Gunners are Empyreans. Under the 500-year rule of Bakal the Cruel Dragon King, magic research was strictly prohibited in the Celestial Realm. Consequently, technology surged, and firearms were born.
The world is fickle. The final strike before Bakal's death shattered the Celestial continent. The farthest floating fragment of that continent was known as the Lawless District, where rebels and outlaws ran rampant. This was where Makiya was born.
Struggling to survive daily amidst a hail of bullets and after trials of blood and fire, Makiya changed classes to become a Spitfire, using enchanted bullets to terminate his enemies. Unfortunately, during a battle for resources, a giant mechanical arm pierced through dimensions and flattened Makiya into Makiya-paste with a single punch.
Makiya died once more.
Without the respawn mechanism from the game, the mortality rate for adventurers in the DNF world was extremely high. Makiya tried several other classes but failed to persist until he could complete his Awakening and understand the true essence of those professions.
It was not until he chose the Male Mage that things began to improve.
Thanks to Moah, a high-level mage from Pandemonium. While researching black magic, he accidentally discovered the existence of the Abyss. This massive energy source, capable of continuously supplying life and energy, could replace any organ in the body.
During a magic war, Makiya was ambushed by Heartbreaker Ricardo and lost his heart. While on the verge of death, Hilder, the God of Magic, appeared in the guise of a mysterious figure. She used the Abyss to replace his shredded heart. Thus, Makiya was reborn. When he opened his eyes again, he was already on the soil of Arad, having gained an immortal body.
Starting his adventure again, Makiya relied on his accumulated experience and his immortal body to make quite a name for himself on the Arad continent.
Having narrowly escaped death many times and even suffering imprisonment, he turned danger into safety every single time. As his research into black magic deepened, Makiya gradually grasped the true essence of the elements.
Countless elements flowed and converged in his hands. The power of mutually annihilating elements produced a massive explosion, after which the elements returned to Makiya's grasp, merging with him. From that moment on, Makiya lived in symbiosis with dark magic, dominating all elements and ascending to become a Magic Emperor.
"Hiss..."
"Hiss..."
"Hiss..."
A series of gasps echoed in the mysterious space. The other Makiyas carefully checked their memories only to discover that this one was the real big shot. His life after transmigration was spent entirely in battle, dying many times over; he was the type to just fight if he did not like something.
"Big shot!" Ninja World Makiya suddenly noticed a blind spot. "Since you can revive now, doesn't that mean you can't go back to the character creation interface?"
"Not for now." Magic Emperor Makiya shook his head. "But I have a feeling that once I complete my Second Awakening and become an Oblivion, some new functions should be unlocked."
"What functions? Topping up money?"
"Are you going to pay with Q-coins?"
"I'll definitely buy the annual set."
"Top up and gamble it all on Lost Treasures to get two Rare Avatar sets directly."
"Gamblers never end well."
"Stop joking. Arad over there is a real world. Only the big shot has a game interface. If he opens the cash shop system, he'd be invincible." Ninja World Makiya tried to pull the conversation back on track. "It might be an interface upgrade that allows for the free creation of new characters, while the old, living characters fall into a state of slumber or something."
Then, Ninja World Makiya looked at Magic Emperor Makiya. "What if—I mean just what if—we could freely create characters? Why don't you try being a Dark Elf, big shot? Change class to a Kunoichi. With the support of Ho-Oh Makiya's flame ability, your Bifang Flame would definitely be incredible."
Dark Elf -> Kunoichi -> Bifang Flame -> Shiranui -> Neo: Kunoichi
The progression of the Ninja class is a path of taking Fire Ninjutsu to new heights. For Ninja World Makiya, that skill experience would definitely be a massive boost.
Soul Reaper Makiya's eyes lit up. "Blade Master, Sword Master, and Blade Dancer are also very cool. Let's try them all if there's a chance."
The crowd chattered amongst themselves, and Magic Emperor Makiya joined the discussion. Merging everyone's memories and strength, many new ideas surged in his mind. He decided to give them a good try once he returned.
Wizard Makiya saw that no new people were coming online. He greeted Hacker Makiya beside him and quickly logged off.
For some reason, after merging with Magic Emperor Makiya's memories, he felt uneasy. Intense heart palpitations occurred from time to time, as if something major was about to happen.
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England.
Southwest of London, Surrey, Little Whinging.
"Start" Orphanage, second floor.
Makiya suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for breath.
He was soaked in sweat, a thin figure imprinted on the soft sheets.
"Hiss... it hurts!"
Makiya felt as if his internal organs were being hacked by knives and roasted by fire. Intense pain spread throughout his body. His heart beat faster and faster, pumping large amounts of scorching blood through his veins. His skin gradually turned red as his sweat evaporated.
Chaotic magic pulsed around him. The desk, lamp, chairs, and benches were overturned by an invisible force, leaving the room in a mess.
This bedroom was a double, but fortunately, Makiya's roommate had been adopted a month ago, leaving him alone for the time being.
"Thump, thump, thump, thump..."
The sound of his heartbeat grew louder, echoing in Makiya's ears like thunderous drumbeats. Moonlight shone into the bedroom through the window, yet everything before Makiya's eyes was pitch black.
At a certain point, the sound of a bursting watermelon rang out, and the heartbeat stopped abruptly.
Makiya, who had found the sound noisy just moments ago, felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. A bad thought crossed his mind: My... my heart? Is it...
"Argh..."
A mouthful of blood sprayed out. A sharp, unbearable pain radiated from his chest, as if a sharp blade had been thrust straight into his heart and then twisted.
Makiya felt as though he was being tightly constricted. Every breath intensified the pain, making it nearly impossible for him to straighten his back. He could only curl up.
The massive amount of energy accumulated by the Makiya army had already transformed into magic power distributed throughout his body. At this moment, a torrent of magic appeared out of nowhere, gushing from every part of his body. Under the moonlight, the curled-up Makiya on the floor was gradually enveloped by pitch-black magic.
In an instant, a speck of light emerged from his heart. The light then expanded into a fist-sized white void, with purple-black radiance projecting from it.
The pain subsided, and strength returned to his body. Makiya propped himself up against a fallen cabinet and looked down at his heart.
The magic torrent surged toward his heart. An irregular hexagram-shaped magic crystal floated where his heart used to be. Its form was not fixed; under Makiya's gaze, it suddenly turned into a liquid sphere.
The purple-black light reflected Makiya's face.
"Is this... the Abyss?"
The constantly shifting energy body looked very familiar, exactly like the one transplanted into Magic Emperor Makiya's heart. A continuous stream of vitality and energy surged through his body. The previous agony felt like it had passed a long time ago, and Makiya now felt better than ever.
The light in his chest gradually faded and dissipated, revealing fair skin. Makiya reached out to touch his chest; the smooth, flat sensation reached his brain.
There were no wounds on his body, as if everything had been an illusion.
The Abyss perfectly replaced the function of his heart, pumping blood full of vitality and magic throughout his body. Touching it carefully, he could still feel a 'heartbeat' and 'pulse'.
But the blood on the floor could not be faked. By the moonlight, Makiya saw a shattered, youthful heart lying before him.
"Little Makiya, are you okay?"
The matron's voice sounded from outside the door, seemingly drawn by the commotion of the furniture falling.
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