It wasn't something he had seen every day. To be in an unexpected situation was something that he had never thought as he was rarely ever challenged with a trial powerful enough to shake his beliefs. The feeling of going against the odds. The sense of helplessness when being obstructed by an incredibly tall wall which seemed impossible to climb over.
His green eyes scanned the city from a terrace of the palace. With how the capital was located at the epicenter of the floating island, this place became the main reservoir of mana vein which granted many kind of blessings. Even an ordinary person have a chance to become a mage as long as their mind was strong enough to endure the pain of having pure mana injected into their body.
Still—that didn't explain it. It didn't explain the foreboding sense within him.
His white armors rattled as he moved. A profound sound accompanied his footsteps while he walked through the hall besieged by him and his Guild two years prior if counted from outside this different world unlike of Earth.
So many things have happened. Though it was meant to be a time killing method, he got himself seriously involved in a mission which seemed utterly impossible, enemies he could not comprehend and he didn't even understand what his Class could do. Those moments were the hardest for him who was an extremely gifted person on Earth although his problems with the game mechanics remained the same. As expected of Angelica's invention.
It was a good experience. As he arrived in front a large door which resembled a gate more than a door, the knights standing beside it saluted at him whose position was at the highest of an Order.
(...ah. That's right, they're NPCs.)
The man chuckled as he didn't remember placing NPCs as guards. After all, in his arduous adventure with his companions, he had to encounter those which were against him to the extreme. Most of his troubles consisted of the native inhabitants of Daedalus having repulsion to him who was a Voyager.
(Well, I guess they can't help but to hate the people who overthrew the reign of a wise king.)
He remembered the previous King's demise. He remembered what he had done, and he remembered that he was being naive to think everything could go his way. This time, he realized that this world was against him and his companions for being a nuisance coming from another world. Even the system judged on Voyagers unfairly.
(But this is just a game. Even if the extremists said otherwise, why taking this so seriously?)
The man in silvery white armor had his cloak fluttered, toyed by the wind. Once he stepped into the throne hall, a gust of wind struck him head on and his solemn expression smoothly caved in. He had a reason to not express his emotion and it was because he was a General. A person who led an entire Order of knights. One of the Guild Leaders who founded the monstrosity known as Brigade of Knights.
"The 3rd General—his excellency Johan has arrived!!" shouted the guards stationed outside the Throne Hall.
As the symbol of a golden sword embraced by sacred hazes on a blue flag was raised to flutter in the spacious hall, he was showered with a wave of salutes which he responded with the same manner. In front of him was a round table with 12 chairs occupied except one right in front of him.
As the people who were in the throne hall ended their salutes, the gate closed. He walked to his seat, settling down comfortably and the tension relaxed once a cheerful voice appeared.
"It's been a while, everyone!" Mira the Illustrious Fencer waved her hand.
"It's been a while, Mira. How's the northern border?" Johan nodded then inquired.
The lady dressed lightly with tight fitting red dress grinned from ear to ear. She who chose to pacify the warring kingdoms in the north made a proud smile and announced.
"No biggie! It was a piece of cake with me and my Falcon!"
Everyone nodded as they knew that it's impossible for the Strongest Voyager, the Level 600 Mira to ever fail as long as she was not confronted by the Guild’s natural enemy. Her attitude was very bright and cheerful like the sun which often helped her when the unpredictable emerged.
"Then again, I haven't leveled up much so I'm stuck at lower twenty~ Isn't there any good spot to hunt?" Mira requested with a hand raised up.
At once, everyone present denied her with a resounding "NO." They knew that Mira was already a walking bomb ready to detonate and they had to pull their selves together if they wanted no city to turn upside down. Again.
"Aw, meanie!!" Mira puffed her cheeks.
"It's because you're too strong, Mira..." Regulus commented with dropping eyes.
"But that's not my fault the gods hated me! The system isn't user-friendly you know?!" Mira scowled.
