Chapter 3: Chapter 3 — Farming Is More Fun Than Dying!

<Zero>

 

“It’s dark and I can’t see shit.”

 

He had expected to be teleported to a dimly lit room, but Zero had found himself in a pitch-black dungeon instead. There was a faint draft coming from in front of him, cold and moist air nuzzling itself against him. Zero didn’t know how long he had been walking, just that it had been a good while and he was getting tired of it.

 

Zero leaned against the wall, sliding down it onto the ground. He usually felt extremely uncomfortable in the dark—he could always feel the presence of something else out there, even when it was deep in the woods at midnight, he could feel it. The fact that a portal was used to get to Arrithia meant everything about them came over too—the enhancements made even the littlest of personal quirks from his world be on superhuman levels.

 

“Well, this sucks…” Zero may not be scared, but he was filled with anxiety, more and more with each moment of their plans being delayed. “…I wonder how everyone else is doing, I assume Kazuka is making friends with everyone…” Zero adjusted himself, laying out on the floor staring up at the black ceiling. “…and Maeve, I feel bad for her…”

 

Zero and Maeve had known each other the longest, even if it was only because they saw each other in person every day—Zero knew that Maeve could easily handle everything on her own, but this whole ordeal would make her more than nervous, and he knew who would be taking the blame for it all or at least the brunt of her frustrations and anxiety…though, it usually is well deserved.

 

The presence of someone entering the area to his far left stirred Zero to his feet.

 

He couldn’t tell where they were, just that they existed in the same vicinity as him.

 

Zero continued his journey to his right, still wondering where someone came from on the left. The only reason he was heading in this direction was that he couldn’t find anywhere to go on the other end.

 

“Must have been a secret entrance or something.”

 

He increased his pace, just in case it was something he had to fight—also because the fear was about to set in.

 

Zero isn’t afraid of the dark—no—he is afraid of what lurks in the dark—an enemy unseen may as well not be an enemy at all, but the end of your life instead.

 

The presence that someone was inside the dungeon with him increased as he pushed along the wall—his hand gliding along it to keep him grounded. 

 

“Fuck.”

 

His hand suddenly slipped from the wall as the floor disappeared from under him. There was a hole in the ground, but like everything else in the area, he didn't see it.

 

It was the same sensation that had overcome their bodies at the beginning of the reset—a mix of that feeling you get when going over a small hill in a car, or that of a tall roller coaster, a dash of a morning stretch, and a hint of it feeling like you’re wetting yourself—not the worse feeling but not the greatest.

 

He had been falling for a few minutes before there was an opening—Zero still couldn’t see anything, but the change in the atmosphere felt like the area had opened up. Another few meters of falling and then gravity seemed to stop for a second, slowing his descent. 

 

Zero was rolled in the air, forcefully flipped forward to land him on his feet. His boots send out a small echo through the room—a torch ignited behind him, followed by another one to the left, then the right—one after another, a perimeter of torches circled the room, illuminating the dungeon’s walls and blue tiled floor.

 

“Interesting.”

 

Zero followed the torches—watching as they rounded to an enormous white marble throne that sat before him. They illuminated the intricate patterns that ran up the side of the stone, casting a dark shadow up the walls. The throne towered above Zero, with two goblets sitting on the end of each arm.

 

“Ah shit.”

 

The two goblets filled with fire, revealing the statue that sat within the throne—larger than the throne and made of the same soft white material. The details were incredible, a long robe that went up to its neck, with a hood that was pulled over its head. The giant appearance of a crown could be seen sitting above its closed eyes.

 

“I read Solo Leveling, that statue is gonna come to life…”

 

The eyes of the statue shot open, quickly moving their hollow pupils down at Zero.

 

“…called it, now if it shoots lasers from its eyes too, then I’ll—.”

 

As if Zero was willing the statue to do exactly as he said—an enormous blast came from each of its eyes, merging into an enormous cylinder of golden energy. 

 

It crashed into the floor, ripping up the tiles, sending them in all directions—it traced its way forward toward Zero, forcing him to start running toward his left. The laser diverted with ease, flipping more of the tiles into the air as it rotated its eyes to follow him around the room.

