“Reid, is that you?” The giant blue dude—wielding a metal spear the size of my confidence on a good day—stared down at me like he’d just seen a long-lost brother.
Ugh. Not this crap again.
Alright, let’s assess.
Option 1: Use Recall.
Result: No risk, no reward.
Option 2: Talk to them. Maybe they just think I’m Reid.
Result: High risk. Questionable to zero reward. Possibly death. Probably awkward.
Yeah... So obviously I picked the dangerous one because I’m hungry for some loot.
The blue dude slammed his spear into the ground with a solid thud and held out a hand roughly half the size of my entire torso.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” he said, like we were about to bro-hug over ale and war stories.
Well… I'd shake your hand, but could you not bend your entire upper body down like you’re trying totalk to a child?
Still, I reached out and shook it.
His hand was ice cold—no surprise there—but the sheer texture was unnerving. Like shaking hands with a living icicle. How the hell do these guys not shatter just walking around?
Before I could spiral further, he turned around and roared to the village.
“Everyone! He’s one of us!!”
And like moths to a fire, every single blue dude in the area turned and swarmed.
Oh god, I really wanted to ignore it, But Being surrounded by both giant man and Woman is a heaven and hell feeling that I don’t really want to experience.
Wall-to-wall crystalline giants closing in with eager, curious expressions that I absolutely did not trust.
“Umm… Evan…” Aisha whispered, pressing close.
“Play along,” I muttered through clenched teeth.
The spear guy crossed his arms—sharp crystal forearms clicking against each other—and gestured toward Aisha.
“Who’s this little girl?” he asked.
Okay, first off, rude.
I blinked.
“Oh, yeah—meant to bring this up earlier. She’s a friend. Also, uh... I’ve got amnesia. Soooo, you know. Memory loss. Big blank slate. Who even am I, right?”
I braced for impact. Maybe he’d cry like the other people who thought I was Reid. Maybe he’d fall to his knees in dramatic tribal grief.
Instead?
He just frowned.
Tilted his massive head.
“…What’s amnesia?”
…
Oh boy.
This is gonna take a while.
I gave them the rundown—everything I’d experienced up to this point.
The Kingdom. Luna and the others. The cultists.
Of course, I conveniently left out some of the more… unbelievable bits. Like the Eye of Cthulhu. Or the part where I may or may not be a Hero. Y’know, the usual.
The big guy—along with the rest of his crystal clan—nodded silently, as if taking it all in with solemn respect.
I finally exhaled a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
And then—
“We must get revenge for Reid!!”
The giant blue guy slammed his spear into the ground, and every villager instantly raised their arms in a deafening battle cry.
“W-WAIT! WAIT WAIT WAIT!” I flailed. “We’ve all moved on, okay?! How about instead of yelling and storming off, you tell me about this place and yourselves first? You know, slow down the bloodlust?”
They all paused.
And stared at me.
“…Reid, are you sure?” the spear guy asked, blinking.
“Yep.”
“But why?”
I shrugged. “Why keep fighting? If they attack me, then I attack them, then they retaliate, and it just spirals into a never-ending revenge cycle. Eventually, someone’s gotta stop. So... I'm stopping it.”
In truth, I had no intention of going to war with the Cultists. That one masked freak who tried to hurt Faith and Hope? Oh, he’s still going to suffer. No doubt about that.
But the rest?
Not worth the effort.
Yeah, a little ironic, I know.
The blue guy stared at me for a second… then smiled.
“Reid. You are strong. I respect you.”
Well. That went better than expected.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Everything was gonna be just fine—
“But fight me!” he suddenly declared. “So, I know you’re not running from weakness!”
…
Teh Fuk.
Without even realizing it, the other villagers had all backed away, forming a massive circle in the snow.
“Aisha! Why did you walk away?!” I cried.
“Playing along?” she offered from the sidelines, not even trying to hide her grin.
You traitorous gremlin!
