Nama Woods,

5:35 pm, 4 th Ryanem 1091.

Kashi awoke to the peculiar stillness of the Naman forest. The daeben checked his status and was relieved to see his health had fully recovered during his long nap. Kashi groaned as he sat up, stretching out his tense muscles. A brief inspection of his surroundings revealed the direwolf cub asleep by his side.

The sight piqued Kashi’s curiosity. He was surprised the direwolf had not tried to kill him. However, that curiosity didn’t last long. The daeben rose to his feet, waved at the little cub and said, "Have a good life." He found his bearings then headed back in the direction of Fladnag's home.

Halfway to his destination, a series of sharp, short barks echoed behind Kashi, gradually increasing in intensity and volume. "No way," Kashi whispered in disbelief as he looked over his shoulder. Unfortunately, just as he feared, the black ball of fur came bounding down the path, barking at the top of its little lungs.

The cub slipped on a leaf and tumbled. It dangerously rolled down the slope and might have incurred severe injuries had Kashi not instinctively stick out his foot to stop its fall.

Kashi sighed as he realized what he had done. He crouched and inspected the stalker’s body, "Are you okay?" Kashi reached out a hand to examine the direwolf, but it jumped out of the hand’s path and bared its fangs at him. The daeben smiled wistfully at its reaction. "You hate me huh?"

It replied with a low growl from the pits of its stomach.

Kashi shrugged, withdrew his hand, then stood up and resumed his trek. He noticed from the corner of his eye that the wolf relaxed and followed closely behind. He wondered how long the little cub planned on stalking him.

Despite his inner thoughts, Kashi and the cub arrived at Fladnag's home without incident. However, the tension was no less thick than their first meeting.

"I see you made it back alive," Fladnag greeted when they entered his home.

"I did." There was no joy in Kashi's voice, and the wizard picked up on it.

Fladnag eyes studied the daeben’s expression as he said, "So, tell me. How did it feel to slay a beast that could not fight back in front of its child?"

Kashi's eyes widened in shock. As he recalled the shittiness he felt back there, his gaze narrowed as he shouted in unbridled anger. "You knew!?"

"Of course I did, child," Fladnag answered with a light chuckle. The humor in his smile did not reach his serious, piercing gaze. "That beast was a level sixty by the ranking standards. From the beginning, there was only one way for one such as you to slay it."

Kashi gritted his teeth. "Why? Why force me to do something so despicable?"

"I did not force you to do anything." The wizard's gaze was cold and hard. "Your quest for power simply required you to crush an innocent life that did you no wrong. Do not forget you fired your arrow when you could have walked away."

"I had no choice. It was the task you gave to me,” Kashi countered, but the harshness had left his voice.

"Oh, but there was a choice,” Fladnag revealed with a stroke of his beard. “You could have walked away. Of course, if you did, you would have had to give up on me granting you the power you seek."

"What's the lesson I'm supposed to learn here old man?" Kashi asked, losing all pretense of politeness in his frustration.

Fladnag looked out of the window, his gaze softening as if seeing something far away. "You were forced to take a life today, one that will haunt you. In the future, in your bid for power, it is undeniable that you would be forced to take many more lives."

"Then what do you ask of me? That I quit here?” Kashi shook his head. “That is impossible I'm afraid. With or without your help or not, I will get stronger."

"Good.” Contrary to the daeben’s expectations, Fladnag actually commended that attitude. He scoffed as he gave the daeben a once-over. “You would not be worth much if this level of sacrifice froze your feet."

"What?" Kashi found it increasingly difficult to keep up with the old man’s thought process.

"You will undoubtedly seek power and claim lives. However, I shall provide you with a purpose for that power which you seek. To accept it is your choice, but I shall speak no further until you decide." Fladnag conjured a table with a teapot and two cups on it and a chair opposite him.

"You already know my answer." Kashi took a seat on the chair and accepted the cup of tea offered to him.

Fladnag smiled and sipped from his cup. "Good. You mentioned wanting to atone for the sins of your people?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"I will have you do exactly that."