Johan agreed that the balance of the game was completely broken. For him who's not even able to be a master of his own Class, so many people possessed unique Classes which could topple the ranks in PvP everyday... no, every hour. He had to train himself to the limit if he wanted not to be shamed by his squires and it was very rare for Johan to work out be it in real world or in Daedalus. Then again, it became his new habit to keep in shape despite him boasting as the strongest man on earth.
To the others (except Mira,) nobody was under different impressions. Although Level played a factor, if one was unable to harness their Class, Equipment, Items and Skills to the maximum potential, nothing could be gained. Especially when this world had natural enemy which could appear thrice stronger than Mira who's the best of the best among all Voyagers.
This made Johan to be happy but he also realized he's just being competitive. Especially when he realized the women he knew in this world were way stronger than him in various aspects. It made him to feel bitter and—
As he recalled a memory he didn't want to recall, he closed his eyes before the chatter became deathly silent. Opening his eyes and lifting up his eyebrows, he wondered what happened when his shoulder guard was suddenly poked from the right. The man turned to the female Paladin seated next to him and he asked.
"What is it, Elli? Something's wrong?" Johan asked.
"Look at the front." The Battle Paladin said in a hushed tone.
Though he wondered why, when he acted accordingly, Johan had his eyes widened. After all, a golden floating window appeared in front of him and he knew too well what the color meant.
Announcement!
Brave Title -Envoy of the End- is now held by a Voyager named Yuuya!!
At the name of the Title, he frowned for he recalled no such Title ever appeared in the list of the available Brave Titles. After all, Brave Titles were granted only to exceptional few who could go beyond the rules of the system and the Guild Leaders of BoK were all possessor of Brave Titles—more commonly known as Holders with the average level of 450.
The Titles were capable of unlocking unlimited potentials at a price too heavy to risk for. Johan knew because he experienced a circle of Hell the moment he was granted with a Brave Title which was also his suffering—Class. Besides, almost nobody was capable to unlock half of the effects of Brave Titles.
However—Johan remembered. He recalled a memory which was already like hazes in the middle of summer. The memory resurfaced extremely clear while the man called as Magic Slayer stood up from his seat. His allies stared at him in confusion, but the man's trembling lips muttered in an almost inaudible voice.
"...Steve...?"
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Angelica never thought her superior would summon her twice in a week. The moment she returned with dead fish eyes, she thought she could get a good rest when a phone call forced her to drive in the dead of night. As she hurriedly parked her beloved sport car in the basement, the woman took a lift and arrived at the topmost floor of the 100 floored building owned by the largest IT corporation in the world.
It wasn't anything fancy though. The building was old and she was against going anywhere for its complex layouts distorted her sense of direction more than twice. It was a blessing in disguise that her office was located right below her superior's but he was a fellow genius like her. Why would he call for me when he had nothing to do?
With a grunt, the prodigy exited the lift and walked in a corridor which was made entirely by thick glass. Her superior was a genius whose obsession was to let everything be transparent. Even the walls and the ceilings and the floors must be transparent so that he could gain sparks of insight. Damn, if someone worked below then I'm pretty sure my social life will sink faster than rock.
Angelica huffed as she calmed herself down in front of a wooden double door with grand designs and carvings on it. She could never be so sure of arts but she knew her superior was an advocate of evil. Who would ever dare to use all of the Lesser Key of Solomon as decoration for a door other than the devil himself?
"Excuse me, David? What do you want—"
"My lively partner! You've arrived—Gah?!"
It didn't take an instance for Angelica to deal a roundhouse kick at a thin man who got blown away to the other side of the messy office. She clicked her tongue as the man's trembling figure convulsed before standing up with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Heh... Heh heh he...... that was... splendid. 100 points..." David raised a thumb up.
"Shut up, you lecherous freak. Not even a strand of your hair is allowed to touch me." Angelica snarled.
The man with messy shirts walking like a pimp curved his lips upwards. While she did consider herself as someone above her peers, she could not believe the one who discovered the technology of virtual reality to be a madman like this. He who led the world into massive advancement—David Watergate stood up with a charismatic smirk which could have mesmerized any woman had he wiped the blood dripping from his chin.
