Elemental Online

The trees blurred past him.

Zero's breath came in ragged gasps as he weaved between trunks, dodging roots and branches, struggling to stay upright on the uneven terrain. Behind him a monstrous presence tore through the forest it was getting closer.

Then the trees suddenly parted, and Zero stumbled into a small clearing at the edge of a cliffside. His eyes darted around. No way forward. Only a single, withered tree stood before him, its roots clinging to the crumbling earth. He took a step back peered over the edge.

A sheer drop. Fifty meters at least. Certain death.

"Shit..."

A cold dread crawled up his spine excitement?

Behind him, the forest shuddered. Silver fur emerged from the shadows. The Elder Wolf had arrived. It stepped forward slowy,savoring its pry. Then, in a voice unnervingly clear, it spoke. "Puny human… Did you really think you could escape?"

Zero's body tensed. His eyes widened. "You… You can speak?" The beast's fangs curled into something almost like a grin.

"Feel honored," it rumbled. "You stand before a creature of my level… before your death." It lunged.

Three centimeters, Two, One, Zero's mind screamed "I'm dead."

"I'M DEAD—AHAHAHAHA!"

[System Notification]

— Tree of Time Requirement has been met. —

— The Forgotten Realm accepts your sacrifice. —

The Elder Wolf let out a pained howl as something impaled its chest.

Thick, gnarled roots had erupted from the withered tree behind Zero, spearing the beast straight through the heart. It thrashed violently, its silver fur now soaked in red blood. "WHAT IS GOING ON?!" the wolf roared, struggling against the tendrils that now coiled around its limbs.

But the roots showed no mercy. They twisted tighter ripping. A leg was torn free. Then another... The once-mighty creature slumped, its final breaths gurgling from its throat. And in its dying whisper, it cursed him.

"Human… siding with the devils..."

[System Notification]

— Elder Wolf Sacrifice has been confirmed. —

— None Potential confirmed. —

— Entrance Granted. —

Zero's eyes narrowed. "Siding with the devils?" Before he could process it, the roots turned on him. They coiled around his body, pulling him toward the dying tree. And then as if the tree had never existed it began to crumble. Falling apart into ash.

Zero felt himself dissolve with it.

Weightless.

His vision darkened as the last remnants of the tree scattered into the wind. All that remained in the clearing… Was the corpse of the Elder Wolf. And beside it, a bloodied, Crude Sword.

***

In the world of Elemental Online, there is alot of different races Demons, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Vampires, and more. About 2,500 years ago, the Great War happened, a battle between Devils creatures who sought destruction and manipulated other races into doing their bidding. On the opposite side were the Angels, a race that sought to help the world and maintain balance. The Devils ended up corrupting multiple races, mainly the Demons, and waged a full-scale war.

The war lasted five grueling years, full of bloodshed, only ending when the Arch Angel and Arch Devil died at the same time in the final battle. As the last remaining of their races, both the Devils and Angels have been nonexistent for over 2,000 years, most certainly dead. To this day, none have ever witnessed either of the races or at least, that's the story passed down through legends.

Even the Devil and Angel Realms were erased from existence, only faintly mentioned in books that most believed were fabricated. But now, a new mortal stands in the Forgotten Realm the Realm of the Devils a player by the name of Zero.

***

"Awhhh, my head..."

He looked around, seeing nothing but endless hills of tall yellow grass. Massive, rock-like mountains surrounded him, stretching endlessly. "Elemental Online... Huh, this is getting interesting. The Devils' Realm."

"Or that's what I said in the beginning..."

Kumagawa logged out of the game for what felt like the hundredth time. "HOW AM I MEANT TO KEEP DOING THIS?!" Looking around his room, he sighed before slipping on his shoes and heading out for a walk. It was around 5 AM, and a light rain fell from the sky. Kumagawa enjoyed this kind of atmosphere it was relaxing.

Ever since he had found the Devil Realm, he thought he had stumbled upon gold. But there was nothing there, and worst of all, he didn't know how to leave. "SERIOUSLY, IT'S BEEN A MONTH!" He kicked a rock onto the road in frustration.

"All over the news, I keep seeing these gets first time annoucements and players joining kingdoms, becoming more powerful... And tomorrow is the next login phase, meaning people who died can join again. Not to mention even more new players will probably arrive."

"Meanwhile, I'm stuck while my progress is nonexistent..." Sigh.

Ding!

[Soul Chat]

(92) Carn: The whole world has moved over to Elemental Online for good, and the login phase is incoming. How many are joining?

(76) Jack: Most of us are already in.

(92) Carn: Seems like your hunch was right—this will become the biggest game ever.

(17) Alice: Seems like it. This group chat might lose the prestige it once had.

(92) Carn: How so?

(17) Alice: This was for the best-ranked players. Having the top 100 players ever in these types of games isn't normal.

(92) Carn: Still, this group will always exist... until (1) decides otherwise.

