Bold=Character speaking.

Italics=Character's thoughts.

[_]=Item/Spell/Ability.

Into the unknown

To say that the past day has been the most tumultuous of Kalman's life would be an understatement. When he woke up, he was prepared for yet another day at the office. He ate his nutrient paste, got dressed, got on the bus, and went to work. Another day of work. Another day where he was in charge of people below him on the corporate ladder, yet he was still too low to be able to live a decent life. During his break, he decided to log on to his personal e-mail. He saw the usual. Marketing scams, e-mail from the government and banks, from other corporations trying to sell him things he didn't need, vacation offers that would merely require him to be in debt for 25 years merely to catch a glimpse at something people used to see every day two centuries ago.

Boring, repetitive, unsurprising. He was prepared to hit select all and delete, but then he saw something that he hadn't seen in a while. An e-mail from one of his guildmates. It said that Yggdrasil was ending, tonight. And attached was an invitation to log on and spend the last few hours with the few who still spent some time on Yggdrasil. The e-mail also said that they wished to inform him of something bad that had happened.

Kalman accepted the offer automatically. He had spent nearly 8 years on the game, and he had played it every day until he had to quit to take care of his ailing mother. Though his mother died a few months later, he never bothered to log on again, being buried in debt, work, and general stress. Relaxation was hard to come by, and Kalman's free time was often spent on trying to improve his livelihood. He thought he was destined for a life that was greater than that of a wage-slave, but destiny was a fickle lady. Billions of people thought that they were destined for a better life, but those were merely dreams that would never be realized. Most eventually realized that this ambition would remain nothing more than a dream, and settled for trying to make their miserable lives as best they could. Many decided to immerse themselves in other passions to forget their troubles, with the most common choices being drugs, virtual reality and works of fiction.

Kalman hated drugs. Drugs produced junkies, and they killed his grandfather, one of the few people he respected. So, he refused them all. From illegal street drugs, to the legal pharmaceutical drugs, to alcohol and even coffee. He had developed a deep passion for them and all who let vice rule their minds.

So how was he to spend his free time, to escape the dread? He did not mind reading or watching shows or movies. But most were propaganda, and acquiring older content was quite difficult.

He wanted something more stimulating. Something pure, where he could be himself, where there wouldn't be a superior hovering over his head waiting for the tiniest mistake. He thought about sports, but those were a rich man's pastime.

Thus, there was only one choice left. Virtual reality. It would allow him to "stretch his legs", even if he wouldn't be moving at all. Still, beggars can't be choosers.

At the time of his graduation from high school, Kalman was broke. He needed a job, and could no longer live in the student dorms. Thus, he had to rent out an apartment. After applying for a few places, he was eventually given a job interview, passed, and began his career.

After about two years, he had saved enough money to be able to buy a few luxuries. One of them being, a Dive Gear. The thing he had been saving for this entire time.

After he got it though, came another issue. Namely, which game to play?

There were four factors that influenced his choice.

Availability, price-range, the quality of the game, and the player base.

Kalman wanted something that he could play with people, something that one of his coworkers might also play, perhaps one of his superiors. He also wanted something that was either cheap, a one-time purchase, or had a low subscription fee, or even better yet, no subscription fee at all.

He also wanted something that was noted to be of top quality. He had no desire to start playing a game, only for the servers to shut down 6 months later. That would be a waste of time, and a source of stress.

And last, he wanted the game to be able to run in his country. Many were region-locked, either due to showing politically-offensive topics or due to 22nd century mercantilism.

This left him with three choices.

A game which was focused around survival in a post-apocalyptic world filled with zombies, where he would have to collaborate with other players to fend off hordes of the undead. An intriguing concept. But it presented two issues. One, Kalman already lived in a post-apocalyptic world. Second, he and everyone he worked with were more zombie than zombie hunter. So that game was out of the question.

Another game, which was set in an even more futuristic sci-fi universe. Galactic wars, spaceships, cyborg avatars, technology beyond Kalman's wildest dreams. But this one had two issues. The game was massively P2W, and had already been out for 6 years or so. It would require a massive sink of time and money just to even be remotely competitive. In other words, he would eternally be playing catch up. Plus, he wasn't too fond of sci-fi.

