I woke up with a start, sweat pouring down my forehead. My entire body felt like it was on fire, but it quickly faded away as my blurry vision returned to normal. At my side was a sword, a blade that looked to be obsidian, with a deep, almost blood red metal accenting the single edged blade and hilt.

No longer was the sword rusted and unused, it looked brand new, a pristine piece of equipment. I reached out to grab it, but the weapon flipped into the air under its own power, the spirit within it forming around the blade. Incindra landed a few steps away from me, the sword piercing through her chest as it had before, but now she was freed from the fire-pit.

“How do you feel, new Master? The transfer of Rights overwhelmed you, I wasn’t sure if you would awaken again.” she asked me, her words sounding concerned, but her voice was as emotionless as it had been last night.

I say last night, as the light of the early morning sun was already peeking over the treeline. I stood up, my body stiff from sleep as I rose. Just as I got to my feet, a distant sound in the trees reached my large pointed ears, the goblin’s greatest tool to avoid danger.

A small party of adventurers had begun to follow the trail and likely my footprints. Soon after, four men in cheap armor emerged from the trees. I doubt they were Vi’s pieces, they looked far too unassuming.

“What, just one goblin?” the first man complained as he left the safety of the trees, but then he stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes locked onto the fire spirit standing beside me, and his body began to shiver.

“G-Guys…” his voice quivered as he spoke, but he was too scared to raise his voice, and the other three didn’t stop walking forward.

“Incindra, I need you.” I spoke, holding out my hand towards the elemental.

“Of course, new Master.” she replied, the blade within her flying into my outstretched hand. She disappeared from view, returning inside the sword most likely.

Despite being about as long as I was tall, the sword felt weightless in my hand. The power of the spirit of flames dwelling within it flowed through my muscles.

[Item Obtained:Incindra, the Everlasting Inferno]

[Type: Sword][Enchantment: Damage +15 [Mind+10] [Body+10] [Soul+10]

[Weapon Art: Roundabout: 10 SP: When thrown, the weapon will spin rapidly in place, allowing independent action from the wielder.]

“Leave, I don’t want to kill you.” I ordered the adventurers, who, of course, didn’t listen. Well, it was worth trying.

In their confusion and fear, the four men charged at me in a disorderly fashion. I slipped past the first with my dodge skill, slashing him with my new sword in the process.

Incindra’s blade cut clean through his iron armor, a burst of flame from the sword reducing his cuirass to a molten state. He was only level one, and the combined damage of that attack caused his hitpoints to drop to zero at once.

Before the others could react, I launched two of them into the air, the arc of my blade catching them both in the Skill’s effect. With a single slash, both men were cleaved in half, a rain of blood splattering the remaining adventurer.

I landed one pace away from him, pointed my sword towards him, the blood of his friends still dripping from the tip. He froze, his weapon barely staying in his shuddering grip.

“Go back to town, tell them that this is no longer a low level zone… then consider retiring, I’m sure there’s some farm work you can do around here.”

He nodded, dropping his sword. He rushed back into the trees, desperate to escape. As quickly as he had arrived, he had vanished, leaving me alone once again. Well, I guess I’m no longer alone, am I?

[300 xp gained]

-

In the town of Bridgehelm, three adventurers sat in a tavern. A young female elf, her blond hair braided and tied back in a bun, downed another flagon of ale, slamming it on the table.

“Listen up, I want the truth!” she shouted, her voice somewhat slurred from the amount of alcohol she had consumed. “How could you, a level 2 swordsman, let a single goblin escape but then single handedly defeat an orc a full 5 levels above your own!”

“I-I told you already, the orc was injured when it wandered into the low level zone, I just got lucky, t-that’s it!” Akira responded, his bow beginning to perspire.

But before the elf could continue her drunken questioning of her companion, the door burst open, and a man ran in panting. After a moment to catch his breath, with the entire inn staring at him, he spoke up.

“Goblin… killed everyone… the forest isn’t safe anymore!”

“Huh, you got wiped out by a party of goblins, how big?” the innkeep asked him, leading him to an empty chair.

“No, not a party… a single goblin beat them all in one strike!” the look of terror on his face sank into Akira’s mind, sending a shiver down his spine.

“You’re not the real monsters? Bullshit.” he scowled, his fingers digging into the wooden table. “And to think, I almost felt bad for you, too.”

“Akira? Ya alright?” Tyrael, the elven archer, noticed his change in demeanor right away.

“Fine, you want the truth about that orc?” he said, leaning in so only his party could hear what he was about to say. “I’ll tell you exactly what happened.”

-

“Oho, it seems like your piece has made a fatal mistake, Beelzy~” Vi laughed, and laughed, and continued to laugh for some time.

Today, Vi was wearing her hair in a ponytail, using a red rose to pin it back. The bright red flower stood out all the more against her pale skin and hair.

“A high goblin threat level in a low level zone?” she smiled, fondling one of the pieces on her side of the table that had yet to be placed on the board. With a swift motion, she slammed the piece on the gameboard as hard as she could. “That means I can play this counter, a piece that’s been sitting around for long enough to gather dust.”

“I figured as much, it’s the only sensible play to put him into play at this point.” Beelzebub replied, snapping his fingers twice and summoning one of his servant insects to his side, the spider woman Akki. “How… nostalgic.”