I awoke that morning with a burning desire to get stronger. If I train like my life depends on it, the results should show quickly!I made sure not to skip my morning workout, today. Muscle building, while not as efficient as leveling up, could prepare the body to receive greater strength. Increasing stamina and even gaining stats occasionally, were also possibilities.After an hour of exercise, I got ready and made my way down to the dining area.As usual, one of the knights had been waiting to escort me to the Grandmaster."Good morning," I said to the knight. I looked around and didn't see Jorgan or Talia. They were probably busy with something, so I figured that I could say hello to them later."Greetings, Mizik. I'm here to bring you to Grandmaster Calos," the knight said."Are we going to the usual place, then?" I asked. I had started to memorize the way to the guardhouse and would likely be able to make my own way there soon."Actually, today there are other plans. Walk with
I woke up extra early and got ready for work in the Diner today. Luckily, Talia had left a uniform in my room for this very day.I made my way downstairs and found Jorgan along with Talia sitting at a table discussing business."Good morning," I said as I approached."Good morning, Mizik. Sleep well?" Jorgan asked with a friendly smile. I nodded and returned it."Great, let's get down to business then. My daughter Irene requested today off, so there's a spot for you. We can start off in the kitchen before we open and I'll show you how we run things. Then, I'll send you out to take orders. Sound good?" "Absolutely. Let's get started!" I said.Jorgan handed me a small nametag that just read 'Mizik' and I affixed it to my uniform.We spent the next two hours in the kitchen and I learned several things about cooking from Jorgan. I was also given a chance to show everyone what I could do. Not to brag, but I was pretty good at cooking. They were impressed with my ability.Later on, when t
Did I hear that right!? I'm about to meet the King of Albatross!?"Umm..." I began."Is there a problem?" Isabella asked me."I...I guess not. But why do you want me to meet him?""I want him to stop bothering me about marriage, so I've brought you here. Besides, we're a couple now and it makes sense to show you to him."I suppose, yeah. It's inevitable. But still, I'm going to meet a King...Isabella seemed quite confident with her answer. She also didn't seem to notice I was so nervous that I was sweating.I loved Isabella. I meant that honestly.I could even say that I would love nothing more than to marry her. A kind and beautiful Princess? What kind of man wouldn't want that!?But we literally just started dating!There was also the problem of Cassandra not being completely wrong about me.I may have had Iratus blood in my veins, but I wasn't entirely nobility, either.Isabella could very well put herself in an unfavorable situation if she chose something like that.We approached
The next two weeks after my engagement were full of smiles and happiness. Since I was allowed unrestricted access to castle grounds, I had become something of a regular.Shortly after it happened, I told Jorgan and everyone at the Diner. When they heard, they all congratulated me. I also mentioned to them that they should remain quiet about it.Some of the guys in the kitchen were really envious the next time they saw Isabella and I together, but ultimately just laughed it off.I often went to the training grounds to learn from the Grandmaster and Isabella even joined in. We had been ignoring the Black Ooze too much and needed to get strong quickly.Isabella, under the persona of Rose, would frequently take requests with me from the adventurers guild. Walter even joined in wearing his full armor to hide his identity.I still had trouble believing that the same person I had become friends with in Lorelei was the First Princess of Albatross.And soon, she would be my wife!I discovered
I awoke the next morning with an odd feeling in my mind. I felt excited, yet also worried about going to the castle again. Something in me was absolutely terrified for some reason.Going to the castle would mean being near Cassandra again and I didn't like that at all.And the thought of that made my skin crawl all over, for some reason.Isabella swore that her sister wasn't all bad, but I couldn't see it no matter how hard I looked. Cassandra's heart was as black as sin. I saw no good in her at all.I slowly got up and nervously got ready.I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to me... Cassandra said some pretty worrying things, after all.I got my armor on and affixed Vengence to my hip as I always did. I thought about putting it in my inventory, but decided not to because it seemed like a good deterrent. Then I looked out the window of my room and saw the castle in the distance. I felt my heart racing at the thought of seeing my beloved again.I went to
Isabella slept well that night. After departing with her beloved and promising to meet him early the next day, she retired to her chambers. She laid down in her bed as thoughts of Mizik raced through her mind.Truthfully, she had to hold herself back quite a bit due to her position.On top of the deal made with her father.She would have to wait until Mizik turned fifteen, and then she could finally become his bride.Isabella buried her face in her pillow as she recalled the first time she kissed him"I should have kissed him again..." She thought to herself.She was so deeply in love with Mizik Iratus that he was almost all she could think about.There was only one small problem.Mizik felt very uncomfortable being in the castle due to Isabella's sister, Cassandra.Isabella loved her sister. From the time they were children, they had been great friends. Always looking out for one another. The issue of the throne never came up.Over time, it was discovered that Isabella had many more
