The Harvester

Chapter 211: Nephilim

“Wolfy.”

“Hm?”

“I’m seeing something that I didn’t even know existed.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What is it?”

“Exotic.”

“Oh, that word generally refers to something foreign, striking, or out of the ordinary,” the therian explained very sagaciously and Kaelith sent him a small glare.

“I take back what I said. Your poker face is even better than before. It looks angelic even when you are being sarcastic,” she blankly said and the very calm-looking Rakna just tilted his head but he couldn’t hide the faint smile. “See? That.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he shrugged. “Alexa, what does an Exotic Rarity implies?”

[Exotic is a special-case label that ranks above Legendary,] the AI answered. [It is not necessarily indicating of an otherworldly quality, but it is at the very least equal to Legendary. What is special about it, however, as you said, is its exotic nature to the System. While it is not to the point of being considered Unique, it is considered an abnormality due to its origins. In this case, you might want to expand the description to understand why it is so vague.]

“Well, I guess that’s that,” Rakna said and pressed on the plus sign next to the last Sub-Path.

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Way of the Nephilim

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The existence of the Nephilim is convoluted and twisted through ages and legends. People more often than not called them ‘Fallen Angels’ or ‘Giants’. Sometimes inferring that they were crossbreeds of angels and demons.

In truth, Nephilim were mortals. It was not a race’s name, nor was it a power. It was a way of living. They, who were mortal, found strength in something entirely unexpected. During the Age of Gods, where Divinities and Celestials were starting to be birthed by the Original Lands, very few individuals rose.

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They were not Fallen Angels, but they possessed cruelty born from benevolence.

They were not Angels, but they wielded holiness with obscured souls.

They were not Giants, but they had the strength and roars of one.

They were not Demons, but they wielded evil with zealous eyes.

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The Nephilim were beings of Paradoxical Honor. They climbed the ranks of power through sheer determination and furor. Through the extensive knowledge of the System, only three Nephilim were ever sighted in History with minimum proof.

A child orphaned by gods. He amassed power and strength through the Virtues of Heaven. He wielded light like no one, but his path was paved in blood and torture, on the hunt of the divine and all that they represent.

A woman ruined by a demon. She overcame her fears and embraced the Sins of Hell. Her wrath was like none other, her blood lust unmatched, but her soul shone with purity. Her path to vengeance was carved by the smiles of those she saved.

A man left with nothing, sought everything. The most twisted and powerful Nephilim to have ever lived, a God-Slayer, a Demon-Slayer, a Pariah, a Savior, and a Monster. He lived with both light and darkness in his soul, life in his right and death in his left. The one they called the First Life Hunter, Father of Jörmungandr, Ryugen Reigen.

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As a Nephilim, you will consume both what leads others astray and forward. And as long as you hold the ground, they will never consume you.

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—

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Do you wish to take on this Sub-Path?

Yes/No

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Note: The Host is currently too weak. If you select yes, it will be locked on and given to you upon reaching 250. Until then, small changes may occasionally occur.

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“Talk about being ominous,” Kaelith commented. “Nephilim… I’ve heard of them. But I always had the impression that they were Half-Angel Half-Demon Hybrids. But it’s normal for the knowledge to have died out since they are extinct,” she said and turned to Rakna who was gazing at the text in thought. “Though that might change today…”

“Perhaps…” He said. Most of his attention was on the small paragraph depicting the third Nephilim known to the System. ‘The First Life Hunter, huh? It’s basically my old man’s ancestor. What did Nyx call it? The Reigen Clan? Even the name checks out.’

“{It would seem so,}” Fray commented. “{I have read of Nephilim years ago. We know that there were more than just three but no one was capable of ever identifying them. But it is theorized that the cause of Kingdoms, Continents, and Planets suddenly dying during the Age of Gods was due to the rampage of Nephilim; humans of transcendence. The misunderstanding of them being hybrids was born from how their power paralleled their nature. Nephilim were saints with the power of the Devil or monsters with the power of God.}”

‘Or both,’ Rakna added.

“{Or both. The Father of Jörmungandr… Apt to be a Nephilim.}”

“So, what are you gonna do?” Kaelith asked and he hummed. He glanced at the descriptions of the two other Legendary Sub-Paths and read all of it in a blink. The Way of the Emperor screamed the role of a ruler, a commander of armies, and a leader. He immediately ruled it out.

He certainly could fit the role if he tried but he had always focused on his own strength. Just like the old man had once said; they were not leaders. They were the kind of people to jump first into battle and end it before any sort of commander would be needed.

‘Then this one,’ Rakna switched to the Sinner Sub-Path.

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Way of the Sinner

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Take on the mantle of the Underground’s Servants. You live, thrive, and feed on the sins of others and grow from their rotting bodies.

