The Final Desperation

Silence enveloped Genji. "How long has it been?" he wondered to himself.

The loud beating of his failing heart continued to pound his ears. As loud as it is, Genji can tell it won't last for long. He's bleeding out and nothing can stop it right now. He's too weak to do anything about it. Although the battle was short, it took everything he had to finish the target.

That was how much pressure the mark put on Genji. It might have looked like he was easily winning, but the final two bursts at the end weren't without side effects.

"I guess this is it," he started to accept his death. "After everything, this was how I die. Pathetic isn't it? One of the most feared assassins, assassinated."

As his mind wallowed in his last thoughts, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. "What's that?"

Genji focused on the shiny object. It was next to the decapitated body of the target, but Genji had lost too much blood to see clearly. He considered letting everything go and enjoying his last moments in this world. After all, he will soon be a dead man. Why would a dead person care for the matters of the living? He's supposed to be serene and carefree at this moment.

But as much as he kept telling himself that, there was a small part of him that said otherwise. A part that resisted everything that happened. Why did he have to die? Why did his wrongdoers deserve to live? Although he was not a good person, he was unwilling to let this grievance go.

No, it's not him that's so unwilling, but the crazy part in him. It's the part that guided him to become so strong. The part that's screaming for revenge. To kill every last one of them and anyone who dared to stand in his way.

Since this part was so begrudging, Genji decided to let it take control. He was tired anyway. Whatever happens, it's no longer his problem. This part of him has accepted his death. From now on, his crazy part can live his life. A life that he wants. It's not like they could live that long anyway, so Genji might as well indulge in it.

Genji pushed himself up with his only arm and tried to stand up, but failed. His legs were too weak from the blood loss. "No matter. My arms still have strength."

Then he stabbed his dagger into the ground in front of him and pulled. He ignored all the pain that dragging his open wounds across the ground caused him and raised his arm again. Stab, pull, ignore, repeat, and leave a trail of blood behind him.

He pulled himself to the shiny object. He flipped himself on his back, struggling to raise his head to determine where the object was but failed. He reached his hand around to feel around for the object.

He felt a familiar leather grip on the ground. No, that's his dagger. Next, Genji felt a jagged texture amidst the suppleness of flesh - the severed neck of his foe. Genji felt around some more and finally touched a rectangular shape slightly bigger than a business card. This was the only object he didn't recognize.

Genji tiled the object to drain the blood clinging to its surface and brought it above his face. Several drops of blood dripped from his trembling hands onto his face, but this couldn't distract him from the crystal red card before his eyes. The surface was hard like a diamond, yet smooth like silk. It was a well-made card, wherever it came from. 

Amidst this blurry view, Genji noticed a glimmer of text shining through the haze. Genji squinted and his vision refocused enough to make out a fancy cursive. "Invitation to the EverRealm. Status: Champion."

It was a mysterious object, really, with its strange words and smooth lines. Genji couldn't fathom why the target had this, but he didn't care for the answer. This might very well be the last thing he held before his death. 

'It's not such a bad way to go. A least I had fun and satisfied my curiosity,' he thought, right as a mechanical voice sounded in his head.

[It has been detected that the slayer has seen the invitation card.]

[Accept the invitation?]

[Yes/No]

'I must finally be going crazy.' Genji chuckled to himself. 'No, I've already gone crazy. How can I explain everything I have done?'

However, this laugh was short-lived as he burst out coughing, spewing globules of blood. A crazed grin broke out across his lips when he stopped, revealing ferocious blood-stained teeth. It gave off a dangerous impression like a cornered beast rather than a man on the verge of death despite reality saying otherwise.

[It has been detected the slayer has ignored the prompt.]

[Please pick an option.]

[Yes/No]

'Oh, what the hell. I might as well indulge in the insanity since I am dying anyway. Yes.' That was the last thing Genji remembered before he blacked out.

When Genji awoke, he noticed he was floating in emptiness. There was nothing in sight. No sound, no smell, no touch. The only taste was the blood in his mouth and the pain he was in. To Genji, this place seemed to be a void of suffering - a void specifically made for a monster like him.

'So this is hell? I can't say I expected this. I guess the feeling of slowly going insane is considered a punishment worthy of my crimes.'

