Digitize: Rebirth of the Silver Death God

Chapter 62: Nero's Choice, End of the Challenge

The atmosphere was a tense one, as the room became clouded by a dark haze. The reaper silently stood as if counting down the seconds while he glared at Nero with his glowing green eyes, his sinister scythe now gleaming sharply at its edges.

By this time, Nero stood still gazing at the hovering green scythe as his mind was rapidly processing the reapers words, 'There are three paths to Grezelor's Artifact... if I choose one, I will find the answer for my sincerity. The first is the path of suffering, the second is the path of death, and the third is the path of treasures.'

When Nero recalled those words, he began to analyze them, 'If I take the first sentence, then it's likely referring to some kind of offering, each path in this sense is one kind of way to prove my sincerity. However, which do I choose? Out of suffering, death, and treasures which would be the most effective offering for claiming an artifact belonging to a reaper?'

As Nero's thoughts ran wild, his forehead began to run with sweat as he knew he didn't have much time left. He was starting to feel anxious, which hindered his thinking ability.

The reaper looked at him with a smirk as he thought to itself, "Huhu... he's still too young, he's not able to figure out something that simple so easy..."

Time passed and only 10 seconds was remaining, Nero who forcibly calmed himself down, pondered even more as his eyes had a look of surprise as if he realized something.

'Hmm, wait... the ways to show one's sincerity to a reaper... if I choose the path of treasures that would in no way work, and if I choose the way of suffering, while bearing the burnt of a harsh torture through sheer will is viable, its still lacking essence of what a reaper desires. In that sense, a reapers desire should be the most obvious thing which is death, how could I not see it?' As Nero's thoughts ran here, the reaper smiled and began to countdown, "Five, four, three..."

Nero seeing this hurriedly replied, "Wait, I found the answer, I choose the Path of Death!"

The reaper laughed in a sinister manner as he blurred and appeared directly before Nero. As he saw this, Nero was alarmed, he tried to parry, but he was in no way a match for the reaper.

Swing! With a wide slash, the reaper sliced Nero into two halves, causing him to feel alarmed, he could feel his entire world collapsing as if everything had come to an end. The life in his body was slowly leaving him as his world started to grow dim.

Nero, having encountered death before knew full well what this hopeless feeling was, he even felt as if this was true death and not some simple video game result.

'Am I dying for real... or is it just game...?' Nero, having now confused his current state from reality to nonreality thought with blank eyes.

However, as he felt the familiar coldness and numbness much similar to that time with the truck, no matter how hard he tried to move, he couldn't even move his fingers much less breathe, he thought it was certainly not that simple.

'Noooo! I can't die like this, who will take care of my mother?' Nero cursed in his mind as he began to feel despair.

Soon though, he began to see his mother's images, recalling her sickly state and how hard she tried to raise him all on her own.

His poor mother stood in the rain at the pharmacy just to get him medicine from a store owner who just closed business.

His mother, who no matter the struggle they went through, did her very best to put food on the table and feed him his favourite meal during his younger years, even dragging her body in her sick state.

"Nero, do your best now..." His mother's voice said as she looked at him from his memories as if cheering him on regardless of his issues.

Suddenly, as if something in Nero changed, his lifeless body found power as he finally moved his fingers, he gripped them tightly and shouted inwardly, 'I REFUSE TO DIE!'

Nero didn't care if it was actual death or fake death; he only wanted to live regardless. The world around him had changed as his severed body began to glow as it started to reconnect.

Each of his muscles wriggled as they tried to stitch him up in one piece, during this process, Nero felt an ungodly amount of pain that seemed to have traveled all the way to his soul, causing him to scream, "Ahhhhhhh!"

The reaper who held his blood dripping scythe looked at Nero in surprise as he spoke his thoughts aloud, "Well now, I never thought that you'd not only select the correct choice but also pass the hidden test within it. Huhu... did you even know the specialness of making the right choice? Dying at this point would be no different from death in your world, but even this knowledge, you could easily overcome it. In all my years here, no matter the countless talents I've witnessed, your willpower is amongst the finest for your age. This trial is your victory..."

As the reaper spoke, a bright light shone from his eyes as the scythe behind him floated towards Nero, who wailed in pain. Soon, Nero's body had fully healed as he began to fall towards the ground. However, the reaper waved his hand, causing Nero to float in the air while being unconscious.

He looked at him with a smile as his body reformed into the image of the old grave keeper when he spoke, "Young boy... I want to see how far you will grow..."

As the old grave keeper said this, he pointed his finger, causing the green scythe to shrink rapidly and fly into Nero's body like a ray of green light.

Once this happened, the old grave keeper waved his hand once more and spoke, "May we meet again in the Higher Zones brat... teleport!"

Following these words, Nero's body became engulfed by a bright ray of lights that slowly started to transfer him out of the room. Yet, it was at this time that the old reaper's eyes narrowed as he stared at Nero's direction.

Swish! Nero turned into a ray of light that vanished as he was transferred to the town.

As the old grave keeper looked at where Nero vanished, he made a puzzled look as he spoke to himself, "How odd, first I smell a familiar fellow's scent on his body, but then I smelled another odor. But it's not right, why would he have such a smell? A smell that can only linger on the dead"

The old grave keeper placed one arm on his chin with a confused expression, but he soon shook his head and no longer pondered it. He smirked while thinking, 'Huhu... he might prove to be quite the fascinating rookie amongst those humans...'

As he finished his words, his spooky laugh sounded as his body began to fade away, merging into his surroundings like an actual ghost, thus bringing an end to Grezelor's Challenge.