Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

8-9K words. Considerably more if you add the Notes since they're quite thick this time around.

Enjoy! As always, mistakes will be corrected when spotted!

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—

/Tap tap…/

As he dusted his pants, Philip took one last glance at the bronze knight, taking a step back as he felt the ground tremble.

/Crack…/

He turned his gaze to the mountain before him. It slowly cracked open, its tip collapsing under the heavy damage of their fight.

/SHAAA/

As everything came down in a massive and rather dangerous avalanche, Philip turned around and walked back to the camp, saying:

"... We're done here… OH! I almost forgot about that…"

'This fight distracted me from the real important thing…'

Philip conjured the red jar from his mind space, having gotten quite used to handling it.

"I hope it still works… His body isn't so disfigured that this will fail, right?"

'Compared to some of those Orcs, he's at least in one piece… Although that's mostly due to his armor…'

'What killed him was the extreme heat and blast from the explosion, for his armor held on quite well…'

/Crunk…/

Like many times before, Yer-Al, together with his equipment, was sucked inside the jar as everything turned into a strange liquid, vanishing in the endless void inside.

[***** Has recovered an extremely small portion of its Core energy]

[***** Goes back into hibernation]

"Hm…"

'Funny how he alone is somewhat comparable to thousands of Wild Orcs… Quality does rule over quantity.'

With a light tap on the jar as it vanished from his hands, Philip walked back to camp, ready to finish this Arc of his adventure.

The world outside awaited!

…

/Meanwhile…/

"Huff… Huff…"

Jiu-Al gasped for air as he sat on the ground, trying to recover his strength, but to no avail. 

With every breath he took, he felt his head grow fainter as if his very life was scaping with his every breath. 

His expression was solemn, but it trembled from time to time. He knew what was happening to him, but rather than fear, what he felt was… Disappointment.

"Urg…"

But he was certainly feeling a lot of pain... Hiding it all under a facade so he wouldn't worry the girl he swore an oath to protect.

/Chatter…/

Around the camp, slaves moved in and out of the houses and broken building to save their fellow compatriots, the remaining guards having all either surrendered or died to the High Orcs' unrelenting assault.

Some might've fled but to where? The cold and harsh mountains? With the main passages blocked, the chance of anyone surviving, much less a poorly dressed soldier, was very low. 

What about the forests? It was only a matter of time until the Royals caught them, and once they were, their fate wouldn't be nice…

"..."

Next to him was the dark-haired princess, who held onto her dress as she helped him bandage his old wounds.

Her thought seemed elsewhere, however…

/BOOOOOOM!/

""?!""

Suddenly, everyone stopped as they heard the echoes of thunder as the mountain near them trembled… 

"..."

The Jiu-Al looked in the distance, but he soon closed his eyes as he went back to meditation. 

Seeing this, the Princess couldn't help but grow apprehensive and concerned as she clutched onto her dress and something she hid inside her clothes…

'What is going on over there?' She thought as she looked around

She wasn't the only one concerned, but with the High Orcs around, no one seemed eager to cause trouble.

A few slaves could be seen talking with them, but most were too fearful to approach them, and with reason… Each High Orc was twice if not thrice their height holding weapons even bigger then their entire bodies… 

They'd much rather sit still and wait for someone or something to sprung up…

They lacked a leader to lead them. Someone to represent them…

The princess knew something had to be done, but kept silent as she went over her options… 

/BOOOOOOOM!/

As smoke rose to the skies… Another fireball bloated the skies!

"..."

'Will it be alright?...'

The princess had a worried look on her face as she gazed at the mountain… 

The seconds passed… Was it over?...

When everything seemed to calm down… 

/FLASH!/

A purple beam struck the mountain's peak, and then… Silence.

"I-It's quite tense." The Princess said as she tried to imagine their clash

"... No." 

"What do you mean?"

"That's something I've been trying to figure out for a while now…"

"Huh?..."

"Something's missing here, and I can't quite piece things together. I… Forget it… It's not important."

Jiu-Al changed the subject, saying:

"Yer-Al lost. He might've had a chance to counterattack, but he lost the initiative by acting like a fool."

'The very reason why he never managed to master and incorporate our training… I suppose there was a reason why he was sent all the way here.'

'I've neglected the bigger picture for many years… This lack of awareness led me to this situation… Not anymore.'

'Once I'm out of here, I'll learn everything, including who was behind this all… I know who's the mastermind, but persecuting a candidate won't lead us anywhere.'

'But this poison… I'll rip out whoever fed it to me.'

"... That man isn't your ordinary warrior, I'm uncertain of his identity, but he likely belongs to the Imperial faction of the South." 

/Tremble…/

Jiu-Al tried to move his body but failed. Still, he added:

"Be ready to leave at any moment. In case he's not friendly… I'll buy you the time you need." 

"Jiu…"

"Just as we talked before."

'We may have jumped from a bonfire, but we only ended up in a forest fire…'

…

Soon enough, Philip returned to the camp, his sword strapped to his back, chained like when he first took it out his inventory. 

"He's here." 

"Stay over here… For your safety."

"I know… Be careful Jiu." 

He smiled and left. 

/Step step…/

""...""

Philip and Jiu were now standing in front of each other. Silently observingg their bodily movements. 

Philip was the first to move, reaching for his sword…

"!"

Jiu-Al also picked up his, getting ready for a potential confrontation.

/Pierce!/

But against his expectations, Philip shoved his blade on the ground as he raised his hands in the air, asking:

"Can we talk?"

His expression was difficult to discern due to the mask… But the elven knight did not move. 

"Yes, we can… Allow me the first question if you don t mind." 

"Go on."

"Are you Human?"

"Yes, I am, nor do I plan to have that change anytime soon." Philip replied with a chuckle as he dropped his hands 

"... Then what are you? Not that… Who are you?" 

"Hm… I'm afraid that's classified, I hope you understand that. However, I can confirm that I am an agent working under the crown. Call me… Hunter." 

'I'm not lying in any way. The identities of all Heroes are classified, and from a certain perspective, we're all agents of the Crown.'

"... Then… Can you prove your words?"

