Reaper's Quest

Volume I: Red Embers And Whitish Skeleton

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Prologue

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"Y-you're pathetic!"

She yelled as she looked at the abomination that was his room; scattered socks, jumbled pants, leftover cup noodles, and cardboard boxes were everywhere, and in a corner was the one and only "James" striking the keys in his joystick while peering in the screen.

"What do you want, lily?" James asked without even turning his head.

"You," She opened her mouth to yell again, but a cloud of pungent smell kissed her nose and mouth, "Eww!" She covered her mouth. "What's that smell?"

"Dead rats. Killing them was easy. Disposing them was a bother, so I just left them under the cardboards." James replied stoically.

"H-how could you be so unhygienic?" Lily took two steps back.

"Again, Lily, what do you want?"

"You disappeared for two months without any prior notice or reason! Do you realize how it affected me?" She facepalmed, "I'm here to take you back."

James's fingers halted. "Hmm." He threw away the joystick to the side and stood up. "Book me a new hotel room, and inform the guild master that I've headed to a dungeon."

"Dungeon?" She winced. "No! You're taking a bath, getting dressed, and heading to the guild to answer for your disappearance." She firmly held the mull posts of the door with her hands. "After all, I went through no way I am letting you slip away again."

"Oh, Lily, I find it cute that you think blocking the door would stop me from leaving." He kept his arms in the pocket. James wore nothing but a loose sleeveless white shirt and black sweatpants. His white shirt had turned yellow due to the strains left from the noodles, and his face looked dim as the last time he'd washed up was two months ago. Still, even in his clothes, he looked intimidating due to his tall build and athletic body.

"I can and I will!" Lily retaliated fiercely.

James shrugged. "Fine. Whatever."

✬✮✯

"The former rising star, James, aka, the monster who slaughtered 12 hunters in one night, has been spotted heading inside Specter Guild–"

The TV closed. "So James," The guild master kept the remote on the table. "As you can see, you're now infamous."

James leaned back on his hydraulic chair. "I suppose so, but was it wise, bringing me to the guild so publicly? Now everyone knows."

The guild master took out one of the cigars from the drawers. The guild master was widely known as Velefer, and his age exceeded a thousand years, but physically he looked like a man in his 40s with a goatee. Right now, he wore a tuxedo and sat behind a desk.

"The opinions of the public or the other guilds no longer concern me." He lit up the cigar with a metallic lighter. "So, tell me, James, what exactly happened two months ago?"

James met his gaze and sighed, "I entered that Labyrinth, and as you predicted, I found the hidden quest."

"Considering the massacre, I assume you failed?" Velefer asked.

James chuckled. "No. I completed it."

"Then, why did you disappear?"

"Because you were wrong about the reward." James stood up and gazed out of the window.

"Was I now?"

The memory of that day was still vivid in his mind like it was yesterday. It happened in the Labyrinth of the Mad Queen. He'd stood at the end of the labyrinth, beneath the empty stone throne, around him were the corpses of the other 12 hunters, and the blade he held in his hand was drenched in blood. He'd done it. He'd completed the quest.

〚Name: James Zyler〛

〚You Have Completed The Quest, "The Mad Queen's Desire"〛

〚As A Reward You May Replace Your <SSS+ Rank> Skill With The Mad Queen's Either Eternal Skill Or One-Time-Use Skill〛

〚The Mad Queen's Skills〛

 Eternal Skill - Kiss Of Death: Unyielding. Undying. Undiminished. You Gain Access To <Immortality>

One-Time-Use Skill - Alter Passenger: Unflagging. Unwavering. You Gain Access To Drift Through <River Of Time> Once.

"So, you did get the reward." Velefer puffed his cigar.

Thud!

James stomped the desk with his fist. "You said I would gain one of the Mad Queen's abilities. You never said I would have to sacrifice my own to do that."

"An unfortunate thing indeed, but which one did you take?" Velefer asked.

"None!" James winced. "There is no point in taking either. What's the point if I become immortal but lose my means of combat. I won't be able to fight, and worst case, I would be taken as an undying prisoner who gets tortured forever. If I go back in time, I will be a skilless boy. I won't even be allowed to enter the Throne City. I would have the knowledge of the future but no means to utilize it. It would be like I don't exist. And face it, without me, humanity would have fallen years ago."

"James," Velefer stood up. "None of the other guilds know of this, none of the citizens are aware, no one but you and I know that by the end of this year, 10,000 Gates will simultaneously open and through those Gates will march an army. An army we won't be able to fight against." He walked near Janes and looked him in his eyes, "So, you have to make a decision."

