Fantasy Siva {{The Legend Of The Destroyer}}

[IMUNISH]

Update 7

Family and Power

"Did you like the video?" Augustus asked and Rex was taken aback with surprise.

"Why ask about the video? I bet you already knew about who I am."

On his words, Augustus's cold sinister smile came and it was here that Rex somehow found the time to relax. While the other bodyguards were feeling tensed up, Rex was somehow oddly becoming calm facing that kind of pressure.

It was even more worrying when Augustus was hiding his fangs than bearing them.

"You just became a superstar. And your family is also a superstar in their own respect."

"Leave my family alone!"

"Don't worry, I don't have the plan on wasting my time on trifling things so I will tell you straight." At this point, Augustus's gaze pierced through the mask and Rex knew from the intensity that this man was serious. "The job I'm going to give you is not like theirs. While those people below are busy hunting impossible to find things, I want you to instead hunt down the secrets of the game."

It was here that Rex was lost. Still, the intense gaze from the man forbade him from making a reaction. And all he could do was listen intently on his words.

Rex knew, escape from his clasps is impossible.

He had just made a huge mistake of wanting his help in the first place. He met the wrong man, asked at the wrong time, and came to the wrong place.

"There are over hundreds of thousands of secrets in this game, Mister Kingsley. Secrets that costs more money than those silly things they use to improve combat ability. Bring me those secrets and I will pay you accordingly. Abandon this job and you will be sure to find your dear little brother inside his coffin sooner than you think."

A threat, Rex thought, what a familiar sound. It is more relaxing hearing these things than not hearing them at all because whenever he receives some, his mind work faster and smoother than normal.

He had experienced many life threatening things like this in his short teenage life. Those people who lost their avatars in Terroa bent their frustration and anger to him and his family. Some even went as far as kidnapping and pointing a gun on his head and they all meant to kill him because they lost their money in buying the game and could not afford to buy the expensive game again.

It was because Terroa is a game where a starting avatar is 75% less expensive than when you buy another avatar again.

The game was that much addictive that they would resort to those unlawful things just to relieve their anger. Blaming him and his family was their way out of frustration. And time and time again, he punished them all using his fists. If there was a reason why he never played Terroa despite his parents' urge, it would be this very same reason itself. Why would he put himself in a tighter spot than he was then?

He had become his family's shield in the backdrop. He had protected them against real threats like the ones he had received just now. He beat them all up and told them of their weakness why they died in the game.

It wasn't anyone else's fault, never was, it was their fault for being weak. Terroa is a game that challenges your will and your wits. It was meant to test one's mettle. From before it was even released, information about its system, its nature, about its story, and who its target market was is already announced. +

At this point, he remembered his father's words and realized that he was right. And even so, right now, he had something that he must protect no matter what.

The threat just now was the same as the others, only, it came from a man with real power. +

And so because of this, he finally realized the reason why he felt so calm. His thoughts became more composed and he knew that even though there is no visible escape in his fangs, he won't die.

Augustus knew of the fact that he had the abilities that he needed. They need each other. And from this, a thought came to Rex. So instead of cowering, Rex had steeled his resolve.

Augustus was right about one thing.

Earlier, he spoke of the one reason why he came to him asking for help and so he knew what he had to do. He was even prepared to serve him for a lifetime if it means that his brother would live longer than he is.

That decision hasn't changed until now.

"I accept. I will give you all the secrets you can get but in return, I need the money."

"Heh. And here I thought you would cower from the thought that you are messing with me. But your eyes told me otherwise. Very well, what do I get in return as compensation?"

"Me. I will serve you until I repay the debt."

At those words, the smile on Augustus's lips vanished and was replaced with a serious expression partnered with a stern silence. Even behind the mask, the cold seriousness of his behavior was enough to make the two bodyguards tense in fear.

"You?" Augustus spoke after a pause. "And what do I need of you? I can get as many people better than you for a much cheaper salary. What do you take me for? I'm not a fool as to not know my quality."

Even though it was hidden, Rex felt Augustus's eyes narrowing on him. He was shocked. He never thought that his plan would fail. There was no backup plan. As soon as this thought entered his consciousness, a sudden realization came into him.

 

[IMUNISH]

Update 7b
How could I forget, I'm not in my best condition to propose such thing. What a fool I am!

He scolded himself over and over, regretting the fact that he was trapped within his idea. But then he heard the man spoke. "But there is one thing I want from you."

At that, Rex raised his head and saw the same cold and sinister smile.

"What?"

"Your brother."

Now it came to the point where there really is no backing down. He had misjudged Augustus's personality. It was a mistake to think that he would play fair. He is an underground character. He can always come out a clean man on every crime he commits. Resources, information, contacts, money, power, he had it all in his disposal. To try and trick him into playing your hand would require not only the same things he had but with wiser, more daring and clever moves and words.

He will never play your card, he has his own game and Rex had just stepped inside this domain.

"To save your brother's life, you need the money. But I can't just give it to you without compensation. So in order for you to really do what is required of you, I will have to hold something dear from you. In this case, I will hold your brother's life. In return of me saving your brother, he will belong to me and in order for you to buy him back…" This time Augustus pointed a finger at him. "Bring me five H-class secrets."

"H-Class?! And five of them?!" Rex couldn't believe his eyes. He was not ignorant of the rankings and classes in Terroa.

Secrets or in other words the special quests, items, weapons, characters, pets, places, mission, information, job, builds, skills, materials, organizations, creatures, monsters, designs, even MODs, and Historical Information was all classified as the game's important secrets. According to their difficulty, they are divided into classes and ranks. +

Anything that has something to do with fighting, either it's a mission, a quest or the enemy itself, it has rankings on their own. The lowest is E-rank while the highest recorded is S-rank.

But on everything else, grade (quality) is classified from Class-5, the lowest, and Class-1 the most extinct.

But there are letter classes as well that was considered legends and special rare cases. Like for example, the legend of Excalibur. It was an H-class rarity item that was just recently exposed as almost impossible to get.

A certain group of adventurers had discovered a book from a mission they went through and there, they read of a location where one of the Terrans' legendary weapons, the Excalibur, was hidden to protect it from the greedy Terrans of ancient times. But when they discovered the place, these adventurers immediately gave up.

Usually, high ranking monsters do not group together but in Terroa, there are some special cases when an alien is present amongst the group of monsters. These aliens can control them and improve their stats versus the humans.

Sometimes, for every 100 monsters, there are 10 aliens associated with them. These aliens then act like their leader and organize them into unique battle formations against the humans. In a hunting team, once they encounter such rare feat, they could either decide to flee or fight on. But usually they always flee since once you die in the game, you are gone. That is to show just how much dangerous aliens are.

