[Received 600,000 Stat EXP]
[Title King Slayer -> Kings Slayer]
Nova was jolted from his thoughts by the sharp sound of multiple notifications. ‘Titles can evolve too?’ he mused, intrigued, as he checked the new title effect.
[Title: King's Slayer (All stats increased by 10% against King-tier opponents.)]
‘Not bad’, he thought, a small smile tugging at his lips. It doubled the bonus. Just as he was about to review his full status, another notification chimed, drawing his attention.
[Mission: Reach the end of the road has been completed]
Rewards;
- Title: Troll Exterminator
This title enhances your reputation in towns and cities, increasing rewards for future quests involving monster extermination. - Gold: 6500 coins
- EXP: 800
- Book ‘Spear Basics’
A booklet materialized in front of Nova, its simple appearance deceiving. At first glance, it seemed no more than 20 pages, with nothing but the title "Spear Basics" on the front. There were no author’s name, no embellishments—just a blank slate, as if the creator hadn't even deemed it worthy of recognition.
Intrigued, Nova opened it without hesitation, and the first line he saw instantly caught his attention.
Spear is nothing. Spear is everything. Whatever you wish the spear to be, it shall become. The spear has no concept—only you give it one. Find the spear within yourself and unlock its limitless power. If you find limits, stop practicing with the spear; you are not worthy.
Nova’s mind raced as he reflected on his own journey with the spear. ‘The only one imposing limits on the spear is me...’ he thought, the truth resonating deeply within him. ‘A weapon is only as useful as the one wielding it.’
With a final, contemplative glance, Nova closed the booklet and stored it in his Inventory, just as a notification rang through his mind.
[Portal will close in 10:00]
[Portal will close in 09:59]
This time he didn’t rush out as he called ‘Status’
[Status]
Rank: 0
Name: Nova Grey
Species: Human
Affiliation: None
Level: 3 (100/500)
Class: None
Titles: Goblin Exterminator, Kings Slayer, Survivor, Spear Novice, Troll Exterminator
Stat Points: 126
Attributes:
Strength: 112 (+11)
Vigor: 85 (+8)
Dexterity: 135 (+16)
Speed: 95 (+17)
Intelligence: 51
Wisdom: 95
Will: 9
Luck: 10
Skills
Active: Spear Thrust (10) (9984/512000), Spear Jab (10) (11732/512000), Spear Sweep (10) (3974/512000), Spear Lunge (10) (789/512000), Spear Overhead Strike (10) (757/512000)
Passive: Regeneration (8) (48359/64000), Keen Reflexes (2) (1874/2000), Momentum Streak (1) (832/1000)
"So many Stat Points to use, but none are needed right now" Nova mused, his thoughts drifting. Then, he noticed a notification: he had leveled up twice. ‘Portals will be harder now’, he thought, a touch of frustration creeping in. ‘I wish I could stop acquiring EXP... How strong would I need to be to clear a Green portal now?’
He sighed, glancing over his skills. Many of them had leveled up, particularly Regeneration.
“Good” he muttered, but the thought of what lay ahead brought a dark cloud over him. ‘I need to tell the others the truth about what’s really happening.’
Anger simmered beneath his calm exterior as he remembered his discussion with King Vragor and what the aliens thought of Humanity. ‘Just wait...’
With a determined breath, he stepped into the portal. The sickly sensation returned briefly, but faded almost as quickly as it appeared.
When he opened his eyes again, a ruined city greeted him. Only a handful of buildings remained standing, their shattered forms a testament to the destruction.
‘How long has it been?’ Nova wondered. ‘It feels like forever since I entered the portal.’ He surveyed his surroundings with quiet focus, but this part of the city was unfamiliar. His mind raced, but he kept his composure as he began to assess the situation.
