The Wanderer's of Zeal

Much to be expected, Sung Jinwoo did not just sit down and relax and have a casual conversation. As Zesrael sat– cross-legged– he defended by deflection or just subtle movements, enough not to get hit. 20… minutes… straight, nonstop attacks from Jinwoo. His shadows even tried to get in on the fun but to no avail.

Now they find themselves sitting face to face, one haggard and the other tranquil and peaceful. Silence brews, giving Sung time to catch his breath and restore his ever depleting stamina.

"Nice of you to finally calm down, Sung Jinwoo."

Sung looked agitated alongside his various moods, "Normally, boss monsters kill not talk."

Zes gave a hearty chuckle, "I'm no monster."

Sung deadpanned and mumbled, "You are within your own right."

Zesrael sensed the back talk but thought nothing of it. Right now, he saw a big fish, one wanting strength.

"Say, Shadow Monarch," Sung tensed up, "what are your thoughts on this monster being your ally?" Zes points to himself smugly.

'How the fuck does he know my class?' – "Hmm, go on."

"I have this long term problem called 'The End of All Universes' and I need allies to fight with me."

Hearing all that was like getting with a truck and a plane all at once, "THE END OF ALL UNIVERSES! Why in any possible way would I believe this bullshit you're spouting–"

"Memory transfer– ahgmm!"

Zesrael was hit with a minor discomfort as he used [Fusion] on Sung, giving him a select few moments of his past life.

—Thud!

Sung laid on his back from the sudden influx of information. Zesrael's index finger lay in the air as he retracts it.

"Oops, I gave you too much."

"Ha–hah–ha– what–Ha– the fuck– ha– was that?"

Sung gave Zesreal a disturbed look.

Zesrael smiles, "That, my friend, was a true monster."

—————

Zesrael laid it all out– what it would mean to be an ally, what it would entail if he didn't, the consequence of inaction and ignorance… or the suffering of resistance. He also told him of Sung's existence as well as the concept of it. Much to his surprise, Sung took that knowledge fairly without being shook too much.

Sung was left at an impasse. On one hand, he had his own problems. His world was more than it seems, plus he had his sister and mother to protect. But, he saw this being fail. He saw worlds stronger than his fall to that thing's corruption. He saw people stronger than him lose themselves in the midst of battle, those strong in heart and mind. Was he really going to let this past? Was he to be ignorant… to pass up the chance of being given the chance to fight a war bigger than worlds– bigger than himself.

His mind was made up, "Let's say I do become your ally, how would this work?"

"Well, you would join my new found organization called Wanderers."

Zesrael explained the details with a smile and enthusiasm to match a kid. As mentioned before, the Wanderer's would work like a Familia. Zesrael would be the patron god that would be responsible for giving buffs to his subordinates and friends. But, unlike the Falna in that world that was meant to create heroes, Zesraels would be meant to create ruthless yet mindful killers. 

His was known as Zeal. After having the thought of creating his own elite group of people, Zeal was the word that came to mind. Zeal increased the users capabilities that matched their achievements. It was an experience holder that would later bottleneck, ensuring the regeneration of the user– both mind and body– to a higher state of being. But most importantly, it was resistance towards corruption. The higher the zeal accumulated among his peers, the lower the chances of them being turned to… whatever the fuck that thing has in store for those that fall to it.

In short, Zeal was Falna with different aspects. In order to increase stats when using Falna, one must fight and survive like some makeshift version of a zenkai boost. Zeal was a dedication to the cause. One's actions directly link to Zeal. You don't need to kill things just to gain benefits; save, kill, gain respect, manipulate… all will attribute towards Zeal. Actions generate Zeal, Zeal generates empowerment, empowerment generates Zeal; a never ending grind.

Once getting the basics of it, Zes withheld the rest of the organization's details. That earned the irksome of Sung but that was merely annoyance; like readers when they were left with a cliffhanger…

It wasn't something that was liked, but it wasn't something that would entail the wrath of a reader… most of the time.

Sung knew now was the time to make a choice. To take his hand to fight a fight out of this world or to stay in his little backwood of a universe to leave this to Zesreal's hands– essentially, take the blue pill to forget… or the red pill to follow the white rabbit.

A panel indicating Sung's choices hovered indifferently.