But then there are rare circumstances that humans win over these groups and their rewards are always handsome.
With these facts, Augustus, asking for five H-class rarity secrets was a real shock to Rex. It was impossible to do with a group comprised of noobs, most especially if Augustus wants him to get it alone. Rex was in a tight spot his composure had long since been gone. In front of him, he only saw darkness.

"I can't accept no for an answer so I will give you a discount. Inside Terroa, a full day here lasts three times there. And so, in three months' time, that's nine months inside the game, I want to have my first H-class secret. This would serve as a test for you so the discount would be from either three B-class secrets, two A-class ones, or one H or S-class secrets. Fair enough?"

Rex was in silence. What kind of discount is that? Even finding B-class ones are as hard as finding a gold needle in a sea full of needles.

He was looking at his fists on his lap now. Rex was sweating and he felt that his pulse was so high the air conditioning felt like a sauna bath. But for Augustus, this was the expected scenario.

Are you prepared kid?

He waited for Rex to compose his bearing. It was the feat he was looking for in a man if he wants to earn his respect. And for Augustus Laniary, once a person earned his respect, he would handle that person as a friend and give him the necessary treatment that he deserved.

At that point, Rex clenched his fists and slowly raised his head. And even with the masks on, Rex Kingsley's eyes pierced through him like a sharp blade.

Resolve.

This is what it was. This heavy feeling was the weight of his resolve. It was this one trait of real men when backed into a corner that they become the most dangerous sword in the world. It was people like Rex that Augustus wanted to meet. And so his smile and his happiness couldn't be more colorful than this. +

"Save my brother." Rex's voice came solid yet still layered with the pain of his still healing wound. "I will comply to your demands. I will bring you your secrets but in turn, make sure that you keep your word."

 

[IMUNISH]

Update 7c
Augustus knew that if there were more words after the last one, those would be in the form of threat. But still, it was one trait of this kid that he liked. He knew where to stop his tongue and knew where it should be placed. +

And so, he waved a hand towards Rude and he picked up a bag with three packages inside.

"I knew you would be the right person for this job so I went ahead and bought you gifts. Consider it my investment for our partnership."

Rex took it and guessed what was inside. Then he stood up, telling Augustus, "We've done what we came here for. Bring me back to the hospital."

"No can do." Augustus lent an open palm on the other body guard. "I want to tell you that as part of the deal, you will have to live outside the hospital."

"What?! Where to…exactly?"

"In an apartment…" He smiled. "…owned by me."

***

"Who is that man behind Augustus?"

"I will find out, madam."

When their curtain closed, Rafa Millet waved a hand on Augustus's balcony. Her bright blue gown shined in the dim light of the place and her mask and the outline of her lustful body gave the impression of a very powerful miss.

The man on her right side bowed and stepped back, vanishing on the dark corner of the balcony room.

She stared down on the crowd and then turned her gaze back to the only balcony with a closed curtain. Her face hidden in her feminine mask bade a smile and the man on her left side leaned closer.

"Tasha."

"Yes madam?"

"Make sure that you give me the latest news inside the game. I get the feeling that he's cooking something hot again."

"Yes madam."

Right that instant, the man who went out earlier came back and he was holding a holographic panel on his right hand.

"So?"

"His name is Rex, Madam, and for some mysterious reason, his ID is tagged with TOP-1 Security Tag from the database. Aside from his name, I'm afraid we cannot dig in more information about him."

Hearing the words made Rafa sit on the couch with a deep thought. She crossed her arm and the pipe on her left hand let a smoke that was both a scent and a unique attraction. Her cleavage formed a nice curve and she put the pipe on the table up front.

"Rex…hmmm…and he's a TOP-1 Security Tag? Uhmm…what a very nice toy he got there. I can't help but want him to myself. Ooohhh…"

Her moans echoed throughout the balcony but the two guards behind her remained stiff and stern.

The sound even reached the balconies on their sides and the people there can't help but imagine just what kind of imagination she was having at this time. After all, reputations are also one of their identities inside this big organization. Hers is as obvious as the way she dressed. +

***

Loni did not mind the sight she was seeing and only glanced slightly on the swaying blue dressed woman on their balcony's left side.
The curve build of the stadium hall made it possible that all of the people in the balcony levels can see each other, and even hear them, if their voices are too loud. There were about 50 meters between Rafa and their balcony but from this distance, her moans came as temptation to the men on both sides of her space.

Rafa's reputation added charms to her. The lustful beauty and brains of the West was as daring and bold as what the rumors say.

"It is your first time meeting her, right?" Said the old man in front of her.

"Granfather, is this organization really like this?"

"It never gets old." The old man chuckled. "The one she followed also has the same attitude as her on her prime and I get the feeling that it's becoming a tradition in this family."

"I do not consider them as such. Why do you keep on saying that?"

Not minding her reaction, Loni's grandfather just continued to stare at the crowd and the talks going on in the jobs they gave out.

At that moment, a holographic panel emerged on Loni's front and the sound of it popping up made the old man lean back.

"Something happened?"

"Some people tried to hack into the database."

"Ah…" The old man's face turned to a sweet smile and he chuckled again. "Curiosity. Same as always."

"Should I punish them?"

"Tsk. Leave them be. They're not worth your time. But, feed my curiosity, how many attempts and who was it that hacked the database?"

"Well…" Loni's reaction somehow distorted the moment she read about the content of the report. "This is odd. Everyone in the balcony all searched for the same person."

"Hmm?" The old man raised a brow.

"They all tried to learn the identity of that injured man in Augustus's balcony."

"Ahahahahaha…" The old man's laugh was as big as a hyena. "I knew this would happen. That guy, he really knows how to start a forest fire."

Loni couldn't get what he was talking about but she knew that her grandfather was talking about Augustus Laniary, the man who does what he wants and plays with everything as if it was a game.

This organization is filled with these kinds of shady people. She learned of their greed and their not so good attitudes just recently and so couldn't help but to feel the way she is feeling right now. Irritated. These people are all playing the game that Augustus had set up. +

Augustus Laniary, rumors of his dark activities and businesses were spread wide throughout the world.

They were invited in this country to witness the play that he had set up. A daring and very dangerous play, if Loni had to describe it. It's an utterly cold hearted set up and she don't like it. Using money as the catch to create a chaos inside a peaceful world. Just what would he gain from this, she doesn't know.

I don't understand.

And yet, she can't fully get angry at him.

Because she herself was a player of this world that Augustus was trying to stir. She knew that with the players' current attitude, moving forward in the game is going to be as hard and as long as her age. By that time, a more easier to play game and more gentler system will be created.

But with this plan, by using the greed and the inner competition between these people, the life inside the game would improve by a few notch. Places that no one else braved, missions that people avoided, weapons that no one had ever seen before, ideas and inventions in a whole new level and scale, all sorts of possibilities are in the verge of opening up with this plan.

