35 Chapter 0035

Looking at the hateful monster that had just killed Jeze, crying out in pain and struggling to gain a footing of its own, my heart started burning with fury.

I put Eclipse back in my inventory as I looked at my own hands. The former human skin was replaced with a grey-coloured, much tighter and leathery skin. Veins popped out of the skin, and within them, I could feel something flowing through, unlike blood flow which is impossible to feel.

KRRRUOOONGGG!

The monster's raspy, hoarse voice shouted out as it looked back at its own body, on which I was standing.

He let out another shout as a vortex of water started forming in its mouth.

"I've had enough of you, fucker."

I felt the thing that was running throughout my whole body, and I tried to 'control' and 'command' it.

I could feel mana gathering around my hand, as the air around me started running wild and suddenly, a vortex of water started forming above my palms.

[You have learnt 'Mana Manipulation (Lv 1)' as a racial trait.]

[You have learnt 'Vortex Strike (Lv 1)' as a racial trait.]

[Your racial trait is helping you understand magic better than anyone else.]

[Mana Manipulation (Lv 1) → Mana Manipulation (Lv 2)]

[Man…]

[Mana Manipulation (Lv 7) → Mana Manipulation (Lv 8)]

[Mana Manipulation (Lv 8)

Type - Passive Skill

The power to control mana. Every class that has the potential of creating magic can unlock this skill. You can feel and control the mana inside your body to create magic with enough effort and knowledge.

Your mastery of the skill is on the same level as that of a seasoned wizard. All magic casting time would decrease by a large margin.]

[Vortex Strike (Lv 1) → Vortex Strike (Lv 2)]

[Vor….]

[Vortex Strike (Lv 5) → Vortex Strike (Lv 6)]

[Vortex Strike (Lv 6)

Type - Active Skill

Cost - 1000 mana

Cooldown - 12 hours

An AOE skill. You can summon a violent water vortex and attack enemies in a straight line, dealing 50000 + (700% added physical and magical damage) to all enemies in the area.]

The vortex spinning on my palm got bigger and bigger as I aimed it straight at the Grivantula's face. A strong current of water, with a 2-meter diameter, shot out and clashed with the monster's own vortex, cancelling out his and my attacks both.

I tried reusing the skill, but I got a notification.

[Vortex Strike is currently on cooldown, available again in 11 hours 59 minutes and 33 seconds.]

"I don't give a batshit about your cooldown!"

The mana was still inside my body, I could still feel it going through my veins. So if I could do it once, I could do it again.

I focused all my attention on gathering my mana in my palms, as I imagined the Vortex Strike skill's formation again.

[You are attempting to break through the world's common sense.]

[The Goddess of the central continent, Aphrodite, has shown interest in you.]

[The Emperor of Abyss, Vesco Komnen Lazovic, has shown interest in you.]

The dark mana from around me also started gathering at my palm, as a violent and turbulent black-coloured vortex, formed solely out of dark powers, started gathering at my hands as I shot it towards the head of the Grivantula.

'The latest_epi_sodes are on_the Nov elB i n website.',

['Vortex Strike (Lv 6)' has been upgraded to 'Elemental Vortex (Lv 6)']

Screaming cries could be heard from the dark vortex as it smashed at the serpent-like face of the Grivantula.

[You have dealt 398,493 damage to the target.]

[The target has been inflicted with the 'horrified' status condition.]

KUOOOHHHHH!!

"C'mon! Shut the fuck up and die already!"

I said as I took out Eclipse in one hand and made a replica in the other one, running to its neck.

Huup!

I jumped and stabbed at its neck with both the blades, entering both of them deep enough inside his flesh as I harshly twisted both the blades and dragged them throughout his whole neck, slimy greenish blood splattering out everywhere.

Now that I was past level hundred, all my stats gave me more benefits than they used to. I got more HP for each point in Vitality, more physical and magical damage for each point in Strength and intelligence, and more speed for each point agility.

Coupled with the bonus race bonus that I had yet to check, and me attacking weak spot, I managed to land a huge blow.

[Weak spot detected, additional critical damage will be added.]

[You have dealt 157,899 damage to the target.]

[You have dealt 157,899 damage to the target.]

[You have defeated the mini-boss 'Grivantula'.]

[Rewards for defeating the mini-boss:

1) 600,000 gold coins.

2) Memory Fragment.]

[1,893,845,000 experience points have been acquired.]

[You have gained a level!]

[You have failed the quest 'Prophecy (1)'.]

[Quest completion condition:

1) Save the Rewan village chief's daughter from Grivantula - FAILED.

2) Kill and eat the flesh of Grivantula - COMPLETED.]

[As compensation for…..]