[You have been given a choice by the offspring of existence.]

[Yes] [No]

The panel was different. It was similar to the first time the Timeless Tower quest was given to him. Now, he knew this was a separate system.

'Offspring of Existence? What the–'

…

..

.

[Yes]

The moment he accepted, his system's panel showed up.

[Quest failed]

[Quest accepted]

He now has new directives.

[Quest: The Good Fight]

[1. Defeat T̸̠̫̳̍́̈́̎͘h̸͓̩̙̒͑ȩ̶̥̤̠̂̀ ̵̺̣͊̓͠G̴̡̦̙̳̞̑̅̀͋̆r̶̮̞͇̘͆e̴̜͇̋á̴̝̙͔̪́̒͝t̶̤͋͛e̷̛̱͇r̶͙̣̲̓͠ ̸͖̗̦̹̓̊̎U̷͎̎̋̐ǹ̵͎t̵̛̝̮̣̰̄̀͜ò̶̝̥̲̔̽̄l̸̘͋̌͌̿̚d̸͉̎̍̄̎̚

Liberate Corrupted worlds Save gods and concepts.]

[Quest hint: Zesrael Loren]

Having accepted the Quest, Zesrael closed the distance between them. Even as he stands before Sung, Sung was a head taller even sitting down.

"With this, you are the first Wanderer, Sung Jinwoo."

Zesrael reached out and grasped Sung's neck; light escaped from the openings his hand failed to cover. It only took a second or two before Zes let go. A tattoo was etched on the left side of Sung's neck. It was the same as the Forgotten Martyr's insignia. Three lines in the form of a triangle yet not connected, three dots at the corners. The only difference, the Martyr's are red while this tattoo was black. 

Sung is now a bearer of great pain and strife. With the mark complete, Zesrael proceeds to explain the full length of what that title entails.

All of which sounds made up, "You… didn't think this through… did you?"

Zesrael gave Sung a weary smile, "Didn't expect you to show up this fast. I was in another world, establishing myself within their systems. So yeah, I'm just winging it."

"To conquer?"

"To save, specifically… to save a father… and his sons."

"Are they just like me?"

"They were more, a bitter story of never ending war, never ending weakness forever exploited."

Sung didn't immediately respond… but ultimately decided to change the subject, "Are you human?"

Zes smiles, "More human than human."

The very grass, the plains, the trees, this dimension they stood on was the starting point of the Wanderers. With the mark came a natural connection between wherever they are and this new found home. Slowly, this will become a hub world. A home, a place to relax, a place to rearm, a place to create. To better themselves for the next battle, the next altercation. But for now, it was just another beautiful example of mother nature.

Each bearer can freely come and go as they please. The only restriction is the world. The further– nicher the world is, the lesser the conceptual balance and control will be. Intern, the closer they are to corrupted worlds or T̸̠̫̳̍́̈́̎͘h̸͓̩̙̒͑ȩ̶̥̤̠̂̀ ̵̺̣͊̓͠G̴̡̦̙̳̞̑̅̀͋̆r̶̮̞͇̘͆e̴̜͇̋á̴̝̙͔̪́̒͝t̶̤͋͛e̷̛̱͇r̶͙̣̲̓͠ ̸͖̗̦̹̓̊̎U̷͎̎̋̐ǹ̵͎t̵̛̝̮̣̰̄̀͜ò̶̝̥̲̔̽̄l̸̘͋̌͌̿̚d̸̎̍̄̎̚, the harder it is to access this hub world. So, if one were to liberate a corrupted world, they better have the resources to do so. Until the influence is completely purged, they can never return or dip out if the situation becomes dire.

More on this hub world, it naturally takes place in Zesreal's [Personal Dimension]. He is the administrator of the hub. But, the ones actually pulling the strings are Anastasia and Mortis. From the beginning of the fight to their current conversation. They were pulling strings and creating an organization, one fully dedicated to resisting the upcoming corruption. 

This Hub world was a community. The two concepts are dedicated to nurturing new found recruits, the first being the Shadow Monarch himself… well not yet but he's getting there. They were the ones who post missions Wanderers can complete. With their completion comes rewards, ranging from Zeal and cash to Items, and companions out of their respective world– If it exists, it's available. It's safe to say that Ana and Mort were guild receptionists at this point.

