Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book V

by Rick Scar

  Chapter 279. The Hero’s Seamy Side

  T he idea of making a video and mentally slapping Queen across her face instead of just taking a picture with the title next to his name, belonged to Will. He wanted to make a statement, to present the whole gaming community with a challenge. And since he was made to reveal such a powerful card as his title of The First King, he figured that he might as well part with it on his own terms.

  However, that meant that Leah would need to move to New York where she’d attend a private school under the patronage of Mollie’s family. And that she’d have to be accompanied by bodyguards wherever she went from now on.

  From his military experience, Will knew there were lots of ways to drive anyone into the corner by using their family as a bargaining chip.

  The next important part of their deal was a brand-new capsule that Mollie would give to Leah. One of those capsules she had told him about while trying to convince him to help her out. Besides that, she was to provide Leah with teammates in the game. Will hadn’t even had to explain his reasons for asking that; Mollie was smart enough to guess them on her own.

  Once the video was over, he left the arena, returned to the unmapped location, and then exited the game. It was dark outside. After logging out and disconnecting himself, Will sat on the capsule’s edge, listening to the silence of his home. His father and sister were asleep.

  As he imagined Leah’s possible reactions to his plan, he wished that the next day never came.

  “Sorry. Where am I moving?” Leah asked, sitting across Will. Smart and quick on the uptake as she was, she still needed some time to process all of this.

  “To New York. It’s a cool city. Don’t you think so?” Will smiled bleakly. He stood next to the stove, cooking his porridge.

  The conversation went bad from the very beginning. Not that he really hoped that it’d go any other way.

  “Dad? Do you understand what he’s talking about?” Leah looked at Darius who had just gotten up and was still sleepy and slow to process what was being discussed.

  “I hear you, but I don’t get it. Give me five more minutes. I need to wake up...” Darius yawned and cracked his neck. Yawning once more, he went to one of the cabinets to get some coffee.

  “Sis. Listen to me. This private school is one of the best in the US. And—”

  “I don’t want to go to some fancy school in the US! Are you hearing yourself? I don’t want to move away from you two! Not again. Not after all we’ve been through.” Her eyes became wet with welling tears. She could barely contain them as she realized she actually had no choice but to listen to her brother and move. “Why?!” she cried out. “Why do I have to leave?!”

  Sobbing, she ran to her room and slammed the door behind her.

  “Will.” Darius, with a cup of instant coffee in hand, scratched his brow, staring at the door of Leah’s room. “What have you done?”

  “Something I haven’t given a proper thought.” Will sighed and, removing the cooking pot from the stove, went into his sister’s room.

  He found Leah sitting on her bed, wiping her eyes as she collected her notes and books. As she heard the door open, she turned away to hide her tears from Will. “What do you want?”

  “Leah. I know I should’ve asked you before making this decision, but…”

  “Why can’t you come with me?” She wheeled around, staring at him. Her puffy eyes framed with tear-smeared mascara looked weird; a sight he hadn’t often seen before.

  Leah’s question took him aback. Considering it as he lowered his head, he realized that there was no reason for him and Darius to stay here. He was making enough money in the game to provide for his family’s needs even in such an expensive city as New York.

  The old man has put so much effort into finding this apartment. But it’s just a set of walls, isn’t it?

  A real morning of surprises. And not only for Leah.

  “That’s... Actually a really good idea.” Will smiled and winked at her, seeing her eyes open wide and the corners of her lips rise to form a smile.

  “Do you… do you really mean it? You’re not kidding?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  She stood up and came up to Will to hug him and bury her face in his chest.

  “No, you don’t.”

  “I’ll go tell dad that he’ll be able to put his apartment-hunting experience to a good use in another city.”

  As Darius heard this piece of news, he opened and closed his mouth for good ten seconds.

  “Grandad was right saying that big money equaled big trouble,” he said, having finally pulled himself together. “Alright, alright, I’ll get on it...” Opening the balcony door, he muttered: “Shit... Why did such a nice morning have to be ruined like that?”

  The second move in a month had to be delayed until Darius found an apartment, but Leah’s move into another school couldn’t wait. Luckily, this issue was resolved quickly thanks to Mollie and her connections. Leah was to start the new school in two days. After filling all the necessary forms and buying her a plane ticket, Will went back to the game around three in the afternoon.

  His inbox was bursting with messages from all of his contacts. Pak. Zarnitsa (she already knew but congratulated him on making it official). Sarrah. Even little Evelia. Berserker and Mystical Darkness were asking him what his title was supposed to mean and how long he had had it. Berserker also asked him a couple of questions about his Floor.

  He probably wants to avoid it.

  Everyone wanted answers. The avalanche of messages from players outside his contact list, automatically placed in a separate inbox, was but one consequence of the video he had made.

  He was about to close his inbox when an email titled Purchasing Your Land caught his attention. It had been sent by some Nathan Jouster.

  Too early. As he opened the email, he saw a simple offer from some company willing to buy a piece of land on his Floor. The company’s contact information, including their physical address, was included at the bottom.