"You're quite untrustowrothy but yes, I suppose I can prove it… However, I will say that I cannot represent the Crown in this particular situation, as currently, I am working out of my own volition." 

"So if you were expecting to hear some sort of explanation or assistance towards your goal, you'll be disappointed to know this is as much as I can do for you."

As he said that, Philip took a small object from his inventory.

It was a small circular plate with a series of inscribings in it. 

"A Golden Seal?... I guess that's going to be enough…" 

'That doesn't say much… But a Golden seal can only be handed out by the King himself…'

Jiu-Al's tone was full of disappointment as he sheathed his blade.

"But that didn't answer my question, why are you here?" 

"I was investigating this area due to a certain circumstance and information I acquired… My main objective was to investigate that."

"This led to this situation."

"Information?" 

'Did someone find out about our capture and sent information to the Crown? Were there insiders?... I wouldn't be surprised if there were.'

'Hum… He said he isn'trepresenting the Crown, and if the Crown had been warned about this, he wouldn't be the only one here right now.'

'The way he moves and his gear is also quite Unique, but I recognize his sword technique. That alone should prove his identity for there aren't many bold enough to practice it in broad daylight like that…'

'He is considerably versed in etiquette as well, albeit he isn't really making much effort to keep it… Thankfully… It would be terrible if I had to keep etiquette in my condition.'

'Is he part of some secret effort of the Kingdom? Like the "Raptors" of the Elven Empire…'

"Yes, information that something unusual was happening in the mountain range… So I came to investigate." 

"That's… Good."

"Then… It's my turn now."

"Of course." 

"First, can you tell me your name?"

"..."

But he didn't say anything. 

Philip smiled under the mask, expecting this to happen, still, he proclaimed:

"You can be assured that I don't have anything against the Princess… Knight Jiu-Al."

"... So you already know who I am?" 

Philip looked at the princess momentarily before replying:

"It's not that difficult really, dark hair, purple eyes, those ornaments…" 

"And most importantly, the symbol on the hilt of your sword." He said as he turned his head back to Jiu

"In the end, it becomes obvious who you are." 

Jiu-Al was surprised as he heard his statement.

"... I didn't expect you to know those details." 

'Normally, only scholars or those of high etiquette training would spot those.'

'It would require quite a bit of information on Elven etiquette.'

"I'll take that as praise." 

Jiu-Al remained silent as he thought about the subject before he opened his mouth to speak: 

"... Then you must know that the Parad Academy has opened its gates for a new batch of students…"

"Due to some… Complications, we decided to send one of our Princesses to attend it."

"Yes, I heard it happened before… You've sent two before, correct?"

'From his emotional state, it seems he's finally decided to trust me. Or rather, there's no issue in hiding anything anymore.'

'That's good, there was a possibility he would strike at me, and I'd be forced to subdue him, and I'd rather not risk it.'

"Yes… The issue was… Even though I was extremely cautious, one of my direct subordinates poisoned my food with an unknown substance, and now… I can barely even walk."

"And that moment of carelessness caused all of this to happen." 

"I see." 

'This confirms it then. There hasn't been many changes in this event. Not that there would be many given it happened before we were even summoned.'

Either way, Philip nodded, thankful for the information as he said:

"Your words were the final pieces for this puzzle."

"On my way here, I discovered that someone was smuggling an unusual number of Wild and High Orcs into our territory. Having them grow stronger and more numerous with each passing year."

"At first, I believed they were here to strike down at the garden, but I wondered about the reason for such. Now… My theory is that those Orcs would be used as a smokescreen for what is happening here."

As he finished that, Philip took out a burnt diary from his jacket, handing it to Jiu-Al.

"That aside, I got this diary from the Knight's body… I apologize for that."

'I've already taken a look at the diary and imprinted its contents in the Phantom Library, I have no need for it anymore.'

'But they do... With it, they should be able to piece together who went after them… Not like it was that hard for them to figure out from the beginning.'

'Still, there are at least a dozen individuals between Yer-Al and the First Prince in the chain of command if not more… Someone else will likely take Jiu-Al's wrath once he recovers.'

"... It's okay, the moment he betrayed us was when he stopped being a Royal Knight."

He shook his head, looking at the diary with pity and even some confusion.

"Even if you had captured him alive, I doubt I would've been able to bring him back to the capital, and even then…" 

Jiu-Al wasn't dumb; he knew how to connect the dots, that was one of the reasons why he left the capital with the Princess. It was to escape the fight for the throne. 

But it isn't so easy to run away, as this is the fate they were bound to shoulder… 

'I find it strange that Yer-Al wrote a diary… I never saw him do such… But I never saw his betrayal either.'

'I suppose I never truly knew the kind of man he was.'

"This story of yours is quite interesting… I never expected this would extend to the political struggles of another Empire…"

"..."

The knight remained silent as he bit his lips. 

"However, I can't really blame you all for this, the most I can do in this situation is help you… That's the most I can do."

'From the Human's perspective, if the Crown was to help the princess right now, even if she was used as a tool to wage war against them, the other elven factions might see this as the King taking sides, and they may even brand her as a traitor. Maybe even as a way to push the attention away from this event.'

'Even more issues would arise from this… They may even find another reason to wage war.'

'Dae didn't tell me what to do, but his notebook told me to push them away from the mountains before the Crown arrives. And while they can't flee the mountain range before the Crown catches up to them, they'll likely observe from afar before interfering.'

'The Crown may even assist them in leaving the mountain range and send a representative once they settle in a nearby town.'

"I fully understand your point. Any help, even if little, is appreciated… Now that I am free, it's only a matter of time before I recover…"

But Philip interrupted him: 

"I may be able to help you with your problem if you allow me to inspect you. I know you don't trust me yet, and being honest, I don't trust you either; we just met each other and we probably will never meet each other again."

"However, it's not like you are in a condition to proceed further, much less protect someone else. And it wouldn't bore well with my conscience if I let you go like this."

"I might have a solution for the poison in your body, if you allow me to inspect you, that is."

'There's a chance he'll succeed in healing himself, but that chance is slim. If I let him go like this he'll likely die.'

'And that's not good at all… If he refuses here, even if I have to knock him out…'

"..." 

