Zogarth
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Chapter 1150 - Return of the King 2: Gold Edition
🕑 Added 2025-06-03 11:24:16 +0000 UTCDeath... was no stranger to him. This wasn’t even his first time meeting his own demise. Both times, he had been slain by a foe he had failed to adequately assess, but the circumstances had differed vastly.
The first time, because of his own overconfidence and arrogance, while the second time around, he had walked toward death willingly. Intentionally. Looking back at the decision made that day, it was a puzzling one.
Unique Lifeforms were beings at the pinnacle of the multiverse. They were the darlings of the system itself and tended to be hard-pressed to find equals in their own level range. Yet he had been surrounded by them and even given his life to save another creature he’d come to consider a peer. In large part due to feeling a sense of responsibility for having put the two of them in a precarious position in the first place.
However... could a creature so innately arrogant as the Fallen King truly give his life so selflessly? The answer was no. Not truly.
The King felt like he had been stagnating, and he knew why. He was a King. A ruler. A sovereign meant to rule over other monsters in his dominion, yet that part of his identity had not only been put on the back burner but suppressed by his circumstances.
Despite the hunter never abusing the fact that he held the King’s life in his hands, the fact that he did remained. That being the case, could he truly call himself a King? What kind of king could claim competence in ruling others when he couldn’t even rule over his own life and death?
His entire existence had become a disgusting parody of what he was supposed to be. The name Fallen King had been chosen as a reminder of his own incompetence. To remind him that he’d fallen once and to never repeat that mistake.
A reminder he’d followed... even as he’d seemingly fallen once more. But this time it hadn’t been a mistake, but done in a very deliberate fashion. Seeds had been planted for the future, and all the King could hope for was that those around him would be competent and willing to pick up puzzle pieces he’d left behind.
Dying by sacrificing himself should also serve as an adequate motivator. The hunter had proven himself a person who would go to the edge of reality if it meant helping those he cared about or repaying a favor. Of course, it remained a threat that should the hunter die, so would whatever remained of the King, but such was a risk he’d willingly taken.
And as the consciousness of the Unique Lifeform known as the King reformed, it appeared his risk had paid off. A small spark of awareness had slowly sprouted into more as the mind of the King had gradually been reassembled over a long period.
The copy of his consciousness – something the King had spent years forming – re-merged with the rebuilt soul of the Unique Lifeform, allowing him to once more remember who he was. He had stored this spark within his true body worn by the hunter, as that had been both the safest and only option he had.
As more and more awareness emerged, the King began to faintly perceive his own surroundings. The first thing he noticed was just how energy-dense the environment was. It far surpassed any expectations he had, and what’s more, the mana filling the air clearly belonged to a powerful entity.
Before the King could even fully understand what was happening, the being ruling the realm he found himself reconstituted in let herself be known.
“Unique Lifeforms also surprise me. Each one of you is odd in your own ways, which is worth preserving simply on account of your lives being unique.”
The King, not yet able to distinguish anything in his surroundings, felt the voice directly invade his mind as he could only answer by faintly projecting his own thoughts.
“Who?”
“However, what you also have in common is an extreme level of natural competency that leaves most so-called young geniuses full of envy,” the creature the King knew had to be a god, completely ignored his question.
“Do not believe what you did can be hidden from me. Your plans are as clear as the sun at dawn. In order for something to be fixed, it sometimes has to be broken first – for a connection altered, one has to nearly sever it in preparation. This... death of yours. It was far too convenient and purposeful.”
The King remained silent, fully aware that the creature the hunter had found to assist in the resurrection was far from simple. Sure, the Unique Lifeform had known the process wouldn’t be easy and perhaps even include another miracle provided by the system, but the current scenario still seemed like overkill.
“I would ask you the reason behind the subterfuge, but instead, I will ask you only two questions. Answer these truthfully, and I shall ignore what I know and keep it hidden. Lie, and your deceit shall be revealed. Do you accept?”
Left with no other option, the King naturally agreed.
“Was this done out of harboring hatred or negative emotions toward others, or because you had to do it for your own Path?”
“Path,” the King answered truthfully. And it was indeed the truth.
