I logged into the game and spawned in my cozy cabin. In the corner, I noticed Sia and Tania's extra items stored away with my spare arrows. A few teleport scrolls were also gone, so I guessed that they took them to use. Opening my menu, I confirmed the meeting place that Eugene had sent me and promptly teleported back to Zircon.
The first words I heard once I appeared made me unconsciously flip up my hood.
"Hey hey....isn't that Lynx dropping down on the leaderboards? Looks like they weren't so great after all."
"What are you saying?! That maniac killed over two hundred PK players in a week and cleaned off the entire bounty list. If he isn't great, I don't know who is."
"You brainless fan, you can't see reality from fantasy. The only thing that matters is the leaderboard, if you aren't on there, you aren't great!"
"Huhhhhh?! You wanna pick a fight you scumbag? If I say Lynx is great then he is! You better not slander my idol!"
"What a retard. Your mother is great! I'll give you the fight you want, come at me!"
"$%@*#(%?!?"
Two men suddenly started a duel right in front of my face. If there was anything to add, I would say that their language usage was very colorful! I tugged the rim of my hood down and briskly walked past them.
So I fell down in the leaderboards huh, I'm not sure if that's good news of bad news. I guess it's bad since people with higher levels can inspect me when I have my hood down…...but I don't really care....so I'll just ignore that for now!
I strolled towards the bar at an easy pace. Just for safety, I equipped my mask and set the visibility off. Now Eugene would see me as Yuka, so having a lower level doesn't matter at all!
I'm a genius.
Arriving at the meeting place, I stood in front of the city's most expensive and fancy restaurant available.
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Eugene is Eugene, whether in reality or not. I heard that a single private room here costs fifty gold, and each dish is at least one gold. The food doesn't even give buffs or anything, it's just expensive! Apparently you need to be wearing formal clothes to enter, but I don't even know how to get 'formal' clothes in this game. Maybe they sell it at some store nearby, I bet it's pricey.
Boldly striding into the building and towards the receptionist, I saw many curious NPCs glancing towards me.
Ah…...that's right, they can't see my roles with my hood up. That's good, I don't need creepy people annoying me all the time.
"Scuse me, I'm meeting someone here." I said to the lady standing behind the desk in a straightforward tone.
She looked me up and down, it made me pretty uncomfortable. Noticing my tattered cloak, she furrowed her eyebrows and pointedly ignored my question.
The heck, what type of reception is this. Well, I suppose it's my fault for not being polite huh. I guess it's been too long since I've talked nicely to someone…...I've gotten rusty.
"Excuse me, ma'am, a friend of mine has invited me here. His name is Faraday, may I know his room?" I said with a gentle voice while pulling down my hood.
Here, take my smile! I've practiced it in front of my mirror countless times. It has been trained to perfection! I'm even confident it won't lose out to Eugene's smile.
I just don't find myself in many situations where I need to smile in the first place...
"...Y-yes, of course. You are the disciple of Master Abest after all, I'll lead you myself." She stammered while staring at me with wide eyes.
…
Hey, you aren't moving.
I waved my hand in front of her frozen face.
"Ma'am? Are you quite alright, do you need assistance?" I worriedly asked.
The receptionist's face suddenly flushed red. Whipping her face around, she avoided my gaze and covered her face with her hands.
"...Ma'am?"
"YES??!!! I'm sorry!!! Of course!!!"
"....No problem."
This game confuses me sometimes. Is this NPC glitching?
Following the stumbling lady, I was led into a large, expensively furnished room. There was a round table in the middle that could sit over ten people at once, yet there was only one lone figure.
"Ah, Yuri! You're finally here, and you've even managed to charm people while coming. As expected of my Boss." Eugene cheerfully exclaimed as his gaze landed on the receptionist. "You may go now miss, thank you very much for leading Boss here."
He flashed his trademark smile and the lady blushed like crazy.
Ha…...Eugene, do you really need to charm every woman you see? See, now she's all flustered and weird.
"N-no problem, please enjoy the food, honored guests." She bowed and flew out of the room.
Hm? Eugene must also have a special role if she thought of him as an 'honored' guest. I have to admit, I'm a little curious, but I won't pry into small matters like this.
Sitting down at the table and facing Eugene, I sighed and lazily leaned back.
"Hurry up and give me the contact information, I'm really getting annoyed with your constant dodging."
"Tut tut, don't worry. I'll send it to you immediately, patience is important Boss!" Eugene chuckled as his fingers danced on his invisible menu. "Alright, I've sent it over."
I opened up my menu and saved the information that Eugene gave me. I made a mental note to ask Ryan to erase Tania's criminal record tonight. Standing up, I got ready to leave.
However, Eugene quickly stopped me. "Woah there! Relax Boss, I ordered some food already. Just ten dishes, I'll even pay the bill, why not eat with me?"
....Free food....what to do...
"I'll order some drink as well, the best you can get in Zircon."
