Kayne's eyebrows wrinkled as he considered the offer made by Seth.
"Just get in. I know your place."
As soon as the door opened, Kayne entered the car and sat silently. His eyes were locked on the street, observing various regular people trod around, but it was a mystery what went through his head.
Seth commented, "You feel… different. I do not know what changed."
"Well, I went through a bizarre experience. It permanently affected me. I am still unsure if it is a good change or a bad change." Seth kept a smile on his face as he replied.
In the game world, he was a vampire. In the real world, he was as much a human as the rest of the population.
However, his thinking had stealthily shifted to a vampiric approach.
When Seth passed a bunch of people at the hospital, he wondered what factors would make their blood taste nicer. That particular thought could only be inhumane.
The smell of blood still triggered him, but apart from psychological reactions, there was no physical response. He could not transform his hands into claws. Could not enter a bloodlust state.
It made it apparent to Seth that the game could change people. Seth had changed, especially when his soul merged with Rhazien.
"Seth, what is your goal?" A familiar voice brought Seth from his deep thoughts.
Seth's body tensed as he almost forgot there was someone beside him.
"My goal? It is simple… I think. When I get to the peak, I will wish for my family to wake up."
Kayne's face froze. He did not expect Seth could say something warmly. There were no words that could express his shock.
"...."
"What?" Seth asked with a serious stare.
"Nothing… What about the others? Why do you think they play the game?"
Seth replied after much thought, "We all have our fair share of issues. Jake wants a place that does not discriminate against his intelligence. Jeremy wants a life free from his stuck-up family. Kierra needs a break from her family drama."
Despite not looking like it, the group was on some serious sh*t. All of them faced their personal dilemma.
Seth smiled as he went on. "The real question is… why do you play?"
"No-Nothing."
"Hehehe, it's okay to not f*cking tell me."
Seth focused on the road once again. He drove past four streets until he got to a large apartment building. Last he remembered, Kayne's apartment was on the fifth floor.
Parking in front of the building, Seth said, "Here we are."
"Seth, do you know how long it will take to reach the peak? Do you know how far the peak is? Do you even know what the peak entails?" Kayne hit him with a lot of questions.
Seth brought his hand to his chin and answered, "It should be the end of the main story. I just need to stick to the end."
"The main story has not been identified yet." Kayne countered with a certain fact.
"I have a few ideas about what the main story is."
Seth wasn't sure about them, so he didn't explain further. Whatever the main story was, it had to involve the elves.
"How long is it going to take for the main story to be completed?"
"I don't know. What is your point?" Seth asked with full curiosity.
He noticed Kayne was leading somewhere.
"You don't need a wish to help your parents. There is a quest that can help you. It has what you need to help your parents."
*Whoosh!*
Seth stretched his hand and grabbed Kayne. The latter looked at him coolly, as if expecting this response.
"Do not f*cking joke with me, Kayne!"
"I'm not lying. Once you find the quest, you will understand. You don't even need to find the quest. You just need to find a place. A location."
"How do you know about this place?"
"..."
"Fine, don't tell me." Seth released his hand from Kayne.
He kept quiet and pondered over Kayne's words. 'True, the main story might take about thirty years "ingame" to finalize. I don't have that much time.'
Seth said, "I suppose you also need to find the place. Fine. Once we all meet at Lostvale, we can proceed with the search for the quest."
Afterward, Kayne got out of the car and left.
.
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.
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Game world.
When Seth woke up, it was still morning. The streets of Lostvale were quiet, and only the hymns of birds filled the silence.
Seth currently faced a dilemma.
Seated on his bed, he looked at the ceiling and thought. 'Now, what do I do?'
If he was a normal traveler, his first option would be to learn magic, but that wasn't an option for him.
'Since I can't wield magic. I should focus on familiarizing myself with the environment while mastering my two skills.'
He suddenly decided. In every game, the player's avatar would become an adventurer.
What better way to familiarize himself than to take on such a profession?!
According to his understanding, adventurers get paid after every successful quest.
He understood it would be dangerous, but that did not discourage Seth. He was a traveler. With each kill, he would become powerful.
Plus, as a morgen vampire, he still had an advantage over the amateur adventurers. Seth had killed both howlers and oneriths!
'I f*cking got this!' Seth said to himself!
But first, he needed a fresh pair of clothes.
.
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.
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Adventurer's Guild.
Garbed in a comfortable tunic and pants, Seth walked into the grand building with the sign on it. The building had a three-stories structure. From a suitable distance, Seth noted that the higher floors were smaller than the ground floor.
Entering the guild, Seth spotted multiple statues that acted as the pillars of the floor. The statues depicted valiant adventurers that had distinguished themselves from the adventurers' community. Decorated on the walls were paintings of legendary adventurers. The portraits were so lifelike that Seth wondered if it was actually a picture.
"New here?" An elf walked to him.
Seth glanced at the elf in the adventurer outfit. "How can you tell?"
"Your eyes spark with curiosity. I suppose you are here to register as an adventurer." The male elf had an amiable smile as he conversed.
"Brilliantly spot on." Seth commended.
"Follow me. I will take you to Nina. She is in charge of the initiating process."
"Why are you helping me?" Seth asked as he looked around.
Most adventurers were busy chatting with their peers. They did not notice his presence. As soon as he entered the guild, he felt a wave of irrelevance overcome him.
"Let's just say. I am curious about you. You look like an elf, but you are not an elf." The man responded. The latter parts of his words carried a hint of danger that Seth picked on.
He led Seth across the ground floor to the receptionist. "Nina, we have fresh blood!"
"Fresh blood?" Seth muttered, out of shock.
"Fresh blood means new adventurers. Don't mind Vesstan. He is a weirdo." The young lady named Nina responded to Seth.
Her perfect brown hair wafted through the hair as she set a discerning eye on Seth.
"Hmmm… what do you know about this profession?"
"Nothing much. Caleb and Raina briefed me about the lifestyle. I don't know if you know them. We traveled to Lostvale together."
Vesstan blinked in shock as his voice reach a new high. "Raina of the Wild?!! Caleb, the brave! Surely, you jest. Don't just go around saying big names like that."
Facing this reply, Seth remained calm. "I have no reason to lie. They are in Lostvale right now. Anyway, while I don't have sufficient experience, I'm willing to learn the way of adventuring."
"But–"
"Vesstan, don't scare him. Can't you see? He has made up his mind." Nina glanced at Seth. "Young man, what is your name?"
"Rhazien."
"Ok, Rhazien. This is what happens when you become an adventurer…"
Nina revealed the arm she hid behind her body. As it turns out, there was no arm.
Her right arm was severed. She only had one functioning hand!
"I made a mistake. Let those howlers sneak up on me. In my prime, I could easily take two hordes of howlers, yet one blunder turned me into this. Rhazien, think about your decision again."
"I have made up my mind." Seth firmly responded.
He knew of the dangers of adventuring, but that would not stop him. Since magic was cut off from him, only killing creatures would strengthen him.
"Alright." Nina sighed.
She dug beneath the counter. Soon, she appeared again, presenting a document to him.
"Fill this document, and we can continue."