"I-I'm sorry?" Kashi stammered in disbelief. "Could you please repeat that?" The daeben's surprise was not without cause. Razznik was a name Suzuki had formed by combining the internet slang 'razz,' which urban dictionary defined as an obnoxious individual trying to fit in, and the 'nik' suffix. There was no way such a random name would pop up in a game made by Genaco by accident.

This was undoubtedly the Razznik from King's Journey. However, considering Suzuki was previously 'Razznik,' how could there be another in-game Razznik? Furthermore, Kashi was certain Suzuki deleted Razznik's character. Didn't he?

"What's wrong, boy?" Fladnag questioned with a suspicious gaze. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"N-no, nothing's wrong," Kashi hastily retorted. 'Quick, think of something! You're dead if he finds out!'

An oppressive aura burst out of Fladnag and pressed down on the daeben. The wizard glared at the young man and carefully questioned, "You would not happen to have any relation to that fiend, would you? Because if you do..." A choking, killing intent encompassed the entire room.

"Surely you jest," Kashi rebutted with a plastered smile. "I have no relation with such a monster. I was simply shocked by his treachery." 'I'm sorry Razz. You've lived your life. I cannot die here.'

"Yes, shocking, is it not?" Fladnag's sharp gaze scrutinized the daeben's features. Kashi must have made a convincing liar as the wizard retracted his aura and killing intent. The wizard looked away from the daeben and said, "I do not trust anyone who seeks power for the sake of power. I would sooner trust someone bent on revenge, for even that desire can one day be satiated." Disappointment colored his eyes as he looked at Kashi. "I fear you are similar to Razznik. You seek power, but you will never be satisfied. Without purpose, you will drown the continent in a sea of blood." Fladnag sighed. "As it stands, I have witnessed more than enough pointless bloodshed. Leave. I shall not slay you, though I should."

"Wait!" Kashi pleaded. "Please give this one a chance to prove himself. I wish to atone for my country's sins." Inwardly, the daeben cursed at his bad luck. 'Why is everyone in this game so high-maintenance?'

Fladnag studied the daeben. The wizard could tell everything that came out Kashi's mouth was a blatant lie. 'Regardless of his reasons, he found me. He possesses strong willpower, if nothing else — I can use him.' Fladnag made a show of stroking his beard and then challenged the daeben, "If what you say is true, then I will give you a chance. There is a single living creature in this forest beside the trees and us. Slay the beast."

Kashi's eyes gleamed with a peculiar light as he examined the prompts. 'A serial quest!'

Serial quests, like their name suggested, were quests that linked up to one another, usually forming a story of some sort. The rewards gained from serial quests increased with each additional quest. Of course, the same could be said for the difficulty.

Kashi took a second to consider the proposal. The E difficulty was reassuring, but the question marks on the recommended level were quite disconcerting. However, the daeben thought about it and realized the only way one monster would prove to be too much trouble would be if it were level 40 or above. Considering this was a quest to obtain a new class, it should not be that difficult.

Kashi considered his options and eventually came to a decision. He looked at Fladnag with a determined gaze and said, "I accept."

 "Good," Fladnag stated and then waved him off. "Come back when you are finished. Yanakal will guide you there." His dismissive tone made it clear he was done talking.

"I will return soon," Kashi said and then exited the house. Upon reaching the clearing in front of Fladnag's home, the daeben searched around for the tree-person known as Yanakal. Rather than make an appearance, a group of trees to Kashi's left suddenly 'shifted' away from each other, creating a path between themselves. Rife with anticipation, Kashi followed the path.

As Kashi's figure faded down the path, Yanakal's deep, sonorous voice reverberated into Fladnag's home. "Is it alright to trust the elf?"

"Trust is a luxury we cannot afford." Fladnag conjured a cup of tea into his hands and savored its rich scent. His eyes shone with a mischievous glint as he said, "However, there's nothing that says we cannot manipulate darkness to serve the light." The wizard smiled and gently sipped his tea. "It all depends on his performance during this test, though."

"He will fail," Yanakal confidently stated.

"Really? I believe he will pass. There is much more to him than meets the eye."

"We shall see."

"Yes, that we shall, shan't we?"

Kashi's path led to the mouth of a cave where he paused to consider his options. A brief inspection of the surrounding area proved there was only one way in or out. He didn't like it. He would fall into a huge disadvantage if the direwolf was expecting him. Kashi equipped his bow and loosely nocked an arrow. As usual, his footsteps were muffled by [Silent Feet] as he entered the cave.

The light streaming into the cave disappeared as the trees shuffled in front of the cave and sealed off the entrance. The cave plunged into pitch-black darkness, leaving Kashi walking completely blind. Fortunately, it was narrow, so by keeping his right hand on the wall, he did not lose his direction. However, he kept falling over rocks and into holes he failed to see, and he cut his hands on sharp-edged rock protrusions. Slowly, but surely, his health was being chipped away.

