Ruldr is an adventurer and an exceptionally talented one at that. Every time there's a B-Rank or A-Rank Quest in the Town Hall, he would always take it on like a mad bull. Even if no party joins him, he would always face the quest head-on. He was unstoppable. A lone wolf.
In the City of Althus, he was known as the Solo Player. The only adventurer who would go out to clear a quest without a party in tow. His famous words were "Having a party makes things easier" and people quote him for it. He was the only one who has the audacity to say those words because he alone could fulfill them.
But one day, something unfolded that would change his life forever.
His grandfather, whom he thought was his real grandfather, was actually the Demon Lord in disguise. As the Demon Lord attempted to flatten the village where Ruldr grew up in, he couldn't be found anywhere. That night, he was undertaking an A-Rank mission of subjugating weak Evil Spirits on a nearby town. With the help of the Black Grsrzy Scarf, it was easy but time-consuming.
When he returned to the Village the next day, he saw his cousins, Fei, Mei, and Luxembourg, crying in front of a grave. Inscribed on the tombstone was the name of his beloved grandfather.
Aldr.
"The hero, he was the one who saved us," Fei muttered as she wiped the tears off her face. She badly wanted to blame her cousin for not being there at such an important time but she held it in. All of them were mourning and it wasn't right for anyone to take the blame when there's no one at fault.
Upon hearing what unfolded in the Beginner Village, Ruldr regretted not being there. Before he left, he told his grandfather not to trust the Hero but who would've thought that that very Hero would be the one who would save his village.
"Hero, wherever you are, you have my thanks." He told himself as the crown was passed onto him.
He was now the Village Chief of the Beginner Village.
.....
Back to the Present.
The Beginner Village has taken a turn for the worse when the wrath of the Evil Spirits descended on the surrounding area of the Village. As Ruldr was thinking that the surrounding area was getting more dangerous, the Evil Spirits appeared. Going out of the Village wasn't even an option anymore. No matter how strong the Black Grsrzy Scarf is, it could only hold so much Evil Spirits until it won't be useful for a long time. If one needs to get out of the Village, one would need more than ten Black Grsrzy Scarf and an incredible amount of luck.
In simpler terms, the Beginner Village is stuck in a cold and hard place. As of the moment, the village didn't have any problems with food supplies and other things. Their main problem was their seclusion from the outside world. Without it, they have no idea what's happening to the other cities.
Fortunately, Lav Kravia was there. After being subdued by the Hero, she resided in the Beginner Village, protecting it from outside forces. Up to now, she was doing her best on keeping the Evil Spirits at bay. If it hadn't been for her, the Beginner Village would've probably fallen to the hands of the Evil Spirits.
"What do you say we do, Ruldr, evacuate everyone from this place? You do know it's impossible, right?" Lav Kravia asked. "Not everyone here is capable of crossing that space alone. It's filled to the brim with Evil Spirits."
"But we have no other choice. We're basically sitting ducks here." Ruldr expressed. "If we don't take action now, then eventually, we'll all die here."
"No, we won't. Sweet Master will come soon. I'm sure of it." Lav Kravia clenched her fists as she exuded confidence.
"It's almost a month, Lav Kravia, there are no signs of him coming." Ruldr sighed in disappointment. "I know he's the savior of this Village but now, he's not here. He's not coming back."
"No, he's coming. I can feel it. You have to believe me." Lav Kravia concluded and she wasn't going take any second opinion for it. "Call it instincts or whatever, but he will really come. I'm from the Lavian bloodline and I performed the Blood Pact with sweet master. I should at least know that he's coming over here.
"And how many days would that be? Do you think he'll come here in time?"
Lav Kravia bit her lips in frustration. Despite being sure of her master's return, she didn't know the exact date of it. It might even be too late when her master returns. Underneath her voice, she uttered a silent wish, hoping that her master would return to the Beginner Village, safe and sound.
.....
"Any improvements on your end?" Tsutomu, the head of the Lucid Dream Server Project, asked his subordinate as he typed away on his computer. At first glance, Tsutomu looked like he was doing some typing exercise but that's not really the case. He was actually trying to fix a bug recently found in the Lucid Dream Server.
There was an emphasis on the word 'trying' of course, since he couldn't really fix it.
"No, sir,"
"No, sir!"
"Negative."
"Negative, sir."
A series of no's erupted in the atmosphere. Taking the focus out of Tsutomu would reveal an entire team of developers, deftly typing away at their computers with a constipated expression on their face. No matter how much they tried to change the code, the code would just return back to how it normally is. Of course, it's different when the Dreamers themselves change the codes by obtaining an item or a title but if the developers were to do it, it's as if the game was rebelling against them.
"That's all for now, let's just work on this tomorrow." Tsutomu heaved a sigh as he sunk into his seat. 'This problem is already getting out of hand' He said to himself.
'No, not yet... not yet...'