(Author's Note: Warning in advance! This is one of my longest chapters ever! And there's a bit of gore in it, so you've been warned~! Thanks for your patience btw <3)
_______________________________________________
Longing.
That's the first thing he felt.
Wherever he went, cities fell silent.
Wherever he looked entire kingdoms fell.
Whenever he drew breath, another life was taken.
And as time went on....
His loneliness only grew.
Along with his insanity.
And when he looked at his reflection....
Something else stared back.
"Why....?"
That was all he could say before his vision turned to black.
____________________________
Puck was suddenly shaken awake before he could finish his all too vivid dream.
"A dream? That was more of a nightmare if anything.... Or....a memory?" He quickly shook his head of these thoughts as he turned to the young maid at the side of his bed.
She couldn't have been older than 16, her hair falling past her shoulders in a ocean of blue curls that matched perfectly with her breathtaking baby blue eyes.
She wore the standard maid attire and was currently clutching a empty silver dining tray to her chest as she gave Puck a low bow.
"His majesty has requested your presence. Your clothes have already been prepared for you. You'll find them in your wardrobe. Please put them on and report to the throne room as soon as you finish." She says respectfully be promptly standing straight and exiting the room.
Puck could only blink in surprise at her bluntness and the coldness of her tone.
It was like a robot just told him the weather or something.
He quickly decided that it'd be for the best to go meet the old wolf before he came to find him himself.
____________________________
When Puck walked into the throne room, he was greeted by the usual sight of the old king sitting on top his throne.
But instead of the room being empty, save for a few knights here and there....
There were four people standing in front of the King.
The first person was a large dark skinned man that could only be described as a hulking pile of muscle. He was completely bald and wore heavy dark grey plate armor with black accents. A humongous broadsword and shield were strapped firmly to his back. He held a horned helmet under his arm and he gave Puck a small wave in greeting.
The next person also ha dtge shape of a man, albeit a lot smaller than the previous. The reason why Puck couldn't tell what gender they were was due to the dark hood all of their features. They wore loose black leather armor with brown accents. Two long, curved, daggers with gold ornamental designs along the blades hung loosely from his hips.
The third person in line was actually a female with a wooden staff. The woman herself was drop dead gorgeous with voluptuous curves in all the right places. Puck couldn't help but admire her from a distance, but couldn't for long as her piercing emerald green eyes bore a hole into his skull. Her bright crimson hair matched beautifully with the red gem held in the head of her staff, and she had red lipstick on to match.
The last person in line was also a young woman with bright blonde hair. She wore a nun's robes and had a silver pendant held tightly in her hands as she silently prayed to the Goddess of Light and Mercy. Once she finished her prayer and opened her eyes, she revealed two pale orbs. An obvious sign of blindness, though she somehow was able to stare directly in Puck's direction and give him a bright smile.
And then there was him, glad in his own lightweight mail armor that the king has to generously gave him. Though he knew it was mostly for looks and to show the power of the quote on quote "hero". He couldn't deny the armor's stats though.
(The stats of the equipment and the armor/sword appearance will all be listed at the end of this chapter.)
But Puck couldn't help but question how the hell that old wolf got a hold of something like this?!
.....
And how he knew that he could wear something of it's caliber.
Puck looked the small group over before looking up at the king with a unsure look, only to receive a bright sadistic grin in return, causing a shiver to run up his spine.
He gulped heavily as he continued to walk forward. "I have a bad feeling about this....."
Puck will never understand what's going on in that old monster's head.
____________________________
A Few Hours Later~
"I knew I should've just stayed in bed this morning...." Puck groaned mentally to himself as he walked down a heavily wooded road with the same four people from the throne room.
The team had told him that he was to go to a nearby village that had just recently been attacked by a hoard of demons, and that these people would be his companions.
The big guy was the tank, his name was Brand.
The other guy in the team was an assassin, if that wasn't obvious enough. His name was Erin.
The mage of the team was the red haired woman, her name was Merideth.
The next up was the only other woman in the team, and the priest of this little ragtag group. Her name was Sister Abby.
And Puck was supposed to be the missing price of the puzzle, the swordsman. Although he felt more like a berserker than anything.
Puck honestly did have a problem with teaming up with them, actually he quite enjoyed the company.
The only problem is....
THEY WOULDN'T STOP FUCKING TALKING!
