When Elena woke up in a strange field with no recollection of how she'd gotten there, she instinctively knew she was dead. Dying was common in her line of work, and on her last job, she'd slipped up, failing to notice the trap set for her until it was too late to do anything useful.
Left with no other choice, Elena had killed herself, triggering the dead man's switch she'd installed, resulting in an explosion that would make Oklahoma City look like a fireworks show. It almost certainly killed her original target, the people sent to kill her, and probably a few thousand civilians which ought to get the feds breathing down her former employer’s neck. A harsh retaliation against them for negligently getting her killed. Served them right.
Although killing her target meant she had achieved her objective and left her job completion rating unblemished, Elena couldn't shake the bitter sting of defeat. It wasn't just because she had died, but because the enemy's goal had been her life all along. They likely didn't care that the original target was dead, as long as she was too. Even though it wasn't technically a mission failure, Elena considered it one. All of her colleagues would too.
Elena was an assassin, though she preferred the term fixer, as "assassin" felt outdated. In the modern world, killing someone was often more trouble than it was worth. Modern assassins were less about martial skills and more about manipulation.
Why opt for the intricacies of physical harm against a troublesome individual when there are alternative ways to neutralize them socially? Eliminating the need to deal with a body, media scrutiny, or potential legal consequences, steering their downfall through the revelation or fabrication of supposed moral failures and subsequent professional repercussions remains a viable strategy. This method is discreet, nearly untraceable, and entirely within legal bounds.
Expanding the approach is also an option. By extending moral concerns to encompass family, friends, and acquaintances, one could prompt them to consider moving, especially in a smaller community where the impact of an accusation is more pronounced. For a more comprehensive removal, exploiting the psychological vulnerabilities of individuals over time could potentially lead them to commit suicide. Online communities dedicated to such endeavors existed, and offered an indirect means to achieve the desired outcome. The rationale is to achieve the objective without resorting to orchestrating a staged suicide, instead allowing circumstances to prompt the individual to make the choice themself.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Elena took a closer look at her surroundings. The afterlife didn't resemble any she had learned about, especially not the Christian one filled with clouds and angels. She was in an ordinary grassland, peppered with occasional copses of trees. The only extraordinary thing was a single structure directly behind where she had woken up — an arch made from fragmented pieces of stone held aloft by an unknown force, adorned with glowing runes.
Despite her training telling her to leave the mysterious arch alone, Elena felt compelled to touch it. Something deep inside her called out, refusing to be ignored.
Fortune favors the bold. Elena comforted herself as she gave in to her body's instinct, stretching out her hand to touch the arch. The moment she did, a screen of light appeared in front of her.
----------------------------------------
ARCH OF CHAMPIONS
The heart of a Lord’s territory used to summon the spirits of the dead as citizens and soldiers.
Low-Grade Camp
Durability: 1000/1000
Shield: 10
AVAILABLE SUMMONS
Daily Summons
Pull five times from the Low-Grade Camp summons pool. Guaranteed to draw one Personnel and one Gear from every draw!
Resources
60%
Personnel
20%
Gear
15%
Vouchers
2%
Lifespan
2%
Special
1%
Meals
10 10%
100 8%
1000 1%
Civilian
90%
White Common
95%
Speedup
Building 45%
1 Week
45%
Skill
50%
Water
10 10%
100 8%
1000 1%
Soldier
6%
Green Uncommon
4%
Experience
20%
1 Month
20%
Ability
40%
Pelts
10 10%
100 8%
1000 1%
Artisan
3%
Blue
Rare
1%
Enhancement
20%
6 Months
20%
HIDDEN
?%
Wood
10 10%
100 8%
1000 1%
Champion
1%
Damage
7%
1 Year
10%
HIDDEN
?%
Stone
10 10%
100 8%
1000 1%
Stamina
7%
10 Years
4%
HIDDEN
?%
Iron
1 3%
10 2%
Generic
1%
25 Years
1%
HIDDEN
?%
0/1 Used
Loot Summons
Defeat enemies to earn loot tokens, then sacrifice them to make a draw. Unique draw pools for each token!
0 Used
UNLOCKED BUILDINGS
Palisade (Low-Grade)
A wooden barrier designed to act as a makeshift fence.
