Author Note:
Hello there, sorry for the delay releasing this Chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it.
The Prologue had some polishment but nothing that affected the plot; I recommend you guys taking another look at it.
English isn't my main language but I worked hard to not make any mistakes, if there are some in this or in the future releases, please let me know in the comments (:
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NUMRA
Chapter 1: Comprehension
As Seth floated mid-air, he wondered about his next steps.
I probably should head out to a city and see if there are players with the same problem. [Teleport: Myrefall]
After he thought of the spell name, his body began to be engulfed by a bright white light. When the light finished covering him entirely, he disappeared to only appear again in a crowded and open space, exactly the opposite of where he was before. It was the middle of a huge human city.
The [Teleport] landed him in the City’s Teleport Platform, that had a big round shape and was made of a blue glass-stone covered with magical runes and geometric symbols. The entire platform had a radius of 15 meters and seemed to emit a slight glow of it’s color.
The city of Myrefall was the biggest Human city, having a total area of 3476 km². It was famous not only because of it being the location of the King’s Palace or it’s huge Military Force but also because of its commerce center, said to have anything you could search for.
Despite the crowded and loud streets, one couldn’t enter the gates of Myrefall without taking notice of the beautiful architecture and well designed monuments the city had. From a normal perspective, overlooking the clear overpopulation, all seemed well. The only thing that looked odd in the picture, was Seth. He was perplexed and had a face of disbelief.
What is this?
After arriving, Seth gazed at the crowd that were roaming the streets next to the Teleport Platform and was quite shaken because of what he had seen. He couldn’t find any players among them. In Numra Online, this city was the most visited by players who came to train, buy products, trade, join guilds, accept quests and a number of other things, so it made no sense that he couldn’t find anyone in the middle of all those NPCs.
[List Online Players]
The command issued should have brought a interface with the name of all online players in Numra in front of the user, but instead, did nothing.
“… Is there really no one?”
Despite the current situation, Seth was a really rational and meticulous 27 year-old. He knew what that meant and was processing and letting the information sink in.
Every command that could contact me with the outer world isnt working. This can’t be a game error. My VR capsule must have had a malfunction. It’s the only answer. If this is truly a capsule error, it will amount to a huge prosecution case. The company would probably be bankrupted if this gets out and more people are found to have had the same experience I’m having right now. But why exactly am I in Numra?
A million thoughts rushed through Seth’s mind, trying to find any cause and possibility for what was happening to him.
“Hey lad. What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Oh, nothing, I’m just trying to…. WHAT?!”
Seth shouted and jumped back in response of the question made to him. The one who asked that was a slender Human male that seemed to be in his late forties, judging by his sore and unkempt appearance. He had a foul look and wasn’t wearing any armor but a fashionable leather and silk attire instead. The smirk he had in his face had disappeared.
“Ehh? What is wrong with you? I just asked a question, you know?”
Yes, a player!
Seth quickly looked above the man’s head to see his name, only to be more disappointed. His name was green, where it should’ve been white if he was a player.
Then what the hell was that? How did this NPC approach me? I’m not taking part in any quests currently. More importantly, I’m set to not be handed out any quests. And what is with this reaction?
NPCs in Numra were as realistic as they could get, even having voice actors and default facial expressions. But none of them would start a random conversation with a player, nor react to such extent towards a reply.
After the scream, he looked confused and held back from continuing, but the one more confused was Seth.
Maybe he is a unique NPC that I wasn't aware of.
“Dismiss”
Seth muttered the command while averting his gaze from the man’s eyes, turning his body to a different direction, seeing that it would not inflict with the situation he was in.
“Are you talking to yourself?”
The sly-looking man was staring at Seth like something was wrong with him. His answer shocked Seth.
What the Hell?! I dismissed him, yet he didn’t leave and even responded!
[Target Status Interface]
An interface containing all of the man’s information popped up by his side. Since Seth was a Developer himself, no information would be hidden from him, even if the man was one of his coworkers in disguise, as he thought.
Status InterfaceName:Loki ThaddaeusLevel:32Race:HumanClass:--Gender:MaleAge:47
Seth didn't need to read below the generic information to realize that he was wrong. If he was a Staff Member, there would be a tag stating so next to his name.
“Uh… You sure are odd. I wanted to sell you one of these slaves since you looked like you had some money with you, nevermind.”
