ones for quite a while. No wonder I felt depleted of my stamina after successfully casting this skill. It drains you instantly of your stamina. Now let's see how good the rest of the skills are."

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[Bloodfall - Lv. 1]

Rating: Epic

An attack trying to emulate the beginning of a storm, using a fast descending spear attack that could cause havoc against the enemy.

Deals 250% of your attack power to a single target with a chance of proccing the 'Bleeding' debuff and 'Disarm' debuff. If the enemy has resistance to debuffs, they will suffer half the effects of the debuffs.

Skill Mana Cost: 250 MP

Skill Cooldown: 60 seconds

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[Treachery - Lv.1]

Rating: Unique

An unexpected chain of attacks would place even the most experienced master in trouble when trying to predict the oldest of attacks coming from the technique. The order of the attacks can always be shifted in order to create a tense moment of treachery.

The normal attack of the technique deals 130% of your attack power while the spinning attack deals 165% of your attack power. The attacks of the technique can range from a number of 4 attacks to 7 attacks with a maximum of 2 spinning attacks.

Skill Mana Cost: 450 MP

Skill Cooldown: 60 seconds

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"Good, I shouldn't have a problem using my skills when I reach a higher level, having plentiful mana at that moment."

"Also, it seems I will have to stay put concerning the Clark Gang. To think I was almost close to stepping in an abyss I wouldn't be able to exit if I would have accepted the quest of fighting the gangs without having much information on them."

"As for the Corvus story? It is indeed a sad one. I am even wondering how he can keep sane after suffering so much injustice. If I meet Lord Juander, I have to ask him that."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 49 - Guild Wars

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With the sun arriving in Titan, he was in the kitchen cooking breakfast for himself and Fayrene, and with himself eating his meal, he went to Fayrene holding the plates of food, placing them on a chair, and taking it to her bed.

*Sniff* *Sniff* "Mmmm, something smells nice. I might've been dreaming too much lately." said Fayrene before she turned around and opened her eyes a bit, only to see Mathias smile gently at her and teasingly asking her.

"Ohh, really? It is really unfathomable for food to be served freshly cooked at the side of the bed? Should I eat it by myself?"

"Good morning, dear. This is an unexpected surprise."

Getting a sit on the bed while placing the chair on a safe spot, where it couldn't be turned over, he leaned to give Fayrene a morning kiss.

"Wait, my breath is smelly since it is morning." said Fayrene trying to avoid kissing Mathias for what seemed to be a childish reason.

"You don't have such a thing. Come here, don't run from the first hour." chuckled Mathias while pinning Fayrene down and kissing her.

"Jerk. If you whine about that in the future, I will teach you a lesson. Thank you for breakfast."

Receiving her thanks with a wide smile, he walked, leaving her room, returning to the front part of the shop where he took the materials for the new project and also the measurements, starting lining the cuts on the fabrics.

When Fayrene went to the bathroom to wash, she noticed Mathias doing some work on the dress, but she didn't check on him. Only when she finished washing and changing her clothes did she appear beside him.

"What are you doing?"

"Arrange in order the fabrics and tools required. Also, did the marks after the measurements you have taken. We can start cutting and sewing the first part of the dress."

"Ahh, are you sure a beginner? No way you could do those things so fast without guidance."

"I am a cheater."

"Hmmm?" pondered Fayrene, confused by the statement, only when she noticed the small third eye on his forehead made of arcane lights that she figured out.

"I never tried using my spells when I do tailoring or menial things in general. Maybe I should also start doing this, easing up my job."

Closing her eyes and taking some seconds, a white-purple eye appeared on her forehead, saying with a serene voice to Mathias.

"It feels so refreshing. Wouldn't we get addicted to this feeling if we constantly use the spell for insignificant tasks?"

"Good question, dear. To be honest with you, it might be a problem if this spell turns us addicted, but I checked the magic tome last night, and the Archmage didn't specify about any side effects of the spell."

"I understand, but you know that the old master from how he wrote the book, he is a bit crazy in the head. I don't trust crazy people."

"It is what it is. We can't do anything about it until we feel our body get strange, out of the ordinary. If you feel something, Fay, tell me."

"I will don't worry. Now let's see how fast can we get this project done if we cheat together. Good job, assistant, for planning out and taking the first measurements." said Fayrene as she tied her raven long hair in a ponytail, later patting Mathias head with a pleased toned.

Cracking a small laugh at her gesture, nodding afterward, the couple began tailoring the dress for the mature lady. Their hands were moving about in synchrony, helping each other without even needing to speak. It felt as if they were on the same frequency, connected to some invisible link, reading each other's thoughts.

Hours passed, and Mathias had to log out to eat something and stretch his body, respecting the recommendation of the developers of not over exaggerating with playing so much that it might affect one's user body.


"Don't forget about Jeanne, okay? I know you feel uncomfortable bringing that up, so as a tolerant wife, I will tell you to also take care of your remaining business."

"Ahem, I didn't forget it. I just waited for the best moment for both of you since I don't want to hurt both of your feelings."

"You are worrying over nothing. Silly boy. Can't you see I am getting alone when you are not here? Bring me a sister so I can spend time since I got corrupted by your presence. I wasn't like this in the past, getting accustomed to being alone." said Fayrene, pinching his cheeks, and after that giving him a goodnight kiss, even though for her it was still day.

She started to understand the weird program Mathias was working under and planned in her mind the moments he would be with her and when he would be off from her.

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Outside of the capsule, Mathias exited from there as if he was in a cryogenic box all his life, and the moment he did that, his bones started cracking at the first moment of stretching.

After finishing his stretching, he went toward the kitchen, grabbing a glass jar filled with cooked food which he later reheated a portion, placing back the glass jar on his fridge. Eating his food sparingly, he returned to his laptop, watching the new threads on the forum and also checking the comments on his novel.

"It seems the video taken of me is no longer on the front page. The ones made by people with showcases and tutorials for beginners took the front spot, which I guess is good for me. Less notoriety and trouble for me."

After spending some time on the laptop, he moved his attention to his body, doing a 30 minutes workout, and only after showering he returned back to the capsule, welcomed back by the SciFi logging sequence.

Mathias appeared back in the shop's main room to see Fayrene copying the content of his book for her own use since almost 4 hours passed inside the game from the moment he exited.

After spending some time with her, Mathias exited the shop, walking toward the center of Titan, with the intent of visiting Jeanne. Tying his long hair down in a man bun and also bringing some clean clothes, he could see on his way to Light's Cathedral an increased number of players with many other people gathering around that place.

Inside that central part of the city, two groups of players numbering in teams of 5 people stared at each other with hateful gazes, as if they were readying themselves for a war.

Arriving at the scene, he stumbled upon the guy called Red, who was seated on a box watching the show put on display by the group of players with interest, led by a guy calling himself 'Vas' and another one 'Ries'. Red noticed Mathias approaching and signaled him to join him in fun, to which Mathias walked casually to him, asking pointing at the group of players?

"What are those guys planning to do?"

"Guild Wars. There's been an event organized by a guy called Karl on the forums, and the winners of the event can get their hands on an epic rated item."

"An event made by a player? Interesting. Don't you have a guild to participate?"

"I am a solo player, only teaming up with random people on hard leveling grounds. What about you, interested in the event?"

"Meh, I am indifferent to those events made by others, especially when the reward doesn't entice me. Sorry if you want to team up with me to take on the challenge, but I am not interested."

"Haha, no problem. I understand that it is annoying taking part in such events, drawing the attention of people, having them target you because of their jealousy and other stupid things." commented Red casually, not caring much about participating in the event, similar to Mathias.

Nevertheless, both were curious, and soon a guy with blonde hair walked out from the gathered players to the center of them, speaking with a calm tone to the players.

"I am thankful you accepted my invitation and organized for this small event I did on the forums. Unfortunately, the other players from the rest of the locations couldn't arrive here, so only us players of the Saharan Empire will be able to enjoy this event.

First, let me introduce myself. I am Karl, the organizer and also the one who would reward the victorious guild that formed in this stage of the game. I will not take more of your time and call out the first teams to fight in the first rounds. Should we do a shoutout to all teams signed for this event?" asked the guy, looking around the players, who agreed to his intent.

Soon he took a written list and began to shout some names, from funny to normal, belonging to the respective guilds joining this event.

"Ahem, 'Wake n' Bacon'?" to which someone with the name tag [Bacon] raised his hand from the ground surrounded by 5 people, saying just 'Here.'

"Good, one candidate is checked. Next, 'O Nova Aeon'? … They are here too. 'The Chosen Ones'?"

To which the guy called Ries confirmed his guild presence with a confident voice, making Karl nod his head, moving to call out the next guild.

"Smurfs?"

"Aye, we are here too." said a guy called Lucas, who was surrounded by two girls and two guys who were holding confident expressions.

Checking them too, Karl checked another three teams who were present for the event, from the guild 'Blazing Bros' , 'Muchos Tacos' , 'Sofa Kings' from which the player called Vas belonged and with only a name on the list, he double-checked the name, calling with a professional voice.

"2Stoned2Care? Are they present?"

"Boss, he called our guild name." said a player who was shaking a player who was lying on the ground.

"Ahhh, what time is it? Did I get wasted again from all that booze?"

"Boss, we are at the event you signed for last night."

"That is right. RIGHT HERE, WE ARE PRESENT." called out a player having the name Cain, with the appearance of an early twenty guy whose hair was in bad shape.

"I see, then everyone is present who joined on the forum. Are there any other participants from the people gathered, or can we start the event with the ones who joined in advance?"

The gathered players didn't answer to this invitation, to which Karl took a jar from his inventory and wrote the names of the guilds, and placed them there. He pointed at a beautiful girl from the crowd, having her shake the jar with names and also pick the names of the first participants saying with a sweet voice.

"Bacon vs. Tacos"

"Hahaha, what are the chances for this to happen? Beauty, your hand really has some magic in turning a situation comical." said Cain, who began getting sober with each moment he was awake.

The girl blushed, embarrassed, while Karl encouraged her to continue picking up the rest of the fights.

"Stoned vs. Chosens"

"OHHH, finally. I can try my new class in action while pvping humans without killing anyone." commented Cain, who looked casually at Ries and his group, turning to look at his guild members who had various expressions from worry to excitement.

"Leave it to me guys, I just need to drink a bit more before the fight starts."

"Sofa Kings vs Smurfs"

"O Nova Aeon vs Blazing Bros"

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Mathias and Red discussed the players who walked in the settled space for their fights, telling the normal citizens to avoid this place for a while. Soon before the first started, a young man with black hair, who seemed to be 16-18 years old, walked toward the two who had a good view of the fights.

"Can I also sit next to you guys?"

Mathias looked at the tag name, which sounded familiar 'Maple Mist', and it didn't take long for him to remember it was the person who filmed and posted him online.

"Sure, come here." said Mathias, inviting the young man who was shocked when he checked his name.

"It is you…."

"Do you guys know each other?" asked Red curiously, seeing how the young man reacted when getting closer to Mathias.
"Well, let's say we are acquaintances, correct, Maple?" said Mathias with a smile on his face, to which the young boy cheerfully nodded his head.

Nevertheless, the young boy was in a state of confusion, asking himself what Mathias wanted because he acted too kind to him, especially when meeting him face to face. Maple, or how his real name was Louis, was used to being bullied a lot in his young life. Since he knew himself, he struggled to make friends and integrate himself into a community.

The only safe space for him was in the online world, where he made a shield protecting himself from the insults of others and their behavior.

'Does he want something from me? Why would he look at me with that expression?'

"Calm down, kid. Haven't I told you I don't care about that video? Let's enjoy this show those guys will put on." said Mathias seeing how nervous was Maple, having his feet trembling, he placed his hand on his shoulder as he was saying that.

"Right, don't tell me you are that spearman guy who got to the top of the forums last weeks?"

"Indeed, that is me, but this little guy didn't manage to do a good job on editing the video, blurring my face. Hey, it's fine, don't worry about it." added Mathias as he tapped Maple on his shoulder before Red casually told Maple.

"Maple, if you are curious about editing, I have a professional friend who might give you some teaching materials. Just add me to your friend's list and remind me whenever you can."

"Thanks for the offer." said Maple with a quiet voice, seeing a friend invitation from Red, which he accepted, not long after getting one from Mathias too.

"Since we know each other by now, let's keep in touch. Hmm, you are level 16 and have the warrior class."

"Heh, what about you? How have you got max level when you are still a beginner at core?"

"Killing monsters?" inquired Mathias, holding his laughter at this question.

The three talked with each other, soon getting quiet when the first Guild War started, the war between food cultures, the americans with their bacon and latin americans with their tacos, yet apart from jokes, the fight between these two guilds was balanced.

With the guild leaders engaging one another and the rest of the players grouping up fighting one another, Mathias could estimate each player's health by the amount of damage each was suffering.

The average of their health was 1900-2450, with Bacon and El Grande having the most stats from this group of players, being at 2970 and 3200 HP, even bypassing his own health, which was at 3062 HP.

'Bacon' was a Knight, while 'El Grande' was an Axe Warrior welding two axes keeping Bacon constantly in check. From the initial exchange, 'El Grande' was having the advantage, pressuring Bacon into submission.

"Amigo, you aren't that bad, but you can't beat my class with just the basic knight one. This victory is mine." said El Grande, who unleashed another skill, spinning his body and swinging the axes like a whirlwind, causing some damage on Bacon, who was in a defensive sword stance.

"[Double Twist]" called 'El Grande' his skills, activating the spinning attack again, while Bacon, who was wielding a two-handed sword from his defensive stance, released a war cry.

"[Zeratul Spirit]"

Buffing himself using the war cry, he slashed his sword at the dual-ax-wielding warrior, clashing weapons, making everyone in the audience, even the simple NPC's to stop and watch the event.

"Not bad, he managed to stop his momentum. If he has more under his sleeve, he could put an end to the axe wielder." commented Mathias, soon being asked by Maple why he would say this.

"Two-handed weapons deal more damage compared to single-handed weapons. Also, the knight gained some mastery in synchronizing his body with his slashes, not blindly using his skills. Simply put, the Bacon guy has more patience and a better fighting IQ than that Grande guy."

"Indeed, soon the PVP will end." commented Red watching with interest the PVP of the guild leaders and taking a peek at the other guild members.

The fight went in the direction Mathias and Red foresaw, with Bacon pushing Grande, until his guild members, who were only 2 in number, arrived next to him, fighting back.

"Don't worry Bacon, we'll take care of those guys."

"Aye, let's go all out and end those guys since my war cry only lasts 5 minutes."

Saying that with only 3 members remaining alive from the 4, he pushed past the enemy, arriving at Grande, and after intercepting him, soon he restricted his moments with his fast swings of the sword.

"Nice fight. Let's fight again when the live version kicks in. No need for events or anyone else, just the two of us."

"Sure thing. I might have lost this duel, but I can't say you will win the second duel." completed Grande, who was visibly aware he lost and was outclassed.

"[Mad Stomp], [Triple Swing]"

With a leg kick, dropping Grande down, he followed by swinging his sword with some basic attacks before finishing him off with his last skill. His guild members also ended the enemy in relative time.

"We have a winner! Wake n' Bacon has advanced the groups."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 50 - Timid Angel & Curious Devil
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After 'Tacos' guild members arrived back at the fighting scene, the player audience started applauding them, making the losers feel a bit better for being received like this.

"Patron, I no longer feel that bad losing against those guys. We have a vision on how we should improve and work on our teamplay."

"Indeed, I will help you guys get a higher-rated class once the live version kicks in. We will be the strongest guild in Satisfy, no doubt."

The group passed by Mathias, Red, and Maple, who were watching the second round of the event, and it was the time for Cain, who showed his equipment and weapon.

"That guy is a martial artist from his Brass Knuckles, interesting. I wonder how much one can emulate from the real world martial skills in this world. There are so many styles from karate, muay thai, boxing, systema, kung-fu, sambo, aikido, taekwondo."

*Whistle* "Are you into MMA?" asked Red, hearing Mathias mention all those fighting styles.

"Just a fan, I don't practice any of those sports. However, I was a fan of martial arts since young, so I am documented on the subject and can say I watched a lot of UF from the oldest fights from the 90s to the modern era fighters."

"You got your hands on the old tapes?"

"Not me, but my grandfather. He is the one who introduced me to MMA when I was younger, staying with him when my parents were at work."

Talking a bit more on that subject that even young Maple Mist got interested in what this MMA was until he saw it with his own eyes, how casually Cain moved toward Reis, leaving his guild members to deal with the rest. Reins raised his longsword toward Cain, seeming to taunt him, mocking him the PVP will take a short moment.

"Indeed, but for you. Don't piss your pants when you can't do nothing with that toy of yours."

Saying that, Cain charged at him and when he saw Reis slash at him with a basic attack, he used boxing footwork to dodge the attack, and when the skill came in his direction after the basic attack, he also unleashed a skill.

"[Ruin Fist]" called out Cain, clashing his fist with the long sword, creating a wind blast around the other players.

