Over a Millennia ago,

K'iol Valley,

Zytra.

The events of this day would be broadcasted worldwide in the real world, but for now, it was aired all around Zytra through the help of modified Rinks.

The eyes of the world watched the desperate battle as a lone adventurer challenged the might of the feared Perians. The adventurer , who joined the Perians' tournament of strength and valor , had, against all the odds, fought his way to Roth, their ruler and strongest fighter.

To understand the gravity of the situation he faced, and why it was important enough to be broadcasted on such a vast scale, a little context is necessary.

The Perians were a warring, conquering race. They lived for battles, slept for battles, and died for battles. The odd thing about them was that they never set up roots on conquered soil. They simply razed everything to the ground then moved on to the next land f or conquest. As such, they were akin to a natural disaster, as unstoppable and unpredictable.

To make matters worse, several areas in Zytra had been cursed by a troublesome hidden sect to nullify the effects of the circle. As such, beings who perished in these zones died for eternity. For players, this meant permanent death. Because of this, several countries prepared numerous plans to deal with t he Perian threat.

That was at least until the Dungeon Conqueror had so brazenly challenged them at their own tournament.

Since this was a battle with the continent at stake, it was only fair, it had an equally large audience.

Boom!

With an anguished cry, the warrior tumbled across the earth, then crashed against a fallen boulder. It crumbled from the impact and landed around the warrior, covering the crash site in dust.

Explosive war cries screamed from surrounding mountains as giants cheered on their great leader. The pressure from their voices alone could pound the dignity from the proudest of knights and send him running for his life.

The leader of the giants was a huge brute, even by their standards. He was more than twice the height of an average adventurer and boasted a body that would put Hercules to shame. In his hands, he sported two clubs made from Dunner Wood, the strongest and heaviest wood in known existence.

Roth pointed to the rubble, a charged grin twisting his features. "Is this all you have, adventurer? Surely, the fabled Dungeon Conqueror can offer far more of a challenge."

Inside the dust cloud , the adventurer rested his back against the boulder as he replayed the fight in his head. In terms of strength and speed, he was almost evenly matched with the brute. If this was a console game with limited movements and telegraphed move markers, then his stats were good enough for this fight.

But this was not a console game.

Retreat.

Every cell in his body warned him of the inevitable failure of this battle. That was right. In this world, fights were unpredictable, save a few markers for ultimate moves. As such, most battles relied on reaction speed and speed of thought as opposed to just stat numbers.

While battling Roth, he had realized something most others never would. There was a time lag between thought and action. This lag was less than a millisecond, and most people would not feel it, but it was present.

It was to be expected. After all, this entire world functioned by taking, manipulating, and returning information from his brain. That there would be a lag, however small, was only natural.

But now, that harmless lag was dragging him to an early grave. Those milliseconds were what differentiated a dodged strike from a blow to the side of his head. This lag was not something he could overcome with hardwork, certainly not in the middle of a fight. It did seem the best option was retre-

"NO!" Razznik refused as he struck the boulder. "I will never retreat!" Yes, he would never retreat, even if it meant going against hi- "Argh!" He cried out as he clutched his head and fell to the earth.

WARNING!

Extreme Parallel Detected

Commencing Forced Logout in 60s .

Logout? If he was logged out here, this would be the end. Roth would destroy his body before Suzuki could log in again. No! He did not want it to end like this! Not like this!

"RRRrrraaaaHH!!!" His defiant roar released a wave of pressure that blasted away the dust surrounding him.

Present time

Kashi's eyes widened as he observed his surroundings. He was suspended in white space as far as the eyes could see. Suddenly, a few meters away, a light ripple distorted some of the area. Mato Suzuki stepped out of the distortion and made his way towards the daeben, eyes expressionless.

"This makes it the third time I've been brought here," Suzuki said as he drew closer.

Kashi involuntarily took a step back, but then caught himself and held his ground. "So, what are you going to do?"

Suzuki regarded Razznik with a blank stare. "Good question. What do I do with you? If you share my memories, then you can understand my hesitation."

Razznik's eyes narrowed. "My life is only beginning. I won't let you end it!"

"That's right," Suzuki said. "I don't doubt your desire to live. After all, it's that very desire that is about to end you."

The white space cleared, and they stood beside Kashi's motionless body, several warning signs around which counted down to zero.