[It has been detected the slayer is in bad condition.]

[Accept healing?]

[Yes/No]

[Warning. Once the slayer accepts the healing, he will be forced to join the EverRealm.]

'Oh yeah, the insanity's still there,' Genji mocked himself. 'If that's the case, this might be a bad way to spend eternity.' He let out a few laughs, but the pain stopped him again.

[Warning. The slayer is in critical condition. Any further delay will result in his demise.]

'Demise? It's speaking as if I am still alive,' Genji mused. 'Oh well. It's not like there is anything to lose. Accept."

[Healing initialized]

Genji's wounds started glowing as intense itchiness attacked him. The most unbearable parts were his chest where his heart was and the stump he had for a right arm. He tried to scratch them, but it only made it worse.

He squirmed in space as he endured everything. After a while, the torture stopped, but Genji had no idea how long it had been. It could have been a few seconds or hours. He didn't know. People tend to lose track of time when they are in pain and Genji is no exception. The only difference was that he could endure more pain than most people.

Genji stood up and swung his arms around to stretch. It felt good to stretch after being on the ground for so long. Wait! Arms?

Genji realized something he had neglected in his bliss. He stared at his right arm, opening and closing it. Everything felt normal - too normal. Then he quickly reached for his chest. He ripped the shirt and looked at his skin. It was complete; no stab wounds or damaged heart. Everything was working fine as if they were in perfect condition. It was a miracle.

[Initializing semi-digitalization]

Genji felt a tingling sensation across his entire body. The sensation was so strange that there was no way to accurately describe it. It felt like electricity, but only on the interiors. It felt like water, but only on his skin. Maybe a pack of ants biting at his existence, but there was no pain. It was weird. 

[Semi-digitization complete. From now on, you will be able to survive as long as you have health points remaining. The only exception is if the heart or brain is destroyed. Otherwise, you will only receive critical hits when attacks land on your weak points. Weak points include, but are not limited to the neck, head, and other internal organs.]

 

[Status]

Username: Not set

Talent: None

Rank: Undetermined

Health: 250/250

Energy: 40/40

Constitution: 5 (Affects health, stamina, and body defense. Provides 50 health per point)

Strength: 4 (Self-explanatory)

Dexterity: 6 (Affects speed and agility)

Intelligence: 4 (Affects energy capacity. Provides 10 energy per point)

Special: 0 (Slayer needs to figure this out by himself.)

 

So far, everything seemed straightforward to Genji. It was not a complicated system. That being said, Genji estimated the stats of an adult to be around 2, 4 for athletes, and 5 for Olympic gold medalists. But don't take this too seriously as Genji made these estimations using himself as a baseline. It's possible the actual performance can deviate from the displayed values. 

As for semi-digitalization, Genji considered this a big deal. With this perk, he no longer had to worry about bleeding out, but he suspected there might be some nasty side effects if he wasn't careful.

He might have lost most of his fatal points, but that didn't mean they didn't exist. That meant his body might not be as immortal as the prompt implied. Either way, it was best to be on the side of caution and treat every injury seriously. Since he was fully healed, he knew he was not going insane, but because he had gotten tangled in something supernatural.

As Genji grappled with his new reality, the prompts sounded again.

[Initializing trial world. Begins in 10 seconds.]

[9]

.

.

.

[3]

[2]

[1]

Genji blanked out again when the countdown finished. When he awoke, he found himself lying under a tree. There was a barrier around him, blocking him from straying too far. There was not much he could do so he decided to wait for the prompts to explain itself.

Looking down at himself, Genji realized his cloths had changed into a brown kimono with coarse patches, replacing his modern-day combat pants and torn shirt. His boots also became wooden flip-flops, resembling those of Japan's fuedal times. He was not used to this footwear, but it shouldn't take him long to adjust. 

After a few more moments, another wall of text appeared in his sight.

 

---

Trial World

Background:

The lord of this region has ruled with an iron fist. Anyone that threatens his sovereignty has been executed and his vassals are running rampant. To anyone who catches his eye, it's a blessing. To anyone unlucky enough to get on his bad side, it's a curse. Many citizens have gotten tired of his reign and formed a rebel force. But as a civilian force, they have to hide themselves or end up beneath the sword of his samurais. 

