The Golden Apple

31/12/2023.

Happy New Year!!

<<<>>> 

Almost four years have passed since I met Alphiore.

Soon, I will turn twelve, and I will die.

For a long year I was trained by Alphiore, when then, he gives me a surprise.

…

"Brat, you have surpassed my expectations, and I finally know why kind of potential you have."

"It was time for you to know that." – I said with a little bit of arrogance in my voice.

"Hm, so, I decide that I will need help to really take advantage of your potential."

Then, two people appear.

A man and a woman.

My second and my third masters.

…

After a while, thanks to my second master, she told me what kind of disease I have.

It was an old sickness that devour slowly the vitality of a person, and once they were growing up, the suction of vitality increase, until the moment your body succumbs, and then, you die.

And guess what, there was no cure known.

Thank God I read the novel, and knew many things, one of them being the location of one of the most valuable things in this world, only one in existence.

In this world, there was the presence of the Six Great Trees, or the Sacred Trees:

The First Tree, the World Tree, the Silver Tree, the Knowledge Tree, the Life Tree, and the Death Tree.

But, in Heaven, there exist the Heavenly Tree.

And a fruit of that tree was in the world.

[The Golden Apple].

It not only brings a huge boost in stats, but cure one of all diseases and conditions, and gives a great vitality to the one who ate it. In the novel, one of the villains was the one who consumed the apple, bringing many problems to the protagonist.

So, now I need to get that apple before my twelfth birthday, and eat it to say goodbye you bitch, to my disease.

Still, it was going to be problematic, I need the help of someone, and curiously, my second master told me the answer.

'Why didn't I think about her?'

…

"You will go get that yellow apple?"

"Golden Apple." – I said as I nod to her.

"Where is it located?"

"A damn dungeon."

"Difficult to enter?"

"Yes, it has two requirements to enter."

Then I told her the requirements.

First, only two people could enter one at a time, and you have 24 hours to clean the dungeon, or you will get transferred back to the entry.

Second, only people with levels inferiors to fifty could enter.

Right now, I was level 31, so I was still able to enter, so, none of my three masters can come with me.

Also, that place if the information giving by the novel was correct, possess many paths, traps, and debuffs, that makes it almost impossible to clean in less than a day by two people of level 49 or inferior.

"Then, I know someone who can help you." – she said after I told her a little bit about the dungeon.

"Who?"

"My granddaughter."

…

And, oh people, her granddaughter was someone unique, I was surprised by the revelation.

Still… could I trust her?

I knew very well who her granddaughter was, after all, in the game, I battle against her.

The Antagonist of the 8th Arc, someone who stole the MC's Main Weapon, and who Control the whole Olson Port City, the [Queen of Thieves – Anya].

The strongest antagonist of the first half of the game, a difficult enemy who was hard to kill and who possesses an army of thieves and assassins under her command.

…

"She is like you?" – I asks.

My master nods her head.

"Yeah, but she right now has her true power and divinity sealed."

"Why?"

"I did it."

"Eh?"

"When her parents want to fall to this world, I put seals in the three of them… I did not expect that someone would kill them." – She said, clearly feeling guilty for what happened. – "And, because of my actions, I came come in front of her… I am not worthy of being her grandmother."

"Master…?"

"So, please, Michael, rescue my granddaughter from her current life, recruit her into your forces, and gift her a better life."

As she said that, she bows to me.

"Master, please! Do not bow, you do not need to bow for this, of course I will do it."

Although I do not want to.

Anya… the cold, cruel, and hard-to-kill Queen of Thieves. But the old woman in front of me has not only taught me a lot of things but has trust me in many things.

She with my other two masters has become someone important to me.

"I will go to the Omelette Kingdom and take Anya with me." – Once I said that, I went to where my Master Alphiore was.

That old lizard possesses the Legendary Spell – Teleportation.

