Chapter 21

Author’s note: Chapter 22 should be up on Wednesday, since I had no time to write. Next week will only be one chapter – chap 22 – then the schedule will resume to normal. I apologize for the delay, real life isn’t as forgiving as I wish it was.

The winding dirt road led to a towering mountain range in the west. Icicle trodded leisurely with Blackie, letting him play with wild boars, grizzlies and even Diamondback Rattlesnakes they met on the way.

The unfortunate monsters that crossed Icicle’s path quickly met with their maker. It was truly an untimely and cruel death for those creatures, as the little dark-haired devil didn’t hold anything back. He slashed at the most vulnerable points of the creatures without giving the monsters a chance to retaliate. If the corpses in Loiterous didn’t disintegrate, there would be a long bloody trail following the youth with blazing, amber eyes.

“Those sandwiches are really something else. When I rested earlier, they boosted my health and mana regeneration significantly. Investing in Chef Wurtox was the right decision.” Icicle noted mentally. He was satisfied with his costly purchase.

Blackie’s ears twitched. “Master, master! Those players who fought the boar earlier are now torturing the two we pushed down the hill!” Blackie reported. His earshot range was much larger than Icicle’s.

“Oh really?” Icicle’s mouth curled into an all-knowing smile. “You continue playing with those monsters around, you’re still a bit on the weak side.” Icicle said.

“Yes Master!” Blackie pounced onto a nearby snake.

“Blackie still hasn’t gotten too beaten up by the monsters. Weird. Could it be that he engages them, then runs away when they’re about to retaliate?” Icicle wondered. He didn’t want a coward in his midst.

Disregarding his familiar, Icicle walked down the dirt road, getting closer and closer to the enormous steep brown rock mountain in the distance. He watched with interest as the smallest of changes appeared on his map projection.

Since nothing worthy of attention happened during the leisure walk in the territory of monsters, Icicle’s thoughts wandered back to the PK experience. “I killed those guys using the self-defense system as a helping hand. I guess being a Player Killer is really not your optimal play in Loiterous. Not only is there jail as punishment for dying while in the PK status, but the temporary PK self-defense is a major issue for those guys as well. The only redeeming part is that killing people actually grants a hefty amount of experience!” Icicle smirked.

If there weren’t any positive sides about player killing, there would be many for which the game would be dead, no matter how awesome the other features were.

“That 8 man party I got rid of consisted of level 10s and 11s, with their leader, Maun, being the only one at level 12. Each one gave me 1000-1200 experience! To think that level dictates experience gain! I pity the artisan classes.” Icicle shook his head.

Artisan classes weren’t defenseless, but when the players with combat classes get used to their new professions, what resistance do the artisans pose? Artisan professions won’t be able to outdo the combat classes with equipment for a long time.

Yelp!

Icicle’s musings were broken by a sudden outcry of his familiar. Icicle glanced at Blackie and immediately identified the problem.

“As I thought! What a useless dog, can’t even dodge a snake’s fangs!” Icicle cursed.“When have I ever had such an utterly useless follower? I can’t even give him a good thrashing because it would feel like animal abuse! Arghh!” he raged.

Despite his cursing, Icicle stormed off. He stabbed the Diamondback Rattlesnake’s head repeatedly, getting rid of the monster in a jiffy. With his nimbleness, it wasn’t even half a challenge to dodge the snake’s venomous fangs.

Blackie’s health was quickly deteriorating. The poison inside his body started circulating rapidly, burning him from the inside. Icicle cast one [Healing drizzle] after another, but even that couldn’t keep up with Blackie’s health loss because of its cooldown.

Icicle’s left hand balled into a fist, wanting to thrash his incompetent familiar, while his right hand made the casting gestures flow in a smooth pattern. Taking a deep breath, Icicle exhaled loudly. He opened his inventory and took a bunch of Cynth flowers he recently collected. They possessed a mild detoxifying effect.

Blackie yelped constantly, laying on the ground weakly. Looking at his master’s stern gaze, he covered his eyes with his paws, making him look like a little child who has done something wrong.

Blackie felt a prying force taking his paws off his head. He opened his eyes weakly, looking at his Master with shame.

Whack!

Blackie’s head rattled as a ferocious slap landed on his snout.

“Open up.” Icicle ordered. His gaze was boring a hole in the dog.

Blackie was so scared he didn’t even dare to yelp. His body burned from the inside yet he immediately opened his maw wide. Icicle squeezed yellow flowers in his hands, letting the translucent drops of liquid trickle into Blackie’s  wide open mouth.

The liquid was bitter. In fact, it was so bitter that Blackie wanted to immediately spit it out.

“Swallow it.” rang out the command inside Blackie’s mind.