Durability
100
Shield
1
Cost
1 Wood
Build Time
10 minutes
Tent (Low-Grade)
A simple tent with wooden poles containing some blankets. Provides a place for citizens to rest. Can house four people at a time.
Durability
10
Shield
1
Cost
5 Pelts
1 Wood
Build Time
20 minutes
Packed Dirt Path (Low-Grade)
A five meter stretch of a path made of packed dirt. Increases movement speed by 10% when used.
Durability
1
Shield
0
Cost
N/A
Build Time
10 minutes
Gravel Path (Low-Grade)
A path made of packed dirt. Increases movement speed by 20% when used.
Durability
1
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Shield
0
Cost
1 Stone
Build Time
15 minutes
UPGRADE CONDITIONS
The heart of a Lord’s territory used to summon the spirits of the dead as citizens and soldiers.
Durability
1500
Shield
15
Cost
0/10 Citizens
0/1 Soldier or Champion
0/1 Command Center
0/1 Infirmary
0/1 Canteen
0/100 Gold
Build Time
3 hours
----------------------------------------
Could it be that the afterlife was a shitty gacha game? Elena's eyebrow twitched as she read through the information on the screen. Although she had never played a gacha game, she was familiar with the concept, as it was often quite useful to get a target addicted to one.
Elena took another glance around the area and sighed. Since the world had gone insane, she would simply go along with it. She pressed her finger down onto the brightly colored and flashing button to start her free draw for the day.
Once she did, the Arch of Champions glowed a brilliant blue as the space within filled with an otherworldly light. Elena shielded her eyes to protect them from the flash, and when she put her hand back down, she saw two people and a couple of boxes under the arch. One of the two people was a woman dressed in modern, if dated, clothing. The other was dressed in leather armor and holding a bow.
“I am Malik Khan, my lord.” The armored man offered a curt nod to Elena, “Welcome to the afterlife. I am yours to command.”
“Greetings my subject.” Elena put on an air of nobility with ease before asking the question she had been crafting since she realized there might be other people with her here. “Provide me with a comprehensive overview of the game, including its primary objectives, potential threats, the fundamental rules governing gameplay, and any critical information that is essential for success but might not be immediately apparent?”
“You seem very put together for a novice Lord.” Malik chuckled heartily. “Fundamentally, the afterlife is about gathering resources and battling other Lords. You lose if either you die or the Arch of Champions is destroyed. In such cases, you'll enter the cycle of reincarnation, becoming a tool for other Lords, like me. Your primary objective now is to upgrade the Arch and fortify defenses for the upcoming monster tide in seven days. See the barrier above us?”
Following Malik’s finger, Elena stared into the sky. She hadn’t noticed it before, but once Malik pointed it out, she was able to see a shimmering blue distortion above them forming a dome some few hundred meters in diameter.
“That's your Novice Shield. It blocks any being that isn’t one of your subjects from entering, and it'll disappear in seven days. Without a wall or at least several palisades, you'll enter the cycle of reincarnation. If you survive the monster tide, you must aim to be one of the two strongest Lords in this session. This area is the tutorial; you can only leave when every other Lord but one is dead.”
“And after that?” Elena asked.
“We can discuss the next stage after you survive the monster tide.” Malik scoffed. “Don’t get ahead of yourself my Lord.”
“In that case, what do you suggest I do to survive the monster tide?”
“Start by thoroughly checking what else you received in the first draw, my Lord.”
With a nod, Elena strode over to the cluster of boxes beneath the arch. The civilian flinched away from her, creating enough space for Elena to inspect her acquisitions. The largest box, a wooden crate, revealed a hundred Pelts. The smallest held a voucher redeemable for 30 damage against a single target, while the last box contained a Green Uncommon weapon — a quarterstaff covered in a subtle golden sheen.
----------------------------------------
MONK'S QUARTERSTAFF
A quarterstaff that has a 2% chance to stun for half a second. Provides a single level of the Meditation Skill.
Damage
2d4
Durability
25
Type
Bludgeoning
Quality
5/5
Green Uncommon
Meditation (Lvl 1)
Increase Stamina regen by 100% when meditating.
White Common
----------------------------------------
Malik let out a low whistle.
