Chapter 26: The Tome of Mortality
In Twilight of the Gods, players remained in the game world even after logging out.
This was exactly why Liam had chosen to return to the Novice Village after killing Shadow-Slayer.
He was terrified of being found and butchered while he was defenseless. As long as he wasn't online, he didn't have to worry about being spawn-camped.
Liam’s lips curled into a faint, knowing smile.
After logging out, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
It was a bit too early for breakfast.
He navigated to the Twilight of the Gods forums. It wasn't an official site, but one established by top-tier players that spanned every major global server.
He entered The Dragon Empire region first.
The Dragon Empire section was incredibly lively, with the most discussed topics being various game guides.
The Novice Village in The Dragon Empire was already ruined. Most new players were busy debating how Level 1 players could farm mobs in the Capital City.
Naturally, the comment sections were filled with "well-wishes" for the player who had destroyed the Novice Village.
One thread was particularly hot, offering a detailed guide on how to level up in Blackwind City without hunting monsters.
In Twilight of the Gods, fighting wasn't the only way to level up.
Tasks like running errands, delivering letters, or becoming an apprentice to an alchemist or blacksmith all granted experience points.
If all else failed, one could even work at a tavern; all these activities provided EXP rewards.
Liam skimmed the post. Perhaps out of a lingering sense of guilt, he left a reply at the bottom:
"The eastern wall of Blackwind City is under repair. If you apply there, you can earn 300 EXP per hour. If you have any masonry or woodworking skills, you can even pull in 500+ EXP per hour."
This was a high-demand task with generous rewards, perfectly suited for the majority of new players.
They didn't need to fight; they could gain a massive amount of experience just by hauling bricks for a day.
"Holy shit, for real? I'm in. Gotta go try it."
As soon as Liam replied, someone immediately took notice.
Exiting that thread, Liam saw another post whose popularity was skyrocketing.
"The Dragon Empire has spawned [The Benevolent One]! Kill him once for a reward of 20 AP and two pieces of Bronze equipment!!"
With such a flashy title, it instantly drew massive attention.
Liam raised an eyebrow.
He clicked on it instinctively.
It was exactly what he thought—he was "The Benevolent One."
The poster had uploaded the bounty missions from both Blackwind City and Star-Rank The Astral Kingdom.
There was even a video attached showing him standing in the Altar of Rebirth, being spawn-camped by hundreds of thousands of people.
Liam’s lip twitched. This was just diabolical.
Using him to farm gear and AP, and then having the gall to post it?
How many Reincarnators had to endure this kind of humiliation?
Liam exited the forum, planning to head out for a bite to eat.
While he was out, he intended to visit the hospital to check on his sister.
Although he had hired someone to care for her, it felt right to see her in person.
At the hospital.
Chloe was still lying in her hospital bed, though her complexion looked much better than before.
"Doctor, how is she doing?" Liam asked the physician on duty.
The doctor picked up the latest test reports and said, "Your sister's condition is improving. For now, she’s out of life-threatening danger, but there is a high probability she will remain in a vegetative state."
Liam nodded. Maintaining a vegetative state was good enough.
Even in such a state, she could still enter the game. As for the rest, he would have to deal with it later.
"Then, when can she be discharged?"
"She had a craniotomy. It will likely take about half a month."
Liam sighed. Half a month. Chloe would fall significantly behind.
However, it wasn't a huge issue. Once she entered the game, he could carry her.
Wait...
A terrifying thought suddenly struck him!
He couldn't carry Chloe!
Since Chloe was in a coma, they couldn't communicate offline.
Therefore, even if Chloe used the gaming equipment to enter the world, her class, nickname, starting city...
Liam knew absolutely none of it!
How was he supposed to find her?
This was a century-level puzzle.
Wait—there was the Global Shout.
That might be his only way to find her.
Liam couldn't worry about it too much now. He would figure out a way to contact her once she actually got into the game.
He had half a month.
In these fifteen days, he had to build as much of an advantage as possible.
Returning from the hospital, Liam brought breakfast for Barney.
"Barney, log off and eat."
Barney didn't log out immediately; he seemed busy with something.
