At some point I tuned out Shin's lessons and focused on my abilities. Looking through them I felt like I had gone a bit wild during the death game, as being a game dev I KNEW where the skills were that'd make a High Human more tanky. Because welp I got a skill specifically for the race by having a literal tea party with a Plague Dragon, bless Felicia for that silly yet troll quest. To get the skill you HAVE to be a High Human otherwise ehem, Miss Pretty, gave you a one hit death strike with plague lick.
My colleague she was a demented woman who had the belief "Why give the famous races broken stuff, when we can BREAK the meat shield?" The skill a Human got from that quest is [Eternal Health: Rank 50] when skills usually max at ten, great skill though not even STD's could infect you with it. So I'm sorta glad I have it in this world. It means I can technically skip through literal cesspits without getting sick from anything.
Another skill is [Knock Knock: Rank 10] a skill you get for as a Human, resurrecting more than fifty times that "Heaven" or "Hell" gets sick of you. The skill lets you knock on a random object and if you want, resurrect on the spot starting from level one again. So you don't need a church after your fiftieth resurrection just like a tree.
Heh then there's one tied to the void for genocidal Player's, [None Are Spared: Rank ?????????] a skill with no actual rank. This skill's rank is special, its rank is the number of how many lives you erased in one instant. I erased well over a hundred million Player and NPC life by well… snapping before the death game. Got a quest called "Balance half of all life" and it led me to a secret cave, in the center of a volcano called 'Mordor', where I found a skull ringed glove with sapphire eyes. The quest updated saying to snap my fingers, I did and like seven million lives just dusted apparently. Akuskui was both pissed yet amused. I did the quest without knowing the movie references.
The skill while it requires such death, is pretty fucking awesome in that I can kill a non-hostiles and get a hundred percent exp. I used that little feature during the death game when some idiots took hostages, I just killed everyone, hostages included. It's also why I [Psychopath: Rank 10] and [Sociopath: Rank 10] because I didn't care if they screamed for mercy. Game dev I know I could teleport the hostages forcibly but I used that moment to make it clear, I don't care if you have a hostage I'll kill them as well.
Otherwise besides those twenty innocent Player's taken hostage, idiots would try again. Again game dev I have god powers but I'm ex-special forces I know when I need to make something clear and using my privileges then would just make them think I'm afraid. Afraid to get my hands bloody and would waste time teleporting people as I have to be stationary for that. So I made a tactical choice which made me have the Player's hatred even more but it's my choice, my responsibility, the hostages didn't suffer. I executed them all with a bullet to the head. The one's trying to be smartasses? I tortured them then DELETED their characters which probably deleted their entire being in real life.
After a while I slowly tuned back into reality after Fenris bit my leg. Shin just gave Tiera basically one million for free by handing her a Geyl coin. I aimed my Snub Nose as it materialized from its card form and shot Shin in the head with a blank. His body slammed sideways into the floor while I turned the gun back into a card. Tiera looked blankly at Shin as he got up shaking from the power of the shot. After all [Execution: Rank 10] activated because I was next to him and shot his head. Shin gave me a look but I just stared at the dense fucker.
"As your god I'm disappointed in your denseness."
"You're not my god your a crazy game developer from the Dusk of Majesty…."
"So? That makes me god."
".... Please stop fucking with me, I'm sorry if I did something."
"No."
"I like your friend Shin, he's handling you pretty well."
"Please don't encourage him…."
"Oh please do, it feeds my drive. My drive to troll."
Shin slammed his head onto the shop counter groaning in frustration. Before looking at Tiera and complaining.
"For a pretty black haired and golden eyed Elf, you are doing us all a disservice."
Tiera blinked at Shin and looked at him before asking something.
"W-What did you just say I was?"
"I said you're a pretty Elf with black hair and golden eyes."
"But I'm supposed to be a Catkin with red hair and black eyes…"
"Let me guess Illusion Magic?"
"Yes Kaiser…. Master said it should stop people from bothering me because of my hair…"
"Well… Shin and me, even Fenris, can see through it and see the real you."
"With you it's understandable you're a former Player…. Shin is just some weird man with no common sense though…"
"That's a bit rude, I'm right here…"
"Why exactly can he see through it?!"
"Erm it's because of my constitution…"
"Your constitution…?"
"Yes. Illusion Magic is magic that shows illusions to your opponent to confuse them. But it doesn't affect people that have a strong resistance to magic. That's why I can see your real appearance. Also why have you seriously believed HE'S not the crazy one?"
"He's been here a while and has made no attempt to hide it much if asked…. A few Player's that serve the Royal Family even have vouched for him supposedly. But… no matter how resistant you are, to see through master's magic is…."
Tiera zoned a bit after that before looking at us and asking something with trepidation in her voice. But I just chuckled at the baseless worry, her status says Reincarnated so I can guess why she has black hair.
"You're… you're not scared…?"
"Why would I be scared?"
"Little one, I've seen hell. You're not scary, TRUE war is scary, it drags out your demons."
Compared to Shin's gentle but serious tone, mine was hollow as my eyes slightly glazed over. The memories of my past military services flashing through my mind briefly. The stench of rotting flesh burnt flesh with the smell of iron in the air fills the air like a ghost. I'm only broken out of my lapse back to those days when a hand shakes me. Tiera looked at my masked face worriedly while Shin had his left hand on my shoulder looking at me with a dark look.