…

I was now in the lively and colorful 2nd-most-important port city of the Omelette Kingdom, Olson Port City, right now is Year 1170, and went the player visits this place is year 1176, and the information of the game in that year is this:

[Olson Port City, the second most important port city of the Omelette Kingdom, only behind the Ariel Port City. A place full of opportunities for commerce, but also a nest of thieves, assassins, and blackmailers. This place with a population of two million people, has a high rate of crime and murder. Their slums and the downtown are some of the most dangerous place, this is because this place is now fully control by the Gang of Crime of the Queen of Thieves, a powerful criminal who in the year 1173, she first conquered the underworld of crime of the city, and then blackmailed and control the upper class of the city, becoming the ruler of this important city of the Omelette Kingdom.]

If the information was right, Anya still did not control this place.

[She is your same age right now.] – Were the words of my master.

'So, she is a kid…'

It would be funny to see one of the cruelest women, and greatest antagonists as a little kid who is entering puberty.

'Well, let's stop thinking about stupid things and let's find her.' – I thought.

Right now, I was wearing nice luxury clothes that a son of a rich bourgeois merchant would surely wear. I also have with me a little bag full of Black Gold coins, the highest coins of the Northern Lumiere Currency: Erdise Coins.

A Black Gold Coin was equal to a 1,000,000 Erdise, or a million Copper Coins.

So, my little bag of money saved millions of Erdise.

'I am rich!'

It was all thanks to the multiple dungeons that my third master took me to train in the past years, still, it was nothing compared to all the money and treasures my masters possesses.

Olson Port City, a coastal city that's port was one of the most important not only of the Omelette Kingdom, but the whole north of the continent, a vibrant place where multiple companies of different nations had a branch here.

For a couple of hours, I was looking for her, and finally, when I entered a pub to drink and eat, and start wasting my coins without a care, a cute girl was watching me.

'Ha, newbie.' – for a person with my training, it was clear that she was looking and spying me, but surely to her, I was an easy prey.

My bag, full of juicy and dirty money, with the money that I possess at my secret chest back home, I could retire, sadly, this world was coming to chaos, and money lost its power in chaos.

Also, I swear that I would obtaining all, so, I need to go to the Academy, and follow the path the hero's takes in the game, of course, while not letting my women be stolen from me.

'A difficult path, but a rewarding one.'

Suddenly, my bag falls by accident, and she came to help me.

"Here you have milord."

"Oh, thanks." – I said while taking my bag, wink, wink. Then I took her arm. – "Oh, what a cutie girl! Why don't you come here to eat and drink with me?"

"I'm sorry milord, my siblings are waiting home for me, I need to prepare them to eat."

"Come on." – A lie once we get to meet, not bad, still, as I took her arm, a silently uses a Tracking Spell. – "Surely they could wait a little more, after all, it will benefit if you get to know very well someone like me, I have a lot of money and power, you know?"

She comes closer to me and spoke.

"Maybe later, milord. I will be in the sisters of Desire in the night, you could ask for me." – sisters of Desire were the most famous brothel of this city, a place with high-class women of company, control by the Lord of the City himself, Baron Galo Olson.

"What's your name?"

"Dorothea." – Of course, still lying to me, she gives me a fake name.

"Okay Dorothea, I will come for you in the night."

And with a nod from her, I let her, and she goes away, with my bag full of juicy, dirty money.

I throw to a trash can the bag full of little stones and go out to follow her.

She is going directly to the slums, where she currently lives.

While walking, many people came to me, many of them with scary faces, I simple punch them with the least strength possible, so that I do not kill them, after all, I am not a brainless murder, yet.

Finally, we arrived at a horrible place, an old house, falling apart, with a horrible smell, a place you wouldn't expect anyone to live, especially someone like Anya, a pretty girl of almost twelve years old.

This should be a lie.

The most powerful person in the eighth arc, the antagonist who gave me so much trouble, lived in this deplorable place.

At this moment, I was spying on her - I am not a pervert, I just want to know the kind of person she currently is - without her realizing it.

Contrary to her, I was currently a person with great espionage skills, not for nothing, because in many dungeons it is essential to know how to spy, to see the weak points or the behavior of the enemy.

Still, seeing her smile at the money she got, and hearing how she would eat well in the following months made me want to cry.

My teacher was a proud person, but this was stupid, letting her granddaughter suffer like this... ah... there is nothing to do but fix this, so it was time to introduce myself to her.