The god who had facilitated the King’s return had been entirely correct in that his demise had been planned to some extent. The timeline had been moved up by circumstances, but the intent had been there for a while.
He knew he had to do something drastic to save himself. Ever since the King had been bound to Jake, he’d looked for a way to sever the connection, but everything had been in vain. As the god said, in order for the connection to be severed, it had to be nearly entirely broken first.
Seeing as the connection had been formed through death, the only solution was to fix it using similar means. The King had to die in order to once more live as an independent creature, at least that’s what he believed.
As for why he hadn’t simply spoken to the hunter about this… well, because the King knew Jake would have agreed to help, and that was unacceptable. For too long had the King relied on the hunter and had to ask for help. This time around, the King hadn’t been willing to ask.
Instead, he’d purposefully manipulated the hunter into a scenario where he would do what the King wanted him to. In truth, the King didn’t like having to do this as he believed it beneath him, but he also couldn’t have his new life start on the terms of the hunter. He had to at least feel like he’d been the impetus behind his free existence, even if that feeling was nothing more than delusion on the King’s part.
It was all about feeling like he was in control once more. Even if he ultimately still had to rely on the help of others to resurrect fully, what king didn’t have others assist him at times?
“As suspected,” the powerful goddess said, seemingly satisfied with the King’s answer. “Second question… will you swear to never so foolishly risk your life again? Despite your machinations, the fragments you created were far from perfect. You played with concepts beyond your standing and nearly doomed yourself in the process. Such disregard for life is distasteful.”
The second question was an odd one, but it provided the King with an answer as to who was helping him. He felt the powerful nature and life mana everywhere, and the magic affecting his soul was faintly reminiscent of what Dina had used. Considering the hunter’s affinity to get involved with only gods at the pinnacle of existence and the fact that the god who was speaking to him was female, he quickly put together who exactly the hunter had found to help.
“I swear to the Mother Tree,” the King answered, putting much effort into making a complete sentence. In his current state, he couldn’t even fully feel his body, or if he even had a body. For all he knew, he was just a drifting soul kept stable through the powers of a Primordial.
“Good. Continue your Path with the knowledge that it’s your great fortune that such a flawed plan came to fruition through the efforts of the hunter you tricked.”
The King didn’t say anything more but simply acknowledged that what he had done was questionable, but the Unique Lifeform remained insistent on it being necessary. Even if his plan had failed, he would have had no regrets. It wasn’t anything he’d shared with others, but if he hadn’t done this, the King knew he would never have evolved to B-grade.
“Thank you… Mother Tree,” he still managed to get out right as he felt the energy affecting his body intensify to a whole new level. He felt his soul set alight and become filled with power as his senses finally expanded beyond merely sensing the energy affecting him.
He saw his own body… and finally realized. He was back to being nothing more than a mere mask, yet he could instantly tell the difference. This wasn’t the same mask from before his most recent death, but the one he’d worn before his first one. His original mask and the “true” one.
At the same time, he felt another part of himself nearby. There was a second identical mask somewhere, also containing a mirror of his Truesoul. One incapable of thought, yet as real as the true one. The fact that the King had two souls at all times was the reason why he’d even been able to survive thus far.
To be clear, the second mask hadn’t come into existence because of what happened in the Tutorial. The King had been born with both. However, when accepting to become a Tutorial boss to escape his planet, one mask had disappeared and only came back when the King had resurrected the first time around.
Now, both masks were separate, neither with a body attached. At least not yet.
Seeing his surroundings more clearly, the King saw he was in a large meadow, floating above a tree. Not too far away, several people were observing what was happening, but sadly, the King couldn’t fully distinguish who they were. He had his suspicions about at least one of them, though, as he seriously doubted the hunter wouldn’t be present to witness the fruit of his efforts.
Right then, the tree below him opened up its crown and revealed a familiar-looking body. It was practically identical to the vessel the King had created for himself once upon a time, and he instinctively felt a connection with it, which struck him as odd.
Usually, the King had to create his own body. The original one he had was created after getting inspiration from the wildlife in the forest he’d been born inside, and despite it not being made of actual bone and wood, it had been a nearly perfect replica.
