31 First Death

A player donning a maid uniform with long black hair ran across the cold grounds of Niflheim. She had a rather peculiar maid uniform that appeared armored and had a beautiful face coupled with swirling, black hole-like eyes. She was currently running in a cave system, trying to find the cave ruin where her master awaited her.

"Just where is this Frozen Hallow of Sin?" Mei Mei ran all around the cave ruins.

Just 20 minutes ago, she received an in-game call from her master, and he wanted her to log in immediately and meet him at the Frozen Hallow of Sin, which was in Niflheim. She was doing chores, cleaning the house, and preparing food, but she had to stop all her work to meet her master's unreasonable demands. And she just couldn't say no to him, even though it would be troublesome for her to leave all her work.

Her master, a few hours ago, had for some reason transferred his entire inventory to her because apparently, he needed to try something, and she wondered if it was also related to that something.

Mei Mei continued her search as she went around different cave ruins, entering and exiting with great efficiency. Usually, she wouldn't have such problems finding her master in the game because her [Noble Stalker] class allowed her to use the skill [Shadow Slave], which basically allowed her to have a bond with a person and immediately appear beside them.

When she logged in and checked the skill options, there was no option to appear in the shadow of Lucian. That's also why she was a little worried. Why that happened, she didn't think much of it. She checked her friendlist, which had only one friend, Lucian, and she was also not able to see him there, as if he were not even playing the game. But she was sure he was in the game because when she heard his words in the call, she could hear some BGM of attacks and stuff.

"I hope he's not doing something troublesome..." Mei Mei muttered to herself as she ran around, leaving shadows behind her. Just as she was about to enter another Cave Ruins to look inside, she saw some players running in the same direction.

"Right! I'm definitely participating in this raid!" One of the Heteromorphic players said; he looked like a spirit.

"We can't be too sure. What if this world enemy is super strong?" His friend, the player running beside him, looked like a plant, asked.

"Like hell! Didn't you read the quest request? It's a player who turned himself into a world enemy. The origin is a player, that means he can't be that OP. We can get some good rewards if we kill him," said the player.

"Sigh~ let's just see what Frozen Hallow of Sin holds," replied the other player.

Mei mei heard the two players, two heteremorph players running towards one of the cave ruins. She had an ability from her Noble Stalker class called [Whispers of the Wind] which allows her to listen any conversation going on between players, even if she was further away from them.

"Looks like master is again creating trouble..." Mei mei muttered as she used her ability [Shadow Meld] to immediately blend together with the shadow the players, following them without their knowledge. They were both level 100 players, but unless they had specific detection skills, they would never be able to discover her..

Soon, she arrived in what appeared to be a frozen cavern with a gaping maw that was covered in sharp icicles. She allowed the players to enter the cavern before she immediately vanished, dispersing as if she were the wind.

The cavern inside was labyrinthine, and she had to navigate using her skills to reach the center of it. Unlike the players, who seemed to have taken some quest that allowed them to easily navigate through the cavern.

After five more minutes of navigating, she finally reached the center of the cavern, her central vision confirmed it. However, the scene taking place was...

The entire enormous cavern was surrounded by players, so many that counting them all was difficult. However, what she witnessed at the center was the most beautiful sight...

"Shit! Fuck! I'm dyi-"

"Aghhh.... Goddamn! I can't even deal one dama-"

"Devs will definitely ban yo-"

"What is this..." Mei Mei muttered to herself as she gazed at the carnage taking place. The players were flying here and there, vanishing after dying, and new players appearing afterward and doing the same.

At the center of this carnage stood a beauty, whose presence overshadowed all the players there. Despite some eccentric players with many effects, this individual simply standing there with a calm face, platinum hair cascading down his back, green swirling eyes, and black irises, a third eye on his forehead shone with an eerie light, eclipsing them all. He held a pitch-black scythe, its appearance as dark as an endless night.

He swung the scythe, and with each swing, players either took massive damage or were outright killed.

Mei Mei checked the player's status. No! It was not a player; it was a boss. He had a huge boss HP bar.

And not just any boss.

It was a World Enemy.

An enemy that threatened the world...

"Master..." Mei mei muttered as she looked at her master's new form. It was undeniably beautiful, but nothing could compare to her master's true face.

As for how she knew it was her master? How naive could anyone be? She was the self-proclaimed perfect maid, well-versed in every aspect of her master's identity. This included not only the obvious details but also the nuances, like the way he shifted his scythe from hand to hand every 5 seconds, his precise scythe swings, the method by which he seized the players, and even the way he employed his skills. She knew it all.