For as long as I could remember, I had known only pain and despair.I couldn't tell how long I'd been down here. I could barely even remember how I got to this place...This horrible place where hope goes to die...I'd been starved, dehydrated, cut, stabbed, beaten, whipped, tricked, and mocked.I had been force-fed partially rotted food and dirty water to be kept alive. I had also been forced to sit in my own filth as a result.I no longer desired to live.I knew only pain.I once believed that I could be saved from my fate, but I had lost all hope.I tried to shift myself, but my legs didn't work anymore.She broke them three days ago, after all.At least I thought that was how long it had been. I couldn't tell time down here.I looked at my status menu to watch my health slowly tick down as it had been doing more lately.Any moment now. I'll be free, soon. Tick...tick...tick... Almost at zero... Please go faster... Let me die...I want to die... She can't hurt me anymore if I'm dead
Since the day I was rescued, I'd been mostly confined to the castle hospital. Slowly, I had been able to learn how to use my arms and legs again. With the use of healing magic, the bones in my legs were reconstructed and the muscles were repaired in my arms and hands.Unfortunately...I was left horrifically scarred as a result.My face only had the one mark that Cassandra gave me at the beginning. Thankfully I was rescued before my eyes were gouged out...The rest of my body, however, was not so fortunate. Scars dotted and criss crossed all over my abdomen, my arms, my back, and my legs. My hands and feet were also not spared.The experience was so surreal and nightmarish that I had couldn't even remember where some of the scars came from.Despite having been kicked in the crotch many times, however, the family jewels made a full recovery too.However, whether or not I was impotent as a result remained to be seen...I shakily stood in front of a mirror in my underwear and examined
The Oracle was quite literally dragged to the Cursebreaker. She had gone completely insane after being killed, tortured, and reset ten thousand times."I have successfully discovered the source of my curse," Vakra said."Is it her?" I said as I looked at the Oracle.She wouldn't move anymore."No. Her power is part of it, but she isn't the one who cursed me. I'm guessing that it was a higher power. But who could be higher than the Oracle? The Creator, of course.""So you were cursed by the architect of all of creation? That makes sense. Why would he want you running wild and defying reality like that?""Ugh...it pains me to admit it, but you are correct, Mizik... My abilities made a mockery of his creation and I was likely cursed as a result. Meaning that I can never erase this curse.""So sad to hear. But that's also a good thing for me. I don't think I would trust you if I couldn't contain you," I said."Right...and you'd be correct to assume such a thing. But I suppose I should get
I was led to a large staging area where numerous gods of the realm had gathered. Isabella followed and I instructed Stella to stay back.The three of us, that being the Albatross twins and myself, were the ones most hurt by the Oracle's actions.Today...she would suffer in front of her people. And they would bear witness to the monster she created out of her own stubbornness and stupidity.We currently stood backstage. We were waiting for the Artificer to give the signal. And that's when I heard him speak."Greetings, people of Excelsis. As you well know already, I am the Artificer. The Guardian of Dominus. Today, you have all gathered here without knowing why...and soon you will find out. Good citizens of the realm, some of you are still haunted by the things you saw before the reset was ended. Most of you have no clear idea as to why Excelsis was violently razed to the ground by the man who calls himself: Destroyer. Well...that is the folly of your former leader. The Oracle is the o
Finally, preparations were complete and the festival began.Currently the three...or four of us? Were walking through the city streets and looking at the different attractions.That is to say, the Albatross twins and Stella.I allowed the others off of the ship so that they could enjoy themselves for a bit. The Artificer assured us that the area was secure. He was sure that the Oracle's Faithful had completely abandoned Excelsis.On every corner, we saw a squad of six drones. Additionally, other groups could be seen flying around above.Still, despite all of this...Isabella remained ever vigilant. Always clinging to my arm and staying right next to me. Despite the Artificer's reassurance, she continued to protect me.Stella followed behind with a content smile on her face.After a short while of looking at the different attractions, I found Iris along with Carlos and Leiso.Carlos looked a bit bored while Leiso seemed out of place.Iris was playing a game at a stall featuring several
A few days later, things were finally beginning to look different in Excelsis.I could see flying metal constructs buzzing around in the air on insect-like wings, surveying the area. At the same time, many of the people of Excelsis were setting up decorations for a festival.Hilariously, they wouldn't know what they were celebrating until the day arrived.And as I sat on a bench nearby, Isabella sat happily next to me, clinging to my arm.Stella stood at my side surveying the area.There would have been other troops under her, but I chose not to bring them. The soldiers were specifically for the defense of the ship itself."Hmm..." "Is something wrong, Master?" Isabella said."You're having way too much fun calling me that, aren't you?" I said."Ehehe...guilty. I like seeing your reaction. But if I'm going to be a slave, I should play the part, yes?"I suppose so..." I said."I, for one, believe it to be perfectly natural to refer to his Majesty as Master," Stella said."Hm...right..
