As I walked around, I searched for a restaurant to eat as I was hungry after the day that was full of events.
I strolled for a while and came across a small alley where I could see stall and small restaurant. The small restaurant emanates a cozy and intimate ambiance, inviting patrons to experience a homely atmosphere. The entrance, adorned with warm-hued curtains, leads into a charming space featuring rustic wooden tables and mismatched chairs. Soft, ambient lighting creates a comforting glow, while the subtle aroma of spices adds to the overall sensory appeal.
The walls are adorned with local art, showcasing the community's talent and contributing to the establishment's authentic charm. A handwritten chalkboard menu displays the day's offerings, emphasizing the restaurant's commitment to fresh, locally sourced ingredients. I walked inside and sat down. Following me John sat on the chair opposite to me.
As I looked around the restaurant that was quite full, I was surprised that wherever I looked, people were looking in my direction. A waiter quickly came near me for an order. He was very polite and had a smile on his face which didn't seem to match the restaurant's atmosphere. I was baffled but I still ordered a large size rice and curry while John had no appatite.
I asked John as to why these people were looking at me.... John sighed and replied,".....sigh...Look what you are wearing and what these people are wearing." I looked down on my clothes and realised why they were looking at me...? I was wearing a damn expensive suit compared to the people in the shop that were wearing simple shirts and pants. 'Sh*t, I forgot to change my suit that I was wearing in the studio.'
I was a little embarrassed at my mistake but got over it immediately as I saw a short and thin man with a rugged face running to the table beside me. A man sat hunched over a plate, savoring each bite. Immediately, the short man with excitement and a bit of pride on his face, after reaching the table, said in a loud voice;
"Boss, I got some information about the Hou—"
*********
"Boss, I got some information about the Hou—"before he could continue, the guy he addressed as boss that looked like a typical broker smacked him on the back of his head while keeping his hands between his lips, signalling him to be quite. After that he said in a low voice while looking around,
"Shhuuuu...Idiot, why are you yelling ? The mission given to you is a secret. If the house of gold learned that we leaked this info then death will be the least we need to be worried about....?!!"
After hearing his boss, the guy felt chill run down his spine and with a scared face and shivering body he said," ye...yess...b..boss"
"Now tell me...!"
"....Boss, I heard the maids of the house of gold talk about the rumor going around about the twin flowers."
"...Hmm, the rumor about their love affair.."
"Yes boss, I heard them talk that the younger sister keeps ignoring the elder sister because of a eastern man. From their tone and face filled with longing with a hint of lust it seemed that the man was very handsome." The short guy said with a bit of pride in his voice. The pride was present there because it wasn't easy to learn about the inner information of the house of gold because of their tight security.
"....hmm...that information is of some value." The broker said while thinking about the information he just got and it's implications. Looking at the short guy he said with slight praise in his voice," Good, you can have a bonus this month."
The short guy immediately became happy and said in a slightly loud voice." Thank you, boss" He left after saying that. The moment the short guy left, two men in black dress with mask covering their face sat down before the broker.
The broker that continued his eating didnt seem suprised at their arrival. Without looking at them the broker said," Name ?"
The two in Balck dress also didn't seem to be bothered by his lack of responce but didn't answer the broker but put something on the table in a way that only the broker could see it.
The broker seeing it didn't continue his questions but rather put his hand in his pocket and took out what seem to be a folded paper. Seeing the paper, the two men took out a full pouch from their pocket and put it in the middle of the table. The broker seeing this kept the paper near the pouch and collected the pouch. After checking the pouch the broker noded his head. Seeing the broker nod his head, the two men took the piece of paper waited for the broker to speak.
"The talents that has arrived in this month are the reason for "their" movements."
After hearing that, the two men took their leave. From the start till the end, they didn't speak a word.
***********
Seeing the two men leave the restaurant, I was filled with suprise and questions.
