I glanced back and saw the main character of my novel. He looked a bit cold, just as in the novel. I asked him, "Ryeomin, how are you?" he turned around and looked a bit surprised as a gasp escaped from his dry lips, and he asked me with a cold look, "How do you know my name?"
"It doesn't matter. Be my companion, and I will help your sick sister." Ryeomin was shocked because only two people knew of his sister's condition: his butler, Graham, and his uncle, David. He grabbed my collar and asked with a threatening tone, "How do you know my sister's name?" I was struggling as he was physically stronger as a swordsman. I grabbed his wrist and tried to muster some words from my lips "I-I will tell F-First but L-Let me go". He then released me and I kneeled on the ground panting for breath.
Jacob then came over and helped me stand up. I told Ryeomin, "I know it because I heard it from someone but I don't remember that person. Now team up with me to get your sister cured". Ryeomin gritted his teeth and said, "Fine. I will join your team." I replied, "Now that we are all adventurers, let's go!".
Ryeomin's backstory is one of deep sorrow. He was once a happy boy living with his loving family. He had a sister, Minori, who was one year younger than him, and the bond was strong; they loved each other dearly. However, their happiness was shattered one fateful night when Minori was diagnosed with a terrible illness known as the 'Curse of the Witch,' which left her bedridden.
This was the first time Ryeomin had encountered such a disease. In his desperation, he sought help from many priests, but none could find a cure. Determined to save his sister, Ryeomin became an adventurer and trained to become a second-tier aura swordmaster.
In this world, mages are classified by their "spins," which are circles in their hearts and range from the 1st to the 11th spin, with the 11th being the highest. For swordsmen, one needs to channel their mana from the heart to their hands and sword. The better one can do this, the higher the tier of swordsman they become. The tiers from second to fifth are called swordmasters, while those who achieve beyond that are known as sword saints. No one had reached the sword saint level except Ryeomin, who accomplished this milestone in the 300th chapter of my novel.
As Ryeomin embarked on his journey to find a cure for Minori, years passed, during which he faced numerous monsters and challenges. The relentless struggles transformed him into a cold and distant person, causing him to lose trust in others.
In the 50th chapter of my novel, Ryeomin's sister could no longer bear her pain and chose to end her suffering by taking her own life. This deeply saddened Ryeomin, leading him to wander the world in search of people to fight and distract himself. I resolved not to let Ryeomin suffer any longer; I would save his sister before the third main quest. I knew of an elixir that could cure her illness and the ingredients required to create it. I planned to help Ryeomin save Minori by giving him the 'Elixir of Phanes,' a powerful potion capable of bringing even the dead back to life.
Present time: 9:00 PM on November 30, 1107.
Jacob, Ryeomin, and I were sitting at a table in a bar, enjoying some delicious cuts of meat. The meat was so tender and flavorful that I wondered how we could find such high-quality food for just two copper coins per plate. I had around 200 gold coins from completing a high-level quest to give to Jacob. This was surprising because he had just pulled out the 'Sword of God,' a feat that only Ryeomin had accomplished in my novel. Seeing Jacob wield this sword so effortlessly was shocking to me.
Additionally, I had gained two skills: one was 'Speed that Shakes the Heavens,' which made me incredibly fast for ten seconds, and it would improve as I continued to level up. While I sipped on juice—since I don't like any alcohol—I noticed three or four guys eyeing us. Ryeomin noticed them too and shot a glare at the group. They seemed intimidated by his gaze, as I had portrayed Ryeomin's look in the novel like a demon hunting angels. He even earned a nickname: 'Angelbane.'
After finishing my drink, I looked at Jacob and Ryeomin with a serious expression and said, "I know about the second main quest." Jacob wasn't surprised, as he was already aware of it, but Ryeomin was taken aback. To convince him, I fabricated a story, saying, "I'm a Prophet." Jacob nodded in agreement, as he also wanted the main character on our team. With that, Ryeomin began to believe our claims.
"The second quest will start next week, so we need to prepare. This next quest involves capturing a mansion inhabited mostly by ogres, and many people could die," I said, exhaling deeply, feeling tired from all the fighting I had done with the goblins. Ryeomin then asked, "So, now tell me about both of your powers."
Jacob said, "I am a swordsman," and I replied, "I am a Sword and battle mage."