 

“Okay dude.”

 

Zero pivoted on his left foot, rotating his entire body to the left with it—just barely dodging the beam. He began running in the other direction, causing the statue to stop its attack. Its eyes followed him, quickly catching up to him. 

 

Their dead marble core began to glow. 

 

“Wait…no.” 

 

Another attack, the same cylinder-shaped attack, this time coated in a vibrant red aura that illuminated the walls in a faint glow. 

 

Zero stopped on a dime as the attack blew right through everything in front of him—evaporating the existence of anything that could have been in front of him.

 

“Shit.”

 

The blast faded and the statue looked to be charging another attack—the eyes doing nothing but glaring down at Zero.

 

“I don’t think I’m gonna get the Jin-Woo treatment if one of those beams actaully hit me…” Zero looked around the room, examining how much room he had at his disposal. “…I guess it’s time to go on the offensive.” 

 

Zero’s body completely disappeared, reappearing to the left of the statue’s face. “Did you know…” he brought his fist forward, connecting a direct punch with its cheek—sending a crack up through the eyes. Zero dropped onto the side of the throne and the second his foot touched the marble—he disappeared again. “…that the support class…” the statue turned to its right as Zero connected another punch, this one on the bridge of its nose. The crack made a web as it spread from the nose all the way down to the start of the neck. The statue’s head rolled back into the throne, sending a shockwave across the room from the pressure—dimming some of the torches around the area.

 

Zero dropped on the side of the throne, again, disappearing. His voice carried throughout the entire area, still unseen.

 

“…it’s the fastest class by default, and when you choose to fight without a weapon…”

 

A burst of air pierced the side of the throne, completely destroying it in a cloud of smoke. The statue fell backward, collapsing into the debris and wall.

 

“…your speed will increase even more…”

 

Zero reappeared in front of the statue, his body steaming from the excessive heat.

 

“…they want us to treat this as a game…” 

 

The statue brought itself back up as Zero charged forward—its mouth finally changing shape to grind its teeth together. It held itself up with its right arm while lifting the left, an enormous purple magically circle had quickly etched itself in front of the statue’s hand. 

 

“…but it’s not…”

 

Zero increased his speed, leaping into the air—the statue following him with its attack.

 

Seven white orbs appeared in front of the circle—they started rotating, forming an electrical ball—pulling power from the magical circle until it faded away—and the moment it did, the statue fired the attack upward at Zero.

 

The magical lightning coated the air, knocking Zero onto the floor—his body shaking from current.

 

[You Have Been Paralysed!]

 

Zero smirked as another message appeared in front of him.

 

[Support Class Negates All Status Effects!]

 

Zero pulled himself from the ground, stretching his neck and back. 

 

“Okay big guy, you wanna try to Jin-Woo me…”

 

Zero took off as fast as he could, putting all his energy into his movement—the tiles that were scattered around the floor flipped into the air, shattering into tiny shards as Zero flew past—shifting from a blur of gold and red to a beam of white light.

 

The statue lowered its arm, watching as Zero closed the gap between them and then arched straight into the air—its head slowly lifted as Zero rolled onto the ceiling—he touched his feet against the stone just for a moment before propelling back down at the statue.

 

“…I’ll just have to Jin-Woo you!” 

 

Zero screamed as he pushed his fist forward, using every ounce of his current strength—channeling it into the punch—turning his fist into a molten flare as his armor heated up.

 

He fought through the pain of the heat as his armor melted onto his hand—the air sizzling around his fist—and the shockwave that exploded from his punch shook the entire dungeon, bringing sections of the ceiling down onto the ground, sending dust in all directions

 

As the dust cleared and Zero landed back onto the ground—he expected to see the statue missing its head—instead, it was cracked just slightly more and little beams of light were seeping from within.

 

It wasn’t that it didn’t take much damage from a punch Zero had put everything into, it was the smile that it now held on its cold stone face that truly sent fear down his spine.

 

“I don’t wanna be Jin-Woo anymore…”

 

The statue started to stand, its slender form shaking the room as it pried itself up—chunks of stone fell from it, collapsing onto the ground, shaking the room more and more. 