I knock down the door, scary her.

"Who?!" – And when she saw me, she was in shock.

"Stealing is bad, you know that?" – I said while taking from my Storage space a short sword. – "I have come for what is mine!"

"I…" – She didn't know what to say, and so, she decides to fight against me, taking out from her clothes an old dagger.

"Fool." – I said.

As she came running right to attack me, I use the spell [Eyes of Horus], a special elvish-origin spell, that my third master taught me, with it, I could see the basic stats of the people, it will cost me more or less mana depending of how strong the person I trying to look through is, and if the person is too strong for me too look at his/her stats, then the spell with not work.

Name: Anya. Age: 11. Gender: Female. Class: Thief. Level: 14. Guardian Spirit: NONE. Status: Sealed Power (x10).

HP: 222,450/222,450. MP: 103,100/103,100.

ATK: 4,817.5 DEF: 4,713.3

AGI: 19,675.

Right now, she was ten times weaker, so, if I was right, her true current power was stronger than the me before meeting my masters.

I evade her attack with easy, while feeling surprised, if I take off the seal, this girl will be someone powerful in our generation, maybe only below me.

Not only that, despite currently being weaker than me, once her seal is taken off, her agility will surpass even mine, a High Human of LV 31. Absolutely wonderful to know, now I am assured, I need her in my team, my future Party that will rival and surpassed the Hero's Party and the Villain's Party.

"This is your lost." – After I evade her attack, I uses my sword and strike directly to the dagger, making her unable to keep of gripping the dagger, and having to let go, then, I kick her, sending her to one of the old wood walls of this place, destroying in it in the process, then, I put my foot into her stomach, with my sword close to her face, and I finally spoke to her once again.

"You…" – She is struggling to get free, but I surpass her completely right now.

Although my serious, cold, handsome-looking face doesn't show it, I am in so much happiness.

'I have the Queen of Thieves at my feet!'

It took the Hero's Party at maximum capacity of Potions of HP, Potions of MP, Potions of Recovery, and many more; also, the best equipment available at the moment, and great coordination and planification to even have the opportunity to defeat her, and now, it only took me less than ten seconds to have her in this pitiful state.

"Surrender to me, and I will let you live."

"I prefer to die!" – She said, looking at me with hate.

"Ah… so be it." – And once I said that I use the spell [Sleepy Baby], to make her unconscious. – "This will be more complicated that I first thought of."

…

It was already dark when I return home.

"Big brother, welcome home." – Said Judith as she was the one to received me.

'Does she always wait for me to come? Or does she have an alert that alarm her of my arrival?' – I thought, as she always is the one who welcomed me.

"Did you play with Lady Nevaeh once again?" – She asks, I can see a little bit of jealousy and sadness in her face and voice.

"Nah, I explore a little bit of the forest." – I said, lying as always, of course I will not tell her that after training in the morning with my second teacher, I spent the afternoon looking for her granddaughter, and after I knock her out, I let her in my secret base for me to recruit her.

Her young mind would collapse.

"Brother! You know is dangerous to explore the forest!" – She said concern.

I hug her while laughing.

"Don't you worry baby sister; your brother is strong." – I said as I look at her beautiful puppy eyes.

"I am not a baby." – She said seriously as she pouts.

"Hahaha, surely." – I said while patting on her head, while taking her into my arms. – "Let's go eat, I am hungry."

"Um."

And so, I spent a wonderful dinner with my family, adoptive or not, they were important to me, and I seriously love them.

Once night came, I went to my secret base close to home, were as I expected, she was already awake.

"You?!"

She tries to attack me, but the ropes that I obtained from my third master were as expected, too durable to resist even the strength of someone like her… or even me in my current power.

"Calm down Anya, I don't want to hurt you, I swear."

"How do you know my name?" – She asks.

"Because I was asks for someone related to you to help you."

"That's a lie, I don't have no one."

"Yes, you do."

Then, it was time of the revelation.