One thing that Seth failed to perceive at first was the chain in Loki’s hand that linked him to a few Demon women chained by the neck, a few meters behind him. It became clear by the sound it made as he turned his back and started walking away.
Slaves were a common thing featured in Numra. One could say it was a result of all the wars and racial-based hate. The lore of this world was filled with lots of similarities to the real one’s conflicts.
Since Seth was incognito, he was wearing a lower grade silver plated armor but had no helmet covering his light-brown, mid length and unkempt hair. His eyes of the same color were more steady now, trying to grasp his next movement in his mind.
“Wait...”
At a moment’s notice, Seth unsheathed the longsword that hanged beside his waist, slicing the Slave Trader’s neck so fast that it couldn’t be perceived even by trained eyes. It was like a lightning striking a tree.
As the head rolled in the air, blood sprouted from the body, staining the slaves with a dark red color.
It all happened so fast that it didn’t feel real. The Demon slaves, all carrying small horns on top of their heads, that were all sobbing before, were now looking in disbelief towards the twitching corpse on the ground. Their enemy had fallen by the hands of a stranger.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
The screams filled the street. Seth seemed to be ignoring the scene he created, looking fixated at his sword.
He then clenched his fist on the sword and started to approached the slaves. They were trembling in fear, more and more at each step he took, thinking that now it was their turn.
Seth raised his right hand that carried his weapon and struck it down. The attack was not
aimed at the women but at their chains. The iron holding their necks evaporated in the air like it was made of dust as it made contact with the silver sword that reflected the sun’s light.
All Demons were looking in awe to the man. They were experiencing a rush of emotions that they couldn’t describe. Never in their life they would’ve imagined being saved from a Human by another.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
One of the women stood up to thank Seth from the bottom of her hearth. Just because she was a Demon, it didn’t meant that she was evil. She had a gentle and beautiful face and silky red hair that went beyond her waist, contradicting what is normally thought of them.
“T- thank you for saving us!”
The street now had few civilians, and was being surrounded by guards that took notice of the situation and were evacuating it to attend properly of the situation, minimizing the risks.
“Saving you, hum… I guess I’ll have to do more than that to save you.”
The guards started slowly approaching Seth with small steps. As he turned in their direction, one of them screamed.
“You’re under arrest for Murder and Theft! Sheath your sword and comply. Resist and you shall be killed!”
Seth had a big smirk stamped in his face. He seemed to be enjoying the situation.
“Mister… You should run and leave us behind.”
The Demon woman that stood up before was trying to convince Seth that it was better for him to run away instead of fighting the guards. From a normal person’s common sense, it was madness to take the guards head on, in the middle of the city.
“Don’t worry. I’ll get you home safely. [Group Teleport: Demon Kingdom]”
A light, of the same aspects as the one that appeared when he teleported to the city, covered all Demons as they disappeared onsite, leaving no trace.
The red-haired Demon seemed to have tried to say something before vanishing, but Seth couldn’t sum up much of it.
Well, it doesn’t really matter.
“Shall we start then?”
Seth swung his sword in front of him, slashing three out of the five guards that were closer to him, separating their bodies from the abdomen below, without even making contact with the blade.
It was a slaughter. The entrains of the guards were sprayed on the street.
“T- Traitor! How could you kill your own race to save some lowly slaves?!”
“Hahahahaha! My own race? Know your place.”
As he finished his sentence, Seth suddenly appeared a few inches away of the guard who cursed at him. It was like he had teleported, or time had stopped just for him. He swiftly grabbed the man by the neck with his empty left-hand and hanged him high.
It was too fast for the guard, who couldn’t be above level 150, to react. He dropped his weapon and shield and reached for the hand that was elevating him from the ground. He couldn’t breath and was squirming relentlessly.
Seth tightened his grip. A sudden ‘crack’ could be heard as the guard stopped moving.
Tossing the body aside, Seth could be perceived as evil incarnated, if you ignored his easy on the eye looks. A madman who was killing his kin.
The remaining guard summed up enough courage to call for backup, blowing a small horn that he had attached to his belt. He knew what the results would be if he attempted to attack.
“This is unbelievable! Hahahahaha! It is really real!”
Screaming his lungs out nonchalantly, Seth struck fear to everyone that was presencing the situation.
The gallop of the horses was heard in the distance. It was the Knights.