"You're one lucky dog. Not only did you manage to summon a champion, but you also scored a voucher and a formidable weapon." Malik raised his own weapon, a Green Uncommon bow, with a touch of embarrassment. "Wish I’d had that kind of luck when I spawned. This is utter rubbish, hardly an improvement over White Common gear."
“What's my next step?” Elena prodded impatiently.
"Well, since you lucked out with some Pelts, there's no need for me to go hunting just yet. Have the civilian gather some Wood so you can erect some Tents. The sooner you construct the Command Center, the better. It unlocks the map function and provides more detailed information about your territory."
Elena turned to face the other person that had been summoned alongside Malik. She was short and brown with curly hair. More than that, she was clearly afraid of Elena. It wasn’t hard to imagine why. If Malik could be trusted, the girl was someone that had failed as a Lord. As a civilian, she had no power nor use outside of her body. While conventional circumstances might dictate labor, Elena took another look over the girl's body, for her that could mean other things.
“You there.” Elena addressed the girl. “Go gather wood from the copse over there.”
With a fearful whimper, the girl scampered off towards the group of trees Elena had pointed at.
“Once she returns, how do I build a Tent?” Elena asked Malik as she watched the girl dutifully gathering scraps of wood. “I'd also like to understand why the two of you are so dutiful. Surely it isn't just because you're kind people.”
"We are your citizens, so loyalty is natural," Malik ingratiated himself to Elena. "I jest, but it is true that your citizens are required to be loyal to you. We each have a Loyalty score that determines how dedicated we are to you and your territory. Whenever we are inconvenienced, say by hunger or sleeping outside, it goes down. Providing entertainment and amenities brings it up. As a champion, my starting loyalty is seventy-five out of one hundred. Civilians start at fifty."
"The afterlife directly influences how you feel about your lord?" Elena frowned. If that were the case, she absolutely had to avoid entering the cycle of reincarnation. Although being a citizen meant being a tool, Elena didn’t mind that. She had lived her life as a tool, so why fear doing so in death? However, if she couldn’t even maintain the sanctity of her own mind, that was a different matter entirely.
“Of course not!” Malik laughed, seeing Elena's worried face. "It's nothing so forced. Rather than loyalty determining what we must do, it determines what we cannot do. When Loyalty is high, we cannot lie to you, disobey orders, or slack off. Things of that nature. And naturally, we cannot harm our Lord unless our Loyalty score becomes zero. However, be on guard as long as someone has a score lower than twenty-five, as they may be able to harm you indirectly."
"I see," Elena relaxed after hearing that. "How do I check someone’s Loyalty?"
"Simply look at one of your citizens, and their system pane will appear with a thought. It will detail all of their important information, including name, Loyalty, stats, and other statuses," Malik explained. "Opening your own system pane in the same way is how you can build things. Both of those functions will become more streamlined once you build the Command Center."
With a thought, Elena pulled up Malik’s system pane.
----------------------------------------
MALIK KHAN (CHAMPION)
My Lord seems competent this time. Hopefully she can get past the tutorial so that I can become more than a low grade champion.
Loyalty: 75
Class
Discipline
HP
AC
SP
Ranger [1]
Hunter [1]
26/26
3
150/150
Survivability
Lethality
Awareness
Dungeoneering
Exploration
2/7
2/11
0/6
4/6
2/5
SKILLS
Basic Archery (Lvl 1)
Provide proficiency with bows, removing the untrained damage penalty.
White Common
Foraging (Lvl 1)
Common edible plants are highlighted in your vision.
White Common
Trapping (Lvl 1)
Traps you set are guaranteed to catch prey after sixteen hours.
White Common
Ranger (Lvl 1)
Increase Move Speed by 5%, Health by 6, and Vision Range by 20%.
White Common
Tracking (Lvl 1)
Clear traces of a creature's passage are highlighted in your vision.
White Common
Hide in Nature (Lvl 1)
You blend into the environment and cannot be spotted in passing when standing still. When moving or under scrutiny, you have a 1-in-6 chance of avoiding detection. Choose one ecosystem per level.
Ecosystems: Prairie
Green Uncommon
Hunting (Lvl 1)
Loot tokens from beasts you kill have slightly better draw chances.