"You maternal grandmother, Yamileth, the Divine Mother Queen of the Beastmen." – As soon as I said that she shows me a surprise face, and I keep on talking. – "Your mother, Yamileth's daughter, got in love with a simple Holy Warrior Beastman, someone not worthy of the status of the daughter of the Divine Mother Queen, and so, because of that relationship bloom, and you were born, your grandmother to protect the Holy Royal Family dignity to the rest of the Beastmen, she has to exiled your parents and you to the Lumiere World."

"Why…? No… is impossible."

"Sadly, just a couple of years later, your parents were killed, and you have to live in the slums of this city."

"You're lying! That not true."

"It is, and with this I have the prove to show you." – I said, while taking out the paper Talisman that Yamileth gives me to erase the seal on her. – "This will let you feel your true power and being."

And I put her on her forehead.

The Talisman shine brightly, and the disintegrate, as I feel a great aura of power coming from Anya.

"This…"

"Since the dead of your parents, Yamileth has been watching over you from time to time, making sure that not one capable of killing you was close to you… she… regrets what she did, but what is done is done, and we can't bring the death back to life; still, she asks me to take care of you."

"Who are you?" – She asks me seriously.

"I am Michael Belfiore, disciple of the Wise Dragon of the East – Alphiore, of Yamileth the Divine Mother Queen of the Beastmen, and of Oxary the Chief and Guardian of the Vakaro Tribe. And I want you, Anya of the Winged Holy Cat Beastman race, to join and help me in a dangerous mission."

"Just… let me alone… please." – She said after a while.

And so, I did, I nod to her, mention where food and water was, and where the bathroom was, and then I leave this place.

And like I knew would happen, she left, still, the tracking spell was working perfectly, and after an excellent breakfast, I left home, running to where she was.

In a waterfall a couple of kilometers away from home, in the great forest, I finally find her.

She was battling against a huge Water Serpent, and she was winning.

Not a surprise, a Water Serpent was not a rival for the current her.

"HA!" – After a powerful magical attack, the Water Serpent was slain, and she turn around, looking at me, waiting for me to arrive, she starts walking, and then, grabbing the collar of my shirt, she makes me come closer to her face, and said with a serious tone: "Take me where she is."

"Are you sure?"

"I need to know more, about who I am? About whom my parents were? And to face her."

"Okay." – As I said that, I hug her, and then took from my storage, a gemstone, in that thing was engraved the spell of [Teleport] giving to me by my master Alphiore, this [Teleport] would take us to the secret place where they were.

BREAK

Was I break the gemstone, we disappear from this place, and arrived at the Solace Island, a couple of kilometers in the north of the east of the Lumiere continent.

The seat of Alphiore.

I stop hugging her and start walking to where a little hut was.

"Let's go." – I said to the quiet and surprise girl.

She nods and follows me.

We arrive.

And I open the door, and my master, my second master, was waiting for us.

"So, you bring her."

"Yes, she needs to know the true, and you need to face the true." – as I said that I look at Anya, as I took her left hand and pull her inside. – "Anya, I present to you, Yamileth, the Divine Mother Queen of the Beastmen, and your maternal grandmother."

Then I look at my second master.

"Master, I present to you the famous little thief of Olson Port City, Anya, your granddaughter."

And once I said that I left them alone.

I walk away, to a spacious place, and took out some of my current weapons: a spear, a short sword, a brick, and a slipper.

And start training with them.

…

In late afternoon, finally she appears to where I am.

I look at her face, seeing the mark of dry cry.

"Everything's fine?" – I asks.

She nods.

"She… told me about what you have to do." – She said. – "I will help you."

"Thank you." – I said as I come to her, and take from my storage a handkerchief, and start to clean her face. – "Now, don't cry, you look more beautiful when you smile, you know, just like this." – I smile to her, and she just stays quiet.

'Did I make a mistake?' – I asks to myself, while still cleaning her.

…

The days has come, after leaving Solace Island with my three teachers wishing us luck, we finally arrive at the place where the dungeon where the Golden Apple was located.

The Minotaur Dungeon, also known as the Labyrinth Dungeon of the Golden Minotaur.

One of the most difficult dungeons, that only newbies from levels inferior to fifty could enter, after a couple of weeks of training, I was Level 34, and Anya was Level 19.

