Player Reached the Top. LitRPG Series. Book V

by Rick Scar

  “One of them is the emperor. Another is a peasant. Look.”

  A flash of bright light transported him into someone else’s body, and he found himself in a palace. Servants were being tortured. Wars were breaking out. Riots were being suppressed. People were being executed. But the empire was thriving and expanding.

  Another flash.

  A simple house. A man alone. Something in his hands. Raven couldn’t see what it was. Muffled voices. A door squeaking open. A spark in the dark. A flame flickering atop a candle. Silence.

  A descend down a set of stairs. Childish faces staring at him from the darkness. An arm placing another small child down with the rest. An ascend up a set of stairs.

  What the hell?

  Were those children his slaves? His prisoners? Was he raping and torturing them? Or... Or saving them? With a mix of confusion, rage, and helplessness weighing at his heart, Raven got cast back to the edge of the chasm.

  “What... What was that?”

  “You must decide which of them deserves to live.”

  “But that’s... That’s pointless! I don’t know the whole truth. That’s like making me pick a fruit based on its looks. I can’t know if it’s rotten inside or not!” he screamed into the void, tugging angrily at his chains.

  “You have seen what they did. Now you have one minute to make your choice, messenger.”

  “One minute?! What will happen after that?”

  “You will see.”

  “Fuck you! Is there even a right answer?”

  “It is not about right or wrong, but about the necessary. By killing them, you can make the world better or worse. You cannot know for sure until you choose.”

  “Bullshit! How am I to judge people that I don’t know?”

  “That did not prevent you from judging before.” Zal’Sscar’s piercing voice drilled into his mind. “It was your words and your deeds that led to a man becoming a widower. And his wife was not the only victim of your principles.”

  “I…” Raven swallowed his next words and stared down. “The lives of my own subjects were more important than those of my enemies. I had to get rid of the spies.”

  “I know. But you were too rash.”

  As Zal’Sscar spoke, Raven realized there was a point to her challenge — but it still escaped him.

  “You have sentenced them to death, and you lived on as if nothing happened. Such is the world. I can relate to that. But you know more about these two than you did about them. Is it not enough?”

  “I’ve only seen what you showed me. From your viewpoint. Not mine. Argh!” he cried as something hit him in the back. “What the fuck?!”

  -200 HP

  “One minute has passed. From now on, you will get struck every five seconds. If you die before making your choice, we will not see each other again anytime soon.” Zal’Sscar’s face disappeared, but her thundering voice remained. “I have no need for weaklings. Such people should not come here to ask for my power! Everyone is brought down to their knees at some point in their life, but only those who get back up and fight deserve respect. You are one of them. I saw that in the previous challenge. But are you ready to sacrifice your own life and the lives of others for peace? Even when you know that the only real victim will be yourself?”

  Should I save one? Or try and save both?

  She had told him that she respected strength and determination. He had seen both of their memories through their own eyes, but he had no idea which of them was the emperor, and which was the peasant.

  Or should I let both live while I die?

  She had told him there was no right answer. He had to decide which step was the necessary one. But how?

  Another hit. The invisible blade pierced him under the ribs this time. He drew in a hasty breath and, grinning, slowly let the air out through gritted teeth, making a hissing sound.

  -200 HP

  He’d probably be receiving this amount of damage until his health reached zero. So he still had some time. He took a step back, pulling the chains so as to avoid the next attack throwing him off the cliff. The shackles were heavy and uncomfortable, but they did no damage. He preferred not to know what would’ve happened had he failed to endure the weight of the cages and got pulled into the chasm.

  Simple as the task had seemed at the start, it now seemed too complicated. There were too many unknown variables.

  “But which is which? How can I choose if I can’t identify them?”

  “So you think one of them deserves to live?”

  “Just tell me… AAAAARGH!”

  The next blow pierced his thigh and forced him to his knees. The chains rattled, and he got dragged forward by the heavy cages. The shackles were digging deep into his flesh, baring his bones. He spent the next “break” struggling to stand up and walk away from the chasm.

  -200 HP

  “Bitch!”

  Raven struggled to figure out the point of this challenge, but it still seemed nonsensical. It was as if Zal’Sscar was trying to corner him so that he could...

  …realize what true pain and despair are like. A thought flashed like a light in the dark as it came into his mind to stay. But why? For me to hurry to end it and fall into a trap?

  The constant wait for an attack to come from any direction was exhausting. The fact that he didn’t know which body part would be targeted next made him nervous. Anyone else would’ve probably preferred to end this challenge as soon as possible.

  A blow to his stomach brought him down, dying the ground crimson. But the bleeding stopped instantly. Like a skillful torturer searing the victim’s wounds, Zal’Sscar inflicted the same amount of damage and removed the debuffs instantly, watching Raven’s agony. She waited, plunging the rouge deeper and deeper into the waters of grief and despair.

  Should it end with someone’s death? Or was this choice, like many before it, but a mere illusion? She had said so many things about sacrifice. About the consequences of one’s choices. She apparently wanted to teach him some lesson. But he couldn’t figure out what. A blind follower. What could be worse?

