Chapter 1: Rebirth
[CHOOSE YOUR RACE: Human, Angel, Imp, Spirit, Dragonoid, Elf(LOCKED), Dwarf(LOCKED), …]
…
[YOU CHOSE: Spirit (ST)]
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In the pitch black abyss, an orb of blue manifested. It glowed brightly like an azure sun, before it exploded and filled the emptiness with a boundless ocean. Atop the center of the newborn sea, a speck of light floated like a firefly. It stayed there, until the ocean surface shook.
Gigantic waves formed, as a piece of square-shaped land arose from beneath the endless blue. First, it was all sand, then, fertile soil sprouted out of the yellow grains and filled the majority of the island. Grass spread out and covered the dark earth, and near the island center, a single sapling grew.
As though time had forwarded, the sapling turned into a tree, before growing taller than ten humans stacked on top of each other. However, though it was tall, it was thin and had few leaves. One strong gust of wind, and it might just snap in half.
Slowly, the speck of light flew toward the tree and landed at its foot. Several blades of grass were uprooted, and swirled around the light as it changed shape. Five stumps poked out of the light orb, before they turned into four limbs and a head. A pair of eyes grew on its face, as well as a nose, a mouth, and a pair of ears.
Slowly, as the light started to dim, the blades of grass merged together into a simple green cloak. The figure gained supple brown skin, and its innocent blue eyes blinked rapidly. White hair grew from its bald head, until it was long enough to reach the figure's buttocks, and finally, the figure moved.
It took a few steps forward, and looked around the island with a plain expression.
—[ ...… ]—
Welcome to Lutharian Arena, GuGuGu_Real!
- 10 YEARS until the first clash.
—[ ...… ]—
As the notification blinked on the computer screen, Luxer took a deep breath. He moved his mouse, and deleted the pop-up. Suddenly, comments flew up from the right side of his screen.
>> Goodluck GuGu!
>> Goodluck!!! blowkisses.emoji
>> ``GuGuGu'sFanboy DONATED 777 COINS!``
>> Gu's spirit showed up after all~ laughing_gu.gif
>> Immortal Spirit Run!!! firedup.gif
"Hehe," Luxer chuckled, thanking the person who donated money. 'I have to win,' he thought.
Lutharian Arena is currently the most popular game on Earth, even governments participated. It was a Tower Defense RTS PVP game, and each "round" normally lasted for dozens of hours. The price of each round was money, real money. And naturally, to play the game, players have to pay a certain fee.
Each round would consist of hundreds of players, but in tournaments, the prize money was even larger. However, only registered teams and players could participate, and the entry fee was much higher. In a way, it was a type of gambling.
Normally, teams would cooperate and rapidly develop, fighting other teams and surrendering when they met each other in the tournament. Thus, solo players were often targeted.
He was one such solo player, a "rogue streamer". Although he went up against teams before and didn't always win, he was a prominent player in the game, a "ranker". Among the top 100 players, he ranked 94th, relying on no one but himself. He was recruited by teams before, but he rejected all of them, since his current income as a livestreamer was higher than what the teams offered.
'If I win this tournament, I can finally retire…' A tired smile appeared on his face, watching as the comment section rapidly went by.
Finally, he moved his avatar, a "sprite".
At the start of the game, players would choose their race. Each race had specialties. Humans could rapidly reproduce and have high production. Angels had high magic potential, but low reproduction rates. Demons have high endurance and resistances, but are hard to control.
Spirits have low health, low reproduction rates, and are fragile. However, they have many unique bonuses later on.
Most players avoided the spirit race because it depended somewhat on luck, but he managed to find a way around it. He relied less on luck, and more on skill and micro management. Many others could do it too, but they would rather avoid the spirit race.
He sighed. Then, he spoke to his audience. "Everyone~ GuGu will win this round for you~"
Hearing the girlish voice, the comment section became twice as active. That's right. He, Luxer Hearth, was using a voice changer. He felt no shame, basking in the light called attention and money donations.
As long as he could earn money, many things could be ignored!
He shook his head and clicked on the tree. It was his World Tree. After he clicked on it, the tall trunk bent down, and two flowers bloomed on its branches. One was a creamy white flower, while the other was as black as night, with both of them being as big as a hand. Quickly, he clicked both flowers.
The white flower closed, maturing into a round white fruit, while the black flower fell on the ground and wilted. However, in its place, a mound appeared. He clicked the fruit and watched as his avatar plucked it off the tree.
