Chapter 4: Death is just the beginning

After Ken died, he found himself flowing in a strange river. It's coast was a wasteland seemingly, at least, devoid of life. After he focused on his surroundings, he promptly found out that the river didn't consist of water, but souls.

'I'm in the afterlife!', is the conclusion he came to.

When he started wondering on whether to go with the flow or try resisting, he suddenly noticed, that he was no longer in the river of the dead and instead found himself in a white space, and there was nothing.

'What the hell?', he thought astonished. 'Is that the next step of passing on or what...'

"Oh, you are finally here?"

He whipped his head to see a small, blue orb float behind him.

"What the..."

"Surprised? I guess you would be. Anyway, I am AI... you can call me Freia if you wish. Although it would be better to call her my avatar, maybe?"

"The goddess...?!"

"Well... in a sense."

"What is happening, I'm sure I died..."

"Yep, you died."

It was straight-forward. Enough so to make Ken speechless for a second.

"I thought that goddess Freia was a woman."

"I can be whatever I want to be."

After replying, the orb changed consecutively every second - a beautiful blond woman, a wolf, a sun, a flame, in order. After that she changed back to blue orb.

"Is that so... then, why would goddess save me?"

"Save you? Why would you think that? I just need a guinea pig, and you are suited for the role."

That made Ken's jaw drop.

"What? Not as expected? You think a god would leap in to save you? No freaking way."

The youth could just stare in confusion.

"But, as I said, I need you. That's why, I will give you a chance."

Before the swordsman could ask whatever did she mean, it appeared.

Class changeYesYes

"What the hell, I have no choice?!"

Not only was he showed something like that out of nowhere, he also received some random choice that he didn't even know if was any good?!

"Of course. I told you that you are suitable to be my guinea pig. Well, don't get that angry. You are gonna like it."

"Yeah sure whatever"

Ken was fed up with it. Some random deity that presented him with a "choice" and all that... anyway, what did he care? He was dead anyway.

You have accepted the class change.

"A good choice, you are not gonna regret it. I will just tell you one thing as a service, say "status window" as soon as you wake up. The rest you can figure out by yourself. Bye!"

He vaguely heard her voice as the world faded into black.

***

When Ken opened his eyes, he saw a cloudless, azure sky. 'It's beautiful', he thought. Well, you should know the reason - the sky in the afterlife is just a vast space, darker than black.

He stood up - it seemed he was in the forest. He then remembered about the whole goddess story - debacle, actually - and decided to check it out. So he said, 'Status Window'.

Status WindowNameKenAlignmentNeutralLevel221ClassCopycatTitleRole-playerFame380Health2384/2384Mana2190/2190Strength401Agility359Vitality233Stamina2210Wisdom77Intelligence219Endurance54Luck30Fighting spirit34Leadership13Attack80Defense54Magic ResistanceNoneUnallocated points0

Bonus statsEquip Bonuses: +110 Atk +60 Def +10 Fighting spirt

Skill Masteries Bonuses: +195% to attack with one-handed sword and +13% to other weapons or unarmed damage

Ken titled his head in askance looking at new class an title. Up until now he didn't allocate the stats manually, so he hadn't looked at his stat window for a long time. Seems like they weren't so bad.

After a moment's thought, he decided to check something else. "Skill window."

Skill Window

Cooking [5] 67%

Allows you to cook average-tasting food with a small temporary bonus

Handicraft Intermediate [3] 21%

Adds additional 1% of damage per skill level (current bonus: 13%), allows to learn intermediate level crafting skills

Repair Intermediate [2] 33%

Allows you to restore half of the item's durability per use of the skill, cannot use on art-related objects

First Aid [9] 1%

Allows you to restore some health and delete bleeding status when bandage is applied

Herb Gathering [6] 7%

Allows you to collect herbs growing in the wild without damaging them, you can also use them to enhance First Aid and Cooking Skills

Copy-Cat Intermediate (Passive) [6] 30%

You are a lousy jerk who can not evoke any originality in your actions and behavior. That's why you, sorry asshole, are getting a bonus of +50% melee damage while using weapons. Really, your role-playing manner is getting on my nerves. Because of you I had to make up a description for some strange crap. Shit, I have enough of this job. Maybe I should just come back to sending ramen in a street stand.

Warning: I wouldn't bother mentioning it to you if they didn't pay me, so be grateful that I deign to even do so earnestly. Due to your class you are getting a 100% affinity with cats and because of it beware, since cats have only 9 lives! Also, you are getting a class-exclusive skill, Cat Mode. Since I need to toilet, you can figure out the rest yourself, for I believe my mood will take a 180 turn and I won't bother creating user-friendly descriptions anymore.

