Author Romeru

Chapter 41: The 10th

“You need… to craft 10 [Epic] grade equipment… and the shadows will all take them?”

Juliet sat in front of Julian, her eyes slightly trembling from everything she had just heard. And while she couldn’t believe what she just heard, Julian seemed to be completely calm, as if the weight of what he had just revealed wasn’t heavy at all—it was. It was very heavy.

10 [Epic] grade equipment…just for a unique class? Anyone else might have probably already aba...

Chapter 40: Oh...

[It makes sense, Cyrus has dealt with hundreds of Players. You probably checked all the boxes.]

“Yes. He did say the weapons disappearing every time was what gave it away. Do you think Juliet knows too?”

[There’s a high chance she does, Julian.]

A few hours after Julian’s meeting with SwordJunkieNo.1Fan, he was back in their temporary lodging—the hotel near Clevesky. Initially, Julian and Ellie planned to stay somewhere cheaper, but with...

Chapter 39: Mein New Baby

It was just a feeling.

It wouldn’t be necessarily true.

At the very least, at least it shouldn’t be.

But there was this feeling dancing around Julian that the [Master of Shadows] quest might actually just absorb this weapon. He knew it was improbable, but if there was even a percent chance of it happening, he wouldn’t risk it.

“Sword… Junkie?” Cyrus and Hans once again looked at each other, confused as to why Julian suddenly stopped mo...

Chapter 38: Meeting the No. 1 Fan...?

“Hey, don’t worry about Ellie—she’ll be fine with Talia. I… I think.”

“Hm.”

Julian and Cyrus were currently floating in the air. Gently, of course, as floating more than 40km/h is actually illegal in Topside’s residential and commercial areas. Be that as it may, however, Cyrus was completely stunned—no, shocked at how Julian was actually able to follow him with ease.

Julian already told him that MEGAN was talking to him every second and ...

Chapter 37: The Party Together Again

“Commission… a sword?”

Julian has been crafting his entire life, tolling away without end inside his forge. His only reward was his own desire, happiness, and obsession. And yet he had never truly ever heard those words being uttered to him before—’commission a sword’— not even once.

He wasn’t sure how to respond. But the small smile creeping onto his face said more than words could. Ellie, having just finished securing her latching shoes, immediately...

Chapter 36: A Slice of a Normal Life For a Not So Normal Couple

“Julian…? Julian… Julian!”

“Hm?” Julian woke up as he felt himself being shaken up.

“You fell asleep on the chair?” Ellie’s voice softened now that he was awake. “Why didn’t you sleep in the bed?”

Julian’s head tilted slightly at her question. “We’re… not together anymore.”

“What…” Ellie paused in disbelief “What do you mean ‘not together’? We just had sex last night, Julian. I’m pretty sure th...

Chapter 35: The End to a Very Long Night

[We’re here.]

“Hm.”

Julian snapped out of whatever stupor he was having as MEGAN’s voice whispered in his mind. From the colorful neons of the Sky Net and some parts of The Below, the place where the taxi parked was completely devoid of any of that.

The taxi parked next to the tunnel, it was old—incredibly so. MEGAN told him that it was once used for vehicles to travel from one island to the next, but now it was home to squatters… and criminals....

Chapter 34: My Forge

“Hm…”

Julian was once again standing beside a sleeping Ellie, listening to the gentle rhythm of her breaths. He tried not to move, heck, he almost even didn’t breathe himself as he was afraid to disturb the fragile peace she was finally able to embrace in her dreams.

The faint hum of the Sky Net crept through the windows, but here, with Ellie, everything just faded.

Each of her little movements whispered into Julian’s ears—even the rustle o...

Chapter 33: Summer and Winter

“You’re… awake?”

“I… woke up an hour ago. I told MEGAN not to tell you, so don’t blame her,” Ellie’s voice was still a little hoarse, but Julian could hear her moving already. Every faint sound—her footsteps, the rustling of her hospital gown—gave him a strange comfort.

Relief completely washed over Julian’s throat, which almost locked up when he heard the beeping sounds of the machine no longer beeping. Her voice still sounded hoarse and slig...

Chapter 32: The Hidden Quest...?

[You have found the Hidden Quest: The Bridge.]

“My dudes, it still keeps saying that.”

Dyrroth’s voice cut through the silence, casual as ever, but no one paid him much attention. Talia’s eyes swept the chamber, her frustration barely contained as she studied the markings on the wall.

“Stop talking and start hustling. We need to find whatever’s next. And Cy, what are you doing not helping?”

