Sofia City
The city of Sofia was quite a large civilization, surrounded by the vast ocean on nearly all sides. Because of its position, it stood at the centre of many important crossroads, where ships and caravans from distant lands would meet. Trade was the main source of income for the city, and its harbors were always busy with merchants, sailors, and travelers exchanging goods, stories, and culture. Exotic spices, fine metals, silk, and rare artifacts passed through the city daily, giving Sofia great wealth and influence.
The city was an independent theocratic state, ruled not by mortals but by a goddess named Aqusta, the goddess of trade and commerce. She was believed to watch over every deal and agreement made within the city's borders. Temples and grand marketplaces were built in her honor, and her laws shaped the daily lives of the people. Under Aqusta's rule, fairness in trade was sacred, and prosperity was seen as a divine blessing rather than mere fortune.
That was what those adventurers from the city had told him when he encountered them inside a dungeon, at a time when he was killing some of his fellow undead over a disagreement he had with them.
Then again, it was his own fault for expecting civil discussion and proper reasoning from a bunch of low-level weaklings.
The adventurers, on the other hand, were in the dungeon to obtain rare materials used for medicines, substances valuable enough to risk their lives for. Even so, the moment they saw him, they instinctively tried to kill him for being a monster, of course.
That decision did not end well for them, as he promptly beat the shit out of them.
He did not kill them, though, and instead spared their lives, for a contract — a deal, to be more specific.
He would lead them to a secret place in the dungeon that contained the materials they wanted, but in a tremendous amount. In exchange, they would lead him to the city. He also promised not to harm a human unless they attacked him first.
Since he made the contract in Aqusta's name, and because the dungeon lay within the controlled area of Sofia, they knew he would keep his word. As the deal was bound to Aqusta, she was already aware of it and had instructed the city guards at the main gates to let him walk in without interference.
"This must be the Guild building," he said as he stopped in front of a large white building. It stood three stories high and appeared to be made of marble. Though it was not exactly marble, it was in fact concrete layered with embedded white marble, giving it a refined and solid appearance. He could see it clearly even with his nonexistent, hollow undead eye sockets.
"Why is that undead in front of the guild house?"
"Is he going to attack the adventurers?!"
"No, if he did that, he would break the terms of his contract! And Goddess Aqusta would smite him on the spot!"
There were more whispers among the onlookers, but he ignored them by closing his nonexistent ears.
He entered into the guild hall, and gaze into around it, there were a lot adventurers, some dressed light grabs, some heavy, and some mixed, and with various weapons in their hands, axes, swords, spears, staffs, and some were bare handed, some were talking with each other, and some were looking at what once could say guild quest board.
It did not take long for the guild to fall into commotion as soon as their gazes landed upon him. They stopped whatever they were doing, many of them drawing their weapons, while those who were bare-handed instinctively raised their fists or took guarded stances.
"Before anyone tries to do anything funny, remember that I am the one who beat the strongest adventurer group of this city, the Silver Cats," he said. He then placed his bony hand on his undead chin. "Forgive me if I have gotten the name wrong. I heard it was not worth remembering the name of a group full of weaklings…"
He continued, "Regardless, that does not change the fact that I defeated the strongest, which means you insects do not stand a chance against me, no matter how many of you there are. Not to mention, if you were to attack me for merely visiting this establishment, then according to the terms of the contract with your goddess, I would be well within my rights to use force against you all."
He dropped his hand from his chin.
"So tell me," he said calmly, "which one of you wants to be my first victim? Do not worry. I am a very merciful undead. The first one will have an easy death."
His hollow eyes gazed upon them, as if looking past flesh and bone and straight into their souls. Though none of them understood what was truly happening, a sudden shiver ran down their spines, an instinctive fear rising from somewhere deep within.
As a high-level undead of great class, it was only natural for him to be able to see and touch the souls of others. It was not a skill he needed to consciously activate; it came as easily as sight or breath once had.
No one made a move against him, which was to be expected. The moment his presence brushed against their souls, fear took hold. Their perception of him twisted into something utterly horrifying, far beyond what their eyes could see. One by one, their knees gave way, bodies trembling as they dropped to the floor without resistance, overwhelmed by the subtle yet crushing pressure of his soul touching theirs.
He did this not out of hostility, but out of disinterest. He had no intention of fighting them, nor would there be any enjoyment in it. After all, no matter how many bugs one crushed, they were still just bugs—hardly something worthy of effort, let alone grandeur.
