Unlike the others, it was easy for Sasha to pick a weapon from the pile. There were many melee weapons but only one gun.
“I’m ready!” she announced to Ben. Together, they headed outside with Zen in tow. The three assassins sorted through the rejected pile of weapons and leisurely played with a few. Zen and Sasha wouldn’t be back for a while, so they could take their time exploring the options.As they approached the testing ground, Zen recognised the firewood chopping area. Ben set up a small shooting range using smaller wood chips and drew a line on the ground about fifty steps away.“Try shooting the wood chips from this distance. We will slowly increase the distance to find your ideal range.”Fifty steps was quite the distance. They were no longer in the woodcutting area. Zen did not know if getting any further was wise but stood behind Sasha with Ben to observe.The wind blew gently, but Sasha had no hesitation. Even wFollowing Oritha and Ben to the edge of the forest outside town, Zen wondered why NPCs could leave the starter town’s borders. There had never been such an instance in any of the games he had played previously. The Godfather’s dungeon took gaming to a whole new level.Watching silently, Zen learned more about the weight-lifting Amazonian. He thought she was a melee combat specialist with a secondary talent for archery. However, according to Oritha, it wasn’t the case.“I was trained in archery with my tribe before getting kidnapped to the assassin camp. I learned how to brawl there as it was the easiest way to defend myself from the other backstabbers. Pure strength was the best way to survive. I came out top because of it. The other girls learned poison, knife skills, flexibility and speed, but nothing compared to muscles.”Zen listened as Oritha shared more details about her days in the assassin camp. The kidnapped children learned all
“There’s no need to see your abilities,” Ben grunted. “Just tell me what you’re looking for.”Zen gaped when his fussy teacher did not ask questions or demand a demonstration. What was with the special treatment?Glad that the NPC wasn’t going to waste his time, Liu Feng got to the point.“Give me something that covers my hands. I hate the feeling of blood and decaying flesh on my hands. Something filth resistant would be the best.”Ben was usually a temperamental person. Zen panicked. What if his brother’s flippant attitude offended his teacher?To everyone’s surprise, Ben launched a belly-aching laugh. The blacksmith cackled with tears in his eyes and hooted a few times before calming down.Not long ago, Ben asked Zen how his older brother fought with tricky enemies. Now, he knew for certain. Liu Feng was that maniac who would wash his hands with holy water to punch a wraith. Yet, the p
“We’re back,” Sasha called out, returning with everyone else who had met up on the fifth floor after their material hunt. “What happened?”Zen looked like a dried sardine from behind the blacksmith’s counter. They were gone for a while, but it should not be long enough for Zen to be this worn out. What did he do?Funnily enough, the grumpy blacksmith whistled merrily as he stacked crates at the corner of the shop.“Don’t worry about him,” Ben chuckled. “He’s a spring chicken, so he’ll bounce back in no time. More importantly, do you have all the materials?”Apart from the demon lord’s horns, Ben received everything else. There was no reason to delay work, so he made Zen get to work immediately. He wasn’t paid for overtime.“Hey! Start working the bellows again if you want to learn how to repair your friend’s weapons!”Jolting back to life, Zen jum
Zen fired a message to his party members as soon as Sasha’s gun and Liu Feng’s gloves were ready. They seemed fairly busy, and he was curious about what they were doing.When they appeared at the starter town’s stage entrance to collect their items and restock on supplies, Zen could only wonder what kind of monster they were fighting.“We’re back,” Sasha laughed crazily. The peaceful music playing in the background was like heaven to her ears compared to the intense heat on the twentieth floor that reminded her of hell.“How’s the progress?” Zen asked while handing over the newly forged weapons. Under Ben’s instructions, his efforts paid off. These were the first partially player-crafted weapons in the dungeon, but Zen looked forward to making more in the future without his teacher screaming his ears off.Sasha inspected her new double-barrel sniper rifle and became instantly enamoured with it. Eagerly,
Plink!Ben’s jaw fell when Zen’s friends dropped the demon lord’s left and right horns on his shop counter. Zen left for a break not too long ago. How did this happen? Wasn’t it too fast? These adventurers weren’t even properly equipped!“You really did it!” Ben blinked in disbelief as they piled lamia scales and fairy wings beside the demon lord’s horns. Apart from Zen, none of the adventurers looked like they had just defeated a demon lord. If anything, they looked strangely refreshed compared to Zen, who was gaunt.“What are you waiting for?” the blacksmith regained his wits and snapped at his apprentice. “Start the bellows!”Activating his work mode, Zen carried the materials to the workshop and shovelled coal for the third time since the start of his dungeon dive. Or was it the fourth?In a few short hours, they had done so many new things that it was almost impossible for Zen to ke
Despite everyone’s lack of excitement for clearing the twentieth floor, Zen took it upon himself to create something special as a celebration. He cooked dinner as usual and prepared desserts his party members would enjoy.“I see you’re at it again,” Bolt chuckled. It was his turn to be on kitchen duty, and Zen cooked the invigilator a beef lasagne with extra cheese.“The guild is making great progress,” Zen smiled. He felt more relaxed with an invigilator he knew on duty. “Yelena stopped by earlier. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”The afro man sighed. “We’re busy preparing for the new event. Are you really going to free Gorski?”Zen pursed his lips. This again? Yelena talked with him earlier about it. However, the two invigilators had the right to worry. One of them had even pledged his life to Zen. If Zen betrayed his promise and used the freedom card on himself, Bolt would probably hav
Zen was tipsy. It was a miracle how he stumbled back to the room and logged into the game. Thankfully, alcohol did not carry over to virtual reality. Besides, his role was the easiest. All he had to do was solve riddles and sit tight for the rest of the round. His crafting queue remained busy, and Sasha was the most desperate raid member. She desperately needed the gold ammo and called dibs on Toad S. Tool every round.Everyone else took this opportunity to test their new weapon combos. The Steel Silk armour made everyone speedier. There were good and bad effects of additional speed. The more skilful assassins took to it like fish in water, while the less agile assassins resembled clumsy cats.“Dammit!” Sasha complained as they got onto the lift. “I keep sliding too far with the additional speed!”Oritha grunted. Her attempts at using the boomerang did not go too well either. It kept getting stuck in the walls. Narrow spaces were not great for
“What is the most important skill a hunter must know to be successful?”Zen blinked. Yelena and Bolt responded to his message so quickly that he had no time to prepare anything.The two invigilators set a timing so rushed that Zen could only slap some sandwiches together and cling-wrap them for his party members before hopping into the virtual world. His physical stomach must be growling in protest now, but Zen was more worried about the pop quiz the Russian ECHO member had for him.Thinking hard, Zen wondered if they had the same idea as him. The treasure hunt was a massacre fair for Felix and Johan. Zen might not be their direct target, but he wanted to avoid them at all costs. Not to mention, Liu Feng promised to guard Damian for him. Everyone would be busy during the event, so he had to learn to care for himself.“Stealth?” he asked.Surprised that Zen got it correct on his first attempt, Yelena blinked and gaped until Bolt cleare
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