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
Collecting the rewards for successfully defeating John’s cousin, the party members of Godly Food jumped into the portal leading to the next floor. Zen knew that the dungeon had different themes on every ten floors. The tenth floor of each themed stage would be different from the other stages in difficulty. It was why the vanguard team struggled with the twentieth floor’s boss. In addition to the stage mechanic’s difference, the final boss was also tougher to deal with. If not for the monstrous capabilities of the combatants, Zen doubted they could breeze through the first ten floors as quickly as they did.Anticipating a village or town vibe similar to the other floors from before, Zen was stunned to find himself in a rocky cave full of darkness. It had ominous vibes, and only Liu Feng moved confidently in the darkness. Everyone else minimised exploring further without a light source.“We’ll log out here,” Akiko informed Damian. “Y
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