A full day outside the game, relaxing in the real world, did my body and mind some good, allowing me to not only get some food into my stomach but to let me think through some things. Things that I would be doing from now on. With a simple push of a button, my pod closed and I entered the game. Like every other time I had logged in, it happened between one blink and the next.

Welcome back Kyren Vulpier.

68 hours, 49 minutes have passed since you logged off.

Current in-game time: 06:21:33 AM

As I dismissed that box, another replaced it.

Today is the day of the Spring Festival. The official day that winter ends its long, cold grip. From all of the gods up here, we hope that you enjoy the festivities.

Well, at least I didn’t miss the festival while I was offline. Maybe there would be a few limited time items I could get. Dismissing that window, I took a shower and eyed my outfit in annoyance. While I had proclaimed to myself that I would not care about what armor I wore, it still felt wrong to put the dress on, like I was giving something up by doing so. Thankfully, another window popped up, giving me something to distract myself with before forcing myself into the dress.

Quest:

War for Paradox

Quest Type:

World – Rank S

Description:

The demonic hordes are at the door. Their scouts have returned with the information needed to start their invasion. Stop them and push them back. Maybe set up a beachhead on their staging world. But don’t assume they will fight fair.

Requirements:

Push the demons off Paradox.

Reward:

The ability to travel between this world and those below will be available for use.

Failure:

Loss of Paradox. Enslavement. Permadeath. And other assorted things.

The quest wasn’t offered so much as shoved at me. Given that I wasn’t near the battlefield and that the quest type labeled it as a world quest, I was fairly sure everyone got this quest. Going off the rewards and consequences, this one quest would shape how this game progressed. While this wasn’t the first game to do this, it was one of the most extreme.

Shaking my head at the quest, I slipped the dress over my body. The developers would be making the game unplayable if we failed the quest. But, the developers likely had a plan, that or they expected the hardcore gamers and those who had been in the military at any point in the job to do most of the work.

As I walked to the door, ready to explore the city, a new noise filled the space around me. It sounded like fireworks going off in the distance. As the sizzling of the last explosion quieted, a bright flash had me wincing back in pain as my eyes tried to keep up with the sudden changes in brightness.

Squinting as the light faded, I found a white box with a red bow sitting in front of me. It was hovering there. Not moving. Almost as if it was sitting on top of an invisible table. As I reached for it, the box exploded into glittering colors, imitating a firework of its own as the contents were revealed.

A stone the color of the sun high above rotated where it hung, suspended in the air. Reaching out, I grabbed it. The stone felt light, almost like it wasn’t there. If not for its size and the heat it was giving off, I would have thought I was imagining it.

A closer look surprised me as the stone was covered in runes. Lines and lines of them. Unsurprisingly, I recognized none of them. All I knew was that the item in my hand was magical in nature. Passive or active, I had no idea.

Pushing a bit of mana out, I tried to sense the object and found it to be a void. Any mana that got within a few inches vanished into it. It was almost as if the thing was a black hole but for mana and nothing else.

Item:

SoulStone

Special:

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Soulbound to Kyren Vulpier

Use:

Pour a bit of mana into the stone, then accept the prompt.

Permanent:

Increase all stats by 10.

Other increases will be determined by the system.

Physical changes.

Soulbound item.

Temporary Buffs:

Mana High* (5 minutes)

Pain Immunity* (5 minutes)

Demigod Regeneration* (5 minutes)

Demigod Strength* (5 minutes)

Description

This object will merge both your soul and your physical body. This has a chance to change your species and increase your capabilities. What you are changed into is based on your previous actions, skills, soul, body characteristics, and mind. Once this has been done, it cannot be undone. After the transformation is completed, this item will change into an item to suit your new body.

A mix of awe and dread washed over me as I read the item’s description. The potential power was intoxicating, yet the unknown consequences sent a chill down my spine. While most other people might not have to be worried about this item, I kind of was. Just one look at that succubus class had me realizing just how bad things could go. Maybe this was the games way of forcing the change. Well, I would never use it.

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t say never. Those buffs were amazing. If I was caught between a rock and a hard place, I would take my chances and use this thing. But it would have to be something dire. Just death would not be enough to force my hand. Storing the stone away in my inventory, I stepped out of my room and into the hallway.

While the hall itself was fairly empty of people, the stairs were practically packed. Groups clumped together as they chatted about this or that. I found the scene calming as most were dressed in comfortable clothes. Not a single piece of armor or weapon was on display, though that didn’t mean that there were none in attendance. While the weapons were likely in their owner's inventory, any armor in the area was likely hidden. Hell, I wouldn’t have been surprised if someone told me that their clothes were just as strong as my dress.

