The beginning of an end(2)

*Tap* *Tap*

"..."

Ray's face looked a little pensive as he walked around the silent forest with the occasional sound of insects would be heard sometimes.

"This forest is completely different from the forest I know, isn't it?" Ray laughed helplessly as he stared at the forest scene with feelings of sadness mixed with loneliness.

Ray is a person who comes from before The day of lose. He and his younger sister were trapped in the Ice of Logout when Ray was 12 years old and Runa was 10 years old.

It's been 7 years since they woke up from the Ice of Logout.

When he woke up, many things had changed about the earth. All the modern cities he knew had been destroyed, leaving only countless ruins scattered all over the world.

The animals and plants he knows now are almost extinct, evolving into forms better suited to the new earth.

Even the geography of the world has changed to be very different from what he knew. He felt as if he had just been thrown into a whole new world.

The emergence of new intelligent races. Climate change for no logical reason. New culture.

Even though he already knew that he had to get used to it all soon, Ray still couldn't imagine himself accepting all of this.

"Ahaha... I felt as if even this world had become far, far wider than the earth I had studied before. Damn, I hate this. It makes me feel like I'm just a worthless speck of dust."

Although Ray told his teammates that he just wanted to do his daily training, there he just fell silent without doing anything.

Ray stood there silently, looking up at the sky that seemed to have become wider than he knew.

However, as if even nature did not intend to lend even the slightest tranquility they had often lent humans in the past to him, a rustling sound of bushes sounded.

"-?!" Ray immediately prepared his greatsword in the direction the sound was coming from.

Ray swallowed.

Sweat began to fill his forehead as silent tension began to reach the air.

"Haa... Haa... Haaa..." Only the sound of Ray's breathing can be heard.

Abnormal silence filled the place.

Even the sound of insects can no longer be heard.

But, nothing happened.

"... Hm? Is it just my feelings?" Thinking that maybe the cold he had felt before was just his imagination, Ray relaxed his body a little.

Ray laughed slightly relieved to himself, "Well, I don't think there will be a monster that can release such a dense killing lust on a small island like this."

Ray plunged the tip of his sword into the ground because the feeling of threat he felt was gone.

The buzzing sound of insects also began to sound again.

But...

"ARRGGH!!!"

"-?!"

... Just as Ray thought that it was just his imagination, a loud cry rang out from a distance.

"Wh-what happened?!" Shocked, Ray immediately took his sword back and began to go where the shout was come from.

But it was something he didn't need to do.

*SWOOSSH!!*

*CRACK!* *SPLATS!*

"Gasp-!?"

Because the origin of the cry came naturally to him.

"W-wha..."

With incredible speed, a man's upper body that appeared to be cut off at his waist was thrown past Ray and crashed into a tree by his side.

The man's thick blood and internal organs splattered all around. Some even hit Ray.

"Kuh?!"

In an instant, a cold feeling that was hundreds of times greater than what Ray had felt before suddenly filled the air.

Black clouds began to gather in the sky of the island.

The wind began to run wild, as if a storm would occur at any time.

Ray doesn't even have time to mourn the death of the man who may have been his colleague.

[Unique Skill: Storm of Vlytra in use.]

"Guh!"

It happened in an instant.

When a billion-volt beam of light fell from the sky and hit the island, no one could do anything to stop it.

Light filled the place, half of the existing forest on the island had been wiped out, leaving just a giant crater.

"Gghhhak! Cough! Cough!"

Pushing the chunk of wood that fell on him, Ray tried to get up when he finally realized that the bone in his leg had been broken by a 1 meter long branch.

"Damn, this is why I hate to do this kind of job...!"

"... Eh?" But Ray's attention was soon distracted from the pain he felt in his leg.

Ray finally realizes the existence of a boy who is currently standing in the center of the crater.

Electricity sometimes crackles from the boy's body, making Ray believe that all of this is the work of that boy's Unique Skill.

"Argh!" Pulling out a tree branch embedded into his calf, Ray stood up and started walking closer to the boy.

Ray didn't know where his sword had gone as a result of the previous lightning bolt so he simply lifted a thick tree trunk, throwing it towards the boy.

"I'm sorry but I had to kill you because it seems like you can't control your power."

Acrhon's childs. That is the name given to children who are trapped into the Ice of Logout.

They are children who have great power. A great hope for humanity in a world full of threats like now.

