"Alright guys, our latest guild member, Yohi, will be joining us as a mage!" Brad said as he slapped my back. His hands were big, but he seemed like a friendly giant kind of guy.
He carried a pretty nice-looking greatsword on him. It wasn't just a raw hunk of material; it seemed to be well crafted. The blade was about 6 feet long, with the guard being curved into an arc. The hilt was a golden ball.
The sword was black and gold in color, with the inner part being black and the edges being gold.
"Hi Yohi." The group said in unison, though in a sort of unsurprised tone. I mean, yeah, we've already seen each other before.
"Alright! As you all know, there are two goals we have in mind. One, to be the greatest guild this world has ever seen! Better than the ones blessed by Amarae. Two, to defeat a Demon Lord." Brad crossed his arms.
"We're going to start searching for The Sin of Greed; I believe he would know something about the exact whereabouts of The Northern Demon Lord."
The group collectively agreed, and we started to head north. I didn't know how large this country spanned, as I've never had access to a geography book, but I believed it was rather big.
"Where are we off to first?" I asked, looking up at Alyssa.
"We're off to ask the Wise Prophets about the Sins." She said, yawning. "There are only four Prophets on a singular continent. They've been given the blessing of Divination."
"So, what, they're able to tell the future?" I asked.
"Not just that, they're also able to display the future of others through the crystal ball kind of thing. They can spot weaknesses, strengths, etc." Alyssa looked down at me. "Say, that's a nice little tattoo you got there."
I tilted my head. "What are you talking about?"
She tilted her head to the side, revealing more of her neck as she carefully twirled her finger around the collarbone area. She then summoned a mirror out of thin air and showed me.
My eyes widened as I saw the marking. The spiral of thorns with what appeared to be a crown of chains surrounding it.
"I didn't know I had that..." Then again, my parents did mention something about me having the Mark of Envy; I guess that's the spiral bit.
After hours and hours of walking, we came to a church as the sun began to set. The church itself wasn't anything grand. It had a decent size with a triangular roof and a flag bearing the Sigil of The Pure One.
"Who's the Pure One?" I asked, no one responding to me.
"Ahh, a curious little soul?" A voice called out. The door to the church opened, and inside was a blinding light. "Welcome, children. Please, do enter."
"This thing is bright as hell..." Yan Xiafing mumbled as the ground stepped forward.
I followed them inside, my eyes widening as the once simple church turned into a grand cathedral on the inside. "Whoa!" Aofie yelled as she immediately started to wander around.
The cathedral looked like it had two floors to it. Above on the ceiling was a dome that had an indescribable, yet all-encompassing light coming from it.
The light was so bright, it made the entire cathedral seem like it was daytime. In the center down the aisle stood a large statue made of a blue stone. It depicted a man with a spiked halo above his head, only covered by a soft fabric, short hair, and an almost flawless physique lounging on a throne.
"Alright, we're not here to learn about your god or anything. We're here to ask for some information." Brad crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes.
"Come, children, don't be so hostile. I will give you the information you seek." A man with a robe appeared before us. The robe was ocean blue, and there were black linings around the front. He wore a blindfold, concealing his eyes.
"Though I am surprised you've brought a devil, let alone a Sin, along with you." The Prophet said, his hands behind his back as his head turned toward me.
This dude just gave away my fucking identity!
"You're a demon and a Sin as well???" Alyssa asked, with me remaining silent.
"I-I... I'm not one of the bad kind! Demons aren't even all that bad!" I was grabbed by the collar by Brad.
"Why should we listen to a devil, huh? Trying to gain one of our souls for power? Give us a reason why we shouldn't gut you right now." He narrowed his eyes, the tension in his voice evident.
What exactly did this goddess tell them about demons for them to be this hostile? Then again, in most fantasy, demons are the villains.
Before I could speak, the eerie prophet spoke once more.
"The boy speaks the truth. He has no ill intent against you guys." He said, a small grin playing on his face.
Brad turned to the Prophet and then back to me. He dropped me onto the ground and crossed his arms. "Alright, enough. Where is the Sin of Greed located?" Brad asked.
"Ah, the one with money?" He turned around, walking toward the giant statue. "Marx is located in the northeastern part of this kingdom. Specifically in the growing industrial region."