"Well, alright then. It's a bit rare for me to summon you but let's talk a bit, alright?" He offered. Angelica was ready to refuse but the man added, "It concerned your sibling."
Right at that moment, the air froze and Angelica had her eyes as round as saucers. What did he say...?
The man who founded both CYBERION Corps as well as Virtual Space took a bottle of vintage wine and two small glass cups from under his work desk. The already opened bottle of wine was shone by the lights of the city beyond the large windows behind him. It was something worth to view if not for the freak who's holding it.
"As you can see, Angelica... we're geniuses." David said. He placed the empty glass cups on his desk as he strolled around the messy floor like a drunkard. "Gifted with immense knowledge and creativity, we are people meant to change the world."
The man poured the alcoholic liquid into one of the cup slowly. A smile was revealed and his gaze seemed so distant. Deep like the ocean and far like the blue sky.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
"Sadly, changes aren't always welcomed. People have narrow mindsets and humans... well, they're just a bunch of intellectual monkeys trying too hard to differentiate themselves from animals."
Once the cup was nearly full, David stopped pouring wine and proceeded to fill in the next cup. Angelica was still rooted on the spot but her eyes glared at the wavering thick liquid in the cups.
"...and do you think lecturing me will do anything?" Angelica snorted.
"Hm. To be more exact... it's because we are extremely intellectual we rarely ever tried to look on irrational things." David replied.
The man who founded Virtual Space shook his head. His slightly reddish blonde hair wavered by his action and his deep aquamarine eyes glimmered. With a wry smile plastered on his face, he glanced at Angelica before taking his cup and turning to the window. The woman decided it was her cue for her to take a cup and so she walked to the desk, and brought the cup to her lips.
Hot couldn't even describe it. As she sipped the alcoholic liquid, she felt her throat burning with a degree of dizziness. Something which usually happened when one who's not a drinker of alcohol drank it. This... is way stronger than I thought.
"Do you remember the time when we perfected Virtual Space?" David asked. "The world was thrown into chaos for quite some times."
...Indeed. Angelica could not forget That Incident so easily even though she cared the least about what had happened. A technological leak occurred which caused a religious cult to rise from the darkness only to misuse VS in the vilest way possible. Shortly after, riots went like viral infection and the world was nearly plunged into a global war.
But in the midst of the chaos happening only for a month, there was a night which seemed to mock at humanity by revealing scarlet red dots scattered around Earth. Burning everything to the ground, birthing screams and cries which seemed as if the Gate of Hell was opened widely. Night Blaze—it was a night where flames devastated many capitals and crashed the global economy wheel nearly completely.
"Well, your family is lucky to have protection from the country," David muttered. "And your younger brother was attending field study for college outside the capital right? He sure got it lucky not being able to see the world lit with crimson flame."
However, his smile did not fade away. David instead stretched his lips and curved them upward to the limits.
"Oh, right. He changed so maybe he's involved with the incident too."
“…………!”
Angelica slammed her palm on the desk strongly. Though it meant little to small surprise, she was showing a wrathful expression.
"Stop dawdling! What the hell do you know!?" Angelica shouted. The glass cup she held made a cracking sound and her gaze sharpened to the limits. But in the next moment, David gave her a glance which petrified her completely.
"And what do you know, Angelica Westdale?" David inquired.
A shiver ran down her spine, then the woman retreated a step back before the man in front of her laughed.
"You cared not a single thing about who died in that night. And when you found out your brother's change, you excommunicated him. Well now, aren't you a heartless one?"
"That... that's...!"
"Your shortcoming is always the same like others, partner. You have never tried to understand people."
In a gulp, the man emptied his cup. As he breathed out the stench of alcohol, he poured another cupful amount of wine into his cup.
"What I wanted to create is a world. An entirely different world I can watch over without any interference." David said. "But this world doesn't seem to like my idea and so they exploited this invention as they wanted."
He paced around the office. His steps were relaxed, lazy even, and his wavering figure seemed like he's about to fall anytime.
