AESIR'S REVERT

Chapter 4: Grims Arrival

Aesir was stunned. Beyond the experience gained, the amount of gold was staggering. Most affluent players had at best 20 bronze coins. Aesir had received 3000 gold coins—a fortune in the game's economy, which followed the standard MMO currency tiers.

Valor points? A thousand with every human, elf, and dwarven kingdom and empire? Having 1000 Valor points entitled Aesir to own land in the awarded kingdom, among other powers coveted by players, notably the ability to circumvent the law.

Humans inherently dominated all else, including NPCs initially regarded as mere programs. Aesir himself held this view until NPCs gained rights after the second update.

Valor points from the Temple of Light were even more precious, granting access to exclusive paths and classes across kingdoms, akin to the Vatican's power over ancient Rome.

The Temple bridged mortal and divine realms, holding unique treasures and legacies coveted by players. In Aesir's past life, a player with 70 Valor points accessed the Temple's armory, becoming a formidable force in Faction Online.

Aesir's high points were three times more than other players', suggesting he could earn more than just divine weapons from the Temple. He decided to wait and focus on hidden quests instead. If he reached 500 reputation points, he might receive a divine emblem, becoming a Lesser God to create his own Pantheon.

He stared at the legendary treasure chest with intense desire. To Aesir, loot was everything—more valuable than anything else. His battles with the Void Walkers and capturing Yuki-Ona all aimed at obtaining the Ruby of Ether, a Semi-Legendary item. Even after 15 years, neither guild owned a legendary item; his Spiritual Energy sword came closest as a pseudo-legendary piece.

Only top-ranked players had Divine items, which were incredibly powerful. At level 7, Aesir's achievements exceeded his 15 years of play, showing that focusing on warfare instead of exploration slowed his progress. Now free from hatred, he could fully enjoy Faction Online.

Aesir had never heard of the special Grade before, beyond the known nobility rankings. Ante's information network in Faction Online was like the US government's, so any previous discoveries would have been well-known. This Grade surprised Aesir, granting unique benefits like passive defense against evil-aligned beings, similar to a berserk aura from a divine weapon.

Despite the scarcity of evil beings, this boon assured Aesir of his invulnerability against assassins.

He laughed bitterly. If he had such powers in life, he wouldn't have died and been reincarnated. Pushing aside regret, he focused on the present.

Aesir recalled a crucial quest from his past life that would solidify his future empire. He knew better than to open his legendary treasure chest in town. As he planned his next move, the sky darkened, and a tremendous pressure descended on Amzion Crib Town, affecting everyone within a thousand kilometers. Some weaker NPCs died instantly.

A booming voice demanded, "Who dares kill my boy?" The earth shook, the sky churned, and a face appeared in the clouds, handsome yet arrogant.

Aesir coughed blood from the absurdity. Kyle, sweet? That boy had wreaked havoc, and Aesir had survived a month of hiding and fighting during Kyle's rampage. The memory justified Aesir's actions.

Suddenly, Aesir realized the truth: the being in the sky was Grim, Kyle's father. Cursing his luck, Aesir understood. In his past life, Kyle was killed by powerful forces, not a level 1 player. Grim would seek revenge and use this as a pretext for war.

"Bring him to me. I Grim will carve his heart out."

Some players fainted from the pressure and Grim's words. Though they couldn't have children until the 5th update, they didn't know that.

Aesir got back to his feet, shaking off the intense mental pressure. Grim's words were harsh, but Aesir had faced worse in his past life. His mental strength was unmatched.

He grimaced, thinking of ways to escape without crippling his account. He couldn't afford to be caught with the Absolute Prana Wave. If he had the Dark Swordsman class and more skills, he might escape using speed. Grim couldn't leave the demon realm; this was just his killing intent.

If Grim's main body were here, Amzion Crib Town would be destroyed. No player could withstand Grim's intent, which felt like a level 75 Major. Only powerful NPCs could resist.

Aesir sighed, realizing he had to stall until powerful NPCs arrived. They wouldn't miss the Devil King's astral form. They might come to verify Kyle's death.

"Grim! Your ugly son was killed by Daddy Aesir! What are you gonna do about it?!" Aesir roared.

The killing intent focused on Aesir, making him grit his teeth.

"Oh? Interesting. You can remain standing. You're promoted from bacteria to an ant. This is the highest you'll ever reach," Grim said, mildly surprised.

Aesir almost fainted. Grim's arrogance was so deep he believed this was a promotion.

"Listen, Fork-tail! Grandpa Aesir challenges you to a mental battle! Flash your strongest killing intent, and if I withstand it for five minutes, you must leave until I'm strong enough to fight you!"

Grim pondered. The rudeness didn't bother him. An adult wouldn't fuss over an ant in his boot; he'd just kick it away.

Grim was surprised by this human's boldness. Killing his third son at such a level made Aesir interesting. Grim sensed a potential future opponent and felt excitement.

"You know what? I'll humor you. If you survive for a minute, I'll let you go. When you can approach one million kilometers around my real body without dying, we'll fight," Grim answered with a cryptic smile.

Before Aesir could respond, an overwhelming mental pressure crashed down on him, forcing him to stoop. His face twisted in pain as he struggled to remain standing.

Every second felt like millennia as the pressure increased. Aesir began coughing and fell to his knees after just 10 seconds. His challenge to last 5 minutes was clearly excessive.

By 30 seconds, he was on all fours, having run out of energy. He felt like Atlas, carrying the weight of the sky. With a bitter smile, he released his own killing intent and aura, which he had kept hidden as a last resort.