White Common
ABILITIES
Stealth (Lvl 1)
While paying the cost, any sound you emit is completely muted. Using this ability while standing still does not cost Stamina.
Cost: 10 Stamina per minute
White Common
Sneak Attack (Lvl 1)
Deal an additional die of damage when attacking an unaware opponent.
Cost: 20 Stamina
White Common
Harvest Pelt (Lvl 1)
Prepare the body of a beast before claiming its Loot Token to add an extra draw that is guaranteed to be Pelts.
Cost: 5 Stamina
White Common
Harvest Meat (Lvl 1)
Prepare the body of a beast before claiming its Loot Token to add an extra draw that is guaranteed to be Meat.
Cost: 5 Stamina
White Common
GEAR
Hunter’s Bow (Two-Handed)
A bow that deals +3 damage vs beasts.
Durability: 25/25
Damage
1d3+2
Type
Piercing
Quality
2/5
Green Uncommon
Leather Chestpiece (Body Armour)
A piece of leather armor that provides +1 Armor.
Durability: ∞/∞
White Common
Leather Boots (Shoes)
A pair of leather boots that increase Move Speed by 5%.
Durability: ∞/∞
White Common
Wooden Quiver (Quiver)
A wooden quiver that can hold up to sixty arrows. Generates one new arrow per minute if it is not full.
Durability: ∞/∞
White Common
----------------------------------------
Malik’s system pane contained an overwhelming amount of information, causing Elena to nod in satisfaction. Malik was indeed worthy of the title “champion” with such a strong presence. He had plenty of Skills and Abilities which had a strong synergy, making him a natural assassin.
Shifting her attention, Elena looked over at the civilian walking back towards them with an armful of wood and opened her system pane too, so she could compare them.
----------------------------------------
MARIA RODRIGUEZ (CIVILIAN)
The new Lord doesn’t seem like a nice person. I hope she treats me well.
Loyalty: 50
Class
Discipline
HP
AC
SP
None
None
10/10
0
100/100
Survivability
Lethality
Awareness
Dungeoneering
Exploration
0/3
0/3
0/1
0/2
0/3
----------------------------------------
The girl’s, Maria’s, system pane was shockingly short compared to Malik’s. Elena had expected there to be a difference between the two but she hadn’t expected it to be so stark. Civilians were simply too useless when compared to a champion.
Since civilians were so weak and most Lords would only have civilians as citizens, she could probably be considered the strongest Lord in the tutorial area. If it weren’t for the existence of the Novice Barrier, Elena would be able to bring Malik around to thrash every other Lord and graduate today.
Finally, Elena opened her own system pane to initiate the construction of the Tent.
----------------------------------------
ELENA PIERCE (LORD)
Class
Discipline
HP
AC
SP
None
None
10/10
0
100/100
Survivability
Lethality
Awareness
Dungeoneering
Exploration
0/2
0/2
0/1
0/3
0/1
BUILDINGS
Arch of Champions (Low-Grade Camp)
The heart of a Lord’s territory used to summon the spirits of the dead as citizens and soldiers.
Durability
1000/1000
Shield
10
1/1 Built
----------------------------------------
Elena’s eyebrow twitched when she saw her stats. Perhaps she had been too harsh in her evaluation of Maria earlier. At least she had good potential.
Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, Elena clicked the build button next to the Tent construction option. As she did, a holographic image of the Tent materialized in her vision, allowing her to place it.
Since this Tent would serve as her Command Center, Elena positioned it next to the Arch of Champions. A set of ropes appeared, forming a construction barrier around the chosen area. Additionally, two large glowing messages materialized above the construction site.
[0/5 Pelts]
[0/1 Wood]
“My Lord,” Malik said, “To continue, have the civilian bring the necessary supplies to the construction site. Then order her to build the Tent.”
“Maria,” Elena called out to the girl, addressing her by name in an attempt to ease some of the girl’s anxiety. “Take the supplies for the Tent to the construction site and begin building.”
As Maria diligently started her task, Elena directed Malik to gather Wood while they waited. Unwilling to squander available resources and accustomed to physical labor, Elena joined him in collecting wood scraps from the trees within the Novice Barrier.