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0.15% Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player / Chapter 1: Second Chance
Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player original

Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Author: ApexPen

© WebNovel

Chapter 1: Second Chance

Every day was a somber haze, a perpetual hell where Kieran could barely tell his yesterday from today or tomorrow. It had all become one big, draining blur.

And he was bored — so very bored that it hurt. 

He wanted change and activity, but he couldn't have that unless it were inside a dream that rarely came. He mostly had nightmares instead of dreams these days — snippets of lost glory that haunted him.

He hated his fall from grace, staring around his white prison listlessly.

It wasn't supposed to be a prison, yet it felt like one. 

He lay in a pristine, cubic medical room to prolong his life that drained with each passing day. He was reaching his end; he could feel it. Then, perhaps what awaited him was a hellscape.

'No, this place is my hell.' 

Regret and hatred burned in his mind, but he did not know where to offload it. He wanted to believe it was ownerless, but that was a lie. Kieran knew what he hated, what deserved despising — that accursed sickness that had condemned him to this waking hell.

Kieran closed his eyes, pursed his lips, and then let out a miserable groan, barely holding back tears of anguish. Who would want to live a bleak life confined to a bed when you were once someone great?

It was a terrible fate, perhaps the most miserable to a vain person.

'I'm not vain, though. I'm just… tired.'

Kieran exhaled. 

Then he opened his glossy, dull eyes and stared at the blinding white light falling from the ceiling. He could see a roaring crowd flickering across the rays of light for just a second before it vanished, and he fell back to reality.

His name — Kieran Silver — had been forgotten. Perhaps only he remembered the past filled with thrill, purpose, and triumph.

Realizing that his name no longer made waves stung like venom searing through his veins. The grandeur of his accolades had vanished in the time he spent moving from hospital to hospital.

The true pain, however, was his inability to make anything more of his life. His sickness had stolen his ability to move, then… it stole his happiness, and now, it was not that far from stealing his thoughts and claiming his life.

Kieran sighed again, this one more burdened than the last.

His mind was unhealthy — literally and figuratively. It was eating away at him, consuming his everything. Remembering hurt, and his memory faltered. It wasn't his fault, though. He had tried to solve the issue as soon as the symptoms became noticeable.

Needless to say, the search had failed. 

'If it was up to me… I'd end it all. But alas, I have no control.'

Let alone move, he could barely think. Each thought came out sluggish after languishing in his head for a few minutes.

Then, just when he only wanted to rest alone and wallow in despair, the room's door slid open, and several people strode inside — several… familiar people.

A medley of emotions brewed in Kieran's annoyed eyes while looking at these people stroll through the room. Their appearance alone made the room seem like a funereal battlefield.

Kieran did his best to ignore them and their routine appearance, but there wasn't much else for him to focus on. The beeping medical devices? The screen filled with an uninteresting show?

His thoughts were too heavy to be entertained by mundane activities. He had tasted thrills too great and was now numb to what others called normal.

Soon, all Kieran could do was give a glum look and then speak.

"What is it today?" 

His voice was grating and guttural like a rasp of death coming to life. It was clear he had not used his voice in a long time.

Though he had asked for the reason, Kieran knew why they were there. It was the same as always — they were vultures and sought his unspent and idle fortune. 

Without an heir, beneficiary, or relative to leave it to… it was just there. It was a considerable sum, too, and because of that, Kieran had time to determine what he'd do with it. Ultimately, he found it would best serve as a research fund for this ailment.

The cognition sickness that burdened the mind until it ate away at itself.

He had announced this decision to the executor of his estate. Since then, the visits from his former guild had grown infrequent. And Kieran cherished that peace.

Of the many that strode into the room, only one spoke up. 

It was a man with pale blond hair that hung past his eyes and intruded upon the frames of his glasses. He was dressed in a tidy suit, but his conniving eyes filled with cunning betrayed the genteel facade he was trying to weave.

"The same as always. But just a little different. You see… the guild has fallen upon hard times and requires a cash injection of massive proportions. And as I said… hard times — we do not have it. So, we must look beyond to greener pastures for help."

Kieran listened, but his impassive expression didn't budge. On the contrary, antipathy and rancor started to seethe below the surface.

"And? What does that have to do with me, Charles?"

The deceitful, blond-haired man, Charles, smiled thinly. 

"A great deal, Kieran. You are Golden Brigade's old legend — the Berserk King. As our legend, shouldn't you find it in your heart to help us? Your great benefactors? You rose from the shoulders of a Behemoth. It was our firm back that supported you. Now, we are in need."

