[3 years ago]
Vash enters the floor 901, it was different but somewhat similar to the floor with no men. He runs around.. Checking out every corner.. And meets many people.. Here, there were all men... Only males. Vash doesn't stay in the same place like he did in the last floor and spent the days to clear all the monster out of here and breaks another waystone in doing so.. He cleans the general of the men here and luckily, he was also a monster boss like the general of women on floor 900.
He did every quest and side quests of the system, without stopping anywhere this time... Hoping to end it right there,.. And the system sensed that he was avoiding the people of this tower... It made the quest.
[Exclusive quest: eliminate anyone or everyone that comes close to user.]
The quest was absurd.. But it didn't matter, he wasn't going to be friends anyone here anyway.
He spent three years, defeating monster after monster and found a way to connect all the floors from 850 to 950... It was just floor 900 and 901 at first, but slowly they connected together.. And then, a final quest came... The quest that will push him from floor 950 to all the way to floor 1000.
He was sitting on top a building, that was ruined here too.
[Poker quest: clear the hidden quest to find the final waystone.
Play 2 matches in successions and acquire the wishing heart]
At first he was didn't understand what kind of quest it was and thought.
Vash:"poker?.... I've never played that before.... And why the hell is it giving me a cards game quest suddenly?... Hm,.... Well, let's go anyway,... I have to acquire the wishing heart or whatever, right?... Doesn't matter how."
He leaps down from the building and goes to the location where the system pointed at.. Coming there, he was shocked to see such a big hole inside such a ruined looking cathedral... He thought there was nothing and goes inside.... Only to find the whole area inside covered in darkness... Then a sound comes from the darkness..
Akihiro(xero) :"Ah~... New flesh,... I wonder what they taste like."
Then another voice comes from a different side.
Hyun-sa:"xero-ssi.. How many times have I told you not to talk like that when we have new members?"
Vash looks around, trying to see where the voices came from and asks.
Vash:"Hellow~ .... Where am I supposed to go from here?... Anyone?... Please tell me.... I am new here."
The voices went silent, that hyun-sa talks again and says.
Hyun-sa:"just walk straight, and look at your steps while walking... There might be rubles that you can't see in the dark."
The voice was too polite.... Too much that vash couldn't help but feel gratitude towards his advice... Like he found a person who treats him like a person in a while, but didn't show it... Because he'll have to kill him if he got too close..
He steps forward and slipped on a pebble.. Slamming face hard on the door and fell inside the auction Hall, the host and hostess along with all the audience stares at him like he just disturbed the world meeting with his presence.
He sits up and rubs his forehead in daze and looks around.. Not understanding what's going on and asks.
Vash:"is this the poker house?..... I was told to come here."
The host looks at him in anger and says.
Host:"just go inside and find the 7th door... You can't miss it. Tch, wasted our time."
Vash's eye twitches in annoyance and his gaze falls on the person in the cage, the Phoenix human hybrid and his eyes widens a bit.
Vash:"What the... Hell is that?"
The host didn't hear him mumbling and raises his voice.
Host:"Just leave already!... You're wasting our time with you stupid ass here."
Vash's eye twitches again at his insult. He steps up to the stage and, grabbed the man by his collar, up in the air and says coldly while looking in his eyes.
Vash:"Who do you think you're to call me that?"
The host went stiff, dangling his feets in the air and trying to free himself when suddenly the hostess used some kind of spell wand and opened the cage... The Phoenix hybrid's eyes turned dull red as it stood up and everything happened so fast... That, vash never saw it coming... He blinked,... And... He was back at stage one of floor 901...when he entered it the first time.
He blinked once more,.... And all that came out of his mouth was.... "Huh?"
He looked down at the system in shock and confusion because.... The system clearly said,.. He can't respawn after dying until he unlocks floor 990.
Vash:"what just... Happened?.... Wasn't I.. Wait... I... I didn't respawn.... I traveled back three years!"
He stared at the system window, and there was no info..... And what caught his eyes was,... The system had no quests that he got upto floor 950 .. Everything was like... Reset.
Vash:"just,.. What the hell is going on?"
He spent another three years combining the floors and making sure that there were no conflict, not sure what to do and goes back to the poker house when he finally gets the quest. This time he doesn't do anything to the host and hostess and just walks right inside.. And inside the poker house, he knocks out every other members and tie them up to ask where is the wishing heart, when hyun-sa suddenly wakes up and something happens before vash could. The Phoenix hybrid kills him again.
Since then he did it over and over again... Every time he entered, it was either the host and hostess provoking him and getting killed by the hybrid, or inside the poker house, he always lost because he had no experience in poker or the members always cheated when he was about to win.
