2022-02-01 05:00:22About a second passed in silence before Kyle let out a cry. “For god’s sake, I’m NOT A BOSS!” His shouting was probably loud enough to be heard from all the way at the base of the hill. “I’m a player!”
He felt the blade pressing against his neck move slightly as the owner of the hand holding it flinched.
“You can’t trick me,” The woman said, though he could already hear it in her voice: Doubt.
“I can prove it!” He cried out, hurryingly opening his stats panel.
‘Kyle – Lv. 20 Unclassed
INT 10 | WIS 10 | DEX 10 | STR 10 | CON 10
Available Points: 20
Achievements: Lich Killer
Player Kills: 6
Glory: 30’
“You can see this, right?” He asked in a hurry as the woman’s hand, and thus, the blade, moved further away from his throat. The hand on his neck let go of him, and he quickly backed off, and turned to face her. “Seriously, what the hell is it with players thinking I’m a hidden boss or something?!” He exclaimed with a hint of anger in his voice.
The woman had bright crimson hair. She was human, just like all other players were. She wore simple leather armour. The blade hanging from her hip was everything but normal though.
“Wait, hang on!” Kyle exclaimed, taking a few more steps back. “That’s the Sun God’s Heart!” He shouted, pointing at the blade. Now he knew where he’d seen her before. “You’re Igna!”
The blade on her hip was unique weapon. It was one of the most widely used promotional materials of the game, and everyone had been eyeing that ever since the launch. And for good reason too, all attacks it made were imbued with fire, and it allowed it’s user a free resurrection once a day. Not to mention how much damage it dealt.
It was aesthetically pleasing as well. The blade was flat, with one side sharp, and the other dull. Hieroglyphs were engraved on it’s clear white blade, and the hilt had Horus’ Eye on it. It always glowed, indicating the available resurrection.
Igna’s confused expression turned into a prideful smile. “I am, how did you know that though?”
Kyle continued taking small steps back. “The leaderboard.” He quickly responded. “It’s difficult to forget the top ranker who has been holding onto that title since the launch of the game.”
Igna’s smile widened. “You’d be surprised, actually.” She sheathed her dagger, then folded her arms and stepped closer to him. “So, explain to me. Why did that guy think you’re a hidden boss?”
Kyle threw his hands in the air. “How should I know?” He went right back to whining. “I was just minding my own business when he attacked me out of nowhere, then stepped onto a trap I laid against NPC enemies and died!”
Igna raised her eyebrows. “What about you summoning a Lich to kill him? How did that happen?”
Kyle blinked once with a blank expression before explaining with a flat voice. “He kicked me through a boss door, then proceeded to ignore the actual boss Lich, and attack me. The Lich made short work of him because of his own carelessness.”
Igna grinned. “And that’s how you got the ‘Lich Killer’ achievement? By stealing the kill?”
Kyle shrugged. “Well, yeah.” He muttered. “I tried to escape first, but the boss room’s doors were closed.” He then sighed. “Just to be sure – we agree that I’m a player, right?” He asked. “You believe me?
Inga tilted her head ever so slightly. “Explain the firestorm on the bridge.”
“The what?” Kyle’s mind drew a blank. A firestorm? On a bridge?
“He claimed you killed him by summoning a firestorm that devoured the bridge he was passing.” A smirk appeared on her face as she rested her hand on the hilt of The Sun God’s Heart. “Explain, please.”
Kyle had to search his memory for a moment. “Wait, does he mean when I cut the ropes of the bridge and threw a torch on the other side?” He exclaimed. “Over by the elves’ territory?”
Igna’s smirked turned into laughter. “You cut the ropes?” She muttered between breaths. “And you had a Lich kill him for you? And you had him fall into traps?” It took her a moment to regain her composure. “Tell me, ‘Kyle’,” She rolled his name around her tongue for a moment, almost as if she still doubted him. “Did you ever kill him in a fair fight?”
Kyle pressed his lips together. “I made him trip and fall, then I killed him.” He eventually muttered. “Look, I don’t even have a class yet!” He exclaimed, “How am I supposed to kill a god damned knight?! The guy’s strong too.”
Igna couldn’t help but laugh again. “He is abnormally powerful, though I can say his intellect seems to have suffered for it.” She admitted. She then furrowed her brows, still keeping her gaze on Kyle.
