"That's..." I trailed off, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what she'd just said. "That means that Earth has been reset nearly ten thousand times? And you've been here every single time, watching it happen over and over again?"
"Yes," Sephera whispered, her voice barely audible. "I've been here for so long. I just want it to end. I want Earth to survive." Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears, and for a moment, I could see the exhaustion in her face.
"So the reason why you set up your tutorial like that..."
"It's true that the higher ranked Admins produced stronger Players, but they eventually cannot grow strong enough to deal with future threats on Earth. For many of those Players... some of them have experienced death five times at most. They become complacent, thinking that just because they endured a bit of suffering, they can handle any threats to Earth," Sephera explained, her voice heavy with weariness. "Because of that, no Match has ever gone beyond the 50th level."
"50th level? How many levels are there?" I asked, deciding to push away my anger for the moment.
"There are a hundred levels, sharply rising in difficulty each time. I believe that you would gain more information once you return."
"Why didn't you just tell them earlier?" I continued. "Why make them clear a tutorial first?"
"Would you have continued through my tower had I told you all of this?" Sephera quietly returned.
"That's... a fair point," I grimaced. "Last question, then. Why is this happening to Earth? What kind of sick game are you Admins trying to pull here? Ain't it fucked up to sacrifice your own just to keep it going?"
"You just asked three..." Sephera blinked in surprise. "But anyway, we Admins didn't choose for this to happen. As far as I know, we have always been here, trying to raise Players to clear all 100 levels. There is no other method to reset Earth besides the Sacrifice. If we refuse to offer up a Rank 1 Admin, then we too, shall cease to exist."
I tutted, unable to find any holes in what she was saying. So it was either they keep resetting Earth and churned out pawns, or everyone involved loses. It didn't seem like there was a good option here.
"Damn it... So what does 'Last Stand' have to do with all of this? If I recall correctly, I'm the only one who's played the most in the game and I haven't even beaten it yet."
"Game?" Sephera tilted her head. "Player, do you not remember me saying that this place IS Last Stand?"
"No, I meant... back on Earth, there was a game that was released called 'Last Stand' I was playing before I woke up here. Almost everything in that game mirrors this place. Do you not know anything about it?"
"I... do not. You're saying there was a virtual copy of Last Stand distributed on Earth? But... that shouldn't be possible. Even if the likeness was captured by coincidence, I find it difficult to believe that it wasn't made by someone with prior knowledge of this place." Sephera gazed at me curiously. "And you said you were playing it before arriving here? You were randomly chosen to come here though, not by way of that game."
"I know it sounds crazy, but I swear it's true. It's like someone back on Earth got a hold of this place and made a copy of it. But I don't understand why they would do that. Or how they could have." I paused, still struggling to accept what she was saying.
Sephera considered this for a moment, her expression thoughtful. "There are ways to hide information from the Admins, since we're not omnipotent. It is possible that someone discovered a way to access this place and created a copy without our knowledge. However, I cannot fathom why they would do such a thing, or what their end goal could be."
"Well, whatever the case, I think I'll be able to find out more once I get back to Earth," I sighed, stretching my body. "Guess I should go now. You're now a Rank 2, right?"
"Oh, you're right!" Sephera clapped her hands together. "Congratulations, Player Luquier Vaunt. You have cleared my tower and are free to return to Earth with your newfound strength."
"Uh, yeah, thanks," I grunted, stepping towards the portal. "Guess this is goodbye?"
"For now," Sephera gave me a shifty smile.
Ignoring her expression, I stepped through the portal, my heart racing with a mixture of anticipation and fear. The air was cool against my skin, and the sky was an unfamiliar shade of blue. Earth. It was just as Sephera had described, with buildings and people everywhere, but there was an undercurrent of danger that was palpable.
[Congratulations! You have survived Last Stand.]
[You have obtained a new title.]
[You have obtained 'Skill Box' (x3).]
[You have obtained 'Weapon Box'.]
"Oh, nice," I said, looking at the three skill boxes and one weapon box that appeared in my inventory.
Curious about the title, I tapped on it.
[New title: Reckless Immortal (A)]
[Acquired by dying 100 times & gaining 'Even Death Can't Stop Me!' Achievement.]
