11: Negotiation

Negotiation

Apophis finally arrived in front of the Omeya hospital where he'd left the Zetark girl the day before.1

However, two members of the military police seemed to be checking the identity cards of everyone entering,and of course as a player, he was without identity papers.

Apophis used his interface to inspect them.

[Military Police of the Republic of Tyo] [Level: 1] [Rank: F] [Hostility: Passive]

He approached the two policemen and spoke firmly. "I am an Eternal, my daughter is in the hospital, I need to pass..."

They moved to draw their weapons!

Apophis:

"Don't do anything stupid..."

but one of the policemen fired... and slightly injured the left shoulder of Apophis, who retaliated by sending his fist in the jaw of the first policeman, making him collapse on the ground... then sent a cross punch into the neck of the second one, breaking his neck and killing him instantly, his strength and agility was already not very human, at level 4 he had 40% more strength and speed than any human and at each level this number increased, widening the gap between Eternal and Tyotting.

A notification popped up.

*NPC [Military Police of the Republic of Tyo] killed. Gain 138 EXP and 3 GC. -100 Reputation with the Republic of Tyo*

He finished off the first policeman and received a similar notification.

People were screaming and running all around Apophis, horrified at his murder of two policemen. However, he knew that the entire police force was very busy in a different part of the city and wouldn't send anyone to stop him.

Apophis had just killed two NPCs with levels of consciousness very close to those of humans, but he couldn't be bothered to consider the morality of his actions at the moment.

Once he was powerful, he could take on the role of a protective God and save billions of lives, but for now, he had to focus on his level progression.

After his "negotiation" with the policemen, he entered the hospital and found the room where he'd left the Zetark. She was still in a coma. Her doctor had performed an initial medical examination, but was waiting for written permission to perform further examinations.

However, upon realizing Apophis had just murdered two policemen and that no one would stop him, the doctor went ahead with the tests immediately.

Apophis settled down in a chair while he waited.

Though he disliked reading, it was crucial to deepen his understanding of the Zetark race. So he took out the books he'd looted from the Zetark laboratory and read them. Thanks to his [ Archaeologist ] passive skill, he could rapidly learn the Zetark language by doing so.

After a few hours of reading, Apophis discovered that one book described the location of a Zetark military bunker on the continent of "Aurora."

But just as he began to learn some of the most important details, a terrified-looking nurse interrupted him, clearly afraid that Apophis would murder her.

She said that the examinations could explain nothing about the Zetark girl's condition. She might wake up tomorrow… or never again.

What was the best thing to do? It wouldn't make any sense to keep paying to keep an unconscious NPC alive.

But just as Apophis was resigning himself to abandoning the girl, a notification appeared.

Quest Notification: Save the Princess [Secret Quest] [Grade: 10~20] [Difficulty: S+]

Summary: The Zetark you saved is dying because her life energy is dwindling. You must quickly infuse her with your life energy to save her.

Objective: Reach lvl 10. Inject 1,500 of your energy into the Zetark you rescued.

Time limit: 3 days

Reward: Achieve [friendly] relationship with Princess Antanria, plus gain 1 Legendary Skill of your choice for your class.

Failure Penalty: Death of Princess Antanria, lose your ~Savior of the Zetark~ title, and achieve [hostile] relationship with the Zetark species.

A Zetark princess?

It was true that, before its collapse, the Zetark empire was an absolute monarchy governed by divine right. Of course, after their restoration in Apophis's first life, the Zetark had united in clans or had subordinated themselves to player guilds.

Was this girl a lost member of the Zetark imperial family?

Apophis hesitated for a long time.

The quest's potential rewards were impressive, but the losses would cripple him once the Zetark came back to life en masse.

He summoned his courage and clicked "accept."

Then, after packing up his books, Apophis bought a few items and then set off towards the Zetark military bunker.

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