“Whatever there is, I will be there with you. We will get through it together.”

  “Let’s hope for both our sakes that it’s not a trap.”

  Chapter 22

  [Hidden Mythic Quest: ‘Worldly Connections’ Updated]

  [Conditions Updat&@…]

  [You have _”:* *%$ first trial]

  [Second Trial: *&%#@ (Earth)]

  [Forced teleportation will now begin…]

  As soon as the timer hit zero, I was welcomed by a glitched-out quest update and a forced teleportation. “This…is really strange.”

  I was originally standing outside the temple with Angel before my forced teleportation. I was now standing inside a dark yet well-lit room. There was total darkness in every direction, except in the center, where a set of comfy-looking chairs sat on either side of a coffee table that held pastries and, what I assumed to be tea.

  “You arrived.” A figure appeared. One I know very well. One that, if there were a mirror in front of me, would make sense, but there was no mirror here. And it was talking. “You are me?”

  “That is correct, although not completely true. You are you, and I am you, but also not you, since I am from another time. You see, the trials were created in hopes of altering the path that Earth, or Terra if you were to call it by its official name, from the course that may lead to it being used as a new game world.”

  “Game world!?” My eyes widened at the me who was not me. She slowly sat down and motioned for me to do the same. I did as she requested and sat down, but didn’t take my eyes off her for even a second.

  “Yes, the game… the merging of realities. It is all part of a greater system created by beings far above this plane of existence. They use the system and the game as a kind of trial. They will determine if the beings there are deemed fit to proceed to the next stage. But moving on to that next stage also comes with risks.” The other me picked up a pastry and took a bite out of it. A small smile formed on her lips. “You should try this. It’s quite good. And don’t worry; it’s all real. Including me, even though I am just a persona created to give you information that even your maids are not aware of.”

  “What do you mean they don’t know?”

  “Your maids are our creation and are beings from the future, but that was one future we were able to escape the fate that Terra will face if we do not come out in the top ten. You see, the trials you were given were intended to make you stronger. And it seemed to have worked from what I can tell. Being at your current level this early is actually very good for what is to come. Soon, a system-wide message will be sent. The timer of the first trial I gave you was the timer for the countdown of the true test you are about to face.”

  “Can you stop talking in circles and just tell me what kind of headache I will end up getting myself into? Also, why would my maids not tell me any of this if they already know?”

  “Because they don’t know. You went through the induction before creating them. The trials of induction have restrictions associated with them. You’re not allowed to speak about them. It is physically impossible to speak about them. But passing a trial allows you to gain some control over the system in the surrounding area. Whether it is to give out a quest or create a realm of your own, it is all possible as long as you come out on top.”

  “My maids said it was because of your level.”

  “That is true in certain cases, only for those who use skills outside the system. But this leaves it glitchy. Sort of like my second quest to you. You should have noticed the glitching going on.”

  “Yes, I did. It’s also not the first time I’ve encountered it. Tell me, what do you mean by induction? I know what it means, but I want to hear it from you.”

  “Induction means making Terra open to the universe. Aliens, as we call them, will come to our world and try to stake their claim to our lands and resources. If we are not strong enough to push them back, we will be forced to submit and become slaves. You should know that becoming a slave for another species is as bad as becoming an NPC in the game. The world you visit to farm resources and level up is just another world like Earth. However, the system now controls them; parts of the world have been changed to adapt. The people have no will of their own. Mindless slaves of the system. Other races even move there just to stake claim to certain areas to live like kings.”

  My head was spinning. Everything I have been told is completely different! “Why is what Hilde, and the rest told me different from what you are telling me?”

  “Do you think the system would allow them to tell you the truth? They had their memories altered. They wouldn’t be able to tell you how things are perfectly in the future, only what they are allowed to speak about, while other things are fabricated. There are truths and lies in everything they have told you so far. Not because they wanted to lie to you but because they believed these things to be fact.”

  “But you just said they wouldn’t know anything about the induction since they were not created yet.”

  “That's the induction, not what came after you successfully protected Terra.”

  “So then how do I protect the planet?” All this was an overload of information and contradictions. Most of what was said was in line with what I already knew, but now there were layers upon layers of additional information.

  “Win… in the trials to come. You will be forced to face other worlds. If you don’t want Terra to become a world where you end up as an NPC, as a game world in another world, then I suggest you destroy everything to come out on top. Make Terra part of the wider universe.” The other me’s eyes flashed with a murderous light. I couldn’t help but feel that we had ‌more in common than I had thought.

  “I will win.” I wouldn’t allow myself, or those I love and care about, to suffer such a fate. “What’s the first step?”

  “The first step is the start of the induction. Beings at twenty levels higher than the average level of the planet will arrive. They will stake claims to certain areas under the pretense of teaching you about the induction and helping you get through it, but in fact, they are staking claims to their own territories. These places will become their domains to rule over as kings and enslave the people living within them. I don’t have much time left, but with your current level, I suggest you stake your claim over the planet and take out the invaders. Only when you have full control should you feel safe moving to the next trial.”