And the last choice. The one that caught his eye. A relatively new game only having been released about two years prior. It was slightly pay-to win, but not as much as the other game. And it had unmatched player customization and freedom, while also promoting competition and friendship amongst its player base. A game set on the 9 worlds of Norse mythology. A game released by a Japanese developer, yet it had taken steps to ensure it would also snag a global audience. It was released not just in Japanese, but with Chinese, Korean, Hindu, Arabic, Russian, German, Spanish and two dozen other languages also being selectable. Though this support would only apply to the actual game, with HUD and quests and what not being affected. Actual conversation between Players was not auto-translated, but it was good enough. And the best part of all, the game was completely free. Pay to win, yes, but also free to play. Thus, Kalman selected this game, downloaded it, and there began his journey.

He made a character, a human warlock. He made friends, went on adventures, did quests, fought PvP battles, went on raids, helped create a guild. He did nearly everything. He even found a World Item, something that was incredibly rare, seeing as there were only 200 of them in the game, and the developers never bothered to tell people how to find them, or how to find anything for that matter. But that was unimportant.

For nearly 8 years, this game was one of the few sources of joy. He had forged friendships with people from the United States to Japan and every country in between. And now, this game was shutting down, and he had received an e-mail from one of them, telling him that the game would be shutting down. How could he refuse their request?

Thus, when he got home, he never ever bothered to change out of his work clothes. He instantly booted up his Dive Gear. He spent the last few hours of Yggdrasil with his friends. A welcome reprieve. Though the destruction of his home, his guild's base, pained him in his heart, at least he knew that even if that had not happened, the end of Yggdrasil would have spelled the end of his guild as well, therefore, in a way it was unavoidable.

As the last minutes of Yggdrasil flew by, Kalman thought about how he would spend the few hours of the day he had left. And more importantly, what would follow. The answer was obvious. He would return to the same old life. Another cog in the machine, slaving away to get table scraps.

At least, that was what was supposed to happen.

Instead, something else happened. Something unexpected. Something he never imagined was remotely possible, for he had lost his faith in God years ago.

He found himself in another world. Having to contend with genocidal demons, feudal knights, and now assassins. Not even half a day had passed since he came to this place, and he felt like he would have to know the answers to a thousand questions to even be considered as having the knowledge of a 5-year-old. It was pure stress.

And worst of all, the plan he made to gather information had been thrown into complete disarray by the red-haired woman.

Sure, dealing with her was easy, as Kalman suspected. If a human soldier can't even defeat something as low level as imps, he doubted the locals would have countermeasures against temporal manipulation. So that was a plus. Casting [Time Stop], then using [Delay Magic: Sleep] so that his foe would fall asleep right as the time stop ended was a trick that was taught to Kalman by one of his guild mates, a high-level Lich who specialized in necromancy, curses and frost magic. This person was often fond of using this combination of abilities to ambush low-level players, and then had them fight his undead summons when they "woke up. A twisted game of gladiator, that lasted until they died or impressed him with their abilities. If they performed admirably, they would usually be rewarded with some mediocre item that would be a gift from the Aesir themselves in their eyes. And if they didn't defeat his horde of undead, tried to escape, or tried to break the rules of the game in any other way well then…they would die. Repeatedly. That Lich was known to be persistent.

At any rate, using [Time Stop] and [Delay Magic: Sleep] to incapacitate his foe, while also positioning himself behind them, he grabbed the woman's neck with his left hand, and plucked the crystal from her hands with his right. She never knew what happened. But this left Kalman in a bit of a predicament. He didn't know what he should do. No, that was inaccurate. He knew what he should do, he just didn't know where.

He needed to interrogate this person. Needed to find out who she was, why she was here, who working with, where she was from, what her strengths and weaknesses were. Everything. But where would he do this?
Obviously, he couldn't do it where he was right now, so he needed time to think.

That was when he remembered that the window to his room was still open. He entered his room, and threw the woman down on the bed like a ragdoll.

"Huh. Beautiful woman in my arms, we're all alone in a room, no one to disturb us. And I just threw her on the bed like she was an old pair of socks. Now, I'm not a pervert, at least compared to some in my guild, but why don't I feel an urge. The urge? Is it because of the change? Or is it due to shock? Why aren't I having those urges? Is it the ring? No… it's probably something deeper inside." – Kalman thought to himself. And when he did, he noticed something peculiar. While back on Earth, Kalman was someone who didn't think too much of most things. He didn't bother thinking, preferring to auto-pilot through most of his day. It was only when he was invested in a topic he was actually interested in, or that he was doing something he enjoyed, that he truly activated his brain cells. For most of the time however, they were sleeping. Yet ever since he arrived here, his mind was constantly active. Never quiet. He was actively planning, trying to make sure he wouldn't be caught off guard. It was a peculiar thing, but not one that he found unpleasant.