However, even if you have power, it doesn't mean you are worthy or able to control that power.

As is the case with what happened before Ray at this time, not a few of Acrhon's childs will lose control of their powers shortly after they awaken from the Ice of Logout.

***

"Oh? This is surprising. You're a pretty strong girl, aren't you?"

... Where is this? Who is this guy? Why did he smile?

"You must be surprised by what happened, right? But don't worry, I have confirmed that you have a strong soul!"

Even though I had run and left Dad, I was still drowning by that.

I-I'm so cruel, right?

... Am I dead? What happened to dad?

"Ah, there is no need to cry about anything. You are the chosen human being. You have a chance to be useful to us. Shouldn't you be grateful? This is an honor that a lowly human like you would never have imagined would receive."

S-shut up! I just want to see dad! Where is mom? I want to go home!

"Hmm... Unfortunately it is something impossible. Unlike other human beings you have a divine duty that you must complete. You must be useful to us."

... What are you talking about?! Such nonsense-

"Please don't make me repeat what I said. This great me, the great dragon, The guardian of the Soul hall, the Acrhon itself will give you a divine task."

... Hah?

"I won't take no for an answer."

[The Great guard of Soul hall Acrhon grants you a divine duty.]

[#The divine task: "Calm the gods down part 1" begins.

•Go up to the 10th floor and defeat the Boss floor from the 10th floor of "Dungeon of Heavenly Abyss".

-Currently conquered floor: 1/10.

•Collect some roots from the World Tree on the 2nd floor of "Dungeon of Heavenly Abyss" and create a magic wand using those roots.

-The roots of Yggdrassil currently have: 0/5.

-Make a magic wand "Wand of Lively Chaos" : 0/1.

•Defeat the Dungeon of Heavenly Abyss's 1st floor Boss.

-Defeat Boss floor "Lieless Pupet": 0/1.

•Become stronger and find your Record of soul.

-Level up to level 50: 1/50.

-Find "Record of Soul: Kilya": 0/1.]

[Completion deadline: 86,400 Hours.]

"I'll give you a few tips before you start preparing yourself to fight the 1st floor Boss."

"Even heart sometimes will lie. Doubt yourself. Doubt your world. Doubt reality. But don't ever doubt yourself heart. Choose only the very right choice. But you should remember that the wrong choice is not always wrong. Your chance is only one. Remember to be careful and make friends!"

***

"-?!"

The girl sucked in the moment after she opened her eyes.

"...!" The girl tried to make her voice.

But only a hoarse and strange voice was all the girl could make from her throat.

What is this? I'm afraid, I feel so helpless. The girl couldn't feel her body anymore.

She didn't feel any pain – or rather, she couldn't feel anything.

The girl's sense of hearing kept buzzing from the moment she opened her eyes.

"Ghh!!" She tried to raise her head because from earlier the grassy ground was all she could see.

Unfortunately, she was completely unable to move her body no matter what she did. She felt as if she was being embedded inside something extremely powerful and indestructible.

Something that even binds she directly to her soul. An inhuman and terrifying force.

"Huff... Huff... Argh!!"

"-?!" While the girl was still trying to move her body, a hurried voice from someone suddenly sounded.

Whoever it was, it seemed that he had accidentally bumped into something that was embedded the girl now.

The girl was startled and began to try hard to move her eyes at the origin of the hasty sound.

"Argh! Darn it! Since when in a place like this is there another this shit Ice of Logout!?"

The girl couldn't see the figure of the owner of the voice but she could see the bottom of the owner of the voice.

The owner of the voice is seen wearing an ordinary pair of trousers although that looks quite old with a long white coat that he wears.

Perhaps having bumped into whatever was currently embedded the girl, the owner of the voice was visibly upset as he rubbed his feet and groaned in pain.

"GODDAMN!! THIS WON'T HAPPEN IF THEY DO THE JOB RIGHT!!" The owner of the voice suddenly looked very angry and hit a tree to vent his anger.

But, "OUCH!?!! I-IT SO FUCKING HURTS!! AARGGHH!" He immediately curled down, crying in pain on his hands that began to appear dripping with blood.

Instantly the girl felt the rising corners of her lips as she felt a warm feeling that began to tickle her stomach.

She wanted to laugh.

The voice owner's ridiculous behavior reminded her of one of her favorite stream shows.

But it also made her feel a wave of loneliness that suddenly swept through her existence along with the arrival of her various old memories.

