Wintol is the name of a town where travelers usually stay to rest and replenish their spirits. It's accommodated with multiple inns that're fairly equipped and in good condition, a brothel for the carnal desires, filled with beauties to boot, and a lively townsfolk that's oblivious to the outside world.
The town is where our protagonists decide to settle down for the thirteenth night of their trip to the capital. The boy was looking around with raised eyebrows, seemingly curious and cautious of everything in sight, while the other two kept to themselves and discussed amongst each other.
"Where should we rest for the night?"
"There's a place that I have a discount with, but the place's pretty shabby compared to the rest. We'll share the fee, sounds good?"
"How much are we sharing, 50s?"
"Of course, of course. What, you think I'm gonna make you pay extra? But I'm not paying for the kid."
"Just a little caution."
The two were sitting beside each other, with the Mage not radiating that foul smell of course. Though, the female merchant was somewhat skeptical on whether or not his hygiene was up to normal standard.
For once, he isn't equipped with his abominable Staff. Instead, he's equipped with a green orb that's radiating a soft yellow glow and emitting a warm Aura. It was making the female merchant lose her focus, and sink further into a relaxed trance.
"Brrr, tch, why am I feeling so sleepy all of a sudden?"
"..."
Probably knowing full well of his actions, he still didn't try and hide the orb away.
[Orb of Desires]
[Item Rank: S]
[Item Effects:
+400 Magic Damage
+The Skill [See-through Mind] is generated
=Allow you to see into the minds of those that have stared into the Item for a specific amount of time (depends on their Willpower Stat)
-If this Item is equipped, an Aura that induces Relaxation will radiate and affect both the user and all those that're in a 5 meter radius of the Item
[Item History: A beloved Item of a certain bewitching Yokai, it was made as a way to escape her depressing reality. She drowns in eternal slumber within the Orb, and some forgotten rumors even said that, within the Item itself, inhabits the very Consciousness of the Yokai that has bewitched millions with her Transcendent beauty]
The Item wasn't a big deal to use if he was Undead, but now that he's a Human, he must also try and keep himself awake. But luckily, that wasn't a hard thing to do.
Dangling from his neck inside the dark robe, a talisman hung around a fragile-looking white rope. This is his solution to the Orb's Aura effect.
[Shu's Talisman of Will]
[Item Rank: B]
[Item Effects:
+Resistances to Mind effects
+The wearer can trigger the [Focused] State
[Item History: One of numerous uncountable Talisman produced by the Legendary Taoist, Shu Yokimata, the Devil-like Illusionist]
The talisman was hidden out of view and it didn't exude any unnecessary Aura. It does, however, radiate something called Qi, which is different to the hardened Ki and the flexible Mana. Qi is a universal energy that cultivates through the ages. It also benefits the trainer with a longer lifespan, sometimes even for eternity.
Its usage exists in all Worlds, even those that lack the foundation to unlock Ki and Mana as a natural resource. It was the very thing that gives all Races the disparity they have amongst themselves, the so-called Talent that one's born with at birth.
The very essence of one's Creation, a four part component that gives a Living Being its own uniqueness. Form being the most basic, a shell to accompass the other three, Will, the randomly manifested power that serves as fuel, Soul, the most important part that protects the Creation after the Form is destroyed, and Luck that occupies a very small space in one's Creation.
Ah, shit. I diverged a bit. Sorry for that.
Anyway, our protagonists were simply strolling through the medium-sized town with the population of 1,463 people. The roads were built wide and capable of handling the traffic that circulates almost everyday within the town. They navigate with the guidance of the female merchant, who seems to know the place very well. Though at one point, they went into a station-like building.
It was like a garage inside, with many people talking with each other. Most of them were wearing robes and their conversation was barely audible, though it wasn't a problem for our Mage.
"Alright~! That's good, miss!"
Then, a blonde girl walked in front and raised her hand up to stop the carriage. The horses stopped immediately as if they understood her, and this caused the Mage to be curious.
'A Beast Tamer…?'
The girl walked up to the horse pair and patted them each on the head. They gently rubbed it towards her head, begging for more. But, that was enough for now.
"So, how long are you all staying in town for? 5 coppers per night."
"Any discounts at least?"
"Occasion being? Hehe, my family and I are trying to run a business here, miss Rulem. You can't just ask that everytime."
"I know I know, just… kinda feels bad if I can't get the best deal out of everything."
"So that's the so-called merchant's stubbornness, yes?"
