Asther's sure he died. He released twenty high powered grenades at the same time. Three are on his body and, the explosion from this is strong enough to reach and detonate the other grenades he calculatedly scattered across the battlefield.
There’s enough firepower to even destroy a bunker from the inside. There’s no human that would be able to survive such an explosion, especially someone who was at point blank range when it activated.
That’s why he is surprised at that moment because…he found himself inside a seeming throne room. This doesn’t feel like hell because of how lavish it is. The chandelier seemingly made from diamonds and the golden silk-like chains that adorns the high ivory walls, all of this created a feeling of extravagance. Though nothing that Asther's ever seen on earth.
He didn’t have much time to look around though. As an assassin, he needs to focus on anyone who looks like a threat. And at that moment, this means the person who sat on the throne.
“Asther Wolfhorn, we should’ve met a long time ago.” The man on the throne began, using a deep hollow tone.
There is a cloak hiding the face of this person and yet, Asther can still see this man’s eyes. Staring down at him as if he is an inferior creature and doing so with so much authority that, Asther doesn’t even think he can fight back. Usually he looks for a method to strike. He thinks of all possible routes and options. Yet for this specific opponent, he can find nothing. Not a single hole, nor any opportunity to strike. It’s almost like he’s frozen in place. Meanwhile, the man in question is sitting in a relaxed position on the throne. One hand is showing through the entirety of this person that’s hidden within a black robe. Not a ragged one but a dark robe that’s made from the highest quality materials. Almost like this is darkness itself. A feature that made Asther immediately want it for himself. “You can’t have the cloak” The man added, as if able to hear his thoughts. “Now you’re going to ask who I am, and that’s one thing I can at least grace you with.”Everything felt off. All his life Deidre could sense the weakness of those he faced. Even the best fighters and the best assassins, all of them are fragile to his eyes. Easily breakable with the slightest of touch. But now, it feels like he’s talking to an iron wall. One that he can’t destroy even with a nuclear bomb. And this same creature continued speaking at that moment.
“I am Void.” The man smirked. “I’m what you’d refer to on earth as a god. Specifically, I am the one who governs death. I reap the souls of all who die and judge them based on their deeds on earth.” “I see.” Was Asther’s only response.“That’s it? You’re not even gonna get shocked?”
“Everything about this moment doesn’t make sense. I’m sure that I committed suicide. Yet here I am on a place that I don’t even know of. All my wounds are healed and I am in front of a person who does not have any air of hostility nor deception.” The reaper explained. “Although what you’re saying is hard to believe, that is a more reasonable explanation to the current state of things.” Vold bellowed in laughter, his thick and deep voice resounding around the throne room. This gave Asther a bit of time to inspect the surroundings further. Yet he didn’t see anything sight worthy. In fact, everything he saw before vanished. No chandelier, no golden chains, just the white room, with a single white ivory throne in front. “You’re really something else. I’m glad that I made this decision more than ever now.” “Decision?” “Yes. As you said, you are already dead. Your soul should have gone to the domain of the dead just like the rest. And with your track record, let me tell you, the torture waiting for you there is far beyond what you can handle.” Void didn’t stop here. Proving that he truly knows Asther, he began listing down the worst of crimes that the assassin committed.This person. No. This god. This god truly knows who Asther is. It’s almost like Asther is bare in the presence of Void. That is what he feels like. That’s also why he already knows where this conversation is headed.
Even if the entity in front of him is an all powerful creature who governs over death, the very nature of Asther’s job, there is only one reason why he would be given such an audience as this. There is only one reason why the god is talking as if he’s going to be granted a favor. And before Void could even talk about it, Asther beat the god to it.“So what’s the job?” Asther asked.
This made the god of death stop for a while and pause. Void stared at him for a couple of seconds. Not moving an inch. This pleased Asther who, from the beginning up until that point, was unable to read the creature in front of him.“What makes you think that I have a job for you?” Void asked.
“You said that you pulled me out from hell. Judging from the words you used, this isn’t something that normally happens. That also means that you brought me here for my abilities because…that’s the only thing that is of interest to anyone.” The god of death laughed once again. This isn’t as strong as the first one. But there is evident delight in the tone of his voice. Making his eyes look at Asther with even more interest.“Aside from your unparalleled skills in assassination, you also have a threatening cognitive ability.” Void said in amusement. “Very well then, I’ll cut to the chase.”
