A long disappointed hiss left Sethryn's lips.
"Well, I shouldn't be disappointed. What was I expected from goblin henchmen?"
Sethryn had absorbed all twenty of the crimson mana cores that the goblins had to offer him, boosting his mana core points and experience points by an additional four hundred and two hundred points respectively.
He clicked on his profile to check the changes.
<< AVATAR PROFILE >>
Name: Sethryn
Age: 18
Sobriquet: [ None Achieved ]
Race: Human
Level: 2
Grace: ??? [ Yet To Be Unlocked ]
Grace Type: ??? [ Yet To Be Unlocked ]
Class: Tank
Mana Type: Neutral [ +1260 MCP To Tier 1 ]
Skills:
– Right Of Roaming
– Shield Skill: Mana Resistance
Inventory:
– Shield [ Level 4 ]
– Basic Map
Coins: 0
Experience Points [EXP]: 1100
Mana Core Points [MCP]: 740/2000
Life Points [LP]: 400
>>
His profile still looked bland like an ungarnished meal as he peeked at it with disdain.
"Not even a coin. I'm no different from a church mouse in this world."
Lysar simply stood beside him, gazing and wondering what her saviour was lamenting about.
Sethryn turned to her in his annoyance and pointed to his status screen, making Lysar look that way.
"Can you believe that? Not even a coin."
Lysar looked where Sethryn pointed but did not see a thing. She stared at Sethryn with a confused look, thinking him to be crazy.
Sethryn blinked and they gazed at each other for a few seconds without seeing anything.
It dawned on him that Lysar could not see the screen.
That was how Alderix was structured. To gain the ability to peek into another player's details would require a high-tier skill and that was still very farfetched.
"You know, like coins... money," Sethryn started to blab.
"What level are you on?"
Lysar kept quiet.
She did not know what Sethryn was asking her and when he asked the same question again, Lysar answered as she understood it.
"We are on the level of the Forest of Jogund."
Sethryn's eyes fluttered. "Huh?"
"Is she stupid?" he thought.
"What is your player level?" he asked again.
Lysar looked around, "Player?" she muttered.
Sethryn now realised that she truly did not understand what he had been saying, much to his surprise.
"She's an NPC?" he wondered but there were no repetitive movements from her.
Sethryn merely assumed that the repetitive movement of non-playable characters (NPC) did not apply only to Keepers but it appeared to affect all NPCs.
Alderix was modelled to be as realistic as possible when compared to the real world where he came from.
"Saviour... thank you for saving them!" Lysar shouted, bowing before Sethryn.
Sethryn's face flushed with embarrassment. He had never been taken off guard like that before.
"It's... it's nothing."
...
...
...
"Why are you so far into the forest and alone?"
Lysar looked away, avoiding Sethryn's direct gaze as if she did not hear what he said.
Sethryn took a quick check and glanced over at the elf girl. He noticed the bruises on her skin, the torn parts of her clothes and how ragged they were, her calloused toes and scraped shins and the tattered hair.
Lysar was battered with misery.
He looked at her again, this time gaining her attention by grabbing her arm. Lysar winced in pain and broke loose of Sethryn's grip.
"Body aches, too? She must have gone through a lot in their hands."
"And you family?"
Sethryn noticed a change of expression with his recent question.
"Yes. What about your family? Where are they?" he continued digging deep, "Maybe I can help you find them."
Lysar merely shook her head and rubbed her fingers nervously.
"No? You don't want to go back home? Is that it?"
Sethryn kept on firing her with questions until Lysar was fed up and rose to her feet.
"Nooo! I don't know what I want. My father is long gone and my sister, Freya, is missing. She's missing because she was trying to protect me. The same with Elon. It's all my fault."
The elf started to cry.
"It's... it's all my fault."
"No, it's not. You don't have to blame yourself, instead blame it on your circumstances else you two would be here, happy and laughing."
Sethryn gazed at Lysar. Her elven eyes were red and swollen due to the recent stress and crying.
They stood on the edge of the ancient forest, the trees towering above, their hairs swayed as the wind commanded and Lysar's facial expression etched with worry.
Sethryn took a tentative step forward, his hand outstretched.
"Lysar," he whispered, his voice gentle as a breeze rustling through leaves.
"We'll find your sister."
Lysar's eyes were already watered.
"You promise?"
Sethryn itched his head.
"I can't promise you that but we'll try our best to find her."
Sethryn's fingers brushed against Lysar's, a silent offering of support.
"We'll start by searching every inch of this forest while you tell me your story. It seems to me like it's an interesting one."
...
...
...
The sun dipped to allow the evening to come.
The day turned to night and night to day again.
The cycle continued until many days had passed.
Sethryn and Lysar, over the past days, have combed the entire forest but still could not find any traces of Elon and Freya, except for a piece of her clothing that hung on a root which Lysar recognised.
The player, Sethryn, from Lysar's backstory now had a hint of what he was supposed to do on the 2nd Floor — to liberate the elves and save them from the iron rule of Jogund.
It was similar to what he did back at Pinana Village but he expected it to be more tasking this time.
He could not take Lysar back to Eldarion since he was sure that the Goblin King's men would be expecting her to return sooner or later.
Whatever it was that they must do had to be done in isolation. That meant that they were going to prepare alone without any support or guidance.
"If the Goblin King is as strong as she describes then she might be the Keeper of this Floor."
As he thought up a strategy to face the goblins, the image of Simha — Keeper of the 1st Floor — flashed through his mind.
"Argh! If she's anything like that guy then it's going to be an irksome quest."
Sethryn had not gulped a single drop of the soup he had in his hand. He returned to his reality and soughed before taking a drink of the cooling soup.
As he drank he noticed that Lysar was still lost in thought as well, gaping at him but surely not seeing him.
"Is she crying?"
She was crying with a heavy heart.
"Hey! We will save the elves and your sister," Sethryn said.
Lysar blinked and realising herself, she now gazed deep into Sethryn's eyes with her eyes full of tears, seeking pity and comfort.
"I have one request, saviour."
Sethryn dropped his bowl on the ground and listened.
"What's that?" he asked.
"Help me defeat the Goblin King."