Jiu-Al weighed his options as his thoughts conflicted.

Eventually, he turned around to look at his Princess for confirmation, and she nodded in reply. 

"Alright, I will trust you this time, and if you can help me, I will be forever in your debt…"

"I will remember that." 

Philip smiled, turning around as he looked at the ground.

/Push!/

With the power of his mind, he flattened the ground, sitting down as he waited for the elf to follow after.

Once he sat before him, Philip began inspecting him, starting from the arms, chest, neck, and ending with his eyes.

Obviously, he knew nothing at all about the process, and as he looked at the green and purple veins and the sickly skin he remembered what Dae told him right before he left:

—

"... The reason why I can't give you a cure is because it isn't really poison."

"Not poison? What's wrong with him then?"

"Well… If everything is correct, then he's most liked, INFECTED with a parasite rather than being poisoned."

"The chances of it being anything else are slim, but I've written everything to look out for, just in case."

"As for the parasite, to be precise, it's the larval stage of a certain insect not native to this continent… Let's jump the details and go straight to how to remove it."

As Dae said that, he crouched on the ground, drawing on the ground with a piece of white chalk:

"To cure him of it, we need to figure out what stage of its life it is in since each stage has a specific way we need to use to remove it." 

"Upon being introduced into a suitable host, it'll immediately begin its development, and the moment the host starts to develop symptoms is when the parasite reaches its first phase of development."

"There are two more stages in its life cycle before it reaches maturity. And if it reaches maturity, you'll need to be careful with its removal."

"Something doesn't quite add up, just where do you find a parasite that can put such a powerhouse to shame?" 

"This is a complicated world, and strength doesn't equate to immunity. It just signifies that there are fewer threats to their life… Albeit in some cases, it increases…"

"There are many, many sorts of parasites and many ways to use them… Especially if you find a way to shove them past one's barriers."

"This type of parasite disrupts the energy channels inside its host by lodging inside them, mostly as a form of defense to prevent its host from expelling or destroying it once its presence is revealed."

"It is greatly used by terrorist groups in the Northern portion of the continent for interrogation." 

"It can stop someone from utilizing their energy or, at the very least, make it very hard."

"The parasite is a very elusive creature, and its method of fighting isn't well known. And those who know make sure it remains a well-kept secret."

Dae patted Philip's shoulders as he walked past him:

"For most people, not being able to use their energy cripples most of their fighting power. And that's why such a parasite is kept a secret… Such a creature shouldn't be allowed to exist… At least, not in the hands of your enemies…" 

"Now, don't look at me like that. Even if you end up being infected by it, nothing will happen."

"Why?"

"Because your body will just consume and disassemble anything it deems a threat to its health. That doesn't mean you're free to walk barefoot in a swamp. There are some nasty parasites out there, don't play with that kind of fire…"

…

—

"Do you feel pain if I do this?" Philip asked as he pressed his chest

"I don't." 

"Alright…" 

Philip continued with his tests, crossing line by line on his mind as he followed the diary's directions.

Funny enough, he even took out a stethoscope to better hear his blood pumping… And soon…

"I found the problem." 

'I've checked everything, it's definitely a parasite. I can feel it faintly inside his chest… Maybe even kill it, but better not risk it when I already have a better method.'

"Really?"

"There is a parasite in your body… And it's rather big."

"What?!" 

Jiu-Al closed his eyes to seek out this parasite but no matter how much he scanned himself, he couldn't find a single trace of it anywhere!

Seeing this, Philip gently poked his chest right underneath his heart, making Jiu-Al's whole body grow cold…

"It's right here, but don't try to force it out, else you may suffer irrecoverable damage."

"I… What do I do?"

'I never felt it before… Even when I tried to heal my body while I was in prison… Many exotic creatures exist in the Elven forests, but I don't remember such a parasite being mentioned anywhere… How did Yer-Al get his hands on it?'

'Is it not a native creature? But if that's the case, where is it from?'

"I can remove it if I can find out what species it is…" 

Philip took another item from his inventory, a bottle with a viscous blue liquid inside.

"Alright… Drink this for me, please." 

"..."

Without hesitation, the Elf drank it. 

/Shoon…/

"?"

Soon, his body started to turn translucent as his organs around his digestive tract became visible… 

Philip took out a strange object and put it on his chest. 

/SHINE!/

A powerful light hit his chest, showing even a faint outline of his bones. 

Bellow his heart, the outline of a strange creature appeared… 

"!!!"

While his awkward angle made it difficult for him to see, Jiu-Al still managed to observe the parasite underneath his beating heart.

Seeing it up close made him cold to the bone…

"Ha… I think I know what this is."

'This size… Definitely the third stage… One step away from maturity. Not the best but far from the worst case scenario.'

The insect couldn't be seen very well, its body was rolled up, and if it was fully spread, it would be the size of an adult's hand…

Like a worm, coiled underneath his heart… 

"By the…" 

"This is slightly more troublesome but the solution for it is rather simple." 

Philip took two more flasks, one with a purple, smooth liquid, and the other full of white powder.

"You drink this and this. The rest is on me." 

"What is this for?" Asked the Elf as he grabbed the bottles

"One is a solution that will be absorbed by your body and weaken the parasite, the other is an anesthesia." 

"... And why do we need that?" He asked with a grim expression as he realized what was about to happen

"..."

Philip didn't reply; instead, he looked at the Elf… Before pulling a small knife and hammer from his inventory.

"... I won't take the anesthesia, I can't allow myself to get numb in this situation."

"In that case, you can just spread it on your chest, it isn't going to fully numb you, but it will certainly decrease the pain." 

"But just in case…"

/GULP!... Gulp…/

Philip looked at the Orcs in the distance and called for a few of them. And albeit confused, after hearing what he had to say, they all nodded in understanding, approaching Jiu-Al as he gulped down the potion and applied the powder on his chest.

Soon enough Jiu-Al laid down on the ground and the High Orcs bound each of his limbs, preventing him from moving.

The Princess looked at the scene from afar, but as her eyes met with Jiu-Al's, she understood everything was fine and sat down quietly, praying in silence for his well-being.

