Zen came to a very familiar bar and did not know if he should be thankful or sad that he had eight fewer drinks to buy.
“Hey, kiddo! You’re back. How did it go? I heard that you were quite the star, among other things.”
Vera, the barkeeper, was still as short as ever. Zen forced a smile and nodded. Maybe this was why people drank. The act of pouring their worries down with a cup and forgetting about reality for a moment was the same as how the original third young master indulged in virtual games. Only, it was now drinking in a virtual world.
“I’m back for the game clip highlights for the event,” Zen told her.
Vera chuckled. “Ninety-two shots now. You might not have that bad of a hangover tomorrow. Are you sure you want to down all of them in one go? There has been no announcement for the next event yet. You don’t have to hurry.”
Zen shook his head. This was precisely why he was here tonight, ri
After a night of drinking, Zen came to terms with certain things. However, he could not make these decisions alone. Too many have died, and while he knew these teens were not against murder, he was not expecting Party Freedom to completely annihilate Party Undead.He had to let his party members know. After all, two of the guild’s highest-ranked people were there.“Did you not get any sleep?” Liu Feng asked as Zen clutched his throbbing head.“I did,” Zen replied with a scratchy voice. “However, the memories crammed into me didn’t give me any peace.While the Seer was still here, Zen took the opportunity to ask about his fight with Johan.“Ah, you saw that in the clip too? It was probably the most interesting thing that happened during the entire event. There were simply too many errands to run, and if Amazonian did not tell Death Princess where those rats were hiding, I might not have found them.&rdq
As Zen rolled the food trolley with Bolt and Yelena in tow. He thought about the few ways he could react to seeing everyone in the guild again. The first was to pretend that everything was alright and go back to that more playful atmosphere to lighten the serious mood. There was nothing wrong with lingering in the celebratory mood after their victory against Guild Carnage. However, his reaction that morning when Liu Feng woke him up was a little too strange for the Seer to overlook it. The best option was to remain silent and not attract too much attention to himself. It usually worked while he was still working as a chef when he was a civilian. On good days, his boss would completely forget him and Zen remembered how he would share the stolen meat with Celine on days like that. It was a good solution if the situation allowed him to play a background character. Unfortunately, Zen had no idea his party members would allow him to remain a background character.
When Zen returned, Charlie and Remi were already gone. Sasha looked at all the extra food with confusion. Why did they leave so quickly? Then again, the atmosphere in the room was a lot more relaxed now that they were gone. Perhaps the upper echelon of the guild resolved it while they were gone?“Here, your macaroni soup, although I don’t know if it is to your taste.”The steaming bowl of chicken soup macaroni with shredded chicken and simple vegetables was placed on the small side table near Liu Feng. Zen did not forget the chopsticks and soup spoon that he grabbed from the room he shared with the blind teen.Just from the smell alone, Liu Feng knew that it would be good, although he did not know if he would be able to maintain his usual composure after eating it.
The invigilators took their leave after helping to clean up. Zen heaved a sigh of relief now that the two troublemakers weren’t in the same space. He hated to play mediator for a commando and a muscle woman.Now that the party was together again, Zen took a good look at them. The ninety-two shots he drank gave him more insight into the kind of people they were. Zen should not be very shocked at some of their brutality. However, there were some things he felt the need to let them know.“I saw the game clip highlights,” Zen cut to the chase. “Some of them weren’t very pretty. I hope you’d bear with me as I recall everything from the notes I made after watching them. It’s quite a long list, and most of them are observations on my end with personal opinions. To Kanzaki-san and big brother Wind, I hope you won’t make r
Despite the curiosity eating at everyone’s insides, Zen ignored the bomb he just dropped and continued with his agenda.“Firstly, I would like to highlight the true potential of Remi’s abilities.”Nobody complained about Zen’s debrief session. As the only person in the guild who watched all ninety-two game highlight clips, nobody questioned his event analysis.“He did suggest the method of luring those flight white eggs,” Sasha attested. “I’m more impressed by how quickly their plans adapted to the new person. I wasn’t that prepared when my shots missed.”At that, Zen smiled. “You should have more faith in your marksmanship. The two shots hit their target, but the target was made tougher than bullets
Although nobody spelt it out explicitly, Zen could tell that they did not like the idea of adding someone else into the party. He wasn’t sure if it was because they did not like Damian or if they just did not want anyone else joining them.Regardless, the young cook was determined to persuade them. If Oritha could switch sides, talking to Damian and getting him to lend them his abilities would be possible too. After all, he had a less disagreeable personality to work with.The Cyborg was a mysterious person, and even after asking Faceless to stalk him, Zen had yet to receive any useful information about him. Apart from how the Cyborg hardly eats and spends most of his time locked in his room, Faceless did not get any useful information.“Why him?” Sasha asked, clearly distressed.