Liam wasn't in a rush. Those two bounties required him to be killed two hundred times.
It would likely take a while to finish. He opened the forums once more.
The thread about The Benevolent One appearing in The Dragon Empire was now the top trending topic.
It wasn't just local players; players from other countries had taken notice as well.
"Aish, this is so unfair! Why doesn't The Rodian Hegemony have someone like this?"
"Nani?! I strongly suspect The Dragon Empire players are cheating. How can a player with a million Infamy Points appear at this stage?"
"Oh God, please bless us. Descend a player with ten million Infamy Points upon The Oryzean Dominion!"
...
Players from every major server were green with envy.
At this stage of the game, Black Iron weapons were considered top-tier.
To have a reward of two Bronze pieces—and 20 AP on top of that—meant that even a single kill could put a player leagues ahead of the average person.
After browsing for a bit, Barney came running over, looking ecstatic.
"Liam! It’s a total farm-fest! Are you in Blackwind City? It’s insane. Killing that Red-Name Status player gives two Bronze pieces and twenty AP."
"I got lucky and snagged a kill with Dual Slash. With your strength, you could definitely kill him a few times without any trouble!"
Seeing Barney so excited, Liam coughed awkwardly.
"Is the bounty over yet?"
"Not yet, but soon. He's been killed over a hundred times already."
Liam sighed. "Are those people really that slow?"
"They aren't slow. It’s just that the big guilds showed up, and they’re all being sneaky. They’re holding their skills, trying to KS the last hit."
"Everyone wants the kill credit, so everyone is holding back. It actually slowed the whole thing down."
Liam rubbed his temples. These people really did treat him like an experience pinata.
"Still, it's weird," Barney mused. "I wonder what that guy did to piss everyone off so much. A million Infamy Points is insane."
"Maybe he destroyed a Novice Village," Liam suggested with a sigh.
"Holy shit, you might be right! Only something like wiping out a starter village could generate that much Infamy."
Liam waved him off. "Whatever. I’m heading back in."
After a moment's hesitation, Liam took out his phone and quietly posted a new thread.
"The Red-Name player is actually a saint. Let him go once the mission is over!"
With the title set, Liam began writing feverishly.
"The appearance of this Red-Name player has put The Dragon Empire ahead of the world, providing us with three hundred pieces of Bronze gear and three thousand AP."
"His greatness can hardly be described in words. I strongly suggest that once the missions are complete, everyone let him leave the city. Who knows? He might benefit us even more in the future."
"With this, I salute our great Red-Name player!!"
After editing the content, Liam hit send.
He couldn't help it. He was genuinely worried that some overzealous players would keep slaughtering him just for the hell of it. That would be a massive headache.
However, what Liam didn't know was that various clubs, conglomerates, and The Regency were all holding emergency meetings.
"I trust you've all noticed that this Red-Name player has over 400,000 HP. Currently, even our Guardian in the Spec-Ops Division, who has a full Bronze set, only has about 50,000 HP."
"Furthermore, his million Infamy Points suggest he did something truly atrocious... like destroying a Novice Village and killing all the NPCs."
"The probability is high. His resistances are almost zero, but to kill those NPCs, he likely has astronomical damage output."
"High HP, high damage—his potential is staggering. Once this mission ends, we must recruit him into our ranks."
...
The conclusions reached by the major powers were identical.
Liam had immense potential and was worth recruiting.
However, the sentiment wasn't unanimous.
Some factions believed that with his current Infamy, it would be nearly impossible to clear it before his Second Advancement or even his third. In the future, a single death would reset his level to one and strip him of all his gear. All his efforts would vanish into thin air.
As the game progressed, leveling up became significantly harder.
A single point of Infamy meant losing an extra level upon death. A million Infamy Points... the thought was unimaginable.
Inside the rental apartment, Liam logged back into the game after posting.
Once online, Liam ignored the players surrounding him. Let them kill him; it didn't have any real negative impact on him anyway.
Besides, letting them kill him helped them get rewards, which technically strengthened The Dragon Empire's overall power. It wasn't unacceptable.
He was here to turn in a quest.
Ding! You have completed the quest: [Release Hanba the Drought-Bringer].
