Genaco Entertainment

Tokyo, Japan

Kashi drifted off to sleep, completely oblivious to the madness that had gripped the real world as a result of the previous battle. Although Camera-like devices had yet to be introduced to L.N.E, everything viewed through the eyes of a player could be stored and uploaded should a player want. A thousand eyes had watched, and subsequently recorded the daeben's battle against the five leaders. They then quickly flooded social media with their videos in a mad dash to grab the most likes while the attention was still hot.

Of all these videos, one particularly stood out. A user by the name of .Jayps secretly bought out the rights to over two hundred videos from some users. He combined these videos with editing skills that were out of this world, switching up perspective to place emphasis on particular portions of the battle, and layering the most fitting tracks overhead to produce over an hour's worth of action-packed content.

A day hadn't even passed yet, and already the video had racked up over three million views worldwide, with some labeling the video as "The Second Coming of Razznik." The viral video drew so much attention, Genaco Games, the division in Genaco Entertainment in charge of L.N.E and other gaming IPs were finally alerted to the situation.

Genaco Games was currently on fire, with analysts rushing about studying every aspect of the videos while operators fielded calls from customers calling in to scream their dissatisfaction at such a crazily strong player, accusing the daeben of everything from hacks and bugs to having someone in the company who was giving him all the strongest equipment. It was a state of emergency reminiscent of the early debut days of the blasted scourge Razznik. No, in fact, this was even worse.

At the very least, Razznik was known as a solo player who only hung out with the Residents and completed missions for them, battling the toughest monsters and individuals in a mad pursuit of strength. Although he did wipe out a couple dozen guilds who crossed his path, he was never really someone the other users feared would change the political situation in-game. The top guilds were still the top guilds, fighting and balancing each other out for power, while Razznik was a wild card they could hire if they were about to face a terrifying monster.

In Kashi's case instead, he was an active member of the gaming community, complete with a guild, guild army, influence and everything. Many players were already dissatisfied with the Maggots' rampant monopoly but had been forced to swallow their rage because, although Leila Lightwood seemed ethereal and otherworldly, she definitely did not seem unkillable. Thus they could console themselves that one day, the Maggots would inevitably fall, someway, somehow.

But now what was this? The strength displayed by the daeben left only room for despair. With such strength, how could the rest of them even compete!? Especially when he turned into that dragon thing at the end! What was that even? There were no draconian classes available! Many were screaming for nerfs, with some even going as far as to demand a ban or they would boycott the game altogether.

Within a conference room, several employees trembled in their seats, not daring to move a muscle. At the head of the table, forty-five-years-old, lead game developer and director of L.N.E, Justin Tan rubbed eyes reddened from rage and overuse as he glared at the report before him. "What the fuck is this garbage!?" Justin roared as he flung the report at the face of a young intern standing next to him. "How the fuck did this happen!?"

"S-sir," the intern stammered, evidently scared by Justin's temper. "B-before today K-Kashi never showed up on any videos so we could not monitor him. We have no idea how he got so strong."

"HAA!? You don't know!?" Criss-crossing green and red lines bulged on Justin's neck. He glared at the room as he thundered, "What Kind of Useless Fucks Are You Lot! Do I have to do everything myself!? HUH!?" His irritation only grew when the developers remained silent. "What are you waiting for!? Go dig up everything about him! Download his profile if you have to! I want to know where he's been, who he knows, what time he takes a fucking dump! You hear me!"

"S-sir," a brave developer spoke up. "Downloading a customer's profile without consent is illeg—"

"Fuck!" Justin cussed, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets. BAM! With a hard slap on the table, he pointed at the developer. "Pack your shit and get the fuck out! Fucking useless! I need solutions, not fucking wisecracks! This kid's a hacker okay, HACKER! Our policies do not apply to fucking hackers!"

"B-but, L.N.E cannot be hacked," the intern stammered. That statement was true. The inability to hack L.N.E was one of the greatest selling points of the game. For the lead game developer to now claim otherwise was beyond dangerous for the game's brand, even if it was just as an excuse to fish out news about a user.