The city of Univara sprawled across an area as vast as a small country, covering 426,695 km2. It stood as the capital of the Federation, which had only four major cities: Altura to the north, Tritus to the south, and Quarath to the east, with Univara at its heart.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Nova wandered through the crumbling remnants of the city, searching for someone—anyone—who could offer him a hint of what had happened. His eyes scanned the desolate surroundings until he spotted two young men, likely close to his own age. Without hesitation, he dashed toward them, disappearing from his spot in an instant.
The two young men were murmuring between themselves, careful to keep their voices low so as not to draw attention. Unbeknownst to them, they had already failed in that regard. As they whispered, their focus remained on the ground ahead, believing no one was nearby. But suddenly, they collided with something—or rather, someone.
Startled, they looked up to see a young man with shoulder-length black hair and piercing deep blue eyes standing before them. A smile played across his face as he asked, “What’s this place?”
The younger of the two, Ryan, narrowed his eyes and muttered irritably, “How are you here without knowing where you are? Are you dumb?”
Before things could escalate, Simon, his friend, quickly stepped in, pulling Ryan back with a gentle but firm grip. He whispered urgently, “Shhh, don’t make trouble, you hothead.” Then, turning to Nova, Simon offered a polite, composed response. “We’re in Univara. The east side, to be precise.”
Nova cast a fleeting glance at Ryan, but chose not to engage further, letting the irritable youth go. Instead, he turned to Simon, his expression serious as he continued with his questioning. "How long has it been since God's Path was launched?" His thoughts briefly flickered back to the last Green portal, wondering just how much time had passed.
Simon, ever the picture of politeness, answered without hesitation. "It's been two wee—"
‘Roughly a week’ he mused.
Before Simon could finish his sentence, Nova was already gone, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye.
Both Simon and Ryan stood frozen, blinking in confusion. Ryan turned to Simon, his voice tinged with disbelief. “Was there really a guy in front of us, or was that a ghost?”
Simon, equally baffled, could only shrug in response. “Maybe we’re both sick. Let’s head back to the base.”
Ryan nodded, still eyeing the spot where Nova had been. The two of them soon resumed their walk, unsure whether the strange encounter had been real or some kind of shared illusion.
Meanwhile, Nova raced through the streets, his mind focused on the passing seconds. ‘I swear I’ve been in that portal for far longer than a week. The situation shouldn’t have changed that much.’ With his thoughts set, he pushed his legs harder, sprinting at full speed westward.
In just 35 minutes, he recognized familiar landmarks, catching sight of parts of the city he knew all too well. From there, it was a simple task to navigate toward the Vale estate. Within two minutes, he stood at the entrance, barely out of breath from his sprint, the estate looming ahead.
The gate to the Vale estate stood wide open, inviting Nova in without hesitation. He moved swiftly toward the mansion, but what greeted him was not the familiar grandeur he expected. Instead, the once-pristine structure now lay in ruins, a heap of rubble as though a bomb had decimated it.
Nova raised an eyebrow, a flicker of concern crossing his mind. ‘What happened here?’
His gaze swept over the debris, searching for any sign of life or explanation. As he approached the wreckage, he noted the eerie absence of blood. Cautiously, he stepped inside, his senses alert. Every room he checked told the same story—nothing. It was as if everyone had simply vanished into thin air. But Nova doubted Victor and Jack would leave without any word, especially without a trace of their presence.
Determined, Nova searched the estate meticulously. Jack, ever the meticulous planner, would surely have left some kind of clue, something to guide him. Yet, despite his thorough inspection, he found nothing.
A sudden thought struck him. ‘Did Jack leave something at our spot?’ It was worth a shot.
He turned on his heels and dashed toward Greenwood Park, but as he ran, a sense of unease began to creep over him. There were no signs of life, no people on the streets, and the silence felt... unnatural.
‘Weird. Something is off.’ Nova muttered to himself, picking up the pace as he approached the park. The area seemed eerily deserted, even for this time of day.
He scoured the park, his eyes darting from one corner to the next. Then, near one of the playgrounds, his sharp eyes caught something unusual: a letter, carefully placed on the ground. He knelt down and unfolded it.