  “Here come the wolves in sheep’s clothing.” After seeing dozens of other emails like this one, he closed the inbox and thought it over. He’d probably have to mentally prepare himself for company representatives coming to his actual home.

  Leaving this problem to his future self, he focused on the task at hand. Out of fear that something might go wrong, or that he might start a challenge that couldn’t be paused, he hadn’t put the last Rune in the day before.

  In a couple of minutes, he made up for that, driving the last — and the tallest — column in its proper place. High in the air, right on its top, a portal opened, with sparks of thunder coming from it.

  That must be the tablet. But why the Abode of Gifts? Raven wondered and looked down at the message he had just received.

  Congratulations! You have completed the quest: The Key to the Gate.

  Reward:

  +35,000 XP

  He stopped a moment before setting his foot on the first stair and, avoiding the risk of walking on the column tops, activated Wings to soar into the air, approaching the mysterious gate.

  Congratulations! You are the first player to visit the hidden location: The Abode of Gifts.

  +25 Influence Points

  +1 rank of the Bear Grace spell for the next 3 hours

  Ignoring the message, Raven stared ahead at the hundreds of pillars lined up across the burned ground. Chained to them were creatures that were being lashed by lightning. The pillars seemed to be attracting the bolts like lightning rods, over the thundering of which he couldn’t hear the scream of the tormented victims. Their flesh was black and smoking. They would’ve looked victims of a war long over if it weren’t for their eyes, which, although devoid of any gleam of hope, still glimmered with life.

  In the middle of this nightmare stood the long-sought tablet — the source of the storm. Someone must’ve channeled Zal’Sscar’s power through it in order to torture these victims. But why?

 
; Was someone playing Dr. Frankenstein here or something? Raven thought as he came closer to take a better look at the victims. They were many of them. Too many. Some with bodies so small that Raven couldn’t help but wonder if the person behind this was enough of a monster to torture even children.

  Clenching his teeth, he dashed forward, putting on the Bracelets as he ran. But when he tried to release the nearest victim, his hand was stopped by a lightning barrier.

  “Let me in! Agh!” With fury boiling inside him, he attacked the barrier again and again but failed.

  Will completing the challenge free them?

  Torture of children was where he drew the line. Leah was still a child, and he was seeing her in every other child, even in this fictional world. He couldn’t help but reach out to those who were just as defenseless as his sister.

  Once his hand touched the cold stone, a message popped up.

  Attention! You have discovered the tablet left by the Demonic Lord Zal’Sscar. Complete the challenge.

  Rewards:

  A hint (another tablet’s location)

  ??

  ??

  ??

  Note: The exact reward will depend on factors such as your level and your game sensitivity level.

  ATTENTION! MAKE SURE TO READ!

  Dear Player,

  Your current sensitivity level (100%+) allows for full synchronization with your mind and memory.

  Following were the familiar lines he had seen at Ahennia’s tablet.

  Good luck, White Raven.

  Accept: Yes/No?

  Signature:

  _____________

  Raven accepted this task after a pause. Once he typed out his name, Zal’Sscar’s image appeared over the stone.

  “Congratulations, messenger.” Her large face formed by flashes of lightning hovered in the air in front of him. “You have come a step closer to obtaining my power. But for the next step, you will have to stare into the abyss. Are you ready?”

  Her voice resounded over the burned ground, pausing for a few seconds.

  “I am. But may I ask a question? Who has chained these people? Has anyone been here before me?” Raven knew that no other player had been here, but if there were any NPCs able to make their way to here, he was interested in meeting them.

  “Each of us had our own hurdles as a hero. My decisions have been seen by many as unnecessary violent.”

  Raven was confused by these words. Was that an answer to his question, or the beginning of the challenge?

  As she spoke, a hint of an understanding emerged from behind the edge of his mind, making him slightly anxious.

  “The power you are craving so desperately... This power comes tainted by the curses of all those that I have killed.”

  Raven looked at her. He was even more confused than before. What she was saying was drastically different from what a hero would normally say.

  “Was it...” he began, hoping that his words would be met with disgust. “Was it you who chained them?”

  “The end justifies the means, boy. You are not the one to judge me.” Her words were followed by a powerful roar of thunder — a warning that she didn’t like his condemning tone. “Do you think peace can be achieved without blood being shed?”

  “No. But this isn’t about bloodshed. You’re torturing them! Guilty and innocent alike!” Raven slid his gaze over the pillars that now looked more like tombstones in his eyes. “Why?”

  “These people, each and every one of them is of the Gift race. Memory of them, their traditions, and their history have been lost to time. These creatures are immortal, and this was my way of protecting the world from them and their power. The power that could tip the scales and welcome the age of chaos. They are not alive. What you see is just their residual images.”

  “You destroyed their whole race?”

  “This is not about them, young messenger.” Zal’Sscar’s face suddenly got blurry. The storm continued to rage, re-shaping itself into a female figure. Soon, she was looking down on Raven, pinning him with her stare. “All of us had to make sacrifices. We lost our people to rescue strangers. We lived in pain for others to live in peace. We killed. We destroyed. We wiped out cities and nations to preserve the balance.”