There are millions of players in Terroa and honestly speaking, if his plan's purpose is to stir imagination and chaos in the conservative game play of Terroa's users, then from the very core of her heart, she knew it would succeed.

It would add life to the game.

But then, deep inside her consciousness, hidden was the thought of going against the flow of this game.

She thought, "I have to save these people."

"Hm?" The old man leaned back to her. "Did you say something?"

"It was nothing, grandfather."

"Hmm…" The old man rubbed his chin and kept on looking at the crowd.

At that, Loni glanced over the closed curtains of the balcony on their right side. Then she checked the info of the man the others had tried to know. After she had pressed the picture of the person to see his profile, a warning sound came into her vision.

"What the…?!"

"Ahahahaha…you lose, Loni."

"Grandfather!"

"Only I can give the permission to let them know of his identity. Not even you, my dear child, have the right yet. But I will give you a hint. Based on my knowledge, if that man enters that world, then for sure, the volcano will erupt. No doubt about it."

Riddles. Her grandfather had a knack of giving her riddles. Ever since she was young, the mysterious man who supported her from the shadows of society had been giving her these kinds of tests. Every time her mother is in need, without any sort of warning, a letter would always come to her, addressed for her mother and always accompanied by riddles.

And even now…

"Who is he? Why Terroa? Why here?" +

"Ahahaha…Loni, to find the answer you just have to log on inside the game. Ahahaha…"

Loni could only stare at Rex's face as she felt defeat crawling up her sleeves. Only the name and his masked face was available. And aside from Augustus, nobody else know of who he was.

 

[IMUNISH]

Update 8

Time is Running

The road back was quiet. No words came from Rex since his benefactor did not bother to come with him on his way back. In the limousine, there was only him, the driver, and the holographic TV stuck on a channel that showed only news about current events.

He stretched out his hand and a panel popped out on the tip of his finger. His hands moved, skipping channel after channel after finally, he saw the channel he was looking for.

It was a channel solely dedicated to Terroa.

In actuality, there are almost five to eight channels like this one but if other channels that solely dedicates itself on other game titles were to be included, the numbers of channels that talks about the VRMMORPG genre would easily reach 30.

That said, he chose this channel not because it was the most popular one amongst the list of channels for Terroa, but it was actually because this one is directly under the same company that developed the game.

His parents often watched here, monitoring the few developments of the players. They were proud of their work, but the feelings never reached Rex…until now.

In the screen, a player was being interviewed by a male host and beside him was his partner, Kathleen Brew. The player boldly revealed his face and name, for there was no sense on hiding it from everyone else.

Rex knew why.

He's one of the pioneers.

The interview was about the incoming war of two guilds. He belonged to the aggressive TGG and basing on the smile on his lips he thinks he belonged to the circle of the strong.

He was called Gats by the anchors and Rex watched and studied him. It was a habit he inherited since he is a person who never once trusted anyone else aside from the people he grew up knowing. His reason for such is because it may come to a point where he might meet the man and become his competition.

The man, with his face and shoulder the only shown part in the TV, explained why they are attacking the other guild and from there, even Rex sympathized with him.

But when the interview was about to reach a point to the climax, the speaker from the driver's seat made a sound and his attention was snatched by the voice.

"Master Kingsley, we're here."

Rex looked outside and saw that they were inside a private subdivision. Rows of monotoned colored gates lined 4 to 6 meters apart. Some of the houses are taller than the rest, with colorful gates different from the unit beside them. In short, this is a townhouse subdivision and they stopped in front of one unit.

Onlookers and curious residents gathered not too far from them and Rex got off in a slow pace.

He can hear the sounds of whispers in the people gathered around them and all the while, he carried the package that was given to him with difficulty. Then he turned towards the driver and asked:

"Are these people also part of your group?"

"No." The driver got off and helped him. They entered the house. Rex saw that aside from basic living equipments, a TV, and a phone unit, there was nothing else inside the townhouse unit.

At least there was a fridge…

"Up here." The driver spoke.

Rex followed the man upstairs and confirmed that the house was prepared specifically for a single person.

A boring looking bed, a side table, a lampshade, a balcony, a dresser, a cabinet on the left side, and the all important e-plug for specific electronic gadgets, the only room upstairs is a simple living quarters designed for a single person. Even the bathroom, as he glanced over it just a few steps before the door to the room, was big enough to be considered a bedroom. +

He remembered the refrigerator below and wished that there was food. If he was going to be doing his job here in this house, living alone, then food is one of the most important things that must never be forgotten.

As soon as he entered the room, the driver spoke in a low solid tone again.

"Food stock is not a problem. You are expected to stay in this house for as long as the deal is active. Aside from your personal hygiene, the house itself is maintained by another person so you don't have anything to worry about but the job itself. Do you have questions?"

"Can I go back to the hospital?"

At that question, Rex saw the stern killer expression on the driver's face. "No. From the moment you agreed to the conditions of the job, you are immediately under our care. The only time you can leave this house is when you have completed the deal's conditions. But do not worry, we already arranged your personal doctors."

"Wait! What about my brother? My medication?"

"It's already being taken care of."

At that moment, the driver gave Rex an old model hand held phone. On its screen was an active call and so he put the unit to his ear.

"Hello?"

[Rex? Rex is that you?]

"Doctor Faust! What's happening?"

[I don't know. I suddenly got a call from the top and they said that your brother is going to be transferred to a different hospital. Then military men came and tried to take him. They have signed papers and they said they're only following their orders. What's going on? Where the hell are you right now?]

Rex brought down the phone and glared at the driver, gritting his teeth and clenching his fist. "Where are you taking my brother?"

At that moment, a large hologram panel appeared on the driver's right shoulder and Augustus's masked face was smiling there. It was a feat of the latest video-phone technology. The phone unit downstairs is a unit capable of such thing, meaning, once a call is received, if the house is equipped with the link package, the whole house is instantly converted into a large phone.

"Don't worry Mister Kingsley, your brother is in the hands of the best military doctors in my contact list."

"Military?!"

"Yes. You can rest assured that he is going to get the best medical attention he can. In the meantime, you can start working."

Rex controlled his temper and he spoke with as much restraint as he can.

"Where are you taking him?"

Augustus's image paused before he opened his mouth. "Fort Magsaysay."

"That's…"

"Mister Kingsley, I think you are forgetting what we have talked about just a few hours ago." Even though it was just a synthetic rendering of the real person's voice, the tone and diction was enough to put Rex silent. "I'm a person of my word, Mister Kingsley. In the business world, once you break your promise, your enterprise is the one who will suffer the rift. So when I say that he'll be safe, he'll be safe. And so as I had done my part in our deal, I think it's time now that you do yours."