(3) Echo: This group chat still exists, huh? Anyway, count (1) out. He hasn't appeared in any game for a full year—

(76) Jack: Still, he has kept the (1) for more than three years. No one else has ever done that...

Zero looked down at his phone—the Soul Chat. A prestigious chatroom, accessible only to the best of the best beta real-game players.

For the last five years, many games with the same premise as Elemental Online had appeared, but due to lacking technology, none ever felt truly immersive. No pain, no real consequences—unlike Elemental Online, where it was impossible to tell the difference between reality and the game.

"Oh well," he muttered, swiping on his phone.

[Soul Chat]

(1) Zero: I'm leaving.

(1) Zero has left the Soul Chat.

(92) Carn: WHATTTTT?!

(76) Jack: HE LEFT THE CHAT LIKE THAT?!

(3) Echo: Ahaha, typical. Never even got to meet him or learn anything about who he really was.

(2) Dreamer has left the Soul Chat.

(3) Echo: Start of a new era. Cya, losers.

(3) Echo has left the Soul Chat.

Zero closed his phone. "That should do it."

***

[System Notification]

—Login Confirmed—

"And I'm back here again, Still wandering this endless path." It was beautiful, but Zero felt it, He was hungry. If not for the fact that it rained once in a while, he would have died of dehydration. But now, it was the hunger. He hadn't seen a single living creature yet, and he had walked for a month. "Oh, here we go"... He felt it again.

"CRAHH!" Blood spurted out of his mouth. "Took me a while, but this feels too real… it's scary." For the first time in one month, Zero looked ahead and saw something other than the yellow hills of grass. A lone tree was upon the horizon.

Zero frantically ran towards it. Nearly out of nutrition, he was practically getting his hands down in the dirt just to move a bit faster. His face was full of dirt, his clothes nonexistent except for his pants, which were run down. He reached the end of the dirt road, and now, under a small tree, lay a grave.

[System Notification]

—Last Survivor of the Devil Realm—

—Your Elemental has Awakened in the Devil Realm—

—You have been Gifted the Mask of the Devil—

—ERROR—

—Devil Realm will now collapse—

Name: Zero

Race: Human

Rank: Awakened

Element: Water (Common)

Swordsmanship: None

Potential: None

Gifts: [Mask of the Devil]

Once again, the tree roots took hold of Zero's fragile body and withered away, erasing the Devil Realm for eternity.

—The Angel and Devil Realms have both been completely erased now—

Zero opened his eyes. He was at the side of the cliff where he had once encountered the Elder Wolf. "AHAHAHAHAHA, WHAT A FUCKIN' PAIN!" He looked like a madman. "ALL THAT JUST TO AWAKEN?" He spat on the ground. He was still in a weak state, but it seemed that being teleported back into the original world had helped him regain some slight strength.

***

After John had miraculously escaped the Elder Wolf, he had returned to Ancalen, explaining his survival and what happened. He had survived an encounter with not just a Greater Wolf, but an Elder Wolf. The news of the appearance of an Elder Wolf near Ancalen spread far and wide. It was quite a rare creature, but having it roam near a city was dangerous. If it attacked, what could the people of Ancalen do?

A quest was sent to big cities within the Eldich Kingdom. It became the number one priority of the guilds for an entire week. Huge rewards were offered to those willing to fight the Elder Wolf near Ancalen.

"So this is the survivor, John?" a huge elf remarked.

"Yes, that's me."

The elf looked at John worriedly.

"We know you've been through a lot, but we need somebody to retrace your steps and show us where the incident happened," he said with a bitter voice.

"I'll do it... it's the least I can do for my fallen comrades."

A team of 30 adventurers, a highly ranked set of mages, top swordsmen, and more, set off from the gates of Ancalen. This was no light matter. The first thing they stumbled upon was the remains of Marine. Surprisingly, her corpse was untouched, but the grim scene made the adventurers look away. The big elf muttered to John, "We will retrieve their bodies when we ensure the Elder Wolf is dead."

Looking at Marine, all John could manage to say was, "I appreciate it."

A few meters later, they found Zelphar, still holding his bow in a pose as if he were fighting for his life. But without a head connected to his body, he was unsurprisingly also long dead. John glanced around, noticing the large, abrupt destruction through the dense forest. He pointed.

"Our final member darted that way and tried to escape the Elder Wolf in the forest." Another adventurer, clearly more experienced, sighed. "Bad move, rookie. Going into a forest like that with an Elder Wolf is a death sentence." They followed the path until they reached the cliffside, and what they saw made them question what could have caused a scene like this.

John muttered, "Is that the corpse of the Elder Wolf?"

The scene was horrifying. A creature as grand as the Elder Wolf lay there, its legs ripped apart, clearly defeated. But what was most striking was a sword stuck in the ground.

John went to his knees. "My old crude sword." The other adventurers looked at him, shocked. And collectively asked in their heads, An Elder Wolf was slain? BY ONE MAN?! The leader of the team quickly got his team to begin collecting the Elder Wolf's skin and meat, analyzing what could have defeated it...

