Zen woke up feeling as if he had only fallen asleep five minutes ago. He checked the notifications in the holographic screen in front of his eyes to turn the alarm off, but there was no sound to mute.
“Wha—?”Still foggy from sleep, Zen almost jumped when Liu Feng played the new notification on text-to-speech on the other side of the bed.[New event: Treasure Hunt. More details will be released in an hour. Stay tuned!]Freaking out at the new event announcement, Zen dragged his tired body out of bed. There was only an hour before Akiko called for a group meeting. He had to prepare breakfast before that. Unlike the jumpy gamer, Liu Feng stretched lazily to the sound of the sink running. Last night, Zen spoke to Damian. It mildly bothered him how his sworn brother went behind his back to seek out someone potentially dangerous alone.In a foul mood, the Seer waited until Zen left to wash up and change into his training outfit. He haEventually, the meeting dispersed. Everyone decided to make the necessary calls and preparation for the event, including Liu Feng, who excused himself to resume training in the dojo. Zen decided he wouldn’t need a map compass for the event because that would eventually become useless. Event merchandise were scams to make students part with their credits. The Godfather must have included some sort of financial trial for the future successor with tempting but usel
There wasn’t a lot to do after preparing lunch. Zen went around to deliver the food he had made and apologised for making everyone uncomfortable with his decision.Needless to say, he received all sorts of reactions. Some tried to pry for more information and demanded a justification, while others refused to listen more until he changed his mind. Then there were the people who only shook their heads in resignation, leaving a terrible aftertaste in Zen’s mind.He knew he wouldn’t receive positive feedback after what he did. However, there was one person in this academy he did not wish to disappoint.Navigating his way around the unfamiliar parts of this academy, Zen eventually located the dojo. Even from outside, he could hear the casual sounds of destruction. The school was probably going to need a new dojo at the rate Liu Feng was pummelling everything into powder.Politely knocking twice out of courtesy, Zen waited. If Liu Feng did not r
“Are you an idiot?”That wasn’t the first thing Zen expected Sasha to say when Oritha delivered lunch on his behalf. Behind her, Akiko gave Zen a silent judging stare, and he blushed to his neck.Eventually, the Amazonian decided to save his shattered pride by offering him her third bento box so they could eat together.“What are you going to do after lunch?” Sasha asked. “I’m thinking of visiting the shooting range.”Oritha shrugged. “Maybe take a shower. I had enough gym. Besides, we still need to find a way to smack that annoying stone fly. I lost count of how many times we died.”Ah, they were talking about the gargoyles on floor nineteen. It was a shame Zen couldn’t join. None of the girls blamed him for lagging behind. Instead, they started gossiping about the monsters they met, which gave Zen a better idea about the dungeon’s structure.“Why didn’t any of you try
“Team meeting,” Sasha groaned. “I don’t know if we improved in that run because we had our ass kicked with the multipliers. I didn’t get to see what happened, and I was gone. What even was that?”Zen could tell they were frustrated even if Akiko and Oritha said nothing.Nothing was more irritating than not understanding the cause of failure. Sadly, they might have to do another run with Zen’s new strategy so he could analyse how the last phase worked. Knowing that it was an illusion wasn’t enough. He needed solid statistics about the attack patterns.Zen would have prepared a flask of calming tea if he knew they would be this tense after the dive. Too bad there wasn’t anything in this room he could use to prepare drinks or snacks.Cutting straight to the point, Zen presented his findings. The gargoyle boss had predictable attack patterns if they used the soul lamps as indicators. However, the monster was
Unlike his other party members, Liu Feng understood what Zen wanted to do after only one explanation. The Seer had to cut his workout session short after receiving Zen’s message. At first, he was annoyed by the interruption. However, he quickly became amused by the killing machines’ confusion.“He explained it rather well,” the blind man chuckled. “This is probably the difference between a pawn and a general. Have you never done reconnaissance missions before?”Almost too quickly, Akiko defended herself. Even if most of her orders revolved around elimination, she was trained to complete all sorts of tasks.“I know how to scout, gather information, eliminate targets, buy time and act as a decoy, among other more specialised skills. What are you getting at?”The barbed tone did not go unnoticed as Sasha inched towards Zen for moral support. Unlike the two highly dangerous individuals in the room, she knew nothing outs
Zen had yet to learn how they managed it. After what felt like ten years of his lifespan, his party members finally understood their assignment.“Remember,” Zen reminded once more before they dived. “It’s ok if we can’t defeat the boss in one run. It can take many runs to collect enough data before completing a level.”The girls left, not wanting to comment on Zen’s sense of time in games. Only Liu Feng remained with Zen. He wasn’t going to sleep on the same bed as those girls. Why would he do that when he had a perfectly adorable pillow here?Without standing on ceremony, Liu Feng helped himself to Zen’s thighs, making the gamer squirm in surprise at the extra weight on his legs. The blind man looked like a very dangerous but comfortable cat. Feeling tempted, Zen poked the Seer’s defenceless cheek and giggled.“Are we all in yet?” Oritha called from the video call, and Zen cringed. He forgot
The news spread quickly throughout the guild while Zen remained blissfully unaware in his room. He was in high spirits documenting the latest findings from floor nineteen.Liu Feng returned to his room to hear Zen’s giggling. Curious, the blind man walked over.“What are you doing?” he asked.Surprised that his roommate was back already, Zen grinned. Earlier, he sent the game guide to everyone in the guild. Although only some have seen it, he was already receiving requests for more guides on other floors.“I think my schedule will be fully booked in the future,” he told Liu Feng honestly. “They are requesting detailed game guides on the levels they are stuck at.”Flicking his hair in disdain, Liu Feng searched for his clothes and replied coldly.“Tell them we can send someone to carry them. Don’t waste your time on floors we have already conquered. You should reserve your energy for the event. I hear
Ironically, Zen was the last to show up at the mushroom maiden’s meadow, even if he was the coordinator.“Sorry, I’m late!”Sasha and Oritha were busy bullying mushrooms nearby, but Akiko and Liu Feng chose to chill in the meadow, enjoying the peaceful music. It was rare to have a peaceful zone dedicated to positive buffs. Although they had no idea why such a place existed, everyone was eager to learn about the secret dungeon only their party could access.“No, you’re five minutes early. We were curious, so we decided to come earlier. He needed a guide,” Akiko explained.That made sense. The girls had already been here before but not his sworn brother. Zen should have thought about it. He forgot to include the location. Thankfully, everything worked out.Zen spent too much time reviewing the dungeon recordings that other parties sent him that he almost missed the appointment. Knowing what to expect on the upper floor