Tensura and his group made their way to the 7th floor. "I almost forgot, such unique warriors should have the right to know my name, I am called: Delveore Monto, the vampiric king. I'm glad to join you on your challenge and hope to see you regain your lost powers...For I intend to feed off such a powerful target" The vampire grinned as his red eyes lit up for a brief moment.
They entered the room as a large black creature came into view. It was massive with three red eyes and tentacles whipping around it's body. "Hmm, it seems to be level 51, who ever created this tower must've put this monster in the wrong spot. I'm far more powerful than such filth. The vampire responded with a grin. Just than a tentacle went soaring straight for Delveore when he abruptly slashed his palm like a dagger, his fingers close together.
Tensura and the others watched as the detached body part wiggled for a moment for lying motionless in the large tower room. "Gross" Kiri responded trying to ignore the worm-like thing. The monster let out a loud roar, sending five of his six tentacles right for them.
Tensura prepared to unleash mana blade when Delveore advanced head-on for the monster. Slicing through each tentacle like they were nothing before reaching the creature. It once more let out a loud bellow when a dark-red aura swarmed around the vampire's body. "Vampiric syphoning" Sending his nails inside the black monster's fleas, he began draining it of it's MP and HP. "Pathetic, I'm surprised a mindless creature like you could even hope to reach your current level, but now it's over, here's where your useless life comes to an end" He jumped off the creature, making a triangle symbol with his hands. "Hell flame"
The players watched as the monster was engulfed within purple flames as it let out cries of agony before finally being defeated. "Heh, such trash, to think that thing was one level ahead of me. Shall we go Tensura?" The player hesitated before answering: "Yea, let's go"
CHAPTER 1: Growing In Power
They made their way up the tower, with the vampire NPC, it wasn't long enough they reached the 15th floor where they were fighting a level 110 demon. Tensura had already reached level 50 from all the exp of the creatures far higher level than him. He gained multiple new skills and decent loot. He wore a black hooded-cloak that had a red sun symbol on the back. He also gained a black katana that did far more damage than his original sword.
Since Kiri and Nobuharo were far in the 600's they probably wouldn't level up any time soon and the loot they got weren't worth much so they just either sold them in their menus or broke them down for resources. "Wow Tensora, you're leveling up quickly, after this we should head back and rest, you're down to five potions and it wouldn't be much fun if you leveled up too fast" Nobuharo suggested.
"You're right, at this level I'm at least strong enough to defend myself now" (My reason for becoming a high-level player was to look down on those who treated me like nothing, but now...I'm going to reach max level, but for a new reason, I will become a protector, the one who saves new and low-level players from people like me)
The demon was a black shadow with red eyes and sharp teeth. It looked at Tensura Zogari and began to change form. All watched as it morphed into a pale version of him. But instead of his current lvl. 50 version of him, it was his MAX lvl. Him. The him he was before he lost all his power and items. It grinned still with sharp teeth as the others were knocked back by an immense force that seem to affect everyone but him.
"Tensura...how you've fallen from your god-like power to a mere weakling and you allied with someone you defeated. Why put yourself through such humiliation? Join me and I shall give you your powers back. If you refuse, you'll die here. Your far to weak to survive my attacks, so you may as will give in to the darkness, that hatred you feel for all those you deem below you. Treat those how you were treated"
Tensura looked at his party members who had lost a decent amount of HP but still could fight. "If I have to be the man I was before to achieve that power...I refuse" The demonic version of him grew enraged as it moved right for him. Tensura knew he had no chance in evading the attack so he just stood there with no fear in his eyes as the evil Tensura went to strike him with a powerful blow to the gut.
Suddenly Tensura found himself standing by his teammates unharmed. "W-what happened?" Nobuharo explained he had Kiri use a teleporting spell at the last second to get you out of the attack's range. "We can't defeat him like this, we'll have to come back when you're stronger. He placed his hand on Zogari's shoulder as they began to teleport from the tower.
"No you don't!" The demonic enemy soared full-speed right for them in full rage, they began to vanish in a ray of light just as the demon's fist was about to make contact. He stood there alone in the tower rom reverting back to it's 110 level form as it vanished...
All four of the party members fell from a rift a few feet above the city streets as they landed on the ground. "Ugh, that didn't go the way I planned" The caster responded brushing the dust of herself.
"It could've been worse Kiri, if that attack had hit us, we would've had to start at floor one again which would be a waste of time. Now let's meet back up with our other members to see how they've been doing. I'm sure they're at the bar, if not I'll just PM them to see where they are" She nodded as they walked through town towards the tavern. Multiple people noticed the vampire in their group.