It wasn't hard to tell from Kieran's current hateful gaze that this wasn't true. A lot of sabotage went on in the background that he never addressed because it worked out in the bittersweet end.

Still, his departure was not an amicable one. Malicious stunts were pulled, his integrity was questioned, and his sickness was doubted… until it couldn't be.

"Too bad. Ask your friends. If you have any remaining, that is. The Golden Brigade should have learned not to stab people in the back. I'm sure that's what landed you in all your binds."

Finally, Charles' facade began to fall apart. Hints of his malignancy and vile tendencies seeped through his mask of civility.

"Whether you like it or not… your assets can be seized. Your sickness makes you medically inept. Your mind is not okay. And you know it. That's why… this was super easy to obtain. Effortless, in fact."

Charles grabbed a beige folder from a subordinate and slid it across Kieran's torso. A bundle of paper spilled from inside, the header reading: "Seizure of Bound Executive Assets."

Kieran's gaze grew dark as it met Charles' treacherous delight.

"You may have departed from Golden Brigade, but the bylaws of the employment contract still bind you. Isn't the law amazing in that way?! Laugh with me, it's hilarious."

Kieran was not laughing. He was livid and filled with murderous thoughts. The gist of it was simple. They had named him unfit to make legal decisions — which he probably was given his sick mind — and assumed control of his estate.

It was all gained during his contracted period, and the administrator helped speed along the process. Who knew it would all come to bite him in the rear?

He was young… and youth was the time of rampant mistakes. Mistakes were the rite of passage that led to wisdom and understanding.

And Kieran was understanding that people could not be trusted.

"You thought we would give up in our pursuit of this new world? After coming so far? Never. But now we can go farther. And you…"

Charles smirked. There was something amiss with his expression. He continued, though.

"Now that we have control of all this, you can go on and die from your H-COS. Let it finish eating your mind. Ah, wait, but there's more! It gets better. You could have been cured and more robust than ever. But you're too difficult to control and not ideal to let grow into real power. Bye now, fool."

Charles turned around in a fit of maniacal laughter and strode toward the room's exit with the others, but just then, a voice straight from hell itself, seething with fatal indignation, erupted.

"What did you say?"

The decrepit gears in Kieran's mind started to turn, realization and understanding clicking together into a morbid truth. The Golden Brigade that he had once led from a high position… were the ones that had condemned him to death.

Grasping this led to Kieran's unbridled fury. A dam broke in his mind, in his heart, and suffused the room with something dreadful.

Everyone was petrified, and Kieran did something no one thought he'd ever do again — move. He moved. Barely, though.

Just enough to lift with his left arm with a disturbingly hollow gaze. As he pointed at the doorway, a sphere of berserk and ruinous energy gathered at his fingertip.

It was small but contained the might of a nuclear bomb. In his madness, Kieran wanted to obliterate everything… and he awakened the power to do so. 

A female voice cautioned in a panic.

"Down!"

As he cowered behind a strong figure, something wound up protecting the terrified Charles. A protective barrier had been erected. 

The entire room was wiped out, and when all was said and done, Kieran's lifeless body — what remained of it — fell to the ground.

Shaken, Charles stared at the body.

"What a way to die… Did he become an Inhuman at the very last moments?"

The woman frowned deeply with her eyes lingering on the burnt carcass of a human.

"Something like that. Just know, he would have killed you all had I not been here. You really… really dodged a bullet."

Kieran's eyes slammed open, and he sat up in bed with a deep gasp. He was in disbelief but also unbelievably wrathful. 

Unaware of his environment, Kieran looked around with tentative glances.

"Was any of that real? No… it had to be. I wasn't having some terrible nightmare."

He touched his body, examined it, and then looked around at his new setting — a small room in a dorm. He found this new scenery intimately familiar, and that's because it was. He had spent ample amounts of time in this exact room. 

A few years, to be exact.

He shuffled out of bed and looked in the mirror. His eyes were the same black color, but there was a brooding deepness to them that he didn't understand.

His hair was the same sterling black, almost like it was dyed to be so jet black, but it wasn't.

His skin… well, it was somewhat riddled with acne. Not such that it was an unsightly mess, but enough to know that hormones rampaged through him.

'…I'm a teenager again?'

Kieran had to sit down to take it all in, but he found himself brooding as the holographic receiver on his arm chirped.