Kashi looked up from his tea, confused by the statement. "Sorry I do not follow you. How am I supposed to do that?"

Fladnag set his cup on the table. His aura suddenly thickened as he challenged the daeben, "You shall be charged with restoring the continent to its former glory. I trust you can handle that."

"W-wait a second!” Kashi nearly spat out the tea in his mouth. How could this man nonchalantly dump such a heavy duty on his head? “Restore the continent to its former glory you say. How exactly is someone like me supposed to do that?"

"By doing that which is in your blood. Conquer the continent and unite it under your banner." Fladnag's dark tone conveyed his seriousness. This was no joke. He meant for Kashi to do precisely what he said.

"This makes no sense,” Kashi said. He was not sure if this was some kind of elaborate test. “You said yourself you hated bloodshed. To do what you ask of me would require large amounts of it."

Fladnag's sigh was akin to one a teacher would have when repeating the same lesson to a student for the umpteenth time. "I said I detest meaningless bloodshed." He waved his hand, and one of the many papers on the floor rose up and hovered over to him. "In a world such as ours, it is inevitable that blood must be spilled to enforce one's ideals. The question you must ask yourself is this: ‘Is your reason for cutting down your target one you can defend proudly in the next life.’ If it isn’t, then it is meaningless."

"Are you saying it's alright to kill as long as one has a good reason?" Kashi asked, intrigued by the wizard's bizarre reasoning.

"Does it matter one way or another?” Fladnag postulated. “Everyone has their own goals and destinies. If one has to cut down an innocent being to save their family, what makes them any more guilty than the soldier who kills for their country?"

Kashi shook his head. "They are not the sa-"

"Do not be naive!" Fladnag shouted, and for a second his aura exploded, revealing a monstrous amount of mana. Kashi nearly suffocated under the mana’s pressure, but luckily, Fladnag relented almost immediately. "Man is not so powerful that he can pick who lives and who dies. Sometimes, for there to be peace, there must first be war. For those in this world to truly 'Live no Evil,' others must sacrifice themselves and ‘Live on Evil.’"

Kashi pondered on Fladnag’s words. Using evil for the sake of good. It was a sentiment that would not fly in modern society. Luckily, this was not a modern society. This was a cutthroat world were power ruled over all. This sentiment was more than welcome in a world like this. Kashi looked at the wizard and asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"

Fladnag laid the teacup on the table and looked at Kashi. "You possess extraordinary willpower which you displayed in your three-week training. Your hunger for power is great, but you also possess a heart kinder than anyone. But, even so, you are willing to crush your own conscience if it means carrying out what must be done. There is none more suitable for the role. Your quest for power will make you the strongest, and set you on the path of conquest. While uniting the land, your kindness will unite the people under you, and though you may be forced to sacrifice many lives in your cause, you will not falter."

"You expect too much of me," Kashi whispered, staring at the tea. His cup had lost its warmth, and the murky brown liquid reflected the turmoil in his heart.

"What's this?” Fladnag muttered. “Are you afraid of the challenge?"

The little wolf who till then had kept silent and watched the exchange, barked ferociously at Kashi as if daring him to give up.

"Heh." Kashi chuckled, then punched himself hard in the face, knocking him over. His teacup floated above him, saved from crashing to pieces. Kashi picked himself up off the floor, and revealed a confident grin as he proclaimed, "I'll take on that challenge."

"Good." Fladnag smiled, and this time there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Then I have one final task for you."

"What is it this time?” Kashi challenged. “I will face whatever you throw at me."

"I see you've regained your confidence.” A mischievous glint flashed in Fladnag’s eyes as he praised, “Good good. But do not fret. This task is an easy one."

"Yes?"

Fladnag pointed at the little cub. "Raise the cub to adulthood, then return to me."

"Oh, that's easy." Kashi nodded. "Raise the cub... Wait, what?!" He pointed at the beast in question, disbelief, and terror in his voice. "How do you expect me to raise that?! I've never even owned a goldfish, let alone a monster that so clearly wants to kill me!"

