Apocalypse Cheater

Chapter 25: Marco's strange encounter

[: Quest for Tutorial Chapter 1 Part 1 has been completed, you have received +10Exp, +10 Copper Coin and +1 Beginner Rank E Necklace which has been transferred into your inventory :]

[: Congratulations, you have levelled up to 2 and has obtained 5 Stats Point :]

Leila followed Axus, the one who greeted her the moment she entered which forced her to accompany him due to the tutorial quest given.

Well, most of the explanations he offered were basically basic knowledge of the system and the world.

Hence, it's only been ten minutes since the quest started and it had ended.

"Well with that, I explained most of the necessary information about the system and this world''

''And to further enhance your knowledge, you should visit Ren over there for more stuff to learn"

Axus pointed to someone behind the bars and afterwards, he got up from his seat saying farewell to Leila before he walked away.

[" You have received Quest for Tutorial Chapter 1 Part 2 :]

[: Tutorial Chapter 1 Part 2: Looked for Ren somewhere in the Guild and inquire about the quest :]

[: Reward: +10 Exp, +10 Copper Coin and +1 E Beginner Ring :]

***

4 hours later

***

Leila spent those hours to nothing but listening to knowledge and information which she knew of.

However, due to the sake of listening to the quest, she had no choice but to hear them out.

And now, all of the Guild Members were already known to her.

Moreover, she suffered headaches at the thought of how the situation wasn't going anywhere.

What's worse is that she overheard a conversation about some Players who weren't allowed to hunt the monster till they unlocked Tutorial Chapter 2 Part 1.

And to her horror, she's still at Chapter 1 Part 10 and it seems like she won't be unlocking Chapter 2 at any moment.

'Sigh, I never thought the pace would be this incredibly slow'

And I wouldn't want to think how this tutorial is going to last for a year before I'm completely free'

Before continuing back to the quest, she took a break to cool down her patience while gazing through her stats.

She was now Level 5 and her total stats points were 20.

However, unless she obtained a class, she wouldn't mindlessly place these points which were impossible to obtain in any other way.

After all, small mistakes in allocating them could determine the path she will take in the future.

Moreover, these tiny details are something a beginner made as they weren't truly aware of how serious their choices would be.

'But it will be some time before I embark on the path of hunting down monsters'

On the other hand, a strange phenomenon was happening to the rest of the Branch Leaders who experienced the same outcome as Leila when they entered Modern Fantasia for the first time.

***

[: Data conversion has been completed :]

[: System Lag :]

[: Error - @9%9$)#( :]

[: An unknown vengeful being has become interested in you and has invited you to enter his realm :]

[: Do you wish to enter? If you reject, this opportunity may never be offered again :]

A strange prompt popped right in front of his eyes which Marco found completely strange than what he had been informed of.

'What in the world is this? I thought I should supposedly appear in this stimulation'

'I never heard of a bug happening'

There were doubts, however, his instincts were telling him not to miss this opportunity or else he would regret it.

Moreover, his instincts never failed him once, just like the time he fought with Leila when the result was an overwhelming defeat.

'I don't want to be reminded how the monster of she is'

He shrivelled for a moment.

Nevertheless, he accepted the invitation from a mysterious being, and right before he knew it, he teleported into a land where there was nothing but ruins, no, a village where it had been massacred.

'This is not like what I thought turned out to be'

Marco treaded cautiously through the desolate village, a surreal landscape painted with eerie stillness.

The absence of life was uncanny, with no bodies, only sinister splotches of blood splattered across the ground and buildings reduced to charred husks.

The air carried a heavy weight, laden with unanswered questions that swirled in Marco's mind.

Why had he been teleported to this forsaken place?

What purpose did this haunting scene hold?

His brows furrowed as he scanned the blood-stained ground, trying to decipher the chilling narrative etched upon it.

The village's agony was palpable, a testament to an unforgiving assault that had torn through its heart.

Yet, the motive behind this carnage eluded Marco's grasp, a riddle left unsolved.

Lost in thought, his senses heightened, catching a flicker of movement at the edge of his vision.

''Who is...that?''

Marco's attention was drawn to a lone figure standing amid the destruction.

Despite feeling a mix of anticipation and unease, he approached cautiously, wanting to know who it was.

As he got closer, the silhouette became clearer, but a sense of unease settled over him.

He felt a deep, visceral fear like never before, sensing that this person could end him in an instant.

For the first time since his previous defeat, Marco's confidence wavered.

A man sat atop a heap of splintered wood, his gaze transfixed on a specific point within the ruins.

If one were to encapsulate his appearance, 'Spartan Warrior' would be the closest descriptor.

Yet, what truly set him apart were the crimson markings etched across his skin, a visual declaration of his mystic connection to powers beyond comprehension.

Twin blades, their edges adorned with chains, rested at his sides, instruments of potential destruction.

"I've been sitting down on this wood for who knows how long''

''If things hadn't gone wrong, perhaps, I could have lived a better life''

''And now with this regret I have, there's only vengeance for blood"

Without any warning, the being spoke as though he expected Marco which greatly shocked him for a second.

He didn't know what route should he take, but at the same time, he believed it was not bad to have some company.

"Vengeance huh...that word is something I wouldn't say I'm not familiar with and I think I could relate somehow"

Marco replied and memories he didn't wish to remember surfaced.

"So even you recognize this feeling?''

''A feeling where you thirst for someone's life to the point, that you would do anything to chase it?"

"I guess it's a feeling that many wouldn't understand, but, I know how much vengeance could change a person's life, and I thought I would lose my mind to insanity before I found a reason to live again," Marco said.

"I see...I guess I didn't choose the wrong person at all''

''So tell me, Marco Kail, do you think if I found a reason to live, my vengeance could disappear?"

"I...have no idea. Vengeance in a way is something that gives you a reason to live whether it's good or bad. It gives a certain sense of who you and you're sole existence''

''And at some point in my life, I questioned myself''

''Are my loved ones proud of doing what I'm doing?"

"It's a question till today I don't have any answer to it''

''But after all this time, I believed living is the only way to respect and honour the lives of our loved ones given to us''

''At least with this, our loved ones are assured of the way that we live"

Marco spoke from the bottom of his heart where he has come to peace with his past