"Isn't that the vampire king from the tower!? What is he doing outside with a party!?" They saw the player in a hooded-cloak leading the party when a player stood in front of him blocking his way. He was dressed in buff silver armor with long red hair.
"Please move, I've no time to be dealing with a scumbag player" Tensura responded not reviling his face. He could see the player was a level 200 but it didn't faze him he just stood motionless with his party behind him.
"That voice...is that you Tensura!? How dare you come back here after what you've done, I'm surprised you weren't banned from the game. But I'd be happy to kill you and take all your loot for myself"
"I wouldn't suggest that, I'm not as weak as I once was, I have a right to be here like any other player here. Besides, I can beat you if I must. But I'd rather you just leave now before you embarrass yourself"
"That's it! I'll kill you here and make sure no one has to see you again!"
"You talk a big game, you act like you're some kind of hero, but we all know you're doing this cuz you have no one else to bully that people won't hate you for. I accept my hatred from others, but you're no hero, you're just a bully...no different than me or those I defeated before" The cloaked player placed his hands together as a blue light outlined his body. A number in parathesis appeared next to his level reading: "(500)" He pulled back his hood waiting for his enemy to attack.
"Just die!" The player threw his fist straight for Zogari's chest, hitting him right in the face, the force causing his cloak to blow in the wind while shaking the streets. However, the player hadn't move from his spot even with the immense force of the strike. Players gasped as they saw Tensura still standing there with 90% of his HP still there. Blood ran from his cheek but he ignored it, brushing the player's hand away.
"B-but you're merely a level 50! That should've one shotted you! You hacked the game d-didn't you!?"
"No, I will admit I'm not playing fairly, but who does in a life-or-death fight. I'm using a skill that uses all my MP but is worth they exchange. It's called: "power division" With this ability, I give up all my MP to gain the stats of 25% of my party members. So take all their levels, ATK, DEF etc, and give me 25% of it. I may not be able to use any abilities while this buff is in effect, but the ATK and DEF increase is more than worth it. I'm half as strong as my old self while I'm in this state so do you still want to continue? I have a minute until the effect wears off"
(I just need to dodge his attacks for about 30 seconds and I can defeat him!) "Yea, I still will beat you here-" In an instantaneous movement, Tensura struck his target with his palm, one-shotting the player. He coughed up blood before hitting the ground and breaking into pixels. The surrounding players watched as the man pulled his hood back up walking past the crowd into the tavern.
"Ugh, does it feel like stuff like that happen almost every time I enter the city"
"Well, being one of the most hated players is it really that surprising" Kiri responded as they walked into the bar looking for the elves who were nowhere to be found. The vampire placed his hand on Zogarai responding: "Don't let all these people get to you, you worked hard to gain that immense power no one else could match and yet their jealousy is what makes them want to bully you, they've seen what you can do and now that you're at an average level, they think they'll feel stronger by bullying you. Once you've regained your powers, you can show all of them"
"I don't want that Delvore, that's why I'm the most hated player, because I became them, looking down on all the players who couldn't match my level. But for some reason, I'm more hated than they are" Just then Nobuharo and Kiri received an SOS in their PM from their other guild members.
"Seems Arken and Nioko have been captured by someone called the: Rising demon lord" Seems someone's taken Tensura as the new demon lord of Ocyria. We should hurry to their location" The leader opened the map and went to his friend's list where he tapped on one of their names then location. The map popped up giving off their location as a flashing green dot. He told everyone to grab on to his shoulder as he prepared to press "Teleport To Player"
"Why not just use a teleportation spell?" Tensura suggested as they all put their hands on his shoulders. The warrior responded: "Because it saves Kiri MP. Transporting a full party costs extra magical power" His body outlined his body like blue flames before the light outlined the others as well. A blue magical symbol formed beneath their feet just as they were all teleported in an instant...
There was an abrupt glitch in mid-travel, all party members were split in two. Tensura and the vampire fell from a rift about 20 feet in the air, hitting the ground near the entrance to a cave. The player slowly stood up brushing his cloak off as they noticed the cave. "Hopefully this is where those two elves are. That's when he realized Nobuharo and Kiri were nowhere to be found. "Delvore, can you locate them at all? Without them we could be at a great disadvantage against someone who claims to be the new demon lord of Corrupted Void!"