News about Zenith Online's release, a new virtual reality game, caught his eye. But it wasn't new to him.

The mention of Zenith Online caused a deluge of memories, emotions, and knowledge. The more it surged, the hotter Kieran's fury burned. He was grateful but also spiteful.

Something had brought him back here but also ruined his life.

'First… life? A couple of years of my life?'

Kieran blinked with a distant expression. He was just as confused as any person could be in this situation. However, he didn't want to squander this chance.

He glanced at a picture of a young him and his deceased parents. Gone were those blessed days, but he cherished them like any child would.

'Zenith Online…'

Kieran idled for a few moments, then made an executive decision. He'd dive back in. He was back in a time period when peril had yet to take hold of him, which made him free to do many things. 

At the top of those things was a dark… homicidal list.

'Golden Brigade, your days are numbered. And Charles. Oh, Charles. The things I'm going to do to you will be unspeakable. Sweet revenge. Retribution. Whatever this is now.'

Rebirth, return, reincarnation — Kieran didn't care what this was. It was a second chance to make wrongs right, and in his mind, that began with the dismantling of Golden Brigade.

He waited hours for the cheapest VR Helmet to come, configured it, and then waited for the so-called wonder known as Zenith Online to be launched.

[0:03]

[0:02]

[0:01]

[Welcome to the new world… Zenith Online, the world of wonder awaits you.]


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ApexPen ApexPen

Hello all, just an aspiring artist with a penchant for LitRPG, specifically VRMMORPG stories.

As a result, I've endeavored to write my own. I hope you all enjoy it and notify me of any spelling or grammar errors so I can resolve them aptly.

That being said, I also implore you all to give feed as long as it is constructive.

Chapter 2: A Name, Starting Place, and Intrigue

Following the launching screen, Kieran opened his eyes within a white, digitized space with several azure gridlines creating an odd scenery.

A few seconds after he arrived, a fairy creature stepped out of a forming portal. The fairy possessed a petite frame no taller than 30 centimeters.

After appearing, the fairy revolved around Kieran with a curious gaze.

Kieran didn't flinch or react whatsoever because he knew this was part of the process.

Each player's journey began with a simple character configuration process before they could truly connect to the world of Zenith Online. After all, the makers couldn't just send them inside without basic knowledge regarding their upcoming experiences inside Zenith Online.

Finally, after staring at Kieran with her large mystical eyes, the fairy spoke while moving her hand in a rectangular shape.

"Young adventurer, please tell me your name. You're free to choose a name if such a player doesn't exist. This decision is irreversible, so choose wisely. The name will follow you everywhere you leave a legacy."

The fairy's actions suddenly changed as a mystical light illuminated her finger. The floating rectangular structure resonated with her finger, and she began her process.

Kieran ignored her actions and thought about her question instead. 'Perhaps a symbolic name is more important than I regarded it to be in the past. I didn't consider this thought in the past as I lacked any initial grand aspirations. But it's different this time around... When my name resounds, the power behind my identity shall create tidal waves of dread.'

Eventually, Kieran decided upon a name that felt befitting to his grand plan.

Kieran didn't just receive a second chance to become great; he gained a second chance to triumph and strike with a vengeance! A chance to smite those involved in his fatal betrayal!

Therefore, Kieran glanced up, looked at the circle composed of some Grand Spirit Magic, and answered. "Aatrox."

Loosely translated, this name meant the one deemed savage, terrible, cruel, or even merciless. Based on the emotions buried inside Kieran, why he chose a name like this was understandable. However, determining how exactly he would conduct himself or enact his acts of vengeance was something for him to decide alone.

After choosing his name, a ring of mystical energy bathed him in an otherworldly light for a few seconds. Upon completion, the ring dissipated.

But, the results astonished the fairy.

'That's odd… his soul is incredibly crude and unrefined... but it's powerful? How can that be? A human with a soul this powerful rivals the etchings of the Numinous Atavistic Tome. Could he be one of those humans of fable?'

The fairy's shock deepened once she perused Kieran's analysis further. 

'This is impossible! It has to be the case. This human boy's soul isn't just strong, but so is his Mind's Eye. Intense perceptivity more than three times the average human? Amazing. However, it's a shame some kind of limitation has been imposed on him. It's also a shame he's a mere human. But that issue is outside of my hands.'

Although the fairy tried to tell herself otherwise, she couldn't help sighing disappointedly. It was rare for a human to rival a fairy without having their soul strengthened externally.