"Just count some sheep, this will be quick." Philip said in a serious tone as he heated his tools to sterilize them

"What are you going to do?…" Jiu-Al asked as he looked at the clouds in the sky

Of course, he already knew what was about to happen…

/SPLURGE!/

/CRACK!/

"ARRRRRGGG!!!!"

"J-Jiu!"

A brutal scene unfolded before them all as Philip slowly opened his chest and unceremoniously cracked his ribs open, revealing his beating heart and the creature hidden underneath it, twitching as it reacted to the sunlight…

/Grab!/

Philip grasped the Parasite and pulled! And with a small "pop" the already weakened parasite was removed out of the Elf's body!... Together with a lot of blood and even some white fragments and pus… 

It was way too sudden! When the Elf, already tired and weak, felt the pain, the parasite was already out of his body! 

/Twitch!/

It was a strange red creature that looked like an oversized maggot, but if you looked closely, you could see several legs growing inside of its translucent skin. 

It was in the middle of a change, ready to burst out into its final form!

"HUFFF… HUFF…" 

He felt weak in the legs; the pain was excruciating… 

"Here you go, man." 

'Did I put everything back? Maybe I shouldn't have broken his ribs… I'm no doctor anyway. I'm good at breaking things open forcefully, not gently… Much less putting them back together.'

'... There is a bone fragment left… Meh, the potion will heal that.'

/GULP!/

/Shaa…/

Smoke was released from his wounds as his body heated up, condensing the cold winds around them as if he had stepped out from a sauna.

It didn't take long for the Elf to recover his bearings and focus. The High Orcs stepped back and left to join the others.

Jiu-Al immediately focused on recovering as he felt his body go back to normal, all the while hearing Philip's explanation: 

"You're lucky, see these small legs? It was almost on its adult stage, a few more days, and you would have died due to it bursting your heart appart." 

"..."

The Elf had a twisted expression as he opened his eyes to look at the creature, it was unknown if it was due to the pain or anger. 

As this happened, others also began to take note of their situation…

"What happened?" One of the slaves asked as they were scorted out of their hiding place by a bunch of muscular Orcs

"I hope nothing bad happens…" Another slave asked out loud as he looked at Philip and Jiu-Al in the distance

Unfortunate, due to Orcs circling around them, most couldn't see what was happening. 

"..."

'What happened there?... By the looks of it, it doesn't seem to be anything too serious…'

Out of all of the slaves, the Princess was the most worried about the situation. 

She was conflicted between approaching and leaving… If something bad had happened, Jiu would have already acted, and even if something did happen, approaching him woundn't change anything.

'Running away won't change anything… A few meters of distance won't allow me to escape that warrior. Not when I disobeyed Jiu's orders…'

She looked at the Orcs around her, had she not forced her way inside the circle, maybe she would have a better chance of running away.

But in the gist of the moment, she made another choice…

/Step… Step…/

The princess grabbed her dress and dashed towards the two… 

…

/Step step step!/

The princess approached the two in a hurry, and was obviously noticed by them.

"Pr-p-sh-s…" 

/Tap…/

Jiu tried to speak, but whenever his lungs moved, his whole chest ached.

With a light tap, Philip shut him down as he turned to the Princess:

"Nice to meet you, Princess Larin. I truly apologize for what happened to you and the others." 

At the same time, Philip bowed down in accordance with Elven tradition.

This refined display of elven etiquette stunned her; not expecting a human to perform such rites.

Of course, Philip was forced to learn this much not so long ago… Bowing and speaking formally were the only things he knew. 

"Erm…"

She quickly dismissed her unnecessary thoughts and replied: 

"It's not the Human's fault, warrior… I am ashamed to affirm that this is all due to our great Elven Empire politics…" 

The princess replied with a courteous bow of her own, but her words were spiteful and sharp. Not directed at him but the very land she was born in.

She didn't seem to be very appreciative of her homeland.

"I am sorry for my… Lack of manners, I would like to accompany you all for a bit longer, but… I am currently working on a tight schedule." 

"I understand, I won't take any more of your time, but is it possible for you to share with me your name?"

"... My Family name is Vinten, but my first name is confidential, and I hope your Highness can keep this name a secret as well." 

'Her emotions are light… A bit tense, but I imagine I succeeded in leaving a positive impression.'

'It's not like it will make that much of a difference if I share my name; however, my identity as a Hero must be kept a secret for now.'

'When the time comes, the Heroes will become famous, and people will surely try to learn more about them. Until then, I'd rather not get too much attention on me.'

'After all, even though several nations have their own Heroes, their identities are all well-kept secrets. And if one nation plotted to have another nation's Heroes dead, it wouldn't be that far off for another to do the same.'

""!""

Jiu and the Princess opened their eyes wide as Philip revealed his name, but before the Elf and the Princess could say anything more, he said as he turned to Jiu-Al: 

"I already discussed everything with your Knight, I also already treated him from his affliction. From here on, he will be able to fully heal in a matter of a few weeks." 

"I am… More than glad to hear that…" Said the Princess as a small tear dropped from her eye

"..."

'She sure is dramatic… But she's been through a lot. Being kidnapped and almost being sold for slavery can make anyone emotional.'

Philip knew she was being honest and not faking, but still… 

"You two will be going to the Parad Academy, right?" 

'I must push the plan forward.'

"That's… Due to the current circumstances, I am forced to say that yes… We will be going to the Parad Academy, albeit I'm uncertain if we'll remain there for long." The Princess replied as she nodded dejectedly

"That!... Urg…" 

"Jiu! Don't speak!" 

She crouched next to him, ripping her clothes apart as she tried to cover the wound on his chest, but Jiu refused.

A light tug of war between the two ensued as Philip watched them from the side…

Once Jiu-Al convinced her to stop trying, he closed his eyes, leaving it all to her as he focused on healing his wounds.

Philip took this chance to say:

"I wish you safe travels, Princess…" 

"I can say the same… And I hope that by the next time we meet, we can share some tea together." 

Philip nodded before turning to the side, slowly going on his way towards the mountain passage in the distance. 

"Oh… Before I go, I have a favor to ask."

"Please say so, warrior!"

