I scanned my gaze over my little humble abode. A few things were moved here and there, so I suppose that Sia and Tania both used their scrolls and came to check it out. Good, I won't be able to come back in a while, so having them keep things in order will be very handy.
I inwardly sighed.
Man.....if it weren't for the fact that I need to lie low for a few days, I would have expanded this place a little.
Nothing I can do about it now.
I restocked all my items and scrolls before messaging both of my companions on my plans. They immediately sent back quick replies.
Sia is going to stay and develop her guild while Tania is going to start leveling again. Now that I don't need to worry about those two, I can do whatever I want!
I trust them enough to notify me if anything important happens.
Looking towards the tall mountains that towered beyond the beginner's forest, I grinned and set off with vigor.
It only took me around two hours to reach the mountain range while running.
I did kill a few monsters here and there, it didn't take very long.
Standing at the foot of the tallest mountain, I nodded to myself in satisfaction and started looking around for anything that looked interesting.
It wasn't long before I found two giant doors leading into a cave. Out of sheer curiosity, I stepped forward and tried opening the door.
Instantly, a system message popped up in front of me.
[Cave of confusion - Dungeon level 15 - Max players 20 - No solo]
Hmmm.....I'm not surprised that something like this showed up. Dad is quite a big fan of these types of things.
Deciding to ignore the message, I once again tried to push open the door. However, an invisible force pushed against me and did not allow me to enter.
How unfortunate, my curiosity is still not satisfied. The only thing I can do now is to wait for more players to find this place. It's honestly not that hard, it's not like the place is hidden or anything.
In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if someone finds this in a few days.
Right, let us continue!
I once again started jogging around the base of the mountain. Let's see if I can find a path that cuts through to the other side.
After an hour of running at a steady pace, I finally found what I was looking for.
There was a worn-down path that seemed to be abandoned.
I could tell why though, it was steep and had sharp rocks jutting out. It was also too narrow for carriages to go through, so only people walking on foot would be able to use it.
But it's perfect for me!
Without hesitation, I stepped onto the path and kept jogging.
-----------
"I beg of you, please help me find my lost daughter. She wandered away from the campsite towards the river, and she hasn't come back. I'm worried something happened to her."
"I see....."
"Please, adventurer. I will be in your debt!"
[Quest: Find the daughter
Info: Just find the girl that doesn't seem to know where she's going.
Rewards: The happy tears of her father.
Failure: Who knows.]
...
What the heck, system.
That sounds so sketchy.
"...No thanks. I'm pretty busy."
Turning away from the crying old man, I kept walking down the path that had widened considerably and ignored his pleas.
I'm honestly surprised that a quest popped up so quickly.
I had only been walking for half an hour and I suddenly bumped into a couple sitting around a campfire.
Who do they think I am, some justice freak who's willing to help any crying person I see?
Nope. If anything, I'm definitely not a brave little hero that has plenty of time to waste.
You're gonna have to do better than that to get me to do something.
I let out a large yawn and played around with my two daggers. This path is really boring, nothing to kill and no interesting quests. Maybe I should have headed towards the plains instead.
Looking at the system clock located on my menu bar, I decided to log off for the day.
I still had a party to attend after all. Even if I'm reluctant to go, I still need to prepare for it.
Although I'm sure glad my family likes lying low, nobody knows my family owns one of the largest companies in the world. At least I can act without worrying about losing face.
Hah, even after all this time, still nobody knows my family created the only VRMMO game in the world!
The paparazzi really need to do their job right.
Not that I want them to, but I expected more trouble from them.
"Log out."
My surroundings faded to black as my consciousness was transported back into my physical body.
Stepping out of the capsule, I stretched my body and headed back to my room. Eugene's capsule was already empty, he probably left some time ago to prepare.
I dived face-first into my bed and started thinking about what I should wear.
Nothing fancy, that's for sure. And I don't want to stand out that much.
I turned towards my closet and glanced at my clothes.
I didn't really have anything fit for wearing at a high-level party. The only thing that came close was my school uniform.
Screw this....it's not like I'm going to be staying for the whole thing. I don't want to waste my precious brain cells on this. Time to just wear something random.
Closing my eyes and randomly stretching my hand into my pile of clothes, I pulled out a pair of sweatpants, a black T-shirt that had a stretching cat, and a baseball cap.
Alright, I'll go with this then.
Lazily changing my clothes, I mindlessly brushed my hair and jumped on my trusty bike.
Around half an hour later I arrived at the grand hall that Eugene's family had rented out specifically for this event. I was still a few minutes early, so I locked my bike and played with my phone to pass the time.
While I was leaning against the building, soon many different expensive cars started driving into the parking lot. There were so many famous brands that the value of just one car could probably set any common person for life.
The suits and dresses that the people wore were probably even more extravagant than the cars. All of them were either personally tailored from popular designers or branded clothes.
And don't forget the people, so many important and famous figures arrived that any citizen of Japan could probably name them all.
As expected from such a large scale party, the difference between this event and normal high school parties is like heaven and earth!
My reluctance in attending is only growing.
Rubbing my forehead in annoyance, I reluctantly started walking towards the entrance. Unfortunately, my plan to dress low-key had backfired.
Among all these well-dressed people, I was the one that stood out instead. I could already feel a few dismissive gazes coming from people.
As I was about to step into the building, a buff looking security guard barred my entry.
"'Scuse me miss, you perhaps lost? I'm afraid this place is reserved today, commoners not allowed to enter."
I had a gut feeling that this would happen.
Inwardly rolling my eyes, I smiled innocently at the guard.
"I have a personal invitation."
"Scram." He said while eyeing me threateningly.
Woah dude, don't judge a book by its cover. Do you even do your job right?
"Are you sure you shouldn't ask for my name first or at least proof?"
"Like I would waste my time on you."
"Mind if I call someone real to double-check? What do you think the consequence would be if you accidentally refused an important guest at the entrance?"
The guard furrowed his brows.
"It's not like you're gonna lose anything if you check, but if you don't you're gonna lose your job."
"Don't talk back to me you little brat. Go call whoever you want, and then get out of here."
I grinned and took out my phone.
Tapping in a few numbers, I set the call on speaker so that the guard could hear loud and clear.
"Hello? How did you get this number?"
The security guard paled after hearing the voice.
"Yo, it's pretty easy since you're the one that kept spamming it into my private messages."
"...! If it isn't my favori-"
"Right. So come out here and give me the information. I don't have all night."
"Sighhhh.....but you know, the deal was that you had to ATTEND the actual thing. Not just sit outside!"
"Not my fault I can't get inside in the first place, you have crappy security," I said while giving the pale guard a quick glance.
"Hand over the phone."
I smiled and gently gave my phone to the frozen man. Eugene's voice calmly spoke over the speaker.
"Fired. Get out."
"S-sir I didn't kn-"
"Why are you still here?"
"....Yes, sir."
With shaking hands, he quietly handed my phone back and scrambled away. A new security guard immediately replaced his post and gestured me into the building.
Okay, now THAT was satisfying.
"You could have at least told him the reason."
"I don't have words to waste on people like him. To think he would reject you at the door.....!"
"Yeah yeah okay."
Hanging up, I walked towards the party venue with a happy grin.