Dashing past the Giant Rabbits and hitting them in quick successive hits, he gained a decent amount of experience, but not as much as before as Kezner started to ignore them if they weren’t close enough. His current goal was to locate the shrine before Mitun’s followers found it, it would alleviate a lot of pressure off of his mind. The method to relocating a shrine was simple, you just had to attack it. But the amount of power needed to attack it had to make it feel threatened. Even a deity couldn’t control their own shrine, shrines had their own basic instincts, though they were indestructible, they had to take into account the resurrecting deity.
If a deity were to be attacked right after it was resurrected, it would have to resurrect once more. So naturally, if it felt the deity was in danger during or right after the resurrection, it would automatically move the deity a random and tremendous distance away, however this consumed prayers, causing the resurrection to take longer. Prayers were the lifeline of a deity, they carried a form of energy that supported the deity, so in return, the deity would use a portion of the prayers as blessings to their followers.
In his estimation, it would take until level 40 to threaten Mitun’s Shrine, this included the increased stat points. In all honesty, it might just take until around level 15 if he put all of his points into strength, but that was just plain stupid. For a short-term benefit, he wasn’t willing to sacrifice his long-term power. As Abaddon, he wished he was able to manipulate what stats went where, and although he didn’t have a display that told him exactly how much he had, he felt them.
Mitun’s Field, which was originally Mitun’s Forest, was beyond vast, well in context with the current levels of the immortal humans. Abaddon was once able to transverse it in mere seconds, however he was now Kezner, an immortal human with a pitiful 72 points in agility.
The farther in the fields he ran through, the higher the level of the Giant Rabbits, at the start of the field almost all of the rabbits were level 5, but now all of them were level 7. This meant that the monsters were starting to transition into stronger monsters, sooner +or later Giant Rabbits wouldn’t spawn near him.
His suspicions were correct, because after five minutes of running he encountered a lone wolf that was almost as tall as him and was level 10. Kezner paused at this sight. Wolves were originally social animals, they lived in packs and would rarely separate, the fact that these wolves were separated meant that either their pack was nearby, or these were naturally weaker than the rest of the pack and left to fend for themselves.
The first option meant that meant Kezner was in for one hell of a fight soon. If it was the latter, that means that the packs were actually a lot stronger than he had anticipated. Kezner never really paid attention or cared for Mitun’s plane in the slightest, the times he visited Mitun’s Forest could be counted on one hand, and even when he did visit, he passively slaughtered everything in a mile radius of himself without having to lift a finger. He would never have anticipated being reborn as a weak immortal human.
The problem with wolves in this field was not only their level, but their ability to hide well. The tall grass in the field was not only difficult to transverse but made it hard to locate animals attempting to hide or ambush. The Giant Rabbits were easy to find because their tall ears stood out of the grass, while the wolves most likely had a higher intelligence and would know to keep their heads low to ambush their prey. The only reason he encountered this wolf by itself was because it noticed he was only level 7.
Looking at the wolf named, “Lone Wolf”, he noticed that this fight wouldn’t be so difficult. Wolves would have low defense, stamina, and health, while high agility, dexterity, and strength. In front of an overpowered bastard like Kezner, this wolf stood no chance. Although he couldn’t beat it in a fight of speed and strength, he could definitely win in a battle of attrition. However he couldn’t be too arrogant, Lone Wolves would be stronger than normal wolves but weaker than the alpha. They were usually once alphas, but were kicked out over losing their positions, however that was somewhat rare, so Lone Wolves were really uncommon to find.
Steeling himself, Kezner tightened his grip on his Steel Club as the wolf circled around him as it stared him down. The two of them were staring at each others’ eyes in half squints in an attempt to intimidate the other, yet neither of them backed down.
Kezner wielded the club similar to a sword, but quickly adjusted himself, he would die if he tried using the club like a sword. A club was centered around slow yet heavy-handed blunt attacks, if he acted like that club had a sharp edge he would quickly die. He had to focus on his body’s weight distribution, and hunched over a little as he held the club with one hand.