“…Right.” He took a deep breath. “So… can I go?”
Igna’s lips curled up. “Well… I believe that you’re not a boss,” She admitted, allowing Kyle a breath of relief. “But you see, you have quite the bounty on your head.” She swiped her fingers in the air and opened an interface. “See?”
‘NAME: UNKNOWN
TYPE: UNKNOWN
REWARD: 1000 Gold, Scale of the Locus God’
Kyle’s eyes widened. “A thousand gold?!” He exclaimed in shock. “Wait, hang on, the scale…” His voice died down as he turned his gaze to Igna. “You want the scale, don’t you?”
Igna smirked. “Of course, I want the scale. I’m supposed to stay competitive after all.” She grasped the hilt of her blade. “I wonder how rich that knight is in real life though,” She added somewhat absentmindedly. “A thousand gold and a rare item like that must have cost him a lot of money.”
Kyle gulped.
“I like you though,” She added with a grin. “No hard feelings no matter who wins?” She offered. Kyle forced a smile.
“No hard feelings, even if I escape then?” He asked in return. “None,” Inga said with a spark in her eyes.
DweiaHeya! First of all, thanks for checking out A Lich's Master! Secondly, We've got a Discord! You can find links to all of my other books there, as well as a roadmap of all current and future projects! Come check it out if you want to read more of my work, or just want to chat. Here's an invite:https://discord.gg/smeCbFjSAN Take care and stay safe!
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The Lich's Master Chapter 17: A Hopeless Escape
Kyle took a sharp breath as Igna unsheathed her blade. He considered trying to fight her, but not more than a split second of consideration was needed to figure our what a terrible idea that was. So, he turned around, and dashed in the opposite direction. Now, bounties worked a certain way: A player bounty was temporary. At most, they lasted for seventy two ours, as in, three days. For this one, Kyle had noticed a timer when Igna showed the interface to him. It had just eight hours left. That meant two things: Kyle had a slight chance of escaping, and Igna was in a hurry to kill him. As he dashed uphill, he forced himself to think. Hiding in Cacophus’ cave was not a viable option. Igna wielded the power of the sun god after all. She probably could defeat the Lich in just a couple of hits. Running towards the elves also seemed like a fairly bad idea. He had barely gotten them to accept him as an outsider. If he brought an angry woman with a fla
The Lich's Master Chapter 18: A Rude Interruption
His mad dash soon came to a screeching halt as he arrived at the peak of the mountain. Strong winds blew all around him as he stepped into a large crater atop the mountain. “Ran out of places to escape?” Igna shouted as she approached. Kyle gulped and quickly tried to put some distance between them. “Not exactly,” he muttered as he stepped closer to the centre of the crater. This place had all the signs of a boss arena. Now, things were mostly up to luck: What kind of boss would appear, and how could he take advantage of it? Those were what would seal his fate now. “I can’t convince you not to kill me, can I?” Kyle asked as Igna stepped onto the charred surface of the crater. She paused, looked around, then smirked. “Nah, I doubt it.” She said, tightening her grasp on the hilt of her blade. “I do like the venue though, that run up the mountain wasn’t a waste!” Her upbeat voice almost made Kyle forget the danger he
The Lich's Master Chapter 19: To Taunt a Boss
The boss kept wailing on Igna. His scythe moved quickly and decisively, forcing her to either back off constantly, or block his attacks and take chip damage every time. If she had the chance to go on the offensive, Kyle was more than sure that she would deplete the boss’ health bar very quickly, but as things stood, she simply didn’t have that opportunity. Not while the boss was solely focused on her. He glanced towards the entrance of the crater, could he leave at all? No, there it was, the rippling, misty effect in the air all around them. As usual, the boss arena would become sealed off once all players had entered, and it wouldn’t let anyone leave until either the boss, or the players were defeated. Kyle gulped. He did not want to be left alone here with the boss. He needed to help her, and then hopefully get her to believe him. Grasping the hilt of his blade tightly, he dashed to the armoured boss, and hit his back with all his strength. A ‘clang
The Lich's Master Chapter 20: Topple The Mountain Lord
