“We’re going to tail him now,” Damian whispered to Zen once the old shepherd left his house for his daily grocery trip. The man wore a brown hat that bore many harsh weathers. “Good luck!”
Waving to the cheerful cyborg who had gotten the easier part of the deal, Zen wondered how they should avoid those women in the courtyard. According to Sasha, they were constantly hovering around the black sheep. “They might actually be lambs,” the blonde sniper commented after a while. “I don’t think sheep drink milk. They should be eating grass.”Swooping down from the roof silently, Sasha hugged Zen from behind and carried them both back onto the roof so he could observe the situation by himself. Zen blushed in embarrassment at how easily a girl carried him. Although he was in the body of a teenager now, he still remembered being a grown man in his previous life.When they finally got onto the roof, Zen immediFinding a villager who was willing to talk about the obnoxious Raiden was hard. Eventually, the only one willing to share more with the party was the shepherd, who also worked as a part-time barmaid — Bo Peep.“Hm? Raiden?” she twirled her hair with a flirtatious wink. “Buy me a drink, and I’ll tell you. Otherwise, I don’t kiss and tell.”The builder brothers did not lie. Bo Peep was very attractive with her heavy petticoat and skirt riding up her curvy thighs. However, none of the boys were particularly charmed by her. Many regular bar patrons glared at them with envy, but none of those men could compare to the muscles on Oritha’s forearm. Hence, they remained sullenly silent in a corner.To buy a drink, they had to spend one credit. Thanks to the daily quest, it was not a hefty fee to spare. Zen wanted to buy the NPC a drink, but his party members had other ideas.“I’ve seen enough gold diggers like yo
Not wanting to admit it, Zen flopped onto the pasture spread eagle. He was too tired to think or talk or feel. However, Damian’s trash-talking skills were part of the reason they managed to arrive at their destination before sundown. Sasha scouted ahead and found a flock of sheep that belonged to a boy who seemed lonely. After confirming he was Raiden, they quickly met up with her.Ping!While Zen was still trying to refill the oxygen in his lungs, his party members had successfully completed the second main quest. They sheared the black sheep in Raiden’s flock and even offered help with the others.Happy to have company in a long while, Raiden smiled and talked for hours until it was evening. Then, as if reluctant to part with the company, he offered them a place to stay overnight.“It gets dangerous after dark,” he warned. “Why don’t all of you come with me and stay for the night?”Accepting his generous offer, the
“Now?” Sasha’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “But it’s dark out!”Hooting with laughter, Oritha shrugged. “You have wings. As long as your legs don’t touch the ground and the wolves don’t grow twenty meters tall, you’ll reach the village safely. Besides, you fly faster than Zen runs. You could probably deliver it by daybreak.”Looking at Oritha with disbelief, Sasha narrowed her eyes.“When have you been good at English?”Glancing back from the oven, Zen noticed Damian slowly trying to duck under the table when Oritha grabbed him by the back of his shirt. Knowing them, it was likely Damian’s idea. Oritha was a quick learner whenever it came to non-academic studies.“I repeated what he said,” she dragged the flailing cyborg back up the table with a wide grin. “Maybe you should go now. We have round two of dinner to start.”…Maybe all the A
Even with the howling of night hounds surrounding them, neither of the assassins broke a sweat. If Zen were around to see their unspoken teamwork, he would be utterly floored since he was incredibly amazed by the strange communication they used when defeating the orc general.Generally, assassins worked alone for missions. It was more effective to send a single assassin with the right skills for the mission. Sending more than one assassin would only increase the risk of an operation complication and alert people of multiple presences. Additionally, most families treated assassins as disposable tools. If an assassin failed a mission, they were ordered to take their lives or killed on the spot by the watcher of the famiglia if they attempted to run. Hence, raised weapons like the Death Princess seldom worked with others. If not for joining the academy and meeting Zen, she would likely forge ahead on a path alone to complete her mission.However, she was not the only kingmake
The night in the game on this stage lasted shorter than other stages. However, the mind reacted weirdly to seeing daylight, and Akiko began to lose track of time in reality. Her circadian rhythm told her she had been awake for almost a week now in the game when it had only been a few hours in reality. Glancing over to Liu Feng, who lived in a perpetual world of darkness, he did not seem to have any issues adapting to the different flows of time.“Is it day now?” the Seer asked his new companion after sensing lesser night hounds in the area.Akiko nodded. “Sasha delivered the letter. The main quest giver has changed. I think they will start completing the new main quest. Have you explored this forest to confirm the myth?”Shaking his head and flipping his long hair over his shoulder, Liu Feng wondered if he should braid his hair to make movement easier. Although he appreciated his long locks, a testament to his loyalty, the Seer found it i
The middle-aged bachelor wasn’t the most domestic person. He was the polar opposite of what Zen was when he was still a civilian, not that Liu Feng or Akiko knew. However, the one thing they did know about this peculiar NPC was his vivid backstory and tendency to talk about many other things non-quest related.From his rambles, dad jokes, and cackles, they learned that the hunter had previously lived with Red Hood’s grandmother in the middle of the forest. She was his mother, and he had a brother who was Red Hood’s father. The mother was someone completely different from what they thought she was.“They call themselves the Silver Walkers,” Han grumbled. “Pretty little things when they are human but only on a full moon’s night. During the day, they are actual animals. When the moon rises, they regain part of their sanity but not completely.”After sharing the new information with Zen, Akiko wondered what he had to say abo
Travelling with Damian and Oritha at a more comfortable pace, Zen read the constant updates from Akiko. Han, the hunter, is quite an interesting character. If Zen had been there, he would have asked much more about the Silver Walkers. Yet, the information they uncovered was enough for Zen to understand the hidden pieces of this strange stage. The story writers were introducing players to new elements in preparation for future stages. Nothing was ever as it seemed. Even the Shady Merchant was no longer a reliable guide as he started to fade into a side character instead of a main pillar of the questing system.Targets and objectives were now self-defined, something Zen had never really experienced as a gamer. The idea was unique and mimicked the many roads a person could take in life. Perhaps this was part of the Godfather’s intentions. When a person was given free will, what would they choose to do with it? If everyone in the world were given all the paint they could poss
Coming from different directions, the party finally gathered at Han’s hut. Akiko and Liu Feng had already scouted the forest with the hunter’s help and memorised the paths to Red Hood’s house and the herbalist grandmother’s house. With all six members of the vanguard party present, even Han could not hold back his surprise at the party’s diversity.“Is this Red Hood’s uncle?” Zen asked when he arrived. Thanks to the squad’s merciless travel speed, he had to push his limits and gained two additional speed points.Studying the shortest kid in the lot who looked like he would not hurt a fly, Han wondered what he was doing in a party full of fierce fighters and psychopaths. The kid did not seem to wield any weapons and was dressed in a robe that resembled the clergyman. Could he be their healer?Introducing themselves briefly, Han confirmed that none of this party’s members were sane, not even the most innocent-l