"Those High Orcs… They've been forcefully taken from their homes and now lack a place to stay."

"I won't ask much from you, but maybe you can convince the others to give them a secretive place to stay and lay low. Take it as payment for my actions."

"They'll protect you as much as they can, but it'd be better if you discussed the details with them…"

"I'll find them a place to stay, for not only have they aided us, but they're also key witnesses to everything that happened here."

"Thank you… Just try not to paint us in too bad of a light…" He said with a dry laugh as his eyes grew soft

After a few steps, Philip turned into mist as he dashed forward, disappearing from their eyes…

/Shaaa…/

The fog around them grew thinner, and soon enough, only the stained snow where he trod upon was left.

"..."

The Knight sneakily opened his left eye and gazed in the direction Philip disappeared. 

'Looks like something is going to happen in the North. I need to recover soon.'

'After securing her Highness' safety, we will need to search for allies… They already attacked us once, even when she retreated from the fight for the throne. If they did it once, they will surely try again.'

'No more holding back. There were others willing to support us if we chose to resist, but her Highness's lack of interest made them step back and watch from afar… Enough is enough.'

'It fills me with dread to push my liege to war… But there isn't another choice.'

'After a thousand years, the Eternal Woods will be drowned in fire once more.'

And with that, he closed his eyes as he fully focused on circulating his internal energy. 

"..."

The Princess stood there, looking at the horizon silently before a thin smile grew on her face.

She turned around to face the other slaves and Orcs before slowly making her way to them… 

…

/A few hours later…/

/Steeep… Steeeep…/

"This place is so eerie man… All of this darkness and the darned echo…" 

"... darned echo…"

"... darned echo…"

"... echo…"

"..."

Philip traveled across the ancient dwarven shafts, heading North towards the other half of the continent.

The tunnel was relatively wide, being large enough for 3-4 wagons to pass side by side. 

The ceiling was relatively high, standing at around five meters tall. Unusual given the size of the Dwarves, but their Empire was quite large at its pinnacle, so cultural and architectural diversity was equally numerous. 

The architecture on the ground, walls, and ceilings was relatively smooth, but it was clear it was very well made. But at the same time, it was clear this place was rather old… But not broken.

After all, how old was this passage again?... Dwarf craftsmanship is nothing to scoff at. 

…

/Step step…/

It had been some time since Philip entered the secret mountain passage. 

To not get lost in the complex system of tunnels and holes, Philip investigated the camp in search of a map and he quickly found one. 

With the remaining guards gathering in the central part of the camp and their subsequent defeat, moving around the place couldn't have been easier.

And while the path so far had been marked, Philip still felt better knowing he had a map in his hands. 

He already had his fair share of getting lost in underground dark passages… 

"Let's see… If I follow this map, it should take me around two days on foot to reach the other side, then four to five days for me to reach the bottom of the mountains." Philip muttered out loud as he shone light onto the map with a lantern

He soon finished reading the rest of it, memorizing it. He hadn't done so before because he chose to make some distance between himself and the others to avoid an awkward meeting.

But what he cared the most about wasn't them but those potentially after him.

"Hum… I should be able to do it within two days if I keep running nonstop…"

'It may seem too much if you think I will be reaching my destination a few days early, but if we count the time I would have to take after descending the mountains… I might cut a week's worth of travel time.'

'In my current situation, every second counts; I have a 5-month deadline, and whatever little I can gather, I shall.'

…

/A few minutes later…/

[Your summoned creature has returned to the imaginary plane]

"Oh?" 

Philip stopped in surprise as he ran around the dark tunnel.

If it left… It means…'

"So you killed everything, huh? Good job." He said with a small smile as he looked forward

'I left it behind to devour and take down the remaining Wild Orcs. While leaving the loot behind pained me a little, what matters are the Blood Echoes I receive with each strike.'

"How many echoes do I have now?"

[...

Blood echoes: 421468 (1407552 for next Level)

…]

"Not much has changed… Well, I expected this much."

'The snake did eat a lot of Orcs as I fought. After a certain while, it began moving quite slowly.'

'I only let it be for the sake of it.'

"I suppose this is the end of this matter… There's only one thing left to do."

'I've gathered many items as I slew the Orcs, weapons, armor, consumables, and other items that can be converted into Blood Echoes.'

'They won't amount to much in the end, but a few Levels and cleaning my inventory are in high demand…'

"Let me end this real quick…" He said out loud as he snapped his fingers

/Crunk…/

/Shaa…/

Mist gathered, and a door was conjured from the beyond…

From within, the Courier stepped out with his translucent scroll in hand, and without hesitation, Philip began selling his items one by one.

He simple had far too many items, some he was fine with hoarding like bullets, especially since selling them all wouldn't change much at the end of the day.

But what was he going to do with a bunch of Orc axes? Even if they were a little strange, given they were loot items, he saw little value in them.

A few could be kept for research, but the rest…

They were all converted.

But as he cleaned it all, he quickly stopped as he saw something odd in the shop:

"What is this?... New items in the shop?"

"Great forest bow? Elderwood Helmet?... What the… Where did you guys get this?" He asked out loud with a frown as he scratched the back of his head

But the courier just looked at him… It seemed to convey a faint meaning, but Philip couldn't quite understanding him, not in the same way he could the messengers.

"... What could be the reason?... This?"

[Broken Elven Crest]

'Is this it? It's my first time getting something like this in reality.'

"I see…"

'Just like in the game, where collecting these crests would expand the shop, if I get similar items from this world, will these guys also expand their shop choices?'

"Another interesting concept I was unaware of… But either way, there doesn't seem to be anything interesting here…" He said as he browsed the shop as he looked for any new item

'A few new weapons, consumables… Some are extremely expensive, albeit most of them are paid not in Blood Echoes but in Insight.'

'And right now, I have no use for it.'

'I was saving it but I just have nowhere worth expending it on. Everything I wanted to acquire has already been bought, anything else would be luxury and a waste. Especially since I haven't been able to get more.'

'Insight is one of the few things, together with the Arcane forces, that I have yet to understand and give a purpose to from this Class.'

'I'm slowly figuring out the Arcane, but Insight… It's not merely a measure of my understanding…'

'Palpable Enlightenment? A side product from the process of opening your mind to the Cosmos?'