 

“Nope.” Zero took off sprinting, trying to find an exit—continuously glancing behind him at the statue.

 

It had completely stood up, the eyes following him wherever he went in the room—no matter the speed—no matter the direction.

 

Zero arched again to the ceiling, climbing the wall, trying not to lose speed.

 

“I may be fast as fuck but this is a Castle Level Boss…”

 

His mind had long been racing—far gone were the thoughts of just beating the statue—it was now about how they were going to do anything at all. Not only has it changed from the preview, but it has also increased in difficulty ten times over.

 

The statue suddenly disappeared leaving two after images in its place.

 

“Shit.”

 

Zero quickly shifted the direction he was heading, pulling from the ceiling over onto the wall. 

 

His eyes traced around the room, looking to see where the statue had moved too.

 

“I thought I was going to a secret club…”

 

Zero’s foot slipped on the wall, and he began to fall, looking up at the ceiling unamused at his situation.

 

“…but nope...”

 

He fell to the floor, the statue appearing above him, its fist held tight, pulled behind its head.

 

“…dude…”

 

The statue pushed itself from above, propelling forward with its punch.

 

“…fuck Solo Leveling…”

 

<Maeve>

 

The Country of Tifton—or at least what’s left of it.

 

Once a country that thrived on being the first to bear witness to the glorious inventions from the countries of Tarkwa and Kaktovik—Tifton was turned to ruin by the very thing they loved and adored.

 

The Kingdom of Centalará as a whole had all three countries under strict watch, using each of them to fulfill a different purpose—Tarkwa mined the resources—Kaktovik forged the crafts—and Tifton was used to display.

 

At first, Tifton looked like it would be an even brighter and stronger country than Sidra’s capital of Erewhon—ingenious methods of growing food, buildings that could withstand anything that came their way, medication that could cure even the deadliest of diseases.

 

Centalará became known as the Architectural Kingdom, forging the path for almost everything that resides in Sidra, but it would be the Adventure Kingdom of Wylop that eventually lead to the downfall of Tifton—those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it.

 

The country of Tifton was destroyed by a species of dragon known as Wyverns; small, two-legged, wings beasts of the sky—what sent Sidra above the clouds was something else entirely—The Elder Tempest.

 

The dragon above all dragons—everything but a God. 

 

Over a mile long in size with a constant storm swirling around its body, the Tempest turned Sidra from a thriving island of hope to a famine-filled wetland of despair. 

 

“Was that what I felt on the tram?” 

 

The shelter became quiet as all eyes focused on Maeve. She had run for no more than a few miles, making her way deep into the ruins of Tifton. Without nature to run its course and take back over, the entire country looked to be frozen in time.

 

As she slowed her sprint, she began to take notice that the country wasn’t completely abandoned. The two cities that once harbored within were all but completely erased, but the people have continued on—even with the condition of their country. 

 

Those who were unable to leave had to adapt or die. 

 

There were a little over a hundred people who decided to stay, but the work they had put in to survive made it look like there were hundreds upon hundreds of them living together. 

 

“You saw The Elder Tempest…and lived?”

 

It was an older man that had asked, his wrinkly and pale face looked to brighten with his words. He—like most of those living here, wore clothes that had been sewn and mended enough times over that the original material was all but gone.

 

“No, no, no, I could just sense it…you said that’s what drove Sidra to the sky, what happened?”

 

The old man lowered his head, giving an expression that Maeve knew was nothing but pain.

 

“You know what…don’t worry about it…I have another question though.” 

 

The old man looked up, pushing his long gray hair from his face. He went to speak but paused, his eyes looking past Maeve at the entrance of their little makeshift shelter.

 

“Maeve…I’m glad I finally caught up to you…it would seem we got off on the wrong foot.”

 

Maeve tucked her hands back into the sleeves of her robe as she stood, turning her head slightly to see the man from the tram. 

 

“I see you still think I will go quietly.”

 

The man shook his head, lifting his hand into the air, he snapped his fingers; ‘Actually, I wanted to help you.’

