Mimou
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Chapter 155 : Karim Baya
🕑 Added 2024-12-13 04:30:25 +0000 UTC« Chapter-154 | Index | Chapter-156 »
Just as Alius thought all enemies had been subdued, the clones reappeared with another batch of players in their hands. As the process repeated twice, he watched in disbelief as around thirty players from both guilds lay motionless on the ground.
Kara sighed at the scene in front of her and said, “Should I warn Kim that we’re about to create some trouble with the [GODS] guild?”
Sora, taken aback by her words, nodded. “You’re right. I didn’t really think it through. Even though our identities are ‘hidden,’ who knows when we’ll be seen through. Might as well tell him about this.”
Kara smiled, seeing that he understood the meaning behind her words. She opened her guild interface and selected the guildmaster.
[Kara Spirine: Good morning Guildmaster. We’re about to get into a conflict with [GODS]. Is it alright?]
Kara glanced at Sora and shared her opinion. “We should leave the guild if we want [ARAM] to stay out of trouble. We’ve only known Emily and Kim for a short time, but they’re good people. I don’t want them to suffer consequences for our actions.”
Sora nodded, agreeing with her.
Kara didn’t have to wait long for a response.
[Kim Dong: No worries. But be careful, they have quite a few overpowered players. Where are you? I want to participate.]
Kara was taken aback by his answer and relayed it to Sora. Opening the guild interface, he noticed that Kim’s level had only increased by one since leaving the tower.
“Wait, where does his confidence come from? Wouldn’t it make more sense to kick us out or mediate?” he asked, clearly confused.
[Kara Spirine: The enemies are all level 180, but Ralph should be able to handle them.]
[Kim Dong: Who cares about their levels? I want to join in the fun.]
Kara, puzzled by his response, turned to Sora and asked, “What do you think? Should we accept him into the group?”
Sora glanced at Alius, who was listening silently but looked confused, and said, “We’re talking to our guild leader. He’s a nice guy and a new friend. We’re closer to the Vice Guild Leader, but it seems she’s still inside the Ascension Tower. What about you? Do you want someone else in the group?”
Alius thought for a moment before responding, “Do you trust him?”
Sora shook his head. “I only trust Kara and you.” Turning toward Kara, he added, "We're about to do some shady things, and I don't want to involve him in this mess. Let's travel light."
Kara nodded, and opened her communication interface.
Leaving Kara to her communication with Kim, Sora turned to Alius and said, “I’ve heard some things about Hannah inside the tower, and I want to know more about that. Do you mind if we start with the small fry?”
Seeing Alius shake his head, Sora extended his hand and lifted a member of the [ASS] guild, bringing him closer.
“If what Salim said is true, these guys are all under contracts and can’t say anything about their master...” Sora muttered, leaving Alius puzzled.
Glancing at the person he had lifted, Sora sighed. The ‘man’ was as tall as he was but looked younger. 'He’s a teenager…' Sora looked in surprise. 'I didn’t think I’d use this skill so soon, but I don’t have a better idea for now. I just hope it doesn’t leave any permanent effects.'
Looking for an older target, he was disappointed to see that all the players from the [ASS] guild appeared to be between 16 and 18 years old.
Choosing the one who seemed the oldest, Sora placed his hand on the man’s forehead. Channeling a skill he had just purchased, he was quickly greeted with a series of notifications.
[You are attempting to access [Karim Baya]’s memory without his approval.]
[The target’s mental resistance is negligible.]
[Memory Sculpting in progress.]
[Select mode.]
[Viewer] [Editor] [Director]
Surprised by the menu, he thought, "Who would’ve thought the skill was this bizarre? I didn’t expect a menu to pop out of nowhere. The system’s assistance is really heavy on this one."
Realizing he had a low level control over his mana when using this skill, he thought about how challenging it would be to replicate or perfect it.
Selecting the [Viewer] option, Sora was taken to another menu.
[Select viewing method.]
[Continuous] [Summarized] [Life-Changing Moments] [Keywords]
Discovering even more options, including best and worst memories, Sora ignored them and chose [Summarized].
