CHAPTER 2
THE REBIRTH QUEST
“What’s this,” Jayden asked, “a sudden slab of light and inscribed words on them..isn’t this the announcement of gods.” But the answering voice did not utter a single word. Troubled, he looked ahead, focusing on the augmented window, which he had only heard as the exclusive right of the otherworlder to communicate with the gods.
Commencing Rebirth Quest
…
Quest: Rebirth
Become a Candidate by finishing one of the following scenarios to claim the following Titles.
Scenario 1: Apostle of Duty
Take the critical hit for the Boss, showing your loyalty to gods and mortals.
Rewards - Resurrect as a ??? , XP bonus of 130%, Two Active Exclusive Skills (MAX)
Scenario 2: Apostle of Ghost
Assassinate the party leader of the Otherworlders
Rewards - Resurrect as a ??? , XP bonus of 150%, Two Passive Exclusive Skills (MAX)
Scenario 3: Apostle of Killing
Kill the Otherworlders as much as you can before dying. Your kill tally will decide your rewards.
Rewards - Resurrect as a ??? XP bonus of ???%, ??? Exclusive Passive Skills (MAX)
Scenario 4: CLAIMED
Scenario 5: CLAIMED
Scenario 6: CLAIMED
Scenario 7: CLAIMED
Scenario 8: Apostle of Death
Commit a grand suicide in the boss room, and let everyone witness it
Rewards - Resurrect as a ??? , XP bonus of 130%, Two Active Exclusive Skills (MAX)
“So, I’m not alone in this; many have already claimed these titles.” He recalled some of the Otherworlders who commenced the attack calling Argon the Boss. Again, he read the scenario and realized, “If lord Argon is the boss, then his massive hall must be where everyone is. ”
He cursed, “damn it!” The great hall was far from his current location. He started running towards the castle's center. The scenario which suited him the most was the first one since he was weak, and after using the Blood Ritual, he even became weaker. Suicide was the surest way to go, yet riddled with uncertainty. “What would I do if someone was playing a prank on me,” he thought, “At least with the first one, even if I die, I would at least be known as a loyal subject.” With no other options, he decided on sacrificing himself to earn the title, “Apostle of Duty”. But even that seemed far-fetched since there was also a possibility of Argon being dead when he reached him, or he might be as good as dead, he thought.
The second one, assassinating the party leader, meant killing the most skilled otherworlder in the raid team, which was clearly out of the question. “But, I need a backup. The third one looks definite, but its rewards depend on the kill count.”
“Agh…” he grunted, “if I failed to reach the kill count. Then I might get the lowest bonus and rewards, but just to be sure so I can at least gain this title. I should kill as many otherworlders as possible along the way.”
And it didn’t take long for him to find his first target, and even stealth not being one of his strong suits, he had no problem sneaking up on the foraging Otherworlder. A dark-skinned human, busy scouring around the Count’s treasury, not knowing that he was just a second away from being dead.
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His short sword went high and descended on the pillager’s back. The dark-skinned man couldn’t do a thing but wail as he hugged the ground gilded in gold. Otherworlders might be immortal since they revive like nothing, but there was a significant drawback, and Jayden was aware of that too. “In every death, you lose a significant amount of level, ” he said to the eyes begging to be spared as he severed his head. And just like any, his body disintegrated, taking his equipment with it.
Jayden’s eyes finally captured the vast wealth lying right before his eyes. It was the very place Count Argon had hidden, and not even his Aide, the traitorous Deekan knew of. He stepped in, wanting to grab anything beneficial, but all he could see was the useless Gold and the anti-siege weaponry.
He recalled and said, “Yesterday, that bastard Deekan had these removed. If these were still on the walls, our castle would have survived the raid.. And I would have not l…, I will kill that bastard myself”.
A sudden glint met his eyes, and he found a ceremonial dagger far sharper than what he was using. So, he grabbed it along with a long sword. Not having too much time on his hand, he turned to haste but took another look at the anti-siege weapon and gritted. “I will definitely kill that bastard, ” he promised himself as he patted the weapon, “you lot should be killing the invaders not sitting around, but we can’t always get what we want, right? ”
Once again, he started his run to the center, but soon he found himself stopping in front of a group of Otherworlders, “it's now or never, Jayden.” he shouted and charged against the seven of them at once. Typically he would never have taken the risk, but it was a desperate time since the door behind them was a shortcut to the passage that only a close knight to Argon had known. Although he wasn’t particularly close to his lord, fate intervened one day when his instructor, with whom he shared a friendly bond, spilled the secret along with the beer he drank.
