Chapter 0

Good Luck

Somewhere in a parallel universe. Planet Thrae.

"Fu*k!! Arghhh!" the spellcaster cried.

A peculiar character behind a large boulder smirked.

In pure dissatisfaction, the spellcaster used one of his most powerful Cold Skills, "Everlasting Winter Blast!!"

!

Will the boulder be able to absorb the incoming spell?

The boulder was struck and instantly crystallized before cracking open. A split-second decision was made as sizzling sounds stopped being impeded by the boulder.

A pale-looking figure barely evaded the huge frost bolt shaped in a wide arch as he leaned and leaped to the left. The cave they were inside was vast, so there was plenty of space to move around in. However, the spell's cold effect still crept onto the mysterious figure’s right-hand armor piece, sundering it slightly. His affected arm's primary weapon also took the brunt of the spell damage as it had rapidly turned cold blue. Bits and pieces of his glove started to crumble.

[You have taken 13.400 damage.]

[You have received Frostbite Lv2.]

[You are slowed by 20%.]

[Your mana regeneration is nullified for 15 seconds.]

[Your Silent Killer Gloves have been greatly damaged and need repairs. It has been unequipped to your inventory.]

[Soulseeker has lost 38 Durability.]

[Soulseeker has obtained +2000 cold attribute for 20 seconds.]

The spellcaster standing by a ghastly altar laughed condescendingly. He was a dark elf with pale skin like that of a vampire. He had long silver hair and wore an elegant, ominous-looking mage outfit.

"Ahaha! Fool! You're millennia too early to be challenging me, boy!"

Behind him, etched in indecipherable runes, was a large magic pillar. Its extent was that of a tall lamppost that stretched at least 3 meters high. From inside the pillar, you could occasionally hear the screams of trapped souls, unable to break free on their own. The battle was held within some secret room, or more accurately a modified cave, within a cavern system rarely explored by Thraeans. Having chosen an elven form, the spellcaster was reminded of his assignment dispatched by the Ruler of Hell, Lucifer. However, possessing the embodiment of a dark elf meant that the spellcaster could not use his original Infernal Skills.

"Shadow spikes!" the dark elf uttered.

Good. He isn’t able to use Silent Chant under these conditions, the mysterious figure estimated.

"You’re doomed now, bahahahaha! You cannot detect the Shadow Spikes placed beneath you!"

As the unknown person leaped into the air and was about to land, he could feel but not see the proximity of danger. But then, to the dark elf's surprise, the figure disappeared into thin air.

!

The spellcaster peeked to the left. Then right. No. Behind!? The spellcaster turned around and readied his left palm with a quick Skill. "Quick Lightni-"

No one was there, and a chill went down his spine.

"Above!" The dark elf turned around in a fast one-eighty.

"Soul Penetration"

Swish!

Stab!

[Critical hit!]

The mysterious figure’s cold shortsword sunk right into the spellcaster’s left side shoulder area, ripping through the enhanced magic robe and sinking further into his heart and lung.

The damage and effects were displayed in a transparent, black interface.

[Beelzebub, Demonic Emissary of Hell, has taken -126.566.660 critical damage!]

[You have stolen 50.000 Mana points.]

[Abnormal condition, Soul Burn, has been activated.]

[The target will receive -79.766 Mana burn per second for 10 seconds.]

[The target is unable to use Skills (Silenced) for 10 seconds.]

[The target has lost over 50% health points in one hit.]

[Abnormal condition, Incapacitated, has been activated.]

[The target is unable to Move, Attack (Physical), or use Skills (Silenced) for 10 seconds.]

[Abnormal condition, Frozen Lv2, has been activated.]

[The target will take cold damage over time for 12 seconds.]

[The target’s Agility and Dexterity are reduced by 600; Speed is reduced by 200 for 12 seconds.]

…

…

The dark elf thumped down on the cold marbled ground.

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

Beelzebub released deep, agonizing grunts. "Huff, huff. How can a human of your caliber use Teleportation?"

[The target has taken…]

The mysterious figure remained silent for a while.

[The target has...]

"It’s not Teleportation." The assailant stepped closer to the fallen dark elf.

Step, step.