  “Was it you who killed and destroyed them?”

  “The end justifies the means. You do not wait for the weed to grow to remove it, you nip it in the bud. When you know where the source of your ailment lies, you find any way to prevent it from happening again.”

  “So torturing them is your idea of keeping the peace?” Raven commented coldly, peering into her empty eyes.

  “I feel your hate, messenger. But it is misplaced. Do not forget who I am. Your arrogance and your confidence that there is always a better solution have been born from a succession of favorable events. But you are wrong. Your attitude only means that you have never tasted true grief and despair. You have only been to the shore washed by these waters, paddling your feet and watching the reflection of your pretty face. But now it is time to take a dip, boy. And to see what you have never seen before.” Bringing her face close to Raven’s, she continued: “Those who are not ready for sacrifice and defeat, those who cannot live with themselves, those who cannot bear the consequences of their actions... Those who cannot control the world-changing power should never approach it!” The roaring of thunder backed her words. Zal’Sscar’s straightened up and pointed at the rogue. “Sacrificing means losing a part of yourself. Show me how strong you are!”

  Before he could answer, the world blurred before his eyes. In an instant, he saw himself in an empty room, chained to a pillar. Hanging in chains across him was...

  “Nanel?!”

  She looked no less dumbfounded, and her situation was much worse than his. Chained up, she was hanging over a pit of boiling liquid that smelled of sulfur. Her chains were connected to a slowly turning wheel that brought her down inch by inch.

  “Nanel!” He turned to run to her aid, but his left arm was chained to the pillar.

  Twilight Walker.

  Nothing changed.

  Through a Wall.

  Nothing.

  The chain seemed to be blocking his skills. Nanel, mouth gagged with a rag, stared at him as the astonishment in her eyes gave place to fear. She must’ve also tried to use her skills to break free but failed.

  Her muffled scream made Raven’s heart miss a beat as the heat from the boiling liquid started to burn her feet.

  Taken aback, Raven struggled to move his eyes off the terrible sight and come up with any plan that would help him save Nanel. But how could he make sure that this was the real her and not an illusion? Was all of this just a part of the challenge, or would his failure mean her death? How could he rescue her?

  This looped flow of thought only stopped when he saw the blinking message notification.

  Make your choice: Sacrifice your arm and rescue the queen, or let her die but keep your arm.

  You will not be able to restore the lost arm by regular means.

  Sacrifice it? Yes/No

  Chapter 280. The Dark Prosecutor

  “I s that a cruel joke?” Raven’s heart was pounding like crazy. He couldn’t remember the last time he had been under so much pressure. Zal’Sscar had somehow found his weak spot, and was now using it against him.

  Not knowing what else to do, he re-read the message, hoping that it’d somehow help him think of something.

  The choice of words hinted at the possibility that there was a way to restore his arm, so his sacrifice actually wouldn’t be that great. He was about to tap Yes but stopped, clenching his teeth. He probably wouldn’t figure out how to restore his arm anytime soon, and the battle with Farris was just around the corner. Would he be able to fight him with one arm? Was that the reason why this challenge was the way it was?

  The feeling of time slipping through his fingers was almost physical. He decided to make one last reality check — the Calliota Beads. Nanel always had one with her.r />
  He reached out to her with the request to stop moving but she didn’t seem to hear him. Raven let out a sigh of relief. He was ninety-nine percent sure that this wasn’t the real Nanel.

  “Nice try, Zal’Sscar,” he said with a smile. The chained copy stopped moving, and slowly vanished into the air.

  “I have never been as good with this kind of spells as Ariadne or Ahennia have. The traits that have always had my respect were strength, spirit, and determination to go further than anyone else. No room for such tricks there. But that was just the beginning. A test, let us call it so. As you will learn soon, the more power you have, the more people will want you dead.”

  Once she said that, the world blurred again, and Raven found himself standing on the edge of a chasm.

  They really love these dramatic places, flashed through his head.

  He was dressed in rags instead of his armor and he had no access to his inventory or skills. Again, his hands were chained, the metal rings cutting deep into his skin. The chain was thrown over two ends of a cross-like structure hanging over the chasm.

  Hung on each end of his chain were two cages with strangers. Both were male, with their eyes covered and their hands chained. It was his chains that kept them from falling into the abyss.

  Coming from the bottom of the chasm was the roar of several monsters. He couldn’t see whether there were two or two hundred of them.

  “The first test did not work quite as intended. But this one is simpler. These two men — or rather their images — are but a drop in the ocean of people whom I once had to judge. You can rescue one of them, or doom both.”

  “Can I rescue both?”

  “No, you cannot. One must be sacrificed.”

  “Is that all?” he asked. He refused to believe that the challenge was that simple. So insignificant when compared with what the last two tablets had put him through.

  But Zal’Sscar’s next words changed his mind.