"Is this what my mind would be like if I didn't live in a soul-killing society, or is it a consequence of my new body being healthier than before? I guess I will find out eventually."

"Standing around won't do anything. I should get to work." – Kalman said to no one in particular.
Then he approached the sleeping redhead and decided to inspect her clothes. For purely academic reasons, of course.

While they were attractive and flaunted her figure, he noted that they did not have the usual "thigh-gap" or exposed belly of typical video game armors. They were black, with darker and lighter shades of the color at various places, while the boots and gloves were a brown leather. Pieces of a silver like metal covered the knees, elbows, shoulders and vitals. The metal did not seem particularly valuable. Probably wasn't even crafted from Prismatic Ores. The leather seemed sturdied and all around had far more quality than any leather clothing on Earth, but was far below Yggdrasil equipment. At best, it could serve someone who was between level 35 and 40, 45 max. Kalman cast [All Appraisal Magic Item] on each article of clothing, and was thoroughly disappointed.

"Minor enchantments to stealth, stamina, resistance against piercing weapons, more damage with blades… This is all low-level stuff. Garbage. How did she even manage to get on the roof if that's the case? Better check her weapons and pockets."
The pockets held nothing in particular. Some coins, lockpicks, anti-invisibility dust, and…potions?
"The hell? This doesn't look like any potion I've ever seen before."
Kalman then cast [All Appraisal Magic Item], this time on all the potions. There were two kinds of bottles. Circular and rectangular bottles for the blue liquids.

"Huh. So, these ones, in the rectangular bottles are just basic stat buffs. Weak, but whatever. Nothing weird. But why are they blue? And this one. In the circular bottle, this is supposed to be a health potion. But it's so weak. Like, weaker than a minor healing potion, the kind noobies use. Don't tell me, these people actually use this trash?"

The dissonance was staggering. In Yggdrasil, high level [Alchemists] could craft potions that could restore an incredible amount of health, grant someone more than a dozen buffs at once, give them complete immunity to certain types of damage for a short duration, massively boost someone's offensive power. And the offensive applications were no less versatile. Sure, acquiring the best potions was a chore, as many of the ingredients were either incredibly expensive, required one to slay rare mobs, or they could only be found in specific places under specific circumstances. Thus, potions of a somewhat lower grade were used for most of the time, but the fact that the power of alchemy was there was undeniable. The best way to describe it, would be to compare the very highest tier of alchemical potions to nuclear weapons, the ones most people used as heat-seeking missiles, and the ones that this woman had as throwing darts. Kalman, nor any other high-level player wouldn't be caught dead using such trash. It would be insulting.

"Still. These are probably the first potions I've seen in this world. It would be a shame to destroy them. I'll just pocket them for now. Who knows, they might be worth something." – Kalman said as he placed all the potions into his inventory, alongside the spell-sealing crystal. He was slowly robbing this woman, and he considered it a bit embarrassing. Just a bit.

"Let's see what sort of weapons you have."
Again, the same thing. Some minor enchantments, fit for low level Yggdrasil players. Nothing threatening. In addition, [Life Essence] told him that the person in front of him did not have much health. So, she lacked the ability to use magic, to harm him, and was incredibly squishy. She was not a threat. Physically. If she knew people that could harm Kalman physically however, then he would need to be weary.

After placing the two weapons inside his inventory as well, the red-haired woman was left with nothing but the clothes on her back. Completely neutralized, Kalman could now focus on the interrogation process. There was a slight hiccup though. He had no idea how to interrogate people, he would have to wing it. But looking around this room, it was clear that it couldn't do.

No, he needed something more, impressive. Something memorable, something that he could use to interrogate someone while being undisturbed. Then it hit him.
He had just left such an environment not minutes ago. Sure, it was at the wrong height, and wrong coordinates, but the principle was good. Kalman gazed outside his window, towards the northern mountains, and an idea came to him. He quickly cast [Fly] once more, flung the woman over his back, and climbed over the window.

Flying was different from Yggdrasil. More intuitive. There was no console, and the sheer exhilarating thrill of soaring through the skies like an eagle was intoxicating. He would have to do this again some time soon, without any…unnecessary baggage.

After about an hour of a relaxing flight through the morning sky, which Kalman spent looking at the countryside, trying to find any landmarks or anything of note, but finding none, Kalman came upon a good enough location. He arrived at the base of a mountain chain, with a snowy summit peeking through the clouds, inviting challengers. Kalman assumed that based on video game logic, there would be loot, or minerals, or at the very least, some sort of enemy that he could probably fight if he went there. Maybe a dragon of some sort? If not here, then some other mountain peak, surely.

