Chapter XXXII - Will To Live (part 1)

Far away from civilization, on an unexplored area of the continent.

A dark room, where six people are gathering, sitting around a round table.

Every single one of them is shown only the shadows of their real form, as if the bodies sitting on these chairs are not their real bodies. They are only the consciousness each of them has that was projected to this room, to attend the meeting.

In the middle of the table is a magic crystal, showing the picture of the orc god. Underneath his picture is his name, and right next to his name a word pops up out of nowhere. It reveals one word, 'Deceased'.

The man sitting at the front side of the round table leaned closer to see. Unlike the others, his body isn't made out of shadow. It is his own body, and this room belongs to him.

He hummed before he spoke.

"Hmm...? Galar has died."

His sound was so heavy, the whole world could vibrate just from hearing it. Everyone in the room would have shuddered in fear, if only their real bodies were there to listen to his voice. But only their consciousness is attending, hence they can speak freely.

"That's too bad. Having a mortal killed him... Is such a waste. He didn't even survive down there for a month. I wish I could kill him myself..."

Another milder sound coming from the other side of the table. It's a female.

"Please, Arach. You probably would have gone battered if you were to go against him."

A more humane sound coming from her right side. She let out a hissing sound as a reply to the mocking.

"Too bad, Harbinger. Your plan has failed."

Another owner of the humane sound from across the table looked at the person right next to him.

Though the room is dark, they could see his eyes. The eyes of a beast. On top of his head are two giant horns. 'He' is the very beast himself.

"You didn't expect a mortal to defeat a god, huh?"

"It could be the work of Haelen. Or maybe the other trash that we didn't clean up. That's fine, I still have one more pawn."

The sound vibrates the room again. It was so heavy it even put fear in others, even though their bodies aren't here.

"I don't think that 'pawn' will have much of an effect, Harbinger. It has been showing quite the resistance lately. I suggest we give him a push. Hurr..."

Another sound vibrates the room. But it's a different vibration. The kind that growls like a beast.

"Then, We will add one. I believe it's time for us to make a move."

The vibration of the fearsome voice shook the entire room, and one by one the shadows disappeared. The meeting ended, leaving only the man with the bright fangs grinning on the round table.

"Now then, I wonder who is the mortal that defeated Galar..."

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There are multiple deity-like beings in this world, such as gods, kings, or emperors. They ruled this world, or at least that is the case since thousands of years ago.

Every race had their own leaders. The human race was once ruled by a single powerful king. Until a fallout happened, splitting the human kingdom into four smaller kingdoms. Located right in the middle of the continent, the human's territory is the largest of them all with the highest populace. Though split in four, their strength remains strong.

The elven race stood strong with its single large kingdom on the north-east of the land. Led by a single true queen of elves, they withstood any threats from either monsters or the other races.

The dwarven lives in the mountains to the south-east of the continent. Most of them lived underground while some others lived on the surface or in the other kingdoms. Their leader, the king of dwarves, was rarely seen out in the open. There have been rumours that the king is a shy person, but certainly that wasn't the case.

Aside from the three main races that lived in peace and mutualism, there are other subraces that did not have their own kingdoms or settlements, like beastmen. Aside from them, there is one final main race that lived in the far east, secluded from the others.

The demon race, led by the demon king who was known to be the most powerful person on the continent, owned a single super giant kingdom in the east. Their kingdom's size alone is reported to be nearly three times larger than that of the human kingdoms.

The demons ruled over the eastern side of the continent, separated from the main continent by a large and wide desert. And their relation with all the other races couldn't be considered well.

It was known over time that the demons had always been so difficult to reach. One, because of their far distance from the other kingdoms, and two, because of their relations with the other races. As a result, it's probably safe to say that the possibility of war between the demon kingdom and the other races is like a ticking time bomb.

Aside from the four main races, there are also the monster races such as orcs, goblins, and the beasts. They are clearly hostile to all other races. These minor races lived underground, in the dungeons. 

The dungeons provide them with energy, rendering them unable to die even without food. And when the dungeon decides it's time, it will create a path that leads to outside where the beings inside can go out and live by themselves. This very incident is called a dungeon break.

Some of these races also had their leaders. The goblins were led by the goblin king, The orcs led by the god of orcs, even spiders had their own queen.

These so-called leaders of all races are known to be the leaders of the world, like gods and kings. They are feared and looked up upon.

However, aside from the leaders of each race, there are also gods that don't answer to anyone.

One of these gods is the God of Death.

And... that's it. That was the only part that mentions anything about the God of Death in the book. Truly, how disappointing.

The more I read about this book, the more weirded out I get.

Based on what Galar had mentioned, this 'God of Death' is somewhat connected to how I came to this place. Probably the reason why I somehow ended up in this body and this place.

The book does mention about the other gods, and I think it's important to note them as well. Aside from the God of Death, the other iconic gods and goddesses are the God of Destruction, Goddess of Restoration, and God of Creation. There is also the God of War who was known to be the strongest fighter in the land, which I find intriguing.

Are these names... given to them? Or did they name it themselves? Or was it some prophet who found this religion?

After finding this book from the library, I talked to the old lady so that I could borrow the book and take it back to the inn. I had to make a 'pinky promise' to grandma just so I could take the book back to the inn, where I would be reading it.

It's currently around an hour after sunrise, which is very early in the morning. I started reading the book after I washed my face when the first bell woke me up.

And somehow, I already finished reading half of the book.

