Ryan Robinson, the [Rebellious Rogue] sat by a hill overlooking a small town. Lazhen was a barebones place of about a thousand Realmers and a vagrant adventuring population. It was more of a waystation and a meat processing town that had the essentials for adventurers to relax while they reported or waited to use the interrealm portal.

  Most towns in leveled zones didn’t tend to be large, often just created to be a waystation. After all, who would want to raise their families in a place only realm three adventurers could protect?

  It didn’t mean that Lazhen was a rusty town of run down buildings either. Even here, in the middle of the Emerald Hills, the town stood proudly. Realmers walked around, healthy, confident, a pep in their step, satisfied with their day to day lives.

  It really was a beautiful place.

  Terribly situated for a siege though. Nobody really wanted to deal with the headache that came with relocating interrealm portals.

  Gamielle appeared in his vision, her normal half-elf self, waggling her eyebrows.

  “Watcha doin?”

  “Hey Gammielle. I thought you’d find me sooner.”

  The floating [Mage] sniffed.

  “Well I was busy, turns out little Valee knows a little more than she should.”

  Ryan shook his head in disapproval, “and here I thought she was someone that could keep a secret. [Rogues], can’t trust ‘em, am I right?”

  “I’d say you’re playing a dangerous game, but look at you. About to assault your first town.”

  Ryan was back in his tattered [Rogue]’s fitment from the first realm. It was in terrible shape. The [Minor Self Repair] enchantment not quite able to keep up with the damage dealt to the hard leather pieces. At least the cuts from the emerald grass tended to repair itself.

  He also wore the Artigan mask. Avale’s shield on his back. A spear was in his hands, but hidden in the long grass. Ryan rolled his shoulders.

  Gamielle looked at him curiously.

  “You ready to hear their screams? The revenge cries of adventurers as they die at your hands?”

  Ryan just raised his eyebrow at Gamielle, she had a mirthless smile on her face.

  Then his [Dangersense] triggered. He grabbed his spear and hopped back over the hill, facing away from Lazhen. He’d figured out that as long as he consciously used his skill on the town, it would help give him an early warning when an adventurer’s eyes wandered his way.

  Ryan lay back on the incline with his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky. A peaceful smile on his own face.

  “Maybe I am ready to kill them all. What does your mom think about that?”

  A figure appeared next to Gamielle. A tall elf wearing white robes and a large drooping witch’s hat. The wind did not silence itself nor did anything rot. But even without her aura she somehow seemed to loom over the entire world.

  She really was fucking terrifying.

  The Witch Tyrant looked down with an arch expression.

  “Is there something you wish to say to me?”

  He tried to lean on his [Rebellious] title, it helped, a little.

  “I just wanted to ask one of my childhood idols what she thinks about what I’m going to do next.”

  “I reserve no judgment to those that know the truth. I do not begrudge you for changing your mind after experiencing a real war. Sometimes sacrifice is necessary for the greater good.”

  Her eyes were cold and firm. She didn’t doubt for a second Ryan could murder them all, in fact, she approved of it. The Witch Tyrant believed he could and would do it.

  Barry was a better judge of character than she was.

  Ryan laughed at her.

  “Thanks, that makes me feel better.”

  Ryan stood up and rolled his shoulders again. He looked at the sky once again. A beautiful sunny day of stunning blue. He was trying to remember the words, and the scene.

  It was showtime.

  –

  “Do you see, daughter? This is the cold truth. When people are pushed to the brink, when they get their first taste of power and are given an excuse, they will always, always, reach for more. At the cost of everything else.”

  Gamielle stayed silent as she watched Ryan take out a phone and start muttering under his breath. The Tyrant and her daughter were talking out of sight from the boy, they were in their own little bubble, invisible from all.

  Her mother looked at the [Rogue] like Ryan was the confirmation of everything she had suspected.

  “We have made this world too peaceful. Exceptional growth and standouts need true conflict. Daring and desperation. Look at that new [Swordsman] boy, he has started to walk the path of Zahiru. Even that orc girl. Would she have achieved an Epic without facing such adversity?”

  Gamielle could see her mother’s vision for the future. Both The Realm and Earth burning as the Witch Tyrant fanned the flames of conflict. It had already started, dragonslayer Dubois was just the start.

  She would burn millions to find the few phoenixes that rose from the ashes.

  It could be called pragmatic, necessary even. But Gamielle knew her mother better, somewhere in those cold and calculating eyes was a raging fury that wanted to burn the world down for its sins.

  Ryan crested the hill, he looked down at the small town fort, taking sight of every adventurer he could see. He was probably waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Possibly waiting for the perfect rotation of teams that he’d mapped out.

