[You have permanently killed “MartialMage”!]
“…”
Alex’s legs finally gave out as he, and by that he meant mostly the [Heart of Calamity], finished the job.
Daniel was officially dead.
There was no coming back from this, his soul was forcibly extracted and broken by the [Heart of Calamity].
After all this time since he came to this world, and after knowing about what would happen later, Alex was finally able to do one of the many things he had wanted to do.
That object, or entity, he didn’t know what it was, was just too powerful.
At this stage of the game players shouldn’t be able to permanently kill others in the game, yet both he and Daniel had found ways.
And even stranger, the [Three-Headed Hydra] within it had transformed into something stronger as well, at least much stronger than its original version in the [Cave of Oblivion].
What would happen if he released the hydra and instead put another monster inside of it? And would the hydra obey his orders or was it only because the heart wanted to help?
Well, he needed to be careful first, because if he ever touched the [Heart of Calamity] while there was nothing inside of it, there was a chance of he himself being imprisoned.
“W-What happened?”
“The hell?”
“Is he gone? But why didn’t he disappear then?”
The other girls finally approached him and Daniel’s deceased body, confused.
Alera seemed grateful to Alex for getting rid of this piece of trash who killed some of her fellow fox kin.
But Alice and Aurelia were mainly surprised that Daniel hadn’t disappeared yet.
“He’s dead for good,” Alex mumbled to himself, though loud enough for the other two to hear it.
“Huh?”
“I said that he is dead, there’s no reviving when your soul gets destroyed,” he sighed, “Alice should know that, I think.”
She instinctively remembered when they fought [Nivran], and she was on the verge of dying.
Even though she had been hit, she had felt like the attack was much deeper than just being physical.
“So that was that sensation…” she mumbled to herself, eyes wide, “But then that means… that he is never coming back?”
“Yes.”
A heavy silence settled over the group as Alex revealed the truth: Daniel was gone for good, never to bother anyone again.
There was no coming back from this.
But then—
“LET’S GO!”
“Yesss!”
“Good job, Alex!” Explore more stories at empire
Cheers erupted, breaking the tension.
Alera, Lilith, and the other fox girls rushed forward, wrapping Alex in a collective hug.
Alice bounced up and down excitedly, her joy fueled by everyone else’s enthusiasm.
But the most surprising reaction came from Aurelia.
She grinned, her usual stoic demeanor replaced by a rare burst of energy.
She even started a mini-show, twirling her [Shadow Control Daggers] in the air like a seasoned performer.
In the end, no one seemed upset about Daniel’s death.
Even those in the outside world or his guild members would probably think about it for a few minutes before moving on.
Aurelia quickly pulled out her friends panel and sent a message to her father.
[Aurelia: Dad, Daniel tried to kill us all, so we had to get rid of him.]
There were a few seconds of anticipation, but then.
[AssassinDad: I figured that kid would lose it eventually. Good work. Just don’t put yourself in danger again.]
[Aurelia: Yes, father.]
With that, the news reached everyone who mattered.
Alex stood amidst the celebration, but instead of feeling triumphant, a strange unease settled in his chest.
He didn’t regret killing Daniel, he’d do it a thousand times if he could, but there was something off, an indescribable weight that lingered in the aftermath.
“Let’s move on,” he muttered, exhaling sharply.
Shaking his head, he slapped his cheeks lightly with both hands as if to wake himself up, “I need new armor.”
His [Superior Awakener’s Set (Mythical)] had been destroyed in the battle, leaving him completely unprotected.
Replacing it would be a priority.
His eyes drifted to Daniel’s lifeless body, lying motionless on the ground. ‘Time to get rid of it,’ he thought.
Raising his staff, Alex prepared to incinerate Daniel’s remains until not a trace of him could be recognized.
But just as he was about to cast the spell, a bright notification panel appeared before him.
[As you have permanently killed “MartialMage”, you are able to steal some of his equipment.]
“Oh?” Alex arched an eyebrow, intrigued.
Ding!
[You have taken the “Hatred Armor” (Divine)]
“WOW!” Alex gasped, his eyes widening.
Of course, he already knew that killing a player could give you some of their items, but he never expected to get lucky enough to acquire a new armor right away.
