MMORPG : Ancient WORLD

'Let's just hope this is not about the Devourer beasts,' Alex thought as he sat in the room looking at the live stream of the giant display screen set up inside the capital city Quivira.

Alex knew that the current timeline had changed from the one he was familiar with, but he expected the major events to stay the same, albeit with slight adjustments in their timing.

The demon invasion happened more than a year before its time, and it was at least partially because of Alex, but it was a small event compared to the Devourer Beast rampage that would plunge the continents into ever-growing chaos.

After knowing the reality of devourers Beasts, Alex knew cultivating billions of them would have taken decades of time, and Ahrimon would not unleash them without being certain they wouldn't be wiped out.

The Devourer beasts were mindless creatures with only the desire to consume, and as dangerous and as vast as they were in numbers, they were also easier to bait into traps, so with coordinated efforts, any continent could purge them, albeit at the cost of heavy losses.

Alex believed that the Devourer beast's rampage on the Elven, followed by the Dragon continent, was just a start and would spread to many major continents.

It was a way for Ahrimon to cultivate ultimate devourer beasts that he would consume to push his strength to the transcendent Rank and leave this world that had become his prison.

Alex knew that the success of this operation held monumental importance to Ahrimon, so besides preparing an unending tide of Devourer Beasts, he would prepare creatures who could guide it while having figures of power in each continent under his control to eliminate any possibility of failure.

Alex also understood that the preparations to start this massive event were either completed or near completion, and Ahrimon could start things at any moment he desired, as two years were not going to make much of a difference.

Alex was worried about the Devourer Beasts event because he believed it would start the beginning of the end, and if by the end, no one was capable of standing against Ahrimon, it would mean the end of Malefis Domain, so any extra time he could receive would increase his chances to prepare for the end better.

So, with anxiety, Alex waited for the transmission to start and Emporer to break the news, hoping it was anything besides the emergence of the Devourer Beasts.

As minutes passed, the white screen transformed, and it unveiled a striking figure of a handsome man with immaculate white hair cascading over his shoulders. 

Dressed in regal attire, he wore a white crown atop his head, seated gracefully upon a magnificent crystalline throne with a high back resembling wings ablaze with the brilliance of burning flames.

Alex identified the crown, the throne, and the elderly man standing beside it, but, most importantly, he recognized the man occupying the throne.

As he pieced together the scene, a sinking feeling gripped his heart, causing it to plummet into the pit of his stomach for an instant.

'Please tell me this is a prank,' Alex thought, seeing the first prince seated on the Human Empire Throne, and beside him stood the aloof guardian of the Empire.

"My fellow citizens of the Human Empire," The old man began, his voice echoing through hundreds of cities as millions watched the screens with clear anxiety, fear, and confusion.

"I am Valdis Gavinzor Magmisrashigon, the Guardian of our beloved Empire, and it is with a heavy heart that I address you today." Valdis paused, letting the weight of his words settle as the anticipation hung thick in the air as he continued.

"It is my solemn duty to inform you that our Beloved Ruler, Kind Protector, Emperor Melvin Gavinzor Magmisrashigon, has fallen gravely ill."

A collective gasp swept through the audience, followed by screams echoing through every city, and after giving a moment to the citizens, Valdis continued.

"For years, our Emperor has valiantly battled a relentless illness while fulfilling his duty as the Emporer to the best of his abilities, but two days ago, his condition took a drastic turn for the worse, compelling him to make a difficult decision."

"In that dire moment, he was not given the time to say a few words to the citizens of his beloved Empire that he and his ancestors have protected and made it prosper." 

"In the pursuit of stabilizing his health, Emperor Melvin Gavinzor Magmisrashigon left the Human Continent, but not before fulfilling one last duty," Valdis's gaze was steady as he passionately spoke the words.

"Now our beloved Emporer is residing under the care of a dear friend, the benevolent Empress of the Great Elven Empire, in our ally continent."

"I hope that Emporer will be with us in just a few months, but it could be longer, so in these trying times, let us unite and remain steadfast under the new Emporer left to us."

"Emporer Zyrus Gavinzor Magmisrashigon," Valdis said, his voice raised as the camera focussed on the man seated on the throne, known by the masses as the first prince, yet now he was their emporer.

Zyrus sat calmly, speaking no words for a few seconds, letting the weight of the announcement settle among the masses.

"I understand the emotions of every citizen."

"Our Beloved Emporer leaving us so suddenly is a loss to the Entire Human Continent, but it is more to me than that because he is my father, a friend, a guide, but above all, my mentor and role model to me," Zyrus said, his words slow, calm yet reflecting his deep sadness. 

"I comfort myself knowing that My Father, Our Emperor, left us in an era of peace, prosperity, and strength to defend and stand against any threat that we could face,"

"I comfort myself knowing that My Father, Our Emperor, is Alive, and he is a strong man with a will like the undying flames of our ancestral guardian beast Magmisrashigon," 

"We, as the inhabitants of the Human Continent, are strong and united, and while our Emporer's absence leaves a void in all our hearts, I will fulfill that void by staying true to my new responsibility, to do everything to the best of my ability so when my father and our Emperor returns to his throne, he would find his Empire as good as he left it, and I want every citizen to do the same." Zyrus roared, his eyes appearing wet and his voice breaking a little, but he controlled his emotions as he smiled.

"I will make another grand announcement in seven hours, a piece of news that would have been the cause of continent-spreading celebration, but I hope it still brings us all happiness,"

"As I take my leave, I wish to earnestly request, not merely as an Emperor but as a son to all who witness or come to learn of this, that you extend your prayers for the swift recovery of my father, our beloved Emperor," Zyrus said as the screen turned white once again.

The cities that had gone silent roared to live as chants of Long live the Emporer, both new and old, echoed as the gloomy atmosphere turned for the better.

'He sure can give a good speech, but the matter at hand is what the F**k happened to the Emporer Melvin,' Alex thought, a deep frown gracing his face, but his chain of thoughts was broken with the ringing of system notification.

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[System Notification]

[Continental Quest: Save The Human Continent has been Updated]

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'What?' Alex questioned as he heard the notification and swiftly opened it to see what had changed.

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[Continental Quest] 

Objective: Safeguard the Human Continent from impending devastation.

Stage 1: The Human Emperor's Salvation.

Time: ??? - Seven Months

Stage 2: ??????

Rewards: 5 Platinum System Wishes + ????? Galactic Shop Coins + ?????

Description: Emperor Melvin, a pivotal figure on the Human Continent, lies in a state of coma and could be killed any day by those who want him to stay away.

If he manages to survive, he will die in approximately seven months because of his condition, and his death would almost seal the fate of the Human continent, possibly resulting in a tragedy that would result in the demise of 80% of the inhabitants.

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

'What The FU** is going on,' Alex believed as he checked the changes to the quest.

The quest was the first big quest Alex had accidentally acquired, and at that time, he believed he would receive easy benefits for little to no work, but now it merely became a big headache, like a sword hanging over his neck.

'What could cause the death of 80% of continent inhabitants, which should number in billions, not even including the more than a billion players?' Alex thought, merely imagining the death count sending shivers down his spine.

Alex felt the surroundings caving in on him as he realized the new responsibility thrown on his shoulder without his consent, and even though he did not want anything to do with this over-the-top mess, he could not ignore it after knowing the consequences of the failure.