The god of death snapped his fingers. This created a seeming hologram that floated right in front of Asther. Something which resembles a text box which you would see on screen. And on it are the words:[Hello Master]
“I need you to go to a world called Ragnarök and assassinate the hero who exists there.” “Assassinate the hero?” “Well it’s not only him that you need to kill. You need to take down everyone associated to the hero. Meaning, you’ll have to take down his connections as well.” Void explained. “But this won’t be any ordinary world. It’s a place that runs on magic and the technology isn’t as advanced on earth.”“Why are you ordering something like this? Isn’t the hero supposed to be on your side as well?”
“Initially yes. That hero was on the side of the gods. In fact, he is the strongest hero that has ever existed. However, it’s also because of this power that he turned against us.” Vold said. “The mortal begun thinking highly of himself. has conquered the whole of Ragnarok and united it under his rulership. But that wasn’t enough for him. This same mortal plans to enter the realm of the gods and conquer it as well.”
“Why don’t you just take him down yourselves?” “We can’t. As deities, we cannot directly intervene on matters concerning the created worlds.” Things finally began making sense. Though it’s still difficult to believe, this is the reality that Asther has to accept. Adapt and overcome. That is the principle that Asther’s always worked with. Something that allowed him to survive for as long as he had. “Okay. One final question then.” Asther stared at the eyes of the god of death. “Why should I work for you?”Void’s lips curved to a smile. It was as if he was waiting for this question to be asked. And, true enough, the god has an answer prepared for earth’s grim reaper.
“If you work for me, I can erase your punishment in hell. As long as you act in accordance to a god or a goddess’s will, everything you do will always be justified. At the same time, a corresponding payment for you will be prepared here in the afterlife.” Void’s smile widened even more. “Namely, I can grant a wish of yours so long as it is within my jurisdiction.”Asther thought about this. What he needs to do is to assassinate a person. It isn’t a job that’s new to him. However, the problem is that he would be sent to a new land. Not anywhere on earth but on a different world altogether.
“I’ll accept on one condition.”
“What’s that?” “I need information. I need time to build my knowledge of that world.” Asther explained. “You said it yourself; technology isn’t as advanced there and I’ll need to rely on magic. That’s why I need information.” “Very well, that can be arranged. The hero isn’t someone who’s going to die anytime soon so you can take as much preparation as needed.” Void said in reply. “One last thing.” Deidre said. “What is it again?” The reaper pointed at the floating text box. “What is this thing?” “That is called a System. It will be your guide and your aide to getting stronger. It works like a normal program window on a computer and, well, it’s customized to seem like a game progression.” Void explained. “I can’t have you going down there empty handed. It’s the most powerful hero that you need to kill after all.” Asther has a lot of questions regarding the system. However, he isn’t given the chance to make one anymore as a magic circle appeared below him. And as he looked at the god of death, only two words came out of this deity’s lips: “Good luck.”“Hey, are you sure that he’s dead?”Asther could hear this voice from a distance. It’s feint but, the sound echoed to where he is. Allowing him to clearly hear it. In fact, he could even hear the nervousness in this person’s voice. Something that is shared by the second person who spoke.“Definitely. Who would survive from falling from that height?”Asther felt something warm at the back of his head. His senses slowly came back one by one. He was able to distinguish the smell of fresh blood. Giving him an idea of the warm liquid that flowed from where he lay.“Let’s go then, I don’t want to stay here any longer.”Asther heard the footsteps trail away. While this happened, his eyesight slowly got restored. It’s almost entirely dark. There is a bit of light but not enough to work with. He focused on this and waited for his eyesight to completely return – this only happening when the sound of footsteps finally disappeared entirely.[Congratulations on your reincarnation master.]This mes
[You have competed the Sudden Quest!][You have gained 500 experience points.][You have leveled up!][You are now level 11!][You have gained Obsidian Daggers D]These are the notifications that the System displayed. One after the other, the text came up. After the last one appeared, something strange happened. A weapon materialized right in front of Asther. Having a brilliant glow which immediately dimmed down until Asther is left with the weapon’s base color.The System’s [Analysis] function immediately worked on the weapon. Allowing Asther to see the specifics that comes with it.[Weapon Name: Obsidian Daggers][Rank: D][Durability: 100/100][Information: A weapon crafted from the scales of a cave centipede. This weapon is known for its durability and its sharpness in cutting.][Information: Infusing the wielder’s mana on the weapon will allow the blade to extend in length temporarily. The extended blade is just as sharp as the original blade.]“You look useful.” He raised the we