Rewards: AP +50, Blessing of the Gods +1.
Liam took a deep breath. "Use Blessing of the Gods."
His previous Death Cycle was an absolutely game-breaking, Heavenly Grade blessing.
Ding! You have received the Blessing of the Gods...
Due to your extreme Infamy Points, the blessing has mutated.
Ding! You have received the blessing of Gaea the Earth Mother...
Just like last time, a pillar of dark crimson light erupted from the heavens, enveloping Liam.
Ding! You have obtained [The Tome of Mortality].
Liam froze.
The Tome of Mortality?
Could this be... the legendary Divine Artifact?
Anyone from The Dragon Empire knew how powerful the Tome of Mortality was. He just didn't know how this version compared to the one from the myths.
[The Tome of Mortality]
Type: God-Blessed Equipment
Requirement: Exclusive to [Frost Monarch]. Cannot be dropped, gifted, transferred, or traded.
Effect: You may write the name of any existing being in the Tome (Limit: One person at a time). The individual whose name is written will suffer 10,000 True Damage plus 1% of your Maximum HP per second, regardless of their location. This effect persists until the target dies.
Durability: Indestructible.
As expected!
It was a weakened version of the mythic Tome.
Nonetheless, it was still incredibly broken.
As long as he knew a name, he could attack from any distance.
The base damage was 10,000 per second, plus 1% of his own HP.
That scaling might be negligible for other players, but for Liam, it was a different story entirely.
With over 400,000 HP, that 1% added another 4,000 damage. And his maximum HP would only continue to grow.
Furthermore, for other players, this item's utility was limited because they had to know the target's name.
But Liam was a Reincarnator. He knew the names of almost every major boss from his past life.
This meant he could hunt those bosses remotely.
Liam thought of a few creative ways to use this, and a playful, wicked grin spread across his face.
While Liam was inspecting his new gear, the bounty missions finally ended.
The players began to disperse one by one.
However, a few individuals stayed behind.
One man stepped forward and said calmly, "Hello. I am Ezekiel Asura of the Asura Guild. Would you be interested in joining us? We can negotiate the terms."
As his voice faded, another voice chimed in. "Hey handsome, why not join our Graceful Swan Guild? We have plenty of beautiful ladies in our ranks."
"Back off! Kid, the Berserker Guild is your best choice. Join us, and we'll help you grind off that Infamy."
...
The group began bickering among themselves.
Liam rolled his eyes. "You guys weren't exactly holding back when you were hacking me to pieces just now."
They laughed awkwardly. "Don't take it personally. You were offline eating, and we got gear and AP out of it. It’s not like you lost anything, right?"
Liam waved them off. "Forget it. I have things to do offline anyway. Consider those deaths a donation to The Dragon Empire. I’m not interested in joining a guild. Goodbye."
He didn't want to waste time here. He had something far more important to do.
He needed to help Princess Leona become the ruler of Star-Rank The Astral Kingdom!
This was crucial.
His path to godhood depended heavily on this relationship.
The sooner he helped Leona take the throne, the sooner he could obtain Essence of Faith.
If he could secure Essence of Faith in the early stages of the game, he would have far greater power to resist when The Cataclysm arrived and The Alait System launched its invasion.
Essence of Faith was fundamentally different from Elemental Power.
It existed on a much higher plane.
During The Cataclysm in his past life, Liam had seen a powerhouse from The Alait System use Essence of Faith to slay three Ninth-Advancement Experts with a single strike.
That kind of power was terrifying.
Leaving Blackwind City, Liam headed toward a secluded area.
With his Infamy, he drew attention wherever he went.
He didn't stop until he reached the territory of the Level 20 Venom-Green Spiders.
As he halted, the surrounding temperature suddenly plummeted.
Liam’s eyes narrowed as he spoke in a low voice. "Princess Leona, you finally showed up."
"Was it fun watching me get spawn-camped?"
Princess Leona smiled noncommittally. "What else was I supposed to do? Help you? If I did, the royal ministers would brand me a collaborator of the wicked."
"How would I compete for the throne then?"
Liam gestured dismissively. "Fine. Why were you looking for me?"