Deus Necros

“Seems like the choice is obvious, but it isn’t stating that you cannot go against Necros…” Ludwig said.

He spoke without looking away from the text at first, then finally lifted his gaze to the lantern as if the object itself had written the line. The wording bothered him. It was too neat. Too carefully phrased. Ludwig didn’t like holes in contracts, especially divine ones. His tone carried dry skepticism and a faint edge of accusation.

“That’s a binding not to Necros, but to you. In case you yourself went against Necros, it wouldn’t destroy me. The world is fair…”

The Lich’s explanation came with a softness that felt almost mocking. Fair. Ludwig’s lips pressed together. He’d seen “fairness” from this world and from Necros, and it always seemed to mean someone paid, not that justice was served.

The idea that the binding would protect the Lich if Ludwig ever went against Necros sat wrong in his chest, like a future being suggested too casually.

Ludwig didn’t ever think he’d one day go against Necros, perhaps these former apostles didn’t see it firsthand, but Ludwig already knows what a monster he is.

The thought came uninvited, heavy and slightly unpleasant. Necros’s calm wasn’t kindness. It was the stillness of something that didn’t need to be cruel because cruelty was effortless.

For a monster like Necros… defiance is but a whim to be crushed by simply willing it to dissipate. That was the level of Omnipotence one would go against if they were to ’defy.’

Ludwig’s fingers flexed once on the lantern’s handle as if the memory itself required a physical response.

Maybe the apostles hadn’t seen it. Ludwig had, and he could not unsee it.

“Sure thing, can’t do it here though, we’ll need to go to the Black Tower academy first…”

He let the decision fall like a stone, simple, practical, not affectionate. Ludwig wasn’t about to perform such a binding in the open forest, with unknown eyes possibly in the sky. The academy had wards, rules, and people who pretended not to notice certain things. It was as safe a place as any to do something unsafe.

He then checked the remaining notifications.

His eyes returned to the invisible list waiting at the edge of his vision, and for a moment, he felt that old, familiar tension: the sense that every new line would be another weight added to his shoulders. He read anyway.

***

Sudden Quest: Daggers in Shadow.

[The Eyes of the Council of Betrayers is moving.]

The many hands that betrayed Necros are adamant in seeking revenge on you for slaying yet another Usurper. The fear they have now is growing by each day, for you can achieve what they couldn’t.

Afraid that you might actually complete The Eternal Quest, daggers in the shadows began moving.

Find out the identity of the one who is currently scrying the skies for your information and eliminate them.

Reward: Third Upgrade to the [Soul Letting Lantern]

***

The language had a different flavor here, less distant instruction and more warning, as if the system itself was irritated. Council of Betrayers. Eyes moving.

Ludwig felt a faint coldness settle behind his ribs. Scrying the skies. That meant someone was looking for him now, actively, methodically.

He resisted the urge to glance upward at the canopy, knowing how paranoid that would look, and also knowing paranoia was sometimes just good sense.

***

Eternal Quest III

[Pride and Prejudice.]

You are on the path of growing out of your shell. Though you have yet to reach the level to break out of Van Dijk’s control, you are getting closer.

You’re tasked with achieving a remarkable growth in the Tower of Trials.

However, there is a being in there that is not something you can fight at your current level.

Achieve remarkable growth before seeking the Tower of Trials.

///

You must at least be able to apply the title [Lord of All that is Metal].

You must be able to use [Noctivex].

You have 6 months left before the Tower closes.

///

The Prideful Death awaits at the peak of the Tower.

You cannot proceed to Eternal Quest IV until Pride is eliminated.

In case you fail to attain a sufficient level of growth within the time period. You must refrain from entering the Tower.

You cannot proceed with [Eternal Quest III] until you complete the Quest [Daggers in Shadow]

The third Upgrade of the Soul Letting Lantern is mandatory.

Rewards: Unknown.

***

The detail was unsettling. Requirements, deadlines, and warnings layered on warnings. Six months. Ludwig felt the number tick like a clock in his skull.

The names of title and gear, [Lord of All that is Metal], [Noctivex], hung like locked doors he hadn’t yet found the key to.

Prideful Death at the peak. The phrasing made it sound like a certainty waiting, not a possibility.

And the line about refraining from entering the Tower if he couldn’t grow fast enough carried the kind of blunt cruelty only a system could deliver.

Ludwig squinted his eyes; his quests were never this detailed before. This was big. And very concerning too.

The quest was to slay the Prideful Death, which came as a surprise since Necros mentioned he needed to grow stronger first before fighting another Usurper.

But to be forced to do a sudden Quest first before an Eternal One, that means that the reward isn’t just needed. It means the Eternal Quest cannot be completed without it.

The squint wasn’t just concentration; it was discomfort. Ludwig disliked being guided too tightly, like a leash being shortened.

He didn’t mind tasks, he minded being boxed in. Necros had told him to grow stronger first, and now the quest itself demanded Pride’s death, as if the world had decided the schedule for him.

Ludwig thought hard. The First mission was to defeat a former Necros servant. Nothing too big, actually. Been there, done that kind of stuff.

But that didn’t mean it would be easy. And the reward is another Upgrade to his lantern? That was something tempting.

He weighed it like a gambler weighing odds with blood as currency. The reward tugged at him like hunger.

The last upgrade of the Lantern was already insanely powerful. It allowed Ludwig to use the Souls that weren’t used before the Apostle was banished.

The Faceless allowed Ludwig to reach his current Level from how many souls he had inside his own lantern.

Power had come from it, yes, but it had also changed the lantern into something more than an object. It had become an ecosystem of the dead, and Ludwig was the one carrying it.

Ludwig wondered how many the current target of his Quest would have. He could almost salivate at the thought.

The thought was ugly and honest. Numbers. Souls. A tally that meant strength. Ludwig hated that hunger and also relied on it.

“Let’s go back to the Academy for now. I have many things to do.” He said as he began his journey.

The forest path opened in front of him with the quiet obedience of nature, and Ludwig moved with a steady pace that suggested urgency without panic. The lantern swung at his side with each step, its weight familiar, almost comforting. Almost anticipating…