Chapter 25: The Wrong & Righteous (2)

Approx. 5min reading time

"The alignment system will reward players for killing someone on the opposite side of the spectrum starting at tier two. We made it harder for Good players to be detected on sight. In exchange, Chaotic players get more points for killing a Good player."

"So as long as Good players don't wear white, they can't be distinguished?"

"Pretty much."

"That'll certainly narrow down the list of Paradise suspects."

"Not only that, we'll be able to kill on sight without any consequences."

"It brings an interesting dynamic to the table. If I find myself standing next to a chaotic player once that update releases..."

"If it's Ghost, nobody would bat an eye if you two went at it. You've been at each other's throats since day one."

"Yeah..." Thomas made at difficult face at the mention of Ghostkilla.

This work is hosted on mananovel.com

"You haven't logged in since the interview have you?" Chad didn't miss his grimace.

"I'm not avoiding her. I just haven't had the time..."

"Well, if she doesn't kill you outright, it'll be a miracle. The chances she hasn't recognized your face on t.v. are slim."

"Then it's about time I faced the music." Thomas said as he rose from his chair.

"Good luck. I'll just be here, saving the company from damnation." Chad muttered to himself.

After saying goodbye, Thomas raced home to log in for the first time in a weeks. He needed to prepare his guild for the upcoming changes, and he also needed to make a few adjustments to the recruitment criteria. He logged in to find a blade at his throat.

"Welcome back Marius..."

In the darkness of the room, he could barely make out the woman with short cropped hair. Though he immediately recognized the voice.

"Ghost, wai-" he was interrupted by the force applied to the blade.

"You know Marius, you look an awful lot like that guy on t.v..."

Marius had chosen an elf has his starting race, but had made no adjustments to his face. From now on, he'd be immediately recognized by anyone who followed the news.

"I was going to tell you..."

"When?"

"Upon my return."

"To late for that..." she whispered menacingly. The two stared at each other in silence. Neither one wanting to escalate the situation.

"What do you want me to do Ghost? Tell me..." he whispered in return, using hushed tones to calm the enraged Shadow Stalker.

"I want you to fucking care!" she hissed. Her world was in turmoil, and the one person she wanted to be there for her had disappeared, reappearing on television as a suit for Sonsoft. The blade at Marius' neck trembled, digging into the flesh.

"You think I don't care?" Marius cautiously reached for the blade and grasped the hand that gripped the hilt. He held her gaze as he moved the blade from his neck to his heart. Then he slowly pushed the tip of the blade into in chest. Ghostkilla froze.

"You think I don't care that I wasn't by your side that day?" Marius questioned as the blade easily pierced his tunic. Phantom Edge dealt burn damage if it pierced the target, immediately prompting a few drops of sweat on his brow.

".......!" Ghostkilla moved to remove the knife, but Marius was much stronger.

"You think I don't care that the world knew what had happened before I did?" He pushed the knife further still. It was millimeters away from his heart.

The moon cast it's light from the window, revealing the misty eyed assassin as she desperately tried to remove the knife with both hands. Like a true ghost, she had haunted his room to wait for his return. She'd watched to interview and wanted to hear what he had to say for himself. She should have known he'd do something drastic. He always did.

"You think I don't care that I wasn't beside you when you hunted them down?" Marius' voice was filled with sorrow and pain as his beating heart nicked the blade. "Yes, I work for Sonsoft. But that has nothing to do with my feelings for you. I care. If you don't believe, then do what you came here to do...." Marius spoke as he let go of her hand.

Ghostkilla's hands had stopped trembling as she looked down at him. They had both suffered apart. All that mattered now was that they were together.

She tossed the blade to the side as she fiercely put her lips to his. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to grab hold of a part of herself that had been missing until that today. Then she embraced him as the white light cut through the darkness.

"Boyfriends are supposed to be there when it counts...." she cried in frustration.

"Forgive me." Marius hugged her tightly. Even if he was forgiven, he'd never forgive himself for not being there for her.

"And you don't log out without telling me first."

"Okay...."

They embraced for a few moments before Ghostkilla detached herself, wiping the tears from her eyes. It had been a rare moment of sentiment for her, but no one would blame her given the circumstances. "The Guild's been waiting for you. Fourscore said something about finding a level 400."

"Good, I need to talk to them anyway. There's been a slight change in plans. Go. I'll be there in a bit." They never arrived together. They had a reputation of hating each other's guts.

Ghostkilla vanished and walked out into the halls of the guild house.

Marius whispered a healing spell as he got up to equip his armor. After what he'd learned from Chad, there were preparations to make. Passive stats were going to be a lot more powerful, and he needed the strongest if he was going to bring trouble to Paradise.

He needed a party that wouldn't lose to anyone, and today would mark the beginning of his search.

---

Two youths sat, overlooking a funeral pyre as the morning sun shined down on them. They were both masters in their own right, having been trained by the strongest swordsman that ever lived.

A man sat on the left of the pyre with one arm resting on his knee. His dark brown skin complimented his pure white robe in a striking contrast. He had a simple, neat buzz cut, and a clean shaven face that accentuated his strong jaw.

There was no devilish smile on his thick lips. The warm brown eyes that usually danced with joy, were brimming over with tears.

On the opposite side of the pyre, sat a young woman. She had her chin on her knees while her snow white hair shrouded the rest of her body. Her large silver eyes were overflowing as she cried. Streaks of tears covered her face, running down her button nose to soak her pure white trousers.

The two sat in silence, but the roaring of the flames filled the air. They watched as the body of their master burned. Refusing to bury him, they let the flames, that burned like his Fighting Spirit, carry him off to the emerald sea in the distance.

Thadius sighed as he looked at the messages he'd missed. After killing Corban, he had leveled up to 26. Yet, he had received so much experience, that the game

had given him a buff instead of further increasing his level.

[Due to excessive experience, the maximum EXP. needed for the next 52 levels will be reduced by 10%.]

He sighed again. His first kill had been his master, and it had been far from a fair fight. Corban had been weakened from years of fighting an affliction, and he had taken advantage of it to deal a killing blow. Thadius grieved, but he didn't regret what he'd done. Instead of leaving Corban to waste away on the mountain, he had given him a clean death. It was what his master had wished for when he had first met him.

Still, the last words of his master replayed in his mind, telling him that his heart would lead him to trouble. Thadius couldn't help believing his words. After all, this was the second time that his heart had lead him into making a painful decision.

He looked over at Yuna. He could still make out her crying face even with the heat haze distorting his view. They could stay a little while longer, but there was a whole world waiting for them below the mountain. It would do both of them some good to get away from the mountain as soon as possible.

As he got up to go over to her, a metallic glint caught his eye. Near the edge the pyre was a small rectangular piece of iron. Thadius touched it gingerly, expecting it to burn him. It was surprisingly cool, and as he flipped it over, small words magically scrolled the surface.

'A status card!'

[

Monster's Bane, Dragon Killer, War Hero, Mass Murderer, Immortal Blade, General, Love's Killer, Bully, Violent Child, Inquisitive Child, Moon Baby

CLASS Sword Scholar

NAME Corban(Deceased) RACE Human

FAME: 210,746 LV. 432

ADVENTURER RANK SSS

TODOS ARMY General

HEALTH 0/10320

STAMINA 0/23040

VITALITY 1032 STRENGTH 1732

DEXTERITY 2002 WISDOM 5088