Even if our group has no real hierarchy aside from the initiate and the head, ranks have been established whether we wanted to or not. At the top is the Ruler of Prison Realm, Ludwig. An undead skeleton. A magic caster, though I do not know what class he is. All I know is that he is a strong demigod that I somehow managed to kill with an overdrive chronomancy spell back in my previous life, though I doubt I’d win again if it’s a one-to-one fight.

Below him are the generals whom I don’t know much about. Another undead, but a sort of draugr, he is called Ludtleth, Ancient King of Death Overlord. The other is one who often takes my shape and appearance, Goolag, Mother of Death Slime.

Following them are the officers. Avarice, Alpha and the Omega. Hedrick, Paladin of the Ancient King. Replica, the former Mage of the Abyss.

And then there’s us, the initiates. Malice, Whisperer of the Ancient King. Mordor, Watcher of the Abyss. And me.

***

Facing Avarice in the Throne Room, she asked, “Are you not here for him? But me instead?” she stood and approached closer. Mesmerized by the sight who is towering over her. Around 7-foot-tall lady is bending her upper body. Grasping both shoulders, Avarice leaned in closer and touch her lips with hers.

*Smooch *Smooch

There was no resistance, and soon, she accepted the kiss and continue to make out with Avarice as she groped the soft butt through the thick robe.

*Pwah*

She didn’t get a chance to connect her tongue with Avarice as she began kissing her neck instead but then, suddenly returning to reality and remembering why she came here, “W-Wait, I’m here to inform you about the escapee on the South Gate.”

“Mmm,” she kept kissing her neck while groping her butt, “Why does it matter?”

*Chomp*

Eyes widened, realizing that Avarice is now sucking close to her collarbone. Switching between a kiss, a lick, and a suck repeatedly. It’s not that her body temperature is heating up, but her heartbeat is getting faster.

“I-It’s possible that those who escaped could pose a threat to us in the future. So, hnngh! W-Wait, d-don’t…” one of Avarice’s hands is missing from her butt, instead, it slides to the front, “W-Wait, I’m… I’m…” her eyes began to blur as a jolting sensation is coming from her crotch.

Avarice opened her mouth, revealing her tongue, but it kept extending and stretching more and more as it licks. The sensation from the repeated jolts creates both bliss and a feeling of ecstasy as everything went blank.

…

When her eyes opened, everything was a blur. Upon adjusting it, someone walked into the throne room. A decayed corpse with a majestic robe and a crown.

“Don’t just sit on our lord seat. Luosa.”

{Ludtleth, Ancient King of Death Overlord | Lv. 10000}

“L-Lord Ludtleth?”

“But this is perfect. Every able body is absent with its own thing. I’ll have you run an errand for me on the surface, it will benefit us all. Especially you, with your lack of experience.”

“Ahh, g-give me a moment, my lord.”

Grinding her teeth with a widened eye, a surge of magical energy started to gather around her as she stood. She concentrated everything and let everything flows in, converting them into usable energy for her depleted Stamina points.

“Interesting, I see that you have begun to utilize Arcane without the use of spells.”

"Thanks to my master, I guess. Stubborn old lady doesn't even teach me the essentials and I can only do so much before getting a toxin."

Now that her Stamina meter fills up, she can now think straight. With the first coming through her thought is, “W-Wait, I came here to inform the escapee to Avarice, where is she?”

“Alpha? She left to attend the meeting of the gods with the lord.”

“The gods? Seriously, how long have I been out? Which gods?”

“Ruler of Purgatory, Lehdrith. He invited our lord for a meeting with the Divine Order. With us being under the care of Purgatory, he had to obey. From what it seems, they intend to negotiate our stance.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hmm, it’s too early for you to know, but there is a reason why Travelers appeared in mass within our realm. We don’t know why or how, but they – the gods – know. And those in the order intended to change that while the Purgatory wants to capitalize on it.”

“Is there even a benefit of having them show up here in the first place?”

“Of course, Lehdrith is the god of death. His power grew as those connected to him experienced death. And that includes the Travelers. But our lord has obtained the same ability. When they die here in this realm, their ashes become the Arcane that fuels his power while also revitalizing this realm of ours. But, because of his connection to the Ruler, it had to be shared.”

He walked up the stairs and gaze upon the throne, “Lord Ludwig is a powerful being, and yet, he still bows to another. How I wish things would change.”

Looking at him staring a thousand miles, she was speechless.

“You mentioned escapee, why such matters are being brought up to Alpha?”

“Eh? I mean, it’s the South Gate. There are two of them that managed to pass through my subordinate, so I thought I should let Avarice knows since she came to block my way back then.”

“If they had escaped, let it be so. It is their reward and destination to reach the surface. However, your case was different.”

“How so?”

“The Abyss.”

“The Abyss?”

After being silent for a bit, Ludtleth then said, “Hmm, it’s too early for you. When you become at least as strong as Mordor, I shall let you know more.”

“Lord Mordor? What level is he?”

“You’re still relying on the divine system, I see. Level.”

“Hehe, it’d be easier for me to measure his power with that.”

