1 Fate

Erl never thought a day would arrive when he would reincarnate as the over-killed NPC in the game. As the NPC whose fate was to die at the beginning of the story, is there a much worse fate than that?

Unfortunately, "Yes, there is." And that was… when those deaths happened not only once or twice but countless times.

And what's worse was that the memory and experience of those deaths was passed in a matter of seconds. And within those seconds, death came multiple times.

Can you imagine that?

The person who inherited that frightening legacy was none other than...

"Why me of all people?!" Erl exclaimed.

ARRRRGGGGHHH!!!

He clutched his head to try to fight the extreme pain that suddenly assaulted him, but his legs could not bear it so he wobbled, and then he collapsed on the ground.

Did I commit a very big sin to be punished like this?

The memories that appeared in his mind contained nothing but repeatedly dying at the hands of not only monsters but also….. players?!

Actually, as a person who enjoys video games as well, he knew that there are many types of players in video games. And he could assure that many of them are cheeky brats who would randomly go into killing spree mode. Well, he himself experienced it, especially when he was playing a game like GTA or Grand Theft Auto. It was a fun game where you could murder all the non-playable characters, or NPC in short, in that game.

It seemed like this game also had a mechanic where a player could attack an NPC. And since this NPC who he became now, was the first NPC the players would encounter at the beginning of their journey, he naturally became the subject for their test attack, out of curiosity and pleasure.

"How cruel…"

It was only now that he turned into one that he realized the cruelty of injustice toward the NPC.

The pain from those repeated deaths came like a curse and caused an insane amount of mental damage to him.

"I have to break free from this curse!" He shouted as he resolved himself to survive.

When he glanced around, he noticed he was not far from a forest. That forest had a gloomy and eerie atmosphere for some reason. It seemed he was around the foothill that was covered by slight fog. He could see a narrow road a few steps away from him. That road curved around the foothill. If he followed it, he would reach the Erste Village. It was the village where he lived. It was the very first village the player could reach.

On the other hand, the place where he was at the moment was known as the Area Of Beginning. The name alone suggested that it was the area where the players would appear first for the fateful encounter with the NPC, who has become him.

Maybe to break free from this fate of repeated death, he had to move away from this place and avoid the encounter with the player.

With that in mind, Erl forced his body to get up and moved away from there. However, a couple of steps forward, he bumped into an invisible barrier, preventing him from leaving the area.

"No way…" he pounded the invisible barrier as he mumbled in a dejected voice.

The barrier produced a sturdy noise. Hearing that, the expression in his face turned bitter. It seemed impossible for him to break it.

To make matters worse, right at that moment, a systematic sound resounded from behind him.

Erl turned around in haste; his eyes turned wide at what he saw. Some particles of light were gathering where a magic circle appeared. It was a sign that someone would spawn at any second from now.

Another encounter was about to begin, and this encounter would lead to him dying once again.

"It can't be…" He trembled. "I don't want to die again!" He shouted in a panicky voice.

The memory of dying all over again makes him go insane. His eyes shook and he stepped back subconsciously but his back hit the invisible barrier. He could not escape. The thought of dying once again fell onto him. He didn't want to die again. But what can he do in his current situation? The invisible barrier won't let him go away. Was it his fate to die here again and again? Was there no other way to escape from this curse?!

If that was the case…

What was the point of reincarnating me in this world?! To suffer even more? I don't need that!

Erl gritted his teeth. He must think of something— something that could help him survive in this predicament. However, he realized how hard it was to think when you were running out of time. He couldn't focus. So, nothing came to his mind.

The player's body was now almost completely materialized. Erl was at a loss. He didn't want to give up, but the situation was so cruel. It was as if the world itself wanted him to die and die again and again.

At that moment, he noticed something on the ground. His eyes immediately turned sharp. "If you can't play the good guy, sometimes you've got to play the villain." This quote appeared in his mind and he voiced it out.

To escape from this loop of repeated death, he has to write his own script. He must unfollow the same fate.

With an absence of emotion, he picked up the object that was on the ground. When the new player finally fully materialized, her two obsidian pearls widened in disbelief. For sure she didn't expect to find someone grabbing her neck from behind and choking her to death at the beginning of the game.

But she noticed something hilarious. The strength of the person who was strangling her wasn't admirable. She could actually brush it off like brushing away an insect.

Erl also noticed it. Actually, based on his knowledge of this game, common people like him had 1 point only in all their stats. On the contrary, the players had 5 starting points in all their stats. The disparity in their stats was tremendously unfair. That's why it was a given that she was far stronger than him.

But unexpectedly, before she could brush him away, something was stuffed in her mouth. It was an herb. An herb known as Bitternight Herb. It looked like ordinary grass but the color was bluish purple. The taste was bitter but that wasn't the point. The point was that her strength was waning in an alarming speed and her consciousness was slipping away due to it.

