It Just Begun

A small village far in the west, Derdun Village. They rarely ever get a visitor being isolated from the big cities and surrounded by dense forest. This in turn, was a blessing in disguise for the villagers. It wasn't crowded and quite peaceful. Even so, the soldiers never slack in their training. Life and death of the villager rests on their hands.

On a faithful day, there were two particular soldiers guarding the village entrance. The entrance was barricaded by a big gate made of metal, it was made by a talented blacksmith in their village. When they were busy daydreaming, a person approached them. A fat man wearing a glasses with a black hair.

'A rare characteristic. This person isn't a local.'

Squinting his eyes, Dran lifted his spear.

"Halt!"

The fat man was startled and scared stiff. He suddenly yelled, 'I'm innocent!' Dran noticed how weak this fat man is. He has no muscle and sluggish like a slime.

He acted suspicious and lied about being a traveller. It was such a stupid lie. Not even a kid would fall for that one. The fat man's attire was something he never seen before. Perhaps Dran would believe the fat man if he said he were a foreigner from a far away land.

Thus the moment he tried to barge in the village through force was a cinch for Dran to stop him. However, he overdid it and 'accidentally' killed him.

Just as he was confused whether to feel guilt or pity, the fat man's corpse disappeared into dust. He heard a voice behind him and there he was, the fat man is alive and well. That's the moment it struck him, 'He's an apostle!'

Living in an isolated village like this limited his experience in the outside world, but he knew about this phenomenon. An apostle of the gods that can revive on their own after death. An immortal, but not really immortal.

He has heard many bad things about those apostles. They are arrogant and do whatever they wanted. He even heard stories how an apostle raided a village, killed the men and raped the women and children. Dran doesn't have a good impression of them at all.

He started chasing the fat man and decapitated him in a flash. The corpse once again turned into dust, the fat man was revived somewhere else this time. Clicking his tongue, he went back and reported the incident to the captain in charge.

Describing the fat man's characteristics, they made a drawing of his face with a 'Wanted' plastered on top.

This is the story of how Len became infamous in Derdun village.

The next day he didn't come. The next day also. After a week, Dran started to forget the fat man. It was after another week another event occured.

The fat man came back.

"Halt! It's you again! Coming for trouble are- Ah!!?"

But he didn't came empty handed this time. He lifted his hand and showed it to them. The sapphire monkey's disfigured head. Dran saw the sapphire monkey before, he knew it's 100% real.

The fat man's appearance was tattered and stained with dry blood. His hair was messy, eyes bloodshot and he did lost some weight. His unsightly appearance maden him tense. What could possibly happened? How come an immortal became ended up in this state?

It was then the fat man made an absurd trade. A sapphire monkey fang to let him enter the village. What does this fat man meant? What's his objective? A sapphire monkey fang would sell for at least 50.000 gills in the auction. Entrance fee for outsider is only 250 gills, it's not even 1% of it.

'Has he gone mad?'

He stared at the fat man's eyes. There was no trace of hesitation and doubt. He's for real, trading 50.000 gills for 250 gills.

Dran exchanged glances with his partner and nodded. Both of them were thinking the same thing. This fat man… no, this Man…

...Is an idiot.

He hunted the sapphire monkey for a bit more than a week and wanted to trade 50.000 gills just for a pass.

Both Dran and his partner felt guilt. This man was just an idiot who doesn't know anything. They felt extremely guilty and bad for killing him the other time.

'No, this poor man deserve better than this…'

He gave the man a scroll that let him enter any city within the kingdom for free. It's the least he could do.

Handing it to him with a smile, pity still washed upon him. Dran decided to give his report and remove the wanted poster of this man. Not only that, he will even tell the villagers of his 'condition' and to treat him kindly.

Rushing inside the village after receiving the fang, he immediately informed the villagers and other soldiers.

…

"..."

Len was left dumbfounded after reading the notifications. His reputation increased but he can't remove this odd feeling of being scammed.

'Well, all's well ends well.'

The soldier ran back inside after Len handed him the fang and the other remained guarded. He saluted and motioned Len to enter the village with his hands.

"Hoho, thanks."

What Len imagined was a village where the houses were made with woods and straws. Instead what he got was houses made of brick and stones. The condition of the village was much better than what he imagined.

Dong~! Dong~! Dong~!

Len raised his chin, there was a tower with a giant bell on top.

'A cathedral?'

It rangs and echoed through the whole village. Len noticed that the villager began to rush and finish their works and went inside their houses.

The sun was about to set and darkness will cover the land.

'I've read this in the internet. There's not much light at nightbreak so people went back home around 6 or 7 and sleep early…'

The people always wakes up early around 4 or 5 in the morning. Though Len wasn't quite sure about this world, but it has some similarities.

'...How am I supposed to get a place to sleep?'

Len felt a cold wind from his back. He shivered and hurried to find a store to sell his other sapphire monkey fangs.

But it was too late. When he found a store, it was already closed. Len walked around, hoping to find another store that's still open but it was all in vain.

Len found a small stone bridge and stopped. He wiped his cold sweat with his sleeves and walked to it. He saw his own reflection on the small river below the bridge.

He saw himself.

His face and clothes all tattered.

This imagery stunned him. He never thought that he looked this bad.

It burned deep into his brain. His messy hair and clothes stained with dirt and mud, blood shot eyes, and dried blood all over his body.

He wondered, if there were still villager around and sees him in this appearance... how would they react?