  -200 HP

  A blade pierced his cheeks, splitting his tongue, and bringing with it such hellish pain that he howled in agony, coughing blood and cursing his thirst for power in a lisping voice.

  He was seriously considering dropping one of the men. Either one. This tempting idea threatened to take over his mind. The choice’s simplicity was making his pain and apprehension of the next attack seem pointless. It’s really simple. Just get rid of either one, a voice in his mind said. But something inside him, something that remembered an even worse torture, knew that this was the wrong choice. It was as if Zal’Sscar was nudging him toward something.

  Choice. Determination. Sacrifice. Loss. Strength. Responsibility.

  He lacked something.

  But what?

  -200 HP

  “Argh!” he roared as one of the blades pierced his eye socket, his bloodied face staring blindly into the void. “That’s bullshit! Bullshit!! Bullshit!!! It’s fucking pointless!” he shouted again and again, lisping, muttering, and then roaring, as he struggled over the answer.

  -200 HP

  Blood from his slashed throat streamed down his chest like a waterfall, washing the ground and the chains. His rags had long become soaked with crimson. He could feel his feet slipping in a puddle of mud and blood.

  -200 HP

  -200 HP

  …

  -200 HP

  Raven stood on the edge of the chasm. He had to use the last drops of his strength not to fall. Falling into the abyss seemed like an end he preferred to avoid. He was doing his best to stay clear of the edge, but his body had been reduced to a bloody mess. He looked as if he had been through a meat grinder.

  The remains of his strength were barely enough to hold the chains. His hands could no longer resist the pulling force; the metal rings had sunk so deep into his flesh that they seemed to have become part of his forearms.

  Hi
s HP was in the red, but he couldn’t see it. His head hung low, chin touching his chest, and his mind was barely awake. The stress of resisting Zal’Sscar and his increased sensitivity had washed away every single thought from his head except for one: I can’t fall. He didn’t know why he was resisting that strongly or why he couldn’t just let one of the two die, but he refused to give up.

  -200 HP

  The pain was suddenly gone. He lay on his stomach among frozen bolts of lightning, too exhausted to even breathe. Any move he attempted gave rise to a splitting phantom pain.

  A few messages came, but he had no will to read them. As he felt a pleasant wave of healing magic come over his body, he heaved a sigh.

  “You have died, messenger.” Zal’Sscar’s voice came from the dark. Raven forced his eyes open, struggling to focus.

  “Did I fail?”

  “It is not exactly what I wanted... But it is enough to pass my challenge.”

  Her words should’ve made him happy, but he was too tired for that. He only wanted to know how he had managed.

  “Tell me.”

  “Think.”

  “I… I don’t know.” He tried to put his hand on his forehead, but it was too heavy. I’m so fucking drained... He closed his eyes again. “Looks like there was... a different meaning to your words. The choice... It was too simple. It was too simple to just drop them, be it one of them or both. I could rescue one by sacrificing another, but a hero’s challenge can’t... It can’t be that...” He struggled with finding the right word.

  “You are right. If the challenges were truly that simple, any passer-by could obtain our powers. Which is why there is always more than meets the eye.”

  “So what was the true purpose of this challenge? You told me that there’s no correct answer.”

  “There was not. What really mattered were your motives, not your choice. If you killed both of them, or just one, just to escape this choice and pain, you would have never been allowed here. But you did not let them fall, even although you did not know what to do. You refused the choice, but you also refused to surrender yourself to fate. You fought till the end.”

  “So that’s what you need? A fair death? Without a chance to survive and improve?”

  “What we want and what we need are often different things. You have to accept that. Those chains on your wrists — they were a symbol of responsibility. As a hero, you can be a monster, but only to your enemies. A hero can be a pacifist, but not with those who threaten the balance. No one cares how we achieve it. Each of us had our responsibilities. The burden that we accepted in accordance with our principles. Our chains. Look at yours.”

  It took Raven some time to understand her words. He felt like he was watching a corrupted video file with laggy audio. When he finally realized what she was trying to tell him, he opened his eyes wide and tried to stand up, but he still couldn’t move.

  “Fucking shit. My fucking legs...”

  “You are not yet strong enough to carry them. Hide them.”

  Opening his inventory, he finally saw the description of the chains.

  THE DARK PROSECUTOR

  Type: Accessory

  Rank: Epic

  Requirement:

  Human lives saved: 0/100,000

  Description: Can you feel it? Can you smell it? That is the smell of guilt soaked into your sacrifice.

  When fully charged, this accessory is triggered by the presence of anyone thinking of committing a crime. Petty or grave? It matters not. Will they do it or not? It matters not. But what matters is your choice: kill them, prevent the crime, or let them go. Only time will tell if they become a tyrant, a monster, or a saint. But there will definitely be consequences.

  Activation: When triggered, it will chain the target, preventing them from using any skills or their inventory. It can be used on players.

  Effect: If you decide to kill the target, it will get hit by thousands of lightning bolts.