[The target has…]

"And besides...Dead trash shouldn’t be asking meaningless questions."

[The target has…]

"You- Cough, cough! Bastard! I will not allow this!" the dark elf bellowed.

Beelzebub continued to antagonize the lax mysterious figure with what little strength he had left.

"You may have bested me today, huff...but don’t think for a second that I will not be avenged by my brothers and siste- eergh!"

Dark and essentially black blood poured out of Beelzebub’s mouth, dripping onto the marbled stone.

Drip, drip. Drip.

Fzzzt...

The rock patterns on the ground inside the mysterious cave decomposed and mudded up where the blood had previously been spilled. The pillar on the altar lost some stability, and the trapped souls within groaned more vociferously than before.

…

...

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

The mysterious figure finally decided to take off the hood attached to his cloak, revealing his face, appearance smooth, and skin pale. Although it seemed like he was in his mid-twenties, his actual age was a question mark. His worn appearance and shaded circles beneath his eyes revealed a hint of fatigue.

There was no possible way for a human to reach this kind of combat level at such an age, the dark elf deemed. The reason why the spellcaster had called him, boy, was simply because he had underestimated his foe since he himself had lived for several millennia. The young man was now appearing with short messy hair that almost seemed white, with a hint of grey. Some of his hair hid his right eye. But you could see in his left squinting eye that anger was seeping out. The glance gave off strong bloodlust.

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

"This is for the Thraeans that are adrift because of you," the young man said and sheathed his shortsword and struck the dark elf with his left, unscathed fist.

Boom!

A strong surge from a blunt collision between fist and face resounded the whole cave.

[The target has taken -1.357.550 damage.]

[Class ability has triggered. The target’s health is below 5%. The target is now vulnerable to Instant-Kill effects.]

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

"And this is for my family." Using the right arm this time to strike, still shaky from the Frostbite Lv2, the young man clenched his teeth, "Rising Uppercut!"

[Critical hit!]

[The target has taken -6.357.050 critical damage!]

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

It was not nearly as potent as the critical strike with his shortsword attack, but creating this amount of damage with his bare fists was still unfathomable. An even more enormous boom rang in the cave. The shockwave from Rising Uppercut built up and released. The aftershock from the strike moved all the way to the exit of the large cave. A strong wind fluttered before settling down, giving off the scent of the ocean that was seeping into the cave. If there were people outside the cavern entrance, they might have felt the tremors and winds created from the shockwave. Small and large crystallized stalactites crumbled and fell. A particularly large stalactite struck the tall pillar, causing it to crack, sending dozens of trapped souls flying toward the cavern exit.

[Dazed has been activated.]

[The target is unable to Attack (Physical) for 5 seconds.]

[The target’s Movement Speed is reduced by 50% for 5 seconds.]

[All Attributes are reduced by 20% for 5 seconds.]

Effects similar to a flashbang projectile, apart from blindness, affected the spellcaster. It was then new system messages popped up.

[The duration of Soul Burn has ended.]

[The duration of Incapacitated has ended.]

And two seconds later.

[The target has taken -415.500 cold damage over time.]

[The target has taken...]

[The Debuff Duration of Frozen Lv2 has ended.]

[The duration of Judgment has ended.]

!

The young man's hair, which had appeared white, started to turn back to its original color. His still pale face was now accompanied by dark, blackish hair.

Though bewildered and shocked by the young man’s bare-handed strength, this was also an opportunity. Without a second to spare in fear of retaliation, Beelzebub did the unimaginable with his remaining powers.

"Gravitational Star Implosion!!"

As the dark elf screamed at the top of his lungs, or at least his remaining lung, dark blood again spurted out from his mouth—this time covering the whole altar area.

Fzzzt, fzzzt!

The target was himself.

He had more mana left?! Even after the effects from Soul Burn?

The young man grew astonished. If Beelzebub implodes here and now, the aftereffects would be massive. The reason Beelzebub targeted himself was because his attributes were greatly reduced due to Dazed. Furthermore, it would be difficult to target a swift opponent with such an elaborate spell. The third reason was, no matter what Beelzebub did, it was all over for him. He could not regenerate a destroyed heart. Thus, he decided to sacrifice himself so that his Lord had one less enemy to defeat. The death of his elven avatar was not cumbersome, as his Lord would surely safeguard his high-ranking seat in Hell once he returned. His fragmented soul would take a few years to mend, but it would be worth the cost.