That girl is not a very smart girl or something.

But even she could understand that she could never repeat all those good memories that even now still remain firmly in her head.

She is alone now.

"Hm?... Water?" While he was still curled up in pain, the owner of the voice was suddenly aware of the wet feeling he could suddenly feel penetrating his suit.

Momentarily forgetting the pain that was in his hand, he stared at the Ice of Logout that was currently before him.

He smiled as cold sweat began to run down his forehead, "Ahahaha... Damn, you're going to wake up too, huh? I hope you won't lose control like that boy or I will really be killed this time."

He was already completely desperate. Even he was tired of running away.

The man knew that his work was a very important job for the future of mankind in today's world.

They're was a last rope of hope for Humanity. Although they might be killed in the process, they should melt as much of the Ice of Logout as possible and gather as much combat power as Acrhon's Childs as possible.

They are an organization built by a handful of percent of humanity who survived from "The day of lose" And sent around the world to gather as much new hope(The Acrhon's Childs) as possible.

Humanity seekers. It was a group of few educated people and a few Acrhon's Childs who managed to awaken without losing control.

Not only do collect more Acrhon's childs, they are also a group of people whose job is to find technologies belonging to mankind that have now been destroyed or scattered throughout the world.

Even though this man knew that he would eventually have to sacrifice his life for humanity in the future, "I-I don't want to die...! Ughh...! Aaaargggh~!!" He didn't want to die for nothing in a place like this.

The man really only chose this job because there was really nothing else he could do well other than that.

He never once thought that he would have to risk his life in this job. If it is dangerous, he will only run away. Nothing is more important than his own life.

It's a stupid thing anyway, it's all over when you die. With that mindset, this man fled leaving behind other researchers when some of Acrhon's childs began to show signs of losing control.

*Crack!*

In addition to melting, the chunk of Ice of Logout in front of him began to slowly disintegrate.

The man could also see that a girl with long white hair inside is starting to move her body. The girl started trying to get out from inside the Ice of Logout.

The girl in the ice looked just 13-14 years old. The man was convinced that the girl was at an age where her beauty and maturity were growing rapidly.

Although it seems that the girl's clothes are too small for her.

"I've heard that all Acrhon's childs will wake up with bodies slightly older than their age before being trapped into the Ice of Logout. Is it because of that?"

Although the man had felt very desperate before, now he could not find any more fear of the girl who was there.

Seeing the process of the girl's awakening strangely made the man think that he was currently witnessing the birth of some great figure, a divine existence, a guide who would lead humanity back to its glory even in the world as it is now.

It was certainly a very strange feeling even for the man himself.

However, he couldn't help but feel such a feeling as he looked at the figure of the girl who was slowly but surely freeing herself from her shackles.

*Crack!*

"... A-angel? ... No, could it be that this girl is the incarnation of the goddess herself - ?!"

But at that moment, a giant lightning bolt suddenly descended striking the island along with the arrival of a storm black cloud that was clearly unnatural.

"Akh?!" The explosion and destructive power of the lightning strike was so great that it even made the man who was far from where the lightning fell exposed to its effects and made him fall on his face.

"Gah?!" The descent of lightning came along with a feeling of coldness that was so intense that it made it difficult for him to even breathe properly.

Terror filled his face. The man knew that whatever was there was something bad. A walking disaster itself!

"Ah, damn, neither I nor they will all be killed here..."

"... Not if I can kill it before it can do that."

"...?!" The man quickly looked back because he heard a completely unexpected answer. After all, he was the only one who was currently in that place.

The only possible possibility is...

"... Ahahaha..."

That girl is finally wake up! Sure enough, as the man had guessed, that girl was the same girl he had seen inside the Ice of Logout just a moment ago.

The man couldn't help but laugh when he saw the girl's face.

The dark gaze with no feelings that represent nothing but true madness. Blood-red eyes. A big smile that even made her look more sinister than the calm and holy feeling he had felt from her before.

This is not an angel nor the Goddess! THIS GIRL MUST BE THE TRUE EMBODIMENT OF THE DEVIL HERSELF!!!

[#Side Quest: Selection.

•Eliminating of unfit Acrhon's childs candidates: 0/5.

•Reward : 2000 exp, and 1 Random skill potion.]

[Deadline for completion: 2 hours.]

[Fail: You will be judged unfit as Acrhon's childs and your sanity will be erased.]