[HeartSoul Container (Grade F)]
'Grade F…' Luxer frowned.
The HeartSoul Container would act as his inventory and life. In the future, if all of his defences were breached by the enemy, he would have to give away one grade off of his HeartSoul Container. If his grade reached the very bottom, and was defeated one more time, he was eliminated.
Grade F was the lowest grade, meaning he only had one "life".
Ignoring the mournful comments on his screen, he clicked the earth mound where the black flower fell.
[Rune Table: Idle]
'No buffs? Damn, trash luck,' he clicked his tongue. Next, he walked toward the eastern shore of his island.
The first island players received was the "Central island", and it was a "four by four" square. If the adjacent square was empty, players could grow new land there. Each land took up one "square" of space, and players could choose between a "Barren Land" and a "Fertile Land".
Fertile Lands can only extend from Barren Lands, and Barren Lands can only extend from Fertile Lands. Of course, at the beginning, players can extend from the Central Island freely.
'Let's start with the Fertile Land,' he clicked the ocean. Currently, he was at the bottom half of his Central Land's eastern shore. A pop-up appeared on his screen, letting him choose between a Barren Land and a Fertile Land.
But before he could click either of them, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. He furrowed his brows and massaged his forehead.
'Wha…'
Suddenly, he slumped forward, and his face landed on his keyboard with a thud. The computer screen froze, glitching lines appearing everywhere, but his avatar kept playing its idle animation. Slowly, it glowed brighter and brighter, until his entire screen was painted in white.
…
[Breaking News: Popular Lutharian Arena Live Streamer, GuGuGu, went missing after…]
…
The northern breeze swept across the continent and carried with it the woeful wails of fallen heroes. In this land, where the three holy empires reigned supreme, kingdoms were nothing more than pawns in a worldwide chess game.
The Faraloth Kingdom was not a weak force. With its countless magicians and knights, it could be said that they had the right to rule a piece of the Northern Continent. Its king, the fearsome Vitality Ice King, stood in front of his throne, his gaze melancholic. It had been a hundred years since the start of his reign, and finally, he felt his life coming to an end. After all, he was only human. No matter how much he tried, his lifespan could only extend so far.
"It's time to find a successor to the crown."
He turned around and walked out of his castle. Outside, he raised his head and stared at the night sky.
"Once the next ruler ascends, chaos will engulf the kingdom… O' gods of the Northern Lands, spare my beloved kingdom from destruction."
He closed his eyes and let the cold wind assault his body. A normal human might've been frozen by this already, but not him.
Meanwhile, in a viscount's humble mansion, a boy with white hair sat on his bed. His azure eyes stared down on his soft, tiny hands, as he clenched them and opened them again and again. After a while, he took a deep breath and placed a hand over his chest. His heart pounded against his rib cage.
'I died again,' he sighed. 'Is this the curse you spoke of?' He looked at the ceiling, his eyes weary.
'Just because I accidentally destroyed a damn altar, I was killed and forced to suffer hardships,' he gritted his teeth.
In his first life, he was but a poor farmer. On a certain cold night, he went up a mountain to visit his family, when he tripped on a rock and fell. He tumbled down until his back struck a roadside altar, and after that, he died.
Before his death, however, he heard a voice in his head.
< ...… >
From now on, this burden is yours… this curse, savor it for eternity!
< ...… >
The voice laughed until he lost consciousness and died from his injuries. Right after that, he opened his eyes as Luxer. It was the name his new parents gave him, and because he was in a state of confusion, he accepted his new identity.
He lived peacefully, cared for by his mother and father until he turned eight. On his birthday, a group of terrorists raided the city they lived in and took his parents hostage. He was shot in the legs, which crippled him for life.
As for his parents, they were killed. Not by the terrorists, but by the policemen who came to save them. It was reported as an accident, but he knew the truth.
Overcome by rage and vengeance, he tried to bring justice to the corrupt system, only to realize that it was futile. He was only a crippled boy and had no one, not even money. How could he fight the government?
In the end, he starved for many days, begged for money, and worked himself to the bone before he was even a legal adult. He mingled with criminals, sold drugs and acted as a "spy", but he never killed nor did anything bad… apart from selling drugs.
Thanks to it, when he turned twenty-five, he managed to save enough to leave the city and travel elsewhere, where he bought a second hand computer and worked as an online assistant. It wasn't easy, he had no education after all. But somehow, he persevered.
