Chapter 247 - Epilogue: His Final Rest
It was done. Everything that they told him to do, he carried it out flawlessly to his name. Rino could think of no other way to finish his long quest journey.
From the very first daily quest he received, Rino never thought this day would come.
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Daily Quest #???
Objective: ???
Time Limit: NA
Tutorial here.
Reward: ???
Claim your reward here.
Penalty: NA
===
Instead, he simply did what he had wanted to do for the longest time.
After quelling the anger of cannibals, creating barriers to protect those in his empire from Harvesters and inviting the Rocs to nest in the rocky mountains where they could feast on Harvesters all year round, the lich took the opportunity to complete the dreams he had in his previous life.
Schools that provided education for anyone interested, the new economic system that did not rely on money, a world where magic tools could be used by those who were not capable of sensing mana and more. Rino left behind more than he could ask for, and the gods were appeased.
Naturally, it was Noir who came down as a representative. No, it should be Ace. Rino knew better now that the black cat he fawned over was really one of the gods managing his daily quest system. Thankfully, it was this kindred soul in the team managing this small world who spoke up and fought for his behalf, making many things possible.
"Is there nothing else you want?" Noir asked, and Rino nodded.
Honestly, it was a long journey, and Rino was weary. Everything that he did was for this very moment. In his last message that his leaders would find, Rino wrote only one sentence. Life was a never-ending journey full of new discoveries. If ever this world needed him again, Rino would wake up. However, until then, his rest was not to be disturbed.
"I\'m sure. Just let me claim the sleep I deserve. After working for such a long time, surely the gods could grant me this simple wish. The divinity that you earn from this small world must have already surpassed whatever you earned from my previous world. After all, there is only one faith in this world, and everyone prays to you."
What Rino said wasn\'t far from the truth. Ever since the war against harvesters, Rino risked everything for the resolution they had now. Exchanging the stories of his previous life in return for a peace treaty with the cannibals whose only duty was to raise harvesters to feed Rocs, the lich exceeded everyone\'s expectations. It saved the apocalyptic world from its death sentence.
Knowledge and experience was a powerful thing, and cannibals were not picky. They ate even the dead. Rino\'s work over the years to encourage creation and education worked in their favour. When Kragami died, he was eaten by a cannibal who fed over three hundred thousand harvesters that went straight to the Rocs, giving birth to a new world guardian from just the necromancer\'s knowledge.
"It\'s ready," he told Noir. "I have nothing else to do or want to know."
Sadly, Ace agreed. As part of their pact, Noir provided Rino with information that he needed to convince the cannibals that there was no need to kill the Rocs to end their suffering. The world needed the Rocs no matter what, and Rino assured them he would feed them with enough knowledge and experience. If he could not find enough content in a short time, he would create them.
The scribes played a crucial role in Rino\'s kingdom, as did the game creators. Entertainment and art became the height of Rino\'s kingdom, expanding their inspiration through various mediums. The more they created, the fuller cannibals felt. Noir had to reveal some cosmic truths about who he was and why he was helping Rino in crucial times when Rino broke the news about Noir\'s master who contacted him all those years ago.
Rino was ready to lose his existence to the cannibals for the success of his plan, and it was what made Noir descend to stop him from acting foolishly. As the chosen one, the gods could not let Rino die.
Promising that he would not seek death, the second-best alternative was eternal slumber. That, the gods agreed uneasily. However, a deal was a deal. Rino completed his assignments, and there was nothing more they needed him for.
With a buzz, Rino watched his newest quest take form.
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Daily Quest #??? (complete)
Objective: Preserve the peace of this world
Time Limit: NA
Tutorial here.
Reward: Eternal Sleep
Claim your reward here.
Penalty: NA
===
Patting Noir gently, Rino said his goodbyes and laid comfortably in his four-poster bed. For a final resting place, this was luxurious.
[Unlimited hours of sleep successfully withdrawn. Sleep commencing in five minutes. Thank you for your work. Sweet dreams.]
As Rino felt the comfortable lull of darkness call to him, he could swear that familiar cries were calling out to his name. However, he was too lazy to reply to them. They would manage even without him. In a way, these people were finally free to do whatever they pleased. Rino only wished that he wouldn\'t wake up to a kingdom full of ruins if he ever did.
Noir bowed his head as a sign of respect as the loyal shadow subordinates sank to their knees, some with tears in their eyes.
They\'d known all along that this day would come. Nobody lived forever, and Rino was far from dead. However, they hoped Rino would stay with them for a longer time. It might only be a spell of eternal sleep that Rino always wished for but eternal was a very long parting.
For Rino, he was free. For them, they felt as if they\'d lost the brightest star in the sky who paved the road of success for them.
Yet, nobody questioned his desire. What the monarch of solitude wanted, they would deliver.
"Good night, my king. May your dreams be blessed aplenty."
Some would say that it was a trick of the light but Noir would claim that in his final moments, Rino must finally be smiling from the bottom of his heart.
-The End.-