"Deal."
I can't say no to free drinks! Especially since there aren't a lot of chances to drink such high-grade beer!
"Nice, I've invited a few friends over as well. I'll introduce them to you!"
YOU SUCK.
I suffer from social anxiety, please no.
"Ah, don't worry. You can invite people too! I would love to meet your friends!"
…
Alright! Sia, Tania, come save me.
I messaged both of the girls and got instant replies. Both agreed and were already on their way over. Well, it's not like they had a choice…...the contract was still intact after all. But they didn't seem to oppose my invitation, it was a chance to eat the most expensive food in this city after all!
After just a few minutes, both Sia and Tania entered the room with Pink and three other people which I guessed were Eugene's friends. I gestured for both of them to sit next to me while Eugene did the same for his people. I noticed that all of them had Mizanco guild emblems on their chests, and they didn't seem to be low ranked. Must all be elders or leaders.
Heh, but I really didn't expect Pink to get promoted so fast! He sure deserves a high rank though, his loyalty to his guild leader freaks me out.
He seems pretty confused seeing me here though.
A few seconds later, everyone was settled in their seats and an awkward air was created. Not that Eugene seemed to notice or care.
"Now that we're all here, why not introduce ourselves! Starting with Pink over there, go ahead."
"A-ah of course!"
Pink shot up from his chair and bowed deeply.
"My name is Pink, I'm a thief and an elder in Mizanco. Level 6, my specialty is scouting. It's very nice to meet you!"
Sia and Tani both politely nodded their heads. The next person got up and started talking.
"Saber, level 7, vice-guild leader, priest." A man with long black hair tied up in a ponytail said while slightly bowing.
Hm. A man of few words, I like him already.
Next up was a female with navy-blue hair and an intellectual demeanor surrounding her.
"My username is Cynthiana, currently level 7. I'm a mage, but my specialty is water spells and speed casting. Um, some people call me the 'Water Maiden'.....but I really don't like the title that much. It is my pleasure to meet you."
Hmmmmm! Eugene got himself some nice fellows. A good variety, yes yes. They're all really good looking though.
"Tch, this is so lame. Listen up, I'm Diane, level 7 and a ranger. You individual players better not waste Sir Faraday's time, you guys aren't worth it!" The last blonde yelled out while slapping her palm on the table.
Ugh, I don't get along well with these types. Reminds me of how Sia acted before we cleared up the misunderstandings.
I glanced over at her, she didn't seem to react at all to Diane outburst. In fact, even Tania looked like she didn't care. None of them even batted an eyelid!
I have to say, I sure have a good eye for people.
"Right, I'll introduce myself as well!" Eugene announced as he started standing up from his seat.
Diane immediately jumped up stopped him.
"What?! Don't waste your breath talking to these nameless people, I've never heard of these people, and two of them still level 4! I don't understand why you invited them in the first place." She bellowed with spirit.
Hm…...I guess Sia has been busy with other things if she didn't have the time to grind. Although it's fine, levels aren't a big deal at this stage, she can probably easily catch up. There are more important things to do after all!
While I was stuck in my thoughts, Eugene and Saber were calming down the enraged ranger.
"Diane, it's fine. Listen to the guild leader. Sit down."
"Yeah, it's not a big deal. It would be rude if I didn't introduce myself to guests I've personally invited!"
Man, this girl has quite the temper huh. But honestly…...I don't care about introductions, I just want to drink, dammit. I don't have the opportunities to do so in reality after all.
"Ahem. I'm Faraday, guild leader of Mizanco, swordsman class. Feel free to call me whatever you want though! I'm currently ranking sixth on the leaderboards at level 8. I hope we will get along well!" He flashed a charming smile at Sia and Tania.
Hm? I guess Lynx has already fallen from the leaderboards, I'm only level 6 after dying to Tyrant.
Realizing that their side had finished their introductions, I gestured to Tania to stand up. She quickly stood and cleared her throat.
"Err….You can call me Matania, Tania, or Tan. I'm a mage that specializes in fire spells. I'm currently level 6 and part of East Wind mercenary group, nice to meet you!"
Of course everyone understood how influential she was, basically everyone well informed knew about East Wind. Asterios is the leader after all, and he's on the leaderboards! The group is said to be one of the most elite mercenary groups. All the individual players who didn't want to join a guild would all look to join them.
Diane looked to the side and clicked her tongue, the rest of Mizanco respectfully nodded their heads and smiled. Tania sat back down with a satisfied grin. Sia stood up next to introduce herself.
"My username is Lyssia, just a humble level four archer who specializes in information gathering. I'm an honorary elder of Wings of Freedom and one of True Hero's most trusted advisors, although I don't have a habit of wearing my guild emblem. I hope we will get along."
Oh dang! I forgot that Sia actually has a good resume, how terrifying. She might be even more influential than Tania....but Sia isn't really well known since she doesn't show herself much.
