The bartender wiped his glass as he looked through the tavern door. Or was he looking beyond it?
After a few seconds of blankly looking, he glanced at Stell as he answered. "The outside of the city is clear of any monsters for the first few kilometers. After that, there are monsters under First Order."
Chuckling, he continued, "After traveling enough, you will probably find First Order monsters. I don't really know too much about it."
Stell nodded. He didn't expect too much from the bartender. "Is the area around the city a clearing?"
"For the most part." The bartender continued wiping his glass. "There is also a forest to the north and a sea to the west. However, I can't guarantee anything since most people we sent didn't return after crossing a certain line."
That information left Stell at ease. So the area around the city was safe as long as he could deal with the monsters under First Order. In retrospect, that meant that it was dangerous for almost everyone, including him.
With a sigh, Stell finished the beer before dragging Felix out of the tavern, afraid that Felix would make another scandal.
His actions earned him a complaint from Felix, but he didn't care. It was better to have Felix complaining than the bartender complaining.
"Let's go to the pagoda." Stell's words immediately made Felix stop pouting, happy that he could return to that fun place.
After passing through the streets, they could see the dejected residents of the exiles city. Clenching his fist slightly, Stell averted his gaze. Thankfully, he didn't miss anyone from his old home.
If he had to name one person, it would be Mia, but he really didn't believe that the little girl wouldn't be capable of winning a few games. She was even more capable than him, after all.
The thing that worried him might be her being lonely, but he hoped that she would find an intriguing friend like Felix.
'No, there is no fellow as intriguing and unique as this guy.' Stell looked at Felix with a strange expression.
After reaching the pagoda, they skipped the long queue and headed upstairs.
"So, are we playing a game?" Felix almost begged Stell, making him wonder why didn't he go and play the game alone.
"No, we will do something even more interesting later, but first, we have to learn about it." Stell shook his head, uncaring about Felix's pleading eyes.
Only after Felix heard the words 'even more interesting' did he stop pestering Stell, even hurrying him up. Stell couldn't help but smile at the sight, amused by Felix's actions.
"So, what do we do now?" Felix wondered as they sat on comfortable sofas, and holograms appeared in front of them.
"We will research about the outside." Stell smirked faintly.
"You want to go outside?" Felix was incredulous.
"Yeah." Stell nodded. "The games are starting to become risky, and I feel like we need actual combat. There is a need to refine our abilities as well."
"I see." Felix nodded in realization. "What's there to research for? Just go outside and beat up some animals. Or are they monsters?"
Stell only bitterly chuckled. 'Easy for you to say. I might actually die if I go outside. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if a dragon appeared to save you from trouble.'
"Just do whatever you want then. I'll research." And so, Stell's boring research on mutated species and possible powers started.
Felix, faithful to Stell's suggestion, started searching for a particular video online.
"Ahahahhaha!" After some time, a burst of laughter was heard next to Stell. With an irritated expression, Stell glared at Felix.
Felix only laughed amusingly before showing Stell his screen. On it was a video that had thousands of views and some comments.
[ "That's not a bad tactic, but why go for a knife?" - IEatPunktyPie ]
[ "Idk, man. Myb he stpd" - BananaLover98 ]
[ "Can't you see that he did it as a challenge? You really are a stupid ape." - LazyStan1 ]
[ "What did you say?" - BananaLover98 ]
Then, an argument started forming about their respective kingdoms and the history behind them. Although Stell was curious about the history of those kingdoms, he knew that most of the information was probably fake.
"Is that what I think it is?" He asked Felix as his eyelids twitched.
"Yep." Felix's grin irritated Stell. Still slightly curious, he started scrolling through other comments. Surprisingly, most of the comments were positive. However, he learned that it was an old tactic. The only revolutionary thing he did was finish with a knife.
Shaking his head, Stell realized that he may have underestimated the capabilities of the holograms in front of him. After sending a few random friend requests, he continued researching creatures.
"Boring." Felix pouted as he saw Stell's screen. It was of a deer with one horn and black stripes. Apparently, the deer could enter its own shadow at will and exit, piercing a person with its sharp horn.
Continuing to scroll through the hologram, Felix entertained himself.
***
Covered in blood, a thin young man sat atop a giant centipede. With a hand over his face, he lamented his own weakness.
"I can't. The most I can do is High-Tier... It's not enough if I want to deal with them." The young man sighed. Even his cheat didn't allow him to defeat the strongest enemies. There was just too much of a difference between their existences.
"Ah... There must be a way. Otherwise, Lan'er..." As he daydreamed about his love, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his face.
Then, Damian took his sword and downed a red potion he had bought at the alchemy shop.
"If I can defeat the King of The North before he grows up... But it's a futile dream. No cheat will allow me to do that. Especially not mine. In a sense, it's the most useless one."
His regret-filled voice echoed as he dreamed about killing the legendary King of The North and receiving the achievement he longed for. With a weak stagger, he picked up the greatsword and limped to the cave next to him.
"If I earn enough High-Tier achievements, maybe I can trade them for a chance. Maybe..." His sorrowful yet determined voice echoed as he prepared himself for another fight.
Then, as the giant centipedes, each one bigger than him, attacked, he swung his greatsword, cleaving the centipedes as if they weren't even worth mentioning.
The ground beneath him started trembling as he heard a gigantic monster approaching. "Come. Come. I need High-Tier," Damian grinned madly, his sword lighting up.
With a shout, he leaped farther into the darkness.