"BASHDARD!"

She exclaimed in a muffled sounding voice.

With one eye overcast with rage and the other hollowed like the abyss, Erl shouted, "DIE!", in a cold and lack of empathy voice while sticking on her back like a gecko.

Eh?!

Gyakk!!!

Before she could pull out her strength to outpower her assailant, the effect of the herb took effect on her. Her eyes turned white and her body lost strength. Then an unconscious, defenseless body was lying on the ground. She was a pretty girl but there was no sign of that right now. Erl picked a stone on the ground. It was as big as his head. He then mercilessly smashed her head till he was certain the player died.

The sight was very gruesome. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he looked at it. He kneeled on the ground and let the tears flow from his eyes. Guilt and relief were clashing inside him. No matter what, he could not get rid of the idea that he killed a person. He reminded himself that it was just an avatar, but the feeling transmitted into his hands when he smashed it was undeniably very realistic.

About a minute later, the bloody corpse glowed and gradually broke into particles of light without leaving any traces of the crime scene. Seeing that somehow put him at ease. If the corpse did not disappear, the conscience would be far greater.

Erl's shoulders could even be seen trembling. But every second, he calmed down bit by bit.

"Hehe—hehe… Hahaha! Hahaha! Fuck this guilty feeling!" With a blood-soaked face, he laughed hysterically. The thought that he survived brought so much joy into him. The most important thing was he succeeded! He successfully killed the player and he survived the ordeal.

Strange notifications in glowing red texts appeared before him suddenly.

Ding!

[You have killed a person.]

Ding!

[The "Mark of a killer" was imbued in your soul.]

Erl looked surprised, he didn't expect someone like him who was a common NPC to receive notifications like this. But thinking about it, it was probably to mark him as a dangerous person who had killed a player, or a "Player Kill" status. But he soon looked dumbfounded as more notifications came in.

Ding!

[For imbuing the "Mark of a killer" crest in your soul, you gained +1000 points to all your stats.]

Ding!

[For imbuing the "Mark of a killer" crest in your soul, you also acquired the "The Killer" title.]

Ding!

["The Killer" title achieved.]

Ding!

[For achieving the "The Killer" title, Intimidation skill was acquired.]

Ding!

["First Blood" title achieved.]

Ding!

[For achieving the "First Blood" title, Blood Transmutation skill was acquired.]

After those notifications, Erl felt his interior burning up. His whole body also started to become exceedingly painful. The feeling was as if all his muscles were ripped apart.

"Ugh! What's happening now?!"

Erl's body landed on the ground. He curled up while hugging his stomach, and he writhed in pain once again.

"Damn! This is so painful! Is this the price for killing someone?!" His whole body was immediately covered in sweat.

The pain only lasted for a minute and Erl realized he had become stronger— much much stronger. A thousand times stronger compared to him earlier. 'Wha—! How ridiculously fascinating it was,' Erl thought while dripping sweat falling to the ground.

Thanks to his knowledge of this game. He could use it to his benefit.

In this game, the players gains additional stats and becomes stronger once they levels up. How about he? He wasn't a player and not a special NPC either, who has access to the level-up system of the game, so the level-up mechanic wasn't applied to him.

Because he wasn't privy to any status growth supposedly that's why it was a big question for him to have his status raised. And more than that, those floating texts. Is this what they meant by "cheat power" granted for reincarnator only? If that was the case, then it was very fascinating! Well, aside from that, there was no other explanation he could think of. His shock was due to a deja vu feeling towards those texts. For some reason, they seemed to be familiar to him but he could not remember it.

After the player's body dissipated, an item was left on the ground. It looked like a stone in a diamond shape. When he picked it up, he realized it was indeed a stone, but not an ordinary stone. Something inside it was gleaming. Like an overflowing energy. The stone itself was warm as though it was a living creature.

While he was enchanted by it, a growling noise reached him. He glanced around and eventually saw a figure coming out from the nearby forest.

It had an eerie aura oozing from its body.

'The demonic bull!'

"So it's going to start, huh? I have no choice. I need to fight it. But can I kill it?" He looked slightly hesitant.

With his tremendous leap in stats, he believed he was far stronger than it. After all, in most MMORPG games, the first monster to appear was usually the powerless one. But anyhow, it was still scary.

So far, he has Intimidation and Blood Transmutation skills, all of which he had not tested using. They sounded cool and strong though. Just that, he had no idea how to use them. Anyway, since all his stats were raised by 1000 points, he could also kill it using his physical strength.

The demonic bull stomped the ground a few times before it bolted toward him.

On the ground, he saw the bloody stone that he used as a crime weapon just now. He kicked it towards the approaching demonic bull. As a result, the intended result did not happen, due to the strength of his kick, the stone's durability could not handle his strength. It crumbled to pieces in an instant, making his plan a total failure.