Perhaps at the highest point on this world, the tallest mountain, he would be able to find the strongest foe here. Yggdrasil logic told him it would probably be a dragon, and a strong one, but something deep inside him relished the challenge. He would crush all opposition beneath his feet.

Where were these thoughts coming from? His time spent in Yggdrasil? His new body? Or is it who he has always been, deep inside? The answer scared him, and he quickly banished the thought, content not to think on it. One of his guildmates always said that idle hands and a busy mind are a recipe for misery.

Kalman then decided that it was time to do the interrogation. In a way, it would be a test of himself as well as his opponent. If he could not intimidate someone, then he would not get far. Sure, there were spells that would allow him to control someone, and with these spells he would be able to get accurate information. And he was sure that if these spells took, the person in question would not be able to lie. But, how reliable would this method prove? For all he knew, such abilities might make someone inadvertently less mentally capable, and they could leave out potentially useful information by omission. After all, if not asked, they would not speak, and Kalman was far too ignorant to even know what to ask. And then, there was the matter that he was in a completely different world. Being mind-controlled might be a terrifying experience, and one that could leave lasting consequences, and Kalman had a feeling that using such tactics on this woman might end up backfiring at some point. And the last part was, that by using such tactics on this woman, she would know that Kalman was capable of such a thing to begin with. If he killed her, this would not matter, but if he did not, then it would be a mistake. Knowledge was power, and having your enemies believe that you were ignorant and had no ways to discern truth from lie would serve you far better than any deception. All of these things were important factors, but they were not the main reason Kalman didn't want to kill this woman.

He had a distinct feeling she might be useful, that killing her would be a mistake and potentially draw the ire of powerful opponents. And there was one other thing. She was a living, breathing, human being.

When Kalman first arrived in this world, he was confused. Whatever twisted magic brought him here, brought him to a time and place ravaged by war, where innocents died by the dozens. Thus, finding the willpower to kill the demonic scum was an easy thing to do. Despite technically being a demon himself, Kalman did not consider them kin, and considered himself to be human. After all, he had been human all his life, and a few minutes or hours in a different body did not change this. Thus, exterminating the demons was akin to pest control. Like squashing cockroaches. He could do it all day without pause and never stop to consider that he was in the wrong. Because he knew that he was not. But killing a defenseless human being? That would be a line that he hesitated to cross. Even if the person in question was an assassin. Life on Earth had hardened him somewhat, but compared to the denizens of this world, he was still too soft when it came to death. Therefore, there was only one course of action.

He would put up a front. He would scare this person into giving him the information he requested, and after that either he would let them go, or recruit them. And if they didn't, he would cast [Sleep] on her once more, and take her far away from here using [Fly]. Someplace she wouldn't find him.

At the end of the day, for all he knew, this person might have had a legitimate, non-malicious reason for following him, and could have people that cared for her. He would not be a murderer on the first day of his new life. He would not walk down that path.

With all that being said, Kalman cast [Fly] once more, and flew high into the sky. High above, above the mountain's peaks even. From where he was right now, anything alive on the ground would be smaller than an ant. While above him, a pure crystal blue sky greeted him, while the sun had lost its shyness and gradually made its way away from the mountains. It was still relatively low, but in about two to three hours, it would be noon. The woman in his arms had been sleeping for more than an hour, and he assumed she would soon wake up, but at any rate, he did not want to wait any longer.

He extended his arm, holding her by her collar with his right hand, far away from him. His arm was perfectly still, and she was as light as a feather. Then he spoke.

"[Purge.]"
In an instant, the woman began to wake up. Though still drowsy, she slowly opened her eyes.

After about a minute of bullshitting, Kalman had convinced the woman that she would not be able to escape, and her willpower folded. She said that she would answer any questions he asked, and she seemed thoroughly resigned to her fate.

The woman was surprisingly cooperative and had a treasure trove of information, but a lot of what she said did not give Kalman any hints. Thus, he needed to be more specific with questions.

"So, Izaniya, are you going to tell me why you were following me?" – Kalman asked.

"You appeared to be a threat."- She said in a meek manner.

"A threat? To who, you?" – Kalman replied, without any hostility in his voice. He was surprised that this person even registered his existence. He had simply not been here long enough that he warranted people following him. There could be only one reason why she would be following him.

"Not necessarily, but I needed information all the same."

"Why? How did you even know I was here?"