"You know what. That actually makes sense." Yan Xiafing said, nodding as he rubbed his chin.
"Can we stay here for the night?" Lilac asked, the prophet turning to us.
"Of course. Bedrooms are in the lower levels. You'll know when you get there." He remained quite passive in this whole situation.
Immediately I began to make my way down to the lower levels, reaching a floor called Bed Quarters. I randomly entered one of the rooms, which had a singular bed, a small desk, a nightstand, and that was it.
I sighed to myself, sitting on the bed and placing my hand over my face, starting to massage it. "I've tried my best to be a good person... And I get grabbed?"
I began to chuckle. "Some fucking world I live in." A tear began to form on my face as I began to remember my life back on Earth. World Breaker mentioned misfortune, right?
If I hadn't picked World Breaker, maybe I wouldn't be in this predicament. Maybe I could've been living a quiet and peaceful life.
"I don't even want to use the damn ability, because then it makes my misfortune worse, and it makes me go crazy on top of that." I chuckled. "At this point... I'm more miserable than I was back on Earth... Speaking of Earth, did everyone get transported here?"
I stood up, looking around the room and feeling around the cold stone walls. I opened one of the drawers, finding a strange, worn book.
I picked it up. "This is way too thick to be a tome... There's at least a thousand pages in this thing..." I analyzed the cover.
The Manic Diary?
"Wonder what it says?" I opened the book, reading its contents. My eyes widened as I did so, though.
... I wish I hadn't read it.
What was I looking at? I didn't understand a single thing being said, but the knowledge was forcing its way into my brain.
"Stop..." I said weakly, but I couldn't put the book down. Page after page. I felt blood begin to leak from my eyes as I heard whispers. The air around me turned a disturbingly bright red.
This book, everything in it... It didn't make sense. It was all a lie, but the lies were truths? Paradoxes weren't paradoxical in nature...
Then, around page 68.
World Breaker will be born.
As soon as I read that, the knowledge of World Breaker flowed into my mind rapidly. I dropped the book as a searing, throbbing pain pierced my brain.
It felt like someone took all the nerves in my body, put them in my head, and began slapping it with a molten hammer.
"GA.... GAAAAAAAGGHHH!" I couldn't take it anymore. I kicked the book, grabbed the desk, and threw it across the room.
"The whispers... THEY'RE GETTING LOUDER, HAHAHAHAHH!" This pain! THIS PAIN.
It kept getting worse and worse... Why wasn't I passing out? This pain would normally send a person into shock.
I watched the door open; a large, gnarled, skinless creature standing at impossible heights was at the door.
For that split moment, the pain subsided, only replaced by a sense of fear and dread.
The creature's head peered out, its jaw unhinged and unnaturally wide. My pupils expanded; at that point, the pain had returned 10-fold, causing me to vomit.
I immediately took out my gun, pointed it at the creature's head, and managed to pull the trigger.
Then, as I blinked... Everything went back to normal, and Alyssa was lying on the ground, a bullet in her head.
Lilac stood over her body, her hair covering her face slightly. "Brad was right..." I watched as she drew her sword, readying her stance. "You couldn't be trusted at all."
"No! Wait, it wasn't!" I immediately had to dodge out of the way as she dashed into the room, the sword thrust deep into the wall.
"Then I'll fix it!" I point the revolver to my chin, pulling the trigger. Everything flashed to black before I woke up, with me pointing the gun at Alyssa, but thankfully the trigger hasn't been pulled yet.
Alyssa looked at me with wide, fearful eyes, yet they were concerned. "Yohi... Are you okay?"
I looked at my hand, feeling around the area where I shot myself. No wound, no pain.
The pain that I had felt in my brain slightly persisted, but it was going away.
I dropped the gun, unable to bear this anymore. I began to chuckle, sob, and feel a wide range of emotions at the same time.
I saw Alyssa's legs kneel down in front of me as she rubbed my back. "It's okay... Shhh..."
I then saw the system's interface appear in front of me. Gray in color and having white cracks over it.
[Insanity Route unlocked.]
The text then glitched out.
[The system won't come up often. So, better get used to it.]