Nevertheless, she still imparted the information to Kieran, giving him a general idea of why the fairy was so shocked.

Once he saw his stats, Kieran understood why the fairy displayed such a drastic change of expression.

┌───────────────────

Name: Aatrox

Lv.1 (Experience: 0/100)

Class: None

Title(s): None

----------------------------

[«Stats»]-

Health: 140/140 (0.2 HP regen/sec)

Mana: 75/75 (0.08 MP regen/sec)

Stamina: 102 (0.1 Stamina regen/sec)

Attack Power: 22

Defense: 13

-----------------------------

[«Attributes»]-

»Strength: 10 (10 + 0 + 0)

»Intelligence: 9 (9 + 0 + 0)

»Agility: 10 (10 + 0 + 0)

»Endurance: 8 (8 + 0 + 0)

»Control: 25 (25 + 0 + 0)

»Vitality: 8 (8 + 0 + 0)

»Perception: 30 (30 + 0 + 0)

[Unassigned Stat Point: 4]

[Skill Points: 2] 

└───────────────────

25 Control! 30 Perception!

Kieran began to wonder if these parameters were correct.

From what he understood, a player's attributes should be capped at 10 without leveling up and even that was somewhat difficult. Of course, there were some cases of players starting with inflated stats, but that was limited to the attribute reaching 15 at most.

Anything beyond this was unprecedented as the calculation of points involved the strength of the player's mind.

The mightier one's mind, the better one could control their character. After all, all that linked the player to this game was an inferior VR device—the VR Helmet. As a full dive VR, the mind was an integral part of the experience.

Nevertheless, Kieran remained baffled simply because of his knowledge of this game.

'Zenith Online begins in an incomplete state, purposely inhibiting the sensory emulation. Compared to Earth, it's at 90%. It should quite literally be impossible to have Control and Perception this high.'

The 10% difference might seem small compared to how much information a human's senses absorbed, but it meant life or death on a battlefield.

Losing 10% of the information processed could be potentially fatal in a dire situation, like a war.

Although Kieran possessed many questions, who could supply the answer? Stats were a matter of personal evaluation.

"It's a shame that you're only a human with such an exuberant spirit. Perhaps, you'll prevail if you take a special path, for example, a Spirit Conjurer. If not that, you could always seek counsel with those Blessed by Mana in the future," the fairy commented.

But Kieran's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the fairy. 'Those Blessed by Mana? In other words, Dragons? I'm not that delusional. No, ma'am.'

Eventually, Kieran shook his head. "I appreciate the suggestion, but I'll have to decline. Ultimately, it's best to choose what our heart desires because all paths converge at the crossroads of magic."

The fairy nodded faintly. "You're not wrong. As the building block of life, Mana powers all. Still, don't completely overlook or disregard my suggestion. Your potential is too valuable to squander."

Kieran didn't doubt the fairy's words, but he had already decided on his path forward. Whether it was becoming a Spirit Conjurer or meeting with the Dragons, neither of these options was readily obtainable.

"I won't, perhaps it'll pose some use in the future. For now, it doesn't," Kieran remarked.

"Ah. ...Typical of a human. Never one to listen to a suggestion," the fairy said before waving her hand.

The mystical energy embedded within the spirit ring expanded and deconstructed, soon becoming a Zone Map that revealed the many Beginner Zones scattered throughout the world.

"After I brief you on some vital information, you'll be free to choose the location of your choice," the fairy said.

However, Kieran suddenly lifted his finger and pointed to a specific location on the map. "Transport me here, the Starter Village of Gena."

The fairy blinked speechlessly, "I haven't imparted the information yet. It'd be foolish to delve directly into the world without knowing what you'll experience. I think you should reconsider."

Despite the suggestion, Kieran's expression remained confident and unperturbed as he shook his head. "It's fine. The Zone Map has given me enough information. My decision stands. I'd like to be transported to the outskirts of the Aeredale Kingdom within the Xesian Empire."

"Very well," the fairy obliged. "I only hope that you don't come to regret your decision."

A moment later, a circle appeared beneath Kieran's feet, matching the one that scanned him earlier. However, before he was teleported away, Kieran spoke. "I already have many regrets, but this decision now is not of them."

As Kieran vanished, the fairy was left at a loss.

"That human was odd, alarmingly so. I know I judged his perceptivity and the depth of his spirit, but that barely encompassed it all... it was merely what I could fathom. I should inform the Queen Mother about this experience if she isn't aware."