However, despite not being made by the King using his own unique creation method, this body felt as if it were his own creation. The vessel was already attuned to his body, and what made it even weirder was that the body, quite frankly, wasn’t something the Unique Lifeform would have been able to create on his own.
It was too powerful. Too full of energy. It was also entirely made of wood and didn’t possess the bone-like claws and feet the King usually had. Not yet anyway.
As if drawn together, the mask and vessel floated toward one another, the mask floating downwards and the vessel rising. The King focused all his efforts on what would come next, as finally it was time for the return of the King.
One that’s free.
One that’s complete.
One that’s Fallen no longer.
--
Jake had gone with Artemis right away, and only a few teleports later, they had arrived at the domain of Yggdrasil. Together with Artemis, the two of them approached the tree he knew the Primordial had used to create the King a new body, and he couldn’t help but feel excited.
Above the tree already floated a very familiar-looking mask. More than that, the mask gave off a very familiar aura.
He still felt a lot of lingering guilt for the Fallen King’s death, as he still felt that if he hadn’t gotten himself injured by stupidly messing with Palate, he would have been able to push back the Child of Loss back then.
Knowing that the Unique Lifeform was about to make his return genuinely made Jake happy, and he was all smiles as they soon found themselves standing before the tree. Right then, Yggdrasil also made her entrance, as energy gathered and took the form of a dryad.
“You have arrived.”
“As requested,” Jake nodded politely, as he couldn’t help but glance at the tree. “I must admit… I’d thought this would end up taking a lot longer.”
“My role proved simpler than anticipated. I merely had to facilitate with much of the framework already provided.”
Jake nodded, knowing that the King had taken some precautions before his death as they’d discussed back when Jake gave Yggdrasil the mask. He was naturally happy the Unique Lifeform had done that, as without his help with the Desolate Child of Loss, there was a big chance that the encounter could have ended with more than one death.
“What happens now?” Jake asked as he glanced at the mask and tree, where he saw the fully grown body contained within.
“Now, you witness.”
Yggdrasil turned around and waved her hand as the crown of the tree began to split open. From the split trunk of the tree, the vessel of the King began rising upward, while at the same time, the mask grew in power and energy as it was lowered.
Looking at the vessel, it was an entirely wooden version of the King’s body. Jake knew that the true body of the King wasn’t actually made of wood but just a material that was a near-perfect imitation; however, it looked like after this, the King would indeed have a wooden body.
As the body and mask slowly approached each other, a golden aura began emanating from both, as if they were synchronizing and resonating with one another. The two continued to grow nearer until finally the mask and vessel made contact.
The moment they did, an explosion of golden light enveloped the meadow. Golden veins spread from the mask and onto the new body of the Fallen King, and as it reached the hands and feet, the bark of the wooden body began to split open as bone-like features grew out.
Seeing the ivory claws and feet, Jake couldn’t help but smile as the King was starting to look like himself once more. The golden aura also continued to intensify with every passing moment, as Jake not only felt the familiar aura of the King, but one that felt even more powerful than before.
It also somehow felt more… complete. As if the aura the Fallen King had given off for all the time Jake had known him by that name had been flawed. Without feeling this aura, Jake would have never been able to notice it, but now that he compared the two, the flawed nature of the Fallen King’s aura was evident.
Jake kept watching as the King’s transformation slowly came to an end and his aura settled down. As it did, a final burst of energy washed across the meadow, and Jake found his vision filled with illusory images of what looked like golden trees everywhere.
This image faded in mere moments as two wisps of light ignited within the eye-holes of the mask, signifying the full return of the King, and for good measure, Jake used a quick Identify, also confirming the King had indeed rid himself of the self-shaming name he’d carried for all those years.