 "I have a plan. We can inform all the guild masters. We can gather the remaining S rank hunters and escape."

"Escape?" Velefer chuckled. "You're young and naive. The only future that would lead to is extinction. For how long do you intend to run until we get picked one by one, till no one remains, or do you think with time we will magically find a way to outmaneuver our foes?" He sighed. "I have always assured you when the right time comes, I will tell you the truth—the truth about the System, the Gates, the Skills, and the beings chasing us. For humans to survive, there is only one way. So, let me tell you the truth, and ask you to give up your humanity."

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Chapter 1: James Zyler

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The planet Zithrus was in shambles currently; humanity was divided into two halves. The System gifted one halve; they could gain skills, level up, and accomplish miracles. They were known as Sorcerers, and Sorcerers who invaded Dungeons and traveled through Gates were known as Hunters. The other halves were known as the 'Ungifted' They were just typical humans.

The Sorcerers and Ungifted shared a completely different lifestyle. Sorcerers lived in the throne city. Throne city, initially, was a village established by the first Sorcerers in the Eco Continent, but during the 21st century, when monsters invaded the Continent, civilians fled the lands. However, the Sorcerers retaliated; thus, the Throne City expanded as Sorcerers conquered more land and eventually covered half of the Continent.

Ungifted lived in the Esturian Continent.  Over 3 billion civilians/ungifted lived a peaceful life in Esturian Content, thanks to the Sorcerers holding off all the monsters in the Eco Continent. For people striving to live a normal life and starting a family, it was a great place to live in as there were excellent medical, transportation, education facilities. But of course, many wished to leave it, especially youngsters who dreamt of being Sorcerers. However, only those gifted with skills were allowed that privilege.

Right now, in the Zrin City, Esturian Continent, inside Ister Highschool, the students had all gathered for a test.

The students all sat patiently in their seats. They had gone through their high school graduation ceremony just yesterday, and today, the teachers invited them for a test.

"Jonathan Murray." The examiner called. The one who took the text wore a white robe with golden inscriptions. Behind him were four guards, who wore black suits, and plain black masks on their faces. The examiner looked like a young man in his mid-20s, with back hair and shiny golden eyes. He called the students one by one to the desk in front of him, atop which was a translucent crystal ball. The test was relatively simple; the student would place his hand on the ball. If it glowed, he passed, if not failed. 

"Candidate: 10003478. Jonathan Murray. Failed" One by one, he called the students and announced the results.

"Candidate: 10003479. Kieran Edwards. Failed"

"Candidate: 10003480.Leo Price. Failed"

"Candidate: 10003481.Maxwell Dixon. Failed"

"Candidate: 10003482.Robin Stevens. Failed"

The atmosphere in the classroom had started to turn grim as not a single one had passed. Those who were excited at first were now sweating and fearing for their turn. Every year over 100,000 students are trialed. The percentage of students who qualify to be a Sorcerer was 34.8% ten years ago. But after that, the percentage kept decreasing, and last year it declined to 0.13%.

"James Zyler." The student who was called this time was exceptionally calm. James stood up and walked near the crystal ball. He took his left arm out of his pocket and placed his palm above the crystal ball. The examiner noticed that James's deep-blue eyes had no sign of anxiety or excitement. This was because James knew what the result would be. He had already experienced it once. In the last timeline, he was the sole person to pass out of the entire Continent and had awakened an <SSS+ Rank> which instantly made him one of the most popular Sorcerers even on the Eco continent.

But this time, the ball didn't glow. The examiner's eyes had a hint of disappointment. 

"Candidate: 10003483.James Zyler.Failed"

James walked back to his seat. 

"Ha! Loser!"

A kid who sat beside him exclaimed.

"Don't worry, man. So, what if we are not gifted? We can become scientists, and if those Sorcerers or Monsters mess with us, we can nuke them!" another kid declared. 

James ignored both of their comments. He did not even remember who they were or their names as it had been so long. He knew he would fail. After all, he had just traded his <SSS+ Rank> for a One-Time-Use Skill and let Velefer somehow convince him that the only way to save humanity was this way. James, however, cared little for humanity and more for himself. He went along with it because the other option was to get captured by demons and get tortured for eternity. This way, the worst-case scenario was death.

James patiently remained seated and pondered his options while the other kids got tested. In his past life, Sorcerers had taken him to the Eco Continent after he had passed the test, due to which he remained secluded about the events that transpired in the Esturian Continent, but what James did know was that not long after he arrived in Eco Continent, Estirain was destroyed by a large magnitude earthquake caused by the dimensional breach torn when demons entered this realm. At least, that's what he thought until Velefer further explained what happened.