"Oh my," he said flatly, "look at the mighty adventurers, cowering on the ground… what a pitiful sight to behold."
He walked past them without another glance, moving toward the guild lobby.
There, behind the counter, stood three women of average appearance. One wore her hair in a ponytail, another had long braids, and the third had tousled, layered hair. All three were dressed in black-and-white suits and wore black, fluffy hats. They stood frozen in place, visibly shivering as he approached.
"If I am not wrong... the ponytail one... Elena Garcovech, the one with long braids... Shera Redwood, and finally... Crystal Everheart."
He pointed his bony finger at each of them as he spoke their identities, information that had been told to him by the Silver Cats during their journey toward the city, when he asked them more about the workings of the guild.
All three of them nodded their heads.
"Okay... let us come to business now," he continued, lowering his finger. "Tell me... do you hire evils like me as an adventurer?"
The three of them looked stunned by his question, something he immediately noticed, though it did not surprise him. After all, there had never been a time when a monster had calmly asked to be hired as an adventurer, something the Silver Cats had answered when he posed the same question to them.
"You... want to be an adventurer?" Elena asked, her voice trembling as she spoke. He could feel the fear within her words, a sensation he found strangely delicious. As an undead of his level, he could feed upon the fear of others if he so wished.
"Yes. I want to be."
"But why?"
"Why not... being an adventurer comes with many perks, does it not?"
Being an adventurer allowed one to move from city to city, and from state to state, with far fewer documents and formal processes attached to quests and travel. It was, in his view, the perfect occupation. He wished to explore the world and see what it had to offer, without the constant headaches of paperwork and restrictions. Besides, it was not as if he could simply forge such documents out of thin air, nor did he know how to do so, not that he would even attempt it even if he did.
"It does come..."
It was Shera who answered, her tone far less shaky and fearful than Elena's, though not by much. The difference was only minuscule, but one he could clearly tell by the taste of her fear.
"Then there should not be a problem... or do you three have a problem with that?" he said in a threatening tone, reaching out and touching their souls as well. It was nowhere near the level he had used on the adventurers earlier, as hindering the guild receptionists would only slow his own progress. Weaker beings took a long time to recover once he had brushed against their souls.
All three simply stood in silence, their breathing growing heavier with each passing second, faces turning pale.
"I will take that as a yes," he said, lowering the effects as he withdrew his touch from their souls. "Now, I will tell you this, I will not be filling the adventurer form, as that would be a waste of time. It requires far too many specific and detailed information about the applicant, which I do not wish to share."
"That will not be necessary!" all three of them exclaimed.
"Great. I will be waiting behind the quest board, deciding which quest to choose for myself, as you bring me my adventurer card."
"Wait... before that," Crystal said. "We still need to evaluate your level and class."
"Okay..."
He responded simply as Crystal quickly drew out a purple crystal orb from beneath the reception desk and carefully placed it on top of it.
"Please place your hand on the crystal."
He placed his bony hand upon the crystal. It immediately radiated light, and a projection appeared in the air above it.
.....
[ Name : Death
Level : 150
Class : Magic Caster
Race : ?????
Hp : 4,500
Mp : 450
Strength : 350 / 1000
Int : 999 / 1,000
Dex : 700 / 1,000
Agi : 500 / 1,000
Resist : 600 / 1,000
Luck : 100 / 1,000
Resistances :
80 percent resistance to fire, water, earth, wind, light, dark, lightning ice and radiation.
60 percent resistance to paralysis, stun, fear, horrify, dizziness, confusion, slow, stop, freeze, and knockback.
Immunity :
Instant Death, Sleep, Blindness, Hunger, Disease, Poison, Acid, Stabbing, Draining, Mind Control, Telekinesis, Time Stop, and Soul Magic.
Weakness :
60 percent weakness to Holy element.
70 percent weakness to Healing magic.
90 percent weakness to Light element.
60 percent weakness to Fire element.
Special Abilities :
Immunity Cutter
Cuts enemy immunities down to fifty percent resistance.
Negative Absorption
Feeds on negative emotions, feelings, and thoughts.
Re Life
Allows revival after death as long as the user can spare 150 mana points for the ability to activate.
]
.....
All three of the guild receptionists fainted on the floor the moment they saw his stats. The same could be said for the adventurers behind him, as he could feel them collapsing as well, though he did not need to turn back to confirm it.
"I guess it is not going to be as easy as I thought it would," he muttered, his voice carrying the faint trace of a nonexistent breath.