"This book is so thin..."

It contains all the necessary information a normal person should know about the gods and kings of this world. But then again, what information that I wished to know couldn't be found in public books like these. I have to find a way to get more information.

After finishing the book an hour later, I went straight to the bath and allowed my bitter feeling in the morning get brushed off by the cold water. While water flowed down my body, my mind was already elsewhere.

Reading that book really puts me on edge. Because now I know that the very person I just defeated yesterday is actually a legit god. The God of Orcs.

It was insane how I managed to beat him in the first place. It was by pure chance that he looked down on me and underestimated me. If he hadn't done that and gone all out since the beginning, I wouldn't be here crying at my naked body.

Crying?

I looked at the mirror in the bathroom after wiping my whole body from the water. Yet, it still flows down my eyes.

I'm crying.

Heavily.

For the first time since forever, I somehow cried.

I touched my chest, feeling the indescribable pain inside that I have withstood since yesterday. I fell on my knees.

Despair, powerlessness, fear...

That time, if I hadn't been strong enough, Valey and Hod would've died. If I had let my guard down just a second, I would have lost my life.

For more than a month, I thought I have become powerful enough to overcome any problems in front of me. Then I ran into the god of orcs.

I could have died-No, I should have. Galar wasn't supposed to lose in that fight. He was far too powerful for me, and yet I somehow made it out through sheer luck.

Thinking about all the possibilities that would have happened if only I was any weaker, or if I ran out of luck, even just a little, I cried. Thinking about death, even after dying once.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's triggered by a terrifying event. Either experiencing it or witnessing it.

And yesterday... I witnessed it, experienced it, fought against it, and barely made it out in one piece.

Had things been not so lucky... I could've genuinely died.

I might have been overreacting now. But knowing that I almost lost my life, shook me quite hard. For once, I lost my energy to move.

Then I remembered Hod and Valey is waiting in the Office, to welcome the newly Blue ranked.

I should go. Keep moving forward.

Galar was a warning. I have to become stronger if I ever want to get home or stay alive.

After removing the tears from my eyes, I headed out the bathroom and started preparing. I put on the adventurers clothes set and head out to have a walk in the morning.

I'm going to meet my new friends. Is it wrong to be excited?

So many people were waiting right outside of the office this morning. They all wore their happy and worried faces, not knowing whether their friend or family had become a Blue ranked or not.

After meeting with Hod and Valey in front of the Office, we talked a bit about the Blue rank up test. They said that it went well and had no interruptions during the process. But the two seemed to look worried.

"You met her the night after we fought the giant serpent. Her name is Cony."

Hod looked at me with his right hand on his face, letting out a sigh. This Cony must be quite the person.

"She is... quite the interesting person, if I say."

Valey followed Hod's gesture, letting out a sigh as well.

"Okay... So, what's the problem, then?"

"Well... Let's hope she doesn't cause any trouble for the other adventurers..."

Hod looked at the south-eastern gate, which can be seen all the way from this hill. At least five carriages entered the kingdom through it as the knights on the side checked for security.

The first carriage to arrive at the Office was immediately bombarded by the adventurers that were waiting. They quickly found and choked their friends asking for how the test went. 

Looks like most of them didn't get through the test, while the others had succeeded. The ones that succeeded were praised, but the ones that failed didn't get hated. Instead, their friends tried to cheer them up so that they wouldn't feel down. Seeing this made my eyes watery again.

The second carriage arrived from checking and the adventurers quickly searched for their friends. When the adventurers stepped out one by one from the carriage, I immediately recognized him.

It was Cane. His hair was a bit shorter than the last time I saw him, so I guessed he had a haircut. But, his eyes reflect a deep focus. 

That focus disappears instantly when his friends, Brian and Gen rushed at him and hugged him at full force. Judging from their happy behaviour, I guess he passed.

The third and fourth carriage arrived at the same time. Jrake was in the fourth one. All the adventurers are swarming around him like flies on a rotten fruit. He is quite popular after all. The look on his face shows that he had passed, all happy and stuff.

The last carriage arrived, and the two person that Hod and Valey was waiting finally came out. Hod quickly approached them, followed by me and Valey.

"Hod!!"

The big guy shouted at Hod. I haven't met him before, but I think his name is Barett. His body was nicely built as his muscles stretched when he was about to hug Hod. The double axes and shield on his back shows me that he is some sort of tanker.

"Barett, how did it go?"

Valey asked from Hod's back. The big guy quickly moved back from Hod and looked at Valey.

"Well... For some of us, it went well. For the rest... You can ask her yourselves."

He looked back and showed the small girl that I saw back at the town after fighting the giant serpent. It's Cony.

"Ermm... Hey, guys..."

Cony seemed timid. Something tells me that she doesn't usually act like this.

"Come here."

Valey opened her arms. As if signalled, Cony ran towards her and hugged with full strength. She cried on Valey's shoulder.

"Sorry, I failed!"

"It's okay. It took me more than one try too, remember?"

Valey let go of her hug. Cony took a step back as she wiped her tears.

"There is still next month. Don't worry, Cony. Eventually, you will get it."

Valey held Cony's left hand and wished, stopping Cony from crying.

Hod came next, and hugged Cony. After a few seconds, he let go without saying anything. Then, he turned to me.

"Oh, Barett. Cony. I want you guys to meet Rize. She will be joining us as a team member."

Hod introduced me to the two with his hand pointing at me. Barett and Cony turned to me, looking surprised.