"You started remembering something, your hands kept swapping through weapons. What's the time period?"
"..... 2324"
"Kaiser…."
"Are you going to be okay?"
'Master me and the pack are willing to be 'Therapy Dogs' if you need to talk about your hell.'
Taking a deep breath I shake my head and swat Shin's hand away while shaking my head. Even with my now very realistic mental effect resistances and nullification, the conflict zones will forever haunt my mind. I will never be okay mentally, not even soldier's like me can stay sane long. We close the door on sanity the moment we first enter a fire fight, letting the demons form from the blood and lives we take.
"Shin, I will never be fine… I've left a piece of myself behind in so many places…." 'Thanks I probably will need to have a little rant later…'
'Anything for you.'
Shrugging my shoulders pretty much weakly I ask what I missed while I was stuck in memory lane. Apparently I missed Tiera's explanation on the whole black hair bit. But really it's partly because of a curse and because of the hidden status area that only devs can see. Which depending on the individual reincarnated from as they died in the death game without transmigrating. A person with skills in this era usually also gets a type of negative effect based on how strong of a Player their soul used to be.
Tiera when her hair turned from silver to black a curse activated likely due to the World Tree not liking that the Player soul was awakening. Thus because of that curse it messed with the process likely, and started emitting something that called for every high leveled monster within range. No real clue though, just a theory. Sadly I can't touch this bit, she and this second soul must work things out. [Cursed Gift], is something I mustn't interfere with, the system gave that warning clearly in blood red lettering. I can purify the bad effects from it but I can't help her with the rest.
Shrugging a bit noncommittally I looked at Tiera and Shin. Shaking my head as it seemed Shin had started trying to purify her so I looked at Fenris and started a private talk.
'Fenris, why haven't you used your werewolf phase yet? Because I've only seen you just in your first phase this entire time.'
'Because, we are not at a point where I can find a reason to use it. A week together and you've yet to make advances as if I'm not worth it.'
'.... You're not using it because you want to either get railed or try to break my hips?'
'Don't make it sound that petty…. I just want to claim my only friend.'
'Women…. Ya know I guess my plan is useless then if you're not trying to use it just because I'm not gonna fuck you suddenly. Because you know I'm not just gonna jump into something like a relationship so casually. We used to be Player and Boss Monster, Fenris, I may have designed your character but that doesn't mean I actually know you like a person.'
'YOU SPEND OVER FIVE EONS BECAUSE OF STUPID GAME LORE AND THEN FIVE CENTURIES, WITHOUT SOMEONE YOU CAN CONSIDER A FRIEND, ALONE! YOU STUPID HIGH HUMAN! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THAT FEELING. WHAT CAN YOUR SHORT LIFE TEACH YOU ABOUT IT?!.'
'This conversation is done then, I'm sorry I tried giving you an actual background, wanting to actually know you more personally, and I'll forget your offer from a bit ago. I've lived this long without talking about my experiences with my demon stabbing me full of knives. I can go on for a little longer, after all like you said, I don't know the feeling of basically isolation. No, I'm just PEACHY, I'm surely fucking loved, by dust.'
'Wait! I'm sorry, Kaiser! Don't cut the connection!'
Looking away from Fenris I leaned on the shop counter listening to Fenris. As she shouted and begged inside of my head for me to pay attention to her again. If the other's were trying to get my attention I don't know, my mind was snarking rude remarks at itself. Try to actually befriend something outside of taming it, it throws a fit. Couldn't really mess with others anymore back in the old world and in the death game because of my careers. So why the fuck did I think I could try now? I was dragged out of my thoughts when claws dug into my shoulders. Being turned around I was mask to face with a stressing out pitch black werewolf releasing plagued vapor.
Shin seemed to have surrounded himself and Tiera in a purification barrier to avoid dying. Looking into the watery red eyes of Fenris I slowly drawled out a question.
"What made you finally decide to try using that phrase? Is it because I'm ignoring you after your biting words?"
Fenris's lips parted as she snarled a bit while she actually spoke aloud in an angry and apologetic tone. Tiera's eyes almost bugged out of her eyes more so than they already were trying to do.
"I'm sorry, okay?! I know you fucking get it at least! I watched how the Player's interacted with you! Knowing that you also used to be a soldier like those from here means you have trust issues and other fucking useless shit I know! So would you stop what you're thinking?! Can we just try?!... I'm sure I'd make a great therapy dog…. I'm fluffy after all."
"Suuure a giant ten foot Void Barghest Werewolf sounds like a great therapy dog."
"Asshole…. Does that mean you'll let what I said slide?"
"No. You'll have to live it, soldiers can hold grudges, but if you actually will try to actually dance around my jagged edges then we'll see about the claiming bit."
".... I feel like that's the best I'm going to hear if I don't want to be shot. So please let me try, I don't want my only real friend to just go because I'm a dumbass…."
Fenris let my shoulders go and just sorta stuck my side in case I actually tried to disappear. The rather dangerous smog of plagues cleared up instantly as Shin purified the room. He looked at Fenris with a weary look while Tiera was flailing and screaming about the sudden change and talking. So we spent some time explaining to her that Fenris is technically a demi-god as Boss Monsters are out of common bounds and more into the territory of the Divine. It's why there's Divine Beast, they used to be a different monster but stepped out of normalcy into completely new territory.