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Chapter 17: The Gift of Spirit

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Siva only took a glance, then he heard his opponent’s friend call him. He took the opening given by the small moment of distraction to check on Agatha who’s flying up above near the treetop.

When he saw her casting a healing spell, Siva felt his splitting head lift one less burden.

After that, he then put all his attention up front. He was irritated, annoyed, and extremely angry.

Especially now.

First they meddle in his business, then they teleport him into an unknown forest, then attacked him, now a large beast with troublesome attitude is coming his way without stop.

Just how could this get worse?

“De—Siva!”

“Stay there! That thing’s attracted to me. Just keep up the support and I’ll be fine.”

“But your condition is…”

“He’ll take you down if you get close to the ground!”

“GOD DAMN IT!”

With the swearing came an echoing stamp. The trees in a distance of around a hundred meters away were all put down by the force of the one causing the ground to shake.

Assessment. Siva’s mind flew. Based on the last thing he remembered about the surroundings, the lava bombs scattered around, the smoked screen he deployed, the still burning embers of the burnt trees, the size of the incoming third party, his location, then the real enemy.

Calculations, elements, strategies, tactics, plans, assets, advantages, and disadvantages.

Even he himself found it bewildering how he was able to think of these things like this in flash. Just when did he began to have such a war freak mentality?

After all the data began to enter his mind, a decision was made almost simultaneously. He lowered his body and the center of gravity transferred from his chest to his waist.

Then he changed gears. The open inventory only he can see helped him enough to switch between all his melee weapons.

Even the MOD and Skills inventory was open.

He could use that now to bolster his chances of winning against this guy.

But if he actually did that, then he wouldn’t have any chance against the third party. Truth be told. Now that he wasn’t with the Miranda’s crew that continued to deal damage to the beast, his chances of surviving in this situation was slimmer than thin.

That’s why he can’t risk using the only trump card he has. So instead, he asked more question.

And within his questions, he landed on an answer. He has to choose between who’s going to have the chance to kill him and take that part head on.

Decision, the third party.

That’s where he’s going to use that.

70 meters. The ground’s shaking is getting stronger and stronger. The monster is inbound within seconds.

50 meters.

“Siva!” Agatha’s voice called from above.

What else? What else can I use except for that MOD?

30 meters.

“DAMN IT ALL!”

He looked up and saw the other guy preparing to run with a wing set.

10 meters.

The giant tree from the left side fell down and a large green beast with blue strikes and violent eyes stopped and peaked terrifyingly at them.

Why did it stop?

As he asked himself the question, he saw the monster look down and scanned the area.

Now I got it!

Siva’s hand moved. He selected a weapon that he hasn’t used for a long time.

Within those tiny moments, a plan was created in his sharpened consciousness.

This big lug of meat has a large weakness that only he has the ability to exploit and the other party…

It only took Siva one glance, and the plan in his mind was solidified. He smiled.

When the twins’ feel touched his palm, a sense of long lost nostalgia made his blood boil calmly. He smiled remembering the days when he was still a noob that everybody did not dare to make contact.

An honest smile of happiness bade his lips.

Excitement! This is that feeling.

Game? No. For him it’s not.

RPG: Terroa is a game for them. But or Siva, this is his playground and his training facility. He felt like he was born for this place.

This is a place where he can destroy everything and put all his anger and hatred without anyone trying to stop him. As the feeling of the solid metal touched his skin, that feeling once again resurfaced in his consciousness.

Since when was the last time he felt this?

He had no idea but now, it is here. He will use it. He will kill the better target of the two enemies near him.

“Ha… haha… hahaha…hahahahahaha…”

It came. That dreaded laugh.

With shock, the message of the Killing Zone appeared in all the players inside its AOE.

Ally or foe, all distinction was erased.

Siva was now lost.

In his body now lay the machine-like soul that only knows destruction and violence.

[The Gift of Spirit]

As soon as the unique ability only available for those who braved the borders of life and death was activated, the strongest gift the game could give had emerged.

Where life was inverted in exchange for fuel that drives a near-death body, ignoring all rules of the game, the limitations of the body, and the conditions of the mind, a skill that awakens the inner animal within aroused.

With horror, Garin looked back as he found the answer to the question that was bugging him.

What is the real purpose behind the concept of the VR space? No. More precisely, what is the concept used by Panorama Corporation when they created this world?

Like in the novels, is it just a game?

Or like in the movies, is it also an alternate reality?

Or perhaps the idea of a game world with 90% proximity to reality that can affect the mind to bridge the distinction between fake and real?

—a feeling of being teleported into another world.

If so… then that can explain why and how he could instill fear in them.

Terroa is created by rendering the feeling of realness, edited to fit the elements of a fantasy world. The users of [email protected] are real people. Their intents are true, even if it’s just a game, and so when he said YOU WILL DIE HERE. He really meant every word.

If they are real people and not just avatars, he would really murder them.

Was that really it?

Garin could only grit his teeth in frustration. The impression he had earlier was affecting his train of thoughts. Now he’s even thinking crazy things.

The bloody bastard of a man, holding two guns on both hands wearing a bloody cloak and a broken mask, was laughing.

Fear. This is fear. He’s scared of him.

“Crazy bastard… what’s he planning to do?”

He stepped back and abandoned the notion to face him head on. Understanding one’s own limitations is also a kind of strength.