[Golden Forest King – lvl 299]
Comments
Nick Borgne
Thanks THE KING IS back Baby
Tony Belfer
Thank you for the chapter
Chloe
Nice. Tyftc
Jayson Saxby
Tyftc!! 👏👏 Gotta call him Forest for his nickname now for sure lol like Forest Gump or Forest Griffin the MMA fighter 👊🏻💥😁👍🏼
Jayson Saxby
Could call him Forest? Like Forest Gump or the MMA fighter Forest Griffin? I can get on bored with that lol
Corwin Amber
'Lifeforms also surprise' also -> always
Kai Johnson
Hella cool comment if you’re talking about the original king in yellow. Sadly largely unknown these days aside from the cuclhul mythos (can’t spell)
A Mitten For Kitten
All hail the King in Yellow
Andy Swearingen
I typically hate characters getting revived but this felt so good.
Alex
He needs a proper name now. Fallen King was fine, but Golden Forest King is a mouthful. How about Goldie :P Just King also feels kinda weird
Trumangolorian
Finally he is back. Now they can be true allies without feeling indebted or inshamed with each other.
DrDankness
Our grumpy boy is back
Ola cheney
Eh
Ola cheney
True.
Matthew Brockman
This is one of the few revival arcs anywhere that I think has gone well and was believable!
RnR_ RnR
The level increase is most likely due to ygg creating his new body 299 is probably his base level. Just like some creatures are born at other grades, kings new body probably has a bare minimum due to the process.
Xien
All Hail the KINGGGGG!!! “He’s back!” In my chuckie sinister persona
Brian Mcglinchey
An arrow through the mask
khora
The mask is Unique though, even if it was qualitatively Mythical it would still be Unique.
Drake
RAHHHH THE GOAT HAS RETURNED
Tristan
LONG LIVE THE KING!!!!
Blutako
And as gfk goes on a return tour a sniper kills him again
Joshua Little
Thanks for the chapter.
Reader++
Great chapter.
Alex
Unique Lifeforms are fiercely independent as a matter of course. They detest subservience at a fundamental level, and they are incapable of receiving blessings from gods. All of which is to say, it’d be very fuckin’ weird if the King joined the Pantheon of Life.
Clint
Perhaps that’s the chapter title for when Jake’s mask manifests a clone of the King…
Matthew Hay
But the golden tree imagery that momentarily spread out indicates it's not the King that is Golden, it's the forest. If you want to break it up it should be King of the Golden Forest
J W
Now does the GFK stay in the pantheon of life?
A Flashy BR
The King
Dani
Huh, I never fully realized that the Kings true form was actually two identical masks. 🎭
Childish Jordino
The new name feels a bit awkward to say, like just adding two descriptors to the word king. Maybe something like "Golden King of the Forest".
Randy Plaisance
For too long had the King had relied on the hunter and had to ask for help. *delete one of the HAD surrounding the King. Not the one before the ask for help.*
Kevin Watson
Fallen nevermore, thanks for the chapter
frotes
Touching reunion! bravo
Fdrugc
Tftc
John Durrett
Bone Daddy is Back. Yeah Baby!
John Durrett
Solid Gold. Accompanying music ring out
JJB4345_80_815
Uh, remember the tutorial? There were over a thousand people in Jake's version and Jake ended up as the sole survivor. His buddies had to become an undead, Jacob had to become an auger in order to escape the tutorial, and the metal mage had to be revived after dying in it. Even if you count Bertram and the Fallen King, that's just 6 people walking out of a tutorial of over a thousand people, some of whom were his coworkers and one of which he had a crush on.
JJB4345_80_815
Yes, thank you for the chappy Zogarth!
Matthew Avery
I can't stop imagining The King as golden Frieza from dragonball.
ABTelford
Yay! Return of the king!…copyright can’t touch this because it’s as old as Arthur myths. Yay!
Phil Ritter
Seems like the King got the most of the trip to the Pantheon. Jake only wants a bow but imagine what one could do with a body crafted by Yggdrasil
Bi Thebest
Is he also going to die and revive in B grade 😭
Ty Cooper
I love how Ygg gave the King and upgrade. Ygg "sorry, you were not unique enough so I gave you some bling"
Eofad
The king is dead, long live the king!