We were full prepared, I with heavy armor, and she with light armor.

I was going to function as the main attacker, the tank, and the mage; and she will be the secondary attacker and the support.

"Remember Anya, we only have a day to clean this damn place." – She nods at my words. – "Most probably is that will won't be able to clean this place at the first try, but will should not despair, because we are going to make it, after all, we only have eight days before I turn twelve."

"We will make it." – She said after me.

Both of us nod, and then we enter.

And just like we expected, just entering, we got attack by arrows coming from the walls next to us, the first damn trap triggered, and we must evade, my armor protects me from the one or two lucky arrows that got to me, and Anya evade easily with her superhuman speed.

'First Trap successfully passed.'

Then, what await us was three different paths.

"To where?"

I took from my storage a stick.

"Let's fate decide for us."

And the pointy side take us to the left path.

Sadly, fate was not in our side this time.

"An end paths!" – Anya said.

"Let's return." – I said to her, and after passing through the monsters that we have killed, we return to the place after the first trap. – "Let's go in the center path."

This time, it works.

We pass, thanks to Anya who discovered many traps after being fully focus, we arrived at another intersection, this time, five separate ways, strangely one being in the way to back.

"Now where to go?" – She asks, but before I answered, from all the paths, monsters came.

Stone Golems, Dark Bees, Bloody Rabbits, Giant Rats, and many more.

"Fuck!"

As I scream, I got out my spear, and start killing the coming monsters.

"Go take a path! And see if it the right one!" – I said to her.

She nods and goes, while I keep on killing the monsters.

After all, despite being Level 34… oh, Level 35, I was a lot stronger, thanks to my race and bloodline.

And of course, the hellish training I passed with my monster masters.

This was nothing compared to those days of hellish training.

Anya checks three different paths that take us to end ways, and when she returns to take the fourth one, I finally slay the last of the monster horde.

"Let's take the one in the back." 

"But it will not take us back to the beginning."

"I don't know, but I got the feeling that this is the right path."

"Well, I will go in front to discover any traps."

"Please do so."

And so… we lose.

After a day of arduous work, we were back at the outside of the dungeon entry.

"This…" – Anya was clearly angry.

"Don't worry, will rest for a couple of hours, and will we go back."

And so, two days later, we finally got to the BOSS room, where the Golden Minotaur wait for the contenders to enter.

Although this was a special dungeon of only one floor, it was big, and true to its name, a labyrinth-like-dungeon full with traps, diverse paths that takes you to dead ends, secret rooms with treasures, uncountable monsters, and all that you will have to face it in less than a day, and now, we just two hours before we are send back, we finally got to where the BOSS room is.

We enter, and what awaits us is a four-meter minotaur with golden fur, and three big black horns, wielding a big mace in his right, and in his left hand, an axe.

"Eyes of Horus."

Monster: Miro – the Golden Minotaur. Level: 100. Rank: BOSS.

HP: 5,690,000/5,690,000. MP: 10,000/10,000.

ATK: 100,000 (175,000-225,000). DEF: 100,000.

AGI: 100,000.

A powerful enemy that any normal person of LV 49 or inferior would be incapable of defeating, but, I and Anya, we were not normal people, we possess Divine Bloodline, and a Race above what any Lumiere's Native could wish to have: High Human, and Winged Holy Cat Beastman.

And now, we were more powerful, especially Anya that now has not the seal that make her weak.

Name: Anya. Age: 11. Gender: Female. Class: Thief. Level: 27. Guardian Spirit: NONE.

HP: 2,322,154/2,389,000. MP: 784,565/1,096,000.

ATK: 52,000 (114,000). DEF: 48,490 (123,000).

AGI: 223,800.

It was a funny scene, Anya who barely was a meter-in-half-tall, against a four-meter monster.

But she, like me, has not fear against our opponent.

'We'll Win!'

The powerful beast roars as it comes running to us, Anya and I evade the rampant monster, and we start attacking it.

Each Dagger attack of Anya normally causes 14,000 points of damage, and occasionally, a critical that causes 71,000 damage points.