Augustus had made his move. Rex had been given everything else that he needs. The generosity of the advanced payment and a private working place was all too expensive enough for him.

This job was not as he thinks it is. Whatever was his plans that he had showed Rex, there was still something else hidden beneath it.

Rex's intuition told him so.

"Three months, Mister Kingsley. Starting today, 92 days will be counted. Graham here will be the one that will answer to all your other questions."

At that, Augustus's image vanished.

Graham, the driver, took out the package and spoke, "Mister Kingsley, I will set up the machine and leave immediately after that. You will have to prepare your own food but don't worry about supplies. The caretaker is scheduled to visit everyday at 6 A.M. to cleanup. She will clean your room, do your laundry and leave as soon as she is done. You can also use the vid-link in anyways you want, even calling the police is alright. In this place, you are just a person who had an accident and are spending your rehabilitation playing games. We are not liable to anything else you will do but I suggest that you do not tell anyone about your real identity." +

"Why?"

"Because it's for your own good."

Rex implanted all the things he heard on his mind and dedicated a certain amount of his memory logs to the rules and conditions that was given to him.

In short, in this place, he is a nobody. He can't leave -won't leave. While he did thought of calling for the police, it was a pointless idea. This was his doing. What good is calling the police on a trouble that he brought to himself?

But then, Fort Magsaysay?

It was a place that he can't visit in a whim. Starting today, he would be spending his time entirely in this house. This is his workplace. For the next three months, his brother's life is in his hands.

He would have to work for his brother's freedom.

The price for Baron's cure wasn't his life, but his brother's own. He wasn't stupid enough to think that he is going out of this mess unscathed. One way or the other, he knew that at some point, he will definitely change.

This price, it was a price higher than his own. But even so, though his plan had failed miserably, his initial goal was still achieved. Now, all he had to work on is taking his brother back to his care.

"Can I see him?"

Graham considered the thought. He looked at Rex's expression and only saw a defeated man asking for redemption. A sweat flowed in his temple and this did not escape Rex's sight. He looked at him straight in the eyes then he checked the phone that he gave him earlier.

"No. I'm sorry. Even if I say once a week, I'd be lying to you so it would be better for you to know." +

"Dammit." Rex clenched his fists.

Baron is young. He thought frustratingly.

At three years old, he can be swayed into becoming another person's son. Or maybe forget about him, or brainwash him into becoming a slave. These thoughts was destroying his composure.

He shook his head and went downstairs.

After he prepared his dinner, a simple rice meal with bacon and egg, he checked for the robotic support on his leg and adjusted it.

"The battery is still good for the next two weeks."

After eating, he surveyed the house. Two bathrooms on both floors, a balcony, and then a garage turned into a small lawn with a small garden.

His assessment, it was a bachelor's house. +

Though tempted to check outside, he did not dare to do so. He just stayed in the mini lawn and sat down on the bench there. The orchids, the plants, the grass, the stone steps and the few flowers on the side all added up a soothing atmosphere.

He failed to bring any personal things from the hospital. Even the maintenance kit for the robotic legs he'd been wearing.

All of a sudden, his contact on the outside world had been cut. If he was to get out of this deal, he'd have to give them what they want. And Augustus wants five H-class secrets. According to his memory, that is going to be either an item, an equipment material, a weapon, a very useful pet, an armor set, or a MOD that belonged to either Legendary or Unique class.

But in three months' time…

Rex couldn't think clearly. His mind was in shock of the things that had happened. No matter how much he spend himself thinking of the things that should have happened, there is no turning back the hands of time.

…I had done my part in our deal, I think it's time now that you do yours.

As he recalled Augustus's words, he also recalled that night when he carried Baron on his shoulders and actually felt his baby brother's embrace. As he sat down on the wooden bench with one hand still covered in the white dirty cast, his able hand was covering his eyes.

He was ashamed of anyone seeing the tears he was shedding. But still, the fact remained, there's only him and baron left now.

Because no matter how much strength he exerts as he brave all these things, the fact that he was away from the only family he had left was enough to put him to tears. A real man may be the wall that the people around him can lean on, but at times when he was alone, he himself also needed a shoulder to cry on.

His sobs were silent but the moans, at first, was too painful to suppress. Still, when he had cried enough, he stood up and went inside. And there, he met Graham. +

The driver gave him a piece of paper and Rex took a second to read what was in there.

"A web address?" He asked in honest curiosity.

"I am not as hard as you think I am. I, too, have a brother just like you." Then he walked towards the door and leaned his head sideward, "You never got anything from me. I am just a delivery man." And he was gone.

As he heard the almost silent hum of the e-engine of the limousine becoming further and further, Rex finally felt the reality of his situation.

He was alone now. He took a few seconds standing in the sala, though there were only the sofa, the TV, and the dining table with two chairs in there. And then the fridge gave a hum that woke Rex's thoughts. He went upstairs into the room and saw that everything else was already set up.

The Neurolink Device's CPU, the wireless head set, the first edition information manual about RPG: Terroa, and a note on top of it, were all in the bed.

He held the manual first and then the note.

[Angel Café, City of Loire. It's somewhere in the Kingdom of Thrall, in the continent of Espada. Once there, look for Dante. And one more thing, work alone. Don't ask why. -Ag.]

"Ag…Augustus."

He crumbled the note and took the other paper he had received earlier. The web address. Somehow, it gave Rex a sense of foreboding conflict. Graham gave it to him on his own volition and so he knew that this is something of a help, in a stern and secret way.

Immediately, he went downstairs and registered his voice in the vid-phone's data base. Then, he went back upstairs picking up the manual.

"Browser." He spoke in thin air and a holographic panel emerged in front of him. "Activate manual sync overriding sequence. Set manual input control to active. Set all communications link to manual control…"

For every word he said, a change in the settings in the panel happened. Then, he made a hand gesture with his right hand like a square and a holographic keyboard materialized right on his fingertips. It was the manual synchronization overriding sequence protocol. And as soon as he accessed it, he smiled to see the expected things to see.

In the phone system, there were lines and control settings that was not usually there in a typical vid-phone package. What more, what he saw there were tracking programs with four layers of firewalls set to function as a hidden program.

In short, it was there to monitor his phone calls and his internet activities.

Using his able hand, his speed in manually changing the controls and removing unwanted bugs and programs in the system were in the expert level, enough to make a computer course student envious.

With every press of enter, a green light blinked on the hologram panel. He tested the connection and redid another scan, detected a few bugs, and corrected it. He deleted five other programs more that has nothing to do with the vid-phone settings and even connecting to the internet has been set with four programs designed to do the same things as the other phone trackers. +

"And you said it was okay to call the police?"