The continued to question him on what it was like to be a hero, and they'd answer their own question as their words fell on deaf ears.
The only person who was quiet the entire time was the assassin, which he was quite thankful for.
He just hoped it didn't take too much longer for them to reach where they were going....
____________________________
25 Minutes and One Agonizing Walk Later~
It didn't take long for them to reach their destination
Their mission was to investigate a town that went silent after a demon invasion, eliminate any possible monsters that remain, and rescue any potential survivors.
But upon entering the village....
They soon realized the extent of the damage.
The group fell silent as they neared the entrance to village.
Or what was left of one.
The group was absolutely stunned to the point of speechlessness by what they saw.
What was left of the village was what could only be described as a black spot in the road.
Entire houses were either completely leveled or looked like old unrecognizable monuments.
And those that did look intact looked like they were burned and ransacked.
Not to mention the blood.
There was dried blood and claw marks on, seemingly, every inch of the village.
It looked like a one sided massacre went on there.
But strangely enough there were no bodies.
"Brace yourself everyone." Bruce's stern, yet calm, voice cut through the silence like a knife.
The group all nodded in understanding, preparing themselves for the worse, before finally taking a step into the village....
Only for Puck to sudden stiffen up like a statue, his blood running cold in his veins.
⚠️ Warning! The skill, "Sanity's End" is forcing the user to relive the massacre of the Twilight Village! The skill "Inspection" will now be forcefully used! Warning! ⚠️
~The skill, "Inspection", is allowing you to pierce through the viel and peer into the past of this broken village~
Puck's group can only look on in confusion at his still form.
At first they thought he was striken by fear at the sight of blood, causing Bruce to try and grab his shoulder to console him.
But that wasn't the case.
For as soon as Bruce touched him, Puck's body began to move on autopilot to different places in the village before finally ending on one of the intact houses.
The group followed their, seemingly possessed, comrade from a distance.
Puck slowly opened the door to the house and inside.... against the fair wall....with her clothes torn to shreds around her....
Was the broken body of a young woman no older than 15.
Abby immediately began praying while the rest of the group looked on in horror.
Meredith seemed to be having it the worst as she fell to her knees with her mouth covered.
Even in all her ten years of experience....
She had never seen something so horrible.
But her shock was soon cut short as Puck screamed.
It wasn't a startled shout or a roar of anger.
But it was a genuine scream of fear and anguish.
____________________________
Puck was quite literally in hell.
He could only sit and watch as the people were slaughtered around him....
And there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it.
Tears freely fell from his eyes as he watched the group of demons tear apart and devour the people of the village.
Women and children were not sparred and were used as mere playthings until the demons got their fill.
And before Puck knew it....
He was alone.
But the "Inspection" didn't turn off for some reason.
That's when the sound of sobbing reached his ears.
Despite not being able to do anything, he just couldn't leave, what sounded like a little girl's whimpers, alone.
So he swiftly, or as fast as the "Inspection" skill would allow, moved from house to house to find the source of the cries.
When he finally reached the final house and opened the door....
He was met with a sight that finally broke him.
⚠️ WARNING! Mental trauma has reached its limit and has started to turn into something untreatable! In order to prevent further mental scarring, the system will now forcibly halt the "Inspection" skill! You will be forcibly returned to your senses in 10 seconds! WARNING! ⚠️
But it was already too late....
The damage was already done.
The image of the little girl crying for her parents as she slowly bled to death with her entrails exposed was already firmly carved into Puck's brain.
The only thing Puck could do was crawl over to the nearby wall and curl up into a ball, his knees clucted firmly to his chest.
"This shitty system...."
This was the only thing Puck could think as he watched the timer before his eyes slowly reach zero with dead eyes.
"....If you were gonna make a plot like this.... You could've at least given me some mental resistance...."
That was Puck's last thought before he was returned to the present.
His body went limp.
____________________________
~Requirements for the Job: ????? Hero to evolve have been met!~
~The Job: "????? Hero" will now evolve into the job, "Unstable Hero"~
⚠️ WARNING! YOUR SECOND PERSONALITY IS BEGINNING TO AWAKEN! WARNING! ⚠️
~CAUTION! YOUR SECOND PERSONALITY IS FEELING TREMULOUS!~
~Unstable Hero~
What makes a hero? Throughout time and in different regions of the world, many things differ. Religion, language, body structure, skin tone, hair color, even laws, and sometimes even definitions of words and rules of how the world works may differ depending on where you go. So couldn't the same be said on what truly makes a hero?