After an hour, they held a meeting. The leader spoke:

"We analyzed the injuries. It seems to have been ripped apart from within? We saw no sword marks on it. The only possible scenario is that the Elder Wolf's core exploded due to overexertion. Since the core of the beast was missing..."

"You're saying the Elder Wolf killed itself by exploding from within?" John asked, confused. "Yes, it's not typical for something like that to happen, but I think your companion might have been cornered and chose to die by jumping off the cliff instead of falling into the hands of the beast."

***

Zero stood up and looked around, finally getting a better view after spending a full month in the Devil Realm. He stood where he had vanished. But something was different. The only thing left was a small stone "WITH MY NAME ON IT." He looked at it, puzzled, then noticed his crude sword lying next to the small gravestone.

He began analyzing what might have happened while he was gone the grave, the enormous amount of red-stained grass. A member must have survived and come back.

"I need to get back. I feel like throwing up already," he muttered, beginning to move toward the forest, retracing his steps while carrying the crude sword on his waist. Hours passed as he desperately made his way back to Ancalen. Composing himself about 100 meters away from the gate, he steadied his breath. He couldn't afford to look too weak.

"Would be a shame if some bandit chose to one-tap me at my weakest and reset all my hard-earned progress..." But a stroke of luck happened.

After the Elder Wolf's corpse had been recovered, a lot of wolves had moved into the area. Many of the adventurers who had originally been part of the team to hunt the Elder Wolf stayed behind to make money by slaying the resurgence of wolves.

"John, you ready to head out?"

John glanced around. "I can't be stuck in the past, can I?" He grinned.

But another adventurer's shout made everyone stop.

"I think I see a figure approaching the gate!" John turned his head. The next thing he saw was his lost squad member walking toward them. The other adventurers didn't seem to grasp the situation until John yelled—

"ZERO, YOU'RE ALIVE!" He ran to greet him.

"How you doing, John? I'm here to get my five bronze coins," Zero smirked.

A bit shocked by the joke, John walked with him down to the gate.

"Glad you still got some humor, kid."

"Do you know where Marine and Zelphar are?"

John quickly explained what had happened while Zero was gone as they made their way to the guild.

"So what happened to you? How did you survive?"

Zero looked at him.

"The story the adventurers who retrieved the Elder Wolf believe is the most likely scenario based on what they know. Let's keep it that way," he thought.

"I looked the beast right in its eye then I jumped."

John looked at him, horrified." You jumped down the cliff?"

"It was better than dying instantly. It was a logical choice. I ended up falling into a coma, and when I woke up, I had trouble moving. That's why I only appeared a month later." John and the other adventurers, hearing his account of the situation, were bewildered.

John proudly placed his hand on Zero's back, looking like he was about to cry. "Thank god... I thought I was the only survivor."

After that, the situation calmed down. "John offered me a room to stay at in the guild... finally, I can relax." Zero looked around and focused.

Name: Zero

Race: Human

Rank: Awakened

Element: Water (Common)

Swordsmanship: None

Potential: None

Gifts: [Mask of the Devil]

"Mask of the Devil... let's check this item out."

[Mask of the Devil - Description]

— Ability: Upon wearing it, you will receive absolute anonymity. No matter the skill, nobody can see through you.

— Curse: Upon wearing it, you will temporarily become part of the Devil race. Your hair will turn the infamous ash-white color, and you will grow Arch Devil horns.

— Error—

"Certainly interesting aspects... I didn't expect this."

He pondered for a moment, then decided to equip it.

"Mask of the Devil, Equip."

The devil-like mask covered his face. His hair slowly turned ash white, and two horns grew out of his head. "I don't feel much different..."

[System Notification]

Name: Zero

Race: Half-Devil

Rank: Awakened

Element: Water (Common)

Swordsmanship: None

Potential: None

Gifts: [Mask of the Devil]

"Mask of the Devil, Unequip."

— Error: 24 hours until it can be unequipped.

— System fixing error...

— Devil Eyes Granted—

[Trait Added to System]

Name: Zero

Race: Half-Devil

Trait Ability: Devil Eyes

Rank: Awakened

Element: Water (Common)

Swordsmanship: None

Potential: None

Gifts: [Mask of the Devil]

"The system is going crazy..."

Zero looked in the mirror.

A man with a devilish mask stared back at him. His ash-white hair and horns were so noticeable that it would be impossible not to mistake him for a Devil.

A heinous grin appeared behind the mask.

"WELL, WELL... I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS."

He turned around, walking toward the window.

"FINALLY I CAN GAIN POWER. I'LL BECOME THE HIDDEN VILLAIN"

"I'LL BE THE DEVIL!"

He calmed down a bit. "After all, there is nothing more interesting than playing the so-called role of the villain." Zero decided to log out afterward—he couldn't do much for now. Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw the roof of his room. Sitting upright quickly checking his phone. 8 PM. "Still one hour until the monthly opening happens when dead and new players can join."