"I saw you, at Hessau village. You made quick work of those demons, and so far, I've only met three people who were close to that level of power, so I decided to follow you, learn what I could."
"Shit. She saw that entire fiasco? How much did she see, or hear? Did she see me for the first time there, or has she been following me since the moment I arrived?"

"Why were you even there, at that village? It holds no value from what I've gathered."

"It doesn't. But I came to that place trying to gather information on my target."

"Target? Who? Did you kill the royals in this land?"

"No, but me and my comrades suspect there was foul play involved."

"Go on."

"I came alongside five others to find and destroy anything related to the Demon Gods. We know at least one of them is operating somewhere around this kingdom. I also saw the fort that had been taken over, and I assumed that raiding bands would already be spread across the countryside."

"You saw me fight the demons, right?"

"Yes, but I arrived only a few moments before the fight broke out. And don't sell yourself short, those things never even stood a chance, did they?"

"No, but flattery will get you nowhere. Tell me, did you hear my conversation with that thing?"

"No, I didn't."

A lie.

"That's one less finger, you're on four. Don't make it a habit."

"I heard the conversation, but only the end of it."

"Be precise."

"I heard the part where you said that 7th tier magic is pathetic. And I also heard pretty much everything after that."

"Damn it, she heard way too much. She has seen way too much. At least she didn't hear me confess to not being human, so at least that's a silver lining." – Kalman thought to himself. As panic rushed through his head, he was suddenly startled by the woman. She had seemed to grow bolder, and dared to speak out of turn.

"You didn't mean that right? The part about 7th tier magic being pathetic. There's only one person I know that is capable of casting 7th tier magic. For most, anything beyond the 3rd is considered to be a sign of great talent and skill. The 6th is considered the pinnacle, as the only beings that can cast magic of a higher tier are liches, demons and other unnatural creatures, and even then, only the deadliest of foes are capable of such things." – Izaniya asked. She probably thought that by getting under his skin, he would be distracted and she would find a way to secure an escape. Futile.

"Cocky one, aren't you? You seem to have forgotten who is asking the questions here. But I will deign to give you an answer, though it will cost you another finger. Now, listen well."

Izaniya perked up her ears, ready to soak in the knowledge.

"There are ten tiers of magic, and another above that, and another even above that, though the last one is only usable with items."

"Ten? No wait, twelve? The mortal races can barely reach a third of that!"

"Yes yes, I'm sure you're very impressed. Now answer me this question. Why are you even aware of Tier Magic?"

"Huh? What do you mean? Everyone knows what magic is."

"That is not what I asked. What I asked was, how are humans aware of the existence of Tier Magic. Based on what I know, you should not have such a thing here."

"I don't understand what you're saying. Tier Magic has been a thing for centuries."

"That, that should not be possible. Unless…"

Kalman put his left hand on his chin, and was clearly in deep thought. Izaniya though, was confused.

"How can someone be so strong, yet so clueless? Is this some sort of test? I should tread carefully." – Izaniya thought.

"Tell me all you know about magic. Where it comes from, who the strongest casters are, what it can do, that 7th tier magic caster you know of, everything that you can possibly think of."

Izaniya though had a look of shock on her face, as if a toddler had asked her how babies are made.

"Very well. Tier Magic was introduced in this world roughly four centuries ago, by beings known as the Six Great Gods. Supposedly, they saved humanity from extinction, and founded a country of their own. They were incredibly powerful beings, but whether or not they truly existed is up for debate. Four centuries is a long time. But the country they founded, The Slane Theocracy, still exists to this day."

"What are you talking about? Four centuries is nothing when it comes to civilizations."- Kalman said, who knew for a fact that four centuries was nothing. Certain civilizations could be said to be over three thousand years old, and there were countries that had existed for over a millennium in their current state, with nations such as Portugal, England and France, being a perfect example, before being swallowed up by war and the tides of the sea.

"You're joking, right?" – Izaniya replied, who was stunned that the being in front of her considered four hundred years to be nothing. She had a question inside her head. If four hundred years are nothing, then how old is this man? He looked to be no older than twenty-five. But that could be a lie, brought about by a magic item, a mask, or an illusion. She wondered if she would ever find out the truth.

"No, I'm serious, but that's not important right now. What else can you tell me about the gods?"

"As their name implies, there are six of them. The Gods of Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Life and Death. According to the teachings of the Theocracy, the first five shed their mortal coils and returned to heaven after a life of protecting humanity, while the God of Death, Surshana, remained behind to guard his followers. Again, I don't know how true this is, but I do know that the Theocracy has access to many magical items that eclipse everything else available, and supposedly these were relics left behind by the gods, so perhaps there is some truth to it."

