Chapter 1: Oh My God, After Rebirth, I Became an NPC?
[World Chat]
[Player 1: I was sleeping in my bed with my husband and then suddenly I ended up in this damn world]
[Player 1: Are you here Husband? If you are here send me your location]
[Player 6: I am here ]
[Player 14: I've always been here.]
[Player 9: Where are you? I'll come find you and finish what we started.]
[Player 1: Shameless.]
[Player 2: Stop teasing my sister-in-law and I finally have a chance to show off my skills in this game. Don't ruin my moment.]
[Player 4: Which Novice Village are you in? Because I hve spawned in Novice Village 10086.]
[Player 5: I'm at 9527.]
[Player 6: I'm at 10010…]
At the same time there was a boy standing in the Centre of the Novice Swap Ground with his eyes closed, his game nickname shows: Adrian.
Adrian Cross snapped open his eyes, his eyes were bloodshot, wild, filled with hate towards someone.
Then he let out anger by roaring the person's names.
"Vanessa Moore! Nathan Reed! Damn you both…"
The words tore out of him as a guttural growl, he looks like more beast than a human full of killing intent.
"Adrian,What's wrong ?"
"Why are you swearing like that?"
The voice was light, clear, feminine as Adrian turned sharply.
Behind him stood a girl with soft, bright eyes, tight hair and twin ponytails bounced as she shifted nervously. She wore a starry hem of her skirt shimmered in the morning light, casting little flecks of silver against the stone square.
For a moment, Adrian froze as he looked at her face, he clearly remembers that face… radiant, innocent, achingly familiar, very familiar
"Claire Summers, is that really you?
"I can't believe you're still alive?"
The way he stared at her made Claire's cheeks flush crimson as she is shy in nature.
Then she suddenly stammered something on the ground as she was inaudible as she was embarrassed by his sudden gaze and turned, fleeing in embarrassment.
Adrian didn't follow her because his gaze shifted back to the translucent chat screen flickering before him, lines of text rolling endlessly as new players shouted into the void something he knew then his fists tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"Am I… really reborn?"
He slapped himself to recheck.
Slashh~
" It is really I am really reborn"
He was standing in the square of Novice Swap,the square around him was alive with chaos as these Players appeared in bursts of light, dazed and confused, their voices a chorus of questions and disbelief.
The look around his surroundings he saw at the centre of the plaza rose a towering stone stele standing as long as he saw up.There ware some symbol etched into it was a vast disc marked with the twelve zodiac animals as several runes glowed faintly in its heart.
______
Novice Village No. 10010.
The sight triggered his long lost memories.
Adrian remembered everything.
He wasn't born into this world. He was a traveller pulled from Earth to Blue Star. His parents had vanished without any explanation, and he'd been buried himself in his studies at Westbridge University's E-Sports Program, clinging to the one place he belonged and finding a way to survive by earning enough.
Then came the day when the skies split open with words of doom.
[Ten years from now, reality will merge with the game and the Abyss will descend upon Blue Star, so players prepare yourselves.]
[After a thirty-second countdown, the first chosen will be transported into Glory of the Gods a game world ]
[Every ability you gain in this world, it will return with you once the merger of two worlds completes.]
The world had plunged into chaos to our blue star,it came with screams, riots.,hope,despair in every major city, states, country, it was like a global Level Disaster.
And when the countdown hit zero, Adrian had been among the first to be drawn into the digital abyss name Glory of the Gods.
He remembered the surge of power, the impossible stroke of luck as he had awakened a god-tier talent: The King's Avatar.
With it came the right to transfer into a hidden class is the Hexagonal Warrior (only hidden Class), master of every path, from sword to spell, from smithing to strategy it is simple Master of All Class.
His leveling curve was no faster than others', but each milestone granted him sixteen times the attribute points and skill points.
It was an advantage so vast it might as well have been destiny itself.
As Adrian had soared ahead, a blazing star among mortals with his hard work and luck.
Until they appeared.
Vanessa Moore,the woman who had stolen his heart.
Nathan Reed,the brother-in-arms he had trusted more than anyone as they rose together in this game.
But their betrayal had shattered him, suddenly.
He could still feel the knife that cut his heart.
He could still hear the laughter that was buzzing in his ear till now.
Nathan's words were like it was dripping with venom.
He started replaying the scene of their betrayal in his mind like a curse.
"You never imagined it, did you think that Vanessa isn't yours. Now you she's mine, my childhood sweetheart, my fiancée."
"You must be wondering how this happened?, when did it happen?"
"You see,I sent her to you, hahahaha"Nathan laughed crazily as his master plan was succeeded.
As a psychopath, he started to explain everything to me , everything.
"You are untouched, we just watch you fall for the illusion."
"Do you know how it burned me, watching you both so sweet and perfect all these years?"
" I was holding back, because it could distribute my plan but now see I was correct to holdback, to see you in this situation"
"And since you're about to die, I'll reward you with the truth that you don't know."
Nathan had smiled that night and he had the smile of a viper.
" You see, Vanessa and I both own Zodiac Jade Pendants, it is something you don't know."
"Take a guess what it could be" Nathan looked at me, who was in a near dead position.
