Despite getting pulled into a vortex out of the blue, Zen held onto the golden leaf tightly as he screamed. Thankfully, he wasn’t on the party voice call with anyone, or his party members would have logged in immediately to rescue him.
By the time Zen overcame his initial shock, he was already in a different dimension. The dimension was a unique dungeon that defied the laws of maps and navigation, a realm of mystery and danger.Getting off the dirt, Zen looked around to see if there were any monsters or NPCs he should deal with immediately. Trees and plant life resembled a regular forest everywhere he could see, if not for their vibrant pink and blue hues. Although Zen was used to seeing weird forms of dysmorphia as a gamer, this dungeon brought extreme proportions to a whole new level. It couldn’t even compare with Gloomie Shroomie’s overly large mushroom cap dress. The size of that seven-pointed leaf was big enough to act as Zen’s blanket. However“It all started when Baron Claude became the lord of the town,” the Fairy Queen started, a distant look in her eyes. “My children were mischievous, but they were never evil.”Before the humans settled near her forest, the Fairy Queen and her fairies tended to the forest and kept the magical monsters in check. The forest was a dangerous place, and they were the only guardians acting as guides to lost humans. The faes weren’t on hostile terms with humans. However, they preferred to keep to themselves.“One day, an adventurer visited our forest and was having difficulty with the monsters in the forest. One of my children decided to give him a hand. He was a likeable human who quickly won over many of us, including me. We don’t know his name, but he was a hero of the humans who was on a quest. He told us a prophecy that another of his kind will arrive when we are in need.”When Zen first started, he never thought the lore ab
“What? There was such a back story? That’s crazy! Am I engaging in illegal fairy trafficking on the main quest now?” Damian couldn’t help but gawk after Zen called him.Unable to speak loudly, Zen whispered back that he was in a middle of a timed event to capture the corrupted Baron and recover the kidnapped fairies.“You can make an under table deal with me,” he suggested. “Kidnap the fairies without harming them and then turn them in to your main quest giver. I’ll beat them up and recover them later.”While Zen was trying to clear his special quest, Damian had only completed Blacksmith Ben’s special chain quest and acquired his basic blacksmithing skills. The fairy trap with Blacksmith Bob should be ready by now. However, the cyborg no longer felt good about this main quest completion competition.“I want to forfeit our bet,” he declared after teleporting back to the fifth floor. “I d
Zen was no expert in game programming. However, he was very sure it was uncommon to alter the main quest. Yet, Damian managed to find a unique loophole thanks to his job class.“Are you sure this will work?” Zen asked. The fairy trap that Damian was tasked to build looked very different from the ones he saw in the dark magicians’ dungeon.Shrugging, the engineer referred to his main quest log. The system accepted the severely modified fairy trap as a fairy trap. Who knew this was also a possibility?“Have you finished your quest?” Damian asked, amazed at Zen’s progress despite his slow head start.Shaking his head, Zen checked the log. He still had to talk to Father Mark to inform him about what he learned. Moreover, there were new titles and items to check out.“Give me a while to finish the last trap,” Damian stretched. “The fairies are still hostile towards me and won’t listen to me. They attack
“And… that’s nine!” Damian whooped in delight as another ditzy fairy was lured into his trap. Zen’s fairy cakes were the bomb!Although Zen already had a private fairy circle to access from the church, he decided to accompany Damian and help the engineer complete his main chain quest. The Fairy o’ Meter worked like a charm, and Zen was only glad to put his fairy cake recipe to better use. Unlike the first time when he had to hunt for sparkling sundew alone, Zen found it as an ingredient at Melvin’s restaurant when he borrowed the chef’s kitchen. According to the NPC, adventurers who started favouring his restaurant after the downfall of Baron Claude donated the monster loot in exchange for meal discounts.As the fairy trap continued to work efficiently, Zen found himself growing bored. His role was to hide in the bushes, ready to assist Damian if the machine malfunctioned. Zen had added holy water to the fairy cakes as a sec
One hundred credits richer, Damian Gorski wondered how two non-combatants would defeat a floor boss without aid. After turning in his quest to the balding baron, Damian was tasked to talk to the local fortune teller.As they approached Firah's tent, Zen couldn't help but feel a pang of concern for her weariness. Yet, it was the subtle signs of hidden pain, the bruises on her wrists concealed beneath her long sleeves, that truly stirred his empathy.“The baron extends his gratitude for your contribution,” she addressed Damian. “I can restore the fairy circle for you upon obtaining the fairy queen’s wings. Here’s a map that will guide you to her glade.”Accepting the map, Damian and Zen exited the fortune teller’s tent.“Did you see that?” Zen whispered once they were far enough. “She was hurt.”Damian nodded. It was obvious who the abuser was. The balding bastard wouldn’t stop at fairy tr
Armed to the teeth, Damian and Zen trudged through the same forest with different perspectives.“I hate how gloomy my visual settings are and how darn sparkly it is on your end,” Damian lamented as he viewed Zen’s perspective through the party call.Three minutes ago, Zen sent word in the party chat that they were about to clear the boss dungeon on the fifth floor after upgrading their weapons. He wanted to ask if they could get a boost to the tenth floor from either Liu Feng or Akiko when Sasha requested a video call after learning how Damian modified her rifle. As a result, the two boys received live coaching from backseaters over the party call.“The fairy queen can fly,” Oritha reminded. “It does great damage in a large area when she lands. Remember to dodge that.”Giving her two cents about shooting, Sasha suggested that Damian and Zen should not remain too close and in the same position.“Cover for
Making pork cutlet rice bowls for the girls and egg-fried rice for Liu Feng and himself, Zen mass-cooked a variety of vegetables and meat with extra rice that the others could help themselves to. He felt bad for making the girls log in in a hurry when they learned how quickly Damian and Zen cleared the final boss room. However, they weren’t complaining as they sipped on iced lemonade in the kitchen.“Did you hear?” Sasha gossiped in between sips of the refreshing drink. “Damian received his rewards and cleared with a special title!”Tossing the wok, Zen barely turned to her. However, she had his attention.“What did he get?”Grinning, Sasha retrieved the screenshot Damian sent her. Apparently, he was still mucking around with his imperfect rune cannon in the game. Zen left him to finish his invention. It was nearing five in the evening, and Liu Feng should be wrapping up his other urgent secret business. With the new part
After a delicious meal, Party Godly Food logged in and agreed to meet Damian, who had finally finished his floor five event. They gathered on the sixth floor, and Zen laid down the plan.“Damian and I will accept the main quest, but we won’t do them. I’ll ask for everyone’s help to clear them on our behalves while we explore the side quests. Damian will look for new crafting recipes and spells while I forage and update the gaming guide.”Nobody complained, but Akiko remembered one question from when Zen was in the kitchen.“Zen, why do you need so many credits?”Here, even Oritha and Sasha paid attention. Zen felt all the eyes on him and faltered. He hasn’t told Liu Feng about his intentions and plans. However, after stirring the hornet’s nest earlier, it was difficult for him to brush it under the carpet.“I can’t tell you now because I don’t have a lot of evidence,” he stated cau