  +1,000,000 instant magic damage

  Cooldown: 7 days

  Limitations:

  1) No effect on powerful ancient creatures

  2) No effect on creatures with full magic resistance

  Keep it? Yes/No

  Yes, they are too heavy. Raven smirked as he read the requirement and the damage amount, the greatness of the item’s power still escaping his exhausted mind. Wincing in pain, he lifted his head slightly to look at them.

  The chains around his arms were thin, much thinner than those that had mutilated his forearms in the challenge. Running down them were sparks of electricity, filling the item with lightning power.

  He wondered how they were supposed to work.

  Chapter 281. The Source of Power

  I t was strange that these chains happened to be on his wrists, considering that the usage requirement wasn’t met. He wondered if that was how it was supposed to be but quickly convinced himself to focus on the task at hand, and put the item into his inventory. Having done that, he finally sat up.

  “So, what happened to the Gifts?” he asked, massaging his shoulders and looking down at his regenerating body. He was curious about how Zal’Sscar had dealt with her “problem”.

  “You will know in due time, but not today. It is time for you to leave, young messenger. I will be waiting at the next tablet. I hope you will come even stronger.”

  “Wait!” he shouted, realizing that he wouldn’t see this part of her residual mind ever again. “At the first tablet, you asked me to get the Stone of Life. Can you… Can you give me a hint? How do I get it?”

  “A hint?” Her voice was pensive. “I could, yes. But why? Finding a way to the Forgotten Shores is a challenge of your willpower and determination. If you cannot do even that much then, perhaps, I should not have entrusted you with this mission.”

  Well, it was worth a shot... Raven sighed. “No, no. I can do it,” he assured her. “May I ask one more question?” Moaning and groaning, falling and stumbling up at the third attempt, he was finally on his feet, looking into Zal’Sscar’s face.

  “You may.” She seemed to wait patiently.

  “What happened to your weapon? The dagger that your descendants used in the rite?”

  “Ah, so that is what it is,” she drawled understandingly and, materializing in all her glory, sat down on the tablet, resting her chin on her hand as she stared at the rogue. “You want my dagger on top of everything you already have?”

  So, you can’t hide any items from a hero... He wasn’t going to deny that he had them as lying to her would’ve been pointless. “You’re right. I want more heroic items.” He put much effort into making his voice come out firm, despite the pain he was still feeling.

  “Why do you want them?” She squinted, watching his every move closely.

  “They…” He was about to say that he needed them to prevent the disasters of the past from happening again but, cutting himself short, he sighed and said what was on his mind instead. “They’ll give me the strength to protect what’s dear to me.”

  “We cannot save everyone. You know that, do you not?” Her voice was soft, and her words rang a bell. His lips twitched as he realized they were his own. It was something that he had told Nanel way back.

  “Sometimes,” he whispered through gritted teeth, “miracles happen.”

  “Miracles? Do you want to put your hopes in the hands of something so evasive? Will you climb to the top only to be dubbed as a lucky man? Is that what a hero would do?”

  “My words don’t mean that I’m betting my hopes on luck,” he replied. “On second thought,” he said after a pause, pressing his right eye down with his hand as if it could relieve his phantom pain, “I don’t need any hints. I’ll find the dagger myself.”

  “Good answer.” Falling silent for a while, she leaned forward and added: “A worthy answer. I will see you again, White Raven.”

  She nodded and blew off her palm sparks of lightning. Like dandelion seeds, they instantly enveloped the rogue and teleported him bac
k to where he had died.

  “Easier said than done,” Raven muttered as he left the Plateau and summoned his pets. “Let’s see what I got except for the chains and a lecture.”

  The messages were many and good, except for the last one that was rather weird and confusing.

  Congratulations! You have opened one of the tablets left by Zal’Sscar, a legendary hero.

  Opened: 2/3 Demonic Lord Zal’Sscar’s tablets

  You have completed the challenges based on your mind and memories at 100% sensitivity. The rewards are doubled or upgraded.

  +30 Skill Points

  +500 Influence Points;

  HP restored. Debuffs removed.

  Rewards:

  +A magic cube with a hint to another tablet’s location

  +Item: The Dark Prosecutor

  +Item: Gift’s Eyes

  +Skill: Death Leap

  Bonus reward:

  +Skill: Source of Power

  GIFT’S EYES

  Type: Accessory

  Rank: Rare

  Description: These eyes used to belong to a member of the Gift race. You can use them to discover Gift vessels.

  DEATH LEAP

  Rank: Rare

  Passive skill: Apprentice

  Description: Time will slow down by 50% in the face of death, allowing you to choose between killing and being killed.

  Duration: 2 seconds

  Cooldown: 4 days

  SOURCE OF POWER

  Rank: Epic

  Active skill: Apprentice

  Description: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  Who deserves to die, and who to live? Look into the darkness inside them and decide.

  You can synchronize with the target’s source of power and take a peek into the darkest corners of their heart. But be careful. There is a reason why the darkness inside us is always hiding. It hates prying eyes.