The wolf didn’t care anymore and decided to adjust attack, how much damage could a measly level 7 do? Heh.
The wolf pounced towards Kezner with its mouth open wide, going in to bite his neck. Kezner saw this and decided it would be a good time to use one of his skills, Bonk. Since Bonk was a one-handed skill, it was easy to use with proper weight distribution. Skills not only required the requirements listed, but the posture as well, and deviation wouldn’t allow the skill to work.
Moving his Steel Club to his side, he quickly raised it and aimed it at the side of the wolf’s head. When the club and wolf met, Kezner saw the familiar damage indicator on top of the wolf’s head, “27 Damage” and noticed that the wolf’s health bar dropped by about a fourth, then he saw another damage indicator and health drop, “13 Damage, Critical!”.
When you hit a vital part of a monster’s or person’s body, it would be considered a critical, where it damages the target by about another 40% of the initial damage done. The wolf’s jaw was considered a vital body part, so it was critical.
The wolf staggered back as it gave out a quiet whimper, then a bark. The Lone Wolf became more vicious as it stared at Kezner with hateful eyes, while Kezner stared back with a calm and sturdy gaze.
He estimated that the wolf lost about 40% of its health, so if he used his other skill, Whack and one basic attack, this Lone Wolf would be as good as dead. However, the Lone Wolf didn’t give him time to adjust himself to use Whack, as it quickly rushed towards him with bloodshot eyes. Since the club was heavy, Kezner couldn’t completely protect himself against the bite quick enough, allowing the Lone Wolf to rip off a chunk of his left forearm.
Kezner trembled and screamed in pain, however the pain slowly turned into a laughing howl. The conceited Lone Wolf that witnessed this unholy shift of emotion started to shiver as it realized that the level 7 human in front of him was laughing, even when in this much pain. Thinking about the attacks from earlier and his current actions, the wolf realized that this level 7 wasn’t normal, it had even killed level 10s before and they hadn’t been as difficult, albeit that was when he was the alpha and had the support of the pack.
Kezner was intoxicated from the pain, he wasn’t a masochist, well maybe, but that wasn’t why he was laughing. He was laughing because as Abaddon, his body had naturally gone numb to pain and hadn’t felt it for thousands of years. But now in this weak, yet new human body, the pain was refreshing, he had been deprived of it for so long yet now, as this arm was soaked in blood, he felt at peace, he decided to accept the identity as Kezner with open arms.
The Lone Wolf checked Kezner’s health bar and realized that only a third of his health went away, “What the fuck was this level 7’s defense?!”
It wanted to run away now, it was intelligent to know that this was a losing battle, that it would die at this rate, but deep inside was a pride it harbored. It wanted to run, yet if it did, then it truly wasn’t an alpha. The Lone Wolf still resented the fact that it couldn’t wash away the shame of being kicked out, if it ran away now, then it had to accept the fact that it deserved to be chased away.
Kezner slowly stopped laughing, as his laughter which reached the heavens died down. Taking a deep breath from his nose, he realized that he was in the middle of a battle with the Lone Wolf. However, he paused when he looked into the wolf’s eyes, a strong pride yet confused as to what to do with it, throw it away and live another day? Or keep it and die for it?
His eyes softened at this sight, it not only reminded him of himself, but also of his Hellhound which he secretly called “Poochie”. Poochie was once a stray found in a dirty alley in some random plane in the Hell realm after being chased by Enthrok, the Devil of Darkness.
It was being attacked by its own kin after it showed its lack of talent. That was just how the world worked, except it was Abaddon that slaughtered his own brethren over greed and jealousy. Now that he thought about it, what would Poochie do now that he suddenly disappeared… He was suddenly conflicted by power and his love for Poochie. Kezner silently vowed in the back of his head that he would go back for Poochie when he regained his strength.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
As a man that once cut off all of his mortal ties and connections, he realized how lonely and boring it was to be strong alone, a friend or two wouldn’t hurt. Sure, Poochie was there, but it was a Hellhound, it boasted great physical ability, but it was greatly lacking in the intelligence department.
