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2024-10-29 19:42:56“Hi…” Kyle mumbled as he stepped inside. The dust, the burn marks and any battle mark on the ground and walls had vanished. The marble floor was pristine, as if it was laid down just a few hours ago.
“MOST OF MY POWER IS RESTORED NOW.” The Lich kindly informed him, by nearly blowing his ears off.
“Please keep your voice down. I know you like shouting, but it genuinely hurts me.” Kyle reminded him as he let go of the hilt of his sword.
“SORRY…” Cacophus replied with a surprisingly little voice. His green eyes’ glow dimmed as he covered his mouth with his skeletal hands. Kyle couldn’t help but chuckle upon seeing him like that.
“It’s fine. As long as you’re careful, it’s fine.” He said, almost feeling bad for the Lich. “So… what now?”
“MY RESEARCH IS MOSTLY DESTROYED.” The lich shot him a hurt look. Green mist escaped his mouth as he spoke and flowed towards the ground. Was that… a form of crying? Kyle really had no way of knowing, but it sure felt so.
“I NEED TO START FROM SCRATCH. IT WILL TAKE A WHILE BEFORE IT WILL BE OF ANY USE TO YOU.” The lich explained. He floated towards a stack of papers and tapped on them with his skeletal finger. “I CAN STILL HELP YOU THOUGH! JUST DON’T DESTROY MY SOUL, OK?”
Kyle couldn’t help but feel a little bad for the lich. “I, uh. Sure. Look,” He forced a smile. “I’m not going to do anything to the phylactery unless you try to kill me or something ok?” he tried to reassure the Lich. He bit his lips as the Lich sighed a puff of green smoke.
“What’s that research about anyways?” He asked as the quest he had received came into his mind.
The Lich paused. “MANA CORES.” Was the only answer he gave after a moment of hesitation.
“Right…” Kyle furrowed his brows. While that answer was absolutely useless because it explained nothing, the name ‘mana core’ alone piqued Kyle’s interest. He was planning on becoming a spellcasting class anyways, so it only made sense to help this Lich out.
“So…” Kyle folded his arms. “How about this? I’ll help you with your research, and you’ll help me get stronger.”
The Lich’s eyes glowed brighter as he turned to look at Kyle. “WOULD YOU REALLY HELP?”
Kyle shrugged. “Why not? I’m getting something out of it too. Now, what do you need? How can I speed this up for you?”
‘Quest Accepted: Cacophus’ Plea’
He shot a quick look at the notification. Good, he had succeeded in accepting the quest. He couldn’t help but wonder what the rewards entailed.
The Lich tilted his head. “WOULD YOU REALLY HELP?” He asked again before the glow of his eyes turned a softer, warmer, more serene green. “IN THAT CASE, I NEED SOME RARE RESOURCES. I WILL GIVE YOU A FEW SOLDIERS TO HELP CARRY THEM.”
The Lich raised his skeletal hand, and three skeletons entered from the door behind Kyle. Two of them carried spears, while the other one had a massive sack thrown over its bony shoulder.
“I NEED CRYSTAL FRUITS. ABOUT THREE HUNDRED OF THEM.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. “Three hundred?!” He exclaimed.
The Lich nodded. The creaking of his bones sent a chill down Kyle’s spine. “PLEASE.” Cacophus added after a moment’s hesitation. His eyes glowed a sparkling, hopeful green. Kyle’s shoulders dropped. “Yeah, ok. Three hundred crystal fruits. I’m off then. Take care till then.” He waved and walked out of the Lich’s room.
As he made his way through the tunnels that were once filled to the brim with dumb, but strong skeletons, he noticed a distant sound. The rhythmic sound echoed across the tunnels. Kyle furrowed his brows, and pondered whether he should go and check it out.
Something tapped on his shoulder, startling him. As he turned around quickly to see who, the skeleton carrying the sack wordlessly pointed towards the exit, then at the sack.
“Ah.” Kyle mumbled. “Right… Crystal fruits. Uh, lead the way?”
One of the skeletons carrying a spear was quick to do as he said. It led him out the cave, towards the distant plains he had always watched from his small house.
As they walked along a dirt path, Kyle opened his status panel, then tabbed over to the quests to check up on what exactly this quest entailed.
‘Cacophus’ Plea:
The Lich Cacophus has asked you to bring him 300 Crystal Fruits.
Rewards: 1500 exp, 300 gold
The Lich’s mana reserves will increase.’
