Beyond Respawn: A Gamer's Rebirth (Volume 3), page 1
Beyond Respawn: A Gamer’s Rebirth Volume 3
Written By: Invayne
Cover By: Marina
Editor: Clayden Reid-Stephens
Copyright
This novel, including all its content, characters, plotlines, and text, is the exclusive intellectual property of Invayne and is protected by copyright law. No part of this work may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, or used in any form, including for training artificial intelligence models or generative systems, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. Any unauthorized use will be subject to legal action.
© 2024 by Invayne, all rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Afterword
Chapter 1
After everyone left and the store was clear, the employees quickly went to work ringing everything up. It was not an easy task since the store had just received its inventory for the week. While I knew I was basically preventing anyone else from getting any of these items, that was their problem, not mine. It was better than having to search destroyed homes later on for resources.
I have no idea what day it will happen. It could be this week, this month, or even next year that the first monster wave will hit. What I do know is that 90% of the people here who were not players have little to no chance of surviving. Even many players will probably die in the time to come. Only those who have worked hard and leveled up will be able to step onto the new stage.
Of course, this will be an eye-opener to many, and those who do survive will begin working even harder to level up. But my primary concern now is that leveling up is now possible in the real world. I don’t know what this will do or what it means for this world, but I do know one thing… I will make use of every opportunity that I can to survive.
My dreams… I am not sure how I should put this, but they are probably not dreams. Are they more like a window into a different time? While I can say almost everything is the same, there are many differences. The temple—the quest I received about the two worlds' connection. Somehow, Earth and the game world are related or connected in one way or another that goes deeper than just some game.
Then there are Silvie and Hilde, who seem to be hiding something from me and their pure and utter devotion to me. It makes no sense. Those two have their own unique personalities, but from the very start, they acted strange. And now, knowing they are hiding something from me, it makes me wonder. Especially their early hostility against Angel.
There are so many questions, yet no answers. Time is slim, yet I have no way of gaining any ground. All I can do now is concentrate on surviving. The last thing I want is a building crushing me to death once again.
“Zoe?” Angel’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned to see her curiously looking at me. Her bob-cut pink hair that went to her shoulders swayed ever so slightly. Her cute little face with slightly blushed cheeks made me want to reach out and pinch them.
I leaned my head against hers and slipped my hand around her waist. With her short stature, it made it easy for me to do this, which I actually enjoyed. “Angel, whatever the future holds for us, we must work hard. We must continue our climb. Level up as much as possible and never look back. Our destiny is in our hands.”
“Mmm…” Angel hugged me back as she hummed in answer. It was a rare, peaceful moment.
Sadly, such moments never last long.
[Hidden Mythic Quest: ‘Worldly Connections’]
[Conditions Updated…]
[You have discovered a connection between the two worlds. To enter the gates, you must overcome the first trial. The trial will start in: 3:06:15:12 ]
[First Trial: Survival (Earth)]
My body stiffened. I looked at the notice in front of me and looked at the countdown timer. Then, at the First Trial note. “Survival… Earth…”
“Zoe?” Angel probably sensed something wrong. I leaned down and whispered: “We have 3 days. After this place, we will no longer abide by the law. We will just stuff everything in our inventories.”
Angel didn’t answer only nodding her head. Her body shivered slightly as I hugged it close. In my mind, I called out to Hilde. “Hilde, I’m sure you heard what I said just now.”
“Yes, Master, I will be sure to take down anyone who dares to stop us. When we get back, I will set up a barrier around the block.” Hilde understood my intention without me needing to say anything.
“Try not to kill anyone if you can.” I still wanted to avoid needless death. I doubt it would come to that, at least I hoped.
“Understood,” Hilde replied. I let out a soft breath before whispering to Angel, “Call your father and tell him to get things moving quicker. Our time limit is three days, no more than that.”
“I will do it now.” Angel took a deep breath and took out her phone. I could tell she was anxious and worried. But this was only the beginning.
I am not surprised that my quest updated in the real world. After gaining experience points, it seemed only natural. But my main worry is what is actually to come. Will it be a monster wave or something far worse? The way monsters are appearing is already strange. It worries me, but at the same time, I’m hoping for it to come and be over with quickly.
It seemed my time was much shorter than I had expected. “Hilde, we will be swamped the next few days.”
“Don’t worry, Master. Silvie and I will assist you as best as we can.”
“Okay, everything is rung up. The price comes to…” Mike gave us the final price, which was a hefty sum. After we paid, we stored all the items away, starting with the non-perishables. The perishables for this store went to Silvie, who could then freeze what could be frozen in ice so that it wouldn’t take up space in her inventory. Those that couldn’t be frozen were kept in her inventory.
“Mike, call that number as soon as possible. You have two days. We need to go. We still have places to be.” I left these words before taking Angel’s hand and walking out of the store.
“Zoe, where are we headed now?” Angel asked as she trotted alongside me. I was walking quite fast, and since my legs were longer than hers, she had to walk a little faster to keep up.
