"Or, I guess... I do."
Aziel commented, as he lowered his gaze to see the jolts of vibrations coursing throughout his body, almost like the sensation of a massage chair in his previous life.
He stepped forward, one hand sliding back to rest against his head, thinking profusely.
'I can possibly try to make something similar to Intellectual Intellect again...'
He thought of creating a skill tied to information and knowledge—something that favored his situation. After all, it was what he needed most in this alien realm.
With it, he might even figure out how to rid himself of the energy surge wracking his body, maybe even prevent dying if the skill was properly applied.
But...
There was no guarantee. Even if he knew how to get rid of it, achieving it would be another battle entirely.
He couldn't risk dying. Not here.
Knowing and doing were two very different things.
Furthermore, he was uncertain if he would even be able to create the best out of the worst skill.
And again, creating another skill might eat up the "possiblity space" the system had warned him about.
"Maybe... I should try to create something physical. Something that could help me with this chaotic energy surge... like a discharge, or something similar to let the energy out."
Aziel muttered to himself just as a droplet of blood rolled down from his sliced arm and fell to the ground.
He watched in faint amusement.
The blood drop seeped into the soil after five distinct beats of his own heart.
An idea struck his mind, reckless. Terrifying, even.
"Nah. That's not possible. It's not like I'm going to encounter another of those plasma things. Something… simple?"
That's what he thought, until another system notification blinded his sight for a moment.
[Ding!]
[A Main quest has arrived!]
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L Quest: Death Is No More
L Reward: Perhaps something worse
L Penalty: Perhaps something better
L Time limit: None
[ Note : This quest may alter host-state. Expect unknown secondary triggers. System will dynamically allocate 'Possiblity' as necessary ]
.
---
.
He stared at the quest which had just arrived, as if doing so woul rearrange some letters in a better way.
"Wai-what… death is no more… What the hell does it even mean?"
Aziel muttered under his breath, frustrated.
The quest that had arrived was strange, after all.
It was not some plain goal or task it had asked Aziel to do, unlike the previous ones, which appeared right at the moment of high stakes, but manageable.
This one...
It did not make any sense, at least to him.
It might have a simple, straightforward meaning, or it might have a twisted philosophical meaning.
'Could it be related to my title as the Heir of Death… w-wait, does this system want me to kill the Death God or something like that?'
Aziel entertained a wild thought, which could, however, also be true, but it was too absurd.
Why would the system want him to kill Death—or the Death God?
No, in the first place, why did the system even think he could kill a Death God or erase a concept with just… Champion's Arena?
"It has no time limit… maybe, after all, I could…"
He commented as his gaze fell on the rewards and the penalty again.
"What's with this… 'oh yeah, if you win you might get fucked, and if you fail you might only get cucked' scheme?"
He grumbled, as he swung his fist right through the system screen in rage.
He guessed, if he had to receive something 'perhaps' better by failing the quest, then why bother even completing it?
Not when completing the quest guaranteed something worse.
And not to mention, this was also the first time the system had imposed some kind of penalty, ignoring its content.
"The quest is in a metaphorical way. Not at a face value. Then the reward and penalty should also be the same. Something contradicting, and ironical."
He spoke to himself, then suddenly paused, as a thought struck his mind, and spoke again.
"Or maybe it thinks I am a masochist… and like pain as a reward, after that award-winning speech of mine."
He grinned.
A grin that dared not reach his earlobes.
He cupped his face in a maniacal way, cursing.
"Fuck, instead of this bullshit it should have just awarded me some EXP to farm so that I can create more skills, or better… just tell me mor—"
Aziel halted.
His fingers loosened, slipping through his face, painting it red.
The eyes went blank, almost as if staring into the void, as a cold, impossible realization dawned upon him.
"By… any chance… does the system want me to…"
He moistened his lips, voice echoing through his skull.
"It wants me to survive... To erase every way I can die here. Ensure I can never die in this hellish realm. Make my death... no more."
The words tasted like iron in his mouth.
He stared a the holographic screen as if it had sprouted teeth.
Aziel closed his eyes, he could imagine the alternative - Ignore, limp on, bleed out in some far crater while the system keep displaying the same screen.
Or accept, and try to pull a deed from the teeth of cosmos - an impossible, idiotic, glorious task.
A hollow laugh slipped out of him, small and nearly ugly.
"No way. No fucking way."
Pain flared through his arm like lightning, and his body throbbed.
It hurt.
Everywhere hurt.
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Thanks for reading, anyway guys do let me know if there is anything i can improve upon.
Constructive criticism is the most welcome.
We authors hate when someone critiques the story for no specific reason.