Chương 53: Rebirth

Arthur lay there with his eyes closed, his wrist resting across his forehead. He simply could not fall asleep; perhaps after death, there was no concept of sleep. It was rather boring to just lay here all alone. The only sound he could hear was the notebook's pages turning at regular intervals. He figured he should take a walk, just to see what else existed in Hell other than this pale white canvas, or to see if any other beings existed in this place. He pushed himself up and let out a long stretch.

Instinctively, his hand moved to touch his throat. The phantom sensation of his fingers brushing against the fatal slit still lingered freshly in his mind. He had always assumed that people would forget their life memories when they died. It was deeply annoying that he still perfectly remembered those horrible pains. He looked around. As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but an endless white canvas. Which direction should I walk?

He scanned the area for a path where he could potentially find something, eventually choosing to head in the opposite direction of the notebook. He needed to walk away from that cursed book. However, before he could even take his first step, the scribbling inscriptions abruptly stopped, and the notebook became completely silent. In the very next second, floating letters suddenly appeared right before his face.

"What the hell is this?" Arthur could not help but blurt out. [Ultimate Quest Assigned: Death of Ilm] [Quest Details: Due to your death, the Ultimate Quest has been successfully unlocked. You are assigned a Quest to kill the Fifth God, Ilm.] [Countdown Limit: 2 Years] [Failure Penalty: Your Life] Arthur was shell-shocked by the sudden text appearing right before his face. Had he not already died? Was the notebook trying to bring him back to life just to complete this Ultimate Quest? Arthur pondered.

That was the only reasonable explanation he could deduce after reading the prompt. It explicitly stated that the quest was triggered because he had died, which allowed it to be assigned to him. What a vicious bastard. However, because of his death, he now had to fight a God and kill Him. Was this some kind of sick joke? Who in the world could possibly kill a God?

"Listen, since I already died, went through all the stages of grief, and put things in the past to move forward... I refuse. With this quest, you are just giving me a two-year time limit to wait around until I am inevitably killed by a God. I do not want this quest, or any quest for that matter. Just let me roam this place and let us see what happens," Arthur declared, looking directly at the notebook. However, there was absolutely no response.

Being completely ignored, Arthur took a step forward, intending to follow his previous plan of roaming the empty expanse. But suddenly, his consciousness went entirely blank.

When he finally regained consciousness, the very first thing he saw was a bony face staring at him. He pushed himself up and sat. His surroundings were pitch dark. Once his eyes fully adjusted to the moonlight, he looked around. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Currently, he was sitting right beside a deep pit, and on his other side stood four skeletons. Arthur let out a heavy sigh; he really had come back to life.

He gently touched his throat, feeling for the fatal wound, but there was no split across his Adam's apple. There was not even a single scar on his neck. Did the guys bury me here? Arthur muttered. At the very least, they had taken the time to bury him instead of tossing his body to the predatory beasts to become food. He stood up. His body did not feel any pain or have any other lingering issues. However, he had absolutely no idea where he currently was. Should I go back to the Safe Spot?

That would be a completely suicidal idea. He would simply get killed all over again. He looked at his four skeletons standing silently. They must have come from the crater when he died in order to dig him out. Perhaps the notebook had given them instructions. He did not know for sure, but that was the only logical explanation he could draw regarding their actions.

"Guys, lead me to the crater," he ordered. He decided he would stay far away from those bastards until he gained enough strength to fight back. Once he hired a Master Debuffer, he would show them what real hell was. However, before his anger could completely consume his thoughts, his mind started to drift back to the events that had transpired earlier. Those guys were way too relaxed.

If someone realized they were stuck here and would eventually die on this unachievable Trail, their behavior would naturally devolve into despair. Yet, those bastards behaved as if they had come here for a vacation. What could the reason be? Were they behaving like this because they had already accepted their inevitable deaths, choosing to simply do whatever came to mind? Or could they actually possess a way to clear this Trail, leaving them with absolutely nothing to worry about unlike the others?

What could possibly be the real reason? Arthur shook his head, clearing away these thoughts. Whatever the reason was, he would eventually find out. And when that time came, Arthur would not be very courteous when returning the favor he had received. With that thought in mind, he continued walking alongside the skeletons. Right now, his only goal was to hire as many skeletons as possible. When the time finally came, he would need all the help he could get.

Even a chef skeleton could use a knife to fight alongside him. Therefore, without the slightest hesitation, he resolved to hire every single skeleton he possibly could using the resources available in this place.

Within the main hall of the underground Safe Spot, a large wooden chair was positioned directly in the center. Upon it sat an elderly man. Behind him stood two young men, while a middle-aged man stood closely by his side. Right in front of him stood a young man with striking silver hair, while his subordinates lined the side of the wall.

"Victor, report," the old man commanded, his left hand casually supporting his chin.

"Grandfather, we have a total of thirty-four people in this underground facility. With the four of you, that makes thirty-eight," Victor stood straight and reported in a highly deferential tone.

"The people mostly consist of Utility Awakeners and a few research teams from the [Great Chaffey Firm]. Even Casey Marriman is present," Victor continued.

"I have organized groups for every essential task: cooking, cleaning, and hunting. You do not have to worry about a single thing," he finally added, highlighting his excellent management as he eagerly awaited praise from his grandfather.

"Good job. Keep up the good work until your father arrives in two days," the old man finally replied.

"Yes, Grandfather. I will take care of everything, do not worry," Victor said, his chest puffed out with absolute pride.

Arthur finally reached the crater after walking for half an hour. He ventured deep into the crater, searching for a safe place to rest for the night. After walking under the dim moonlight, he found a spot that resembled a small cave. In reality, it was simply a narrow gap between two massive, protruding rocks, but it was more than enough to keep him safe.

"Coburn, you stay at the entrance," Arthur commanded. Following which, he summoned Antrae.

"You four, continue the mission as usual. From here on out, Antrae will take care of the butchering," Arthur ordered. With that, the other four skeletons walked away, while Coburn stood silently at the entrance as commanded. Arthur had gone through far too much in a single day, so he decided to finally get some rest. Once his mind settled down, he would plan his next steps for the following morning.