[You will start viewing a summary of [Karim Baya]’s memories. Use the control panel to skip, slow down, rewind, accelerate, or switch viewing method.]
As his perspective shifted, with a remote panel appearing, Sora began seeing the world from Karim’s point of view.
Taking in the information from his surroundings, Sora quickly realized something. 'His oldest memory dates from... not too long ago? Isn’t this after the World Update?'
Unaware if the young man had his memory wiped, or if he wasn't allowed to peek into the person's memories from the 'real' world, Sora decided to leave such questions for later, and focused on the 'summary'.
After the World Update, a 13-year-old boy from Tetouan, in Morroco, named Karim wanted to train and level up in the wild, but his parents refused all his requests. Frequently beaten for his rebellious ideas, he ran away with over a dozen friends to Tangier, hoping to become strong players.
At first, they were excited, but the world had changed. Monsters were everywhere, even in places the military had cleared before the update. Within the first week, they lost three friends to monster attacks. It was a harsh lesson, but they learned quickly, stuck together, and got stronger. Karim’s best friend became their leader, guiding them through dungeons and through the city's layers of politics. He was smart and confident, inspiring everyone around him.
The group quickly reached level 30 and decided to help take down a Level 20 World Boss near Tangier. They knew if they didn’t, players from other cities would take the rewards. They joined a raid, believing they could win, but the battle was chaos. The boss was too powerful, and many players, including Karim’s best friend, died.
Karim fled during the fight, leaving his remaining friends behind.
After that, the group fell apart. the survivors avoided each other, haunted by what had happened. Karim stopped leveling up, even though he had reached level 50 in his first year. For three years, he stayed depressed, hunting low-level monsters just to earn enough to pay for rent and food, no longer chasing any dreams.
Sora watched Karim’s memories and felt the sadness in his actions. When the summary moved to Karim bending down to gather loot from a beast he had killed, Sora used the control panel to pause the display, and changed the mode to [Continuous]. A figure had appeared in front of Karim. Sora recognized the figure immediately—Hannah.
Failing to recruit the boy with words, Hannah resorted to mental attacks. She charmed Karim, easily breaking down his resistance, and forced him to sign a contract that turned him into her slave. From that moment, Karim’s life was no longer his own.
Karim was taken to a hidden training camp in the depths of Canada, where he joined a group of hundreds of other teenagers from all over the world. The activities in the camp were simple—days and nights filled with brutal training and non-stop leveling. Each pack of players was assigned an instructor who monitored their every move, pushing them to their physical and mental limits.
As time passed, Karim watched as dozens of recruits, overwhelmed by despair or refusing to live under such conditions, broke the terms of their contracts. The consequences were horrifying—the system executed them without mercy. Their deaths served as a warning to everyone else.
Over time, Karim and the others began to piece together the purpose of the camp. They weren’t being trained to create a military force—they were Hannah’s reserve. Their levels, talents, skills, and stats were farmed for her benefit. Whenever she needed power, recruits deemed "useless" were harvested.
Karim witnessed firsthand how their levels plummeted, their stats drained, and their bodies becoming empty shells. Those who were harvested were then eliminated, ensuring no one could notice their loss of power.
The knowledge filled Karim with hatred. His once-empty heart burned with resentment toward Hannah and the system that made her control possible. Determined to escape, he poured every ounce of effort into his growth, attracting the attention of his instructors with his rapid growth. Over time, he rose through the ranks, eventually joining the elites of Hannah’s corps.
But his hatred didn’t fade. Karim focused on developing his power, hoping to one day break through Hannah’s control, avenge himself and his comrades. It became his sole ambition, a light in the darkness of his existence.
Yet, even this light was extinguished.
He discovered the dark truth: the best recruits—the strongest and most promising—were also harvested when their power reached a certain threshold, keeping everyone far from her own level of power.
They were no different from the others, just tools to be used and discarded. This revelation nearly broke Karim. He felt trapped, caught in a system where being weak would lead to death, and getting stronger hastened his doom.
Every path seemed be cut off, leaving him questioning whether escape was even possible.
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Comments
mimou
Wait for it.
ICRanger
Brutal, didn't think I would find a character that I may end up disliking more than Rachel.