[Effect: Upon sacrificing half of Risk points, enables user to return from the dead once per day. Also enables user to face specter with current self at time of death; upon victory, restore used Risk points. Revive with current stats and equipment prior to death. Permanent.]
[Equip title?]
[Yes | No]
"Holy fuck," I breathed, tapping the Yes option. Why not? My entire journey so far had relied on my Risk gamble, and it had paid off. What was another mechanic to add to that? Although it sucked to lose half my Risk points every time I died, that meant that as long as I had more than 1 point in it, I'd never truly die. Unless I somehow managed to die twice in one day.
[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 17]
[Title: Reckless Immortal (A)]
[Health: 10000 | Strength: 4305]
[Speed: 4205 | Magic: 4310]
[Risk: 2075 | Stat Points: 0]
[Experience: 86%]
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I smiled to myself, feeling a sense of elation at my stats. I assumed that the ‘A’ next to my Title was its rank or grade. I had come a long way since my first death, and it was only fitting that my final reward should be something truly spectacular.
I had caught the attention of some people, who were staring at me in confusion. I blushed, scurrying off to find a more secluded place so that I could open the boxes. The city was vast and overwhelming, but I eventually found a small park with a bench, shielding me from the bustle of the crowd. I sat down and opened all three skill boxes, my heart racing with anticipation.
[Generating Skills based on performance...]
[You obtained the 'Death's Shadow' skill.]
[You obtained the 'Reap' skill.]
[You obtained the 'Final Gambit' skill.]
What the fuck? What was up with these names? Death's Shadow, Reap, and Final Gambit? But I didn't care. I mean, they sounded cool as hell. Edgy, but cool.
I tapped on their names, bringing up a description box for each skill.
[Skills]
[Death's Shadow 17/17]
[Damage: 10 (+4310) | Slow: 25% | Slow Duration: 4205 seconds | Cooldown: 0 seconds]
[Description: Forces the target's shadow to erupt, causing damage equal to amount target has taken prior. If target(s) is slain by this skill, enables user to gain the stats of the target.]
[Reap 17/17]
[Damage: 10 (+4310) | Cooldown: 0 seconds]
[Description: Imbues the user with a piercing darkness. If target(s) is slain by this skill, grants user a random skill that target possesses.]
[Final Gambit 17/17]
[Damage: 2075 (+Remaining Health) | Cooldown: 0 seconds]
[Description: Allows user to sacrifice self. If target(s) is slain by this skill, immediately revives user.]
Whoa. These skills... They were insane. The fact that my stats boosted them even further made them borderline overpowered, especially with my new title. Aside from the first two, it seemed like Final Gambit would require me to die in order to take advantage of its resurrection effect.
I grimaced at the thought. After dying nearly 300 times, I wasn't too keen on doing that again anytime soon. Even with the 10% mental fortitude from Divinity and 30% from the 'Even Death Can't Stop Me!' Achievement, it would still take a toll on my mental health.
Forgetting about my skills for the moment, I pulled out the Weapon Box from my inventory, opening it eagerly. The box flickered with a brilliant blue light, and I felt a surge of power flow through me as it revealed its contents.
[Generating Weapon based on performance...]
[Name: Hand of Thanatos]
[Damage: 300]
[Traits: Bound | Restrictive | Shrouded | ???]
[Description: An ominous scythe, its blade stained with the blood of countless victims. The handle is wrapped in chains, as if it were imprisoned within its own grisly history. Damage affected by user's number of deaths. If target(s) is slain by this weapon, add to damage count.]
[Bound: Cannot be removed from user's possession unless willingly relinquished.]
[Restrictive: Upon equipping this weapon, all of the user's abilities are locked.]
[Shrouded: Passively hides/changes user's information at will.]
[???: Locked]
I frowned, reading the description of the weapon. Compared to my Silver Serpent, this wasn't all that great, even with the potential of the hidden trait. But it was bound to me now, and there was no taking it back. I supposed I could make do. I slid the Hand of Thanatos into my inventory, next to the Silver Serpent.
I leaned back on the park bench, collecting my thoughts. From what I saw, there didn't seem to be much of a difference between Achievements and Titles, aside from the fact that Titles needed to be equipped for its effect to take place. Furthermore, the Permanent part of my new Title worried me. Did that mean that my Achievements would also disappear if I died? That would actually suck.
