Parallel (A Virtual Gamer's Story) [Vol.1 - Vol.4 Complete]

Chapter 66: Rebirth (Part 1)

Over a Millennia ago,

K'iol Valley,

Zytra.

The events of this day would be broadcasted worldwide in the real world, but for now, it was aired all around Zytra through the help of modified Rinks.

The eyes of the world watched the desperate battle as a lone adventurer challenged the might of the feared Perians. The adventurer, who joined the Perians' tournament of strength and valor, had, against all the odds, fought his way to Roth, their ruler and strongest fighter.

To understand the gravity of the situation he faced, and why it was important enough to be broadcasted on such a vast scale, a little context is necessary.

The Perians were a warring, conquering race. They lived for battles, slept for battles, and died for battles. The odd thing about them was that they never set up roots on conquered soil. They simply razed everything to the ground then moved on to the next land for conquest. As such, they were akin to a natural disaster, as unstoppable and unpredictable.

To make matters worse, several areas in Zytra had been cursed by a troublesome hidden sect to nullify the effects of the circle. As such, beings who perished in these zones died for eternity. For players, this meant permanent death. Because of this, several countries prepared numerous plans to deal with the Perian threat.

That was at least until the Dungeon Conqueror had so brazenly challenged them at their own tournament.

Since this was a battle with the continent at stake, it was only fair, it had an equally large audience.

Boom!

With an anguished cry, the warrior tumbled across the earth, then crashed against a fallen boulder. It crumbled from the impact and landed around the warrior, covering the crash site in dust.

Explosive war cries screamed from surrounding mountains as giants cheered on their great leader. The pressure from their voices alone could pound the dignity from the proudest of knights and send him running for his life.

The leader of the giants was a huge brute, even by their standards. He was more than twice the height of an average adventurer and boasted a body that would put Hercules to shame. In his hands, he sported two clubs made from Dunner Wood, the strongest and heaviest wood in known existence.

Roth pointed to the rubble, a charged grin twisting his features. "Is this all you have, adventurer? Surely, the fabled Dungeon Conqueror can offer far more of a challenge."

Inside the dust cloud, the adventurer rested his back against the boulder as he replayed the fight in his head. In terms of strength and speed, he was almost evenly matched with the brute. If this was a console game with limited movements and telegraphed move markers, then his stats were good enough for this fight.

But this was not a console game.

Retreat.

Every cell in his body warned him of the inevitable failure of this battle. That was right. In this world, fights were unpredictable, save a few markers for ultimate moves. As such, most battles relied on reaction speed and speed of thought as opposed to just stat numbers.

While battling Roth, he had realized something most others never would. There was a time lag between thought and action. This lag was less than a millisecond, and most people would not feel it, but it was present.

It was to be expected. After all, this entire world functioned by taking, manipulating, and returning information from his brain. That there would be a lag, however small, was only natural.