Justin turned to the intern, his visage suddenly dropping to an eerie calm. An indication of his rage finally breaking past the roof. "Rumaki-kun is dead." He stated darkly, tone containing naked threat within. "His boasts died along with him. Do not ever rely on the boasts of a dead man. Understood?"

The intern stiffly nodded. The man named Rumaki was the original lead developer of the infant project King's Journey all those years back. The entirety of L.N.E was created with the original engine he programmed for King's Journey. Apparently, the Artificial Intelligence he made to handle the game was so advanced, it regularly updated itself against popular hacking methods, and with its ability to learn, it had been hailed as being un-hackable. It had remained like so for over six years. The chances of it being hacked now were far too low to even be considered.

But, they had to do as Justin said. His temper was famous in the gaming industry, and no one wanted to lose their job on a whim.

Aish, if only Rumaki-san lived long enough to see his creation become a success.

More than one developer silently sighed in their hearts.

"S-sir," a developer raised his hand. "We already tried downloading some metadata earlier, but our access was denied by a Project Rebirth banner."

Justin's eyes narrowed. "Project Rebirth," he murmured. He leaned back in his chair, scalp reflecting light off overhead lamps. He had been briefed on the project earlier in the year, warning him to steer clear of any candidates whose metadata were blocked by that banner. He frowned, wondering how he would work something positive out of this. He could not ban the kid since he did not have access to his account, and he could not justify harming his guild either. The leader's brows furrowed even deeper. Would he have to start considering damage control?

It was at this point that the door suddenly burst open, a disheveled developer rushing in with wide eyes. He did not bother with courtesy or greetings, only raising his hand to reveal a hard drive. "Th-They sent it!"

Justin's brows were touching by this point, his irritation causing him to growl, "Who sent What!?"

The developer, stunned by the growl, instantly recollected himself and realized he was standing in a meeting of his superiors. Bowing at a 90 degrees angle, he quickly dispensed his greetings then shook the Hard Drive with an excited gleam in his eyes. "Kashi's profile. They sent the entire thing!"

Justin's eyes jumped. The others might not realize it, but he knew the level of secrecy surrounding 'Project Rebirth'. No one not directly involved was allowed to even know its name. If it was not for the fact that the project required their game and they did not want any trouble from future misunderstandings, they would not have let even him know of its existence.

Yet, now they just released the daeben's entire profile?

"That's not all," the developer revealed, drawing more attention. There was more? "Whoever sent it also attached notes, telling us of the important parts to review. If not, it would take forever to sift through over 100 Terabytes worth of data."

Justin's face finally lit up with a smile. Regardless of the source of this profile, it did not change the fact that it was here. Finally, they could get to the bottom of how the daeben got to his current state. "Play it according to the highlighted zones to start with. We'll do a more in-depth analysis afterward."

Justin swiveled to face the east wall, where the smart tiles instantly burst to life with color, revealing the latest in video-wall technology. The conference room kept silent as the tiles revealed the daeben's dark hands practicing at the Arrow Range. The developers nodded. Indeed, it was quite expected that such a boss-like figure took advantage of the early stages to add on extra-stats. Of course, since the post-Razznik era, the limit for such rise was limited to fifty per stat.

Acceptance slowly turned to shock as the daeben continued practicing, the timer at the bottom of the screen displaying that he had spent over a week at the range already, honing his skills. Shock then turned to solemnity as the timer increased to three weeks. The daeben had spent an unbelievable three weeks just firing at the targets. It was quite the impressive feat, but still not enough to explain his absolute superiority.

However, the mood had already been set. The developers now knew that this was no normal user, hence they all took five minutes to go to the bathroom, and grab some snacks before returning to the conference room for what would be a crazy binge-watching marathon.

Considering there was over six months worth of content to watch, it was no wonder many parts were directly skipped over or skipped over, but even with all these, the majority of the daeben's life was well chronicled through his eyes. The developers grit their teeth at the death of Kira's mother, marveled at the battle against Xeim, had their hearts in their throat as the daeben battled against Krakul, and suffered chills all over their body as they watched him suffer through the backlash of Out-of-Body training.