Sadly, he could barely find enough clients to work for as companies wouldn't hire him. In the end, he tried to livestream and finally found a stable source of income. He disguised his voice as a female, which easily gathered an audience.
He streamed all day, all week, studied many online strategies and marketing techniques. But in the end, he died from overwork and the lack of sleep. He couldn't even taste a second of his "retirement funds".
This time, he was reborn as the only son of a cruel viscount, Viscount Luminous. He was a sinister magician who often killed peasants, and he raped countless women to gain an heir. One day, fortunately or not, a woman finally got pregnant from his crimes, and he stopped assaulting women.
His mother was a beautiful woman, thus managed to gain the viscount's lust. After a forceful night, the viscount's seed took root. Immediately, the viscount confined his mother and after she gave birth, the viscount allowed her to leave. However, his mother had a secret knife and tried to kill her newborn, only to be stopped by the viscount.
After the event, his mother was killed by the viscount himself. As for him, he was given no name, only a title.
"Viscount Luminous' Heir".
According to the viscount himself, he was allowed to choose a name for himself when he came of age. That is, when he turns fourteen. At that age, he must go to the battlefield and earn a title for himself, and when he returns six years later, he is allowed to marry a wife.
Contrary to men, women come of age when they turn twenty. This was because it was the perfect age for them to conceive, as the fertility rate of humans was ridiculously low. Unlike orcs, who gave birth like dogs and cats, female humans could at most give birth to three children in her life.
'That aside, this is my fourth birthday,' he lowered his back and fell to the soft bed. A smile bloomed on his face as his body surrendered to comfort.
'My father is a despicable man, a corrupt person, a villain,' he thought. 'But he is a decent father at least.'
Like his previous rebirth, he didn't gain his past lives' memories until he turned four. Before that, he was like any other child. Though not dumb or extraordinary, he was a quiet child, which made the viscount worry.
The viscount invited many magicians who practiced healing and spent a fortune to enhance his body. In the end, none of them could "cure" his "silence". Of course, he wasn't actually mute. He could speak, though his voice sounded light and hoarse from the lack of practice.
Just now, because of the influx of memories, he fainted during his birthday celebration. And once more, the viscount invited many professionals to heal him. In the end, they ended up concluding that he simply fainted for reasons unknown.
When he woke up, he was already on the bed.
'Father gave me precious gifts, as well as teachers and books… but of course, as a child, I hated all of them.' He chuckled slightly.
The precious gifts his father gave him, aside from the enhanced body, were magical plants and runes. What could a child do with those? As for teachers, he was an old man with a stale personality. He was a good teacher, yes, but was bad with children. Each lesson ended up with a fight. As for books… which three year old child liked books about magic, history, and such?
His father spoiled him rotten, but he secretly hated his father. He felt suffocated and restrained. Of course, that was him before he regained his memories. Now, he wouldn't trash his father's love, he didn't want to end up homeless. His second life was enough of a lesson.
'But… changing my attitude will obviously attract suspicion. Once, father invited a magician to inspect my soul. Thankfully, they found nothing amiss, or I might be dead already.'
He opened his eyes and stood, before he left his bedroom. Instantly, he was greeted by a servant. It was a boy a little bit older than him, tasked to attend to his daily needs and chores.
"Leave," he said. The servant, surprised, froze for a moment. But when he saw Luxer already far away, he hurriedly followed.
"I'm sorry, young viscount, but I must follow you," he said. Otherwise, he'd be the thirteenth servant to be beheaded.
Luxer knew this and remained silent. In truth, after living for so long and going through cycles of hardships, he grew numb. He couldn't care less if his father was a criminal, but he wouldn't needlessly endanger an innocent servant. Thus, he ended up walking around the mansion with a tail behind him.
'Ah, no wonder I felt suffocated back then,' he sighed inwardly. His father spoiled him but obviously knew nothing about children.
'Anyway, I must meet father or things will get bad.'
Just before he "woke up", the viscount made a visit. He couldn't see or move, but he could hear. His father, with a gloomy voice, planned to do a demonic ritual to save him.
'Tch. It's barely been a quarter of a day, and this man is resorting to the damn devil,' he sighed helplessly.
Just as he reached his father's office, however, voices echoed in his mind.
< ...… >
God, help us!
God! Wake up, please!
God, save my child, my poor child…
God…
God!
< ...… >