"Hero? I've never thought of myself as one. Nor have I asked to be called as such. I simply do what I think is right. After all, the ends usually justify the means, no?"
All stats have been increased by +100
All charisma rolls will now have a 50/50 chance of succeeding. (This stat can not be affected by Luck.)
All actions will now be seen as neutral. Unless you murder a King, this stat will remain unchanged.
All public opinion of you will be Neutral unless certain actions are taken.
You will no longer be attacked by either demons or humans unless you attack first.
~The God of #$&!? has taken a interest in you!~
~The God of #$&!? has offered you a contract~
⚠️ WARNING! ONCE A CONTRACT IS MADE, ALL OTHER GODS FAVORABILITY OF YOU WILL BE REDUCED TO 0! WARNING! ⚠️
~The God of #$&!? is willing to reveal their name if you decide to sign their contract~
~The God urges you to sign the contract~
~Will you sign the contract? Y/N~
~CONGRATULATIONS ON SIGNING YOUR FIRST CONTRACT WITH A HIGHER BEING!~
"W-What?! But I didn't sign it yet?! The hell's going on?!"
~Your second personality gives you a wide toothy grin~
~The God has revealed their true name to you!~
~The God of Insanity and Absurdity, Dark, is truly pleased at your wise decision! They will bestow a blessing down on you in return for your loyalty!~
~The God of Insanity and Absurdity wishes you luck!~
~All stats will be increased by an additional +1000 depending on your sanity level!~
⚠️ WARNING! YOUR SANITY LEVEL HAS DROPPED BELOW THE RECOMMEND AMOUNT! SEVERAL STATUS ABNORMALITIES HAVE RISEN TO THE SURFACE! WARNING! ⚠️
⚠️ WARNING! YOU HAVE FAILED TO RESIST THE STATUS ABNORMALITIES! WARNING! ⚠️
~Current Sanity: -2/100~
~All stats +102,000 due to your God's blessing!~
~The Gods that have been watching look at you with disgust!~
~The Goddess of Light and Mercy has abandoned you!~
⚠️ WARNING! YOUR STATUS AS "HERO" IS IN JEOPARDY! WARNING! ⚠️
~Due to the God of Insanity and Absurdity's blessing, the other Gods are unable to make any changes to your status!~
~CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RESISTED THE GODDESS OF LIGHT AND MERCY'S TOUCH!~
~Your status as a Hero has been secured!~
~The Goddess of Light and Mercy is FURIOUS!~
"What does it even matter at this point....?" Puck's head hung low as he sat up against the wall of the abandoned and ransacked house.
The tears were running nonstop at this point and he didn't even try to stop them.
~All stats have risen by an additional 100% due to the "Sanity's End" Skill!~
WARNING! DUE TO A OVERFLOW OF STIMULUS DUE TO THE SPONTANEOUS GROWTH OF STATS, YOUR BODY WILL BE PUT INTO THE ABNORMAL STATUS OF "HIBERNATION" UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! WARNING!
~Your second personality gives you a shit eating grin. He seems to be up to something~
~The abnormal status "Hibernation" will now take affect. Time until your awakening: 3months 30 days 23hrs 59mins 59secs~
"Great....another timer.... Fuck me...." Those were the last words Puck could mumble with his last few remaining moments of consciousness before his vision finally faded to black.
Puck would never realize just how big of an impact his decision would have on the outcome of this dungeon....
Or how entering this dungeon would be the biggest, albeit unintentional, mistake of his life.
___________________________
Puck's body was unmoving to his companions around him.
For a moments anyway.
It looked like he had fallen asleep after having a fit over the corpse of the young woman, but unbeknownst to those around him....
Some lurked underneath.
Something dark that lurks in every human or sentient creature since the dawn of time.
Have you ever had a idea so vile that, for a moment, you thought that there was no way you could've thought of it?
Or that someone, or thing, had thought it up instead?
Well that's called a "Intrusive Thought".
And don't worry, it's perfectly normal and will only happen every once in a while....
If you're normal that is.
But what would happen if someone were to go off the deep end?
They just let these thoughts and feelings build up over time to the point where they completely locked them away?
For a while, a person may seem completely fine and normal!