Their jaws dropped as they watched the Maggots' battle against the Chaos Order in the caverns of Lib Tahos, especially when they saw Skyrm's release and Belrug's battle. Unfortunately, the scene cut off before they could hear the conversation between the daeben and the griffin. The next scene depicted Kashi's heart pounding battle against Froy, then dedicated three hours to the grueling battle for Aygorzi culminating in Ruse's defeat.

But nothing... Nothing at all could have prepared them for the final scene, which showed the daeben's maddening leveling speed. Although they had all believed him to be a broken character until that point, nothing he had done could compare to that impossible leveling speed he displayed. If they let him continue like this... They all shuddered at the thought.

Just as Kashi was about to face the guild leaders, the screen suddenly cut to black. The next scene caused the developers to jump in near fright.

Seated comfortably in an expensive leather chair, the CEO of Genaco Entertainment smiled at the developers, blue eyes carrying within them a hint of laughter which no doubt envisioned the shocked state of those who would watch this video. James Shouyou waved, smiling brightly as he congratulated, "Hey guys! Well done making it this far. It's been an epic eleven hours hasn't it? Hope you guys didn't shit yourselves from excitement... hehe."

What? Eleven Hours!? Did he just say eleven hours!? The developers quickly took a look at their cellphones, eyes going wide with shock when they realized that it indeed had been eleven hours since they began watching. How the hell did they not notice?

Murmurs and groans arose across the room as the developers suddenly realized they were either thirsty, hungry, needed to go to the toilet, or had some serious explaining to do to their spouses.

As if anticipating the commotion, Shouyou's hands rose up. "Now, now I know how you feel, but I'd like you all to calm down for a second." After a short pause, he continued. "As you can see, the lad is not a cheat, nor is he a hacker. We can't even chalk it up to luck either since he got here through maddening hard work. But I understand we are a business, and we have to consider the feelings of our other customers. Hence, as long as you neither ban nor nerf Kashi-kun, I will allow anything you come up with. Well then, good night you guys. Your loved ones are waiting. Oh and this data will auto-corrupt in three seconds." With a final wave, the screen cut to black. "Ciao!"

"Unbelievable."

"How can such a person exist?"

"I tried the Out-of-Body training once. Couldn't last three minutes!"

"Is he a monster?"

"If we can't ban or nerf him, then what the hell are we supposed to do!?"

The developers pulled their hairs, minds consumed by rage and confusion. Although they were the developers of L.N.E, they were directly under Genaco Entertainment. If the CEO issued an order, they had no choice but to follow or they would soon be packing their things. But they needed to give the fans a satisfactory answer or else the backlash would be huge! Shit, what the hell were supposed to do in this situation!?

The developers, at their wit's end, turned to Justin Tan in the hope he would have some answers. Only to see the director with the largest grin they had ever seen plastered across his face. There was a fervent, almost sinister gleam in his eyes as they turned to one of the developers. "Prepare the 99th Legion. I have come to a decision on how we are going to handle this Kashi character."

The developer's eyes jumped with shock and fear. The 99th legion was L.N.E's equivalent of the angels of judgment. They were an overpowered force with nearly unlimited powers whom only descended upon the world when there was a massive game breaking bugs or monsters which could only be fixed or annihilated with otherworldly power. They were originally called Adjucators, but after the Razznik incident, players began calling them the 99th Legion to remind them of the humiliation of that day.

On that day, an Adjudicator had somehow crossed Razznik, yet despite all the powers he held, he was decisively cut down by the tyrant after a heaven-shaking battle. The number of Adjucators at the time was fixed at one hundred, such that no matter how many died, they would easily be reborn. But on that day, Razznik destroyed the very essence of the Adjudicator, making it so he would never revive. Henceforth, their number dropped from hundred to ninety-nine. The players then began calling them the 99th legion as a reminder they were not as invincible as they initially thought, and as a testament to the might of Razznik Y'Terlow. To use such a mighty force against a mere user, even one like Kashi, was akin to annihilating an ant with a nuclear bomb.

Well, he was not paid to think about such things, the developer mused as he stiffly nodded. All he had to do was obey the boss and he would pick up his cheque at the end of the month. Together with him, the developers exited the room, each returning to their respective posts. A lot of paperwork and hands-on supervision was required whenever the 99th legion was dispatched. This time would be no different.