An hour has passed since Asther left the cave. With the inherent knowledge of the previous body owner, he is able to come back to the village without getting lost. The village itself is surrounded by tall walls made of rocks. On top of these are the soldiers who guard the city.The reason why there is a set up like this is because of the monsters. Although the hero has defeated the demon lord long ago, monsters still linger in the land. In fact, killing the demon lord actually had a great effect on these remaining monsters.They are literally able to get stronger because of this. The essence and the dark mana of the demon lord didn’t disappear. It simply scattered across the land. There are monsters who gained more of this and monsters which gained less. And for those who are able to absorb the most, they are immediately elevated to the status of catastrophe beasts. Monsters who are regarded to be close to the Demon Lord’s powers.The walls cannot prevent catastrophe beasts from enter
Asther headed back home. There really isn’t any reason for him to stay outside because, the longer he’s exposed, the greater the chances for the villagers to do bad things to him. Fortunately, the assassin’s experiences in his previous life helped him avoid all sorts of trouble. Moving in the shadows and as silently as he could until he finally reached his house.There really isn’t much to see from the place. The house is a wreck. The roof is destroyed and the windows are broken. Parts of the walls have holes on them and, all around this place are words in graffities. They aren’t written in any kind of text from earth but, because of the previous body owner’s memories, Asther knows how to read these quite easily.“Curse.”“Leave this village.”“Bad luck.”“Trash.”These are only some of the things which Asther read from the wall. He doesn’t care about these but, he does think that the real Asther lived such a miserable life. One that remained miserable until the real Asther died.“You
More than anything else, Asther simply wanted to take a rest. After everything that happened, his new body is already worn and tired. Probably due to the soul transfer, the fighting, and all the information he needed to take in. That’s why he wanted to sleep so badly and, that’s why his evening visitors got on his nerves.“Can’t a guy get some shut eye around here?”Asther isn’t a fool. With his trained assassin ears, he heard the footsteps that slowly came towards his house. These are sneakily, yet poorly made. That’s why he knows that it’s only a bunch of amateurs that’s coming for him. However, even amateurs can cause problems if not handled properly.“Should I just kill them on the spot? That’s probably the best course of action for me to take right now.” Asther thought to himself as he got up and took the knife in his pocket.“But that would cause problems tomorrow. I’m sure the villagers would ask where these individuals went.” Asther decided to peek through one of the holes in
What exactly happened to Asther that night? Well, the explanation is simple. The sniper went to the house of Baron. Using the memory of the body’s previous owner, Asther is able to find this without any difficulty.Baron is the son of the village chief. As far as the rules go, this also means that Baron is the next in line for the position of Chief. In this world, leadership is passed down from father to son. If there is no male representative from the main family, then the one who’d rule next would be taken from those of closest bloodline to this family.This is part of the reason why Baron is so bold with everything he does. The reason as to why he is not scared of the possibility of Asther reporting him to the authorities. It’s because this sorry excuse for a human has a high position in the village. But it’s not like this is the larger reason to why Asther can’t report.No matter what he does, society will never take Asther’s side. After all, he’s a curse. A bastard son from a hol
Asther got up early in the morning. Long before the sun could come out, the teen is already geared up for the day ahead. There are things that require preparation by him after all. That’s why he needs to get up early.He took his new daggers, his flint and steel and, also a piece of rope which he also stole from Baron’s room. After this he opened the System. Making sure of things before he continued with his plans.“Show me the information about the centipedes.”[Yes Master]Since Asther has leveled up, he can now see some of the information that has been blocked from him because of the level gap he had with the centipedes when he fought these.[Information: Although they don’t use it for combat, the bodies of the centipedes are actually filled with venomous liquids. These are lethal once injected to any person. Killing them in a matter of seconds.]“Perfect.” Asther said after reading through the whole thing. “That’s exactly the kind of thing that I need to see.”[Master.]“Yes? What
An assassination is never anything grand. It happens the quickest way possible, using the most efficient route there is. Some may call it cowardly and some may even deem it as an underhanded tactic. But whatever it is called and, however it is viewed, the reaper doesn’t care. In the end, he’s the one alive and, those that question his methods have their lives taken from them.Asther assassinated the three murderers of his body’s original wielder. He did so using a simple, yet well thought of, plan. First he went back to the cave and extracted the poison from the bodies of the centipedes. He placed all of this on a small vial that he also took from the village. He also took three parts of the centipede’s shells. Thinking that this might be useful for him later on.After this he went to his hunting spot and prepared the trap. He dug up a hole using a makeshift shovel. Combining a tree branch and the centipede shell which he tied together. With this, he made the hole needed for his trap.