After a few minutes, he wiped the formed sweat in his head and rechecked if he had missed anything. And when he saw that it was finally alright, he moved on to the second phase of cleaning.

Standing up, he looked around in the room and with sharp keen senses paired with intuition and instinct, did a thorough check on corners and dark areas.

"Bingo."

In one of the buttons on the cabinet's button design, a single button detached itself and a hidden camera was stuck in there. A wireless type, the latest model. He checked again on other places, door locks, ceiling, vase, screws, in the glasses, the dresser, his bed, the CR, and even the small details in the lighting systems, inside his room alone, he gathered 11 hidden cameras.

"Privacy is not an option huh…"

He went downstairs and did the same inspection. He never cared if Graham would come back and beat him up but he hated the fact that he was alone in the house yet everybody else was watching him.

26 hidden cameras, 15 mini microphones, and 10 bugspies, all in all, were found all around the house.

But he left one that he couldn't get into no matter how much he tried. It's because he didn't have tools to remove it inside the Hologram TV modulator. Although it was obviously there, it was as if he put it there as a test as to what he would do with it. And so as a reply to that man's test, he left it alone.

When he had finally finished, it was already night.

As a last activity before he went upstairs, he pressed his thumb on the vid-phone hand held unit and went upstairs just like that.

In there, he sat down on his bed.

"Browser." He called out and moved his hand to dial a contact number. After awhile, a ringing sound was heard and a man's voice answered panting.

[Hello?]

"Doctor Faust."

[Rex! What in the heavens is happening…where are you?!]

"I don't know myself. Where is Baron?"

[They took him! They said they were taking him to Fort Magsaysay! Just what kind of mess did you put yourself into?] +

He did not answer immediately. Instead, Rex put his back on the bed and felt exhaustion hugging him from his back to his neck.

"I made a deal with the devil."

[I knew this would happen! I warned you! But more importantly, why did they take him?!]

"I failed to consider the fact that I am nothing to him even if I'm in my best condition…I…" Rex could not stop the sobs coming out. And even though he had cried earlier, at this moment, talking to the only man he could trust made the loneliness and the loss unbearable.

[It's…I don't know what happened but those people said that they are the ones who will take care of him from now on. Did you…get your goal?]

"Yes…and…and the price…Baron was the price."

A pause that came from the other line took the next six seconds. And after the calm of the storm, when Rex had finally calmed, Doctor Faust's voice spoke.

[Everything has a price, Rex. I don't know what had happened but I know that even if it sounded absurd or in an impossible manner, when Augustus gave his word for his safety, he will keep it. And so, whatever deal you had struck with him, you had no choice but to buy the part where you bargained.]

"I know. I know…"

[So…you're not coming back…?]

"They forbade me. Plus, I'm checking in with other doctors for my rehab."

[Then I'll do my part. Technically, I'm your legal guardian and I also happen to know someone in the high ladder in the Military. I'll be staying with Baron until you can see him again.]

"They said it was once a week but I doubt it."

[You should.]

Rex stared outside the window. In a tropical country such as the Philippines, when the days hit beyond May, rain and storms tend to enter the country. It can bring in lots of solemnity, paired with the fact that activities outdoor is limited.

Right now, it was raining.

"I got a job along with Baron's cure."

[A job? What kind? Is it dangerous?]

"It will be. And death is just the beginning of the problems."

[You seem to imply that I can't know of it. Where are you right now?]

"Doctor, no, Uncle Faust…starting today, everything about my activities will be hidden from you. If I tell you of the deal, they will know it since you are going to be staying with him. So to avoid compromises, I'll be on this alone. Please understand."

[Alright. I understand. And also, it seems that this number is secured. You're using an unknown number.] +

"I made it that way."

[Then you do what you have to do. I will try my best to keep Baron company.]

"I'll call you again."

And he cut the line. As soon as he did, an MMS popped up on the browser panel and he opened it. What he saw as the opening were two words. "Good work."

He scrolled down and a video was attached. He did a swipe and played it on another window. It was Ag.

[Simply genius. You're really worth the investment Mister Kingsley. But time is ticking. You may be a kid but I underestimated you. Leaving the TV's camera…I never imagined…anyways, tic tock tic tock…]

After watching it, Rex deleted the file.

He stared at the head set that is the sole equipment in connecting in that world.

A dream like universe, using the human's senses to create an alternate reality, everything inside that world is real. Senses, emotions, people…in the blink of an eye you're on Earth and at the next, you're in Terroa where all you see are data from a computer directly manifested inside the brain as the reality.

He was going inside that world not to play and enjoy the game but to work on a job.

Augustus was right.

"Time is running."

He already knew what was inside the manual. He'd read it many times before during the time of its first release. And so, putting it in the shelf above the bed's head side, he put on the head set; a mask similar to the one he wore in the underground dome, only, it has an overhead elastic lock that keeps it in place.

After he had fixed it in a comfortable manner, he did a last glance inside the room and laid down on the bed.

He closed his eyes and breathed. In his vision, was a digital clock, the (100%) battery life, the e-plug status, and the ROM Drive connection that says [Connected].

All is well. The only thing left to do was to enter that world. And so, he wasted no more time and closed his eyes after inhaling deep. As he let it out in a single blow, he spoke the words that caught the whole world in a trans. 4

"Game Start."

 

[IMUNISH]

Update 9


Updating Position

The warning lights blinked red and yellow inside the control center and that made everyone not only tensed but also panicky. It was the sign of hacking procedure, a signal that something was trying to enter the main game server of Terroa. +

"What's happening?! What's going on?"

Chief Operations Officer Carl Hanes shouted from his office on the third floor of the computer filled room.

"Someone is trying to hack inside the system!" A lab personnel shouted.

"He's so freaking fast!"

"I can't track him!"

"He's using multiple attack patterns, this is freaking insane! He's like a robot!"

The computer maintenance personnel was typing in their panels as fast and as precise as they could. Twenty high grade computer geniuses hired from all over the world couldn't do a thing on the person hacking the main server of Terroa.

At that, Carl moved his own hands and a panel emerged right in front of him.

He typed at the same pace as the technicians, entered codes and commands, then finally, in their main panel right at the front of their office, the system map had displayed itself. In there, clearly shown in blue lines, is the normal operating system of Terroa. Surrounding it, was the green colored liquid flowing nonstop towards the center of the map.

"This is..." Carl couldn't believe his eyes. "This is not hacking. It's an update."

"Boss..." Carl turned around and saw his assistant in his office holding a hand held phone. "It's President Ethan. He wants to talk to you."

Everyone inside the room froze as they saw what was happening inside the server. It was not a hacking, though the red lights are still blinking. What was seen in the monitor was the live actual status of the game's main server, the AI [Janus], that regulated the functions and status of Planet Terroa 24/7 live.

