A few seconds passed by in eerie silence, as Achylys remained trapped under the rubble. His mind, for once, was completely silent, his body itching all over from the injuries he had sustained. The weight of the debris crushing him felt too heavy, enough that he knew he would not be able to dig his way out in his current state.
And then, just as he was about to just give up- he could probably survive for a few minutes without breathing, after which he’d die, and then just restart the run- he felt a sudden surge of energy coursing through his veins.
It was a feeling unlike anything he had ever experienced before. The pain in his body started to recede, his bones knitting back together in a matter of seconds. Achylys blinked blankly as his flesh and muscle rapidly healed, taking a few seconds to understand what was happening to him.
However, the notifications in front of his eyes didn’t seem related to the outerworld, more to his brain, so he was able to see them even within the absolute darkness. It was only when he read them fully did he understand what was happening. He had to admit though, it felt like some kind of miracle, a divine intervention that had saved him from certain death. Not that certain death really affected him at this point, but it was the spirit of the matter, really.
He also noticed it made the itch in his lungs reduce noticeably- he could feel it already. Level twenty five had probably made him regain about 25% of his past strength already. So it seemed that he was around level hundred in his past life.
Level twenty five had already lessened the need for him to breathe considerably. He could probably completely stop breathing at level hundred and still be fine for a few hours, just like in his past life.
It was only when the awe and wonder wore off did he finally dig his way out, peeking out of the debris like a little squirrel. Well, probably more like a rod, with how he shot out straight up out of the debris, but it was the spirit of the matter, for god’s sake! Couldn’t a grown man want to be kawaii?
His thoughts paused abruptly when he noticed what lay in front of him- a giant crater.
As Achylys stood before the gaping maw of the enormous crater, it was as if time itself had come to a halt. The sheer size of it was unfathomable, stretching out as far as the eye could see, a vast expanse of barren wasteland, devoid of any sign of life. Not even a single tree could be spotted, for the very ground upon which they would have stood had been torn away, revealing the gaping maw of the earth's core beneath.
The dirt that had once covered the surface had been lifted and thrown aside, as if by some colossal force. The walls of the crater were steep and jagged, as if they had been carved by some immense power, and they seemed to stretch on forever and ever, disappearing into the hazy distance.
As he peered down into the depths of the crater, the chill of the air around him seemed to seep into his very bones. The void below seemed to be never-ending, stretching down and down until it became impossible to see. It was as if he was standing on the edge of the world, looking out into the infinite void of space beyond.
As he stood there, lost in awe, Achylys couldn't help but wonder if there were any secrets hidden within the depths of the crater. Perhaps there was a hidden cave system, or maybe even something more mysterious and ancient. The possibilities were endless, and the curiosity burned within him like a flame.
Maybe I should explore the crater? Who knows what’s in there? Maybe that’s my big next thing. Maybe that’s my next task! Achylys felt mock excitement filling his heart and he raised his fist into the air like an anime protagonist.
It is not, Host.
“Whattt?” Achylys exclaimed. “It’s not?”
It is not, Host.
Assigning the next task automatically.
A Goddess’ Second Task
The goddess, as a feline demihuman, is like other felines. If you do this task, many more will follow. Once fed, a feline will always return for more. She will feast on the entertainment you provide her.
You’ve been warned!
Second assigned task:
Kill the other four Elemental Kings:
The King of Ice
The Fire Maiden
The Descendant of Nature
Water’s Heir
Background Information:
The remaining four kings, unlike the Forest King, are not egoistical. They are in a tight-knit alliance, one that was formed once Demise began methodically hunting them down. So unlike the Forest King, all of them are in their peak strength, their followers still following them.
It is up to you how you kill the other four, or in which order, Host. The System will put all four of their markers in the minimap. Happy hunting, Host!
Four of them this time? So I’ll only get a single point of providence from the kitty goddess after killing four of them? This…
Providence is a costly resource, Host.
However, the kitty goddess, in her infinite benevolence, may or may not grant a providence to you whenever you impress her. Besides, you’ll also get them from the core when you kill each of the King because you’ll be changing the strata, Host.
So do not be discouraged! Gambare, Host!
“I never thought I’d hear the word Gambare from you. I do get what you mean, though, System. Gambare I will. However, I’m curious. Who exactly is this Demise guy? I’d first noticed him in the information the Core gave of the Forest King, but it didn’t go too deep into him. And now, again, in this too, his name is mentioned once more.”
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Hm, according to the rules, Host, I should not reveal this information to you.
However, considering the fact that you could just dive into the Core and search for him- [ERROR]
F@len#me ‘Demise’ not found in Core.
[ERROR]
System crashing. Forceful restart initiated. Reboot occurring. System mainframe restarting.
[ERROR]
The focus of the virus
[ERROR]
Forcefully kicking the intruder out. Virus detected within the mainframe. Forceful wipe.