The blue guy yanked his spear out of the ground and spun it around like it was a damn toothpick.
“Reid! Get ready!”
How did things escalate to this?!
I sighed, resigning myself to my fate. I was about to pull out my trusty Blood Butcher sword—until I remembered something better.
The Bound Dagger spell.
Perfect.
This wasn’t a death match, after all. Just a friendly beatdown between two people who totally weren’t trying to kill each other.
I conjured up a 100 MP Mana Ball, loaded with the Bound Dagger spell. The spell had gotten a serious upgrade—thanks to the tweaks I’d made.
I customized the spell settings:
- Wouldn’t break on first hit.
- Every strike would unleash a mini seismic shockwave.
- Blade length? A glorious 14 inches—bigger than your average school ruler and definitely compensating for something.
A glowing, translucent dagger materialized in my hand—its shape sleek and deadly, with blue veins of magic coursing through it like lightning trapped in ice.
Time to test it out.
I channeled mana into my legs, just enough to boost my movement speed. Little burst of agility never hurt in a snowy showdown.
“Before we begin…” I called out, shifting my stance and gripping my translucent dagger tight. “Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I am Evan Langford—of the Silver Daemon Tribe!”
The giant crystal-armored warrior nodded solemnly.
“I am Zotl of the Ice Orc Tribe!”
…Ice Orc?
That’s—okay, hold on—that’s actually kinda badass.
Why have fifty-plus fantasy games never done this before?
Ice Orc.
It even sounds cool.
Pun fully intended.
Zotl lowered his spear diagonally, both hands gripping the thick metal shaft as he settled into his stance.
I sprinted toward him—
—and immediately realized something.
I forgot about the damn snow.
My legs sank slightly, my footing slipped, and suddenly my “epic charge” turned into a “slightly awkward stagger.”
Zotl’s spear came swinging in from the side like a wrecking ball. Thanks to my passive skills, time slowed just enough for me to react—
I jumped back.
The spear swept beneath me, snow flying in its wake.
Midair, I used shield charge to close the distance before I twisted and slashed downward.
My dagger glinted like a flash of lightning.
CRACK—!
The blade connected with Zotl’s head. A mini shockwave burst outward as the hit knocked him back through the snow.
-14
Skill Unlocked: Dagger Master
Effect: Increases dagger damage by 3%
…
The damage wasn’t huge—but the speed, the shockwave, the style?
Top tier.
Zotl shook his head and rose to his feet, eyes burning with excitement rather than pain. He had home field advantage on this icy turf… but I had something better.
Swag.
He charged at me now, sprinting across the snow like it wasn’t even there. His spear cut through the air in a wide arc, staying just far enough to avoid getting countered.
But I was ready.
I raised my blade and met his swing head-on—CLANG!—and another shockwave erupted from the impact. The spear was deflected.
I darted forward, closing the gap in a blink.
Zotl shifted instantly, raising one arm to shield his chest.
Too late.
I activated High Rise, my acceleration spell, and surged forward—my blade humming with magical force.
Time to end this.
Right here.
Right now.
What I didn’t expect was for his arm to get completely cleaved off.
There was still a bit of ice where his hand used to be, but the rest of it? Launched straight into the shadow realm by the shockwave. Zotl got knocked clean into the air like he just got hit with a super move.
In a real fight, I’d be following that up with a combo finisher.
But I was pretty sure I’d already won.
Zotl landed face-first in the snow, arms sprawled, motionless. I stood there, waiting for that satisfying victory sound, maybe some confetti or a level-up chime.
Nothing.
I looked around, confused, but none of the Ice Orcs looked even remotely worried. No gasps. No tension. Just… curiosity.
Zotl slowly pushed himself up, using his spear as a crutch. I tilted my head in confusion.
Then I saw it.
The cut-off arm was growing back. Ice began to form where the stump was, swirling and condensing into shape until his hand was whole again. He gripped the spear with both hands like he hadn’t just been completely dismembered ten seconds ago.