"You seem skeptical."

"I learned early on that that it's all a sham. None of the Gods ever answered my prayers, nor that of the other orphans. And besides, if they were gods, they wouldn't die."

"A sensible argument. You said that five of them died, probably of old age. What happened to the sixth? Why didn't he die?"

"He did, but not of old age. After all, undead do not age."

"The God of Death was an undead? Do you happen to know what he looked like? What killed him?"

"From the statues I've seen in the chapels, he looked like a skeleton. With not a hint of flesh on his face, and in expensive robes and he was gripping a staff that had a four faced skull on the top, with a different kind of flower sprouting from each of the mouths. His name was Surshana, and he was killed roughly three centuries ago by the Eight Greed Kings."

"Surshana… a skeletal lich… doesn't ring a bell. But still, might be worth looking into." – Kalman thought. Many players in Yggdrasil chose undead characters as their avatars, and liches were among the most common choice. They had numerous benefits, few drawbacks, and looked cool as hell. In fact, one of Kalman's guildmates, a centaur archer, repeatedly complained that the undead were broken and needed a nerf all across the board.

"I see. So, these so-called gods. They're all dead, but people still worship them. Why is that?"

"I don't know. Most people are idiots. Some say that because clerics and paladins can cast divine spells, that is proof of the existence of the gods. If you ask me, there's probably another reason."

"Alright. I think that will be all regarding the gods for now. I might revisit the topic at another time. For now, we shall move on to these Greed Kings."

"Wait. Before we carry on. I have a request!"

"Oh, do you now. Alright, what is it."

"Can we go back to solid ground? Floating in the air like this is probably draining your mana, and I'm getting dizzy."

She was not. She could breathe perfectly fine. And Kalman's mana was barely affected.

"So, can we land?"

"You aren't saying that just to get me to lower my guard now, are you? You still think you can escape?"

"No, I don't beli- "– Izaniya was interrupted by Kalman's sudden answer.

"Sure. We can return to the ground."

"Alright. Though, shouldn't you pull me closer? You wouldn't want your interrogation target to slip and fall to her untimely demise would you." – She said. It was an obvious attempt at flirting. Kalman however, would have none of it.

"No need. [Greater Teleportation.]"

In an instant, the both of them were back on solid ground, and Izaniya thanked her lucky stars. Her torturer released his hand from her collar. He did not take another step, and merely crossed both his arms across his chest, as if expecting her to prostate herself before his boundless mercy.

"So, you can cast teleportation magic as well. You're full of tricks. Though, I suppose it would be too much for me to ask to get my stuff back, right?"

"I'll hold on to them for now."

"Yeah, thought so…"

"So, where were we? Ah yes, the Greed Kings. I'll have you tell me everything about them, then we will move on to the Demon Gods, your party, the geopolitical situation across the region and the wider world. And plenty of other things. We will be talking for quite a while."

"Why are you asking me all these things? You're pretending like you were born yesterday."

Her reply elicited a slight chuckle. After all, she was right. Kalman was not born, but re-born yesterday, amidst blood and rain. But he had already said too much. Still, she had given him good information, and perhaps he could build a rapport with her. Maybe recruit her as a trusty subordinate? He would need help to find his friends. There was only so much work one could do.

"I come from a land far from here. Thus, I am ignorant to the customs and knowledge in this place."

"Yeah, so am I. I'm from the other side of the continent. But everyone knows these things, even the beast men. How far away have you really come from?" – Izaniya asked.

Each word this man said served only to add to the air of mystery. But there was one thing she strongly suspected. He too was a Player, like those two. While she did not know what these Players were, she knew that they were all special. They were unique characters, and incredibly strong in their own right. But he, he was far stronger than both of them from what little she glimpsed back in Hessau village. If she managed to win him over, to get him to join her and her companions, she was certain that all the Demon Gods would fall, and she would finally be free.

"The place of my birth is far from here. It is so far away, that if I flied for a thousand years without rest, I would not be anywhere close to it. And it is not a place that you wish to visit, at any rate. It is a land that is forsaken by God. Misery is the only thing the people can eat in abundance, and there are horrors on a scale unimaginable by you or any of the people you've met. It is a cursed place, and I do not wish to speak of it now."

Why Kalman told this woman these things, he didn't know. Perhaps he hoped to make a friend, or to lift a weight off his chest. Or he wanted a way to release the sadness, tension and anxiety that had been bubbling up for the past day.

