‘What exactly happened?’
Jason looked around. The road and the calm river brought many memories from his past.
‘Past? Or is it present?’
He fell into a daze as he walked along the footpath.
The memories of his last hours flooded his mind. The memories of his death, and the memories of the end of humanity.
The events that took place ran through his mind like a movie.
…..
‘This is not aid!’
Jason trembled, feeling the power of the green light that passed over their heads.
He tried his best to remember a spell with a green colour that had such terrifying energy, and he got none in his memories.
This was too fast to be a response from allies.
…
“Wait! Don’t break the formation.”
The young leader yelled at the old man, Jason, feeling helpless.
“What do we do?”
The woman asked in a panic. If they caused a commotion, they would easily attract their enemy drones.
“Let’s go after him.”
For some reason, the young man also felt that something was wrong. The moment they sent the distress signal, this light came. It was as if the other party was ready to send them a reply.
He had no other reason to believe this was something else. Not unless the Cervians brought some new technology. The moment this old man reacted to it in panic, he also felt something was wrong.
Just as he was about to rush forward, he felt a slight tremor. A blinding green light rose from the distance, creating a massive dome of light. He felt the pressure of the wind crashing against his face.
His hearing became numb, and there was a buzzing sound inside his head.
“Run away!”
He barely heard the familiar voice of old Jason as he ran toward them through the trees. Behind him, a cloud of dust covered the sky, swallowing everything in sight.
He tried to turn, but the wave of pressure swallowed him, pushing him off the ground.
His surroundings became pitch black with darkness.
…
“Ah….”
A painful moan came from the scattered debris and fallen trees.
A hand pushed away the dust and branches, followed by a small tree.
Jason, who was now covered in dust, emerged from the destroyed ground.
He felt his body was battered beyond tolerance, and there was unbearable pain on his side.
There was a sharp broken branch sticking out of his ribs.
‘Shit.’
He cursed in his heart, gritting his teeth to bear the pain, but he knew better than to pull out the branch. He didn’t even remember the healing potions in his pouch.
He pushed himself up from the ground, but he stopped halfway.
He felt the problem in his body. The missing arm was not the reason for it. It wasn’t the pierced organs. It was the missing spell protection.
Both the concealment and the frost armour were no more. The spells concealed him and lowered his body temperature to hide from their enemies.
Concealment was actually an apprentice-level spell. Even he had the ability to cast it. The Frost Armour was a bit advanced and only a Novice Wizard with an affinity for the Wind sphere could cast it. Still, both of these were low-level spells. The spell would be more powerful and long-lasting the higher the power of the Wizard.
During dangerous missions above the surface, usually, the highest level wizards on respective affinities would cast the spells and enchantments for the best safety.
As for the Ice spell, it was cast by a Master Wizard of the Wind element. However, the basic concealment spell was cast by one of the six Grand Wizards of the entire Yuriel. More like the last living Grand Wizard after twenty years of war. The Angel of Death, Archana.
There were several ways for a spell to be dispelled, but he could only think of one reason at the moment.
The Angel of Death was unable to provide magic power to the concealment, any longer.
He hurried his movements, ignoring the pain. He used his hand to tighten the muscles around the wound as tight as possible, hoping to reduce the pain a bit.
‘God help us.’
He never believed in any god, but he prayed. The devastation in the surrounding was unimaginable. The flourishing forest was no more. Instead, there were scattered stomps of broken trees in the entire area.
He didn’t have to drag his battered body too far. Not long after, he came to the edge of a steep cliff. He almost fell down, because there was no cliff here a day ago.
In front of him was a massive crater that expanded over several kilometres.
The mountain that was supposed to be above their underground city was gone, and he saw a large pit of molten lava where it was supposed to be.
The last sanctuary of humanity was gone. His lip quivered and his vision became blurry. The tears ran down his wrinkled face.
Everything was over. Their last hope, the last Grand Wizard of the planet Yuriel, was gone.
He heard a slight sound of rubble moving behind him.
Two people pushed their way out of the ground. It was the young leader and the woman.
He knew the woman was at least a Novice Wizard. She could have protected the young leader, but not the other two members of their team.
The young man ran toward him, and he looked devastated.
Jason didn’t say a word and allowed the young man to realise the truth.
He silently observed the two people.
“No. No!!! Why???”
The young woman broke into tears.
Jason felt something within him. He looked at the young man, who was stunned by the devastating sight. He finally understood the reason he lived for so long. The reason for him to struggle to survive another day.
Because he was grateful.