A company of three Royal Knights arrived at the scene after a couple of minutes. The guard who blew the horn fled to their aid like he was being chased by an army. He quickly began trying to explain the situation in the midst of all the stuttering to who seemed to be the leader of the three; A warrior with short blond hair and almond-shaped blue eyes. He couldn't have been over his early twenties.
The blonde Knight got off of his horse and gave a few steps forward, quickly followed by his companions, and started analyzing with his own eyes what the guard had told him.
It was a grotesque painting. And the painter stood tall in the center of it, giving off a smile that seemed directioned towards the newly arrived. He was waiting patiently for what they had to say.
“Are you the one responsible for this?!” The knight shouted while pointing his sword. It was almost a rhetorical question. It was clear who the responsible for the incident was, for he had his sword drawn in the middle of all five corpses.
“Kukuku. Don’t you think they are the ones who brought it upon themselves? He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination. Or is their maker the responsible one, for giving such a fate to them? Either way, it's meaningless. If you flee, I shall spare your life.”
The Knight seemed infuriated by the answer. Not once in his life as a prodigy warrior of a noble family he had been humiliated to such a degree.
“I Philip Rosenhearth will defeat you and make you regret these words! I will make you repent and teach you the meaning of power!”
Seth knew who he was. Or at least, the family he was from. Even though he is the Head Developer of the game, he didn’t knew the names of all the NPCs. Only those who had a bigger importance in the lore or in main quests had a small place in his memory.
Giving a chilling stare to the young man, Seth replied, “Power? Kukuku. Place the blame for your death in your arrogance. It is a trait you share with your family and the majority of you puny humans, after all.”
The last phrase seemed to have got past the anger mist Philip had dwelled in.
“So you’re not human yourself, are you? Perhaps a powerful demon in disguise by some kind of spell!”
“You are correct and wrong. I’m not ‘human’, but I’m currently using this human body.”
“What do you mean by that?”, the Knight replied, confused by Seth’s explanation.
“I’m sorry, I delayed our fight babbling about myself. How rude of me.” Seth raised his arm horizontally and aimed the palm of his hand towards the place where the Knights stood. “[Infernal Sphere]”.
A huge ball of fire, with approximately 6m of diameter, formed itself from thin air in front of Seth’s hand and went ahead in an incredible speed, giving not much room for reaction. It destroyed everything in its path, finally stopping when it hit a massive inn and almost transformed it in rubbles. The flames danced in the street, which had a trail of the spell’s destructive power.
“H-how? Using 4th Tier Magic despite being a Warrior...” Muttered Philip, who had barely escaped the fireball and almost got burn to a crisp. He was saved by his fast reflexes and speed but his companions weren’t so lucky. You couldn’t even find a trace of their bodies anymore. Even the horses had disappeared.
Magic spells were separated in ten tiers, depending in its usability, requirements needed, difficulty to learn and mostly the grade of its destructive or blessing capability. Non-magical classes like Warriors could use magic but only to a certain degree. Therefore, the sight of a Warrior using a 4th Tier magic spell shocked the Knight beyond words.
Seth noticed the grand escape but didn’t seem to have a care in the world. He was contemplating the result of his spell, which bathed the city into chaos.
I tested enough, it’s better to leave for now.
“You may live to fight another day, Knight. Rejoice in my kindness.”
[Teleport: Eastborne Grass Fields]
In the blink of an eye, the scene had changed drastically. Seth now stood before the same tree he slept beneath after his immersion. He was there to reflect upon what had occurred.
I didn’t think it would work but it actually did! Killing people inside the city, NPCs at that, without removing any restrictions and without being at war… Even damaging some structures was surprising!
All that had happened would be impossible in a normal situation inside Numra. With everything he had done, Seth could test out many things to confirm his hunch.
Even the reactions and expressions were outstanding! It can only mean that this has truly... turned into reality. This is a dream come true. Perhaps god heard my prayers? More importantly, what about my real body then? I’ll probably find out in a few days, since I can’t survive without food nor water.
Seth’s expression gave of the worriness. If he dies in the real world then it would all turn to be pointless.
Seeing that I can’t do anything about it for now, I think it’s better to ignore it. I will not feel hunger nor thirst and death never looked that unpleasant anyways.
Gazing to the now growing dark sky, Seth swallowed his concerns.
Stuck in this world with god-like cheats... That can’t be bad at all.