Hussein Zenki
next time the king dies a grade, he comes back in a place of two towers (pls zogie)
Skipping
Return of the goat
Corac
He was not 299 but I believe he was close. Maybe no more then a 10 level difference
Beef Wrench
Obviously the king is going to take a forest as his domain and I would love for there to be "the kings wood" references about his domain 😂
Timothy Spradlin
I think true death is needed for both the experience and reality of the harsh reality of reaching for immortality kicking in. But maybe Zogarth is waiting till B or A grade before that happens.
joel southard
Thank you for the chapter
Boomer
Anyone have any idea of what level the Fallen King was when he "died"?
CT
Hail to the king, baby!
DirePants
I assume a vast majority 😂😂
Manpolar
Shame... Funny joke though
Aury Thio
I fully expect Jake to get some tasty tasty records and an upgrade to his mask, maybe mythical. Oooh
DirePants
Sylphie! You’re too young to be on the internet!
DirePants
Return of the Mac plays as the golden light shines on all present 😂✌🏾
Corvid
"And I shall call this form Golden Frei... Golden Forest King." Also, obligatory "And Rohan will answer" meme.
Cees Tollenaar
"Short" but immense in impact and reader satisfaction!
Victory Holcomb
The next time he gets reincarnated, will he be called ‘The Two Towers’ since we’ve now twice had the ‘Return of the King’?
Sarianne
Looking forward to tomorrow
Tilen Praprotnik
Thanks for the chapter
Dan
WELCOME BACK KING! And better than ever, too!
Sushi
Is the golden forest a rain forest? If it is, there will be a lot of golden showers. I will see myself out now.
Walter Kimberly
I’m so happy he is back
Burkes
My Goat returns.
NerdGinger
Let's go dude, let's fucking goooo
Kristoffer
That would be if he was brought back by the undead ;)
D3monEmper0r
I think the karmic connection from resurrecting him in the first place is more than enough connection wise...
brjenness
people visiting earth shenanigans also
Sylphie
REE!!
Kangaroo
Fits the prideful nature of a unique life form though.
Aaditya Ravindran
Thanks for the chapter! That was too short though.
SCHWING PAPI
Return of the SCHWING
Mrburns93
I didnt understand this comment at all. Took me a minute before I checked the name 😆.
VirtSecurity
New name Goldie McGold Mask!
Arieh Sochaczevski
Thanks for the chapter! I wonder if he’s going to end up with a blessing from Yg. I know Unique Lifeforms can’t be blessed, but I also don’t quite see Yg not tying the king to herself somehow. Since she was rebuilding him body-and-soul, I wouldn’t put it past her to be able to make that happen. At the same time, that would probably f* with his path as badly as being tied to Jake did… so probably not.
Nathan J
Disco lights go off everywhere, his name changes to Rainbow Forest King. Minaga pops in to give him an Ace high-five.
Fyrtue
The King has risen! Really though, we're at a good spot narratively speaking with only a few more things to knock out before B grade unless something unexpected happens so I made a list. 1. Reunion with the Nevermore crew 2. Final C grade skill selection (alchemist 320) 3. Dragon hunting 4. Meditate upgrade and fixing palate 5. Warpsnatcher upgrade/naming 6. Awkward dinner party Gonna be a wild one for sure, but all of these can surprisingly be knocked out at the Pantheon of Life. Looking forward to what's to come.
NSaaby
I wonder if the king will knight anyone?
Seiryus
Midas is an actual god though, related to Sultan if I remember correctly.
Matthias
Tftc
Devin Williams
Can we just call him Midas? Since his name is Golden Forest King?
Temlat
Am i the only one who is meh about the king returning? I mean, C’mon man, you left me dead. And now my existence is limited to the comments section….
Ty Cooper
Lol that was so bad it turn amazing
Ty Cooper
Lol no we will get to talk to the King tomorrow and not in 5 episodes
brjenness
yeah, I think he was planning on being killed somehow.
Charlie Jones
Honestly I would find it hilarious if it became a running gag that the King would lose his body and have to be regrown before every new grade, thus taking a new name. Sure it would get boring for most but I would find it funny.
SuperAzureReader
Tyftc. This was great. Also glad it wasn't dragged out extensively and used for plot convenience
Death56
He didn't want to pay 10.99 to rename his account luckily cross progression seems to be working
Nick Elliott
What was the subtefuge the mother tree accused him of? Was it simply that his noble sacrifice wasn't actually a noble sacrifice (not entirely) and it was I fact just him forcing his plans to separate himself from Jake? Or was it something else?