On there surface that is, but having all that negativity stir and feature for days, months, years....
Well....
Let's just say that not everyone deals with negativity the same way.
But there's a fact that remains true no matter who you are....
And that fact is....that no matter how you think you deal with or outlet your emotions.
Everyone has a limit.
And sometimes that thing we hide from....
That thing that we try to avoid....
Those thoughts we try to brush off or push away....
Are still there.
And they are VERY real.
They won't just disappear no matter what you try.
They'll eventually start to congest and congeal into a mass in the back of our minds.
Like a constant nagging that won't go away.
It doesn't usually effect normal and healthy people.
But what if....
Just if....
You weren't healthy?
And never were to begin with?
Puck's companions decided to let the young man rest a moment as they continued to explore the decrepit and abandoned house for anything of value or signs of who, or what, could've caused all that devastation.
Abby, the woman in charge of being the healer for this mission, decided to get a better look at Puck's appearance.
She approached his slouched form and kneeled close.
She moved to adjust his body so she could comfort him, seeing as how he reacted to the young woman's body....
But before her hand could even make contact with his shoulder, his body suddenly, and violently, lurched.
The movement was loud and adrubt that it broke the silence of the house and caused all of his companions to look towards their direction.
Abby was completely caught off guard and fell backwards onto her butt.
She gave a small annoyed glare to Puck, whom she presumed was actually awake all this time.
She opened her mouth to berate him for scaring her like that....
Only for a small glob of blood to escape her mouth instead.
Her companions looked on in shock as a hand suddenly appeared out the backside of her throat.
It happened so fast and unexpectedly that no one made a sound or move to save the poor girl.
Abby had enough time to look up at the being who ended her life, only for her to come face to face with none other than Puck himself.
Though....
Something was wrong....
Something was terribly....
Unbelievably....
Nightmarishly wrong.
⚠️ WARNING! DUE TO YOUR BODY BEING IN A VALNURABLE STATE, YOUR SECOND PERSONALITY HAS TAKEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE OVER AND EXCESSIVE FOR A BIT! NO HARM WILL BE DONE TO YOUR BODY, BUT THOSE AROUND YOU ARE IN IMMINENT DANGER! WARNING! ⚠️
ERROR!
ERROR!
ERROR!
⚠️ WARNING! ALL ATTEMPTS AT RESISTING HAVE FAILED DUE TO THE ABNORMAL STATUS "HIBERNATION"! THE SYSTEM HAS MOMENTARILY BEEN RESTRICTED AND CAN NO LONGER GIVE ASSISTANCE FOR THE MOMENT! WARNING! ⚠️
~Your Second Personality has succeeded in taking over!~
~Time of Possession: 23hrs 59mins 59secs until further notice~
"Finally! It's about fucking time! I was starting to get bored of this overdramatic bullshit!"
_______________________________________________
End Chapter 21~
__________________________
Armor Set: The Dragon King's Scales
Helmet: The Dragon King's Crown
Rank: Legendary
Req: Must Have the Luck Stat unlocked
Durability: ?/?
Defense +25,000
Dex +45,000
Int +20,000
Str +30,000
Mana +250,000
Health +150,000
All magic dmg +25%
All dmg received towards the head -25%
All elemental resistances +250
Allows the wearer to speak the ancient tongue only known by dragons. All casting time is decreased by 100%. The wearer will learned the skill "Dragon Tongue" allowing for chantless magic.
Increases damage dealt by chantless magic by +40%
Description: An item crafted using the scales of the first ancestral dragon. It allows the user to have the presence and dignifying grace of a member of the prostegious dragon race's royalty.
Dragon King's Set: 1/5
____________________________
Chestplate: Dragon King's Body
Rank: Legendary
Req: Must Have the Luck Stat unlocked
Durability: ?/?
Defense +75,000
Dex +15,000
Int +10,000
Str +65,000
Dmg reflection +50%
All dmg received towards the body -25%
All elemental resistances +400
The wearer's heart will be turned into a mana engine resembling a dragon's, allowing for mana to be regened endlessly.
Description: Same as above.
Dragon King's Set: 2/5
_______________________________
Gloves: Dragon King's Claws
Rank: Legendary
Req: Must Have the Luck Stat unlocked
Durability: ?/?
