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
Liu Feng was not pleased to learn that Zen was already considering inviting another troublesome person into his circle after sparring with Akiko. Yet, he could not say he was surprised. In the brief weeks of meeting Zen, he had seen enough to know it would not be the last time either. From the get-go, even Liu Feng had been drawn to the young cook because of this attitude. It was both the young man’s charm and weakness.While the blind teen had enough respect for Chatura, a famous strategist, he hated dealing with snake-like personalities. They already had several ticking time bombs in the Godly Food Party, and the Lau Triad’s influence could only shield Zen from so much harm. Damian Gorski had provoked half the Round Table, and Zen had rejected everyone there. An omerta might be sacred, but it was not always upheld by both parties. There were many ways to cancel an omerta, usually involving the death of one party, and Liu Feng did not wish to crush his younger swor
After finishing his dinner, Zen sipped on the weird concoction called tea from a heavy stainless steel tool holder sterilised in isopropyl alcohol. The cyborg offered to distil and mix some of his alcohol supply into the tea for a ‘better flavour,’ and Zen smartly declined. He did not have a mechanical gut that could be replaced easily. It was best to stick to conventional instant tea in unconventional cups, even if Damian stuck two very different flavours of instant tea in one cup.Although Damian had overheard the conversation in the kitchen, Zen still told him what he knew from Bolt and asked if Damian had a way to verify the information. Due to the many rumours floating around Chatura, it was difficult to know the kind of person she was. It was obvious who spread those rumours.Within thirty minutes, Damian uncovered a lot more than Zen thought was possible. Then again, he should probably not be surprised that the Gorski had such an extensive information ne
Sneaking dinner back to the room, Zen thanked Bolt and Yelena for updating him about the new faction. Although neither invigilator liked the strategist, Chatura was a very powerful person whom Zen found intriguing.Unfortunately, Liu Feng and Akiko were out. They said they would be sparring in the training ground and were not back yet. Sasha and Oritha were still in the gym, making Damian Zen’s only option to discuss this new situation with them.Deciding to take a quick shower, Zen sent Damian a text and asked if he could come over to discuss something confidential in thirty minutes with his dinner. The cyborg took a while to reply, but Zen smiled when he received an affirmation in the middle of his shower.Thirty minutes later, Zen knocked on Damian’s door, freshly showered and with a packed dinner in his other hand. There was nobody in the corridor, so Zen relaxed.Damian opened the door within seconds and welcomed Zen in.“Pardon the me
When Bolt returned with the first aid kit, he was largely relieved to see how Yelena was taking care of Zen. Taking over, he checked on the burn injury that had greatly reduced thanks to the ice cream tub, although the same could not be said of the melting liquid inside.“That might have to go back into the freezer for now,” he gently told Yelena, who agreed.Now that the actual adult was back, Yelena threw the explanation to Bolt. She hated the woman Chatura. There was no way she wanted to explain all the complicated history to Zen when she could barely speak English. Besides, between the two of them, Bolt was supposed to be the smarter one.“Oh, Chatura. Yes… it’s a complicated story,” Bolt frowned. “There are so many rumours and versions about what happened to her before she had been turned into an invigilator here. I’ve never personally met her or talked to her in my time here. However, I don’t think we have a
After spending most of the day in the virtual world, the rest of Party Godly Food excused themselves to hit the gym and stretch their muscles. Damian returned to finish compiling the game guide while Zen worked on preparing dinner. Yelena and Bolt were present, so there was no need for anyone else to keep him company. Not to mention, the kitchen hands were very helpful. Most of the ingredients Zen needed were already prepared. The dirty dishes from the last meal were washed meticulously and left to dry on the counter.“Did you find anything new in the dive this time?” Bolt asked while Zen mixed his seasoning.Zen wanted to make something simple for dinner as they had a heavy tea. Fried rice and some soup will do. There was more than enough for everyone later.“There were new things,” Zen admitted, reluctant to reveal too much information about the new features and unique split-path quests he and Damian had discovered. “However
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