It won't take long for this grassy plain and forest to transform into something hightech in nature.

Sung inquired about the missions, to which Zes further magnified the topic.

Missions were split into categories: Main missions, Side missions, and Expeditions.

Main missions were dedicated towards thwarting the corruption. Side missions were complex missions mainly focusing on the growth of a Wanderer. Expeditions were more or less exploration missions. They were free form and mainly for gathering resources to further improve the Hub. 

So far, Sung couldn't access missions of any kind. The Structure for mission debriefs isn't available at the time. As a Wanderer, this was his first task: to provide resources to be converted in the making of the Hub.

The conversation soon became stale as Zesreal conveyed most of what needed to be said. A portal resembling a gate appeared before them as if on cue.

"Hey, before you leave, hand me your phone."

Sung complied with a toss. 

Zesrael caught and tinkered with it before tossing it back, "Here, just to keep in touch."

Sung caught it. Before turning and taking the first step back home, he faced Zesreal again, a question lingering in his mind, "This Zeal, how do I know it's in effect?"

"Oh, right– um– it stacks upon your current strength. So, if you have 20 agility your zeal will multiply that by two… if you have two zeal. Now, Zeal increases your overall performance of the body. But to put it in a numerical sense, it goes by tenths. .1, .2, .5, all the way to 10. But in order to reach 10, you need to regenerate– which means you have to come to me so I can regenerate your body to handle the power to come; otherwise you'll just stay at .9."

Zes smirks, "The decimals give you a short burst of multipliers, but once you hit the whole numbers– oh boy, if you weren't strong already– just walking on ground would crack beneath you… ok that's a bit exaggerated. That won't happen until two digits or so. That's that, once you regen, the grind creates a full circle."

Zes walks up to Sung, "Don't worry, this is permanent even after you or I leave to do our own thing. This doesn't override your system, your power you've yet to make your own," Zes puts a hand on Sung's abdomen, "Just think of this power as a side gig. Something to set and forget. Plus the hub would pay you and others soon to be wanderers handsomely if you guys complete jobs."

Sung thought it over, the explanation was simple enough, "Wait? What do you mea–"

Zes pushed, Sung toppled back. As his entire body was engulfed by the blue gate, it closed. Zesreal was now left alone. He looked around, admiring the simple atmosphere.

"Soon, this place will be bustling."

Sung on the other hand sat on a familiar cushion. A familiar room, one he woke up to over a hundred times.

'Yet to make my own… guess I have somethings to do before I go out and explore other worlds.'

Today, a bromance was created, between a Monarch and the Favored.

—————

In the midst of the outer shell, a being of untelling description hovers over a beacon of light. It hungers for the game of existence. It hungers for sense and reality… for it has never known normality.

—————

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[New title: Herald of Wander]

[New title: Hub Administrator]

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—————

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| Name: Zesrael Loren | Age: 7 | Gender: Male | Race: Human | Lvl: 114|

| Title(s): The Ever Chosen￤Chosen Warmaster of 40k￤Haven's Champion￤Doting Brother￤Hub Administrator￤Herald of Wander |

| Skill(s): Inventory￤Fusion￤Free Shit￤Omni Travel￤Personal Dimension￤Summoner+￤Language of the Chosen￤Vorpal Rampage￤Psionic Dread Pilot+￤Death Toll ￤Masterwork Genetic/Item Fabrication/Utilization￤Pain Motivator |

| Item(s): Chain Bolter (RWBY modification)￤Nano-Pilot suit (Hunter's Clothes)|

| Stats: | Stat Points: 3|

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Plot Armor: 385.5

Free Shit: 0

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27x Martyr Squads

11x Wardens

10x Ogryns

16x Heavy Weapons Teams

Command Squad

Vindicare

4x Techpriest Enginseer

9x Exalted Riders

7x Martyr Snipers

13x Commissars 

3x FNCR Exo Suits *Dawn Bringers*

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17x Chimera

8x Leman Black

9x Basilisk

3x Lightning

4x Thunderbolt

2x Marauder Bomber

8x Sentinels

5x Hellhounds

5x Hydra Flak Tank

1x Titan's Bane

6x Veritech Fighters *V-tech*

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