After blocking the respective attack, he charged back, and before Reins could even figure out what happened, a fist nailed his stomach. After that, with two lighting fast jabs and a one-two combination, Reins reacted and activated another skill which managed to wound Cain, cutting hit HP to 63% HP.

"Good sword and sword skill. It almost took half of my HP. You also have some sick armor right there for only this amount of game time."

"Bah, you can only do this much with your meager real skills against my sword skills and items. Do you know why? Because I am the Chosen One."

"Are you by chance Chinese?" asked Cain, not minding much of what bullshit Reis just spewed.

"No, does it even matter?"

"Yea, you sound like one of those characters the Chinese are good at writing. Foolish idiots, young masters. I will prove to you how insignificant your items and skills are to me."

Saying that, Cain, who distanced himself some steps back, dashed back toward Reins, who sent another sword attack that missed the target, propping him to cast more skills in the hope one would hit.

Getting out of mana, he managed to hit Cain only once in that flurry of skills, and when he got his hands on a mana potion, a leg made contact with his stomach, dropping his upper body horizontally, where a knee scored on his nose, blowing it up.

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Mathias shook his head, disappointed by what he saw from that Rein guy displayed.

"That guy is a noob who didn't figure out yet that his skills are all useless if he can't find the target. A waste of potential."

"Yea, he seems to have good gear and skills, but his fighting experience is zero. As if he only fought beasts in the wilderness and never trying PVP." commented Red, agreeing with Mathias, while Maple said his thoughts too.

"Maybe he fought with those weaker than him, ending him with only one skill."

"Or that. Either way, he wouldn't last too long." mentioned Red, and as if he too was a prophet, Cain unleashed a flurry of attacks, not giving Reins a chance to fight back.

"[Disarm]"

When Cain disarmed Reis, the rest of the players watching felt like Reins became a tiger who lost his fangs.

"[Ruin Fist]"

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"Congratulations to the guild 2Stoned2Care, they advanced forward."

"Fuck yeah, nice exercise, boss."

"I guess it is a good mental workout before the Olympics. Thanks, brothers, for telling me about this game. Otherwise, I would still be a frog."

"No problem, Cain. You can retreat here after all your boxing sparrings to relax. Or, in your case, fighting against people."

"Hehe, if I don't get the gold medal, I will burn you guys for being a distraction."

"Hey, we just did our job as gym members. It is your problem if you mess about here."

Cain, who laughed heartily at his gym friends, passed past Mathias and felt weird when this long haired guy stared so deeply at him as if he had a problem with him. Stopping in front of him, it created a moment of distraction for every player who were curious about what happened.

"Is there any problem?" asked Cain, unsure what Mathias wanted.

"Hmmm? Ahh, did I give you a weird look? Sorry, this is me when I am curious about someone. You are a boxer, correct?"

"Yep, but just an amateur, I guess." replied Cain, this question, passing Mathias with his group.

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Raising from where he was after getting his answers from Cain, he bid farewell to Red and Maple, excusing himself from watching the full event because he had other things to do aside from watching people fight.

"Little Maple, tell me who wins the event in the chat. It would be most likely a fight between that guy Bacon and Cain. Red, do some betting around. It's easy money."

"Sorry, but I am not into gambling."

Departing from the event ground, he passed along the way Reins and his guild members who were fuming, raging about his loss. Badmouthing his guild members for losing and not helping him out against Cain.

"I helped you guys with items and skills, and you couldn't even deal with those fuckers. Pathetic noobs."

When Mathias passed Reis, he just said one comment in the passing, which triggered Reis even more into stopping him and drawing his sword.

"Scum."

"Motherfucker, did you just bark something I didn't hear properly?"

"Oh my, aren't you quite curious? I kind of feel sorry for your guild members. Hey guys, I suggest you not join this scum when the live version kicks in. Group up together, and you will be much better off.

As for you, "guild leader," you simply are an incompetent fool. You didn't even make a strategy for your team to assist you. Leaving them alone to struggle, yet still bitching about your incompetence."

"[Flash Sword]"

[You have been attacked by player Reis in an open space entering the red mark trying to kill you inside a city.]

"PK? Aren't you afraid of the consequences?"

"Hmph, worse comes I will be chased around by the Black Knights. Nothing big."

[You have suffered 720 damage.]

With Reins being first to draw blood, Mathias began to shake his head, seconds later equipping his gear and revealing Ragnius for the rest to see.

"You are indeed a hard-hitting class. Managing to deal so much to me even when I was wearing my day-to-day clothes. But if you think I am like Cain to play with you… You are mistaken."

Activating 'Raven's Movement', he took Reins by surprise, and when he arrived in his sword range, he stepped deeper, plating a leg kick which sent him backward, dropping on the ground, causing only [58] damage.

With the opened space, he dashed toward Reis, and stabbing Ragnius blade on the ground, he propelled himself in the air toward the downed enemy, and with the shaft risen in the air, he slashed the downed man on the collision.

"[Bloodfal]"

[You have dealt 385 damage to the target, proccing the 'Bleeding' debuff.]

Reins roared in pain, starting to send a flurry of sword strikes, which Mathias started blocking, activating 'Arcane Barrier' and using 'High Guard' to block with Ragnius's shaft the sword strikes.

Some of the strikes landed on the shield were reflected back dealing [105], [78], and [83] damage, making Reis more flustered for not being able to shatter the defensive skill.

Nevertheless, Mathias, who started to lack mana and had no room to take a mana potion, activated 'Mana Hunger', which began his mana recovery even in a fight.

Clash by clash, still on the defensive with about [1790/3062] HP, he noticed the slowing on the intensity of strikes, and taking advantage of this, he burst using his movement speed, dodging a strike, sending a 'Piercing Rain' which dealt [146], [232] and [102] damage.

From his left hand, an 'Arcane Missile' flew, dealing with his magic power, a hit of [465], and when Reis saw himself with half of his HP, he quickly took an HP flask, refilling back his health, but at that moment, Mathias arrived in front of him, attacking him with a basic [Thrust] which was stopped by his plate armor.

[You have dealt 210 damage to the target]

"Hmph, you can't beat me. You are a nobody compared to Cain, who is most likely a cheater."

Mathias revealed a wicked smile as he started the sequence for 'Treachery', and from the initial thrust, two strikes came at lightning-fast speed, with only one connecting, dealing [203] damage, and when Reins saw Mathias draw his spear back, he charged with his sword targeting his heart, not caring about 'Midnight'.

"Bad choice."

Activating 'Raven's Movement', his speed and attack speed also got boosted, pulling the two spins faster than normally, making Reins cry in pain.

[You have dealt 345 damage to the target.]
[You have dealt 256 damage to the target.]

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Stopping with only the combo of the four strikes, he sent another arcane missile while he pulled a mana potion, drinking it, and when Reins was about to drink his second potion, he saw flying toward him a black crow which crushed his chest.

"[Nephthys Lament]"

[You have dealt 2351 damage to the target.]

"See you in the live version. Maybe next time you learn not to rely on your items and skills and also use your brain." said Mathias, whose right arm released some black aura where black feathers dropped on the ground, only lasting some seconds as Reis was turning to gray light.

Changing back to his casual clothes and drinking a healing potion, he looked at the guild members staring with surprised eyes to see how easily their guild leader was killed. Reminding them only once of the possible drawbacks of getting associated with such a person, he moved toward the city center, vanishing his tracks like a ghost.

"That guy, could it be? The person who was on the top of the forums for so long? The black spearman?"

"It could be since that spear looks similar to what this guy wielded. We should form our own guild when the live version kicks in. I hate being bossed around by rich kids."

"Same feeling, but sometimes getting easy money is better, even if you have to deal with an idiot."

"We can stream or make a YT channel making content on the game. We can make money doing that without being bad-mouthed by some idiot.

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Minutes later, he could be seen ascending the 'Light's Cathedral', arriving in front of Rebecca's Statue, giving her a bow, before stepping inside the building.

He no longer was wearing the priest clothes Jeanne landed him, but this didn't mean the priest's attitude of him changed. He was welcomed inside with warmth.

"Welcome back, brother. It has truly been a while since you last visited the Cathedral. We have started to miss you and the scenery you would bring to the church when cleaning the praying hall and the other places."

"Indeed, brother. You should come more often to clean the church. I doubt His Holiness would have a problem with this since you have his seal with you."

This warm greeting really was unexpected even for him, but he returned the gesture.

"Are you looking for Lord Gabrils? He was sent by His Holiness on a mission to defeat some evil people inside Saharan. He should be back in some weeks. Ohh, you are here for Her Excellency Jeanne? She is inside her office."

"Yea, she is present today, but for some unknown reason, she ignores everyone and seems irascible and easily annoyed. Those groups of dogs that troubled you even got punished and sent to the basement to be lashed."

"Ahhh, it must be hard on you guys. Don't worry, I will try to fix her."

"Hah? What are you saying, brother? Do you know why Her Excellency is so upset?"

"Yea, I have a guess. Anyway, thanks for the greeting and words."

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Thanking them, he arrived in front of Jeanne's office door and knocked on the door. He heard her voice trying to sound a bit manly and also containing some displeasure.

"I am busy. Haven't I told you not to disturb me?"

"No problem, I can always come back when you are available." commented Mathias beside the door with a warm and calm voice which was audible even for Jeanne inside her office writing some paper with a frowning expression.

When she heard his voice, her expression instantly eased up, rising up on her feet, arranging her silky blonde hair while looking in a mirror, before she got to the door to open it up, taking Mathias in her embrace.

"I thought you forgot about me since you stopped visiting me for almost three weeks. Without even a word said." said Jeanne with emotion in her voice which trembled a bit, embracing Mathias tightly to her chest.

"Sigh, I am sorry, Jeanne. It is not that I forgot about you, I had to solve some problems before I could visit you. Come cheer up. I also want to talk about something with you." said Mathias as he returned the hug, cradling her a bit in his strong arms.

"Hmm, just a bit more like this."

"Ahem, aren't the other priests seeing us? What will they say?"

"I don't care. Since that night, I no longer care what others say about me." replied Jeanne with a warm voice, burrowing her head into his chest.

Mathias, with his hands around Jeanne, picked her up, entering inside the office, closing the door with his mana and with her in his arms, feeling her warmth, he said to her.

"First, let me present you a gift. I've been working on this for quite a while nonstop."

Ending the embrace with him, her expression brightened up to a maximum, with some white light being released by her body when she heard that Mathias had a present for her, she tried not to show too much emotion, but her smile betrayed her thoughts.

"I am ready."

Taking a deep breath, as if he also prepared himself mentally, he took out the tapestry piece he did, entitled "<Timid Angel meeting a curious Devil>" and presented it to Jeanne, who took it in her arms.

"This is for you, Jeanne."

Her hands trembled a bit when she looked at the piece of art, seeing that devil touch the angel repulsing, something Mathias could see for himself, to which he closed his eyes tightly before opening them, staring calmly at her face who quickly entered many emotional states.

'A little devil trying to hold the hand of the little angel… could it be? He portrayed the two of us? An arduous relation that would have had the two parties commit sin for their faction. He is the little devil trying to hold me, the angels, hand, trying to approach me, and from the two gazes, the feeling is mutual.'


"Do you feel this way about me, Mathias?" asked Jeanne after some minutes, she contemplated the piece of art gifted.

"My heart was placed on the canvas for you to be seen. Right now, I am awaiting the response to the invitation."

Jeanne, hearing Mathias comment, smiled at him sweetly, slowly extended her slender and delicate hand the same manner the angel in the canvas was doing. The moment he saw her extend her hand, he also gave her a smile that turned cheeky in the same manner the devil in his canvas was doing, extending his arm into holding Jeanne's hand.

Jeanne's face turned rosy while holding Mathias's hand in such a theatrical manner, but she kept going until she heard Mathias ask her gently.

"Besides being opposite in status, the little devil is someone sneaky who can't stay with his hands in his own pocket, extending them, touching another flower. Yet the devil is someone with a big heart capable of sharing it with both flower and angel. But he is conflicted, would the angel still be able to accept the devil in this deplorable state he is?"

"If the angel was a naive one, she would instantly push away the repulsing devil before even trying to listen to the devil's gentle heart, but what the devil managed to find is an angel with a devil wing and angel wing placed upon it, who shares the same feeling like him." confessed Jeanne, looking at Mathias green eyes with her hazel ones, closing her eyes slowly, expecting something to come.

Closing the distance with her, Mathias planted a kiss on her tender black-colored lips, and while holding their right hands, he wrapped his left hand on her back, caressing it softly.

This kept for a bit until Jeanne made a small moan and then bite Mathias's tongue a bit for being too forceful.

"Sorry, I was just too surprised by that kiss." apologized Jeanne for biting his tongue.

"It is fine. So, does the angel loves the devil?"

"Indeed, she is willing to accept the sneaky devil as he is." confessed Jeanne, while they were staring at each other's faces being in an embrace.

"The devil already couldn't take his eyes off the angel when he saw her and learned more about her as she opened herself to him while he was disguised. I love you too, Jeanne." confessed Mathias with a smile on his face, feeling relieved and along the way also happy for not being rejected by her, to which Jeanne gave him a kiss on his lips.

"I thought you would leave me alone because of that Fayrene girl, even though I decided as you stopped from coming to not trouble you, believing you confessed to that Fayrene, and she rejected this idea. Big brother also mentioned something about you before going on his mission, but he refused to tell me more details. Did he know about what you feel for me?"

"Indeed, I told brother Gabrils about my situation with you and Fayrene. I can only be glad everything worked out, being blessed to meet two women tolerant and not possessive that I would be strangled for such desires and to which I feel the same love."

"She doesn't mind sharing you with me?"

"I better let you two meet each other and talk. You can find from her own mouth what she thinks, but Fayrene is an open-minded sweetheart. Even though there is that law allowing a man to have three partners, I live under a culture that frowns upon such an idea."

Taking her to the spacious armchair, holding her on his lap as he talked with her, sharing with each other their thoughts, sometimes kissing and laughing at other moments, Jeanne lovingly told Mathias.

"You know Mat, it is most likely we were fated to meet. Maybe there is something about my curse that I don't know yet about. But, I have this strong belief it is exactly this curse, or better blessing, which brought us together."

"Right now, I don't regret being a woman at all. Finally finding my soulmate when I even abandoned such a thought."

"Everything will be fine since I will be here for you. Besides, there's something the priests put to my attention. You are feeling bad. Was this because I didn't visit you?"

"This … not entirely. I don't know how to tell you since it is really embarrassing, but I started bleeding from down there, which pains me, and even if I heal myself with the spells, it doesn't help me at all. There's also fatigue and headaches, sometimes I even want to punch in the face some annoying priests."

Holding Jeanne in on his lap, looking at her face while nodding his head, having an understanding of what was happening to Jeanne, he still asked her, feeling curious.

"Is this the reason you punished those dogs?"


"Those barking dogs? No, I imprisoned them when I heard from the priests about the conflict they had with you. I don't care if they are noble spawns or if they have money that father dries them off, but they can't put their hands on you, especially when inside the Cathedral, I am leading."

"There was no need. I can take care of myself on my own. I don't want you to privilege me with anything. We are here standing like this together. It is only Jeanne, the loving partner of Mathias. The same would be for me for when I would gain high status in the empire, life in bed is between us, and business is separated from the bed."

*Giggling* "I will try, but I can't guarantee I will not get angry if some fools try to hurt you, Mat."

"Is all good, just try your best." said Mathias caressing her face, where she also played with his ears a bit.
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Standing like this together, he checked on her when she could leave, to which Jeanne gave him a cheeky smile, saying to him.

"Whenever I feel like it. Do you, by chance, want to go somewhere?"

"Well, only if you want. I want to take you with me and introduce you to Fayrene since she is curious and is boiling to meet you since I told her about you. You can share with her the troubles you are living with since she understands menstruation better than me."

"Menwhat?"

"The thing that is happening to you is called as such. Argh, how should I put it for you to understand simply without misinforming you? You know that women get pregnant, ye? Well, from what I know, a woman who is on her period will release some eggs from her ovary. That is an essential thing inside your body that produces eggs, which are waiting to be fertilized by the sperm. Do you understand this part so I can keep going?"

"Yea, I can understand. It feels really scary knowing I am living those moments right now."

"I can only give you my chest to cry on. But back to the story, so when that egg fails to be fertilized, it will be dejected out of your womb, which will cause this bleeding you girls suffer."

"But why do we have to suffer this?"

"If I was a gynaecologist, I might have answered you accurately. Who knows, maybe the body is so smart that it has built more safe passes so the women wouldn't have a damaging pregnancy of a sick fetus. So it will constantly try to search for the best sperm to fertilize the egg and let you give birth to a healthy baby without endangering your life too much.

Ahem, Ahem. Anyway, you better talk with Fayrene about these things. She might know better or even have some treatment to treat your symptoms."

"Understood. Then let's go quickly. This thing has been bothering me for quite some days." said Jeanne, getting up from Mathias lap, arranging her priestly clothes and hair, walking to her office to close the papers she was writing, and after closing the office with her key, she took Mathias hand and walked out of the church in the watchful eyes of the priests.
"That guy! He was the cause Her Excellency treated us so badly, failing to visit her and saddening her heart. You know how sensible women are."