John said that the rumours say that both the twin flowers have fallen for the same guy but according to what the short guy said, only the younger one has fallen for the man while the older one has not. If so, why is there any conflict between the two sisters ? They should be fine if they have not fallen fo the same guy, unless....unless the guy doesn't like the younger sister but the older sister. If this is true then, conflict may happen but this wasn't what suprised me the most.
This broker guy said that many people has arrived here in this month, not days or even week but month. This means that not every player was given the same starting point. The players that arrived earlier definitely has more advantage in the tutorial. In a month, they could get their hands on many crucial information about the dungeon. They could even make connections to the influential people of the dungeon. They have a huge advantage compared to others.
If that is the case then, why would the house of gold conduct the party ? They could probably meet the one that has arrived earlier much faster. Thinking that it didn't make sense, I was about to take out the invitation given by them to read and find the reason, the waiter placed the food on table. It had a nice aroma. I took the spoon and took a bite. It was delicious.
After eating I left the restaurant and was about to go back to my place but John spoke;
"Can I....leave now..?" I turned my head and looked at him for a while and said," you may leave, if I want help I will search for you so give me your address but if you tried to fool me with a wrong address then you know the consequences...!!"
Seeing my erric smile, he was frightened and immediately went back to the restaurant and returned after.a minute with a piece of paper. I took the piece of paper.
'Orchard Road' was written on it.
After reading, I threw the paper in the bin and took my leave. John too left the place seeing me disappear in the crowd. I went back to the studio. My room was in the hotel that was in front of me. It was quite luxurious. It exudes opulence and sophistication at every turn. The entrance welcomes guests with grandeur, featuring polished marble floors, intricate chandeliers casting a warm glow, and a concierge desk adorned with fresh flower arrangements.
I went inside the hotel. A beautiful women was sitting in the reception area. I went near the reception. Seeing me the receptionist said, " How may I help you ?" I asked for my room key to the receptionist. She with a smile asked my name," Bittu" I replied. She looked at the registration and with the same smile provided me a key and said," Mr. Bittu your room is on the 4th floor."
I looked at the key for the room number, that was 402, then nodded, and left. Though I failed to notice her lingering gaze on me. I took the elevator, entered my room and rested on my bed straight away.
As I laid on the bed relaxing. I looked at the room I was in. The rooms looked like a haven of luxury, featuring high-thread-count linens on king-sized beds, tasteful artwork, and panoramic views of the city. The bathroom is a spa-like retreat, equipped with marble countertops, a rainfall shower, and premium toiletries. Attention to detail is evident in every aspect, from personalized stationery to the curated minibar stocked with fine wines and delicacies.
If I remembered correctly, The lobby boasts high ceilings adorned with detailed moldings, and large windows allow natural light to illuminate the space, highlighting exquisite art pieces adorning the walls. A grand staircase, or a set of glass elevators, leads to upper floors, each marked by discreetly placed indicators of exclusivity.
"....sigh...I never thought that I will live in a place like this again after that incident..." I said with nostalgia apparent in my voice.
"Well, whatever...no need to reminiscence the past."
I reached into my pocket, retrieving the invitation. As I unfolded it and scanned the contents, a revelation struck me: I wasn't invited as a guest but specifically as a musician. The wording hinted at a role focused on my musical abilities, as if being part of the audience or forming connections wasn't the primary intention. What added a layer of unexpected detachment was the subtle suggestion that, should I choose not to attend, an alternative musician would seamlessly step into my place.
At first, I was baffled at the blant disrespect in the invitation if it could even be called as such. Then, My eyes were filled with anger as veins started to form on my face but I restrained it before it could change my expression.
The good impression that I had of the house of gold because of the butler's humble attitude, worsened. But even if my impression of them worsened, I still need to attend the party because of what was in front of me...
