Packing was a hassle. It was not about what he could take with him but more about what he was willing to leave behind. Things of sentimental value had to be weighted inside his heart.
As for his professional practice things? The less he took, the better chances he would have in the future. It was difficult to take into account what he should take with him.
"Are you not done yet? Just hurry up" En's voice said that he was getting impatient and Mark would too if someone else took over two hours to pack the necessities. But he had too much weighed on his mind and he was not sure he would be able to return back here.
"I'm undecided on what I can carry. There is just too much that feels necessary" his voice might come off as detached but his focus was anything but.
"Carry? Just put what you need in the system storage. Did you not read how to do that in the guide?" he had not for En had arrived before he could. But that made much more sense.
This was a game and most games had an inventory. That would solve at least one problem. En showed him where the scanning feature was which allowed him to get at least some necessities.
The storage was limited and divided into different sections which had their own limitations of space. Mark felt somewhat thankful when he saw that since it would ensure that he would not overload on some things.
There was food, material, relics, weapons, lifestyle and medicine. The rest of the tabs had a ? and were unapproachable which made him curious. Every section had a 1000 item limit which was a lot and yet so little at the same time.
Quickly grabbing what he could, Mark soon saw his inventory getting filled. Once he was done he entered his living room where En stood. His gaze was focused on an old picture of Mark and his own.
What did he feel while looking at that Mark was not sure, neither did he particularly want to know. En would open up when he wanted to, just like all the other times.
"Are you ready to go?" Mark was ready, as ready as he would ever be. Every time he even felt remotely panicking, the feeling of calmness overtook him. At this point, Mark did not feel it weird to question it at all.
They exited to a police-issued car and Mark could tell that En had been in a hurry to get to him this morning. This was surely the first thing he saw and he took it.
Mark made his way toward the passenger seat and sat down. He waited for En to take the driver seat but it took a few minutes. And when he came inside, there was a frown on his face.
"Something wrong?" Mark asked, his voice questioning. En gave him a concerned look which he did his best to ignore.
"A mission, the first one to be exact. Since the plot has begun to move it was bound to show up sooner or later. The main reason we selected this body was that it was necessary for the first mission's success. But I can't let you near there because we don't know what might happen if you come there" En's words were clear to him.
He was a hindrance for him right now.
"I see. What do you want me to do now then?" Mark asked. He was tired, his body still ached and his mind felt as if it was not even in his own control. He was a total mess like this and he knew it.
"I'll give you an address. Go there for now and you'll find a kid there. Wait with her there and I'll come to get you both with Luna once I explain everything to him. The child named Maya Stellers is also the main character so be careful with her" En handed him a paper with an address.
The address was for a remote area he had never heard of before and Mark wondered if he had even lived in this place for long.
Mark did not want to be alone but he also knew this was not a choice he had. Not if he wanted his own safety. So he took the paper and nodded his consent.
He was dropped off at the nearest bus stop before En speed passed him toward his destination. He took a look toward the paper again and decided to call for a taxi.
But the problems did not end there. When he passed the address to the taxi driver all he got was a confusing look and a joking 'are you playing with me? Where is this place exactly?' He knew that the place likely did not exist here.
Or as not known to the normal NPC people of this world. So how would he get there? He needed a map, a unique one that would lead him there.
Maybe the system's map would be the right choice. It was essentially the same as a normal game map but didn't they have secret locations mapped?
Maybe he needed to search there. But not in front of all these NPC's. Even if they were not able to see him, he was not risking the chances.
He entered a restaurant at random and moved toward the washroom. Entering the first stall that was empty, he tapped his wrist. The map was, as he suspected, different than a normal one.
However, he still did not know how to read it at all. There was a scan option and he took his chances. As soon as the map scanned the paper, a spotlit up. It was a little outside the city near the abandoned mines.
Those had been a power source once but had ended up under government control and had been abandoned by people.
So he needed to go there.
______________________________
Mission tab opened: Mission assigned
Mission objective: Escort Maya Stellers to the safe location
Accept / Reject
Reject status / Failure status: Overall difficulty rises by 2 levels. Failure chances up by 20%
Condition of failure: Death of Maya Stellers, mission not accepted in time.
The time limit for acceptance: 15 minutes
Success reward: Weapon of choice. Upgrade available.
______________________________
The voice was back, but it was no longer a voice. This time, it was a text on his system which was blinking.
He read it and reread it a few times as he blinked in shock. It seemed like a game mission request, like in the game he had played before.
And he hesitated.
What should he do? He did not think he could make this decision at all and he was certainly not capable of doing what was asked of him here.
He should reject it. He should not do it at all. But the reward sounded tempting and the results of failure scared him.
And the counter was ticking away, already down to 10 minutes. He had to make a choice and he had to make it fast.
His hands hovered above the panel and his hesitance caused him to shake. Should he change it? He was moving now, no longer was he able to sit still.
There was a portrait of Maya along with the mission report. She was just a child, barely eight and he wondered just how much significance could she actually hold for the story?
She was a child.
He exited the washroom, his decision still pending and he felt something crash into him.
"Hello mister, have you seen my papa anywhere? Aunty says he works in the mines but I don't know where it is. Can you take me there to meet him? Hello?" it was a child, a girl to be more precise who had bumped into him.
Mark looked into innocent blue eyes in front of him framed by curly blond hair. A girl eight years of age stood in front of him, still so trusting of strangers and with a shock, he looked at that familiar face.
The same face that was looking up at him from his system.
"Maya Stellers?" Mark breathed out in disbelief. Why was she here?
"Does mister know me? Then, can you take me to my papa? Aunty is sick" He could do nothing but look at her. What should he do now?
He could not abandon her here right now, could he?
There was no other choice here. He would have to accept this mission then. The child was too young to be left alone right now and he knew if he abandoned her right then he would regret it for the rest of his life.
The face of this child would haunt him forever.
"Yes, I will take you to your papa. Come, let's go together" Mark hurriedly pressed accept and the screen turned green.
______________________________
Mission status: accepted
Character status updated: Connecting point
Description: Carry out tasks behind the main story scenes to reach the end. Failure to do so would mean the next part will not be carried out affecting the overall result of the world's fate
______________________________
He breathed out a sign and then looked at the child who was looking at him with trusting eyes. He could do this. He could get her to safety and he would.
"Let's go now" he extended his hand toward the child who looked at him with trusting eyes. Then he exited the restaurant together. No-one stopped them, no one even looked at them.
Everyone acted like they were not even there and he knew what that meant. They were not important characters at all, just background data.
He called for a cab but even he knew it was not going to be that easy at all. And it proved to be right when the cab driver dropped them right in front of the forest path.
"We're walking from here," Mark told the child and she did not question it at all. She was too young to understand what it could mean and Mark wanted to keep her like that for a while.
But he already knew what entering the jungle would mean. There were too many monsters around and they were the prey those monsters would be hunting.