“I...

Chapter 31: Music To His Ears

"Let’s just get this over with."

Julian’s words were a whisper, but they still echoed throughout the dark cold chamber—the echoes did not last long, however, as it was soon drowned by the twisting noise of the metal surrounding them.

Julian tightened his shield on his arm, raising it and his short sword at the same time—both, faintly reflecting the Living Statues that were now rushing and surging toward them. It was almost like a sea of copper, or per...

Chapter 30: Julian's First Dungeon Run Is Too Boring!?

“It’s warm...”

Julian wasn’t expecting the dungeon to be warm, but as soon as he stepped inside the entrance that looked like it had swallowed all of them whole, it felt like a warm breath whiffed over his entire body.

“...And this is burnt,” Julian crouched down, touching the familiar texture of ash—but it wasn’t from the dungeon’s floors which were seemingly made of bark and vine, not at all.

Cyrus, who was busy trying to ...

Chapter 29: Onto the Dungeon

"In exchange for our labor, we'll trade the khopesh for several items in your inventory."

“Julian…?” Juliet was taken aback.

"O... Oh?" And she wasn’t the only one, Bran seemed even more confused. His eyes flickered to the glowing [Epic] khopesh they had just made, still radiating with power on the table. His mind raced, realizing how rare and valuable a Mid-tier [Epic] weapon like this was—especially in Ethaca.

Epic weapons were gr...

Julian Winters - ENTRY NOTE

[JULIAN WINTERS - ENTRY NOTE]

You think you know your place in the world—your role, your path? But what if everything you thought you knew... changes? What if the rules that defined your entire life suddenly don’t apply?

That’s what happened to me. I was disabled, broken… incomplete for most of my life. I was an outcast, someone who didn’t belong...

Chapter 28: Juliet's Devotion

“...It’s gone.”

“Juliet… I…”

“It’s gone, Julian!” Juliet’s voice trembled as she stood by the wrecked stall, her hands gripping the sides of the workbench. “Our sword! Our… our baby! We… we poured our hearts in it and I just… I lost it!”

“Uhm…” Julian stood in front of her, silent for a moment. He knew where the sword went—his quest, the Master of Shadows, had absorbed it. But of course, he couldn’t say that. Not now. Not to her.

Chapter 27: Finally, A Day With Nothing Drastic Happening

[We’re near.]

“Okay…” Julian stood outside a café, tapping his cane lightly against the sidewalk. The warm breeze of the evening brushed against his face, but he didn’t care about the weather—everything just felt cold to him.

[We’re here, Julian. I made sure to pick the nearest café from the hospital.] MEGAN’s voice echoed in his mind, steady and calm.

Julian stepped into the café, the soft chatter of people filling the air. As soon as...

Chapter 26: My Responsibility

“Where… to next?”

Julian felt the cool wind brush against his face; his hand, clinging to the side of the building. His fingers dug into the concrete like it was soft clay, making him look like a dead leaf desperately swinging on a branch.

[Julian, reach to your left. There’s a solid ledge there. It’ll hold your weight.]

“Okay.” Without hesitation, Julian’s hand found the ledge. His feet followed suit, seeking out footholds on the concrete wall...

Chapter 25: Trouble, Trouble

“How long…”

Julian stood by the forge, not in his usual spot, but on the other side of the anvil.

“How long has it been?” For a moment, he was back in his childhood, standing next to his father. The smell of burning coals and molten metal filled his nose, the heat of the forge licking at his skin. He didn’t know anything back then, but he learned in time what everything meant.

He remembered the rhythm of his father’s hammer, the steady beat of me...

Chapter 24: Once Again, To The Fire

[The pitiful Master of Shadows has decided to give you a second chance at life, Julian Winters. But for two lives to be dug from the grave, many will suffer…

…that is the punishment that has been imposed upon you for failing the penalty.]

Julian stared blankly at the message floating in front of him. The messages that would usually just enter his mind, not registering at all.

“Huh…?” He touched his head. He might not be clear about...

Chapter 23: The Penalty of The Master of Shadows

[Warning: If you die during the penalty… your real body back on your own planet also dies with you, Julian Winters.]

"My real body… will also die?”

Julian stood there, not really knowing how to process what he was feeling right now. He was so confident before—but that was before he knew his real body was also going to die as well.

“And… it knows I’m human?”

Of course, the Guidance of Artemis would know.

It was considered the voice...

Chapter 22: Shadows And Choices

[Choose.]

