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Volume 5
Chapter 42: Reaper Summoner
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Black Tech
The terrifying facts that this name implies…
Whenever this [item] appears, there are only two things people will think about. First: whoever the player is, he is definitely and undeniably very strong.
Black Techs are essentially the culmination of two or more S-Ranked weapons, given power and substance by the Black Ball which is an S-Ranked Item.
One S-Ranked weapon is already powerful enough so multiplying that by two, and not to mention three or even more, then the strength the player can produce is also multiplied as well.
Second –and is an important fact– he or she is either a member of a large Guild capable of dispatching an entire expeditionary force to hunt down a Demon Commander, or had a backing rivaling that of a Major Power of any of the Star Guilds of the continents that can dispatch the same number of people to face the legion all Demon Commander has with them at all times.
Black Ball is, for all intents and purposes, almost a cheat weapon, but, is undeniably allowed and does exist within the game as an acquirable element.
Black Element––
––having the property to be physically superior over anything below the grade of Dragon Materials and also tangible to all sorts of tampering.
Getting it, however, is easier said than done.
Just how long and how much did FlowerLord spend on hunting down a Demon Commander?
Not to mention it cost her millions upon millions of Zentra to hire strong enough NPCs and mercenary players, she also had to spend almost two months’ time just to hunt it down.
Demon Commanders aren’t just [difficult to handle boss monsters]. They are, in fact, the existences closest to the same difficulty as Real Dragons.
Hunting down a Demon Commander alone is never an option as they are so powerful that it does needs an entire legion of at least A-Ranked Hunters to be able to have the power to defeat the armada that Demon Commanders always had around them.
And even if the hunting party is capable of going past through the armada, defeating a Demon Commander is another story on to itself.
Because one Demon Commander is almost as hard to deal with as their own armada ––and no Commander shall leave their base without their fleet.
It can be said that Siva being able to defeat a Demon Commander was due to six reasons:
(1) Chance Meeting –the most important
(2) Guts to actually decide to hunt it down
(3) Tactics and the strategy used
(4) Persistence against even two Lapis Lazulis
(5) Killing Zone
(6) The Black Ender –a Dragon Material Blade
Just one of these six missing, Siva wouldn’t have been able to even survive the ordeal and even perhaps not even able to put a scratch on the Commander’s hide.
After all, without the Killing Zone, killing the Demon Commander without the distraction of the other S-Raked Monsters would have been an impossible task.
Heller thought differently. In his mind was not the [how] of obtaining a Black Tech but the [who].
Who is this person who can use Black Tech?!
To hunt down a Demon Commander… in a Guild, to whom the only Black Ball the Demon Commanders have would be given to is also a matter of consideration as more often than not, the only people who had the capability to get a Black Tech are those either holding a large authority over their own Guilds or it is the Guild Leaders themselves.
It was this very reason why FlowerLord is alone and chose to hire mercenaries instead of asking help on the members of the Circle of The Illuminati.
Because it might cause internal strife.
Considering these facts, whoever this red-eyed skull-masked Mage is, he is either the latter or the former of the above given situations.
Thinking about this, Heller couldn’t help but to feel the threat to him at this moment.
Black Tech is dependent on Mana to be summoned. But its use, as long as one does not dismiss the weapon or summons another [form], will never require mana again.
Every [form] that materializes needed tremendous amounts of Mana and not all Mages can tolerate its sheer size ––only those who could focus their build on Mana or have planned to get a Black Tech from the very beginning of their careers have the ability to actually bear this large consumption of Mana.
Also, not all of the people who had Black Techs are even willing to use it as their main equipment and only reserves it as a last option at times of need.
But if the user is a Mage who specializes in Mana tactics, then fighting this Mage who can use Black Tech and Magic Spells together is of a greater threat than the Left Minister that he fought before this.
Right now, Heller knew that he made a mistake on his own calculations. He had immense pride on his title and his abilities but he wasn’t so conceited that he’d actually risk a deathmatch against someone he knew he actually holds a disadvantage against.