  She’d seen his calculating look before. Ryan then walked back down from the hill and continued to mutter in his head. He looked ready, calm, even excited.

  Her mother nodded in approval.

  “This must be the message the Manager wanted to send.”

  “Fuck the Manager,” Gamielle said immediately, “that depressed sack of shit doesn’t know anything.”

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  Gamielle glared at the latest ‘message’ from the Manager. Ryan Robinson paced and continued to mutter, holding the spear in his hand. The [Rogue] was so different from when he’d first entered The Realm. Eyes that could match the look of any self assured dragonslayer.

  Thirty days of war could do that to anyone. Valee’s team had been thorough in their report to the Guild and both Gamielle and her mother read between the lines. Gamielle sighed, disappointed at another monster being born, another confirmation to add to her mother’s descent into madness.

  Then she saw something else.

  Ryan smiled, a bit too widely, happy. Not like someone that was resigned to do what he needed to do…

  “Hey mom, I bet you’re wrong.”

  “You see something I don't, daughter?”

  Her mother sounded disappointed in her, concerned that Gamielle was still so naive despite everything that had happened. Disappointed that she did not see the same way her mother did.

  “Mmm, maybe you’re right, maybe most people will choose to gain power over everything else. I don’t know about that, but I don’t think this one will do as you expect. I think you’re still stuck in seeing the worst in everyone.”

  The Witch Tyrant let out a damnable sigh.

  “This again? What do you think this one will do then? This one who has been powerless his entire life and now has an excuse for more of it?”

  “I don’t know,” Gamielle said, she shook her head then gave her mother the most innocent smile she could make, “but isn’t that great?”

  The Witch Tyrant shook her head. She watched her naive daughter look at another Trialist with hope, with such bright eyes that it hurt her soul. The Witch expected nothing from the boy, whether he killed everyone in the town or got killed by the Trialists, the Witch Tyrant had made up her mind.

  She looked coldly at the [Rogue] as her mental threads all paused.

  Gamielle palmed her face.

  –

  “What are you doing?” Gamielle hissed in his ear, “you’re ruining the moment.”

  “What moment?”

  The floating [Mage] threw up her hands and started spinning around him. Ryan looked at the selfie he took on Felsley’s phone.

  “My gear looks too rough. Hey Gamielle can you illusion it up so that my outfit looks new?”

  “You think I’m going to use a Legend just to make you look cooler?”

  Ryan waggled his eyebrows at her, returning her look from earlier.

  “I promise to make it worth your while.”

  “Stop that, it looks wrong when you do it. Also last time you asked me for a favor you completely fucked me over. Don’t think I didn’t forget.”

  “Oh come on, that was just a prank. We’ve moved onto bigger and better things since then. Trust me this will be worth it.”

  Gamielle kicked at the air then looked at her mother behind her. The looming Witch Tyrant gave Ryan an imperious look. She gave the faintest of nods.

  Ryan’s gear started to repair itself. Not only did his gear look brand new but there was extra detailing on the hems of his gear. His buttons gave off an ethereal shine. There was even a billowing black cape behind him. None of it was real, all of it was an illusion that made it look like his gear had been elevated a few realms.

  He checked his gear on his phone and whistled. The Witch Tyrant didn’t do half measures it seemed. Ryan gave her a thankful nod back.

  Gamielle threw up her arms.

  “I can’t believe she’s encouraging this.”

  “Relax, just sit back, get some popcorn and watch the show.”

  Gamielle kicked at the air again.

  “I was banned from eating and drinking.”

  Ryan blinked, “what did you do?”

  Apparently that was the wrong thing to say, Gamielle’s eye twitched.

  “What did I do? What did I do?! You piecemeal sack of self-aggrandizing new generation live streaming idiot that thinks he’s the center of the world.”

  Ryan opened his mouth, “I think I’m missing some context here.”

  The Witch Tyrant waved her furious daughter off, “Ignore her, continue.”

  Ryan coughed as the floating [Mage] continued to go on her tirade. Gamielle did stop as he started moving. His heart beat like crazy as he took a breath. There was nothing for it now, no more stalling.

  He took out Felsley’s phone with his left hand and grinned at the camera. Lazhen had its own local network but he was sure someone would send the video back so that it would connect to the greater realmnet.

  “Hello my fans, it’s been awhile. I know, I know, I should be posting more but I’ve been busy with something massive. I think you’re all going to love it.”

  Ryan did a spin near the top of the hill. Both the Tyrant and her daughter disappeared before they could be caught by the camera.