Kyle shot a quick glance at his own stats and started grinning. That much experience was enough for him to level up. And at level 20, he would get to choose his own class. Considering he basically had a Lich in his service, it made even more sense to pick a magic based class. He started going though the available classes in his mind as he followed the skeletons.
A clacking sounded a while later, startling Kyle. He blinked a few times and turned his gaze from the system overlay to his surroundings.
“Oh, we’re here.” He muttered as he looked around. They had arrived at a small, but beautiful orchard. He could see several elves around, and to his relief, none of them were players. He narrowed his eyes. There was so much to take in already, he didn’t know where to begin.
He started with the elves. They were tall, slim, and slender. They had traditional pointy ears, and nearly all of them had bright blue eyes that immediately caught his attention. Their clothes were all similar; a mic of green, grey, and brown, with a hint of dark blue once in a while.
They all carried bows and blades. Some of them also had spears in their hands.
“Yeah, we are not fighting those.” Kyle immediately stated. There was absolutely no way he could hope to win, or even survive a battle with them. “Ok, wait here.” He pointed at the ground and glared at all three skeletons.
Once they all nodded, he took a deep breath, and started walking downhill, towards the elves.
“Stop there, human!”
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As soon as he stepped between the trees, he found himself staring at the pointy end of a spear. The sun’s light reflected off of the shining metal, nearly blinding him as he tried to look at the weapon. “Give us one reason to let you live!” “Uh… I come in peace?” He suggested, raising his hands in an attempt to show he wasn’t reaching his weapon. “Don’t dare cast spells!” Another voice shouted as more elves appeared all around. “I’m not a mage!” Kyle quickly tried to clarify. “I have no magic whatsoever!” “Then what are you doing here?” Another one of the elves asked. His deep voice startled Kyle as he stepped out of the woods. He was taller than the others, and his long, white hair swept the floor behind him as he approached Kyle. “This orchard is only of use to mages. Are you with that other human then?” Kyle gulped. This elf’s voice carried power. Angering him seemed like a horrible idea. “What other human?” Kyle asked. “I d
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“I hope the bridge wasn’t too important.” Kyle added apologetically. “I didn’t really have any other choice.” The elven leader shook his head. “It was of no consequence.” He said with a sigh. “Despite being human, you have proven your…” he hesitated, as if he were searching for a proper word. “My use?” Kyle suggested with a grin and was rewarded with a surprised expression. “Look, that same knight had been harassing me for a while too, so it was actually fun to have a little bit of revenge, you know?” he shrugged. “And I got to help you guys too.” He gestured towards the sickly tree. “I would love to help out with that too, but I’m no mage, nor do I know anyone who could be of help.” The elf’s lips curled up with a smile. “It’s quite alright. You have delivered on your promise, and we will not do any less than that. You may have as many fruits as you wish, but do not attempt to take any from this tree. They will only bring harm, as they have been corrupted by
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The sound of metal hitting the rock walls of the caves echoed. The rhythmic sound was quite annoying, and clearly audible even after closing the door leading outside Cacophus’ room. Kyle’s gaze followed the Lich, who seemed to be disinterested in the noise. How he was not bothered was beyond Kyle, but then again, the man was dead. He had been dead for who knows how long, and he was a Lich. If anything, he must have developed quite the patience during the centuries he spent being dead. Kyle sighed. As much as Cacophus was dead, he was not. And this noise was seriously getting on his nerves. He wanted to ask what the hell the Lich was making his skeletal workforce do, other than meaninglessly expanding the caverns, but Cacophus had (very loudly) asked not to be disturbed as he inspected the crystal fruits. Kyle already regretted his choice to wait until he was done. He was seriously going through every single fruit, checking them one by one. Every time his bone fingers
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The camp wasn’t too large, but it was crowded enough to make Kyle somewhat nervous. There were three goblins sitting around a campfire. All three of them had makeshift spears near them, and one of them had a shiny, possibly human made sword on its back. There were two tents, one of them was a bit torn, and Kyle could see through the tears that another goblin slept inside. He couldn’t spy any weapons though, so it would probably be fairly easy to kill. Atop a large rock on the other side of the campfire, an archer sat. The goblin was probably supposed to be a lookout but looking out was not what it was doing. It was cleaning its brown, dirty fingernails. “Right,” He repeated to try and calm his racing heart. This was going to be the first camp he ever cleared, and he wanted to do it properly. The levels of the creatures were all 19, with only the archer and the sleeping gobbling being 17. They were within the proper experience gain range. The only thin
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