  “I had planned to do just that. It seems my showdown with Rodden will come sooner than I had thought.”

  “Rodden is a tricky man. A man who is very cautious in what he does. If he doesn’t think he can win, he will run. Be careful.”

  “I will be calling Liz.”

  The other me’s eyes lit up as she clapped her hands together. “Lizandrea! She will be very helpful. You are lucky. I never had the maids when I made it through the trials. They will become the very thing that will help you destroy the invaders. Now…” The other me cleared her throat before pointing at me. “I will fix the quest you were supposed to get. If you complete it, you will be able to come back here and get to speak to me again, and I will go over the second trial.”

  [Hidden Mythic Quest: ‘Worldly Connections’ Updated]

  [Conditions Updating]

  [You have completed the first trial]

  [Second Trial: Conquer (Terra)]

  [The trial will end in, 3:00:00:00:00]

  “You will have three years. Your timer will start when the trigger is activated… For now… I wish you good luck.”

  Before I could give the other me my thanks, the world distorted once more, and I found myself outside the temple again. “Zoe!”

  “Angel… We have much to do. Our conquest will start soon. I will explain everything once we log out. There is a lot to talk about.”

  “Okay?” Angel looked confused and began checking me for any wounds, only letting me go when she saw I was fine.

  “Let’s go. We have a lot to go over.” I leaned down and kissed the death angel before logging out.

  As soon as I logged out, I jumped out of my pod and called for Hilde. “Hilde, get everyone together for an emergency meeting. I have learned a lot.”

  “Understood!” Hilde ran off while I went to get changed. Angel was staring at me the entire time.

  “Angel, just ask if you have questions.”

  “Oh, I have many questions. But I know you will answer many of them during the meeting. I am just curious, is all, and it's hard to hold back this excitement I feel welling up inside me.”

  “Let that excitement boil. Let it fill you because I will not disappoint.”

  “Hehe… I hope we can also have some excitement in bed tonight as well.” The cheeky grin on the pink-haired girl's face made me want to kiss her.

  “I will be sure to honor that.” After I got dressed, I pulled Angel into my arms and gave her a deep kiss before giving her a light spanking and heading out of the room, pulling her along.

  Chapter 23

  “That is what I have learned.” I had just gone over everything I had learned from the other me. “The timer has yet to start, but we can’t give Rodden a chance to align himself with an invader. So… We will officially declare war on Dark Front starting now. Send a message out and move our forces. Anyone who is able to fight will fight. But make sure we still have the defense to ward off any surprise attacks.”

  “Lass, leave defense to me and summon Liz. If you do that, our victory is guaranteed.” Albert made a good point. I did plan to summon her anyway, and having Albert here for defense was a good idea. Things changed and I needed more strength. There was no longer a reason to hold back from summoning her.

  “We will do it like this. Albert, I leave our defense to you. Everyone else, you know what your jobs are. Protect our people. Keep monster spawns within the city in check, and everyone else should begin moving out.” With our meeting over, I stood up and walked out of the room, followed by Mati, Hilde, Angel, and Derrick.

  “Dad, I need you to make sure the noncombatants are not disturbed in any way. They should still be able to live out their daily lives.”

  “I will get on it now.” Derrick turned and headed towards the underground area while the rest of us continued forward. I was heading to a clear area just in case Liz decided to make a scene upon being summoned.

  “Master, about the trials…” Hilde suddenly spoke up.

  “What about them?”

  “If we don’t end up winning, will we really be turned into NPCs?”

  “From what the other me said, yes, we will be turned into NPCs. Our only chance is to win and bring Terra out into the universe, but if we don’t want to be enslaved after doing so, we need to make sure we are strong. It is possible. We have done it before, or else you wouldn’t have been born. I wouldn’t have been able to hack the system and leave such a strong imprint. The life we were living before from the time you were created was during a time when we had won. It’s just that your memories were altered, and I could not speak about anything to do with the trials at that time, but it is different if that version of me was dead and of another timeline. I have to admit I was pretty damn powerful.”

  “Hehe, you were very powerful.” Hilde nodded her head as did Mati.

  “What about me?” Angel looked like she was pouting for being left out.

  “I’m not sure…” Hilde scratched her head. “I’m sure that master had the same path as she has now, so it’s strange now that I am thinking of it. You should have been there, since in every other timeline she was a demon, you killed her because of your evolution, all except the timeline she created us in.”

  “Let’s not think about it. Timelines don’t always need to be the same. It sounds like I was a loner anyway during that time line. Anyway, we are here.”

  ♦♦♦

  Inside Dark Front’s base, Rodden’s entire body was visibly shaking. “We had only just set the alliance, and she is already declaring war!? What is going on!?”

  Rodden couldn’t understand it. They had formed an alliance just days ago, and now, suddenly, she was throwing it out the window and declaring war against him. “I knew she would grow crazy with such a path, but this is too fast!”

  “Leader, is something wrong?”

  “Where is the person who sent this message from The Fallen? Who sent this message!? No, forget it; get the same delegation as before to head towards The Fallen of Elysium.”