 

Everyone and everything around Maeve and the mysterious man had turned to dust, fading away in the wind until it was nothing but the two of them and nothing else.

 

Maeve looked around—as far as the eye could see was white—no more ruins, people, walls, anything, all of it gone. She moved her head back to focus on the man, glaring at him from under her mask.

 

“You know…” Maeve pulled her hands back out, holding her daggers within them. “...I knew this was going to be a cluster…” She lifted the daggers upward. “...and I knew Zero would stir up trouble too, but I wasn’t expecting it to go south this quick.”

 

The man looked at her for a moment, his eyes seemingly changing to a soft white all throughout the retina.

 

“Do you know who I am Maeve?”

 

She was hesitant to reply, she didn’t remember giving him her name, but given the world they were in, and what he had just done, it wasn’t too surprising that he knew it.

 

“I do not.”

 

The man smirked, taking a step forward—his clothes changing from the fitted apparel to that of a long dark red trench coat. His skin was even paler underneath his clothing, but his body was toned like he worked out every minute of every hour of every day. His hair began to change, shifting to a shaggy light orange as it drifted down past his shoulders. Two golden horns etched themselves into existence from his forehead while his pants and shoes faded to nothing, revealing something similar to a skirt, but with brown fur lining the underside of its matching dark red coloring.

 

“What about now?”

 

Maeve gritted her teeth, lowering her daggers, placing them back into her inventory. She not only now recognized exactly who they were, she also recognized the severe difference in their power—even before the reset, she didn't believe any of them would be able to take him down, individually, or together.

 

“God of Trickery and Mischief…Loki…”

 

<Kazuka>

 

Up. Down. Up. Down. 

Put your tools in the ground.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

Bring the soil back around.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

Plant your seeds in the mound.

Up. Down. Up. Down.

Grow the harvest for the town.

 

Kazuka had been singing Baron’s tune to himself on repeat for the last few hours, keeping his pace steady, and his rhythm focused.

 

He looked up at the two suns, their heat growing more intense as the day went on—Kazuka was more than thankful that he chose the Tank class, its passive ability to nullify the heat and cold was a blessing.

 

Baron stopped shortly after, looking over at him, sweat and dirt covering his face. He grabbed a rag from his pocket, smearing it across his face, he let out an exhausted sigh.

 

“What’s wrong son, little war got ya nervous?”

 

Kazuka lowered his head, glancing over at Baron. No matter how long they had been working or how hot it got, Baron could always be found with a smile. Kazuka wasn’t even sure if he ever saw the man actually frown, even when he was confused in their first meeting, a slight smile still sat on his lips.

 

“I’m…I’m actually not sure, I thought something would happen with the other islands now that Sidra was at war, maybe not?”

 

Baron still held his smile, but it almost looked like it actually might fade away; “Come again son, other islands, I’m not really sure what you mean?”

 

“First they only had one country in their kingdom, and now they don’t know about the other islands existing…” Kazuka thought to himself, he locked eyes with Baron. “I…I…uh, well…”

You are reading story Helmschmied at novel35.com

 

The two of them decided on cutting the day short and made their way to Baron’s cabin, where Kazuka talked for at least an hour straight. 

 

Baron told him that he knew about the Rankers, and had always assumed they died when they finally made it to the Dungeons of Wylop; he had no idea about the rest of the world that existed beyond their island. 

 

As Kazuka wrapped up his word vomit, two messages popped up in front of him.

 

[You Have Been Nothing But Kind To Baron!]

 

[He Wishes To Return The Favor!]

 

It was as if Kazuka’s entire world had become a puzzle, and piece by piece it rapidly fell apart, until it was nothing but empty white space, him, and Baron.

 

“What, where are we, what is this place?” Kazuka asked, looking around at all the emptiness that surrounded them. “This is what it looked like before I was born!” 

 

Baron raised an eyebrow as he let out a loud bellyful laugh.

 

“That is correct…actually…” Baron tilted his head to the side slightly, cracking it. “...been awhile since I’ve met someone who I wish to share my identity with…” He moved his head in the other direction, cracking the other side. “...plus you’re too damn likable to keep lying to you like this.”