"Listen to me, Izaniya. We are getting off topic. As I said, it is time we talked about the death of Surshana, the Greed Kings, and the Demon Gods."

"Alright, now where do I begin…"

As Izaniya was getting ready to begin a college lecture, suddenly, a large crack was heard from above. Like that of glass shattering. After that followed a thunderous rumble, the roar of a dragon, and the hunger of flames, all in a single sound.

Her interrogator however, had a blank look on his face. He held that facial expression for just a second, then he gazed upwards towards the broken glass above him, and then finally turned his sight towards the south, away from the mountains.

"What happened!?" – Izaniya shouted. She tried reaching for one of her weapons, before realizing they were confiscated.

"I have on my person an item that grants me complete protection against all forms of divination magic. It just activated." – Kalman replied. His right hand was grabbing his left wrist for some reason.

"Divination magic? You mean someone was spying on us?"

"No. They learned nothing."

"Which one of us do you think they were looking for?"

"So it's like that… I assumed whoever cast this spell to be one of your comrades, trying to find you, but you appear just as puzzled as I am."

"Yeah. None of the people I work with can cast divination magic. That's what makes finding these so-called Demon Gods such a pain in the ass. They can spy on us, but we can't find them."

"That's not necessarily true."

"What do you mean?"

"I know the location of whoever tried to take a peek."

"You know their location? But you didn't even know someone was watching until a minute ago. How can you know where they are?"

Kalman just gave her a small wink.

"So, I think it's time you and I paid a visit to whoever decided to play at being a voyeur."

"You want to fight them, alone? Just like that? A frontal assault, without any planning beforehand?"

"They'll never expect it. And besides, I won't be alone. You'll be coming with."

"I don't really want to."

"You do not have a choice."

"You don't get it. I'm a rogue, frontal attacks aren't our style. And besides, you took my equipment, remember?"

"Ah. A minor issue. Do not worry, I'll make sure you're prepared for combat. Not a single hair will be missing from your red head." – Kalman said, as if his very words would make the world obey.

"By the time we return to wherever you stashed my gear, our enemy may have already escaped. We're running out of time. It's best that you go on solo, I'll probably only slow you down."

"Heh. You truly have a talent for getting out of trouble. I don't dislike it. Usually, this gift of yours would work, and you'd be right. But you're mistaken about one thing. You won't be using your equipment. You'll be using some of mine."

"What?"

Not a second later, the young man's arm disappeared into a void of pure black, before drawing out…an entire wooden chair. The chair was placed on the ground. Then, Kalman took out some clothes. They were of a much finer quality than what Izaniya was wearing. Grey pants, a black shirt, black boots, white gloves and a grey jacket were all one after another, placed on the chair. After that, the man pulled out yet another chair, and placed it right next to the first one, and then he pulled out yet another chair.

"This equipment is much better than what you're wearing. Put it on. I don't want you getting killed."

"You want me to change, right in front of you? Don't you know that it's rude to ask such a thing of a lady?"

"I doubt you'd care. And besides, I can't let you out of my sight. You might try to escape."

"Fine. I'll still need weapons and equipment."

"Not a problem."

Kalman then withdrew two ocean blue daggers made of the finest metal Izaniya had ever seen. He placed them on the third chair. He then pulled out three potions, two rings, and a necklace, and placed them next to the daggers.

"What the hell?"

"These two rings will help you. They will grant you immunity to poisons and toxins, while also removing the need to eat, drink and sleep, so you can keep fighting forever. The necklace will help protect you against mind control. An essential defence when facing any magic caster. The weapons are enchanted to provided bonuses to critical strike damage while also dealing frost damage and healing the wielder for a small amount with each hit. They will serve you well, for now."

"You're just… giving these things to me?" – Izaniya asked, genuinely stupefied. This man was going above and beyond just to ensure her safety, when he had threatened her life not even an hour earlier. Was he that vested in her survival? Why else would he grant her these items?

"Loaning. I shall take them back when we are done."

"What about yourself? When are you going to get dressed?" – Izaniya replied, desperate to avoid getting killed because of this man's strange obsession with diving into combat like a maniac.

Kalman merely pulled out another bizarre object from the black void. A small wooden stick thing with some strange indecipherable writing on it. He snapped it in two, and in a moment, his entire attire had changed, back to the one he had been wearing when he was fighting the demons in the village. He then pulled out a giant and terrifying claymore, aptly named [The Desolator], swung it around a few times with inhuman strength, and then placed stabbed the earth with it, holding the blade with both hands, and adopted a pose like that of a knight guarding a pass.