Back to the conflicted Lone Wolf, Kezner made a proposition in a dignified yet arrogant manner, “Lone Wolf, join me. Become my subordinate, my pet, and we will rule the high Heavens and deep Hells of this world and ascend to the next world together!”
The hesitant Lone Wolf paused as it slowly processed Kezner’s words and became enraged. What subordinate? What pet? He was going to make him, a prideful wolf, into a slave, this was nothing but a death sentence, no it was worse than a death sentence.
It barked even louder in rage, which dropped Kezner from his high horse, “Yes, I am just a mere low-leveled human, what immediate power can I promise? None. Well, I just have to beat it into submission don’t I?”
Kezner was even more eager to tame this wolf, its pride was greater than its survival instincts, these were the most loyal and strongest of monsters, yet they were the hardest to reign in. With a vicious smile, he raised his club again and used Bonk, once more. He was originally planning to use Whack, but he couldn’t use his left arm anymore.
This time when it pounced towards him, the Lone Wolf zig-zagged when it got close enough, as to avoid kissing his Steel Club again, its jaw was almost broken last time. However, Kezner already anticipated this, and due to investing points into dexterity, he was able to change the trajectory of the club midway through his skill, allowing him to strike its jaw again.
[25 Damage]
[10 Damage, Critical!]
This dropped the wolf’s health to a dangerously low level, with about 5% left. So Kezner decided to negotiate with it one more time, “Alright, I understand your point of view and will take a step back. I won’t treat you as a pet, but as a friend, that is until I reach level 100. Look, I can basically kill you with one more hit, and I run just as fast as you and for longer, you won’t be able to run away from me. So you have everything to gain and nothing to lose, join me!”
The Lone Wolf, though it couldn’t think too deeply, it understood what short-term and long-term benefits were. In this situation, the worst outcome was to die a little later, but did it really make a difference if it died now or later? But what if the best outcome occurred? It would be friends with a strong human that could help it out and take revenge. It could only give a sigh similar to a human’s while shaking its head and walking towards Kezner’s side.
Kezner gave a relaxed smile as he gently pet his new dog’s head, only for the wolf to bare its teeth and growl. He had almost forgotten that this “new dog” was now his companion and colleague, not his pet.
[67 Experience Gained]
[??? has joined your party.]
[Would you like to give a name to the tamed “Lone Wolf”?]
Tapping yes, Kezner thought for a second before smiling and typing in, “Messenger”. His naming sense wasn’t the best, but “Messenger” was symbolic, sure he couldn’t be deified in Megrove due to his titles, but he considered himself something beyond a mere deity. And Messenger would be, well, his messenger, he would be his mouth.
For some pets, once you created a deep bond and raised their intelligence, they would gain a human form, but that was his plan for later. For now, Messenger was a simple minded wolf that was currently working with the former ruler of Megrove, while thinking he was a weak human. A strange relationship to say the least, but a welcomed one.
Kezner, in a pretty good mood, decided to take it slow and start grinding Giant Rabbits. With his current strength, he wouldn’t be able to challenge the wolf packs deep in the fields, so he might as well backtrack a little. He honestly didn’t want to leave Mitun’s Fields, not until he shifted Mitun’s resurrection point.
---1 Hour Ago - Watchers Inc. Headquarters---
Blaring alarms and flashing red lights were heard and seen throughout the entire building as every developer was busy scurrying through data logs and taking painkillers to alleviate the pounding headaches.
With shaking hands, a middle-aged man with neatly combed pure silver hair and facial hair had his hands trembling as he read through the reports of the data logs as his face progressively reddened. His trembling hands slowly took off his glasses as he took and deep breath and asked, “Omnis, explain to me what happened to Z-666.”
“Z-666 had gained self-awareness a year after the introduction of players and self-reflection. Due to this, I found it necessary to recreate Z-666 as a player rather than a boss or NPC. If Z-666 became too self-aware then the very core of Megrove would be threatened by it, something even I am not allowed. Therefore, I nipped the bud before the flower of disaster bloomed.” A slightly robotic female voice sounded throughout the room.