The word floated in front of Julian, cold, almost commanding. 

“Choose…?” He glanced between the two sceneries surrounding him—one of Ellie, and the other, of himself standing at a forge, hammering away at a glowing sword. 

But why was this even a choice? He and Ellie have already separated, there was… nothing for him on the other side.

There was only the fire and the metal now. And so, his hand just started to reach towar...

Chapter 21: Choices

“This… is going to be fun.”

As his whisper escaped his lips, a thrill surged through—pulsing straight into Julian’s veins, causing a grin to stretch on his face. 

“He…hehehe…” His heart raced as the blood dripped from his sword, a euphoric haze completely clouding his thoughts.

“He… he killed Dirk!?”

“Isn’t Dirk level 12?!”

And while Julian was experiencing some sort of… climax, the usual arrogance of the soldiers from the Ord...

Chapter 20:

"Wake him up!" 

The soldier’s voice cut through the stillness like a blade. 

How could he wake Marcus when he wasn’t even in Artemia anymore? He was back on Earth, most likely doing whatever it is he was doing.

"We should let him rest,” one of the twins, Edward, tried to intervene. “He just came back from a hunt and hasn’t slept for three days straight."

"I said, wake him up!" the soldier snapped at Edward’s words.

“W—” Julian...

Chapter 19: Uh Oh

“I’ve never seen a Newbie with this much money, Newbie!” Marcus exclaimed, tossing a large pouch of coins in the air and catching it with a grin. 

“...Can I have that back?” Julian watched from where he sat, leaning back against the wall, his expression slightly worried that Marcus might not return his coins. He hadn’t expected to make so much just from sharpening a few swords, but the crowd’s reaction surprised him, extremely so. After all, back in the real world…<...

Chapter 18: Swords and Stones Won't Break My Bones Because I Am Already Broke

"So… traveling costs money."

Julian stood at the edge of the town, gazing down the long road that stretched into the horizon. He had made up his mind to leave Archon so that he could spend time inside a smithy again, but now, a problem presented itself—he had no money. It only hit him now that he gave all of his coins away. They were gone, along with the weapons that had been absorbed by that ridiculous quest.

He needed to get to the next city. Unfortunately, tha...

Chapter 17: Moving On

“We…”

Julian stood frozen, staring at the monstrous Daemon in front of him. It towered over him, its four massive legs supporting a body as large as a bus. Its grotesque form was even more horrifying now that he could see it in full.

Although Julian was ignorant with many things that had to deal with appearances or sight–he knew. He knew that the thing in front of him was terrifying.

Back when he fought it, blind in his real body, it hadn’t felt this...

Chapter 16: Can't Sit Still

“Go away, shoo! Guards, call the guards!”

“Please! We just want to ask one question! One question, and we’ll leave!”

 The shouts of the nurses echoed through the hospital hallway, the clattering of feet accompanying their cries as they chased away a crowd of disguised reporters. News had broken about the Daemon attack, and rumors had spread about a mysterious blind man involved in the incident. The vultures had come swarming, trying to pry into Julian’s involv...

Chapter 15: Danger, Danger, Pants on Fire

[Julian, people are coming! You need to hide—there's an alley nearby on your right.]

“...Okay,” Julian’s breath quickened as the sound of approaching footsteps echoed down the street. MEGAN's voice buzzed urgently in his mind.

Julian turned his head in the direction MEGAN pointed out. His heightened senses locked onto the narrow alley just a few meters away, he started tapping his cane on the ground in habit–and soon realized from the clanging sound that it was still a r...

Chapter 14: An AI, A Sword Junkie, and a Daemon Walks Into A Bar

[Duck!]

Julian dropped low just as the Daemon’s massive claw swiped through the air where his head had been moments before. The force of the blow sent a gust of wind whipping past his ears, and a thrill shot through him, electrifying his senses. He could feel the beast’s weight towering above him, its grotesque presence looming like a dark cloud, but instead of fear, something else stirred inside him—excitement.

“This…” A grin spread across his face.

Without hesi...

Chapter 13: The Dangers of Below

"MEGAN, are you sure I need this mask?"

Julian's voice was muffled by the fabric on his, his words barely audible over the bustle of the streets around him. After resting for a few hours, he made his way through the narrow, crowded paths of The Below, tapping his cane rhythmically against the cracked and uneven ground. The city around him felt more alive than Sky Net in ways he hadn't yet fully grasped.

MEGAN had insisted he wear a face mask, citing concerns about pollution, even ...