He also tried to kill everyone in the building and ask where the wishing heart was, but every time.... The Phoenix hybrid would kill him like a puppet control by string... It was just three years,... Which he lived for 24 years again and again, dying every time he got even a bit close to getting it.
Everytime he came back stronger and with more experience... The hybrid would still kill him in mere blinking moment.. And the system didn't seem to know anything either... It was just him... Regressing everytime he died.. Like.. It was the system... But the death it's.
Until his 7th attempt, when just before he was about to die by the hand of Phoenix hybrid once again. Hanging mid air in its grip. The hybrid mumbles out in a whisper, breaking out of his puppet strings just so he could say that one line.
Hybrid:"wh—... Why do you keep coming back?... Run away and save yourself."
finally after that many deaths, he realized... The system didn't glitch..... But... The Phoenix himself was giving him chance to run away.... Everytime he died, it was the Phoenix that sent him back to square one... And this was also the last time he did it.. Because... Why else will he tell him to run away like that?... Yes?
But, vash had have enough.. His ego was hurt in more than he expected... This was anything but madness... He wasn't going to let them off until he gets his revenge for so many deaths.... And he can't leave until he finds the wishing heart
Anyway... So, he changes his clothes... Black, shadowy... Like a person made of darkness.
He purchases a mask from the system, "mask of appraisal"... A frowning black fool mask.
[3 years later : 24 years equivalent]
Vash:"just why do you think... That I am meeting you for the first time? ... Mr. Kim hyun-sa"
The admin stood up suddenly, his face calm, but a sweat bead falls down his forehead as he calmly but awkwardly asks.
Admin:"wh—... Who are you?"
Vash stays as he is and slowly takes off the frowning mask.. His silveriine mask still under it as he thinks to himself
Vash:"I look like a idiot, am I not?.... I have a freaking mask that can change it's shape on my will... And yet I wore a different mask that I found in the system shop.... Well... This one was good because it let's me read the traits of every person in front of me... But I still look like a idiot to wear a mask over mask."
"But, I can't let him think I am a idiot.... I have to think of a plausible and convincing reason for this."
He sighs calmly as the mask disappears into light fragments in his hands. Then taking a moment, he gets up from the chair too and slowly walks around towards him, while the admin,.. Or Kim hyun-sa was stepping away from him slowly.
As he starts to talk, hyun-sa was warily eyeing him, like a prey looking for an opportunity to run away.
"It doesn't matter, who am I?.. No need for you to know.... What am I doing?.. You don't need to know that either.... What do I want?.... That's the main question.... Oh.. And if you're wondering why did I put a mask over this mask,.. Well, this mask is because I can't breath the filthy air of this world, and the mask was because you can't stand looking in my eyes if I got enraged."
He said politely... Too polite, that even a royalty will get ashamed... His eyes leaking sweetness... False, but clear in threat.. No one could look in those eyes if he's pissed, and no one can look away once he looks in their.
The admin gulps and steps a few step back until he was cornered to the wall... The moment his back touched to the wall, he shudders, scared and trembling... He puts his hand on his chest, and looks at vash with trembling eyes and fearful smile.
All he could see were the pair of blue glowing eyes, that were crushing him under the cold pressure of the air.
Vash didn't do anything, he simple puts a hand on his shoulder and says in a low, cold whisper.
Vash:"Don't even think about doing that..... I'll tear you to pieces if you even thought about calling "that thing" here."
Hyun-sa froze... His brain short circuited the moment vash said not to make "that" Wish. His mind going million question per seconds.
Hyun-sa:"how does he know about my wish?, how does he know I was going to make a wish here?,... How does he even know about wishing thing?!.... Only I know how to make a wish, only I know where it is located,.... How did he find it?...can he hear my thoughts?"
Vash just keeps staring into his eyes with the same cold look, making him gulp and freeze in fear again.. He didn't have the courage to thing about anything... All he could think was... "He can hear me, he can hear me"... Over and over... Repeatedly in his brain.. And seeing this.. Vash adds one more line.
Vash:" So,.. Where is it... Where did you put "that"?... And, if you think I can hear your thoughts... You're absolutely right~..... So, don't try anything funny... Give me that..... Wishing heart."
Hyun-sa didn't say anything and takes his hand away from his chest and says.
Hyun-sa:"I—.... It's... Inside of my chest... Y.. You'll.. Have to take out my heart for that,.. B.. But.. My body regenerates because of the wishing heart... L.. Like... It heals really fast... A whole limb can grow in 2 seconds."
Vash continues to look him in the eyes and say just one line.
Vash:"Do you really think I'll fall for that?"
Hyun-sa freezes like a deer caught in headlights, he didn't had a answer, because the only thing that went through his head at the moment was.
Hyun-sa:"just how does he know so much about me?"