“I didn’t know, you would help me even in your death, sir –-” His thoughts were interrupted as he blocked an incoming sword while grabbing an arrow mid-air that aimed at him from afar. “There was another one hiding, but it does not matter.” He twisted his hand and glared at the one whom he blocked. “You are dead.” His hand moved like a whip and stabbed the arrow he held in his flustered enemy’s neck.
“Since you bastards are the crafty bunch, your archer must have used poison on it,” he mocked the dying otherworlder and threw the ceremonial dagger at another. However, the man had a round shield that protected his face as he effectively blocked the dagger throw, but Jayden wanted him to block it as he was already halfway reaching that man.
He skidded towards him, glancing at the archer afar. And as he wanted, the archer shot another arrow at him since he appeared an easy skidding target. But again, Jayden caught the arrow mid-air and nailed it into the shielded otherworlder's foot.
“Thanks for the save, you bastard. Keep it coming, ” picking up his dagger, he shouted. And like a maniac, he charged at the five remaining ones, but this was the extent of the surprise he could pull against these Otherworlders.
The sudden death of their two teammates had made them acutely aware of the need to be cautious. The remaining five team members spread out and encircled him while the archer stopped shooting recklessly.
The encirclement was in full swing as Jayden failed to strike even one while receiving several shallow wounds as a reward for his failed attempt. Like trained in formation, the five warriors performed very well, and with some occasional arrows that came from nowhere, it would have been a formation that Jayden would never be able to break at his level. However, this formation was not for five but for seven. As the five covered two more positions, a gap emerged, and Jayden, being no rookie, seized the opportunity without hesitation.
He targeted the fastest one, who was exhausted the most, and while throwing his sword at one and his dagger at another, he leaped forward with bare hands, seizing the target by the neck. Overpowering him, he brought him crashing down to the ground and shattered his ribs.
Jayden looked towards the archer, “As I thought,” he said, adding, “hesitate and will get killed, ” and twisted the nape of the Otherworlder. But it also did not come without a price. The two who he was far from had already reached him. Jayden could have avoided the clash, but one of them was a spearman. With a weapon of long reach, the spearman landed a blow on Jayden and stabbed him in the stomach.
Groaning, Jayden knelt, taking the tip that pierced him further instead of pushing it out, pulling in the spearman with everything he got. Lowering his hips slightly, he unleashed an immense force, driving his knee into the spearman’s groin, inflicting upon him the most agonizing pain known to a man. And, not wasting any opportunity, he grabbed the man’s throat as the victim clenched on his lower parts.
“Yeah, I guess dick is more important than your neck.” And with a swift movement, he snapped the neck, sending him back to the place that otherworlders called respawn point.
‘How the fuck is one mere guard killing us.’
‘He is fighting with everything he got.’
‘Crap, I don’t wanna lose ten levels because I died by a minion, not even the boss.’
‘Just be cautious. He is physically stronger than us.’
“Hmph, hmph…the pain resistance can only take a little more.. hmph… ” Jayden gasped as he looked at the remaining three and couldn't help but agree with them. Since he lacked Mana and was not rich enough to increase it with potions. He poured all of his efforts into mastering close combat. Focussing only on strength, stamina, and agility. While he lacked some agility, his strength and stamina were on par with any strong man he trained with. Glancing at the archer afar he mocked, “Four dead, four to go. One archer, three warriors. phew…”
Since he was unarmed and only had the spear of his dead enemy in his hand, which he knew soon would be erased like any other possession of the otherworlders. However, there was still time. So, he threw the spear at one of the nearest four.
Instinctively the targeted otherworlder dug his massive shield in front, forgetting that the spear was moments away from disappearing. And one of the remaining four shouted,” Idiot, leave the shield –”
“What ?” the shield-wielding otherworlder asked in haste, but before he could get an answer, Jayden had his firm grip on his shield. “Aagh..” pouring all his lower body strength, he snatched the shield. With a resounding "swoosh," an arrow aimed to halt his advance, but the shield meant to protect his ally shielded Jayden instead. And seizing the opportunity, Jayden mercilessly battered the otherworlder knight with his own massive shield until the knight met his demise.
Jayden screamed at the top of his lungs, his war cry surpassing others, and seeing the situation from going bad to worse, the archer was the first to turn his back on the group. It was evident to him that the shared XP gained by killing the level 30 guard outweighed the cost of leveling down by death.
And his fleeing was a turning point for the remaining two as they also nodded and fled, each in a different direction, aiming for at least one of them to survive. Unbeknownst, they failed to realize that Jayden’s objective was the hidden door on the exact place where they were fighting, and like a snuffed-out candle, he vanished into the shortcut passage.
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