Liam moved like a phantom through the Whisperwind Jungle, a blur of practiced precision. Days had bled into weeks, each one a testament to his relentless hunt. Demon beasts fell before his honed power, their dark energies feeding his insatiable hunger for more. He was leveling up the whole time he spent in the jungle, and now his internal screen was a constant companion, a stark reminder of his evolving state.
> Liam – Level 126/∞
> * Title: Assassin
> * Strength: 620
> * Agility: 620
> * Endurance: 620
> * Magic: 620
> * Dark Force: 300
> * Green Attributes: 35 (Harmony - Tier 1)
> * Health: 36000/36000
>
Just as he concluded a swift, brutal engagement with a pack of Shadow Hounds, a faint, disembodied whisper reached his ears. It wasn't a growl or a snarl, but a plea, echoing through the dense foliage: "...forgiveness... God... forgiveness..."
Confused, Liam turned, following the spectral sound. He found it near a gnarled, ancient oak – a skeletal figure, draped in tattered, once-resplendent priestly robes, kneeling in the moss. It was unmistakably a skeleton, but the sacred vestments were jarringly out of place.
He inspected the anomaly.
> ENEMY DETECTED!
> The Underworld Priest – Level 130
> * Title: The Forsaken
> * Strength: 600
> * Agility: 600
> * Endurance: 600
> * Magic: 680
> * Health: 30000/30000
> * Attributes: Dark, Light [SEALED]
>
"Who are you? Why do you disrupt my prayers?" the skeleton rasped, its voice hollow, its empty eye sockets turning towards Liam. "I've been praying for centuries for God to forgive me. I worked with demons in the path of gaining power, but my God threw me away after that. I changed to a skeleton. Before that, I was a respectful priest, everyone came to me to make a prayer for them to God. Now I'm a skeleton. No one thinks I deserve God's forgiveness."
The skeleton's voice grew louder, laced with a manic glee. "But now I found a way, before you appeared! God answered me! Hahahahaha! They told me that they will forgive me if I kill you! You're my beloved person! You're the path of me to my God! Welcome!" The priest rose, its bony fingers twitching. "For a century, I couldn't use my Light Attributes, but if I kill you, I can use it! Hahahahaha! Come to me, my forgiveness!"
The Underworld Priest lunged, its skeletal hand conjuring a torrent of concentrated dark magic. Liam met the attack head-on, his Dark Force Attributes flaring to life.
The battle that ensued was unlike any Liam had faced. The Underworld Priest, despite its decaying form, was a master of dark arts. It commanded the very ground, summoning an endless army of skeletal warriors from the earth. He ripped through them, his fists a blur of concussive force and dark energy, shattering bone and dispersing necrotic dust, but for every one he destroyed, two more rose.
The priest itself was terrifyingly resilient. It pelted Liam with bolts of pure shadow and sapped his strength with draining curses. Liam danced through the chaos, deflecting spells with shadow shields and teleporting to land blows, only for its skeletal form to reform. He activated his Green Attributes subtly, mending any minor wounds, keeping his stamina high.
"You can't win, mortal! My forgiveness is at hand! The Gods demand your death!"
Liam's eyes blazed. Demons want me dead, angels want to control me, and now a dead priest claims gods want me dead for their forgiveness? A cold rage, born of defiance, solidified his resolve.
With a primal roar, Liam unleashed the full, unbridled might of his Dark Force. He became a living blade of pure darkness, severing the very bonds of the priest's being. With one final, thunderous surge, Liam cleaved through the skeletal priest in a chaotic explosion of energy, tearing its form into two thousand pieces.
The priest's head, still intact, landed with a dull thud. "God didn't forgive me," it rasped, its voice weak with despair. "I did all this for that stupid God… He knows that I get killed, but… I get my revenge now."
A faint, ethereal glow emanated from the skull. The Underworld Priest, with its dying breath, commanded its Light Attributes – the very power it had sought forgiveness for – to flow into Liam.
"Hahahaha! God, look! I perfected the knife that can kill a god! Green light and dark in the same person! Hahahahaha! Go, the wild one! Kill every god in this universe for me!"
With that last, chilling command, the skeleton faded into ash. Liam's internal screen flashed with a brilliant, undeniable new notification.
> TARGET ELIMINATED!
> * Enemy: The Underworld Priest
> * Experience Gained: 10,000
> A chaotic surge of conflicting energies flooded Liam's being.
> LEVEL UP! (x10)
> ATTRIBUTE FORCIBLY TRANSFERRED!
> Liam – Level 136/∞
> * Title: Assassin
> * Strength: 670
> * Agility: 670
> * Endurance: 670
> * Magic: 670
> * Dark Force: 320
> * Green Attributes: 45 (Harmony - Tier 1)
> * Light Attributes: 10 (Inherited - Tier 1)
> * Health: 39000/39000
>
The surge of power was immense. A completely new, vibrant energy, pure and radiant, now coursed through his veins, blending impossibly with the Dark Force and Green Attributes. He now knew: if he killed a demon or a god's follower with opposing attributes, he would gain massive experience and unlock more paradoxical powers.
After the brutal fight, a profound realization settled over Liam. The gods, the Demon Lords – they were flawed, manipulative beings, and he was a living defiance of their established order.
His thoughts turned to Oakhaven, to Lyra. It had been 99 days since he left. He had promised to return. He checked his inventory; the Dragon Egg still had 1 day remaining to hatch.
He channeled his Dark Force, teleporting directly to the royal palace grounds. The guards, recognizing the familiar shimmer of his teleportation, tensed, then lowered their weapons.
News of his return reached the princess instantly. Lyra, her eyes wide with tears of relief and joy, rushed from the palace and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a fierce hug.
"Liam! I was thinking that you didn't survive," she choked out, "but I hoped that one day you would come back to me!"
Before Liam could fully react, Lyra pulled back slightly and kissed him, full on the lips.
Liam's face flushed a deep, embarrassed red, transforming him from the terrifying Assassin back into a bashful young man.
Lyra pulled away, a small, apologetic smile on her face. "Oh! Sorry! I couldn't hold myself."
King Alaric, after a moment of stunned silence, let out a hearty laugh. He immediately commanded a grand feast to be prepared for the night, eager to hear the full story of Liam's extraordinary journey. As the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the palace, Liam began to recount his tale, a story of an impossible ascent, paradoxical powers, and a path forged between gods and demons.
To the next episode...