He was grateful to the Angel of Death for taking them in when they were like infants in this world. For not throwing them away when the invasion started. For not using the humans from Earth as cannon fodders, when many other factions did that.
Even in the end, she treated people like him from Earth as equals. He knew the Angel of Death was among the few who genuinely cared about her people. Because of that, he thought about living another day to support her goal. Struggle to protect the people she wanted to protect.
‘Sigh.’
He finally realised why he was here all this time. Why he didn’t give up when he lost his arm?
“Hey, kid.”
He talked to the young man. Leader or not, this young man was still a Greenhorn to Jason.
“Go with this girl and run. There might be other resistance left somewhere. Go and try to live.”
“And? What are you going to do?”
The young leader looked broken, like the girl, but he still held his head up with rationality. After all, death became a common sight over the years.
“I will stay and delay the drones. But I can’t do it for very long. I am just a Master Swordsman.”
“Do you really believe there are others left? Unless they are mind-controlled slaves? I think this is our end, old man. We lost.”
There was no hope left in those eyes.
They both knew it was the correct answer. They might be the last free humans left in the world.
“I… I can’t. I will kill them all. All of them.”
The woman looked devastated and broken. She was muttering with unfocused eyes.
They heard the sound of the drones from afar.
The young leader looked at the old swordsman.
“What is your real name, old man? Where are you from?”
“I am Jason… Jason Hope. I am from Earth.”
“It is an honour knowing you, Jason Hope.”
The young leader nodded at the old man, who was actually an alien to their world.
“It is an honour. Let’s meet again if we ever have a chance.”
Jason knew the young leader made his decision. As for the female wizard, she was already casting all her defensive spells like crazy. There was nothing left for them to run for. It was time to say goodbye.
‘Funny, I didn’t remember the last time someone asked my name.’
He was just another old warrior.
He smiled, taking out two bottles from his pouch. The magic bag was still intact after the devastation. As for healing, there was no time.
He didn’t hesitate to swallow the two liquids at once.
The one was a berserker potion that allowed him to go into overdrive on his body. The other was a poison that would surely kill him in twenty minutes. He wasn’t going to be one of the slaves who was working in the mines without a mind.
He smiled at the young man once more, before turning at the hundreds of drones flying toward them.
It was finally his time to die with a smile. Time to end everything once and for all. He suddenly wondered what it would look like; the world after death.
‘If I ever have a chance. I will pay back everyone who ever helped me. Thank you, Angel of Death, for giving me a reason to struggle for so long. Hope you are in a good place.’
He pulled out his trusted sword and charged at the horde of drones without hesitation. The magic power condensed around his sword, creating the aura of a Master Swordsman.
He dodged the darts with anaesthetics and plunged his sword into the first drone. A blue light pierced through the metallic drone before slicing off a few others behind it.
He knew this was a useless battle. The Cervians could replace these drones with ease. Also, the culprit responsible for their end wasn’t the Cervians.
It was the signal they sent to outer space. Their call for help was the reason for their end. The allies they thought would help them to survive actually turned on them.
If Cervians had such technology, this war would have ended a long time ago. The drones might probably be here looking for clues about the devastation, not looking for survivors.
‘I just wish I ever had more time….’
His vision kept becoming worse and worse, but he didn’t stop swinging his sword. He couldn’t avoid all the darts on him, and he didn’t notice the lights on all the drones turning red as they detected him as a threat.
He didn’t see them firing their lasers at him, and he didn’t feel them piercing his body. He didn’t feel his right hand shattering into pieces, and he lost his sword.
He kept his smile till the end, even when his broken body finally embraced the cold ground.
…
“Mommy, that uncle is crying.”
“Hush. Let’s go.”
‘Huh?’
Jason saw a woman dragging her son away from him.
He realised he was standing on the side of the road in a daze. He felt the wetness on his cheeks. His last moment was a vivid memory in his mind.
‘Was it real?’