"Hohoho, she does, doesn't she?” Fladnag heartily laughed as he looked at the direwolf. “It would do you well to be careful."

"If you know how dangerous she... Wait, she? How do you know it's a she?" Kashi glanced at the wolf. Nope, no way of knowing .

"It is an easy task for one such as I, as you will soon learn. So, do you wish to undertake this quest?" Kashi poured a fresh cup of tea and handed it to the daeben.

New Quest: A Mother's Love

With its last dying breath, the Direwolf entrusted her cub into your care. Now, Fladnag has requested you raise the cub to adulthood before returning to him.

Difficulty: E

Requirements:

Earn the Direwolf's trust before it is slain.

Cub must survive the destruction of the cove.

Kashi sighed in defeat and accepted the quest. "How long until she reaches adulthood?" he asked, sipping from the delicious tea.

"Twelve weeks."

"Wha-ugh!" Kashi nearly choked on his tea. He pounded his chest to free up airspace as he fought to swallow a gulp of fresh air. A few coughs later, he finally calmed down and regained his composure. "Did you say twelve weeks?"

"Yes, I did."

"And in this time, I am to raise her?"

"Yes."

"She will follow me everywhere?"

"Yes."

"Even into dungeons?"

"Especially those."

"You've got to be kidding me!" Kashi exclaimed as he stared at the little beast. With that tiny thing in the state it was, he could not even hunt foxes in peace, let alone anything of a higher level. And he was to be stuck like that for twelve weeks? That was basically an entire month worth of play real-time.

Kashi estimated that by the time he was done, the levels of all the Summoned who started at the same time as he did would have skyrocketed. Even those who started the game at that very moment would hold a significant advantage over him. To make matters worse, this was the prime time for guild formation. For someone who was to be tasked with conquering the continent, Kashi was doomed to a slow start.

"Are you dissatisfied? Do you wish to quit?" Fladnag asked, mocking in his voice.

"Of course not, old man,” Kashi retorted with a snort. “Just watch me. I'll be back on your doorstep with a magnificent direwolf in twelve weeks."

"Good, I like your confidence. Here, for your troubles so far." Fladnag pulled out a gold coin and tossed it to the daeben who caught it with mixed feelings.

A gold coin was quite a lot, and on any other occasion, Kashi would have been happy. Unfortunately, the coin reminded him of their first meeting.

"Nokonokonoko," the voice laughed. "Choose quickly boy. Head or tails?"

"Tails! Tails!" The coin continued its descent picking up speed. "You've got to be kidding me." Kashi fell to his knees in defeat and closed his eyes as the coin fell on him. "..."

"Who are you praying to?" the voice asked.

Kashi opened his eyes and saw the coin had stopped just above him, heads down. I'm alive. Felt my soul leave my body for a second there. Life had never felt so good, and Kashi laughed like he never had. To think death could be so scary.

The door to the tree-house opened and out stepped an old man in grey robes and a wooden stick. He was chocolate-skinned with the bushiest, longest and whitest beard Kashi had ever seen.

"Fififififi, you chose correctly, but I'm sorry to tell you. YOU SHALL NO-" An arrow whizzed by him, scratching his cheek. "Now what was that for?"

Kashi remembered how he had considered the old wizard to be bat-shit insane when they first met. He still did, but now he saw Fladnag as a wise, powerful, crazy old man with too much time on his hands. The daeben had learned a lot from him. Whether it be Razznik or the lessons from slaying the wolf.

Kashi said goodbye to the wizard then made his way through the forest. Kashi glanced at the little direwolf stubbornly following by his side, and could not help but feel that this had already become much more than a simple game.

Several hours had passed since Kashi entered the Naman forest. He had entered early in the morning and the sun had already begun to set. As a result, most of those who saw him go in had already written him off as dead. This was why the adventurers were doubly shocked when they saw the ‘dead’ daeben nonchalantly walk out of the forest unscathed.