  “I’m here live from Emerald Hills. Beautiful place, amazing monsters and Seriously, is this really the best all of you could do?”

  Ryan peered the phone over the hill, making sure to get Lazhen in the camera. He switched the camera to himself.

  “It feels like I’m getting ignored. I know there’s been that thing with those dragonslayers attacking the Tyrants, Mezhar failing the highest Trial. I know people are afraid of guerilla warfare from the dragonslayers, but really? If they decide to wage war against each other what can we even do right?”

  Ryan gave a helpless shrug at the camera.

  “Ultimately we’re all powerless and there’s nothing we can do about it.” He paused. “Well, there’s nothing any of you can do. Me? Unlike you lazy good for nothings, I’m not going to keep crying on realmnet and be so pathetic.”

  This was Ryan’s answer to Barry’s question. His answer to Gamielle’s curious gaze. His performance for the Witch Tyrant. His own answer to the impossible apocalyptic scenarios that were thrown at him.

  They wanted exceptional individuals for some far off future invasion? For the completion of the Trials?

  They were right there, in Lazhen town. They were waiting for the right team in the first sector. They might even be out there working in a Manaburger. Sabrina, Zhenyu, Barry, hell even Garbolt could end up as someone truly special.

  After all, if someone like him could succeed, why couldn’t they?

  There had to be more, more real adventurers, he couldn’t do this alone, he didn’t want to do this aloneHe just needed to do what he did with Valee, what had been done to him but better, kinder.

  They just needed to be given a chance. He could do that.

  Ryan continued monologuing to the phone, he pointed a defiant finger at the camera with all the arrogant entitlement in the world.

  “The first example will be Lazhen town. I’m going to prove that I am already different from you adventurers that take the safe route. That I am not only better than all of you, but prove that all of you are no better than the dragonslayers that cower before the Tyrants.”

  Ryan would find them all, and he’d do it by being the most obnoxious blacklister in history. Give them a target to aim for and force them to step up.

  It wasn’t a complete plan, nor did he know if he was going to succeed.

  But this was right. He would rather be damned than let the Witch Tyrant be proven right.

  He crested the hill, Ryan switched to the front camera and the phone took in the quaint town over a thousand feet away. The zoom on Felsley’s adventurer grade phone was exceptional.

  “Look at that. I guess you guys can’t see it properly, but there’s over twenty adventurers lazing in that building over there. I heard the Witch Tyrant fought off thirty at her realm? That’s not even that impressive considering how pathetic all of you are. I’ll prove right now that I’m better than the Witch Tyrant.”

  Ryan stopped the recording, then he ducked under the tall grass and started slinking through. He wanted to get close enough that his shouts would be heard.

  He stalked forward in the grass, spear in hand, phone in the other. Ryan started infusing his skill into the spear. The skill recoiled at how he was using it, but he’d been practicing all week for this moment.

  Flecks of energy crackled against the surface of the metal.

  The spear wasn’t designed for energy infusion skills but that was fine. Ryan just needed it for this one last time.

  He took a few more steps and held the phone in his left hand. The video mode was recording from both front and rear cameras. The rear pointed at the Guild hall, the front camera recording a straining Artigan with a spear that was starting to glow brighter and brighter.

  Ryan activated his Epic.

  The reactions in the Guild hall were instant. The ones with an alert skill were yelling and raising the alarm. Ryan’s voice cut through the world, like it was the only voice in the world. His tone authoritative.

  “Mages SHIELDS NOW!”

  His arm burned from holding his skill back, the crackling energy overflowing from the spear and into his hand and crawled towards his face.

  The idiot [Mages] hastily started overlapping their shields, a reflex at the callout. They had been practicing magical combinations as part readiness for realm expansion.

  “”

  As the crackling energy of his own skill started reaching his eyes he knew he couldn’t hold it any longer. Ryan slammed the ground with his left leg as he threw the spear with all his might.

  [Volatile Antimagic Throw]

  The spear soared through the air, bits of metal flaking off and falling into the emerald grass as it fell, leaving a blazing trail of fire in its wake. The core of the metal stayed true.

  It flew with all the hopes and dreams of a boy that once yearned to be an adventurer.

  The Witch Tyrant looked at the spear of light and saw a spark to ignite both worlds.

  Gamielle looked at the boy’s pure eyes and saw something new.

  Ryan struck a pose as the guild hall exploded behind him. The energy backlash that had trailed on the right side of his face was still glowing. It looked as if lightning had struck him and the branching burns had remained.

  Artigan gave the phone a winning grin.

  “Come and get me. ”

  END OF BOOK 1: BLACKLISTED