Your goal is to dig a hole to Hell and forsake the staircase of Heaven. You will gain the power of the Hidden Side of the Styx River at the cost of your affinity to good. The more you dig, the harder you will fall, the farther you will lose yourself, the more demonic you will turn.

This is the Way of Fiends. The legacy of The Slanderer.

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—

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Do you wish to take on this Sub-Path?

Yes/No

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Note: How far are you willing to fall to actualize your desires.

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“Yeah, no,” Rakna deadpanned as he shared the window with Kaelith. “If I wanted to abandon my integrity for power, I wouldn’t be here.”

“You better not choose this for sure,” the vixen added. “I might just drag you and force you to stay put for the rest of your life. Sub-Paths like these are worse than curses. I don’t want to see someone as overpowered as you get corrupted. Who knows the scale of the danger you could become?”

“No worries on that. But it confirmed something for me; the reason why I got this and the Nephilim as potential choices,” he declared.

“Mind sharing? What kind of status do you have for that to happen?”

“Sloth.”

Kaelith paused for a moment. “As in… one of the Sin Skills? One of the… Ultimate Class?”

He nodded calmly as he proceeded through the motion of accepting Nephilim as his Sub-Path. The name appeared on his status right away but nothing else changed. He only had to reach level 250 now. When he was done with that, he looked at Kaelith right about the time he estimated she’d be out of her stupor.

“…since when?” She mumbled. “Since when do you have that skill?”

“About 16 days ago?”

“It all makes sense now!” She exclaimed. “I knew something was wrong when I stopped being able to sense your presence. That’s why the Pavilion isn’t notifying me when you enter anymore. They literally cannot detect you!”

Rakna tilted his head. “That’s what troubles you? I thought you’d be a bit more concerned by the fact I have that kind of high-tier skill.”

“Well, that too, but I’m used to it,” she retorted with flawless logic and he couldn’t retort. She then sighed and put her hand on her waist. “But, to be fair, any self-respecting Top Host should have at least one skill like that. If you want my opinion, for someone to be admitted into the Myth Council as you did… it would be embarrassing for you not to have one.”

The therian blinked. “That certainly puts a perspective… Does that mean you have one too?”

She scoffed. “Of course. I have five Ultimate Class Skills. Though none of them are Sins. They are admittedly, one of the rarest after all.”

“…foxy, now that I think about it, I never asked what level you were, have I?”

“Do you want to know?” She smirked.

“Yes?”

“I am level 956. And I rank 36th in the overall Host Ranking.”

“…”

“Too impressed to talk? I understand. Don’t worry.”

Rakna remained silent and Kaelith sweatdropped as the silence dragged on. It didn’t help that he was staring at her so serenely. It was truly fascinating how much fur and hair color could do to his whole impression.

“Um… wolfy?”

He blinked and she had a bad feeling when she saw him smile a bit. “Foxy, do you want to know a thing I saw in passing when I got my Emperor Title?”

Her mouth twitched.

“I have a 50% discount-” Rakna uttered and in the blink of an eye, he found himself making another hole in the wall of the room. A piece of broken wall fell on his head and he grunted. He sat up, his body devoid of injuries or bruises, and saw Kaelith with her leg raised from her kick.

“Worth it,” he said shamelessly and stood up, dusting himself.

She raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I’m pretty sure I hit you hard enough to break your ribs. How come you’re okay?”

He paused in his movements. “Seriously? After all that spiel about being worried about me?”

“Well, next time don’t brag about your discount… that I don’t have. Fucking pieces of shit telling me I’m not eligible…” She grumbled the last part under her breath but Rakna obviously heard it.

“Right,” he resisted the urge to smile and checked the time. “It’s about time I go see the others. I’m confident in their faith in me, but there’s no point in worrying them too much.”

“Can I come with you?” Kaelith asked as she walked to him from the place she kicked him.

“Sure… why?”

“Firstly, there’s no way I’m letting you out of my sight for the rest of the day after what you pulled off today. At least, until I can get a good night of sleep without worrying. Secondly, I want to meet your friends,” she said earnestly. Rakna could smell that she seemed both curious and nervous about the idea. “Or is it a bad day to do it?”

“No…” He slowly shook his head. “The opposite actually. Your presence will help me mitigate the worrywarts that Flavia and Evelyn can be; give them a distraction.”

Kaelith’s smile stiffened a bit. “Right… the big-boobed witch and the succubus, right?”

Rakna snickered. “Technically. But I somehow can’t help but think you’re using those appellations negatively.”

“Your imagination,” she scoffed and headed to the exit with her arms behind her back. “Come on, we need to leave so that the room can be fixed entirely. It will seal itself.”

Rakna shook his head in amusement and followed her. “Pronos, we’re leaving,” he said and when he received no answer, he scowled and looked around, only to see the snake quietly sleeping on the ground. “Your attention span is even worse than Allan’s…” He commented and picked the little guy up and left the Gravity Room after Kaelith.