Jason looked at his small room. There was a small window, his bed, and a closet. It wasn’t much with the worn-out paints on the walls and dusty ceiling, but he was happy. He had his own room for the first time in his life. He stretched on the bed, hoping it would bring some comfort to his battered mind. ‘Sigh. I can’t avoid it, I guess.’ By no means does this sudden change of events be comforting to him. He saw too many deaths and lost many things during the twenty years of war. He had his own demons. He took out his phone and opened the browser. He tried to type two words, but he stopped himself with shaking hands. ‘I hope it was just a nightmare.’ He thought about how it all happened. If this was truly his return to the past, everything would happen in another five years. September 2030. A couple of months before that fateful day, governments all around the world announced a piece of shocking news. The world, the earth, would end on the 1st of September 2030. The peop
‘Sigh. What am I going to do?’Jason sat on the bench with an exhausted look on his face. He got an extra day off to take medical assistance, yet he was here to do something else. ‘Will I not be able to get the money?’He really felt helpless.He had no friends; he had no family. He didn’t have anyone rich enough to lend him money, and he had nothing he could sell. ‘Sigh.’He took out the phone, trying to find another bank nearby. …“It is that guy, again.”“Who?”Ashly frowned, knowing who her cousin was. Of course, Freya wasn’t a woman who didn’t date, but she rarely had a man who could gain her attention. Besides, her words made it obvious that this guy caught Freya’s eyes more than once.“That guy. I showed you him earlier.”“Hm?”Ashly turned her head toward the direction Freya was looking at. There was a scrawny young man sitting alone on a bench in the corner of the bank. His dark hair was messy, and he was looking at something on his phone. His worn-out clothes looked too
Jason looked out of the window. He was hesitant to sip the expensive cup of coffee in his hand. He loved good food and drinks, but he loved his money even better. The bustling street was filled with people and vehicles. He saw more people going in and out of the bank on the other side.‘Sigh.’He wondered if he could do what he planned. Honestly, he had too many uncertain points. “So… Are you going to tell us?”“Ah… Yes.”His mind hurried back to the small cafe with a sharp but pleasant voice. “Sigh. I need money to buy a VR cabin.”If not for the information he found on the internet, he wouldn’t have followed this woman out of the bank, and he wouldn’t be sitting here with the two of them. Ashley Steel was the heir to the massive Steel corporations. To someone like her, mere hundred thousand should be nothing. However, there was another reason that he agreed to follow her. The Steel Corporation had a gaming guild called Black Steel Guild. A guild that focused on many major onlin
“I am here to apply for the Endless.”Jason ignored the disdainful look the guy behind the counter had when he placed the stack of papers in front of him.He knew doing things like this was way outdated, but he had his reasons. Besides, it was clearly mentioned that the application could be delivered by hand. The girl next to the guy looked at his face for a few seconds. It was as if she was trying to determine if he was joking or not. After a few seconds, she took the application into her hand and walked to a computer. “Sir. Can you see if there are any errors in the details I enter?”She pointed at the screen facing Jason.“Sure.”He stood in front of the screen as the girl skillfully entered his details into an online form. After that, she returned the form to him to check if everything was clear. “It is correct.”Jason felt relieved after checking everything for a second time. He didn’t want to get rejected even before getting started. He gave the girl his credit card as he fe
‘I can’t believe this.’Jason lay on his new bed, feeling complicated. It wasn’t because something was wrong, because everything went right.Three days after getting his loan from Ashley Steel and the Black Steel gaming studio, he moved into his new apartment. The real estate agent she introduced was very efficient and found him a cheap place with a rental of twenty-five thousand per year. It was a one-bedroom apartment with a small kitchen and a bathroom. It was the best he could afford with the money he had. After moving into the apartment, he began his tedious daily routine. Every morning he got up early and prepared breakfast and packed some lunch. Then he would go to the library to gather information on the notable natural landmarks on earth. There was a reason for this. In his past life, when the entire earth’s population was transported to the Yuriel, most people wanted to find a way to return. However, a group of explorers, scientists, and natives of the Yuriel found the n
The surrounding lights changed, and Jason felt the warmth of the newborn sun.Even before he got used to the environment, his body stiffened. He felt the slight traces of magical energy or mana brushing against his skin. ‘Huff… Huff….’He gasped for air, trying to calm his mind. The feeling was from the atmosphere he lived in for thirty years. It made him instantly feel like a fish out of water because his ending in the past life wasn’t the one he expected to have. The surroundings became clear to him, and he wasn’t alone. There were many others and more and more lights flashed in the surroundings as more people appeared around them.‘So, is this how players come here?’He looked at his clothing. It was an off-white shirt and pants. It was similar to everyone else. Men and women both wore identical clothing, but they all had different skin tones and hair. He even saw several coloured hairs among the group. “Huh? Are we all players? How are we going to identify players? There are no