Name: Bittu Sah
Age: 19
Race: Human (male)
Stats: Strength -> G
Agility -> G
Stamina -> G
Constitution -> G
Spirit -> Locked
Perception -> Locked
[Abilities: None]
[Alias: None]
[Equipment: None]
[Inventory: Empty]
Even after all this time, the log out button has not appeared and the voice command is not working. To confirm my thoughts and to learn the thoughts of others on this matter and to know if they are in the same predicament, I need to attend the party. The party is tonight at 8. I looked at the watch on my hand and found, it was around 7 right now. It was about an hour before the party. So I decided to take a short nap. I took off my clothes not wanting to iron them again.
After about 15 minutes of my sleep, I heard a tapping sound of the door opening. I woke up the moment I heard the noise. I was shocked at the noise. 'I should be the only one that was given this room. What's the other person doing here ?' unless....he is here uninvited. I became alert when I thought this and my body tensed. I held back my impulse to jump on the uninvited guest. The foot steps were light. 'It seems the intruder is a woman.'
When the woman was near the bed, Bittu was asleep at. She took out a knife from a hidden pocket near her legs and held it. Observing him for a while and seeing him still and sleeping on the bed, she decided to attack with the intention to kill.
The moment the "swing" sound of the knife came, Bittu opened his eyes, raised his hand in reflex and caught the hand that had the knife. The woman was shocked because she had checked and confirmed that he was asleep, further she had waited a lot longer than necessary to take action, for she wanted no mistakes. But her traning came into play, she swiftly became calm and jumped on top of the bed in a way that Bittu was beneath her between her knees to make him less mobile. She loosened her grip on the knife and let it fall and caught it with another hand going in for another lethal strike while she used her free hand to hold onto the hand that caught her.
Bittu, seeing the lethal strike to his neck, was a little panicked because even if he has practiced a lot of martial arts, he was self-taught so, he has never practiced with sharp weapons and never been attacked with the intention to kill, so he couldn't phantom what to do. But his survival instinct with his self- taught moves, Bittu instinctively punched the hand that held the knife with full power, which knocked out the knife away from the woman.
Bittu became suprised at his instinct but was alerted that the danger hasn't finished when he heard a painful grunt. Bittu seeing the momentary blankness of the women punched her legs to make them loosen and free his legs. The women seeing that Bittu has freed himself, restrained herself from making a grunt and searched for the knife.
Bittu seeing her search for the knife, also started searching for it. The women saw the knife near the door of the bathroom. She rushed to take it. Bittu still hasn't found the knife but seeing the woman rush, he too followed her. While following he saw the knife. The knife was quite far from him but near the woman, knowing that the woman will pick up the knife first and attack him again, Bittu searched for somthing hard and small to throw at the woman or even knock her out. Bittu while rushing saw a small glass ball on top of the glass table near the bed. He picked it up and using all the experience he has in bowling in cricket he threw the ball with all his strength at the woman's head.
The woman without looking back was rushing to take the knife because it was the only knife she had because of the tight security of the hotel she could only bring this one in, further it was the one used to cut fruits. While running she was thinking,' If I had a gun, it could have been so much easier..! Damn the security'.
The moment she was about to pick the knife up, she was hit by somthing hard right on the back of her head which further cracked and teared I right into her brain. She died.
Bittu was shocked when the glass ball hit on her head and cracked. The broken pieces went right into her brain. Bittu was shocked and baffled at the sight of blood flowing out of the back of the head of the woman. Bittu just wanted to knock her out to question her just like John but, never did he expect that she would die. Bittu just stood still, frozen because he killed someone.
*Badump*
Guilt started to form and grow in his heart like the water flowing out of a broken dam while his heart started to race. The moment he was about to be consumed by guilt, a thought suddenly came to him.' This is a game, a VR, not the real world. When the bug is fixed he can return to the actual and real world. This is all just....fake.' when Bittu thought this, he could lessen his guilt and calm down a little.
Once he calmed down a little, he took a deep breath to further calm his racing heart.