"We can't defeat him this way," one of the Heteromorphic players said, frustration apparent after engaging the boss for 20 minutes without inflicting a single point of damage.

"What's wrong, mortals?" The sin, the world enemy, inquired with a sly tone.

"Surprised to see a player as a world enemy?"

The players gazed at him with a mix of worry and anticipation. They had already reported this unusual occurrence to the game developers and received a notification that it would be fixed soon.

Yet, the players were driven by the allure of the rewards. The quest offered substantial rewards, and there was a high chance for the world enemy to drop rare loot or even a world item. Encountering a world enemy was exceedingly rare, as they were hidden secret bosses. However, when an announcement spread to every player in the world, more and more players flocked to the scene, replacing those who fell. Even the fallen players quickly returned, hoping to contribute to the world enemy's defeat. Despite it being a player origin, this world enemy proved to be an insurmountable challenge, toying with the countless players who attempted to bring it down.

******

The endless sea of players greeted Lucian as soon as he exited the dungeon door. It was followed by a notification announcing a new quest, filling him with excitement.

Without hesitation, Lucian delved into the crowd of players. Now that he had broken the level limit, he could play as much as he wanted. Immediately, he utilized his sin skills to weaken them by 30%, and then the carnage began.

The first line of players fell to a single strike of the Burning Sin Lance, a spell that unleashed massive area-of-effect damage. With Lucian's stats, one attack was all it took to annihilate them.

However, the continuous influx of players persisted, attacking him relentlessly. His first move was to contact Mei Mei and call her for assistance. Afterward, he examined his new abilities, which were undeniably interesting.

After using an ability [Reality of Sin], which was likely the ultimate skill of the Sin of Lust that she never got to use, Lucian's body began to undergo a significant transformation. His sclera turned black, and a third eye opened on his forehead.

As Lucian grew weary of dealing damage solely through his skills, he activated another ability called [Binary Armament]. This ability not only turned his body into natural armor but also, when combined with the [Quantum Form] ability, enabled him to conjure a weapon surpassing Divine Class. All he had to do was utilize the ability, and a black scythe materialized – a scythe he could control as if it were his own limb.

Lucian continued his battle, efficiently slashing and dealing damage with his scythe, as he became increasingly exhilarated. He felt intoxicated and detached from reality, reveling in the overwhelming sensation of power, even within the game.

"Master!"

Lucian snapped back to reality upon hearing the familiar voice. He turned to see a black shadow swiftly dispatching a player, then appearing beside him. Lucian refrained from attacking her and allowed her to approach.

It was Mei Mei, her tone as usual, expressing both concern and nonchalance. "What's going on, Master? Have you finally broken the game?" she inquired.

"Mei Mei, I need your help," Lucian said as he hurled his scythe towards a row of players, causing it to inflict damage to multiple targets before transforming into a fluid-like substance that flowed back to him, almost as if it were alive.

Mei Mei responded with a hint of humor and a touch of pride, "What kind of help would a world enemy need from a weak player like me?"

Lucian's expression turned serious. "Now's not the time for joke. You see, after using a world item, I'm unable to do certain player activities. So, I need you to retrieve my gear. My beloved scythe, my beautiful armor, and my dear staff are all down there." He pointed behind him while casting a spell to deal AoE damage to the relentless wave of players. He had already eliminated over 400 players, yet more continued to spawn.

"As you wish," Mei Mei replied, vanishing as the entrance to the dungeon behind Lucian swung open.

"Let's see... I think I can get more stat points if I keep this going..." Lucian muttered to himself as the black liquid that had looked alive transformed back into a black scythe with intricate designs.

In the other end of the cavern, a goat demon was flying at a fast speed towards the center of the cavern.

He swiftly traversed the entire cavern and arrived at the centre of the cavern, which shocked him as he witnessed players, warriors, and mages alike being killed.

Spells were being cast, but they had no effect on the enemy at all.

"This is carnage," Ulbert muttered to himself as he observed the chaos unfolding.

No one was around him because he had come here alone, despite asking his friends to join him.

"Time to show them what The Great Demon of Disaster of Ainz Ooal Gown is capable of," Ulbert said as he decided to cast his most destructive super-tier spell, aiming it at the world enemy's location.

The world enemy looked ethereal but exuded tremendous pressure.

"What!" Ulbert shouted as he glanced at his stats, which had been reduced by 30%.

"This is cheating!" Ulbert exclaimed just as a player flew towards him.

"First time?" asked the now vanishing player.

