Late Evening - Early Summer : Arlington, Virginia | East Coast Uates

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  "I am very, very sorry for being uo get to you sooner..." *Woosh* Opening the door to his office, Alrek motioned me inside. "System Enforcers are only ever sent out uhe most extreme circumstances, so it's unfortunately not unlikely people have already begun calling you a monster.. especially sidering hoeople saw that you were the enforcer's target."

  Casually walking inside, I looked over at him. "Are human-looking monsters on here?"

  He immediately nodded as he followed me into the office. "They're extremely troublesome beings, but they generally fall into one of a few categories." Walking past me, he motioned me toward a couch sat o a short table at the ter of the room. "Go ahead and have a seat while we talk."

  It appeared to be a meeting area, with three couches tered around a rge, but short table at the ter of the room in front of his rather grand wooden desk.

  But while quite aesthetic, it was pletely covered in paper, with several stacks at least a dozeimeters tall being silhouetted by the glow of city lights passing through the massive window spanning the entire wall behind them.

  From the 187th floor, it made for quite an incredible vista.

  But my mind was already preoccupied.

  *Puff* Quickly sitting down, I leaned into the coud watched Alrek walk up to his desk and begin sifting through papers.

  "The general cssifications are 'Destroyers', 'Mimics', and 'Shells', with destroyers being actual 'humans', and Mimid Shells being traditional monsters."

  -They're familiar with destroyers?- Tilting my head, I felt a wave of doubt wash over me. "What are the differences between each?"

  Finally getting together several papers, he walked back over to the couches before sitting on the one adjat to mine. "Mimics are the most simple, I'm sure you're already fairly familiar with the monster, but this cssification is for any mohat transforms or uses illusion magic to look like a human. Typically they don't have much sciousness, 't speak, move unnaturally, don't have local system panels, and so on, so they're very easy to deted catch. Shells are oep up from that, being mohat have physically possessed the body of a deceased system user. In most cases, their speech is very limited and their movement is sluggish, but they still keep the local system panels of their host, so they aren't nearly as easy to catch."

  They were types of monsters I was only vaguely familiar with. -It's been a really long time since I've seen one... I fot about them...- "And what about destroyers?"

  He quickly tinued. "They are what we call system users who abuse their strength, deliberately spread chaos, or 'view society as an obstacle'. Interpret that st notion as you wish..." *Fwip-Fwip* S papers oable, he spoke while falling into focus. "For a long time, they were known as 'vilins', but after an apostle spoke about a divination a hundred years ago, we began using the term destroyer... It was more appropriate."

  -Ah, so it's the same term as what the admins use, it's just on a much broader scale...- Essentially, they were cssifying any criminal that was a system user as a destroyer, while the admins reserved the term for.. much more troublesome beings... -I think, anyway...- "And you think people will assume I'm a destroyer?"

  He immediately nodded. "sidering the rather extreme response of system enforcers being issued, and the fact you survived without a scratch.. people have probably already started acg you of being a destroyer 'beyond the css of Earth'." He spoke as if quoting off a paper.

  "Huh? What does that mean?" Genuine fusion immediately washed over my face.

  "System Meraries aren't allowed to return to worlds that they personally exceed the rank of, so, for example, if you were doing missions in Rank 3 worlds and your strength was average for that css of system merary, the lowest rank of world you could visit would maybe be Rank 5."

  -O..Oh...- "Do exceptions to that rule ever happen?"

  "We believe yes, however apostles have said that administrators expel them from Earth before they do anything..." Quickly sliding me a piece of paper, he tinued with a mix of pain and disfort. "The biggest exception that was left to roam was this man."

  Pig up the sheet, I looked down to see the portrait of a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes, a regur-looking half-elf mage with nothing particurly special about his appearance besides a small scar at the base of his neck. -How painfully average...- It was almost like the portrait was of someone using magic to blend into a crowd.