“Can I meet Envoy Boris?”Jason saw the two guards looking at him with curious eyes. “Sure… Go right in.”Jason gave them an acknowledging nod before walking into the building. The first thing he realised was that the building was actually an Inn. The wooden tables, the smell of alcohol and the dim light were obvious signs.He was afraid, but he had no choice but to push forward. First, he had to learn where he was and if this was the real Yuriel. The best way to get accurate information was from a man like Boris. There were five people inside, and a wooden staircase connected the two floors.He saw Envy Boris, a woman that had a lean but tough build, a dark man that reminded him of a giant bear, and another in a cloak leaning against a wooden post. The woman sat on a bench with her feet on the table while the well-built man was already drinking. The last person looked like the owner of the place, who stood behind the counter. ‘Adventurers?’ The group looked tough, but they were
“You… Will?”Boris really hoped he wouldn’t. “Yes!”Jason looked around and found the fireplace. He walked up to the stack of wood and found a sturdy branch about one metre long. “Can I borrow this?”He looked at the man behind the counter.“You can… But why?”“I don’t have a weapon.”“That is your weapon?”Boris felt a slight headache coming over him.Jason raised his shoulders, giving a helpless look. He really had no choice. “Hey, do you know how to use a sword?”Jason looked at the woman, raising his brows.“Yes!”He didn’t have to be humble with what he knew the best. He had practised using a sword for twenty-five years.“Show me!”He didn’t expect her to throw a sword at him, but he caught it by the sheath. He drew the longsword out of the sheath, eyeing the woman. He noticed that she had another sword by her side.‘Not the same size and grip. She is not a duel wielder. Why does she have two swords?’He felt the grip.“This is a good sword, but is it yours?”“Oh, why do you
"Shit," Amelia cursed under her breath as she deflected blow after blow, desperately trying to protect Jason from the relentless attacks.It wasn’t just her previous enemies; there was another massive threat looming on the horizon. She could feel the presence of a greater demon, its oppressive aura emanating from afar, finally ready to make its move.'I can't take on this thing,' she thought, parrying another strike aimed at her.She didn't have the luxury of time to grab Jason and flee. Besides, with the monstrous force approaching, running seemed pointless. This new threat was undoubtedly stronger than her.'If only he can fight,' she lamented, her grip tightening around her sword. She couldn't even afford a glance at Jason to check if he was still holding on. All she could hear were his painful grunts, each one a stab to her focus.…"Daddy, Daddy, no, I have to go!" Hanna cried out, trying to rush toward the mine entrance.Before she could take another step, Nocturne leapt from her
'This is not going to end well.'Jason barely caught his breath as he hid behind a stone column, narrowly evading the swing of a giant demon's sword. He felt a growing sense of helplessness as his spells failed to inflict any significant damage on these monstrous enemies. Surprisingly, his Arcane Spawns managed to restrain one of the demons temporarily. However, the limitation was clear—he could only summon three Arcane Spawns at a time, and that number was far from enough to take down even a single demon.'I don't think Amelia can hold on much longer.'While Jason was barely managing against a single demon, Amelia was handling all five of the remaining demons on her own. She moved with incredible agility, skillfully evading the swords and other weapons targeting her, striking back whenever she saw an opening. Her blade flashed, leaving shallow cuts on the demons’ thick skin, but it was clear that even with her skill, she was being overwhelmed. Five demons were far more than she cou
"Hanna, you have to be good and stay here, alright?""Alright, Daddy," Hanna responded, her voice tinged with sadness, but she kept her composure.'Hanna is a big girl. I can't cry. Mommy and Daddy promised to come back,' she reminded herself, trying to act brave.Floating behind her, Nocturne extended its tentacles, imitating the action of wiping away tears as if to comfort Hanna in its own eerie way."No, Hanna is not crying, Little Cuttlefish," Hanna tried to argue with Nocturne, waving her tiny fist cutely at the eldritch horror."Make sure everything is okay." Jason gave Hanna a quick peck on the forehead before turning to Samson and Butch."We will handle things while you are gone, Sir Jason," Butch assured him. Despite not being from Earth, he had learned to mimic Samson when addressing Jason. Many of the bodyguards, even those from Yuriel, had learned to act properly under Samson's guidance.Jason's gaze shifted to Dane, who was responsible for maintaining the outer perimete
