2025-08-03 16:19:40The funeral ritual lasted for about four hours, the tradition of the soldiers required them to stand and watch their comrades burn until there was nothing left except ash.
There were just a few hours left before morning when the funeral finally concluded. Everyone retired to their tents to rest and prepare for their journey towards the dark island. King Julian instructed them to get as much rest as they could over the next four hours to mentally and physically prepare themselves for the arduous journey ahead. Before leaving for his own tent, he did not forget to personally display his gratitude to William for his help. “Without your help, more of my soldiers would've lost their lives to those abnormalities. Thank you, William.” William responded with a smile and nod, then shook his hand before both of them retired to their tents. Reaching his tent, William summoned his character status to check his new stats. ------------- Name - William Ashworth HP -97% MP - N/A ( Unlock mana at Lvl 10 ) Level - 3 (183/330) Legacy Order: 0 Title - N/A Blessing - N/A STATS Strength - 25 Defense - 25 Agility - 27 Luck - 4 Unassigned points - 6 SKILLS Swordmaster Lv 1 INVENTORY --------------- William studied his character status calmly, and a frown quickly appeared on his face. “Strength, defense, and agility went up by 15 points after going up three levels, this means I gain 5 points automatically for each of those stats after each level up. But luck only rose by one point? Why?” First, his luck stats came out really low, and now even after leveling up thrice, they only went up by a single point compared to the other stats. “I have unassigned points, I should improve my luck with the ones I have now.” Saying this, he clicked on the unassigned points, and (+) symbols immediately appeared behind each stat, of course, except luck. “Fuck! I can't even increase my luck with unassigned points.” William did not know how to feel at this moment, knowing he had shitty luck with a slow improvement rate and his inability to increase it using unassigned points. He was so confused he had to make an inquiry to the system. [Strength, Defense, and Agility are primary stats, they gain 5 points each after every level up and can be upgraded using your unassigned stat points. Luck, however, is a secondary stat with a shlperr The answer he got only made everything worse. “One point after two level ups is not growth at all!” William lamented, he asked the system if there was any way he could improve his luck. [All stats, including luck, can be increased permanently with special skills, blessings, or titles.] Seeing the system response, William finally let out a long sigh and closed his character status. He went back to the desk to resume studying the scroll he was about to read before chaos broke loose. Most of the information about this scroll contained the journey so far, the route they had taken, the dangers they faced on the way, how many soldiers were killed, and other minor details. William spent about five more minutes reading before retiring to bed to rest. WHISTLE! A loud, estranged whistling sound vibrated across the encampment as morning finally arrived. William was woken up by the strange whistling sound that sounded like nothing he had ever heard before. “What the heck was that?” William wiped the sweat that had gathered on his forehead with his hand as he rose up from the bed, feeling a little worn out. Apparently, four hours of sleep wasn't able to wash away the stress from last night's battle. William walked lazily down to the desk, he took the scrolls and stored them inside his inventory before strolling out of the tent. He was immediately greeted with the calm and radiant glow of the morning sun hanging on the peaceful, bright morning sky, a deep contrast to the chaotic, dark night that had just ended. The soldiers were already awakened, some could be seen taking down the tents, while others gathered dried wood and set up fire to prepare breakfast. “Good morning, hero.” “How did you sleep, hero?” “Did you have enough rest?” They all turned their heads in his direction, waved, and greeted him with bright smiles. From their faces, one could easily tell how happy they were to be able to see a new morning like this. William waved back at them while his eyes observed his surroundings, he noticed several horses and carriages stationed at the back of the encampment that he had missed last night due to darkness. He also noticed something really strange. 'There are no corrupted human corpses?' William was confused. Except the footprints and dents on the encampment ground, nothing else could be seen of the battle that took place last night. “Excuse me, what happened to all the corrupted human corpses from last night?” William called one of the soldiers and asked curiously. The soldier understood his curiosity, he smiled and explained gently. “Corrupted humans are creatures of the night. They cannot endure natural light, sunlight, or any form of divine light that sears their flesh and erases them from existence.” Thanks to this explanation, William was finally able to understand the reason behind most of the reports he left last night. It only mentioned that corrupted humans only attacked at night and that those who were killed by the corrupted humans would end up becoming one after twenty-four hours. There was no mention of their inability to endure sunlight. Unfortunately, corrupted humans were not the only danger mentioned in the reports, there were also cases of wild beast attacking and bandits trying to kidnap the king and steal their resources. After receiving the explanation, he thanked the soldier and began strolling towards the royal tent. He needed to discuss more about today's journey with King Julian. “Welcome, His Majesty is already awaiting your visit.” The soldier guarding the entrance of the royal tent greeted and escorted him inside. Inside, King Julian, Osborne, and one other person, a huge middle-aged soldier wearing a different kind of armor from the other soldiers, could be seen discussing amongst themselves as they traced lines on a map on the table in their middle. William was welcomed warmly by the three. “I am Captain Theobald, I'm in charge of the men outside.” The new guy introduced himself and shook hands with William. “Nice,” William replied plainly, communication wasn't actually his forte. Theobald smiled and led him to the map and began explaining to him. “There are five significant landmarks from Muzez Kingdom to the dark island, we've successfully crossed the first two landmarks and we're about to complete the third landmark which is this Darkwood forest we're currently dwelling at. Once we're done with this landmark, we would reach the feared bridge of the south.” Theobald went on for minutes explaining the map, Osborne and Julian also chimed in often to make certain points clearer. Thanks to his little geographical knowledge from earth, understanding the map reading wasn't that difficult. In less than an hour, they were done discussing. Around the same time, breakfast was served. William ate with the three, the meal comprised of roasted meat and vegetables soups. Although they lacked certain ingredients, it was still pretty delicious and enjoyable considering it was prepared in the middle of nowhere. Breakfast ended. Everyone made their last preparation to resume their journey. The tent was taken down and folded. Osborne brought out a small brown leather pouch and stored the entire tent in it, shocking William. He did not need an explanation to understand that the bag was similar to storage artifacts in novels. A few minutes passed and the journey began!
