Chapter 75 - The SSS+ Ranked Adventurer!

(Somewhere in a chilly mountain range)

In a small house in the mountains, under the harsh snowing weather, was a muscular man in his mid-forties. He was swinging around his weapon, which was a circular blade. It had a handle in the middle, which can be used to split the circle in two. It also had a counterpart, which was another circle, and it was attached to the backside of this circle. 

Just as he was practicing, he felt his weapon vibrate. It was emitting a white light, and the man heard a voice inside his mind. "Another one of us has been woken up", said the female voice. "Who is it?', asked the man. "Death. I think the lost scythe has finally found its owner, or maybe that stubborn guy found someone to his liking", chuckled the voice.

The man's body was covered in sweat, and he went near the fireplace. "Now, is he a danger to society? Or it depends on the wielder?", he asked in a stern voice. The weapon which he had now transformed into a female human.

"Now now. Death is an enigma. It doesn't depend on the wielder nor him. He's a teenager, in his mind. He likes to do what he wants, thus I expect his wielder to be someone with control over him", she said as she took a seat near the fireplace. 

The man took the seat opposite to him, and he looked at the woman in front of him. She was a beauty and had smooth clear skin. Her eyes were like the moon, and she had a very elegant posture. Her ears had pointy ends, and they were elongated slightly. "I still don't understand why an elf like you turned into this weapon", he said.

The elf gave out a charming smile. She waved her hand in the air, and a teapot and two cups floated towards them. "Tea?", she asked as she poured him a cup. The man began to sip the tea, and he looked at the elf as he was sipping.

"We've been through a lot of battles, and you still haven't revealed your true self", said the man. "Patience is a virtue, Mr. Ken Adams. We still have a mission of protecting the other Legacy Weapons, like you, humans call it. We need to keep them away from others to protect this planet. In the wrong hands, it will bring disaster", she said with a sad face.

"A disaster that could destroy this planet", Ken finished the sentence. He remembered the first time he wielded the weapon. And he remembered the memories he had seen from the weapon. "Just what kind of a weapon is this? And why do these people, who are bound with this weapon, so powerful?', he thought.

Ken Adams was a man at the epitome of Earth. He was the First Legacy Weapon Wielder, and he is the only SSS+ Ranked Adventurer to walk this Earth. He was planning on retiring and doing this mission solo. But he had been tasked by the Adventurer's Guild, the same one he wanted to do.

He had a burly body, and his hair had turned gray. His ripped body had countless scars, and he hid them all by wearing a shirt. One of them is hard to hide, and it ran across his whole right forearm. He was tall and had tanned skin. "Yeah, I am the only one who can face the people who are after these weapons", he thought.

He only wanted to be left alone while doing this mission, as he didn't want anyone to interfere with this. If he had anyone nearby, he knew that would jeopardize not only that person but the Earth as a whole. So, he wanted no distraction in this mission. 

He was chilling in his seat, having some tea, and enjoying his quiet time. "Death, huh? You must be a scythe. And there are only a few people who wield the scythe on this whole planet. It's rare, but I will find you. And when I do, I will find out if you are to be eliminated", he said. Just as he said that a cold glint flashed across his eyes.

"Now, now. We shouldn't go killing everyone that wields it. That is why we are here. And we need people by our side. I sense something big in the universe's flow. Maybe something might be coming our way, or not. And for that, we need comrades", she said.

"Moonheart, I don't want to be harsh with you. But I think I don't need comrades", he said with a sad smile. Moonheart knew why, and she didn't disturb him. "Don't you think they would want you to move on? And find some people to fight alongside you?", she said as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

A calm and soothing effect was passed through him, and a single tear dropped from his eyes. He stroked the dog tags that were around his neck, and he looked up to the sky. "I hope you guys are doing fine up there. The guilt that I carry within me, I do not want anyone else to carry the same", he said.

He then got up from his seat with a newfound resolve. "Maybe I must visit Death, and if the wielder has any comrades, I must let them know of what might happen when the wielder goes berserk", he thought as he strode up to the window to look outside.

He had a sad smile, and he watched the snowfall from the skies. "Maybe it is time, that I find my solace", he thought. He then turned around and looked at Moonheart. "Let's go and meet Death. I want to see how strong the wielder is. I'm itching", he smiled as he left the small wooden house.

(At The Heart Palace)

Ben was seated in his throne and had a face that was frowning. "Are they going to attack us as soon as we have banished Lucas from coming back? But why? Seems like there has been someone informing them of our deeds", he thought. 

He then thought of something, and he smiled. "Maybe this will smoke them out", he thought as he smiled. After a few minutes, the door to the throne room was opened. "The Emperor has arrived", announced the gatekeeper. Ben smiled as the person he needed for his plan was precisely here.

"I welcome you, The Emperor to our humble abode", he said. The Emperor laughed out loud and smacked his forehead. "Formalities, they're frustrating, aren't they?", he said with a smile. The both of them hugged each other, and he proceeded towards a seat next to the throne. "Please, take your seat", he said.

Merlin smiled at him. "I am not going to be the person to snatch your throne. The design is tempting though", he laughed. Ben laughed as he sat back on the throne, and allowed Merlin to take the seat next to him. He then ordered everyone to get out of his throne room and looked Merlin in the eye.

"My dear friend. Remember what I said before? Are you sure you want to go through with the Beastization process?", he asked. Merlin nodded his head firmly. "You and I both know what will happen if this power was to go berserk. It would harm everyone around us, and what we stand for. I must do this not only for myself but for my people as well", he said.

Ben nodded his head. "I've got some Intel, and it seems that there is a small wave of Beasts coming towards this kingdom from the North-West. The estimated arrival time is about three days. Within this period, we must finish this process, and try to stop it before it reaches the kingdom", he said in a solemn tone.

"And I suspect there is someone in here that is working with them, providing information. All I hope is that my boy Lucas is well", he sighed. Merlin smiled wide after he heard Lucas's name. "You haven't heard the news?", he asked. Ben nodded his head sideways, indicating that he wasn't up to date.

"He has attempted the UCDM N0.99", he said. Ben smiled after he heard that. "That little brat. Does he think he can complete it? To close that portal is to live in it. Even we weren't able to, as that son of a portal decided to up the difficult to E+", he said. But the smile he had didn't fade away. "Well, I was the one that didn't want to close it in the end", he chuckled.

The both of them left the throne room, and they began to prepare for their journey ahead. They had planned to leave late at night, which would also help in smoking out the person who was relaying the information to The Omega. "Let's see who is the traitor.. And the only punishment for traitors is a slash across the neck", he thought as he packed up.