Meanwhile, with my full power normal attacks with my sword, I cause 118,750 of damage, and with a critical attack, the minotaur loses 228,125 HP.

And, because of greater speed, the beast is uncapable of hurting us. It was lucky for us that the Minotaur was a physical-type monster, with little MP and zero spells to uses against us.

Finally, with a last strike, a kill the minotaur.

[Level Up…]

[Level Up…]

[Level Up…]

[Level Up…]

[Level Up, Congratulations for Leveling Up to Level 47].

Five notifications of Level Up, now I was Level 47, close to Level 50, when I would be available to obtain a second class.

In the game of [Wrath of the Hero] you could obtain a total of three classes.

One when you are Level 10, another when you are Level 50, and the third one when you achieved Level 200.

You could also change classes. It was a little difficult, but possible to do.

When I look at Anya, I see her happy face, if I level up five times, she surely levels up many more times, I could use [Eyes of Horus] to see it, but now, I have more important things to do, like recollecting all my rewards.

The big minotaur disappears, and then, pieces of meat, a clean cape of golden fur, and a big black horn appear, together with the two weapons the minotaur uses, these are the rewards by defeating this monster.

I check with [Analysis] my rewards.

Item: Meat of Minotaur. Description: A delicious meat by the mythical minotaur. Once you cooked it, you will be delight by its great savor. The first time you eat it, you will obtain an instantaneous level up; also, you will get a little bit of golden spark in your eyes. Effects: Level Up (Only One Time in the First Time You Consume It); Restores All HP and MP Lost.

Item: Cape of the Golden Minotaur. Description: A cape made by the fur of the Golden Minotaur of the Labyrinth Dungeon; a warm cape who would protect your back from the enemies' attacks as you use it and is also considered a luxury item that the nobility and the rich would respect and want to possess. Effects: 10,000 DEF, a Boost in Charm; and 50% Resistance to Cold. Durability: 1,000,000/1,000,000.

Item: Horn of the Golden Minotaur. Description: A big black horn of the Golden Minotaur that is one of the ingredients to make the mythical Panacea, capable of curing all diseases, and that is also one of the ingredients to create the Elixir of Immortality.

Item: Mace of Destruction. Description: A Mace made to Destroy. ATK: 125,000. Durability: 728,366/1,000,000.

Item: Axe of Massacre. Description: An Axe made to massacre everything in its way. ATK: 75,000. Durability: 154,787/350,000.

I put these five items in my storage, and once saved there, I began to walk to the place the minotaur didn't let us get closer.

A secret door that was camouflage with the walls was there, and with a powerful kick, I broke the door, which gave me access to the room, the Core Room, where like in all dungeons, was located the Heart of the Dungeon, a huge piece of Mana Crystal Red Core, a crystal with a huge amount of mana stored inside.

I also saw three huge chests full of coins, copper, silver, gold, black gold, and even White Gold Coins, and as I expected from a world based of [Wrath of the Hero] I was lucky to see that they were Erdise Coins, the currency of the Northern.

"Now, where it is?"

I used the [Treasure Search] spell to look for what I was looking for, and the spell react to two places, the first one, was to another door, and the second to a small wooden chest on the floor, I grab it, and then I felt that this wood was special, it felt holy, then I opened it, and there it was, the Golden Apple.

I could eat it and end with my predicament, and so I did.

'Delicious!'

Truly tasty apple, the best I ate.

I ate it all.

And then, it happened.

I suddenly felt a great boost of power surging through all my body.

"This…"

I look at Anya who finally entered the room, and she look at me surprise.

"Michael?"

"Anya… I… feel powerful!"

And the, the whole dark reddish room, start shining, a gold sparkling shine light, coming from my body.

Then the pain came, and I felt something blasting my stomach, breaking my bones, and slashing my skin.

"Ah!!"

"Michael?!"

Anya worry tries to come to me, but suddenly, a huge wave of air throws her and everything in proximity far away from me, she was knock out, and I start feeling a lot of pain, as I start throwing out dark blood.

'No!'

It was not dark blood, was my blood, and a dark liquid.

My body was vomiting that dark liquid, which must be what was going to cause my sickness.

Then, everything turns dark.