Justin's gaze narrowed. Reflected in the dark pools of his eyes was something he had thought he would never acquire. Something he had long giving hope of ever seeing. In fact, over the past six years, he had more or less forgotten about it entirely. "Heh, Rumaki-kun, did you think you could hide it forever? Too bad, I've finally found it. Hmph, with this, I won't need to work in this unreasonable company." A deadly glint flashed past his eyes as a dark silhouette emerged in his mind. "First though, I'll properly deal with the obstacles."

The overhead lights dimmed, casting the room into darkness as a triumphant cackling laughter reverberated against the walls.

********

Building 3, Floor 4

Restricted Zone

Undisclosed Location

Six individuals sat in the 'hole', watching the daeben's battle against the various leaders. Of the six, one person in particular lazily stretched across the sofa, munching from a bag of chips which he kept securely hidden in his jacket.

Tsukuda Taidan, vice leader of 'Nature's Vanguard' cast a lazy glance toward the man scratching his bum and yawning, with an unlit cigarette between his lips. "What do you think Kemuri-san? Is he someone you can take?"

"It's Kimuri brat," the leader grumbled. Kimuri bit the cigarette butt, his gaze turning solemn. "If this is all he has, then there's nothing to consider. But it's obvious this is not all the daeben has to offer, especially that draconic form at the very end." His gaze narrowed. "It will be tight."

"Heeh," Tsukuda mused with a half smile. "Someone even Sonic Blade is not sure he can beat. That's a first."

"Brat." Kimuri snorted. "There's always someone stronger. The second you assume you're unbeatable is the second you begin washing your neck for the cinderblock."

"This kid though, it seems he's used to fighting against numerous people at once," Tsukuda murmured.

"What?"

"His movements," Tsukuda observed. "They're not those of someone who learned martial arts from one-one sessions against masters. They're instinctive. Those of someone who's had to fight against numerous people multiple times in his life. He's moving based on predictions of how each person will react next. It's impossible to train this in a gym. You are either born with it, or develop it from combat against multiple people."

"That makes things interesting," Kimuri chuckled as he fished out a lighter from his jacket. "We will meet eventually. We'll test out his real strength then."

"Kimuri-san?"

"Yeah?"

"No Smoking Indoors."

"..."

*************

Building 3, Floor 3

Restricted Zone

Undisclosed Location

Dressed in slacks, Yokina Natsu stretched, peace and calm pushing out her worries with every extension of her arms, and subtle pang in her muscles. Behind her, seated cross-legged on the bed, the little Kuoshimida Akiyo crunched a lollipop as she watched the daeben's video.

"This guy's getting too full of himself," Akiyo complained, her rage taken out on the lollipop as she bit off a huge piece and crushed it between her teeth. "Let's kill him."

Natsu smiled, eyes reflecting a serenity that made her seem like she had attained enlightenment far above the world. "No worries," she soothed. "For now, he is on the other side of the continent. We only need to ensure we completely take over Daggerfall and Rossgrock. We can take care of posers anytime after that."

Akiyo grinned. "Hehe. That's why you're the boss! You're the smartest."

Natsu revealed a complacent smile. "Naturally."

************

A/N: Hey guys, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Took the focus away from Kashi for a bit to introduce a new character. Will he be a villain or just an adversary, who knows? And what the hell could he have found in the footage he watched. Whatever he is, prepare to meet see some more flashes of Justin in Book 4, where he will begin to show his influence.

Picture of the Day.

Today's pic goes to a Youtube channel which is directly responsible not only for the birth of Parallel, but continuously provides inspirations for more chapters. If it were not for the epicness of their live radio and regular uploads, I do not think I would be able to 'see' all the stories that form up in my head.

WIthout further ado, here it is: EpicMusicVN's banner for Best Epic Music of 2016

Also, if you've got the MB and the time, feel free to check out the video yourself. It's pretty awesome. I had it on loop all day yesterday and today while working on this chapter...

https://youtu.be/jq_-OHvOcYY