"What?!" Erl showed a dumbfounded face. But thinking about it, the result was natural since he applied too much strength to his kick.

With no other choice, he shouted, "INTIMIDATION!"

Swoosh~

A dull gush of wind passed by. Nothing happened, indicating his skill casting was also a total failure. He pointed his hand forward towards the rumbling bull.

Then he shouted, "BLOOD TRANSMUTATION!"

Fwoosh~

The same thing happened. Nothing happened.

As a result, the demonic bull struck him in the stomach and it was too late for him to evade when he realized. Erl found himself flying in the air. The expression on his face indicated surprise and disbelief.

"What the hell? How can this bull have so much power?"

'Isn't it supposedly a weak mob?'

His stats already raised to 1000 points each, and yet, this mob still sent him flying in the air?! How is that possible?!

His body crashed on the ground, then rolled many times and skidded like a ragged doll. He quickly stood up. Thanks to his high stats, his body became tough.

But there was a smell of blood in his mouth. When he spat, red saliva came out.

The bull charged at him again. It intended to not give him a break.

"Fuck! If that's what you want! Then bring it on!" Erl also charged at it. He intended to collide with it.

The ground cracked as their feet stomped the ground very forcefully. When the collision happened, it was as though a bomb exploded as two opposing forces collided in a flash.

What the hell? Erl thought in shock. He was sent flying once again. How come this first mob was this powerful? Is this a joke? He couldn't believe it.

When he stood again, you could see his old yellow T-shirt torn apart. Mini bruises were all over his body.

He brushed the blood on his mouth using his arm. While at it, he thought to himself, 'Perhaps this first mob is the type of mob whose stats depend on the stats of its opponent! Since all my stats were at 1000 each, perhaps this mob also has the same stats as me, or maybe even greater!'

"This is bad. This dumb bull is far stronger than me."

At that moment, a notification appeared before him.

Ding!

[You need to concentrate your magical power into one point. If you want to unleash your skill using your hand, then focus an exact amount of magical energy in that hand to unleash it. And if it was your finger, then focus your magical energy on your finger to unleash it. Then visualize in your mind how you unleash your skill.]

According to my memory, I am the kind of NPC whose role was to give guidance to the new player before dying to give the player a realization of how to manifest his skill and give him or her an epic comeback over the enemy.

Around this time, a few miles away from the Erste Village, some figures could be seen flying in the sky. On a closer look, it turned out they were white dragons. They were flying towards the direction of the Erste Village. It also could be seen that some people were riding on them. Their figures were covered by white and gold cloth so it was difficult to identify their identities.

"Lynn! Are you sure the coordinates are in that area?!" Asked one of them. The voice indicates she was a female of around 20-30 years old.

As she was speaking, a small magic circle could be seen near her face. It was magic to transmit her voice without the need to shout, especially since they were a few hundred feet above the ground. The wind pressure was strong, communicating in that condition should be impossible. But with magic, everything seemed possible.

On the person named Lynn, there was also the same magic circle beside her face. She replied, "Yes, I'm certain of it, Miss Gwenner!"

"Alright, everybody, let's speed up! We needed to get rid of the anomaly as soon as possible!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The five dragons flew even faster.

When they arrived at their destination, they frowned when they noticed how measly the surroundings had turned into. Cracks and holes on the ground could be seen around.

They quickly jumped off from the dragons' back.

"What had happened here?" Gwenner asked as she looked around.

"It was as if high-level individuals were clashing in this area, Miss Gwenner," said one of her companions.

There was a frown on Gwenner's face when she heard it.

"Indeed," replied Gwenner. "Looking at it, it seemed it happened not long ago," Gwenner quickly scanned the surroundings.

"That's what I believe as well," Lyn agreed.

"Quick! Investigate the area and look for someone or something responsible for the mess, except for Lynn."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The three companions scattered around. Each of them flew in different directions. Gwenner asked Lynn to follow her. They walked and stopped in front of the road.

"As I thought, the barrier on this side has been broken," Gwenner said while facing an empty space.

"Do you think the anomaly is the one responsible for this?" Lynn asked.

"I don't know. It depends on what kind of anomaly it is. Anyway, if the barrier is left unfixed, it will be a big problem later."

"Can you do something about it?"

"It wasn't completely gone, but just broken. I think yes, but I need your help," Gwenner said.

"Alright."

The two of them worked together to fix the barrier. They reimbursed the broken part with their holy magic energy.

After some time, her companions returned.

"Miss Gwenner, we couldn't find anyone! But I found a monster carcass on the west side," reported one of them. The other one showed up as well and he showed something. "I couldn't find anyone as well but I found this!" He showed a basket with a few herbs in it. The third companion also arrived. "I found no one as well but when I investigated the surroundings, I found traces of dark energy and a faint divine energy around," said the third companion.

"What? Dark energy and divine energy?!" Gwenner looked dumbfounded.