I took one last breath of the familiar wood and cider scent, the small home I spent thousands of gold building just to my taste warming up. The hill shaped to fit the little cabin esc mansion on it, a few pine trees coating the hillside.
It was perfect, and for the last five years, it was my home I built from scratch. Every inch of it built by my own hands.
In the game of course. Seven Saint Online, a game so generic yet complex many did not care to learn the system and how it worked. Saying the magic system was too harsh to truly enjoy.
The Takeaway Magic system. I sipped the virtual coffee in my hand. A magic system I thoroughly enjoyed. See, to use magic, one had to give something up. For example, if one wanted to use fire magic, they would have to give up their warmth, To use ice one must give up water, to use wind one must give up their air etc. I could see why people would hate it, but I loved how it was a risk reward type deal.
Is it worth the sacrifice? A question every SSO player had to ask when going into combat. Of course, I glared up to the top left of my vision. Six different bars indicating my warmth, blood, air, and stamina/mana. The game became quite deluded to the point most of my virtual screen had bars and circles.
I sipped my coffee again.
Without any more monologues, I ventured to my front porch, the small valley masked in green grass glistening in the sun rise. The graphics were beautiful for a virtual reality game, and after the whole Sword Art Online conspiracy, many hated Vr type MMOs.
It was just an anime...
I sighed and tossed my coffee away, the cup splintering into a million shards of coding. Was this all worth it? The literal years poured into this game. I was barley a second year in high school and had zero social skills. My mother thinks I have a gaming disorder and my sister hides the fact we are related. My real life was if anything, less real then were I stood now.
Odd.
I plopped down on the red wood, my mind drifting as the Sun basked the world in its light.
I pulled up my stats.
----
Name: Grimm
Title: Sixth Saint
Lvl- 9999
Mana-999999999
Health-10000
Affinities- All
Spells(expand)-2000 items-
Fire Dash/ Cool down 25
Inventory(expand)
----
I smiled.
It was worth it. SSO was everything I needed in life. No real people could grant me this joy, seeing those numbers that had so much meaning only could. A tear rolled down my cheek and I quickly wiped it away.
Who was I kidding, no one would see me cry virtual tears. I had to physically push the cry emote anyways. Laughter filled my mouth and I gripped my chest.
No one would see because I was the last. The last player of SSO. Not a single player other than myself roamed these lands filled with so much effort. Ritoshi Mu, the creator of SSO died after making it. If you looked close enough, you could notice how much life was put into this world. The land of SSO meant so much to me that the log off button was a sin in my eyes.
Ritoshi would forever live on in SSO, and as a tribute I promised myself to finish his game. So some one could fully enjoy his life's efforts. Twenty years of development, every pixel crafted by one man.
My black robes swayed in the wind, my white hair covering my face. I hid the loneliness I felt and grunted.
"I'm so close Ritoshi, just wait."
One final boss, the Seventh Saint. The Saint of Extinction, a being capable of erasing everything just by a word. Dread, a single person who was only told in legends.
The coldness of the wind finally reached me. I could not help but think about the permanent death feature. If I died now, all of five years worth of grinding would disappear.
I removed the Sacred scroll from my inventory, an Incantation circle ready to be activated. All I had to do was open it and Dread would appear.
I swallowed hard and summoned my sword, the crimson katana planting its blade next to me in the wood. Azura, the blade capable of storing blood. It was my personal favorite, since I could freely use Iron Magic. The Sacred Blades were so impossible to come by, I got lucky to have just one.
My hand fell onto the black handle, the air growing still as I removed Azura from the wood. It was now or never.
All of my life has led to this moment. To finally defeat all Seven Saints and claim myself as the Eighth Saint, Grimm. I grinned, just thinking about the title made me shutter with pure anticipation.
----
Activating Sacred Scroll!
----
The notification sent chills down my back in my real body. Woah.
In an instant, the blue sky turned grey and all the color started to wash away. Before I knew it, the once beautiful land was drained of all life, the grass shriveling up and tress disintegrating.
