"Did you actually remember all the details from the last time you played this game?" Adam asked in awe. "How many times did you play this game?"
"I don't know," Valerian replied. He pointed to the center of the map with a bland expression and then emphasized one word with more vigor than any of the others. "Traps."
...
"Well, I can't help you with that," Adam admitted, staring at the middle-aged man's face with utter confusion. He pointed to an area marked with a circle of mud. "Is that 'safe ground' really safe? I've heard that many safe zones become dangerous over time. If that's your base, does it remain safe?"
"I don't know," Valerian responded coldly as he rolled up the map.
"I expected more from you, Adam. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Now you'll pay the price," Valerian declared, putting the map back into his bag before walking away. The additional words in his sentence left Adam gaping.
"You and that black ruffian better not approach my base. I promise that if you don't die on the way there, you'll die trying to get in. Goodbye, Adam."
[A/N: Gasp.]
"Talk about a short-tempered bastard," Adam remarked as he ran in the direction his supposed allies had gone.
--
After hiking through the dark trees for a while, Adam accidentally bumped into someone's back. Stumbling back, he pointed his blade toward what he had collided with. The surrounding area was shrouded in darkness, clearly nighttime. A bright smile broke through the darkness, and Adam saw two fingers wrap around the sword's tip, slowly lowering it.
It was Kaizer.
"Speak of the devil," Adam said, leaning in to examine Kaizer's face.
"Still got that arm?" another voice pierced through the darkness, sounding like Vari.
"Yes, I do," Adam replied, knowing exactly what question was coming next.
He heard rats rustling through the mud in front of him, their vile squeaks and the squelching sounds as they moved through the thick mud.
"We need to cross this. Moon found an opening, but we weren't confident enough to follow him. He might be dead for all we know. Just use that arm of yours to swing us across, Moses," Vari joked.
"Yeah, I'm doing fine, Vari. Thanks for asking. Nothing much happened, I just thought I'd take a rest. No need for your concern, Kaizer... Bastards," Adam retorted, using the sword to guide his movements to get a better look at what they were seeing.
The moonlight pierced the dark sky slightly, allowing Adam to make out some details. It looked like a sea of darkness, surging forward relentlessly.
Adam noticed a green glitch and shielded his eyes, expecting the system to display pop-ups for each rat, but through his fingers, he saw one large panel in bold block letters.
『Union: Resheph's Rodent Unit.』
"I understand," Adam muttered. He didn't even question the lack of description; there wasn't much to describe.
"What do you see, Moses?" Kaizer asked as he slithered to Adam's side, arms folded, and that unsettling smile still on his face.
Adam observed Kaizer's muscular hands and compared them to his own scrawny ones. He wondered if they had the choice to edit their avatars, or if Vari was not a couch-potato gamer in real life like the ones Adam had heard about.
"I see that there's no way in. So, I think we should just move on," Adam responded.
Remembering his updated skill information, Adam decided to check it out for the first time, not waiting for a reply from the duo.
They stared at him as he manipulated the interface, nearly triggering Vari's rage. Just as Vari's anger started to boil over, Kaizer intervened.
"Wait. Be polite," Kaizer advised, calming Vari's brewing anger.
Adam focused on the unfamiliar panel, trying to comprehend its contents.
『Active Skills: NONE
Passive Skills: (Wow, more than the average beginner.)
Mediocrity of a Sinner I
Happy User (Item-Based)
Instinct I (Item-Based)
Gratiam Regis (System Modification)
Nostra Scientia
(Click on a skill for a description.)』
Adam felt bewildered. He understood the first three passive skills, but the last two were confusing, appearing as jumbled letters. He tapped on them, but the dropdown was the same—jumbled words that made no sense.
All he knew about Gratiam Regis was that it modified the system he was using.
"Finished?" Kaizer asked politely, grabbing Adam's shoulder and turning him around.
'Can you guys see five passive skills too?' Adam wondered, but then another memory surfaced:
"You need hidden knowledge up your sleeve to progress. Everyone is lying to you."
This time, the phrase wasn't fleeting; it appeared in green text right in front of him, blocking Kaizer's view.
"I've seen this before," Adam stated.
He was overwhelmed. Since he'd entered this world, he'd been flooded with random information. It was starting to feel like he might genuinely be going crazy.
Kaizer raised his hands, ready to slap Adam, but then a loud voice interrupted them from beyond the swarm of rats.
"HEYYYYYYYYYYY! Varii! Kaizer! I think I recognize this part of the Land. There's fog here too, so you guys might find it familiar," Moon's voice echoed.
"Oh, that explains things," Vari replied.
Kaizer glanced toward Moon's voice while his hand remained poised for a slap. He then turned back to Adam, who was also facing Moon's direction.
Kaizer, without hesitation, brought his hand down, and his slap landed squarely on Adam's cheek. The impact turned Adam's light skin bright red, and he crumpled to the ground, biting his tongue to stifle a scream.
Vari stared with empathetic eyes and disapproval. Hypocritical, given that he'd had worse ideas in mind.
"Moon boi, how'd you survive that without a scratch?" Kaizer inquired softly.
Moon's voice, though not loud, carried through the darkness. "Oh, I didn't. I got many bites; I'm definitely infected now. But luckily, the fabric from the grave site kept them from ripping chunks of flesh off me."
"Must've hurt like hell," Vari called back.
"It definitely did. But it's not my first time, so I know how to handle it," Moon replied.
Adam remained curled up in the mud.
"Have any more of that fabric, Moon boi?" Kaizer asked.
"Even if I did, I couldn't have given it to you given the situation. Besides, they ripped through most of it; I barely have enough left to cover myself. I had to use some for a makeshift bag," Moon responded.
"Well, it's not worth it then. Even if we had enough fabric and could send it, getting to the other side isn't worth losing HP and getting infected," Kaizer said, still smiling.
Vari stood beside him, hands on hips and legs apart, adding, "Plus, since he's infected, it's better to keep him away
from the kid and the arm until we get those herb thingies."
"You're right; we can't have our Moon boi becoming an infected disciple. Let's find some herbs and the safe zone cave. We'll figure out how to get to the other side of these rats," Kaizer declared, as he turned to see that he'd knocked Adam unconscious.
Vari chuckled. "Out like a light."
Moon had already moved on, not hesitating in the face of danger.
Kaizer lifted Adam, careful to keep the arm away from him, strapping it solely to Adam as they moved in the opposite direction of the rat swarm's advance.
"Kaizer," Vari spoke up after six minutes of silence.
"Yes, Benny?" Kaizer replied.
"If this is really happening, not some fever dream or prank by Invertive... You know this is our last chance, right?" Vari said.
"Yeah... We just have to make sure we succeed this time. No excuses. We'll definitely pull it off this time," Kaizer said, the wide grin on his face gradually fading until his teeth were no longer visible.
Vari saw this and thought to speak up, but he had no words.
They moved forward in Silence.