It was a gorgeous morning, the streets were bursting with life and people could be seen rushing to their destination. Among those people, there was an individual that didn’t quite fit in. Although common in appearance, what set them apart was their attitude towards others, they avoided getting too close to others and the way they looked at people made it seem like they were looking at wild animals instead of actual people.

Suddenly, the Game of Gods began and their worldview became reality. Many devolved into wild animals, killing and abusing each other in an attempt to achieve power and become superior.

You are a [email protected]#!

Mastery: ???/100

The letters kept changing, like the system didn’t know what to classify this person as. That didn’t matter to them however, who just ignored the error. Reality had become akin to an illusion the moment the game began. As they avoided the savage humans and wild beasts, they came across a group of people that also felt out of place. That is, they felt out of place in the eyes of this individual.

When they were about to approach the group, a screen popped up.

NEW QUESTS!

- The Irregulars

- Toy Maker’s Helper

[The Irregulars]

Having discovered irregular people, it’s your duty to study them without being caught.

Days without detection: 0/10

Reward:

- A new skill

***

[Toy Maker’s Helper]

There is a toy maker that requires your help. Make sure its toy doesn’t break.

Time until objective completion: 15 days

Reward:

- A loyal companion

Annoyed by the first quest, the disillusioned person slid back into the shadow and kept observing the group from a safe distance.

Why were they irregular? Was it because the person thought so? Or did the person think that because of the game?

The other quest also left the person perplexed, but they didn’t have time to think about such things.

“Oi slave.” a voice came from behind the person.

The person turned around and saw a small humanoid creature. This creature looked like something you would see in popular RPG games. It was cute, gold and had features belonging to a human while maintaining an overall appearance of a monster. It was flying without wings and had its arms crossed while trying to look as angry as it could but just came across as a cutesy pout. Its large eyes and disproportionate head reminded one of the chibi style. Its long tail had ring patterns on the side and it wagged very lightly.

“I’m not ‘slave’. I’m Yugo.” Yugo talked back, unafraid and studying the creature.

“Just... Just Yugo? Really?” The creature was dumbfounded by the insolence of this human. “Don’t you have a last name or something? Hellooo?”

The creature began knocking on Yugo’s head like a door with a cheeky smile. Yugo grabbed the creatures hand and lightly pushed it aside, keeping an uninterested expression. The angry creature raised its arms and grew big claws, it wanted to intimidate Yugo as much as possible.

“Listen here, you puny human! I am your master! Your god! I was thinking of bestowing you with my almighty ring but now I see that I was mistaken! If you beg for mercy now, I might reco-”

Yugo grabbed the creature’s claw and pulled it closer to them, staring intensely at the claw the size of their head. They completely ignored the creature’s rambling and focused only on understanding what was in front of them.

“What’s your name, oh almighty god?” Yugo asked sarcastically.

“I see that you recognize my superiority. Very well then, I shall reward you with my name.” The creature proudly exclaimed, puffing up its chest. “My name is Apocaly, the mighty Ring God of Destruction!”

Apocaly looked at Yugo from the corner of his eye, waiting for clapping or cheers. But all that came out of Yugo was a deep sigh. This enraged Apocaly and in his childish fit, he reverted his body back and stuck his ring on Yugo’s finger. Content with his accomplishment, he began cackling like a fool.

“Hey, dragon god. My targets are gone now because of you. How will you pay for this?”

The dragon was annoyed beyond belief, he couldn’t believe that a human was treating him so badly. He disappeared and his aura could be felt on the ring on Yugo’s finger.

“You need to learn a lesson, slave Yugo.” Apocaly stated, enveloping Yugo in his aura.

[Dragon’s Flight Lv. 1]

Before Yugo could react to the screen, they felt something explode from their back but no pain followed. Then, the ground shrunk in seconds. In reality, Yugo was now flying, constantly rising without control. Apocaly’s aura thickened and Yugo stopped in midair. They searched for the group and saw them hurriedly entering an abandoned building. Just thinking about their destination, Yugo flew toward the building and hid in a destroyed building that was close by.