  "He returned about 40 years ago and was level 845. When the local Turkish military went to intercept him, he crushed them and sank the try in a matter of days. At the time, he was the stro person oh, and his ability to blend in was pletely unmatched..." His expression darkened as bad memories seemed to surface. "At the end of it all, it took ten years to catch him, and he racked up a kill t in the millions. Ever since, anomalies like this have not been taken lightly..."

  "By anomalies, you mean-"

  "The System Enforcers being called." Finally finishing his s, he pushed a stack of papers to the opposite side of the table, where no o, and turo me. "Which is why we o approach this very carefully... You aren't someohis city afford to upset, however, I would highly reend your cooperation." His expression quickly stiffened with caution. "Even elephants be killed by a swarm of ants."

  -How firm.- Finally straightening my posture and leaning back, my gaze dulled and nonce faded. "Alright... What do you o know?"

  "Hooh..." He let out a long breath as if to calm his nerves before looking me in the eyes. "I o know the details of what happeo you when you returo Earth. The more I know, the better the ISO protect you from misuanding."

  -Perfect.- "Then I will tell you all I know." -With a few twists, of course...- C my mouth with my hand, I felt a hint of relief surfa my mind. -I 't get too fortable yet, but.. this is looking good...-

  Although the situation was absolutely terrible, the recovery from it actually seemed alright. -The question is whether Michael will help...-

  When the system enforcers first appeared, I immediately questioned whether Michael was the oo call them, but the more I thought about it, the less likely it seemed. -If he was reted to it, he would be kissing my ass with apologies to make sure I didn't accuse him of it, yet he isn't here...- It meant he was either extremely fident he could dispel my worries or he wasn't yet aware of what happened.

  Whichever the answer, only time could tell.

  tinuing my versation with Alrek, we spoke about 'everything' reted to my return before I eventually brought up killing The Warden, and damaging Rid's wall when the railgun shot at me, only leaving out my fight with the apostle in an attempt to give him details he could use as leverage wheably speaking with the military. -The issue is that pilot...-

  Diana was a bomb I wasn't sure how to handle. -If she exposes that I killed the apostle.. it'll get troublesome even with the ISO's help...-

  But the situation was like a maze... I o focus on taking things ourn at a time.

  After ing up my talk with Alrek, he had another employee guide me to a higher floor where there was a visitor's suite for me to stay in until Alrek's boss returned. Acc to him, I just o stay put a him handle everything for the time being.

  And I wasn't going to pin.

  *Puff* But after stretg out on the bed in the suite, I felt restless. There was an uhat I couldn't quite shake no matter what I did. -But.. it's unfamiliar...-

  Quickly sitting up, I looked down into my palm as it faintly shook. "Haah..." It was unlike me.

  It felt like ay or nervousness. -But why...- *Puff* Falling bato the bed, I looked up at the night sky dispyed on the ceiling with a soft gaze. -What am I even doing...-

  Haviuro Earth and gained access to a nigh-endless volume of mana, I was excited. For the first time in what felt like eons, I was actually curious about something, and there was nothing stopping me from fulfilling that curiosity to my hearts tent.

  Oh, I was literally unstoppable. If I wao rule the world, all I had to do was reay hand. -So why am I just ying here.. worried that I'll be targetted by a single try...- Sure, at the end of it all, it would be annoying, but after a while, they would eventually realize fighting me was a fruitless effort.

  And to me, a couple years was nothing. -It'd pass in a fsh.- Yet I still felt.. off...

  "Is it that I'm.. overwhelmed?" Turning my head to look out the huge window, I looked out over an endless sea of buildings, peering through the lit windows of nearby skyscrapers to see businessmen w hard deep into the night regardless of the chaos that had filled the city.

  But while everything I looked at was a new sight.. at the same time none of it was. Being stantly tossed into new worlds was something I was all too familiar with. The sensation of something being 'new' or 'unfamiliar' were simply things I had bee numb to with time. The same went for the feelings of loneliness and isotion.

  I had growo them all.