The two talked with each other, seemingly ignoring the Mage. But, he didn't mind. He leapt off the carriage seat and onto the muddy floor, softly as to not stain his prim clothes. With one raise of his hand, the mud across the wet ground makes way for his feet to walk on a cleaner dirt surface.
He went outside, where the boy was nowhere to be found.
'...'
The Mage turned around and called out to the female merchant, with the name the blonde girl spoke.
"Rulem, I need to go for a moment, resolve your business here and go to the inn. I'll be there after I've finished with this."
"Hah? Where are- damn, he left already?"
When she heard his voice, half of her attention was placed on him until he said his final bits. And when she went to look, scooting to the edge and peeking her head out, he was already gone.
'Dammit, what the hell?'
She grumbled, but didn't say anything. She pulled out one of her three pockets and took out four silver coins.
"A month, make sure to take good care of the two horses alright?"
"Aye aye, miss!"
Meanwhile, the boy was inside an alleyway face to face with his first real-life challenge upon entering this new World. It seems like the boy had a sense of justice, a meaningless drive towards Death. He stared at the scene in front of him, a bunch of thugs picking on a measly little child for some pocket money.
"Oi, runt. You owe us a lot of money now, aye? When's the money gonna return to us? We ain't running a charity here."
"Damn, just a few coppers? This ain't even one fifth of the money!"
"Tch, fucking beggar. What were we even thinking when we gave her the money?"
Amongst the trio of thugs, one was standing with folded arms, another was rummaging through the very light bag only for a pair of copper coins to drop out, and the third was just snickering as he held on the child's head by the hair.
"Damn, we won't be able to have enough coins to get wasted tonight. Today's quest board was empty as fuck, and some were reserved or taken already. Curse our luck."
"Hey, what if we sell this little shit? She'll worth a few silvers at least, lessens this city's vagrant numbers as well. Two birds with one arrow, aye?"
"Hmm, tempting~."
The child, a girl with a bruised and scarred face, was the center of this abuse. Small and medium sized scars littered her face, but it remained emotionless as the torrents of threats and slaps reached her.
"Oi, oi, are you even there? Ignoring us or something?"
"..."
"Damn this little shit, hey! We asked you -"
"You should remove your hands from the young one, sirs."
"Huh?"
They all turned towards the voice, eyes serious and deadly cold. They scanned the newcomer's appearance, and took a notice on the rough book in his left hand.
"Hoh~? You a Mage or something? Nice book ya got there."
"Ohh, new money?"
The three looked at the person like predators that'd spotted their prey.
'...'
It was none other than the boy that's been traveling with the Mage. He looked at the trio with narrowed eyes, slight traces of Mana sparking the air into small flames.
"Again, remove your hands from her."
"Or what, little man? You gonna smack us with your holy scripture or something?''
"Hahaha! Yeah, oh, little priest man, rid us of our sins with the holy words of your Goddess. Bahahaha! What a fucking joke."
"!!!!!"
But, the thugs' taunts worked not on the boy, but the book in his grasp.
'Little master, subdue them with extreme prejudice! Break their bones! Shatter their wills! Grind and burn their bodies to dust, I tell you!'
"???"
The boy on the other hand was taken aback by the book's sudden aggressiveness. Though, he didn't make any verbal comments.
"...Final warning, let the child go, brutes."
"Hah~? You're saying something awfully hurtful there~."
The one that's holding the girl tossed her head away and stood up. A menacing scowl was on his face, his eyelids twitching from annoyance.
"I don't know who the fuck you are, but scram before you get yourself killed here, boy. That's a warning."
"...Fine."
The three smirked, seemingly satisfied with their intimidation.
"Holy Tribulation!"
[The target has been recognized as a Sinner by the Tome of Servertor]
[Conditions have been fulfilled]
But the next thing they know, their Minds were under attack with the mental strains of their previous abuse victims.
"Argh! The fuck… did you do!"
OUt of the heat of the moment, the thug swung his thick arm at the boy. The latter reacted quite late to the offense, but dodged nonetheless.
"Gale!"
A silver Magic Eye appeared in front of his right, outstretched palm and shot a burst of sharp, needle-like winds towards the aggressor.
"Alright, this is it! You're dead meat!"
"You're so fucking dead, you little shit!"
"Fuck him up, guys! Arg, my face!"
The three were now clearly provoked. Their intent was clear, and the boy didn't back down one step.
'Sister… I will continue your work even in this World.'