Soaring Sword Style (Passive) Advanced [2] 43%

Replaces weapon mastery. You can use one-handed swords along with scabbard in battle, adds bonus damage for both blade and scabbard - currently +132% damage for the first and +200% of Atk stat along with +100% durability bonus for the latter. You are also able to devise new combat skills based upon the foundations of this sword-style.

Heaven's Slash Intermediate [9] 10%

An active combat skill devised by creator of Soaring Sword Style. Using the one-handed sword, you slash down towards the earth, creating a powerful shock-wave that ruptures the earth in the direction of your slash. On the current level, it starts with 250% of your normal damage that weakens by 10% every 1 m and has the range of 10 meters. Cooldown is 40s.

Air Sundering Slash Intermediate [4] 5%

A powerful version of Heaven's Slash created by you. Though you are not the first one to come up with that, disappointed? The only difference is that the shock-wave travels through the air horizontally. Current damage equals 200% of normal damage and is weakened by 10% per meter, therefore the range is 20 m. Cooldown is 30s.

Iron Jet Intermediate [1] 39%

Any rapid attack with a sword that is reinforced with mana to enhance it's speed, it is difficult to either perceive or evade. Thanks to it's speed, it deals 300% of normal damage. Cooldown is 1 min.

Impaling Sword [9] 91%

Second strongest of currently existing skills in the repertoire of Soaring Sword Style. The user charges at the target and impales it with his/her sword, dealing 400% of basic damage with +10% damage bonus for every meter of the distance traveled between starting point and target. Cooldown is 90s.

Sword of Judgment Intermediate [1] 68%

The strongest out of currently known skills in Soaring Sword Style. The target cannot evade nor parry/block the attack performed with this skill. The damage output equals 700% of basic damage. Due to it being overkill, cooldown is 5 min.

Stolen story; please report.

Ken gazed in astonishment at his skill window. Finally, after a moment, he closed it and after picking a random direction, he was on his way.

***

Whilst going forward, the youth tackled with recent happenings in his head. Not only has he almost died not even a week after departing for a journey, but there was also that ridiculous self-proclaimed goddess Freia. It was a bit hard for him to accept that that deity was that kind of being.

Obviously, he continued to scan his surroundings even though he was deep in thought, pondering. Thanks to that, he managed to sense another being's presence before it sensed him.

After hiding in the bushes, it turned out, that the being he sensed was nothing but a wolf. Yes, nothing but one ridiculously strong-looking wolf.

Ken automatically, thanks to his master's teachings, hid in a direction where the wind blew. Thanks to that the first hunter of the forest didn't notice him. Without moving an inch, young swordsman scrutinized the foe. At first glance, it was just a big wolf. It wasn't only that, though - it was black, and this color itself held a menacing meaning. But what was even more menacing - predator had a very well developed musculature and mighty big jaws.

The man sat still in his hiding place, deciding to observe strange specimen of wolf. Carnivore seemed to be waiting for something. Indeed - after half a minute passed, it suddenly tensed up and leaped over the bushes. Ken could swear that just a moment before the jump he made out some rustle, as though something was running through the area where the wolf jumped. It was as he thought - after a short noise and suppressed moan, the wolf came back. With it was another wolf, almost the same but a bit smaller, and both carried a deer. Well, more like the game was pulled on the ground.

'Why don't they eat here though? Is this supposed to be seasoning or public service?', he thought mockingly.

Thanks to that though, he could feast his eyes on the game. And there was a reason to do it - it was likewise heavy with muscles, looking incomparably strong to the ones living in the forest that he has seen and heard about.

'I don't think it is possible, but... are those demonic creatures?'

He has heard once from his master that when an animal or monster absorbs enough demonic power to turn into a demon you can distinguish it by it's abnormal muscles spawned all over the body which not only makes them stronger and also tougher.

After two predators left dragging the prey in a direction only they knew, Ken waited a few minutes and carefully exited his hiding place, resuming his travel. He decided that he would seek some easy prey, like rabbits - demonic, of course - to ascertain the level of his opponents.

After an hour of walking he heard a noise, as though many voices were gathered in one placed. Rejoiced, he quickened the pace and walked out of the tree's cover to see what he thought would be settlement.

What it really was...? An open-air gym where demonic animals were working out and chatting happily together! Astonished, he somehow made out that there were only herbivores and they were using professional equipment like benching press and such... As he was there, overcome with shock, one of the demons noticed him.