"What are you waiting for. I have prepared for battle, now you must do the same. We have no time to waste. Hurry up."

"I got it, I got it, quit being such a slavedriver."

After a few embarrassing minutes in which Izaniya undressed herself as quickly as possible, while Kalman tried to look as little as possible (though he failed many times in this self-imposed challenge), she was dressed to impress. Her old clothes and the chairs were placed inside Kalman's inventory.

The clothes that had been provided to her were part of a quest chain, and they were fit for any of the Rogue related classes, and their strength was comparable to what someone around level 65 would wear. In other words, far stronger than what she had previously. The daggers were a gacha drop, and were relatively powerful, but there were better assassin weapons, and Kalman himself never used daggers, as they did not synergize with his build.

"So, you're really serious about this. We are just going to stroll up there to the front gate of whatever place our little peeper cast the divination magic from, and attack? I admit, you're strong, but we could be facing potentially thousands of enemies."

"You're mistaken, Izaniya. We won't be going through the front gate. And we won't be fighting thousands of enemies. We get in, kill the magic caster, his lieutenants, and after that, their entire chain of command will crumble and they'll turn on each other or flee. You'll see."

"Alright, if you say so…" – Izaniya said while stretching her shoulder about. She was getting warmed up for the fight, and though she was an assassin first and foremost, she was not helpless in direct combat.

"Oh, and one more thing. If you face a foe that is beyond you, call for help, and I will be there."

"Playing a knight in shining armour? I can take care of myself, thank you."

"I need you alive. You haven't finished telling me about the Greed Kings, Demon Gods, or your companions."

"For all I know, we could be fighting one of those Demon Gods! We're probably going right into one of their lairs!" – Izaniya said one last time. Hopefully, this time she could convince him.

"Yes, and based on what that bat-demon Axos said, they should not be a challenge." – Kalman said with absolute confidence. He was sure that his opponent would not expect him to pop out of nowhere and attack him, inside his own base.

This sentence destroyed all of Izaniya's hopes that she would escape combat. She knew that from her experience so far, they needed at least three to four people in a party to defeat a single Demon God, and that was in a fair fight. This time, they would be heavily outnumbered. It was a suicide mission, plain and simple, but she knew she had no option but to go through with it. If she tried to run, this…man, would use whatever trick he used last time, and he would not be so merciful next time. If she tried to fight him, she would lose, decisively. Thus, her only path to survival would be to go through with the attack, and hope for the best.

"Ugh. Very well. Let's go."

"Finally. I thought you'd come up with another excuse. Where's your motivation?"

"I'm plenty motivated to not die at twenty-one."

Kalman just chuckled a bit. Then he lifted up his sword from the ground, aimed it at a clearing right in front of them, and spoke.

"[Gate]."

A swirling red vortex of black and red, a crack in reality, opened up where Kalman was aiming with his sword. This was teleportation magic, far beyond what she had seen so far. The very highest tier of teleportation magic. No limit on distance, no chance of failure. This spell was unmatched when it came to moving vast distances.

Kalman then lowered his sword, and began walking toward it. He took the lead, and a few feet behind, Izaniya was following. Right as he was about to touch the gate, she shouted.

"Wait!"

"What is it now?" – He sighed as he turned around and spoke. Though he found her information reliable, her questions had been getting on his nerves. But she could not help herself. While she was dominant in most social interactions, this did not apply to her conversations with him. If one could even call them conversations.

"I just realized… I don't know your name." – she said meekly.

"My…name?"

"Yes. I might die, and I want to know your name before I do. Is that such a strange thing to ask?"

This was a reasonable request, and Kalman found that he could voice no objection to it.

"Very well. My name is Kalman. Now, get in the portal." – he replied coldly.

"So that's your name. Kalman. I shall remember it."

Then, she walked right up to the portal. It was mere inches from her feet. Right as she was about to step into it, into the dangerous unknown, she only had one thought.

"Kalman… you're a damn psychopath!"

That's it for the seventh chapter guys! I was supposed to take my PC to get it repaired back on the 25th, but something came up and I couldn't, so I'm taking it on the 1st. After this chapter, I don't know how long my PC will be out of commission, but if I get it back before the weekend, I'll do all I can to give you guys another chapter then. If it's not possible, I'll aim for the next weekend, roughly two weeks from now. With that being said, this chapter is about as long as the previous one, and I found it enjoyable to write, though it took quite a bit of time.

As always though, make sure to follow/favorite the story if you enjoyed it, and leave any thoughts you might have in the review section.

Till next time!