MMORPG: Surviving a Death Game with a Glitched System

Ash brushed a finger across his cheek.

"That’s a little vague. What exactly do you mean?"

"That’s your response to my words...? I feel there is something severely wrong with you treating my promise of destruction so callously. But..."

The princess released a quiet chuckle.

"I suppose I don’t dislike how you talk to me. There’s a certain relief and joy I find in knowing you see me and my troubles from an outsider’s perspective."

’What’s that supposed to mean...? Can’t she just get on with it?’

Thankfully, the princess did just that before Ash was forced to ask again. She said:

"You asked where we are... Well, we are inside the seal of the Great Spirit of Fire. And... I’ve come here to set him free at the cost of my life. In exchange, the world will burn once again."

"Oh, I see."

’But judging by the current state of the world, at least the areas I saw, she failed.’

Yet, the princess was also alive...

Or, at least, someone who looked just like her was the ’Goddess of Spring.’

’Though I can’t really conclude that the goddess version is "alive."’

She had materialized and vanished like a specter.

’No use dwelling on it...’

Ash’s current focus lay with the present. His present. Meaning, if it was her goal, he’d help her as much as he could to complete the instance.

"How do we set him free?"

"Seriously..." The princess sighed and pressed her fingers against her forehead. "Once again, you don’t care that I’ve come to torch the world."

"Not particularly. I’m only concerned with helping you."

"I... see." The princess retreated from his gaze, then asked, "Why? Who even are you?"

’Ah...’

The only reason the princess had to place any trust in Ash at the moment was her life. Not only had he helped bring her to the seal, but she hadn’t been killed while unconscious. Furthermore, Demitra was now bonded to him in some fashion.

Yet, while perhaps she could see he had no intention of harming her, Ash had presented no reason for wanting to destroy everything. For all intents and purposes, Ash should have wanted to stop her, not help her now that he knew her goal.

’It makes sense she wouldn’t understand my involvement.’

However, Ash felt he couldn’t reveal the truth. He couldn’t tell her this world might be fake.

She’d already lost hope for the future; what right did he have to strip away her hope of destruction?

So... he decided to provide the only rationale one could offer after proposing such irrational help.

"I’m Ash Grave, a wanderer of sorts. I was caught up in some mysterious magic and transported here from a faraway land, hence my odd clothing and the fact that I belong to a race you don’t seem familiar with..."

Ash paused for a moment and examined the princess’ oddly attentive demeanor. It was a look that suggested she didn’t distrust him.

Ash continued:

"After finding myself here, I noticed your footprints and followed them until I found you. I couldn’t help but be enamored."

The princess’ lips parted.

"Huh?"

She patted her disheveled hair. With a flurry of furtive glances, she surveyed her sweaty, bloodied body and inspected her unflattering outfit.

A deep crimson flooded the pale woman’s cheeks, forming a stark contrast against her silver eyes and hair. Then she raised both hands to her face.

"I— uh, huh...?"

Ash didn’t like to lie.

He regarded liars of all kinds as charlatans — people without skill who succeeded only through deception. And to rely on such deception was the mark of the inept and iadequate.

So, he told warped truths.

’She is beautiful; it would be hard not to fall in love at first sight.’

The princess possessed a manner of beauty that transcended the need to cultivate it.

But that wasn’t what Ash was ’enamored’ by. Beauty wasn’t what Ash cared about.

’I was captivated by the mystery of her.’

A woman with the visage of a goddess. One he’d met in reality. A reality he surmised to be the future. Through this woman, he felt he could untangle the mysteries of the instance, both the current one and instances in general.

The princess lowered her head, then let her fingers separate just enough for her to peek at him. But the moment their gazes met, she released an odd "eep!" and pressed them shut again.

Demitra, who’d been silently observing, huffed:

"You’re a bad man, Ash."

’...? Did I do something wrong?’

"But I only spoke the truth?"

"Eep!"

Demitra looked toward the princess and chuckled.

"A really bad man."

Ash rubbed his cheek in slight confusion while waiting for the princess to compose herself. Yet, even as he waited, she repeatedly failed to meet his eyes.

So, while waiting, he began to explain a little more about himself — primarily his constitution.

As he described his ephemeral existence, the princess’ curiosity slowly began to overcome her bashfulness. Eventually, she began to assail him with all sorts of questions, which he answered as best as he could. She asked and asked until her inquiries began to mirror Ash’s own.

Now with the princess composed, and him having explained who and what he was, Ash felt he needed to ask:

"About the wolf... what did she do to me?"

"That... from what you’ve explained, it seems she forcefully established a contract with you so she could manifest without harming us."

"I see. But what is a contract?"

A light frown settled across the princess’ face as she averted her gaze.

"A contract is a pact between spiritual and fleshed forms. There are three different types based on compatibility and the disparity in power between the two."

After pausing for a moment, she dropped her gaze.

"The ideal one is symbiotic, where both parties can draw mana and power from each other. This one occurs when the fleshed — the human — has a high affinity with a spirit."

"Then there is the destructive symbiotic form, where the two possess a high affinity but a great disparity in power. They can contract and share mana, but in doing so, the fleshed would implode."

’Implode? That escalated quickly...’

"I take it the reason Demitra didn’t have a contract with you was because of that?"

’And that was why her powers went out of control.’

Though there seemed to be another concealed factor involved that had something to do with the princess’ spirit healer ability.

"Correct."

Ash inclined his head.

Finally, the princess began to describe the last form — the one Ash knew must have been his kind.

"The other kind is parasitic, in a sense. It doesn’t harm the fleshed, but when a spirit contract is created despite there being little or no affinity, then... Well, it allows the spirit to use its abilities more freely and in a controlled manner."

"Hmm, interesting."

’Why did she look so sorrowful when she said that?’

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!