“Eh….”Hanna turned her head around as she felt a familiar ominous feeling. “What is it, Hanna?”“Little Cuttlefish is here, Mommy.”She didn’t know where it was, but she felt its presence. A moment later, a ripple appeared near them and a small slit expanded in midair. An eerie dark feeling seeped out of it as several small tentacles slipped into their world. “Whee!”Nocturne floated toward Hanna making a cheerful noise. “Hiss.”Ancient Wraith hissed at the foreign creature. “Grr….”Nyx growled at the creature in anger, but it didn’t try to attack it. First, Nocturne was Jason’s pet. Second, her little master had no anger toward this thing. However, Nyx knew that the horrible disease had the same scent as this creature. It was a dangerous and foreign feeling that made them uncomfortable. “Gu! Gu!”Nocturne immediately released a defensive sound and hid behind Amelia, trying to protect itself. “Don’t harm Little Cuttlefish. It is not his fault.”Hanna gently patted Nyx’s head
“No! I will not let you go in.”Brood’s voice was sharp and loud, and Jason felt the surrounding air vibrate with her voice. “It is already spreading. Send out one of your Drones and check the caves to the north. There is a crack.”Jason didn’t care about Brood’s rant at the moment. He was much stronger than before. Even if he failed to defeat Brood, he was confident enough to survive against her and escape. Besides, Amelia should be already on her way here. “But… But… This is the only place I am supposed to protect. I… I didn’t let anything escape.”Brood’s voice broke a little as she tried to suppress the agitation. “Check it out. I can feel the monsters roaming beneath those cracks, and it won’t be long before they escape.”“But….”“There is no time. She is coming, and she is angry. So check it out. We will go in there and finish it, Brood. It doesn’t matter if you like it or not. It is too dangerous and we are going to end whatever is down there.”Jason had no idea what kind o
‘This is bad. This is very very bad.’Jason stared at the crack on the ground with a frown. He thought the corrupted land was beneath the spider mines, Brood’s lair. However, it seemed to be extended beyond his scope of imagination. He felt the pulsating mutated life roaming beneath the ground, and he had to use a lot of willpower to suppress himself from roaring. The mutated monster within him smelled the delicacy. Still, alerting them wouldn't be a good thing for them at the moment. Only two Grandmasters were at Light Shone while the others followed the bandit exterminators in secrecy. Only a Grandmaster could face a hunter, and anything above would be too much for this world.The red mist leaking through the crack corroded the mana in the surroundings.‘Is there a way to stop it from spreading? Should I repair the crack? But we better deal with whatever is inside first.’Jason didn't feel like angering Amelia anymore.‘I better see Brood. She must know what happened here before.’H
“You… You are Jason.”“I am.”Jason smiled at the man as he finally opened his eyes. He felt relieved to slip away from Amelia’s fiery gaze. “My… My arm….”The player panicked as he hurriedly inspected his arm. “The wound….”“It is gone now. Honestly, it wasn’t a wound. It was an infection.”Jason shrugged.“What exactly happened? I don’t think you were in Spider Mine.”The lower level of the Spider Mine was a forbidden place. Even if it weren’t, very few would dare to wander into the swarm of spiders. “No, Jason. I was working in the Northern Mine. We had a small quack at the lowest level, and a new crack popped up in the floor.”“And you were the closest to it?”“Yes.”“How big is this crack, did anyone else come into contact with it?”Jason didn’t want to drag out the discussion.This wasn’t exactly unexpected, but an open crack meant there was a hidden space underneath the mine that was contaminated by radiation. He needed to find out how big the hidden space was. ‘I really h
“Jason! We need to see Jason!”“What is going on?”Amelia came out of the house as she heard the loud voice. No one dared to shout in front of their home, and she wondered why Jason’s loyal guards didn’t act. “Madam…!”“Grandmaster Amelia! We… We need help. He can’t log out, and we don't know what to do.”“Hm?”Amelia frowned as he looked at the people from Jason’s world. She knew these were the selected people of the Crystal Pulse. Even though Samson and the other guards prevented this group of people from entering the house, they also looked worried. She looked at the man they brought in, and her eyes widened for a moment. There was a purplish wound on the man’s arm, and a dark purple smoke came out of it. He was groaning in pain and it looked as if the man was going senile with pain. He was twitching and rolling on the ground as the others held him. More people were gathering near their house, and she knew many wanted to know what happened to the fallen man. “Mommy… That unc
“Is it online?”“Yes, Chief.”“How is the reaction?”“I think it looks very violent, Chief. There is an outburst of responses.”“Good.”Despite his words, Magnus’s face showed no hint of comfort. “And Jason?”“He will stay on Yuriel for the time being, Chief. Amelia said she is keeping him there indefinitely. As long as this problem isn’t solved.”“Do you think she knows something?”Magnus rubbed his temple. Technically, there was no way for Jason to know the gaming cabin could transport him to another world. Even if an NPC told him so, it would be impossible to believe. ‘It isn’t like he could handle that kind of secret with such grace.’He believed it would be too much for even a man like Jason Hope. However, Amelia’s behaviour made him suspicious of her knowledge about their world. She knew how to arrange security and cover blindspots against modern weapons. This shouldn’t have happened if Amelia was from a magical world. Besides, her plan looked almost flawless, and even Magn