Blackie didn’t dare to tarry and swallowed the extremely bitter panacea. Aside from the bitter remedy, a torrent of rain constantly fell on Blackie’s black fur. He wanted to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling of being soaking wet.

“Don’t even think of drying yourself up.” Icicle said sternly.

Blackie hang his head low and endured. The fire inside him burned his veins, encroaching on his heart. The bitter liquid he swallowed remedied that a little, while the torrent of rain falling on his back rejuvenated his health. To Blackie it didn’t really matter though. He thought it might have been better to just die and be relieved of the pain.

This situation continued for the whole 3 minutes. This was the worst day of Blackie’s entire life. The black hound felt like he was subjected to endless torture. The worst thing about all of this was that he had deserved it.

Blackie’s condition was now stabilized. Icicle glared at the dog furiously. Then his gaze turned incomparably gentle. “Come here.” Icicle crouched, took Blackie in his arms and embraced him.

Blackie barked happily, enjoying his Master’s warmth. He wanted to jump in joy when his whole body shuddered involuntarily. A feeling of a grave danger spread through his limbs, making his hair stand on end. Blackie turned his head and saw his Master open his eyes.

If it was said that a dog looking at a bone was looking at its greatest treasure, then what Blackie was looking at right now was the Judgement Day! Icicle’s gaze bore a hole through him. Blackie felt as if he was completely seen through.

Icicle’s gaze was so indifferent and calm that every fiber of Blackie’s body screamed danger. This sense of crisis was even larger than when he felt Icicle’s overbearing killing intent!

Blackie sat like a proud lion, his front paws in front, his behind on the ground. He didn’t do it because he was proud nor brave, but because he was scared! The mountain-like pressure weighing on him made him want to hang his head low and immediately nuzzle against Icicle’s leg to apologize, but he was unable to do even that. His entire body was like lead, unable to move even a single step.

The trickling water from the leftovers of [Healing drizzle] made Blackie feel uncomfortable, but he knew now wasn’t the time to dry himself.

“How many snakes bit you?” Icicle’s question rang out in the poor dog’s mind.

Blackie’s mind could be compared to a still sea at the moment. When his Master’s question rang out, the waves formed on the surface of the calm sea. “F-Five.” Blackie answered weakly. He was so terrified he couldn’t even hang his head low in shame.

“Five, huh?” Icicle tapped his chin, but to Blackie those sounds were like eternally reverberating war drums of doom.

Icicle shook his head, his gaze clearly saying “You’re incompetent.” But he didn’t voice this out. All he did was ask one, seemingly simple question “Who are you?”

Blackie’s mind rattled. His Master didn’t ask “what” but “who”! This was a sign of respect. Blackie thought carefully before giving an answer. His entire being was shaking, never stressed as much as at this moment of his short life.

Exactly one minute has passed. Blackie still hasn’t answered. Icicle patiently watched him, crouching with one hand on the side of his face, as if in thought. “You can’t say, huh? Well, let me tell you then.” Icicle’s voice resounded in Blackie’s mind.

“You’re a shapeless mold. Something that needs to be formed completely before it can even be called a being. Right now you’re nothing more than a creature without a soul. You’re just there. Breathing, smelling, seeing, hearing, touching, tasting the world.” Icicle’s gaze focused.

“But can you utilize even that little? If you could see, hear and smell, would you be bitten by five snakes and put into such a precarious state?” Icicle mercilessly pointed out Blackie’s flaws. “A creature which can blend with the shadows cannot even overcome a little snake? Laughable!” he snorted.

“M-Master!” Blackie mustered up all of his courage to speak up for himself. “Those snakes can perceive me in the shadows! They’re slippery, they move fast and even use poison! Not only that, their scales are tough too! What was I supposed to do?! I tried my best, but they were just better!” Blackie grieved. He felt wronged by his God. How could he compare to the almighty God’s existence?

“They can sense you? So what?!” Icicle snorted. “If they can sense you, it only means you’re even more incompetent than I thought! Look at them!” Icicle shifted his position, crouching sideways to Blackie. “Whenever those snakes move, the grass bends, alarming you of their position. Every little movement they make can be heard if you listen carefully! The same goes for you! Even if those snakes couldn’t detect your heat, by the way you’re moving, your position would be immediately compromised!” Icicle berated.

“The only reason you’re seen is because you rely on your stealth too much! Those snakes are your nemesis when it comes to hiding! Unless you improve your other qualities, you’ll always be the one to lose!” Icicle chided, his gaze unforgiving.

Blackie’s eyes turned watery. He seemed to instantaneously master the “puppy eyes” technique. However, to his dismay, Icicle’s gaze didn’t soften one bit. “M-Master! I told you, those serpents are strong! Too strong for me! I can’t defeat them so easi-” Blackie’s eyes suddenly widened. He saw one of the Diamondback Rattlesnakes slithering in the grass, about to sink its fangs into God!