With each hit of the scythe he blocked, he felt his whole body shake. He couldn’t stand his ground anymore, nor did he feel like he could dodge the boss’ strikes anymore. They were too fast, too swift, and Kyle felt too sluggish, as if someone had lined his clothes and filled his boots with lead. He wanted to steal a glance of Igna, but he didn’t dare take his eyes off of his enemy. He was already at enough of a disadvantage as it was. One misstep, one single strike that passed through his defence, and he was done for. Distant shrieks sounded again, and Kyle gritted his teeth. His shoulder still hurt. His now cauterised wound was making it quite difficult to properly use his right arm. “Get down!” Igna’s shout echoed. Kyle didn’t hesitate, he blocked the boss’ next strike, then threw himself to the ground just at the nick of time as a wave of flames passed over his head. He heard the boss shout something, but he couldn’t quite make out the words over the soun
The Lich's Master Chapter 21: A New Path Revealed
‘Kyle – Lv. 22 Unclassed INT 10 | WIS 10 | DEX 10 | STR 10 | CON 10 Available Points: 22 Achievements: Lich Killer, Topple the Mountain Lord Player Kills: 6 Glory: 30’ They both stared at his interface for a moment. “God damn it,” Igna eventually exclaimed. “I didn’t get the achievement because I was in the middle of reviving!” Her frustration was audible. Kyle felt her hand squeeze his shoulder. “So annoying.” Her eyes then suddenly widened. “Wait, back to the subject at hand.” She said with a harsher voice. “Your interface is basically identical to mine though, yeah…” She muttered, mostly to herself. “The why do you bleed like the mobs do?” Kyle flinched. “Did you start doubting me again?” he exclaimed with a defeated tone. He had no energy left to try and convince her all over again.
The Lich's Master Chapter 22: So.... What Do I Summon?
‘Kyle – Lv. 22 Summoner INT 10 | WIS 10 | DEX 10 | STR 10 | CON 10 Available Points: 22 Achievements: Lich Killer, Topple the Mountain Lord Player Kills: 6 Glory: 30’ “Twenty two points…” he muttered to himself as he dusted off his clothes. Now, most mage classes needed to focus on a mix of intelligence and constitution. From what he read in the ridiculously long text, the summoner needed plenty of wisdom as well. He pursed his lips, pondered for a short moment, then let out a deep sigh. ‘Kyle – Lv. 22 Summoner INT 20 | WIS 17 | DEX 10 | STR 10 | CON 15 Available Points: 0 Achievements: Lich Killer, Topple the Mountain Lord Player Kills: 6 Glory: 30’
The Lich's Master Chapter 23: Magic Skeletons
The wind blew his hair back as he watched the raven soar through the air. A smile appeared on his lips. “Come back to me,” He said softly. Almost as if the bird had heard him, it folded its wings and descended, only slowing down when it reached his raised arm. It landed on his arm, and cawed. “Nice,” Kyle said with a smile. “Alright, you can go now.” He muttered, and the raven vanished in a silver mist. He continued his descend down the mountain path, his heart still beating fast from the thrill of casting spells and using magic. Summoning, maintaining, or dismissing the raven used no mana whatsoever, meaning he wasn’t just going to be a commander standing in the back, he was going to be aiding his summons in battle with his own spells as well. He smirked. That would show that stupid knight! Of course, his first order of business was going to be getting some more powerful creatures under his control. Ideally, he wanted something good at tanking, though he ref
The Lich's Master Chapter 24: A Visit to the Orchard
Kyle spent the night in Cacophus’ cave again. Laying on a fur bed made specifically for him, he fell asleep immediately after placing his head on the soft pillow. After a dreamless, refreshing sleep, he woke up. Ready and excited for his next adventure, he got dressed and left the small bedroom the Lich and his skeletons had prepared for him. He bid the Lich farewell and warned him not to go after any humans that happened to pass by, then hurried outside after a quick breakfast. His destination was the elves’ orchard, and he was eager to meet with their leader again. His fast paced steps carried him across the woods and over the hills as he muttered softly. “Come forth.” He pointed on the ground ahead of him as he spoke, and a silver mist appeared there before the raven materialised. “Go on then,” He said with a smile. “Alert me of any nearby enemies or humans.” He ordered the bird. The raven cawed twice, then with a couple of strong beats of
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Chapter 277: The Locust Demon Arrives