Kashi looked to Lunette's anguished expression and made up his mind. He took to his knees and bowed before Suzuki. "Please help me. If only for a few minutes."

Razznik folded his hands and stared Suzuki down. "I will not beg for my life. If this is the end, then so be it. I'll be grateful for the few seconds I was me."

Suzuki nodded. "That's what I like about you. Till the end, you'd rather die than abandon your pride. Fine then."

"Until you save the girl, is it?" Suzuki asked as a hint of a smile crept up his face. "Oi, don't tell me you've fallen for her?"

Kashi did not reply but held his dogeza.

Suzuki walked up to, then stood beside him. "So, for the sake of others, you'll abandon your pride and seek help." He closed his eyes, took in a deep breath, then opened them. "That's okay too. There's a lot I can learn from you. However, I don't think I have to tell you about my rule."

Suzuki walked up to Razznik and pounded his fist against his chest. "I respect your stupidity. Fine, I shall lend you my assistance. After all, I can learn a lot from you. However, I have one condition."

"Speak."

"You shall exist only in this world, and never fight for supremacy in mine. From now on, we are parallel entities, running on the same path but never meeting."

Razznik nodded. "Done."

"Alright, then. How about we get rid of that annoying Logout warning?"

Suzuki extended his hand and helped Kashi to his feet. "One last time."

Kashi nodded his appreciation as they both began to fade away.

Dark aura began to emanate from Kashi's body, increasing in intensity as his fingers begun to twitch. H is eyes snapped open, and the warning windows shattered under the force of the pressure. He looked to the heavens and screamed out. "Save her!"

To his surprise, the world around him froze, including the other players. He had no time to ponder on it as several arrows of light struck down in front of him. Fermes, Sram, and Suvron, along with a few gods he did not recognize, hovered above , e yes trained directly at him.

Any other day, Kashi might have felt awestruck by the sheer pressure and presence they exerted, but not today. Today, he held a dying guildmate in his arms. "Please save her," he begged.

Alure, goddess of death shook her head, eyes downcast. "Sadly, we cannot directly interfere with your realm. This was decreed by our father at the beginning of time." She looked to Syel and Shoko. "That said, I do owe my life to some persons in your party, and three of my siblings are directly indebted to your guild. I will do what I can to block her return to the circle. Be warned: I can only block her path for minutes at the most. You must find a solution by then."

Kashi hid his dissatisfaction. "Thank you," he said as she and the angels shot back into the sky, leaving only Suvron behind.

Suvron regarded Lunette with a sad smile. "There is a way to save her. However, it poses a great risk to yourself, and is forbidden."

Kashi's eyes lit up. "What is it!?"

Suvron shook her head. "I am not allowed to tell you."

"Bu-"

"What I can tell you is that what ails your friend is ancient, powerful magic. Only magic as ancient and powerful can hope to counter it. And should you find such magic, you will need to deliver it to her as directly and intimately as possible." She raised her hand before Kashi could protest. "I have said far more than I should, and this was only because of the debt I owe you. The rest is in your hands."

Kashi blinked, and time resumed its course. Suvron was gone, and Shadow, Syel, and Shoko were trying to draw Belrug's attention away from the downed songstress. Kashi replayed Suvron's words in his head as he watched Lunette's HP gradually decrease. True to her word, Alure had slowed down the rate at which Lunette's health declined, but she would still be dead in a few minutes.

Kashi raised his arm and stared at it as an idea formed in his head. A wry smile crossed his lips as he realized what Suvron had been talking about. He took a deep breath to calm himself, periodically shutting his senses one after the other. He searched deep within his soul for the source of Suvron's mark. A small ball of light shone at the center of the darkness. He reached out and grabbed it.

Whoosh!

Kashi's body exploded with energy, and the air around him charged with electricity. His hair stood on end, and his eyes burned bright as he looked down at Lunette. He raised her head, then clamped his mouth against hers. The two shared a deep kiss as he gave all of himself over to her.

The sparks of electricity slowly seized, as his hair and eyes returned to normal. The energy exuding from his body concentrated, then assaulted Lunette's. She shook violently, and Kashi held her tight to prevent her from harming herself.

The purple smoke shook as if being choked by the light that assuaged the songstress. Eventually, it was wholly chased away, and Kashi smiled as Lunette’s HP sharply climbed.