  “Understood, I will go do it now.”

  “No, wait…” Rodden held his head. If war had already been declared, he would just be sending them to their deaths. “Gather up our leaders. We… are at war.”

  Rodden knew things were not going to go his way. He had not survived this long to be defeated before he could accomplish anything. That is what he had thought, but if that woman’s level was already at such a high level and her path was set to Demon Empress, every battle was just a means for her to grow stronger. “We will have no choice but to stand our ground. I can’t give up yet. I’ve already wasted too many resources…”

  ♦♦♦

  A dark swirl of mana formed over the summoning circle. A slim figure with two massive battleaxes on her shoulder slowly appeared within. “Hahaha! Finally! Finally! You have summoned me, Master! Give Liz a kiss!”

  Liz suddenly threw her battleaxes to the side and jumped forward, wrapping her arms around my neck, pushing her lips against mine. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? GET OFF MY ZOE!”

  She was quickly pulled back and thrown to the ground not just by Angel, who was now furiously wiping my lips, but also Mati and Hilde. “Ang-ob, Stwap…”

  “Liz, it’s best if you don’t do that ever again unless you wish to be sent back.” Hilde sternly said.

  “Huh? Alright… So who am I here to kill?” Liz sat on the ground with the soles of her feet touching, rocking back and forth. She was dressed more like someone who grew up in the wilds. Bare feet with a rawhide tunic and a rawhide rope tied around the waist. She had long purple hair and bright orange eyes. Her tanned skin stood out, but it was not what caught your attention; it was the murderous, playful smile and look she had that drew your attention.

  “Master, please forgive her. Liz is unique.”

  “Hilde, you are the last person in the world to be calling anyone unique. And you keep forgetting that all of you are a part of me.” I scratched my head as this realization crept in. It seems I’m a murderous pervert.

  “It’s okay, Zoe, I will still love you.” I think the pink-haired thing next to me was trying to cheer me up.

  “Ahem… Liz, we need to get you some proper armor.”

  “Hehe… Master, you don’t need to worry about that.” Liz’s lips were curled up into a smile as her skin suddenly transformed. Purplish-black scales formed over her body and shimmered in the light. “You created me so that I could be both defensive and offensive.”

  “Master, Liz is very versatile, which is why Rodden dislikes her so much.”

  I nodded my head as I walked over and lifted the tunic. “Good, you’re wearing underwear.”

  “Master, if you wanted to look, you only needed to ask.”

  “Don’t start undressing!” Angel quickly held the tunic down and glared at Liz while mumbling, “First it's the perverted maid and now a lustful demon.”

  “Angel, I’m not sure if I should take offense to that or not.”

  “Zoe, I’ll always love you.”

  “Why does that hurt even more!?”

  Even with war looming, we could still joke, which was good. “Alright, war doesn’t wait for the enemy to come to you. Everyone, get yourselves together. We need to gather our troops now and make our way to Dark Front.”

  An hour later, over a thousand armored players gathered, ready for battle. I told those level 30 and above in-game to log out, with Mati there to guard them. Hilde asked me to say a few words, so I soared into the air, surveying the troops before me. “Many of you are probably wondering why we are suddenly going to war; I can’t say right now, but you will learn soon enough. Trust me! Lift your weapons and fight. I guarantee none of you will die!”

  I can make this promise this time, but I'm not sure I can make it in the future. This was more like an initiation. “While I know taking the lives of others is not something you wish to do, at this time, we have no choice. If they surrender, fine. Secure them and send them to the back line as prisoners until the war is over. I won’t say anymore. I don’t wish to become a tyrant, but those who run during battle will be seen as leaving their post and will be dealt with under our military law. Remember this.”

  “Master, you were supposed to give a motivational speech, not threaten them into submission.”

  “Hilde, since when have I ever been good at speaking? You asked me to say a few words, so I did.”

  “But did you need to use your aura as well? Their faces are all pale?”

  “Hmm?” I looked out over the troops to find that their faces were indeed pale. Well, at least they were still standing. That already makes them better than Dark Front. I shrugged and turned and passed through the opening in the barrier, sending a bolt of lightning out in front of me that arched between the monsters that were charging towards me, turning them into charred corpses.

  “Let’s go!” I didn’t want to take the tunnels near the neutral zone; it wouldn’t be a very good idea.

  ♦♦♦

  “Damnit!” Serenity bit her lip as she slammed her hammer down on another monster. “Why did monsters start spawning like crazy?”

  “I don’t know, but we are barely keeping up. At least no lives have been lost yet.”

  “Dad, I hate doing this, but take up the rear. Besides me, you are the second strongest. We will need to do a diamond formation. With you and me as the points.”

  “Alright, but be careful. I can’t lose you.”

  “We just need to reach The Fallen of Elysium’s base. Once we do, we can finally settle down for the time being.” Serenity took a deep breath and looked into the distance. Monsters could be seen roaming around, which made her let out a long, drawn-out sigh. “We need to clear a spot for a camp and set up a barrier. Let’s move.”

 

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