'What does it even refer to? I don't have such mystic knowledge inside of me… Or do I?...'

"I… Can't tell…"

'There is one thing that I know about it, however… Is that so far, it doesn't seem to be affecting me negatively.'

'... Sigh, not like I need anything right now, I will take a better look later.'

Without hesitation, Philip expended all of his Echoes to strengthen himself. 

[

Name: Philip Vinten

Class: Old Hunter

Subclass: Military veteran

Insight: 26

Blood echoes: 18065 (1727189 for next Level)

Level 393

Vitality: 99

Endurance: 99

Strength: 99

Skill: 99

Bloodtinge: 99

Arcane: 90

…

]

"Not enough?... Maybe if I sell all of my "critical" consumables…"

Honestly, over 70% of his inventory was considered critical. If he sold it all, he'd definitely be able to gather enough to advance.

But after putting on some thought, he shook his head.

"This isn't the place nor the time for that."

'If everything I know about this Skill, including Dae's report of what he knew, are to be believed and followed, I'll likely end up stuck in another dimension or fabricated reality while my body remains here.'

'It's too risky of a procedure to undergo, especially out here… Not to consider I'll likely grow weaker due to my newest Status not being as developed as this one.'

'Losing all of these extra Stats from this Class will weaken me severely, which may take a while for me to redevelop with another Class.'

'Gamerverse will definitely activate as soon as it deems the situation fit, and I don't have the luxury of being thrown into another dimension as I try to cross the border.'

"On the other hand, there's nothing stopping me from gathering a few extra bucks on the way…"

After checking a few more things and tightening his pants, Philip once again dashed towards his future… 

…

/Let's roll back to a few hours ago…/

While Philip ran into the underground passage and the Swamp snake hunted down whatever was too slow to flee from its fangs, a mysterious figure could be seen overlooking the slaves from atop the ruined castle. 

His clothes were rather run-down, but he didn't look like a beggar… His clothes were just old and worn down, having seen and experienced far too much to be shared within a single night.

Confidence and sharpness were in his eyes as he scanned his surroundings, albeit... With his unkempt, shallow beard, he looked like an overworked uncle as he maintained his post.

"Sigh…" 

He stayed there, silently watching… And after a few minutes, he got up and left…

But not before letting out a long sigh. 

When he moved, Jiu-Al quickly opened his eyes and turned to the mountain as the mysterious man vanished.

"..."

'They're here.'

'It's time to leave…'

…

/Shaaaa…/

A few minutes later, the same man stepped out of the shadows behind the Heroes' dormitory, the Adrius Palace. 

Tapping his shoulders as he cleaned them from the snow and ice, he smiled lightly as he said to the person in front of him:

"I knew you would be here." 

"..."

The Blue-haired maid didn't say anything as she stared at him as if waiting for something. 

"Come on. Are you going to keep yourself silent this time, too? Look at all the trouble you caused this time…" 

"Hum? What are you talking about?" 

She raised her hand to her mouth, as if displaying shock. But given her monotone… She was definitely messing with him.

Her veil also made it hard to discern how she truly felt, as if her personality wasn't enough.

"Look, don't try to faint ignorance this time, I can't write this one off this time." He said in frustration as he tapped his boots on the ground, only for him to be blocked by the maid 

As if she was going to let him inside after she just cleaned the place…

"... I can imagine how you convinced that old man to help you, but its your job to take care of them all. Do you think anyone will overlook this?"

"... Overlook what?"

"I… I'm not paid enough for this…"

"Why did you let him leave?... No, why have you been ignoring those kids' antics? You know that…"

"I think you're trying to make a mountain of a molehill."

"... Right. Joke around all you want. I'm not the one who's going to write the report this time."

He took a small crystal from his jacket, throwing it lightly at her.

"I already did my part. So handle the rest yourself."

"I really can't understand why you've decided to overlook that guy… I can picture your desire to let the Heroes be, but this is almost bordering on willful negligence. No… It's already that."

"But I suppose you're lucky, or rather, you knew he'd succeed. You likely won't face repercussions for this matter."

"..."

Still, no matter how much he spoke, she did not reply.

But the man had a strange feeling as he spoke, he felt as if she was smiling, even though her face was hidden by the veil. 

"Sigh, look, there is no need for you to be like this, I am not stupid, nor am I that petty, we've known each other for a long time, I wouldn't ditch on you for something like this."

He sat on a nearby bench next to the door, stretching his legs as he looked at the insects flying around.

"I don't really care about what you do in here; you know me…"

"Yes, you are very lazy." She said in a straight tone

"Come on…" He said as his head fell slightly

But he soon lifted it and said: 

"Just try not to make my job any harder than it already is…"

"You literally do nothing all day."

"That's way harder than it seems! I feel worse when nothing's happening… Makes me feel as if something's about to happen… Which it did. Thanks to somebody's lack of action."

",,,"

"Anyhow, this time, I can't overlook this, it's serious business… Just thinking about it irks me."

"Because you'll be punished?"

"Yeah… Wait. Why would I be punished?!"

"Because you failed in fulfilling your task."

"It wasn't my job to overseer those fools!... Let's leave this for another time." 

He kicked a rock on the ground as he scoffed.

/Clack!/

The rock hit a tree, shaking it slightly.

"Also... Old man, how about you stop being a pervert and come talk with us?" 

"Watch your words, young man. I'm old, but I still have some energy left in my bones." The old butler said as he stepped out from behind the tree

"... By looking at you, I imagine you also know about our recent escapee, right?" 

"Not really, I wasn't here when it happened." He said as he turned his head to the blue-haired girl

"Sigh… In that case, get us a communicator, I need to contact his Majesty. Right now."

""...""

The Butler and maid frowned. 

"Is it that serious?" She asked as her voice grew a little heavier

"Heh… Now you are interested in what I have to say?"

"Or is it because this blew out of your expectations." 

"..."

The maid just remained in place as she lightly clenched her hands. 

The man immediately felt as if an invisible mountain was pressing him down… 

"Come on! Don't be like that… Arg…"

He got up from the bench and stepped inside the Palace.