 

Baron’s physical form began to change, shrinking him slightly and extending his beard, his skin went a few shades lighter, like he was extracting decades of sun damage. His dirty clothes shifted into a long white robe that extended all the way down to sandals where his boots once were—hair began to grow on his head, shaping itself into a bun as a golden band wrapped around his forehead. A wreath of tiny turquoise feathers manifested themselves around his neck, with his eyes fading to completely white.

 

“Name’s Dangun, God of the Mountains…why don’t we talk for a bit?”

 

<Zero>

 

By this point, the statue was bullying him up and down the room, conserving just enough of its power not to kill him, but giving him enough of it so that his passive healing wouldn't be able to fully compensate. 

 

It now stood back in front of its desolated throne—cold eyes glued on Zero, waiting to see what he would try next. 

 

This entire ordeal was more than eye-opening for Zero—it was a display of how much harder he needed to work and how much higher the bar had been moved since the reset.

 

He hadn’t put too much thought and effort into seeing what all had changed, he assumed it was just the difficulty, but as their fight raged on, he realized his mistake.

 

Everything had changed.

 

The menu system before consisted of seven sections:

 

[Ranker Profile]

[Inventory]

[Skills] 

[Items] 

[Stats]

[Quests]

[Realm Map]

 

…but now it only has four…

 

[Ranker Profile]

[Inventory]

[Skills]

[Realm Map]

 

“Hm…” Zero looked up from his menu at the statue. “…yep, still just being weird over there…” he looked back down, swiping over to the map. “…and it’s completely blacked out, neat…” he closed the menu. “…well then, looks like it really is all or nothing now…”

 

“ABOUT TIME YOU FIGURE IT OUT HOLY SHIT DUDE!”

 

Zero was dumbfounded more than startled—if he wasn’t looking right at the statue as it spoke, it would have been a different story.

 

“Did you just…talk?”

 

The statue slowly nodded its head.

 

Zero was at a loss for words—it had been beating the shit out of him for at least an hour, maybe longer and now it suddenly decided to speak, all while acting like Zero knew exactly what was going on.

 

“How long were you planning on beating my ass?”

 

“As long as it took for you to realize what you three will have to do.”

 

Zero began walking forward. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t sure if the statue was telling the truth or he was just baiting him for another beating. 

 

“Please stop approaching.”

 

Zero stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes locking with the statue as tiny drops of fear ran down his spine.

 

“The test is not complete.”

 

The statue’s face cracked more, sending little shards of stone onto the dungeon floor. 

 

The light from inside changed from soft white to a golden yellow. 

 

Zero kept his focus, watching as the cracks spread from the face through the rest of its frame—like it was shedding its skin.

 

The light that was seeping out was starting to stretch across the dungeon, illuminating the entire area.

 

The light shifted from a subtle presence to an overwhelmingly blinding aura. 

 

Zero turned his head, closing his eyes—he thought the mask would be enough but the light was able to crawl through every crevice. Even with his eyes closed and head tucked into his hood, the light was still blinding.

 

It burned at first, like a fresh sunburn after a day at the beach, but as it continued on, it drifted into a warm feeling, almost cozy, before it finally wrapped around Zero like a blanket.

 

“This feeling…it’s familiar…” Zero’s eyes widened from under his mask as he overcame the fear—his voice cracked with excitement. “…you’re…”

 

“Yes.”

 

Amongst the debris of the statue stood someone who Zero has looked to for guidance his entire life—to actually meet them felt like a dream.

 

They stood before Zero—the golden aura radiating around their slender, yet defined figure. The chest was just barely exposed, revealing a black sun tattoo in the center. The golden shoulder pads were in the shape of an animal head—it almost resembled a lion of sorts. The pads extended over their shoulder blades and down their back, forming a makeshift protruding spine. The maroon-colored cloak they wore over their left side was flowing behind them like a cape—even without the help of a breeze. Their waist was wrapped in a white robe, with a belt of feathers holding it in place. 

 

Zero moved his view upward to their face—their soft white eyes were accompanied by a set of flames in place of hair.

 

He was already sure of who it was, but when they summoned a bow in their left hand and a lyre in their right—it was fully confirmed.