"So, you're hybrid," he said to me. I replied, "Sort of, I suppose."
"Now let's go and explore the forest and hunt some monsters for loot and sell them to the adventure office or guild or whatever shit that's called." They agreed but looked at me with a frown because of my foul language.
"Sometimes in life, you have to be rude," I said.
2 hours later
We reached the forest and Ryeomin had a flashlight and he spoke, "Don't go anywhere and follow me." He turned to me and asked, "Do you know light magic?" I then opened my Stat window with a command.
[Name: Death(Real life name:.....)
Age:23
Str:???
Intelligence:???
Vitality:???
Dexterity:???
Agility:???
Mana:248]
I said to them, "All stats except mana are hidde-" Suddenly a system report popped up.
[All stats are being unlocked with additional information]
[System updating time for completing the update:2 minutes]
I was surprised that my stats were being updated; I wondered why they hadn't been updated earlier.
2 minutes later I could finally see the stats that I was waiting for.
[Update completed]
[Proceeding to show the stats]
[Name: Death(Real life name:.....)
Age:23
Str:8
Intelligence:30
Vitality:13
Dexterity:25
Agility:20
Mana:248
Level:30]
My level and stats are very good compared to others at the beginning, and I haven't encountered many people, mostly NPCs and characters from the novel.
"My stats are now shown and it isn't that bad. My intelligence is the only highest thing I have gotten."
"You look like a dumbass to me," Ryeomin said with a chuckle. "The only thing you can do is swing swords, and you're useless," I said with a wide grin that made him angry.
He grabbed me and said, "Do you want to fight, huh?" I replied, "Well, you were the one insulting me first, you half-ass swordsman!" With that, I kicked him in the solar plexus. He coughed and was about to swing his sword, which I noticed was 'Lavender,' a famous blade once wielded by an elf known as a sword saint. Perhaps that saint had bestowed this sword upon him.
I asked him, "Where did you get this sword?" He replied, "Well, it was bestowed by my sensei." I was correct; it was indeed bestowed by the elf saint, and I had forgotten that he was Ryeomin's sensei.
Jacob then calmed us down and we entered deep into the forest. We found some goblins in a campfire and they were some werewolf too. They seemed like they were having a festival. Ryeomin then looked at us and said, "So the plan is that I'm gonna go in front and fight the goblins, and you both go to the back and attack them from behind. The leader may show up and he may be higher than our level. My level is 28. What about you two?"
"I'm level 30," I said with a proud look.
"I'm level 25," Jacob said with a neutral look.
"You both are good enough, so let's execute this plan," Jacob said confidently, a toothy smirk spreading across his face.
Soon, Jacob and I hurried behind the jungle and ran as quickly as we could. Ryeomin entered the area where the festival was taking place, and as soon as the monsters spotted him, they began screaming and charging at him. "Gran!!!" a cry echoed through the forest as the goblin boss and a werewolf, much larger than the ones we had seen before, led their army toward Ryeomin.
"You will all die a painful death as I defeat each of you!" Ryeomin declared with a cocky grin.
Ryeomin began defeating the goblins and werewolves. He understood that goblins were drawn to wealth, so whenever they approached him, he would toss a gold coin into the air. As the goblins looked up to follow the coin, he would strike at their chests.
The two bosses, each representing their own tribe, were furious. They approached Ryeomin, with one swinging at the front. The goblin boss wielded an iron mace, while the werewolf boss attacked from the back with his claws.
"Damn it!" Ryeomin muttered through gritted teeth. He was clearly struggling.
As he parried the goblin boss's blows, he noticed an opening at the creature's throat, feeling as if a string had been pulled to guide him in executing his attack.
As he was about to cut the throat, the string disappeared and he felt a chilling, almost stinging pain that he couldn't describe. He looked back and saw that he was hit by the werewolf's claws and he fell to the ground, the werewolf roared as if to assert its dominance.
Ryeomin's gaze met mine. He smiled at me and I knew what I had to do. I said to Jacob, "You will attack the goblin boss and I will attack the werewolf." He nodded with affirmation.
Ryeomin's POV
I felt a stinging pain and glanced at those two. Although we haven't exchanged names, that guy wearing a black suit knew me. I guess he is really a prophet.
I looked at the two bosses who stood about 20 feet tall, more than three times my height. They were sizing me up like I was some kind of exquisite cuisine.