Exhausted, he smiled, even as a prompt popped up.

Congratulations!

Transfer of Suvron's Mark Complete...

NOW DIE!

Kashi clutched his chest as he fell to the earth, his HP reducing just as quickly as Lunette's once had. He spotted Lunette's fingers twitch as she regained consciousness. Hell, his crazy plan had worked. But damn was he tired. Maybe just a little rest, he thought as his eyes vision gradually clouded over.

Kashi's actions did not escape the Monig's attention. The enemy commander upon seeing Lunette alive screamed a t the top of his lungs. "Archers, Kill Her Before She Wakes!" At the same time, Belrug smelled the scent of the woman who had damaged him so badly. He brushed the weakened Shoko, Syel, and Shadow aside and then lunged for the defenseless songstress.

Out of the corners of his dimming vision, Kashi saw the host of arrows and Belrug.

.

.

.

You know, there's a saying 'Let Sleeping Dogs Lie.' The person who coined that phrase must have suffered some severe treatment after disturbing a dog who had chosen to ignore him. This phrase is both accurate and terrifying. Because sometimes, when a beast is forced out of its slumber, its first reaction/instinct is to destroy .

And what better target for destruction, than the entity that disturbed its sleep.

As Belrug and the arrows raced towards them, Kashi felt neither fear n or futility, but unbridled rage. He felt anger like he had never felt before. It burned the pits of his stomach and threatened to engulf his entire being in its wrathful heat. Like an inferno, it consumed his mind, ripped off his skin, and burned his eyes.

Kashi deliberately got to his feet and stood in front of Lunette as thick, soot-black fog enveloped him.

Belrug's claws, accompanied by the arrows, rushed down at him.

ROOOOOOAAAAAAR!!!!

BOOM!

Belrug staggered back as its arm was blown by Kashi's roar. The arrows directly shattered to pieces and then crumbled around the daeben . Wait, no. Kashi’s current state could not be described as a daeben.

Kashi’s ski n peeled off to reveal dark, dragon scales. His pupils narrowed, and his teeth were far more pronounced, especially his canines. Smoke belched from between his lips, accompanied by the growls of a raging beast. The dragon tattoo on his right hand glowed as it snaked its way up his arm, and then disappeared behind his shirt.

Dream of the Drakul

Stage 1: Rebirth

Congratulations! You have awakened the Dream of the Drakul within you. Before the energy settles, your stats will be considerably boosted.

DEF increased by 300%

STR Increased by 200%

AGI Increased by 300%

Bonus Effect

Rage Induced Awakening : All abilities increased further by 200%

Will last for as long as rage lasts.

Scorn of the Fallen Activated!

Blood! Rage! Destroy! Kill! Kill! Kill!

Kashi was so consumed by rage that he nearly lost his mind. Fortunately, just before he fell over the edge, something grabbed him from behind. He turned around to see Lunette holding him tightly.

"It's okay. You saved me. It's okay," Lunette said to his back, clutching as tightly as possible. There was a long pause, then Lunette felt the daeben's muscles somewhat relax .

"Thanks, Lune," Kashi said, his voice exhausted. "Seems you saved me."

She shook her head. "You did all the saving today."

Kashi looked at his fists as he clenched and unclenched them. The effects of Rebirth were still active, but he lost the Bonus effects. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, then released it. When he opened his eyes, Shadow, Syel, and Shoko stood beside him.

Kashi looked to the warriors beside him.

"Don't ya dare forget me!" Hektor yelled as he and Kira landed next to them.

The caravan pulled by the War Rhino descended on the hovering platform.

As the orchestra obtained new instruments from the caravan, Kashi took out the new weapons he had crafted and handed them out, all of which had obsidian edges.

Kashi turned to Lunette. "We'll be counting on you."

Lunette smiled and nodded as she ran to join the orchestra.

Kashi looked at his party and then smiled. That's right , h e was neither Razznik nor Suzuki.

The man called Kashi was neither alone, nor did he fight alone. He had allies and partners he could trust ; men and women who would lay their lives on the line for him, and for whom he would do the same.

Kashi’ s expression was a mix of pleasure and bloodlust as he took out his new bow and nocked an arrow. He then trained it at the raging behemoth and said, "Well then, shall we begin our counter-attack?"