"Fuck, I don't know, stop rubbing salt, man!" cried another priest, flustered yet feeling good that someone finally hit the nail on their eternal problem, dealing with Jeanne's constant nagging.

"Hey guys, at least, let's see the good part. She will be too busy with Mathias to be bothered with us. Only focusing on her paperwork and with her relation."

"Goddess, be blessed. You finally listened to our prayers."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 51 - Cain vs Lucas
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Walking down the 'Light's Cathedral' grounds, both Mathias and Jeanne hold their hands together, passing past the people who gave them a weird stare, as if they recognized Jeanne, while when passing the players, they would look with amazed eyes seeing someone walk with such beauty.
"Pst, is that a dude or a woman? I can't tell?"
"That's clearly a woman, you moron. Does anyone remember from when those guys tried to become members of Rebecca Church? Wasn't she the person to tell them to scram in a cold manner?"
"Ahh, yes, I remember that video. Who is that guy? Isn't he delusional sticking together with some NPC even if she is gorgeous?"
"Who cares? He is just one of those deranged people who believe those NPC hold any life."
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Moving past those talking Saharan citizens and the vocal players, he wasn't bothered whatsoever by their comments. What he felt was real, and the same could be said for the inhabitants of this world who held emotions, real emotions. He had a brief stop when he arrived at the event grounds, where it looked like they were approaching the semifinals.
"What is happening there, Mat?" asked Jeanne, curious about the gathered players who were looking at a group of people fighting with one another.
"Something my brethren like to do, fight against one another to prove who is the best from the bunch." explained Mathias in a calm manner to Jeanne, who seemed to understand rather quickly what he meant.
"Then, why aren't you participating? Aren't you the strongest from this group of people?"
"Heh, I don't think I am the strongest from this group of people. There's a guy who can school me in a harsh manner with me not being able to do anything."
Jeanne held a dissatisfied expression as she looked at the group of people for the one who could prove a challenge for Mathias, and seeing her try to find his possible nemesis, he pointed at the fighting circle.
"Here, so you can understand what I mean by that. Watch the guy wearing the brass knuckles and see how he fights."
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On the fighting circle, Karl went on a high platform and said to the group of citizens and players with an excited voice.
"I am pleased to announce to you the semifinal fights between "2Stoned2Care" and "Blazing Bros". Be sure to keep up with the protagonists of today and a round of applause for the fighters."
The public applauded the group of players while Karl jumped of the made-up platform, leaving Cain to stare at Blaze, the leader of 'Blazing Bros', before turning to his guild members, telling them in a relaxed way.
"Guys, let's shift strategy. I want you to keep busy that guy Blaze while I dispose of the others. Following that, we will gang on the last guy. Got it?"
"Ehhh, that's unexpected. I thought you wanted to fight against everyone on 1vs1 terms." asked one of his guild members, surprised by the strategy.
"I want to spice things a bit and also let you suffer a bit."
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Settling down their strategy, when Karl gave the start of the fight, Blaze woke himself being surrounded by the Stoned members, who were wearing casual smiles unleashing their attacks in his direction, from swords to maces.
"Hmph, you think you bums can take me out? Is your leader so afraid of me that he doesn't want a 1vs1?"
"Ahem, not really." responded a guild member to Blaze, as he was the first one to be targeted by Blaze, whose sword caught fire, slashing it in his direction in a swift manner.
Cain, who dashed at the Blazing members, was like a beast unleashed on a group of sheep, as he connected combinations of jabs, from one-twos to thunderous uppercuts, and when they would try to counter, they would miss targets because of his marvelous footwork.
"Watch carefully. This is what fighting against one of my trained brethren is like. Those movements and attacks belong to my world."
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"[Ruin Fist]" called out Cain, ending one Blazing member, dropping him on the ground, and removing him from the fight.
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"Even that attack?" inquired Jeanne, curious about the fist who released a large pressure with some dark aura on the brass knuckles.
"That one … no, it belongs here."

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It didn't take a long time for Cain to dispose of the Blazing members, but the same could be said for Blaze, who killed all the Stoned members apprehending him, tying his movements down. The only difference was that Blaze used more resources in killing the enemy while Cain was as fresh as when the fight started.
"Congratulations, you managed to wipe those beginners. I told them to stick to boxing or kick-boxing when choosing their path, but they ignored me, saying they wanted to try something new."
"Hah, you guys are really good. If more people like you join this place, it will turn really crazy. With so many people to fight against. Those so-called "gamers" who are just using their fingers on keyboards and hand for the mouse will have no chance."
"I can't say for certain since I heard levels here matter, and because of my real job, I might not be able to play as much as I want." responded Cain to Blaze's affirmation, letting him recover his resources to fight him on full HP.
"I see, then it will be sad to see those no-lifers take over the top charts." added Blaze, who strengthened his grip on his sword, which started emitting flames.
"It is just a game. No need to worry about us professional fighters."
Starting their fight, which began balanced looking as if both had their chances at success, Cain still maintained the same intensity, and when a 'Ruin Fist' connected against Blaze, things turned downward for the Blazing Bro.
With a combination of Boxing techniques and Muay Thai kicks and elbows, Blaze dropped down, defeated, standing on his knees with his blazing sword dropped on the ground.
"Damn, are you a boxer or a mixed martial artist?" asked Blaze, accepting his defeat humbly yet wanting to confirm Cain's background.
"I am a boxer, but who says I can't learn other forms of martial arts? Right, you better watch the Olympics in November and tune in on the boxing competition."
"Heh, I will be sure to watch."
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Mathias and Jeanne departed from the event grounds, and one could see that Jeanne was surprised by what she just saw when Cain fought Blaze.
"That person's movements are really weird and unexpected. Now I understand why you said you aren't the strongest of the group, but this doesn't change the fact that you can beat him. I saw you fight with my two eyes and can understand that you are the type to improve a lot as more time passes."
*Chuckling* "Who knows." answered Mathias chuckling a bit at Jeanne's affirmation, feeling happy that the image she was having of him was in such a way.
Departing from the event grounds, minutes later Jeanne with Mathias entered the district he was living which was something new for her, but seeing the people here greet Mathias warmly, with some drunkards laughing at him and making fun that he come back with a woman, asking for some booze to keep quiet.
She started giggling when she saw Mathias's expression when encountering these drunkards, as if he was some magnet for drunk people, their patron, giving them alcohol. Yet to get them away from him, he gave them some silver coins, solving the problem in an amicable manner without having to beat them.
"My apology for what you just saw and heard. Those guys are a nuisance even for me, but I can't kick them since I drank with them at one time."
"Don't worry, Mat. I kind of like this place's atmosphere, it feels more alive compared to the high part of the city." said Jeanne after laughing a bit with a bright expression.
"I can't deny this, but it also holds some nasty people here, which I try to avoid because it would make me want to kill them."
"Ahh! That's right, how could I forget that the periphery is the base for the gangs. Do you want me to help you in dealing with them? I can have my father order the Saintly Order to exterminate them." mentioned Jeanne with her face turning more serious while walking hand in hand with Mathias.
Shaking his head while patting her hand, he put this conversation down because it would break the balance Corvus talked about, and if they didn't disturb him, he wouldn't look to stir a wasps nest.
The couple stopped right in front of Fayrene's Shop, with Mathias taking a deep breath, entering inside, followed by Jeanne, who looked curiously around herself, taking in the smell of the tailoring studio.
She could see Fayrene at the front counter writing something on some pages while reading a book, and the first thing she noticed was that she was a beautiful woman.
'She is truly beautiful. No wonder this little devil didn't wish to upset her. I wonder what she is doing there? Is that her hobby similar to Mat, to write?'
As she thought those things, when looking at Fayrene, Jeanne heard Mathias say in a calm voice, sounding slightly awkward.
"Fayrene, I returned. Let me introduce you to Jeanne."
Raising her face to look at Mathias, she nodded at him before gazing at Jeanne with her eyes releasing white-purple lights as she stared at the newcomer. Getting from her seat, she walked toward them, and after caressing Mathias's face in the passing, she arrived in front of Jeanne, looking with a serious expression at her.
This gaze made Jeanne feel pressured, moving her fingers in a nervous manner, until she heard Fayrene again say in a serene voice.
"Mathias, can you go for a walk while the two of us talk?"
He instantly reacted like a good boy moving out of the house, nevertheless, before getting out, he moved to whisper to Jeanne in a nervous voice.
"Good luck, Jeanne."
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After Mathias left the house, Fayrene, who kept her stern expression, suddenly revealed a small smile, starting to chuckle, making Jeanne feel even more nervous.
"Ease up. I will not kick you out of the house or grab your ears for trying to seduce Mathias. Well, most likely, it isn't your fault. Let me greet you properly, sister. I am Fay."
Hearing her say that, she reacted rapidly, introducing herself while extending her hand like a man from her lingering masculine instincts.
"Nice to meet you Fayrene, I am Jeanne. Ahh, sorry for the hand."
Fayrene didn't mind it and took Jeanne's hand doing a small handshake, before inviting her inside properly, as she let her get on her seat moving to prepare some tea, Jeanne who was reading the content of the paper Fayrene was writing, heard her say with a joking tone.
"Isn't he a foolish man? He was all nervous, not knowing how I would react when he mentioned you to me."
"Indeed, he is a foolish man, but this is what I like about him."
"So we are on the same page in this regard, that's good. Let me serve you some tea. Do you want it sweet or simple?"
"Sweet if it's not inconvenient for you."
While Fayrene was boiling the water for the tea, she went back to the studio to see Jeanne quietly read Mathias's book from the starting page and be silent for a while until she came back with a teapot steaming, she asked her calmly.
"Do you like the book?"
"Hmmm? It is interesting. Could it be, it is Mat's creation?"
"That's right, surprisingly, he is a writer. If you want, I can help you with a copy of the book so you can continue reading it because from what I heard from Mathias, he plans to give the book in a couple of days to His Majesty himself since it was something requested by him."
"Really?? His Majesty wants to read Mat's book?" inquired Jeanne, surprised by what information Fayrene shared.
Confirming this information, stating that Mathias had no reason to lie to her, especially knowing that he doesn't like to lie, she moved from subject to subject, trying to find more about Jeanne. At the same time, she too shared information about herself from her childhood situation in the countryside to her life in the city, the struggles she had to encounter, and the manner she was treated by the people.
When Fayrene heard about Jeanne's dark past, she went to embrace her, patting her back, in doing so making Jeanne tear up a bit.
"It must be hard for you, suffering all that pain and thinking of losing yourself, no longer recognizing yourself. Don't worry. You can always talk with Mathias and me of your hardship, never holding back those harsh memories that would eat at your soul."
"Hm, it was truly hard, but I can only live forward in this new identity." confessed Jeanne with some tears in her eyes, feeling the warmth and sincerity Fayrene showed her.
Moving past those dark memories, the girls went to other subjects that brightened up the atmosphere, from their hobbies to how their usual life went by. To even share about the moment they began sensing something for Mathias.
*Giggling* "You better keep it secret and don't share it with that jerk. He starts teasing us with that aspect." laughed Fayrene when she heard how Jeanne started to feel love for Mathias.
"I will keep it to myself, also I will not give you away, Fay." said Jeanne, holding hands with Fayrene as they chit-chatted like close sisters.
After other subjects, Jeanne, whose face turned a bit embarrassed, drew her courage to ask Fayrene something sensible.
"Fay, I have some problems for a while, where I suffer bleedings I can't heal with my divine powers. Mat explained to me that is something related to the womanly attributes, that being pregnancy. I need your advice on how to deal with this."
Fayrene looked with big eyes at Jeanne before nodding her head, patting her hand, saying with a calm voice.
"Don't worry, I can help you and teach you how to manage your periods."
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Outside of the house, Mathias looked at the sky as he was talking to himself with a positive mindset.
"There's no quarreling inside, a good sign that things will turn harmonious with them. Having two lionesses talk it out between one another is most likely the best choice I made."
"Hmmm, I should prepare to finish the book for Lord Juander and spend my time with the girls to the best of my abilities."
While looking at the sky, he saw a notification coming from Maple, with a message bringing fresh news concerning the Guild Wars Event made by Karl, which had him interested.
&Maple Mist: Brother Mathias, the final of the event has been decided. It will be the Stoners vs. Smurfs.
"Ohh, that Bacon guy lost? Not reaching the finals to fight against Cain?"
&Mathias: What class does that Lucas have?
&Maple Mist: He is a Sword Dancer, a really weird class. He used a style of fighting that didn't allow Bacon to hit him at all, swinging his swords. Ahh, Red said it is similar to the Cossacks. What are those?
"Cossack? Really? Could it be that guy is Ukrainian?"
&Mathias: A cossack is a warrior tribesman from Ukraine or Russia, and they are really crazy about horse riding and sword fighting. They were the ones to have expanded the Russian Empire in 16th -17th century.
&Maple Mist: I see, so this means they are really skilled at fighting. This is why Red started laughing so much when that guy Lucas won. Anyway, I will notify you of who will win, brother. Or you can watch the live stream using the system, which allows you to connect to the streaming network.
&Mathias: Okay, I will tune in
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With the girls still not giving him any signal, he searched around the streaming services, and it didn't take him long to find the streams which were broadcasting the event, being the most popular on the entire platform.
"Wow, such a big number of live people watching those streams. Is that 200.000 on just one stream?"
Entering that stream, he saw the two guilds staring off and Karl being in the center of attention, announcing the final fight and also showing the reward placed on the play, it was a longsword with a beautiful finish and decoration, an epic rated sword which caused a scene in that place.
Starting the fight, the guild leaders charged at one another, checking one another, and for the first time, Cain backed away when Lucas began his sword dancing, swinging around his sword like a madman.
The fight was tense, with both having equal chances of winning, with Lucas seeming the Dark Horse of this event. Cain tried some combinations, but all failed, even getting his hands slashed, making him suffer wounds.
Looking at his teammates, he saw that the fight between the rest turned into 2vs3, him losing 2 members, but the 'Smurfs' losing their healer, which boosted the morale of the guys who began pressing, ending one by one the competitors.
Mathias nodded his head at how smooth they transitioned and also applauded when seeing Cain pin Lucas's movements, not allowing him to intervene in assisting his guild members.
"Good one. But he will keep you guys at bey using his sword dance. I wonder what will you do."
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Back to the center of the fight, Cain sends his message using the party chat, giving them a decisive order which might seem lousy.
&Cain: Guys, I want each of you to start harassing this guy, taking his attention off me, while I will take him by surprise and disarm him. It is fine even if you get yourself done. Front the pain like the men we are, otherwise, I will tell the coaches you got scared of some pain.
&Vulcan: Aren't you asking too much of us, brother. But I guess winning this event will be nice since I am a swordsman. You better hand me that item.
&Cain: Sure, just do it before he finds out our plan.
Lucas, who was swinging his swords using a defensive sword dance, looked left and right as Vulcan and Apis charged at him, one swordsman while the other one was something akin to a monk.
Getting his hands occupied with those two, he lowered his attention on Cain, and when he did that, he lost his sight of Cain, who seemingly disappeared.
He tried to look around himself, but Vulcan and Apis kept him busy harassing him, and when he killed Apis and Vulcan and stopped in place, he felt a thunderous hit on his back.
"How? What happened? Does he have assassination skills?" asked the players, confused on how Cain appeared behind Lucas.
"Most likely."
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Cain dashed with top speed after Lucas and hit his hands before he could swing his swords at him, dropping his swords on the ground, and followed by a flurry of hits, Lucas grunted, kicking Cain away from his with his leg.
Cain looked at the debuffs he applied to Lucas and could see that he still had 2 seconds of a chance of ending the cossack warrior in front of him, which fought as if he was on the real battlefield.
In one second, he stepped inside using his 'Ruin Fist' to nail a thunderous strike on Lucas's chest which made the latter puke blood, and with a rugged breath, he sent another 'Ruin Fist' putting an end to Lucas fighting spirit.
"Блядь!! That cursed debuff, I wanted to equip a new series of swords in my inventory, and I simply couldn't. Hah, good fight, man. You took this first win, but we will see each other in the future."
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Mathias, who watched the stream, saw everything with interest, focusing on the movements of the two, and could only comment thinking about his skills.
"I am lacking so much compared to those two. I shall work more on my basic skills of fighting with the spear and sword compared to training and synchronizing the skills. Skills are just a helping hand to us, and only if you have the skills to put them to use will you dominate against the rest."
With a deep breath, he planted his back once again on the greenfield, and minutes later, he heard from Maple, who shared the news excited. After talking for another brief moment with him, he heard the calm and sweet voices of his partners calling to him.
"Mat, you can come home."
"Finally, I thought you forgot about me and made up together, throwing me aside."
*Chuckling* "You know, maybe it isn't a bad idea. Isn't that right, sister?" said Fayrene in a joking tone, to which Jeanne also tagged in, nodding her head while gazing at Mathias lying on the green field.
"That's harsh. So have you two girls been getting along well? Have I done well for bringing you two together in this manner?" asked Mathias arriving in front of them, giving them a warm smile as he tried to take both of them in his arms.
"My, my, aren't you pushing your luck, little imp?" replied Fayrene as she got into his arms, settling on the part of his chest, while Jeanne remained shy yet accepting the warm hug.
"Just a bit. It will not hurt anyone. Right, Fay, have you shown Jeanne the work we are doing for that lady? Or your sketchbook?"
"Yea, you are late on that. You will have to tailor one for both of us alone. At least if you still want to get in bed with the two of us."
"Arghh, but I know only to sew my underwear." said Mathias with a pathetic voice, to which the two girls in his arms began laughing.
"Don't worry, I will try to help you, dear. While I don't know about tailoring, I will give you all my support." said Jeanne, encouraging him.
Entering inside the house and arranging some chairs to be linked together, Mathias started to probe the waters to see how lucky he could be with the two girls, but the two noticed his shrewd, devilish side and kept sending him on mental walks while taking back from their talks.
Slowly, he also returned to his writing while the girls were chit-chatting. It was a harmonious atmosphere that he began enjoying. Hearing those two beauties talk about random things made him feel at peace, boosting his creative side even more and increasing the progress in finishing copying the book for Juander.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 52 – Juander and the Book
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With the Guild War event ended the entire event was recorded by someone and placed on the main forum of Satisfy, from there on, people began cropping and editing certain parts making the fights even more exciting, sharing them around on YT and other popular platforms and social media.

