Reincarnated Jester: Taming Players

'Players, a bunch of gamers from Earth? Oh, fuck! Why are they coming here? No, most importantly, how are they coming here?'

Jung was confused. The planet he knew surely couldn't do that.

[Earth got new technology after you died there. One of them allows people to come to this place. But for them, it would be a game.]

"You've changed, right?" he asked and checked the interface.

««Archetype System V2.0»

«Reward: Bonus Skill Based on Your Archetype.»»

"V2.0? I knew it, you sound more natural, more..."

[More human-like?] It was the first time the system interrupted him.

"Exactly!" Jung was genuinely happy for the system, and it felt like they could communicate more with each other.

[You are going to be an NPC for them. You are prohibited from mentioning me and my fuctions. Players will have a system, but nothing like me, it will be inferior and won't provide the same benefits you have.]

"Someone is unusually talkative today!" Jung stated, using his trademark scowl.

After hearing this remark, the system was about to fall asleep.

"Wait, wait, don't go, tell me when they will arrive and what I should do." The boy asked cutely, using his youthful allure to charm the system.

Of course, it didn't work. But the answer arrived anyway.

[When you reach Tier II.]

"So they are waiting for me? Why?" Jung wanted to know more, but it was too late. The system went back to sleep, but another notification hovered in front of him.

'Damn, that's big words right there,' he pondered and left his room.

'NPC, you say? We will see about that.' After Elara disappeared and five years went by, Jung learned a lot about this world. Planet Maskera turned out to be far less peaceful than he had imagined, at least on the surface.

Based on his studies with Lisa, Jung learned that humanity was on the brink of extinction 500 years ago. It was right after the moon turned pitch black.

In no time, monsters and terrors appeared, driving people to shelters.

But no defence, no force could oppose that nightmare. More so since humans had no means to fight back. Their technological advancements were pitiful, nothing could stop this apocalypse, claiming millions of lives each day.

Until, one day, Archeons emerged. They were 12 ancient creatures, the pinnacle of archetypes, and they blessed people with the means to defend themselves, thus creating archetypes. 

All of them represented the essence of planet Maskera, safeguarding it from crumbling. Thanks to the power they bestowed on the world, humanity somehow survived this long.

But the Archeons were part of the two greatest mysteries of this world.

Fracture, as people called the apocalypse, was one of them. No one knew how and what happened to the moon and why it stayed dark to this day.

The second mystery was the Archeons themselves. Their origin, location, and everything else remained in a dense fog. Not a soul knew more about them, and the only knowledge was myths.

Tales and fables spoke about them. Yet, with no evidence or facts, they stayed as the most coveted fields of wonder.

Jung wanted to pry into this mystery, but for the time being, there was nothing he could do.

In the last five years, Jung's appearance matured. He was 13 years old at this point. He had dark, curly hair and a face that screamed, "I am up to something, and it's no good."

Short for his age and well-built among his peers, Jung radiated an imposing aura. His training with his parents went better than he expected. Standing in perfect mental and physical condition, he was ready to start another day.

84% of archetype progress resulted from his rebellious actions. Acting like an archetype brought him the gain he very much desired. This was one of the most known and easier ways to progress and gain power.

But it was the slowest and not guaranteed. Eating pills was considerably faster, but it was riskier or more expensive. Because of that, Jung acquired a low number of pills from killing monsters.

Lisa and Baki were still scared of him venturing into a deadly world. That's why he had to find a thin line between being a dutiful son and a rebel.

Speaking of that, Jung tested his passive skill on other children and the outcome was spectacular and entertaining to watch.

Kids acted like criminals, and the entire street looked like a Halloween party with no restrictions. Candies and toilet paper were everywhere, someone even burnt their house.

Manipulating mindless creatures was easy, especially when he had a skill for that, but the condition to trigger this skill remained a mystery to him.

Not thinking about the past, Jung invaded the woods. Encountering Rebel archetype monsters was the hardest part.

Killing them was easy, their tiers were low, but numbers weren't high either. However, after getting new motivation and permission from his parents, Jung was ready to complete the missions.

'It should be around here.' Walking between the trees, he was scrutinising for a specific location. After exploring these places with Baki, he learned the suitable spots for hunting.

This part of the forest was almost deserted. It was burnt with a curse ages ago, and darkness and lifelessness lurked around. 'Where are you? Stop sneaking around and come here.' He was looking for a specific Ogre.

Jung saw it weeks ago with his father and knew it was a Rebel archetype. Meaning, it was a perfect source for his next pill and power-up. After arriving at the spot he was searching for, Jung lingered.

He waited for the Ogre to show up to kiss him with his deadly axe. Using his superior hearing and sight, he was ready to strike the monster as soon as he saw it.

It didn't take too much of his time for his prey to arrive. This particular Ogre looked like a Shrek on steroids—big, ugly, dirty green, and far too stupid to notice Jung.

The boy channelled Persona in his hands. Materialising a dark axe, Jung aimed at his opponent, sneaked behind it, and struck at its legs. One and the other. He was swift and calculated, and the creature didn't have any time to react.

After dropping to his knees, Shrek's look-alike was angry. It tried to find the culprit in his pain and misery, but Jung was already behind him, raising the axe in the air to convey more power.

"I never liked that movie!" Jung shouted and slammed his axe on the naked neck. Blood spurted on his face, but the boy didn't care. Swinging once wasn't enough, and he did it two more times.

"Why the fuck does this blood smell like shit?" Jung asked himself and waited for system notifications.

[You slayed Tier II Ogre.] [Rebel]

[Tier II Rebel Pill Is In Your Inventory.]

'This is a moment for celebration,' he thought and ate the pill without looking at it. 'Here it comes, I can feel it.'

[Quest Completed! You Get Bonus Skill]

'I feel like I got something amazing.' Jung was about to check his newly gained skills when the system woke up and notified him about something urgent.

[You reached Tier II.]

After a short pause, she said again. 

[Maskera opened its gate.]

[Players are coming.]

The boy started hopping around, satisfied he could wrap up this task the day he got it.

Jung had plans for rising in power. And players played a critical role in it.

'Here they are. My gold mines,' grinned the boy, as his smile was anything but kind.