“So you’re telling me, to stop him from breaking the game, you recreated him as a player? A being with more in-depth knowledge of Megrove than any one person in this building? Where is the balance in that? We should have simply just recreated him!”
“Your order was to avoid anything requiring patchwork or updates to Megrove, especially if it included shutting down the server, and I have achieved that. Anyway, Z-666 doesn’t crave power in Megrove anymore.”
“Wait, what do you mean he doesn’t crave the power in Megrove?! The baseline of his character was to aim to be the strongest and most powerful entity in the game! Unless, don’t tell me he…” The silver-haired man’s trembling continued and felt his blood pressure spike, so he quickly reached for his medication.
“Due to his self-awareness, he now covets power here on Earth, so I entered the reservoir of mana we have and gave him the ability to come to Earth for 8 hours after a 24 hour cooldown. Here he would obtain a physical human body which would appear in the headquarters when first created so as to not cause mass-hysteria in public. Z-666 is now a player named Kezner.” Omnis replied.
The middle-aged man was on the verge of a heart attack when hearing this, he wanted to curse, but he could only say so much at the same time, so it just came out as a shout. He was frustrated and enraged beyond belief, “When I designed this damn thing, I forgot to give it some sense of freedom, it took my orders too far! Artificial intelligence my ass, this thing is dumber than a stack of fucking bricks!”
Quickly a few other developers rushed in and were shocked to see the founder and head developer in such a state. They had travelled with him from that place, and had never seen him lose his cool this badly, something beyond disastrous must have happened.
“Ay, ay, ay, what happened, calm down old man. What happened, talk slowly.” A man in his late 20s to early 30s picked up his pace to see what was wrong with him, looking at him up close, he realized the situation was worse than they thought when walking in.
“R-read this…” He could barely make out those words before collapsing on his desk.
“H-hey, old man wake up, what’re you doin’?” The man got nervous as he shook the middle-aged man.
“Mr. Gareth is fine, he has just collapsed due to being overly stressed without any sleep. He will wake up in a few hours.” Omnis assured.
The man read the report as his colleagues were peeking from behind him, but they were all dumbfounded when reading the report and asked Omnis the same questions as Mr. Gareth.
…
“Un-fuckin’-believable.” Hughes, the man from earlier, muttered as he sank into his office chair next to Mr. Gareth.
“You’ve got that right.” Cynthia responded with a blank stare towards the floor as she sat in another chair.
The woman next to her, Arlean, was just mumbling nonsense to herself as she was trying to figure out what the hell went wrong.
“Ha, ha, ha, it’s not a dream, is it?!” Mr. Gareth suddenly shot back up from his three hour nap with a heart laugh that shook the entire building. His laughter startled the dazed and confused trio.
“Old man, what do we do now? Do we kill him? But isn’t he a player now? What would happen if he becomes too powerful?!” Hughes asked in concern.
“Yeah, he’s too dangerous to be kept alive, we should just cut our losses and shut down the server for a night to fix this up.” Cynthia suggested in a hurried manner.
The dazed Arlean just kept mumbling.
“You three morons, what are you rambling on about? I just realized, this is a god-sent opportunity! We weren’t able to accomplish this no matter what we did, yet Omnis did! Omnis has such profound views relating to magic yet it’s an AI, what about these NPCs? How far would their understanding go in such a profound topic? We could understand different forms of magic we didn’t even know about? And if we send it back there, do you know what we would have accomplished?!” Mr. Gareth acted as if he just stumbled across a mountain of gold.
The other three’s eyes brightened as they came to this realization, they remembered that they did create magic in Megrove to be correspondent to real magic, so their uses were the same to bosses and NPCs. To players, it was easy to manipulate and wasn’t anything like real magic usage.
“And as for Z-666, no Kezner, wouldn’t he be one of the greatest magic users ever to exist?! This is wonderful, even if he is originally a demon, he would still have profound views on magic!” Mr. Gareth was now ecstatic rather than frustrated, it looked like he was going to have a heart attack, this time out of happiness.
The other three just gulped as they realized the validity of this information, so they scurried to watch Kezner on a large monitor.