The serene white light changed as soon as they stepped into the garden. It grew brighter, lighting up even the darkest corners of the garden. “Finally.” Azazel whispered. He calmly stepped towards the bright white light. “It’s been so long.” He and the rest of the group arrived before the tree. The Fallen Angel reached for the tree, only for his fingers to touch a barrier surrounding it. The yellow-brown barrier rippled as soon as the Fallen Angel’s fingertips touched it. Azazel flinched, and pulled his hand back as a look of disgust appeared on his face. With furrowed brows and blazing eyes, he turned around, and shouted at the top of his lungs. “Show yourself, Demon!” Droigheann flinched. “He’s here?!” The Demon of the Nightbloom asked wide eyed as he unsheathed his blade, and put his helmet on without hesitation. Luke stepped forward, making sure to stand in front of Caille and Kyle. Igna tightened her grip on the hilt of her blade, while Cacophus’s bony fingers rummaged through
Chapter 276: The Ancient City of Necron (4)
The fully armoured knight dropped his sword and tried to grab the slimy goo with both of his hands. The goo only latched onto his helmet further as he struggled. The man started to stumble a few moments later.Kyle couldn’t help but laugh a little, though his near brush against death kept him from enjoying Jeffrey’s suffering. The knight soon managed to grab onto the goo properly, and threw it away, only to be met with Kyle’s light magic.“Bolt of Light!” The young man shouted, then as the Knight raised his hand to cover his eyes from the bright golden light, he dashed towards him, blade in hand. He hadn’t used a sword properly in ages, not since he’d gotten his Summoner class, and started summoning powerful people such as Aoris, or Irena. But Aoris and Irena were busy protecting the cathedral, and Droigheann had his hands full with the remaining group of enemies.And he had a particular hatred against Jeffrey and his constant stupidity. He grabbed the hilt of his blade with both his
Chapter 275: The Ancient City of Necron (3)
“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Kyle rolled his eyes as the enemy charged at him and his allies. Jeffrey’s ridiculous accusations and ignorant behaviour was the last thing he needed at the moment.Droigheann unsheathed his blade and struck the ground with it. Black veins spread across the grey marble plaza, originating from his blade. They leapt off the ground, reaching for Jeffrey and his allies.“Fire storm!” A voice boomed. Kyle flinched as a whirling storm of flames burnt away the roots and veins. Droigheann gritted his teeth and removed his swords from the ground. “Damn mages,” The Demon grunted as he stepped forward. His helmet materialised in his hand, and he promptly put it on.“SHALL I DISPATCH OF THEM, KYLE?” Cacophus’ sudden question surprised him. “Yeah, please help Droigheann.” Kyle hissed as he pointed at the group. “We shouldn’t waste much time on them.”As he spoke, several shards of crystallised light formed at his fingertips. He fired them at the man leading the charge.“AS YO
Chapter 274: The Ancient City of Necron (2)
Kyle took the first step down the grey marble staircase. As his feet touched the ancient slabs, he involuntarily flinched.Azazel and Droigheann followed just a step behind, along with Cacophus, who chose to float next to them.“AMAZING, IT HAS BEEN PRESERVED PERFECTLY!” The Lich exclaimed, pausing just a few steps in, and carefully inspecting the waist high walls preventing them from falling off the side. “LOOK AT THIS CRAFTMANSHIP!”Kyle shot a glance at the waist hight wall. It was covered in intricate carvings from top to bottom. Just a few meters of this wall must have taken weeks to create, if not more. “Yeah, it’s amazing.”“Just like the legends.” Droigheann carefully ran his finger along the carvings. “A city of ancient wonders, housing powers beyond imagination, made from the most beautiful materials by the best craftsmen ever to grace the face of this world.”“Seems about right.” Azazel pointed at the buildings. “Any one of these would have taken months to perfect, if not y
Chapter 273: The Ancient City of Necron (1)