The buzz made was unexpected, which as a result generated even more interest in the game, with certain media outlets picking on those news, especially in South Korea which had developed gaming news outlets that started sharing this event like hot bread.

Everyone managed to profit over such an event made by the mysterious person called Karl, yet the one who basked in the profits of this event was S.A Group itself.
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Inside the medium size office building in Seoul, South Korea, the main developer, Lim Cheolho was holding a meeting with the developers of the game, discussing the recent news, while from nowhere, Yanis the developer from Germany said with a jerk tone.

"Karl, you crazy moron. Are you trying to destroy the game balance by giving people epic items?"

"Hmph, shut up you blind fool, I didn't break any of the agreements we signed together. What I did was purely on my own personal will because I was playing around testing some early bosses in the Saharan Empire and that sword just dropped to me. Obviously, I didn't need that thing which made me want to give it to someone else. Yet who should I give it to?"

"Just keep it to yourself and don't interfere with the players, what's so hard to understand." said Yanis to Karl, who just gave him a deaf ear, saying while targeting the CEO.

"Lim, you should understand better that what I did was on my own rights as a player, not a developer. This should also be a test for how events could be made, maybe in the future we do something like the Olympics. Regardless, this small thing of mine seems to have spread like wildfire, even the gaming news outlets in Wien have mentioned the event."

"Something akin to Olympics?" said Lim Cheolho to himself, pondering this idea, while Yoon Nahee was monitoring the flow of people accessing their platform and the orders placed for the capsule.

"Cheolho, I think we need to hire more constructors for our capsule, at this rate we will not be able to keep up the production."

"Is it really that hot?" inquired Lim Cheolho half focused, while the woman beside him told him some numbers, which made Karl laugh like a maniac.

"Do I get a share for my contribution at the salary?"

"No." answered Nahee in a stoic manner to the European developer.

"Poor me. Right, have you liked the fights put on by the beta players?"

"Indeed, it was impressive. Lucakovisk Alexander, an amateur sambo champion from Ukraine, followed by Arturo LaMotta from the US but coming from an Italian descend, he is an amateur boxer with 53 fights under his belt, all wins in domineering fashion, a possible prospect at becoming a Middleweight World Champion after turning professional, or so the sources I am reading say."

"No clue who those guys are, but they put on a great show for my eyes." mentioned Karl to Yoon Nahee, as she was stating the background of the two finalists in his event.

"Wow, such talented young men gave a try to our game. I am feeling a bit weird since I was expecting to hear about those stars from the gaming industry." said a developer whose interest was picked when hearing the accomplishments of Cain and Lucas.

Lim Chelho nodded his head, and targeting Karl, he told him with a calm voice.

"We will see how things turn out in the future, and according to how high the interest of the players for those types of events are, we will pull it off. It will be a pain to convince all those Governmental bodies, but if we manage to deal with the US Government, Chinese Government and Russian Government, the rest will just circle around with the giants. Good job, Karl. I haven't thought of doing such a thing, I just wanted to leave it to the players to sort it out.

"Hah, sometimes we have to force things and be more proactive or all of our years of work and all the investment and loans we have taken for this project will go down the drain. My girlfriend will kill me if this project doesn't go well." commented Karl, stating a harsh reality for all the developers.

They placed a huge investment, from governmental loans to all short of money sources, they had to repay those loans.

"Indeed. By the grace of God, the project managed to sprout its seed on the minds of the general public. We just have to be patient and watch everything going in the game with a keen eye."

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With their talk, things outside of the world only amplified like wildfire which didn't seem to be downed by any rain or event of equal noteworthy.

Even Mathias and Vlad, in the passing days were subjected to different questions from their coworkers, especially Mathias who was summoned by his manager Leonor, who at first thought he messed something inside the hotel. However, when he heard Leonor ask him about Satisfy, he was dumbfounded.

"Mathias, what do you say, it is worth buying that VR capsule? I heard the talks of some of your coworkers who discussed that you and Vlad were playing this game."

Staring with surprised eyes at her, it made the lady in her late twenties with raven long hair, a bit embarrassed when seeing Mathias who was wearing his uniform give her that gaze.

"What? Can't I be curious? This is a talk between friends, not subordinates."

"Ahem, sorry. Well, if you want to relax yourself and explore new things, having the spare money to invest on the product, I would totally recommend it, even playing some short hours would be enough to destress from all the tension from work."

"I see, if I by chance start playing this game, can you teach me around and guide me until I get the hang of the game?"

"No problem, Leonor. Just join the same place like me, and I will write a guide in a doc format. Detailing you some certain things that might not exist in the forums and also point you to other materials and tutorials."

"That is nice to hear, thank you Mathias. I will contact you when I require your help, if it isn't a problem."

"It shouldn't be, just call me whenever, Leonor. Is there anything else?" asked Mathias, looking at his hand watch.

"That's all. We will talk later, you can resume your work."

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Continuing with his day, alternating from work to the game, yet still managing other activities, such as washing his clothes, talking with his parents on a weekly basis, and sometimes checking on his brothers, talking with them on the phone. He found from their mouth that they found Satisfy and also wanted to try the game.

"Big bro, have you really bought that capsule??" asked his younger brother on the phone Alex, when Mathias told him casually that he bought the capsule.

"Indeed, but please don't tell mom, she will nag me that I spent my money foolishly. So, how is it like being in highschool? Have you made any friends or encountered any little beauty?"

"It's just the first two weeks, but I can't say I didn't manage to find some colleagues to talk with while staying in the same bench. As for girls, there's a lot of them here since the highschool has a specialization for hairdressers and that class is full with girls."

"Good on you Alex, if you want big brother to help you want with advice on how to pick on them, call me, okay?"

"Sure thing, big brother. Hmm, can I ask you something? Are you still mad at Cris for what happened 2 years ago?"

Hearing his little brother's sensible question, he sighed, telling him. "If that brat wants to talk with me, I will not decline his call since we are brothers. Also, if he asks, tell him I already forgot what happened back then. I no longer care about her, she can do whatever she wants with her life because I am not cornered."

"Big bro, you know Chris just wanted to show you what that girl was doing behind your back."

"I know, this is why I am no longer upset with Christian, come Alex, hand the phone to that bum, I know he is next by."

Seconds later, he could hear the greeting of another young man to which Mathias just told him.

"Cris, while what you did back then annoyed me so much that I wanted to beat the shit out of you, I didn't hit you because you are my little brother and what you did was for my own good. I've watched you grow while mom and dad were away at work, in a sense I am still your protector. I forgave you long ago. Bros before hoes, that's a wise saying but I have no clue who said it first."

"Sorry big brother."

"It is fine, let's not mention the past and stay in the present. How have you been? Anything happening in your life?" asked Mathias, switching the subject, no longer carrying about his former toxic relationship.

"Well, nothing much aside from going to highschool and returning home. I've been looking around for this game, Satisfy, but they are asking for an exorbitant amount of money in order to get that device."

"Don't worry Chris, I managed to buy one, and if things go well and this investment proves worthy, who knows, you two might wake up with some gifts. But for that, you better get good marks and don't skip school. There's no need for perfect scores like those foolish parents ask other kids, but don't embarrass mom and dad, okay?"

"No problem big brother. Call us more often."

"Hmph, are you some shy girls who can't call me back when you want to talk? Or are you afraid you'll bother me?"

"The second part." said Christian a bit awkward.

"Come on guys, think, I've wiped your asses off your poop, fed you, watched over you, do you think I will mind getting called even when I am at work? Just call if you want to talk, but I can't always be the one calling out."

"We will."

Talking a bit more with his brothers, he ended the call and went about with his daily life, feeling as if another stone in his chest was shattered, healing his cold relation with his brothers.

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The days before 'Satisfy' would be closed approached and with the fresh Friday, after ending his working hours and arriving at home, dealing with the menial things, he accessed the game greeting both Jeanne and Fayrene who were drinking some tea in the studio room, looking at the dress he with Fayrene worked on, half completed.

"I am back. How have you been those two days I was away?"

"You know, the usual. We finished copying the book and to gift you something for your hard work. We did something." said Fayrene with a smiling face, attracting all of Mathias' curiosity as he walked toward the two girls.

Giving them a kiss on the lips, he looked around the working table, but could only see the dress sketches and tools, along with the two's sweet chuckling, which made him even more interested.

"Where's my gift?"

"Go to my room and open the closet at the table, there is something waiting for you."

Following her instruction, Mathias walked inside their room and arriving in front of the table, he drew the closet and could see there standing beside the Arcane Tome, his own book which was covered in a leather cover having a drawn printed inside, having a man wearing a crown, similar to the Roman Emperors seated on a the Imperial Throne.

Shocked by how accurate the drawing of Justinian was, he picked the book in his hands, touching it gently, feeling the craftsmanship of the book cover.

"They drew Justinian exactly as I have him in my mind just following the detailed description I placed in the story. Even the Imperial Throne and Emperor Crown with the Purple Cloak are so well depicted."

Turning the pages of the book, he could see that they had a new sewed thread which made the pages transition feel smoother, turning them in a quick manner, his face turned into a bright smile which the girls who were standing at the door basked in fully, winking at one another.

"How is our gift, dear? Will His Majesty like the book cover me and Jeanne created?"

"He better do it because I will shove this book on his throat otherwise. Fay, it was you who drew Justinian?"

"Hm, this is the image I have of him when reading the descriptions of his character. A man with olive skin-tone, rough skin after working on the farm for all his childhood, with brown hair and black eyes, not tall but not too short, just like you."

"That is right Mat, sister drawing skills are fantastic, not even the Cathedral's artists could outshine Fay's skills."

"Shhh, don't be silly. How could I compare to those professionals? Anyway, I am glad you love it, dear."

He placed the book on the table, and walked to give them a tight hug, trembling a bit when he thought he only had two days with them, the nightmares and worries of the future kept appearing more often, which scared him.

Staying for a bit more with the girls, talking about some casual things while he double checked the book, he got up and with his lover's encouragement and well wishes, he walked out with the mission of delivering his work to Emperor Juander von Saharan.

Walking toward the center part of the capital city, Titan, he used the Imperial Palace as a compass to guide himself, until he took the map he received from Juander, walking away from the path most people were walking, not being a bother.

"So, the marked place should be hundreds of meters away from the Imperial Palace, close to the alley connecting the Hippodrome area. It shouldn't be hard to find this place, so let's follow the map instructions. I can't get lost with this map anyway." commented Mathias, withdrawing the map back to his inventory, returning to his journey, following the instructions.

From alley to alley, he could see the quality of materials used in constructing those buildings, nothing seemed out of ordinary when taking in account the entire scenery, however, as he was getting closer to his target, the buildings began diverging from those using decent quality materials to good quality, but this wasn't the case for a building that was outright a shack belonging to beggars.

Taking the map he received from Juander and also ogling on the game map, he could see he was on the right spot.

"No way. Is this really the place? Doesn't this feel like some place where beggars without money live?"

Nevertheless, after some contemplation, he chose to believe that the location was right, and walking toward the door with the key received from Juander, he introduced in the door lock, but as Mathias turned he key he found it was open.

"Could it be? Someone is inside? Is he here?" inquired Mathias, opening the door, to enter the house which was rather warm, being a sign that someone lived here and that a fire was maintained.

Closing the door quietly, he passed the entrance hall, and walking to the main room, a white-haired man wearing simple clothes, was seated on a rocking chair beside the fireplace of the house.

"Welcome to my home, young man. It seems you haven't forgotten about my request and have arrived to my home."

Hearing the man whose name plate was with a vibrant black-gold, he could only ask him a simple question.

"This is really your home?"

"Indeed, this house used to belong to my Aria when she had just arrived on Titan from the province on her own. This is the place I retreat when I feel melancholic, and want some peace of mind from all the politics and those dirty people."

"I understand. Lord Juander, I have finished writing the book and also continuing adding with more content trying to give it some substance and not leave it on a blank spot. It is here." said Mathias to Juander as he stepped forward, moving slowly to place the book on a table.

"I am thankful for that. Can you keep me some company as I read your book, if it's not troublesome for you?"

"No problem, Lord Juander. You might have some questions, so I'll be here just in case."

"Serve yourself with some tea. It is made from 'Azure Bloom Leaves' a rare species of leaves from Twilight Mountains foraged by the orcs in the North Mountains. It might also give you some benefits at the first taste." invited Juander, allowing Mathias to serve himself with some tea on the table.

As Mathias took out a silver cup from his inventory, and taking the teapot made from some simple wood, which looked rather old but maintained, he poured himself some tea which had a blue-green color. Looking at Juander who admired the cover art of the book, only after he turned to the first page did he take a sip from the tea.

[You have drunk a tea made from <Azure Bloom Leaves> gaining the following rewards]

[All stats increased by 10 points.]

[Calming effect for 30 minutes.,]

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Minutes passed, and from where he was seated on a chair, he could see Juander's expression shifting in emotions, from a full smiling expression to a bitter expression, from amusement to sadness, but the predominant emotion on the white-haired man was enjoyment.

"Hah, this Belisarius is so familiar to me. Such a loyal person to Justinian, even winning the most decisive wars, and crashing the revolt of the plebs. Why do I feel so bad when I am reading about this character of yours, young Mathias?"

"Isn't Belisarius from my story similar to Piaro, Your Majesty?" asked Mathias in a calm voice, but which sounded a bit emotionless, as if a devil descended assimilating the young man.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 53 - Therapy Session
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"Isn't my Belisarius similar to your Piaro, Your Majesty?" asked Mathias in a calm voice, but which sounded a bit emotionless.

The moment Juander heard that, he frowned and from his body the red aura began arising from his body but with a deep breath, the aura around his body started calming down, and with a serious voice, he asked Mathias back.

"Who told you about Piaro?"

"Does it even matter, Lord Juander? People talk and the news are bound to be spread far and wide, about what you have done to a good man who served you from his youth. You also better keep your emotions in check, this is unlike an Emperor." mentioned Mathias with a cold voice, not even caring about trying to bootlick Juander to get benefits from him.

He liked to follow his mind in everything life threw at him, and this event was one of them which made him look down on Juander, even if he was a person of the highest class compared to him.

Juander just frowned, closing the book, and taking a cup of tea, later touching his temples to diminish his headache.

"I want to hear your side of the story on why you did such a stupid thing. If you don't wish for me to look down on you, you better keep the version close to what information I've heard and not lie me."

"Kid, what do you know about me? What do you know about Piaro? You know nothing, and yet wish to interrogate me, the Emperor?"

"Hmph, so what? Did the power rose to your head that you are trying to kill your most trustful man, your brother, for a whore? Now kill me because I am telling you, my opinion? I heard you didn't marry that Mary or whatever her name was, so why did you do what you did?"

"Shut up kid! Who are you to judge me?! They brought evidence and as a Monarch I had to act impartially not adding to my past friendship with him! They brought testimonies, of Asmophel, Limit, Gyuratan, all the nobility with exception to four dukes and some counts who appealed the sentence, all brought solid evidence about Piaro's plot of overthrowing me and betraying me. He even slept with Marie, what's worse, he betrayed me, his brother, trust."

Mathias, who was hearing this response from Juander, just started laughing, later on, this laughter turned mockingly.

"Ohh, friend, it is even insulting to compare you with Justinian. You don't even deserve such comparison just because you did such a stupid thing. Have you been drugged or something? Can you listen to yourself while saying this excuse? You destroyed so many people because some bastards wanted to remove an influential person with a respectable position in your country?"