“Mast-” Blackie tried to call out but Icicle’s right hand already jerked. Diamondback Rattlesnake hissed, its jaw wide open. Greenish poison trickled down the snake’s fangs.

Icicle’s right palm abruptly closed, enclosing the snake’s head within. Blackie’s eyes widened as he saw Icicle’s right arm emitting a blue glow, squeezing the snake’s head.

Crack! Crack!

One after the other, the sounds of scales cracking resounded. Icicle’s muscles contracted, veins rapidly showing up on his right arm. He squeezed tighter and tighter, until finally the snake’s head exploded, splattering its innards all around!

Blackie gaped, unable to comprehend the sight in front of him. His Master just squeezed a snake to death with one hand! The miserable snake’s body writhed on the ground and soon after stopped twitching, completely devoid of life!

“Listen up, Blackie.” Icicle’s voice rang out in Blackie’s mind. If Blackie’s mind was a sea that experienced only ripples on the surface before, now those ripples turned into enormous tsunamis! “In my world, there are very few who can say they are my equals. If I so wished, 100 000 people would bow in worship. They would ask me for favors, to help them solve their problems.”

Blackie listened with rapt attention. His image of Icicle was that of a God. But only now did he see him like a pharaoh, encircled by hundreds of thousands of worshippers paying their respects. Blackie’s eyes glistened as he held his head up high, looking at the sun. At the moment, he could see Icicle as the burning sun’s equal, watching mortals from high above.

“Every direct subordinate of mine could be a ruler of a guild in this world. Some may be even kings, rulers of the vast kingdoms! I treat every single one of them as my family. Now look at you. What are you? A Wild Dog leader? A mongrel? You can’t even kill a simple snake.” Icicle shook his head in disappointment.

Blackie’s glistening eyes dimmed. God was right, he was weak. There was nothing he could say to retort that.

“But I’m not a merciless person. Those who are under my wing shall prosper, those who oppose me shall perish without a place in history!” Icicle’s voice made Blackie’s mind experience enlightenment. It was like a mantra engraving itself on the mind of the follower.

“Since you joined my ranks, you have to become strong enough to be called a genius of your generation like everyone else directly under me.” Icicle spoke calmly.

Blackie listened to the words carefully, but his mind was still in the middle of the reverie. Icicle’s words reverberated throughout his body, giving him courage to stand up to anyone in the world!

“If you want to serve me, we must work together. By working together, I mean that we are supposed to be two individual entities, striving for the same goal. I won’t be next to you every time you’re in trouble. I won’t be able to protect you from danger every time you get into a precarious situation like today. You need to be able to fend for yourself. Only by doing that will you be able to be of use to me, to serve me properly. Do you understand?” Icicle caressed Blackie’s black fur gently, stroking him behind his fluffy ears.

Blackie nodded his head. However, his gaze was a bit helpless. He didn’t know what he could do to suddenly be of use to Master. How can he compete with someone who can crush the enemy he had so much trouble with just by squeezing his hand? To God those vile serpents may be like oranges, squeezable, but to him? They were the worst opponents imaginable!

“I don’t expect you to become stronger in a second. I don’t believe you can become my match in a short amount of time either. It’s a process. A process you must have the willpower to take.” Icicle said gently.

“Look all around us. Do you see those people? They are fighting with snakes, with boars and even with the overgrown bears. Why don’t you observe how they do it before engaging one yourself? Learn from them, steal what they can do and make it your own! Adapt to the situation and then, when you finally see the opening, attack without mercy!” Icicle’s blue-glowing fist slammed into the ground.

Crack!

The soil split, showing a 30cm deep crack, spanning over a meter. Blackie felt the vibrations underneath his paws. His awe of Master increased even more.

“There will be times when your opponent makes feints. When the opening he shows you will be deliberate. There will be many of those who want to use your carelessness against you. My advice for you is simple. Whenever there’s opening, always expect a trap! That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t attack, on the contrary! You should attack with a full notion that it’s most likely a ruse. Then, when your opponent finally reveals his hidden fangs, you attack with even more unbridled ferocity! Destroy your opponent’s defenses and deliberate preparations with an attack he cannot predict nor prevent! That’s what it means to be formidable!” as Icicle narrated, Blackie’s eyes blazed with fire of yearning. He wanted to become like that. Strong like God!

“Those who are under my wing shall prosper, those who oppose me shall perish without a place in history!” Icicle’s words once again reverberated inside Blackie’s mind, causing him to believe even more zealously in his God.