Fuck, Fuck Fuck!
Was I ready, was it happening now?
I activated a spell, a slight percentage of my strength going away. To use Earth Magic one had to give up strength. I was now granted another five hundred health, my bar stretching.
I aimed Azura at the scroll, the parchment shaking violently.
Focus Leon, focus and you won't die.
.
.
.
No shit.
The scroll stopped shaking and slowly turned to ash. I swallowed hard and searched the valley around me.
Nothing.
"Erase."
I dodged to my left with all my might, a Magic so strong that my heart almost stopped.
I did not have time to see who used it, the power was too noticeable. I continued my moment and rolled down the hill a few meters, digging the katana in the dirt to stable myself so I could stand.
Where?
Where is Dread?!
"You did good dodging it." It was a deep male voice, his tone asserting complete dominance.
I lowered Azura, my eyes widening.
A man sat comfortably on my porch, he had a scraggily beard and a waft of brown locks. He looked like a lumber jack if anything. However, he wore a black robe which covered his body, dark tentacles lashing out and singing the wood.
This was Dread?
"I know I do not look the part, but yes, I am Dread. The Seventh Saint." The man waved and sighed, "This place must of been beautiful. Right?"
I did not answer, the mere shock of a literal god sitting on my porch made me tense. I gripped Azura harder than I ever had. I read over the description that popped above his head.
----
Dread The Seventh Saint- A being who makes you feel no pain, just the pain of never existing.
----
Shit.
What type of Magic did he use? I knew there had to be-
He raised his hand above his head, "It's a shame I must erase it all."
Then I trembled, my knees buckling and my guard dropping. I got no notification of him using a spell or even a sound cue. There was just the slow whisk as my entire house slowly turned to ash and dust.
Like nothing, the once lavish abode was completely gone. As if it never existed.
"You son of a bitch!"
"
I yelled through fear and gritted teeth. On cue, a rain of iron spikes came flying from above him. Dread grunted and simply moved his fingers. Each of the pikes turning to dust.
What?
"A Master Level Spell will not work, only the power of the Saints have a chance on me." The Man stood as the last remnants of my porch disappeared and was carried into the wind.
The Saints power, each having an effect on the world, but requiring a greater sacrifice.
Was it worth the sacrifice?
I shook my head and smiled, "Then, let me fulfill your wish."
I activated my next spell
My entire world went dark as a view of me attacking Dread head on with a sword swing played. Then the man thrusted his arm toward me and low and behold, I died.
Gulp.
I quickly activated the Third Saints Power, Gravity.
To use Gravity Magic, one had to give up their balance. I fell backwards and rolled down the hill further.
"Such a sacrifice was wise, only you can't roll forever,"
I slammed against the jumble of rocks below, my vision coming back and me naturally gaining my balance.
I smirked, just as I planned. My eyes shot upward, Dread heaving as he lifted his foot to start walking.
"Hurry up and disappear." Dread said as he stomped his foot.
I gasped as the twenty foot hill seem to blink out of existence. Like a piece of wood in jenga getting pulled out, just like that. Dread drifted to the flat plain he created and smiled.
"Quite impressive no?"
Was there hope? Could I honestly beat a man who could Erase the world around him? I may have the power of the six saints, but could they honestly hinder this man.
"Tsk," I sprinted forward and aimed Azura forward. "
In the same moment I activated another spell, "
Dread slowly came back as the iron in front of me started to dissipate. A huge burst of fire exploded forward. I noticed my warmth went down to half. I poured too much power in, damnit.
The fire hit Dread head on, the man taking a single step back.
I readied my blade as the gap shortened between us.
"Ice Magic,
As I ran, I noticed something. The wall was still there. Shit!
I turned around to see the man reaching toward my back. He was quick, so quick that I had to use Time magic again.
"Is losing your eyes the best choice?"
I was blind again, the world falling to darkness.
I used gravity Magic once again and instead of increasing gravity, I decreased it instead. With my balance gone and my eyes finally able to see, I pushed off the ground, a wave of invisible energy passing inches away from my feet. I glanced back, the ice wall falling apart.