He is a Sword Mage now, a lot stronger than when he first got his Archmage Title, but while he does boast of his instantaneous short-ranged teleportation spell and his absolute defense magic barrier while being able to devastate enemies with the oppressive might of his Leaf Blade - Yggdrasil Sacrificial Burning Spell combination, right now, he not only had consumed all of his absolute defense magic barrier usage, he also knew that compared to the enemy’s Black Tech that can be summoned with almost no limit as long as he had Mana to spare, he had no chances of winning.
Thus, he decided to retreat… for now.
And as soon as he made up his mind, he pulled the Leaf Blade in that moment of deadlock and prepared to use his instantaneous short-distance teleportation magic to get away.
But not even before his feet touched the ground or was he able to channel his Mana to stabilize himself, the reaper [form] that blocked his attack moved that Heller felt his hairs tingle with the sensation of crisis.
–RIP–––
“–––Gwah!”
The sound of his clothes being torn rung on his ears and he cried miserably in the painful sensation that came with it.
FLASH!
The pain of an injury first arrived before the magic spell of teleportation even kicked in.
It was a pain new to Heller ––something he wasn’t familiar with within the game.
As a matter of fact, wasn’t this the first time he’s feeling this much pain inside the game?
This pain, where did it come from?
His mind was reeling. He knew there was danger in that short clash but how did he received the attack?
He didn’t even see where the attack came from.
Looking at his right arm, his three-colored robe has been ripped off from him and a trace of wound with dripping blood could be seen underneath.
His mind reeling, Heller clicked his tongue as he changed gears, his fiery red robe replaced the first and he teleported far away from Siva before teleporting away again and disappearing from Siva’s sight while gripping his arm.
Everyone in the arena was blinking in disbelief.
The Archmage… retreated.
And upon processing that fact again, they asked the question to the people closest to them:
“Did Heller just…?”
“Yeah. It wasn’t an illusion right?”
At his sight, the players weren’t able to gather their wits and realize that the large looming figure of the giant reaper had been dispelled by its summoner in order to deal with Heller.
Right now, there were four black-robed smaller sized reapers around Siva although only one of them was holding a scythe in its hands.
“What’s happening?”
“Don’t tell me that he has four of them altogether?”
“Is he a summoner?”
“Maybe. But I’ve never heard of any reaper spirits that can be summoned before.”
Apparently, the confusion of seeing Heller retreat was immediately replaced by questions regarding the origin of the spell the new comer Mage had used just now. And while the confused arena players and audiences were thinking of the mysteries behind the magic spell of the newcomer, some of them are now in fact traumatized by the sudden change in this city-wide event.
Some looked up, waiting for the decision of the Elder God while there are others who searched for opportunities to escape and forfeit the game.
Against someone with that deterring Magic Ability or whatever it was… they could risk losing their bets if it means they can live longer and work harder to earn back what they have lost today.
The skies were now filled with fleeing crowds of the frightened players. The only ones left on the arena are the Guilds and their members, some brave ones, the large charred tree, and the poor trodden remains of Bladey.
Siva glanced at the sky for a moment, sending a few words to Thorn and Volt before finally eyeing his four summons.
“Are you sure?” Asked Thorn while Volt backed, “It’s a bit early though.”
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Hearing this, the two almost pursed their lips upon remembering the very reason why they were here in the first place.
“I’m sorry.” Volt apologized.
Siva then faced the crowd and his summons. “I will just test my invention for a bit so wait for my signal. And while we’re at it. Prepare a contract. Let’s make do of these slaves.”
“Pft…”
“S-Slaves?”
“Yeah. Slaves.”
After speaking, he focused his mind on the task at hand: the three other summons held nothing while the main one, the one closest to him, held a scythe.
Behind his mask, he couldn’t help but smile and sip in two bottles of Blue Potions that he hid in advance on the mouth part of his skull mask.
It was both lame and ingenious. He wasn’t the kind to actually care much about appearance ––especially if his appearance wasn’t even that pretty to observe with in the first place.
He eyed the staff in his hand; the orb was at the tip of the Whale Whisker, sending flickering electricity in the air as it received the signal from its owner. The red eyes of his summons flickered in response as Siva threw three things in the air that the three caught and equipped upon themselves.