“We are headed to Failmart, then Blowes and Home De Pot. We will only be clearing these stores and not paying. So, fill your inventory. We won’t be leaving the house after today, so there is no need to worry about the police or the military. World laws no longer apply now.” The world was coming to an end. There was no longer a need to worry about anything else.
“Okay!” Angel nodded her head and smiled brightly. She now had a skip in her step. Maybe she was looking forward to the new world.
“Angel, just so that you know, in the future, as time goes on, there will be bloodshed. Not just monsters but humans as well. I will not hesitate to kill anyone who threatens us. The new world is not a good place.” I had to make sure she understood this. The new world order was not something those weak at heart could deal with. You had to be cold and ruthless.
“I know. You warned me many times about this. Zoe…” Angel pulled my hand, causing me to stop walking. “You and my father are the only ones I care about. I guess Hilde and Silvie, too, but that is just an afterthought.”
“Oi! Little girl, I can hear you and am the one who cooks your food. Should I spit in it?” Hilde seemed a little triggered by Angel’s words, but I could tell she was not really mad. I watched as Angel stuck her tongue out at Hilde playfully, making me smile.
“Alright. I understand. You will not hesitate. I know. You did zap a few people because of me.” I had noticed the black specs in Angel’s halo. It seemed she was not wholly pure of heart.
“Excuse me.” A man suddenly approached us. I turned to see a man in priest robes standing there with what I can only guess was a Bible in his hands.
“Yeah?” I asked, pulling Angel behind me. I had a strange feeling about this man.
“I am Bishop Stone. I am from the High Church of the Gods. We are a new faith broken off from the Christian Church. We would like to invite Miss Angel there to become our Patron Saint.” The man’s words made me snort. This bastard wanted to take Angel away to be their goddess or whatever? I guess he is not a very smart person.
“I think you should leave. My girlfriend is not someone you can even think about for your cult.” I replied coldly, a sword appearing in my free hand while my other grabbed Angel’s hand.
“Miss, as a demoness, you should not taint our goddess. I think you should let her go. I don’t think you wish to make an enemy out of the High Church of the Gods.” The so-called priest suddenly became very unpriestly-like.
“Oh? And do you think you can stop me?” I asked, pointing my sword at his neck. “With a single thrust, I can take your life and send you to whatever god you actually worship. Don’t think for even a second we will feel threatened by some dipshit in a priest’s robe. Let me warn you, I am not afraid of laws. I will take your life here and leave your body to rot under the afternoon sun.”
“Miss Demoness, I think you are not understanding something.” The so-called priest suddenly took a cross out from under his robe. It was just a tiny silver cross that hung around his neck. He then pointed it to me while holding his bible up. It made me wonder. Just how messed up this man’s brain was. “Begone demoness!”
“Begone, dipshit!” I raised my foot and kicked the man hard. He went flying across the street and crashed through the window of some antique store.
“He’s lucky I didn’t kill him!” I snorted before pulling Angel along. Hilde was giggling away as she followed behind us. I, too, wanted to laugh. I mean, what made this idiot even think I would allow them to take my person?
“You were really cool just now. Like a hero!” Angel seemed to be enjoying herself.
“I don’t want to hear that Miss Goddess!” I teased, causing her to pinch my waist. But it did make me wonder. Who the hell makes pink-haired things their goddess? It just makes no sense!
⧫⧫⧫
Failmart. The one store everyone goes to to buy just about anything. Usually, you can get cheaper versions of stuff you can’t find elsewhere. But this place is good since you can get everything from underwear to food all in one place. “We will start with the clothing isles first. Grab what you can and pass it to me I will stuff it in my inventory. Silvie is waiting to take it out and store it in the cottage. Also, don’t forget to take what people have in carriages as well.”
“Got it!” Angel and Hilde replied before quickly running off with their carriages. I had my own and was now moving towards the little kid section. I did not plan to leave anything in this store, and even if the police came, they wouldn’t be able to stop us today.
Luckily, I could just touch an item and store it in my inventory. The carriage was just mainly for show. I walked over to one rack and took the entire rack of clothing in one go. There was no need to pull the clothing off when I could just take the entire rack. But now that I was thinking about it, I sent Angel and Hilde a message: “Girls, just stuff things in your inventory and take the entire rack.”
“That makes things easier!” Angel replied.
“Understood, Master,” Hilde replied.
The racks might be bolted to the floor, but if you thought of them as an item separate from the building, it would pull the entire rack in, leaving only the bolts behind. Rack after rack disappeared instantly.
Of course, our actions were quickly noticed. I could hear someone yelling from the direction Angel had gone in. “What are you doing!? What did you do to the clothes!?”
“Shut it, lady!” Angel’s voice rang out, followed by the sound of someone being shocked. I could only hold my head and shake it. This girl was supposed to be an Angel!
On the other side, I heard: “Miss, you need to return what you just stole! Wait! Never mind! Steal what you want. Just put the sword away!”