After that announcement, things became somewhat awkward between the members of Godly Food Party. The girls excused themselves to return to the room while Liu Feng remained incredibly silent.Zen did not know what the Seer was thinking. However, he thought that the assassin needed some time to himself after Zen’s announcement.“Do you have any lunch requests? I think I’ll take some time to cook before I dive until dinner.”Liu Feng thought about it but did not reply for a long time. Zen had no idea if he should stay or leave when there was no response. However, he decided that if the blind assassin did not make any indications, he should still stay until he had a clear sign. Omertas were scary, and the last thing Zen wanted was to have a falling out with someone he thought would be protecting
Meeting in the VR game was very different from seeing each other in person. Many of the newly joined guild members who were diving for the first time did not know how to use the various commands. Most of them only excelled at smacking objects and breaking them. Some of the chattier and brash guild members found themselves becoming disliked by the NPCs.Akiko deadpanned. Her expressionless features were dull as she watched the group of over thirty people act like immature civilian school children. These were the people she had in the army to create the miracle they needed? No matter how capable Remi and Charlie were, it would be a lot of work organising these youths who had no chemistry with each other or any idea about teamwork.“Listen up,” Akiko barked. She wasn’t used to raising her voice but surprisingly, it did not hurt her throat in the
After entering the boss dungeon den, Zen shivered. It wasn’t similar to a wolf’s den. If anything, it appeared closer to an actual dungeon, as if someone had deliberately attempted to imprison the boss here. The stale smell of dogs and many broken chains of different sizes on the ground spoke volumes about John’s cousin.Unlike the short werewolf, who remained in his werewolf form constantly, the boss was a monster who could transform. Depending on the moon cycle, it could be a violent and bloodthirsty monster or a broken man who lived in constant fear and misery of his curse.“He changes according to the moon cycle once the rampage begins,” Akiko explained. “I took a while to figure out how to kill him, even on the first run. He’s immune to damage on a blood moon. We need to finish it as soon as possible.”With a full party participating in a boss battle, Zen had faith they could conclude it before even the blood moon p
Finally approaching the final boss’s cave, Zen wondered if the storyline would change because they had let Han murder John brutally. His body had been hacked into pieces and scattered around the rotting forest. The maggots would get to it soon and reduce it to bones. Yet, the cruel butchering session remained fresh in Zen’s mind.Everyone in the party knew that feeling all too well. Having lived in the underworld, they sympathised with Zen, who had lived like a civilian his whole life. Although not everyone participated directly in the act of murder, they knew what it meant to take a life. Even Damian had seen it happen. He knew how to interrogate for information and was quite adept at the craft when required.“Don’t think too much about it,” Liu Feng was the first to break the silence. “He wasn’t even real. This is a game designed by the Godfather to find the next successor. It’s just another test.”Even if it wer
Even after many years of not being on talking terms with the rest of the family, Hans fitted right in when delving blows at the cowardly werewolf. Mai ripped out chunks of flesh with her teeth, snarling at it the whole time while Laura expertly force-fed the werewolf with different herbs with particularly nasty effects.Even with regeneration abilities, John could not recover from herbs that tasted nasty, gave him muscle cramps or made him itch all over. Laura truly knew how to make someone suffer, and Zen watched with morbid fascination at their different uses. Her apothecary skills were no less effective than those of Herbologist Hernie.“Can you heal him again?” Damian asked. “Han needs another round. Mai roughed him up a little too good.”With a priest in the party who did not worship any known religion, the torture session became smoother and more effective. No apology from John would appease the family’s anger. Although Zen did not
After listening to the story about John, Laura’s expression hardened. “That son of a bitch!” she spat. “How dare he prey on my granddaughter! Where is he now?!” Slightly terrified by the murderous aura, Zen reported that Sasha and Damian had the werewolf at Gabrielle’s hut. Mai had been ripping him a new one each time he regenerated. The girls had been doing a great job of making him miserable. Han was already there. “I can’t believe I’m last at the party. That wolf deserves to die. Even death is too cheap a price to pay after what he did to my husband and son.” For once, Zen agreed. Even if John was merely a character in the game, he deserved death. The fact that the game administrators did not grant John invulnerable stats meant that it was possible to kill the cousin of the floor boss. While waiting for Laura to pack her ‘tools’ and herbal surprises, Zen approached Liu Feng and thanked him for accompanying them. In real time, it was already past regular l