I didn't bother reading the screens and minimized them all as I jumped from the falling Grivantula. As soon as I fell into the water, I started swimming toward Jeze's body.

Reaching her body which was floating on the water and getting carried away with the stream, I held on to it tightly as I brought it to the ground.

Her cold body was missing a huge part of its stomach as one could see through it. Her lifeless eyes were still open, and there were traces of tears coming out. Her mouth was parted slightly, lacking any kind of life.

I took out bottles after bottles of health potion and emptied them all in her mouth, hoping she would wake up.

"Hey, Jeze… I… I killed that bastard… kuhk."

I couldn't let out my words properly, I felt like there was a huge lump inside my mouth. I didn't want to cry, I didn't want to seem weak, after all, Jeze was but an NPC.

~ "It must be nice, right? Resurrecting every time you die. If only my dad had such power, then I wouldn't have to worry about him dying and leaving me behind." ~

I suddenly remembered the comment she made when we were levelling up and I had gotten injured. She was worried at first then calmed down after I reminded her how I can just respawn after dying.

~ "You know, Shura…I was ….so scared… I knew it was my duty to sacrifice myself for the villagers, and I gladly accepted them. But I would still cry when no one was around, I would get scared just thinking about that. You don't know how glad I am that you showed up to save me." ~

I didn't save you dammit!

I… I couldn't save you, kughh–

NPC or not, she was as real as anyone could be. She worried about me, she cared for her dad, she cared for her villagers. She was someone ready to embrace death to secure her villagers' peace even when she was scared herself.

'

"H-hey J-jeze… wake up… please wake up…*hic* I killed the source of your nightmares… wake up and let's go home, Kai must be waiting…"

I finally couldn't hold myself back like a flood of warm tears broke out of my eyes and I cried while holding Jeze's head to my chest.

I cried and cried, without holding back. Remembering about all the little things she did, her sarcasm at my antiques, her dreamy eyes when she sometimes stared at me.

I wasn't able to protect this one person to whom I had opened up after years. I couldn't protect the one person who put their belief in me.

Again.

I failed to protect the one person that actually cared about me, again.

~ "Zephyr, I promise you we'll run out of this hellhole someday and live happily." ~

I suddenly heard the voice of a child in my brain, a boy of around 6 years of age trying to console me. I could see the background around him, I could see his small silhouette but I couldn't remember his face. His eyes, nose and lips were all missing.

Then the scene changed to that of his lifeless body, with some men in blue suits talking to each other.

~ "He failed the gene awakening too. A pity, he was one of the best ones." ~

I could remember the helplessness I felt that day, the uselessness of my existence. My attention again shifted to Jeze's lifeless body.

"I… failed to protect you too… I… uhkk."

It was getting difficult to form my own words as the unbearable heartache kept growing. A splitting pain hit my head as soon as I remembered the memories of my childhood.

UGHHHH!

I grabbed my head which felt like it would split apart any second.

[The player's real body is going through a traumatic recollection, and the player is advised to log out to seek emergency treatment.]

[The player's mental condition is extremely unstable, the system suggests that you should log out.]

"FUCK OFF!"

I couldn't afford to log out now, not like this. Jeze's body was still here, I don't know when I would come back if I just blacked out like last time.

"Keep it in, you piece of shit. This can't happen every time."

I held back the memories deep within me, I tried to not let them affect me like this. I have had enough of being an excuse for a human just because I had traumatic experiences.

'What's more traumatic than being told the day of your death and slowly dying every day.'

I thought about Jeze's situation and slowly the headache started subsiding.

I carried Jeze's body in a princess carry as I started running towards the Rewan village.

***

"Are you sure you don't want us to commence forced log out, ma'am?"

Scarlett's attendant asked in an unsure tone.

As soon as the situation of Jeze's death was portrayed to the team monitoring Shura's movements in the Abyss, Terry immediately called Scarlett and Daniel to take their team to Flynn's house. Everyone knew about his mental condition, and nobody could imagine what he was actually going through.

It would be a matter of life and death as soon as Flynn's past trauma resurfaces.

Currently, in Flynn's small apartment, Scarlett and her brother had already come with their team as they were standing by the duo's orders.

"No, he has repressed his own trauma to save himself from system-forced log out, so it's clear that the NPC meant a lot to him. Don't even think about getting her out or I can't promise that you'll be alive this time. Last time you were saved due to me bringing up his family."

Scarlett said as she looked at the closed VR capsule. She had already learnt about everything there was to know about Flynn Grey's past, and that's why she was more scared than ever.

Not to mention, Flynn wasn't the first person to treat NPCs like living beings, after all, they actually had a life of their own. Nobody can imagine what chaos Flynn would bring if he was currently logged out of the game.

For now, all they could do was wait.

...

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