Mission: Make a name for yourself. Your final result determines the rank you will receive and your performance determines the talent. 

Penalty: Forced Execution.

Note: Your mission difficulty has drastically increased since you entered EverRealm by killing a champion. Either become a new champion to replace the one you killed or die trying.

Deadline: 15 Days

Restrictions: This is an era of cold weapons. No other equipment is allowed.

 

---

 

From the prompt, Genji could make out a few things. For one, the status of champion was very important in the EverRealm. So much so that losing a single one of them was enough to give him the death penalty.

The second thing was that the target he fought was associated with the EverRealm. Genji didn't know ranks there were or their corresponding privileges, but he guessed that the weapons appearing out of nowhere had something to do with it.

Thirdly, the mission didn't specify how the task had to be completed. By the background description, Genji saw two ways of doing this. He could either side with the lord to hunt down the rebel group or side with the rebel army to overthrow the lord.

From a glance, Genji knew which option was easier. This thought, however, brought him to the fourth point. It seems that the difficulty of his actions determines his reputation. The harder the feat, the bigger his reputation. This in turn, ties into his reward after the mission.

Genji didn't know what would qualify him as a champion, but for now, he would assume the first option wouldn't be enough. Someone who takes the easy route would never become a champion, no matter the context. Plus, it would be easier to assassinate the lord with the help of the rebel army. Genji was confident that such an event would give him a worthy name.

A few minutes later, the barrier containing him disappeared. From Genji's perspective, the barrier seemed like a protective mechanism given by the realm. As for whether everyone gets it or only newbies, he can only speculate. Now the first order of business is to enter a town and gather information. If he wants to pick either path, he will need to get into contact with the rebel force.

Having made up his mind, he looked around and realized the tree was near the main road. He started following it as he figured it would lead to civilization.

An hour later, Genji stood outside a medium-sized town. The guards gave him derisive looks as he entered. Genji assumed this was due to his current outfit, which resembled a begger's. Nonetheless, he paid no mind to it and continued exploring. Yet there was one thing that did bother him during this walk: money. Right now, he is dirt poor and has nothing to his name, not that he knows the currency of this world.

'I should consider this in the future. If every world is going to be like this, things are going to be very annoying,' Genji thought to himself as he knocked out some thugs and searched their bodies for some coins. Eventually, he found a pouch that jingled when he shook it. There were a few coins in the bag, but Genji didn't know how much it was worth. As the sun was setting, he entered an inn to get himself a room.

"2 gold coins for a night," the owner told him.

"2 GOLD! You have to be kidding me! The other places barely charge 2 silvers," Genji exclaimed with fake surprise. Although he didn't know how much the actual price was, he could guess the owner was trying to rip him off. And since there's gold, there has to be lower valued currencies. Although he didn't know the conversion ratio between them, he wasn't about to spend 2 out of his 6 gold on a single night.

*tsk* The innkeeper clicked his tongue. "Fine, 5 silvers."

"3 silvers, meal included." Genji still believed the owner was giving a high price. As a merchant, it was always in their interest to give a higher price. Nothing is stopping them in this period and if they succeed, they would make a huge profit.

"4 silvers, meal excluded," the owner glared at Genji, "I can't go any lower."

Genji looked into his eyes. "3 silvers, meal excluded." Genji would be a fool to believe the guy.

Seeing how firm the customer was, the inkeeper sighed in exasterperation. "Fine, you got me there. 3 silvers, 2 bronze."

Genji decided this was enough information probing and paid the price. From the quoted prices, Genji speculated the conversion of bronze to silver was somewhere between 4 and 7 since the normal trend of bargaining is to split it down the middle when they reach similar prices.

This remains true unless the innkeeper purposely fed him false information. This possibility could neglected since he should have no reason to. It was not like the realm would make his life even more difficult out of nowhere, right?

Genji took the key and headed up to his room. It had been a long day, getting into a life-and-death battle, getting betrayed, and the EverRealm stuff. He also realized one more thing: he was starting to feel hungry. It seemed like he also had to take care of his body's needs during the trial. It really seemed like nothing had changed about his body, save for losing some weak points so that he could fight longer.