It read.
Dear Asshole,
If you're wondering why you couldn't find us at the Vale estate, it's because, thanks to your glacial speed, the eight families and the Federation are hunting us down. After you entered the portal, we received a letter—an ultimatum. ‘Pick a side, or die.’ We chose to wait for you, hoping you'd come back soon, but... well, clearly, you didn’t.
The letter went on and on, with Jack ranting about Nova’s tardiness, blaming him for the precarious situation they were now in. He complained about how desperate things had become, how much they had suffered, and how everyone resented him for his delay. The words were laced with frustration, but Nova could tell a lot of it was exaggerated. Still, there was a kernel of truth buried beneath the anger.
As Nova continued reading he found out what had happened.
‘I missed them by just one day. This time, luck wasn't on my side.’ According to Jack, they were now holed up in Jack's apartment. Nova didn’t waste time. Grabbing the letter and tucking it into his pocket—intending to make Jack eat those words later—he shot off towards the apartment.
It wasn’t even a minute before he arrived at the complex, a standard housing building typical in the Federation. He knocked on the door, his pulse quickening, and after a moment, Cassidy appeared. She looked different—more mature, like time had worn her down in ways he couldn’t quite place. Something about her had changed since he’d last seen her.
‘Right, Jack did mention they went to train in the portals’ Nova thought, still processing the letter’s contents. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Cassidy’s smile caught his attention. Seeing him standing there with a contemplative look, she grinned and greeted him warmly, “Nova! It’s been a while. Welcome back.”
Nova smiled back, his expression softening. “Mhm, I see you’ve gotten stronger.”
Cassidy beamed, clearly happy to see him. “Come, come! Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
She led him inside before closing the door behind him. The place was about the size of his own apartment—small and cramped—but far less furnished. The only notable piece of furniture was a shelf crammed with Jack’s manga, anime, and games. The place was a tight squeeze for seven people, each of them standing in close proximity, as if they were sardines in a can.
Nova stifled a chuckle, shaking his head at the irony. ‘From a mansion to a cramped apartment. The contrast is almost comic.’
Jack, who had been watching Nova’s reaction, knew exactly what was going through his mind. He could only shake his head, a hint of exasperation in his voice as he asked, “Why did it take you so long?”
"Long? If you knew what I went through, you’d be asking, 'How are you so fast, my lord?'" Nova shot back at Jack with a smirk. How could Jack call him slow when he had pushed himself to the limit, never resting for even a single minute? The only reason he was still moving forward was because the portals didn’t require trial takers to eat, drink, or sleep. The real challenge had been the mental fatigue that had nearly worn him down.
Rachel, however, was having none of it. "You two can have your little chats another time" she interrupted, her tone more serious than usual. She had grown up too, no longer the carefree person she once was. "We need to figure out what’s going on."
Thomas, ever the calm one, nodded in agreement, his support evident.
Samuel, Amelia, Victor and Cassidy were sitting around the room listening quietly.
"Fine" Jack relented, understanding the urgency. He quickly launched into a detailed account of everything that had happened, summarizing the events as best as he could. It was clear to him that Nova needed the full picture in order to make an informed decision.
An hour passed as Jack spoke, recounting their experiences with the portals. Nova stood quietly, his gaze distant, his face slightly lowered in thought.
‘Jack cleared a Green portal’ Nova mused, his thoughts lingering on the accomplishment. ‘Cassidy, Rachel, Thomas, Samuel, and Amelia cleared between two to four White portals…’ His gaze then shifted to Victor. ‘And Victor cleared a Green portal as well’. Nova wasn’t surprised—Victor was a hard worker, skilled, and had the bravery to face a Green portal this early on. Still, he had to give credit where it was due.
Clearing his throat, Nova raised his head, his expression turning grave. "There’s something more important than the high families or the Federation." His voice carried a weight of urgency and concern.
Everyone fell silent, their eyes turning to him, waiting for what he had to say next.
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