As we walked back to the Cursebreaker, I could see Isabella constantly surveying the surrounding area for potential threats.However, many of the gods walking the streets recognized me as the one who razed Excelsis to the ground. The one who brought death and destruction to their realm.The result, was that they were absolutely terrified of me and made no attempts to approach.After all, many of them had actually been killed as a result of my actions.All the while I secretly remained on the lookout for a potential candidate. One goddess from this realm would join us on our ship. They would become mine forever and dedicate their existence to serving me and stopping the Corruption.But unfortunately, none of these would do. They were weak. I decided to ignore them and focus on something else.I had other plans, currently. I would be speaking to Iris and everyone about what she had to show them. They were valuable crew members, so I wanted to see what she had planned.Once we reached t
After a month-long journey back to Excelsis...we finally returned.I couldn't believe how long it took to get back.We didn't have access to the divine transit, and as a result, it took much longer to get there.Of course, that gave me an idea. I wondered if I could potentially have a personal god or goddess to join our crew.Then I stopped and though about it more...Definitely a goddess. While more pleasing to look at, I could bring her even closer to me. And if she's completely under my control, she'll follow every order willingly. Best of all, someone like that is highly unlikely to betray me. I wouldn't have to enact vengeance upon her and remain on good terms...I almost smiled.That would be my next goal...find a goddess to join our crew to have permanent access to the divine transit.And maybe...Make new Enforcers...?It was too amazing. Our combat force would grow significantly from such a thing. We would be even stronger than before!I made a mental note to also have Iris t
While waiting on the final shipment of heart stones, I stood outside the Cursebreaker with Cassandra. We were also waiting on...the body for Virtus.The AI for our ship was a shy girl that had trouble talking to people. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough about computer programming to change her behavior. And Vakra refused even under the threat of death. So...we were stuck with her...A hour passed and Cassandra affectionately held onto my arm while humming."Having fun...?" I asked."Of course! I get to be with my darling Mizik!" Cassandra said happily.Then I looked forward and saw an eye staring at me in mid air a few feet away."Oh...damn it all..." I mumbled.It opened wider and Valthiem stood quietly with her mask on."Valthiem!? What are you doing here!?" Cassandra said as she readied herself."..."Then I felt that suffocating impending doom I had grown quite used to...Difar rose out of Valthiem's shadow and glared at me."Dammit...I had a speech prepared and everything. I w
As I reached the bridge, I saw Stella charging straight for me."MASTER MIZIK!!!!" She shouted."Umm..."She nearly tackled me to the ground and began crying on my chest."You're alive!!! My beloved Master Mizik is alive!!! I'm so happy!!!" She cried."Yeah, I'm fine... Can you please calm down?" I said.She slowly pulled back and dried her tears. She smiled joyfully."I'm so glad that everything is back! Even if that horrible curse is still upon you, it means I have the pleasure of serving my beloved Master! This is a joyous day for me!" Stella exclaimed.Before I could respond, I heard the voice of Faith again.[This woman is filled with a great adoration for you! She also holds amazing power! May I petition you to let her hold me, my Lord!?]By the gods...fine...[Aha! But is the Overseer not greater than any mere lesser god!?]Please stop."Stella...I have a request," I said."Ah!? Does Master Mizik find me appealing? I can serve you in all sorts of ways, Master!" She said.Sudden
The next day, I decided to visit the Cursebreaker before meeting with the Artificer.Cassandra was with me and Isabella stayed back. The two of us boarded the ship and were immediately confronted by Rastair."Good to see you, Ras-""MIZIIIIIIK!!!!!" She shouted as she hugged me."GET OFF ME, YOU DAMN GIANT WOMAN!""I'M NOT A GIANT!!!" She said as she pulled away. "Ugh...what is it!? Did something happen!?" I said."What!? Of course something happened! Iris already told me! You died, didn't you!?" Rastair said."Yeah, but I'm fine now! What about it!?" "Oooh...are you not in a good mood? That's kinda hot... Want me to give you a fun time? I'll make you feel better~!" She said with a sly smile.I could in my current state, but it might kill you. So no."Hard pass. For your own safety. Get stronger and we'll talk.""Ehhh...you're no fun..." Rastair said."You died on Delvandal, didn't you? When Rose destroyed it?" I said.Rastair nodded."I was just relaxing on Ripper Isle, sipping a g