The Necronomicon’s pages turned on their own. Kyle waited patiently for the book to settle on a page. Once it did, he read through the spell. It was a modified dispel spell.“Stand back, just in case.” He said to the others. Everyone took a few steps back, even Cacophus who had just arrived. The Lich didn’t speak, but the green glows in his eye sockets glimmered and lit up brightly with excitement.Kyle’s lips curled up with a faint smile for a moment before he turned his gaze back to the Necronomicon. “Open thine gates, lift thine veil.” He recited the spell’s words clearly. “Allow me passage to what is rightfully mine, as I hold the Book of Ancient Secrets!”A moment passed before the spell fully took effect. The barrier around the Ancient City of Necron began to lower as Kyle felt his vitality drain with alarming speed. He looked down at the back of his hand with a panic as the few locks of dark hair dangling before his eyes slowly began to turn white.The mark of the Evertree glow
Chapter 272: The Records Restored
The elderly woman took the two pieces of the hourglass in her hand. A faint, almost mellow smile appeared on her lips as she closed her fingers around the pieces of the hourglass. “I am in your debt, Azazel, young man.” She whispered as she clenched her fingers further. The muffled sound of something cracking sounded. Then, a fine dust flowed from between her fingers. The cool breeze caught the dust, carrying it away from the patio. The elderly woman smiled. “No, come back.” Her voice was calm, almost as if she was speaking to an old friend. “I’m right here.” The wind whirled, suddenly changed its direction, and blew the dust right back at her. She closed her eyes and smiled. Kyle braced himself for… something. “It’s alright now.” Her motherly voice reached his ears. “It feels good to be whole again.” She turned her gaze towards the sky. “It is a beautiful day, isn’t it?” Kyle disagreed. Dark clouds covered the sky. “It is good to have you back, Record Keeper.” Azazel bowed his
Chapter 271: The Hourglass
It was a misty morning and getting out of bed felt like a huge chore. He still dragged himself out of bed, albeit slowly, and staggered towards the hot spring. He paused in front of the mirror for a second. The bite marks on his neck were awfully visible. Vis had definitely taken some of her frustrations out of him last night.He let out a sigh and went to take a bath. She was rightfully upset, and he didn’t care about how he looked too much. He bathed, then got dressed and opened the door of his room, only to see Droigheann standing there, leaning against the wall.“I didn’t realise you’d come out.” Kyle said as he fixed his cloak and hair before the mirror.“You were asleep.” Droigheann explained with a faint smile. “You found the second half of the hourglass.” He stated with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Kyle nodded. “We did. We almost died for it too.” He shuddered. “I’m never going back to the Celestial Plane.”Droigheann laughed out loud. “That is indeed a good idea.” The De
Chapter 270: The Waking World
His eyes shot wide open, and he stared at the grey ceiling above him. A couple of moths were walking in rough circles. One of them tried to fly, only to continuously hit the ceiling afterwards.He blinked a few times as he tried to figure out where he was.“You’re awake!” A panicked voice reached his ears. “Rhealis, they’re back!” It took him a moment to recognise Vis’ voice. A cold hand pressed against his forehead as he slowly began to notice the numbness around his right arm. There was a mild pain too.Footsteps approached as Kyle tilted his head to look at Vis. “Did something happen while we were gone?” He asked with a crusty voice. He licked his dry lips. He could use some water right now.“Your arm got charred!” Vis hissed wide eyed. Was she angry? “And the Fallen Angel’s wings started bleeding!”“Indeed,” Rhealis approached them with a glass of water in her hand. She helped Kyle sit upright, then gave him the glass. He drank it without hesitation. The water passing through his
Chapter 269: The Wasteyard of Heaven
Azazel led him through the distorted landscape in a hurry. “They can’t see as well here.” The Fallen Angel explained as soon as they walked through a cathedral door and fell upwards. Kyle hit the ceiling with a muffled thud. A thick, soft carpet had broken his fall.He moaned with pain still. Constantly falling somewhere was slowly taking its toll on him. His back couldn’t take many more falls. “Why?” He asked as he sat upright and rubbed his sides.Azazel flew up and closed the cathedral’s door. “Because of the distortions. They don’t see things as you do. They see what something is, can be, and was.” The Fallen Angel hesitated upon seeing Kyle’s confused expression. “You don’t understand, do you?”Kyle shook his head. “Nope.”Azazel’s shoulders dropped with disappointment. “When you see something,” The Angel said, speaking slower th