 

“Apollo!”

 

As he spoke, an array of colorful music notes flowed from his lips—skipping their way across the dungeon toward Zero; ‘It’s good to finally meet you…Zero…NOW…’

 

Apollo dropped his lyre—its massive weight kicked up dust and tile as it embedded into the floor. He lifted the silver bow, grabbing the black string, pulling it back slowly—an enormous arrow formed instantaneously.

 

“…let us finish our test before your friends arrive.” 

 

<Maeve>

 

“Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, bull…shit.”

 

Maeve and Loki had been arguing in their little void for a while now—and it didn’t seem like they would be stopping until Maeve was convinced…or Loki finally snapped.

 

“Why would I ever trust you, do you know how many Marvel films alone you’ve been a backstabbing dick?”

 

Loki shook his head in horror, his white eyes seemingly showing emotion; ‘I thought you were the nicer one of the group?’

 

Maeve raised an eyebrow under her mask, her posture shifting in a manner that spoke better than her words ever would.

 

“Who told you that? Zero calls me a bitch all the time…and he isn’t wrong…most of the time.”

 

Loki, for the first time in his life, was at a loss for words. 

 

Maeve crossed her arms and began tapping her foot. She knew that something like this would eventually happen, Zero almost guaranteed it—she just wasn’t expecting it to happen so soon.

 

It wasn’t that everything was unfolding too fast, it was unfolding chaotically—Zero was probably having a grand old time with the uncertainty of it all, but she was not.

 

They had a plan to clear Vol in just a week, and Drithel in a month, but now, it had all changed beyond what any of them ever thought it would. 

 

“Tell me Loki, what exactly is going on here?”

 

“Oh, let me show you.”

 

Loki went to step forward, lifting his hand to place against Maeve’s mask but he was quickly knocked away.

 

“You are NOT going inside my head, use your words.”

 

Loki curled his lips and wrinkled his nose. He hesitated for a moment before lowering his hand.

 

He wouldn’t admit it, but he was enjoying himself. It had been countless years since a human had talked back to him with such spunk. 

 

“Where would you like me to begin?”

 

“I wanna know why we are here…” Maeve exerted herself, sending a small wave of dark aura toward Loki. “…and don’t lie to me.”

 

Loki lifted his hands up in front of him, smiling back at her; ‘I would never!’

 

Maeve exerted another wave, this one slightly stronger—moving Loki back a few inches.

 

He lowered his hands, his expression shifting, dropping the smile; ‘You have my word.’

 

Maeve nodded, fluffing out her cloak to take a seat back on the ground. Loki laughed through his nose, taking a seat of his own in front of her.

 

“Arrithia…”

 

A set of realms created a hundred thousand years ago by Cronus as a prison—originally for his sons; Zeus, Neptune, and Hades, but it soon became the home of many deities who found themselves on the wrong side of Cronus.  

 

Over those hundred thousand years, the deities trapped within Arrithia began to forge the original eight realms.

 

“What do you mean the original  eight…there will be more than eight islands?!”

 

“I, uh…” Loki again was at a loss for words, he wasn’t expecting her to catch that part. “…well, it’s…”

 

“Nevermind, we are so far away from beating the first, let alone all eight islands, I don’t wanna think about the fact there are more, continue.”

 

After Cronus rid the heavens of those who were against him, he set his warpath on Midgard, but his wife Rhea stood in his way—unable to slay his wife or seal her in Arrithia, he gave her an ultimatum.

 

Rhea was to train humans how to fight on the level of the Gods, and when they were ready, Cronus would declare war on Midgard—winner takes all.

 

Rhea agreed to her husband's terms, giving her own ultimatum in response. She told him that she would use Arrithia to train her heroes; Rankers—and once they were prepared, those trapped in Arrithia would be allowed to leave to fight on the side of the Rankers.

 

Cronus reluctantly agreed to her terms.

 

The Grand War has been delayed countless times, all because no Ranker has ever made it beyond the ninth island.

 

“So, there are more!”

 

Loki looked at her for a moment, his deadpan expression staring deep into her soul.