" Don't worry I will answer your doubt, as I heard we should always fulfill the dead person's last wish"
" It is simple the owner of the Zodiac Jade Pendant can awaken two talents above S-level, and the second talent must be a hidden talent"
"Like Vanessa, her first talent is the god-level talent Blessing of Auspicious Beasts, with a 100% drop rate and her second talent is SSS-level, called Charm. Once this talent skill is activated, anyone of the opposite s*x will fall in love with her at first sight."
" Like we used you as a guinea pig of this SSS- Level Charm Skill"
Hahahah— Both Vanessa and Nathan started laughing at me.
"As for me, my first talent is the god-level Forbidden Skill Mage, and my second talent is also a god-level talent - Killing and Plundering."
"You've always wondered why I levelled faster than you, Adrian. It's because I get ten chances a year to activate my gift. Every player I kill surrenders their accumulated experience. Sometimes even their talents."
He had laughed then, cruel and unrestrained.
"You might ask why I waited? Because you were useful to us. Who else would forge the weapons for us? Who else would shield me from the families of the geniuses I've slain? Who else would lead the raids into dungeons no one else could clear?"
"You were loyal, righteous and now? But now everything that you've built is falling apart like your strength, but don't worry I will not keep it falling because I will just take it , just like your kingdom, your woman and all of it belongs to me."
After every explanation Nathan moves.
Adrian had been lying helpless as Nathan plunged the Death Dagger into his chest as he suffered unimaginable pain, betrayal, darkness he carried with his rebirth.
Vanessa's cold smile was the last thing he saw as he closed his eyes.
_____
Now he is here standing at the beginning stage of the game.
As he remembers everything now , he just wants to punch in the face of the Bastard Nathan. As he raised his fist he saw something glowing on it.
He open is clench fist , he see—
— the gem on his palm.
It is a red crimson glowing as it pulses in the palm.
[The Eternal Demon Heart]
His final secret, the one gift he had meant to give Vanessa when they ascended to the divine realm together.
[Eternal Demon Heart — God-tier]
[Effect 1: Bestow god-tier talent Immortality on an ally. Cannot be used on yourself.]
[Effect 2: Detonate to offer part of your soul to the Lord of the Abyss. In exchange, you will be reborn. The memory of the sacrifice will be erased.]
He remembers he used the second Effect of this red crimson stone and his last word was —
"Detonate."
The word had been his last.
Then, in silence, he died.
But know
Adrian came in ragged, his chest heavy with grief , angry and angry towards himself, also his eyes burned with cold fire as he could burn them alive.
"This nightmare… is over. Vanessa Moore. Nathan Reed. Your nightmare begins now that he is reborn."
" The Artifact is real useful "
He summoned his attribute panel.
-----------
Name: Adrian Cross
Level: 1 (0/100)
Class: None
Talent: Unawakened
Stamina: 10
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 10
Spirit: 120
Free Points: 5
Skill Points: 0
Combat Power: ★
Resurrections Remaining: 0
Rebirth Test Countdown: 23:57:23 (Click for details)
———————
At first glance, it matched his last life. But then his stomach dropped.
"No resurrection? Only one life left… even after rebirth?"
His mind raced as his years of experience to see what is the best course of action he should take.
The safest path would be to log out for now .
So he can walk away and live a quiet life, away from the blood and betrayal.
But the thought curdled in his gut.
"No, not without revenge,not without making them pay."
He tried to open the system panel, searching for the exit command but to his surprise he found nothing.
His blood ran cold.
The button was gone.
It was like receiving an electric shock suddenly.
"What the hell?"
"I can't leave… Does this mean I've merged with the game completely? What am I now? A player… or an NPC?"
His gaze shifted down to the sentence of the system, catching on the last line of the panel.
"What's this countdown…?"
He clicked.
[Due to your abnormal soul state, if you reach level 30 before the timer expires, you will survive. If you fail, and you will die permanently.]
" Fuck what is this now"
Adrian stared at the numbers, ticking down second by second.
"One day available to reach level 30…"
" What a headache now this game is giving me"
But this didn't let him demotivate as he clenched his fists until blood welled in his palms.
"It is not impossible."
" I can make , an Experience player who have lived in this world more than ten years"
The retreat option was gone.
His life bridge was burned behind his road.
There is only one way forward to him in his hell road.
"To live, to rise,to take vengeance I will become stronger than ever before."
He dismissed the panel, exhaling slowly.
Sigh~
Then he noticed a light red dot glowing faintly on the corner of his backpack icon.
His brow furrowed. How can that shouldn't be possible? Fresh characters started with nothing.
As he opened the inventory to check.
And froze.
Nestled in the first slot lay a shining jade pendant, glowing faintly with azure light.
The Jade of the Azure Dragon.
A super-artifact, the one item that could awaken a second hidden talent.
It had returned with him.
Adrian's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile visible in his face.
The game had given him another chance to take his revenge perfectly.
This time, he would not squander around Vanessa like his previous life.
This time, he would rise above gods or go to a higher dimension.
And this time, Nathan Reed and Vanessa Moore would be brought down by me in the ruin they had once dealt him.