The vampire took a deep smell of the air but shook his head. "Forgive me Tensura, I can smell a trace of their power. My power sense of smell covers about 100 meters. So, if I can't even smell a faint trace of either of them, then they're probably out of my range"
"Sigh, seems we'll have to just go by luck at this point then. Even with my new skill: "Power Division" I don't think it'll even faze a demon lord- rank player" Pulling his blade out in a tight grasp, he made his way into the cave with his hood still up covering his face. They made their way through the cave as they noticed torches on the walls of the narrow walkway before leading into a large stone area. That's when a large gray troll came into view. It was dressed in armor with sharp teeth and was muscular unlike most trolls.
"Turn back trespassers unless you want your bones crushed to dust!" Zogari scanned the stats of the creature... "Level 60. Hmm, higher than us, but it's size and 1 on 2 could give us the advantage we need to beat him"
"So, you want to take this filth on? I have no objections, as long as I get to feed off this strong creature's blood, I'll fight with you"
"It'll let me test my two other new moves" They watched as the monster launched himself into the air, coming down with a punch. Tensura and Delvore jumped backed evading the attack but got forced back by the shockwave. The vampire managed to catch his balance while Tensura hit the walls of the cave landing on his stomach. (D-damn it, to think I dodged his attack and that bullshit happens) He used his blade to stand back up as he held his blade sideways. "Mana blade...level two" The sword was engulfed in a red and blue aura growing to twice the size of the blade to extend it's attack range.
Just as he prepared to attack, he heard a voice call out: "Who's making all that noise? I can't even think!" He looked above the troll to see a woman dressed in golden armor with long black hair and purple eyes. He could feel great power emanating from her.
"Hmm, a vampire...and some low-level player. You, revel your face"
"No" Tensura said in a serious but calm tone. She aimed her palm towards him. "Whirlwind" A surge of spiraling wind rushed past him. It took everything he had to keep his balance and no go staggering back. His hood flew back reviling his face. The girl's cold emotionless expression changed to surprise. She flew down to him kneeling before him.
"Tensura Zogari...is it really you!?"
"Y-yes who are you?"
"Oh right, my name is Fuyumi Otora, also known as the demon queen. But I've been going as "Demon lord" since you disappeared. I heard from many players you've lost everything even your level which doesn't even seem possible"
"I did...I'm now just an average player instead of the max-level demon lord I used to be. But since then, I realized how horrible I was to those around me and have decided to protect those who are tormented by high-ranked player like me"
Fuyumi heard those words and remembered when she first joined Corrupted Void...
Flash Back
She joined the game a few months ago and tried to join a party or guild but no one would take her or even help her. "Sorry our parties' full" She looked at their party info and they only had three out of the 4-5-member limit. She did her best to grind and level up out in the fields of Gokia which was a great place for low-level players from lvl.1-lvl.10 to fight weak enemies and gain both exp and materials to craft or upgrade their equipment.
Fuyumi was making her way back to the city where she could sell her loot and repair her items when a high-level player bumped into her knocking into her. She fell back when a hand caught her. She saw it was Tensura. "Be careful next time he responded"
"T-thanks" She said. He didn't say anything he just gave her a cold look and walked away... She realized she wanted to be like him, he was max level and actually gave her some kind of positive attention instead of just acting as if she wasn't even there"
End Of Flash Back
All though it was a small hint of kindness, you actually saw me as a person. No one else ever noticed me. Even the other female players wouldn't play with me. I don't know what it is about this game that makes so many people so heartless"
"Well Fuyumi, I'd be glad to have you join my guild. Be nice to see you as the new demon lord of corrupted void. At my current level I'm nowhere near the level to call myself a demon lord"
"Really!? You'd let me join your team!?"
"Yes, be nice to have such a capable player on our team. Not many players have reached our level of power before. You'll be able to do what I should've done and stop the harassment of players in corrupted Void, some many players getting bullied just because they're taking their time enjoying the game instead of racing to surpass everyone around them. I know the pain of being treated like garbage, that should've made me want to help others more, not become such a heartless monster like them"
"You're right, I'll help you get your powers back and we'll stop all the toxic players so more people can enjoy the game more" The demon queen replied in both excitement and confidence...
CHAPTER 2: A Better Future
Tensura and his party left the cave going back to the inn to rest when another player spotted him. "Hey Tensura a voice said in a taunting tone. Fuyumi saw an armored player reaching for her teammate. "Hell flame" Her eyes lit up purple as purple flames ignited on the man's black armor before he was utterly engulfed by the immense power and heat of the flames.
