A Golden Finger Befitting His Status

"What? Level fifty-five? A Death Knight?" Malone couldn't help asking the voice.

But the robotic voice seemed to have been nothing more than Malone's imagination. After appearing for a brief moment, it never came again.

"Did you hear a voice, Teron?" Malone turned to ask Teron Gorefiend beside him.

"What voice? I only heard you talking," Teron Gorefiend answered honestly.

Had it been his imagination? No... It hadn't. Malone studied the runes running from his left wrist to his forearm and began to understand what the so-called "God of Video Games" had given him.

As a veteran World of Warcraft player, Malone had played all kinds of classes, but his favorites were Death Knights and Paladins. He had several max-level Death Knight characters alone.

In World of Warcraft, the Death Knight, as a "hero class," had its own unique system. Most distinctive of all, Death Knight characters didn't start leveling from level one—they started at level fifty-five, just as the voice had said.

Malone even dared to wonder: could he still level up? Would he gradually learn more skills as his level rose? But how would he gain experience? Where was his experience bar?

"Teron, do you know what an experience bar is?" Malone asked tentatively.

"No. Never heard of it. Maicomarlon, what's wrong? You look strange!" Teron Gorefiend looked at his companion with concern.

"No, never mind. It's nothing." Malone shook his head. It seemed this only happened to him. Everything else in this world still followed the standard rules of another world; only he had been given a game-like system.

If he died, could he come back to life? The thought suddenly occurred to Malone, but he quickly dismissed it. He didn't want to risk his life just to find out.

Something else concerned Malone more. The voice had mentioned a word just before: unlock.

Unlock class: Death Knight.

Could he unlock other classes too?

Compared to a melee class that charged straight into battle and hacked away, Malone preferred being a mage. He might have liked playing melee classes in the game, but now that he was the one charging into battle, he'd be safer staying behind.

But the voice didn't return. Malone tried casting Death Coil again—that green shadow bolt—but the voice still didn't respond.

If only he could talk to it, Malone thought with a sigh. He shook his head and gave up.

He rolled down his shirt sleeve and sat back on the ground.

But Malone's outlook had changed considerably. The restless part of him was beginning to stir.

Now that he had power, he was even more eager to leave this Orc camp.

He had everything he needed to get away. Like Teron Gorefiend, he was a Death Knight raised from the dead by Gul'dan, but Malone looked nothing like a dead man. Neither his appearance nor his body showed any sign of damage.

And he had power now, too. He still didn't understand how strong it was or how to use it skillfully, but he believed he could protect himself in the wilderness.

Leave here, right now, at once, Malone told himself. Head north, reach Lordaeron before the Orc army marched out, and join the Alliance.

There, he could meet more of Azeroth's famous figures: Anduin Lothar, Muradin Bronzebeard, Khadgar, Turalyon... and Arthas Menethil, who was still a child now but would one day become the Lich King.

Maybe he could fight alongside them. And maybe... Arthas wouldn't have to become the Lich King after all. He wouldn't have to suffer through those agonizing choices.

Malone excitedly imagined himself making his mark. Every player who had experienced the world of the Warcraft games had imagined roaming this world, and now Malone had a real chance.

Was this supposed to be a punishment? It was practically a reward!

As he thought it over, Malone decided the "God of Video Games" really did have a different perspective from humans.

No, something was wrong. Malone felt he must have overlooked something. Everything the "God of Video Games" had said so far had come true, so he wouldn't turn a punishment into a reward.

So what had he missed?

"You're not so dumb after all! I thought you'd foolishly go off and change the history of this world, and then..."

Suddenly, Malone heard a voice. It wasn't Teron Gorefiend's, nor was it the stiff, robotic voice from before. It was the voice of the "God of Video Games."

"It's you? Where are you? Where are you talking to me from?" Malone shouted, only to realize he hadn't made a sound. His words, like the "God of Video Games'," seemed to appear directly in his mind instead of passing through his vocal cords.

"I'm at home, lying on the couch, eating fries and drinking cola while watching TV. By the way, when I say TV, I mean your entertaining performance."

That was the "God of Video Games'" reply.

"XXX..." Malone unleashed a string of curses. This "God of Video Games" was infuriating. From his tone, Malone could hear how comfortable he was.

Hadn't the bastard said he was busy? Busy eating fries and drinking cola? Malone seethed inwardly. And remembering that he'd never eat Earth's delicious food again only made him want to punch the bastard god even more.

"Huh? Why do you want to hit me? I came all this way to kindly remind you what your real punishment is, and this is how you repay me? Sigh, then I'll just leave. With that foolish mortal brain of yours, who knows how long it'll take you to figure it out? And if your own stupidity gets you killed before then, that's not my problem."

There was even a touch of grievance in the "God of Video Games'" voice. Of course, Malone knew the bastard was just putting on an act.

"Punishment? Right, what exactly is this punishment you're talking about? If it's just what's happening now... it seems more like a reward to me."

Malone remembered what mattered. He still had plenty of questions for this guy.

"A reward? You're underestimating this punishment. All right, if you died right now, I'd lose a lot of entertainment, too. Who wants to watch a TV show with only one episode? Here, I'll give you a hint: your arrival will disrupt Azeroth's timeline... That's all the hint you get. But I think you can guess what's going to come looking for trouble, right?"

Malone could hear the obvious glee in the "God of Video Games'" voice, but he had no time to curse him out.

The timeline? Something related to the timeline... Malone carefully recalled what he knew about the world of Azeroth.