Chapter 11: Bad aftertaste.

(Flashback)

Joan and the remaining players with Rigel faced the goblin leader who was still standing tall. They didn't know what else to do to fight that monstrosity. They didn't have much time or choice because it was either to kill or to be killed.

Aaron looked at Rigel and he couldn't believe the most useless player survived this far and he didn't like it. He decided to kick Rigel's weak and skinny body toward the goblin leader.

"You're useless so be useful for once for god sake!" Aaron shouted at Rigel. "Sacrifice yourself and if you survived, you can thank us because we would be the ones killing that thing," he added and looked at Rigel with disgust.

Rigel who had nothing on him looked at the remaining players, and none of them showed any pity toward him. The way they looked at him was similar to how people had looked at him all his life, disgust and disrespect. They didn't want anything from him and they wished him dead since he was useless in society and in life.

The goblin leader roared and it startled Rigel, snapping him back to reality and remembering that he was in the deadliest situation. He started running and the goblin leader started chasing after him, giving the other players a chance to attack the goblin leader.

Rigel fell, crawled, rolled over, and ran for his life as the goblin leader swung his sword and stomped his feet at him. His heart skipped a bit every time he barely dodged all the attacks that the goblin leader threw at him. He didn't know what was happening, and all he had in his head was how to survive because he believed his life would change once he became a player.

When Rigel noticed that the goblin leader had stopped attacking him, he turned around and saw the goblin leader focusing on the other players. He saw Aaron climbing on the goblin leader's back, but he died a gruesome death by getting his body crushed.

Rigel saw a sword on the ground and saw the remaining players fighting for their lives. He thought to himself that it was time for him to show his resolve and show the others that he was no different from them. He grabbed the sword, but his hands trembled as he tried to lift the sword, showing that his body couldn't support his will to fight.

Rigel screamed as he dragged the sword to tell everyone that he came to help, but his scream turned to silence when he saw all the remaining players get slashed and cut in half. The only one that survived was Joan from that attack because he dodged it, leaving only the two of them against that monstrosity.

Rigel tried to attract the goblin leader's attention, and he managed to do that, but Joan didn't need him. The goblin leader swung his massive sword at Rigel, but somehow Rigel dodged them all. Joan was amazed by Rigel's luck since Rigel managed to survive all the way to the second half of the trial on his own.

Rigel ran through between the goblin leader's legs and approached Joan because he had no clue what he needed to do.

"I can fight," Rigel looked at Joan as he caught his breath.

"No, you don't," Joan punched Rigel's face, knocking him down. "You can be my sacrificial lamb," he added as he moved to the side as the goblin leader lifted his sword to stab Rigel.

Joan used the opportunity to climb up the goblin leader's back and slit his throat, but it wasn't enough so he kept pushing his sword deep into the goblin leader's throat. He used everything he got and jumped off before the goblin leader could smack his palm on him.

Joan walked away and ran as far as he could from the goblin leader and watched Rigel barely survive from the goblin leader's wrath. He left the scene and went to the gate, but before he realized it, a massive sword pierced his back. He never thought the goblin leader could throw his sword precisely from that distance.

Rigel gasped when he noticed that he got knocked out, and he thought he was dead, but he was alive. He looked at the goblin leader's dead body and his sword stabbed the ground in the distance. He looked for Joan, but he realized Joan had been stabbed to death by that massive sword.

"I'm the only one alive..." Rigel was in disbelief as he looked at the notification where the remaining players were 1. "I did it," he laughed in disbelief as he collapsed to his knees.

Rigel walked toward the gate and saw how massive and majestic the gate was. When he stood in front of the gate, a notification appeared in front of him, and then it started to glitch. The notification that he hadn't been able to read, suddenly disappeared and then something landed right in front of him.

A being that was 20 meters tall was standing in front of Rigel with its wings made of feathers that touched the ground. An angel-like being in a full plate armor made of gold, holding a halberd and a shield made of gold as well. Its presence was so powerful that Rigel lost all his strength and was unable to speak.

"Rigel Eclair De'Margt, I'm the messenger of the Council of Gods and came to declare your status as Player has been revoked!" The being with its face covered with a helmet, only its long silver hair could be seen stabbed Rigel right in the chest with its massive halberd.

Rigel was skewered by the halberd and slowly being lifted as he was screaming in pain. He felt his whole body was being burned from the inside, and he didn't understand anything and what was going on.

"You're a shame of the Gods who believed that you have potential. You have shown nothing but shameless acts and you didn't contribute anything from the trial. Under the Council of Gods order and as their messenger of the Gods, you're deemed unworthy," The being said and then burned Rigel's body and turned him into ashes.

(End of flashback)

Rigel stood in front of the gate, and he looked at the notification that had been glitched. The moment the notification disappeared, the familiar being landed in front of him, the same being that burned his whole body and sent him back to Earth. The reason why his body was burned to ashes was to get rid of the system from his body.

"Cut the bullshit," Rigel said before the being could say anything. "Fuck you and all the Gods that you serve," he added and showed no fear because the being in front of him was nothing compared to Lysara'elmaris.

The being looked down at Rigel and he stabbed Rigel so fast that Rigel didn't feel anything at all until he realized he had been stabbed and lifted into the air. Rigel screamed in pain because he never thought he had to experience it twice. His scream turned into anger and hatred the being noticed how strong Rigel's resentment was.

"Not only did you sabotage the trial, you killed a player, and you even dared to speak ill to the Gods. As the messenger, your status as Player will be revoked," The being said and burned Rigel to ashes. "Your existence will be forgotten by the Gods, and your fate will be worse than it originally was," the being added as he saw the flesh had turned into ashes.

Rigel was drifting in a dark place, but he faintly heard the sound of chains. He opened his eyes and he was brought back to the cathedral where Lysara'elmaris lived. He looked in the direction the sound of chains came from and realized it came from another room.

It took him a while to reach the massive door that was made of wood and steel. He could see the small gap and when he was about to take a peek, the door slammed shut and the shockwave sent him flying because he was like an ant standing in front of a door.

"You were lucky," Lysara'elmaris said.

Rigel's head was spinning and his ears were ringing because of that loud banging sound. He looked at Lysara'elmaris standing in front of him and staring down at him.

"If you were to look at what's behind that door, you would lose your mind," Lysara'elmaris pointed out as her eyes focused on the door.

"What's behind that door?" Rigel asked as he tried to stand up.

"My physical body, my true form," Lysara'elmaris answered.

Rigel furrowed and wondered what Lysara'elmaris looked like if the woman that was in front of him wasn't her true form. He then turned around to look at the door, thinking about how could he lose his mind by simply looking at Lysara'elmaris' true form.

"One day you will see it, but for now, I should say that you have done a good job and one more thing..." Lysara'elmaris paused as her eyes focused on Rigel. "Welcome back," she continued.