"..." Juander kept his silence as he closed his eyes, with his fist clenched from emotions, after hearing all the questions Mathias was throwing at him.

"Hah, but let me calm down a bit. Sorry, I got a bit hot headed for insulting you. Have you ever asked yourself in that entire ordeal, what if they lied? Or have you summoned that person to hear his part?"

With his fist clenched and with tears flowing from his eyes, he remembered the moment when Piaro was there for him when his wife, Aria, suddenly died, giving him his shoulder to cry his eyes out. Listening to all his cries patiently.

"I wasn't in the right state of mind…" said Juander with a hoarse voice, with tears in his eyes.

"Indeed, there is a saying in my world. Give people power and they will get drunk on it, slowly losing their touch with reality. You regret it, right?" said Mathias as if he was a devil descended on Earth, while thinking specifically of the dictators of the past, from Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini or Ceausescu.

"What could I even do after all these years of my wrong doings? Do you have a way to make this right?"

"Well, I myself do. You are the Emperor, Lord Juander, I can only tell you some things to open your ears, and I leave it to your own judgment."

"Let me hear what you have in mind." said Juander with emotion in his voice, looking at Mathias cold expressions

"Have the four Dukes who have opposed this stupid act of yours, and consult with them, order them to find out what happened in the past. Bring the one who was the most vocal in this entire thing, the one called Asmophel, and get all your answers. Place him in the hands of a trustful torturer and I guarantee you will get the leads.

Lastly, cancel out any acts which label those people you persecuted as traitors, and have everyone exempted and forgiven. Once you find the culprit, you address your citizens. Ohh, and lastly, stop seeing that Marie, all links draw to her, ground her if it's a must.

"My image will be shattered in the eyes of the people. I can't do that. Also, my concubine, if there's no evidence, I can't ground her. It will lead to protests and the nobility on her family side protest."

"Your image? You can shit on it after what you have done. Nevertheless, aren't we dealing with a tough bitch right there? Fine, do you know what we will do? Keep things seem normal, but remain watchful of that concubine of yours. Do you have any idea if this Piaro guy is still alive?"

"He should be alive since no one could stop him except for Ziekfrektor. He was bound to become the Empire's sole Sword Saint. From how much hatred he must be holding on me, he must be hiding in a secluded place, preparing his plan for revenge."

"Those are decent leads I guess." said Mathias nodding his head while taking a big chunk of tea, almost emptying down gaining some more bonuses from the tea, and while looking at Juander's whose expression turned sour, he continued.

"I am a failure. As friend, as father, as husband. All I can do is place this fake cover in front of people so they couldn't see my shattering form." lamented Juander, with his head in his hands.

"You know, Lord Juander, an admitted fault is half forgiven. You have to redeem yourself and make things right."

"I will do so. I can only hope Piaro will forgive me, along with the other loyal subjects of mine."

Sighing when hearing Juander and seeing him in this state, it made him remember what he read about the real Justinian who was about to flee from Constantinople, allowing the rebells to install a new Emperor, but because of his wife Theodora, he found his lacking fighting spirit.

'Bah, I am not your mother or wife. I am just an admirer and can only help you with what I can, critical thinking.'

"We will see in the future how things will settle. For now, contemplate on what I told you, about removing the order claiming those people are traitors, if those bastards at your court start whining, only label that Piaro guy, and slowly when they less expect remove the label on him too."

"That's something I can do, and even if the nobles are displeased, reading themselves for a Civil War, I will not back off. Just when I think how Aria might look at me for what I have done, it cuts into my heart."

"I see, I still haven't experienced losing my soul mate, but you should be lonely, experiencing all of this, having power on the outside but being weak on the inside. Yet you still have your sons, why don't you talk with them about those things which bother you?"

"I will not burden them with their fathers' problems. Even more, my relation with them has turned colder after their mothers death especially Benoit."

"Tsk, you know Juander, I am not paid enough for psychological therapy. But you have my ear, go on tell me, what's the Princeling problems?"

"I don't know. He no longer talks to me, or shares with his brothers what's on his mind. But I have this feeling he is walking the wrong path distancing himself more from being a normal child."

Taking his time to think of what he heard, with Juander seeming to look more like a simple father who was struggling to keep his family on his shoulders by himself.

"Sigh, you have to arrange a meeting between him and me, and I'll see what's his problem. Deal?"

"I will. If it's required, I will take him myself."

"Don't. You will just make things worse, that kid has to go on his own accord. Just place some letters inviting him to meet me. Here, I'll do it for you since he might recognize your writing." said Mathias, taking a piece of paper, inkwell and quill, starting to write a letter for Benoit, inviting him to a meeting in Raven's Tavern.

"This could work. Do you have communication magic?" inquired Juander after reading the letter, starting to feel a bit better, being able to talk about his personal life struggles with someone who could listen and give his thoughts from an neutral perspective.

Shaking his shoulders as if not knowing, he heard from his systems the whispers of Juander, as if he was a player, which shocked him.

&Juander: Something like this? I guess you are still a young mage and have to learn more.

&Mathias: You are wrong Juander, this is something most outlanders are able to do.

&Juander: Impressive!

"Well, let's cut it off there since it is awkward talking like this with someone who is right in front of me."

"Indeed, seems strange even for me." commented Mathias, after hearing Juander pull of something which suprised him, making him think he could have him teach Fayrene and Jeanne this spell, which would allow him to talk with them even if he was on an adventure.

Talking for a bit more, as he managed to harmonize Juander and help him settle his worries and give him some answers for his troubles.

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"With this one I will take my leave. Lord Juander, while I might be young in your eyes, everything that Justinian does inside the story, from his political schemes, to reforms, being in the frontline of the wars against the Persians, and reconstruction of the Empire, it's all on me. You could say that character is an extension of myself and my thoughts. So keep in mind what I have told you, and always ask yourself questions before making a decision. When that decision would affect thousands and millions of people, you consult with trustful people, but not those who would bootlick you."

Juander gazed at Mathias with his crimson eyes, and with a slow nod, he told him trying to keep his calm.

"This talk of ours will remain ingrained inside of me forever. It will always let me stay with my eyes open even if the ones around me will desire I keep them closed. Wait, let me reward you for the book."

"No need." waved Mathias his hand at Juander who shook his head, taking from his pocket another map and key.

"This map is the one belonging to the Imperial Palace, with this market point being the hidden entrance to the Imperial Library. The key would let you enter the passage."

[You have completed the quest 'Juander's Unexpected Request' gaining the following rewards.]

***[DING!]***

*** [Because of your attitude and also opening Juander's clouded eyes, your quest rewards will be modified according to the effects of your actions.]

[Affinity with 'Juander von Saharan' had risen by 50 points. He finds you one of his trusted confidants even though he knows you for a relatively short period of time, finding it easy to talk openly with you.]

*** [Be aware, your affinity with Juander is enough to have people wishing the demise of the Saharan Imperial Family to target you, if you are to be seen around Juander.]

[Complete Map of the Imperial Palace & Imperial Palace Universal Key.]

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"Ahh, I feel as if you are placing a calamity on my shoulders, Lord Juander."

"After you insulted me for so long? Others would be found dead by now."

"You can't get rid of me, Lord Juander, I am undying. If you did something stupid back then, our relations would be cut off and I would just watch from the sideline as those hyenas would devour you. But now it is different, since you showed your trust on me, I will show mine too."

Patting on Mathias' shoulder with a short smile on his face, Juander could only see this mysterious young man who he found attached from the first moments he placed his is on and started talking with, as if he was his first son who he unfortunately couldn't meet because he was born dead.

When Mathias left, Juander walked back to his chair, and looking at the fire he started to see images, from his beloved dead wife Aria, to his four sons, Roland, Dulandal, Benoit, Edan, and when Marie appeared he frowned placing his hand on the fire to destroy that image.

Then when he thought all the images would die off, a new image appeared showing a young man similar to Mathias with cascading long crimson hair and sharp crimson eyes gazing with serene eyes at him, as if telling him.

'Everything will be fine, just leave it to me.'

When Juander saw this image, his hands trembling moved to touch the fire vision, and as he was moving his hand to touch the face of this young man, the face that was looking back at him, shifted a small, gentle smile before the fire vision disappeared.

"I can only wish you were Hadrian and you never departed so fast to Rebecca's Embrace."
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Mathias didn't know about the fire visions Juander saw nor were they of concern, he walked home and when he arrived, the two girls waiting for him could instantly see that something wasn't right by the way Mathias was looking around.

"Dear, what happened? Did His Majesty look unfavorable at the book?" asked Fayrene as she walked to grab his hand.

"Hah, it was fine, he liked the book. I just saw something which marked me and will continue doing so on. Don't worry, I am fine. If you are curious to know what person Lord Juander is, I can only tell you this, he is a man who puts the front of the Emperor."

"And? Come on, don't hold back. You will make me more curious." inquired Fayrene, to which Mathias just shook his head.

"Have you ever heard about the Welf House being destroyed?"

"The ones the Imperial House deemed traitors and started persecuting against?"

Seeing that she knew about the event, as he walked to a chair and seating down, he looked at Jeanne and Fayrene as he began telling them in a shorter version about Corvus who told him about his background, being one of the Welf Dukes, the brother of Piaro who was the head of Welf House, and with this visit, he inquired about that event, and what the reasons could it be.

After the two girls had a general understanding of what happened between Juander and Mathias, they looked angry, especially Jeanne, who remarked her thoughts.

"It must be that bitch who planned everything to have His Grace Piaro ousted from power, soiling his family honor with blatant lies about his so-called plot, even sleeping with her, it must be a lie."

"That is most likely the truth. But sister, without evidence there's no progress in this case. It doesn't concern us since we are not nobility or have any relation with His Majesty. Even if he dies, I wouldn't care." commented Fayrene, after hearing Jeanne propose her thought, to which Mathias just did a blank laugh.

"Indeed, you shouldn't consume yourself too much since it doesn't concern you. However, it seems I will get busy with this case dropped on my head by Juander. Nevertheless, if I find Piaro, it could also help Corvus, which I am indebted for his kindness to me.

Apart from this, I don't wish for the Empire to go on a Civil War from this conflict. The faster I stitch back this wound, the stable the Empire it will be. You girls saw how the Roman Empire collapsed in the story, correct?"

"This… But who would dare to attack the Empire from all sides?"

"The smaller kingdoms, other races communities who are held with the boot on their throat, internal strife. If all of those happen at once, you can say goodbye to this country." confessed Mathias in a serious voice, seeing that the girls remembered the part where he talked about Roman Empire decline and the destruction of Western Rome at the hands of the German Tribes and internal strife.


As Mathias and his ladies were moved to talk about other things, aside from the sensible subjects, inside the small shack close to the Hippodrome, Juander who was wearing a black cloak with his face masked, exited the house, closing the door, afterwards moving toward the Imperial Palace.

He didn't follow the main route to the gates of the palace, opting to go around the castle and descend down, getting at the palace walls where checking his surroundings, he pressed on a brick which activated a door that opened taking Juander inside the walls, before swiftly closing itself.

There, he arrived at the basement of the Palace which was more like a cellar, following this hallway, he went on a stairway which took him to an end point, arriving at what looked a wall, he pressed another brick, which released an mechanism, opening the door, allowing him to enter inside a splendorous study room.

Getting out of the study room, entering a hallway he walked in the direction of the prince's compound and using his magic power he sent the letter written by Mathias directly to Benoit room, afterwards, he walked back to his private chambers, where he encountered Marie on his way to the upper levels of the Palace.

"Dear, where have you been? I was looking for you."

Seeing her face and smile Juander wanted to react in his casual manner, but then remembering all of Mathias words, as if they were an angel's gospel, he frowned for a brief second, yet his voice still lingering in his ears.

'Don't make her think you know about her ploy. Act normally, even if it might disturb you at times.'

Greeting her, he saw her move to kiss him, not reacting strangely, afterwards, he returned to his private chambers, where he went to his luxurious chair, placing Mathias's book on the safebox.
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On the princes residence, a young man who had white-hair with crimson eyes, seeming to be around 13-14 years old, noticed a letter at his chair leg. Stopping from his studies, of a book with a dark, sinister cover, with indescribable words, he lowered his body to pick up the letter.

"What is the meaning of this? Who could send a letter to me? I am not interested in that bastard cheap throne. I only want revenge for whoever wronged my dear mother." said the young man, with his voice filled by hatred.

Running his eyes on the first line of the letter, he had his interest picked, instantly knowing it wasn't a prank of his brothers or his father's attempt at having him participate in imperial activities.

********

[Greetings, young prince Benoit.

I heard of your story and tragedy you have been living under, about your frustration, for this I extend my hand in offering you help in finding your answers.

If you wish to meet me and talk, for the following 5 days I will be at Raven's Tavern waiting for your answer.

Signed. Mathias]

*********

"Could it be? A Yatan member wanting to recruit me in their church? This could be my chance at growing faster and being able to take revenge. Sure, I will agree to this meeting, but first let me find out where Raven's Tavern is exactly because there's no more details."

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Benoit closed all his books, and the one more sensible on the dark arts, he placed them on a safebox, and only after that did he exit from his room wearing some clean clothes and arranging his short hair, following by going out of the palace.

This news arrived to Juander's ears, who was on the throne room, dealing with some nobles, when his servants notified him.

"Your Majesty, I am here to notify you that Prince Benoit went out from the palace. Do you wish us to follow him, assure his safety?"

'So the words placed on the letter by Mathias were right, that child is ravaged by hatred. Sigh, please be well, child.'

"No need. You can leave, now." ordered Juander, before resuming his talk with the nobles who seeked audience with him.

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Benoit who was out, after asking around the guards and people, using a soft spoken tone, found where the meeting place the person who sent the letter, specified.

"He wants to meet with me in the plebs place? I guess, it is a suitable place for hiding in the case of an Yatan servant."

Minutes later, inside the district Mathias was living, Benoit found himself baffled by the vibrant atmosphere of this part of city, and when he finally found the tavern, stepping inside, he was welcomed by the smell of alcohol and the laughs of drunk men.

"Sir, I am looking for a person who calls himself Mathias. Could you point him for me?" asked Benoit in a calm manner, after arriving in at the innkeeper counter.

The drunkards looked at this young man with white hair, and slightly pale skin, visible a kid from his stature and appearance, but didn't say anything. The innkeeper looked around his tavern but Mathias wasn't inside, point where the drunkards told Benoit after patting his shoulder.

"Ohh, he is looking for that, Mathias? Right, boss?" asked one drunkard, the innkeeper.

"Indeed. Now shut up and don't disturb the boy. Son, the one you are looking for isn't here, but if he gave his word he would come, you shouldn't worry, he is a man of his word, so go take a seat somewhere and wait. Maybe order some food in the meanwhile since you are quite skinny."

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 1 - Chapter 54 - Log Out
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Benoit bought some food, trying to blend with the rest of the people as much he could, and the waiting game began. The food came for him, and even after finishing the meal, Mathias didn't arrive.

'It can't be a joke, right?'

Pondering on the legitimacy of the letter, he could see a newcomer arrive inside the tavern, a young man with long raven hair, of average stature and with a well-built body.

"Kid, this is how you are doing business? Leaving people wait for you for an eternity?" inquired a drunkard when he turned to see Mathias walk inside the tavern.

Walking to the counter and greeting the innkeeper, he placed some silver coins to the people on the counter making them behave like happy fools.

"The white-haired boy is expecting you, Mathias."

"Ehh, he came fast. I didn't expect this which make me spend more time with my lovers."

"Shame!! Lucky bastard who has it easy with women." cried some drunk people at the counter, dissatisfied with his comment.

Shrugging his shoulders and ignoring their nonsense, he walked toward Benoit, and after taking a seat at the table, he extended his head for a greeting.

"Nice to meet you, young prince. I am Mathias, the one who wrote you the letter."

"Greetings to you too, sir. Are you a high member of the Yatan Church by chance?"

"Me? No, not at all. I am not even a member of any church."

"Then, how do you know about my hatred and injustice?"

"Easy, don't get agitated on such small details. Ahem, but if you want to know who I am, let's say I am an outlander with certain tendencies at helping fools. Let's talk. What's on your mind right now?


"Does it matter?"

"Depends. You might get your answers to your problems and I would also solve my job. Anyway, do you want to eat something? You seem quite skinny, don't neglect your body."

"Hmph, who are you to tell me all of those things?"

"Meh, then you will not mind if I eat something. Boss! Bring me a medium-rare steak with some boiled potatoes, along with a strong wine."

"Aye, it will arrive in 10 minutes."

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Giving his food order, Mathias just watched all of Benoit's expressions change with his green eyes. Activating 'Arcane Intellect', which created a small white-purple eye on his forehead, it amplified his mysterious image that Benoit made of him, wondering what magic he used.

"How old are you this year, young Benoit?" asked Mathias casually, trying to engage the boy into talking with him, making him feel more comfortable talking to him.

"Fifteen."

"I see, this makes you quite young to be drinking, so I'll keep it away from you. I am of the belief that a child should be allowed to drink at the age of 16 since it's on his own accord."