A gravitational force started to pull the surprised man toward it, Beelzebub being the center. With an exceedingly dense gravitational pull, what would happen once the gravitational force was released? It would shoot out after imploding. Like a small star bursting after its death, the energy released would be enormous, giving mass and energy to the galaxies beyond itself. The young man could now feel the presence of more and more people outside the cavern entrance. Was it due to the altar’s pillar being damaged, sending their trapped souls and bodies outside?

While being pulled in, the young man made his final decision. He could not let the trapped souls in the strange pillar wither away, nor the people outside. Even though destroying the pillar would release the souls, they would not be able to withstand the aftereffects of Gravitational Star Implosion. He wanted these people to return to their families. It was perhaps too late for his own family, but he could not forsake the lives of thousands upon thousands of trapped Thraeans. It was not a sense of duty or righteousness. He had long ago abandoned that path. However.

"I am tired. Forgive me... I couldn’t avenge you... At least, now, we can finally meet again."

"Eternal Soul Entrapment"

[The target’s Health points are below 5% upon Skill activation and meets the requirement for entrapping Demonic Emissary-tier monsters.]

[The target has been forced into an eternal slumber.]

[The target is unable to reincarnate to Hell].

[The user will lose 50% of maximum Health points.]

[The effects of Gravitational Star Implosion have ended but not subsided.]

Barely having 20% of his maximum Health points left, the young man still chose to end things with Eternal Soul Entrapment. It was a lose-lose scenario, ending poorly for them both.

"NO!!! What did you do?! Curse you!! Cough, arrrgh!" Beelzebub roared. It would be his last words.

"Good. And finally, Death’s Door Soul Transfer!"

Numerous System messages popped up.

[The user will transfer his Class to a new user.]

[The user will randomly transfer 3 acquired titles.]

[The user will randomly transfer 3 equipped items.]

[The user will not transfer his Hunter Level or Experience gained.]

"That’s a shame," the young man remarked with a weary, sentimental smile.

[The recipient of Death’s Door Soul Transfer will be based on current user and recipient compatibility. The compatibility will be based on appearances and personality. The recipient cannot be an existing Awakened.]

[The user will die after the soul transfer.]

[Are you sure you want to use Death’s Door Soul Transfer?]

...

[Yes.]

[No.]

…

Having already made up his mind, the young man with blackish hair tapped on the interface one last time.

...

Yes

…

…

The imploding dark elf was now so distorted that his limbs no longer manifested where they normally would. The bizarre display of conjoined body parts stopped imploding when it had turned into a round, gory shape. What could have been a turbulent burst of force upon energy expulsion diminished ever-so-slightly. The altar’s pillar cracked several places as the eruption of force continued to ravage the secret room within the cavern.

[Beelzebub, Demonic Emissary of Hell, has been defeated.]

[You have earned the title Pinnacle of Retribution].

[You have gained a level. System failure.]

[You have gained a level. System failure.]

[You have gained…]

[You will not gain any levels. System correction.]

[You have gained an item. The Compass of Truth. It is a bound item and cannot be traded.]

As the eruption slowly dissipated, the pillar and altar were gone altogether. The only remains of Beelzebub were specks of dust and dark matter still glimmering in the secret cave, giving off traces of light. Between the traces of radiating dark matter, a stronger light emanated, untouched by the ocean breeze, streams of dark matter, and falling stalactites. It was truly vibrant, like the aura of an Elemental Sprite.

"Unequip all items. Equip The Compass of Truth. Equip Soulseeker. Equip Multi-Purpose Cloak. Unequip all Titles. Equip Pinnacle of Retribution. Equip Judgment. Equip The Mind of the Shrewd."

In quick succession, the young man’s items and titles were swapped around.

[Death’s Door Soul Transfer is now ready.]

[Sending now…]

The youthful-looking man, now appearing several decades older, sincerely wished his successor, "good luck."