"Oh! Nitsuya-san, so it was you after all, I recognized your manner of speech. I didn't realize you were such an important figure in Wings of Freedom." Eugene cheerfully stated while respectfully greeting her.
"I like lying low. It's nice meeting you again. However, please refrain from talking about anything outside of this game."
Diane didn't seem to like Sia's attitude, and she definitely showed it by sneering at her with distaste plain on her face.
"What a bitch. Using her connections in reality to meet our guild leader? Bootlicking dogs like you should go scram! I bet you seduced your guild leader into giving you a higher position."
…...I don't get this girl. How did she get that from this.....there's no logic in her accusation.
But anyway, I suppose it's time for my introduction.
I silently stood up from my seat. I didn't miss the curious gazes that Eugene's guild members gave me, is it because of my unique cloak? I'm too lazy to take it off though.
"My name's Yuka, level 4. I'm a ranger. Nice to meet you."
Plain and simple. One of the great perks of being a ranger is the ability to use both thief and archer equipment. Classes like swordsman or mage only allow you to use class weapons. But being a ranger has its faults as well....
"How rude! How dare you introduce yourself to Guild Leader Faraday like that?! You're just some level 4 scum, stop trying to act cool and act more respectfully! I've never heard of someone called Yuka before, you don't even have any status or backing!" Diane once again raged on as she angrily pointed at me.
Uh, I guess saying so less is pretty rude…..but I really have nothing else to say!?
What to do, what to do....
Diane misunderstood my silence. "Cat got your tongue? Tch, learn your place. As a fellow ranger, I believe that you should listen to me! I'm stronger after all."
....You know, I keep finding my patience tested today. Eugene is bad enough, I really don't need another annoying person. I wanted to relieve stress, not gain more!
I really want to get out of here, I'm not even sure the drink is worth the trouble anymore.
"...Miss Diane. May I ask you a question?" I quietly said with a cold voice.
Although I didn't speak very loudly, I amplified it enough so that it could be heard loud and clear. Diane hesitated before answering.
"Pfffft. Sure thing, I don't mind teaching you a thing or two."
".....Alright then. Do you think you have the ability to beat a top ranker in a one-on-one duel?"
"What? What type of stupid question is that? only Guild Leader or the other people higher than him on the leaderboards can do something like that! Are you dumb or something?"
I sighed and sat back down.
"Then you have no right to speak to me like that. If you want my respect, earn it first!" I calmly declared in a firm tone.
Diane sputtered for a few seconds before shaking in rage. But I ignored her, I've said what I've needed to say already.
"Hey Faraday, I only stayed here for the drinks. If you aren't going to order any beer then I might as well leave."
Eugene exasperatedly chuckled at what I said. I'm not surprised that he's already used to how I act.
"No problem. I actually ordered it already, I just told them to wait. Hehe." He laughed while snapping his fingers.
Immediately, a waiter entered the room with eight large glasses of beer and placed them on the table.
Eugene broadly grinned. "Feel free to drink to your heart's content!"
T-this sneaky scoundrel...Fine! I'll drink alright, if I don't waste your gold then I'll be damned!
___________________________
"LOOKING FOR PARTY MEMBERS!"
"Anyone above level 4? This party only needs 2 more people to join!"
"THIS PARTY HAS TWO LEVEL 6 MEMBERS, JOIN US!"
"YOU WANNA FIGHT ME?!?"
"""..."""
I was currently standing in the Records Hall watching all the players run around in a frenzy.
Hm? I wonder how it got to this…...
I drank a lot of beer before Eugene and his buddies had to leave. I also remember that Diane didn't seem to like me very much. Sia and Tania had gone back to their respective groups to catch up. I…...did nothing...
I just realized that I'm jobless. Hah...
But seriously, all I did was walk into a building and then people started shouting. How unlucky.
What are they freaking out over?
…
Uh, it's definitely not my fault okay? Nope, not at all.
Yet for some reason, I keep hearing Lynx and Yuka pop up? No, I must be imagining things. Why would anyone fight over that...
I soon found the cause. Someone had placed a large bounty over my head.
Well, now I get it. I've dropped from the leaderboards, so people I've killed would obviously leap for revenge. And since I've never been seen, the bounty is very high. As for Yuka......maybe it's because no one has even heard about her before.
But isn't 10 gold coins too high?!? And the bounty is 10 coins per kill, for both of my personas. I don't remember offending someone so important! Only a few dozen parties, True Hero, Fang...….okay, well maybe I've offended more people than I thought.
It wasn't on purpose though!
Seriously, I sorta want to hand myself in…...10 gold isn't an amount to laugh at. An average player should only have around a few silver, not even close to one gold. Looks like I'm going to have to lay low for now.
Perfect timing! I was just thinking about exploring some more, I'm pretty sure that no one would be able to chase me if I hide past the level 20 mountain range.
Time to move!