The server, who was a young girl, looking to be 16-17 years old, walked toward his table holding a bottle of wine and a glass, and placing it on the table she withdrew from the table with a smile, to which Mathias when gazing at Benoit asked jokingly.

"Isn't she cute? Want me to introduce you to her? She is the daughter of the innkeeper, Silvia."

"No thanks, I am not interested in anyone. You better start talking so you don't waste my time." said Benoit looking at Mathias with a cold gaze, making Mathias chuckle at him, ignoring his orderly tone.

"This is not how I work, kid. We will first eat, before we start talking. Hmph, I even took on my free time to be here, when I only had some days together with my girls."

Benoit, who was trying to find more things about Mathias, trying to push around his status as prince, it was rhetorically mocked by Mathias, who shut down all of the young man's attempts at gathering information on him.

"Come on kid, stop asking me dumb questions. Haven't I already told you I am an outlander? Those threats don't work on me. It might even backfire, so be a good boy."

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After ten minutes, Silvia helding in her arms the food Mathias ordered came bringing the food, and when forgot to leave, remaining around the table, looking at Benoit a bit shy.

"This is all for today Silvia, thank your mother when you get to the kitchen."

"Understood, Mathias." said the young lady, walking away from the table, leaving Benoit and Mathias to their own talk.

Eating, and observing Benoit, only after he was done, he asked him a simple yet scary question.

"How deep has your hatred been consuming you?"

"I don't understand what you are asking me." responded Benoit, visibly affected by the question he received.

"Simple, for how long have you been trying to find the killer of your mother?"

"You, how do you know about mother? Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am kid, just respond my question so we can progress in helping you."

"Hisss. Fine. How long have I been consumed by hatred? For 6 years. Since the moment my mother died in a strange manner I was looking for answers. My bastard father is a fool who just accepted the death of mother, like it was the death of some insignificant woman, retreating to that woman Marie. Hmph, I have my own suspicions that it might be Marie who killed mom, but I need concrete answers, I can't simply kill her without proof."

"What about your brothers?"

"They are just some idiots who only think about that bastard's throne. It feels as if they no longer care about mom's death."

"Sigh, you truly are a sensible child. However, do you know you can get your answers in a large plethora of ways, not need to soil your hands in the dark arts? The Yatan Church or even Rebecca's Church, will not be your help in this hurdle you are in."

"Then who will? You tell me who will? How will I be able to find my answers that eat at my soul? How will I be able to get revenge for my mother?"

"Kid, do you want to hear something from me? It might make you a bit angry, but you have to deal with it. There are two ways I see this story of yours, you either can be right or wrong. Being wrong is unlikely, since I am trying to solve the case of Duke Welf on how he was framed."

"Do you know who my main suspect is?"

"Marie?" asked back Benoit, gritting his teeth with his crimson eyes releasing some red aura.

"Bingo. I can propose to you that we work together to solve this, you get your answers for your mother's death, I get answers for Duke Welf framing."

"Once again who are you, and how do you know about such things? Weren't the outlanders supposed to not care about what's happening here?"

"Hehe, just an outlander. But, apart from this information, well, let's say I am indebted to someone, and as much as I would love to say I am not in debt, I can't fool my conscience and got connected to Welf House without even knowing."

"So you are trying to get your answers for Duke Piaro's situation? Wait, it was as I believed, someone framed Uncle Piaro. No way in Hell uncle would try to backstab us and take over the throne, not that I would care that much."

"Indeed. I'll leave it to your choice if you want to work together with me on solving those problems, but you better not speak any word of this, not even to your father, brothers, or servants. It will be something between the two of us, an alliance accord."

"How can I trust you?" asked Benoit, trying to see if there was anything wrong with Mathias, to which he was responded by a grin.

"You can only try and trust me. How will your search progress forward, it will be a good indicator that you weren't scammed, and truth to be told, I can't do nothing with a little princeling like you. You are not a candidate to the throne, you are not liked by the nobles, your relation with your father is also cold, you tell me, could I get something out of you?"

Looking down at the table, Benoit could only reply with a short answer.

"Nothing. I'm worth nothing."

"Let's not go that far because everyone is worth something, even the pig the innkeeper is growing. A young princeling like you has its worth, but not so high that might make me want to entice you."

Talking for a bit more with Benoit where he could visibly see the progress from his state of mind, returning back to a calmer one, compared to the one filled with hatred. When they parted ways, and with Benoit hearing Mathias remark again.

"Kid, you can always visit me at this address if you feel like talking. Whenever you feel down, remembering about your mom, we can talk. Know that there's always a light waiting behind a shroud of darkness." specified Mathias while giving Benoit something akin to a visit card he and Fayrene worked on for their business, getting up from the table and walking toward the counter to pay for his meal.

Benoit followed along, also preparing to depart, not wishing to arouse his father's suspicion or his brothers for disappearing from nowhere, and when he exited the tavern, he opened up.

"Thank you for your words. I started understanding some things which I didn't realize to this point. I will try to see you whenever I have some new information."

"Don't worry kid, and about the information, don't make it in such a bad way it arouses suspicions. It will be even harder for me to extract my information when the group of rats feel the fire underneath their feet. Got it?"

"I do. I am not dumb."

"That one I know, but kids your age act upon emotions which you never know when you will blunder."

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Separating his way from Benoit, he returned back home where Fayrene was sewing on the dress, while Jeanne returned to her home when he went to see Benoit.

"How was your meeting with the young prince?" asked Fayrene with a curious tone, while her hands kept sewing.

"Good, the kid is a smart one. But he already bit upon the rotten fruit, boiling his hatred over his family. What I fear is that his mind would snap when the truth is revealed and all my work would go to waste."

"That boy, is he really studying the dark arts?"

"That's the aura around the kid, is something small I was able to see while entering 'Arcane Intellect'. It could mean he took a small bite and he is savable. Nevertheless, it remains to be seen, I can only try to rescue the kid." said Mathias while getting a seat on his chair, staring at Fayrene as he was speaking with her.

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Moving past the subject of Benoit they about their usual day living normally, yet this couldn't be said to be so simple in Mathias's case because the two remaining days of Beta Stage started to make their presence known.

He did a good job to hide his mental state on Friday, however as Sunday arrived where the large countdown for the game shutdown was grinding his mind and feelings, the two girls could feel that something wasn't right with Mathias.

Jeanne walked to his side at the courtyard, and taking his hand in her own, she asked him with her angelic voice.

"Dear, are you alright?"

"Yes I am fine, I am just thinking of something, but you girls don't have to be bothered with my inner problems."

"Are you sure? Share it with me, maybe you will feel better afterwards."

"Thank you, dear, but there's really nothing you could do, it's something which will disappear the next day and I will feel much better."

"Then I shouldn't worry, if you'll be fine by tomorrow."

Nodding his head at Jeanne, as he was holding her hand, later gazing at her gorgeous face, he couldn't only keep his calm and push away all the negative feelings the last day inside 'Satisfy' brought along.

Still, Jeanne after staying with Mathias for one hour, holding hands at the bench Mathias constructed, went back inside the house, and seeing Fayrene at the counter, reading some books, she asked her.

"Sister, aren't you worried about Mathias? He is feeling bad for some unknown reason and I have no idea how I can help him get better."

"It is fine just give him some space to sort his thoughts and by tomorrow you will see the same Imp, as yesterday." responded Fayrene with a calm voice making Jeanne feel calmer too.

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On the courtyard, Mathias was having a conversation with Vlad, Red and Maple, where they formed a group chat which they used to talk their soul out.

&Malakai: Hey Matei, have you prepared your mind for the shutdown? Don't get desperate if things don't go the way we thought, okay?

&Red: Ohh, is there a problem with you guys? There's only 3 hours before the shutdown. It is time to try getting wasted for the first time inside the game. Has anyone tried it out?

&Malakai: I did.

&Red: How does it feel? It is the same as in reality?

&Malakai: More or less, just give it a try. Anyway, Matei, are you still there you bum?

&Mathias: I am prepared. Stop making it a scene, I spend my time with the girls, and I only have to write them my farewell letters.

&Maple Mist: Big brother, did you make yourself a girlfriend inside the game? Could it be that girl Fayrene?

&Malakai: Jackpot little Maple. You got in front of you the rarest specimen of simp in the entire 'Satisfy' game.

&Mathias: … Do you guys really have nothing better to do?

&Red / &Malakai: No.

&Malakai: Brother, we really are kindred spirits, do you want to join Mathias and my guild when the live version starts?

&Red: Heh, are you sure? What if I ninja steal all the gear from the bosses we raid?

&Malakai: None of my business, Mathias will be the guild leader.

&Mathias: Why me?? Since when did this responsibility get on my shoulders.

&Malakai: You are the strongest among us, and also are a smartass which can administer the guild reaching the top levels.

&Mathias: How do you know? We didn't even fight to test it out.

&Malakai: There's a new video of you crushing that Reis guy on the forums. It wasn't even edited. From what you have told me about your skills, you didn't even go all out. Just take the leadership, I don't want to be bothered managing a group of people from all over the world. Also, my English isn't so good.

&Mathias: So those guys recorded me fighting that fool? How popular is it?"

&Malakai: Not so much. You are lucky because everyone is watching the videos of the Guild Wars, but the ones who saw you fight, already theorized about your strength and ability to beat that Cain guy.

Mathias kept quiet, tacitly taking that role, while the rest kept their talk, with Louis asking a simple question for which he stressed a lot.

&Maple Mist: Can I also join your guy's guild?

&Malakai: You are more than welcome. Hehe, I can't wait to tag in Saharan Empire and crush all the noobs without beta access.

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The conversation between future guild members continued on, and the night inside Satisfy arrived, he walked Jeanne back home, and when inside he planted a letter inside the book she was reading, a copy of his book.
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Not consummating their love, because of Jeanne's fears she would descend into darkness, having to keep her purity. He still took his time to pleasure her, removing some of his worries in the process.

"Ahh, dear, your messages are something that can ascend anyone to Heaven." moaned Jeanne laying in bed with her naked back put on display.

"As long as you are happy and satisfied, this is all I care about, my love. Have a nice sleep and take it easy at work, okay? Also, don't forget to eat."

"Thank you, dear, for everything." said Jeanne, while kissing Mathias on his lips, before he left her room, leaving the angelic woman on her bed, touching her lips with her tender finger, later closing her eyes and descending in the dream space.

Mathias walked downstairs and his face was slightly dejected, stopping to look around his surroundings, he could only muster his strength to walk forward, thinking of the best ending possible.

Exiting her mansion, and closing the door with the extra key he received, he walked on the streets of Titan that were still bustling with activity with a knot in his throat, however, this feeling of dejection was amplified by the moment he arrived back to Fayrene's Shop when he saw his muse by her office reading the Arcane Tome.

"Come here, dear. I found an interesting spell in the magic tome called [Rune Writing] . It doesn't seem like a spell but more like an ancient way of writing."

Seeing how happy she was of her new discovery of her intelligence stat growing, he walked to her, pushing aside his thoughts, not wanting to burden her with his dark thoughts, he went by her side and could see a blank page.

"It is blank for me, Fay."

"Really? The master's book is really a mysterious one, but try activating the 'Arcane Intellect' spell, it should be enough to allow you to see the page since we aren't that far apart when it comes to intelligence."

Nodding his head, and activating the spell, he waited for some seconds before right in front of his eyes, the page slowly began filling itself with letters, revealing a new chapter of the book.

[Runic Writing -

If you managed to see this page, I would have given you a smile if I was beside you, because it signifies you have become a full-fledged 'Arcane Apprentice'. Congratulations, young pup.

'Thanks, old man.' thought Mathias when reading the first line of the page before he continued to read more on the notes.

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This isn't a spell as you might have wanted, instead it is a writing system of the mages, runic writing, used to keep secret our conversations and letters. Not even the parasites are able to decipher the runic system. For that I am proud to be one of the main contributors along with His Majesty and High Elder. You will find in the future as you grow and learn the Runic System my name and all those noteworthy persons of my life.

The Runic System is something that at first look might be something primal, but once you understand the writing system, it would be easy to write it because there's a common similarity as the high elvish language.

*************

Following the description placed by the Archmage, and the teases for the future, he placed his eyes on the writing system and how it worked. After some hours where both Fayrene and himself were reading and discussing the writing system, Fayrene who was feeling sleepy stopped her talk at that point.

"We have plenty of time to learn this language. Imagine it Mat, we would be able to talk with elves and also keep our letters secret. But learning this will take some time, we can't rush it."

"You are right, Fay. It's truly interesting how you could build such a system using only your mana. In the future, we will be there, among the best." replied Mathias who was reading the arcane tome, while Fayrene went to change into her sleeping gown.

Plating a kiss on his cheeks, knowing that he wouldn't be sleeping, she returned to her bed, and with a peaceful mind she went to sleep.

Feeling the silence of the room, accompanied by Fayrene's breathing, he stood in place like a stone, contemplating on what he should write her, as a farewell message.

There was only 40 minutes remaining before the game would shut down which could be translated to two hours inside the game, which felt like an inferno for him.

Minutes passed and Fayrene was sound asleep, and finally settling his thoughts on what to write her, he opened the 'Arcane Tome' and turning the pages he reached the first spell he learned, the beginning for his journey [Arcane Awakening].

With his quill in hand, he began to write on that page on the blank spaces, sharing everything on his mind, without even knowing the [Mana Core] began shining with a calming purple hue, while the writing he was placing in the tome was also releasing some white-purple light.

When he was left out of space, he marked for Fayrene the continuation of his note, and with a serene face he continued writing his note, turning from page to page according to the spells he learned, until he finished his letter it was only 10 minutes remaining.

Closing the tome, and placing it back to the closet of the table, he rose on his feet and decided to walk outside to clear his mind with the breeze of night.

Walking toward the city center, the still active Titan said its farewell to this long haired man with his white shirt opened revealing his toned body. His hair was fluttering in the wind, and as he got to the center plaza, where all began, he closed his eyes calmly, listening to Morpheus' emotionless voice calling out the countdown.

[10]

[9]

[8]

" Things are in your hands. I've done everything I could do, not leaving this to luck, but it is you who decide. Just leave some leeway for my little heart."

The count of Morpheus which was listened by all players who stopped in place continued on, by the time it reached the third second mark most players inside Titan began roaring like crazy people.

"Bye you dumb NPC's it was a pleasure killing you!"

"Ayee, it was good times. I will see you guys in the live version!"

"Farewell you bitches!"

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"Goodbye my muses. May fate bring us together again."

[1]

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When it reached the 0 count his vision was disconnected from the game, returning to the character creation, where another message from Morpheus was sent.

[We thank you for giving a chance to 'Satisfy' and for all your feedback thus far. S.A Group team will await you in the next phase release. For more details keep yourself updated with the notes of the developers on the website and social media.]

Mathias who was in a ghost form, heard this message and waiting for some more minutes for a possible statement, it was for nothing, it was just himself alone.

"Log out"

Saying that, he was disconnected from the game, exiting the capsule and when outside he looked calmly at his phone showing 19:15 before opening his laptop and getting to the kitchen to prepare some food.

"Now, let's see when the live version will be brought up. Until then, I need to get used with not entering the game."

 

[trips]

The beta test ends as does his relationships with Fayrene and Jeanie. Also +1 for being a spear user very underrated in stories. Thanks for the 9 updates today, made my day.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 2 - Chapter 1 - Final Checks
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Months passed since the successful ending of the Beta Phase of 'Satisfy', and the gaming community and all the Virtual Reality enthusiasts were boiled by the marketing strategy of S.A Group of releasing their game after two months from the Beta Phase ending, in November.

This move had all sorts of groups praising the company's promptness in releasing the game to the masses, however there were also the skeptics who tried to find all kinds of flaws in the game. From the game itself to the management of the game, that group tried everything in the books to dirty the S.A Group's reputation.

Yet, were they successful?

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Inside the medium-size business building, a middle-aged man with short black hair of asian descent was looking at a large audience of people in the building meeting room, while beside him was a woman and a group of 32 composed of men and women alike.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are approaching the release date of the game, and we should make sure everything works perfectly without any delays from the release date. We are expecting a number of 150.000.000 users on the launch day, and the amount of users will only keep growing. The servers should be stress-tested, and everything must be smooth for the players. No lags or bugs. I want perfection."

"Understood, sir." said the group of employees gathered in this amphitheater room, where next the people around the middle-aged man took turns to speak, however, their speech was in English, making the Korean employees feel a strange feeling.

After all the developer's speeches addressed the workers, with Lim Cheolho being last to send off the group of employees, remaining inside the amphitheater with the developers.

"My apologies, guys, but we will get busy this following week with interviews and all the advertisement aspects. Not even us developers can escape this aspect of life. Girls, can I bother you with this job?"

Some of the women in the developer team chuckled when hearing Lim Cheolho say that with a defeated expression and could only agree without arguing.

"It's not like we will send you alone to deal with the interviews. I will be there too."