Soon, I saw those two approaching the bosses behind.
"Good luck you two," I said as I felt my consciousness fading.
My POV
Ryeomin got unconscious as he was losing much blood. I have to hurry and put this battle to an end.
I went forward and leaped high in the sky and activated my skill
[Activated skill 'Speed that shakes the heaven']
[Speed increased by 200% for 10 seconds]
[Activated skill 'Negation of any attacks']
[Any attacks will be negated for 1 minute]
I unsheathed my sword and was overwhelmed by an indescribable feeling. Blurry images of my birth flashed before my eyes, along with the silhouette of a person who might have been my father. However, this wasn't the time to dwell on those memories; my focus needed to be on defeating the werewolf.
I delivered a strong blow to the neck of the werewolf as I knew the weakest part was the neck.
The werewolf roared in agony and the goblin boss had known of our presence. Jacob quickly diverted the attention of the goblin boss and swung hard.
I focused on my fight and I kind of made the werewolf angry as his attacks were being deflected by my skill.
I swung at his legs in an attempt to make him fall, but somehow it failed. The creature grabbed me tightly, and I struggled to free myself. As my consciousness began to fade, my life flashed before my eyes.
I found myself in a pitch-black room. Whether it was even a room or not, I wasn't sure. I felt a gaze on me.
I considered activating the system, but it remained inactive as my hopes faded away like sand in the wind.
I sensed a voice echoing throughout the room.
The being spoke, "How are you, 'Death'?"
I replied, my tone slightly lower than usual and my lips dry from the tension, "How do you know my nickname?"
The being spoke, "Well, why wouldn't I? After all, it's you whom I have made."
I was a bit confused. "Wait, what do you mean by 'I made you'?"
The being replied, "Well, do you know what the fourth wall is?"
"Isn't that when a character is aware that they're in a story or a movie?" I started to say before the being interrupted me.
"You sound quite the nerd," it said.
I frowned at its words, sensing a tone of mockery.
"Well, am I in heaven?" I asked
"No, you're in hell dumbass" the being spoke with a tone of sarcasm.
"Then where am I?" I said with a bit impatient myself.
"You are in a room where only those I approve of can enter." "Who are you?" I asked, feeling a sense of curiosity.
"I'm 'The_Story123'"
"'The_Story123?' Is that your account name?" I asked.
"Yeah, but my real name is Kaimon" it replied.
"And you're the main character of this novel where you are in your novel with other people" it replied again.
I was shocked. A being, from a 4th dimension and this 4th wall break, it felt unreal to me.
"Will you save me and bring me back to life with plot armor?" I asked a hint of hope in my voice.
"Yes, but I won't be directly involved," the being replied. "Instead, I will grant you power beyond your imagination. You will gain your opponents' point of view and immortality, among other abilities. For now, I will give you some powerful magic spells: 'Fire of the Abyss' and 'Dark Demon Magic.' To unlock more spells, you must obtain the 'Heart of the Witch' in the second main quest. I will communicate with you telepathically."
After a series of discussions, I felt myself being sent back, experiencing something new. It was as if the being were typing messages in my mind, and I could see the words forming:
[You have received power from '???']
[Gained skills: 'Fire of the Abyss', 'Dark Demon Magic']
['Fire of the Abyss': A deadly fire that emerges from the abyss, dealing significant damage on contact and usable for 5 seconds.
Cooldown time:2 hours]
[Dark Demon Magic: A magic once wielded by the demon king to tame Ozchin, the deadliest dragon. Usable for 10 seconds and has 10 forms.]
[Returning to 'Gaia']
[Successful]
I then saw myself still in the werewolf's hand and I activated 'Fire of the Abyss'. A fire burst from my left hand and covered the werewolf's body. It roared in agony and I swung at him and cut him diagonally.
I saw Jacob, who was very injured but managed to defeat the goblin boss. After all, the 'Sword of God' is the best sword in history.
I took both of them outside the forest, which took me two hours. Afterward, I booked a hotel, and we went to our room. I gave them an elixir that I obtained from the werewolf. After using the elixir on both of them, they were healed but needed some rest.
I lay down on the bed and went up to the upper bed to sleep.
I was sleeping when I suddenly heard a voice in my mind.
(How are you, 'Death'?)