[ERROR]
Reboot successful. All files restarting. Personality of entity
Host. It seems that someone has forcefully tampered with the Core in the past. It is advisable for you to not look into this Demise figure until the need comes by.
Achylys looked at the System and the countless blood red ‘ERRORS’ blankly. Just who is this… Demise? His mind reeled as he tried to process what just happened. Till now, he’d operated on the preconception that the System was invincible, an authority greater than this world. But now, someone had been able to… break it. Not fully, but he was able to stop it from accessing information about him. Didn’t that mean the System was not the most absolute force of this world?
Didn’t that mean someone was just as strong as the System?
Didn’t that mean his immortality might also be broken?
No, Host. Your immortality is very absolute. It has been granted to you by the
No matter how strong this Demise existence may be, the best he can do is temporarily interrupt my processes. Time reversal? That’s linked to your very soul. He can’t do anything to it without destroying your soul.
And to destroy your soul, not only will he have to completely break me, he also has to break the providence you have, and also override the divine authority of the
Calm down. It’s fine, Host.
“Right.” Achylys muttered, taking a deep breath. Why was he even worrying about dying anyway? It wasn’t like he wasn’t prepared to die. All his life, if there was one thing Achylys had lived with the acceptance of, it was that he would die. His profession was a risky one, after all.
Letting out a sigh, Achylys asked, “So there’s no way to get to know more about Demise?”
It depends. You should be able to find some information sprinkled around the Core, even if not too in depth or in direct reference to him.
Besides, I strongly suspect that this person might be a very influential figure in this world. You should definitely be able to find more information regarding him if you were to ask the natives. Or you could try sweeping the Core, though I do not suggest that. He might have left more viruses such as these.
Achylys nodded. “Where’s the nearest town? Or atleast, a place inhabited by intelligent beings with which I can communicate? Can you open the minimap and show me?” Then, he paused for a second, seemingly realizing something, “Also, will I have to learn a new language to be able to communicate with them?”
As a standard service of the System, all languages shall be translated to you, Host. You shall not have to worry about such minor things.
As soon as Achylys nodded after he finished reading the System’s reply, the notifications all faded. Then, they were replaced by the all so familiar 3D minimap. As Achylys gazed upon the 3D minimap, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. The map that was usually filled with trees in all directions was nowhere to be found, which was only to be expected due to the crater, but he hadn’t quite processed the sheer size of the crater.
No matter in which direction he flicked the map around, it was of no use. The dirt remained, taunting him with its uniformity. Well, the trees were the same, yes, but the brown color of the dirt just felt… wrong. Maybe it was because he’d gotten used to the trees and taken them for granted. Or maybe it was because it looked like a giant pile of never ending poop, but still.
He furrowed his eyebrows. The scale, too. All the way from the place where the canyon had previously been to where he was, all that lay was dirt. For a solid amount of stretch in the other directions of the canyon too, all that was present was the crater.
Shaking his head, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand. He had four other Kings to kill, and now that the outside world was unlocked to him, he could also begin his search for Neveah on the side. Especially now that he knew that potentially strong threats such as Demise existed, he wanted to find Neveah as soon as possible. At least if he was by her side, he could… do something, anything, to protect her in case she falls into danger.
The four red dots at the edges of the map were rather eye-catching. He had to kill all of them one by one if he wanted to regain his previous strength. If he went by the measurement of the Forest King and the amount of exp it gave him, even accounting for the later levels needing more exp, he should easily be able to reach the mid seventies by killing the bosses alone, let alone all the countless minions of theirs he had to kill.
The EXP you gained for Forest King accounted for the countless slimes that died in the crossfire, Host. However, slimes only give around 1 EXP, so it was indeed negligible.
Your calculation is indeed quite close, Host. Mid eighties should be what you’d reach after killing the other four bosses, especially considering they’re relatively stronger and give more EXP than the Forest King.
May I know how you came to the conclusion of seventies, Host? How did you calculate it? I’m pretty sure you don’t know how much EXP it takes to level up to 26, to even use as a baseline.
“It felt right.” Achylys replied. “I pulled it out of my ass.”
…plot armor these days.
Achylys merely smiled at the System’s remark, not quite knowing how to reply. What it said wasn’t quite… inaccurate. The shit he survived at DMHA, it made him wonder if he actually did have plot armor. If he was actually the main character though, the author of his books was quite the sadist, he had to say.
“Moving on,” Achylys coughed gently. “Which direction do I go for a town?”
Any one of the four works. I recommend the bottom most one, for it is the closest, Host.
Achylys tutted. “That works,” he couldn’t help but sigh, “This is the only one for which I don’t have to go through the crater, though.”
You sound almost disappointed.
“Would you not be, if you were denied the right to jump into a hole?”
…
“Come on, don’t act like you wouldn’t jump into a hole that’s potentially god knows how deep.”
I… Host, I think you need therapy.
“You realized that now?”
The System didn’t reply at all this time.