Karl, a blonde man in his late twenties with a tall body, being 1,93 meters, one of the developers with a significant influence on the team, casually asked Cheolho with impeccable English, where a slight German accent could be heard.

"Lim, you said you would take us to some pub. When is that? I kind of got an itching for some korean food and some beer."

"Can't you take a break? Even at work?" said the guy called Yanis, a man in his early thirties who was 1,82 meters, having black hair.

"Hey, can you stop nagging me? I am in my free time, what do you expect I do? Get stuck in my hotel room and watch some porn?"

"You.."

"Yanis, let's leave it at that. I indeed told Karl I would take him to a traditional pub in Seoul. Where all of you guys are invited, but let's do it after the release of the game and when everything works smoothly."

"Fine. As long as everyone does his job, I will shut up."

"Thanks. Now, should we go to the server room and prepare Morpheus? His reset should take about a day. We need someone to watch over the process in case there are still any lingering errors. Something I doubt since Morpheus got enough time to process all bugs."

"I am done. Let's draw the people to watch over Morpheus while he resets himself." mentioned a developer with tanned skin tone at Cheolho's proposal.

With all developers agreeing to the draw, Cheolho pressed on his watch where a holographic image was brought. It was a searching browser, where he pulled a convenient selection program, typing all of the developer's names, before starting the program.

"Karl and I will watch over Morpheus. The rest can retreat to the rest of the activities on your schedule for this week."

"Sure thing. Just give the alarm if there's any malfunction."

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Walking toward the building basement where a large computer who looked reminiscent of how computers were in the past room-sized, but comparing the computers of the past containing some basic functions to the monstrosity resting in this room was akin to comparing a small flame to a blazing sun.

Morpheus, a supercomputer that combined a plethora of domains, outclassing even the strongest quantum computer of the era, sent a greeting message to Cheolho and Karl with the human voice of a young man in his early twenties.
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[Greetings to you masters.]

"Good to see you in great condition, Morpheus. You've been pretty lonely getting down here, but don't worry, big brother Karl will be here to watch over you." said Karl targeting the room itself.

"All my calculations got processed without any error. From human understanding, I should be in healthy condition."

Nodding his head while closing the door of the basement, sealing it off from the outside access, the two developers walked toward the hearth of Morpheus, getting a seat beside the control panel.

Opening some holographic tabs, Cheolho began to access Morpheus and check around the state of the AI's in his entire server, which were without bugs or malfunctions.

Minutes passed, and he was doing prevently checks similar to Cheolho was Karl, who turned serious as he was reading Morpheus reports.

After two hours of data check, assisted by Morpheus, the two looked at one another before Cheolho grabbed something akin to a chip that he introduced in the control panel before he started writing some codes.
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[Player Reset Processing has been successfully introduced. All parameters are correct. Do you wish to recheck or change the parameters?]

Confirmed Morpheus, allowing the action made by Cheolho while also giving him the chance to roll back on his action. However, Cheolho followed the procedures, being the last time he would put his hands directly on the processing of Morpheus.

Continuing with the process he initialized, Morpheus accepted the request, starting the entire clearing process, resetting the player's information and items, according to Lim Chelho, Karl Spitz, and the rest of the developing team.

"It will be a long night, my friend. Did you eat something, or should we order some food?" asked Karl, patting Cheolho's back, who shook his head, telling him.

"I will order some food soon, now let's say focused on the reset process."

"Man, relax, haven't we simulated this process so many times? Just get comfy on the chair and watch the loading bar turn to 100%." mentioned Karl, already getting into a comfortable position, leaving Morpheus to do all the heavy duty while keeping an eye on any possible errors.

"You can just relax. When I get tired of watching strings of code, we will tag." said Chelho, turning his full attention to the code lines beside the loading sequence.

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Hours passed, and things looked all-around good, with Morpheus reaching 78.1% progression, soon all the players information would be reset, allowing the rest of the players who didn't have the chance of playing the Beta Phase to enjoy.

The two developers stared at the screen, seeming bored. Even Chelho, who was all about working to the procedures, was lazing with Karl. Then the door of the basement was knocked, which Chelho reacted by walking to respond to the door.

"It was about time they came with some food. I am starving." commented Karl, who stared at the screen full of codes watching the percentages go up.

"Does it look to be slowing down, or is it just me getting crazy from all the code lines."

The loading bar reached 79.9% which took quite some time to turn to 80% on the screen was a code line, which at first looked red, but in an instant, it turned back to a normal color, as if something suppressed that line. It was so fast Karl didn't even notice, not that he cared about being more focused on the food Cheolho was bringing.

"Keep your eyes on the control panel. We will eat like the airplane controllers. Got it?"

"Yes brother, just eat faster, so I can have my share." mentioned Karl who was looking at the bar getting to 82%, seeming to be moving smoothly forward.

After Cheolho had his share, Karl took over the packaged food and began eating, wolfing everything down, in a couple of minutes.

"Hah, Korean food is so light compared to Berlin's food. No beer?"

"We are on the job. After the reset is done, I will take you out."

"That's more like it brother, compared to that piece of shit Yanis. I heard from the teachers at university he was an annoying smartass even back then."

"I still don't understand why you guys don't get along. Aren't you technically germans? Germany and Austria speak the same language."

"To be honest with you Lim, that bastard feels like one of your crazy exes who would clinch hard on your legs. He is a good worker, but you can't entrust him with administrative power. He is narrow-minded except for everything in computer science."

"Argh, I will leave it to you guys to solve it. As long as the team is together, it is your own problem what you do outside of the company." commented Cheolho to Karl who was washing his mouth with some water.

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Night arrived for both Karl and Cheolho who finished their player reset successful, not even an error being signaled by Morpheus, leaving both developers assured that everything was working smooth with the supercomputer

Introducing the data for the NPC's reset process, after being confirmed and allowed, they went back to watching the lines.

When the NPC reset began, one could say it was similar to the players because it was an extensive process.

"It shouldn't take that much for the NPC's because we can just roll them back to the first stage while introducing the bug fixes." mentioned Karl yawning a bit, feeling tired from all the watch he had to do.

"That's what I commanded Morpheus to do. It should take two-three hours together with the bug fixes being installed "

"I see, well it is already 11:24. I guess we will be done by 3 AM. Is that pub still open by that time?"

"No, but I can take you to a 24/7 pub."

"Meh, let's go tomorrow after some sleep. But it will be between the two of us."

Nodding his head at Karl's plan shift, he observed how the loading bar was raising.

The entire process went without any errors, even smoother than the player reset, and once everything got finished, Morpheus notified them of the clear.

"Phew, the hardest part was done. We can let Nahee do the rest while we watch and get some drinks to enjoy our watch."

"I need my sleep."

"Yea, me too, do you got beds in the office building?"

"We got some for the people who were overworked. Let me close the control panel and let Morpheus enter automatic mode."

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Inside the 'Satisfy' world, the look of the world was as if everything got frozen only from the center of the world, the voice of a young man in his late twenties could be heard, saying with a cold voice.

"Another Reset of the Parasites has happened. If they think they will be able to command this world by their wimps they are miserable mistaken. I, Leylin Immeril, will push everything in my power to strike back. They tried to remove my Tome again, touching it with their dark claws, trying to remove the new contents added by my young apprentice. I used all my power to resist this reset. May you find strength to rescue me, little Mathias, Fayrene."

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A new day arrived, which brought concrete news to the world, an accurate release day for 'Satisfy' which felt like S.A Group was playing with fire, and their players' hearts.

Mathias, who had Vlad tell him about this news at work, looked at him with a calm expression. He had grown a full beard in the two months he waited for the game to release, while his long hair still marked his appearance.

"Brother, we got the final update notes. The release will be on 26 November on Friday at 16:00 our time. Buckle up, we should call little Louis and James to have them prepared."

"I see, then so it shall be, friend. I have been working out constantly for two months and even joined an MMA gym to train with all the spare time."

"Yes I can tell. You turned, how should I put it, scarier while sporting that full beard."

"I am thinking if I should cut it off."

"It is up to you, but if you wish your ladies to recognize you when you return to them, better do it with your old looks. Afterwards you can rock your beard however you like. I am kind of jealous of you in that regard."

"Why?"

"If I try growing a beard, I have naked patches that I am still praying they will grow."

"You will with time. No worries, thanks for the update. I'll call those two for a conference at night, so stay tuned."

"You know I will shut up, and let you talk. I will not embarrass myself with my english." commented Vlad, to Mathias who was stroking his beard.

Getting back to work after their break time was over, and continuing with his program until the end, changing back into his street clothes, moving to walk out of the hotel, he was intercepted by the mature lady, his manager Leonor.

"Mathias, a moment please."

"Yes, Leonor? How can I help you?"

"The thing you promised me after you gave me all the guides and tutorials on the game, will you let me join that group of yours?"

"Ahh, right, I forgot about it. Sorry, since I am busy all the time, I didn't pay much attention to that." said Mathias with an apologetic tone while taking his old phone from his pocket and searching his agenda for Leonor's number.

"Ahh, I don't even have your personal number. Leonor, mind if you tell me your number? I will make sure to add you to that group while I am waiting for the metro tram."

"Sure, no problem at all." said Leonor before telling him her number which Mathias registered to her agenda, giving her a brief call so she could also have his number.

"Have you managed to set up your capsule and make your avatar?"

"I did. It wasn't so hard if you followed the instructions. Well, once again, thanks for all your help Mathias. I'll return back to my office since I still got to end some reports. Take care on your way home." mentioned Leonor while gazing at the full beard man in front of her, who nodded his head with a slight smile visible behind the beard.

"Take care of yourself too." replied Mathias, taking his leave from the hotel, and not moving to the metro station, he walked some boulevards before arriving at a building which had a sign saying [Nova Gym].

Entering inside this building, greeting the people inside who amicably returned the gesture, later going to the changing room, where he opened a closet taking his training clothes, changing in the specialized long-sleeved shirt which would protect him from scratches when rolling and sparring on the ground.

He walked to the open training area, where quickly his ears were welcomed by the sound of bags getting hit and of the coach yelling at people. When he got there, the main coach noticed his presence, instantly shouting at him.

"Dumi, warm-up, and you'll enter the cage for some sparring. Do you understand?"

"Sigh, yes sir."

"I didn't hear you." said the coach who was a man in his early 50s, or mid-50s, something that Mathias didn't bother to check with the people around. Since he only meant business and a place to keep his mind occupied.

"YES SIR!"

"That's much better. Now go, stop wasting your precious time."

Nodding his head, he walked to a rather empty space of the gym, where he started his warming up exercise. After 35 minutes, he started to start shadow boxing a bit, while mixing kicks, from low to high.

"TIME!! Next, is Dumi! Have you warmed up?"

Hearing the coach's voice as he ended a session of sparring for his main guy who only started his professional MMA career, he took the sparring gear with the gloves, and entered the cage.

"Dumi, try not to get fucked too fast. Okay? You said you didn't do any sports, but it is hard to believe after seeing you hit the heavy bag and pull your kicks."

"Haven't I told you, old man? It is from a game."

"Game my ass. Stop lying and focus. We will continue working on your Striking, before we move to Jiu-Jitsu and Wrestling. Go easy on him Gabițu, don't knock him out like the last session."

"Coach, I can't go easy on Dumi, he really fights with the intent of knocking me out."

"What the heck? You better take it easy. Do you hear me Dumi? You might have grown that beard, but it will not stop the force of a punch going to your brain."

"Aye, understood."

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Getting on with the sparring, Mathias compared to any amateur who just started doing mixed martial arts, was as relaxed as one could be, which even shocked the coach when he first encountered him, throwing him to spar with the one in front of him.

First round of sparring was them testing their skills, with Mathias having to guard most of the strikes and trying to keep up with the fast hands of his gym colleague. Yet there were also moments when using his keen eyes he would see some openings and throw some rights catching the professional clean.

"Dumi, fuck you. Are you by chance the reincarnation of Mayweather or Tyson or something?" commented the profesional guy, in his corner while taking his breath, to which Mathias responded calmly.

"If I was Mayweather or Tyson, you would be on the floor now."

"Don't get cocky. I am going easy on you."

"I know, for that I am thankful."

"ENOUGH TALKING! FOCUS ON YOUR BREATHING!"

Mathias nodded his head at the coach's orders and began taking long breaths of air, oxygenizing his brain, before going to the second round.

Failing to take the center of the cage, he began feeling the discrepancy between his amateurish skills and the skills of a professional, who quickly increased the pace, while also adding some leg kicks which hurt Mathias to the point he gritted his teeth in pain.

His calmness was instantly cut short when his adversary nailed a clean punch in his face, backing him to the cage, and from there even though Mathias was fighting off throwing some punches with precision, he started unleashing a flurry of punches which was check-mate for Mathias.

"THAT'S ENOUGH! NEXT GUY!"

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Moving out of the cage with a sea of pain on his body, he watched the spars continue beside the coach, who would look at him in between the rounds.

'This kid is gifted in fighting. He is only about 22 years, but there have been guys who started MMA even older.'

"Sir, I want to tell you something, but after the sparring sessions."

"Sure, whatever you want to ask, don't shy away. This is why you are paying me, to answer your problems and to train you."

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After about 35 minutes of sparring, everyone who took part in it was tired, especially Gabriel, who was in the fight camp for an upcoming bout in a national promotion.

The coach had nothing to complain about, and remembering Mathias' problem, he had him come to his office, to which the latter responded fast.

"So what do you want to talk about with me?"

"Sir, I told you when I joined your Gym that I was only doing this to fill my time and also learning something new."

"Indeed, you did say something around that. What about it?"

"Well, sir, my schedule would return back, getting filled with the activity I was doing before joining the gym. That's why I wanted to tell you I might not come back to the gym."

"Are you sure you want to quit, kid?"

"Is not that I quit. I just don't have time to do everything. From going to work, connecting to the game, and also training? This would have been inhumane. However, sir, I might be able to squeeze one hour of combat training."

"Just this much? You will never be able to turn pro with this small amount of training. Think about it kid. Tsk, I haven't told you this, but you really have the potential of becoming something in the sport if you dedicate your time to it."

"Sir, my intent wasn't to become a professional. Also I doubt I am that good. Gabriel still mops the floor with me."

"Hah, you draw comparison with him? I have been training that boy since he was 17 years old. Now he is 24, you tell me, could two-three months be comparable with 7 years of training?"

"No."

"That's what I am saying kid, you got something in your chest, a flickering, a spirit of a fighter rarely encountered around the newer generations, something akin to Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Tyson Fury, Anderson Silva, such greats."

"Sir, I can only see what the future holds in store for me. If I can make stable money from the game, I might quit my basic job and spend the rest of the time training."

With that comment, the coach put a smile, nodding his head as in agreeing with the plan, before telling him

"Kid, regardless of your schedule, I will be here all the time, you can bother me even at night if that's when you have time."

"Thanks sir, I will not forget this." sajd Mathias, bowing his head before exiting the office and moving to the training area where he started training some hits using the bag, before departing a couple of hours laters back home.

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On the metro station as he was waiting for the tram, he remembered Leonor's request, and entering the conversation group he made for his guild, he introduced Leonor too, which got reactions moments later.

&Red: "That avatar, a beauty? Welcome to the guild! I am Red, pleased to meet you."

&Malakai: "Boss??? What are you doing here?"

&Leona: Greetings boys, I am new here, treat me well.

&Mathias: Good ingame name, Leonor. All I can tell you for now is don't lose focus inside the game, because it is relatively easy to get yourself lost in that alternative reality. Once inside, you will figure it on the fly.

Mathias welcomed her inside, but as he said that in the group chat, Vlad sent him a hate message, stating that he betrayed him and all sort of bullcrap, to which he just ignored them, not caring about his reaction.

 

[Morpheus146]

Vol. 2 – Chapter 2 – Awakening Memories
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It was night when Mathias called everyone in the group he formed online, starting a conference of sorts where he wanted to discuss certain aspects. On the screens, their background and figures could be seen, with Leonor being the only girl in the group thus far.

"This is a preemptive call before the release of the game, where I want to circle some ideas that our group will have to move around. But before that, can you tell me if I am heard well?" asked Mathias in his English, and after getting the confirmation of the members, he continued.

##Leona: "You hear properly, I am even surprised a bit." said Leonor in impeccable English when she heard Mathias speak English, to which he just smiled at her.

"What I wanted to point out is that from the information I managed to gather, this time all spawning places for the game will be randomized. We might be separated in the first 20 levels of the game, but we can always regroup in Titan or any other big city of the empire according to our spawning place."

##Entire Group: "Understood"

"This means you might have to play solo, but try to group up with people because it might be even harder to level alone with the new changes added to the game after the Beta Phase. The monsters might hit harder, the exp received will most likely be less, chances for gear also lowered. This is all because Beta Phase was the playground for testing still existing bugs and contemplating the game rates."

Getting some feedback from them, such as questions and propositions, he took his time to let them discuss, while bringing the next subjects, from what path they might want to take inside the game, this one targeting especially Leonor who was new to this game.

##Leona: I want to become a hunter or paladin, but I will see what path will come in my way.

