Siege felt the knockback as the weapon slice through the demon's head. There was dead silence for the following few seconds as the thought sank in...
Trauma took over him when he saw the head slowly roll over to him. His breathing was loud and uneven. After a while, the beast's body began to disintegrate, until only a single tooth remained.
[Take this as a symbol of your victory over the King of Death]
"I... I killed it..." he whispered, taking a step back. Seconds later, his face returned to the normal mysterious expression. He turned around and rested his staff on his shoulders, awaiting his grand exit back into reality. He placed the tooth inside his jacket pocket and waited.
Minutes passed and nothing happened...
"Huh, why am I still here?" he asked himself, frowning.
"I killed it, it's over"
He stood in silence, the wind blowing his sleek black hair. Yet nothing happened. A thought formed in the back of his mind...
'What if this isn't a simulation?'
*Ding*
[Congratulations Candidate!]
[You have completed Trial One successfully]
[Please make your way to Soul Islands]
[South]
*Ding*
The strange voice distracted him from his stupor. The voice seemed alarmingly similar to that of his System. The voice had a more feminine ring to it unlike his own, which possessed a gender-neutral, unappealing sound.
It had only been a day since the simulation had started. Siege had started to remember nearly all aspects of his life in reality. The simulation was yet to tell him how long he would have to stay in the dystopian world.
"I have to make my way south to Soul Islands, huh?" he muttered, pulling himself off the floor. There were certain boundaries between exhaustion and insanity. Just seeing the creature of death had shocked Siege to the core.
*Ding*
[User: Siege Damon has successfully defeated the Death King]
[Reward: 175 Experience]
[75/75 XP]
[User: Siege Damon has levelled UP]
[Level 3]
*Ding*
[100/100 XP]
[User: Siege Damon has levelled UP]
[Level 4]
[New Potential Unlocked!]
[Potential: Night Vision]
[Night Vision: This Potential allows User: Siege Damon to see in the night during a fight]
[Drawback(s): Visible blood should be in 50m of User: Siege for the Potential to be used]
The string of notifications caught Siege off guard. His arms tensed, causing a sharp pain to travel up his arms. His mind willed his staff to appear in his hands. Crimson-black blood smeared the side blades from the previous fight.
*Sigh*
"I probably should learn to control that" he said, reading the string of the new System notification. He was amazed by how much experience the beast gave him.
"I'm not sure that was worth it..." he whispered.
Moments later, his expression changed and he laughed:
"Ha, of course it was worth it. I would do anything to level up and become stronger!"
*******
Siege felt lonelier than ever as he made started his journey. But it wasn't a bad thing. The sky was filled with red, orange and yellow. He had not made such a long journey for many moons and yet he missed the feeling of being alone. The air was heavy with new mown grass; there wasn't a soul in sight.
Siege looked up at the sun rising in the sky and sighed of relief.
"East"
He pointed to the right:
"South"
*******
(Time: 14:36)
Siege never expected the trek to Soul Islands to be so easy. Plain lands stretched far and wide throughout the walk which made Siege's life easier. After a two hour walk, he came across a village that had a port. A single, unstable fishing boat was waiting for him. There was a sign that read:
'South to Soul Island'
'BEWARE'
"Hmm, I wonder how this got here..." he said. "It almost seems like all of this is a simulation..." he said, smiling to himself. "I swear Violet said we won't have any of our memories when we enter the simulation..." he muttered, frowning. He headed up to the boat with uncertainty.
The fishing boat was smaller than it's common counterparts. Siege studied it, walking across the plank with his hands behind his back. The sails had a few small holes that billowed in the wind. The hull was a shade of fire, from a crimson to a warm orange.
It lurched and hovered when a strong wave hit the shore. When Siege stepped onto the deck, the boat moved sideways, making Siege lose his balance. He fell onto the ground, his head hit the rusty metal of the entrance.
"Crap, that hurts..."
"Let's just get out of here..." he muttered to himself.
The engine coughed and spluttered when Siege turned it on. He immediately knew it hadn't been used it years. He had never used a boat with an engine, and so he messed around with the controls until it started moving.
"There we go!" he said contentedly.
"To Soul Islands..."
*******