You have found the open-air demonic gym!

You receive 200 fame and 400 XP for being the first one to discover it. In addition, you are fucked, so you had better start running now!

"Guys, it's a human!"

"A human?!"

"A human entered our forest?!"

"It's a competition! First come first served!"

After the last sentence all supposedly vegetarian creatures all abandoned their respective activities and a rat race has begun.

"Oh shit!"

Needless to say, Ken was quickly pressed to forget his amazement aimed at one more nonsensical event he was going through and focused on running away. The animals were all full of muscles and they were doing a good job pursuing him, most being at least as quick as he was, and few even quicker, even though they were generally heavy species, like a boar or a bull, for example.

What happened next can only be described as a frantic escape from a horde of hungry, macho-like animals.

The first one to close on him was a muscle guy with a head of a horse. Incidentally, it was just a horse, that was running on hind legs, thus looking a bit human-like. Just as it was catching up to him, he turned his upper body without slowing down and used Air Sundering Slash to cut at the enemy. It took 220% of his normal damage, being 3 meters from him.

The horse guy tripped, rolling in the bushes. Ken spared another look back a moment later, only to discover that it was getting back up, seemingly unscathed.

'What the fuck, are you even serious?'

It wasn't his strongest attack, but that muscleman didn't even took any visible damage. It would dictate that he was at least level 300 and possibly even higher than that... and that the snake Ken defeated not long ago may have been a small fry compared to the ones he was running from. Especially since they probably weren't even vice-captain level creatures, not to mention boss level.

The next to draw close was a piggyman. Well, ok, it was a boar running on two legs and hitting his ribcage... Eh? Was that a gorilla or something? Truth be told, it's face was mighty strange, so Ken without thinking too much just used Heaven's Slash to destroy it's footing.

Much to his surprise, his pursuer managed to evade it though. It started making funny sounds and shouting.

"Puny human! You have no chance against me! Come now, I will eat you quick and painless!"

"Huh? Screw you!"

That angered the demonic specimen. It lunged at the human, only to meet his sword half-way.

"Kekeke! That won't work on me!"

"Oh really? Iron Jet!"

Youth had to use one of his trump cards. Well, it wasn't really his trump card, but in this situation he had to mind the cooldown. He hit his foe on the side of his head, destabilizing him and evading his clasp, following with demon coming into a closer-than-he-would-have-ever-liked mouth-to-mouth contact with ground. And the human, the human ran.

***

Ken wouldn't tell anyone how long he ran even if he wanted to. A simple thing - he lost the sense of time during the escape. He was currently in a dense forest area, and there should be no more demons following him. Thus, he stopped and tried to stabilize his rough breath.

In that very moment, something tackled him, making him lose the balance and fall to the ground. He quickly tried to stand up, of course, but the unknown enemy took the necessary steps to prevent him from doing that. He was kicked in the head and the hand, thus involuntary releasing his grip on the sword's hilt and being disarmed. The attacks ceased and he looked up to see two demons, a buffalo and an elephant demon lookalikes. They were standing on his both sides and gazing at him. Suddenly, they spoke.

"Ok, Harry, I believe you have prepared to cutlery."

"What? Dennis, you didn't tell me anything like this!"

"Harry, you blockhead, and just how do you think we are going to eat him now?!"

"Well, there is no problem, I have two sets of silverware with me after all."

"What silverware?! I told you to bring cutlery!"

"I don't give a crap about your cutlery nor do I know what that is!"

"Omfg, are you dumb?! It's obviously the stuff you eat food with, chap!"

"Really, I freaking can't stand your problems!"

Even though he would lose his first life soon, Ken looked in amazement. What the hell are those guys arguing about? Isn't it the same thing?

Suddenly, both pseudo-herbivores froze and unanimously turned to look at something behind Ken. As he didn't stand up yet, he couldn't see what they saw, but the looks of pure terror and primal fear on their faces were so evident even he could make them out.

A loud growl was let out from the direction the shivering demons faced.

'Oh shit, that's just sweet. From fire into the frying pan...'

Both demons run in panic and young swordsman, without wasting time, quickly reclaimed his blade and glanced at the source of their fear.

'Holy shit!'

It was a large, feline mammal with glowing eyes. It was black with green eyes and, of course, it had quite impressive muscles. And now it was looking at Ken.

If the herbivores were so strong, than just how strong is that guy?! If you want to find out, stay tuned!