Zavry had a reason for killing that god, but who knew that his voice would be the price for his actions.
He knew no one would believe that the weak boy was the one who did it and he liked it that way. The world had gone berserk the day it was heard that one of the gods had been killed, and the identity of the killer became a mystery, a history lost to the unknown.
He was the reason for the apocalypse centuries ago, and being reborn had been the best way out for him.
Even though that was a distant memory now, if anyone were to uncover it, he wouldn't just be tortured…he would be possessed and initiated. Once he passed through his trial, he would come back to life… and take other torture along with him.
He shut the book calmly as Rune, his mind plant, spoke.
"You will need to kill the Prince of Heer."
"Shut up. I know that," Zavry responded irritably in his head as well. He had thought he'd already put Rune to sleep…seems like he is awake now.
Rune was a mind plant in Zavry's head, helping him calculate which high-ranking people he needed to kill. The higher the rank of those he killed, the higher his chance of breaking the orb and getting his voice back.
The Wrathy God was the one who had cursed him, keeping Zavry's voice trapped with him. He was the most powerful god—one no soul could defeat. And even though Zavry had to travel to different worlds to kill these people, things only got worse. The longer he delayed, the stronger the targets became and the orb.
"Bro, this is not going to be easy. I'm telling you, that god just wants you to waste your time. You should live a normal life instead of spending your years killing and killing and gaining nothi—"
"Shut the fuck up, Rune. Unless you want me to put you to sleep again." That finally silenced Rune. Zavry then asked as his eyes scanned the room before landing calmly in the candle light.
"How many men have I killed so far?"
"Ten," Rune replied reluctantly, but there was a smile forming on Zavry's lips.
"And how many are left?"
'If I were to calculate it all, it'd take a while, but let's estimate… you need to kill three thousand and five—' he paused, then added,
"—billion people. Not just anyone the high ranks... I'm telling you, you'll die before you reach a thousand."
Zavry's lips moved, even though no words came out. That meant one thing…
'P…Please, I won't speak again unless you ask. Don't just put me to sleep.'
The thing was—if Rune slept while Zavry was still awake, he would be trapped in nightmares in the dream world. And that wasn't something Rune wanted. Nightmares caused him pain…and mind plants weren't supposed to feel pain.
"Good. What rank is he?"
"He's a B-rank," Rune answered calmly.
Zavry nodded. "Let's see how this goes."
He moved his two fingers out and wrote "SMS" in the air. A portal opened.
He stepped into it silently. The moment he entered, the portal closed behind him. He walked through the long path ahead of him. At the end was a door that would lead him to the other side. The risk of this portal was deadly—any misstep, if you strayed from the straight tile leading to the door, you'd be swallowed by the darkness… or wiped into extinction.
"You see? This is so risky. Just imagine dying here…"
Zavry moved his lips quickly, and before Rune could finish speaking, he was already asleep.
"Better. I don't want noise," Zavry muttered in his head as he continued walking. When he reached the door, he opened his palm, revealing the key. He moved it into the lock and slowly opened the door, stepping out of the portal.
As usual, he appeared at the side of a busy street—the place where trash was dumped. It was the perfect place to hide a portal. A stray dog sniffed the portal site, then continued eating from the trash.
"Rune, where are we—"
Fucking…fuck..fuck
Zavry realized he'd put Rune to sleep. That rash decision had now left him stranded. He stepped out of the trash site, wincing at the terrible stink.
He walked out to the street and realized it was night. The wind blew softly, and the streets sparkled with lights.
'Fucking hell.'
He knew he'd messed up. With Rune asleep, he had no idea where the castle was. He couldn't ask for directions either—would these people even understand sign language? And in this place, paper and pen would be a luxury.
His lips pressed into a thin line as he smacked his forehead for his impulsiveness. He walked farther, passing people busy selling their goods at tables. The smell of sweet corn and grilled chicken wafted to his nose. He followed the scent and found a man selling them.
He had no money. But judging from the place, it would probably be as cheap as a penny.
His stomach growled. Those noodles he ate earlier had done nothing for him. He sighed. Maybe he could beg… but how?
Still, he decided to try. He approached quietly, heading toward the butcher. The man was cutting meat harshly.
BRRRRRR
Zavry's stomach growled again. He tried to calm it down as he stepped closer. The man looked up.
"What do you want?" the man asked calmly, his face neutral.
Zavry pointed to the smallest roasted corn and meat, hoping the man would find it in his heart to give it to him...for free But the man simply said,
"That would be a penny," and began wrapping it.
Zavry scratched the back of his head. How was he going to explain that he had no money?
He tried to sign, but the man only raised a brow.
"Your hand is hurting? There's a local physician in the small hut over there," the man said with a smile, completely misunderstanding the sign language—just as Zavry had guessed.
Still, the man handed Zavry the wrapped pack. Zavry took it with a deep bow, and just as he turned to leave…
"Heeeyyy! Where do you think you're going?" the man called out, staring at the boy who was about to walk away.
Zavry turned back, realizing the man's shout had made several people glance their way…exactly the kind of attention he was trying to avoid.
He shook his head, trying to tell the man he had no money on him.
That turned out to be the worst idea ever.
"Thief! Thief!"
The man yelled so loudly that Zavry's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. He didn't even know what to say.
He hadn't expected that.
And now, as eyes began to shift toward him and the man continued yelling, more people started to gather—and no, this was not what he wanted.
Not to mention, he knew this world was similar to the last one he had visited, and here, the punishment for stealing was death.