Those three were weapons.
S-Ranked weapons…
Only the owners of those items that’re now watching dejectedly on their homes from being [Game Over] could recognize what those three weapons are.
It’s because it’s their S-Ranked bets in the arena. If they are smart enough, they could connect this Mage and the Elder God Donar but if not, then they’d just assume that it was a coincidence that it looked like their own inventions.
A large flame-colored Buster Sword two meters in size, a 4m water-colored Lance and Shield pair, and a pair of Exoskeleton Claw Hands with five fingers 1m in size… these three were all S-Ranked Inventions and now, they were Siva’s own toys for him to use.
The large flame sword was normal and the Lance and Shield pair was also one, but the Exoskeleton Claw Hands were somewhat special for their main component is a pair of gloves: whatever the fingers of the gloves do, the Exoskeleton Claw Hands shadows.
It was using the same technological concepts as Samara’s Morrigan Cannons!
Not only that, each of the fingers of the Claw Hands were actually double-edged green colored blades!
When these three weapons were equipped by the three [puppets], their formation even became more frightening.
One death reaper, one wolverine, one Dragoon, and a heavy sword user that can both defend and attack devastatingly at the same time, Siva’s line up, for his two trusted allies floating above the arena, was a monstrous force that could frighten almost anyone.
In fact the two exchanged glances and saw the beads of sweat dripping off their cheeks.
“How can a Black Tech do that?”
“How can a Black Tech do that?”
They could only ask each other this same question.
Indeed, such a question was the first to be asked by those who knew that it was a Black Tech.
How can a weapon use a weapon?!
Siva, however, was oblivious of their or anyone else’s thoughts at that for he was feeling excited seeing his theory working perfectly thus far.
He looked at the crowd and didn’t even think about pursuing those escaping and only wanted to try his power against the lot of them.
With the Whale Whisker in his right hand and the orb attached on the tip using nanocubes as if melded by an expert welder, it was a perfect diversion to hide how his own weapons worked.
In fact, with the glowing of the orb, everyone thought that this scene is produced by some unknown magic!
All the people seeing him in this arena right now, and even those who were watching livestreams from their devices online, looked at him in awe.
None of them would think that everything they’re seeing were just part of Siva’s experiments.
Right now, he just wanted to test everything out!
With his left hand, he touched the top of the Whale Whisker, the orb, and secretly powered it using the energy from a spark grenade.
Then, he ordered his Dragoon Puppet to take the lead to attack the crowd, to be followed by the Berserker Puppet, and lastly by the Swordsman Puppet.
“Everyone, please…” Siva’s voice resounded.
He was teasing, his voice was inviting. His manner and tone was that of a gentleman facing the crowd of visitors in his courtyard.
It was a party… and they are the food. He couldn’t wait any longer to begin the experiments on testing out his creation’s limits using slaughter.
“I won’t use the Killing Zone.” Siva lamented. “Or the experiments will lose its purpose.”
The three said [summons] floated there as they faced the crowd, slowly lifting their weapons. At the next moment, SWOOSH, the three moved forth at a speed that left anyone gaping.
Seeing these [summons] approach, the arena players felt their scalps tingle, their hearts stopped, and their initial bodily reactions were to jump in fright for these three’s appearances were just too ghastly terrifying.
All of the three were of the same sizes as that of a Terran but their appearances were just horrifying.
With blazing red eyes and gooey robes that ignored the winds of their approach, no feet and seemingly only floating there as if they were ghosts carrying S-Ranked weapons, these three [summons] were approaching with the same speed as that of an arrow released from a bow.
In that next instant that Siva spoke those words, the Lancer Puppet reached the closest player.
That player was of the Nine Dragons Gate –Federation– and because of his natural girly-heart, his initial reaction was to cower in fear.
“H-Help me––KASHAK––gwaaaahh!!”
Before anyone could even react and save him, the 4m long Lance had pierced his body and the tip itself was half a meter long beyond his body. The Lancer Puppet didn’t stop and proceeded like a tanker, ignoring all matters and went straight for his second victim.