And in there, with multiple command lines coming out one after another, the system map was slowly being dyed in green. In short, the whole game itself was in the process of being updated live.

Usually, it would be done in maintenance but right now, the system itself is being updated live, with the users still online.

God knows just what was happening inside.

"Hello?" Carl summoned a hologram panel in front of him and he spoke in a harsh, trembling tone.

[Carl. What's the meaning of this?]

"Excuse me sir?"

[Why am I receiving this report of a hacking?]

"No sir...I mean, this is not a hacking."

[Then what is it? Why is the system module showing me this red blinking light?]

"Well, it's because the system is having an update."

[Update?! What are you talking about? I never got any request or any kind of paper in my desk regarding an update!]

"That's what I was talking about sir."

[Explain.]

"Well, just a few moments ago, we thought we were being attacked by a hacker but it turns out that it was a false alarm. The system itself was being updated and Janus did not so much as attempted to defend itself."

[Meaning, the update came from within us.]

"Yes sir."

[Find it.]
"H-Huh?" +

[Find the culprit! Find whoever installed that update and know details of the update itself! I want everything regarding this incident a secret from the public! It will ruin my business plans!]

"R-Right away sir!"

[Oh, and one more thing.] Carl's body stiffened as the President's angry finger was pointed directly at him. [Delete that update.]

"Will do."

***

President Ethan pressed a holographic button and the video call ended. Then he stood from his desk and took a glance outside his high rise office in the 60th floor of the Panorama Building.

The property solely owned by the Panorama Gaming Corporation stood a total of 62 floors and the floor his office was located at had half of it dedicated as his private room and his office respectively.

Its extravagant design and luxurious outlook was a sign of his meticulous touches. Nathaniel Brooks won his position with sincere dedication to glory alone.

As he ended the call, he took a glance on one of the corners of his office. There, a certain shelf was filled with things, trophies, as souvenirs from every game that the company created. Things such as small figurine of an elf with her bow, an Orc figure with his axe, and also a small souvenir from when Terroa was still on its early developmental stage: a sword.

It measured .6 meter long, ten centimeters wide, had a plain metallic hilt with no gems and artistic designs except for the single golden tip that came as part of the blade. In its shelf, it was named "The Providence" and a history about its importance in the game was written in the plaque below it.

"Is this your doing?" He hissed as he clenched his fist. Then he turned his gaze down below the streets of Seoul. Though he was a British-Indian businessman, he had been naturalized in Korea for half a year now.

And at some certain point, he held in his hands a piece of paper. And in it, a note was written that has the name of a certain man.

Augustus Laniary.

***

—Please Select Race

As the question was prompted, Rex checked the list of avatar race. There are six, in total, and all of them had their own unique traits that were advantageous on every unique field. And from them, only one race is the ones who came from Earth.

Rex read the information one by one on the races.

The Maven: Terrans who descended from the bloodline of royal ethnicity; had immense intellectual knowledge and possessed weak physical prowess. Grants additional 15% stat bonus to Intelligence and 5% to Manna.

The Tekz: Terrans who descended from a lineage of the wise men of the dessert. They had superior Dexterity compared to other race and they are adept in their hands as they are the sons and daughters of the original Crafters of the ancient Terran race. A player is granted additional 10% stat bonus on Dexterity and Strength.

The Atlas: The brave Terran race. They are the sons and daughters of the brave warriors of the city of Atlantis, the descendants of the God of War, Aries. Grants additional 10% stat bonus to Strength and additional 5% to both Agility and Stamina.

The Apollo: The children of the handsome and gorgeous noble clans of the west, believers of beauty and prosperity, and the race that signify fertility. They grant 10% bonus stat points to Vitality and Charm.

The Gonn: The race that originated from the Pirates of the Dead Sea. They conquered every land on their wake and brought forth the idealism of power. Grants additional 15% stat points to Strength and 5% to Vitality.

The Naturals: The humans who came from Planet Earth. When the world collapsed from the invasion of the Lagram Alliance, they are the few that survived and searched the cosmos for a new living frontier. Grants additional 5% to Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charm.

Reading the information, Rex's first choice came to be the humans. But then, at a snap of a moment when he was about to press the button to choose, he thought of the pre arranged plan he had in his head.

No. This is not the right choice. I have to revise.

Humans are the most balanced type. In this game, a player is not tied into one combat style alone, unlike the previous games in the past, once a player started to play a game, he was required to choose a closed box fighting style. Meaning, once you choose a swordsman, you are forever a swordsman. But in Terroa, since there is no actual level and everything else regarding the user's survival in the game depended on his natural skills and athleticism, fighting styles may actually differ. +

For example, a user from the Maven Race are those whose automatically skilled in magic. But, he can still use a sword. In this game, 50% of the players came from this kind of build. They are those conservative players who cares more about their life than actually enjoying the CQC of a Virtual Reality experience.

But you can't blame them. A first time player buying the Neurolink Device, the gaming console, has a 75% discount on buying his game account. But once a player dies, if he/she wants to reenter the game, not only that player would have to start from scratch, he/she would have to also buy the account for 5,000 credits. The monetary exchange on every country determines how much it'd actually cost but in the Philippines, it was easier to tell just how much expensive it really is.

5,000 credits is equal to 10,000 pesos.

For a typical user, a P10,000 worth in game account is a month's wages from working hard. Labor in his country was as hard as anywhere in the globe and that amount of money is actually a heavy price on any gamer's wallet.

So when he thought that being a balanced type is all but a safe bet, Rex pulled his finger away. Instead, he selected the Apollo Race.

—You've chosen the Apollo race. Upon starting in your selected city, you will be given 10% additional stat bonus on Vitality and Charm.

—Please Select your name. 1

"Siva."

—Is [Siva] alright?

"Yes."

—Confirmed.

—Would you like to change your appearance?

"No."

—Confirmed.

—Please select starting city.

Rex paused when he thought of the city he had to start his career. There are five continents in Terroa and each had numerous kingdoms, countries, territories, camps, and even tribal villages.

On each continent, a total of around 8% to 10% are in the known pages of the public. Meaning, there are still around 90% on each continent that's still unknown by the massive number of players.

This could be blamed to the conservative playing style of the users because of the immense penalty when you die. For this reason, adventurers and even down to the most common of hunting groups have a total of 10 and up members on them. A soloist is someone who plays solo during the game and they are the kinds that is not only rare but is also not practical.

Still, to create a name a name as a soloist is a huge temptation among players and they're slowly becoming a trend. But to Rex, if he was to consider where he had to start his career, not only he was ordered to play alone throughout his gaming time, he was also to go to the eastern continent of Espada, also alone.