"Ah, if only I had a walkthrough or a wiki," I murmured to myself.
[Why ask for that when you have me?]
I stared at the blue message in front of me. "Damn, I thought I wouldn't see you again."
[Okay, fine, you can figure it out yourself.]
"Wait, no- I'm sorry," I stammered. "I'm glad to see you're still around, Sephera."
[I don't believe that, but whatever. Seems like you got back to Earth safely.]
"Yeah, thanks to you."
I paused for a moment, thinking about how best to phrase my next question. "So, about Titles and Achievements... They're basically the same thing, but with a few differences, right?"
[Unlike your level, stats, skills, and equipment, Achievements do not go away upon death, though some Titles may disappear since many are closely linked to your performance and stats. To put it simply, Titles are as close as you can get to a Class or Job in games. They become the influence for your skills that you acquire through growth, aside from skills you can gain from monsters or other Players. It's rare for Players to acquire more than one or two titles, so unfortunately you're stuck with the one you have.]
"Oh, damn. So this permanent 'Reckless Immortal' Title will give me skills based around death?"
[I'm... Excuse me? What did you just say?]
"My Title. It's called Reckless Immortal." I explained the effects of it as well as my new skills to Sephera.
[Oh. Well, I suppose it fits you, then. Seeing as how you cleared the tower without fear of death, I'm more surprised that a Title like that exists.]
"What do you mean?"
[In all my life, I have never heard of Skills or Titles that cheat death. Strictly speaking, the closest I can think of are Necromancer-type Players, but even they have restrictions to how much they can manipulate death. Seeing how heavy the costs are for your abilities to work does reflect your performance.]
"Is that right?" I grinned weakly to myself. I had always chosen the most difficult routes in the games I played, but I never expected to do so in real life.
[You did mention you were a masochist.]
"That was a joke," I winced, though I was no stranger to pain at this point. I sighed, getting up from the bench.
"Well, no use thinking about this now. I just came back without any knowledge of what's changed. Have any idea on where I should start?"
[I've seen that guilds and organizations have been established ever since the first Players returned from Last Stand. Perhaps you could start there?]
"Good idea," I muttered, glancing around at my surroundings. Though it was definitely Earth, I realized that I had no idea where I was. "Where exactly is 'there'?"
[Give me one second.]
As I waited for whatever Sephera was going to do, I took note of where I was. The small park was nestled between a few buildings, with a small pond and a statue of some sort in the center. A few people were walking past, some glancing at me, some ignoring me altogether. It seemed like I was in a relatively safe area, so I figured I could probably hang out here for a bit.
[All right, I'm done. Sending the information to you now.]
[System alert: New quest added.]
[Quest: First Steps!]
[Description: Settle into your new life by integrating with the world. Register at one of the Global Player Administration buildings.]
[Reward: New Skill (x1) | New Achievement (x1)]
"Nice," I smirked at the blue screen. "It even shows me a path to the nearest Global Player Administration building. Thanks, Sephera."
[Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it. I'm only helping you out since you're my first Player. From here on out, it's all on you.]
"Fine by me," I began to follow the glowing blue line on the ground. "By the way, how are you determining the rewards and quests I get?"
[Technically, as an Admin, I don't. I can, however, assemble a sort of task list for you to complete. The System us Admins use automatically determines all of that for us. And before you ask, no, I don't know who or what created the System.]
I tutted in disappointment. Oh, well. I figured it wasn't too important to know right now.
****
[Name: Luquier Vaunt | Level: 17]
[Title: Reckless Immortal (A)]
[Health: 10000 | Strength: 4305]
[Speed: 4205 | Magic: 4310]
[Risk: 2075 | Stat Points: 0]
[Experience: 86%]
[Skills]
[Divinity (Passive)]
[Holy Element 17/17]
[Death’s Shadow 17/17]
[Reap 17/17]
[Final Gambit 17/17]
[Achievements]
[Even Death Can't Stop Me!]
[Pick On Someone Your Own Strength.]
[Items]
[Silver Serpent]
[Hand of Thanatos]