Seeing this, the NDG Guild Master’s eyes went wide as he could only react too late, reaching a hand to the already dead subordinate.
“Mimi!” His voice trailed and he glared at the Lance Puppet. “You… you… you… killed Mimi!”
The NDG –Federation– GM could only grit his teeth to mourn as he pulled his bow and pulled an arrow that burned bright with golden red flames.
It was his own invention and he was expending Mana to cast Magic on that arrow.
Accompanied by the sound of its string being released, the arrow flew off from the bow accompanied by his raging cry for justice.
To die honorable in the battlefield was one thing but to die in an ugly manner, that, he can’t tolerate! The arrow formed an illusion of a roaring flame dragon as it went straight towards the Lancer Puppet.
The puppet didn’t even turn its head. But with a sound of wind being slashed, the Berserker Puppet appeared and slashed the arrow into countless motes of red flames that dissipated in the wind.
One could even swear to have seen the flame dragon arrow twitch like a helpless worm choked to death by the dark green colored finger blades of that hand. The NDG Guild Master’s eyes widened with shock as his arrow that was faster than an ordinary arrow without Magic on it was easily erased as if it was a mere flying twig.
Gritting his teeth, he then ordered the men behind him: “Kill him!” his finger pointing towards the person who summoned the killer of his beloved federation member.
He didn’t care if that person pushed Heller to retreat after only a single clash. What he cared about is avenging one of his cherished subordinates.
After the order was given, players, members or not of the NDG, realized that the biggest hindrance to their aim of becoming one of the Ten Acolytes of the Elder God should be the first to be eliminated.
This obstruction is the newcomer Mage! They all chose to disregard earlier feuds and quarrels, as even the members of the Sisters of Valkyrie, Night Locking Victory, the Big Bang Guild, and the Ebony Sanctuary all thought of the same ideas ––they should eliminate the biggest threat to their chances of being chosen.
Only a moment had passed and the confusion and surprise of the crowd of players disappeared with that one command.
“Kill him!”
And almost at the same time, their eyes focused only on Siva and it formed a kind of pressure that only the receiver of such attention would feel in his bones.
But for Siva, the more they come, the better. He even smiled behind his mask as he felt the excitement akin to electricity traveling through his bones.
He was only consuming a 200,000 Zentra worth of spark grenade every 10 minutes. In ten minutes, he was positive that he would be able to kill more than one of these guys. And for every one death, he’d get their bets on his loot inventory.
One S-Ranked weapon, when sold, is worth at least half a million Zentra.
That’s an S-Ranked weapon after all.
All S-Ranked equipment are made up of rare S-Ranked materials and these materials, for crafters like Siva, are very important because for every S-Ranked weapon he can disassemble, at least 30% of these weapons’ overall materials can be extracted.
If lucky, one of these 30% materials is a rare one so it was still worth it. Materials are at times even more expensive and more valuable than an equipment. It’s because not every material is used to create equipments, some of them are used to invent general items and these items, when sold, are even a lot more expensive than the equipments they were extracted from!
This is the cycle of materials and equipments in RPG: Terroa and that’s why there are many underground and personal trades happening in the game in exchange for real world cash (credits).
Thinking about it now that he’s also a crafter with the capability to extract said materials, all the more he wanted to begin the slaughter and get more crafting materials. After all, what he computed in his mind just now is only one or two S-Ranked equipment he’d get his hands on after ten minutes of using one 200,000 Zentra worth of Spark Grenade. Who told him that he can’t kill more than two?
Siva’s crafter’s spirit is at its sprouting stage!
An even wider smile beamed into his lips seeing the incoming men and women from the crowd.
If one was to remove that red-eyed skull mask in his face, they’d be frightened even in their sleeps by the ear-to-ear grin from him.
The Lancer Puppet continued its rush as his Berserker Puppet guarded it. His Swordsman Puppet was slow but it was still at the 10m radius between the other two puppets and Siva while the main [Black Tech] was with Siva.
Seeing the attacking crowd, Siva realized something.
“My weakness with my puppets is the fact that if I can’t see them, I can’t determine what is actually happening so I can’t give them the right commands.”