And so, building his character and surrounding himself with allies was not a good option, but also not a thought to be discarded.

Upon considering his options carefully, by looking at the map and the already available starting cities, he selected a place somewhere in the South Territory, in the continent of Zenturo.

"Aarun."

—You've selected the Walled City of Aarun. +

—Is this alright?

"Yes."

—Confirmed.

—Would you like to view the tutorial?

"No."

—Welcome to Planet Salvation...

"Wait...what?"

As the female monotoned robotic voice vanished, in the white filled environment where the only color was him, his vision began to be filled with a bluish light and he opened his in the middle of a lively city.

Central Plaza, Walled City of Aarun.

Behind him was a fountain with fishes and benches, perfect for rest after a tiring expedition.

"Excuse me..."

Siva turned around and saw an Atlas a full hand tall than his height. He had a claymore strapped on his waist and his armor looked like something that directly came from a monster's head. But unlike any swordsman that could be see normally on every game, this Atlas is a Mage. A Sword Mage, to be exact.

"I'm sorry." He apologized and gave way.

"Don't just stand there, noob. The central square is not a place for getting dazed."

As the man spoke, he moved passed Siva and Siva saw a bunch of beautiful female players looking at him while laughing amongst their group.

NPCs, Siva thought.

Although there are no distinct difference between an NPC and an actual user, basing on their actions alone, one can recognize a player from an AI.

But then, when Siva saw their armors, his notion immediately changed.

In Terroa, there actually are no differencing an NPC from a player. Both looked like and act the same. Even if it was an NPC selling cakes or items, or even an NPC that hunts monsters and aliens, they actually act and speak like real players so differentiating them from one another would at least require you to get close to them.

An NPC tend to have actions and reactions that's the same every now and then. They also have mannerisms that repeats itself from time to time along with their constant speech and action patterns.

So these women, laughing amongst their group, he had no choice but to totally ignore them since if he had reacted the wrong way, he might get subjected to the prejudice of other players.

Being a noob sure is a downing thing.

Looking around, he saw shops, merchant stands, and players with colorful swords and armors, robes and a few technologically advanced bows, walking around the central plaza. Then, from not afar, other new players like him were coming in with a blue light one by one with no exact place in the central square. It was just an act of luck that he materialized near the fountain.

As he walked, he ended up to a certain street lined with weapon and armor shops and guild offices.

It was the war district.

He entered the Sword Master Guild and there, all the patrons in a line towards the counter looked at him. All of them had armors and swords, and some are even the Mages that wore ornamented weapons, Rune Blades, that they carried with them. He was the only person who doesn't have anything in there.

"Hey noob." Called a Gonn from the left corner. "I think you're in the wrong place. This is the Sword Master Guild, not the training arena."

 

[IMUNISH]

Update 10

Different Than Expected

"Huh?" Siva's brows curled in honest confusion.

At that, the Gonn with a large Buster Weapon at his back courteously put a hand on his right shoulder and pointed at the door. In there, written was, "I don't want to talk to any noob." in bold letters. And below that was the name [Master Blader].

With flustered face, a slightly exaggerated feat of the Apollo Race, he scratched his head and left the office.

Since then, he never attempted to enter any Guild Offices ever again. These Guilds are different from the Player Guilds. A Guild made by players doesn't have an office and these guilds that's located in a city's inner premises, especially in the war district, are Guilds that cater on either improving skills, or, anything that has to do with a quest given out according to the player's style of fighting, or, in rare cases, give pointers about some new weapon designs or specs.

In short, the offices located in the War District are the ones operated by NPCs that not only give out quests and missions but also support a player's improvement.

As per observation, Aarun was a city that was still in its early stages of development.

The lord here, or the Mayor, was a human and so the city's main feature is to cater to players with interests in technology. The reason why he was in this city.

Here in Terroa, there's no blacksmith job. Actually, there are no player jobs even from the start. So when a player chose to become a distance fighter, like archers or mages, they still have the option to become a melee fighter, depending on the situation and their preferred sets of personal skills.

It was this feat that attracted players from all around the world. There was the freedom of adventure and the game's 90% reality allows everyone the versatility of being a uni-wide adventurer.

As Siva dragged his feet, he finally found the place he was most looking forward to go. The library.

In here, he only had one goal. Of course to read. But what he wanted to read only exists in the library inside the game.

Terroa's [Book of Legends] or in other words, this world's history.

Anyone can enter the library. It was a building that has five floors with each floor having a set of books, in the olden paper page style, dealing with categorized sets of knowledge.

In the first floor, there was the large collection of books about the creatures and ecosystem of Terroa. In the second floor, the books there tackles subjects on what was known about monsters, dragons, and aliens' technology and their style of terrorizing.

Then on the third floor, it was a place for the general knowledge. Styles of fighting; melee, archery, and the most famous books that mages dig, are all in there.

Mostly, people in this floor are mages. But from here and there, archers can also be seen. But for every fifty readers that visit's the library, there is the rare sight of a swordsman sitting somewhere and reading silently. It is because in this world where dying has a high price to pay, melee fighters are rarely seen. Actually, they are treated as a rarity.

First reason is that only few users are actually brave enough to experience a full swing attack of a monster. Second is that because the texture, the feel, the stare, the scream, everything about the monsters in Terroa is real to the human senses. Some players even run with their tales on their legs the first time they see a monster up close. Some were even so scared that they stopped playing the game from fright. That's why the sight of a person holding a large sword or any kind of sword at that, are a rare sight at all.
Monsters' attacks are 30% to 40% less painful. But monster sizes defies that with logic. E-rank monsters are on the size of an elementary kid, but they gather in numbers so they are still a threat to all players.

D-rank monsters are as big as an adult human. They also wander around the forests in groups.

C-ranked ones are almost three to five meters high. With luck, seeing them alone is a feat but normally, they always go out in pairs.

But when it comes to B-ranked monsters and up, in a hunter's diary, when you see one you have the choice of running away. It's because the smallest B-rank monster in recorded history is as big as a fire truck. A, S, and H ranked monsters are rarely seen monsters, though there are cases that a five meters high creature was recorded as an A-ranked monster. It's name is the Zaber.

But then, there are Dragons.

In short, they are creatures on their own league. Out in the fields, when you see one, all you can do is pray.

So, when a melee fighter is present in a hunting group, expect that he is as athletic and as agile as a cat or if not, he'd just be a liability in that party. For that reason, pure swordsmen are rarely seen. Yes they are very strong. Yes, they are feared warriors. And yes, they are people given the highest respect in this world.

But logically, since monster attacks really hurt, if a monster five meters high hit you with an attack from a full swing from either part of its body, the 40% less painful feat was automatically ignored.

That's why pure melee fighters are treated as super stars but, rarely a part of a hunting group. They may be famous and respected players, but they are endlessly a subject to prejudice.

