“It all started when Baron Claude became the lord of the town,” the Fairy Queen started, a distant look in her eyes. “My children were mischievous, but they were never evil.”
Before the humans settled near her forest, the Fairy Queen and her fairies tended to the forest and kept the magical monsters in check. The forest was a dangerous place, and they were the only guardians acting as guides to lost humans. The faes weren’t on hostile terms with humans. However, they preferred to keep to themselves.“One day, an adventurer visited our forest and was having difficulty with the monsters in the forest. One of my children decided to give him a hand. He was a likeable human who quickly won over many of us, including me. We don’t know his name, but he was a hero of the humans who was on a quest. He told us a prophecy that another of his kind will arrive when we are in need.”When Zen first started, he never thought the lore ab“What? There was such a back story? That’s crazy! Am I engaging in illegal fairy trafficking on the main quest now?” Damian couldn’t help but gawk after Zen called him.Unable to speak loudly, Zen whispered back that he was in a middle of a timed event to capture the corrupted Baron and recover the kidnapped fairies.“You can make an under table deal with me,” he suggested. “Kidnap the fairies without harming them and then turn them in to your main quest giver. I’ll beat them up and recover them later.”While Zen was trying to clear his special quest, Damian had only completed Blacksmith Ben’s special chain quest and acquired his basic blacksmithing skills. The fairy trap with Blacksmith Bob should be ready by now. However, the cyborg no longer felt good about this main quest completion competition.“I want to forfeit our bet,” he declared after teleporting back to the fifth floor. “I d
Zen was no expert in game programming. However, he was very sure it was uncommon to alter the main quest. Yet, Damian managed to find a unique loophole thanks to his job class.“Are you sure this will work?” Zen asked. The fairy trap that Damian was tasked to build looked very different from the ones he saw in the dark magicians’ dungeon.Shrugging, the engineer referred to his main quest log. The system accepted the severely modified fairy trap as a fairy trap. Who knew this was also a possibility?“Have you finished your quest?” Damian asked, amazed at Zen’s progress despite his slow head start.Shaking his head, Zen checked the log. He still had to talk to Father Mark to inform him about what he learned. Moreover, there were new titles and items to check out.“Give me a while to finish the last trap,” Damian stretched. “The fairies are still hostile towards me and won’t listen to me. They attack
"Run faster! Run faster! These legs are not mine!"What a lie. If only these words were true. Zen could feel his lungs burning and blamed the previous owner of this body for not exercising more. If they did, his flawless plan wouldn't have turned against him.Something whistled past his head, and Zen ducked narrowly. The forest was realistic... too realistic for a VR game. Why did they have to replicate even the physical capabilities of the player?"If this is truly a game, I should be able to use some cheat abilities. These lungs are not mine. These legs are not mine. Even if I can't dodge everything, I can still survive by taking damage in non-critical areas! GAH!"Just as he said it, a bullet embedded itself into his left shoulder from the back. The pain was nothing like Zen remembered. The last time he got shot, he died.With a yell born from his last burst of courage, Zen followed the increasing sound of roaring water. This was it! He was near
It was just another dull day at his job. As a civilian with no kin and no government to care for people like him, civilian #3207 got used to all the trashy things that life threw him. He worked at a restaurant as a cook and fed people on an empty stomach. The restaurant didn't pay him very well, but it helped him cover the rental of his shitty apartment in the shadier part of the town.It wasn't uncommon to see a body or two lying around somewhere in the alley. The residents here knew better than to meddle in the affairs of the underworld. If they lived in a claimed territory, the easiest thing to do was send a report to the protecting family and wash their hands off the case.Today, it was colder than usual. Winter was arriving, and civilian #3207 sighed. The grey skies mirrored his mood very well. As usual, the customers were being difficult. How could there be roaches in soup? Someone must have put it in deliberately as an excuse to start a fight. However, because o
Unfair. This was too unfair! What did he ever do to deserve such a death? All civilian #3207 wanted was to live a meaningful life. He always tried to do the right thing even if the world continued to wrong him. He always believed that if one person persists with the act of kindness, eventually someone else will be touched by the act and pass it on. All it took was a spark to light the forest ablaze, or so he thought.Drifting through time and space for an unknown amount of time, civilian #3207 wondered what he would do now that he was dead. There were no more customers to serve, no more bills to pay. No more starving nights, no more living in fear. No more worrying about paying his bills or if his landlord was going to evict him.For the first time in his busy life, civilian #3207 was bored. There was absolutely nothing to do in the afterlife.“Civilians are humans too! Why does God favour the mafia over civilians? What have I done wrong? This death
Celine, no, God didn’t have to kick him twice! The first time, there was no pain. The second time, it hurt like crazy. Shouldn’t God be a little more caring about his soul before sending it back to Earth?“You’re finally here!” a young voice greeted, and civilian #3207 turned around. The child that he saw earlier in the milky way! What was he doing here?If civilian #3207 heard himself, he would definitely blame God for that kick. Of course, the kid would be here! They were twin souls. God already said that this child’s ability was weak, and he was here to assist his twin soul brother to succeed as the next Godfather. Naturally, civilian #3207 would never pass up the chance to become someone capable of improving lives!In-person, Zen Taro looked no older than fifteen and was on the shorter side. He was scrawny, had fluffy chestnut brown hair and didn’t look like a young master of a mafia family. His warm brown eyes
For some reason, Zen felt as if he’d slept for a very long time. While he was somewhat stiff, he felt more rested than he ever remembered. The mattress beneath him was also soft and smooth. Did his bed sheets ever feel this smooth? Wasn’t it itchy and scratchy after so many washes that it looked more like a rag?Bolting upright, Zen snapped back to reality. That’s right! After that speech, they were transported into the VR game where only a hundred would live.“If I made it, that means four hundred have died…”The number of deaths seemed weightless to Zen. After all, he didn’t see their bodies. People were born to die, and they die every day. These four hundred were just unlucky, and Zen didn’t spend too much time thinking about it. Now that he was within the top hundred who made it, he shouldn’t throw this chance away. There was much to be done.First, he needed information.The ro
Zen wanted to cry. The invigilator at the cafeteria taking meal orders looked like he ate children for breakfast. Initially, Zen wanted to ask if there was a way he could have a discount. Even if he drank tap water and risked a stomachache, the 300 credits will only last him one meal.The cheapest food item was that ugly tuna and cheese sandwich slapped together by some other invigilator. It costs 200 credits. The can of cola was the most affordable drink item, and it costs 150 credits. A regular set meal costs 500 credits. This was going to be impossible. Anyone ranked 90 and below wouldn’t be able to afford to eat with the skyrocket prices!“Uh… do you have any leftovers I can have?” Zen grinned awkwardly at the stone-faced invigilator who observed him with a cold, calculating look.“No leftovers. If you cannot pay, go away.”Zen made a face. “Possible to get a discount? I’m on a very tight budget here?&r