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LS: 166 ( The end )
The wind was soft that morning. It carried the smell of grass and dust, a quiet sign that peace had truly returned. William stood on top of a hill that overlooked the small suburb he called home. The golden light of the rising sun stretched across the houses, painting the roofs and fields in a warm glow. For once, there was no smoke, no screams, and no blood. Just the sound of birds singing again after so long. He stood still for a while, watching the world breathe. It was finally over. The long fights, the missions, the endless running from one battlefield to another — everything was done. The people were safe. The demons were gone. The cities were waking up again. He took a deep breath, his chest rising slowly, his heart beating steady and calm. It felt strange. The quiet was unfamiliar, almost too peaceful for someone who had lived so long in chaos. He looked down at his hands. There were still faint scars on them — reminders of every world he had touched, every sou
LS: 165
The crimson storm tore through the sky like a wound that refused to close. Thunder rolled over the mountains, and the air rippled with burning energy that made the skin crawl. William stood before the dark gate of Seredane, the ruins trembling under the weight of what was about to come. Behind him, Lena and Orion steadied their weapons, their faces pale from exhaustion but burning with the same resolve that had carried them this far. The world felt alive—breathing, watching, waiting. The ground cracked beneath their feet as the first blast of dark energy exploded from the storm above. It struck the mountain, throwing debris into the air. Through the raging wind, shapes began to descend—massive silhouettes with wings like torn shadows and eyes that burned a deep, unholy red. The Demon Lords had arrived. There were seven of them, each one a towering presence that bent the very world around them. Their aura was enough to turn stone to dust and make the clouds twist unnaturall
LS: 164
The wind over the Whispering Peaks was sharp and cold. It howled across the cliffs like a ghost that had forgotten how to rest. William, Lena, and Orion moved slowly through the rising mist, their boots crunching against the icy stone. The journey had drained them. The mountain air was thin, and the fog here was not normal—it felt alive, whispering faint voices that tugged at their minds. They had been walking for hours. “Are we close?” Lena asked, her voice weak but steady. William nodded slightly. “Almost. The ruins should be right beyond that ridge.” He could feel it—the strange pull that had started ever since that mysterious figure appeared at the campfire. The closer they got, the stronger it became. It wasn’t painful, just heavy, like something ancient was watching from beneath the surface of the world. The path narrowed as they climbed higher. Broken pillars jutted from the ground like bones. Strange markings glowed faintly across the rocks, pulsing in rhythm with
LS: 163
The wind carried the heavy scent of blood and burning oil across the charred plains. William stood on a mound of blackened soil, the red sky splitting with thunder as he gazed toward the ruins of the once-mighty fortress of Thal’Grim. His sword, slick with ash and crimson, hummed softly — almost like it was breathing. Behind him, his allies regrouped, battered and panting. Lena’s bowstring was snapped, her arm trembling as she tried to tie it again. Orion leaned on his spear, face pale, veins pulsing faintly with traces of demonic energy. “Are we done here?” Lena asked, voice rough and hoarse. William’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the smoldering horizon. “Not yet.” From the shadows of the fallen fortress, a figure emerged. Cloaked in tattered robes, its steps slow and deliberate, the ground beneath its feet seared with each movement. A faint smile curled beneath the hood. “Impressive,” the voice drawled, smooth and venomous. “You’ve slain hundreds of my kin. Tell me, human… how l
LS: 162
The valley still smoked from the war that had nearly shattered the heavens. Charred soil stretched for miles, rivers of ash cutting through the land where forests once stood. The wind carried the scent of iron, burnt earth, and something heavier—the echo of death. William sat at the edge of a cliff, staring down at what used to be a city. The ruins were silent, and beneath the silence lay stories he didn’t have the strength to unearth. His armor was gone. His shirt was torn. Blood painted his arm, dry and crusted, yet he barely felt it. Mirabel sat beside him, her right arm wrapped in a bandage. Her face was pale, her hair a tangled mess. But her eyes—though tired—still glowed faintly with life. Neither spoke for a long time. The only sound was the distant crumble of stone as a tower gave in to gravity. Finally, Mirabel broke the silence. “You could’ve died,” she said softly. William didn’t look at her. “I know.” “You should have died,” she pressed. “That thing kille
LS: 161
The sun rose weakly over the shattered plains of Aerth. Its light broke through the smoke and fog, painting the ruins with gold that struggled to reach the ground. The air still smelled of ash and old blood. William stood at the edge of the broken valley where the final battle had ended. His sword was sheathed on his back, though its blade had long since lost its glow. He didn’t need its light anymore — not for this. Behind him, the survivors of the resistance gathered slowly. Mirabel stood among them, her right arm still bandaged, her movements slower than before but her spirit unbroken. Around her were the remnants of the human fighters who had lived through the long war against the demons. They had lost homes, families, entire cities — yet they were still standing. For a long moment, none of them spoke. The silence was sacred, heavy with memory. William finally turned to face them. “It’s over,” he said simply. The words fell like stones into still water. Some lowered th
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