  The only thing that defied that, was mana.

  Instead of being a feeling, it was like I had suddenly grown another arm, sprouted wings, or opened a third eye.

  *Pat* But even as I sat their, ying my hand on my stomach, I didn't do anything about it.

  I was curious, but not enough to move.

  I had no motive. No reason to grow.

  For eons, my motive was survival. If I didn't stantly grow, I would eventually fall behind and it would bring about my death. At every waking moment, I had to dedicate myself to growing stronger or else I would get killed.

  But oh, I was so far ahead of the curve it didn't matter. Even if I didn't advance my knowledge of mana at all, it would take hundreds, if not thousands of years for Earth to reach a rank where there could be a threat to me. "Haah..." -So what do I do...- Staring listlessly into the pixeted sky above me, I felt time slowly slip from my grasp. -How do I motivate myself with curiosity alone...-

  *Crackle* But as I id there, the sound of static suddenly filled the room, and a presence appeared behind me. "~What is it you desire?~" The voice was deep and filled with arrogance.

  "A motive." I replied bluntly.

  "~Hoh?~" The voice sounded surprised. "~What an odd response...~"

  I had to snicker. "What did you expect? Even you administrators, the so-called gods of this world 't y a scrate." Looking up, my eyes fell on the figure of a bck-haired and red-eyed man standing over me.

  But instead of looking stressed like Michael, or afraid like the administrator he killed, this man wore a smile. "~Haha, normally I would execute someone for such a statement... But it doesn't leave your mouth as arrogance, does it?~"

  Looking back up at the sky, I tinued. "You want to find out yourself?"

  "~It was meant to be a rhetorical question. My apologies if it pushed the wrong button.~" Taking a few steps back, he spoke with coer. "~I may be able to help you though... You see, I was in a simir position to you at one point. I traveled between worlds as a sve of the system for so long that I fot what it was like to slow down... When I died and found myself here oh, reborn as a god, I was bored.. unbelievably so... Earth didn't even have mana at the time.~"

  Sitting up, I looked over and matched his gaze. "So, what did you do?"

  I expected an answer, but he simply shrugged. "~I found joy in helping advahe progress of humanity, using natural disasters and wars to accelerate their growth.~" He paused as his smile slowly faded. "~But I know that's not the answer you were looking for, so I would like to extend an offer... I have a method to expose you to the system again.~"

  -Expose me to the system?- My gaze narrowed with skepticism. "What do you mean?"

  *Snap* Snapping his fingers, a panel instantly appeared in front of me. "~Well, you see, since your profile was pletely wiped, you aren't marked as a merary.~" His smile slowly widened as he stared into my eyes. "~If you'd like, I mark your data link as a merary, and you will be able to visit other low-level worlds as you wish until you find what you're looking for.~"

  It was actually a pretty entig offer. -But there's something he isn't telling me...- *Vwoop* Opening his local system panel, my gaze turned skeptical.

  System Name: Satan (Overwritten)Name: Lucifer (Overwritten) Status: N/A

  Race: Argel (Bodyless)Age: Unknown

  [Titles]None

  [Ianone

  Level12,485knownGoldUnknownSponsorsNone-He definitely isn't who his panel says he is...- Looking him in the eyes, I dulled my gaze. "So, will I be able to return to Earth once I find something to motivate me?"

  He nodded without hesitation. "Of course! I guarantee you oegrity of the System."

  -The iy of the system, my ass...- I wao just brush it off and send him on his way, but as I closed his local system panel and looked back at the panel he made appear before me, I found myself being indecisive.

  Would you like to Attempt to Recover Lost System Data? was oh-so-obviously a trap, but the longer I stared at it, the more I wao fall for it. -I wonder what will happen...-

  But after a moment, I waved it away. "I'll pass."

  The man immediately tilted his head with a fused look. "~Is that so? I guess I 't force you to do anything...~" His demeanor ged in an instant. "~What a shame. I thought I retty ving.~"

  My unamused gaze quickly shifted up to him.