Regenerating limbs? Really?
I squinted at him.
“Wait. How long is this match supposed to last?”
Zotl gave me a grin.
“Till one of us gives up.”
Cool.
No, seriously—this guy is cool.
But that’s the thing. I’m not.
I’m hot.
I conjured up a 50 MP mana ball, loaded it with the Blaze Trail spell. It lights up anything I step on, turning ground into fire. I added Seismic Strike and a touch of extended range for good measure.
Then I slammed the mana ball into the ground.
It exploded outward in a fiery shockwave. The snow instantly evaporated, and the earth around me ignited in a ring of flame.
What was once a serene frozen field now looked like a gateway to hell.
And I was the demon.
The blaze licked at everything around me. It didn’t hurt me, of course—but Zotl’s legs were another story. His icy limbs were slowly melting, steam hissing around his ankles. He was sweating bullets. The other Ice Orcs? Staring in wide-eyed silence.
And this wasn’t even the half of it.
I conjured another mana ball and shaped it.
Out stepped a towering humanoid, bigger than Zotl, forged entirely from roaring flames and mana.
In its hand? A fiery bound dagger, glowing with heat and pulsing with raw magical pressure.
…Wait, since I summoned another summon… will my doppelganger be fine? Since I can only summon one entity at a time?
*Meanwhile*
Luna POV
I'm worried.
Will the kids be okay?
Evan’s doppelganger was still in the room, reading a bedtime story to Faith and Hope while sitting cross-legged on the bed. It looked like everything was fine.
But I wasn't scared of the fake Evan.
I was scared for Hope.
After everything she went through—getting attacked, kidnapped, injured—she was fragile. Anything, even something small, could send her spiraling again. She needed stability, warmth, someone who wouldn’t just vanish from her life.
That’s when the doppelganger stopped mid-sentence.
He blinked.
Then looked up toward the ceiling with calm, detached clarity.
“My time has come,” he said, his voice as serene as a monk reaching enlightenment.
Then—he just started disintegrating. Silently. Dust and sparkles.
"...Papa?" Faith whispered.
Hope stared. Her lower lip trembled.
And then both of them began crying.
Hard.
The entire house burst into motion as everyone stormed in to try and comfort them.
Back to Evan
A loud voice suddenly echoed across the snowy field.
“STOP!”
Zotl flinched as if struck by lightning and immediately slammed his spear into the ground.
“I give up!”
I blinked. Then instantly dispelled everything—my blazing field, the flaming titan, the seismic enchantments. Gone in a puff of steam and smoke.
I turned around and saw the source of the command.
An enormous elderly Ice Orc woman stood behind the crowd, wrapped in thick crystalline robes, gripping a sapphire staff that pulsed faintly with mana.
All the younger orcs bowed slightly. Yep, definitely the village elder.
She gave me a long, measured look.
“What is the meaning of this?” she asked calmly.
“I was testing Evan,” Zotl said quickly. “To see if he still faced his troubles head-on like a true champion.”
…
Wut?
Her eyes shifted to me.
“Evan, was it? Weren’t you called Reid before?”
I gave a small bow.
“I was Reid. Now, I’m Evan.”
She nodded like that answered everything. Honestly? It kind of did.
“I’ve heard bits from the others. You must be tired. Come—we will feed you and your companions. Shani, prepare a feast.”
A short Ice Orc girl gave a small salute before running into one of the huts. Short as in—only slightly taller than me. Still probably strong enough to bench-press an elk.
As everyone began heading inside, Aisha sidled up to me.
“When did you learn all those spells?”
“For someone who left me to fight alone,” I said, not even looking at her, “I’m not answering.”
She shrugged shoulders in defeat.
“Fair.”
Walter: I just hope this whole thing wraps up soon…
I grinned at him.
Evan: But this is, ahem, coooool, right? >:D
Walter: Goddamn it, Evan.