'Shit! If only I could see!' Kashi suddenly grinned as an idea sparked to life. If he could learn skills like [Silent Feet] then maybe, just maybe...

Kashi strained his eyes, willing his sight to pierce the darkness to shed some light into the darkness enveloping him. 

'Yes!' Kashi rejoiced as little shapes began to form in his vision. It was nowhere near perfect, but at least he could now tell the difference between a hole and bare ground. Despite what the window said, Kashi instinctively knew this was not really that special of a skill. Any adventurer in a similar situation might get the skill — as long as they were prepared to go through the boredom of raising the stealth skill.

It did help that night vision was a passive skill for daeben, which was why the stealth requirement was so low. Kashi estimated that the stealth requirement for normal races would be at least double that. Oh, wait, minus the beastman race. The beastman race had their own version of night vision depending on the particular race. Some had infrared vision, while others could see perfectly in the dark.

Kashi shook his head and returned his attention to the cave floor. He spotted a huge drop in front of him and shuffled across a tiny ledge that stuck out of the wall. Kashi let out a sigh of relief. If he had not gotten the Dark Eyes skill, he would have died right there for sure.

Kashi inwardly cursed the game developers. 'Do these guys not understand the meaning of Difficulty E?' Granted, if a Summoned had the prerequisite skills and information, the quests were quite simple, but this was twice now that lack of information had almost killed him.

A few minutes later, Kashi finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel and rejoiced. It appeared he would not be battling the beast in the darkness of the cave. That would have spelled certain death.

The exit led to a small meadow beautiful beyond comparison, within which life teemed in abundance. High, rocky cliffs formed an enclosure that shielded this spot from the rest of the world. The only entrances to this slice of heaven were the cave Kashi exited and a clear stream that flowed in and out of the cliffs, forming an arch around the meadow.

A lush and beautiful apple tree stood tall at the center of the meadow, below which lay the beast Kashi had come for. A direwolf as tall as a nordic man with fur white as snow, curled up in its sleep, fur rustling calmly under the influence of the meadow's gentle breeze. It was the kind of sight any artist would fall in love with. The daeben was forced to suppress an urge to draw what he saw.

Kashi hesitated, fingers quivering as he pulled the bowstring. Was he to slay such a beautiful creature? To stain this magnificent painting of nature? He wrestled with his conscience as he crossed the stream, the cool water slapping against his thighs.

'Do not hesitate. It's just an animal. Do it!'

"Aaah!" with a loud, determined shout, Kashi released the arrow. It tore through the grasslands and struck its target true in the heart.

The direwolf yelped in pain as it leaped to its feet. It whirled around and glared at the daeben, golden eyes burning with rage. The beast barked and then lunged at him, teeth bared.

'Fast!'

Kashi quickly dove out of the way and barely dodged its fangs. He retaliated with a quick shot, but the beast nimbly twisted out of the arrow's path. Kashi quickly released three arrows in swift succession with [Rapid Shot]. The combined speed of the arrows proved too much for the direwolf. It managed to wiggle its way past the first two arrows, but the last one struck it dead center in its face.

Blood trickled out of the small injury left behind, but the direwolf itself did not slow down.

Kashi cursed as the direwolf bulldozed its way past several arrows. He attempted to run out of its path, but the direwolf's speed suddenly doubled, catching him off-guard. The daeben didn't even get a chance to curse at the direwolf's deception before he was tackled to the ground by the beast.

The direwolf straddled the daeben's figure and continuously tried to maul him with its sharp teeth, but the daeben's strength saved his life. Kashi barely managed to keep his neck intact by holding the direwolf's mouth with his bare hands.

Although its mouth was trapped, the direwolf's claws were free. It certainly did not hesitate to take advantage of the daeben's predicament to tear away at his flesh. Kashi grimaced, bearing the pain as he watched his health points rapidly fall.

The daeben realized he would be dead in a matter of seconds if this kept up. In a moment of pure desperation, Kashi kneed the beast in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of its gut. The direwolf whined in pain, and Kashi quickly used that chance to toss the beast off of him and roll out of the way.

Without wasting a moment, Kashi got back to his feet and gambled on [Multi Shot], hoping it cut off all avenues of escape. Six arrows simultaneously flew at the beast from different angles. Unfortunately, the direwolf's agility proved too much as it once again slipped in between the arrows.

Kashi stared at the direwolf in disbelief. What the hell? It dodged that? How the hell was he supposed to win, then? Kashi could feel the portent of death clasp around his neck.

But then, just as Kashi was about to give up, something peculiar happened. Instead of attacking, the direwolf suddenly spun around, dashed towards the apple tree and allowed an arrow which had veered in that direction to strike its abdomen.

"What?" Though confused, Kashi quickly shot another arrow at that same spot. Surprisingly, the direwolf once again allowed the attack to strike true, growling in pained defiance.