Maybe it was the best that there weren't any people right now.

He fell on his bottom and hugged his knees, just like in the forest. Hungry, thirsty, cold and lost.

He levelled up and earned stats points, acquired skills and a quest. But in the end if he doesn't know how to utilize it correctly, it's pointless to have them in the first place. He will stay like the way he was. Weak and lost like a little lamb without his shepherd.

Just as Len drowned in misery, a shadow loomed over him.

"Oy kid."

Lifting his head, a towering figure stood before him.

A old man over 3 metres. Wearing something similar to a tank top, its bulging muscles reflected lights from the sunset behind and made him look like a wise hidden kung-fu master.

"Ah…"

Since when he was there? Len didn't notice him coming at all.

Short white hair and beard which reminded him of a soldier haircut. The red hairband he wore fluttered on the wind. He extended his hand at Len and said.

"You are the kid that Dran was talking about, right?"

"D-Dran? Who?"

"No matter. Stand up kid."

Len blanked and accepted his help. Len noticed how his hands are full of calluses and scars.

'Is he a real hidden kung-fu master?'

Both of them stared at each other for a second before the old man broke the silence.

"You slayed the sapphire monkey?"

"Huh!? Uh, yes, that I did, but slay isn't exactly the right word…"

"You have the fur, is that correct?"

"Y-yes, I do. What about it?"

The sapphire monkey fur is a quest item. It did said to visit Derdun village and there's someone interested in it. Was it this old man? If that's right, what could the rewards of the quest be?

"How about this, I will buy it for 500.000 gills?"

Len's eyes bulged out. He's not sure what is gills and how much they worth, but 500.000 is certainly a huge sum.

Just as he was about to accept, he felt something amiss.

'Wait, wasn't it said the reward might be something better than money? Then why he's buying it with money? Could it be that this old man is not the person I'm looking for?'

Gritting his teeth, Len resoluted himself to trust the quest. It was stated for a reason. He chose to believe it and refused the old man's offer.

"I'm sorry, but no thank you. I won't sell it for money." Len felt a tear dropped from the corner of his eyes as he said this.

The old man's eyes sharpened. Len felt his body went numb. This was the first time he got intimidated by someone else. His whole body felt heavy and sweat poured profusely yet, he still stood his ground with determination shining in his pupils.

Len has died many times. He was killed and eaten before his very eyes.

He does not fear death.

His experience in dying has steeled his heart. No matter how many times he died there will be a second chance thus making him numb of death.

Meeting the old man's gaze, Len didn't falter.

After a few seconds of silence, Len saw the corner of the old man's mouth twitched.

"Ha…"

"Eh?"

"Hahahaha!!!"

It was such a typical reaction that he would found in a shounen manga. An old man that seems extremely macho and scary apparently is a goofy old fart. Len didn't expect to encounter this event in real life at all even though it's happened a lot.

"Alright kid, you win. Even if I kill you, you will just revive somewhere else and lose my only chance to acquire a great material. How about this, hand over the fur and I will teach you blacksmithing."

Ting!

[Sapphire Monkey Fur (Quest)] Updated!

You have found a mysterious person who will teach you blacksmithing for the fur!

The quest will be completed once you give him he fur.

Rewards:

100.000 EXP

10 SP

'Wow, 100.000 EXP? So much? Or is it…?'

Len's current level was 19, he required a little less than a hundred thousand EXP to level up.

Basically, Len earned 1 level.

'It looks a lot, then why does it feel so little?'

Len now was wondering what would happen if he accepted the 500.000 gills. Len guessed he would fail. The mission reward was not about the money. So, it actually still depends on himself whether to complete it or not. He could just abandon a quest if he doesn't like it and went for his desired alternative reward instead.

Len opened his inventory and took out the fur. As he handed it to the old man, a loud fanfare rang.

Pam~ param pam~!!

[Sapphire Monkey Fur (Quest) has been completed!]

[Rewards has been sent to inventory!]

Checking is inventory, Len found 2 new items. 100.00-EXP-card and 10-SP-card.

'I can keep it? I don't have to use it immediately?'

"Kuahaha! Look at you! You look worse than a cockroach! Come with me, it will be dark soon. My daughter is cooking fish soup tonight!"

The old man turned around and signaled Len to follow him.

With an empty look, Len snapped and realized what just happened. The old man was already walked far ahead of him.

"W-wait!"

Len didn't think the quest could lead to this kind of development. No, Len didn't even think about development. Unlike when he arrived, he was always thinking that this world is like a game, and everything will happen according to a 'pattern' or 'trope'. He somewhat believed that the world was aiding him and all he needed to do was just do whatever he wanted and enjoy it as everything will be given to him.

Strength, fame, wealth, and love. He believed from his deepest part of his heart those things will come to him as if he were the golden child of god.

But that changed after he died numerous times to the point of losing his sanity. Entering the [Berserk] state has changed his nature bit by bit every time he used it. He won't shrink back and tuck his tail between his legs every time he faced a hurdle he can't overcome anymore. Facing death again and again combined with his ability to revive had transformed his perspective of the world.

He's growing slowly.

He's no longer stagnant like in his old days. For once, he went outside his comfort territory and set his foot in a new zone, a new whole world.

In a world where people can revive after death and combined together with an RPG system, just how far his growth will go?

His meeting with the mysterious blacksmith marked the beginning of his adventures in the world of Orion.