I can feel it!
I can feel the magic he is using, there is a chance!
I reverted gravity and inhaled,
"Futile!"
The air dispersed and Dread advanced forward with rage. Why was he so mad?!
What did he have to give up to erase?
"
"I can use all Magic too boy, this is nothing."
I gripped Azura, the crimson blade glowing.
"
"You fucking bastard, how dare you undo my magic!" Dread scowled and exploded forward, a crater forming where he once stood.
I had to use it, it was the only way. The ace up my sleeve. It was now or never. Sixth Saint Magic, Creation, mixed with the Third Saint Magic, Gravity.
I grinned as I swung Azura forward, the blade slamming against a hood of darkness.
"Darkness consumes all physical prowess. You are a bloody idiot! Die! Die! Die!"
Dread's eyes turned red, his skin grey and his beard turning white. Was this what he was sacrificing?
Was it his life force, no that was Creation Magic.
What did Extinction Magic sacrifice?? Think Leo!
Dread grabbed ahold of my black trench coat, his nails ripping the fabric. I smiled.
I had him exactly were I wanted him.
I spoke the Sacred Level Spell, "Second Saint Magic,
Rewind, a spell that would take my body back in time, and instead of sacrificing my vision, it only sacrificed my mana.
Before I could even blink, I was kneeling were my house once was, a twenty feet in the air. In the little time I had before Dread reacted, I used the Air Magic.
There was now a few hundred yards between Dread and me, the once sane man looking deranged as he scanned the area for his prey.
We locked eyes, his pupils red and his teeth grinding with insanity. I grinned once again before using
The area around Dread now weighed a thousand times stronger than normal. I lost the balance in my feet and went crashing to the earth, a crater forming were I impacted.
With any strength I had left, I dug Azura in the ground and outstretched both of my hands toward Dread. With a single breath I uttered one of my strongest spells.
"
The clouds that were once above us separated, the air growing quiet as the ground began to shake violently.
I bent over and threw up. Even if I could not feel the vomit since it was virtual reality, I could feel the way my health bar was now at halfway.
----
Name: Grimm
Title: Sixth Saint
Lvl- 9999
Mana-300,000
Health-5000
Affinities- All
Ability list(expand)-2000 items-
Fire Dash/ Cool down 25
Inventory(expand)
----
As I knelt down and watched Dread try his hand at moving, I could not help but laugh. All of my efforts led to this very moment.
From the heavens came a moon the size of the entire valley. Using the Sixth Saint's Magic Creation, I created the moon size meteor, and by using the Third Saints Magic Gravity, I pulled the behemoth of a rock downward.
I had to make it were Dread would not notice, and for some odd reason, the Saint did not even bat an eye.
Now the Humungous Moon came rushing downward, the edges of the thing not even visible.
Did I really just do that?
I chuckled and sat back, watching five years of hard work come hurdling towards the ground. Man what a day.
"Thank you..."
I jumped and turned around, my hand naturally grabbing Azura.
My heart stopped.
Ritoshi Mu stood a few feet behind me, a smile on his face. He had the same flowing long brown hair tied up in a bun and piercing blue eyes hidden behind silver rimmed glasses. The iconic look he wore before he died. The SSO shirt and regular blue jeans screamed nerd.
"How a-"
He held his hand up, my instincts telling me to be quiet.
"I know this seems impossible, but when I made this game, I guess you could say I did put my heart and "soul" into it." He finger gunned me and laughed.
After wiping a fake tear from his eye, he spoke again, "Thanks Grimm, for everything, you made my life's work worth it all. And to repay you, I will grant you a wish."
I blinked. He probably meant within the game but just hearing his words made a tear roll down my cheek. But.
This tear was in real life, I could feel it fall off onto my bed. Even if I was not in control of my real body, it trembled from joy.
"To be honest, I wish I could feel more of this world. You made it so amazing that I wish I could physically be a part of it you know."