“Well, I should not be judging you since I myself used to be the same too back when I still have a living flesh. Let’s see, I want you to reach level 2000 as soon as possible.”

“T-Two thousand?!”

Chuckled a disturbing laughter, “Heheh, for a Wanderer like you, it may be hard, but with Replica’s guidance, I am certain that you can reach it in less than a year.”

“I doubt that. Miss Replica is extremely bad at teaching. She just makes excuses to beat me up even after knowing I can die just by having a rock thrown at me,” she then ponders to herself, 'Come to think of it, miss Replica also mentioned my connection to the Abyss back then.'

“Hmm, you cannot be that fragile, are you?”

“No, I literally have [Fragile] effect on me thanks to my [Immortality] being ‘Legend’, wish I can revert it back to the normal one.”

“Legend is merely the start of immortality. Once you push through that phase you will begin to see what it’s like being an immortal. It is not just living without flesh or the ability to not aging, and in your case, it is not just a punishment. It can become a tool in a fight, and an even useful one after you refine it. However, it will not protect you from the grasp of death when the divine system still exists. Which reminds me, I would like you to do something for me.”

“R-Right, I heard you need something from the surface?”

“You have the book of the Black Old King, are you not? I have heard one of my acquaintances has decided to visit the Capital City of Sonata Kingdom. Oh, how I have forgotten what he looks like or what creature he decided to be now, but he is called Solomon. With his help, you can decipher the content of the book, and while you’re at it, try your earnest to have him join us. His presence alone will benefit our realm.”

"Is there anything else I should know about him?"

"He's extremely cautious, yet cunning at the same time. No matter how you approach him, make sure not to make him your enemy. It is not because he is powerful, rather, the impact of his death will be... quite a major event."

“Mmm, I will see to it, my lord.”

He nods, “Be sure to make your preparations. Wouldn’t want you to accidentally burn outside as you did then. Having a premature evolution... would be a shame, Hahahaha.”

“Nuh?! T-That was just because…”

The two chatter for a while, despite the terrifying voice and appearance of Ludtleth, what she sees in front of him is not a decayed corpse, but a person.

***

===== Ability Status =====

Title

[Fire Wielder] [Guardian of the Gifted End]

Innate Ability

[Abyssal Link] [Essence Summoning] [Ignition] [Immortality (Legend)] [Power UP]

Skill

[Power Throw] [Phased Intrusion – v1.5b] [Telekinesis]

Spell (5/5)

[Greater Wall of Stone] [Heal Array] [Mist Explosion] [Firebolt] [Healing Hands]

Miracle

[Magi Injection]

===== Ability Status =====

Ability Description Title

[Fire Wielder / Level 3 / Significantly increases the Potency of all Fire-type abilities. Able to utilize all Pyromancy Catalyst at Legendary rarity and below without restriction while also unlocking their Innate Ability]

[Guardian of the Gifted End / Summoned the holder upon being called to the selected realm and location positioned by the ruler. Increases all Primary Attributes by 300%. Increases Resistance to all stunning effects / Disabled System Function: Main Menu, Profile, Inventory, Logout]

Innate Ability

[Abyssal Link / Tier 2 – Intermediate / Dark / Weaken both the user and the target while explosively draining all Primary Attributes until they are fully depleted / Potency: 10 (Max) / Cooldown: 35 Seconds / Costs: None]

[Essence Summoning / Tier 8 – Mega / Dark / Momentarily conjure a specter of outer plane unreachable by the gods to assist you. Lasts up to 50 Seconds / Potency: 5 (Max) / Cooldown: Up to 40 Seconds / Costs: Up to 95% of Max Mana]

[Ignition / Tier 4 – Expert / Coat a part of oneself in flame, able to use [Great Combustion] at will while the spell is active. Increases Fire Resistance by 40%. Reduces Maximum Health by 10%. Maintain the effect at the cost of 10 Mana per second / Cooldown: None / Costs: 2000 Mana]

[Immortality (Legend) / Rank 5 (Max) / Defy death upon reaching 0% Health. Significantly increase all incoming Pain and apply [Fragile] to the user. Revival will occur every second if death persists. Revival will restore all Primary Attributes. Revival will momentarily double all Primary Attributes for 1 Second. Upon Revival, gain immunity to all incoming damage for 1 second]

[Power UP/ Rank 1 / Effectively strengthened the caster’s direct Attack Power / Cooldown: 45 Seconds / Costs: 10000 Stamina / Requirement: Level 100]

Skill

[Power Throw / Effectively strengthened the force of thrown item / Cooldown: 2.5 Seconds / Costs: 300 Stamina / Requirement: 25 Strength, 10 Agility]

[Phased Intrusion – v1.5b / Allows the caster to enter another realm / Cooldown: 30 Minutes / Costs: 50000 Mana / Requirement: Level 200, 500 Intelligence]

[Telekinesis / Level 2 / Mana / Take control of Arcane Particles in the surrounding area. Potency is based on the skill’s level and the user's Max Mana / Cooldown: None / Costs: Up to 5000 Mana per second / Requirement: 100 Intelligence]