Yugo’s eyes were full of life and their breath was heavy. Apocaly left the ring and patted Yugo’s head. He was glad to see that his little surprise didn’t terrify his companion. After calming down, the two decided on how they would go about things, from Yugo’s goals to daily tasks.

Yugo kept a close eye on the group, their routine, habits and even capabilities, writing everything down on a small notepad that they kept in their pocket. When they had to hunt for food, Apocaly would stay on watch duty, rarely going out to hunt for his own food. The first days, Apocaly refused to do Yugo’s bidding, forcing Yugo to train their skills instead. In the end, they came to an agreement where during the day Apocaly would keep watch when necessary and at night Yugo would train to Apocaly’s heart’s content.

Yugo gained skills thanks to this, both passive and active ones, and before they knew it, the first quest was close to completion. Apocaly warned Yugo that they shouldn’t neglect their training after the quest was completed and as usual Yugo ignored him. All Yugo wanted to do is communicate with their targets after 10 days of forced vigilance, they were getting impatient at this point and almost considered failing the quest for the sake of their curiosity.

“Hey, Apocaly, do you think they also have Ring Gods?” Yugo asked Apocaly while writing some notes.

“They must. In this world those without such members are long dead.” Apocaly replied, his gold body glowing faintly at the mere thought of power. “But you said they were the so called ‘irregulars’ so who knows what secrets they might be hiding. I sense four gods among them but one of them isn’t normal.”

Yugo glanced at Apocaly, who was now floating with his hand on its chin while in deep thought. To them, Apocaly was meant to just be a necessary evil that they had to deal with but now the two had become rather close, which was a pleasant surprise for Yugo.

Night arrived. The pair were eating when a notification appeared in front of both of them, each receiving a different one.

For Yugo:

You have completed the objective [The Irregulars]!

A random skill has been added to your skill set.

***

NEW SKILL!

Antidote Touch Lv. 1

[Antidote Touch]

Remove poisons and other harmful substances from whatever you touch.

And for Apocaly:

You have completed the objective [Your Young’s First Steps]!

The passive skill [Parent’s Pride] have been added to your skill set.

***

NEW SKILL!

Parent’s Pride

[Parent’s Pride]

You and the bearer of your ring gain a boost in stats when near each other.

The two looked at each other with a massive grin on their faces, they were exhilarated by their accomplishments. That night they decided to have a feast to celebrate their first completed quest.

While this was happening, some members of the group they were supposed to be watching split off during the night and disappeared. A light covered the remaining people and Yugo and Apocaly stopped their party immediately to see what was happening. The people began changing physically, horns grew all over their bodies, their skin burned in seconds and then their bodies exploded, leaving behind a pool of blood and bones.

Yugo began feeling nauseous and vomited from the sight, Apocaly on the other hand couldn’t take his eyes from the scene. It wasn’t uncommon for sudden horrors to occur during the game. But what Apocaly found strange was the light the victims were bathed in and the fact that the number of people that died didn’t equal to the total number of the group. Putting that thought aside for the moment, Apocaly helped Yugo calm down and relax. During the night, for the first time, the two slept together.

The next day, the pair left the building they were staying in and quickly abandoned the scene. Yugo avoided confrontation more than before, whenever they saw a corpse they would be remembered of the terrible scene from the night prior.

”Yugo, you are my slave. Get rid of that weak attitude and stay alert.” Apocaly said coldly while flying next to Yugo. “It’s my duty to make you strong and yours to protect me. Do you understand?”

“...Yes...” Yugo could barely say a word.

WARNING!

[Toy Maker’s Helper]

The toy you’re in charge of is at risk of breaking.

If it breaks, the quest fails.

Toy location: North

Day until completion: 3 days