"Just come with me, and you will understand…" 

"..."

The maid followed soon after without complaint while the old butler sighed loudly, closing the door behind them.

/Clack!/

…

/One hour later…/ 

In a vast white hall where the heroes were summoned… Six people could be seen standing next to each other.

In the throne, the King sat with a deep expression.

On his right, the Red Knight; On his left, Head noble Skypos Lupio Hyl. 

Below him, was none other than the Head Butler of the Adrius Palace, Alfus, head Maid of the Adrius Palace, Lingy, and the mysterious man in run-down clothes. 

They were all in silence as they waited for the King to make his decision. 

And he didn't seem pleased at all… His face showed his anger as his brows furrowed. 

"You called me out of nowhere and presented me with a situation so important that I was forced to return ahead of time..." 

His voice grew heavier as his hands clasped the throne's arms…

"Let me see if I understood this correctly." 

"In the morning, one of our Heroes decided to sneak out, somehow avoiding all of our eyes, sentries, and blockages, going deep into the forest and beyond it…"

"No one tried to stop him; no one even seemed to notice his disappearance until he didn't return that very night, over half a day after his disappearance."

He looked at the Maid and the Butler, but neither said anything.

"On his way, he coincidentally found out about something even I did not, killing around ten thousand Wild Orc warriors within the span of a day…"

"And these Orcs have been hiding in plain sight for the past decade. With the ones in charge of managing their numbers and maintaining the security of our borders… Now gone."

"I shall take responsibility for this, your Majesty…" The Red Knight spoke as he tapped his chest

"This isn't something to be blamed on you. If anything, the one at fault is me." Lupio added as he spoke firmly 

"Silence. Let me finish this first. We can decide the course of action afterward. And once this is resolved, then we can care about who's to blame."

""...""

"Moving on, the Hero didn't stop there. Making his way to the Slave Transport point. Which, as far as I knew, was confidential information…"

"I can give some room, given the unusual abilities some of the Heroes have displayed… But that doesn't compare to what he found and did there."

"The transport point was meant to serve as a way for us to monitor the traffic of illegal slaves coming into the Empire, yet, breaking the agreement, in this batch, nobility, and important merchants, including figures such as… Duke Werevigs oldest daughter, Elder Uj Son from the Pilon Dwarf Clan, and even Princess Larin from the Elven Empire." He said in an incredibly solemn tone as he tapped on his table

"That is correct… Your majesty." The mysterious man said as he bowed deeply

The King stood there looking at the three people under him and sighed. 

"And this isn't speaking of the High Orcs smuggled into our territory and their goals… Or rather, the goals of those who pushed them here."

"In the end, the Hero dismantled everything on his way, taking out the brunt of the Wild Orcs, the slavers, and assisting the slaves by pushing them to their freedom. Effectively avoiding an issue of international magnitude…"

"What great news! Hahaha!" He said out loud as he laughed

""...""

While the King's reaction was unusual, everyone reacted as if this was nothing surprising. 

The King scoffed as he rested his chin on his fist.

"I was getting numb from all of those boring papers and Nobles from the capital… Looking back at it, they were probably trying to divert my attention. Wanting to take me away from the Garden at the most sensible time." 

'I should've stuck with my plans and remained to observe their progress, but my lack of decision led to a gap in our defenses, one just wide enough for them to strike.'

/BANG!/

In a display of immense might, the King slammed his fist into the throne's arm, the wind pressure of this move was so great that some of the purple knights on the side were almost sent flying across the hall. 

/Crack!/

The ground shook as marble tiles and paint were peeled off! Being sent flying across the air like bullets!

"HOW DARE THEY TRY TO DO SUCH A THING?!"

/Shaa…/

But he soon calmed down. 

"... At this moment… They are probably thinking that they will soon have their opportunity…" He spoke in a low tone as he scratched his beard

"We can use this change to root them all out." Lupio added as he adjusted his glasses

"That's what I am thinking…" 

He turned his gaze to the man in run-down clothes. 

"Erenias, go back to the mountain range and protect them on their way back, if possible, try to make contact with the Princess and see if you can convince her to accept our escort." 

"Yes, your Majesty." 

"At the same time, I want you to write me a report on why you let him get away. And it better be convincing." He said deeply as his eyes grew dark

"I… I understand…"

There was no way Erenias wouldn't be able to go after Philip if he wanted to. He may use the excuse of his duty being the priority, but it does not pardon his actions.

If that wasn't the case, the King wouldn't have let him off the hook like that.

"Lingy and Alfus, although this event allowed us to avoid a disaster, I extend to you the same question."

"Could one of you explain why you allowed him to leave?" 

"..."

Erenias threw a glance at Lingy, but as he saw her nonchalant attitude, he knew exactly what she was about to say:

"It's not like I could keep track of him. I mean, the Heroes were free to do what they wanted from the beginning, and as long as he didn't leave the garden, it was fine."

"How could I know he was going to cross the border? The passage was supposed to be confidential." She said as she crossed her arms and turned to the side

""...""

The king face-palmed as his eyelids twitched, but he only smiled in the end. 

"Alright, I understand." 

But he soon thought: 

'She seems unwilling to give me an explanation… There she goes with her whimsical attitude again…'

'It seems the reports were correct. He has indeed caught her eye.'

'From what I heard, the Hero has excelled in many fields, but not to the point of justifying her interest… I wonder what he did that attracted her attention, she must've seen something others have not.'

'I suppose I'll have to request Erenias to be 'thorough' with his report.'

His thoughts sorted, the King spoke deeply:

"Either way, we need to deal with him now." 

"I think we should leave him alone for now." The Red Knight added all of a sudden

The King and the others were rather surprised. 

"Can you tell me why, Igros?" 

"For someone who managed to accomplish all of this in the span of a month, I believe it might be more worthwhile to observe him and slowly approach him rather than immediate suppression." 

"It seems this is a person who excels by following their desires rather than following orders in a controlled environment."

"Humph… And you call everything we gave them so far, controlling? If its space he needs to succeed, I can grant it to him, but letting him leave our territory is illogical."

"That is exactly what Heroes are, your Majesty."