"During the early 20th century, the Sorceress of Light, Ibess, had cast a Tier-8 umbrella spell that covered the entire Esturain continent, due to which the people savored a peaceful life for over a century. But this spell was not cast out of feelings of love or goodwill. The Sorcerers did not want any otherworldly being to invade the Esturain Continent, as it was abundant in mana ores. Had any species other than humans found those ores, they would have been able to overpower the Sorcerers. Thus, an agreement was made between the political leaders of the Sorcerers and the Ungifted. Mines would supply the gems extracted to the Throne City; in return, the Sorcerers would maintain and renew the spell. However, in 2025, a year before you arrived in the Eco Continent, the mines turned dry, and even the number of Sorcerers born in the Esturain Continent plummeted. In 2026, when Sorcerers brought you to the Throne City, the reasons to maintain that spell ceased to exist. Casting a tier-8 spell covering an entire continent required tremendous resources and effort. So, when the Elves invaded Eco Continent, the King of Sorcerer decided to abandon the Esturain Continent and set his sights on the Land of Elves."

"Then what's the point of returning to the past? I'm going to die either way." James had asked. 

"No. The king might have abandoned the humans, but the System didn't. Estirain Continent didn't end that day. Instead amidst the chaos, a monster was born."

✬✮✯

After a while, the test ended. The kid who previously called James Loser came back crying when he failed.

James stood up and set his sights towards the exit door, but he got interrupted.

"Hey, apparently Felix's father owns the Celestial Hotel, and he invited us for a party! Wanna go?" A kid asked whose name James didn't remember.

"No thanks." James politely refused and left. After leaving the school ground, he noticed the tall buildings from the lane. Among the 35 cities within the Esturain Continent, Zirin City was one of the most developed. It bristled with skyscrapers over 500m in height. After seeing that, he imagined a scenario where all those buildings would simultaneously collapse due to the earthquakes caused by a dimensional breach. He sure was not staying here long enough to find that out. So, he navigated his way to the nearest train station.

"What would be a suitable destination for someone who intends to stay out of sight from tall buildings?" James asked the beautiful booking clerk.

"Ah sir, if you are a nature lover, then I recommend Strolis. It is a beautiful city near the Arkan Ocean. There are little to no tall buildings, but there are luxurious villas and private hotels." She recommended with a polite smile.

James shook his head. Ocean indicated the risk of a tsunami. "A place without oceans, lakes, and skyscrapers."

"Umm," The clerk tilted her head, "Then what about, Lipon Mountains. It's a--" James interrupted. "A place without oceans, lakes, skyscrapers, and mountains." Mountains meant the risk of landslides.

"Eh! No mountains?….then..umm...I really cannot remember any tourist destination without-Ah! There is one place. The Ledein forset lies in the edge of Ledin City, it's very far from an ocean, but does have some rivers." she explained.

"And buildings?" James asked. 

 "None," she replied. "Although temporary shelters and mines were built when a small mana ore was discovered there but since it ran dry a few years ago, it has been empty."

"Fine, book me a seat." James used his credit card to pay. The ticket was expensive, but that didn't matter right now.

✬✮✯

"Hi! I'm Emma Winter. My friends call me Emmy." James felt the gaze of a youngster on his face. He sighed. The girl who sat beside him in the train seat seemed vexatious. She also had long alluring black hair, which suited her deep-blue eyes and made her a pleasant sight for eyes. 

"Umm. Hi! I'm Emma Winter, my friends"–James interrupted – "I heard you the first time."

"..then shouldn't you introduce yourself? Also, which class were you in?" Emma wore the same blazer as James, meaning they went to the same high school.

"I have got a headache. So, do you mind?" James said, hoping that would silence her. There was a lot in his mind right now. Firstly, in this timeline, his parents were alive. He even had two younger brothers and one sister. But deep in his heart, he knew any effort to save them would be meaningless. After all, in his Continent, there would be only one survivor in the end. That was the condition set by the System, according to Velefer.

Emma rummaged in her backpack and took out a vial with pills. "Here, this helps with headaches." She offered him a pill.

James gazed at the pill for a while, "I don't have a headache." He admitted. "And my name is James. James Zyler." He realized there was no point in being self-contained or unsociable; after all, if the future was going to turn hellish anyway, why not just talk and relax until then? Also, it was a 48-hour ride.