Other players turned to see Tensura standing beside Fuyumi and Delvore. "Who is that woman standing beside Tensura? She's the 2nd max level player that we've seen, she must be the new demon lord of Corrupted Void" The group made their way past the crowd of shocked players into the inn where they decided to relax
Meanwhile Nobuharo and Kiri had landed in the blizzard of frost orc mountain. Nobuharo looked around to see nothing but a thick layer of snow as his cloak blew in the cold with Kiri gripping her wooden staff tightly as she shivered, their breath visible from the cold. "K-kiri, use f-flame aura. The swordsmen could feel his body growing stiff as he slowly grew slower.
"F-flame aura!" A red glowing aura glistened around their body, negating the cold effect as they ventured further through the blizzard as they came across a old village with a large wooden wall with no door, just a gap between the spiked-wooden walls. "Strange, who would live in this bad of a blizzard?" That's when a blue banner with the picture of an orc could be seen blowing in the snow above the wall.
"I see, it's an orc camp. I'd prefer to regroup with the others, but I doubt fast travel will work in this area. We'll just have to force our way through and continue looking for either a cave or a calm place to try a transport spell"
"Yes captain" The young girl nodded as they stepped into the enemy camp. Multiple frost orcs came into view, they looked like your usual big monster with sharp fangs but had pale-blue skin with glowing eyes.
"Mph!? A human? What business do you have trespassing in our territory!?"
Gripping his blade sheathed at his side he responded: "We just wish to past through your camp, we mean no harm" one of the orcs grunted before charging right for him. "Shit! Lightning dash!" Advancing the incoming foe, Nobuharo pierced the creature's chest with a trail of lightning following his blade as the frost orc collapsed behind him.
"Bastard…attack!" The horde of orc swarmed him while Kiri aimed her staff toward her ally, boosting his speed and ATK. His body glistened red and blue as he prepared to strike once more. "Lightning barrage!" Once more the blonde warrior vanished in a flash as he darted past each foe,slashing across their abdomen before stopping in the center of the Massacre, his MP down to 80% From the immense combination.
"There, I was able to beat them. They might have been level 90, but with a large enough number of them they could probably do a good deal of damage if they caught us off guard. Level doesn't always mean you'll win. Now then, let us continue to find a way out of the blizzard"
A few Hours Later…
Tensura and the others make their way into the guild to see if they can get info on where the missing party members could be. The guild master told them the must likely place they could've been sent to was one of the dungeons since players like to take them over and claim them as their own lairs. Making their way outside, Delvore assured them he knew the location of nearly every dungeon in the section and would take them to each one.
"Are you sure they're in a dungeon? This world is big enough to Have thousands of places to kidnap someone!" Tensura sighed. "This is the best we have to go on for now. If you have a better idea please tell us" He glared at the girl with a dark and calm expression. She blushed and nodded as they ventured towards the 1st dungeon.
They quickly reached the boss of the dungeon which was a lvl.15 giant brown snake. Fuyumi and the vampire stood and watched the serpent dart right for Tensura who summoned his mana blade, cutting it in half with a single strike. They continued through each dungeon as the level 50 warrior continued to slowly gain EXP and gold while selling the old equipment he had. Finally after numerous boss fights, they reached the dungeon of Yonto.
The dungeon was a large yellow bug nest filled with level 20 bugs. "Ew I hate bugs!" Fuyumi cried out stepping on them before throwing both arms out. "Blazing Inferno!" The nest lit up as a blast of fire released from her palms utterly killing anything in her sight. "There, hopefully those damn bugs are dead"
That's when a steel figure crawled up out of the bug nest below their feet. It looked like a robot with a steel ant's head. "It must've been a long time since I've ran this dungeon if I don't remember this boss. Hmm…yonto…level 55. Higher than me but not enough to really make a difference. Let's try out some of my skills I've been neglecting since I've been leveling up so quickly! After imaging!" A blue aura outlined the man's body as a duplicate of himself manifested besides him. "Let's go!"
Advancing his target, his duplication began to make multiple After images with each movement just a moment off from the other. The robotic ant darted it's head keeping track of any sign of mo movement when it saw Tensura preparing to attack with his After image. Yonto ignored the fake being able to tell the difference between them before striking the real Zogarai in the jaw sending him flying onto his back as his HP dropped to 75%.
"God damn it, seems this guy can see through something as simple as an after image, so I'll have to use a more advanced skill…