A.N.: I finally decided to leave the cult I was raised in, sorry couldn't update. They were chasing me with machetes, and broke my laptop. I discovered they were all cannibals, and had been feeding me human meat my whole life. Even if I forgive that, yesterday they fed me my dog. My sweet poor dog. It's over!! I will report them to the FBI today.
Pss pss, a new book is also coming, it's gonna be awesome, do check if you have time.
I will try to update more from now on!!
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[Selene and Leor will be married. Congratulations!!]
Johan's face darkened, his breathing grew ragged.
He looked up. Darkness was dying. Gentle orange streaks rose in the distant sky. Birds sang, looking at the group in amazement as they flew beside them.
Both Johan and Kirin were flying just a few hundred meters in the air.
Kirin was carrying Sebastian in her arms in a princess carry, enjoying the cold air. Melodis slept inside her body, resting after flying so fast for hours.
Air tasted sweet and refreshing, but Johan couldn't taste it. He turned his eyes back to the blue screen.
[1. Organize a terrorist attack. Cause so much destruction that Selene chooses to postpone the marriage.] (Rewards: Two Million points)
'Hmm, I guess it's possible. Maybe I could do that while saving Acier and the others…' Johan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his mouth watering at the thought of the 2 million point reward.
[2. Attend their marriage and eat the most food at the banquet.] (Contract with the Supreme Devil of Gluttony: Midor)
'What the…' Johan's eyes widened to the limit. This was the easiest to do—he already had the most overpowered disguising ability: The Maskless Sin.
And the reward wasn't bad either. He was confident enough to manipulate the Supreme Devil into becoming his ally.
He shuddered, thinking about Midor's ability to consume anything and absorb its properties—
If you hit him with your fire magic, he will gain an equal level of mastery over fire magic as you the next second. He is basically invincible, invulnerable, and immortal.
'...Ah, but I would have to let them get married… and even watch it…' He mentally cut this option off.
[3: Assassinate Selene in her sleep.] (Rewards: 5 million points)
'It's possible with my current powers, but isn't the reward way too generous?' Johan's mind wandered back to receiving only 2 million points for killing Radhaan.
'System does have its own agenda… or is this thing just designed to break me, make me lose myself…' He obviously cut this option off, growing a bit cautious of the system.
[4: Take Leor for yourself. Break Selene's heart.] (Rewards: 20 Million points, Elf Queen Freya will fall in love with you.)
His face darkened. He leaned forward. The air bent around him, and he was gone.
A sharp crack echoed across the rooftops—delayed by how fast he'd moved. Dust exploded behind him. Wind slapped through the nearby farms, windows rattled, chickens went squawking.
Kirin's eyes widened. She sighed and shot off, catching up beside him in a blur.
'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. System, I hate you. I really fucking hate you!' he kept screaming in his mind. 'Giving 20 million points and the alliance of a godlike being equal to the Goddess of Death for something stupid like this.'
[Are you sure?]
[Option 1 Selected]
[Good luck :)]
Few moments passed.
They were flying over the cold wind of the ocean now, silently staring at each other.
Sebastian had also woken up fine, flying by himself now. Johan and Kirin slowed down to match Sebastian's pace.
"So… what're we gonna do in Crimson Empire anyways? Even if they're a neutral country, they won't just accept traitors of another empire… we can't really align with them." Kirin said, ending the awkward silence.
She suspected—knowing her brother—that he was planning to get a high position in the Crimson Empire's army, build some rapport, and get their protection.
"Hehe, are you getting that old?" Johan spoke in a mischievous tone.
Kirin's pupils dilated. She touched her skin fanatically. "No. I am not. I am just… 26," she mumbled to herself.
"No, I mean—did you already forget? Johan, Kirin, and Sebastian are dead. We'll join the Hunter Organization, get a high position there, and then ally with them." Johan explained, patting her back gently, comforting her.
"I see… if we can ally ourselves with a Mantle, even Radhaan won't dare attack us!" Sebastian said admiringly, his eyes brightening.
At the top of the Hunter Organization were eight mysterious people, controlling it all. Their guilds even existed in the Demon Forest and Devil's Land—which should've been illegal—but—
No one wants any smoke with Mantles. And they don't even need to.
Anyone could post quests in the Hunter Organization for money. You want a dungeon cleared? A monster dead? Bodyguards for protection? Just hire them. No need to risk your own resources.
Hunters did it for money and adventure—for the thrill of being the first to explore a mysterious dungeon, learning new secrets of the world.
Mantles didn't even care about money. Just the love of the game and the thrill of adventure.
Johan knew he would meet a Mantle in the Doomsday Trial. That would be the time to start the next plan.
Their powers weren't known, but Johan had an idea. They were strong enough to fight by Leor's side in the final arc—as the front force against the Goddess of Death.
Even Radhaan would have to go all out—Devil Dive—and use all his cards. And there was still a chance he would lose.
But Mantles weren't stupid enough to mess with anything involving politics. They had to remain neutral and couldn't assassinate political figures or harm any empire.
The Hunter Organization was strict about it, so Empires respected this—and both parties mutually agreed to use and exploit each other.
"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. That's still for the future. What matters the most is saving you…" Johan said, gazing at the distant sun rising.
"Master…" Johan's heart trembled, feeling a strange warmth in his chest.
"I am not your master anymore. Just call me Johan…" Johan retorted firmly.
"I know, I know. Just old habits." Sebastian rubbed the back of his head, smiling helplessly.
Kirin smiled warmly on the side, feeling a strange gush of power in her bones—as if prepared to sacrifice everything to protect those smiles.
The blue ocean finally ended, catching a tropical sand island in their sight.
Johan used a gravitational bubble on the group, observing the bustling city—still quiet because of early morning—silently.
"Mushma, Crimson Empire… let's get to the Hunter's Guild first. Then maybe you could train me in some magic and swordsmanship. We will attack the Aurelian Empire in a week…" Johan said, his tone melancholic.