Thinking about this, Siva released five drone cameras that he programmed to capture the nearest 100m radius of his location. That’s a total of 200m diameter!
He was planning to be a watcher of his own position.
With the data from the five drone cameras, he now had a general understanding of his immediate 100m radial area. It was being displayed in his player panel as a 3D rendering where he was viewing it as a side character ––watching everything from off court.
“Ahahaha!” he couldn’t help laughing out loud. The sound of his laughter was even horrifying to listen.
Lowering his body, arms to his shoulders, he then roared towards the sky as the [Reaper] behind him also did the same action. At the next instant though, the Reaper’s red eyes flashed and then… vanished like a ghost who ascended to the heavens!
From 20m away, the crowd of attackers were surprised as they were frightened.
“…!!”
“It disappeared!”
“Where’d it go!?”
“Eyes open. It’s just around here!”
“Stay alert every–Aaaarrgh–––CHAK!!”
The approaching crowd was startled with this action and before they could look around, they heard one of their fellow attackers scream.
But this scream was also abruptly stopped in the middle of its highest pitch as his head was removed from his body and flew on the other side where his body was going towards.
The perpetrator of this crime was the [Reaper] whose scythe still had his blood in it while slowly turning its head to point its red eyes towards the crowd.
Everyone imagined just what kind of horrifying face it had underneath the dark regions of his non-reflective black gooey cloak.
Horror-stricken, the people in front of this man all stopped and some even stumbled as they turned their heads to look back while their formation was broken as those beside this victim froze where they stood whereas others began to back away from the reaper.
Those GMs on the far back all saw how it happened and they couldn’t believe their eyes.
In just a single moment, the unified crowd of players going towards one person was instantly toppled and their will, broken, in just that a single attack.
Who wouldn’t be scared out of their wits?
Everything happened in under a moment’s time!
One second the [Reaper] was behind The Summoner but not even a second later, it already appeared 20m away from its master and beheaded someone in under a snap.
The GM of the NDG –Federation– couldn’t help shaking.
That person who just died was one of his subordinates… again.
“I’ll kill you!” He screamed and his body became a fire-drenched avatar as he soared to the sky with Flight Wings also engulfed in fire.
Right now, he doesn’t look like a Knight who focused on fire spells and fire-attribute abilities but rather a Goddess with fire wings and a fire armor.
He… had visually become a she ––complete with a shining crystallite golden tiara with a ruby in the forehead, a pair of outstretched fire wings, wavy fiery hair, fire armor, and just now, a fire sword in her hand.
She raised the sword to the sky and declared, “My name is Ishtar and I swear upon my name and the honor of the Federation that you shall forever and ever the enemy of the entire Federation! Kill him! Kill him!”
With a sword chop, the NDG-GM, Ishtar, roared in a war-like booming voice and the anger she felt towards Siva had been transmitted to the members of the NDG as well that they all simultaneously, with no exception to a member, roared and flew towards Siva ––abandoning everything–– including those NDG members who sat on the audience rack.
Seeing this scene made Siva’s heart skip a beat.
It should be noted that the Nine Dragons Gate Guild is tied to the Top 3 spot of the most powerful Guilds in Warjillis who had a population of over 70M people.
Even considering that only 1% of them are members of the NDG, and that only 1% of them are in the arena right now, that’s still a staggering 7,000 people ––not to mention… that all of them are heading straight at Siva with reckless abandon rooting from their hatred.
They were now acting in unison under orders of their esteemed Queen of Fire!
Siva had become an enemy of the entire Federation by ruthlessly (or perhaps because it was done in an ugly and unbeautiful manner) killing a member by removing her head without giving her an honorable fight.
But instead of cowering, he only recalled the other three summons who had just then killed five more players in a defensive circle of 20m around him.
“Now this is what I’d call fun!” Siva hissed and then he put his hand above his mask to materialize two bottles of Blue Potions under it as backup.
He was planning to eradicate an entire Guild!
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The chaos of the city has been averted, but Siva
is now the focus of attention… all over again!
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Next chapter: Siva Overload!!!