Chapter 0: Prologue

A picturesque moon, stars and clouds.

A tranquil night, rife with the peaceful sound of crickets.

And a man, standing alone on the balcony, gazing far into the distance, as though he was basking in the serenity of that moment.

However, it couldn't be further from the truth.

The smell of blood. 

The occasional shrieks and screams that pierced through the night.

Pillars of smoke raising from many different parts of the city, further darkening the night sky.

The man, barely visible in the night with his dark-coloured clothing. revealed a pained expression. He repeatedly blinked his eyes at regular intervals, as though hoping that all this was a dream. Alas, he realized that it wasn't one. Sighing deeply, he muttered.

"Status Window."

Player ID: Demi

Level: 265   Class: Dark Blood Knight

Health: 100/100    Mana: 25/25

Basic Stats
Strength: 7    Agility: 14   Vitality: 19   

Intelligence: 22   Wisdom: 15 

Stat Points: 2640

Special Stats:

Demonic Force: 0

Weight: 47/670

"..."

The man was lost for words. His stats was truly amazing, beyond his wildest imagination. In fact, he was by far the undisputed strongest character in the entire game. With it, he could easily dominate the entire continent of Gaiden. For him who desired to find freedom and rebirth through this world, this was the jackpot.

However, none of that bliss and jubilant thoughts entered his mind.

"This accursed strength..."

It came at a great cost. He lost the only place he could call 'home'. Even if this was a virtual world. Even if this was just a 'game'. He could no longer be with the only people he'd call 'loved ones' now.

The man wanted to scream out loud into the disastrous night to express his sorrow and regret. But now was not the time. Staring at his stats, he furiously poured in the 2640 unallocated points.

Now, the prey had become the predator. And they could never escape.

--

Hordes of monsters were running rampant in the city. Chasing shrieking citizens; fighting the city guards. Some with intelligence were even ransacking the now-abandoned buildings and estates.

"Kill! Plunder! Kukukuk! Kikiikik!" 

A black-scaled demon shouted ecstatically as it stabbed its claws into a charging warrior. Despite his metallic armor, the black claws that were tougher than steel pierced through his torso like paper, instantly turning him into motes of light. 

The warrior's partner, who was lurking in the demon's blindspot, took advantage of the opening provided at the cost of his friend's life. Like a thunderbolt, he zero-ed in at the demon's neck, swinging his sword to remove it in one blow.

However.

"Kuhh! Uaggh!" Blood spurted out of his mouth and strength faded from his hands, as his cherished sword dropped onto the ground blade first. He looked down at his chest to see a spear-like object protruding out. 

'Tail...!' Unfortunately, the man couldn't even voice his regret as he turned into motes of light, just as his friend did moments ago. 

"Kuahahahaha! Weak humans! Stop struggling and be our prey!"

The demon was thoroughly intoxicated with the slaughter. In this city, it could massacre and destroy as it wished. None of the humans could put up even a decent amount of resistance. At this rate, it would not be long until it hunted enough humans and reach its next evolution.

"Arr?" 

Amidst the moonlight and smoke, it saw the silhoulette of a man calmly walking in its direction. 

"Kekeke! You're mine!" 

Sensing its next prey, the demon pumped its legs and pounced forward, gaining speed with each push. It didn't want to lose the human to the other shadows that were also frantically heading in the same direction.

In the distance, the man seemed to be saying something as he swung his hands. Then, a dark red light descended, covering even the night sky.

"..!"

Aside from the red light, the demon could no longer see anything else. The world grew strangely silent for it. Its powerful limbs and tail became limp. And soon, its consciousness followed suit.

--

"Dark Red Destruction."

[You have gained 56,914 experience points for slaying a Garglier.]

[You have obtained 249 gold.]

[You have obtained <<Garglier scale>>].

[You have gained 43,785 experience points for slaying a Bozun.]

[You have obtained 249 gold.]

[You have obtained <<Bozun leather>>].

[You have obtained <<Demon Leather Gloves>>.]

[You have gained 69,12....}

{You have obtained...]

[...]

Wherever the man went, more destruction ensured. Buildings that were burnt and damaged by the demons turned into rubble. Trees and shrubs that were set alight by the invasion turned into ashes. More importantly, the demons that were squealing in pleasure as they murdered were now crying out in fear as they were slaughtered one-sidedly. And the death toll continued to rise as more and more demons flocked to where the man was. They all met the same end before that grim red light.

Finally, it was the commander's turn to face the man. Towering over more than 5 metres, its pupilless eyes stared at the variable that murdered its forces. 

"You... dare...!" Lengthy conversations were unnecessary; only rage filled its mind as it swung its arm, thicker than the man's torso, to reduce him to a pile of dust.

"Terror of Death."

"...!"

Its arms were now right above the man's head. Just several centimetres away, and his skull would be squashed like a watermelon. However, the demon couldn't budge at all. All this while, the man didn't move a muscle. With a single skill, he completely paralyzed the high-ranking demon that had high innate resistance to all status ailments.

"Kuh..."

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The demon's black wings began quivering violently as the man moved closer and closer. All its sense were screaming out. Then it realized. It was experiencing fear. The basic instinct that originated from a deference higher species. The humans it thought were insects to be trampled were instead looking at them as though the demon as vermin to be exterminated. His red eyes spelled unavoidable death, and it was looming closer and closer...

--

When he was just a step away from the demon commander, the man looked up at the face of the demon. It was an unknown species to him. But based on its humanoid characteristics and intelligence, it was probably one of the elite forces.

Well, all this didn't matter to him. He took out the sword that he received as a present from his beloved mentor and used a skill as he jumped in the air.

"Cleave."

A sword strike that gained momentum as it shot downwards towards its target. Despite being a low-level skill, it was more than enough for the occasion. It was the first sword skill he learnt from him.    

Swish.

It was a clean cut, enough to garner praise from his mentor. Not even a grunt was made by the demon as black blood spurted out, before the corpose shortly vanished into motes of light.

"It's over..."

The man took off his hood and looked around at what remained of the city as dawn approached. He fulfilled his promise to his beloved masters; he had cleared their home of demons. After the night-long battle, whichever demon that didn't perish under his blade hastily scattered for their life.

As the tension of battle faded with the backs of the last receding demon, the tears that never fell no matter what happened in the real world, rolled off seamlessly in this perfectly replicated reality. The man hollered at the top of his lungs in that deserted place, to give some release to the sorrow within his heart.

When his throat finally hurt from the exertion, the man closed his eyes and tried to burn those scenes into his heart. The backbreaking training with the sword. The mind-boggling lectures on magic. The gentle and shrewd natures of both his masters.

The sorrow that overcame him was too great. He would probably never login again. 

But it seemed that this world wouldn't let him go just like that. If there was such a being as God, He appeared to be determined to give him a second life. Just as the man was going to click on the button that allowed him to logout, someone approached him and tapped his shoulder.

"...!"

The person turned up right there before his eyes.

The only one who could give him back everything he lost that night.