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
For Sasha, who was stuck on the fifth floor for the longest time, she did not dwell on Zen’s proposal for too long. If she proved that Oritha was more than enough for them in this party, they need not invite Gorski into their group.Oritha was all in agreement and logged into the game for the first time voluntarily. She had no idea what to make of the various tabs, but Sasha was a very patient teacher, pointing to her what she should tap on to start.It did not take long for Oritha to muscle through the first stage. She did not collect the quests from the NPCs before she started smashing slimes with Sasha, letting her know what parts were required. They had no clue how many parts they needed, so Oritha decided that fifty was a good number to start with.By the end of that hour, they were already hurtling to th
It took longer than he liked to admit. After learning the hard way of getting sliced in the face by the weakest gladiator opponent, Zen learned that the way of the sword was not an easy one.His weak arms couldn’t handle the pure brute force of the enemy that came at him even if he had the reflex to block it. The poor gamer body was not built to tank direct attacks. For that, he would need a body like the Amazonian.Ultimately, the dagger was still Zen’s best choice of weapon. He tested that dagger on the training dummy in Claymore. While it wasn’t the most ideal weapon in the gladiator ring, Zen was able to make use of his running skills to parry and reposition to sneak behind his enemy’s defences for an open stab.That process of learning took Zen three hours, even with his ability to learn
Unlike everyone else who immediately dived into the dungeon clearing craze, Zen logged into his virtual world after a satisfying lunch of baked potatoes and bacon. He had something else to do to ensure his survival against his mortal enemies - the slimes.If there was one thing Zen learned about his enemies, it was how they always bounced when moving. Their insides were mostly liquid, even if they had a tough exterior. It reminded Zen of a bouncy rubber egg that had been soaked in vinegar for a few days. A surefire way to kill something built that way was by stabbing it. However, Zen was not conceited enough to think the gaming laws will protect his lack of experience with blades.Hence, he was back in the lobby browsing through all his games. Before the egg hunt, he trained himself at running. He certainly felt the difference it made to his running after the v
The crafter Zen found was a young, lively chap who was always in high spirits.“What can I do for ya today?” the armourer grinned, and Zen blinked. He took a peek inside the store and saw that several beginner armours were hanging on the walls.“Do you sell beginner armours my size?” Zen asked. Everything here looked large, and he wasn’t going to fit in them.Paul, the armourer, blinked and frowned. He took a good look at Zen and nodded.“Indeed, this is a problem. We don’t make armour for wee lads like you. You’re too young to be out there hunting monsters.”Zen grimaced. “Do you suppose you could make me something? I can pay. Just name your price. However, I have t
Although Zen did not have his armour, he now had a weapon. This was good enough, and Zen took a look at his active quests.===Active Side Quests:[Quest: Medicine for Martha’s Son Part 1Requirements: Foraging EncyclopaediaObjective: Collect the following herbs0/1 Sunset Dew Grass0/1 Red Spider Flower0/2 Black Thorny BerriesReward: 20% Friendship Bonus with Martha][Quest: Heart of a Crafter Part 1Requirements: NA
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