Chapter 16

  { Information About Cerberus }

  On Earth..

  Ian’s consciousness returned to his body..

  He had been gone for two days and one night..

  He thought his body would feel tired or exhausted, but he didn’t find it so.

  "Is it because I’m a Legend or something else?"

  Ian didn’t understand, and yet he still walked toward the kitchen to prepare a light meal for himself.

  It was a clean and tidy apartment, unlike what one would expect from a single man’s place..

  A large TV screen… a fifteenth-generation laptop.

  A fridge… a washing machine… honestly, it was an elegant apartment.

  On the wall hung a picture of three people… Ian… his mother… his sister..

  It was a beautiful picture, especially since it was taken in the garden with huge smiles from everyone..

  The girl had long black hair, a pink dress, and big brown eyes… her mother was a bit delicate with pale skin but with elegant, striking beauty..

  Ian didn’t look much different in the picture from how he looked now… an average square face… medium-length hair… a well-built, strong body from training..

  Other than those, there were several certificates of appreciation on the walls and bronze and silver medals… more than ten of them.

  Ian prepared himself some food, then showered, and began eating in front of the laptop as he searched for information.

  “An army of ten thousand!!”

  The moment he opened the World of Wonders game page, this news appeared at the top..

  “Fredj… the owner of the Legendary Genesis Stone, has formed an army of ten thousand and is preparing to become a town.”

  “Tina… nicknamed the Daughter of the Dragon, obtained a Legendary strategic character which allowed her to sweep east and west.”

  Ian ignored this news and began focusing on something else..

  In truth, he was baffled…

  Don’t these fools know the world will be destroyed..?

  So why boast of their strength instead of working in silence and storing power to search for a chance to survive?

  Alas Corporation…

  Ian thought about this mysterious company.

  It was strange..

  It appeared out of nowhere ten years ago, swept the global markets and stock exchanges, and sat atop the world with contributions in all fields—even clothing—while making technology their highest and ultimate policy..

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  And in the end, they created this game..

  Or… was it the game that created them?

  There were millions of thoughts in Ian’s mind, but he ignored them and focused on something else, since they would lead nowhere.

  The Well Blueprint..

  Once you build the well, it will supply the village with a set amount of water each day..

  Good… where do I find it..?

  River Elephant… a level-two beast… Ian frowned.

  Each higher level meant far greater strength..

  Ian would never forget the scene where the four strongest people under his command fought the bandit leader..

  Level two completely dominated level one with a vast difference..

  Considering she had rare equipment.. her skill mastery had surpassed the low rank, and she had a powerful combat class.. Whereas on the other hand, Kris and Liu were using a legendary skill.

  The balance was even, but… level two completely overwhelmed level one..

  Without luck, they wouldn’t have killed her.. Ian’s skill was strong but full of flaws.. And all she needed was to withstand one hit and then deal with them.

  “Had we not used the ambush, she would have crushed us.” Ian still remembered that battle.

  Alright… we’ll try dealing with it..

  Nothing can be recorded in the World of Wonders, but there is a specific description of the River Elephant’s appearance, and thus the moment Ian sees it he will recognize it.

  The second issue was labor..

  I need some workforce.

  The solution is spawning.. The second is buying slaves.. The third is conquering other villages.

  Spawning is slow. Cancelled.

  Buying slaves requires going to a main city. Cancelled.

  Conquering other villages… hmmmm.

  We’ll go with the last option.

  Ian was sinking into his thoughts when he felt a vibration on his wrist where the World of Wonders watch was.

  On the small screen appeared the name Peter Chuck.

  Peter.. What does he want at this hour?

  “Hello,” Ian answered.

  “YOU DAMN BASTARD!” a furious voice exploded, and curses began pouring onto Ian.

  “Ten… ten full calls for you to answer now!”

  “Ten?” Ian was startled and looked at the watch to indeed find more than ten missed calls..

  “Sorry, I was in the game,” Ian said.

  “Bastard.. We were all in the game.. But can’t you at least turn on the alert feature to know someone is calling you?” Peter shouted.

  “Alright, alright, I forgot,” Ian said.

  “Forgot or pretended to forget… don’t you know the World Championship training has started? As your player you need to come.”

  This topic again.. Ian sighed.

  “Peter.. I told you.. I’m not fighting again.”

  “You damned bastard… how will you support your sister?” Peter yelled, then remembered something and apologized, “Sorry.. I didn’t mean it.”

  “No need.. Anyway, I’ll talk to you..”

  “Talk to me what? Bastard.. I want you here NOW.. I already sent the car!”

  “Peter.. I’m actually busy,” Ian said.

  Ring.

  He hung up in his face.

  That idiot… Ian sighed, but he knew his friend’s mind well.

  He wouldn’t leave him.

  Ian laughed bitterly, and a deep emotion appeared in his eyes.

  There had been many beautiful moments between him and Peter as closest friends, even though Peter was his boxing coach and the one who discovered his passion and need for this path when he was being bullied in elementary school.

  Ian remembered it and smiled, and suddenly he felt as if most of his worries had vanished.

  Suddenly he remembered something and went toward the laptop again.

  "That bastard is going to make me forget the most important thing I came out for… Cerberus."

  Ian typed it in the search bar on the game’s website, and dozens of results appeared.

  What caught Ian’s eye the most was the following:

  Summoning the Cerberus Beast through the ancient ritual.

  The Cerberus Beast is the Gatekeeper of Death… the guardian of the World of Death and Souls, where no exit or violation of the sanctity of the dead is allowed… and at the same time it supervises the present, past, and future. Its three heads function as a type of supercomputer that performs calculation, auditing, punishment, and judgment upon souls, making it an overseer of spirits.

  As for in the game, it represents a superior power and a rare beast lineage… with strong traits… the most important of which is its difficulty to kill and its variety of abilities, as each head has a different skill.

  But there is one similarity between the legend and the World of Wonders:

  It does not reside in the World of Wonders but in the World of Souls / the World of Death, and cannot be seen by normal means.

  You must perform a special sacrifice.

  Thousands of corpses…

  Cursed…

  Ominous elements.

  A specific day when the moon is full.

  The blood of virgins.

  A frown crept over Ian’s face.

  He knew this beast’s traits well… but it didn’t seem like obtaining it was as easy as he imagined.

  Should he let the White Tiger be there?

  He had given it the Blood Seed… once it heals its strength will increase by a large margin… but… sacrificing the future for the present… Ian pondered deeply when…

  Beep.

  Beep.

  That idiot’s car had arrived.

  "Alright, let’s go finish this silly story."

  *****

  ( Back Again>>>> you will never expect the future )