He was faithful, a cause lights his way in this dark and unknown World. It was the image of his Sister, a beautiful woman that is also the cause for his latent Trauma.
[Your Job Class characteristic has been activated]
[You are required to subdue the opponent with non-lethal force]
[Failure in doing so will result in a penalty!]
Notifications popped up in the form of book pages, viewable only for the little boy. However, right now isn't such a good time.
'Dammit!'
He reacted late to the straight jab aimed at his face, and received a massive blow that disorientated him.
[Defense value insufficient]
[Critical! You've been stunned!]
[Failure to resist, 2 seconds have been added]
Book pages form and disappear almost instantly. His mind was in disarray, his thoughts, currently a scrambled jumble of soup. His Mana, on the other hand, was running wildly without being under direct control.
[Critical! Your Mana is running chaotically through your body!]
[Failure in retaining control can lead to death!]
'Khu…'
His Mana lashed out like whips and ignited the air with sparks of fire. This made the thugs withdraw a bit, fearing the flames.
''Tch! Get out of my way! I'll fucking skewer him!"
The one that got blown by Gale suddenly took charge and ran towards the unstable boy. He reached to his side, a sword was sheathed there. With clear intentions, he ran and unsheathed his sword. He raised it up, and was ready to deliver the killing decapitation.
"Ahhh, you messed things up again."
The sword stopped, and a thud resounded. The boy's body, after a second longer, regained its spirit and sat up.
"Seriously, you're so annoying. And you, book, why didn't you advise him properly?"
The kid knew this voice, behind him. The thug's massive towering body was once again blown away from the boy's view, but the force difference was night and day.
"What the…"
"Shit… oi, Kang, you alright man?"
The two thugs were shocked, one was silent and the other went to check on the damages.
"Seriously, why'd you have to seek out unnecessary trouble?"
The Mage has arrived. A shadow casted over the young boy's body, one large enough to engulf even the thugs in the distance.
"...Oh?"
And when his shadow encompassed the feeble presence of the victim, it was drawn to her petite body like moths to a dying flame.
'Darkness…'
'Despair…'
'Loneliness…'
'One of… us~...'
His Shadows whispered audibly in his mind. It was a trigger effect for a specific Skill.
[A presence of an Unbound Soul has been detected]
[You have sufficient Domination]
[Do you wish to encompass the Unbound Soul?]
An Unbound Soul, one without the Form that makes one a stable being. Conditions to have an Unbound Soul is, in a simple way of speaking, to be mentally shattered over more than thousands of times.
It's classified as a Passive Skill, the effects being almost close to cheating.
{Unbound Soul}
[Type: Passive Skill]
[Skill Effects:
+All Mind attacks are nullified (except for Divinity-related attacks)
+The feeling of Damage is lessened
+Extra Stat values from all sources
[Skill Description: A state that is boundless in being both merciless and kind. You see all things equally, all situations equally, and all Beings equally]
An Unbound Soul is something very precious to a Player, as it marks the end of their continuous mental strains and headaches against CCs, in which the game had many.
'...'
But, the Mage was unfazed. He retracts the lingering Shadows from her, and carries on scanning the other three.
"Stand already, your clothes will be harder to wash off."
"Wh-Who are you, fuckers!"
"Now now, watch your language. I'm here to retrieve the kid, nothing more. I advise you to ignore this incident from this day onward."
"Fuck… we aren't, forgetting this…"
"...Let's go, boy. We have an arrangement to catch up with."
"Can we-"
"No, I won't be taking care of her. I already have more than enough on my hands."
With those words, the Mage turned around and walked away. His words were resolute, and the boy could somehow feel that. He stood up as per ordered and walked towards the child, dirty and disgusting as she is she still held this certain charm about her scarred body.
"Hey, you alright?"
"Young master, we should probably leave. Charity is nice and all, but in this current state you won't be able to take care of a life just yet."
"I don't care, I'll find a way, somehow…"
"..."
A drive to do good, a promise to uphold, it is a foolish yet noble decision in this World of Magic and Swords. He took the girl and hoisted her onto his back in a piggyback ride position. He went off before losing sight of the Mage.
"Fuckk… find, those fuckers. Tell, the miss about them."
"Yeah yeah, let me just heal you up first. Seriously, damn pestering shits. We're gonna have an earful once we return."
The money, although meant for personal gains, belonged to another of a much higher position than these grunts. She is the one who runs this city in the shadows, one with the ambition to take hold of the Black Throne, the underground world's most prized position.