Studying advanced herbalism from Laura took more time than Zen expected. Thankfully, the game had a way of providing cheats for him. Instead of cramming all the knowledge into his head that would give him a splitting migraine, it provided a useful guidebook that would prompt him on what a particular herb does upon location and what combinations he could use it for with other known herbs. The problem was, to truly master this skill, he had to pass the final test. Laura’s pop quiz only had ten questions. However, there was a timer. While Zen could attempt it infinitely, there were thousands of herb combinations to remember. Not having any formal education in either of his past lives, the young chef faltered. “You may use anything in this cottage as a reference for your test,” Laura smirked. “All the best. I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Stressing over the best method to find what he needed, Zen tested a few things. Firstly, when Laura said that the new skill would inst
While the other party members gathered the family members for a reunion, Zen and Liu Feng finally found Laura’s cottage after taking a wrong turn. Funnily enough, it was the Seer who pointed out how they had been going in a circle before Zen realised he had misinterpreted the map. Knocking on the cottage door, Zen waited with his sworn brother. From inside, he could hear someone coughing badly. “Who is it?” the cranky old lady hacked as she cracked open the door. Instead of seeing her sloppy son or nosy granddaughter, Laura saw a cute priest and a handsome, long-haired warrior. The new adventurers surprised her. Were they lost in the forest? “What do you want?” she asked briefly before launching into a new coughing fit. It was a particularly nasty cold that had persisted for a week now without any signs of recovery. Despite all the herbal medicine she made, Laura did not see any signs of improvement. Perhaps she was getting on in age. Smiling, Zen show
It was a shame Zen was not with them. Sasha would have gone for a few more rounds, using the cowardly werewolf as a punching bag after Zen healed him. The more they dug information out from the pervert, the worse Sasha’s temper was. Damian did not stop her. The draconian needed somewhere to vent her anger, and it was best for it not to come his way. In truth, the cyborg felt a little sorry for Gabrielle, even if she were just a fictional character created for this virtual dungeon game. The cowardly cousin of the floor boss was no different from lowly thugs borrowing the influence of their powerful relatives to cause mayhem. Whimpering in fear and pain with his tail tucked in between his legs, the werewolf defect who could not transform into a human no matter the moon cycle kept a close eye on Sasha. Under the watch of the merciless draconian female, there was nowhere for him to run. He told them what they wanted to know and was alive for now. Given how tightly they w
Using hand gestures, Sasha signalled the countdown and Damian prepared his stunning spells silently. They only had one chance to catch the secret admirer off guard. Whatever he was doing was disgusting enough. Han wasn’t lying about the obsession. The stalker werewolf was plucking flower petals and chanting Gabrielle’s name to see if she would love him back. Each time the flower petals ended on a no, he would crush the flower, stomp on it and pick a new one, confessing his disturbing love to her before plucking off the petals of a new flower.“Oh, Gabrielle! What sweet rosy cheeks you have, all the better for me to bite into them when they are ripe! They were pink when you were a babe. They were red when you had a fever. I wonder if they’d bleed if I bit them… would you cry in pain and fear? It makes me so excited to think about it! Just wait a little more, my angel. You’d soon be an adult, and we could finally be together!”Disgu
As soon as Zen and Liu Feng departed, the remaining assassins pulled themselves together and got to work. Oritha opted to remain in the same room as the sleeping mother and daughter. However, Akiko went outside to share the information she learned last night about the stalker while patrolling the perimeter.“More brown hair?” Damian asked. “I could examine the cuticle to determine its genetic composition.”Handing the tuft of brown fur or hair over, Akiko also told Sasha the stalker’s route. Liu Feng only sensed the area where the unknown man was hiding last night. His lack of vision made him miss out on the obvious tracks. The stalker was not an expert. It must be how Han knew the foot size of Gabrielle’s secret admirer.Showing Sasha the tracks she found in the night, the Death Princess explained her hypothesis. The night hounds and wolves did not approach the house due to an invisible barrier.“It was as if they were t