“What are these girls doing!? One’s zapping, and the other is threatening to kill people.” I shook my head and continued doing what I was doing. For some reason, I was the only one they were not saying anything to. I mean, I had three people watching what I was doing, but not a single one was stepping forward to stop me. One even had a cart full of things. That cart, though…
I walked over to the lady with a bunch of things in her cart, touched the cart, and stored it in my inventory before turning around and returning to what I was doing. From start to finish, she did not say a single word to me; she just stood there, frozen in place. Am I that scary?
It took almost thirty minutes for us to clear the entire store of all shelving and the stock they had out back. This included all the foodstuffs they had as well. We were just about to leave when a few men in dress shirts, most likely managers of the store, walked over, stopping us from leaving.
“I don’t know why you are doing this, but please return the items you took. You are making it impossible for us to conduct business, " the balding man who stood in front demanded. He looked quite nervous as he made his request.
“Umm… No. Now, if you will excuse me, I have some other stops to make. Better luck next time, okay?” I flashed him a smile before taking the girls with me and walking past the three men.
“Why didn’t you stop them!?” I heard one of the men behind me yell out.
“I don’t want to die!” Another person answered. But this only made me purse my lips.
“Angel, am I that scary?” I really needed to know. I mean, I thought I looked pretty now!
“Hmmm? Zoe is the cutest. Right, Hilde?” Angel answered. But of course, she would say this.
“Yes, Master is the cutest, sexiest woman alive. If she allowed it, I would suck on her toes and wash her body from front to back and back to front over and over….”
“Alright, enough!” Why did Hilde always go on rants? And what the hell is this toe-sucking thing!? Nasty!
“Master, why are you making space between us?” Hilde looked at me with an aggrieved expression.
“Making sure you stay away from my toes,” I replied.
“Hahaha!” Angel seemed to find it amusing.
“Master, I would wash your toes first, of course.”
“Like that makes a difference! No more talking about my toes! I don’t have a foot fetish!”
“Master, I don’t either. I am just saying…”
“Hilde! I think I need to de-summon you now.”
“Master, please don’t! Anything but that! How about I wash your t…”
“Do you not take me seriously!?”
“Hahahaha!”
I give up. I have a maid who seemed amused by teasing me, a girlfriend who finds my plight as funny as can be, and a world that is about to end in three days. Maybe these peaceful times are something I should cherish. I let out a sigh and gave a helpless smile as we made our way to the next store.
⧫⧫⧫
Three days passed, and my timer had already reached the three-hour mark.
[00:03:01:45]
“Do we have everything?” I asked as I looked at the list of crossed-off stuff.
“Zoe, you should relax, anything not on the list I already had delivered.” Derrick, Angel’s father, replied.
In the past three days, we had set up a barrier around the entire block that we owned. Each resident that was living here also got many supplies and a gaming headset. They were confused at first, but in the past two days, the number of monster sightings had increased. Some were even spawning in people’s homes. Thousands of people were dying every minute due to monsters appearing in the most random places. Even here on my little block, we had monsters appear, but we quickly dispatched them.
Because of our quick response time, the people here listened to what we had to say. Even now, as we were doing our final check on things, I had gathered all the residents outside in the street to hold a meeting. Young and old stood there staring at us from our makeshift stage made of wood I had taken from the home improvement stores.
“Zoe, you should start.” Angel pulled on my sleeve. To think there would come a day when I, of all people, a person who could barely speak to others before, would be giving a speech to a few hundred people.
“Alright.” I took a deep breath and turned my attention to the people standing before us. “Everyone. Thank you for coming out during this time when things can go crazy at any minute. To everyone here, I thank you for believing me when I say our world is about to change. My organization, The Fallen of Elysium, will help protect you and help you grow. We could have kicked you all out, but that would not be fair to you. While we did get rid of some people, we did so to make sure our territory would not be disturbed by in-fighting.
“Each one of you has received food and supplies for an entire month based on your family’s needs. A generator, gas, and headset to begin your path in-game to level up so you can protect yourselves in the future as well.
“Old can become young, and young can become old, all depending on how you wish to live your life. What race you choose is up to you. You will not be kicked out for becoming a goblin or some other race.
“We only ask that what is given is repaid in the future once you have gained enough levels. Of course, any work done will also be paid for. Loyalty is what we ask for. Just know that anyone who dares to turn against us after we have given so much to you will be dealt with. Death is your only way of redemption.”
I scanned the crowd and saw many faces go pale. I don’t wish to kill anyone, but if anyone dares to betray me, they will only have one end. The new world was not a kind place.
“In three hours, the first monster wave will happen. We need everyone who is able to fight, to be on call. Any screams should be answered immediately. Kill any monsters that appear and keep alive as many people as you can. If you cannot handle it, call for help. All players have been given a radio to communicate with everyone else. There are only eight buildings. We should be able to keep our area clear of monsters.