 

“Don’t give me that dumb-ass look, I’m just making sure I’m following.”

 

Cronus began sending his army to Arrithia in an act of defiance to his wife, changing the original training design of the realms—this eventually formed the Castles you find on each island. 

 

Arrithia has been used as a training ground for the last ten thousand years, but Cronus has grown tired. He told Rhea that this would be the last group of Rankers and if none of the new group made it beyond the ninth island, he would declare war on Midgard and erase humans from the universe.

 

Maeve was quiet, it was her turn to be at a loss for words. This started as a Sword Art Online incident—and truth be told, Kazuka and her thought it a joke. 

 

Throughout the preview, they were hesitant to take it seriously, even when they were on Vol they were still playing it as a game, but once they both saw the logout disabled and the enhancements came over them—they realized just how real it was.

 

“I can’t really grasp how many times I’ve questioned what is going on, none of it seems real, I feel like my thoughts are in a constant loop.”

 

“Maeve, that’s normal, given your situation, your friends, I’m sure, are in the same boat. The constant realization of how hard this will be, how real it has become, that’s the human in you, that’s why you are here.”

 

Loki’s words were almost comforting, almost—up until the end.

 

“We were here to save these people, but now we are here to fight in a war.”

 

Loki stood up, snapping his fingers, reassembling Tifton around them, and changing his appearance back to the tall, suited man.

 

“You’re partly right, you are here to save these people, but above all, you were always here to learn how to become God Slayers and save all of humanity.”

 

<Kazuka>

 

“So…” Kazuka tried to stifle his laughter, but it was nearly impossible. “...you were just playing me for a fool this entire time? What about not knowing about the other country or the other islands?!”

 

Dangun’s laugh was even more full than before, his cheeks turning a rosy red and his eyes were slowly tearing up.

 

“When I saw you standing there in amazement with that pink armor, I knew you would be fun, and don’t act like you won’t be the smartest lad in the room when you meet back up with your friends because of me!”

 

“Yeah, I mean you kinda went a bit overboard on the Sidra lore, but yeah I guess you’re right, do you know anything about the other islands?”

 

Dangun shook his head back at Kazuka; ‘Nothing more than that they exist, the deities you encountered along your journey, some of them, like myself, are trapped within their respective realm, or as you call them, their island.’

 

Kazuka thought for a moment before he spoke, trying to wrap his head around everything that had been said to him today. 

 

“What is the point of all this then? Zero said it was to save the people who got transported with us, but you…you make it seem like it’s much bigger than that…”

 

Dangun lowered his head, rubbing his eyes as he sighed; ‘I am going to show you something, a vision…’ he closed the gap between them, reaching out to touch Kazuka’s mask. ‘…close your eyes and watch…’

 

Kazuka slowly closed his eyes—his mind went blank for a moment before the visions began to dance in his head.

 

The visions that filled Kazuka’s head were horrible—something far beyond anything he could have imagined. Entire continents in flames, countless dead bodies in every direction, and beings with incomprehensible descriptions roaming aimlessly.

 

Dangun removed his hand, bringing Kazuka back to reality. He awoke startled, trying to grab his chest through the armor—his breathing almost frantic as he regained his focus, looking to Dangun.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Midgard’s future.”

 

Just like his friends—he was quiet, lost in thought, unable to conjure words.

 

Dangun had given him a plethora of information on Sidra to share with the others—an attempt to  make their journey through the island easier…but this was something else entirely. 

 

“This is a lot.”

 

Dangun tried to hide his smile, but the laugh that followed closely behind made it impossible.

 

“It is…” and for the first time, he dropped his smile. “…the only reason it’s happening to you all this fast is because Cronus is growing impatient.”

 

“Who’s Cronus?”

 

Dangun shook his head, lifting his hand into the air he snapped his fingers, bringing the cabin back around them, shifting his appearance back to his Amapá-farming-self.

 

“You’ll learn soon enough my son, we will meet again, but I think it’s time you and your friends be reunited for your first test…what do you think?”

 

Kazuka did not hesitate this time, his words came out before his brain could register the thought to even speak them.

 

“I think farming sounds a lot more fun than dying.”

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