Chapter 1: Reincarnation (1)

[You have killed Serqet Lv. 999]

[The Last Boss has been defeated.]

[Worldwide Notification: The game will shut down in five minutes!]

As the demon—whose towering frame could cast shadows over castles—collapsed face-first, the wave of players either raised or dropped their weapons in celebration.

Nith, known in-game as Nightshade, was one of the ten players who dealt significant damage to the last boss, in addition to hindering its prowess. He stared at the boss, his lips curving into a wide sneer.

The demon's skin had once been red, but Nith's poisons turned it a purple-black. This was not due to a single poison, but more than twenty, all of which worked in harmony. Nith was the only player whose skills not only didn't negate one another but also amplified each other within an opponent's system.

"Good work, Night," said a female top player dressed like a fantasy magician, drawing Nith's gaze.

He nodded at her. "You too. Since it's the end, I'll confide in you that I always appreciated your enchanting skills."

"I could tell, despite you stubbornly disagreeing with me," she smiled. "Are you sure you won't attend the celebration party? It'd be nice to meet in real life."

"I'm not flying over the ocean just to see your ugly face," Nith replied.

"That's exactly it! That tone that tells everyone you're lying! No venom in your voice at all!"

"I heard no difference in my tone." Nith looked away.

"Besides, you've seen my real face many times!"

While the two bantered, so did the rest of the players. Alas, the five-minute timer forced the guild leaders to make an official statement before the world shut down. Nith's friend was one of them, leaving him alone with his loyal NPCs.

In a game where NPCs were indistinguishable from real people, it was common for players to team up with a rare few and utilize them in various areas. Some even did a better job than players.

Nith smiled at them. "It was fun. Thanks for all the work."

"Ah, here we go, his disgusting smile," said a woman with a bow slung over her shoulder.

"Alice, you swore you would keep that to yourself! Our Lord is simply not photogenic," reprimanded a woman in a maid dress, with a huge battle axe strapped to her exposed back, from which blood still dripped.

Her male counterpart, a man in butler clothes, coughed. "As Lord mentioned to the Rainbow Enchantress, it's time to part ways. I shall allow myself to be candid about Lord's appearance. His face does indeed look like he's peeved all the time. There's a certain charm to his black eyes and the bags under them, but if only Lord fixed his hunched posture and stopped shoving his hands into his pockets, he'd benefit from his evil expression. Many women have taken a fancy to him, after all. The rest needed to get to know Lord better, like the Rainbow Enchantress, before appreciating him."

Nith blankly stared at them. "Fuck you all."

The three bowed. "We love you too, Lord."

Strangely, another worldwide announcement popped up before everyone in a flash. It catered more toward NPCs, thanking them for siding with players and helping them chase away the threat to the world. They also received various blessings and rewards.

One particular blessing caught Nith's attention.

[The world, along with its residents, has entered Hecate's Sanctuary, receiving more resilient immune systems that will develop over generations against poisons, as Serqet was her apprentice who failed to teach his children about poisons and antidotes.]

Nith spat, "Wow, let's flip off all poison players at the end of the game. Everyone and everything now has stronger endurance against poison! Damn, applause, guys! …seriously. I can't wait to leave this bullshit world and take a good rest in my apartment."

His tone at the end of his words was distinctive enough for Nith's NPCs to smile widely at him. He further proved his feelings by not logging out like many other players did, waiting instead for the countdown to hit zero.

In the end, Nith's life had changed because of this game. He couldn't just log out like that.

[3… 2… 1…]

By the time zero appeared, all players, except those at the top like Nith, had been forcefully kicked out of the world.

[0…0…0…0…]

'Why is it stuck at zero for me?' Nith wondered.

Looking around, he noticed that Rainbow Enchantress and other top players who had played a significant role in the last boss's defeat remained in the game. Their confusion quickly turned into fear.

The worn-out battlefield trembled.

Returning from death, Serqet pushed his upper body off the ground and hovered his gaze over the players, ignoring the NPCs. He screamed, his voice sounding different from before. It wasn't demonic or divine, but rather a mix of both.

"I curse you, otherworlders!" he shouted before collapsing back into death.

Thunder boomed over the flabbergasted players, and lightning soon followed, striking down one player at a time. When it finally pierced Nith, ending his life, his consciousness faded… for two thousand years.

-

In the bustling capital of the Mythverios Kingdom, there was a store by the main street that stood out due to its appearance. Wooden, simple, and on its last legs, newcomers would often point it out and ask natives about it.

"It's the famous potion store," everyone replied.

Indeed, despite its appearance, the store couldn't complain about an empty register.

Inside, a young man in his late teens, sitting behind the counter, welcomed everyone with a bright smile.

"How may I help you?" he asked.

Anyone subjected to his smile would shiver and put on a fake smile. "…a batch of healing potions, please."

"Yeah, all of you come for the cheap potions," he replied, leaning below the counter to haul up a case with thirty-two vials of red liquid.

The new customer whispered, "Not only does he look angry for no reason, he sounds like it too…"

"You said something?" the shop assistant asked as he put the case on the counter.

"Ah… I was just thinking about those potions! I heard the witch is the one concocting them!"

"From where I come from, witches are usually smarter," the young man replied. "Here, she's good at her job, but sells them so cheap that I often want to smack her on the head. If it were up to me, I'd increase the price."

"Well, her potions are really awesome," the man picked up a red vial and examined it. "See, its status says it has increased healing that can reach up to a fifty percent additional bonus, depending on the user's resilience! Statuses don't lie!"

"Yeah, I know. I made this one," the young man replied, causing the man holding the vial and the other customers to gasp in shock and turn toward him.

"…are you lying?"

"Why would I?"

"What's your name, if I may ask?"

"Nightshade."