  "~I was hoping you wouldn't make this difficult.~" As his voice suddenly turned cold, his gaze became lifeless. "~I really don't like f people to do things, but unfortunately, if you remaihings will only get more difficult for me...~"

  *Vwoop* As a gate started f around me, I instantly darted out of it, esg in the nick of time.

  -Holy shit...- It was a way faster gate than anything I had ever seen.

  "~Don't make this more difficult than it o be.~" *Vwoom* As the gate pressed and disappeared, removing a se of the bed, floor, and ceiling in a fsh, I found a different man standing in front of me.

  His eyes were white and faded like that of a blind man, with a pure white robe and two long, curled horns stig out of his head.

  *BeEeEpP* The sound of the System distorted as I opened his system panel.

  But it only fed me errors, flickering with different names and levels as if none of it mattered. *CRACKLE*

  "~Don't make this more difficult than it o be Evren...~" As he pointed his palm at me, I felt my instincts scream for the first time iuries. "~You are still a mortal.~"

  *Fwip* But the moment I darted back, he curled his fingers, everythi dark and silent, and it felt like I was suddenly standing in the ter of a bck hole, uo move while being crushed into nothingness.

  There was no longer any grouh my feet, nor a ceiling over my head. Even as I released my mana, there was nothing around me.

  The only thing I could see was the man's glowing figure, floating in a field of nothingness just out of reach, looking down upoh a look of pity. "~You are a harvester for the System, don't get ahead of yourself.~" His voice carried a hint of bitterness as his gaze matched mine. "~You do not own your fate. Even if you try to run or hide, your owner will find you.~"

  *VWOOM* Seeing me slowly managing to move, he tightened his grip to a fist, and the pressure on me multiplied in magnitude by thousands of times. "ACK-" It was an unfathomable foring from every angle, all at once, making my ears bleed, and body ache.

  But there was nothing I hated more thay that filled his eyes.

  "Owner?" F my head up through the pressure, I looked at him with a fiery glow in my eyes. "I'm a stray o one ked until I broke your stupid fug system. Do you know how long I had gohout receiving anything from it?! Do you know of all the errors that nearly got me killed?!"

  He fell silent as he looked deep into my eyes as if looking at my soul.

  *CrRrRrAcKLE* F myself through the immense force, bloodlust flooded into the space between us and a craze found its way into my eyes. “To have the audacity to say I wasn't abandoned.. you better pray I don’t get my hands on you one day…” Staring into his eyes with dited pupils, I spoke with a hint of insanity. “The moment I touch you, I’m going t your neck like a fug chi.”

  But he didn’t react at all. “~Is that so?~” Speaking without emotion, he lifted his hand. “~I don't have a reason to pray though.~” *Vwoop* With a gentle wave, he disappeared, and I found myself ba the visitor's suite.

  But before I could even orient myself, my feet lifted off the ground. -What the?!-

  *WOOOOOSH-WHAAAM* Falling into a thick bed of massive leaves, the room rotated sending me sliding down the floor like a slide before smming into the window. *THUD-CRACK*

  Thankfully, the gss caught me, but as I looked down to see the cracks that filled the window, instead of seeing anything I would expect from Earth, I found the suite hanging from the opy of a massive tree, looming over a huge river, filled with raging rapids and colossal fish. -You have to be fug kidding me…-

  I could tell by the air alohat it wash, but as I anxiously opened my main system panel, my heart sank.

  World: "Leviathan"

  P Rank: ERROR

  Mission Type: Target Elimination

  Local Server: Uo ect - ected to tral Server

  Popution: ~101,973,234Total Gold: 190,195Iory and GearUpgrades and Stats-You.. 't be serious...- The world's rank was an error.

  The same rank as the st dozen worlds I destroyed before my system was wiped, and the highest p rank I had ever seen.

  Except now, I didn't have any upgrades. "Fuck..." -This.. might be a problem...-

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