The excited adventurers, smelling the lure of opportunity, ran up to him, clamoring to get their questions answered.

"What went on in there!?"

"How did you get out alive!"

"Was it a secret quest? How do you activate it."

For the most part, Kashi ignored them until he heard. "Yo, check out this little wolf. How much exp do you think we can get from it?"

That adventurer drew his sword and made to strike the direwolf cub. Thud! The swordsman screamed in shock and fright as an arrow pierced his right arm. He paled as he noticed the arrow strike had struck down all but five percent of his health. “W-wait! I’m a member of Warson Crusade! Don’t kill me!”

Kashi’s eyes narrowed, anger evident in his eyes. “Are you threatening me?”

That adventurer rapidly shook his head and waved his hand. “N-no I swear.”

A knight by the side called out to Kashi. “Warson Crusade is the strongest guild in Kerta right now. You don’t wanna mess with them. Their leader, Absalon is an absolute beast.”

“Never heard of them,” Kashi stated. He was about to notch another arrow, but then recalled the cub by his side. He was confident in surviving any trouble that came his way, but the same could not be said for the direwolf. The daeben sighed. He would have to use another method it seemed.

Kashi glared at the adventurer and ordered, "Do not lay your hands on her, or it will be the last thing you ever do." The daeben’s little stunt caused the adventurers to back off. If this crazy daeben dared to confront a member of Warson Crusade, nothing needed to be said about them.

Kashi ignored the snide comments let out by the disgruntled warriors and returned to the Training Centre.

The daeben’s return was met with a heartfelt greeting from Serti, "Welcome back, Kashi-kun.” As usual, the three residents sat around one of several tables drinking and chatting. If Kashi had not met other residents, he would have thought they were land-locked like regular NPC.

"It is good to be back," Kashi acknowledged.

"Ha. You owe me five gold Yugo. Told you he would make it back alive." Serti chuckled, evidently pleased at Kashi's success.

"I see you brought a friend," Bert spoke up as he noticed the direwolf by Kashi’s side. He leaned over his chair and placed his hand upright on the floor. "Come, little one. Do not be afraid."

Kashi watched, shocked and impressed as the little direwolf walked over to Bert. She sniffed his outstretched hand, then jumped onto it. Bert raised the cub and placed her on his lap. The cub was clearly comfortable as she curled into a ball and fell into a much-needed sleep soon after.

Bert looked up from the cub and let out a lazy smile as he looked at Kashi. "Now that the little one's asleep, tell us of your adventure."

"It would be my honor," Kashi said. "This is what happened after I left..."

Restricted Sector

Building 5

Sub-level 7

Dangerous Personnel Prison.

Akari walked through a narrow corridor, ignoring the screams and yells from inmates locked in force-field generated cages. His only purpose for coming down to this degenerate area was one person. The only real success in the Rebirth Project: The inmate of cell 47.

Unlike the other prison cells, cell 47 was not contained with just a forcefield. No, the man within was far too dangerous for that. Heaped on top of the field were several layers of airtight reinforced steel. The five gate cell was reserved for this prisoner alone.

Akari stood before the cell gates and ordered, "Open it."

Akari watched as the gears turned, and locks were released. The layers of steel slowly peeled away, leaving only the field, which finally dissipated to reveal Cell 47 which was kept in perpetual darkness.

The lights came on as Akari walked into the room, revealing a man wrapped in a straightjacket, tied to an iron support, which, in turn, was pinned to the wall. The man’s mouth was covered with a muzzle, and his eyes were hidden with a face mask. The nutrients keeping the man alive came from a series of needles that led into the wall.

Akari walked over to the prisoner and removed both the muzzle and the eye mask. He gazed into the bony young man’s eyes and offered, "Hello, Taiga. Want to play a game?"

Underneath a crop of dirty, wavy hair, a pair of yellow eyes glared at Akari. His fang-like teeth curled up into a toothy grin as he let out a roar of laughter. "Who do I have to kill?!"

"Whomever you please..."