Chapter 3: The Gates of the Forbidden Rulers
The funeral had ended.
Soldiers knelt by the graves of their fallen comrades, mourning in silence. The air was heavy with sorrow. Some whispered prayers. Others wept quietly.
Roy leaned back against a tree nearby, lost in thought. His eyes were dull, haunted. The weight of 23 years crushed his chest.
"I'm sorry… I was too weak," he whispered.
He clenched his fists.
"I couldn't save them. Even with all my knowledge… I still couldn't save anyone."
He knew those monsters. Knew every spawn pattern, every weakness—from the game he once played. But knowledge without power… was nothing.
Suddenly—shouts echoed from town.
"What's that noise?"
Roy stood. The shouting grew louder. Cheers?
He rushed back toward the center of town. Crowds were gathered, shouting, smiling, clapping.
"The adventurers! They're back!"
"They saved us again!"
"Velrun! Velrun!!"
Roy pushed through the crowd. The adventurer party—bloodied but standing—strode proudly into town. Velrun led them, gleaming in his armor. His fanclub cheered wildly.
The greedy mayor stepped forward, practically glowing.
"Oh, brave heroes! You've done it again!"
"Our town is safe because of you! Let me personally thank you—"
But then… something changed.
The adventurers stopped moving.
They sheathed their weapons—swords, staffs, daggers, books, shields—and pointed them straight at the townspeople.
Gasps erupted.
"W-What… are they doing?"
"Wait—what's going on?"
"Why are they aiming at us?!"
Confusion turned to dread.
Velrun stepped forward… but the voice that came from him was not his own.
"You… humans… who… tainted… the Master's… creation… must… perish."
A deep, guttural, ancient voice—echoing through his body.
Roy's eyes widened in horror.
This… isn't Velrun.
The way they stood. The look in their eyes. He'd seen this before—in the game.
"This is possession," he whispered.
He shouted from instinct, "RUN!"
But the crowd didn't move. They stared, frozen in place.
Roy gritted his teeth and bolted.
"Tch… I need to get my weapon. I need backup—now."
He sprinted toward the graveyard—where the other soldiers still mourned.
"Emergency! There's a group of adventurer monsters comi—"
He stopped.
Soldiers lay dead.
The same ones he'd fought beside.
At the center of it, the old woman from the inn stood, knife in hand. Blood dripped from the blade.
"It's your fault," she hissed. "Because of you… my son died."
She stabbed another soldier.
Other civilians—angry townspeople—were attacking the unarmed soldiers, screaming, clawing, striking.
Roy locked eyes with one of his comrades—who shouted desperately:
"RUN!"
Roy turned and ran.
"Damn it! My weapons are back at the inn…!"
Tears stung his eyes. Rage burned his chest.
"They killed my comrades… those monsters… those damned people… I swear—I'll kill them all. I'll avenge them!"
Behind him, the mob shouted:
"There! Don't let him get away!"
"Kill him!"
Roy didn't head back into town.
He ran the other way—down the road where the adventurers had once fought monsters.
The path was littered with corpses—mangled beasts and mutated fiends. Blood soaked the soil.
Still, he ran.
Harder. Faster.
Until his legs gave out.
He dropped to his knees, gasping for air.
No footsteps behind him. No one in sight.
Safe—for now.
He slammed his fists into the dirt and cried out:
"Why… Why is this happening to me?! Why do I always survive while everyone else dies?!"
He clutched his chest.
Then—his expression hardened.
"No. I won't die here. Not now. I still haven't gotten my revenge. I will kill them… every last one."
He stood up, trembling but determined.
Ahead lay an unknown road—off the map.
"I don't know where this leads… but I'll follow it."
The terrain began to change—fewer monster corpses, cleaner ground.
"Am I near another town?"
Then he saw it.
A towering stronghold of ancient stone. Arcs of forgotten architecture. Wrapped in black vines and glowing runes.
"What is this place…? A temple? A castle? It's way too massive to be a church…"
He stepped forward toward the massive stone gate.
Suddenly—a notification appeared.
[Notification]
The Gate of the Forbidden Rulers
Requirements: Ghost Fragment – Complete
Reward: You may now open the Gate of the Forbidden Rulers.
Roy froze.
"What… what is this? I didn't do anything… How am I opening it?"
The gate creaked.
[Notification: Gate Unlocked – You may proceed]
The doors opened slowly, shadows spilling out.
Meanwhile, back in town…
Velrun—still possessed—snapped his head toward the distance.
That same eerie voice echoed from within him:
"What… is… that… presence…?"
He turned and dashed toward the gate.
Far behind him, the mob from the inn—still searching—walked the monster road.
"Damn it, where's that old man?"
"He's fast for a middle-aged guy…"
Then—they saw someone sprinting toward them.
"Wait… is that Velrun?"
"Yeah! That's him!"
They waved. "Velrun! Over here!"
But Velrun didn't slow down.
He stopped in front of them. Silent.
"Hey, uh… we're just looking for someone. A murderer, he—"
SLAASH.
A blur of silver. One of them collapsed, split open—then stood up, revived.
The others staggered back, stunned.
"What?! What was that?!"
"He's… not Velrun…!"
They drew weapons. Swung. Slashed.
But the revived murderer blocked them.
Steel clashed. Screams echoed.
One by one—they fell.
And one by one—they stood again.
Velrun stepped forward. His hand pressed to one of the revived soldiers.
Skill: Past Soul Remnants
(View all memories of a fallen or controlled being—including from birth)
Velrun's eyes glowed.
He saw it all.
Everything.
And then… he turned and rushed toward the gate.
Back inside, Roy walked deeper into the forbidden ruin, unaware of what was coming… or that the possessed were now on their way to the very same place.