The wheels once again turn, destiny continuously being woven, stretched, and broken every second, minute, hour, day, month and year. This is but another story, and just another cog that operates the infinitely large machine that is this World.
............
Our view changes to a sight outside of Death's home. Just before the gates to this graveyard, a woman with face shrouded in pure white mist stood motionlessly. Her body is bountiful, a treasure to the eyes and an unattainable flower atop the peak of a mountain.
The identity of the visitor is Queen Svar'ritha, the Guardian of the Elven Kingdom and also their Race's Goddess. She presides over the power of the Moon, the second and much inferior Sun in this World's System.
'...This time, it'll be me that takes the initiative.'
She reached her hand out towards the large, white marble gate that was as smooth as a serene lake. She gave it little strength, thinking of applying some Magic to strengthen her force, but that was unnecessary.
"..."
The inside was silent, making her nervous with each step she took into the likely jaws of Death. When she was in front of the tablet, her eyes went across the very neat and beautiful entrance room. The sparkling gold and velvety red colors made for a sophisticated feeling.
"...Hello?"
Her voice resounded and also echoed clearly through the large entrance room, and to respond to her greeting, my favorite butler came to greet her.
"Good day, ma'am."
"Eek!"
Though, he was unwise to appear behind the Goddess. Her frightened demeanor led to her casting a Spell in self-defense, which was an unnecessary tier-7 Spell, Arcane Earth Breaker.
A giant fist the size of one of the pillars in the Throne Room materialized and slammed down on the butler. But, without even batting an eye, he dodged it with Shunpo as if it was second nature.
"Calm down, ma'am. I am not here to hurt you."
Surprisingly, when the tier-7 Spell made contact with the floor, it didn't show a crack but it was the Spell that broke first. This sight caused the Goddess to be shocked, but her mental state quickly rebounded and focused on the spectral servant.
"Who, are you?"
"I am Max, a butler of the Black Castle. Shall I be your guide for your first stay here?"
"Stay… I am here to have an audience with the one that's called Saurosh Koravek Solomon, the God of another World. Where can I find him?"
"..."
Max had his eyes squinted, his thoughts unknown to the Goddess.
'I can't… read his emotions.'
A slight feeling of uneasiness wash over the Goddess, as her ability to discern other's thoughts work naught for this exceptional hero.
"Of course, ma'am. I shall inform the master of your arrival, in the meantime will you want to have anything? A place to rest, a meal, relaxation, anything on your mind?"
"It's fine, I'm on a tight time restriction so the faster the better."
"Roger that, ma'am. Please wait here in the meantime, I will be back shortly."
Max bows his head to the Goddess, and turns around to walk to the big dark brown door with the face of a demon with its mouth agape. This was none other than the door to the Grave of Forgotten Heroes, the training ground and warm-up for the first Boss fight, Knight King Saurosh.
"..."
The Goddess looked at the limited view of the Grave of Forgotten Heroes, a feeling of sadness swells within her.
It was from one of her Passives as a Racial Goddess, she is able to feel other presences that're similar to Elves, be it Players or NPCs. She could detect several Souls within the Grave, and their weak wails echoed through her mind for their salvation.
'...'
But, even if she wanted to do it that badly, she's currently inside another God's domain. It would paint a very bad image of her, and she knows that. An unwise decision, and one that could lead to her and her kingdom's demise.
'I'm sorry…'
She was forced to turn a blind eye to her own Race's suffering, even though she didn't know who and why they were there in the first place. A commendable compassionate Goddess, a fool in this type of World.
She was now waiting for Max, as per his request. But, her curiosity was tempting her to stray away and explore this death trap. It was a passive thing that happens within the Black Castle, and Players who have a Level of 600 with an Occultist or Explorer Build could detect the anomaly and call it out.
[Black Thoughts]
[Type: Curse]
[Effects:
+Reduces judgement capabilities by 1% for every second (differs with Level)
+Induces the Hallucination State after a certain time
It was an insidious trap, and one made to deter those who wish to live rent free in the Black Castle. After a certain period of time, like the Effects said, one will experience Hallucinations and begin to be driven Mad. The fate of the maddened is Death by the robotic Annabelle maids that're stationed at the second floor of the Black Castle, constructs made by the Second Best Mage.
'No no… it's too risky.'
In the end, there doesn't seem to be anything interesting happening. She was smart, and stayed put where she was.