Kashi inspected his health. It was a measly fifty-six points. One more scratch from the wolf and he was dead. The daeben could not afford to engage the direwolf in open combat, and so he took full advantage of the opportunity that had presented itself.

Kashi kept firing, and the wolf kept on glaring at him. The daeben was well aware the direwolf knew his life was hanging on a thin thread. Normally, it should have risked everything to deliver that final blow. Yet, here it was, delivering itself to death's door with a staunch expression. The daeben could not help but wonder what could be so important that it was willing to throw its life away.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Kashi cursed out loud. Who the hell was he kidding? Of course he knew why the direwolf chose such a suicidal option. There was only one thing that could bring that desperate zeal into the eyes of an intelligent species. Suzuki knew this because he had once stared into those very eyes.

All those years ago, beneath the overpass, Suzuki had seen that same desperation in his mother's eyes as she fought to save his life. She'd sustained that stubborn conviction in her eyes even as the flames erupted in the destroyed car. Her powerful, reassuring gaze held steadfast as she cut the seat belt that bound her son, punched open a side window, and pushed him out. Suzuki would never forget the relief in those eyes at seeing him safe, even as the flames consumed her within.

Kashi bit down on his lip so hard his health points began to drop. Still, despite the lump in his throat, he never stopped shooting. If he stopped, the direwolf would kill him. This was a world of kill-or-be-killed, and he had to survive.

'It's just an animal; furthermore, it's an A.I. You are not doing anything wrong.' Kashi reassured himself with those thoughts, but the look in the eyes of the beast told him otherwise.

"Please die," Kashi begged, unwilling to feel the darkness any longer. As if answering his prayers, the direwolf finally succumbed to its injuries and fell to the ground. Even in death, its body blocked the tree.

Kashi stared at the window with a blank expression. He should have been happy he won, but he was only left with a nasty, dirty feeling in his heart. "Shit!" Kashi cursed. Gripping his bow, he turned to leave when a little yelp caught his attention.

A little black wolf, just a tiny bit larger than a puppy, came out from under the tree trunk. It nudged its mother with its nose, and its little, frantic cries tore at a corner of the daeben's heart — a heart he had long forgotten existed. To Kashi's surprise, the mother moved and licked the cub.

The direwolf nudged her cub forward, towards Kashi, barking something at it. Whatever it was saying, the child refused to listen. It cried and begged its mother to stay, but alas, her time was up. With one last glare at Kashi, the direwolf drew her last breath, and her head dropped to the earth, never to rise again.

Kashi watched, unable to move as her body glowed with a pulsing light that burst into a myriad of light particles. The particles rose into the sky, and Kashi watched in horror as the patch of earth where she fell decayed. The magnificent apple tree aged five thousand years in five seconds and crumbled to dust. The hand of death did not stop there. It spread around the meadow, killing every plant in its path, and it instantly dried up the stream.

The ground shook beneath Kashi's feet as the cliffs began to crack. Rocks and boulders crashed to the earth, playing a requiem for the queen, accompanied by the cries of her cub.

'It's just a game. It's just a game,' Kashi repeatedly told himself as he took a step back and prepared to run away. However, he found he could not take a single step toward the cave. His legs refused to move — not while the cub wept in the background.

Kashi cursed as he whirled around and ran to the cub. He picked up the enraged creature, ignoring the pain as it bit down on his hand. It was still so weak that it hardly scratched his health.

"Hold on!" Kashi cried as he ran into the cave. He dodged falling rocks and jumped over the traps as he tried to make it to the other side. Unfortunately, there were simply too many rocks. Kashi shielded the cub with his body and charged through the chaos as falling debris chipped away at his health. 43...30...21...20...13...3...1...

With a desperate yell, Kashi dived out of the cave as it finally collapsed on itself.

Live No Evil had a peculiar system. The lower a player's health points, the weaker they became physically. This might have been to add some realism to the game, but now it was a huge burden on Kashi as he could not move a muscle. A short rest would raise his health by a bit, but as weak as he was, even the cub could kill him if it wished.

As if reading his thoughts, fur as dark as night blocked his vision, and two red eyes seeped in hatred glared down at him.

'Ah, so this is how it ends. I guess I deserve this.'

Surprisingly, instead of taking the final blow, the cub sat down in front of Kashi, with its back to him, as if protecting him from the elements.

Kashi blinked, stunned by the cub's behavior. 'What?'

The cub mourned its mother as it remembered her last instructions. "Go with the elf, little one; your future lies beyond this cove. He wept, even as he slew me. He possesses a kind heart, yet is willing to do what is necessary. Watch him, study him, protect him, judge him. Grow with him, and when you are strong enough, pass your judgment upon him. Be strong, little one, for I will always be with you, watching over you. From here and beyond."

"Yes," the cub thought as it raised itshead to the skies and howled one last time for its mother. "I will do as you say, but I shall not wait to judge him. Once Iam strong enough to face him in open combat, I will kill him. For that is myfinal judgment. Until then, I shallprotect him from all else."