The King smiled, seemingly satisfied with his answer. 

"That's right, if I start to suppress and eliminate those who performed great deeds to our Kingdom, how can I call myself a King…" 

"However, this does not remove the stigmas he carries. He is a summoned Hero, and we must proceed cautiously." 

"I will assign an agent to observe him from a distance and provide support if necessary, your Majesty." Lupio said as he bowed, almost as if he read the King's mind

"Good. We can discuss the details later." He said as he got up

"Also, I would like to receive a report next time you all decide to… "Liberate" one of the Heroes." The King added as he looked at the three below him

"I don't mind making exceptional circumstances for exceptional individuals, but I'd rather be aware of it then be surprised."

""Per your will.""

"Hum… Igros, come with me, we need to determine a course of action to eliminate these pesky traitors… I have tolerated them for long enough." 

The King's fists flashed with light, but they soon returned to their normal appearance.

/Step…/

As the King vanished within the corridors, the Red Knight followed close.

"Then, everyone, this meeting is now concluded."

/CLAP!/

Lupio clapped his hands, causing a plethora of maids to swarm the Hall.

Without a single order, they all began cleaning and repairing the area. Silently and efficiently…

Within a minute, the superficial damage within the hall was gone, and all Maids quickly lined up next to the wall, bowing gently.

After doing so, Lupin bowed and waved to the trio below the throne, going after the King as well. 

/March!/

The Maids followed him, the echoes of their high heels reverberating within the hall.

And once the bar was clear…

"... Phew… It's over." Erenias spoke as he stretched his body

"Well then, everyone, I have work to do." 

He said nothing else before disappearing into a tiny spec of dark mist that quickly dissipated into the air.

Now, in the vast room, of the original six, only the old Butler and the cute Maid were left. 

/Chuckle…/

"... I am too old for this." 

The old butler tapped Lingy's shoulder as he placed his other arm behind his back.

"It's ok to have a bit of fun, little girl, as that is the point of living... But I hope you made the right choice in this."

"Sometimes, releasing a tiny fish in the ocean can lead to all life… Ceasing to be…"

"..."

But the girl… Did not reply. 

/Shaa…/

In the grand white hall, the lone blue-haired maid seemed almost divine… 

…

/END OF VOLUME 1 - THE NEW WORLD/

.

.

.

Notes

This is it, the end. If you've read this far, you've seen what this Novel will likely be about. And while I plan to make it better and more explosive as we reach the Climaxes of the plot points, I don't want to overpromise either.

I'm happy for the interest if you chose to stay or leave!... But do drop a power stone or something on the way, ahem...

Originally, we had 20 chapters for Volume 1, but I somehow wrote around 8 extra chapters worth of content; not adding all of the chapters, I essentially doubled without cutting.

It's safe to say these 28 chapters are equivalent to 40 of the previous story, and somehow, I feel as if they weren't bloated.

A few lines of detail here and there do add up... I did add a few extra chapters worth of content, of course; those added up, too, I suppose.

For now, I'll focus on my other Novel and move on from there. In the meantime, I likely won't post any chapters with the same frequency as I've been doing.

I posted about 10 chapters in two weeks or so, and while it's not hard for me to edit 6K words every day, it's not easy for me to write an additional 3K or so from my other works on top of that.

I'll likely edit what I can and stack up a few chapters. Someone suggested I post it on Patreon but even if I do, I'll likely not make it paid.

I'll likely just leave them on my Google Doc, maybe leave it open for those interested in reading them, and help me point out inconsistencies before I post them; I like that idea somewhat.

As for the changes, Philip is much stronger than before, and hopefully, so is the power scaling.

While I made him stronger, I also ended up making everything around him stronger while changing Yer-Al's status as an actual Royal Knight to something more dubious, although it did not properly say what he is and what role he had, only that he was somewhat close to Jiu-Al before betraying him for some reason.

Philip was supposed to max out his Class right now, but I knew this would mess up some things so I chose not to. However, I am thinking about what may happen if he does it BEFORE joining the Academy. Now, that would be interesting to see...

Either way, from here on out, Philip will join the Academy and seek out the Origin Orbs as Dae begins to lay out his plan to flip out Fate.

There will be many extra encounters planned for the story, and since I don't plan on cutting chapters often, expect the original pace of the story to be maintained.

I have plans to add more conflicts, Povs, and remove some redundant explanations from the story. In fact, I've removed quite a few already, so maybe an entire chapter is worth of conversation...

Not much else to say. Expect more from Petter, Dae, and the other Heroes as well, including the villains and the thoughts of other side characters to make them more relevant to the story.

Ideas are welcomed. I've loved the ideas for universes people have given me so far, and I have some in line for possible "fit-ins" in the next Volume.

Some of those include:

-Monster Hunter, but I fear it may be too redundant. And while it's good to emphasize that the Mc won't win every time, it's not interesting to read about an entire adventure that ends in shit. It doesn't feel good at all and its extra hard to write.

For all who read Attack on Titan and even BNHA, you'll understand. And if everyone here has ever read BONES, you'll likely understand what futility means too.

-The Witcher, cool idea, but my understanding of the Lore is small. Probably for the Magic, but does he even need it in a world that already has it? Same goes for many other Magic worlds.

-Persona, fitting for the idea that Philip can manifest dreams and the imaginary into reality with his mind, could go for some interesting concepts.

Overall, I'd say that smaller, indie, or double AA games would be within the margin of what I can pull off with my skills.

This does not mean you can just come here and say Calamity Terraria, please; balancing Bloodborne was already hard; don't throw more Elder-Cosmic Gods for me to try and make sense of once he returns to his reality.

Not that I don't appreciate the attempt. 👍

Some cool indie games I've taken a look at:

-Your only move is Hustle

-Crypt of the Necrodancer 

-Dead Cells

-Cult of the Lamb

-Skul the Hero Slayer

There are many more but the list is a bit big...

I'm not very interested in tech-based worlds, but I can understand their appeal, especially if done right.

Anyhow, I've blabbered a bit much. I was planning on leaving this for an intervolume chapter, but I added it all here.

Thank you all for reading this far, and congratulations on finishing the first Volume!