"Military simulation. Lifesaving method. A way to communicate or to feel pleasure. Heck, even the First World is now used as a platform for an online game! ...Although the game pretext is a good way to publicize it."
The man drank his wine and threw the cup to the floor. The glass shattered, the man frowned and his lips twisted to form a scowl.
"Humanity has already gone mad for a while. They haven't even noticed what those who have nothing felt and they felt so strong as if they were gods. I didn't create Virtual Space for playground but a lesson to everyone!!"
David turned to Angelica. His sinister gaze caused her shoulders to tremble and yet the anger he had suddenly flipped into a joyful smile.
"Did you know, Angelica? What your younger brother has done in the First World...?" He asked, as if his outburst was just a third-rate acting.
"...what... what do you... mean...?" Angelica responded.
The president of the CYBERION Corps smirked. Angelica felt nothing but be frightened by him who gazed at her as if he had found a new toy to play for. As if he found something worth to crush. Then, without further ado—the man spoke.
"Your younger brother has already taken Two Steps to go against the World's Laws."
It didn't take a moment for her to realize what he meant. As a certain name flashed in her mind, David Watergate walked past her.
"You might be wondering how he pulled off such feats but... there's already a huge number of them pulverized for no apparent reason."
"...no... you're lying...!! There's no way Steve... he could never possibly do that!!"
David shook his head, then he raised his shoulders before lowering them down. Angelica glared at the man but it was as if he could not feel anything like a machine would.
"If you don't believe it then see it by your own eyes. I think the current him can say that, right?"
To his question, Angelica did not answer. She finally realized why her sibling changed for the second time and she bit her lips for being unable to prevent him from going deeper into the Abyss. How… how could this happen…? Just why……
However, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Angelica glanced behind her and she saw the genius she cooperated with out of whim nodding down.
"Try your best in there. I don't need any more losses and you don't want your younger brother be 'erased' like the others, right?"
“………………”
His words meant one thing, and Angelica Westdale realized she had no other option. It was probably a decision already decided way before she talked with her younger brother. No… he knew and yet still shoving this responsibility to me…
The woman bit her lips, her head lowered down and a violent urge to hit David caused her entire body to shiver as her sanity and logic forced it not to obey her desires. After all, to disobey his order meant she would never see her family member she wanted to save the most. There was no longer any point to turn back and she must now resolve the problem with her own hands. Even though she was no longer qualified as his family.
“…Although...”
The man paused. As if hiding his true intention, he curved his lips upward and his gaze became so cold the woman thought her blood had ran cold upon exchanging eye contact with him.
"...Make sure you don't die since your brother can kill you there."
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Status WindowName:YuuyaAlignment:Diabolic EvilLevel:224Class:??Race:Human / ????Gender:MaleTitleEnvoy of the EndFame:-456950Infamy:468500Faith:-448750-Extra Stat Points:940-Strength:1460Agility:1460Vitality:1680Intelligence:2200Wisdom:1889Leadership:1200Luck:1200????:35%
-Skill List-NormalAria: Fireball
Aria: Wind Blast
Aria: Wind Scythe
Aria: Wind Grasp
Rune: Ice Inscription
Rune: Heat Inscription
Rune: Speed Inscription
Hex: Detection Ward
Hex: Defensive WardBeginner IX
Beginner VII
Beginner V
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner III
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner IIPassiveTrinity Magic System
Meditation
Speed Reading
Memorization
Provoke
Killing Gaze
Intimidation Aura
Mana Coating (semi-passive)
Physical Regeneration
Physical Enhancement
Iron Stomach
Sharpened SensesBeginner X
Beginner IX
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner III
Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner VI
Beginner VIIIUniqueBlood Magic System
Blood Harvest
Blood Craft
Red Rain
Blood Hex: Spell Amplification
Blood Hex: Crimson Sanctuary
Blood Rune: Kaziklu Bey
Aria: Passages of the Impaler
[Tepes' Stakes]Beginner X
Beginner X
Beginner V
Beginner I
Beginner X
Beginner VII
Beginner X
Beginner X
N/A