Ritoshi nodded, "You want to feel the sacrifices you make to use Magic?"
I nodded too, "Yep, that would be way cooler."
He tapped his chin, "Anything else?"
I titled my head, "Maybe give me a Harem, since I will never get to actually live through it. That would be lit, I know it's impossible but still lit."
Ritoshi snapped his fingers, "Done and done, but first, you still have a Saint to defeat."
I swallowed hard, "Who?!"
.
.
.
"Erase!"
The entire world shivered as the horrible Magic that Dread used exploded from his body.
No way...
The Moon sized meteor crashed against the dirt, the darkness of the rock covering everything, except.
There was no world ending boom or explosion.
Just a POOF noise as a ball of ash fell on the ground, a blanket of black covering the valley.
HE JUST FUCKING ERASED AN ENTIRE MOON.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, is that all you can throw at me you fucking peasant!"
What is wrong with this Saint? Why was he so different from the others? The other six were just like any other boss in a video game, but Dread, he was different. He felt so real...
Ritoshi patted me on the back, "When you figure it out, your wish will be granted."
I swirled to see no one in sight. He was gone.
Azura glowed in my hand, the thought of continuing the fight making my mind feel exhausted. My game prowess was only so great.
I readied myself as Dread walked toward me, his features dark as he held his hand out.
"Die!!!!!"
I dodged as the odd Magic missed by miles. I blinked and stood still.
Dread growled and thrusted his hand out, the Magic missing again, this time I did not even move.
What?
Then it clicked.
What Ritoshi wanted me to figure out, not how to defeat Dread, but how to help him.
Darkness used sanity, so that was out of the question. That only left one thing.
To use Extinction Magic, one must give up their humanity. The warmed hearted God I met before seemed wise, but as the battle went on he began to change.
Become something other than human.
I watched a notification pop up above his head.
----
Ghoul King
----
He was no longer a Saint, he was in fact a creature who was the opposite of human.
I put Azura in my inventory and smirked, "Damn it all, this is one hell of a day."
The grass started to become green again, "Fifth Saint Magic, Holy Magic,
I spoke the words softly as everything started to glow golden, I lifted a single index finger, my target being the creature that stalked toward me.
BOOM!
A loud bang signified the activation and a golden ray shot forward, the grass around the advancing beam growing instantly.
The powerful Magic struck the Ghoul King, the white light consuming it completely.
I nodded and watched as a few notifications popped up.
----
Sick! Use Medicine Immediately!
----
I knew I did not have enough time to take some out of my inventory. To use Holy Magic, one must give up their well-being. And as more diseases hit my body, I sighed.
So much for a wish eh?
I chuckled and sat down and crossed my legs. I did great, and honestly it felt amazing. I looked at my outfit and noticed how edgy I truly looked. The black trench coat and robes mixed in with my white hair, what a joke.
I looked toward the sun, the blazing ball barley escaping the horizon.
I closed my eyes as my health bar slowly trickled away.
Then I heard it....
"Thank you Leo."
.
.
.
.
.
.
I opened my eyes, wind whipping my white locks across my face. But something wasn't right. I should of died in the game and woken up in the real world. Then why, why was I still Grimm?
I lifted my head up and noticed I no longer
had the clothing I had before, instead it was replaced by baggy brown rags knitted together.
I pulled up my status,
----
Name: Grimm
Title: Eight Saint
Lvl- 1
Mana- 10
Health- 100
Affinities- The Blades of Chaos
Spells- none
Abilities-(2)
----
I guess I did actually die, damn.
Wait a fucking second....
I pinched myself, the pain surging up my arm. Pain.... In a video game?
A replay of what Ritoshi said stained my mind, the idea pushed to the back of my head until I finally came to a realization.
This was all real, and the wish I asked for was just fulfilled.
I swallowed hard and witnessed the world around me, a huge forest flanking a dirt path in which I sat on.
"Move and I kill you boy." A deep male voice said as cold steel was pressed against the nape of my neck.
Oh boy, here we go.