 

---

 

A few hours into his sleep, Genji was startled awake by an urgent scampering outside. His eyes shot open and he quickly sized up his surroundings. Although the sounds were light, he had gotten used to being on constant alert. That and the windows weren't exactly soundproof. He walked over to the wooden windows and slightly opened them. Through the crack, he saw a group of guards chasing a couple.

The couple seemed pretty frantic as they ran into an alley while the guards seemed eager to catch them. Genji slipped out the window and followed them from the roof.

The couple ran into a dead end after a few more minutes of running. They panicked when they realized this.

The guards behind them blocked the path and their leader walked out.  "Give up Paul, Maria. You have nowhere to run now. Give us the rebel's location or we will force it out of you."

The woman gritted her teeth before pulling out a small knife. "I might be cornered, but I will at least take one of you with me."

The guards laughed at that. "Hahaha. Did you hear that? She wants to take one of us down? With that toothpick?"

"Leader, I think we should capture her and have some fun first. Once we are all satisfied, we can turn her in."

Maria's hands trembled when she heard that. The man beside her ground his teeth. "Maria, I will try to cover you. Run and don't worry about me," he said, taking out a wooden staff and rushing at the guards.

"Haha, the lover's sacrifice. Too bad you overestimate yourself." A guard swung his sword and cut the staff in half. Without his weapon, Paul was quickly cut down under the guard's blade.

"Paul, NOOOOO!"

"Now then, Maria. It's your turn," the guards closed in on her.

Genji decided to step in at this moment since the woman seemed to have some connections to the rebel force. As for why he waited until now, he only needed one person alive. The other could die for all he cared.

"Want some help there?"

Maria was startled by the person that came out of the shadows. The entrance left a deep impression, but she soon realized the man was unarmed. Despair started forming in her heart. It seemed like she was destined for a horrible fate.

"Who the hell are you? If you know what's good for you, mind your own business!" The guards vugarly yelled at him.

'They seem to like me very much,' Genji mused. "Hey, lady. I heard you have connections to the rebel force?"

Maria didn't respond. She was too deep in despair to care right now.

The guard got angeirer when he saw Genji ignoring him and rushed forward with his sword drawn. "Don't ignore me!" He yelled, swinging down at Genji. 

Genji casually glanced at the approaching guard. The man's stance was sloppy and flaunted his inexperience. He was no different than a common thug, something Genji was well accustomed in dealing with. With a light sidestep, Genji appeared beside the man and chopped the wrist, forcing him to drop the sword.

Genji reached down, caught the weapon as it was falling, shoved the guard with his other hand, before forcibly swinging the sword.

"Noisy," Genji commented as a severed head flew through the air and spewed blood everywhere.

The guards dumbfoundedly stared at this scene for a few seconds before they realized what had happened and the leader yelled,  "Get him!" Everyone pulled out their weapons and charged at Genji, their eyes flaring with killing intent.

Genji easily weaved between these clumy attacks and followed up with a lethal cut. With every step he took, another victim joined the underworld. In a matter of seconds, only the leader remained. Sweat slid down the man's face, tickling him, but he didn't dare wipe it. He was too occupied by the merciless killer that is Genji.

"J-just who are you?!" He stuttered, to which Genji responded with another sword swing. A dead man doesn't need any answers. If Genji had time to talk, he might as well swing his weapon one more time. 

"Now then, are you going to answer my question?" Genji turned back to Maria.

Maria snapped out of her daze and fearfully stepped back, bumping against the wall. The thing that unnerved her the most about this scene was that Genji's clothes were untouched by blood, as if he was used to avoiding the fluid during a massacre. There was not even a single drop on him!

This guess was only cemented by the indifferent expression on his face, as if he'd only taken out the trash, a mundane everyday task rather than a brutal crime. However, it was this same indifference that gave her a trace of hope. With this temperament, she would be safe as long as she cooperated and didn't prooke him. 

Thinking back to Genji's previous question, Maria gulped loudly and nervously answered, "Yes, I do."

"Good. I want to join you."

This unexpected response caught Maria off guard and caused her to recoil in surprising. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I won't repeat myself."

This confirmation stirred up a storm within Maria's mind. 'Join us? Why would anyone want to do that? Plus, he doesn't seem like the kind to fight for a common cause. He must have a hidden motive.' However, Maria didn't voice any of these doubts and quickly agreed. She was too scared to say no.