Attack Dmg +55%
Defense +10,000
Dex +35,000
Int +15,000
Str: 35,000
Allows the wearer to use the unbreakable claws of a dragon to render flesh from bone. All damage dealt by claws and blades increased by 75%
All direct attack dmg +25%
-25% dmg received while blocking magic and direct attacks.
Description: (Same as the first.) These gauntlets are more suitable to be weapons than armor. "A ruler must rule with an iron fist? Well I choose to rule by tearing my enemies to shreds!"
Dragon King's Set: 3/5
_________________________________
Legs: Dragon King's Leggings
Rank: Legendary
Req: Must Have the Luck Stat unlocked
Durability: ?/?
Defense +75,000
Dex +25,000
Int +20,000
Str +30,000
Dmg done by kicks increased by 55%
All dm towards the legs will be automatically blocked/countered, reducing dmg by 45% and dealing a set amount of 10% of the attacker's health in case of a successful counter.
The skill "Reflex of the King" will be learned upon equip, allowing the wearer to have an additional 75% chance of countering all attacks done to the body.
Description: (Same as the first.) "A true ruler knows when danger's approaching and how to deal with danger as efficiently as possible."
Dragon King's Set: 4/5
_________________________________
Feet: Dragon King's Steps
Rank: Legendary
Req: Must Have the Luck Stat unlocked
Durability: ?/?
Attack Dmg +55%
Defense +10,000
Dex: 20,000
Int: +10,000
Str: +40,000
Equipping these shoes allows you to walk through the sky and increases movement speed by +300%. The passive skill "Instant Acceleration" and active skill "Draconic Flight" will be learned upon equip.
You no longer feel tired from walking/running.
Instant Acceleration allows the user to move spontaneously from motionlessness to full speed and vice versa instantly.
Draconic Flight allows the user to grow wings from their back and soar through the clouds like the dragons themselves. All movements in the air increased by 200%.
Cooldown: 5hrs
Duration: Until Turned off or mana runs dry
Cost: 150 mana/s
Description: (Same as the first.) "Dragons aren't supposed to be on the ground, but soaring through the clouds! But when we do have to land, you better believe we'll still be unbeatable in terms of mobility!"
Dragon King's Set: 5/5
The Dragon King's Scales are resonating with one another!
The title "Heir of the Dragon God, Bahamut" will now be activated!
The blessing "King Among Gods" will now be activated!
You can now no longer remove the items belonging to the "Dragon King's Set" and they will stay with you, even in death.
King Among Gods: Dragons are known as godly beings wrapped in impenetrable scales. No one dares to challenge them unless deemed unavoidable. And among these beings, there's a King who stands above all. A true ruler who challenged the God of Creation himself for the right to rule among the gods. He fought said God to a stand still for over 300 years until he was inevitable overwhelmed after the God of Creation received assistance from the other Gods and cast the King of Dragons from heaven and sealed him in the bowls of the earth where he had no choice but to give his life in order to give birth to his lineage of dragons. But before his final breath, he made a suit of armor forged from his very own scales and blood. He saled his inheritance in said armor and sealed the armor away where it waited for someone with incredible luck to awaken it from it's slumber.
Congratulations....
The blood of a ruler now flows through your veins.
The armor will now become one with your body.
All stats +200,000
You can now use all dragon related skills.
You are now classified as part of the ancient and instinct race known as Dragonborn.
You are no longer human.
Heir of the Dragon God: You are now half cut with royal dragon blood! All stats +50,000! All dmg done by dragon skills increased by 25%! All elemental resistances increased by 45%! You can now periodically summon a greater dragon or a hoard of dragons to come to your aid once a day! The Gods now fear your very existence.
~The Old God of Insanity and Absurdity is very pleased that you found his old friend's inheritance~
~The God of Insanity and Absurdity looks at your armor clad body with a wide crazed grin~
______________________________
Author's Note: If any of you want to do the time and do the numbers for "Ray's" new status, that'd be much appreciated <3
Oh, and btw! The people in this dungeon are built different, that's why Puck needs a boost or else the demon king will literally fold him.
And if any of you are questioning why the King and his brother don't fight over inheritance rights and who succeeds the throne, it's because neither of them actually wanted to become king. The current King, King Gascoigne, only became king after he lost to his little brother in a game of cards....
They'd both much rather quench their hunger for battle on the battlefield, even though they both have the qualities of a ruler.