And this one was infinitely better!
[+100,000 Strength, +100,000 Magical Resistance.]
But that wasn’t all!
Because right afterward.
Ding!
[You have taken the “Staff of Hatred” (Divine)]
[+100,000 Spirit, reduces cooldown for all spells by 30%.]
“Holy shit.”
[They will be transferred to you shortly, please wait.]
“Alright.”
Even though you can see the equipment of a dead player right in front of you, you still couldn’t take it except if the system gave it to you.
But the fact it gave him both the armor and staff meant that he was now able to freely use them as if he owned them since the beginning.
“Looks like that’s the only way you’ll ever been useful,” Alex smiled.
He even became greedy, expecting a third notification, but alas, nothing like that.
He also didn’t receive experience for some reason, even though you usually do receive some.
The amount was negligible as it was extremely small, but even then, Alex would have liked getting some for his efforts.
“Alex, let’s go, we’re celebrating!” Alice laughed and everyone else nodded.
“Did you forget about the [Golden Star Festival]?” he raised his eyebrows, “It’s happening in 40 minutes.”
“Well, let’s enjoy ourselves for 40 minutes then before going out!”
He did in fact have the [World Map] with him, and killing Daniel was one of his objectives ever since transmigrating.
He could enjoy himself a little, right?
“Alright,” he sighed, and when he agreed to the celebration, everyone cheered once more.
The barrier around the [Fox Tribe Village] quickly reformed after 30 minutes, stopping every monster from entering.
Alex had tasked his undead with defending the village, and they did the job rather well.
The moment the barrier was down, most of the monsters in the [Mystical Forest] immediately tried to enter the village and attack the fox girls.
Alex could definitely understand why all of them were so cautious now.
But he was part of their bloodline/race now, and he wouldn’t let anything happen to them.
“Can I join the foxes too? Pleeeaaase~!” Alice begged, clasping her hands as she gave Alera her best puppy-dog eyes.
Alera chuckled softly, patting Alice on the head, “Maybe later. For now, it’s just not possible.”
Alice pouted, “Aw… fine.”
“By the way, why does Alex not have a fox tail?” Aurelia, standing nearby, tilted her head and pointed at Alex.
Alera grinned mischievously, “Because he’d have to ask for one.”
Aurelia smirked, “Ugh, what a waste! You’d look so cute with a fluffy tail.”
Alex rolled his eyes, “Not happening.”
“Your loss,” Alera teased, her smile widening.
“Here.” Alex reached into his backpack and pulled out two [Fox Ears] cosmetics he had kept since his time in the novice village.
Handing them to the girls, he smirked. “Put these on if you want to look like foxes.”
The two exchanged glances, their cheeks quickly turning a deep shade of crimson.
A lighthearted chuckle escaped Alex as he watched them fumble with the accessories.
Time passed swiftly, and soon, only ten minutes remained before the [Golden Star Festival] would begin.
“Alright, let’s get moving,” Alex said, brushing the dust off his clothes, “But before that…” His voice trailed off, his expression darkening, “Let me finish what I started with Daniel.”
He strode toward Daniel’s lifeless body, which lay motionless even after thirty minutes.
Blood stained the ground beneath the corpse, but the sight didn’t faze Alex.
His mind was already elsewhere.
In fact, a peculiar thought crept into his head: could he extract something from Daniel?
He’d done it before with bosses; no notification was needed for him to initiate extraction.
If it worked on them, why not on Daniel?
“…Might as well try,” Alex muttered with a shrug. “Nothing to lose.”
Steeling himself, he approached Daniel’s body, his palm hovering just above the crimson armor.
Then he crouched down, feeling the faint, lingering aura of Daniel’s overwhelming power.
“Extraction,” he whispered, his voice steady.
For a moment, there was silence.
He didn’t expect anything to happen. But then—
A soft glow emanated from Alex’s palm, growing brighter as it connected with Daniel’s remains.
Ding!
[You have extracted the “Hatred Claws” (Artifact) skill!]
Alex blinked in surprise, a wry grin spreading across his face.
“Well, would you look at that,” he said quietly, clenching his fist as newfound power coursed through him.