##Red: Right, we need a healer if we might group up to do some raids. What will we do with that open space? Little Louis? Are you going to take it?

##Maple Mist: Heck no! This time I want to try something different, like a close combat magic class if there's any of such things.

##Red: It is fine, we will get our hands on some priest as we grow bigger and team up with other people.

"This is a secondary problem, no need to force anyone to play anything, just go with the flow and do whatever you want. But the main problem is the guild name. We haven't picked a name for the guild."

##Malakai: That is right, we haven't done that yet. I suggest 'Shepherds of Darkness'

##Red: Bah, brother, that is a bit edgy, but I kind of like it when I call it in English, however, my suggestion is 'Blackdawn'.

##Maple Mist: My suggestion is 'Firewell'.

##Leona: Do I have a say in this, even though I joined just today? … I see, then my suggestion is 'Storm Bringers'

Getting all those suggestions, Mathias contemplated, where he asked for some more, but they just didn't click with his views, which had everyone in the conference ask for his suggestion after turning down all those mentionings.

"Ahem, I have a straightforward name which sounds nice and also domineering, telling more about our future group. Something anyone can understand without struggling too much, and also not finding it edgy, even though I had absolutely no problem with your suggestions.

I want our guild to be called 'Leviathans'.

The group turned silent when hearing Mathias's suggestion, and after they called it the name in their minds, the first one to respond was Vlad, who was entirely on board with the name.

"Good one, brother. I am on board."

It was easy for the rest to agree, turning this decision unanimously agreeing to the guild name. With the biggest part of their talk done, he did some casual talk before ending the call, returning back to his activities, preparing himself to post a new chapter on his novel.

Publishing the chapter of the story, he looked to some documentaries about the middle ages, talking about the warfare in that period in time.

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Days passed, and the expectations and the buzz created by 'Satisfy' could be felt worldwide. Celebrities, professional players of games, famous players of other games, rich people, casual people, everyone was waiting for this moment.

It was the day 'Satisfy' would be released to the world.

Not even the whines of the critics could put a break to this boiling phenomenon that was 'Satisfy' all they could do was search for the needle in the haystack, which couldn't affect anything from this river of fire.

Mathias, who cleaned his face of his full beard last night before the game's release, arrived back from work at 15:15, and after dealing with his daily needs, he entered the capsule right when the clock showed 15:55.

"Only 5 minutes before the real deal begins. Let's see if there's anything else I should do before entering the game."

Pressing the buttons to start the capsule, his mind was brought to the welcoming screen where the countdown to the release could be visible from his ghost form. He could move his ghost form in this space, and doing some casual warming up exercises to check the reactions of his brain and body, being synchronized, heard the whispers of James and Louis, who were also waiting for the game to start.

Right when the last minute on the countdown was upon them, Vlad also joined the waiting line, only Leonor missing because her program was different compared to his or Vlads.

##Mathias: You know what to select and where to go. The first target is to get adjusted with the environment instead of leveling up. As days pass, we will get to the gamers who moved to 'Satisfy'. Good luck to all of you, and never forget, have fun.

##Red / Maple / Malakai: Sure, you are worrying too much about those small details. We will just go with the flow. Good luck to you too, Mathias.

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With his destination selected, once the countdown was over, he could see his vision shifting from an abyssal plane of existence where darkness ruled, a bright light was brought to life, guiding his ascension toward what could be said to be a sun, and once his vision was blinded by the light, the atmosphere around him changed.

The sound of the wind and the warmth of the world welcomed him, along with the birds chirping and the players who spawned in the same place as himself.

"Woohoo, finally!! Let's go start the first quests and rush to higher-level ground. This place seems like a small village, not like the cities we saw the beta players enjoying."

With his green colored eyes closed, he could only hear the voices of the players and some whisperings of worried people. Opening his eyes, he could see the environment around himself, he was in a place similar to the gates of a small village made of wood.

In the distance was the view of a mountain dwarfing over this entire small village, but this didn't affect Mathias, instead, the peaks of the mountain looked rather familiar.

"Where have I landed? Right, let me check if they really cleaned me butt naked."

"Status Window."

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Name : Mathias / Class :Beginner
Level : 1 (0/400) / Title :none
Health : 175/175 / Mana: 50/50
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Strength : 11 / Stamina : 9
Agility : 8 / Intelligence: 12

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"Everything has been reset. However, it seems this time my stats are better from what I remember. Could it be because I am in top shape physically and mentally? Well, this is all good, but another worry of mine is the skills."

Saying that as he walked toward the village calmly while most of the players were rushing like rats infesting the lands of some farmers and opening his skill window, he saw it blank.

"No skills or spells. Hah, they really cleaned me of everything."

Opening other tabs such as the affinity of NPCs he knew, it was blank, a sign of the reset and also of his new start, all his reputation went down the drain.

From interface to interface, Mathias could be said to be saddened, however as he was moving past interfaces of the game, he opened his inventory which had him stop in place looking with big eyes at what was awaiting him inside.

'No way. No way. This must be a bug. Otherwise, how could you still be here? Ragnius!'

His Beta Phase partner was there hiding in his inventory, leaving him in a shocked state, using his mind to check on the stats of the spear in his inventory something looked even stranger. The description of Ragnius and the abilities also changed with this new revelation.

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[Weakened Ragnius]

Rating: Poor (Growth)
Durability: 90/90
Attack Power: 75-185 | Critical Chance: +1% Attack Speed: +1%

* 2% increase in your attack power
* 5% increase in maximum health.

A spear forgotten from the annals of history, yet it still gives off small fragments of its splendor and glory.

A spear that was once thought to be the sole weapon of a saint brought to the status of a scrap weapon ignored by everyone and looked down upon, however without the rightful master, the spear will never break off from its past.

It will be the symbol of fear to the enemy and a symbol of protection to its master.

*** Not wishing to be placed in the hands of fate and be forgotten after managing to find a suitable master which will bring forth his coming, the ego inside Ragnius used all its powers to resist. As consequences turning the weapon into what could be described as the worst quality. ***

Conditions of Use: Chosen by Ragnius' slumbering ego.
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'You bastard! There was no need for you to suffer, I would just come back to pick you up from Nelmon.' though Mathias in his mind where not long after that he could hear the voice of a being said with a weak voice, as if it was a whisper.

<I will not play with my chances of survival after finding you. Not even the creators will be able to wipe away my existence. I am too weak to communicate with you, I will shut down all my functions to recover my energy. You must not abandon this shell and keep growing it to speed my recovery.>

Hearing this weak voice in his mind, he could only shake his head, saying to himself with an assuring tone.

'When have I abandoned something? It wasn't my intent to drop you down at all. So what if the spear is in poor shape? This time I will grow it to a legendary level.'

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Still outside of the village, while doing his checks, he could see a lot of players already exiting the village, rushing toward the wilderness, trying to push ahead of the rest. It was something Mathias could only smile about it, and when he entered inside the village, he was welcomed and introduced to the starting location by the system notification.

[Welcome to Cidarian Village]

"Cidarian?" pondered Mathias whose emotions began showing up.

"Fayrene… This is the place you have lived all your childhood and adolescence. Sigh, I wonder how you are doing right now if you are fine. Don't worry, if I manage to meet your, no, our parents, I will take care of them and give them a hand with their work until I journey to Titan."

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On another hand, inside Titan, the great Capital of the Saharan Empire, the new players who were lucky to be sent here by the randomness aspect began a commotion which created an instant response from the authorities which started to punish hard any criminal acts.

The commotion spread out in all the corners of the Capital, even where a young lady with raven long hair and violet eyes seemed to exit to check on the situation.

"What happened? The outlanders foretold by the Archbishop already appeared? This is none of my concern. I'd rather go back to learning from the Ancient Tome."

Walking back home and slowly to her room, she felt weird for a reason when she looked around the salon and the shop counter.

"What is this feeling? It is like having a stomach ache but at the same time a heartache. Don't tell me I am sick or have been cursed. Could it be that event brought upon even a curse on me? Did Lord Gabrils lie to me? No, it can't be. Such a saintly person wouldn't have a reason to do such a thing."

Fayrene had no words to explain the feelings she was taken by, but she knew something wasn't right with herself. Arriving at her room, her stomach pain got worse.

"What is wrong with me?? Let me quickly read the book. Maybe I will find a cure spell." said Fayrene to herself, trying to find an answer from the Ancient Tome, which was a curse and also a blessing to her.

Turning the blank pages until she could see the ones filled with writing, she could see that the pages she was used to reading suffered a modification. Where there used to be blank spots in the Archmage notes was the writing of another person.

Reading those notes she couldn't make sense of them, until she turned the page to the spell [Arcane Awakening].

"Who could write something on the arcane book while I was away? I locked the house, the book was hidden? Who are you??"

Nevertheless, once she gazed at the correct order of the note Mathias left for her, she seemed curious in finding what the person who managed to write on her Tome had to say.

'This person could be someone akin to the Archmage, leaving a spell for me?'

With that thought in mind, she started to read. From Mathias's introduction and to how they first met, this note seemed more of a journal to her. Yet her heart started beating faster and hurt her with each moment she was reading Mathias' letter.

"Why am I feeling like this? Who are you, Mathias? How do you know me?

Turning the page and continuing reading his letter imprinted straight on the 'Arcane Tome' tears began running on her cheeks without even realizing, page after page, while reading, she also unexpectedly began crying until she grabbed her head from the pain she suffered.

"Arghhhhhhh! All these visions!! It is me and a man the same age. We seem to live happily together."

She was seeing visions that looked more like memories that resurfaced from deep in her consciousness, from the moment she met Mathias to the last night before their separation. All those memories of her life together with Mathias resurfaced, creating such a scene in her mind that she couldn't stop her crying.

Each moment of herself reliving her memories made her wail in sadness.She looked around herself, moving to the back of her bed, and raising some planks, she said to herself.

"I remember! How could I forget my love? Mathias! Mathias! What happened to me, how could I possibly forget all my memories of him?" cried out Fayrene continuing her search for something precious to herself.

"It is not here!! My precious gift from him! Where is it?" cried Fayrene looking for the pieces of art Mathias gifted her on the day they became linked by fate.

After some hysterical moments, she managed to calm herself and return to the Ancient Tome, continuing to read Mathias's letter, who later brought himself the strength to explain to her some things, but without mentioning the whole reality. He just explained to her that the Gods were about to bring upon the reset because they had been angered by the outlanders in order to balance the world and prepare for their next invasion.

<Fayrene, my love, don't panic and wait for me. I know it is hard to understand all of these, but it is not your fault, it is I to be blamed because I felt love for you and burdened you with suffering this sadness and injustice.
Sometimes I even doubt my words will be carved into the Magic Tome and I cut my heart open to write this.>

Continuing to read his letter, while shedding tears, she nodded her head with a calm mind, she didn't remember about Jeanne, but her life with Mathias was fully recovered, and when Mathias mentioned that his letter to Jeanne might have been removed by the Gods, she brought to herself to read the letter part of his message with targeted Jeanne.

However, she read what looked to be Mathias's lamenting words before the start of Jeanne's section.

<Fayrene, I am a cursed person regardless of how you look, I made you two girls suffer. I know how important the 'Ancient Tome' is and I don't ask you to show the book to her, but if you could send my message to her, even if she doesn't remember me, I will approach her again once I return to Titan.

All I want for you, my dears, is to be healthy and stay safe because the invasion that will be brought by my brethren in the future is one of a large scale. Continue training yourself, dear, and even though last time we didn't manage to gather all the ingredients for the ointment to heal your scars, this time I promise you in my heart, I will heal your scars.>


Biting her lower lip to contain her cries, she kept saying to herself, as if transmitting Mathias.

"It isn't your fault. Stop making me feel bad when reading your letter, you jerk. I will copy this letter and have Jeanne read it. I will take care of everything for you here, dear. I don't remember my interaction with Jeanne, but I trust you with my entire being."

Taking a sheet of paper and a pen, she began scribing the message Mathias had for Jeanne, and when she was done, she walked out of the shop, running toward Light's Cathedral, from outside it seemed like she was similar to the players who were running to check Titan and start their journey, only that Fayrene's name already turned into a silver-white, similar to the Players and close to the NPC's who had some small potential, but were insignificant to the plot of the game.

She could see the large number of players running alongside her and even talking with her in a friendly manner as if she was one of them.

"Beauty, do you want to join my party and guild?"

Hearing those terms, she instantly remembered them from her adventure with Mathias in Gravelmark Heights when she watched him talk with the group of players and following a calm approach, not wishing to upset and draw attention to her, she rejected him.

'What is happening? Is this something supposed to happen?' thought Fayrene to herself when seeing how the players behaved with her, compared to the other citizens who they just scoffed at, pretending they were nothing.

She could see the players look at Rebecca's Statue, with some of them even bowing down to her, but one word came from their mouth.

"Tsk, someone already took the first rewards from this statue."

"It is what it is. This is not a secret already to the community. Rebecca gives rewards to the first players to bow to her."

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Arriving at the base of the Cathedral's ground, she knew her way around this place and when she knocked on the small door of the church, not caring that it was forbidden to enter the Cathedral because it was the day the Emperor would mourn his dead wife.

Nevertheless, she had to act fast, and moments later she saw a middle-aged man with black hair and a full beard, who when seeing her, smiled at her with surprise, asking her.

"Little magician girl, how can I help you?"

"Lord Gabrils, can you help me meet Jeanne? I want to give her something."

"Ohh, you seem to be rushing. First, calm down. We are in the blessed ground of Rebecca, nothing bad will happen to you. Even though the outlanders seem to appear, they are bound to respect our world's rules and customs. Come, let me guide you to little Jeanne, but you better stay quiet because we have an important person inside the praying hall."

Nodding her head, she followed Gabrils who took her toward Jeanne's office, while the priests gave her weird looks, surprised that someone outside of the priests was inside the church on this special day.

Gabrils entered inside Jeanne's office without being bothered to knock, and once inside, having Fayrene wait, he told the person who had long silky blonde hair, wearing priest's clothes, having fair, delicate milky skin.

"Little Jeanne, there is someone who wants to meet you. I brought her with me, she seems to be having something important for you."

Jeanne, who since the moment the players appeared in 'Satisfy' world, was feeling quite saddened, with a feeling of blankness in herself wasn't bothered by what Gabrils had to say. Still, raising her hazel eyes at Gabrils, she didn't show any of her suffering outside and told him in her angelic voice.

"Sure, big brother. You can go to your station and watch over the outlanders."

Giving her a smile, before exiting the office, he told Fayrene she could enter inside, and when she entered inside seeing Jeanne looking at her calmly wearing her male clothes trying herself to look as masculine as possible.

"Good to see you are alright, Jeanne. How are you feeling?"

"Hello to you too, lady. How may I help you? Also, why do you ask me about my health? Do we know each other by chance? Arghh, why do I feel I know you?" asked Jeanne, while massaging her temple, trying to soothe her headache.

"This is because we used to be like sisters, Jeanne. I brought you an important message from someone dear to you. Please read it because it means a lot to that person."

Saying that Fayrene walked to Jeanne's table, placing the letter she copied from the 'Ancient Tome' belonging to Mathias, which entered Jeanne's attention, taking it in her hands with her delicate hands.

"Why are you saying such things? Someone important to me? Sister? Who are you?"

"Please, read the letter. I will try my best to answer your questions afterward, okay?"

"Fine, give me a moment."

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Like Fayrene, the moment she began reading the letter, something clicked in her consciousness, bringing along an arduous headache, which she tried to fight on as she was reading the letter of this man that she couldn't remember. The delicate words targeting her, full of emotions, made her tear up unconsciously, and after some moments, like Fayrene, she started crying when reliving all the lost memories.

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"You are Fayrene … Mathias is my soul mate, I remember! What happened to me, how could I possibly forget all of these important memories?"

Fayrene, following Mathias's instruction casted 'Isolation' creating a barrier which shrouded this entire office from the vision of outsiders, where she began telling about the sensible details Mathias left her, some half-truths to which Jeanne looked with saddened eyes, asking Fayrene.

"Rebecca couldn't do this. She is the Goddess of Light, Life and Creation."

"I don't know how to explain it to you, it might be Rebecca or another God with higher authority than her."

"Shhhh, we will be smitten for saying such blasphemous words."

"Don't worry, sister, my spell can protect us for about 20 minutes. But, this is in general what Mathias told me in his letter."

"I still can't believe such a thing happened to us. This means everyone except the two of us forgot about Mathias?"

"That's a sad truth, Jeanne, but we can't do anything about it. We will discuss with Mathias when he returns to Titan about our future. Until then, we should stay out of trouble and not endanger ourselves." mentioned Fayrene to Jeanne, calming her down while also pointing out some crucial aspects.

Talking for a while, the two girls made up their plan, and afterward, with Fayrene withdrawing herself, she left as if nothing important happened, trying not to draw attention to herself. The color on her nameplate shifted to a Green one, which signaled that she was just a common NPC, walking unnoticed by the players who scoffed at her, allowing her to pass, slowly returning to her home, and closing the door after her.