Chapter 43
This is a fictional story by realTensai
"Alv—"
Alvis opened his eyes, and all the corpses, the destruction, and the insane man he had seen just a moment ago weren't there anymore. He rubbed his eyes, unable to figure out what had happened, but the dark scene from before certainly vanished. As he looked around, he saw the familiar ceilings with the ancient-looking elf drawings. The vending machine where he always bought his drinks was also there. The dots connected.
I respawned.
However, the urge to vomit arose again. Alvis grabbed his head, coughing as if the world couldn't supply him enough oxygen. He glanced at his shaking arms and legs, which he had just lost a few seconds ago. The image of all the corpses wouldn't leave his mind, and his heart threatened to shatter.
You are insane!
"Ahhhhhh!"
The man's voice still echoed within his head, making Alvis punch himself. His body trembled to the core, every fiber of his remembering the pain of being torn apart. Something gnawed on his heart, pulling him deep into despair. Darkness clouded his mind, insanity almost taking over.
"Alvis!"
His eyes shot open, her worried voice forcing him out of his thoughts. Alvis raised his head, his body still shaking, and the girl he loved stood before him.
"Lia?"
Alvis' body moved on its own.
"Alvis?"
He didn't answer as he just took in her warmth while embracing her. They were chest to chest, and Alvis confirmed her heartbeat.
She is alive!
The pent-up emotion broke the dam, and Alvis started crying.
"I-I'm sorry!" Alvis said, tears pouring down his face. "I couldn't protect you! I couldn't protect anyone!"
Crying, Alvis gave in to the guilt that threatened to break his heart.
"It's all my fault! Only because I let my guard down did it come so far!"
"Alvis," Lia said, patting his head. "Everything will be fine."
Her gentle voice was like medicine for Alvis' heart. Like an outstretched hand, helping him climb back up out of the cliff to despair. His mind was still in the past, yet the present had already begun. The loop has already started.
"No matter what happens, I will be on your side."
Alvis took a deep breath in and out, wiping away his tears while doing so.
It's over. It is in the past now. I have to focus on the here and now if I want to change the future!
"Thank you, Lia. I love you."
Her face turned red, but her smile radiated even more.
"I don't know what happened, but I won't ask you about it. Just tell me once you feel ready."
Alvis nodded, thanking god for blessing him with such an understanding wife.
"I will go back to my room now," Lia said, waving her hand. "I look forward to our date!"
"Yes, me too."
As soon as Lia turned around, Alvis' smile vanished. He had said he looked forward to their date, but he would have to be a fool to forget what would happen on that day. If nothing were to change, the Devil Cult would kill everyone, and Voyzez Knaxius would kill him. This was their future.
But only if nothing changed.
Alvis clenched his fist, gathering his resolve.
I will never let that happen!
——
Alvis went back to his room, and as soon as he entered, he saw them. They were lying on their beds, their bodies not moving. Alvis' heart fell into his pocket, memories of their corpses haunting him.
"Yo, Alvis, what took you so long? Dane is already sleeping."
Sekki's voice entered his ears, and his eyes became wet.
"Bro, what is wrong? Are you crying?"
"I-It's nothing," Alvis said, wiping away the tears. "I-I'm just tired."
"F-Fine," Sekki said, his eyebrows raised. However, he just turned around, a yawn escaping his mouth. "Go sleep then."
"Yeah."
I am sorry, Alvis apologized in his head. Even though he knew it was already over and technically never happened, his guilt would never vanish completely. But seeing them alive also strengthened his courage.
Alvis changed his clothes and went to his bed. With everybody asleep, he had time to process everything.
Let's start by opening my system.
Level 3: Trial Of Insanity
Mission: Survive
STATS
Name: Alvis Silva
Level: 12
Class: Mage
HP: 200
MP: 250
-----
Strength: 15
Agility: 15
Health: 15
Sense: 13
Intelligence: 18
----
Available Ability Points: 1
Skills
Skill slot: 4/7
[Passive]
Evasion Lvl. 2
[Active]
Advanced Mana Manipulation Lvl. 3
Assassin's Eye Lvl. 2
Mastermind Lvl. 8
Inventory
Bandaids
Daily Quests
- Push-ups [100/100]
- Sit-ups [100/100]
- Squats [100/100]
- Run [10km/10km]
There was no change other than his personal level and his Evasion skill leveling up. If it had been his old system, most of his stats would have gone up too, but after its update, this changed. Now he had to get ability points on his own and couldn't rely on dying to get stronger.
However, this wasn't what mattered right now. It was his mission and how he could complete it.
Alvis could only chuckle, thinking about how accurate the name of his level was. It would take him a lot of mental strength to stay sane, fighting against the literal Priest of Insanity. Just one encounter with Voyzez Knaxius was enough to traumatize Alvis. But this wasn't their last.
There were two things Alvis had to do if he wanted to clear the level. The first was to stop the attack on the festival disguised as fireworks and the second was to defeat Voyzez. This was the essence of this level.
Alvis sighed, thinking about how he assumed his level would have had something to do with assassins. It was the only thing that made sense, considering how he went into the city in which their main camp was. But the Devil just had to hit him with the biggest curveball.
There is no way I would have guessed that I would have to face the Devil Cult.
Now, Alvis couldn't ignore them any longer. It wasn't the first time he had heard about the Devil Cult, though every time he heard about them, it was something bad. A shiver ran down his spine just thinking back on how Lia had once killed him, assuming he was part of their organization.
As if I would worship this maniac!
The only thing Alvis knew about them was that they destroyed Lia's village and killed her family. This alone was reason enough for him to hate them for a lifetime, but they just had to top it. Their next target was Awaniko, the heavenly city in which Alvis' class currently had their class trip.
Are they just going around destroying cities or what?
Alvis clicked his tongue, unable to hide his frustration. He didn't have enough information about them to guess what their mission was. He had to work with the limited information he had.
What was for sure was that Voyzez Knaxius, a priest from the Devil Cult, would attack the city on the last day of this week. This was what he had to stop.
He gulped, suddenly feeling the responsibility on his shoulders. Alvis had seen the extent of Voyzez's powers with his own eyes and also experienced it with his own body. It was something Alvis couldn't even explain with logic. He was so strong that even Alvis' Assassin's Eye couldn't estimate his strength. The only word worthy of describing his powers was insane.
The priest's shadows could absorb every attack Alvis had thrown at him. Even though Alvis was using Mastermind, his Earth Cannon got swallowed up as if it were nothing. This same Earth Cannon killed multiple assassins back then when he was fighting against Lia's old organization. Alvis had to figure out how to deal with those shadows, or else he could drop his hopes of defeating him on the spot.
However, Voyzez wasn't even his only problem. Those black fireworks that hailed down on the festival grounds while he was in the toilet were at least just as important. They were most likely the reason everyone at the festival died.
Well, most of the people.
Alvis shook his head, unable to believe that someone as strong as Dane or Lia would die because of the black fireworks. As long as they didn't have a special power, Alvis didn't know about it was unlikely Dane would have died from that.
But with the addition of Voyzez, everything makes sense.
He had to be the one who killed the survivors of the initial attack. Just like he had killed Alvis. This combination would be enough to wipe out every living being at the festival.
Alvis took a deep breath in and out. This was the information he had to work with. Within one week, he had to create a plan that would be good enough to save everyone. It was a task so serious, the fate of an entire city depended on it. Yet amidst all this pressure, a devilish grin formed on Alvis' face as the gears in his mind already worked on a plan.
Let's do it then!