"Tch! I'll deal damage," Ulbert said as he cast his spell.

A massive dome-like magic circle materialized, encircling Ulbert at its center. However, this magic circle differed from the typical white and crystalline ones, as it was an intense shade of red, prompting other players to cast curious glances towards Ulbert.

"Ulbert?" Lucian muttered, spotting the goat demon in the distance, positioned at the epicenter of the super-tier magic circle.

Lucian was very familiar with that specific magic circle; it was the unmistakable precursor to a super-tier spell of destruction, the most potent of its kind.

"Well done," Lucian acknowledged, fully aware of the impending grand catastrophe. He had wanted that spell at one point in his journey. Seeing his friend again after such a long time brought a genuine smile to his face, and what thrilled him even more was realizing that Ulbert had achieved the full potential of his Disaster Heritage. The unusual red hue of the super-tier spell and the roaring flames within each circle of the magic circle made it abundantly clear.

"Very good. Let's face this head-on," Lucian declared. Swinging his scythe, he carved a path through the players and then turned his attention to the goat demon, who stood in his characteristic cool pose. Ulbert raised his right hand, locking eyes with his adversary.

"Man, I've missed this feeling," Lucian confessed, his excitement surging as he gazed at Ulbert.

"Echo, primordial forces of ruin," Ulbert muttered as he initiated the spell.

Surprisingly, Lucian refrained from attacking him, leaving both the other players and even Ulbert himself puzzled. Nevertheless, Ulbert maintained his composure and continued with the incantation.

"Erupt, the ultimate catastrophe," Ulbert went on.

"Weep, the tears of despair and regret," he concluded, reciting the phrase while intentionally breaking an item he had never intended to use before his friends. But they were not here, so he was free to use it.

"[Grand Catastrophe]," Ulbert muttered as he shattered an hourglass in his hand, causing the magic circle to expand.

Around Ulbert, blue flames began to swirl, forming a blazing vortex with him at its center. Soon, however, the vortex expanded abruptly, emitting a deafening noise unlike any other spell. A torrent of azure flames roared in every direction, devouring everything in its insatiable hunger for destruction.

Even Lucian found himself bathed in these azure flames, which seemed to sear his body. However, Lucian was awar that it would have no effect on him. Or so he thought...

[-200]

"What!?" Lucian exclaimed, still engulfed by the vortex of azure flames. He leaped backward, but then he realized something was wrong – his body was growing heavy, as if he could no longer move.

Soon, the vortex dissipated, revealing a kneeling Lucian.

"Yo!!! I really did it!" Ulbert exclaimed in excitement as he ran back. His MP reaching rock bottom.

The other players had mixed reactions upon seeing Lucian's condition. Some were angry because they had taken damage due to Ulbert's spell, while others held hope because Lucian was the first person to damage the boss significantly, having taken a substantial chunk of its HP.

"Let's do it!"

"Let's attack! It's the best time to kill it!"

The unorganized players, each acting on their own, began to attack Lucian. In return, Lucian fought back, killing many of them. However, something was amiss. He started taking damage himself.

[-20]

[-12]

[-45]

"What the hell is happening!" Lucian shouted as he attempted to dodge a 10th-tier Gravity Maelstrom spell, yet he still took damage inexplicably.

[-34]

"Is this some glitch? Some ability that's siphoning my HP," Lucian wondered aloud. He checked his skills and abilities, but there was nothing noteworthy.

It didn't take long before Lucian's HP was plummeting to zero.

[-65]

He had allocated all his stat points to HP, but he was still losing it rapidly.

"[Reality Slash]," a slash tore through space and struck Lucian as he stood there, no longer attempting to defend because it seemed futile.

[-23]

Finally, his HP hit zero, and Lucian stood there. Strangely, there was no frustration or anger on his avatar's face.

And like that, for the first time, the player LuciLuci died...

*****

[Your HP has reached 0]

[You have Died]

Lucian saw those notifications before finding himself in what appeared to be a very familiar room. However, the room had a different color scheme, adorned mostly with glistening crystals.

[Location: Administrative Platform]

__________________________________________________

Sorry for any grammatical errors or issues today. I'm feeling rather sick, so I wasn't able to proofread. Also, English is not my native language, which makes it a little hard for me.

Anyway, starting tomorrow, dungeon preparation and NPC creation begins. After that, we'll have a time skip leading to the New World!

Also, guys, please suggest a second and third name for Lucian.

I've considered Lucian Aeternus, but I'm looking for another suggestion. If you have a better name in mind, please suggest it. His in-game name will change.