Chapter 22 - Help Me! I’m Innocent!

"If I manage to complete this Grand Quest, I'm certain I'll climb to the top of the leaderboard." Elincia said as she emerged from Princess Alora's tent.

"It's been a while since Immortal Legacy launched, and this will be the first-ever throne battle event. This time, I know I'm backing the right side."

She strode past the knights standing guard. Princess Alora's forces were formidable, and her high-level knights easily outmatched anything Elincia's guild could field. 

Still, she couldn't help but think, If this battle were players against players, especially with the Divine Champions on the opposing side, it would be a whole different story—one of intense challenge and high stakes. It would have been a balanced, yet fierce, fight. A true test of skill and strategy.

While Elincia was deep in thought, her focus was abruptly shattered by the sound of panicked screams coming from inside Princess Alora's tent.

"What's going on?" 

She recalled the rumors of player killers lurking nearby. Without hesitation, she sprinted toward the tent, ready for anything.

Just as she feared, there was a man standing inside, only in his underwear. It was clear that he had come to sneak a peek at Princess Alora while she was taking a bath.

"How dare you disrespect Princess Alora in my presence!"

Elincia quickly reached into her inventory and retrieved a powerful item—a token that would allow her to cast a potent spell instantly. 

With a flick of her finger, she activated the coin-shaped token and uttered the spell's name. In an instant, her entire body was enveloped in a burst of blue electricity.

This was it. She was ready.

[Celestial Lightning Bolt Lv. 15]

"Elincia, please stop! He's under my protection!" Alora cried out.

But it was too late. Elincia had already unleashed her powerful lightning skill.

Broken's heart sank as he realized the immense magical energy crackling in the air. He knew he had only seconds before the devastating attack would be unleashed.

"What are you thinking? This is madness!" he shouted.

The stillness of the night sky was suddenly rent apart outside the tent as a tumultuous explosion of lightning streaked down from the heavens. As if answering a higher power's decree, the lightning struck the tent in the clearing with devastating effect.

A deafening blast shook the ground, instantly obliterating the tent. Shards of soil were sent flying by the force of the explosion, creating a fissure in the earth that quickly sealed back up. The knights who had been stationed outside the tent sprinted to the scene, forming a circle around the epicenter of the assault.

What remained after that was the figure of Princess Alora, standing tall with an aura shield surrounding her and her two maids. Elincia stood there with a baffled expression while Broken had vanished from before them all.

"Elincia?!" Alora sighed.

"Princess, he was a player killer, and he targeted young women for harassment."

"No, he is my friend. But, yes, he died from your lightning skill."

"What? A friend?"

Elincia struggled to grasp the situation. Just moments ago, she had witnessed a man standing in only his underwear before Princess Alora. Even the maids had screamed in panic, mistaking him for a pervert and intruder. 

Was this man someone Princess Alora knew? Who could he be?

Princess Alora assured Elincia that the man was indeed her friend. This surprised her and made her curious about who the player was.

Elincia wanted to know more about the player who had earned the Princess's trust. However, she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he had died from being struck by her lightning skill. 

"Your Highness," Elincia said hastily, "Players revive when they die, so I will find him and apologize for what I have done," she continued. "I am so sorry, this happened out of my control. I released my lightning skill too intensely."

"I believe I need your assistance, given that you better understand your fellow players. Please locate him, and I'd like to meet him. Let me know immediately if you make any progress."

Elincia took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her mistake. "I might have just ruined my chance of participating in this great event," she thought to herself.

"Please allow me to excuse myself, Princess. I will bring that man back to you as soon as possible."

**

Leon cursed loudly as he was killed immediately after logging into the game. He had to log out and wait for the penalty time to pass before he could log back in and continue playing.

Lily hadn't even left his room yet when she asked, "Leon? What happened?"

"A stupid girl cast a high-tier magic spell and killed me!" 

"Stupid girl?" she pondered. "Is that the goddess or the princess?"

"Let's call this one the crazy mage girl."

"So you've met another girl, huh? Is she hot? Is she beautiful? Come on, Leon, tell me."

"She's a complete idiot!" Leon fumed.

When players die in-game, they're forced to wait six real-time hours before logging back in. If they die again on the same day, the wait doubles to twelve hours. 

Frustrated, Leon's plan to stay up late gaming was completely derailed. Annoyed, he decided to turn in early, making sure he'd be up in time to greet the morning the next day.

In Immortal Legacy, players are resurrected at the Temple of Resurrection, located in every city. The following morning, Leon, who had previously activated his resurrection point in Deadbay City, logged back in and woke up at the temple near the coastal town. 

Broken opened his eyes to find himself resurrected back in the temple he had visited long ago when he had first played Immortal Legacy. He noticed several other players there who, judging from their appearance, had just begun playing the game.

"It's the infamous player killer!" one of them yelled in alarm.

"Everyone, run! There's a player killer!"

"He's here to reduce us all back to level 1!" 

Immediately, the temple was filled with the sound of players frantically running away, desperate to escape.

"What the hell? How did my bad reputation spread so quickly?" he thought to himself.

Broken turned to one side and spotted a player huddled in a corner, looking scared. 

"Please don't kill me," the player pleaded, "I'm just a newbie. Please spare me."

The player was dressed in a gray suit consisting of gray trousers and a long white coat. From his outfit, one could conclude that he must be of the Priest class.

"Take off your clothes!"

"Huh?" the Priest exclaimed, shocked. He quickly removed the clothes he was wearing.

Broken grabbed the garments and put them on. "Ah, a beginner's outfit for a Priest. Not bad."

Broken took out five silver coins and handed them to the Priest. "Use these coins to buy yourself some new clothes," he said, then stepped outside the temple.

From a distance, he saw several city guards running toward him.

"Mr. Priest," one of them asked, "we heard there's a player killer running around here. Did you happen to see him?"

"May the gods always watch over you all. I'm afraid I didn't catch what you were asking." Broken said quickly as he walked away from the guards.

Someone sprinted out of the temple, completely naked, screaming, "Chase him! He's the player killer!" He pointed toward Broken.

The guards, however, were distracted by the sight of the naked player before them.

"That's the player killer! Beat him!" They immediately started to pursue the naked Priest and proceeded to beat him.

"That's not me!" the Priest cried out pleadingly. "Help me! I'm innocent!"