Spell

[Greater Wall of Stone / Tier 5 – Master / Earth / Conjure up to 100ft tall stone wall at the target location. Lasts 24 hours / Cooldown: 5 Seconds / Requirement: 250 Intelligence]

[Heal Array / Tier 2 – Intermediate / Light / Create a sphere of light that can be connected to another created sphere to form a healing area once fully connected. At least 3 spheres are required for healing area to be activated / Cooldown: None / Costs: 45 Mana / Requirement: 60 Faith]

[Mist Explosion / Tier 4 – Expert / Mana / Create a burst of mana explosion, reducing Magical Defense and creating a field that affects the senses of everything within. Lasts 20 Seconds / Cooldown: 25 Seconds / Costs: 800 Mana / Requirement: 150 Intelligence]

[Firebolt / Tier 1 – Basic / Fire / Conjure a small bolt of fire, dealing fire damage at enemy upon impact, buildup [Burn] / Cooldown: 1.4 Seconds / Costs: 20 Mana / Requirement: 30 Intelligence]

[Healing Hands / Tier 1 – Basic / Light / Emanate holy light, healing target while restoring the target’s Stamina / Cooldown: None / Costs: 1.5 Mana per second / Requirement: 20 Faith]

Miracle

[Magi Injection / Tier 5 – Master / Light – Miracle / Transfer half of the user’s Max Mana to the target without a penalty. Fail when the user does not have enough mana for a transfer but increases Mana Recovery by 10% while reducing Maximum Health by 20%. Lasts until the user regenerates 50% of their Maximum Mana / Cooldown: None]

11 Tiers of Magic: (1) Basic > (2) Intermediate > (3) Advanced > (4) Expert > (5) Master > (6) Extreme > (7) Supreme > (8) Mega > (9) Ultimate > (10) Maxima > (11) Overdrive 10 Rarity: (1) Common > (2) Uncommon > (3) Rare > (4) Heroic > (5) Legendary > (6) Mythic > (7) Ancient > (8) Ascended > (9) Transcendental > (9) Eternal > (10) Ethereal 11 Ranks of Equipment: F - E - D - C - B - A - S - SS - SSS - SSSS - SSSSS

***

There have been many changes to the game ever since the last update. Some of my abilities have been nerfed with cooldowns and limited capabilities. Still, I'm amazed that it doesn't really have an impact on me as much. Back then, I used to be fuming whenever they touch any of my stuff. Here, as soon as I get the hang of how things are, I don't even feel the difference at all. One of the examples [Combustion], if I were to scale it when I don’t play Realism Mode, it would have a 100 power level. When I can adjust mana output by playing Realism Mode, it can go up to 5000 power level, and when my comprehension of the arcane as it is now... it shoots up to 10000.

From a tool to stagger a small enemy to a weapon of mass destruction. And I didn’t even count the scenario that I would cause if I were to utilize everything that I have. It's like Proficiency, the more you get the hang of the things you use, the better you are at them.

I do keep wondering about one thing. Surely when I already am this powerful, the others must be even more. I can't even imagine fighting Avarice even with the help of my friends, yet I managed to kill one even more powerful than her. Come to think of it, we didn't really do anything against lord Ludwig and his dragon, except until I used an Overdrive spell of Chronomancy magic.

Since I deemed it to be true that Immortality really doesn't protect me from death, I'd rather play things safe. And now, I'm making excuses not to go back to training again where I'm surely gonna die. The experience alone is enough to make me want to end myself for real, though I trust miss Replica not actually going to let me go through Limbo.

For Travelers (Players), it's like a maze puzzle where you got dropped in the middle, trying to fight your way back through the darkness. For me who goes for Realism Mode, it would be nightmares - literally. I already have problems with sleep paralysis. Wouldn't want to actually make things worse and got sleep deprivation.

{Luosa's Chamber – Safe Zone}

Removing these clothes and accessories to the wardrobe and chest, “A simple leather armor should do. I’ll have to meet up with Hill Vines too. Maybe they’ll come with me to Sonata.”

My training with miss Replica made me disconnected from the system that I usually relied on. By choice, I try to not use Inventory as often, and for storing my things, Lord Ludtleth has kindly crafted me some bags. As for those overpowered clothes and jewelry, it was my reward for doing errands for the officers.

As for this leather armor though, a member of Hill Vine gave it to me as a gift. Cost a bunch of money for something like this. Made me smile whenever I look at it though. With it, I also took a staff under my bed. It’s what I always use whenever I went to the surface.

[Pagrim Staff / Rank F / Uncommon / Physical Attack: 30 / Magical Attack: 100 / Can be used as a Catalyst except for Touch-type Magic]

I made sure all the bags are empty in case I found something outside that I want to take back and with that done, I redirected the mana inside my body to teleport me to the surface. I haven’t perfected the skill yet, hence why the version number that I put beside it.

[Phased Intrusion – v1.5b]

The transport took but a moment. My current skill made me dizzy for some reason, and I don’t know what the hell is wrong with it.

“My goodness.”

I can feel it even with my eyes closed. The cold atmosphere of the night in the Prison Realm has changed to the warm heat of the sun, in Ekolia.

...