✬✮✯

"Ledin City? But why? There is nothing but a small city and forest there. It's not a vacation destination." Emma remarked.

"It's personal."

"Wait! Did your parents also force you to marry after graduation, so you took the first train ticket available to hide in a remote city until your parents call and beg for you to come back and cancel the marriage?" Her eyes lit up. 

"No." James winced. "Is that why you are here?"

"No..." she said while avoiding eye contact.

Thud!

The train suddenly halted.

"Aww." cried Emma.

James jolted up and looked out of the window. The color of the sky had turned red. The dimensional breach was about to open. He jerked his head down and looked at his watch. It had been barely 11 hours since the tests ended.

"Shit," He murmured. During the last timeline, James had passed, so the Sorcerers had to take him with them, but since they had to inform his parents, and since James had been given one day to say farewell, they left after two days. But now, James failed. So, the Sorcerers had no reason to remain in the Esturian Continent. They left and withdrew the spell.

The people on the train started to murmur.

"What happened?" Emma also gazed out of the window.

"The ground! It's cracking!" yelled a passenger.

The train had stopped in the middle of grassy land. James let out a long breath and clenched his fist. Even if it happened sooner than he expected, he was prepared.

"Well," He looked towards Emma. "Although I have only known you for 11 hours, it was nice knowing you."

"Eh." She let out a fake smile. "You make it sound like...we are about to die."

"We will." James smiled. "The train will now explode."

Boom!

The train did explode. One by one, successively, each compartment exploded, and everyone inside burnt to death.

✬✮✯

James grabbed his nape and cracked his neck. Dying was not a pleasant feeling. He then scouted his eyes, the ground was made up of white stones, and golden pillars stood tall, forming a lane. He had been here before, so he strolled ahead until he met her.

"We meet again, Asheal," greeted James. "Or wait, was it Eshel? I forget. After all, we have met only a couple of hundred times."

"It's Asheal." Her eyes opened as she replied in a melodious voice, revealing her bright golden eyes. Her wings were long and elegant, and the golden gown which brought out her white hair gave her an angelic look. She stood inside a transparent golden dome inside which James could not enter. 

"James. You let Velefer talk you into traveling through the River of Time." Her eyes narrowed. "That was unwise."

"So, you would have preferred if I became an Immortal?" James asked solemnly.

"Yes." Her eyes looked down. “Trusting Velefer is unwise.”

"Why?" he asked.

"…..I cannot reveal that." She met his gaze. 

James chuckled. "Even in the past, and even right now, you say it's the right thing to do, but do not reveal why and expect me to be a blind puppet."

"A puppet in the hands of God is better off than a puppet who believes himself to be free while dancing in the palm of the Devil." The tone of her voice changed.  

"Well he told me I would arrive here, and here I'm. The last time I trusted you, I found myself in the depths of hell. Literally." He tilted his head. "And I do not believe myself to be free. Nor do I consider the decision I made to be right or wrong. Truth is, I know I'm ignorant. But who isn't? You make decisions, you face the consequences, you learn."

"Consequences?" Her fingers clenched. "Do you realize the fate suffered by the one who survived this continent during the last breach?"

"Yes." James shrugged. "If I die, I die. If I suffer, I suffer. I am prepared. Oh, and you do not have to explain the trials to me. I understand it must be difficult to handle all other humans who barely comprehend that they just died and are about to be revived again, only to die once more by my hands."

 "You're making a mistake." she insisted. 

"Even if I did, what other option do I have now?" He smiled. "Actually, there is one. The set rules dictate those worthy enough to be revived, and I meet all the requirements. But you could change that. You could deem me unworthy."

She flinched. "You would get wiped out of existence." 

"I would." he continued. "But you said I made a mistake. That would mean I would suffer and regret my decision. So, why not put me out of my misery? Why not let me rest?"

She remained silent. 

"..I cannot do that. Goodbye, James." Her eyes closed. "I only hope the next time we meet, you are not broken."

✬✮✯

Fire and smoke engulfed the surrounding around the train remains. Many pits and cracks had formed in the land, but a golden spark illuminated among the smoke. Soon his figure manifested, exactly like it was before getting burnt. In his school dress, he stood tall with his deep-blue eyes and black hair. He'd been revived. 

〚Revival Completed.〛

〚You Have Been Deemed Worthy By The Angel Of Life, Asheal, To Take Part In The Estirain Trials.〛

〚Trial One: Be The Sole Survivor Among The Revived〛

〚Number Of People Revived: 200.〛

〚Number Of Kills Required To Pass: 50〛