Suddenly, an array of mystical ripples surfaced around the fairy, followed by her blinking away.

Kieran appeared within the world of Zenith Online with a flash of blinding blue light alongside several identical phenomena.

These flashes were naturally other players spawning into the Beginner Village.

Although Zenith Online's world was massive, players would be killed if they entered the towns or cities.

Thus, their activity was confined to Beginner Villages, which was cordoned off from Zenith Online's patrons.

Gena Village wasn't the best Beginner Village to start in due to its somewhat lacking opportunities compared to others, but it was the one Kieran was most familiar with.

Although Kieran was relatively calm, he spawned into a disturbance.

Furthermore, it was a player-created one.

"What the hell? Why wasn't I given a class? This crap says I am a basic human! I don't even have any skills! What am I supposed to do? Bite monsters?"

"Goddammit! You're right! Where are our skills and classes? How is this a VRMMORPG? It's basic knowledge that we should be given a basic class upon character creation! Jesus, this game is already DOGSHIT! Shit devs!"

"Oi, you guys yell too much. Use your brain and scope out the place. It can't be hard to find if it isn't provided initially."

Meanwhile, Kieran scoffed.

'You should have waited a few more minutes and listened to the guide's explanations. All of this would have been revealed. This game seeks hyper-reality; why would it be brainlessly easy? That defeats the purpose of seeking stimulation. They're probably the type to skip any dialogue or lore in the past.'

Despite his small mental comment, Kieran ignored his surroundings for the most partner, choosing a location near his next destination. Afterward, he took some time to acclimate to his given body, testing the sharpness of his movement.

'They're somewhat rigid at the moment, which is understandable given how long I've been out of combat. Still... having a superior starting point already exceeds my expectations,' Kieran thought. 

Starting stats were significant to beginning players.

The higher the initial value, the greater its overall effect on the player because it determined how small or large the effect of a single UAP could become.

It was similar to people attending the gym.

Someone with prior fitness experience would have an easier time getting back into shape than a completely unfit person would.

By the time Kieran finished evaluating his body, those who completed the essential guide had started appearing within Gena Village and inside the game world in general.

Like in the past, many players who started the game were excited to begin leveling. Some even thought about rushing off to the leveling fields before even receiving a class to increase their leveling efficiency.

However, those who were intelligent and familiar with the route of MMORPGs decided to receive a class. Unfortunately, obtaining a class wasn't as simple as requesting one from a mentor.

First, your attitude in their presence played a notable role in the chance of receiving the desired class. A mentor's approval was pivotal in this process.

Secondly, one's attributes summed together became the measurement for class aptitude.

The four Unassigned Attribute Points given upon creation weren't just for show, nor were they for thoughtless use. It was best to save them until the primary attribute each mentor sought was revealed.

Of course, if players were familiar with Zenith Online's precedents, they'd understand how to build a near-optimal starter build. Zenith Online didn't differ greatly from earlier VRMMORPG titles when it came to a class's main-stat focus.

That said, Kieran turned towards the village center, specifically a building within a large rectangular prism shape.

Because of his impressive stats, Kieran was confident that he'd receive the starting class of choice. Thus, while commotion filled the town, Kieran and a few other discreet individuals ventured toward a collection of buildings at the end of a paved walkway.

Most of the buildings were identical except for the unique insignia draped on a large banner atop their entrances and the impressive images embedded on stone walkways leading inside the large halls.

A feeling of slight nostalgia washed over Kieran while standing before the hemisphere-aligned identical buildings, each one appearing like a medium-sized temple or cathedral.

The nostalgia soon subsided, and Kieran walked towards the buildings aptly named the Class Halls.

According to Kieran's knowledge, they symbolized the starting classes―Warrior, Fighter, Mage, Knight, Thief, Hunter, and Priest.

In a sense, every soul within Zenith Online originated from one of these seven base classes, even if they stumbled upon gems like hidden classes of varying grades.

The moment Kieran walked inside a spacious room, a burst of wild air appeared but quickly subsided as an individual opened their eyes faintly before closing them again with an oblivious attitude.

"I'm here to acquire a class-..."

"Go away."


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
ApexPen ApexPen

Giving this story Power Stones will increase the chances of getting a good ranking in the WPC, which will, in turn, set the foundation for this book to do well.

I'll continue to talk amongst you all to establish some kind of relationship between us.

Again, I appreciate you reading this novel, no matter how infantile it may be.

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