MMORPG: Surviving a Death Game with a Glitched System

Ash fell onto his back and folded his arm over his eyes.

"Fuck...!"

That damned rage-baiting message was gone. He’d breached the level barrier.

It had been merely a week since he’d been transported here, a span wildly disproportionate to the suffering he’d endured. While in the Fold of Existence, Ash felt no pain from his severed arm or tail, but the memory of the searing agony was still fresh in his mind.

Only when the ’level-up’ notification dinged in his mind did everything he had gone through that week flood together into one horrid, gruesome Epic of Ash.

Having his legs and arms torn off multiple times hadn’t gone without recompense.

And this achievement... It was damned well deserved.

He could admonish himself all he wanted later for reveling in the victory, but not even Ash would take it away from himself at current. He even let himself scream, pouring all of his anguish into a joyous curse:

"Fuck yes!"

He’d survived that horrid nightmare.

Sliding his arm away from his face, he held it up toward the mystic blue streams above.

His right arm.

The only limb that hadn’t been utterly mutilated.

Soon, it would be the limb he used to nock arrows and pull them taut.

Though that would have to wait until his other arm healed, he found arrows, and perhaps acquired a better bow. He still only had the [Starter Bow]. Even so, it was now his longest-lasting item, as well as the only reason he was still alive.

’Maybe there was a subconscious influence on my class decision...’

Perhaps it was gratitude toward the simple bow. Or maybe he wanted to follow the path of the monster that had kicked off the whole fiasco: the hunter that had tackled him into the instance.

’Ah...’

’That bastard...’

’It has something coming to it.’

That creature was the first thing Ash was going to look for on his one-stop revenge tour.

After that, he would call upon the Goddess of Spring to satisfy some of his curiosity. He wanted to figure out who, or what, she was; whether that instance was reality, a recreation, or something else; if it were a recreation, what actually happened; and, finally... whether that bastard Cross was still alive.

He was a human-spirit hybrid, after all. Perhaps he had an abnormal lifespan.

Of course, Ash first needed to be summoned back before any of that could happen. It would likely occur once he completed all the tasks the system wanted him to finish. The next one was selecting a primary trade.

But that could wait.

He simply wanted to enjoy this respite from his suffering. From the pain of his arm and tail. From... himself.

A break from his own obsession with success.

He’d never readily admit that was why he lay on the black mist, welcoming its cooling embrace, but it was a transparent truth.

That didn’t mean he was completely idle. He had all of his new items to inspect. Afterward, he’d have to try to figure out what had changed about [Dragonkin Champion], if anything. It had consumed the Title he had earned, and a second message had announced another evolution after he leveled up.

Speaking of that Title...

’It’s what the Goddess of Spring called me.’

That was no coincidence. It couldn’t have been.

Yet another thing to press the Goddess about.

Then there was [Focus], which had evolved as well. He’d have to inspect it to find out what had changed, but that would be the cherry on top once he went through everything else.

Ash began summoning his items one by one and inspecting them. He made sure to dismiss each one afterward, fearing it might destroy what he had equipped, though he could sense which item slot each one filled.

Speaking of those slots, he could have three trinkets equipped at once, one piece of headgear, one piece of wristwear, one piece of footwear, one piece of handwear, one weapon slot that included ammunition and holsters, a set of undergarments, one pair of leggings, and one piece of chestwear. He could also equip up to three consumables, three ’utility’ items, and an infinite amount of ’ingredients.’

Of course, there were exceptions, particularly for armor sets. So far, Ash had only received armor sets that combined the leggings and chestwear, though apparently, it was more common for them to be separated.

’I guess their sheer stat bonuses make sense now.’

In any case...

Among the items he had earned, a few stood out in marvelous or mysterious ways.

First, and possibly most important, were [Scrawler’s Crawlers].

’Boots...’

Regular boots without spikes on the bottom!

They didn’t provide many stats — a mere +1 CON and +1 AGI — but they were leather combat boots with the same sleek black appearance as one of the Seal Scrawler’s claws.

They paired well with the [Spire Serpent’s Skin], which he’d obtained once again, although the color clash was a bit ugly. A dark green bodysuit with black combat boots was something one would only see in a fashion catalog.

The next interesting items were the three trinkets he had received: [Pathfinder], [Winter’s Promise], and [Glasses of Knowledge].

The most useful of the three was [Glasses of Knowledge]. It might also have been the item he was most excited to receive.

While wearing them, he could see the levels of those around him. Upon feeding the glasses mana, he could use their [Assessment] ability, which would relay an approximation of a target’s status, with its accuracy improving or declining depending on their level disparity. And if the disparity was great enough, he might even be able to uncover their Skills.

’I feel almost like that asshole.’

Being able to know way too much just by looking at someone.

Next was [Pathfinder], an ordinary-looking compass.

Its effect and ability were very simple. While holding it, he could activate its [Mark] ability. Afterward, the needle would always point toward the location where he had used it. [Mark] would even remain after he unsummoned [Pathfinder]; it would only change when he used the ability again.

And, finally, [Winter’s Promise]...

’Oh, the irony...’

The name of the Trinket was quite poetic, given everything that had happened.

It was a silver chain necklace bearing a snowflake pendant made of ice.

[Winter’s Promise] - [Humans are a plague upon the world that must be eradicated by any means.]

Its effect?

It made him stronger against humans.

At first, the effect seemed rather underwhelming for its Super Rare rank; however, the sheer advantage it would grant him against a human opponent was astronomical.

He’d be an absolute menace to any human who dared fight him.

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