Likewise, it seems The Destroyer had also abandoned all notion to continue their fight.

When a warrior who lived with pride born from honor faced off a fighter who can abandon everything for a fight for survival, no technique nor sacred ability can defeat that fighter.

The reason is because their reason for battle is fundamentally different.

Garin was a player who valued honor more than his life while this guy with a look of a reaper without a scythe is playing this game as if it was real life. He’s fighting for survival. He’s staking his life.

But, how important is an avatar’s life for him?

Or perhaps… naw, impossible. This is just a game.

Garin was dumbstruck.

As a player, he cannot fathom the feeling nor even just imagine the depth of that thought.

It’s because RPG: Terroa is a game meant to be enjoyed, not to be lived like the way The Destroyer is making him think he’s view with the game.

A complicated yet simple enough to explain situation.

“Hahahahahahaha….”

With a snap, Siva took a step forth. He totally ignored Garin, once again, that became another large blow to his pride.

He was frozen to his feet.

The thought of being murdered by The Destroyer using unknown methods terrified him.

And yet it was just one point of the reasons.

Cassiopeia definitely knew him, while Garin don’t. Just who he is or what he’s capable of in the face of battle, he don’t know because he spent all his time improving his skills and upgrading his equipment.

He had no time to meddle on business that has nothing to do with him or their job.

But to make Cassiopeia fear him like this, just how far is his strength from him really is?

Curiously, he too, abandoned the thought of escape.

What Garin did is to hide in a treetop, far away from the healer. He had no qualms about her now that his mind wanted to see something that he will never see in his life again.

The Destroyer’s fight.

How will he defy the limits set upon him?

Will he win this bout?

Could he really do something that which no player of Terroa had ever done before?

Is he really worthy of bestowing fear to the great and powerful Cassiopeia?

Can he defeat a Lapis alone?

He wanted to see. What tricks he’ll use, what technique or strategy he’s going to apply, his real strength, his true fighting ability… he wanted to see it.

Garin became curious.

He tried his best to hid his presence and saw another group of people enter the scene from the right side.

“Agatha!”

The healer a few tens of meters away from him turned to the incoming group and Garin gasped to see a familiar face he treated as one of their group’s competitions.

“Volt! Hawkeye! Samara!”

That’s the group The Destroyer was with?

Damn it! Of course my friends won’t stand a chance.

Unable to accept this fact. A sudden realization dawned on him.

There was a video in the internet that became viral not too long ago. It was a video of a certain group shot in a remote mountain area near the Walled City of Hagonoy.

And there, Volt and his crew was laughing out with an unknown player with them. According to the source of the video, it was a hunting group they spotted that had just finished with a difficult hunt.

It was clear that the source wasn’t aware who they are.

There were signs of a great fight around the lake where the video was shot, and, the uploader said that the person who hunted that big chunk of meat in the video is the guy with the white mask.

As I remember it, he was called ‘The Volume Hunter’ from the west.

After the recollection, Garin turned to check him.

That wasn’t a white mask in his head. Though it was all broken and was ready to totally fall off anytime soon, the remains were enough to say that it was black.

The Destroyer.

Could it be that he’s the same guy?

This name was marked in his mind. He would make sure to check on him when he gets home. He will research him. He will make him pay for this humiliating retreat.

But… not yet.

He had to see this first. He had to watch this. He had to take as much data on his fight as much as possible.

“Let’s get out of here!” Volt said to the healer when he reached her in the air. “Siva’s gone to the other side again. There’s nothing you could do.”

“No!” the healer shook her head stubbornly. “I’ll stay here. I need to heal him. He told me to keep on healing him and I will. I won’t leave him to fight alone.”

Seeing this degree of loyalty and dedication, a sudden feeling of guilt and jealousy took root on Garin.

His team had never once said those words to one another or at least as much as he can remember. Not when they are happy together after a successful hunt, and most definitely not when they were in a pinch just like what happened today.

If I was Higa or Jigen, would they have screamed and feel the pain of losing me?

Just when his thoughts were about to fly off, Garin heard Volt.

“But if you stay here, you’ll get tangled up!”

“I don’t care! He protected me. He’s in pain because I was weak so I will do my part and support him.”

Agatha, was crying as she spoke the words.

Volt was taken into silence. He couldn’t reply. He can’t breach that wall of resolve. Girls are strong in their own powerful rights and when they made up their mind on something, it cannot be bended no matter what.

It may even be just the players of Terroa or those who experienced fights and battles both in game and real life. But nonetheless, that is an unbreakable fact.

Volt’s defeat was visible in his face.

“Alright. We’ll stay here. But when it seems that we are in deep trouble, I will personally drag you off to get away. Is that clear?”

“Yes.”

“Then, Samara, please cast a protective spell on us and continue to watch over incoming hostilities.”

“Roger.”

“Hawk, watch out for flying monsters.”

“Got it.”

“You, stay behind me. I will instruct you the right position and timing on when to cast a spell to heal Siva. Your job is to alert me when your cool down is over or when your Manna well reached critical level.”

“Understood.”

“Alright. Let’s just hope that he wakes up soon.”

Garin was amazed. If this is the level of how Volt’s operations were conducted, then it wasn’t a lucky feat that they are recognized as famous explorers of this continent.

Just who is this guy?

The target of this question was the target of his observation. Hidden in a large tree that stood 80 meters high, Garin secretly watched the fight and observed every detail of what he was about to see.