“That guy fighting the bear over there. Do you see him?” Blackie nodded, focusing on the task at hand. “Who is he to you?” Icicle asked.

Blackie shook his head. He didn’t know.

“Let me ask otherwise. Is he stronger than the bear?” Icicle inquired.

“No!” Blackie said firmly. That much was clear to him.

“Then he’s your learning target! You watch what he does and assimilate that knowledge, making use of it on your own! A weaker being defeating a stronger one is worth of learning from!” Icicle said solemnly. He watched Blackie’s reaction then continued.

“What if he were weaker than the bear?”

“Then I should ignore him!” Blackie said proudly, puffing his chest. He understood Master’s intentions. Never learn from the weak!

Whack!

Blackie’s head experienced a ferocious slap.

“Wrong! He’s also your learning practice! You learn what NOT to do when you fight against the bear! You can also learn what the bear has in store for when you fight it!” Icicle fiercely rebuked.

Blackie finally understood. Although his head hurt, the change of his mindset started setting in. “God is wise.” Blackie muttered, his snout all smiles.

The surrounding players observed as a player crouched beside his dog, educating him in the middle of the road. What was surprising, was that the monsters which were abundant in the area all around didn’t dare to enter the 5m area around the two. It was as if the critters sensed danger and decided to never go near it.

“Remember, if you ever meet a stronger opponent, retreating is not shameful. It’s a way to let you fight another day. My advice is that you fight that adversary unless he’s really too strong. You can learn a lot by going against someone stronger!” Icicle advised. Seeing his black familiar nod, he smiled gently.

“Now go! Watch, learn, adapt and experience! Only that way can you become one of the strong. Do you see this large stone before the mountain? I’ll sit over there if you need my help. If you can kill 25 Diamondback Snakes in a row without getting poisoned, your mission will be complete! You’ll be able to walk beside me, as someone strong and respected, as family!” Icicle said seriously.

Blackie’s eyes burned with passion. Family of God? That was something he didn’t even dare dreaming about! Heavenly bells seem to ring out in his mind, heralding the future fortune of his race. No snake shall stand on his way!

“Remember that my resources are limited. If you fail too many times, even I won’t be able to help you.” Icicle added and left to sit beside the large grey stone, making some potions.

This was the beginning of Blackie’s first real trial!

***

Cough! Cough! Cough!

Toar stood up, his entire body hurting. Even though the players who beat him and Jihun up were flagged as temporary PKs, there was nothing they could do about it. It was a whole crowd!

“I’ll beat those noobs up until they fall to level 1!” Toar hissed furiously.

“Hahaha! Ugh.” Jihun clutched his aching stomach, restraining his laughter.

“What are you laughing about?” Toar asked incredulously. Was Jihun’s brain damaged during their beatdown?

“That surely was the Scavenger!” Jihun’s eyes blazed. He didn’t mind the beating because he found his target.

“Scavenger this, Scavenger that. Can’t you just shut up? We need to beat those noobs up for what they did, not goose chase after some legend!” Toar refuted. So what if that Icicle guy was Scavenger? Did they really need him? Their guild could stand up on their own.

“The leader lost his legendary sword to Scavenger in Eurasia. The leader doesn’t want anything else happening while playing this game. Besides, the Scavenger doesn’t look as weak as he was in Eurasia. He killed that whole 8 man party with ease. Did you see him getting rid of the Rogue? He didn’t even turn, yet he knew he was there!” Jihun praised incessantly, giving Toar a headache. He was even impressed with Icicle’s domineering demeanor!

“You’re such a bother. I’ll just go train on my own. When I level up, I’ll find each of those noobs and let them taste a tenfold of what they did to me!” Toar groaned, leaving Jihun behind.

***

Curtis logged in. He slept merely 4 hours, but he was so anxious about his quest he couldn’t enjoy the bed any longer.

“Where should I start?” he muttered to himself, looking around Vilen Town. “I should ask around if anyone has seen the black hound or its owner.”

Quickly making up his mind, Curtis started inquiring the residents of Vilen Town and fellow players.

***

<<System message>>

You’ve gained a new statistic – Faith!
Since you’re not of religious profession nor worship any of the gods, you can gain more faith only by having more believers!

Notice: Players can’t become believers of a player deity.

Number of believers: 1

Believers: Blackie

“This dog is seriously something else. Oh well, as long as Blackie improves, I don’t mind playing god a little.” Icicle shook his head, about to focus on making potions when another window popped up.

<<System message>>

Your familiar, Blackie, gained a new skill!

[Ardent follower] – cannot be pressured nor intimidated by anyone but its God.

“Now that’s better. At least you know who to fear, Blackie.” Icicle nodded contentedly, perusing the recipe for the antidotes in his newly acquired alchemist compendium.