Samuel Nelson
Yeah, Jake's not interested till the king gets stronger.
ButterflEye
Yes to rarity downgrades every tier from now on
Death56
He still relied on Jake he just didn't ask seems like a pointless risk
Beef Wrench
Solid solid
Kt-x
Ooh! Thanks for the chapter
Shadowessence
Oh man slphie is gonna be crying so so much when she gets there.
WhiteLeeopard
Agreed. Freedom is his ultimate creed and he was always uncomfortable with their bond.
angel
Bro sacrificed his account for a re colour lol
Joshua Morris
I personally don't think Jake would give a rats ass that the king tricked him so they could separate. The plan the whole time was for them to find a way to separate from each other and if the King had to trick Jake to do it then that is perfectly fine.
dash w
Thanks for the chappy
Xander
TFTC :) Tiny question. Will jake have another round of skill downgrades upon his B grade evolution? Dont think anyone had Golden Forest King on their new name bingo card. Im looking forward to seeing our boy smashing up some of the hunting grounds as he catches up with Jake. Also, how many signatures do i need on my petition to have a chapter or 2 describing Arthur and Lillian pacifying the moon? Ballpark figure. She is Lucentae after all and could do with a moon base herself :) Also also youmay have missed the suggested edits for Friday. Suggested edits: "Fallen King truly give his life *to* selflessly? " should be "so" "A small spark of awareness had *slowly* sprouted into more as the mind of the King had *slowly* been reassembled *over a long period*." repetitive and somewhat redundant. Ofc something done slowly took a long period. Maybe change the second slowly to "been painstakingly" and maybe consider ditching the "over a long period". "As more and more *awareness* emerged, the King became faintly *aware* of his own" again repetitive phrasing. Maybe change the second to "began to faintly perceive his" "For too long had the King *had* relied" extra "had" "You played with concepts beyond your *standing* and" perhaps should be "understanding"? "putting *such* effort into" maybe should be "much" not sure, phrasing seems a little odd here. "be set alight and *full of* power" should be "fill with" to keep things consistent. "both masks ** separate," missing word "were" "efforts on what would ** as finally it was time for" something missing here
Eduron
Am inthr only one who thinks of Freeza right now cD?
Max
The king is back!!!
Chris Connolly
I was hoping they would immediately fight again, but Jake is now much higher level. It would be interesting if the whole point of reminding us that a unique life form is normally way more powerful than anything near its own level was a foreshadow to a quick fight being possible but if he is as strong as Jake with such a level disparity he would be the new op character of the series by far
Tyler S.
Nice to see that the King finally Prestiged 😂😂 next time Platinum...
mitchell kaiser
Yay! Welcome back king!
Conclave
HE... HAS REE-TURNED !!
Alexander C Hyde
The King focused all his efforts on what would (happen) as finally it was time for the return of the King.
Joseph Dizdar
Love the acronym, made me think Great Fucking King
Dick Dastardly
Cool beans!
C0bra$
Thank u for the story
SyndaXatrix
The King has returned :)
Apollo Greed
Golden Forest King
brjenness
Hey, you told us the name instead of leaving it hanging, now what are we supposed to argue about all day... Damned if you hang, Damned if you don't. ;)
A. B. Edwards
Hail to the King!
eatingpitza314
pride month rebrand
Eden
tftc
Stefan Nilsson
Tftc
IntenseSushi
Tftc
Alexander C Hyde
For too long had the King had relied on the hunter and had to ask for help. (The word had is used a lot.)
Naotsugu97
Very nice chapter. Arigato
MillionLittleE
Man this king guy just can’t stay with one name
Daniel Everest
Long live the GFK
Connor
Thanks for the chapter
Daniel Jackson-Woods
Tftc
Beemoss
Tftc
Cryingwisp
I thought it said Goth edition lol
David W. Baijense
nice nice. Real happy that bone tree man is alright
Cory Smith
Third
Yahyo Malikov
NOOOOOOOOOO
Loststar7
Happy Tuesday
Yahyo Malikov
First