The standard of a group for recruiting a melee fighter is based on the armor and the sword he wore.

And that's the reason why conservative playing style were invented. The only reason left why Terroa is famous despite all these is because RPG: Terroa has the biggest alternate world that's still to be explored. For this, tourist companies are employing strong players to explore areas they can promote as tourist destinations. And it was also for this reason that users, not players, are pouring in inside the game.

The monopoly of places, money involved, and the real actual beauty of the places are just few reasons for users to go visit the game world of Terroa.

There are a lot of new reasons being discovered why Terroa is slowly becoming the standard of VR gaming. Game developers are slowly adapting Panorama Corp's strategy of boldness to promote their game but none are actually as safe and as wise as how the planning of the RPG: Terroa went.

For one, just the AI, Janus, that regulated, managed, and controlled the world of Terroa 24/7, alone, already had 32TB of processing memory solely dedicated to it.

There was also the 512TB dedicated to all the AI's living inside the game.

Who knows just how much data it really needed for this world's environment too. The weather, all of the monsters, the aliens, the details of the landscape, the storyline and the history, everything else was regulated and maintained by separate AI's, all under Janus's main command. And all of them had separate ROMs and RAMs and processing cores that not only numbers to the triple digits, but also to the latest modern computing technologies.

Other companies are not so bold as to invest to only a game with little resources. At least, if they had to go and invest to create another VRMMORPG to go against Terroa, they at least have to have the same technology used, the Neurolink Device.

For that, it was understandable that there are only few competitions in the VRMMMORPG genre. And with Terroa's puzzlingly very secure Neurolink Device, competitions easily died out.

All of this was being processed on Siva's mind as he made his way towards the fourth floor. He saw all those players looking at him with dead pan eyes, seemingly in deep concentration on the book they were reading. +

Novels rarely exist inside the game, but they, like all these books, are also reading materials and that's what he was trying to look for in the fourth floor.

It was a floor that deals with "Rare Books" and in this floor, a tight security protocol was being imposed. A player would have to register his name in the door guarded by a group of NPCs wearing SWAT-like uniforms but wielded weapons that you can only see in sci-fi books and novels. These people are no joke, as he had guessed, basing only on how they look, they all are very strong guards. That alone explained how all these books are protected from thieves. They may be books in a game, but in this world, they are treasures.

As he finished his registration, he went to a thumb printing area where the beautiful NPC woman there had asked her, "What book are you going to read?"

"Anything."

But the NPC shook her head. "I'm sorry sir, but you cannot enter this room if you don't have any book in mind that you want to read."

At that, Siva looked behind him and saw the other players that waited in line for him to finish.

With sweat forming in his temples, his mind worked quickly and he stopped on the thought to guess out that one certain book he had once read in the net.

"Clemente's Demise." He told her.

"Alright." The NPC replied. "Enjoy reading."

After she said those words, Siva entered the room to see no shelves of books but lots of cubicles and long tables one after another. The book he did not want to read was in the right table, just before he entered the room. He took it and went towards the right side.

At the end of the room, there was a stairs leading towards the fifth floor.

The fifth floor wasn't as much of a space. It was just a 30 by 30 meters wide room that was filled by the same SWAT armored soldiers that hid their glares on their masks.

And in the middle of that boring room, he saw it, the only book that housed the fifth floor.

The Book of Legends.

Holding the novel Clemente's Demise, in his hand, he stepped towards the open book. This is just a copy of the real Book of Legends, open for the public to see and read. Siva stared at it and held his breath on its immense size.

Nine meters high, eight meters wide, the large book that housed the recorded 25 cycles of the world of Terroa was an immense book with lots and lots of knowledge. And then, the moment he stepped close to its tray, a pop up holographic window appeared on his vision.

[Please choose the part you want to search]

Yes, it was understandable, with its immense size, reading it one by one, page by page, would take a whole lifetime. So to make it easy, a search program was then implemented so readers could see right on the topic that he wanted to read.

"Search…" He paused as to realize one fact. He did not prepare himself to this. No. Actually, he has no idea what he was going to search. And so in the spring of the moment, he looked at the book in his hand. "Search for Clemente."

On that moment, another window appeared in his vision and there, 300 search results appeared with the name "Clemente" as the topic of each article.

This, still, is a lot of numbers.

He recalled why he chose this novel to say to that NPC woman. In the net, Clemente's Demise became a topic for treasure hunters. A rumor spread out that a hidden map was inside the novel and so lots and lots of enthusiasts poured their time on reading, analyzing, and even recording passages on the book to try to get a few clues as to that treasure map. But, none of them succeed their goal. And then it turns out that that rumor started from a group of women who was trying to say how much they liked the book.

And so, from that moment on, the people who had wasted their precious time trashed the idea and the rumor was then solved. +

In short, Clemente's Demise was just a pure novel in itself, nothing more.

And Siva thought, if he had to read all these info about Clemente, he would end up just like those fools who wasted their time on such rumor. But then again, he hasn't prepared to anything to get his personal goal.

He had to at least start at something while he was here and this here is a good start to get familiar with the world of Terroa. And for that reason, anchoring on one topic is also a good start. He would search more and more on information about unsolved mysteries and even the rumor about Clemente's treasure map.

"Define Search: Clemente's personal life."

TING!

After a sound effect, the 300 search results came to a sudden drop of eight articles.

[The Founding: Clemente's Sacrifice to save Terroa]

802,499 reads

[The Founding: Clemente's Rule of the NBI]

128,794 reads

[The Founding: Rumors of Clemente's betrayal]

96,885 reads

[The Founding: Clemente's Love]

1,388,202 reads

[The Founding: The search for Immortality, one of the false accusations towards Clemente's great rule]

592,731 reads

[The Founding: The founding of Tiara]

1,733,119 reads

[The Founding: Rumored people involved with him]

244 reads

[The Founding: The Dragon of Sara]

2,641,560 reads

So in short, Clemente was a hero. And like any other hero, he also did not escape the rumors regarding his time of ruling. It was natural, Siva thought, the famous are always a subject for those kinds of rumors.

"So Clemente had lived during The Founding."

Turning his back towards the giant book, he settled himself to a quiet cubicle in one of the walls of the fourth floor. He started reading the book that he had been holding for a while and he himself saw that he was reading a genuine original novel. Actually, it can be considered as an artifact. It was hand written and so the markings of the author was still visible on every page.

Although it was said, he wondered just who inside the Panorama Corporation wrote this story.

But like any other questions he had, this question also had no answer as the real planet earth author of such novel was not told. But there is still a clue for the in-game author. In the old, worn out book, only two names were spoken in the first pages: first is Clemente, the second is Christofer Eclaire.