Speaking of my dress, while a few people looked me up and down, most of them focused on their group and where they were stepping. The one person whose eyes lingered too long got shoved from behind. His trip to the next floor nearly shortened as a result. The woman behind him shot me a wink before quickly catching up with her companion as he tried to regain his balance. People jumped out of his way and laughed at his predicament.

I found myself smiling as I watched the scene. After taking a quick breath, I joined the crowds of people and made my way down to the ground floor. The place was packed but only around the doors as people made their way in and out of the building before dispersing in various directions. As I let the stream pull me along to the front doors, I noticed that Ginny was the only guild staff in sight. Judging by her posture and the rather large book in her hand, the place wasn’t expecting anyone to need the guild's services today.

The moment I was outside the guild hall, I pushed, slipped, and danced my way out of the current and into a break between two stalls. The rich aroma of grilled meats and sweet pastries mingled in the air, while laughter and cheerful chatter created a symphony of festival joy around me. An older woman in the stall on my right was chuckling as she watched. Her voice was nearly as rough as her skin. “Ah, the enthusiasm of the young.”

As I turned around to face the woman, a man spoke from the other side. His voice was deeper and seemed rougher. “Can you blame them?”

“Never said I did,” she answered with a sigh. “I still remember some of the things we used to do during our youth.”

“Those were the days,” he agreed. “But let's not take the lady’s time up with stories of our exploits. She has her own memories to make while she can.”

“Just make sure to make a few of them with friends.” Her eyes caught mine as her tone sent a shiver down my spine. Her words made it seem like she knew that I was alone and had no plans to hang out with anyone today.

“Before I go,” I finally spoke up. “Do either of you have any recommendations?”

“The arena is always a great place to go,” the old man spoke as his eyes went distant. “Fights will be happening there all day. Pretty good place to make…”

“AND LOSE!” the woman cut in.

“…quite a bit of money.” He finished without stopping. “Then there are the various shops and stalls. Though I hear that there will be quite a few shows, plays, and other events planned this year.”

“Apparently the person planning the festival this year has something planned for just after dark too.” I turned to see the woman deep in thought as she tried to recall something. “Did the fliers call it fire bombs? No. Fire spells? No.”

“Fireworks?” I offered, not really expecting that to be the case. Not when I had yet to see any sort of infrastructure or technology needed for something like gunpowder.

“That’s it.” She proclaimed as she snapped her fingers. “Based on the stories, it is something that some of the bigger cities have, though we have never had the chance to see such a display.”

“Well, thank you for the information,” I said while bowing slightly to the two of them. “I should probably get going and let you both get back to selling your wares.” As I spoke, I got a look at what they were selling. The woman was sitting behind a grill covered in sticks of meat and vegetables. As I watched, a person walked up, put a coin down, grabbed a stick, and walked off.

She must have noticed my expression, as she chuckled. Her finger tapped a piece of metal that hung over the grill. “Never seen an antitheft enchantment, I take it?” I shook my head. “Expensive to buy and quite annoying to keep going, but well worth it. Especially when you get to my age and have no other use for your mana.” As she lowered her hand, my stomach gave a low growl to let me know its feelings of what she was selling.

She smiled and passed me one. I hesitated to take it, but the old man spoke up from his stall. “Don’t you know it’s rude to refuse a grandmother’s offer of food?” Before I could say anything about her not being my grandmother, he continued. “No matter whose grandmother she is.”

Sighing, I took the proffered stick of steaming and sizzling meat. She smiled as I took a bite of the top piece. Liquid burst into my mouth. The heat of it and the meat were enough to force my mouth to stay open as I huffed and puffed to cool it down. Even with how warm the air was, I still managed to release steam with every breath. Both of the stall owners laughed as they watched. “Here,” the man said as something tapped on the wood behind me. Turning, I found a wooden cup sitting on the edge of his stall, yet he didn’t look like he had moved an inch. Nodding my thanks, I took the proffered drink and sipped it.

The flavor that exploded in my mouth was something I had never tasted before. It was sweet yet held a soft tart bite to it. As the drink mingled with the meat juices, the flavors wove a melody together. Before I knew it, the stick and an empty cup were all that I had left. The two items were gone, having disappeared between one thought and the next.

Something trailed down my face, taking me a few moments to identify. It would have taken longer if not for the old man speaking up. “Things in life can be like that. Here one moment, yet gone the next. This applies to anything and everything. It is up to you to remember them.” As he said that, an image of my parents laughing together surfaced in my mind, stirring a deep ache within me. A lump formed in my throat, words failing me. Still, I managed a faint nod. Setting the cup down gently before slipping into the crowd. Blinking back tears as the memories of my parents threatened to overwhelm me.